My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 336 The Legend of the Ministry of Personnel (Part 1)
Su Ze handed the completed memorial to Luo Wanhua, then began to read the system's settlement report:

The memorial requesting the establishment of a system for reporting real estate holdings by officials in the capital to rectify official conduct was passed, establishing a real estate reporting system in the capital and improving the atmosphere of officialdom in the Ming Dynasty.

Because of this system, the Six Ministries and the Censorate impeached a large number of corrupt officials, becoming the origin of institutionalized anti-corruption measures.

However, as times changed and more corrupt practices emerged in officialdom, this system gradually became ineffective.

[National fortune +2.]

[Prestige +100.]

[Remaining Prestige: 1010]

Indeed, no system is omnipotent, especially when it comes to dealing with corrupt officials, whose rate of evolution exceeds the rate of systemic reform.

However, the existence of such a system, which prevents these corrupt officials from buying up real estate on a large scale, is a significant improvement in the atmosphere of officialdom in the capital.

Moreover, with this registration, the Ministry of Works will have a basis for arranging low-rent housing for impoverished officials in the future.

Luo Wanhua's eyes lit up as he looked at Su Ze's new memorial.

Simply put, this memorial was to raise the salaries of officials in the capital.

However, Su Ze's solution was not to simply pay officials their salaries, but to provide a housing subsidy to officials who did not own a house in Beijing.

This is also related to the system proposed in the "Memorial to Establish a Law on the Reporting of Real Estate by Officials in the Capital in order to Regulate Officials and Governance"!
Luo Wanhua couldn't help but sigh, "As expected, Su Ze always plans ten steps ahead for every one step he takes. So this is the effect of officials reporting their properties!"

This time, Su Ze's memorial did not begin by quoting the words of sages or expounding any grand principles, but rather by recounting the experiences of an ordinary, impoverished official in the capital:
"I have heard that living in the capital is not easy. Now I see that the newly promoted officials, who have just entered the court, are full of ambition to serve the country; however, they are just starting their official careers, with meager salaries and low wages, and they are also facing high rents in the capital."

"Whenever I see low-ranking officials below the fifth rank, who have no ancestral property to rely on, they often rent dilapidated houses in shabby alleys to live in, and sell their books and tattered clothes to pay for their lodgings."

"Even if one rents a house in the far suburbs, rushing to the government office under the stars and night, enduring frost and dew soaking one's clothes without daring to refuse; most of one's salary is given to the landlord, and even the humblest of meals cannot be provided, how can one maintain a clean and honest character?"

After reading it, Luo Wanhua felt a deep sense of agreement. His family was relatively well-off, but many of his classmates came from impoverished backgrounds, and their lives were indeed very difficult in the capital.

"Your subject requests that all those in the capital who do not own property, whose official rank is below the fifth grade, and who have not yet moved into a modern earthen building, be provided with a monthly housing allowance."

"Although the expenses are paid from public funds, every penny is used to cultivate integrity: so that poor officials are spared the shame of wearing tattered clothes and exposing their elbows, and lower-ranking officials are not left to sigh in despair while living under the eaves. Since their dignity can be preserved, their integrity should be strengthened."

Luo Wanhua applauded after reading it.

After the last incident involving the Beijing garrison, the Ministry of Personnel actually secured a portion of the budget to improve the treatment of officials.

However, the Ministry of Personnel has been debating how to make changes, and so far no satisfactory solution has been found.

The reason is simple: how should this money be paid?
If officials are generally given a pay raise, this is clearly not in line with Confucian moral requirements. If officials take the lead in raising their salaries, what will the historical records say?
And the total budget is only so much. If officials are generally given a raise, the amount that each official receives is actually not much.

This proposal was the first to be rejected, meaning it was criticized but ultimately useless.

Some have also suggested raising the salaries of grassroots officials.

So, what rank is considered the entry-level?

