My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 337 Promotion in name only
The next day, when Duan Hui arrived at the Ministry of Personnel still smelling of alcohol from the previous night, he was summoned by Zhang Siwei, the selection officer.

He arrived at Zhang Siwei's public housing and heard some shocking news.

"The Grand Chancellor has appointed me as the Military Commissioner of Liaoyang?"

When Duan Hui heard the news, he felt like the sky was falling.

Zhang Siwei looked at his colleague with disgust in his heart, but he still wore a warm smile on his face.

Early this morning, Grand Chancellor Yang Sizhong summoned him and inquired in detail about Su Ze's visit to the Ministry of Personnel yesterday.

Then Zhang Siwei was surprised to hear that Duan Hui actually suggested that Yang Sizhong take credit for Su Ze's achievements!

Zhang Siwei quickly tried to dissuade him, and Yang Sizhong agreed with his suggestion, deciding to have the Ministry of Personnel and Su Ze jointly submit a memorial.

Next, Yang Sizhong hinted to Zhang Siwei that Duan Hui should be expelled from the capital.

As a member of the Imperial Guard, Zhang Siwei naturally had to share the burden of the Grand Chancellor, and he quickly found Duan Hui such a job.

Zhang Siwei said with a smile:

"Li Chengliang, the general of Liaoyang, recently submitted a memorial stating that since the beginning of spring, the Jurchens have begun to harass the Han people's settlements again, so he requested the court to send a military commissioner to strengthen the defenses of Liaoyang."

After much deliberation, the Grand Chancellor concluded that Duan Yuanwailang was exceptionally capable and qualified for the position.

Duan Hui was completely dumbfounded. Liaoyang? The front line of the Nine Borders?
Zhang Siwei then added:

"Li Chengliang, the general of Liaoyang, is an arrogant and fierce general, so when you go there this time, Duan Yuanwailang, don't interfere with his military affairs. Just do a good job in managing the military farms."

The position of Military Commissioner was one that combined military and political affairs. For example, when Shen Shixing served as the Military Commissioner of Zhigu, he governed the people and trained soldiers in Zhigu. He was then promoted to Military Selection Officer for his merits in training soldiers.

This was originally a good position for promotion, but Liaoyang is the border of the Nine Garrisons, and judging from Zhang Siwei's words, he, as the military commissioner, has no authority over Li Chengliang, the general of Liaoyang.

Wouldn't that be equivalent to being sent to a military settlement on the frontier?
Duan Hui's face turned completely pale, but Zhang Siwei continued:

"This position has been vacant for a long time, and the Ministry of War has been urging us to fill it again these past few days. Only then did the Grand Chancellor remember the talented Duan Yuanwailang, so he decided to appoint you to the position. You must not let down the Grand Chancellor's trust."

Hearing this, Duan Hui tried to struggle a bit more, but saw Zhang Siwei's expression change as he said:
“Master Duan, Liaoyang is a crucial town on the nine borders. You were personally chosen by the Grand Chancellor. Are you going to disobey orders?”

As the selection officer, Zhang Siwei had the power to decide the future of countless officials. Under his influence, Duan Hui could only swallow his refusal.

At this moment, Zhang Siwei said again, "Although Li Chengliang, the general of Liaoyang, is a military officer and somewhat arrogant, he is still well-regarded by His Majesty and several Grand Secretaries."

“When you arrive at the Nine Borders, you can’t put on airs like you’re from the capital. If those uncouth soldiers really start fighting, the Ministry of Personnel won’t be able to intervene in time.”

Duan Hui: "..."

He was no newcomer to officialdom, so he naturally understood what Zhang Siwei meant.

Li Chengliang was no ordinary military general; he was someone the emperor and the Grand Secretaries both remembered. They warned themselves not to provoke him and to obediently focus on the work of land reclamation and development.

The next sentence is a warning: if trouble really breaks out in a remote border town like Liaoyang, the Ministry of Personnel will not help him.

Duan Hui left Zhang Siwei's apartment in a daze, but Zhang Siwei treated it as if it were just a piece of trash.

In terms of position, being promoted from Yuanwailang to Bingbeidao is considered a promotion.

Shen Shixing was a fifth-rank official in the capital who was transferred to the position of military commissioner of Zhigu, while Duan Hui was only a fifth-rank official. This could not be considered a demotion for him.

However, there are still differences between positions of the same rank; the Zhigu Military Commissioner and the Liaoyang Military Commissioner are completely different.

As an official in the Ministry of Personnel, Zhang Siwei knew all too well how to deal with officials like Duan Hui.
-
Late April, newspaper office.

Su Ze's two memorials this month have been issued.

Officials in Beijing are required to report their real estate holdings in the capital to the censorate. Officials who wish to apply for a new-style earthen building must obtain a "certificate of no property ownership" from the censorate before they can queue to apply.

In addition, officials of the fifth rank and below could apply for housing allowances from the Ministry of Personnel by presenting a "proof of no housing".

These two systems were quickly praised by local officials.

