My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 322 "Joint Discussion on the Fiscal System"

"Brother Rumo, I heard a few days ago that you returned to the capital, and you've come to the newspaper office today?"

Shen Shixing smiled and said:
"The Zhigu New Army has already returned. I have been temporarily kept in the capital by the Ministry of War and have also been asked by the Prime Minister to submit a memorial. That's why I've come to discuss this with Brother Zilin."

Shen Yiguan gave him a "you too" look. He had come to the newspaper office today to discuss matters concerning memorials submitted by officials of the fifth rank and above.

Where is Brother Zilin?

Shen Shixing said:
"I heard from Brother Yifu that Brother Zilin has gone to the East Palace and will be back soon."

The two hadn't seen each other for a long time and chatted in the newspaper office.

Although the two seem to have a good relationship, their interactions are based on their friendship with Su Ze. In reality, Shen Yiguan and Shen Shixing rarely have any one-on-one interactions.

Politically, Shen Shixing was Zhang Juzheng's favorite student, while Shen Yiguan was Wang Shizhen's trusted subordinate.

Originally, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Shizhen had a good relationship, and their relationship did not conflict.

However, in the past year, the Court of State Ceremonial began to take charge of foreign affairs and had several conflicts with Zhang Juzheng.

These conflicts caused the two to drift apart, and they had practically broken off all contact.

That makes the relationship between Shen Shixing and Shen Yiguan even more awkward.

However, Luo Wanhua was not at the newspaper office, and Shen Yiguan did not want the conversation to become awkward, so he could only engage in an awkward chat with Shen Shixing.

"Brother Rumo, I heard that the new army you trained in Zhigu is quite good. His Majesty even praised the elite Zhigu army this time. If the new Beijing garrison is really established, Brother Rumo will be very successful."

Shen Yiguan immediately posed a question to test Shen Shixing.

The memorial submitted by meritorious officials, proposing to use the budget saved from the Beijing Garrison to train a new army, was like a bomb dropped into the imperial court.

The cabinet allowed officials of the fifth rank and above to offer their opinions, which further complicated the situation in the capital.

However, amidst this series of chaos, Shen Yiguan also glimpsed the undercurrents within the court.

Grand Secretary Zhang did not object to the proposal regarding the new Beijing garrison.

Not only did Grand Secretary Zhang not object, but none of his disciples or important officials in the Ministry of Revenue also expressed their opposition.

This attitude is quite intriguing.

The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of the Ming Dynasty's budget, and meritorious officials had long been marginalized in Ming politics. If the Ministry of Revenue opposed it, it had a thousand reasons to stop it.

However, Zhang Juzheng did not object, which was already a statement of his opinion.

Shen Yiguan then extended his associations further, noting that Shen Shixing, as Zhang Juzheng's prized student, trained a new army in Zhigu after assuming the post of Zhigu Military Commissioner.

Logically speaking, the main task of the military affairs department of the Ming Dynasty was to build fortifications and watchtowers.

After all, these are the projects whose achievements can be verified.

The construction of the watchtower in Zhigu was initiated by Su Ze's memorial to the emperor, who also specially dispatched officials from the Ministry of Works to build it.

Shen Shixing could have easily built a large-scale blockhouse at Zhigukou, accumulating merit for its construction before being promoted back to the capital.

However, Shen Shixing only built a few watchtowers and then stopped, investing a large portion of the budget into training the Zhigu New Army.

Then came the matter of reorganizing the Beijing garrison. Shen Shixing led the Zhigu New Army into Beijing to assist in the defense and was commended by the emperor.

No matter how you look at it, it feels like Zhang Juzheng is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

This makes Zhang Juzheng's intention to support the training of the new Beijing garrison army quite clear.

Shen Yiguan probed Shen Shixing, who smiled and said:

“It was my brother Zilin who persuaded me to organize and train the new army before I took office.”

Shen Yiguan paused for a moment, and Shen Shixing, also a master of Tai Chi, suddenly pushed Su Ze onto him.

Training a new army was something Su Ze had been pushing for, and Shen Yiguan came to the newspaper office to inquire about his attitude.

Shen Shixing looked at Shen Yiguan and said:
"Brother Jianwu, I heard that the Grand Herald opposes the new army of the Beijing Garrison?"

Shen Yiguan shook his head and said, "Brother Rumo, the Grand Herald is not against building the new Beijing Garrison, but against investing all the money in it."

Faced with Shen Shixing's probing, Shen Yiguan did not hide the attitude of the Court of State Ceremonial, and he said directly:

"The Grand Herald hopes that the court can invest more money in the navy. In addition, the King of Joseon has agreed to allow the Ming navy to build a seaport on Jeju Island for the use of the military and civilians of both the Ming and Joseon. The Grand Herald wants to secure this budget."

This was also one of Shen Yiguan's purposes in coming here. As an official of the Court of State Ceremonial, he naturally had to fight for the interests of the Court of State Ceremonial.

The construction of the Jeju Island seaport was something that the Court of State Ceremonial had been pushing for, but the Ministry of Revenue had been using insufficient budget as an excuse to delay it.

