I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 311 Shen Nian VS Zhao Jin! Death and End of Policies or Passing on the Torch?

In officialdom, it's advisable to have a thick skin.

Shen Nian waited for less than a quarter of an hour in front of Zhao Jin, the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, before being invited into the front hall.

Before Zhao Jin could even speak.

Shen Nian then spoke first: "Minister Zhao, there's no need to prepare any wine or dishes. Please have the cook in the manor prepare a bowl of clear soup noodles for each of the three of us."

Zhao Jin had just learned that Shen Nian was coming to dinner and initially intended to politely decline after meeting her.

He disliked the elaborate banquets for officials, but seeing that Shen Nian's request was modest, he immediately looked at the servant at the door and said, "Bring three bowls of scissor-cut noodles!"

Afterwards, the guests and hosts took their seats, and Zhao Jin ordered someone to serve tea.

"Grand Secretary Shen, may I ask what brings you to my home at this hour? If it is official business, you should discuss it at the Nanjing Garrison Command or the Ministry of Personnel. If it is private, I believe we have no personal relationship."

Zhao Jinnai was a very traditional scholar-official who was eager to retire and didn't want to say a single polite word to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian smiled slightly.

"Since we have both public and private matters to attend to, we can only discuss this at Minister Zhao's house." Shen Nian patted her stomach and said, "Let's talk in detail after we finish our noodles!"

immediately.

Shen Nian took a sip of tea and said, "Minister Zhao, you've been in Nanjing for several years, you must have tasted all the delicacies of Nanjing. Could you recommend a few dishes? We'd like to try them when we have time!"

Seeing that Shen Nian had changed the subject and was no longer talking about serious matters, Zhao Jin had no choice but to go along with him and continue the conversation.

So the two started chatting.

From Nanjing's cuisine to its weather, from Zhao Jin's home decor to the Nanjing Garrison Command's outdated décor, from this summer's harvest to the red boats on the Qinhuai River...

Shen Nian speaks ramblingly, unlike some officials who always have veiled meanings or metaphors in their words.

When Zhao Jin first started chatting, he was still guessing what Shen Nian wanted to say, but after listening to many of Shen Nian's questions, he realized that Shen Nian was just chatting with him casually.

Shen Nian did just that.

This was to make Zhao Jin anxious and eager to know why he had come to find him.

People are most likely to reveal their emotions and speak their minds when they are in a state of agitation.

……

Not long after.

Three bowls of plain noodles with poached eggs were served, along with a plate of sesame balls.

Shen Nian picked up the bowl and said, "Minister Zhao, we won't stand on ceremony!"

"Don't mention it!" Zhao Jin said expressionlessly. He had never met an official like Shen Nian who didn't treat him like an outsider at all.

Immediately, Shen Nian, Wang Jia, and Qi Hu picked up their bowls and started eating.

The type of superior determines the type of subordinates.

Shen Nian ate voraciously, and Wang Jia and Qi Hu were also hungry. In addition, they felt that Shen Nian might have some purpose in doing so, so they cooperated with Shen Nian and ate the same way as Shen Nian.

After a while.

After eating and drinking her fill, Shen Nian took a couple of sips of tea. Seeing that Zhao Jin looked anxious, she slowly opened her mouth.

"Minister Zhao, I have come to visit you tonight for two matters."

"First, return Zhao Butang's resignation memorial to the emperor."

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to submit it, but Minister Zhao’s reason for requesting retirement is not true. Minister Zhao claims that he is old and frail and can no longer complete his daily official duties, but the Minister Zhao I saw was clearly radiant and energetic, without any sign of illness. I cannot help you deceive His Majesty!”

As Shen Nian spoke, Wang Jia placed Zhao Jin's resignation memorial on the table beside him.

Zhao Jin had nothing to say about this.

Using illness as a pretext for resignation was a common reason given by officials, since there were some truths that could not be spoken.

Zhao Jin did not refute.

Just as he was waiting for Shen Nian to say the second thing, Shen Nian suddenly asked, "Minister Zhao, if I may be so bold as to ask, what is the real reason you are requesting to retire?"

Zhao Jin frowned slightly.

He can't very well say that he hates the current new policies.

"I'm old and tired, I can't do it anymore! I want to rest!" Zhao Jin said.

"How about this? You can retire after the policy of reducing redundant officials in Southern Zhili is implemented!"

Zhao Jin pursed her lips and looked at Shen Nian.

"Grand Secretary Shen, there are more than twenty ministers in Nanjing. Any one of them would be more efficient and more likely to satisfy the court than I am to implement this policy. Why should I be the one to carry it out?"

