I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 303 Eliminating Redundant Officials and Positions! Cleaning Up One's Own Department
The second floor of the Cabinet Office is the meeting hall.

After Wang Guoguang, the Minister of Personnel, described Hai Rui's "Policy on Reducing Redundant Officials and Positions" as "a flower in a mirror, a moon in the water," he plopped down in his chair.

Taking away someone's livelihood is difficult enough, let alone taking away the livelihood of officials across the country.

Reducing the number of soldiers, officials, and palace maids is not difficult; it's just a matter of how much or how little.

But officials everywhere are like radishes in a hole, and every position is watched by countless eyes. Filling a hole or removing a radish will cause many people's interests to be harmed.

The Ministry of Personnel is indeed unable to handle this matter.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his long beard, coughed lightly, and waited until everyone looked at him before slowly speaking.

"This is indeed a difficult task, but it is something we have to do."

“When the performance evaluation system was first established, I had the idea of ​​eliminating redundant officials and positions. Eliminating redundant officials and positions is not only to alleviate financial pressure, but more importantly, to simplify government procedures, clarify powers and responsibilities, strictly control the practice of hereditary officials and those who purchase official positions, reshape the authority of government orders, and reduce the burden on the people.”

"Currently, our dynasty has too many overlapping government offices, idle official positions, and official positions with similar functions."

"When you read through the memorials, you should all feel that there are many memorials, mostly shirking responsibility by middle-level officials, while lower-level officials are busy welcoming and seeing off imperial envoys and are very tired, and the people are also greatly troubled."

"The more officials there are, the more trouble the people will be."

“In the past few years, the court’s efforts to reduce redundant officials and positions have been minor. In fact, some officials and positions have been added due to the new policies. I have been hesitant about whether to expose this abscess that is hindering the Ming Dynasty from becoming a prosperous age.”

"After reading the policy report from the Maritime Safety Administration, I felt that if we didn't act now, it might be too late!"

"I promised the Empress Dowager that I would assist in governing for another three years, but I'm afraid I can't hold on for three years. The affairs of the court are too exhausting, and I am already willing but unable to do so!"

Having said that, Zhang Juzheng raised his long beard, which he was very proud of and which he maintained meticulously.

Shen Nian and others discovered that Zhang Juzheng, who had just turned fifty-six, already had a long white beard, and looked ten years older than Zhang Juzheng in the third year of the Wanli reign.

Everyone knows best how overworked Zhang Juzheng was.

The one under the greatest pressure in the current dynasty was Zhang Juzheng; the one who was the most diligent in the current dynasty was also Zhang Juzheng.

"If I, a powerful minister known as the 'ruler of the state,' can't do this, then I'm afraid no one else will be able to. For the sake of the longevity of the Ming Dynasty, I will bear this infamy!" Zhang Juzheng said with a self-deprecating yet extremely serious tone.

Once these words are spoken, no matter how difficult the matter may be, it must be carried out.

This was Zhang Juzheng's attitude.

Upon hearing these words, Wang Guoguang straightened his chest and felt more confident.

"If we want to accomplish this, we must consider three points before we begin."

"First, fairness. When dismissing or removing officials, we must treat everyone equally and use the same standards. We cannot favor civil officials over military officials, nor can we favor the inner court over the outer court, nor can we favor the Six Ministries over other government offices."

"Secondly, it should be done in a steady and orderly manner. It is best to proceed one department at a time to avoid panic among the people and make many officials unable to concentrate on their duties. Finally, we must consider how to resettle and compensate the dismissed officials. Candidates should be put on the waiting list as soon as possible, and those who are dismissed should be given certain material subsidies. All of these should be decided in advance."

"Thirdly, we must act quickly. I suggest starting with the two capitals and then moving to the provinces, proceeding simultaneously in the inner court and the outer court, starting with civil officials and then moving to military officials. We should complete the downsizing of officials in the two capitals this year, and finish the downsizing of civil and military officials in all provinces next year. The downsizing criteria will be determined by the Ministry of Personnel based on performance evaluations and the degree of overlap in official positions..."

