My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 259 Providing shelter for all the poor and needy, bringing them joy

Since the matter concerned the nobles and important officials of the capital, Su Ze did not submit a memorial directly this time. Instead, he visited the leading officials one by one with the memorial in hand.

Su Ze's first stop was Gao Gong's house.

Unlike other important officials, Gao Gong did not live in a mansion bestowed by the emperor, but in a property he bought when he served as an official in the capital in his early years.

Among the residences of high-ranking officials, Gao Gong's house appeared rather shabby. After Su Ze handed the memorial to Gao Gong, Gao Gong adjusted his glasses and looked at Su Ze, saying:

"Aren't you afraid the outside court will say you're just seeking fame and fortune?"

Su Ze said, "Master, I don't need another hat."

Gao Gong nodded slightly, but he said:

"It's not appropriate for me to speak out on this matter."

Su Ze quickly replied, "Disciple understands. This matter is of great importance. Disciple has only come to discuss it with Master."

Gao Gong's round face turned up at the corners of his mouth, and he smiled and said, "You've already drafted your memorial, are you here to hear my opinion?"

Su Ze lowered his head slightly. Compared to the other disciples, Su Ze was truly an oddball.

Even with Gao Gong's warnings, Su Ze rarely discussed matters directly with Gao Gong. In many cases, Gao Gong would only see Su Ze's memorials for the first time in the cabinet.

This was very rare in the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.

Unless they are high-ranking officials, most officials will consult with their superiors before discussing national affairs.

This cannot all be attributed to factionalism and exclusion. Rather, most young officials are far removed from the upper echelons, so their ideas tend to be one-sided, and their proposed solutions are often more idealistic.

Asking a master to oversee the process is similar to an apprentice needing guidance from their master before completing their apprenticeship.

Gao Gong said:

"You have always been careful to plan before you act, and I trust you the most. Several cabinet ministers will also support your memorial."

"You must be confident about dealing with the meritorious officials, right?"

Su Ze nodded slightly.

Duke Dingguo, Xu Wenbi, was an old acquaintance of Su Ze. The money for repairing the house was just a small sum for Duke Dingguo, and it would also solidify his position in the emperor's heart.

Having just ascended to the throne, Duke Zhu Shitai of Chengguo was now at the perfect time to curry favor with the emperor.

With these two dukes taking the lead, the remaining nobles would naturally follow suit.

With the Grand Secretary and the top officials settled, recovering the remaining money is a natural next step.

Gao Gong continued:

"You passed the imperial examinations with flying colors at a young age, and your career in officialdom has been smooth sailing ever since, enjoying the emperor's favor. Naturally, you are unaware of the difficulties faced by ordinary officials."

Gao Gong put down Su Ze's memorial and said:
"Among officials in Beijing, both civil and military, 60% rent apartments."

“After the Hongzhi reign, due to the shortage of land in the capital, the construction of official residences was stopped. Only officials of the third rank and above were granted residences, leaving only 1,200 official residences.”

"Many government offices and residences were granted as gifts or transferred. By this dynasty, only the three hundred residences belonging to the Ministry of Works were available for rent."

"Zilin, do you know how fierce the competition is for these mansions?"

Su Ze had not expected that the housing problem for officials in the capital would be so serious.

He thought for a moment and said, “Prime Minister, there are more than 3,000 officials of all ranks residing in the capital. According to what you said, 60% of them do not have a house, which means that 1,800 people do not have a house.”

“These 1,800 people are vying to rent 300 low-rent houses, and some of them are unwilling to give up their leases.”

Su Ze sighed and said:
"Living in the capital is not easy."

Gao Gong continued:

"Lanmian Hutong, when I was a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, I used to rent there for eight taels of silver a year. Even now, many of your colleagues in the Hanlin Academy still rent there."

"In the head of the training ground, the six officials all liked to rent there. The main house was divided into two or three courtyards for group rental."

Su Ze did not experience a long period of renting.

Regardless of whether he was before or after the time travel, Su Ze, as a Hanlin scholar, had already surpassed the vast majority of officials.

He later rose through the ranks, became related to a high-ranking official through marriage, and received a luxurious mansion bestowed by the emperor.

With so many ways to make money, plus the fact that he was the Crown Prince's teacher, he soon found himself financially secure.

Similarly, Su Ze associated with elite officials of the Ming Dynasty, who were either wealthy or had long since passed the stage of poverty.

As soon as Shen Yiguan arrived in the capital, he moved into the mansion of his uncle, Shen Mingchen.

Shen Shixing's wife's family was a well-known silk weaving family in Suzhou Prefecture, and he himself was from an official family, so he was not short of money at all.

Gao Gong continued, "The salaries of officials in our dynasty are meager, and many Hanlin scholars rely on writing for others to make a living."

