My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 330 The Legend of the Ministry of Personnel, Part 0

Su Ze returned to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, revised the memorial, and then inserted it into the "Portable Ming Dynasty Court" document.

Discussion on Elementary Education

Su Ze wrote: "In order to cultivate talents and strengthen the foundation of the country, I propose to establish a three-tiered system of education administration."

"The first suggestion is to establish county-level primary schools to enlighten the people."

"Please establish 'primary schools' in each prefecture and county, enrolling ten-year-old children. The curriculum should be based on literacy and understanding of principles, supplemented by basic arithmetic and moral education."

“Local tutors or graduates of the Imperial College’s preparatory course will be hired to teach. They will be selected and appointed by the education commissioner and will receive salaries comparable to those of sixth-rank officials. They will be promoted based on their qualifications and talents.”

"Secondly: Establish preparatory courses to guide specialists."

Primary school graduates, after passing an examination by the education commissioner, could enter one of four paths:
Military Academy Preparatory Course: Students learn military tactics and strategies, and graduate after two years to enter the Military Academy.

Naval Preparatory Course: Instruction in maritime navigation technology, two-year course to graduate and enter the Naval Academy.

The proper path to success in the imperial examinations: Stay in your local county to study for the exams.

Preparatory course at the Imperial Academy: Students thoroughly studied classics, history, and policy essays. Upon graduation, they could enter the Imperial Academy or take examinations for specialized academic schools (including military and naval academies).

The third point is: the method of determining the sharing of financial resources.

The funding for running schools was based on a "government-civilian cooperation" model: local governments contributed 100% and the national treasury subsidized 50%.

First, pilot the tax collection in the areas where it has already been levied (present-day Shandong, Shanxi, and Shuntian Prefecture). Once the results are evident, gradually implement the tax system. All funds should be stored exclusively in the education administration treasury; local governments are prohibited from transferring them.

"Fourthly: It shall be placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites to be responsible for its implementation."

All matters concerning the establishment and abolition of primary schools, the performance evaluation of teachers, and the auditing of finances were to be under the overall jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.

Please follow the example of the "Minister in Charge of Water Affairs" and establish a new Minister in Charge of Education to oversee all educational policies and reforms.

Finally, Su Ze wrote:
“Elementary education is a long-term undertaking to cultivate people. The establishment of this system will enable poor families to have the opportunity to open their eyes, allow people in remote areas to receive the education of the people, and enable those with specialized talents to serve the country in times of crisis.”

After finishing his memorial, Su Ze slipped it into the portable Ming Dynasty court document.

——[Simulation Start]——

The proposal on elementary education was submitted to the cabinet, and all the cabinet ministers expressed their support before it was sent to the palace.

The Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate objected to your memorial, arguing that establishing a special Minister of Education within the Cabinet was creating a position based on personal connections and undermining the established practice of recommending cabinet ministers.

The Longqing Emperor agreed to the first part of your memorial and shelved the matter of establishing a Minister of Education.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1040.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 200 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Did you only pass the first half?

However, a mere Minister of Rites is not qualified to push forward such a major undertaking.

Only by appointing a special minister can the power of the court be effectively coordinated.

Moreover, Su Ze made a promise to Yin Shidan to help him join the cabinet.

Given this, Su Ze chose "yes".

[Prestige points have been deducted, leaving 840 prestige points. The memorial has been submitted in real life; please wait for it to take effect.]

Su Ze took the memorial to the Ministry of Justice.
-
"Da Yintai".

"Da Yintai".

Yang Sizhong walked into his public housing.

He has already taken over as Minister of Personnel, but he still has official duties to hand over to the Office of General Affairs and Postal Service, so he still has to travel between the Ministry of Personnel and the Office of General Affairs.

Within the Office of Transmission, he was still referred to as Da Yintai, a title his former subordinates specifically chose to use in order to cultivate a closer relationship with this official of the Ministry of Personnel.

Yang Sizhong nodded to everyone. He was about to take office as Minister of Personnel, and the first problem he faced was the selection of the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review.

