Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 232 The Emperor and His Ministers Discuss Reform (6k)

Since ancient times, emperors have often referred to themselves as "Son of Heaven," meaning the son of Heaven, to show that they were the rightful heir to the Mandate of Heaven.

As a royal palace, the imperial palace was also the core of the regime and a symbol of the legitimacy of imperial power. It was undoubtedly a "sacred place".

But no one expected that a deadly poison would be hidden in the royal palace.

There's something wrong with the palace!
This conclusion is truly astonishing.

To avoid the news spreading and alarming the world, the emperor and his minister decided to keep it a secret.

Firstly, the imperial palace was a symbol of the protection of the Mandate of Heaven, that is, the source of the legitimacy of imperial power.

If the emperor were to publicly admit that the palace was teeming with poison, it would undoubtedly be interpreted as a sign that the "mandate of heaven was in jeopardy" or that the "palace was inauspicious," thereby undermining the very foundation of the state.

Secondly, if word gets out that a deadly poison is lurking in the palace, it could indeed cause panic.

Rumors can be terrifying, and three men can make a tiger. Once a message has been passed around a thousand times, no one dares to bet on what it will eventually become.

Thirdly, palace secrets should naturally be kept secret.

In an era when scholars ruled the world, the court's control over public opinion loosened considerably, and "freedom of speech" gradually emerged.

Even ordinary people could gossip about the king without being considered guilty.

However, this does not mean that important palace secrets can be leaked; some information that should be kept secret must remain so.

Therefore, both the emperor and his minister pretended not to know anything.

Five days passed, and the court discussions continued.

Wenyuan Pavilion, the public hall.

"Hemp paper, cinnabar paper, mulberry bark paper, bamboo paper, sutra paper, paper for making paper offerings, powdered paper, waxed paper, Lian Si paper, Xuan paper, Chengxintang paper."

Shen Kuo, the deputy commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, and Jiang Zhiqi, the censor, spread out the paper bit by bit, which stretched for several feet.

Each piece of paper has a small printed mark, along with the price and place of origin.

Jiang Zhao walked around with his hands behind his back, stopping occasionally to observe a particular type of paper.

"This humble official pays his respects to Your Excellency." A man approached and bowed respectfully.

Jiang Zhao looked up and waved his hand, saying, "Master, there's no need for such formalities."

As he spoke, he continued to walk around and observe.

The newcomer was Xue Xiang, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, one of Jiang Zhao's key figures in Xihe Road.

The printing workshops in the palace were almost all managed by the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) to facilitate the printing of books.

"This is?"

Xue Xiang glanced at the mud slab on the ground, somewhat surprised.

Inside the Wenyuan Pavilion, there were actually several printing master plates?

"Lord Xue, are you familiar with movable type printing?" Shen Mengxi asked, walking slowly over with her hands behind her back.

"Modular type printing?" Xue Xiang was taken aback and quickly asked, "I hope Lord Shen can enlighten me."

How could there suddenly be printing master plates in the office of a high-ranking official?
It's likely that he deliberately brought it to see.

If nothing unexpected happens, the reason Jiang Ge Lao summoned him will be related to printing.

"So-called movable type printing is a printing technology."

Shen Mengxi pondered for a moment, then pointed to the printing master on the ground and asked, "Does Lord Xue know about the art of printing?"

“Of course,” Xue Xiang nodded.

As a seasoned official who had been in office for more than half a year, it was impossible for him to be unfamiliar with the "business".

The printing workshop was definitely one of the important businesses of the Imperial College.

“That makes things easier.” Shen Mengxi clapped her hands and explained, “In woodblock printing, the master plates are made together and are difficult to separate. In letterpress printing, the characters on the master plate are separated. If you want to print some new content, you can immediately take out the character plate for typesetting, which is more flexible.”

Xue Xiang understood: "It means turning a single character into a master copy, rather than considering an entire article as a master copy?"

“Yes,” Shen Mengxi affirmed.

Jiang Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the paper as he said, "The imperial court has something called the official gazette, but unfortunately it is printed in very small quantities and has almost no influence."

"Some of the printed content is too outdated and difficult to align with current political events."

"Now that movable type printing has been invented, the imperial court intends to restart the official gazette, renaming it a newspaper, and try to develop and expand it."

"Initially, it can be limited to Bianjing. If you feel that the development is suitable, you can submit a letter, and then the two capitals and fourteen circuits can be established with additional offices and published together."

"Of course, to attract attention, not all articles have to be about current affairs," Jiang Zhao added.

Xue Xiang was overjoyed and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble official will certainly accomplish this task."

