I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 302 Smashing Your Rice Bowl! Dare to Trouble the Heavens of the Ming Dynasty Officialdom?

June 24th, early morning.

Zhang Juzheng submitted to the Forbidden City a memorial on whether Li Rusong should be punished for killing pirates, a memorial from a member of the imperial clan requesting to go to sea, and Shen Nian's draft proposal.

Shen Nian's draft bill bears the joint signatures of five cabinet ministers.

After reviewing the draft decision, the young Wanli Emperor had no objections and immediately ordered Feng Bao to approve it with red ink and seal.

Subsequently, the young Wanli Emperor wrote a large character that read "The sea is calm and the waves are not high".

For maritime trade to flourish, orders must be strictly enforced and there must be no room for sentimentality.

Sending members of the imperial clan to sea was not only a way to implement the imperial decree to open up the sea and attract silver, but it also gave the imperial clan members something to do, which is worth encouraging and promoting.

Under Shen Nian's subtle influence, although the young Wanli Emperor was still somewhat selfish and always hoped to seize power, he was quite enlightened.

The young Wanli Emperor, who aspires to achieve great things, is currently the one whose views most align with Shen Nianzhi's.

……

By the end of June, according to the memorials submitted from various regions, everything in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty was as usual.

Under the supervision of local officials, there was no situation where silver was more expensive than copper coins, and land taxes were collected in an orderly manner in silver form.

The common people didn't cause trouble, the clerks didn't cause trouble, and the prefectural officials certainly didn't cause trouble.

Of course, some disharmonious phenomena have also emerged, such as the resurgence of bad habits.

For example, the practice of local officials illegally using post horses and postmen has resurfaced.

When officials in Huai'an, Qingyuan, Yanzhou and other prefectures were found to have misused official vehicles with their relatives, the imperial inspector reported this to Zhang Juzheng, who immediately ordered severe punishment without exception.

Some officials always like to test the limits of the imperial court.

If the imperial court relaxes its management of post stations even slightly, violations will become rampant within half a month, and everyone will assume that the law will not punish the masses as usual.

Little did they know that the court's current attitude was zero tolerance for those who defied the new policies and laws.

……

These days.

Cabinet Minister Shin Si-haeng had been reviewing the draft proposals submitted by Zhang Juzheng and Shen Nianwang.

He knew that his views were relatively conservative compared to the other four cabinet ministers, and that his opinions often contradicted those of the other four when he wrote memorials. Therefore, he decided to study them so that the cabinet could be more efficient in the future.

When Zhang Juzheng retired, Shen Shixing was the most qualified to become the Grand Secretary.

He also has the idea of ​​becoming the prime minister and does not want to be a useless prime minister.

……

Before we knew it, it was July.

In the capital, the heat was intense, and the price of ice among the common people had doubled compared to May.

The Ministry of Works, Shuntian Prefecture, and some royal temples set up numerous herbal tea stalls at some city gates and street corners in the capital, providing tea for manual laborers.

In this kind of weather, it's very easy to get heatstroke when working outdoors.

The Ministry of Works and Shuntian Prefecture issued proclamations one after another, prohibiting government-employed canal boatmen, porters, couriers, and grooms from working outdoors at noon when the sun is at its strongest. They also called on private employers to be considerate of their workers, allowing them to rest for an hour at noon to avoid working in the scorching sun, and not to reduce their wages.

Even with such reminders from the government.

Some peddlers, vegetable farmers, and porters still work under the scorching sun, just so their families can have enough to eat.

People in the capital often suffer from heatstroke. When soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison discover them, they immediately take them to a medical clinic for treatment.

For many manual laborers, summer is like a trial by fire.

Officials from various government offices in the capital.

In the spring of March, people would often stroll around the government office several times a day to bask in the sun and enjoy the spring scenery.

During the sweltering summer, officials would enter the government office before sunrise and return home after sunset, unwilling to step out of the office even once.

Shen Nian holds multiple positions.

