I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 234 Yin Zhengmao, the Grand Secretary Who Climbed Over the Wall: 50,000 Taels of Silver Spent with the Impressive Aura of 5 Million Taels
In the blink of an eye, it was December, and the weather grew colder and colder.

Gao Gong's "Last Words on His Sickbed" gradually disappeared from the lips of scholars in the capital. Instead, people talked about which alley had brothel girls with graceful figures and alluring eyes, which restaurants had added new dishes, wines and games, and which romantic writer had produced a new masterpiece praising the love between a poor scholar and a fox spirit.

The twelfth lunar month has always been a time for scholars and literati to visit celebrities, eat and drink, socialize, and indulge in leisure and entertainment.

Some well-off scholars frequented brothels and red-light districts, making friends with groups of like-minded people.

It's hard to imagine whether these people, once they enter officialdom, can truly dedicate themselves to public service and serve the people wholeheartedly.

Of course, there are also diligent and eager learners.

Some poor scholars, after studying late into the night, would pat their chests and swear to the moon: "If I pass the imperial examination in the future, I will definitely work hard like Minister Shen to ensure that the people of the world have enough to eat!"

Currently, Shen Nian's saying "Let the people of the world have enough to eat" is as popular among the people as Du Fu's saying "Make the ruler like Yao and Shun, and restore the purity of customs."

This is the ultimate ideal of all scholars and officials.

As for who genuinely sees this as their career aspiration and who is merely paying lip service to show off their lofty ambitions, that remains to be seen.

……

On the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Shen Nian came to the Ministry of Revenue because she had official business to attend to.

He walked through the front courtyard and had just reached the Right Vice Minister's Hall when he saw Yin Zhengmao, the Grand Secretary and Minister of Revenue, rushing towards the back courtyard with his official robes in his hand.

Its speed is extremely fast.

It's like catching a thief, or to be more precise, it's more like catching someone in the act of adultery.

"Grand Secretary Yin!" Shen Nian called out.

Unfortunately, by the time he shouted, Yin Zhengmao had already disappeared around the corner.

Shen Nian was very curious and quickly followed.

When he arrived at the southeast corner of the backyard, he saw Yin Zhengmao, who was 66 years old, sitting on the wall with the help of a bamboo ladder, about to climb over the wall using the bamboo ladder outside.

At the bottom of the bamboo ladder, two clerks were holding it up, looking worried.

Shen Nian looked puzzled.

A high-ranking cabinet minister and Minister of Revenue, instead of using the gate, actually had to climb over the wall.

"Grand Secretary Yin, there's danger! Why are you climbing over the wall so early in the morning?" Shen Nian shouted, then quickly walked to the foot of the wall.

When Yin Zhengmao saw Shen Nian, he couldn't help but show excitement.

"Ziheng, quickly climb over the wall. You're fast on your feet, so go to the Imperial Observatory first and privately tell Yang Hongliang, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, not to submit the memorial to the palace for the time being. We'll talk about it when I see him!"

"Don't ask why yet, go quickly! Go quickly!" Yin Zhengmao said seriously, then moved aside to make room for Shen Nian to sit on the fence.

Shen Nian stopped asking questions and immediately climbed up the bamboo ladder.

When he sat down on the wall, he was surprised to find that the gate of the Imperial Observatory was right across from him, separated only by a narrow alley about fifty paces wide.

In Shen Nian's memory, the Imperial Observatory was located opposite the Ministry of Rites.

If you are going from the Ministry of Revenue to the Imperial Observatory, you need to go around the Ministry of Rites and pass the Imperial Medical Academy if you go through the front gate, and you need to go through the Court of State Ceremonies if you go through the back gate to get there (as shown in the picture).

Using this method to bypass the firewall can save at least fifteen minutes of time.

After a moment's thought, Shen Nian understood why Yin Zhengmao was in such a hurry.

At present, all government offices submit their memorials to the Office of Transmission before sunrise, so that the Office of Transmission can categorize them and hand them over to the Grand Secretariat or the young Wanli Emperor.

Yang Hongliang, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, was ordered by the Emperor to go to Sizhou to survey the feng shui of the Ming Ancestral Mausoleum. He returned yesterday at dusk.

His memorial needs to be submitted to the Office of Transmission this morning, and then directly handed over to Emperor Wanli for review.

Yin Zhengmao most likely realized that there was something wrong with his memorial, and since he could not send anyone to openly intercept the memorials from the Imperial Observatory, he took matters into his own hands and chose to climb over the wall.

Shen Nian is at a level where she can do all of this for Yin Zhengmao.

soon.

Shen Nian climbed down the bamboo ladder placed on the outer wall and said, "Grand Secretary Yin, I will stop you immediately. Please don't climb over the wall again!"

