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

Chapter 233 I ask you, is it confiscation of property or reform?
The first day of the third month in the second year of the Xifeng era.

The sun rises in the east, and the first rays of dawn appear.

Civil and military officials stood in orderly rows.

Occasionally, officials of the third rank or above, dressed in purple robes, would whisper among themselves, expressing their opinions, adding to the noise.

The reason for this was simply that they had learned that the government was going to implement reforms.

As a high-ranking official of the third rank and a core figure in the faction, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet would naturally communicate with him regarding the decision made by the Imperial Study.

The reforms involved mean both breaking down old systems and establishing new ones, and reshaping the existing order. This inevitably means that the interests of a group of people will be harmed.

Immediately, it sparked heated discussions.

"when!"

A bell tolls, its sound long and melodious.

In the side hall, a large door opened, and six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the Duke of Ying, the head of the military, walked out one after another.

All the civil and military officials fell silent.

People occasionally glanced at Jiang Zhao, who was walking calmly and slowly, some frowning, some relieved, and some indifferent.

"when!"

The bell rang twice.

"Xuan——"

"All officials, please pay your respects!"

A sharp call rang out from the main hall, and civil and military officials entered in an orderly fashion.

"May Your Majesty be well!"

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying waved his sleeve and looked directly at the officials:

"No gift."

“All officials, both inside and outside the government, may speak to me immediately,” Zhao Ceying said calmly.

However, after a breath or two, no one came forward to report.

All the civil and military officials looked at Jiang Zhao in tacit agreement.

Historically, there have been two ways in which emperors announced reforms:
One type is where the monarch directly announces the reforms. This is often applicable to monarchs who are strong-willed and take themselves as the core of the reforms. Typical examples are Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, who were both monarchs and reformers.

One method involves having a minister submit a memorial to the emperor, which then leads to the announcement of reforms. This method is often used when a minister leads the reforms, with the emperor and minister working together and dividing the tasks. The emperor is considered the "greater good," while the minister is the core of the reforms. Typical examples are the reforms of Shang Yang and Wang Anshi.

Since the Emperor has appointed Grand Secretary Jiang to oversee the reforms, then the second option is naturally the correct one.

"Your subject Jiang Zhao has a report to make."

Jiang Zhao stepped forward, held his tablet, and bowed: "Your Majesty, since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have practiced frugality, worked tirelessly day and night, and wished to restore the ancestral legacy. All the subjects of the land eagerly await your return. However, I observe that the world today is rife with accumulated problems, with excessive officials at the top, excessive soldiers at the bottom, and excessive expenses abroad."

The common people suffer from heavy corvée labor, and the border regions suffer from a lack of defenses. This is not a calamity from heaven, but rather a failure of governance. If we continue to follow the old ways and do not think of reform, then the fate of the nation will be sealed at any moment.

"Your Majesty, I presume to submit this memorial, humbly hoping that Your Majesty will implement reforms resolutely. If you do so, the restoration of the dynasty will be within reach in no time."

With that, Jiang Zhao bowed.

Zhao Ceying nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Granted."

"Your Majesty, no!"

A sudden shout interrupted Zhao Ceying.

At the end of the train, a remonstrating official emerged, holding a tablet; he appeared to be around fifty or sixty years old.

"Your Majesty, the laws of our ancestors must not be changed lightly!" the elderly remonstrating official cried out.

Fifth rank?

Jiang Zhao glanced back once, then turned away and looked away again.

At the fifth rank, he's not qualified to confront him.

In the middle of the train, Zhang Dun squinted his eyes, took a step forward, and was about to reprimand someone.

Who would have thought?
"Oh!"

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying slammed his hand on the wooden table and shouted, "Tell me, what does it mean to 'not change lightly'?"

“In recent years, the Ministry of Revenue has been running a fiscal deficit every year.” Zhao Ceying waved his sleeve and pointed his finger, saying, “If no reforms are implemented, do you expect me to confiscate your property to make up for the fiscal deficit?”

confiscation of property and extermination of the entire family?

