My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 257 Strange Tales of the Office of Transmission, Part Four
Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, nodded slightly, indicating his satisfaction with Wu Shaozu's prudence.

As for Zhang Xuan, who was "exiled" to the Nanyang Tongzheng Office, his situation was rather dire. Now, clipper ships were used to transmit messages within the Ming Dynasty's territorial waters, and after Zhang Xuan arrived in Nanyang, he still had to rely on merchant ships to send letters back.

This kind of message transmission is very unstable. The last time Zhang Xuan sent back a message was half a month ago, and no one knows what's going on now.

Hu Zhen then asked:
"Da Yintai, a new batch of people has recently joined the Office of Transmission. What do you think?"

Yang Sizhong nodded and said:

"Take them on a tour of the yamen (government office)."

After Hu Zhen stepped down, he went to the ordinary office of the Commissioner of the Court of State Ceremonies.

The three young officials immediately stood up upon seeing Hu Zhen, their "senior".

Hu Zhen looked at the three of them and thought to himself that the Office of Transmission was really different now.

The most significant change is the improvement in "educational qualifications".

Many of the low-ranking officials originally transferred to the Office of Transmission were graduates of the imperial examination system, and were middle-aged or elderly officials who had served in local areas for a long time.

These officials had spent half their lives wandering outside the capital, and government offices like the Office of Transmission were where they were placed.

Enjoying a few years of comfort in the bustling capital before retiring and returning to one's hometown—this was the dream of most officials who had passed the imperial examinations.

Even if a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) like Hu Zhen were transferred back to the capital, he would rarely go to the Office of Transmission.

All three people present were Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from the second year of the Longqing reign.

There was even a person named Huang Wenbin, who was a second-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). He was originally in the Ministry of Rites, but he voluntarily requested to be transferred to the Office of Transmission.

As a senior, Hu Zhen led the three on a tour of the Office of Transmission, enjoying the flattery of his juniors. Hu Zhen was in a good mood, and when it was almost noon, he was too lazy to eat in the Office of Transmission's kitchen. Instead, he led the three to a restaurant not far from the Office of Transmission.

The Office of Transmission was located on the outskirts of the Imperial City, so being able to open a shop there naturally indicated a powerful background.

In recent years, the treatment of officials in the capital has improved a lot compared to the past, and even mid- to low-ranking officials will occasionally dine out.

The catering industry in the capital was also booming, especially in areas where government offices were located, where many high-end restaurants sprang up.

"The Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs has decreed that no alcohol should be consumed at noon on days when officials are on duty. Today, we will serve tea instead of alcohol."

Hu Zhen ordered a few home-style dishes. He had to assist the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review with official business in the afternoon, so he naturally dared not disobey Yang Sizhong's orders.

The younger generation didn't dare to say much, and instead drank tea instead of wine, so the banquet was filled with toasts and laughter.

Although it wasn't alcohol, Hu Zhen seemed drunk amidst the compliments from his juniors.

When the atmosphere was right, Huang Wenbin asked, "Brother Hu, before we came to the Office of Transmission, we heard that the Office of Transmission was facing two difficulties."

A dilemma?

Huang Wenbin nodded and said:
"One difficulty is being sent to distant places. Although officials of the Office of Transmission are all in the ranks of officials in the capital, if they are sent to distant places, wouldn't they be serving as officials in the capital for nothing? If they go to Korea, Ryukyu or Southeast Asia, it is no different from being exiled."

"The second difficulty is Su Hanlin. I heard that the Office of Transmission will be busy as soon as Su Hanlin submits a memorial, and he starts by submitting two memorials every month."

Hu Zhen shook his head and said:

"The difficulty of sending people overseas has nothing to do with you and me. The local administration offices and service bureaus are all full. The Grand Bank has said that it will not be sending anyone overseas this year. You don't even have a chance to be sent overseas."

"As for the second difficulty, it is true, but it is not a headache for us lowly officials who are handling official business. It is a headache for the Grand Silver Office."

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone was relieved after hearing this. They offered Hu Zhen tea again and showered him with compliments, making Hu Zhen feel quite flattered.

Hu Zhen continued:

"But there is something I must remind you of."

Seeing the three men's eager expressions, Hu Zhen said smugly:
"There's a strange thing about our Office of General Affairs: you can't say anything bad about the Grand Silver Terrace in the Office of General Affairs."

Huang Wenbin and the others quickly asked:
"Why?"

"Anyway, you all know that you have to keep your mouth shut within the Office of Transmission and not say anything bad about the Grand Silver Treasury, or something bad will happen."

Huang Wenbin quickly said:
"Brother Hu, aren't you talking about the Grand Silver Terrace?"

Hu Zhen said, "Didn't you hear me? Don't speak ill of the Grand Silver Treasury inside the Office of Transmission. We're outside the Office of Transmission right now."

Everyone laughed.

However, Hu Zhen forgot one thing.

The second floor of this small restaurant used to be a large platform, but recently it has been divided into several private rooms using thin wooden boards to protect privacy.

As he was paying the bill, he seemed to see a familiar figure flash by outside the restaurant.

