My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 267 The Suffering of the Common People

Su Ze looked at his two friends, and from this he could see that the two had different styles of governance.

Shen Yiguan was the kind of official who blended in with the crowd. He was well-informed, had good relationships with all parties, and was good at mediating conflicts.

Luo Wanhua hated evil as if it were his enemy, but he was also straightforward by nature. If he hadn't stood up for himself, he would have offended countless people.

Therefore, in the original timeline, Shen Yiguan rose to become the Grand Secretary of the Wanli Emperor through his skillful mediation, but in the end, he failed to maintain the harmony and resigned in disgrace.

Although Luo Wanhua was the top scholar in his undergraduate studies, his official career ended at the position of Minister of Rites.

Of course, a person's achievements should be judged not only by their own abilities, but also by the course of history.

Given Shen Yiguan's personality, he could only be a paperhanger in the original timeline, but in this timeline that he has modified, he might be able to achieve something different.

Luo Wanhua failed to join the cabinet in the original timeline, but in this timeline he might have achieved even greater things.

Everyone has something that suits them best, and only by following the current historical trend can one achieve greater success.

Officials like Min Qing are those that Su Ze must deal with.

Su Ze said:

"The biggest harm of officials like Min Qing is that they corrupt the atmosphere of officialdom."

Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze with a puzzled expression and said:

"Brother Zilin, aren't you the one who cares least about these things?"

Luo Wanhua also looked at Su Ze, because Su Ze was an anomaly among the ministers; he was not a moralist.

Although Su Ze has never written articles of this kind, his close friends naturally understand his inclinations.

The requirements that Confucian scholars placed on officials were basically based on morality. That is, they used moral criticism to restrain officials, established high moral standards, and prevented officials from being corrupt and to care for the people.

Su Ze dismissed moral arguments, preferring institutional arguments, which advocated for constraining officials through more comprehensive systems and achieving a balance of power and responsibility through power negotiation.

Su Ze said:

"This is not just a matter of social atmosphere. If local officials find that they can get promoted simply by exaggerating their achievements, what will the officialdom become?"

"Brother Yifu, Brother Zilin, don't you think we've reached a crucial moment?"

"The tide of history is rolling on, and the road ahead is already different."

Su Ze sighed, and Shen Yiguan and Luo Wanhua also seemed to be deep in thought.

Both men were well-informed, and looking back on their time in officialdom, they realized that times had indeed changed.

The biggest feeling is acceleration.

Shen Yiguan chatted with many officials from the Ministry of Rites, and his biggest impression was that many veteran officials felt the pace of life was too fast.

In the past, the officials in charge of the guest affairs department only had a few things to do throughout the year, and most of the time they would sit in the yamen drinking tea and chatting.

But now?

With the constant flow of foreign missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to handle a large number of matters related to these foreign countries, and it was also responsible for managing foreigners in the Ming Dynasty.

The tributary states from various regions are sending pilgrims more frequently, and the Ministry of Personnel is already discussing the expansion of the Four Directions Reception Hall.

Fortunately, Su Ze submitted a memorial early on, outlining the boundary between tribute and trade, and requiring foreign envoys to bear their own travel and accommodation expenses, thus preventing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from going bankrupt.

In addition, the Office of the Chief Minister and the Office of the Guest Minister had an additional function: to mediate and arbitrate frictions between the various vassal states.

With the Ming Dynasty lifting the maritime ban and its influence rebounding, many vassal states realized that "father is back."

What happens when the kids get into a fight after their father comes home? Naturally, they'll try to get their father to mediate.

Just a few days ago, envoys from the Kingdom of Nan Zhang and the Kingdom of Dong Wu arrived in the capital at the same time.

Wang Mang Yinglong of Dongyu was the overlord of the Indochina Peninsula during this era, and at this time he was wreaking havoc in the Burmese region.

The once dominant Nan Zhang Kingdom is now in decline, fighting against Mang Yinglong and suffering repeated defeats.

The envoys from both sides arrived in the capital almost simultaneously, complained to each other, and even engaged in a physical fight at the Sifang Yingbin Hotel.

The emperor entrusted the mediation work to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Shen Yiguan, through the fast post stations in the southwest, found out the course of the war in the Indochina Peninsula and finally submitted a memorial to the emperor ordering the King of Toungoo to cease hostilities.

This change in work rhythm was not limited to the Ministry of Rites; similar changes occurred in all major government offices in the capital.

All of this seems to be related to Su Ze.

Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze. The most changed and busiest place in the Ming Dynasty was the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

Since Su Ze promoted the Assessment and Performance Evaluation Law, the authority of the Six Ministries and the Censorate has not diminished, but rather increased day by day.

The reason is actually quite simple. In the past, the Censorate often impeached ministers without any reason. Although it seemed aggressive, it was just a tool for factional struggles, and its success or failure depended on political opportunism.

