My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 334 Real Estate Registration System
Luo Wanhua asked in confusion:

"A systemic problem? Just as the Ministry of Works said, its officials didn't know the wealth or poverty of these officials' businesses before renting the houses. How does Brother Zilin plan to solve this?"

Su Ze said:

"That's simple. All officials of the seventh rank or above in the capital are required to submit a list of their properties in the capital to the Censorate every year. That way, the court can know whether officials own property in the capital."

Luo Wanhua was startled and said:

"Brother Zilin, how can this be!"

Su Ze countered with a question:
"Why not?"

Luo Wanhua thought for a moment and said:

"It is the officials' freedom to purchase property in the capital, and even if they report to the censors, there is always the possibility of underreporting or concealing information. Isn't this the same thing?"

Su Ze shook his head and said:

"How can these be the same thing? Concealing real estate from the Ministry of Works is not a big deal, but concealing real estate under one's name from the Science and Technology Bureau is a serious matter."

"For officials who conceal real estate, the science and technology officials can conduct investigations and impeachment, and will surely catch a large number of corrupt officials."

Luo Wanhua then said:

"But the officials in the capital will definitely object."

Luo Wanhua is no longer a newcomer to officialdom, so he naturally knows the significance of Su Ze's actions.

However, the more effective the tactic, the more likely it is to be opposed by officials.

Su Ze understood that this move was extremely lethal.

Although the original system for reporting major personal matters was not as effective as the asset disclosure system, it still helped catch many corrupt officials.

The brilliance of this system lies in keeping a sharp blade hanging over the heads of corrupt officials.

If they report truthfully, they must explain the increase in their assets. If they conceal it, the crime of "possessing a huge amount of assets of unknown origin" alone can send them to prison.

Although the Ming Dynasty did not have a crime of "possessing a huge amount of property with unknown sources," if officials of the Censorate suddenly acquired a large sum of property, the Six Ministries and the Censorate could initiate impeachment proceedings.

Having found a solution, Su Ze quickly wrote down a memorial to the throne.

Luo Wanhua stood behind Su Ze, watching Su Ze draft the memorial.

A memorial was submitted requesting the establishment of a system for reporting the properties of officials in the capital in order to rectify official conduct and improve governance.

"Institutions are the guiding principles for governing affairs."

"Recently, I have observed that the allocation of new-style earthen buildings in the capital was originally intended to help the poor, but some officials of the Ministry of Works have already acquired private property and are still forcibly occupying official residences."

"The root cause is not the Ministry of Works' oversight, but the lack of a proper system."

"I request that a new system be established to stipulate reporting requirements. All officials of the seventh rank and above in the capital shall, at the beginning of the year, compile a register and report in detail the number, location, and deeds of their properties in the capital, and submit it directly to the Six Ministries and the Censorate for record-keeping."

"Officials of the Censorate shall verify the records and, if they find any false reports or concealment of assets, they shall immediately investigate the source of the funds; if embezzlement is involved, they shall be impeached and punished in accordance with the law."

"This move has four advantages:"
Firstly, it eliminates the threat of encroachment: if the officials who occupied the house the day before yesterday were to report it, they would have nowhere to hide;

Secondly, prevent the source of corruption: once the source of wealth is clear, major corrupt officials will inevitably emerge;
Thirdly, there are specialized departments: the Censorate is responsible for upholding the law and the law, and inspection is its primary duty;

Its fourth principle is the establishment of the authority of discipline: restraining power through systems is far more effective than a thousand words of admonition.

After Su Ze finished writing, Luo Wanhua clapped and cheered.

If Su Ze's system were truly implemented, then officials in the capital would have many concerns when using embezzled silver dollars to purchase property.

Moreover, as Su Ze said, if a system for reporting officials' real estate can be established, there will be no more instances of wealthy officials applying for low-rent earthen buildings in the future.

After Su Ze finished reviewing the memorials and reporting the real estate in the capital, it was actually just one step in the whole system.

Major events in the original timeline include not only real estate, but also important economic matters such as changes in marital status, car purchases, and stock speculation.

Some countries even require the submission of a complete list of a family's assets.

However, this is the only thing that the Ming Dynasty can do at present.

In the Ming Dynasty, where silver dollars were used as currency, it was virtually impossible to investigate cash assets.

Not to mention the officials' gold and silver, even the Ming court couldn't figure out the extent of their land and property outside the capital.

However, everything is difficult at the beginning. Let's first set up a property registration in the capital, and then fill in the details later.

I wonder how many people will oppose this petition?
Luo Wanhua said:
"Brother Zilin, should we show it to Chief Minister Gao first?"

Su Ze thought for a moment and realized that there would definitely be a lot of resistance to pushing forward this memorial. It would be better to discuss it with Gao Gong, who had experience in official management, before submitting the memorial.

If we can get the support of the cabinet, at least the resistance will be less.