That afternoon, along with Su Ze's memorial, Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, also submitted a memorial to the cabinet.

Yang Sizhong petitioned to establish a separate Tongzhengli Office under the Penghu Patrol Inspectorate, which was to be moved back to Dayuan Island, as an information transmission node between Guangdong, Hainan, and Ryukyu in Southeast Asia.

Yang Sizhong recalled that he had once told Hu Zhen that the Office of Transmission would no longer send people overseas this year.

However, Penghu is not considered overseas. As an important node in the South China Sea, it is only natural to set up an administrative office on the island.
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This time, the imperial decree was issued quickly. Perhaps the security situation in the capital had truly become a major problem, or perhaps the emperor was frightened by the Japanese assassination attempt. The memorial requesting the rectification of security in the capital region and the establishment of a patrol system was quickly passed by the cabinet and the emperor.

This time, Su Ze didn't even use the "Portable Ming Dynasty Court" app. The emperor even took the initiative to fund the tuition fees for the patrolmen who were going to study at the Military Academy.

After receiving the imperial edict, Wang Renzhong and the remaining four imperial censors paid their respects to Su Ze.

The Imperial Censor of the Eastern Gate, whose full name was the Imperial Censor of the Chaoyang Gate, was responsible for the security of the eastern part of the capital. Since the Tonghui River wharf, which was the main route for the capital's grain transport, had to enter the city through the eastern part, he was also responsible for the security of the grain transport around the capital.

Xiao Lin, the current Imperial Censor in charge of patrolling the East Gate, is forty years old this year and is a senior censor of the Censorate.

The Imperial Censor of the West Gate, also known as the Imperial Censor of Fucheng Gate, was responsible for maintaining order in the western part of the city. In addition, the capital city usually set up refugee camps outside the west gate, so he also had the function of controlling refugees.

Chen Dabing, the current Imperial Censor of the West Gate, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the same year as Shen Shixing. After observing the administration, he stayed in the Censorate and rose through the ranks. He should be a disciple valued by Zhang Juzheng.

The Imperial Censor of the South Gate, also known as the Imperial Censor of Xuanwu Gate, was responsible for overseeing executions, as Xuanwu Gate was near the execution ground. Theoretically, he also had the power to review death sentences.

The current Imperial Inspector of the South Gate is named Li Si. Su Ze had met him at a gathering at Gao Gong's house. He was the first to greet Su Ze when he saw him, so it seems they are from the same school.

Finally, there was the Imperial Censor who patrolled the city at Chongwen Gate. In fact, Chongwen Gate was not located in the north of the capital, but rather in the southeast of the city.

However, just as there are east, west, and south, there is also north, so he was also called the North Gate Censor, responsible for the security of the north of the city, as well as the search and order of the examination halls for the imperial examinations. The North Gate Patrol Censor was named Wang Xiang, who was also a protégé of Zhang Juzheng.

The story of the five-gate patrol censors illustrates a larger point: although Gao Gong was the Minister of Personnel and ranked higher than Zhang Juzheng in the cabinet, Zhang Juzheng's power expanded faster, and he was more willing to promote his own protégés than Gao Gong.

However, it seems that he has also placed his own people among the five city patrol censors.

Su Ze looked at Wang Renzhong. In fact, the outer city patrol censor was the most important position among the five gate patrol censors.

In addition to maintaining order outside the capital city, the official title of the Imperial Censor patrolling the outer gates was Imperial Censor patrolling the Zhengyang Gate. During each grand court assembly, all officials had to enter the palace through the Zhengyang Gate, and the Imperial Censor patrolling the Zhengyang Gate was responsible for supervising the officials' etiquette.

The five of them came together to inquire about Su Ze's martial arts patrol training class.

The first two points in Su Ze's memorial, such as establishing a joint defense by the people and setting up patrol stations, are actually not difficult to implement.

Isn't joint defense just like the Baojia system? Patrol stations are simply a way to break down responsibilities and set up districts.

But these are not the most important things.

The most important thing is this patrol officer training course.

One important characteristic of Su Ze's governance was that he prioritized education and moral guidance.

As Su Ze proved himself right time and again, his theory gained the approval of the officials.

Moreover, this is one of the ethics most advocated by Confucianism. Education has always been the most emphasized thing in Confucianism, and educating the people is also an important part of the assessment of grassroots officials.

However, Su Ze's education is different from the education of "educating the people". Su Ze trains professionals through specialized schools and then appoints them to promote certain things.

For example, the Academy of Chinese Architecture has now become an important institution in the inner court, and has even formed an unspoken rule that eunuchs without a certificate of completion from the Academy of Chinese Architecture cannot hold lucrative positions such as eunuch in charge of the Maritime Trade Office, the Mining and Industrial Office, or the Textile Office, nor can they serve as treasurers of the Thirteen Treasuries of the Imperial Treasury.

For example, the newly graduated students of the Civil Service Examination have quickly taken up important positions in the Shuntian Prefecture government.