“Okay!” Yin Zhengmao nodded.

Immediately after seeing that Shen Nian had entered the gate of the Imperial Observatory, Yin Zhengmao said to the two clerks under the outer wall, "Hold on tight, this old man is going down!"

At this moment, Yin Zhengmao was no longer in a hurry, but he refused to admit that he was getting old.

He enjoys the exhilarating feeling of bypassing the Great Firewall.

And since he was already sitting on the wall, there was no difference between coming from the inside wall and coming from the outside wall.

After climbing down the wall, he planned to rest for a while before entering the Imperial Observatory.

And this moment.

Shen Nian had found Yang Hongliang, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, who was holding a prepared memorial and was about to order someone to submit it to the Office of Transmission.

If Shen Nianruo had arrived a moment too late, she would not have been able to stop the memorial from being sent to the Office of Transmission.

The side hall of the Imperial Observatory, the tea room.

"Minister Shen, you...you said that Grand Secretary Yin almost climbed over the wall to find me in order to stop me from submitting my memorial? I saw Grand Secretary Yin at the Ministry of Revenue yesterday evening and had someone deliver a letter to him. It contained the detailed contents of this memorial. The ancestral tombs can be moved, and the reasons are sufficient. This is in line with his expectations!"

The Director of the Imperial Observatory was a fifth-rank official, and Yang Hongliang naturally addressed Shen Nian, a third-rank official, as "your humble servant."

Shen Nian said, "Grand Secretary Yin will arrive shortly, and then we will know the reason!"

After saying that, Shen Nian glanced at the memorial on the table not far away.

Yang Hongliang immediately understood. He knew that the plan to relocate the ancestral tombs and the people of Sizhou was proposed by Shen Nian, and this memorial should be shown to Shen Nian.

"Minister Shen, would you please take a look and see where there is anything wrong with this memorial?" Yang Hongliang handed the memorial to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian took the memorial and read it very carefully.

He also wanted to know what viewpoint Yang Hongliang had expressed in his memorial, which made Yin Zhengmao disregard etiquette and climb over the wall early in the morning.

Before long, an expression of admiration appeared on Shen Nian's face.

It's true that everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

Yang Hongliang's reasons for moving the mausoleum are simply irrefutable.

Firstly, it aligns with the will of Heaven.

He and a group of imperial astronomers observed the celestial phenomena and discovered that the imperial star was shining brightly, auspicious energy was abundant, and the dragon energy of the world was gathering in the capital. The energy of the ancestral mausoleum and the purple energy of the emperor were of the same origin, merging and resonating. If they could move to a place closer to the capital, His Majesty would be blessed by his ancestors, and the national fortune of the Ming Dynasty would be even more prosperous.

Secondly, the geography of China.

The Imperial Astronomical Official, after careful examination of the geography and analysis of Yin and Yang, concluded that Sizhou was frequently plagued by floods, a sign that the earth's energy was failing to flow properly. This was a warning to His Majesty that if the ancestral tombs were to remain in a flood-prone area, it would obstruct the flow of energy. The capital city, however, was a place that avoided the Kan (water) and embraced the Kun (earth) directions, with the Yanshan Mountains to the north, the Taihang Mountains to the west, the Canghai Sea to the east, and the Heji River to the south. It possessed all four cardinal directions. Moving the ancestral tombs to the vicinity of the capital would not only not harm the dragon energy of the founding emperor, but would also make the dragon energy of the capital even more powerful and abundant, ensuring the Ming Dynasty's lasting prosperity for ten thousand generations.

Thirdly, it conforms to human ethics.

The utmost filial piety and brotherly love resonate with heaven and earth. The Dao is the vast and righteous energy of heaven and earth. Your Majesty's relocation of the mausoleum is to prevent the ancestors from being disturbed by floods and to allow them to enjoy peace and tranquility forever. This move will surely be approved by all the ancestors and will protect the Ming Dynasty, ensuring its peace, prosperity, and flourishing.

……

Shen Nian saw many obscure and difficult-to-understand Feng Shui terms in the memorial.

Although I don't understand it, it seems very impressive.

With this memorial from the Imperial Observatory in hand, relocating the ancestral tombs and the people of Sizhou to ensure the smooth flow of the river transport was a foregone conclusion. After reading it, Shen Nian did not notice anything amiss.

"If Grand Secretary Yin had read this memorial, he should have been very pleased!" Shen Nian murmured.

at this time.

Shen Nian saw a sentence at the end of this memorial: "I suggest moving the ancestral mausoleum to Changping in Shuntian and replicating the scale of the original mausoleum."

Upon seeing this sentence, Shen Nian immediately understood why Yin Zhengmao was in such a hurry.

Moving the ancestral tombs to Changping in Shuntian Prefecture is not a problem, because this is the gathering place of the imperial tombs of the Ming Dynasty. However, the second half of the statement is problematic.