Should we transfer Feng Xueyan back?

Yang Sizhong shook his head.

Feng Xueyan was the Right Councilor of the Court of State Affairs, a position that qualified him for promotion to Commissioner of State Affairs. However, Yang Sizhong had no intention of transferring him back to the Ming Dynasty.

We need to find another suitable candidate.

There were very few ministers in the entire court who had experience working in the Office of Transmission and were suitable for the position and capable of performing the duties of the Office of Transmission.

In fact, Yang Sizhong had a suitable candidate in mind.

That is, he went to the Ministry of Justice and handed over the mess of the Office of Transmission to his predecessor, Li Yiyuan.

However, it was a matter of timing and fate. Back then, the Office of Transmission that Li Yiyuan assigned to him was definitely the last among the Nine Ministers' offices, and sometimes in terms of authority, it was even inferior to the more powerful Nine Ministers' offices.

Therefore, at that time, Li Yiyuan's transfer from the position of Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice could still be considered a promotion.

However, with the reorganization of the Office of General Affairs into the Office of General Affairs and Postal Services, the functions of the Office of General Affairs were further strengthened.

After the establishment of the Overseas Administration Office, the powers of the Postal Administration Office rose rapidly, surpassing those of the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review.

Therefore, Yang Sizhong's transfer to the position of Minister of Personnel was a reasonable promotion.

So, having Li Yiyuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, transferred back to the Office of General Affairs and Postal Service as the Commissioner of General Affairs wouldn't be considered a demotion.

But there's one more prerequisite.

Li Yiyuan is a candidate for cabinet minister. With cabinet ministers about to be added, if Li Yiyuan is admitted to the cabinet, then my plan will fall through.

Lee Il-won still has a chance to join the cabinet.

Li Yiyuan contributed to the reform of the legal system of the Ming Dynasty, including the establishment of the patrol police system.

If this were the previous dynasty, such merit would have already earned him a place in the cabinet.

Unfortunately, this was during the Longqing reign.

Wang Shizhen facilitated Altan Khan's granting of tribute and twice promoted peace on the grasslands; yet he hasn't been admitted to the cabinet for such merits.

Of course, being admitted to the cabinet depends on the emperor's wishes.

Yang Sizhong pondered how to prevent Li Yiyuan from entering the cabinet and instead transfer him back to the Office of Transmission as the Commissioner of Transmission.

Just then, Xu Shuli, an official under his command, arrived at the Office of Transmission with a pile of memorials in his arms.

Xu Shuli placed the memorials on the table, and then selected several important ones.

It wasn't until he was about to leave office that Xu Shuli was able to select the important memorials.

Yang Sizhong had some dislike for this subordinate.

Despite his complaints, Xu Shuli was still more well-behaved than his talkative exes.

Now that Yang Sizhong has been promoted, he is more tolerant of Xu Shuli.

"Da Yintai, this is Hanlin Su's memorial."

Yang Sizhong accepted the memorial with satisfaction. After reading Su Ze's memorial, even someone as shrewd as Yang Sizhong showed a slight smile.

Su Zilin is truly "understanding"!

If a special minister for education were to be appointed, then Yin Shidan, the Minister of Rites, would be a certainty.

In this way, I can find a way to let Li Yiyuan, who failed to enter the cabinet, take over the position of Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs!

Thinking of this, Yang Sizhong stood up happily.

I must make this memorial a success!
-
March 28th.

Shen Yiguan arrived at the newspaper office and said to Su Ze, "Brother Zilin, your memorial has been approved again!"

Luo Wanhua put down the newspaper in his hand, and Shen Yiguan said:
"The proposal on elementary education has been approved by His Majesty. Five counties under the jurisdiction of Shandong, Shanxi and Shuntian Prefecture have already submitted applications to the Ministry of Rites to establish elementary schools!"

Shen Yiguan then added:

"The Ministry of Personnel originally wanted to object, but I heard that the newly appointed Minister Yang exerted his strength to suppress the Ministry of Personnel's dissatisfaction, which is why they approved Brother Zilin's memorial."