As officials, they naturally all want to climb the ranks and rise step by step.

And political achievements are one of the key factors for promotion.

Unfortunately, the Imperial Academy had nothing worth promoting and was truly unable to achieve any political success.

Now that the imperial court wants to establish newspapers, it is undoubtedly a rare opportunity.

"Ah."

Jiang Zhao responded, "Come and choose your paper."

"Yes, sir." Shen Mengxi and Xue Xiang bowed to the two and hurried over.

For a moment, only the faint sound of footsteps remained.

When choosing newspaper paper, two things are important: first, the price of the paper should not be too expensive; second, the paper's absorbency should be considered, as it should not be of poor quality and may become damp.

I ask for nothing more than this.

After all, it's essentially a paper book, so as long as it doesn't affect literacy and the reading experience, it's fine.

"Bamboo paper".

"Chu paper".

After a while, the selection of paper was finalized.

The bamboo paper from Huainan and Liangzhe areas has moderate ink absorption, is thin, flexible, and easy to fold.

In addition, bamboo has a short growth cycle, making it easy to produce in large quantities.

The key point is that at only five coins per sheet, it is already considered cheap compared to high-quality Xuan paper and Chengxintang paper.

Paper mulberry paper is available in both the north and south, with moderate production. It is delicate and tough, with mild ink absorption. A sheet costs about eight coins, which is slightly lower than that of superior Xuan paper and Chengxintang paper.

As for other types of paper, they are either too expensive, have low production volume, are of poor quality, are not easy to fold, or have poor ink absorption.

"Give them all a try."

Jiang Zhao calmly said, "The first edition of the newspaper must be outstanding and conform to the rules of widespread dissemination. If the effect is not bad, I will have the Emperor publicly approve it in the court to help the newspaper spread."

The government is promoting it?

Xue Xiang was startled and quickly bowed.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Late February, Imperial Study.

On the corner of the wooden table, a jade ruyi scepter rests on the left, with ambergris incense burning on it, and plain flowers are inserted on the right, while the incense and candles are not lit.

The ruler and his ministers faced each other.

More than ten days have passed, and Zhao Ceying's dejection has completely disappeared, replaced by a sense of maturity and composure.

"Zichuan, I want to implement reforms."

Zhao Ceying held a memorial in his hand and passed it over: "Last year alone, the Ministry of Revenue's fiscal deficit reached eight million strings of cash."

"The problems of redundant soldiers, redundant officials, and redundant expenses must be solved."

"The Ministry of War has a military register of over a million soldiers, the Ministry of Personnel has tens of thousands of officials, and the number of clerks is countless. The annual salary expenses alone amount to half of the taxes." Zhao Ceying shook his head and sighed, "This is not a problem that arose overnight!"

To be precise, this is the fault of Emperor Zhenzong and the late emperor!
When Emperor Taizu was in power, the Imperial Guard numbered only 300,000, and the number of officials was only around 3,000 to 5,000.

Upon assuming the throne, Emperor Taizong immediately launched a series of imperial examinations and amassed a large army, with the number of soldiers reaching over 600,000 and the number of officials exceeding 10,000.

However, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, which was considered the early period of the founding of the country, he not only raised a large army, but also reduced the army by 100,000 troops. In essence, he wanted to "raise elite troops".

Such a number of military and official registers is still considered normal.

Who would have thought that after Emperor Zhenzong ascended the throne, he continued to hold grand imperial examinations and raise a large army, with the number of soldiers reaching over 900,000 and the number of officials reaching over 20,000.

During the more than forty years that the late emperor reigned, the number of soldiers reached 1.1 million and the number of officials reached nearly 50,000.

The number of military and official registers nearly doubled during the reigns of Emperor Zhenzong and his predecessors.

The problems of redundant soldiers, redundant officials, and redundant expenses were thus born.

By the late emperor's twilight years, the problems caused by the "three redundancies" had become very apparent, and there were frequent fiscal deficits.

But there's no way to solve it.

Firstly, the late emperor lacked decisiveness and was too soft-hearted.

The problem of redundancy must be addressed by focusing on officials and soldiers; those who are too soft-hearted are simply not capable enough to support the solution.

Secondly, compared to the three redundancies, there are more important things to solve.

The late emperor had no son in his old age, and the civil and military officials spent nearly twenty years advising him to "adopt a member of the imperial clan." The problem was only solved when Jiang Zhao entered officialdom and the secret method of establishing an heir was introduced.

The late emperor devoted most of his energy to wits and battles with his ministers, so he naturally had no energy to pay attention to the problem of the "three redundancies" (excessive official duties, excessive official duties, and excessive official duties).