During this period, although the censors and officials were called "pure streams," they were regarded as knives and rabid dogs by powerful ministers.

After the performance evaluation system was implemented, the censors had performance indicators, but the exercise of the power of impeachment and oversight became more rigorous.

Nowadays, censors are like venomous snakes hiding in the forest; they don't usually make a move, but when they do, they kill.

For example, in the recent horse administration incident, the censorate collected detailed evidence and used newspapers to create public opinion, which led to the downfall of Zhu Daqi, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud.

Such a Six-Department Censorate only made the officials more fearful.

As a result, the officials and censors of the Six Ministries were busy running around the capital every day, collecting clues.

Just a few days ago, it was reported that Shen Shu, a censor in the Ministry of Justice, disguised himself as a lawyer to investigate wrongful convictions among the people and brought down two fifth-rank officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.

Yes, times have changed.

Su Ze said again:
"What the imperial court should guard against in the future is not the inaction of local officials, but their reckless actions."

“Min Qing has set a bad precedent. If he can still deceive His Majesty and receive rewards without punishment, more and more people will follow his example in the future.”

"Therefore, people like Min Qing must be punished!"

With the foundation laid, Su Ze predicted that the Ming Dynasty would inevitably experience a period of rapid development.

Especially at times like these, it's crucial to keep the car steady.
-
Shuai Jiamo set off from Nanjing and soon arrived at Changxing County, Huzhou Prefecture.

The development of Southeast China is due not only to its coastal location but also to its convenient water network.

The Yangtze River and Taihu Lake systems were connected, linking the waterways of present-day Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, forming a huge commercial hub.

Huzhou is located on the shore of Taihu Lake and is an important node city in the entire Taihu Lake water system. It is also a place with developed commerce and trade.

The main industry in Huzhou is silk.

Merchants from Huzhou also formed a merchant group called "Huzhou Merchants" under the silk industry.

The earliest capitalists in modern China were born in the Huzhou area.

Zhang Jingjiang, the leader of the Huzhou merchants, holds a special place in modern history.

In this era, Huzhou also saw a boom in the publishing and salt industries.

The publishing industry is a result of the development of the cultural industry, and there are many book collectors in Huzhou.

The Ling family of Wucheng and the Pang family of Nanxun were both first-rate book collectors of their time.

The Ling family in Wucheng built a nine-story library that housed a large collection of precious ancient books from the Tang and Song dynasties.

The salt industry arose because Huzhou, situated at a key point on the Taihu Lake waterway, served as a crucial distribution hub for salt from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The Wen family of Wucheng was also a renowned family of scholars who passed the imperial examinations; they controlled the salt industry and were the largest salt merchant family in Huzhou.

Changxing County, where Shuai Jiamo took office, was considered a lower-middle-class county under the jurisdiction of Huzhou. The county was mountainous, so its industries failed to integrate into Huzhou's silk industry.

However, Changxing County also has its unique features, as it is rich in local mineral resources, including iron ore and coal.

At the same time, Changxing County also has tea mountains, and the Zisun tribute tea produced there was one of the most popular imperial teas of the Ming Dynasty, and it was designated as tribute tea during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Perhaps having gathered some information, Jia Jingtang, the magistrate of Changxing County, personally welcomed Shuai Jiamo, the assistant magistrate of Changxing County.

Shuai Jiamo kept in mind his teacher Huang Ji's teachings and refused to respond to any of Jia Jingtang's probing questions.

If Su Ze met Shuai Jiamo, he would probably find out that he has Asperger's syndrome.

Asperger's syndrome is a type of autism that presents with the same social communication difficulties as other autism, but individuals with Asperger's syndrome do not have language impairments, although they may possess special talents in certain areas.

Shuai Jiamo's special talent was mathematics, and it was also because of his Asperger's syndrome that he persisted in reporting the silk tax problem in his hometown.

This almost obsessive stubbornness is probably seen by those in officialdom as a politically inept person with low emotional intelligence and poor tact.

Therefore, when he first took office, Jia Jingtang, the magistrate of Changxing County, was still very wary of Shuai Jiamo.

But after a few days, Jia Jingtang stopped caring about him.

Shuai Jiamo is really too strange.

He would spend all day reading a strange book, and when he had nothing to do, he would write strange symbols. He could stay cooped up in the yamen all day without going out.

He declined all invitations to banquets from local gentry in Changxing County.

More importantly, Shuai Jiamo came alone.

Jia Jingtang had also suspected that Shuai Jiamo had come to audit the accounts.

But now Jia Jingtang is relieved. Who audits accounts without a secretary?
With so many account books in the county government office, how can you possibly investigate them all without a clerk?
So gradually, Jia Jingtang let Shuai Jiamo do as he pleased. A county magistrate who didn't care about anything and didn't ask for any share of the profits made Jia Jingtang, the county magistrate, very comfortable.

