My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 199 The Nine Ministers' Court Debate
The cabinet deliberated and approved the emperor's innovative Nine Ministers Court Debate at lightning speed, and issued a notice to the Nine Ministers' offices, instructing them to prepare questions to ask Su Ze during the debate.

When the emperor's decree arrived at the newspaper office, Su Ze was dumbfounded.

Court debate? Does our Great Ming Dynasty have such an ancestral rule?

Why does this feel like a thesis defense?
Project feasibility analysis?
Terrifying memories from her past life flood back.

Luo Wanhua and Shen Yiguan were dumbfounded. Did our Great Ming Dynasty still have the concept of court debate?

Although ministers sometimes debated in the court, such debates quickly turned into brawls.

This time, the emperor's decree clearly intended for Su Ze to engage in a group fight, specifically a fight between Su Ze and the Nine Ministers.

Su Ze deeply suspected that this was the emperor's revenge against him!

But what else could we do? We could only obediently prepare for the court debate.

If the court debate can persuade the Nine Ministers, wouldn't the resistance to passing the memorial be less?

Moreover, the method of court debate seems quite good. Some things cannot be explained clearly with just a memorial. Discussing things through court debate can help make decisions.

It must be said that the Longqing Emperor was quite capable.
-
In the days that followed, Su Ze traveled between the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue, poring over various documents left over from Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean.

Although Zheng He's nautical charts were destroyed, these official archives still contain a considerable amount of information about Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean.

In particular, the Ministry of Rites also preserved the information on the countries that paid tribute in the past. Su Ze matched this information with the geographical and historical knowledge of later generations and searched for the special products of these countries in the [Memory Palace].

The Nine Ministers' Debate was scheduled for July 20th. While Su Ze was busy, the grain merchants in the capital underwent a reshuffle.

The managers of fourteen grain stores were dismissed for embezzling public funds.

In fact, they could have been handed over to the authorities, but the owners behind these grain shops were mostly nobles. In order to save face for their families and also to prevent these people from saying things they shouldn't have after being imprisoned, they let them accept the punishment and leave.

Those who retained their positions as managers were also trembling with fear. This grain trade war had been a complete failure, and many grain shops had lost several months' worth of profits. How to make a profit in the next few months and meet the employer's requirements had become the most troublesome problem for these managers.

Just then, news spread that the bulk grain trading market was opening.

According to the information coming from the Crown Prince's side, grain merchants in the capital will be able to purchase large quantities of grain in this grain market in the future.

Grain merchants in the capital would quote prices and place orders in the market, which would then be accepted by maritime merchants from Zhigu and Dengzhou-Laizhou.

Once the transaction is completed, the settlement price is locked in.

This large-scale grain trading market quickly attracted the attention of grain merchants in the capital.

They quickly discovered the benefits.

The price of grain in the capital also fluctuated cyclically depending on the timing of the grain shipments arriving in the capital.

When summer and autumn grains are delivered to Beijing, market prices drop rapidly. However, when the harvest season is in between, especially at the end of winter, grain prices will surge again.

In fact, such sharp rises and falls are also very unfavorable to grain merchants.

The buying and selling of grain, a major daily commodity, is actually driven by the pursuit of stable profits.

The trading method in bulk grain markets is actually beneficial for merchants to pursue stable profits.

Moreover, this market is backed by the Crown Prince, who taught the grain merchants in the capital a lesson through economic means, thus naturally gaining his credit endorsement.

Moreover, I heard that these ordered grains were transported by sea, directly to Zhigu, and then sent to the capital via the Zhigu Canal, which is the same route that the Crown Prince's batch of grains took to enter the capital.

These grain merchants had also inquired and found that this route was faster and cheaper than the canal transport.

Several merchants have already placed tentative orders to purchase grain through this bulk grain market.

Fan Kuan, a hermit, also came to this market.

Although the previous speculation failed, the Fan family's grain store suffered minimal losses because they fled in time.

Fan Kuan also managed to withdraw his family's wealth in time, thus preserving his own coffin money.

However, this breach of agreement also caused the Fan family, the first to abscond, to suffer a crisis of trust.

The Fan family's grain business had been marginalized from the capital's grain business circle, and Fan Kuan's reputation had become tarnished, forcing him to move out of the Datong Guild Hall.

Although Fan Kuan didn't lose money, he was so worried these days that his hair was turning white.

As a recluse, the powerful and influential people he associated with were all exiled and banished, and his connections in the capital gradually thinned out.

As a member of the Datong Fan clan, his speculative ventures not only failed to generate profits but also damaged the reputation of the Datong Fan clan.

Who would do business with the Fan family at a time like this?
Fan Kuan understood that if things continued this way, he would lose his job as a hermit.

