My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 373 New Strange Tales of the Office of Transmission (Part 1)
Within the General Affairs Department.

Today, the full name of the Office of Transmission is the Office of Transmission and Postal Service. Its function is to "manage the transmission of memorials and petitions between the inner and outer courts."

They were also responsible for the work of the post stations along the roads throughout the country, transmitting documents from the capital to the entire Ming Dynasty.

In addition, following Su Ze's reforms, the Office of Transmission also acquired the responsibility of overseas Transmission Offices, which were required to collect intelligence from various regions.

It can be said that the current Tongzheng Post Office is the central node for the circulation of all documents in the bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty.

Intelligence is power.

Sometimes, those important figures are simply more informed than ordinary people, which is why they can make better decisions.

More often than not, if any matter only has two options, "yes" and "no," and every option has its advantages and disadvantages, then blindly choosing one with your eyes closed probably won't lead to any mistakes.

Li Yiyuan once served as the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs, which at that time was a relatively obscure department at the very bottom of the Nine Ministers' Office.

By the time he was transferred back from the Ministry of Justice to serve as the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, the Court of Judicial Review had become a powerful and influential government agency.

Since Li Yiyuan took office, the affairs of the Office of Transmission have been like a small mountain, making it hard for him to breathe.

We finally made it to the end of the year.

By December, major government offices in the capital had begun to return their official seals.

This means that all the major government departments have begun their year-end reviews and are preparing for the New Year.

This is also the most pleasant time of the year for the Office of Transmission.

Li Yiyuan sat in his official residence, deeply reminiscing about his days in the Ministry of Justice.

At that time, I was compiling books in the Ministry of Justice. Although I had things to do, I didn't have a box full of memorials every day. I didn't need to send memorials to the palace and the cabinet every day. I could just focus on compiling books.

Li Yiyuan opened a newspaper and, in a daze, realized how long it had been since he had such a leisurely time.

He had been at the yamen for an hour, but the clerk beside him had not yet delivered the memorial. It seemed that there was nothing important to do today.

Li Yiyuan still felt uneasy, so he summoned the official in charge of records, Xu Shuli.

Are there any important memorials to the throne today?

Xu Shuli looked at the Grand Secretary, the Commissioner of State Affairs, with a puzzled expression.

In the past, the thing Li Yintai least wanted to see every morning was the imperial edict. Why is he asking about it today?

Xu Shuli honestly replied:

"No significant memorials have been sent today."

After listening to Xu Shuli's words, Li Yiyuan's face was full of smiles.

He smiled and said:

"Looks like nothing will happen today!"

Upon hearing Li Yiyuan's words, Xu Shuli's face turned extremely ugly.

Seeing his dejected subordinate, Li Yiyuan felt a surge of resentment towards his predecessor, Yang Sizhong, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review.

When I was in the Office of Transmission, although it wasn't exactly a place teeming with talented people, at least there were people I could use.

When Yang Sizhong handed over his office to the Ministry of Justice, even someone like Xu Shuli could serve as his official secretary.

Yang Sizhong not only brought himself back to the Office of Transmission, but also reassigned all the talented people in the Office of Transmission abroad.

Thinking of this, Li Yiyuan couldn't help but scold:
"You're acting like this first thing in the morning. Are you feeling uneasy even though there's nothing wrong today?"

Xu Shuli quickly said:
"Master Yintai, it's not that I'm feeling uneasy today because I have nothing to do, but rather..."

"But what?"

Xu Shuli had no choice but to say:
“Da Yintai, there are two taboos among the lower-level officials in our Office of Transmission. One of them is that they cannot say ‘Nothing happens today.’”

"Oh? What will happen if I tell?"

Xu Shuli had no choice but to honestly reply:

“Every time someone says this, the Ministry of Justice gets busy for quite a while.”

"So even if people have a lot of free time, they don't dare to say these words."

Upon hearing this, Li Yiyuan said nonchalantly:

"Nonsense! How could the Office of Transmission, a prestigious institution of the Ming Dynasty, be like a foolish woman in the common people, believing in such superstitious and taboo words?"

"Nothing happening today means nothing happening today!"

After saying this, Li Yiyuan felt a little guilty, but seeing the empty desk, he felt more confident.

It's already December, shouldn't we have some free time for a while?

Just as Li Yiyuan finished speaking, an official suddenly walked in.

"At the Grand Silver Terrace, Hanlin Su has delivered a memorial."

Upon hearing Su Ze's memorial, Li Yiyuan immediately reacted. He didn't even dare to read it himself, but instead said to Xu Shuli beside him:

"Go and check immediately! If it's an urgent report, send it to the palace right away!"

Xu Shuli also looked dejected. He looked helplessly at Li Yiyuan. Why did he have to go through all this trouble instead of enjoying a good life? Now Su Ze has sent a memorial, hasn't he?