Jia Jingtang didn't take Shuai Jiamo seriously, so naturally the other people in the county government didn't either.

When Shuai Jiamo wanted to go into the library to read books, no one stopped him. Everyone was paid such a small salary, who would want to mess with the second-in-command of the county government?

Just five days after Shuai Jiamo took office, he was able to move freely in the county government office.

On this day, Jia Jingtang was summoned to the prefectural city by Min Qing for a meeting, and was entrusted with the county government by Shuai Jiamo.

At this point, Shuai Jiamo began to look at the account books of Changxing County.

When Jia Jingtang arrived in the prefectural city and met the prefectural and county officials of Jiaxing and Huzhou, his heart skipped a beat.

Normally, local officials in the Ming Dynasty rarely had the opportunity to leave their jurisdiction.

Min Qing's summoning of all officials to the prefectural city for a meeting must be a major event.

As for what it was, the officials present were more or less aware of the rumors.

As expected, when Min Qing announced that the imperial court required the two prefectures to contribute their treasury funds to manage the Taihu Lake water conservancy project, the officials present were in an uproar.

Min Qing was a middle-aged official in his forties, at the peak of his career.

After taking office, this governor was indeed very capable, which is why officials in Jiaxing and Huzhou were willing to follow him in fabricating evidence.

Being willing to follow Min Qing in fabricating evidence and betting one's life and fortune on Min Qing are two completely different things.

Sure enough, the first to jump out was the magistrate of Wucheng County.

The magistrate of Wucheng County said, "Your Excellency, the silver dollars in this treasury were borrowed from merchants. If we send them to Yingtian, won't those merchants devour us?"

Once the magistrate of Wucheng County charged forward, the other magistrates followed suit. After all, they were the ones who wrote the IOUs, and the local merchants dared not cause trouble at the governor's office.

Min Qing's face was gloomy. He knew that his subordinates were all two-faced cowards.

Min Qing said:

“This IOU was not written by me, and the silver coins in the treasury were delivered by you. I can send all the silver coins in the treasury to Yingtian.”

The county magistrates were all in an uproar. They never expected that Min Qing could be so shameless!
But upon closer reflection, it seems that's really the case; Min Qing could completely absolve herself of any responsibility, regardless of her life or death.

He had just been praised by the emperor as the "Number One Governor in the Land," so the emperor, for the sake of his own face, would protect him after the incident.

At most, it's just a matter of oversight and lax governance.

However, the prefectural and county officials who actually carried out the work were caught in a dilemma, unable to please either side.

Moreover, since the treasury is in Min Qing's hands, if he really sends the silver dollars out, the local gentry will really tear these prefectural and county officials apart.

The deterrent effect was achieved, Min Qing said:

"Gentlemen, of course I would not do such a thing. I am only saying this to remind everyone that we are all in the same boat now, and no one can escape."

"If you wish to leave now, you are welcome to do so. I will not retaliate against you!"

Hearing Min Qing say that, no one dared to leave.

So Jia Jingtang took the lead and said, "Please, Your Excellency, show us a way to survive!"

Min Qing nodded and said:

"A hard approach won't work; we need to use a softer one."

"Didn't the imperial court want us to hand over the silver dollars for water conservancy projects? Then let's spend the silver dollars first."

“Go back to your respective counties and conscript laborers to repair the water conservancy projects. Make sure all the accounts are settled for me!”

Everyone immediately understood what Min Qing meant.

Before the imperial decree officially arrived, they spent the silver dollars in the treasury.

The best use for the flowers is to follow the imperial court's plan and use them for water conservancy projects.

Water conservancy projects are inherently the easiest to falsify.

Mobilizing some people to participate in corvée labor is a completely costless endeavor, as the county government simply doesn't pay them.

They build useless water conservancy projects, or ostensibly carry out repairs and maintenance.

Once the accounts are balanced, it will be very difficult to verify how much water conservancy work was carried out.

In this way, the silver dollars in the treasury were "spent," and the imperial court had no complaints.

Who made Governor Min and the imperial court think alike?

Although this was somewhat deliberate, it made it very difficult to investigate Min Qing's affairs.

Moreover, with the emperor's golden words as the "Number One Governor in the Land," it would be very difficult to overturn the verdict later.

At this moment, the magistrate of Gui'an County said:
"Your Excellency, it's the busy summer season now. What if sending the people to repair the irrigation works delays this year's summer harvest?"

Everyone looked at Min Qing. In an agricultural society, summer is a crucial season, a time when the summer grain harvest and the next season's planting are intertwined.

Therefore, normal small-scale water conservancy projects are usually repaired during the winter off-season, and the water level is lower in winter, making it easier to repair water conservancy projects.

Min Qing pretended to sigh:
"It may cause hardship for the people, but I will bear the blame for the sake of the water conservancy of Jiahu."

(End of this chapter)