Luo Wanhua, now showing interest in politics, asked with a puzzled expression:
Why is the Ministry of Personnel opposing this?

Shen Yiguan said:
“Scholars are officials too. According to Brother Zilin’s memorial, primary school teachers should also be managed in the same way as sixth-rank officials. This is equivalent to creating a new position in the county.”

"However, these positions are not under the control of the Ministry of Personnel, so the Ministry of Personnel will naturally object."

It turned out to be the case.

Luo Wanhua nodded. He looked at Su Ze, wondering if Su Ze had spoken with Yang Sizhong, the Minister of Personnel, in advance.
Actually, Su Ze was also hesitant about whether to ask Yang Sizhong for help, since he had two hundred prestige points left.

However, Su Ze understood that Yang Sizhong had just taken office in the Ministry of Personnel and was already opposing the interests of the ministry itself, which would put Yang Sizhong in a difficult position. Therefore, Su Ze did not ask Yang Sizhong for help, but instead used the power of the system directly.

Su Ze hadn't expected that Yang Sizhong would actually cooperate with him and suppress the Ministry of Personnel's dissatisfaction.

I don't know what method the system used.

Anyway, the good news is that his memorial to the throne has been approved.

Shen Yiguan stared at Su Ze, who looked at him with a puzzled expression and asked:
"What happened to Brother Jianwu?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"It's a done deal that Minister of Rites Yin Shidan will be appointed to the cabinet this time. Both previous cabinet ministers were recommended by Brother Zilin. Do you know what the outer court is saying?"

Luo Wanhua asked:
How should we discuss it?

Shen Yiguan said:
"Everyone in the outer court says that Brother Zilin is the shadow Grand Secretary."

Shadow Grand Secretary?
After careful consideration, Luo Wanhua felt that this term was much more appropriate than "Little Grand Secretary".

Su Ze shook his head helplessly and said:

"Brother Jianwu, why are you talking about such things? Minister Yin's entry into the cabinet is what everyone wants, and it was appointed by His Majesty. What does it have to do with me?"

Shen Yiguan naturally didn't believe Su Ze's nonsense, and he immediately continued:
"Then please make another prediction, Zilinxing: which eunuch will be in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial this time?"

Su Ze said speechlessly again:

"The affairs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs are not within the jurisdiction of the outer court."

Shen Yiguan said, "Brother Zilin, you're still so tight-lipped. Do you know that with the vacancy of the Inner Minister, the market in the capital has already accumulated to tens of thousands of silver dollars?"

Luo Wanhua exclaimed in surprise:

"so much?"

"Who gave both of these officials from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs a chance? His Majesty hasn't made a decision yet, so more and more people are adding their votes."

Luo Wanhua knew that the betting industry in the capital liked to use official matters as a basis for gambling, but he never expected that the position of Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would become the biggest betting operation.

Shen Yi Guan looked at Su Ze and said:
"This matter is entirely Zilin's fault."

"Blame me?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"Yes, the odds for adding cabinet ministers were originally comparable to those for the Grand Secretary, but after Brother Zilin recommended people to the cabinet twice, no one dared to gamble anymore."

Luo Wanhua still didn't understand the key point, so Shen Yiguan said:
"The biggest fear when opening a betting market is insider information."

"The selection of the Director of Ceremonial Affairs is rarely interfered with by the outer court; this is a much greater gamble than appointing new cabinet ministers."

"The two chief scribes of the Directorate of Ceremonial are now about the same in terms of seniority and ability. The only question is where His Majesty's heart lies."

Luo Wanhua understood now.

It turns out that the odds were set low because they were afraid that Su Ze would influence the appointment of cabinet ministers and that someone might get inside information in advance.

Conversely, the situation is different when the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is in charge; this matter can only be decided by the Emperor's own will, and gamblers prefer this kind of exciting game.

Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze and said:

"Brother Zilin, I happen to have some savings of my own. Who do you think will become the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial?"

Luo Wanhua also looked at Su Ze.

After being stared at by his two friends for a while, Su Ze could only shrug and say:
"If I had to guess, I'd say Eunuch Feng has a better chance."