Now that such a large sum of money has been added, Shen Yiguan naturally wants to help the Court of State Ceremonial to secure it.

Moreover, Wang Shizhen's reasons were quite reasonable.

This money can't all go to the army; some should be allocated to the navy, right?
Shen Shixing nodded in agreement.

The Zhigu Military Commissioner was a position that oversaw both land and sea defense, and he himself supported the development of a navy.

As one of the open ports, Shen Shixing was also aware of the rampant problem of Japanese pirates in Zhigu.

The construction of a naval port on Jeju Island is a very beneficial thing for the Ming Dynasty.

The two chatted tentatively as they spoke, when the newspaper office door opened and Su Ze walked in.

"Brother Zilin."

Su Ze greeted both of them.

Su Ze was very happy to see his two friends. They had already established a relationship that didn't require pleasantries, and Su Ze went straight to the point:

"Gentlemen, you've come here about the matter of submitting a memorial, haven't you?"

Shen Shixing and Shen Yiguan nodded in agreement, then looked at Su Ze, wanting to hear his opinion.

Su Ze sat down and said directly:
“A few days ago, the Prime Minister asked me to come to his residence to discuss matters, but I refused.”

Shen Yiguan was taken aback. He refused Grand Secretary Gao?
Unexpectedly, Shen Shixing also said:
"I also declined the Prime Minister's invitation."

Shen Yiguan looked at the two of them and asked, "Are you both so adamant? Are you going to directly refuse the Grand Secretary's invitation?"
But upon closer examination, they do indeed have the confidence to do so.

Needless to say, Su Ze was also a unique figure among Zhang Juzheng's disciples, and he was not entirely dependent on Zhang Juzheng.

Shen Shixing had once again rendered meritorious service by leading troops into the capital, and had also left a good impression on the emperor.

Su Ze looked at the two of them, but did not directly discuss the matter of submitting a memorial.

He said, "The cabinet asked its ministers to submit a proposal so that they could come up with a feasible plan that takes into account the interests of all parties and makes reasonable use of the money."

"Such a plan must be taken into account in a comprehensive manner."

Shen Yiguan asked happily, "Brother Zilin, do you agree with the 'equal distribution of benefits' plan?"

The idea of ​​"equal distribution of benefits" was proposed by some ministers. This meant that the saved silver should be allocated to multiple areas, rather than being used in one place.

Shen Yiguan and Wang Shizhen, who worked at the Honglu Temple, did not actually have the ambition to keep all one million silver dollars for themselves. They just wanted to carve out a portion of it, so they also supported the 'equal distribution plan'.

Su Ze first nodded, then shook his head, and said:
"If this money is used in one place, it will inevitably arouse the hostility of the ministers. If this matter is handled well, it will be fine. If it is handled badly, the person who promoted it will surely be impeached."

"Politics is about compromise."

Shen Yiguan nodded repeatedly, while Shen Shixing seemed to be deep in thought.

Su Ze said:

"Since you two gentlemen have come to ask for my opinion, then my opinion is the opinion of all the ministers." "Ah?"

Doesn't that mean I didn't say anything?
Su Ze continued:

“Brother Jianwu, I’m not trying to smooth things over. I’m preparing to submit a petition to His Majesty, requesting that officials be allowed to submit joint petitions to discuss the budget proposal separately.”

"this!?"

"Is this okay?"

Even the composed Shen Shixing was surprised.

Joint petitions were not uncommon in the Ming Dynasty, but most of these petitions were signed by colleagues from the same government office, who jointly signed the petition for the same matter, thus creating a united front of public opinion.

For example, the Censorate would often jointly submit a memorial to impeach ministers, or the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers would reach a consensus on a certain matter within their own departments and jointly submit a memorial to the throne.

However, Su Ze was referring to joint petitions, which meant allowing officials, regardless of their office, to freely coordinate and submit petitions.

Shen Yiguan spoke first:

"Brother Zilin, aren't you afraid that court officials will impeach you for forming cliques and engaging in favoritism?"

Shen Shixing nodded in agreement. Yan Song used to love doing things like submitting joint petitions, which is why there was a saying that Yan Song's disciples were part of the Yan Party.

Although the Grand Secretaries all had their own disciples, none of them wanted to be labeled as partisans.

Forming factions has always been a taboo in Chinese history, as the saying goes, "A gentleman does not form factions."

Su Ze said:

"My two brothers, we once jointly submitted a letter. Does that mean we've formed a faction?"

Shen Shixing and Shen Yiguan were taken aback for a moment, but neither of them said anything to refute it.

The most uncertain one was Shen Yiguan. In fact, there was already a so-called "Su Party" in the court, and Shen Yiguan was a core member of the Su Party.

Su Ze, ignoring the change in Shen Yiguan's expression, continued:

"What is a private faction? A private faction is one that forms cliques and attacks those who disagree with it. We jointly submit a memorial on official business; does that mean we are forming a private faction? If so, how many private factions are there in the court!"