Are you dissatisfied?
The eunuchs who graduated from the Academy of Architecture were indeed proficient in mathematics, so they naturally needed to know mathematics to take on these positions.
The clerks trained in the civil service examinations were highly skilled in their duties. Although they were not as proficient as the veteran clerks who had passed down their skills for generations, they were still above the average level of clerks on the whole.

Moreover, they have impeccable backgrounds. If you were the head of the government office, who would you appoint?
Those who can sit in the positions of the five city gate patrol censors are all top-notch intelligent people. They naturally understand that this patrol training class will become the backbone of the patrol camp in the future.

Facing the five people, Su Ze spoke eloquently:
"The duties of the patrol battalion should clearly define one thing: the separation of 'patrol' and 'arrest'."

"Patrolling by day and patrolling by night to maintain local security, that is patrolling."

"Patrol officers don't need much combat capability, but they do need to be familiar with the local customs and conditions in the neighborhoods and know the situation in their jurisdiction."

"To arrest wanted criminals, apprehend murderers, and suppress local authorities, this is called 'arrest'."

"The work of a constable is much more difficult than that of a patrol inspector. They have to follow up on clues to arrest suspects and crack down on bandits and gangs."

The five nodded in agreement. In fact, many prosperous counties nowadays also have a distinction between patrol inspectors and constables.

Su Ze continued:

"The patrol inspectors mainly encounter public security incidents, at most minor offenses, so the training for patrol inspectors should focus on education, making them familiar with the laws of the court, and providing some simple military training."

The patrol inspectors were the same as the security police in later generations. Su Ze certainly didn't expect the patrol inspectors of the feudal era to have the consciousness of "serving the people," but making them understand some principles and know the laws of the court could also improve their abilities.

Moreover, the inspection work is a matter between neighbors and fellow villagers. The capital is under the emperor's nose, so these inspectors are competent as long as they do not openly bully men and women and maintain good relations with the local people.

“The constables are different.”

"The pursuit requires military training first. The constables should train together with the martial arts students to strengthen their physique. Otherwise, they will be at a disadvantage when they encounter thugs. Wouldn't that be a disgrace to the patrol battalion?"

"In addition, the constables also need to know how to track down and catch criminals, so Su thought that they could study 'The Washing Away of Wrongs' and learn the art of investigation."

Everyone nodded.

Su Ze said again:
“In addition, the police officers also need to know the law, but it would be too complicated to make them study the ‘Great Ming Code’ directly.”

Wang Renzhong asked:
"What does Brother Zilin think?"

Su Ze said:

“The Great Ming Code covers too many laws and regulations, and many crimes are actually unrelated to the patrol battalion. Those cases are naturally handled by the Ministry of Justice.”

"Therefore, we can specifically select the laws and regulations concerning people's livelihood from the 'Great Ming Code,' and then extract typical cases from the 'Memorials of the Ministry of Justice,' compiling them into a book called 'Police Cases,' which uses cases to explain the law and teaches the constables."

After hearing Su Ze's words, all five of them praised him in unison.

Of the five, Xiao Lin and Wang Xiang did not initially approve of Su Ze, believing that he was overrated.

But after today's conversation, the two of them were completely convinced of Su Ze's abilities.

Despite never having served in a law enforcement position, he rattled off a complete set of methods, each one meticulous and thoughtful, ready to be used immediately.

Xiao Lin and Wang Xiang finally understood why the Grand Secretaries approved Su Ze's memorials so readily; having Su Ze around was simply too convenient!

As the five men emerged from the newspaper office, Xiao Lin spoke again:
"The case of the police officer mentioned by Su Hanlin should be handled by the Ministry of Justice."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Compiling a book was clearly a difficult task, and now was a crucial time for the reform of the police force, so such a task naturally needed to be promoted.

Wang Xiang then said:
"Lord Li, the Junior Minister of Justice, has just finished compiling the 'Civil Law of the Great Ming Dynasty' and has just received His Majesty's commendation. Lord Li is the foremost expert in criminal law in our dynasty. We can request the Grand Censor to ask Lord Li to compile another book, 'Case Studies of the Patrol and Arresting Officers'."

Everyone agreed.

Su Ze had no idea that his suggestion would plunge Li Yiyuan, who had just finished compiling the "Civil Laws of the Ming Dynasty," back into the sea of ​​book compilation.

However, when Su Ze picked up the newspaper, the headline of this issue of the "New Yuefu Daily" was a news article about the Ministry of Works wasting its budget.

According to insiders, the Ministry of Works has spent over 400,000 taels of silver in the past three years, with 150,000 taels spent on construction alone.

"However, in the three years of this dynasty, no construction has been carried out in the palace. How could such a huge expenditure of 150,000 taels have been made?"

"Bao Da Ting" refers to a type of person in the Ming Dynasty who specializes in collecting information. "Bao Da Ting Yun" can be translated as "a well-informed person revealing information."

This report takes a rather ruthless approach.

July was the month when the "Longqing Accounting Records" were published. Questioning the Ministry of Works' expenditures in the newspapers at this time was clearly an attempt to target the Ministry of Works and cut its budget.

In the capital, the smaller the budget of each government office, the more others would receive.

It seems the big budget battle in this industry will begin before July.

(End of this chapter)