Shen Nian looked at Zhao Jin intently.

"Because you are the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, no one in the entire city of Nanjing understands the officials of Southern Zhili better than you. Moreover, among all the officials in Nanjing, I feel that you are the only one who is fair and impartial in handling matters!"

"I don't trust anyone else!" Shen Nian said, raising her voice.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jin was taken aback.

His resignation from the Nanjing Garrison Command showed no respect for Shen Nian, and given the slow pace of his implementation of the plan, it was impossible for Shen Nian not to see that he was reluctant to carry it out.

However, Shen Nian's evaluation of him was somewhat unbelievable to him.

Zhao Jin thought for a moment and said, "Grand Secretary Shen, I really am not up to the task. You should choose another capable official! What is the second matter?"

Shen Nian stood up and looked at Wang Jia and Qi Hu.

The two men immediately understood, bowed to each other, and then walked out the door.

Zhao Jin waved to the two servants beside him, signaling them to leave as well.

The door closed quickly.

Only Zhao Jin and Shen Nian remained in the front hall.

Shen Nian looked at Zhao Jin.

"The second thing is: I would like to ask Minister Zhao why he so dislikes the new policies?"

Zhao Jin's lips twitched.

Shen Nian is the first person to ask such a direct question.

In today's officialdom, criticizing the new policies is considered a grave offense, punishable by demotion or even dismissal.

"Minister Zhao, rest assured, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't need to ask you such questions. Just because you abandoned your post at the Nanjing Garrison this morning, I could get the court to punish you severely. Please tell the truth, Minister Zhao, otherwise my trip tonight will have been in vain. Perhaps your words can help the court and the people of the world!" Shen Nian added.

Shen Nian's second half of her sentence made Zhao Jin's expression suddenly turn serious.

Looking into Shen Nian's sincere eyes, he chose to believe her.

"You guessed right, I do indeed despise the new policies! I despise Zhang Juzheng's excessive power, I despise the performance evaluation system, the land survey, and the Single Whip Law that caused widespread resentment among officials, and I also despise your statement that it's better for officials to suffer than for the common people to suffer!" "I know that all the strategies of the new reforms are for the purpose of strengthening the country and enriching the people, and I know that the original intention of these strategies is good. But... they are too drastic! Too rigid! Too direct!"

"Zhang Juzheng's series of measures are all Legalist in style, which has accumulated countless grudges over the years. Once Zhang Juzheng retires or loses power, all the reform policies will be negated, and the Ming Dynasty will return to its original order. All the current prosperity will be just a flash in the pan!"

"Don't think you can take Zhang Juzheng's place and turn the tide like him. Once His Majesty takes power, you will not be able to hold all the power. Countless people representing the interests of bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords will pull you down and negate all current policies, including the current policy of reducing redundant officials and positions throughout the country."

"That saying, 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important,' is nothing but a lie to deceive the people. The foundation of the Ming Dynasty is not the people, but the bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords. As the head of the officials, if you don't have their support, you can't accomplish anything!"

"Currently, the new policy reforms have gone down the wrong path. You are on a dead end that will torment the interests of officials, nobles, and landlords, give the common people a taste of sweetness, and then make things even more bitter in the future!"

……

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian immediately understood why Zhao Jin disliked the new policies.

In his eyes.

All of the new policies of the Ming Dynasty went against the interests of the bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords. The reason why this could be done was because of Zhang Juzheng, the Grand Secretary with unprecedented power. Once he left office, these people whose interests were harmed would inevitably retaliate.

His guess was correct; after Zhang Juzheng's death, his policies indeed came to an end.

But Shen Nian is there.

Such a thing is absolutely unacceptable.

Shen Nian looked at Zhao Jin and asked, "Then what do you think is the best way to improve the new policy?"

"Treat all officials with kindness and implement many radical policies gradually, taking a path of reform that can be accepted by both officials and the people."

In short, Zhao Jin meant that the current efforts were too intense and needed to be slowed down.

Shen Nian shook his head.

"Minister Zhao, you think the current new policies have persecuted the bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords too much, and that they will surely retaliate in the future, but I think this is just the beginning!"

"In the first year of the Longqing reign, Grand Secretary Zhang began to plan the new policies and reforms. This was not something Grand Secretary Zhang wanted to do, but something he had to do, because land annexation was too rampant, and because the national treasury could no longer support the huge official system and the increasing number of imperial relatives!"

"The most direct purpose of the new policies is not to exploit the interests of any particular class, but to change the current situation where the court is short of money."

"There have always been only five ways to make the national treasury full."

"First, the emergence of technologies that can significantly increase crop yields or improve the labor efficiency of all people (such as the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, etc.)."