He looked at Yang Hongliang.

"Yang Jianzheng, you decide where to move the ancestral mausoleum, but you cannot decide on the scale of the relocation. Grand Secretary Yin and I agreed that if this matter is successful, the ancestral mausoleum and the people of Sizhou will be moved next May, after the wheat harvest. Do you think there is enough time to replicate the original appearance of the ancestral mausoleum? Does the court have that much money?"

"Yes...it was my oversight. I was wrong. This matter should be decided by His Majesty!" Yang Hongliang bowed to Shen Nian.

At that time, when planning the relocation of the ancestral tombs and the people of Sizhou, Yin Zhengmao and Shen Nian had made a budget.

The Ming Ancestral Mausoleum is not an imperial tomb, but a cenotaph. If it were moved to Changping, Shuntian (the site of the Ming imperial mausoleums), a simple mausoleum could be built.

To replicate the original mausoleum would require at least two million taels of silver, and it would be impossible to complete within six months.

Back then, Emperor Jiajing spent seven years and eight million taels of silver building his mausoleum, Yongling, which was second only to the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.

The Longqing Emperor died suddenly, and his tomb was converted from the mausoleum that the Jiajing Emperor had prepared for his biological father. It was small in scale and was completed in a hurry, reportedly costing 1.5 million taels of silver.

The young Wanli Emperor was very concerned about his image and was an emperor who was very willing to spend money on the royal family.

If the Imperial Astronomical Bureau suggested replicating the original mausoleum, he would indeed undertake a large-scale construction project to rebuild the ancestral mausoleum, which would be a huge drain on the current national treasury. Naturally, Yin Zhengmao disagreed.

Just then, Yin Zhengmao arrived at the tea room.

As soon as he entered, before Shen Nian and Yang Hongliang could even exchange greetings, he glared at Yang Hongliang and said, "Supervisor Yang, when did Heaven give you the instruction to replicate the ancestral mausoleum on its original scale?"

Yin Zhengmao always speaks like this; if someone does something wrong, his words are full of hostility.

"I know my crime! I know my crime!" Yang Hongliang bowed helplessly, then said, "Grand Secretary Yin, if His Majesty summons me and asks about the scale of the ancestral mausoleum reconstruction, how should I answer, and what is the Ministry of Revenue's budget?"

Yin Zhengmao paused for a moment, then extended a hand.

Yang Hongliang looked troubled. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Although 500,000 taels is a bit low, if the ancestral mausoleum is moved to Changping, the stone statues, city walls, and floor tiles can be shared with many other imperial mausoleums. In addition, it can be repaired in the future. I will use this amount in case His Majesty asks!"

Five hundred thousand taels was also within Shen Nian's acceptable range.

In the past decade, whenever Sizhou was flooded, the imperial court allocated anywhere from 50,000 taels of silver to over 100,000 taels, and more than half of that was spent just to protect the ancestral tombs.

In comparison, moving the mausoleum to a new location is undoubtedly more cost-effective; 500,000 taels is already a very good deal.

Yin Zhengmao shook his head slightly and said seriously, "It's not 500,000 taels, it's 50,000 taels!"

"what?"

Yang Hongliang was quite surprised and immediately bowed to Yin Zhengmao, saying, "If it is fifty thousand taels, then I will not write the scale in the memorial. If Your Majesty asks, I can only say that it is difficult to decide!"

"No, His Majesty trusts the Imperial Observatory more. You must do things comprehensively. After the relocation of the mausoleum, the auspicious site will be determined by the Imperial Observatory, and the design of the mausoleum will be determined jointly by the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Works. You need to have a rough estimate of the budget."

Upon hearing this, Yang Hongliang's face was full of grievance.

"Grand Secretary Yin, according to convention, the Imperial Observatory should indeed participate in the design of the mausoleum, but with a budget of 50,000 taels, it can only build a tomb at most. If I dare to say that, wouldn't I be forcing His Majesty to be unfilial?"

“Grand Secretary Yin, fifty thousand taels is far too little! Do you have other ideas?” Shen Nian asked.

Yin Zhengmao smiled slightly and said, "Ziheng understands me best."

"Once His Majesty decides on the relocation of the mausoleum, the next step will be to select an auspicious site, which will undoubtedly be located in the mountains of Changping."

"Yang Jianzheng, let me ask you, how should one select an auspicious site for the ancestral tomb, and what differences should there be between it and His Majesty's auspicious site?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Hongliang was stunned.

In the past, the selection of auspicious sites was always made by officials in charge of feng shui from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and the emperor would make the final decision after conducting on-site inspections.

According to the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor could choose an auspicious burial site after ascending the throne. Given the early death of the previous emperor, the selection of an auspicious burial site for the young Wanli Emperor took place in these two years.

