Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 777 Breaking Down Business Units and Vertical Leadership
"You flatter me, Eunuch Liu." Fang Zhenghua said modestly, but his back was straight, and his tone was filled with undisguised pride.

Gao Shiming then turned to Pang Tianshou and introduced him, "This is Pang Tianshou, the deputy director of the Audit Bureau of the Imperial Household Department."

"My name is Pang Tianshou," Pang Tianshou quickly bowed and greeted Eunuch Liu in a gentle tone.

Liu Kejing didn't have any particular feelings towards the eunuchs of the Directorate of Palace Attendants, so he simply returned their greeting politely: "Eunuch Pang, you're too kind. We're all just trying to ease His Majesty's burdens; there's no need for further formalities."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Kejing suddenly felt a dryness and itchiness in his throat. He couldn't help but turn to the side, raise his hand to cover his mouth, and coughed heavily twice. His body began to tremble slightly from coughing, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Brother Xingjian, are you alright?" Gao Shiming quickly stepped forward. "If you're really feeling unwell, you might as well go back and rest. You don't have to force yourself to entertain us."

After coughing, Liu Kejing took a breath and waved his hand, "It's nothing, just an old ailment. I caught a chill from the rain, my head feels a bit heavy, and my throat is sore." He held onto the armrest of the chair by the table and gestured to the three of them, "Brother Yongsheng, and Eunuch Fang and Eunuch Pang, please sit down. Don't keep standing."

Seeing his insistence, Gao Shiming stopped trying to persuade him and sat down first. Fang Zhenghua and Pang Tianshou followed suit. Liu Kejing did not take the main seat, but slowly sat down in the chair opposite the three of them.

"Brother Yongsheng, I just heard this kid say," Liu Kejing's gaze swept over Liu Dian standing under the corridor, then turned back to Gao Shiming, "that you've gotten a new job?"

“Brother Xingjian is right.” Gao Shiming smiled gently at Liu Dian under the corridor, then turned back to Liu Kejing and nodded: “I have indeed been given a new job.”

"I wonder what kind of job it is?" Liu Kejing leaned forward, his body slightly lifting off the back of his chair.

Gao Shiming placed his hands on his knees, his back straightening unconsciously. His voice carried a forced but barely concealed smugness: "His Majesty has recently established a new 'General Administration of Customs' in the inner court. I am unworthy, but a few days ago I was summoned by His Majesty to give an audience and, having pleased His Majesty somewhat, I was fortunate enough to be appointed as the first director." He paused deliberately, then added, "I am merely undeserving of such favor."

Liu Kejing's eyes immediately lit up, and he hurriedly cupped his hands and said with a smile, "Oh my! I knew it! With Brother Yongsheng's talent, he would not remain in obscurity for long. It was only a matter of time before he gained the Emperor's favor and was given an important position! I just didn't expect that in less than a year, Brother Yongsheng would rise above his station and become the head of the new administration!"

"Not at all, not at all." Gao Shiming waved his hands repeatedly, but the smile on his lips couldn't be suppressed, and even the fine lines at the corners of his eyes revealed a lightheartedness. "Brother Xingjian, you flatter me. I am of limited talent and ability, and it is only because the Emperor has favored me and the Ancestor has trusted me wrongly. Now I only hope that nothing goes wrong in my post. If I can live up to the Emperor's deep kindness and not let down the Ancestor's high expectations, I will be satisfied."

"Brother Yongsheng is as humble as ever," Liu Kejing said with a smile, before changing the subject slightly and probing, "But if I remember correctly, didn't Brother Yongsheng voluntarily request a transfer to the bank's office? How come you've been transferred to a new office so quickly? Or is this new office a department under the bank? Like the ceremonial office or document office under the Directorate of Ceremonial?"

Gao Shiming picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and seemed to straighten up a bit more: "No, the General Administration of Customs is an independent department, directly under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, and is at the same level as the Sun and Moon Bank. To put it bluntly, they each manage their own area and are not subordinate to each other."

Liu Kejing sat up abruptly, his pale face regaining some color, and his eyes widened, his gaze towards Gao Shiming instantly filled with awe: "So, Brother Yongsheng has now been promoted to eunuch?"

Gao Shiming waved his hand with feigned helplessness, but his manner did not seem to deny it: "Oh dear, look at what you're saying. The General Administration is still in its initial stage. The regulations are not yet finalized, and the staff is not yet complete. As the director, I am just a fifth-rank bureau chief, which is nothing."