In the fourth year of the Zhiping era, the late emperor passed away, his life cut short!
The late emperor passed away peacefully, and even managed to obtain the auspicious temple name "Gaozong".

The problem is that the accumulated problems of two generations have left behind a considerable mess.

The cost of maintaining soldiers and officials alone was more than half of the tax revenue, which was quite alarming.

"The problems caused by the three redundancies are truly a huge disaster, and we must not change them!" Zhao Ceying sighed and added.

For the past decade, there has been a fiscal deficit almost every year, with expenditures exceeding revenues.

The key point is that money cannot be created out of thin air, nor can it disappear out of thin air.

The fiscal deficit was essentially caused by the government's expenditures exceeding tax revenue.

To maintain the continuity of the policy, the excess funds were usually replenished by diverting funds from the imperial treasury, that is, the monarch's private treasury.

However, how vast is the nation and its people?

The king's private treasury was destined not to last long.

Since the imperial court was overspending and the emperor had no money, the issue of alleviating the imperial deficit through government decrees arose.

Generally speaking, there are two methods.

Either raise taxes or reduce spending.

To increase tax revenue, that is, to issue an edict to expand the tax revenue requirement, and to solve the problem from the people's tax burden.

The key point is that taxes levied on ordinary people cannot be increased arbitrarily.

Some poor farmers and small farmers, who were not wealthy to begin with, might suddenly find themselves in dire straits if their income suddenly increases and they are unable to afford it, leaving them with no choice but to sell their land.

Once the land is sold, people become homeless.

The slightest misstep could lead to a large-scale popular uprising, shaking the very foundation of the nation.

Therefore, the imperial court would not easily issue decrees to increase tax revenue unless absolutely necessary.

Reducing expenditures means reducing spending on officials, soldiers, and the royal family.

This is to solve the problem from the so-called "three redundancies".

In contrast, any ruler with a modicum of sense would certainly be inclined to address the problem of excessive bureaucracy rather than increase taxes.

"I have been pondering the long-standing problems of the 'three redundancies' for a long time, and I do have some strategies."

Jiang Zhao nodded and pondered, "The problem with redundant officials is that there are too many officials and their salaries are too high, which leads to excessive expenses; the problem with redundant soldiers is that in every year of famine, the court incorporates refugees and disaster victims into the local militia as a form of pacification. This accumulation year after year leads to excessive consumption of military funds."

"The drawbacks of excessive spending—" Jiang Zhao glanced at Zhao Ceying and said calmly, "are due to the court's support for the imperial family, as well as corruption, embezzlement, and disaster relief."

Zhao Ceying looked over and asked intently, "Does Zichuan have a good plan?"

First, money isn't something you can save up.

"Second, the court's poverty does not mean the world's poverty." "These two strategies can solve the immediate crisis."

In short, find a way to amass wealth!
In addition, we should appropriately develop the economy and increase commercial tax revenue.

Jiang Zhaoping said calmly, "As for resolving the three redundancies, we must proceed gradually, which involves institutional reform."

Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up, and she gestured for him to continue.

"The problem of redundant officials can be addressed by the policy of Fan Zhongyan – clearly defining promotion and demotion!"

Jiang Zhao shook his head and said, "The government orders are not bad, but they are too crude."

“The system of promotion and demotion was based primarily on political achievements, with the capable rising and the mediocre falling. However, there were no clear evaluation criteria, only vague ones like ‘encouraging agriculture and sericulture and developing water conservancy.’ This caused officials to stop caring about governance and instead focus on personal connections. The capable found it difficult to rise and the mediocre found it difficult to fall, ultimately leading to dissatisfaction among both the capable and the mediocre.”

"Every government decree must have a group of beneficiaries, and only with the substantial support of these beneficiaries can the decree be implemented in the long term."

Jiang Zhao said seriously, "Otherwise, we will be forced to abolish it."

Zhao Ceying nodded in agreement.

In the fourth year of the Zhiping era, when the emperor and his minister were discussing reforms, Jiang Zhao said something similar.

The main body of reform is people, and only when it is implemented can it be considered a new policy.

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "In my opinion, when it comes to demotion, it should be accompanied by a detailed system of responsibilities and a thorough evaluation. Many officials are just drawing salaries without doing any work, so we should clearly define their responsibilities, give them real power, and set clear performance evaluation criteria. In this way, the capable will rise and the mediocre will fall."

"Those who are capable will naturally support the new policy!"

"Detail the division of responsibilities?" Zhao Ceying asked in surprise.