If the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has selected an auspicious site for the ancestral mausoleum and claims it to be the place with the most concentrated dragon energy among the mountains of Changping, then how will the auspicious site for the young Wanli Emperor be determined?

Choosing the best burial site for the ancestral tombs would be disloyal to the young Wanli Emperor, and it would also make him unfilial.

This dilemma arose mainly because the selection of these two auspicious sites was too close in time.

"Lord Yin, please enlighten me!"

Yin Zhengmao stroked his beard and said, "The two mausoleums can be combined into one. We can choose an auspicious site for the ancestral mausoleum and His Majesty's mausoleum, and place the ancestral mausoleum outside His Majesty's mausoleum to protect His Majesty."

“In the past, the mausoleum of the late emperor was converted from the mausoleum built by the Jiajing Emperor for his parents’ longevity palace, which formed the special case of ‘ancestral mausoleum used by grandchildren’. Now, we can fully open up the special case of grandparents and grandchildren sharing the same auspicious land!”

"In this way, even if 50,000 taels is not enough, it will not be too much. We can continue to repair the ancestral mausoleum when we build the imperial mausoleum for His Majesty."

"This...this...this...Would His Majesty agree? Our dynasty has never had the idea of ​​two mausoleums sharing a single auspicious site!" Yang Hongliang was very puzzled and felt that this plan was not feasible.

“If you speak frankly, His Majesty might not agree, but if you rephrase it, His Majesty will definitely agree!” Yin Zhengmao raised his voice and said, “Our dynasty has a rule that the regulations for the tombs of future emperors must not exceed the regulations for the tombs of previous emperors!”

"However, the late emperor died too early, and his tomb was rather meager. His Majesty will certainly not want his own tomb to be of a lower standard than the late emperor's. This is the reason supporting this policy. You should write your memorial in this direction, and then work with the Ministry of Works to produce a set of blueprints for His Majesty's tomb that looks like it will cost five million taels of silver. You should also state that after the ancestral tomb is moved, the scale of the ancestral tomb can be improved as His Majesty's tomb is built."

"As for whether His Majesty's tomb will cost five million taels of silver or more in the future, it depends on how much money the national treasury has. If the new policies are successful and the national treasury is full, it will not be a problem to come up with ten million taels!"

"Brilliant! To accomplish something that would normally require five million taels with only fifty thousand taels, and with both substance and style!" Shen Nian couldn't help but exclaim.

What the Ming Dynasty needs right now is an official like Yin Zhengmao, who is unconventional and cunning.

He was the first to paint a picture of a cake for the emperor, and the cake he painted was very large and very round.

“That makes sense! That makes sense!” Yang Hongliang echoed, but the thought that arose in his mind was: dealing with people is much more complicated than dealing with fate!
Subsequently, in order to ensure that the measures in Yang Hongliang's memorial were appropriate, Shen Nian personally helped him polish them.

Near noon.

Emperor Wanli saw Yang Hongliang's memorial, then summoned him for an audience to discuss where to move the imperial tombs and how to determine their scale.

Yang Hongliang answered according to Yin Zhengmao's instructions, which made the young Wanli Emperor very happy.

afternoon.

Emperor Wanli summoned the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works to discuss the relocation of the ancestral tombs and the relocation of the people of Sizhou.

With Yin Zhengmao having consulted with Zhang Juzheng and Shen Shixing beforehand, the discussion went very smoothly. The young Wanli Emperor decided to select an auspicious site for both the ancestral mausoleum and his imperial mausoleum, first relocating the ancestral mausoleum for burial, and then carrying out renovations.

……

Five days later, the young Wanli Emperor drafted an edict to announce to the world the relocation of the ancestral tombs and the people of Sizhou.

The time is set for after May next year, after the people of Sizhou have finished harvesting their main crops such as wheat, peas, broad beans, and rapeseed.

The relocation of ancestral tombs was mainly the responsibility of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue.

The relocation of people from Sizhou was carried out by the Ministry of War in cooperation with local government offices. According to calculations by local officials in Fengyang Prefecture, Fengyang could absorb a portion of the people from Sizhou, and the number of people to be relocated was only about 40,000, rather than the nearly 100,000 initially envisioned.

Even so, the relocation remains extremely difficult for many people who are attached to their homeland.

The imperial court will mobilize troops to disperse and relocate people, prepare temporary accommodations for them in advance, exempt them from taxes, and provide them with monetary and food subsidies.

This move was extremely troublesome.

However, for the sake of river management, for the smooth flow of grain transport in the future, and for the Yellow River to be calm and tranquil, it is imperative and entirely worthwhile, and it can also show the officials in charge of river transport the imperial court's determination to manage the river.

(End of this chapter)