Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 123 Ni Yuanlu, who never tires out

Wang Chengen received the imperial decree and returned to the palace first.

After the Kheshig troops were led to their garrison, Zhu Youjian continued walking into the city.

He went straight to the Ministry of Personnel.

According to information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ni Yuanlu is currently working on the reform of the State Council within the Ministry of Personnel.

Regardless of Ni Yuanlu's abilities, she remains the only person Zhu Youjian can truly rely on.

Reforming the imperial court cannot be accomplished overnight, but every day that Jiangnan is delayed means a day's loss of silver.

Zhu Youjian could only leave Ni Yuanlu in charge of the capital.

With a large army gathering in the north, the Liaodong defense line needs to be rebuilt, and a new standing army needs to be established. The pressure is considerable, and there are some things that need to be discussed with Ni Yuanlu in person.

Fortunately, the system provided the Kheshig army, and eight thousand heavy cavalry were enough to drive Li Zicheng back to Shanxi.

Otherwise, Zhu Youjian would have to find a way to assemble an elite force to replace Zhang Shize.

……

The blue brick floor of the Ministry of Personnel was illuminated by dozens of horn lamps.

Ni Yuanlu's fingers moved back and forth on the map; he had almost worn out the four small characters in vermilion script that read "Chahar Road".

The water clock showed that it was the first quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM). The six officials waiting in the corridor were still arguing about verifying military merits. The charcoal fire in the copper basin had long been extinguished by official documents.

"Prime Minister, this is the list of officials to be transferred from Tongzhou." The official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel's hands trembled as he held the document. "According to the new regulations, one must have the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) and three years of experience in local government to be eligible for a position in the State Council. But among these three hundred people..."

Upon hearing this, Ni Yuanlu couldn't help but sigh.

The emperor could easily open his mouth, but his old bones were almost worn out from running around.

The cabinet was reorganized into the State Council, which is essentially just a name change.

But in reality, even the bones need to be replaced.

Previously, the cabinet only assisted the emperor in handling government affairs and instructed the six ministries to implement the emperor's policies.

Now, the State Council has taken over the power to appoint government officials for the entire empire.

Moreover, it's no longer like before, where a few senior officials could discuss it and it would be done.

Now, the State Council must propose a draft, which must be approved by the relevant departments and agencies. Then, the corresponding departments must draft detailed rules, which will be voted on by the Advisory Council and submitted to the Emperor for approval. Finally, the rules will be issued to one of the six ministries for implementation.

The workload has more than doubled, and at least a thousand people are needed to keep things running.

However, the Northern Zhili region suffered heavy losses of officials due to the looting by Li Zicheng, the purge by Zhu Youjian, and the massacre by Dorgon.

Officials must also be selected and recruited according to the current new regulations.

Let alone lower-level officials, they can't even gather enough middle-level cadres.

The heads of several departments were personally appointed by the emperor.

Even though they respected him as the prime minister, everyone had their own interests and their own small groups, so he couldn't force him to act against them.

Therefore, the arduous task of selecting these mid-to-low-level officials could only fall into his hands.

Song Ye, the current Left Censor-in-Chief of the Integrity Council, concurrently serving as Minister of Personnel and Chief Financial Officer of the Finance Department of the State Council, also sighed.

He poured Ni Yuanlu a fresh cup of tea and said helplessly, "Minister, if it really doesn't work, why not loosen the selection criteria a bit?"

"Officials in the capital have been neglecting their duties for too long. Let alone experience in governing local areas, even their experience in serving in the capital is probably limited to drinking, corruption, and frequenting brothels."

Ni Yuanlu shook his head, "How could I not know this?"

"But I really don't want to hold His Majesty back!"

"Censor Song Lian should understand that His Majesty's reforms this time are a firm decision to change the extravagant and decadent state of our Great Ming Dynasty and eliminate the extravagant and unrestrained practices of officials and nobles."

"If I were to relax the selection criteria this time, I wonder how many more corrupt officials would flood into the State Council!"

"The State Council is the first to be established by the cabinet, and it is the first to govern all matters. If the State Council is even slightly negligent, then the entire Ming Dynasty will be in disarray!"

"The Ming Dynasty only produces one ruler who can restore the dynasty once every hundred years. He implements policies that bring about a revival and shows signs of a revival. How dare I hold His Majesty back!"

Ni Yuanlu's words came from the bottom of his heart.

However, what's the use of having the best ideas in your mind when the facts are right in front of you?

Of the more than 6,000 officials in the entire Beizhili region, starting from the lowest-ranking clerks, fewer than 400 met the requirements.