Su Ze then looked at the system's settlement report:
The memorial entitled "Requesting Imperial Favors for Poor and Humble Officials in the Capital to Ensure Their Duties" was passed, providing housing subsidies to impoverished officials in the Ming Dynasty and improving the lives of newcomers to the officialdom.

This system provides officials with additional subsidies on top of their salaries.

The imperial court's excessive issuance of subsidies to officials placed a heavy burden on the treasury and aroused widespread discontent among the people.

[National Fortune - 2.]

[Prestige +500.]

[Remaining Prestige: 1470]

Good heavens, they actually reduced the imperial lineage.

But thinking about it, it makes perfect sense.

Power is only accountable to the source of its power.

The current Ming Dynasty is an era of progress, with officials in power who are idealistic, and the atmosphere in the officialdom is relatively clean and upright.

In a generation or two, those in power may not have the same ambitions as they do now, so it will be natural for them to issue excessive allowances to win people's hearts.

Moreover, budgets are always easier to increase than to cut.

Su Ze sighed as he shut down the system.

This cannot be said to be a case of good intentions gone wrong; rather, it is the helplessness of the world that things are like this, and good policies can often be abused into bad ones.

No matter how sophisticated your system is, it cannot prevent those at all levels from working together to exploit loopholes.

We can only do our best for one generation; after that, we can only rely on the wisdom of future generations.
-
At the end of April, when Shen Li, the Director of Studies at the Imperial Academy, returned to the academy after a busy day, he looked at the materials handed over by the officials below him.

Hu Lun, a scholar of the Five Classics, said:

"Director of Studies, these are all certificates for officials without housing within the Imperial Academy."

Shen Li nodded. The Imperial College was a typical "clean" government office, and many of its officials did not own houses.

In this round of allowance reform, most of the officials of the Imperial College obtained certificates of no housing. Shen Li felt that it was too troublesome for these officials to apply to the Ministry of Personnel, so he directly asked his subordinates to collect them all and send them to the Ministry of Personnel.

The entire Imperial Academy was extremely grateful to Shen Li.

Shen Li nodded and said, "Everyone has been busy these days, so there's no need for you to go through all this trouble."

Hu Lun also recalled the busy period of the past few days and nodded.

Who would have thought that the Imperial Academy, once the most leisurely institution, would be so busy now?

First, the preparatory course of the Imperial College was opened.

Shen Li attached great importance to the preparatory course of the Imperial College and assigned the first batch of preparatory students to doctors of the Five Classics as teachers.

Since the early Ming Dynasty, the educational level of the Imperial College has declined, and many candidates for the imperial examinations are unwilling to enter the college to study.

However, this was true for those who had passed the imperial examinations but were not qualified to study. For the students preparing for the Imperial Academy, these scholars of the Five Classics were already teachers they would never have encountered in their entire lives. To Shen Li's surprise, instead of complaining, these scholars were quite willing to teach the students.

Hu Lun was such a scholar who had studied the Five Classics.

Originally, students at the Imperial Academy disliked the low teaching level of the Five Classics Doctors, and those who donated money to get into the Imperial Academy would not attend classes.

These scholars who studied the Five Classics simply attended classes on time, gave lectures, and then left.

Hu Lun recalled his first time teaching preparatory students. Facing the eager eyes of the students in the classroom, and the students surrounding him to answer his questions after class, a sense of accomplishment welled up within him.

These students in the Imperial Academy's preparatory course were recommended by local education officials. Hu Lun was initially worried that these students from poor families would not have a good foundation.

But Hu Lun soon discovered that the poor foundation was not the problem at all; the most important thing was the students' desire to learn.

Teachers and students also influence each other.

Hu Lun's family was poor when he was young, and he knew that studying was not easy.

Hu Lun showed great enthusiasm to these students from similarly impoverished backgrounds, and even dedicated his spare time to answering their questions and providing extra lessons.

Hu Lun even imitated the style of "Preface to Sending Ma Sheng of Dongyang Off" and wrote an article encouraging his students to study.

Hu Lun wrote this article with genuine emotion, describing the hardships he faced in his early studies, and expressing his hopes for the future of the preparatory students present. After finishing, Hu Lun read it aloud in class, deeply moving the students.

While waiting for get out of class to end, a preparatory student named Sun Wenqi approached him.

It turns out that Sun Wenqi was originally a newsboy in the capital, and by chance he was recommended to enter the preparatory course of the Imperial Academy.

Sun Wenqi was the student with the worst academic foundation in the entire class, but he was also the most talented and hardworking student.

After listening to Hu Lun's article, Sun Wenqi suggested that Hu Lun submit his work to the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper.

Hu Lun originally didn't dare to submit his work.

Since its inception, the Beijing Normal University Daily has received more and more submissions, and the standards for acceptance have become increasingly higher.

Hu Lun knew that there were several scholars of the Five Classics in the Imperial Academy who frequently submitted articles to the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper, hoping to become famous overnight.

However, to this day, no one has been able to publish an article in the Yuefu Xinbao.

However, persuaded by Sun Wenqi, Hu Lun decided to give it a try and submitted an article to the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper.

As a result, the article was quickly accepted by the Yuefu Xinbao newspaper and published directly in the next issue.