"Secondly, a huge amount of wealth was flowing into the Ming Dynasty."

"Thirdly, wage war and plunder foreign lands."

"Fourth, the new policy reforms are essentially a way to seize the vested interests of the established class."

Fifth, they increased taxes to plunder ordinary people.

"The first path the court is pursuing is to elevate the status of artisans and reward various inventions; the second path is maritime trade; the third path is not feasible, as it does not conform to the national policy of the Ming Dynasty."

"As for the fourth and fifth paths, I prefer the fourth. Because if the vested interest groups are not restricted now, they will move all the national wealth into their own private coffers, and they will force the people to revolt."

……

"I say all this only to prove one point: the best way to save the country is through new policies and reforms that seize the vested interests of the elite; delay will inevitably lead to failure!"

Zhao Jin listened attentively.

Shen Nian used some very novel words and clearly explained the purpose of all the current new policies.

……

At this moment, about five or six steps away from the front hall door.

Wang Jia, Qi Hu, and Zhao Jin's two servants were all standing there.

The four of them couldn't hear what was being said inside the room, but they could tell that Shen Nian's voice was getting louder and louder, as if they were arguing.

Qi Hu looked at Wang Jia.

"It sounds really noisy inside, could... could they start fighting?"

Wang Jia shook his head with a relaxed expression.

"Probably not. Even if a fight breaks out, our Grand Secretary won't suffer any losses!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jin's two servants panicked and immediately prepared to listen closely to the door.

Swish!
Qi Hu stretched out his arm to block the two men, glaring at them and saying, "What do you want to do? Even if a fight breaks out, you can't move from here. Grand Secretary Shen is an imperial envoy, representing the Emperor!"

The two servants immediately froze, feeling helpless at being bullied like this in their own home.

……

In the front hall.

Shen Nian continued, "Minister Zhao, next, let's talk about what you said about Grand Secretary Zhang retiring. Bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords will inevitably launch a counterattack, and the new policies will be short-lived."

"That is indeed a possibility, but... I will absolutely not let it happen!"

"Minister Zhao may have been living in Nanjing for a long time and had seen mostly listless officials, so he was unaware of the current situation of young officials."

"Many young officials today, influenced by the new policies, no longer regard 'getting promoted and making money' as their only career goal; they have bigger ideals."

"Making sure everyone in the world has enough to eat is not just something I say casually, nor is it self-deception; I am truly doing everything I can to achieve it."

"The policy of eliminating redundant officials and positions is just the beginning. In the future, only those who are suitable for office will have the opportunity to serve. In the future, only officials whose goal is to ensure that everyone in the world has enough to eat will be promoted... The purpose of the new policy is to shed the skin of the world, cultivate new bureaucrats, cultivate new nobles, and cultivate new landlords. These people must pursue justice, be compassionate towards the people, and have the country in their hearts... Then, all those bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords who do not understand change will be overthrown... They are the enemies of the court and the enemies of the people..."

"When the power of the new bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords exceeds that of the selfish bureaucrats, nobles, and landlords, all good policies can be institutionalized and passed down from generation to generation!"

"Of course, I cannot predict what the Ming Dynasty will look like a hundred years from now, nor can I guarantee the backlash from the exploiters a hundred years from now. But what I can promise is that the new policies will definitely extend the Ming Dynasty's reign. As for how many years it will last, it is not enough for our generation to do it. It requires the joint efforts of generations to come. Our generation's task is to set standards and establish systems so that everyone knows what rules a country must follow to become a prosperous and strong nation!"

……

Zhao Jin was stunned.

At that moment, he gained a new understanding of the new policy.

In his eyes, the four words "loyalty to the emperor and love for the country" were already very important, representing the moral limit of a loyal and virtuous minister.

What Shen Nian envisioned was changing the next generation, changing the operating rules of the entire Ming Dynasty, and ultimately building a more orderly system.

In Shen Nian's eyes, the new policies were not about providing good advice for the Ming Dynasty for ten or twenty years, but about benefiting generations of the Ming Dynasty.

This was something he dared not think of, something he had never considered before; it was a thought only a sage would have.

At this moment, the hall was very quiet, so quiet that one could hear Zhao Jin's heart pounding.

As Zhao Jin pondered Shen Nian's words, he suddenly realized that Shen Nian was doing something truly great. Even if he failed, he would still accumulate unprecedented experience for future generations.

After a while.

Seeing that Zhao Jin had come to his senses, Shen Nian looked at him and said, "Minister Zhao, do you want to be a participant in the new policy or an observer?"

(End of this chapter)