Su Ze glanced at his remaining prestige points. This time, he didn't stubbornly insist on waiting until evening before obediently bringing the memorial to Gao Gong's house.

This was the first time Su Ze had visited Gao Gong's home since Gao Gong was promoted to Grand Secretary.

Compared to last time, Gao Gong's family hasn't changed much.

The only change is that there are now even more people waiting to pay their respects in front of the Gao Gong house.

However, this prime minister despises sycophantic officials, and it's estimated that these officials will soon stop coming.

Su Ze was led by the steward to Gao Gong's study.

This time, Gao Gong's study was even more chaotic than last time.

Gao Gong didn't understand either. Li Chunfang used to take leave frequently, and he, as the second-in-command, was actually doing the work of the prime minister. Why wasn't he so busy back then?
Gao Gong then realized that Li Chunfang had actually been helping the cabinet handle a lot of things while she was slacking off.

Even though Gao Gong was full of energy, he was overwhelmed by these tedious tasks, but these matters could not be delegated to others.

Gao Gong also understood why Yan Song had asked Yan Shifan to assist him in handling government affairs when he got old.

There's no way around it, being the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty is a job that no human being can do!

The Grand Secretary is responsible for assisting the emperor in regulating yin and yang and governing the country.

That's not actually the case at all!
When there are conflicts among the officials below, Gao Gong, as the chief minister, has to mediate and coax them to get things done.

If the chief minister adopts a slightly softer stance, the officials below will think that he does not have the prestige of the prime minister.

If I were to be too assertive, the lower-ranking officials would say, "Our Great Ming Dynasty doesn't have a prime minister, does it? What kind of prestige can a mere Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet have?"
The cabinet has been very busy lately, and Gao Gong has to coordinate one thing at a time. Other officials can come to him, the chief minister, to resolve their problems, but who should he, the chief minister, turn to?

Looking for the emperor?

The emperor would probably say with great trust, "I trust Master Gao, so everything will be decided by Master Gao."

So when Su Ze submitted his memorial, Gao Gong rubbed his temples and said:
"Is it really necessary for Zilin to make such a fuss over renting a room in a modern earthen building?"

Su Ze said seriously:

“Master, this is absolutely not for the sake of the Tulou. The matter of the new Tulou is just a prelude. This disciple is still working for the great cause of practical learning.”

After being baited several times by Su Ze using practical skills as bait, Gao Gong was no longer so easily hooked. He said:
"What does this have to do with practical learning?"

Su Ze said:

“If the Prime Minister wants to reform under the banner of practical learning, then the first thing he must do is to rectify the bureaucracy.”

"Without a clean bureaucracy, any reform is just a mirage."

"As the ancient saying goes, 'If one is upright, one's orders will be followed without being given.' The officials in the capital are the backbone of our Great Ming Dynasty. If they cannot even manage the governance of the officials in the capital, how can we promote reforms?" Hearing this, Gao Gong nodded slightly.

Every Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty had to submit a memorial to the Emperor upon assuming office, outlining his political agenda.

For example, Xu Jie's governing principles were "to return power and authority to the emperor, to return administrative affairs to the various departments, and to return the use of punishments and rewards to public opinion."

This was Xu Jie's policy proposal to revitalize imperial authority, clarify the responsibilities of the cabinet and departments, and strengthen institutional management after Yan Song undermined the political system of the Ming Dynasty.

This plan was naturally in line with the situation at the time, so Xu Jie's appointment as Grand Secretary was a popular choice.

When Li Chunfang took office as Grand Secretary, his memorial to the emperor requested that the emperor "govern with impartiality and avoid hasty decisions in governing the country."

Simply put, Li Chunfang advised the emperor not to be too hasty in implementing state affairs, but to proceed slowly. The role of Li Chunfang's cabinet was to act as a lubricant and damper for the governance of the Ming Dynasty.

Judging from the evaluations after Li Chunfang's dismissal as prime minister, the policies of Li Chunfang's cabinet were also successful.

Li Chunfang gradually pushed forward several major initiatives, suppressing the conflicts among the officials and giving the Ming Dynasty time to recuperate.

Now it's in Gao Gong's hands.

Gao Gong's memorial to the emperor used the banner of "practical learning and reform".

In other words, taking practical learning as the guiding principle, the series of reform measures implemented during Li Chunfang's time were extended to the entire Ming Dynasty.

Gao Gong nodded slightly after hearing Su Ze's words.

Having served as the head of the Ministry of Personnel for many years, Gao Gong naturally understood the importance of good governance.

Su Ze was determined to reform the bureaucracy, and Gao Gong himself supported this. Gao Gong also despised corrupt and incompetent officials.

"I will discuss this memorial in the cabinet, and I believe the cabinet ministers will not object."

"But I'm afraid other officials will object."

Su Ze thought about it for a while, but he didn't have a good solution.

Reforms will inevitably offend people, and at that point, it depends on whether the person in charge of the reform is resolute.