As for starting a newspaper in the capital, that's out of the question.

Upon hearing the news of the opening of the bulk grain market, Fan Kuan still shamelessly came to join in the fun, hoping to find some business opportunities.

The main commodity traded in the market was grain, in addition to white sugar sold in the shops in the East Palace.

Fan Kuan had no interest in white sugar. Sugar was considered a luxury in the capital, and its success in the Eastern Palace did not mean that other shops could sell it.

Outside of the capital, apart from bustling metropolises like Nanjing and Suzhou, the ability to consume white sugar was almost zero.

In these places, people usually eat some maltose during the Lunar New Year.

Fan Kuan continued to examine the sell orders.

In addition to buy orders, the bulk grain trading market also has sell orders from Dengzhou-Laizhou and Tehku.

Fan Kuan saw a sales order.

"Sugarcane wine?"

What is this?
But upon seeing the price, Fan Kuan was puzzled. Was this really wine? Could wine be so cheap?
One of the important businesses of the Datong Fan family was smuggling goods to the grasslands.

Fan Kuan received news from his family that after Wang Shizhen went on a mission to the grasslands, the two sides agreed to conduct a small-scale trade.

However, the goods traded in the border market had to undergo strict inspection by Datongwei, and the salt, iron and weapons that the Fan family used to smuggle were now prohibited from being transported.

But if we don't transport these, the profits from selling other things to the grasslands are meager.

Wine is a good commodity for the grasslands.

However, the price of wine in the Ming Dynasty is high, and if it is transported to the grasslands and suffers such a large loss, it is not a profitable business.

This sugarcane wine is so cheap. If it really is wine, it seems like it could be profitable to transport it to the grasslands.

Fan Kuan had an idea, and seeing that the price of sugarcane wine was not high, he took out his savings and placed an order.
-
In a hutong west of the capital, He Xinyin, dressed in a brown scholar's robe, greeted his neighbors as he stepped into his own house.

In this small courtyard deep in the alley lived the He family, who had moved from Jiangnan. The neighbors all knew that this Mr. He was low-key and humble, and that he had come to the capital to do business.

As for what kind of business Mr. He was actually doing, the neighbors had many different opinions.

No one would guess that this is the headquarters of the famous "New Yuefu Daily" in the capital.

The anti-smuggling censors and the five city gate patrol censors had been tracking it for a long time, but they couldn't find the office of the *New Yuefu Daily*. No one would have guessed that the office was located in the middle of the city. Of course, the printing workshops were also hidden in other places. He Xinyin was very good at organizing. He broke the printing workshops into smaller ones and hid them in various parts of the capital. He first had one printing workshop print a sample copy, and then distributed it to the other printing workshops for printing.

This is less efficient, but it is also safer.

Wang Renzhong, the anti-smuggling censor, once destroyed an underground printing workshop of the "New Yuefu Daily". However, this printing workshop only knew how to carve and print the newspaper according to the sample newspapers sent to it, and knew nothing else.

Even the craftsman in charge of engraving the printing blocks was an illiterate man who couldn't read a single word; he didn't even know what was being said in the newspapers!
After a thorough investigation, Wang Ren could only release the craftsmen and confiscate the printing workshop's tools to settle the matter.

This is also why the "New Yuefu Daily" was able to grow even larger despite the increased efforts to combat smuggling in the capital.

Of course, the fact that the Xinyuefu Daily was able to grow bigger and bigger was also related to the editors of the newspaper under the leadership of He Xinyin.

Back home, the newspaper editors, disguised as servants of He Xinyin, gathered in the inner hall.

"Are these the hot topics in the capital?"

He Xinyin would also have people collect the hot topics in the capital, and each topic would be selected from the popular ones.

The Xinlefu Daily also commissions articles from people involved in hot topics, including officials.

By keeping up with trending topics and delving into them, the "New Yuefu Daily" has gradually transformed from a pirated tabloid into a more professional newspaper.

"The hottest topic today is the matter of the Crown Prince stabilizing grain prices in the capital a while ago."

An editor stood up and reported.

He Xinyin shook his head:
"The matter involves the Crown Prince's Palace, the topic is too sensitive, and there is too little credible information, so it can't be made into a report. Next one."

"Wang Shizhen's mission was also a hot topic of discussion in the capital."

He Xinyin shook his head and said:
"The news from the grasslands is a mix of truth and falsehood. The contract for the mission has been reached. The people of the capital just need to know that there will be no war this year. Nobody cares about the details of the mission. Next."

A young editor stood up and said:
"There's news from the Commissioner of the Court of State Ceremonies: Su Ze has submitted another memorial, this time proposing another voyage to the Western Ocean."

Upon hearing this news, He Xinyin's eyes lit up.