The county magistrates in the capital region are all lucrative positions, much more prestigious than the fifth-rank officials in the capital. Should we raise their salaries but not the fifth-rank officials?
Some say that the increase is given to those who are new to officialdom, but the veteran officials are not happy about it. Why didn't they have such a good thing when they first entered officialdom?
Some suggested giving raises to officials of a certain age, but some officials objected, arguing that those older officials were nearing retirement and had already amassed enough wealth in their lifetime, and that it was clearly the younger officials who needed the money the most.

Then Gao Gong was promoted to Grand Secretary and stepped down as Minister of Personnel. Yang Sizhong took office in the Ministry of Personnel, and the matter was temporarily put on hold.

Su Ze's plan is much more ingenious.

Housing subsidies were issued to officials of the fifth rank and below who did not own a house in the capital.

Luo Wanhua thought about it more and more and more, and it seemed brilliant!
Officials below the fifth rank who were without property in the capital were mostly impoverished. The court provided them with a sum of money to subsidize their rent, a benevolent policy that neither officials nor ordinary people could find fault with.

This money wasn't paid indefinitely. It would stop when these officials were promoted to the fifth rank or transferred out of the capital, at which point they would no longer need the subsidy.

In addition, with the property registration system in place, officials also have to worry about being impeached by censors for falsely reporting that they do not own a house.

Luo Wanhua said:
"Brother Zilin's memorial has relieved the Ministry of Personnel of its worries!"

Su Ze said:

"I also plan to discuss this with the Grand Chancellor. It would be best if we could get it jointly signed with the Ministry of Personnel, which would increase the chances of it being approved."

"That's how it should be!"
-
Ministry of official affairs.

In the Office of Investigating Meritorious Officials, Assistant Director Duan Hui was deep in thought at his desk.

Of the four departments under the Ministry of Personnel, the one with the most power was the Department of Personnel Selection, which was in charge of the promotion and transfer of officials.

Secondly, there was the Performance Evaluation Office, which was responsible for evaluating the performance of officials and managing their promotion, demotion, and dismissal.

Next was the Verification and Conferment Office, whose duties included conferring titles and ranks, allowing descendants to inherit the official positions and ranks of their ancestors, and rewarding the deceased by bestowing official titles and ranks upon them.

Finally, there is the Bureau of Merit Evaluation and Censorship, which is responsible for managing the merit ranks, rosters, funerals, and support of officials.

Compared to the three departments mentioned above, the Jixun Qingli Department within the Ministry of Personnel was simply a department responsible for file management and various miscellaneous tasks.

But this unlucky department has recently taken on another unlucky task.

The extra budget for the Beijing garrison was to be used to improve the treatment of officials, and the task of formulating this salary increase plan fell to the Department of Auditing and Censorship.

The position of Director of the Bureau of Merit Evaluation and Censorship was then given to Duan Hui, a junior official.

Duan Hui came up with several plans, but even the Ministry of Personnel could not reach a consensus. He racked his brains over this matter every day.

Duan Hui grew angrier the more he thought about it.

Duan Hui and Shen Shixing were born in the same year. Although he did not become a Hanlin scholar like Shen Shixing, he ranked higher in the imperial examination and was able to stay in the capital.

When he was assigned to the Ministry of Personnel by Zhang Juzheng, he was still filled with gratitude for his mentor.

Whether it was because of his status as a disciple of Zhang Juzheng, or because of his own difficulties in becoming an official, he was transferred around in the Ministry of Personnel and eventually became an assistant director in the Department of Personnel Evaluation.

Duan Hui harbored resentment towards Zhang Juzheng. He had been used as a tool by Zhang Juzheng to be placed in the Ministry of Personnel. How could Gao Gong, the Minister of Personnel at the time, possibly treat him well?

Seeing his peers rise step by step, with Shen Shixing even taking up the post of Military Selection Officer in the Ministry of War, a position similar to that of a Civil Selection Officer, Duan Hui's resentment grew even stronger.