The elderly remonstrating official's face changed drastically, turning bright red in an instant. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

He kowtowed three times, the sound of his kowtowing echoing loudly.

"I ask you, is this reform or the confiscation of your property?" Zhao Ceying roared, sweeping his gaze over the officials. "Or, all civil and military officials, point out one or two crimes. If guilty, I will confiscate them!"

"If we arrest a dozen or twenty people, we might find some incredibly wealthy corrupt officials who could easily cover up the deficit of eight million strings of cash."

In short, these are words that strike at the heart.

All the civil and military officials were shocked.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" Jiang Zhao bowed and said.

In an instant, he realized that Zhao Ceying was "acting." He might have been genuinely angry, but he would never have said something like "confiscate the property of all officials."

This approach has a somewhat moderate feel to it.

Aim high and you'll achieve something in the middle!

Therefore, Jiang Zhao bowed at the opportune moment and stepped onto the stairs.

Many of the civil and military officials, some of whom were filled with fear, quickly followed suit and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

In less than three breaths, all the officials had bowed in unison.

Yes, it's possible the emperor was speaking in anger.

But are you willing to take the gamble?
The elderly remonstrating official who stepped forward to object was terrified and kowtowed repeatedly.

"I ask you, is it confiscation of property or reform?" Zhao Ceying snorted coldly, pressing him firmly.

Confiscating property and exterminating the entire family, or reform?

"This this--"

The elderly remonstrating official stammered and couldn't utter a single word.

The series of questions left him completely blank.

All the civil and military officials turned their attention to the past.

After a few breaths, his mind gradually cleared a bit, and the elderly remonstrating official quickly said:
"Reform! Reform!"

"call!"

There were dozens of barely audible whispers.

"I ask you, have I ever lightly altered the laws of our ancestors?" Zhao Ceying pressed on, demanding an answer.

Whether in the military or politics, there is a saying: "kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

Today, he will kill a "chicken" to show all the officials just how strong his determination to reform is!

If you haven't prepared a rebuttal, don't bother people.

The elderly official was startled, and his legs suddenly went limp.

Emperor, is this a move to exterminate them all?
If one's words and actions are inconsistent, saying "it is not a light change" one moment and "it is not a light change" the next, then it is tantamount to deceiving the emperor and disrupting the court.

If they were to be punished, the sentence would be extremely severe.

However, if one insists that it is a "minor change," it is still a crime of deceiving the emperor and showing great disrespect.

After all, their conversation clearly demonstrated that the emperor was not one to act rashly.

"Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

The elderly remonstrating official immediately kowtowed, not daring to respond.

“Your Majesty, this scoundrel has submitted a memorial without cause in order to gain fame and reputation. He is truly deceiving the world and stealing a name for himself. I believe he should be punished.” Zhang Dun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward with his tablet and presented his memorial.

To punish someone with severe crimes such as exile or imprisonment for a single word is too harsh and would alienate the people.

In comparison, those who deceive the world and steal fame are sentenced much less severely.

In any case, it all has the same deterrent effect.

"Demoted to Inspector of Huangzhou," Zhao Ceying said coldly, waving his hand.

The next moment, imperial guards stepped forward and dragged away the elderly remonstrating official, whose body was already limp and unable to move.

In an instant, all the officials were shocked and dared not make any reckless remarks.

"The matter of reform is of utmost urgency."

Zhao Ceying said solemnly, "Granted."

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Jiang Zhao led the way in bowing.

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

All the civil and military officials bowed in unison.

After a few breaths, Jiang Zhao stepped back and entered the train.

"Your subject, Zhang Fangping, Minister of Rites, has a memorial to the throne."

Zhang Fangping stepped forward, holding his tablet, and said, "The Empress has given birth to a prince. I request that the young prince be granted a title of king and moved to a royal residence."