Sometimes he was in the Hanlin Academy, sometimes in the Wenhua Hall, sometimes in the Ministry of Revenue, and sometimes in the Cabinet Office. Almost every day his official robes were soaked with sweat. Although there were various cold drinks, the alternation between hot and cold made him very uncomfortable.

He also hopes that the sweltering heat will end soon.

……

On the fifth day of the seventh lunar month, at dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

As soon as Shen Nian stepped out the door, she saw Aji running quickly towards her with a letter in his hand.

"Young Master, Elder Hai's letter!"

Hai Rui, an imperial censor who supervised local affairs, traveled incognito to various places. Every two or three months, he would write a private letter to Shen Nian, chatting about everyday life and sharing some of his observations.

According to the court's etiquette, remonstrating officials were not allowed to have private correspondence with cabinet ministers, except for Hai Rui and Shen Nian.

This was done at Zhang Juzheng's request and with special permission from the young Wanli Emperor.

The reason for this special permission is...

On the one hand, it was because Hai Rui and Shen Nian were selfless and would never form factions.

On the other hand, it was because whenever Hai Rui presented a memorial, not only Emperor Wanli but also all the officials in the court would tremble with fear.

Hai Rui's reports to the emperor were mostly about major issues that could cause a huge uproar.

Moreover, Hai Rui's words were believed by both the officials in the imperial court and the common people.

In the eyes of people like Hai Rui, the imperial court was full of problems, and every official had issues.

Zhang Juzheng was worried that Hai Rui's words were too outspoken and would affect the administration of the court, so he had Shen Nian convey a message that Hai Rui should consult Shen Nian's opinion on some matters before submitting a memorial directly.

Shen Nian took the letter, squeezed it in her hand, and found that this letter was twice as thick as usual.

"I suppose Elder Hai has some new experiences to share with me!" Shen Nian murmured. The two had already become close friends despite their age difference.

……

After a while.

Shen Nian got into the carriage, opened the window, and then tore open the letter Hai Rui had written to him.

After taking the letter out of the envelope, Shen Nian discovered that there were two stacks of letters.

He immediately set the thick letter aside and began reading the thinner one.

In the letter, Hai Rui first congratulated Shen Nian on joining the cabinet, and then talked at length about Shen Nian's advocacy of "people first, then officials, and finally government officials".

Hai Rui was a typical people-loving figure, and even more radical than Shen Nian.

Shen Nian merely argued that it was better to make officials suffer than the common people; Hai Rui directly argued that the people's suffering was due to the fact that not enough corrupt officials had been killed.

Afterwards, Hai Rui answered Shen Nian's previous letter inquiring about his affairs.

He first claimed that he was in very good health, and then promised to resign at the end of the year to become Shen Yanche's teacher full-time.

Shen Yanche just celebrated his fourth birthday this month, and will be five years old after the New Year.

At that time, children of officials and gentry families would start school at around the age of five.

Shen Nian vaguely remembers that when she was five years old, she could already recite the Three Character Classic and the Hundred Family Surnames.

Hai Rui retired because his health could no longer withstand the duties he was currently performing; if he continued, he would simply be drawing a salary from the court for nothing.

Upon seeing these words, Shen Nian couldn't help but smile broadly.

recently.

Shen Shixing, Wang Xijue, and several editors, compilers, and writers from the Hanlin Academy all wanted to become Shen Yanche's mentors.

But when Shen Nian said she wanted to invite Hai Rui to be her full-time teacher, no one else competed.

Before teaching people, teach them morality.

In terms of moral character, Hai Rui of today is a towering figure that no scholar in the world can surpass. Shen Nian then opened the second letter.

On the first page of the second letter, Hai Rui stated that he had written a policy document, but was unsure if it was inappropriate. He then asked Shen Nian to review it and, if Shen Nian found it feasible, to submit it to the cabinet.

The name of this policy was: "Policy to Eliminate Redundant Officials and Positions Throughout the Land".