The position of Yuanwailang is only one rank lower than that of Langzhong, but anyone familiar with officialdom knows that even positions of the same rank can have vastly different levels of distinction. Duan Hui, the Yuanwailang of the Jixun Qingli Division, is not just one rank lower than Shen Shixing, the Langzhong of the Bingbu Wuxuan Division. They are worlds apart.

After finally getting rid of Gao Gong, the new Minister took office and was assigned this unfortunate task.

Duan Hui's resentment was almost overflowing.

However, he was unwilling to leave the capital and take up a post in a local area.

How could the capital city, with its bustling prosperity, compare to any other place?
Moreover, so many of my classmates from that year were still being transferred to the position of county magistrate. Last time, one of my classmates came to the capital to report on his work and hosted a banquet for me. All he asked for was to be transferred from a remote county to a wealthy area to serve as county magistrate.

As a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel, he was addressed respectfully as "Your Excellency, the Imperial Official" by local officials when they saw him leave the Ministry. Just then, a clerk came to announce that Zhang Siwei, the Director of the Selection Department, wished to see him.

Zhang Siwei was a Wenxuan Lang, and his power in the Ministry of Personnel was third only after the Minister and the Vice Minister. Duan Hui dared not be negligent and hurriedly went to Zhang Siwei's official residence.

Upon entering the public housing, Duan Hui saw a familiar figure.

Zhang Siwei explained:

"Zilin, this is Duan Hui, also known as Duan Zizhao, an assistant director of the Ministry of Personnel's Bureau of Merit Evaluation. Assistant Director Duan, this is Hanlin scholar Su from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Su Ze and Su Zilin!
Upon hearing Su Ze's name, Duan Hui quickly greeted him, and Su Ze politely returned the greeting.

Zhang Siwei then said:
"Su Zilin came to the Ministry of Personnel to request an audience with the Grand Chancellor, but the Grand Chancellor is not currently in the Ministry. Su Zilin wants to discuss the budget for the Beijing Garrison."

“The budget for the Beijing garrison is in the hands of Master Duan, so I took the liberty of asking Master Duan to come and take a look.”

“Su Hanlin is busy with affairs. Once the Grand Chancellor returns, we will hand him over directly to him. There is no need for Su Hanlin to make an extra trip.”

Su Ze quickly thanked Zhang Siwei.

It can only be said that he is a person who can hold the position of Wenxuan Lang and also enter the cabinet in the original timeline.

Duan Hui took Su Ze's memorial, his expression changed slightly, then he forced a smile and quickly said:

"As expected of Hanlin Su, this method is excellent!"

After discussing for a while, Duan Hui finally spoke:
"Please leave the memorial with me, Hanlin Su. I will report it to the Grand Chancellor directly when he returns."

Su Ze nodded after listening and left the Ministry of Personnel.

When Duan Hui returned to his public housing, his face was almost contorted with anger.

Su Ze was admitted to the same department one year later than me, but now, in terms of official rank alone, he is already above me!
Moreover, he submits two memorials every month, and he is not allowed to do so unless there is a reason. In terms of power and influence, he is even above Zhang Siwei, the candidate for the position!

In the past, Duan Hui would have only watched Su Ze submit his memorial from afar, and besides envying him for gaining the trust of the emperor and the senior ministers, he could only say that Su Ze had gotten incredibly lucky to have Gao Gong as his teacher.

But when Duan Hui saw Su Ze doing the same thing as him, he realized the other's abilities.

Su Ze explained the difficult problems he found challenging in just a few words in his memorial to the throne.

Moreover, Duan Hui was certain that as long as the Ministry of Personnel co-signed the memorial, it would be approved very quickly.

Jealousy surfaced like a venomous snake, and Duan Hui, glancing at Su Ze's memorial, conceived a wicked plan.
-
Su Ze returned from the Ministry of Personnel. He was 99% certain about the matter, but the Duan official today made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Considering that he hadn't been in a hurry to submit a memorial recently, Su Ze still put the copy of the memorial into the [Portable Ming Dynasty Court].