"I've heard rumors circulating among the people. What are the Emperor's and the cabinet's views on this matter? Is there any information about them?"

The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty was like a sieve; running a newspaper required being well-informed, and the "New Yuefu Daily" would pay money to gather information.

The young editor immediately said:
"I heard that His Majesty wants Su Ze to debate with the Nine Ministers in court."

"The debate among the Nine Ministers is quite interesting."

He Xinyin immediately understood the emperor's intention. After thinking for a moment, he said:
"Let's get a few articles about Zheng He's voyages to the West, and then find people to write articles from both sides of the argument. Let's help Hanlin Su get the atmosphere of the court debate heated up!"
-
He Xinyin's news sense is indeed very accurate.

After news of Su Ze's demand to debate the Nine Ministers spread throughout official circles, it immediately became the hottest topic in official circles.

Whether or not to go to Southeast Asia again became the focus of debate among officials.

However, the Six Ministries and the Censorate remained surprisingly calm during this incident.

This is because they were scared by Su Ze.

Shen Shu, a supervising secretary of the Six Ministries, looked at his colleagues in the room and could only lament the decline of morality.

A few years ago, such a memorial would have been blocked in the cabinet without any discussion.

Isn't this kind of memorial, which is meant to bewitch the emperor, just like those of the Yan faction?
Back then, the mere public discussion in the court and among the people involved could have driven the person who submitted the memorial to madness.

But now the situation has changed, and this matter has become something that can be debated?
Some young officials even started by discussing the Kuwugongmu incident, believing that another voyage to the Western Ocean would be profitable!

childish!

However, Shen Shu did not submit a memorial.

The Six Ministries and the Censorate were all waiting for the results of the debate among the Nine Ministers.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere at Kedao is changing these days.

The old methods of moral judgment and hearsay are no longer effective; to impeach officials, one must start with specific incidents.

Even Shen Shu didn't realize that he himself had changed without even noticing.

The Six Ministries and the Censorate also gathered a lot of opposing opinions, just waiting for Su Ze to reveal a flaw during the debate among the Nine Ministers, at which point they would swarm him like hyenas.

The series of reports in the Xinyuefu Daily made this court debate a focus of attention for both the government and the public.

In many government offices, supporters and opponents debated, and everyone was waiting to see how Su Zeting would persuade the Nine Ministers and resolve the issues they raised.
-
And so, the time came to July 20th.

The venue for the Nine Ministers' Court Debate was still set at the Ministry of War's Hall.

In addition to the cabinet, all the ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries, as well as the nine high-ranking officials, were present.

The two chief scribes of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Feng Bao, the director of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Chen Hong, the head of the Inner Transport Treasury, also attended the meeting.

Another thing that surprised the court officials was that Li Chunfang, the chief minister who had requested to rest and recuperate, suddenly recovered from his illness.

Grand Secretary Li was also scheduled to attend the Nine Ministers' Debate, so the Ministry of War was in a flurry of activity, preparing another chair for him.

This time, the six ministers and the nine high-ranking officials also received the emperor's decree, instructing them to prepare well for the court debate.

The entire content of this court debate must be recorded and submitted to the emperor for his review.

The other senior officials also actively prepared upon hearing the news.

Since the abolition of court sessions, only senior cabinet officials have been able to see the emperor at any time.

In addition, after three years on the throne, Emperor Longqing gradually began to neglect his duties, and ministers of various ministries rarely had the opportunity to meet with the emperor unless there were special matters to attend to.

Although the Longqing Emperor would still reply to the memorials of his ministers, such official correspondence rarely provided an opportunity for him to demonstrate his abilities, since not everyone's memorials were as well-written as those of Su Ze.

Therefore, all the ministers, including the six ministers, regarded this court debate as an opportunity to show their faces in front of the emperor.

If one can refute Su Ze or offer a different new perspective, it will leave a deeper impression on the emperor.

Whether these high-ranking officials who had already entered the ranks of the Nine Ministers could advance further depended on their status in the emperor's heart.

Su Ze arrived at the Ministry of War ahead of schedule, only to find that some people had already arrived.

The newly appointed Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Wang Shizhen, is currently with Cao Bangfu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Upon seeing Su Ze, Wang Shizhen greeted him warmly:

"Zilin, I will show no mercy in this court debate."

Su Ze could only smile wryly. Tribute affairs fell within the purview of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, and he was indeed destined to clash with Wang Shizhen.

For this court debate, even the cabinet ministers arrived early, but in the end, Feng Bao and Chen Hong were the last to arrive.

The two high-ranking officials of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were very humble and quickly apologized to everyone. In what seemed like a warm and harmonious atmosphere, everyone stepped into the Hall of Military Affairs.

(End of this chapter)