The gap is exceptionally large.

Song Ye was wrong no matter what Ni Yuanlu said.

Ni Yuanlu is right. Other departments can be fooled, but the State Council absolutely cannot be fooled.

The words of comfort lingered in his mouth several times, but what he finally said was, "Then I will have my colleagues in the Ministry of Personnel bring over the official registers of the Jianzhou Three Guards and the Shaanxi and Shanxi Circuits. There are quite a few officials who have retired from these places recently, and I hope they can be of some help to you, Your Excellency."

Ni Yuanlu nodded, "It would be best if Censor Song Lian did it this way."

"The Grand Secretary need not worry too much. Why not send someone from Nanjing?" Song Ye said with a smile.

To everyone's surprise, Ni Yuanlu shook his head again, "Although there are many things to do in reorganizing the State Council, it is not enough to make this old man worry."

"Then the Grand Secretary is..." Song Ye looked at Ni Yuanlu with a puzzled expression.

The latter picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "What truly troubles me are these four garrisons of Liaodong..."

"With His Majesty's order to rebuild the Liaodong defense line and establish four garrisons, the whole country will be mobilized."

"Before I took over, how difficult could it possibly be?"

"But now it seems I am truly ashamed to face His Majesty!"

"What do you mean?" Song Ye was extremely surprised. In his mind, Ni Yuanlu was the head of the court officials, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and a true Grand Protector-General who helped His Majesty turn the tide when Li Zicheng's million-strong army attacked.

How could someone say something like that?

Ni Yuanlu took a sip of tea and began to talk about the hardships.

"The troops, weapons, provisions, and military pay of the four garrisons in Liaodong alone are enough to exhaust the tax revenue of the four circuits south of the Yangtze River!"

“With the army stationed, there must be people to cultivate the land, reclaim wasteland, and live there. In the four garrisons alone, there are more than 730 guards. Moreover, His Majesty requires the four garrisons to be military and the guards to be civilians, abolishing the military settlement system. So these thousands of guards will have to be changed to the Lijia system. The Lijia system will require the re-establishment of prefectures. With prefectures, there will be three offices.”

"Should the army be stationed first, or should the army and civilians work together? Should the government provide grain and livestock for the reclamation of civilian land? How will the taxes be calculated the following year?"

"Is Xinzhou Prefecture a military or civilian town? Where did the people come from? Were officials and clerks dispatched according to the old policy or selected according to the new policy? How were the imperial examinations conducted?"

"This doesn't even include how to prevent smuggling, how to establish a salt and iron monopoly, how to define the responsibilities of border towns, how to maintain the livelihood of the people, or how to send caravans to exchange goods."

"How could I not be worried!"

Song Ye remained completely silent this time.

Every single word Ni Yuanlu just said would normally be treated as a matter of great importance by a department in charge.

Ni Yuanlu listed no fewer than thirty such gaps in government services.

Compared to that, the State Council doesn't seem to be a big deal at all.

Song Ye smiled awkwardly, "The Grand Secretary truly deserves to be called the pillar of the court. It is my great fortune to be able to serve as the Grand Secretary's henchman for three generations."

“So, Song…” Ni Yuanlu’s eyes lit up.

Song Ye immediately stood up, as if afraid that Ni Yuanlu would pester him, and hurriedly bowed and took his leave.

"Your Excellency, please attend to your business first. I will go find the imperial register!"

After saying that, he turned around and rushed out of the inner hall, leaving Ni Yuanlu sitting there with a black line on his face.

You can still faintly hear Song Ye's anxious voice.

"I have urgent business to attend to, so I'll leave the task of assisting the Grand Secretary to my colleagues! Don't come to me with anything!"

Ni Yuanlu angrily scratched the yellow book with her fingernail, but there was nothing she could do.

He wasn't the only one who was busy; Song Ye's workload was still considerable.

Shaking his head to refocus, he instructed the clerk beside him, "Have Zhang Tongchang go to the Imperial Academy to select students to fill vacancies."

Not many people may know Zhang Tongchang, but everyone knows his great-grandfather.

It was none other than the famous Zhang Juzheng!

When Li Zicheng besieged the capital, Zhang Tongchang recruited volunteers from Yunnan and marched north with the army of the Duke of Qian's government.

The army has only just arrived in Huguang, and he was specially recruited by Zhu Youjian.

Upon arrival, he didn't even get to see Zhu Youjian before being assigned to Ni Yuanlu's subordinates. Just as he finished speaking, Ni Yuanlu suddenly coughed, and pale pink streaks of blood appeared in his spittoon.