"What are the drawbacks of a low-ranking official spending 20% ​​of his salary on rent?"

Su Ze thought for a moment and said, "First of all, it breeds corruption. When officials can hardly make a living, they become greedy and are more likely to be dragged down."

"Secondly, there are unscrupulous officials who seize private homes, such as by forcibly renting out private homes."

"Finally, there is the issue of stimulating the bond market. In the capital, there are many loans issued to officials, which can also lead to the problems mentioned above."

Gao Gong stroked his beard and said, "That's right. That's why, since I joined the cabinet, I've always wanted to increase the salaries of officials in the capital, but this is a difficult matter."

Su Ze looked at Gao Gong with some surprise. In his opinion, Gao Gong was the kind of official who was decisive and efficient. How could he have proposed to raise the salaries of officials?
Gao Gong said:

What is governance?

Su Ze shook his head. This is a big question, and every outstanding politician has their own answer.

He lived two lives, yet he still couldn't answer that question.

Gao Gong said, "Governing is about being a good person, and the key to governing is in using the right people."

"Since raising the salaries of officials in the capital cannot be implemented for the time being, if we can make it possible for them to rent affordable housing, that would be equivalent to indirectly raising their salaries."

Su Ze looked at Gao Gong and said, "Prime Minister, are you asking me to help all the officials in the capital rent affordable housing? That's giving your student far too much credit."

Gao Gong said, "Du Fu wrote in his poem, 'How can I obtain thousands of mansions to shelter all the poor scholars of the world and make them rejoice?' Since Zilin used this as the topic for his letter, he must also share Du Fu's aspirations, right?"

"I will help you smooth things over as long as it concerns the residences of officials."

After speaking, Gao Gong made a gesture to see the guest out.

Su Ze came out of Gao Gong's house. What does that mean?
After completing the main quest, I accepted a side quest.
But how do we complete the "side quest" of Gao Gong?
Su Ze decided to take the memorial to the other Grand Secretaries first, complete the main quest, and resolve the Ministry of Works' issues before making any further moves.

When Su Ze arrived at Li Chunfang's house, Li Chunfang thought Su Ze was there to urge him to finish his memorial and immediately claimed to be ill and refused to see him. It was only after Su Ze had the steward hand in the draft memorial that Li Chunfang finally received Su Ze.

Li Chunfang naturally had no objection to this. He promised to send the repair and maintenance costs of the imperial residence to the Ministry of Works the next day. However, he also instructed Su Ze to proceed steadily when relocating officials to rent houses.

Li Chunfang specifically mentioned those officials who were on mourning leave. They were returning home to observe mourning for their parents. If their eligibility to rent a house was revoked, it would have a negative impact on the atmosphere of the court.

Su Ze also admitted that these Grand Secretaries were indeed experienced, and he quickly said that he would record them, revise the memorial, and then submit it again.

Zhang Juzheng naturally supported this as well. As the Grand Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, he fully supported any cost-cutting projects. However, upon hearing that Su Ze wanted to find a way to solve the housing problem for officials in Beijing, Zhang Juzheng frowned and said:
"I have actually thought about this problem as well. The problem in the capital is not a shortage of official residences, but rather an uneven distribution of them."

"Houses near the palace and government offices are scarce, and officials are vying to rent them. Houses far from the palace and government offices are empty, but no one wants to live there."

"I have also considered moving some government offices out of the vicinity of the palace, but the resistance is too great."

Su Ze was also surprised to learn that Zhang Juzheng had also considered this issue.

However, Zhang Juzheng's thinking was still focused on finances, and his solution was to relocate government offices.

Why does this move sound so familiar?

However, just like in the previous life, all political institutions will instinctively abhor leaving the political center.

Unless the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty also moves outside the city, other government offices will absolutely not be willing to relocate.

Zhang Juzheng seemed to have a lot of confidence in Su Ze, saying, "If Grand Secretary Gao has entrusted this matter to Zilin, then you will definitely be able to resolve it, and I will support you."

No, do you all have that much faith in me?

Su Ze was also speechless. You high-ranking officials can't solve this, do you expect me, a mere fifth-rank official, to do it?

Su Ze then visited Zhao Zhenji and Lei Li's families, who were naturally very supportive.

Duke Dingguo Xu Wenbi and Duke Chengguo Zhu Shitai both expressed their willingness to contribute money. Zhu Shitai even said that he would persuade other nobles to voluntarily pay money to the Ministry of Works.

In addition, the good disciple Xiao Pangjun also sent a eunuch over, saying that he had heard about Su Ze's pursuit of the Ministry of Works' repair costs, and he was willing to help his maternal grandfather pay the money.

Su Ze breathed a sigh of relief when he thought of the stingy Marquis of Wuqing. Now that the maternal relatives had taken the lead, things should be more or less settled.

But what Gao Gong asked him to do?