“Hmm.” Jiang Zhao nodded and explained, “For example, when it comes to writing inscriptions, originally one person would lay out the paper, grind the ink, and hold the brush to write the inscription, while the other two people would watch. Now, it’s divided into three.”

"One person lays out the paper, one person applies the ink, and one person holds the brush."

"If the paper is laid out crookedly, then demote the person who laid it out; if the ink is bad, then demote the person who ground the ink; if the handwriting is bad, then demote the person who wrote the inscription."

"Anyway, we need to give them power."

"Among the redundant officials, many only have salaries but no power," Jiang Zhao said calmly. "I imagine that if they had the opportunity and power, they certainly wouldn't refuse."

After all, no matter how much power one wields, it's all about serving the people!

"In the future, Your Majesty can simply put pressure on the ministers above you."

Jiang Zhao slowly said, "When those above are under pressure, they will naturally urge those below to catch up. If those below don't perform well, they will find ways to demote them."

“If officials are demoted to a certain level and they start doing real work, then they are no longer considered redundant officials.”

"In addition, the number of official positions should be strictly controlled. More people will be demoted than enter officialdom. In time, this will naturally alleviate the problem."

"Hi~!"

Zhao Ceying suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly.

As expected, Fan Zhongyan was still too careless in his work!

“The problem of excessive military force and corrupt administration—” Jiang Zhao glanced outside and said, “The newly expanded territory may solve this problem.”

"Retire from military service and return to farming?" Zhao Ceying's face showed understanding.

Jiang Zhao nodded and explained, "We can send the old and disabled soldiers to the border to retire and return to their fields. With a force of hundreds of thousands, reducing the number of soldiers by 30,000 to 50,000 each year, the problem of redundant troops will be solved in ten years. In the future, refugees can also be exiled there."

The issue of troop reduction is quite sensitive for the Great Zhou Dynasty, mainly because many of the soldiers are displaced people.

Once they're all cut up, they'll definitely have nowhere to go. What if they get together and come up with a brilliant idea?
This is why they dare not reduce the military.

Fortunately, this generation is different.

Jiang Zhao has expanded his territory to twelve states, none of which are yet cultivated, making it a perfect place to settle the old and disabled soldiers.

In terms of area, Xihe Road is almost twice the size of other roads.

That place could easily accommodate hundreds of thousands of soldiers, let alone millions, in retirement.

"Good!" Zhao Ceying nodded repeatedly and clapped his hands.

Has the imperial court run into a deficit?

Fortunately, Jiang Qing managed to settle about 70-80% of the debt with just a few words!
“The expenses involve many aspects, let’s deal with them gradually,” Jiang Zhao said.

The redundant expenses involve too many miscellaneous issues.

They were involved in everything from supporting the imperial family and engaging in corruption to providing disaster relief and emergency assistance.

Among these funds, the money used to support the imperial family members must not be misused.

When disaster strikes, there's really nothing we can do but provide relief and emergency aid.

The only thing that can be addressed is the corruption of officials, just like the post station.

For officials passing through post stations, it was essentially a form of welfare, providing them with free food, lodging, transportation, and even the delivery of their luggage.

However, many officials had ulterior motives and colluded with businessmen to transport large quantities of "gifts" under the guise of passing through post stations.

It's equivalent to using the imperial court's funds to transport merchants' goods at zero cost.

The corruption involved is not insignificant.
Even some famous poets who were demoted in history books had this kind of "corruption". They would often stay at some better post stations for a year or two, spending the court's money to provide them with food, lodging and entertainment.

Of course, Jiang Zhao won't take these matters too seriously for the time being.

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. To expect to be completely free of corruption and bribery is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Everything takes time; you can't get fat overnight.

In reality, it's simply a matter of focusing on the big picture and letting go of the small details.

"With Minister Jiang, I have nothing to worry about."

Zhao Ceying let out a long breath, feeling much more relaxed.

To be honest, don't be fooled by his constant talk of reform.

But when it comes to actually implementing the reforms, they really have no idea how.

Now, after Jiang Zhao sorted it out, he suddenly understood.

"Should we set up a reform office?" Zhao Ceying asked.

"No need," Jiang Zhao shook his head.

The establishment of the Reform Office was essentially aimed at breaking free from the constraints of the bureaucratic system and creating an office that was above the bureaucratic system.

Just like Wang Anshi's reforms, a special office for regulations was established to directly bypass the three offices and coordinate the new laws.

Why did Wang Anshi do that?

Because they have no right!

Wang Anshi in history was a typical "prestige-building" type. He rose to power overnight because his ideas coincided with Emperor Shenzong's reform needs.