This also allowed Hu Lun to make a great appearance at the Imperial Academy.

After receiving the royalties, Hu Lun used them to buy many books for the preparatory class, which became a well-known story within the Imperial Academy.

Many scholars who have studied the Five Classics have found new goals in their teaching and have come to understand the significance of the ancient sages' teaching and nurturing of people.

This change delighted Shen Li.

After taking over the Imperial Academy, he tried many methods to revitalize it.

However, apart from selecting a group of outstanding students for the Imperial Academy, Shen Li did not achieve much in revitalizing the Imperial Academy.

I never imagined that my idea of ​​revitalizing the Imperial Academy would succeed in this way.

Shen Li then said, "Ziming (Hu Lun's courtesy name), I remember you came from the Wei Academy?"

Hu Lun said, "Director of Studies, I am from Haiwei in Fujian. I lost my father at a young age and studied at the Haiwei School. Later, I passed the imperial examination."

Shen Li actually learned that Hu Lun was a graduate of the coastal garrison's military academy after reading Hu Lun's article in the Yuefu Xinbao.

Many military garrisons in the Ming Dynasty could run schools, and the children of the garrisons could study at the garrison schools and participate in the imperial examinations as garrison students.

Shen Li said, "Ziming, today Grand Secretary Yin summoned me to the Ministry of Rites to discuss the preparatory course for the Naval Academy."

Upon hearing this, Hu Lun's expression changed slightly.

Yin Shidan, the newly appointed special minister, is currently focusing his efforts on the three preparatory courses.

The Imperial College preparatory course was the easiest.

The Imperial College Preparatory School is located within the Imperial College itself, so you can directly use the teachers from the Imperial College. The school buildings can be used after some minor renovations.

The preparatory course at the Military Academy wasn't too difficult. The Military Academy itself had a preparatory course, and the school buildings were reserved during its construction. The instructors were all from the Military Academy.

This naval academy preparatory course is the biggest headache for Yin Shidan and the Ministry of Rites.

Let alone the preparatory course at the naval academy, the naval academy itself lacked sufficient teaching staff.

Shen Li said, "Ziming, yesterday Grand Secretary Zhang also inquired about the Naval Academy. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated a sum of silver dollars to help teachers who are willing to go to Laizhou settle down."

"Settlement allowance?"

Shen Li said, "Yes, Ziming, you're still renting a place in the capital, right?"

Hu Lun nodded, and Shen Li said, "Houses in Laizhou are much cheaper than in the capital. The Ministry of Revenue provides subsidies to teachers who are willing to go to Laizhou to help them buy property and settle down there."

"The Naval Academy and its preparatory course, along with the naval subsidies, mean that the salary is twice as high as in the capital."

Upon hearing "twice as high," Hu Lun's breathing quickened.

Living in the capital was extremely difficult. Hu Lun passed the imperial examination too late and could only end up spending his days at the Imperial Academy.

They could barely make ends meet before, but in recent years, the number of goods in the capital has increased, and with two sons in Hu Lun's family, expenses have also been rising.

Remembering his wife's complaints at home, Hu Lun originally wanted to take up a post outside the capital, but he had neither the money to hire a secretary nor the connections to do so. He was afraid that he would be bullied by the local officials if he went to a local post.

Shen Li continued, "In addition, the Ministry of Personnel has also issued new regulations. Although the Naval Academy and the Preparatory Course are located in Laizhou, they are still one of the three official universities of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, the instructors of the Naval Training Academy are still officials from the capital."

Then Shen Li continued:
“Children of officials in the capital are allowed to take the imperial examinations in Shuntian Prefecture, according to custom.”

Hearing this, Hu Lun finally made up his mind.

He had two sons who were preparing for the imperial examinations, and the reason he refused to take up a post outside the capital was also due to considerations for his sons' future.

Since the high-ranking officials in the court had already considered everything, Hu Lun agreed to Shen Li's request.
After making up his mind, Hu Lun went home and explained the situation to his wife. Hearing that he could retain his official position in the capital and that his salary would be doubled, Hu Lun's wife also supported him in going to teach at the naval academy.

Hu Lun's wife and two sons stayed in the capital to study, while he went to Laizhou to check on the situation. If the environment in Laizhou was good, he would bring his wife and children over.

When Hu Lun was about to leave, he was reluctant to part with his students in the preparatory course, so he gave a final lecture at the Imperial College preparatory course, urging the students to study hard.

The students present were also reluctant to part with Hu Lun. After holding hands and shedding tears, Hu Lun finally embarked on his journey to Laizhou.

This time, the Naval Academy came to the capital to "poach" talent, and the treatment they offered was indeed quite good. Hu Lun met several familiar officials, and even an old Hanlin scholar who had fallen out of favor.

The group of twenty people, escorted by naval officers, traveled by canal boat to Zhigu, and then by sea to Laizhou.

When Hu Lun saw the merchant ships gathered at Zhigu Port and the huge naval warship Zhigu, he wondered if the navy was really that wealthy and powerful.
Now Hu Lun also had confidence in his future.
-
In May, Su Ze, who worked at the newspaper office, heard a cooing sound outside the window.

(End of this chapter)