That being said, Liu Kejing had been working in the palace for many years, so how could he not understand the intricacies of the place? He immediately thought of Li Fengxiang, the deputy director of the General Affairs Bureau of the Sun and Moon Bank. On the surface, this man was only a deputy director of the fifth rank, but in reality, he was doing the work of the executive director eunuch. However, the bank was still small and did not need such a high-ranking official. In order to save on salaries, the palace temporarily gave him a low-ranking title.

Gao Shiming's situation is clearly a carbon copy of someone else's! Gao Shiming is currently only a bureau chief, probably because the Customs Administration is still small. Once it expands, promotion will be a natural progression. Moreover, the president of the Sun and Moon Bank is concurrently held by Wei Chao, the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. If the Customs Administration and the Bank Administration are on the same level in that sense, then it's not impossible for Gao Shiming, as the director of the Customs Administration, to directly enter the Qianqing Palace to assist in governance in the future!
Thinking of this, Liu Kejing's gaze towards Gao Shiming completely changed, his previous familiarity now tinged with deliberate respect. He leaned on the armrest, laboriously rising from his chair, ignoring his trembling body, and walked to Gao Shiming, bowing deeply: "Brother Yongsheng, I was rude just now."

As he spoke, Liu Kejing turned to look at Liu Dian, his voice carrying a hint of feigned reproach: "You clueless brat! How could you let Mr. Gao sit in the guest seat? Don't you know any manners!"

Liu Dian shrank back as he was scolded, and quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, son knows he was wrong."

Liu Kejing turned back again, a fawning smile on his face, and gestured to the main seat on his left, his voice hoarse and obsequious: "Brother Yongsheng, this little brat is ignorant, he hasn't neglected you, has he? Come on, sit here."

Liu Kejing's attitude pleased Gao Shiming greatly. It brought back to him the feeling he had before the reforms, when he was the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Study in the Directorate of Ceremonial, a feeling of superiority over everyone. However, he didn't get carried away this time. Instead, he stood up, took Liu Kejing's arm, and said gently, "Oh, Brother Xingjian, what are you doing? We've known each other for so many years. Although we weren't under the same supervisor, we're still considered fellow disciples. Why be so formal? Besides, I'm really just a fifth-rank official now. How can I accept such high praise from you?"

He paused, then gently patted Liu Kejing's hand, offering him a way out: "Alright, alright, you're still weak, how can you stand for long? Sit down quickly, be careful not to catch a cold." As he spoke, he helped Liu Kejing walk to the chair he had been sitting in.

Liu Kejing sat down, and deliberately coughed twice, his voice tinged with amusement: "Hehe, cough cough... Brother Yongsheng is still so considerate and courteous. But there are differences between superiors and inferiors, and distinctions between the noble and the lowly. How can we break the rules of etiquette just because we are familiar with each other?"

Gao Shiming sat back down in his seat, picked up his teacup and gently blew away the floating tea: "Of course, we should follow the rules, but we are only one rank apart now. Wouldn't such behavior break the rules and disrupt etiquette?"

Liu Kejing nodded hurriedly, his smile becoming even more ingratiating: "Brother Yongsheng is right! I was overthinking it, and it makes me seem petty." Gao Shiming lowered his head, waved his hand, and slowly sipped his tea.

Having already made the right gesture, Liu Kejing smoothly changed the subject: "Brother Yongsheng, your new government office is called the 'General Administration of Customs.' If I were to interpret it literally, it should be in charge of maritime trade, right?"

Gao Shiming put down his teacup and tapped the table lightly with his knuckles: "Brother Xingjian guessed correctly. The General Administration of Customs is the government office that manages maritime trade. Whether it's inspecting merchant ships, issuing entry and exit permits, collecting customs duties, or cracking down on smuggling, it's all under its jurisdiction."

Liu Kejing thought for a moment, his fingers unconsciously stroking the armrest of the chair under his sleeve: "Would the yamen be located in Tianjin, or somewhere like Beitang or Dagu?"

“No.” Gao Shiming shook his head. “The yamen will be located in the capital. The location is still being selected, but it has been roughly decided to be in Chongbeifang, near Dongbianmen.”

Liu Kejing seemed both understanding and bewildered. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but coughed twice before saying, "In the capital? Even at the fastest pace, it would take two days to get from the capital to Tanggu. That might not be convenient, would it?"

Gao Shiming smiled and explained, "The General Administration is in the capital, where it is in charge of the overall principles and sets the regulations. When local areas need to handle affairs, they will naturally set up subordinate customs offices. This is just like the customs offices in various places. Although they are scattered along the Grand Canal, they are all under the jurisdiction of a general office called the Ministry of Revenue. The principle is the same."

Gao Shiming said that the two are based on the same principle, but in fact they are different.

In theory, the direct superior of the Ming Dynasty's customs offices was the Ministry of Revenue. However, after more than a hundred years of development and evolution, the actual situation was no longer the same.