"Tell Shi Kefa that the instructors of the Imperial Schools in the four garrisons of Liaodong must take office before the spring imperial examinations."

"As for the other candidate for village head..."

Just as Ni Yuanlu was hesitating, a rustling sound came from the corner.

A minor official in a green robe ran up to him, stuffing the "Imperial Ancestral Instructions of the Ming Dynasty" into his robes. "I dare to ask," he said, "why not let the students serve as village and household leaders first?"

The patch on his cuff unraveled with his gesture, "It can solve the immediate problem, and also..."

"Insolence!" the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel immediately rebuked, "How dare a mere Jinshi (a candidate for the highest degree in the imperial examination) presume to comment on national policies!"

Ni Yuanlu raised her hand to stop the scolding.

He glanced at it indifferently.

What's your name?

"Your humble servant Chen Zhenhui was a Juren (successful candidate in the imperial examination) in the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign (1644) and is currently serving as an observer in the Bureau of Performance Evaluation."

"Go on."

Chen Zhenhui's Adam's apple bobbed; he knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

He spoke almost without hesitation.

"There are three problems in Liaodong."

"Firstly, the military and civilians are in dire need of support; secondly, there are no officials or clerks; and thirdly, the people's strength is depleted, and both money and grain need to be provided by the interior of the pass."

"Apart from that, everything else is easy!"

After speaking, Chen Zhenhui glanced at Ni Yuanlu discreetly, and only continued speaking after seeing that the latter did not have a particularly strong reaction.

"In my humble opinion, these three drawbacks should be addressed in this manner."

"Firstly, the four garrisons in Liaodong were established to defend against the Jurchens, so military affairs were the priority and people's livelihood was secondary."

"Your Majesty abolished the military settlements in order to make the army focus on fighting, while the people cultivated the land not only to recover lost territory, but also to replenish the military supplies locally."

"However, the tax should be collected in accordance with the taxes of the Ming Dynasty, but it should not be turned over to the national treasury, but used to replenish the troops stationed locally."

Ni Yuanlu had already thought of this point, so she wasn't particularly surprised.

"Secondly, although Beizhili has suffered many calamities and countless loyal ministers and righteous men have died, there are still scholars who have passed the imperial examinations. With Your Majesty's new policies, scholars can easily take on the positions of village chiefs and ward chiefs."

“Officials in the county can be selected from the military’s Pacification Commission.”

"The Pacification Commissioner has followed His Majesty in his campaigns in the south and north, achieving numerous victories. He deserves to be rewarded. Moreover, the four garrisons in Liaodong are military garrisons, and it is most appropriate to have military personnel in charge of the people."

A glint flashed in Ni Yuanlu's eyes; these words truly resonated with him.

Serving scholars who had passed the imperial examinations as village and township heads not only alleviated the immediate crisis but also provided strong talent support for the selection of subsequent officials and allowed scholars to gain local governance experience.

The same applies to the Pacification Commissioner's Office. The Pacification Commissioner's political acumen and integrity make him the best candidate for county officials!

With this one plan, the person before us is more than capable of serving as the head of the six departments of the State Council!
However, Ni Yuanlu still did not react; he wanted to see just how much ink the person in front of him had.

Chen Zhenhui continued, “Thirdly, we should emulate the Tang Dynasty by establishing an economics department through the civil service examination. Anyone knowledgeable in money, grain, and criminal matters could be directly appointed to an official position without taking the civil service examination. However, such positions would only be minor ones. The Anti-Corruption Bureau would be tasked with overseeing them. The land vacated by the military households after the garrison system was reorganized would be distributed to the people and collected in silver in the form of grain according to the Single Whip Law. If there was any surplus grain, it could be purchased by the troops stationed in the four towns of Liaodong with silver.”

"This will give the people a chance to breathe and also attract merchants to go north."

"Insolence!" The Right Vice Minister smashed his teacup on Chen Zhenhui's shoulder. "How can this be tolerated according to ancestral rules?"

Ni Yuanlu slammed her hand heavily on the table.

"An edict issued in the twenty-fourth year of the Hongwu reign: Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

“Chen Guanzheng.” Ni Yuanlu closed the yellow book in front of him. “Tomorrow, go to the Ministry of Revenue to report and find the detailed land records of Liaodong in the 43rd year of Wanli. You will work with the Xuanwei Division’s Anti-Corruption Bureau to distribute the land.”

Just as Chen Zhenhui was about to kneel down to express her gratitude, the sound of metal rubbing against metal suddenly came from outside the door.