Hai Rui stated that after the 30th year of the Jiajing reign, the Ming Dynasty gradually revealed five major problems: the arrogance of the imperial family, the bloated bureaucracy, the bureaucratic inertia, the neglect of border defenses, and the severe shortage of funds.

In plain language, it means: the imperial family is too arrogant, there are too many official positions, the officials are too lazy, the border defenses are too poor, and the court is too poor.

However, with the implementation of the new policies of the two chief ministers, Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng, four major long-standing problems have been improved, but the "bloated bureaucracy" has not been resolved.

In other words, the Ming Dynasty had a serious problem of excessive official positions and a large number of officials.

Followed by.

Hai Rui listed the main characteristics of the current redundant officials and positions in the imperial court.

First, the local official positions were too chaotic, with duplicate appointments, multiple officials for one position, and multiple officials for one matter. The extent of this problem was serious, and it has increased rather than decreased since the new policies were implemented.

For example, some prefectures originally had one Tongpan (assistant prefect), but now some prefectures have three Tongpan; and some prefectures originally had one Xiancheng (county magistrate) and one Dianli (clerk), but now the number has increased to two or three.

For example, there were governors in Lianghuai and Shandong, but a governor-general censor was also appointed in Xuzhou, which is a typical case of having multiple officials for one task.

For example, in Dezhou, Shandong, there were both military training divisions and militia officers, resulting in a chaotic job position and disorderly management by local officials, causing unnecessary trouble for the people.

……

Secondly, the promotion of military officers was excessive, and the number of new military officers was seriously over-inflated.

For example, when the imperial court bestowed favors upon ministers and nobles, it often added subordinate official positions such as the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, which only increased the expenditure of resources.

For example, during the Jiajing era, in order to resist Japanese pirates, deputy generals, brigade commanders, and patrol officers were added to Langshan and Jinshan. These military positions still exist today.

……

Third, the number of officials and staff in both capitals was significantly increased.

Above the numerous nominal positions in Nanjing, there were also deputy and assistant officials. These officials had nothing to do and spent their days drinking tea and listening to operas.

The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites in the capital had many concurrent officials, all of whom were assigned subordinate officials. However, these subordinate officials had nothing to do and were rarely assigned tasks.

……

Fourth, the recommendation of officials in the capital is too indiscriminate, and the affairs are too complicated.

The term "excessive recommendation" refers to the practice of officials in the capital recommending people who were not Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) for official positions. The most obvious example of this was the recommendation of Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations) to the Imperial Academy, the Six Ministries, and the Hanlin Academy.

The term "officials in charge of affairs" mainly refers to the Imperial Medical Academy. In the early years of the Jiajing reign, the Imperial Medical Academy had only 111 members, but now it has increased to nearly 400.

……

Hai Rui believed that the more officials there were, the more troubled the people would be, and that reducing redundant positions should be more important than reducing redundant officials.

The purpose of this move was not to save the court money, but to improve the efficiency of the officials in the court.

Finally, Hai Rui also offered suggestions on where the dismissed officials should go.

Those who are mediocre, old, or infirm will be dismissed from office and returned to civilian life; those who are capable will be sent to the Ministry of Personnel for reassignment; military officers will be ordered to return to their original posts, and civil officers will be ordered to return to their hometowns and live in retirement; technical officials over sixty years of age will be asked to retire...

Shen Nian had not seen such a detailed discussion in a long time, with several examples following each statement, and questions and answers listed together.

Let's leave the content aside for now.

The meticulousness and structural integrity of Hai Rui's article alone are worthy of study by all civil and military officials in the imperial court.

……

After reading the current policy document, Shen Nian arrived at the Meridian Gate.

After disembarking from the carriage, he returned to his office in the cabinet and carefully read through the policy document again before letting out a long sigh.

"Alas, it's difficult! Implementing this policy will cost countless officials their jobs!"

Hai Rui's plan was intended to abolish official positions throughout the country.