Xu Shuli felt it was not a good omen, but since the Grand Secretary had spoken, he still picked up the memorial to read.

By the time Xu Shuli finished reading, his face was even more ashen than if he had been crying.

Li Yiyuan had a bad feeling and snatched the memorial from Xu Shuli's hand.

"A Request for Convenient Postal Services in North and South China"

Judging from the title, this memorial is related to the Office of Transmission.

As expected, Su Ze began by writing:

"Thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom, the Office of General Affairs and Postal Service has been reorganized and is now in charge of all official documents and reports, including those submitted to the emperor and those rejected. It also oversees the maintenance of all post stations in the country, ensuring that imperial orders are delivered swiftly and without delay. Its power is significant and its effectiveness is evident."

This acknowledges the achievements of the Office of General Affairs and Postal Service, but Su Ze then raised a new question:
"The capital city is the most virtuous region, and Nanjing is the foundation of the dynasty's rise. Merchants flock here, scholars and commoners gather here, and officials and gentry come and go in an endless stream. News between the two places is related to the common people's feelings, family and country, and human relationships."

"However, the current postal system is exclusively for the court to submit memorials, strictly limiting official documents, leaving no way for ordinary people to send letters. They may entrust their letters to private merchants, who charge exorbitant fees and whose speed is uncertain; or they may have to travel back and forth among travelers, often losing their letters, making all their efforts futile."

"On the eve of this Spring Festival, parents are anxiously waiting, wives and children are longing for each other, and friends are separated. Many heartfelt feelings are blocked by the road and communication is cut off. This is truly a regrettable thing for the people."

"The Office of Postal Administration is in charge of the postal system throughout the country. It has sufficient manpower and resources. Why not take advantage of the situation and open a small branch for the benefit of the country and the people?"

After reading this, Li Yiyuan had a bad feeling.

As expected, Su Ze's memorial proposed opening up a portion of the post station system to civilian use.

The first step was to establish a system for private postal delivery.

“In addition to the existing official post stations under the jurisdiction of the Tongzheng Office, or within post stations with sufficient personnel, special places should be set up to establish ‘civilian post offices.’ Pilot projects should be first set up in important towns and prefectures along the official road from the capital to Nanjing.”

Following that, Su Ze proposed the "email" system.

“Establish fixed and dedicated ‘civilian post office boxes’ in urban areas, thoroughfares, and neighborhoods where people live.”

"If you wish to send a letter, affix the required postage and drop it in. The post office will open for collection at the same time every day, register the letters according to the destination written on them, assign them numbers, and send them out in different routes."

Su Ze then proposed a "stamp" system.

Establishing a private postal network between the two capitals was quite expensive, and hiring people was also necessary for expanding the network.

In order to ensure the revenue of the postal system, Su Ze proposed that a stamp must be affixed to the envelope when sending a letter. The stamps were sold by the civilian post office, and each stamp was worth one brass coin. A stamp was required regardless of the distance.

The revenue from stamp sales was given to private post offices to cover delivery costs and personnel expenses. Su Ze further emphasized in his memorial that official and private post offices needed to be separated:

“Strictly distinguish between official and civilian post stations. Official post stations shall still be used exclusively for delivering official documents and dispatches from ministries and departments, and shall not be mixed with civilian post stations.”

"For matters concerning civilian postal routes, the official in charge of the Postal Administration is responsible for coordinating and reporting on efficiency and detailed income and expenditure at the end of the year to ensure convenience for both the government and the public and to prevent interference between them."

Finally, Su Ze elevated the value further, writing:

"I am well aware that the affairs of the Office of General Affairs and Postal Service are numerous and complicated, but this is a good policy that benefits the people and will be beneficial in the long run."

"Let's first take the two capitals' main road as an example and see how effective it is. If it can benefit the people without disrupting public affairs, then we can gradually promote it throughout the country and create a magnificent scene of postal thoroughfares throughout the country."

After seeing all this, Li Yiyuan was dumbfounded.

No, my Office of Transmission has finally had a month of peace and quiet, and you, Su Zilin, submit such a memorial?

Communication is a basic need.

As Su Ze stated in his memorial, the Ming Dynasty currently has a strong demand for communication.

Private communication in the Ming Dynasty was also very developed, with frequent correspondence between the two capitals.

For officials, there were quite a few ways to communicate, mainly through villagers delivering goods and taking advantage of the post station system.

However, since the reform of the post station system, the Office of Transmission has strictly controlled the sending of private letters, and most officials can only rely on local guild halls for communication.

The guild hall then took on the function of a post office.

When they encountered fellow villagers returning home, the guild hall would ask them to take some letters back with them.

However, this kind of unofficial postal system is naturally not very user-friendly.

First of all, travel itself is dangerous these days. If the messenger fails to arrive safely, the letter will be lost.

Furthermore, this method is not confidential, and it is common for messengers to peek at the letters.

In addition, the timeliness is also a concern, with many letters taking a long time to arrive.