"The Ministry of Rites should draft the regulations and submit them to the emperor," Zhao Ceying said solemnly.

The palace is poisoned; the young prince must be moved outside the palace immediately.

Zhang Fangping bowed and slowly withdrew.

"minister"

Subsequently, many officials submitted memorials, some concerning the frontier, others concerning governance.
Overall, however, there was significantly less discussion.

The reason for this was that they were shocked by the decision to reform.

The government's attitude is far too forceful!
Wenyuan Pavilion, the public hall.

Jiang Zhao held the document, seemingly deep in thought.

After a long pause, he picked up his pen and began to write.

Clearly define responsibilities and powers!

Performance evaluation system!
Land survey and taxation unified!

The brush paused slightly, hesitated for a few moments, and then fell again.

Jiaozi!

Champa rice!
Heavy industry and commerce!

Having served in the government for thirteen years and held the highest position, Jiang Zhao naturally had his own unique insights into how to implement reforms.

The fiscal deficit and the implementation of reforms are nothing more than "increasing revenue and reducing expenditure".

Open source, which means finding ways to make money, is an emerging industry.

Cost-cutting means reducing expenditures. Among these, increasing revenue should start with industry, commerce, and agriculture.

In the past, hand-woven textiles, ceramics, salt, wine, tea, and other products were all monopolies of the imperial court, similar to state-owned enterprises, and internal corruption was quite serious.

Taking salt trading as an example, there are two main monopoly methods: one is government-run and the other is privately run.

It was a government-run operation, meaning the imperial court set up "salt shops" and "salt workshops" to sell salt, and merchants had no say in it.

Private sector, also known as the middle way and compromise.

The "Entering China" policy was mainly implemented in border regions. When officers and soldiers needed food, they would have merchants transport the food there. Once the food was acquired, the border troops would issue "exchange certificates".

Merchants who obtained "exchange tokens" could travel to specific regions to exchange for salt and sell it in specific places; it was essentially exchanging grain for the right to trade salt.

The compromise was implemented in non-border areas, where merchants exchanged money or silk for "salt permits," which was essentially no different from "salt trading permits"—both involved exchanging money or goods for the right to trade salt.

In essence, the imperial court monopolized salt mining. Whether it was state-run or privately-run, it was ultimately a state monopoly. The only difference between the two methods was the seller.

But in reality, compared to the private sector, government-run businesses are quite terrible, and the corruption is frightening.

For officials, there was no difference whether the government-run "salt shops" or "salt workshops" sold ten shi, one hundred shi, one thousand shi, or even ten thousand shi.

After all, officials receive a fixed salary; the court's pay will not change. Selling ten shi (a unit of dry measure) will result in the same salary, and selling ten thousand shi will also result in the same salary.

As a result, many officials deliberately sold less salt, engaging in collusion between officials and merchants in private.

The government-run salt was secretly replaced with sand, while the real salt was resold to merchants.

The extent of their corruption is appalling.

In addition, the "Jiaoyin" system was also quite chaotic, with local governments able to privately print and issue "Jiaoyin," which was also a place where collusion between officials and merchants was rampant.

Therefore, in order to curb corruption, they simply introduced "big merchants" and implemented an open source policy.

Rather than letting corruption continue, it would be better to let "big merchants" enter the game, completely abolish the state monopoly, let the imperial court control the salt ponds, and "invest" in them under the guise of state operation without actually managing them. In essence, it is still a monopoly.

Of course, these so-called "great merchants" were definitely not ordinary merchants; they had to be well-known figures in counties and prefectures.

Handicrafts such as textiles, ceramics, salt, wine, and tea can all be completely liberalized to stimulate the vitality of industry and commerce.

This can be considered a form of compensation for the reform.

Cost-cutting, also known as addressing the three redundancies, involves reducing expenses by reforming the bureaucracy.

If the goal is to remove officials from office, a performance evaluation system is undoubtedly of paramount importance.