Shen Yiguan asked with shining eyes:
"Why? Brother Zilin, do you have any news?"

Su Ze couldn't say that he knew from the history books he read before his time travel that Feng Bao had become the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, could he?
Moreover, he had changed this world too much, and he didn't know if the results would still be accurate.

Su Ze could only say:

"Didn't Brother Jianwu ask me to guess? It's because Eunuch Feng is in charge of the Eastern Depot and has the Emperor's trust, right?"

However, Luo Wanhua said:
"Eunuch Chen has been in charge of the Imperial Treasury, and he has managed it well over the years, earning praise from His Majesty on many occasions."

Shen Yiguan trusted Su Ze completely, and he said:
"Since Brother Zilin says it's Eunuch Feng, then I'll go place my bet right now!"

"Brother Yifu, would you like to come along?"

Luo Wanhua thought for a moment and then took out a bag of brass coins.

Shen Yiguan took the money pouch and was about to leave when he heard Su Ze say:
"Brother Jianwu, wait a moment."

Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze with suspicion, only to see Su Ze also take out a money pouch and say:
"Brother Jianwu, could you please place a bet for me as well?"
-
At the end of March, Zhang Juzheng, the second-ranking official in the cabinet, petitioned the emperor to visit the Eastern Palace and inspect the Crown Prince's studies.

The Longqing Emperor approved the memorial and, accompanied by the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial, visited the Eastern Palace to personally examine the studies of Crown Prince Zhu Yijun.

Su Ze, as an official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, was also present.

Immediately afterwards, Su Ze witnessed a "touching scene".

Feng Bao, the former chief attendant who had raised the crown prince, led the prince by the hand to the emperor, bowed behind the prince, and accompanied him to receive the emperor's test.

The Longqing Emperor asked several questions in a row, and the Crown Prince answered them fluently, some of which were quite insightful, which pleased the Emperor greatly.

When the Longqing Emperor saw Feng Bao standing beside the Crown Prince, showing him great care, he secretly made a decision.

Su Ze looked towards the emperor's side.

Grand Secretary Gao Gong had a dark expression on his face, but given his political acumen, he could probably understand Zhang Juzheng's plan.

However, Gao Gong was a typical scholar-official who showed no respect for eunuchs and was unwilling to associate with them.

The former Grand Eunuch Li Fang was someone who knew when to advance and retreat, and he cooperated well with the outer court. At this time, Gao Gong was probably oblivious to it.

Zhang Juzheng remained calm; he had orchestrated today's events and achieved his goal.

Zhao Zhenji still had a smile on his face, seemingly satisfied with the Crown Prince's studies. He also briefly made eye contact with Su Ze, presumably pleased with Su Ze's education of the Crown Prince.

Lei Li also cast a satisfied glance at the people in the Imperial Household Department. They had done a good job in educating the Crown Prince, and the Imperial Household Department was going to be rewarded again.

Another scribe from the Directorate of Ceremonial, Chen Hong, had a broad smile on his face and rushed to join in the fun, saying auspicious words of congratulations to the emperor.

It can only be said that these eunuchs were highly skilled; no matter how distressed Chen Hong was inside, he could still put on a cheerful facade.

Among the accompanying eunuchs, Su Ze spotted a somewhat familiar figure: Zhang Cheng, the eunuch of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Maritime Trade Office.

Sure enough, it's fast.

Not long after Su Ze sent a letter to Zhang Cheng via carrier pigeon, Zhang Cheng returned to the capital under the pretext of reporting official business, and was then kept in the Directorate of Ceremonial by the emperor.

It seems that Zhang Cheng is a shoo-in for the position of Grand Secretary in this round of appointments at the Directorate of Ceremonial.
-
In early April, the emperor commended the officials of the Imperial Household Department for the Crown Prince's outstanding academic performance.

Then came the news that Feng Bao had taken over as the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Zhang Cheng, the former eunuch of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Maritime Trade Office, had been promoted to the position of Grand Secretary.

(End of this chapter)