——[Simulation Start]——

The memorial entitled "Requesting Grace and Relief for Poor and Humble Officials in the Capital so that They Can Perform Their Duties" remained in the Ministry of Personnel. However, Yang Sizhong, the Minister of Personnel, was slandered by Duan Hui, the Assistant Director of the Department of Merit Evaluation and Censorship, and thus did not co-sign the memorial with you.

After you repeatedly urged me to submit the memorial, I had no choice but to do so alone.

At this point, the Ministry of Personnel came up with a plan that was somewhat similar to yours and submitted it to the Cabinet.

Grand Secretary Gao Gong supported the work of the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, Yang Sizhong, and further supported his memorials.

The emperor approved the memorial submitted by the Ministry of Personnel.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1010.]

[To approve your memorial, you need to pay 50 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Good guy!
Duan Hui is indeed no good person; he actually intercepted my memorial!?
Only 50 reputation points?
That's right. The system already said that the Ministry of Personnel submitted similar memorials, and neither the emperor nor the cabinet had any objections.

In other words, if one does not consult with the Ministry of Personnel, one's own memorial will be approved.

These 50 points are meant to prevent Yang Sizhong from believing Duan Hui's slander.
The thought that he would have to break his golden status of two monthly visits for just 50 prestige points made Su Ze decisively chose "Yes".

[Prestige points have been deducted, leaving 960 prestige points. The memorial has been submitted in real life; please wait for it to take effect.]

Now it's time to see how the system performs!
Ministry of official affairs.

Inside the Minister of Personnel's office, Duan Hui was speaking cautiously:

"Grand Chancellor, I also drafted a memorial similar to that of Hanlin Su a few days ago, but I didn't expect that we would think of the same thing."

Yang Sizhong remained noncommittal, and Duan Hui continued:
"However, I do not intend to compete with Hanlin Su for credit, but I still have something to say."

"Go ahead."

Duan Hui immediately said:

"Providing subsidies to impoverished officials was originally the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel. It was entrusted to the Ministry of Personnel by His Majesty and the Grand Secretaries."

“If the Ministry of Personnel and Hanlin Su jointly sign the document, the outer court will surely say that it is Hanlin Su’s achievement, which would be to say that the Ministry of Personnel is incompetent.”

“I have no selfish motives. This memorial can be submitted in the name of the Ministry of Personnel, and I do not need to sign it.”

Hearing this, Yang Sizhong also frowned.

Indeed, providing subsidies to officials was the first thing he would do upon assuming the post of Minister of Personnel. If he needed Su Ze's help to do this well, it would certainly damage the prestige of the Ministry of Personnel.

Plus, Duan Hui's acting was indeed quite good, so Yang Sizhong was fooled and said:

"Please leave Su Zilin's memorial here for now, and allow me to think about it some more."

Duan Hui put down Su Ze's memorial and happily left Yang Sizhong's office.

Duan Hui was in high spirits after successfully completing the task, and then someone invited him to drink.

Duan Hui had already turned down several banquets in the past few days in order to come up with the official subsidy plan. This time it was a small gathering of close friends, and he couldn't resist any longer, so he accepted directly.

The drinking venue was set at Deyuelou, a newly famous restaurant in the capital. After leaving his post, Duan Hui changed into a scholar's robe and immediately went to the banquet.

After a few rounds of drinks, it's natural to start bragging at the dinner table.

Duan Hui looked at his close friends present and, fueled by alcohol, said:

"Everyone says Su Zilin is incredibly talented, but in my opinion, he's nothing special!"

"And that Grand Chancellor, everyone says he was efficient and effective when he was in the Office of Transmission, but wasn't the Office of Transmission too small? When he got to the Ministry of Personnel, didn't he still have to rely on us to get things done?"

(End of this chapter)