"The harm caused by the Yan faction in the previous dynasty lay in the exchange of personal power and the private granting of positions. However, my memorial requested open consultation among court officials, and all the memorials submitted were made to Your Majesty. This was an expression of my political views, so how can it be called a private granting of positions?"

"Free joint petitions can also eliminate the constraints of government offices and mentorship, break down sectarian biases, and turn what was originally a life-or-death political struggle into an open policy competition."

For a moment, Shen Yiguan and Shen Shixing were unable to refute Su Ze's words.

Su Ze took out the memorial he had written and handed it to the two men, saying:

"Gentlemen, please take a look."

The two opened Su Ze's memorial.

"The request to open a channel for joint consultation in order to coordinate the budget of the new Beijing garrison and to gather ideas from all sides."

"Recently, the Cabinet issued an edict ordering officials of the fifth rank and above to submit memorials on the allocation of the budget for the new Beijing Garrison. I believe this is a crucial matter concerning national defense and the stability of the border."

"However, disputes arose from all sides, and the real issue at hand was 'how to use this money to benefit the country more,' not for personal gain. If each side presented its own opinion, it would be difficult to reach a decision; if a single proposal was forced through, it would be a failure to listen to all sides."

"Your Majesty, I risk my life to petition you: Please allow officials to jointly submit a memorial to discuss the allocation of the budget."

"Break down barriers between different departments and gather consensus for the public good. Signatories are not limited to government agencies; the basis for joint signatures is whether the facts and principles are consistent."

"Replace private interests with openness, and transform partisan strife into public debate."

"The problem with forming cliques in the past was that they secretly made oaths to seek personal gain; today's system of joint signatures is to clearly state one's position and seek a fair judgment."

"All joint memorials were made public in the court, and the content discussed was limited to the budget. No other matters were involved, and no personal relationships were considered. Once the matter was concluded, the meeting was dismissed, and there was no involvement of partisan censorship."

"By soliciting opinions from all sides to determine national policies, and by opening up the path of joint signatures, those who share a consensus can work together to offer suggestions, allowing Your Majesty to understand the wishes of the majority and feasible solutions."

After reading Su Ze's memorial, the two men found that Su Ze's words made sense.

However, forming factions has always been something that emperors fear most.

One of the most important reasons why ministers were executed in the early Ming Dynasty was that they formed factions.

In Shen Shixing and Shen Yiguan's view, Su Ze had absolutely no need to take risks in this matter and arouse the emperor's suspicion.

Given Su Ze's contributions to the Military Supervisory Commission and the Beijing Garrison, doing so would be completely unnecessary.

Su Ze, however, had his own ideas.

The transformation we have spearheaded has entered a new phase.

The reforms that followed could not be accomplished with a single decree.

If the political consultation system is proposed at this time, Su Ze can coordinate a joint petition, utilize the power of more officials signing the petition, and pass the petition with fewer prestige points.

Moreover, politics inherently requires compromise, and it is precisely at times like these that we need to unite more people.

If Su Ze doesn't form private cliques, then why doesn't he just befriend public figures?

As for the emperor's opinion, this is what distinguishes Emperor Longqing from other emperors.

Although this emperor was lazy in governing, he rarely suspected others without reason and was willing to delegate power.

Shen Yiguan and Shen Shixing ultimately failed to persuade Su Ze, and the memorial was still submitted.

——[Simulation Start]——

The "Proposal on the Joint Deliberation System" was submitted to the Cabinet, but the opinions of the Cabinet ministers were completely different, and this memorial caused great controversy.

Zhang Juzheng opposed the memorial, believing it undermined the authority of the cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue, and used the opinions of officials to coerce the cabinet and the ministry into making decisions.

Zhao Zhenji expressed his support for your memorial. Budget is a matter of national importance and should be decided by officials through consultation. Funds advanced by the Ministry of Revenue should also be supervised by officials.

Gao Gong has reservations about your memorial, believing that joint deliberation should be limited to the financial field, and that this approach would affect the efficiency of decision-making in other major decisions.

Lei Li also commented on this, believing that in professional fields such as water conservancy, lay officials should not make random comments.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1150.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 2000 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Do I need 2000 points?
It seems I was too hasty. Gao Gong and Lei Li do not support this memorial, so it will be even more difficult to get it approved by the emperor.

Su Ze decisively chose "no," and then he revised the memorial.

Joint Discussion on Fiscal System

If the scope of political consultation is limited to the financial field, there should be much less resistance, right?
However, I've already used up all my simulation attempts for this month, so it seems I'll have to wait until the beginning of next month.

Given the current situation in the court, no resolution will be reached in the short term.

On March 1st, after the simulation count of the "Handheld Ming Dynasty Court" was refreshed, Su Ze immediately put the "Joint Discussion on the Fiscal System" into the system.

As expected, the required prestige was greatly reduced this time.

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 1000 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Su Ze selected "Yes," and now it was up to the system.

[Prestige points have been deducted, remaining prestige points: 240. Please complete the petition in real life as soon as possible.]

(End of this chapter)