I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 199 The Anlan Conference Begins! Shen Shixing, President of the Shen Nian Research Association

March 15th.

With the rare "we'll take care of the sky if it falls" attitude of the three Grand Secretaries, the young Wanli Emperor made an exception and agreed to allocate one million taels of silver for the river transport project before a clear strategy for river management was established.

The current Ming Dynasty.

Many things are not that no one is capable of doing them, but rather that officials shirk their responsibilities, engage in power struggles, form cliques and impeach each other, and face difficulties in allocating funds from the imperial court, which disheartens some officials.

Even if they had a good plan, they felt it would not only be difficult to implement but would also offend people, so they kept quiet about it.

This strategy.

It wasn't because Shen Nian was intelligent that he was the only one who could come up with this idea.

Rather, Shen Nian did not care about his personal career and was unafraid to make mistakes.

Shen Nian was like a tinderbox.

The highly flammable and explosive Yin Zhengmao, as well as the extremely high ignition points of Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang, were all ignited.

With ample budgets from the imperial court and the cabinet taking responsibility, lower-level officials are encouraged to volunteer, thus further increasing the success rate of river management.

There was no court without Zhang Juzheng.

In order to implement the new reform policies, officials holding a substantive post of the third rank or above must have such courage.

……

The next day.

The imperial court drafted an edict to announce to the public—

One million taels of silver were allocated for river transport.

Anyone of the fifth rank or above who is knowledgeable about river management can submit new river management plans and compete for the position of Governor-General of the Grand Canal.

at the same time.

Officials, clerks, and commoners who are ineligible to run for the position of Governor-General of the Grand Canal can also be richly rewarded if they offer good advice.

The river management plan proposed by Wu Guifang, the former governor of the Grand Canal, was a plan costing 50,000 taels of silver. Now that the imperial court has allocated 1 million taels of silver, it is natural to formulate a new plan for river management.

This is the decree.

This excited some officials in the capital who had served as river officials and grain transport officials.

The imperial court provides money, power, and special opportunities for promotion; whoever has the ability can advance further in their official career.

……

Two days later, the imperial court issued another imperial edict.

The Ministry of Works was ordered to take the lead, with the cooperation of local officials in the four provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu, where the main river floods occurred, to select those knowledgeable in river management, and then hold a river safety conference in the capital two months later.

The participants are—

Local river officials and canal transport officials, clerks and officials who were proficient in hydrology and topography and skilled in drawing river maps, as well as river workers and canal workers who were active on the waterways year-round and had skills or inventions. This included blacksmiths and carpenters who were skilled in making special equipment for the waterways, and dredging workers, laborers, and river soldiers who were skilled in dredging.

The imperial court would dispatch secret agents to monitor the situation, and if any qualified participants were missed, the local officials in charge would be severely punished.

In short: those who are good at river management and not good at it must participate.

These individuals will be selected locally.

Before entering the capital, all food, drink and other necessities were provided by the local government; after entering the capital, the Ministry of Works took full responsibility.

At that time, the young Wanli Emperor will also personally attend the conference and meet with those who have special skills in river management.

The idea for this Anlan Conference was conceived by Shen Nian.

Its purpose, of course, is to prepare all available talents and resources for the new Governor-General of the Grand Canal, to lay a solid foundation, and to enable the new Governor-General of the Grand Canal to perform even better.

If this succeeds.

This is a great deed that benefits the present and will last for generations.

Simultaneously.

The three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet wrote letters to local officials skilled in river management, asking them to draft strategies for river management and promising what the court could do for them.

Among them, the letters written to Fu Xizhi, the governor of Shanxi, and Pan Jixun, the governor of Jiangxi, were signed by the names of the three Grand Secretaries.

This is truly a show of sincerity!

This move by the imperial court also generated a huge reaction among the people.

Unexpectedly, the imperial court suddenly showed such importance to the officials, clerks, craftsmen, and laborers in charge of river management.

You need to know.

Whether it was a river management official or a river management worker, it was a tough job that many people were unwilling to do.

River management officials bear the risk of being held accountable if the river breaches its banks.

The common people who were responsible for river management were more likely to be used as "human stakes" to forcibly block the breach, while the skilled craftsmen registered as artisans only earned five cents a day, and their descendants were not allowed to change their professions without permission, making them the lowest of the low.

Now, these mud-legged men who are often soaked in water may be personally summoned by the young Wanli Emperor.

It is indeed a strange thing.

this moment.

Everyone felt the sincerity and determination of the imperial court in managing the river.

……

This afternoon.

Hanlin Academy, Academician Hall.

Wang Xijue, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, came to Shen Shixing's office to discuss matters related to the daily lectures of the young Wanli Emperor.

This pair were the second and first place finishers in the same year.

Although their personalities are quite different—one fiery, the other gentle; one impatient, the other slow—and they've even fought when they disagreed, they have a very good relationship in private.

After finishing their business, the two sat down at the tea table and drank tea.

at this time.