Su Ze locked himself in his house and thought about it for a whole day and night.

The next day, he went to the Ministry of Works.

Wan Jing was very excited to see Su Ze, and he said:
"Brother Su! The high-ranking officials and meritorious relatives have all handed over the repair costs to the Ministry of Works! Nearly 30,000 taels have been collected today! The deficit will be covered soon!"

Su Ze nodded. He already knew this outcome. The nobles and officials during the Longqing and Wanli periods were completely different from those during the Chongzhen period.

Now that the imperial court is asking them to make contributions, everyone is eager to set an example.

It can only be said that the human heart, though seemingly ethereal, is a real thing that influences everything at all times.

"Brother Wan, does your Ministry of Works have any officials from Fujian, especially those from other provinces?"

Wan Jing thought for a moment and said:
"Yes! There is a Mr. Huang from Fujian who works in the Construction Department. I will invite him over right away!"

Before long, Su Ze saw a middle-aged man in charge, and followed Wan Jing timidly into the side hall.

Wan Jing explained:

"This Huang Zongyu, the head of the Construction Department, is originally from Fujian."

Huang Zongyu looked older than Su Ze and Wan Jing, but seeing how apprehensive they were, it was likely that Huang Zongyu's examination results were not high, or he was simply a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination) at such a young age.

Su Ze asked:
"Manager Huang, do you know about Hakka Tulou?"

Huang Zongyu looked at Su Ze with a puzzled expression, then nodded and said:
"I lived in a Tulou when I was a child."

Su Ze was overjoyed and said:
"Master Huang, is it permissible to build earthen buildings in the capital?"

"what?"

Huang Zongyu looked at Su Ze, shocked by Su Ze's crazy idea.

Hakka Tulou are fortified dwellings built by the Hakka people of Fujian to live in clans. The circular buildings can accommodate the families of a clan, and one building is equivalent to a village.

Of course, circular buildings do not necessarily have to be round; square or other polygonal Hakka earthen buildings can also be built.

In his previous life, Su Ze had visited the Hakka Tulou, where the tour guide introduced it as China's ancient Khrushchev Tulou.

Of course, the Hakka Tulou were not built to solve urban housing problems like Khrushchev's Tulou, but were built for security by ancient clan societies.

The reason why Hakka Tulou are called ancient Khrushchev buildings is because they are all multi-story, compact buildings that can accommodate a large number of people.

"Scholar Su, are you planning to build a Hakka earthen building in the capital?"

Huang Zongyu shook his head and said, "I think it's not advisable."

"Why not?"

Huang Zongyu said:
"The main building materials of Hakka Tulou are earth, wood and bamboo. The Tulou can be supported by thick rammed earth walls, which is why Hakka Tulou have to be built very large."

“The capital city doesn’t have such a large area, nor can it find solid rammed earth from the south, let alone bamboo forests and woodlands covering the mountains.”

Su Ze became even more excited after hearing Huang Zongyu's words, and he asked:
"Is Manager Huang a construction expert?"

Wan Jing said:

"Yes, when Grand Secretary Lei revised the 'Yingzao Fashi' (Building Standards), Steward Huang also offered many ideas and solved many problems in the 'Yingzao Fashi'."

Hearing this, Su Ze asked:
"Does Manager Huang know anything about cement?"

Huang Zongyu nodded repeatedly.

Su Ze said:

"The Hakka Tulou uses earthen walls primarily for load-bearing purposes. What if we used cement, which has a higher hardness?"

"The Tulou uses bamboo to reinforce the rammed earth walls and improve their load-bearing capacity, right? But there are no bamboo forests in the capital, so how about using steel bars?"

"If reinforced concrete walls are used, wouldn't they need to be so thick?"

Huang Zongyu was stunned. As Fu Shun's subordinate, he certainly knew about cement.

But how do you combine cement, steel reinforcement, and earthen buildings?

Su Ze began to draw on the paper:

"If you just want to build a three-story, square-shaped earthen building with reinforced concrete walls, is it possible to build such a building? How much land would it require?"

Looking at Su Ze's sketch, Huang Zongyu said:
"This still requires verification of the load-bearing capacity of the cement and steel bars."

Su Ze was even happier. Huang Zongyu did not answer him immediately, but decided to conduct an experiment to verify it. This was the proper attitude to get things done.

Su Ze then said to Wan Jing:

“In such a building, the north side is used as a corridor and common area, while the other three sides are used for living. Nine families can live on three floors.”

"If we could renovate such a building, it would solve the housing problem for all low-ranking officials in the capital."

What does Brother Wan think?

Wan Jing and Huang Zongyu were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected Su Ze to have such grand ambitions, wanting to solve the housing problem for all officials in Beijing.

What if it can really be accomplished?
Wan Jing and Huang Zongyu were both breathing rapidly.

(End of this chapter)