Moreover, as Su Ze said, with the development of various industries in the Ming Dynasty, ordinary people also had a need for letter delivery.

Especially between the two capitals, the north and the south, communication between officials and ordinary people became almost a necessity.

At this point, it was almost an inevitable trend of the times for the imperial court to establish an official postal agency.

But why is it the Office of Transmission?

Li Yiyuan recalled Su Ze's suggestion to rename the Office of General Affairs by adding the word "postal service" to it. He suspected that Su Ze had already planned this at this time.

Thinking of this, Li Yiyuan became even angrier.

This was clearly a trap set by his predecessor, Yang Sizhong, but now he has to fill it himself!
Li Yiyuan then asked, "Where is Su Hanlin?"

"After leaving his memorial, Su Hanlin departed."

Su Ze had already left a memorial, so the Office of Transmission could only send it up as soon as possible. Li Yiyuan knew that there was no way to change the situation, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and send the memorial to the cabinet.
-
——[Simulation Start]——

The petition requesting the opening of postal services in the north and south for the convenience of the people was delivered to the palace and the cabinet.

The cabinet was divided into two factions: Gao Gong supported your memorial, but Zhang Juzheng and Lei Li opposed it.

Zhang Juzheng and Lei Li formed a secret alliance, working together to overcome any difficulties.

Opponents argue that building a postal system consumes too many resources, and even with stamp subsidies, it is difficult to recoup the initial costs.

Gao Gong believes that a smooth postal system can strengthen communication between the North and the South, making the investment worthwhile.

Unable to reach a consensus, the two factions had to draft their own proposals.

The Longqing Emperor accepted your memorial.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 1420.]

[To have your negotiation proposal approved, you need to pay 400 reputation points. Do you wish to pay?]

Su Ze naturally chose "yes" without hesitation.

[Prestige points have been deducted, leaving 1020 prestige points. Please wait for the memorial to take effect.]

After watching the system's simulation, Su Ze sighed.

His memorial to the throne exposed the divisions within the cabinet.

Lei Li has actually allied with Zhang Juzheng?
Although Lei Li was not considered a member of Gao Gong's faction, he had a good personal relationship with Gao Gong and received Gao Gong's support when Lei Li joined the cabinet.

It seems that the consensus between Zhang Juzheng and Lei Li was based on water-related matters.

In other words, water conservancy projects require a lot of funding, and if Lei Li wanted to get things done, he had to cultivate a good relationship with Zhang Juzheng, who was in charge of finances.

The current Kao Kung cabinet is beginning to take shape, with two camps and three factions.

Zhang Juzheng and Lei Li stood together through thick and thin.

On the contrary, Grand Secretary Gao Gong formed his own faction, but relying on his position as Grand Secretary, he confronted Zhang Lei and the other two.

Zhao Zhenji, on the other hand, moved between the two factions.

Yin Shidan and Zhao Zhenji had similar attitudes, but his disputes with Zhang Juzheng increased.

The biggest problem with partisan politics is that whatever you support, I oppose. Politics has entered a black-and-white stage, and everyone is forced to choose sides.

With his existing connections and the system at his disposal, he doesn't need to choose sides for the time being.

However, given his status as a disciple of Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng would still oppose his memorials.

The cost of implementing national policies in the future has increased significantly.

Su Ze sighed; there was nothing he could do about it.

As the Longqing Emperor's health deteriorated, the once united cabinet also ceased to exist.

The cabinet is full of top-notch talent, and with the emperor's health deteriorating, major changes could occur in the court at any time.

Only by acquiring more power can people feel secure.

The more turbulent the situation, the more severe this polarization becomes, until everyone has chosen sides, and then a massive political battle will begin.

Successful people will seize all power, thoroughly implement their will, and fulfill their political ideals.

This is a curse that the Ming Dynasty cabinet could not escape.

Fortunately, Su Ze doesn't need to face such a brutal battle right now.

Su Ze sighed. It seemed that his days of being able to please everyone were over, and the obstacles he would face in submitting his petitions would become greater in the future.

It all depends on how the system approves this memorial.
-
cabinet.

As the Lunar New Year approached, the Cabinet, unlike other government departments, did not wait for the holiday.

As Gao Gong grew increasingly powerful, Zhang Juzheng and Lei Li reached a consensus on some issues, and Gao Gong also felt threatened.

After reading Su Ze's memorial, Gao Gong cleared his throat and said:
"I believe Su Zilin's proposal is appropriate, and the cabinet should not object, right?"

Gao Gong used his position as Grand Secretary to force everyone to follow his opinions.

This domineering approach made Zhang Juzheng uncomfortable, and he immediately said:
"Your Excellency is mistaken. Postal reform has cost a great deal of money, and the Cabinet should discuss it carefully."

Gao Gong said with a half-smile:
"Then let's have a proper discussion."

(End of this chapter)