The detailed division of powers and responsibilities, along with the performance evaluation system, will undoubtedly yield excellent results.

As for Champa rice, land surveys, and the unification of taxes, these were all measures to make life easier for the people below.

Jiaozi, on the other hand, involved banks and was mainly for "accumulating wealth" to solve urgent problems.

"call."

With a long sigh, Jiang Zhao put down his brush and stopped writing.

Everything must be done step by step.

Government orders should not be issued too frequently.

These few decrees, if truly implemented, would be enough to easily solve the fiscal deficit problem.

With the overall plan finalized, Jiang Zhao picked up the papers and focused on the "detailed breakdown of rights and responsibilities" section.

All departments, both internal and external, need to be broken down to some extent.

In any case, it is necessary to ensure that every official has power, that each person is responsible for one matter, and that the accountability system is implemented.

Jiang Zhao gazed at the "detailed breakdown of powers and responsibilities" and pondered for a moment.

The Ministry of Personnel can be divided into
Just then, a minor official approached and announced, "Your Excellency, this is Wang Anshi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Xue Xiang, the Director of the Imperial Academy, requesting an audience."

"Oh?"

Jiang Zhao was startled and looked up.

"Let Xue Xiang in first, and we must not neglect Wang Anshi," Jiang Zhao instructed.

Each of the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet had a clerk on duty at their office. Those who wished to see them had to present their name cards and wait in the outer hall for their announcement.

If the two of them visit together, then there will definitely be a queue involved.

If nothing unexpected happens, Xue Xiang's request to see Wang Anshi is likely related to the newspaper, while Wang Anshi's request is more likely due to "shared ideals".

The minor official bowed and withdrew.

A short while later, Xue Xiang entered.

"Greetings, Your Excellency." Xue Xiang bowed respectfully, his face showing excitement.

Jiang Zhao raised his hand, indicating that he should not stand on ceremony, and then asked, "Is the newspaper finished?"

In terms of the difficulty of producing newspapers, it is actually not high at all.

After all, the imperial court already had a similar official gazette, and newspapers were not some kind of advanced technology for artisans.

Since it's not something outdated, it can be made.

"Exactly."

Xue Xiang nodded repeatedly, took out several rolled-up newspapers from his sleeve and handed them over: "I hope the Grand Secretary can give me some guidance."

Jiang Zhao picked it up and glanced at it briefly.

It is about three feet long and two feet wide, mainly divided into four sections: top, bottom, left, and right, containing four articles.

In terms of the printed characters, it is not much different from woodblock printing.

Of course, it can't compare to a truly established newspaper.

"The top left corner is designated for recording current affairs; the top right corner for recording poems and essays; the bottom left corner for recording border defenses; and the bottom right corner for recording anecdotes of literati and folk tales," Xue Xiang explained in a timely manner.

Jiang Zhao looked at him, nodding in approval from time to time.

Current affairs and border defense are matters of official business and are not without seriousness; poetry, prose, anecdotes of literati, and folk tales are more attention-grabbing and arouse people's desire for gossip.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Zhaoping said calmly, "In the section on border defense, we can also insert some tragic scenes from the border regions, either concerning the Western Xia or the Liao Kingdom. We need to incite the people's indignation and portray the Western Xia and Liao Kingdom as sworn enemies."

Nationalism is about morale, so it needs to be nurtured.

"Yes." Xue Xiang nodded quickly.

"What is the price?" Jiang Zhao asked again.

"this--"

Xue Xiang hesitated and said, "I propose thirty coins per unit."

"There are more than twenty literate craftsmen and more than ten scribes. Their monthly salary is more than one hundred strings of cash. That's more than one thousand strings of cash a year. A set of steel movable type printing master plates also costs more than one hundred strings of cash. If twenty sets of steel movable type printing master plates are made, that would cost two thousand strings of cash. If the master plates can be used for two years, then the salary and printing master plates alone would cost two thousand strings of cash a year."