Shen Shixing said with a smile, "Yuan Yu, I've been studying someone recently, and the more I study him, the more I feel that having him in the current court is truly a blessing for our Great Ming Dynasty, a blessing for us all!"

Wang Xijue was taken aback and pointed to his nose.

"I?"

Shen Shixing curled his lip and said, "What's so special about you, a firecracker that explodes at the slightest touch? I'm studying Ziheng. The more I study him, the more impressive I become. His future achievements will far surpass those of Grand Secretary Zhang, and he might even become the most outstanding Grand Secretary of our dynasty!"

"Ziheng is indeed outstanding, but surpassing Grand Secretary Zhang will be quite difficult. Let me explain in detail!"

Shen Shixing paused for a moment, then took a small sip of tea.

Just as the impatient Wang Xijue was about to start cursing him, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Ziheng attracted His Majesty's attention by lecturing at the Inner Study Hall and became the daily lecturer and recorder of the emperor's daily activities. At first, I thought that his rapid promotion was because he was always by His Majesty's side, his daily lectures were energetic, and he occasionally had some cleverness. But later, I thought about everything Ziheng had done and found it more and more unbelievable."

"In the past three years, many important decisions made by the court have been inseparable from him. From his theories on the waste of resources, the prosperous times, and the policies for pacifying the people, to recommending the Maritime Affairs Bureau and establishing the Drafting Office, not a single policy was wrong, and not a single policy was something that ordinary people would not have thought of, including his suggestion on the river management issue this time..."

"I believe that the current reforms of the Ming Dynasty can do without Grand Secretary Zhang, but they cannot do without Ziheng!"

"Ziheng is very pure in his actions. I have never seen anyone implement the idea of ​​'the people are the most important' so thoroughly. He truly puts into practice the principle of 'officials should suffer rather than the common people.' In addition, his brilliance lies in setting a grand goal for His Majesty and all the civil and military officials: to ensure that all the people in the world have enough to eat!"

……

"Furthermore, what I admire most is that Ziheng transformed Zhang Ge Lao's New Policies into the Wanli New Policies, and the court's reforms into a nationwide reform. This move was truly remarkable and is enough to make him famous in history!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xijue's eyes lit up.

Throughout history, the biggest pain point of new policies and reforms has been that policies cease to function once the person in charge leaves.

For example, Fan Zhongyan's Qingli Reforms and Wang Anshi's Xining Reforms.

However, Shen Nian continuously enhanced the influence of the young Wanli Emperor on the new policies and reforms, making him the person in charge of the reforms. In this way, even if Zhang Juzheng left the court, the new policies would continue.

For example, right now.

Although the young Wanli Emperor never ruled in his own right, the entire court believed that these strategies had been approved by him and would be difficult to overturn later.

In this way, they gained motivation.

In addition, there was Shen Nian's pioneering work in reform and change.

He got the people of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty involved.

Take, for example, the upcoming Anlan Conference. If it were any other official, even if they held a conference on river management, they would only gather a group of officials in charge of transport and river administration to participate, with the common people merely acting as executors.

However, Shen Nian used the Anlan Conference to elevate the status of river engineering workers, allowing them to see their excellence in the industry and encouraging them to offer suggestions and contribute to river management.

This kind of respect.

This was enough to unite the people and help them overcome the river disaster together with the court, instead of forcing them to relocate their entire families.

“Indeed, indeed! At such a young age, he has such awareness, and with the help of his family, he is very likely to become the future Grand Secretary!” Wang Xijue exclaimed.

Shen Shixing looked at Wang Xijue.

"In recent years, many officials, including you, have said that I am moderate in my dealings and good at resolving conflicts, but I am always unclear about my stance. Next, I will take Ziheng as my role model and study him carefully to see how far I can go by following his choices!"

"Even if my official career doesn't go very far, I can go very far in the path of writing books and leaving a lasting legacy!"

Say it.

Shen Shixing took out a thick book from the side. The contents of the book were all records of Shen Nian's actions in the court and his personal insights.

He clearly intends to write a book about the reforms and changes of the Ming Dynasty, with Shen Nian as the protagonist.

Wang Xijue leaned closer and said, "Rumo, how about we co-author this book? When we get old and retire, if we don't embezzle, take advantage of, or seize land, and if we want to live comfortably, we might even have to rely on this book to support ourselves in our old age!"

Shen Shixing was immediately delighted and said, "This matter is between you and me, and no third person should know about it!"

Wang Xijue smiled and nodded.

……

March 20th, Jiangling County, Zhang Juzheng's ancestral residence, inside the study.

Zhang Juzheng heard that the imperial court would spend one million taels of silver on river management and prepare for the Anlan Conference.

He knew that most of these ideas came from Shen Nian.

"What a brilliant idea! What a brilliant idea! Young people are bold and adept at taking risks!" Zhang Juzheng exclaimed.

If Zhang Juzheng were in court.

He might not even agree to such a plan.

Because of past mistakes, and because the imperial court had thrown too much money into the Yellow River and the Grand Canal, without even a ripple.

In addition, he had too many enemies, and any mistake would lead to an attack.