There were not only civil and military officials, not only local officials but also officials in the two capitals, and even inner court officials, which he did not mention directly but were certainly included.

This proposal, "A Request to Eliminate Redundant Officials and Positions Throughout the Land," can be described as a groundbreaking plan.

If this policy is implemented, it is likely that, apart from the cabinet, all government offices and officials will be subject to dismissal.

In fact, Zhang Juzheng had been doing this kind of thing ever since he became Grand Secretary.

The performance evaluation system was a method to rectify official corruption, which eliminated many redundant officials. However, Zhang Juzheng's efforts were relatively limited, and he only removed a few hundred people in a year. Its main purpose was to reduce the national treasury's expenditure.

If the "Policy to Fiscalize Redundant Officials and Positions" had been implemented, at least several thousand officials could have been dismissed each year, and Hai Rui's main purpose was to improve the efficiency of government work.

Shen Nian had to admit that Hai Rui's strategy was on the right track.

The new policy reform prioritizes the improvement of official conduct.

If this policy can be successfully implemented, it will be of great benefit to the new government and may even accelerate the court's path to prosperity.

However, this move undoubtedly exposed the secrets of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

This will inevitably offend countless officials.

If we follow Hai Rui's words, there are too many censors and officials at present, and their numbers should be reduced. Whoever stirs up this hornet's nest will suffer the consequences.

In addition, the Ministry of Revenue also has some redundant officials who should be dismissed.

Shen Nian found it hard to bring herself to do it.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue had just completed the nationwide land survey and were now working hard on the Single Whip Law. If Shen Nianruo told a certain clerk that the court was going to dismiss one clerk and that he should go to the Ministry of Personnel to wait for the transfer notice, these people would curse Shen Nianruo to death.

Shen Nian thought about it and felt that although this matter was difficult to handle, it was better to deal with it as soon as possible, otherwise the officialdom would become more and more bloated and even more difficult to control.

Shen Nian immediately decided to hand over the "Policy to Eliminate Redundant Officials and Positions Throughout the Land" to Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng had always wanted to do this, but he had never come up with a specific strategy. Now, this might be an opportunity.

……

In the afternoon, the five cabinet ministers gathered on the second floor of the cabinet office.

After reading "A Proposal to Eliminate Redundant Officials and Positions Throughout the Land," Yin Zhengmao couldn't help but say, "Is Hai Gangfeng trying to tear a hole in the sky of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom? He has the courage and the ambition, but... but it's too difficult to do!"

After reading it, Wang Xijue and Shen Shixing were somewhat stunned.

Both men felt that if the cabinet were to do this, a group of officials from the capital would storm into the cabinet and overturn the table.

Not long after.

Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Personnel who was temporarily summoned, also came to the second floor.

If this policy is implemented, the Ministry of Personnel will naturally be the main force.

Shen Shixing handed Hai Rui's strategy to him.

Wang Guoguang read it carefully, then murmured, "Good, really good! It's wonderful!"

He said "good" verbally, but his expression was like that of someone constipated.

Swish!
Wang Guoguang cupped his hands and said, "Five Grand Secretaries, I think this plan is excellent and worth implementing. However, in order to ensure the fairness of its implementation, I suggest starting with the officials of the inner court, the six ministries, or the officials of the Censorate and the Imperial Censorate!"

"As long as the five Grand Secretaries can resolve these three issues, the Ministry of Personnel will certainly be able to complete the redundant official duties and tasks in the other government departments!"

It has to be said that Wang Guoguang is a cunning old fox, directly shifting the blame onto the five cabinet ministers.

As soon as these words fell.

The five cabinet ministers all rolled their eyes at him.

Yin Zhengmao said irritably, "These three places are the most difficult to do, and I'm not confident about them!"

“If even the five Grand Secretaries aren’t confident, then I’m even less confident! I believe this plan is nothing but a pipe dream, utterly unfeasible!” Wang Guoguang said loudly, his eyes wide.

(End of this chapter)