Wang Guoguang, as expected of the Minister of Personnel, explained things in great detail, basically stating how to proceed and how to handle the aftermath.

Zhang Juzheng nodded in approval.

Yin Zhengmao, Shen Nian, and the other four cabinet ministers also felt that their thinking had become much clearer.

Zhang Juzheng said, "I agree with prioritizing the two capitals over the local areas, and proceeding simultaneously with the inner court and the outer court. Next, we will set aside the local areas and Nanjing and think about how to solve the problem of redundant officials and positions in the capital."

Zhang Juzheng instantly narrowed down the scope considerably.

The capital city was the toughest nut to crack.

As long as the redundant officials and positions in the inner court and outer court of the capital can be eliminated, then Nanjing can simply follow suit.

Zhang Juzheng glanced at Wang Guoguang.

"Minister Wang, tomorrow morning, we will personally present His Majesty with the memorial from the Maritime Affairs Bureau regarding our policy and how we will implement it. This matter is not suitable for His Majesty to personally push forward; we only need to persuade His Majesty to agree!"

“No problem!” Wang Guoguang nodded.

Zhang Juzheng was well aware that he had to take the blame for offending officials across the country, so as not to let them feel that the emperor was not kind enough.

Therefore, all he needed was for the young Wanli Emperor to nod in approval, and then, after the execution, he would have absolute power.

Zhang Juzheng had received many "big cakes" from Shen Nian, and with his retirement approaching and his reputation not being very good, he was now acting entirely with the attitude of "abandoning his family and forgetting his own body to serve the country."

As long as the Ming Dynasty prospers, he doesn't care how much infamy he bears.

Zhang Juzheng continued, "After persuading His Majesty, I will submit another memorial to persuade the two Empress Dowagers to reduce the number of people in the inner palace. The support of the two Empress Dowagers is very important. In addition, there is Eunuch Feng. The elimination of redundant officials and positions in the inner court can only be led by him. We cannot interfere. How he acts is very important."

Speaking of Feng Bao, Zhang Juzheng looked at Yin Zhengmao.

Yin Zhengmao immediately understood and patted his chest, saying, "I'll go and persuade Feng Bao!"

Feng Bao was the main executor of the inner court's reform of eunuchs. If he outwardly complied but inwardly resisted and feigned compliance, the reform would fail.

Yin Zhengmao was particularly adept at dealing with Feng Bao, and he was certain that he could persuade Feng Bao.

Followed by.

Zhang Juzheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Next, in the outer court of the capital, which government office should we start with to eliminate redundant officials and positions?"

The troublesome one in the inner court is Feng Bao. Once Feng Bao is dealt with, there's no need to worry about the rest.

There are a lot of troublesome people in the outer court. The heads of various government offices are all protective of their own, and no one wants their subordinates to be dismissed without any crime or fault.

Wang Xijue thought for a moment and said, “Let’s start with the Hanlin Academy! Because there is no fixed number of editors and reviewers, there are already more than 30 people, and half of them are also part-time historians. At least 10 people can be dismissed. In addition, the Imperial Academy had 43 officials in the first year of Wanli, but now there are 67 people. Most of them were appointed based on their own abilities, so at least 15 people can be dismissed.”

Yin Zhengmao shook his head slightly.

"I suggest tackling the toughest challenge first: dismissing the officials in charge of the Censorate!"

"The Censorate in the capital was originally set at eight officials (two Left and Right Censors-in-Chief, two Left and Right Vice Censors-in-Chief, and four Left and Right Assistant Censors-in-Chief), with subordinate officials, namely the Inspector Censors, totaling one hundred and ten, plus several clerks, clerks, assistant clerks, and so on. However, currently many governors and viceroys-general are also given the titles of Censor-in-Chief or Vice Censor-in-Chief, which overlaps with the duties of local Inspector Censors, and these additional titles should be abolished. In addition, the original plan for the six departments was fifty-eight officials, but there are currently seventy-six, and the original specifications should be restored, without arbitrarily adding more..."