The spears of twenty Xuanjia cavalrymen pierced the twilight, and the blood grooves on their embroidered spring blades were still covered with unwashed brain matter.

The moment the censor on duty touched the gavel, the Imperial Guards forced him to slam his head against the couplet, causing the character "天" (heaven) in "天工其代之" (Heaven and man shall replace them) to bleed from his nose.

The accompanying Imperial Guardsman shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty is here!"

"Holy Holy Gong!"

Amidst the muffled thuds of hundreds of knees hitting the ground, Zhu Youjian slowly walked into the Ministry of Personnel.

Chen Zhenhui tried to peek, but was blocked by the Imperial Guards.

"Prime Minister, how are the arrangements for the Assistant Prefect of Chahar Circuit going? The Mongol tribes just presented me with a great gift!"

Before the person even entered, their voices could be heard inside the hall.

Ni Yuanlu's cough was drowned out by the sound of the water dripping from the water clock.

He saw the wolf-tooth ornaments of the Kheshig soldiers on the emperor's sleeve, "This old minister has..."

"Report!" Tang Ma suddenly rushed through the gate, "The remnants of the Jurchen army have looted Xifengkou. General Huang Degong requests your deployment."

Zhu Youjian didn't care at all.

He took off the jade pendant and threw it to the sweating postman, saying, "Tell Huang Chuangzi not to take prisoners. He can handle the rest himself."

Chen Zhenhui's knees were pressed against the cold blue bricks, and the smell of blood, like rust, filled her nostrils.

He saw the gilded cloud patterns on the scabbard of the Embroidered Spring Blade flickering in the candlelight, and the muffled thud of twenty pairs of cowhide boots hitting the ground made his eardrums vibrate.

"Everyone, get up."

The emperor's majesty was on full display at this moment, and Chen Zhenhui met that gaze when she looked up.

As Zhu Youjian swept past the kneeling crowd, the cold flame of the ram's horn lamp reflected in his eyes, like a lone wolf roaming its territory on a snowy night.

Before Ni Yuanlu could speak, Zhu Youjian had already opened the map. "The Jurchens at Xifengkou are nothing but grasshoppers in autumn. If Huang Degong can't even handle these remnants..."

The sword sheath suddenly struck heavily against the four small vermilion characters of the Chahar Circuit. "What crime does the Grand Secretary think should be punished?"

In the deathly silence of the room, Chen Zhenhui heard the sound of her own Adam's apple bobbing.

He saw the prime minister's bulging veins pressing against the edge of the spittoon, with pale pink blood streaks rippling across the glaze.

As Ni Yuanlu was pondering how to answer, Zhu Youjian suddenly turned around.

Chen Zhenhui hurriedly lowered her head, only to see the emperor's black boots with gold-embroidered cloud and dragon patterns stopping half a foot away, picking up the document he had just presented.

"A scholar who passed the imperial examinations will serve as a village head, or a pacification commissioner to govern the people?"

"Whose idea was this?"

Chen Zhenhui felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

As he trembled as he gave his name, he suddenly heard the cracking sound of paper tearing. Zhu Youjian had torn his petition in two!

"Armchair strategist!" Half a sheet of Xuan paper fluttered down to her knees. Chen Zhenhui stared at the grotesque bloodstains on her neat calligraphy, now marked with cinnabar. "How can a scholar who doesn't understand farming distribute land? How can the Pacification Commissioner who doesn't know criminal law adjudicate lawsuits?"

Chen Zhenhui felt like the sky had fallen, but Zhu Youjian's next words brought him a turning point.

"But he does dare to speak his mind."

Zhu Youjian suddenly changed the subject, "Ni Qing, let this boy go to Liaodong with the students for three months of training."

"The idea is good, but we need to think about it more and have the Pacification Commissioner's Office, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the Imperial College jointly implement it."

Just as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was about to speak up to dissuade him, the Embroidered Uniform Guards walked up behind him.

Zhu Youjian didn't waste time on these little karami, but simply recited a poem: "What you learn from books is never enough; you must put it into practice to truly understand."

Then he beckoned to Ni Yuanlu, "Ni Qing, come with me. I have some things to tell you."

Ni Yuanlu followed Zhu Youjian into the inner hall, completely bewildered.

More than a hundred Imperial Guards immediately appeared around them to ensure that no one could hear their conversation.

……

A moment later, Ni Yuanlu's explosive sound suddenly came from inside the hall.

"What!?!"

"Do you think your subject is immune to exhaustion?!"

(End of this chapter)