For example, its daily operations, such as guarding the customs and maintaining order on the waterways, often require the cooperation of local officials. Therefore, some customs officials may even be concurrently held by local provincial administration commissioners or provincial judicial commissioners, which leads to the problem of central and local government overlap.

Customs offices located along the Grand Canal, such as those in Linqing and Yangzhou, were closely related to the grain transport and were therefore directly influenced by the Grand Canal Governor's office. If these customs offices conducted overly strict inspections of official grain transport ships and tribute ships when collecting taxes, it would invite interference from the Grand Canal Governor.

During the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the imperial court frequently dispatched imperial censors to oversee tax collection and ensure that taxes were remitted in full. While this system could curb corruption to some extent, it often increased the pressure on customs offices.

The Ministry of Revenue, local authorities, the Grand Canal Commissioner, and the Censor were tasked with overseeing the customs and paper money exchange. The original intention was, of course, to allow each party to supervise the other, but in practice, they often hindered each other.

To avoid these known problems, the emperor designed the customs office to be directly under his jurisdiction, vertically led, and with an independent status.

The so-called direct imperial jurisdiction and vertical leadership meant that the General Administration of Customs was directly under the emperor's leadership and accountable only to him. The Director-General reported daily to the Directorate of Ceremonial, but had the right to submit memorials to the emperor at any time. The General Administration of Customs oversaw various directly subordinate customs offices, each directly under the General Administration of Customs and accountable only to it. Subordinate customs offices could be established below the directly subordinate customs offices, but under the current circumstances, a third level of organization was not necessary.

This independent status meant that the customs service was only subject to the orders of the General Administration of Customs, and local governments had no right to manage or interfere with its law enforcement work. Conversely, the eunuchs of the General Administration of Customs also had no right to interfere in local government affairs.

Liu Kejing, of course, was unaware of the emperor's plan, so he nodded thoughtfully: "I understand, that's the arrangement. It certainly looks more organized than the old Maritime Trade Office." He paused, then, remembering something, pressed on: "Speaking of the Maritime Trade Office, if I remember correctly, there was one in Quanzhou, Fujian, and one in Guangzhou, Guangdong, right? Now that your office has been established, what will happen to these old offices?"

Gao Shiming tapped the table lightly and said thoughtfully, "According to the palace's current plan, the business of the Maritime Trade Office should be split up."

"Business split? How?" Liu Kejing looked puzzled, about to ask a question but then coughed twice. "Ahem, how exactly will it be split?"

“Brother Xingjian should also know that the former Maritime Trade Office had too many responsibilities. It had to receive tributary envoys from overseas countries, arrange tribute matters, and also manage maritime trade, collect taxes, and inspect goods,” Gao Shiming said slowly. “After the split, the part related to tribute was handed over to the Ministry of Rites, while the matters of maritime trade, such as the issuance of import and export licenses, collection of customs duties, cracking down on smuggling, and inspecting goods, as I mentioned earlier, were all handled by the branch offices under the General Administration of Customs.”

The Maritime Trade Office, though subordinate to the Provincial Administration Commission, was also an office with both diplomatic and tax functions. Receiving tribute envoys and their entourages from various countries was one of its main tasks. For example, the Guangdong Maritime Trade Office was responsible for receiving tribute envoys from Southeast Asian countries such as Champa, Siam, Malacca, and Cambodia, while the Fujian Maritime Trade Office was responsible for receiving tribute envoys from Ryukyu. The Zhejiang Maritime Trade Office, which has since been abolished, was originally responsible for receiving tribute envoys from Japan.

"So, you're saying the Maritime Trade Office is going to be completely abolished?" Liu Kejing listened carefully, but his brows furrowed as his throat tightened.

“Your understanding is not wrong.” Gao Shiming nodded. “From now on, all matters of maritime trade will be coordinated by the General Administration of Customs, so there is no need to retain the title of the Maritime Trade Office.”

“Indeed. The old system had many malpractices, and the establishment of the new General Administration with clear division of responsibilities is indeed a good thing.” Liu Kejing said in a high-pitched voice, “But I wonder what will happen to those old officials, supervisors and eunuchs under the Maritime Trade Office after it is split up and dissolved?”

“This is what we need to consider in the early stages of the General Administration of Customs.” Gao Shiming smiled. “We don’t care about the fifth or sixth-rank civil officials who are from the regular department, such as the supervisors and deputy supervisors. The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites will make their own arrangements. As for those clerks, those who are experienced and knowledgeable in their work may be transferred to the newly established customs office. As for those who are useless, the palace does not support idle people, so we can just dismiss them.”

(End of this chapter)