“A tough nut to crack? I think the toughest nut to crack is the Six Ministries. During the Hongwu era, the Six Ministries had a total of 105 officials, but now the number has reached 253, more than double. However, their efficiency may not be as good as during the Hongwu era. It would be better to start with the Ministry of Rites, and then gradually reduce the number of officials in each ministry before dealing with the other ministries.” Shen Shixing said (as shown in the picture).

Seeing that several cabinet ministers were excitedly expressing their opinions, Wang Guoguang interjected, "Gentlemen, do you mean you agree to become the executors of the abolition of the departments under your jurisdiction?"

These words startled all five Grand Secretaries. Shen Shixing countered, "Minister Wang, weren't you the one in charge of abolishing the six ministries?"

Wang Guoguang shook his head slightly.

"Grand Secretary Shen, I only said that the standards for dismissal should be determined by the Ministry of Personnel based on performance evaluations and the degree of overlap in official positions. I did not say that the Ministry of Personnel should implement them. My suggestion is that the heads of each government office should refer to the performance evaluation ranking and degree of overlap in official positions proposed by the Ministry of Personnel, draft documents for dismissal, and submit them to the Ministry of Personnel for review. Finally, the Grand Secretariat should make the final decision!"

"Huh?" Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue exclaimed at the same time.

Wang Guoguang looked aggrieved.

“I… I’m not afraid of being scolded, but the Ministry of Personnel is already very busy just completing the performance evaluation and ranking, and it’s really impossible to carry out the work. In addition, if the Ministry of Personnel throws over a cold list of redundant staff without any explanation or comfort from the head of the department, it will easily cause chaos.”

Zhang Juzheng nodded slightly; what Wang Guoguang said was indeed reasonable.

"Grand Secretary Yin, can you dismiss the officials in the Ministry of Revenue?" Zhang Juzheng asked.

Yin Zhengmao hesitated for a moment and said, "This...this...the Ministry of Revenue has made great contributions to the national land survey in the past two years. Asking me to lay off staff is something I...I really can't bring myself to do! If the Ministry of Personnel carries it out, I'll be lucky if I can even keep from crying!"

Zhang Juzheng looked at Shen Shixing and Wang Xijue.

The two men quickly shook their heads, saying they couldn't bring themselves to dismiss the officials in their own departments.

In officialdom, it is simply impossible to be ruthless and heartless.

Then, Zhang Juzheng looked at Shen Nian, who was deep in thought with his head down.

"Ziheng, what about you?"

Shen Nian raised his head and said, "I suggest that we first dismiss officials in the Ministry of Revenue, and then I will draft and announce the list of redundant officials to be eliminated from the Ministry of Revenue!"

"At present, the Ministry of Revenue, as the department with the greatest contribution to the new Six Ministries policy, is the first to be abolished, which is representative. The fact that the Ministry of Revenue has smoothly passed the moment of abolition can also set an example for other departments. I will think about how to inform the officials of the Ministry of Revenue about this matter, hoping that they can understand the court and that the negative impact can be minimized."

Zhang Juzheng nodded in satisfaction.

"The pressure of this major reform should not be placed entirely on the Ministry of Personnel. It should indeed be distributed among the various government departments. The task of the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel is to first persuade the heads of the various government departments, and the task of the heads of the various government departments is to get their subordinates to accept this matter. Those who should be appointed to new positions should be appointed to new positions, and those who should retire should retire. What the court needs are officials who are pragmatic and down-to-earth, and officials who can implement the new policies to the end. Only by prioritizing the overall situation can we achieve national prosperity and people's well-being!" Zhang Juzheng stood up and said.

The dismissal of an official means two things: either he is incompetent, or he is idle.