Such a person has no political foundation, so the only option is to establish a new government office.

Jiang Zhao is different; he is a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

The new law is essentially the same as a government decree.

According to the cabinet's procedures, once he submitted the imperial edict, the emperor would issue his approval and order its execution.

"Alright." Zhao Ceying nodded and waved his hand, "Send for a few Grand Secretaries."

Regarding reforming corrupt practices, it's still necessary to consult with several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

Of course, this was also to make it easier to distinguish between supporters and non-supporters of the reform.

After about two incense sticks' time, five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet—Han Zhang, Wen Yanbo, Tang Jie, Han Jiang, and Wu Chong—entered one after another.

"Please take a seat," Zhao Ceying said, waving his hand.

After the five men were seated, Zhao Ceying stated directly, "I want to implement reforms."

"this--"

The five people were startled, their expressions varying.

The drawbacks of "redundant troops, redundant officials, and redundant expenses"

Zhao Ceying recounted Jiang Zhao's insights from beginning to end, a conversation that lasted for the duration of two incense sticks burning.

After he finished speaking, the five scholars' expressions became increasingly varied.

Han Zhang, the Grand Academician of Zhaowen Hall, had a calm expression, showing neither support nor opposition.

Wen Yanbo, a Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall, had a furrowed brow that remained for a long time.

Tang Jie, a Grand Secretary of the Hall of Culture, sometimes frowned, sometimes relaxed.

Han Jiang, a Grand Secretary of the Zizheng Hall, appeared calm and thoughtful, nodding occasionally in approval.

Wu Chong, a Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, pondered deeply.

At a glance, the attitudes of the five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are immediately clear.

As the head of all officials and the prime minister for more than ten years, Han Zhang has truly entered the twilight of his life. The fame of the Han family of Xiangzhou and the failure of the Qingli New Deal have made it difficult for him to have any desire to "strive".

In essence, his political stance has already leaned towards conservatism.

However, due to his disciples, he adopted a neutral stance, neither supporting nor opposing them.

Wen Yanbo experienced the same ups and downs since the Qingli Reforms, serving in the cabinet three times.

Such an experience truly extinguished any desire for reform in him, and his political attitude gradually shifted to conservatism.

Tang Jie had experience as an imperial censor, was resolute, and was a typical "neutralist" who could be won over.

Han Jiang was only fifty-eight years old and had never experienced the Qingli Reforms; he was a reformist with passion in his heart.

As for Wu Chong, he has been in the cabinet for four years so far, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should have the opportunity to serve for six years.

Judging from his behavior, he seems to favor reform, either genuinely intending to reform or for political opportunism.

After all, everyone knows the nature of officials.

Since they've said they'll implement reforms, then they definitely will.

Therefore, if Wu Chong were to choose a side and the reform succeeded, he might even be able to serve in the cabinet for as long as nine years.

Jiang Zhao secretly relaxed his brow.

One person opposes, two remain neutral, and two support; that makes things easier.

The Imperial Study was silent for half an incense stick's time.

Wen Yanbo sighed, breaking the silence: "The laws of our ancestors must never be changed lightly!"

“If the fiscal deficit doesn’t change, the country could perish,” Jiang Zhao said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yanbo's expression changed drastically: "Grand Secretary Jiang, it would be best to be careful with your words."

"A slip of the tongue! That's called undermining the foundation of the nation!" Jiang Zhao corrected, his sleeves drooping.

Wen Yanbo frowned but didn't say anything; he was just making a statement.

Once someone reaches the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, there are almost no pedantic or conservative individuals among them.

Whether choosing conservatism or reform, it's mostly for the sake of profit.

"I remember that Minister Jiang advocated for gentle treatments?" Tang Jie asked.

Many of Jiang Zhao's and Wang Anshi's political remarks were originally made by Wang Anshi.

The difference between gentle treatment and strong medicine is essentially a political disagreement.

“A good doctor, whether treating illness or governing a country, always prioritizes gentleness.” Jiang Zhao looked over and said earnestly, “If the medicine is not right, he can stop in time.”

Tang Jie understood and nodded: "Then let's change it."

Wen Yanbo hung his hands at his sides without saying a word.

Since the government has decided to implement reforms, then let's implement them.

In any case, everything has to be based on interests.

If there really is a problem with the policy, it's not too late to come out and oppose it.

Zhao Ceying looked over and couldn't help but nod.

Once the reforms succeed, the country will become wealthy and powerful, and the Liao Dynasty will be destroyed.

I am the greatest emperor of all time!
(End of this chapter)