The current emperor is certainly not such a steadfast monarch, but it doesn't matter anyway, since I have my own system.
-
The next day, Su Ze personally went to the Office of Transmission and submitted the memorial.

This time, Guan Xushuli dared not be negligent and delivered it directly to the desk of Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review.

After reading the memorial, Li Yiyuan hurriedly took it to the cabinet.

cabinet.

The new prime minister brings a fresh perspective; Gao Gong's style of governance is completely different from Li Chunfang's.

When Li Chunfang was in office, the cabinet ministers were each in charge of a part of the affairs, and they would only discuss and draft opinions together when they encountered difficult issues.

For routine matters, a mere draft by a cabinet minister is usually sufficient to submit them to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

However, Gao Gong clearly disliked this system that made it easier for the chief minister to slack off.

Gao Gong required that all memorials to be submitted to him. He believed that important memorials would be discussed together, and the cabinet would try to reach a consensus before submitting them.

Only when the cabinet disagrees will separate draft proposals be submitted.

Zhao Zhenji, one of the three ministers, complained a few times about Gao Gong's reforms, which were clearly centralized in nature, but Zhang Juzheng, the second minister, did not speak out against them.

Although Gao Gong wanted to centralize power, the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue were too specialized for him to handle.

In many matters, Zhang Juzheng's opinion ultimately prevailed, forming the consensus of the cabinet.

Zhang Juzheng also observed the situation with detachment, knowing that the biggest complainers were from the Directorate of Ceremonial.

In the past, when cabinet ministers had differing opinions, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would have had the opportunity to intervene.

By exploiting the disagreements among the cabinet ministers, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs could exert influence on the emperor as close advisors.

Now that the cabinet is trying to reach a consensus, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs doesn't have much room for maneuver.

Surely the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs can't openly challenge the cabinet ministers, can it?
The last Directorate of Ceremonial to do this was known as the "Eight Tigers," and Liu Jin, the leader of the Eight Tigers, was executed by slow slicing.

Therefore, Zhang Juzheng did not step forward to oppose it; he waited for the Directorate of Ceremonial to accumulate resentment towards Gao Gong.

After Su Ze's memorial was delivered, Gao Gong held a special meeting to discuss it.

This time, the cabinet ministers did not voice much opposition. Reporting real estate in Beijing was indeed beneficial to governance, and the senior officials present did not shy away from reporting their own properties.

There were no greedy ministers in this cabinet. The emperor and his officials knew where everyone's residences were; all they had to do was report them honestly.
-
Newspaper office.

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial, entitled "A Request to Establish a Law for the Reporting of Real Estate by Beijing Officials in order to Regulate Officials and Governance," was submitted to the Grand Secretariat. After deliberation, the Grand Secretariat agreed to your memorial and sent it to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The Longqing Emperor was worried that your memorial would cause trouble in the outer court, so he first sent it to the Six Ministries and the Censorate for discussion.

The Six Ministries and the Censorate opposed your memorial, and some censors even leaked its contents to the People's Gazette, which aroused fierce opposition from officials in the capital.

Despite the opposition, the emperor accepted your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1340.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 500 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

As expected, when it came to reforming the bureaucracy, there was always a lot of opposition.

This matter clearly expanded the power of the Science and Technology Bureau, but the Science and Technology Bureau led the opposition.

However, the fact that it only required 500 prestige points was unexpected for Su Ze; he thought it would require at least 1000.

Su Ze decisively 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.]

Now it's up to the system!
On April 25, the editorial departments of the *Xin Yuefu Bao*, *Xin Junzi Bao*, and *Shangbao* all received anonymous letters containing copies of Su Ze's memorial to the throne.

Seeing the gravity of the matter, He Suxin, the editor of the Xinyuefu Daily, quickly delivered the letter to the editor-in-chief, He Xinyin.

He Suxin was He Xinyin's disciple and assistant. After He Xinyin finished reading the letter, he said:
"Master He, should we publish this letter and the original text of Su Hanlin's memorial?"

The letter was anonymous, but judging from its wording, it was likely written by an official.

He Xinyin sneered. This was a letter refuting Su Ze's memorial.

The letter read:

"Since ancient times, officials have acquired property and businesses with their own private funds. This is a private matter for officials, and the court has never forced them to disclose it. Now, under the guise of reporting, we are forcing all officials to confess like prisoners, placing upright officials on the same level as criminals. This is not the way to treat scholars!"

"Now Su Ze is attempting to use the new system to control the officials, treating them as enemies, which may lead to disunity between the superiors and subordinates."

He Suxin knew that her teacher and Su Ze did not get along.

In terms of newspaper publishing, *Xin Yuefu Bao* was a competitor of *Yuefu Xinbao*.

Academically, Su Ze promoted practical learning, while He Xinyin was a master of the philosophy of mind.

However, He Xinyin said:

"Bring me pen and ink! I want to write an article in protest myself!"

(End of this chapter)