If he is incompetent, it's a personal problem, and he will most likely be dismissed from office; if he is idle, it might be a problem with the court, and if he is good enough, he will most likely be given a new position.

If you want to hold onto your secure job with the government, you need to have some real skills.

……

Early the next morning, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Guoguang went to the Wenhua Hall.

When the young Wanli Emperor saw Hai Rui's "Policy on Reducing Redundant Officials and Positions Throughout the Land" and the implementation plan jointly written by the two, he couldn't help but frown.

"Prime Minister, this...this...it's not that the court can't afford to pay them their salaries. Doesn't doing this make the court seem a bit heartless?"

Zhang Juzheng shook his head slightly.

"Your Majesty, the greatest benefit of eliminating redundant officials and positions is not reducing salary expenditures, but streamlining processes, clarifying the division of responsibilities, and also relieving your burden. Too many repetitive memorials and too many layers of decision-making will cause the government to become bloated and will affect the implementation of new policies..."

Zhang Juzheng's attitude was very firm.

Emperor Wanli thought for a moment and said, "I know this plan is good, but I am worried that the court officials will oppose it too strongly."

After saying that, the young Wanli Emperor's eyes darted around.

"Just now, the Grand Secretary said that Grand Secretary Yin would persuade the Grand Minister to complete the reform of the Ministry of Revenue, and Minister Shen would complete the reform. As long as Grand Secretary Yin and Minister Shen can complete these two tasks without causing too much negative impact, I will support this matter. In addition, I can also persuade the Empress Dowager to order the reform of redundant officials and positions in the inner court to proceed in an orderly manner."

At present, the young Wanli Emperor is taking a stance of neither opposing nor agreeing, and needs to see how Grand Secretary Yin and Shen Nian's actions will produce results.

"I obey your command!" Zhang Juzheng bowed.

He knew the young Wanli Emperor's concerns, and it was understandable that he had such concerns for the sake of court stability.

Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I have another request."

"Please speak, Minister!"

"Could you please inform Eunuch Feng that Grand Secretary Yin has invited him to the Cabinet for tea this afternoon? If he doesn't go, then this matter cannot be resolved!"

Upon hearing this, the young Wanli Emperor couldn't help but laugh.

Currently, Feng Bao avoids Yin Zhengmao whenever he sees him, as their relationship broke down after Yin Zhengmao jumped over the Jinshui River.

The two had no deep-seated hatred for each other, but Feng Bao simply disliked Yin Zhengmao.

The young Wanli Emperor replied, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will tell my attendant that he must chat with Grand Secretary Yin for half an hour and cannot leave before that time is up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhang Juzheng bowed deeply.

……

Half an hour later.

When Feng Bao arrived at the Wenhua Hall, he saw the memorial from the Grand Secretariat proposing to abolish all officials in the country.

The young Wanli Emperor told him that he would represent the inner court in a conversation with Yin Zhengmao, which would last no less than half an hour. Whether Feng Bao agreed to or opposed the dismissal of inner court officials was entirely up to him.

At present, the young Wanli Emperor's attitude is neither to support nor oppose.

After Feng Bao left the Wenhua Hall, his expression was as if he were constipated.

At this moment, having to talk with Yin Zhengmao for more than half an hour was no longer a problem for him; he was pondering whether the young Wanli Emperor agreed to or opposed the dismissal of the inner court officials.

He felt that the young Wanli Emperor was testing him.

If he cannot agree with the ideas of the young Wanli Emperor, the young Wanli Emperor might even send him away from the palace to retire or make him a eunuch guarding the imperial tombs.

Feng Bao was waiting for the young Wanli Emperor to assume power, for the Directorate of Ceremonial to rise in status again, for him to become the Grand Chancellor to assist in governing the country, and for him to be granted the title of Marquis or King before retiring!
"Sigh! Why do emperors always like to make their ministers guess?"

Feng Bao couldn't help but complain to the young Wanli Emperor, then suddenly realized he had said the wrong thing, quickly covered his mouth, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was around.

(End of this chapter)