"Do your best. If any problems arise, I'll take care of it!" Zhang Juzheng murmured.

After thinking it over, Zhang Juzheng decided to write a private letter to the young Wanli Emperor.

Emperor Wanli was willing to spend one million taels of silver on river management, but Empress Dowager Li and Feng Bao must have had some complaints.

Because the court had claimed to be short of funds when repairing the inner palace, the young Wanli Emperor's wedding was even more budget-conscious.

Zhang Juzheng needed to encourage the young Wanli Emperor.

Let him know what this matter would bring to the Ming Dynasty if it succeeded, and at the same time let the young Wanli Emperor know that even if it failed, it would still be an attempt to accumulate experience, which would be completely worthwhile.

……

March 21st, nightfall.

Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commission, Nanchang Prefecture.

Inside the study of a mansion.

As the 58-year-old Jiangxi Governor Pan Jixun read the letter jointly written by the three Grand Secretaries, earnestly requesting him to write a strategy for river management and to run for the position of River Transport Commissioner, his eyes welled up with tears.

These past two years.

He was in charge of land surveying and the Single Whip Law in Shanxi, but he never forgot about river management.

Almost every month, old friends from the river would write to him to inform him of the current situation of the river.

He couldn't help but recall the days when he ate and lived with the laborers who built the dike.

At that time, although he was very tired, he was full of a sense of accomplishment.

last year.

His river management plan was rejected primarily because of limited funding.

Now, with one million taels of silver and sufficient power over river transport, he can make a big splash.

Also.

With the land survey in Jiangxi now completed, he can be transferred at any time.

After recalling his past experiences in river management, Pan Jixun brought out a box of books about river management that he had hidden under his bed.

The budget was one million taels of silver, plus the full sincerity of the three cabinet ministers.

This led him to decide to further refine his previous strategies for controlling the Yellow River, namely "building dikes to confine the water and using water to attack the sand," and for managing the Grand Canal, namely "storing clear water (in the Huai River) and scouring muddy water (in the Yellow River)" to ensure the smooth transport of grain.

This time.

No longer will he merely skim the surface, no longer will he give up halfway; he wants to ensure the Yellow River is free from trouble for a hundred years and that the Grand Canal canal runs smoothly for a hundred years.

……

March 23, Qiantang County.

The investigation by the Censorate into the Shen family's "selling the pens of the Junior Grand Secretary at high prices and engaging in market manipulation" has finally reached a conclusion.

The Shen family is innocent; they were framed by someone.

As soon as the results come out.

The people of Qiantang, especially those who worked in the Shen family as copyists, proofreaders, pattern makers, engravers, binders, and printers, took to the streets to celebrate.

at the same time.

Some people claimed that it was possible that Nanjing officials had deliberately framed Shen Nian.

The people of Qiantang County were filled with righteous indignation, and some even went to Nanjing to stand on the street and insult those who had framed the Shen family.

at the same time.

The workers at Shen's Bookstore wrote a small newspaper and posted it in every corner of Hangzhou Prefecture.

They claimed that if any tabloids continue to slander and frame the Shen family, once they find the mastermind behind it, they will do everything in their power, generation after generation, to fabricate tabloids and publish the mastermind's crimes, ensuring that he will be infamous for eternity.

This move is extremely ruthless.

Given the Shen family's ability to print books, it was a complete blow to small newspaper workshops.

not to mention.

They spoke the truth and did not violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty, so they could openly and legitimately publish their statements.

These people did not do this at the instigation of Shen's mother and Shen Nian, but because destroying the Shen family would mean destroying their livelihood, as well as the livelihood of their son and grandson, so they rebelled in anger.

In this regard.

Officials throughout Hangzhou Prefecture expressed tacit approval and did not think these people's actions were excessive.

If this frame-up succeeds, Hangzhou Prefecture's commercial taxes will decrease significantly, and thousands of people will be unable to make a living and will likely riot. Therefore, they strongly support the people of Hangzhou Prefecture.

……

When Zhang Siwei, who was in Nanjing, learned of this, he was so angry that he almost jumped into the Qinhuai River.

In Shanxi, the Zhang family had monopolized commerce for many years, and he believed he had treated the people quite well. However, after the imperial court banned commerce, many people celebrated by slaughtering pigs and sheep.

Unexpectedly, his mere scheme to slander the Shen family caused such a commotion among the people of Qiantang County.

Many people in Jiangnan are very difficult to deal with.

They really pushed him to the limit.

These people could run up to the government office, point their fingers at the officials, and curse them by name: "You gave birth to a child without an anus, your mother is a servant, you filthy scoundrel raised by a whore..."

You can curse as much as you want, no matter how dirty it is.

Zhang Siwei did not want to ruin his remaining official reputation, and he would certainly not dare to think of such a strategy again in the future.

recent.

Hearing that Shen Nian had offered new strategies and that the new policies in the court were progressing rapidly, he couldn't sleep at night.

If he cannot be reinstated and return to the cabinet before Zhang Juzheng returns to the capital, he may never have another chance in his life.

(End of this chapter)