"If we assume that 1,000 copies can be sold at a time, and five times a month, that's nearly 60,000 copies a year."

Xue Xiang said in a deep voice, "If we use Chu paper to make newspapers, the price of paper is eight coins per sheet. I'm afraid we would have to sell them for more than thirty coins just to break even."

"If bamboo paper is used to make newspapers, each sheet costs five coins, so it would sell for around thirty coins."

The cost price of thirty coins?
Jiang Zhao understood and nodded, saying, "Then let's sell it for thirty coins."

Thirty coins is acceptable!

After all, selling it for thirty coins would definitely be profitable.

Firstly, it's affordable for scholars.

Thirty coins was roughly the salary of a schoolteacher for half a day.

Secondly, we will definitely sell more than a thousand portions at once.

Bianjing alone had a permanent population of two million, many of whom were literate.

Once promoted by the government and sparking a trend, it's not uncommon for tens of thousands of copies to be sold at once.

In addition, it will gradually be sold in other places besides the capital.

Newspapers, in essence, are selling knowledge.

The craftsmen's salaries and printing plates were fixed; once the newspapers were sold to a certain extent, it became pure profit.

"Has the printing plan for the first edition been finalized?" Jiang Zhao continued to ask.

The newspaper is of great importance; it must become an instant hit!

"In the area of ​​current affairs, we will draft and publish the reform decisions."

"In the poetry section, we plan to publish new poems by Su Shi, Yan Jidao, Wang Anshi, Zeng Gong, and Huang Tingjian."

"On the frontier, it is proposed to publish the Liao Kingdom's accusation that the people of the Great Zhou were farming beyond their borders."

"In the section on literary anecdotes and folk tales, we plan to publish stories of a fox spirit falling in love with a scholar, and a courtesan falling in love with a top scholar."

Xue Xiang reported this to everyone.

The newspaper was crucial to his career, so he naturally paid close attention to it and had made preparations in advance.

Jiang Zhao raised his eyebrows.

A fox spirit and a scholar, a courtesan and a top scholar?

This is truly timeless!
"good."

Jiang Zhao added, "Regarding current affairs, let's not rush things. Around the tenth of March, I will present some decrees to the government at the meeting. Let's finalize this section by making a copy."

Government order?

Xue Xiang was taken aback and quickly bowed, saying, "Yes, sir."

"I am resigning."

About ten breaths later, Wang Anshi entered.

"This humble official pays his respects to Your Excellency." Wang Anshi bowed respectfully.

Jiang Zhao pressed his hand down and passed over a document concerning the Examination and Assessment Law.

Wang Anshi's expression became much more serious after just one glance.

The courtroom remained silent for about half an incense stick's time.

Wang Anshi let out a long breath, his face already covered in sweat.

"How is it?" Jiang Zhaoping asked with a smile.

"Grand Secretary Jiang is truly a divine being!"

Wang Anshi sighed deeply, utterly impressed.

Compared to the "performance evaluation system," his several reform proposals were indeed too crude, which explains why Jiang Zhao repeatedly rejected them.

The document was returned, and Wang Anshi bowed solemnly: "I wonder if I, Wang, am able to participate in the Grand Secretary's reforms?"

Whether it's a hasty reform or a long-term reform, it's essentially still a reform!
Since it was a reform, he had to participate.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it and couldn't help but clap his hands:

"Jiefu, you and I are truly kindred spirits!"

At almost the same time, news of Chang Chao's visit spread throughout the capital region.

Your Majesty, reforms are needed!

Jiang Zhao, the most trusted minister in the central government, was appointed as the chief official in charge of the reforms, and he was in charge of making the reform decisions. He also demoted and exiled officials who dared to remonstrate over a single disagreement.

This demonstrates the firm resolve of the government to implement reforms.

Immediately, the topic became a hot topic of discussion throughout the city.

(End of this chapter)