You have truly caused me great suffering!

As Yuwen Xuzhong listened to Chen Shao's words, especially the use of "we," a great weight was lifted from his heart.

His Majesty was not disappointed in any of the officials.

Are the emperor and his ministers on our side?

For most of most dynasties and for most of the time, this was not the case.

It could even be described as a complete hostility.

The imperial power represented by the emperor and the governing power represented by the ministers were in conflict in terms of interests.

What the ministers most wanted to see was for the emperor to rule by doing nothing and letting the ministers govern the country themselves.

Your Majesty, you should just be a mascot.

Emperors mostly pursue absolute power, which is what I, as emperor, deserve. Why are you restricting me?

To restrain ministers, especially civil officials, emperors would usually choose to use their relatives by marriage and eunuchs as countermeasures.

During the Ming Dynasty, the nobility was briefly introduced, but the Battle of Tumu Fortress severely weakened them, leaving them completely demoralized.

Your Majesty now has the opportunity to wield absolute power, but you are willing to delegate power to your officials.

This made the civil service group feel extremely flattered.

Civil officials were the elite among scholars; there were virtually no fools among them, and most of them were shrewd and astute.

How could they not understand the situation?

The emperors of this dynasty have legitimacy through military merit, have achieved merits, and, most importantly, possess absolute military power.

If he wants to seize power, no one can stop him.

However, Chen Shao expanded the cabinet, reformed the official system, and gradually decentralized power.

Yuwen Xuzhong was afraid that this matter would cause the emperor to be greatly displeased and thus change his attitude.

There are no trivial matters concerning the emperor, so he could not afford to be careless.

Chen Shao, though inside the pavilion, also had his own goals, which he would not easily change.

He wasn't just concerned with his own decades in power; he had much greater ambitions.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chen Shao stood up. Suzhou was indeed a very nice place, but it was also quite stubborn.

Beneath the white walls and black tiles of the Jiangnan region lies a deeply ingrained culture of mutual protection among officials and a strong gentry culture.

No matter the dynasty, no matter how powerful a high-ranking official is, even an imperial envoy, it is difficult to change the local atmosphere.

But Chen Shao is an option.

Because he was the founding emperor, the one who exiled 200,000 members of the Central Plains gentry in one fell swoop.

How does Suzhou compare to Luoyang?
Now that Chen Shao is angry, it's not just the officials in Suzhou who will suffer, but also the officials in other places who are just sitting idly by.

The performance evaluation system in officialdom will definitely become more stringent.

The authority of the founding emperor was not to be challenged. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, civil officials tried several times to test Zhu Yuanzhang's bottom line.

The result is that beheading is as easy as cutting leeks.

Even so, they remained unchanged, and when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he almost turned the tables.

"Leaving aside these fools," Chen Shao said to Yuwen Xuzhong with his hands behind his back, "the cotton mills in Suzhou are indeed quite good. I have already ordered people to bring back the local production records. Last year, they processed 180 million catties of seed cotton, which was woven into 60 bolts of cotton cloth."

"The current market price is between 350 and 500 cash per piece, with an annual value of over 230,000 strings of cash. The annual revenue from machinery tax and weaving donation is 21,000 strings of cash, which is sent to the Left Treasury and the Southern Treasury."

Ironically, these figures were unknown to the local prefect of Suzhou, the vice-prefect, and even the Suzhou textile commissioner, but Yuwen Xuzhong knew them very well.

However, to avoid further dissatisfaction with local officials from Chen Shao, Yuwen Xuzhong did not show it, but instead acted as if he had just found out.

He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, cotton spinning is just beginning; there will be much more to come in the future."

Yuwen Xuzhong was the walking abacus of the court in the previous dynasty. He knew very well that these taxes were equivalent to one-tenth of the national silk revenue during the Chongning era of the Song Dynasty.

The annual revenue from silk throughout the Song Dynasty, including taxed silk and purchased silk, totaled approximately 1000 million bolts (silk, satin, and damask), equivalent to tens of millions of strings of cash.

But now, Suzhou alone has 600,000 bolts of cotton cloth. Adding to the silk fabrics and brocades that Suzhou already possessed, it is more than one-tenth of the total amount produced in the entire country during the Song Dynasty.

This is in comparison to the Song Dynasty. You can say that the Song Dynasty was weak in this area and that area, but its economy was not weak.

This also shows just how powerful Dajing's economy has become.

"I previously ordered the Academy of Engineering to refine coke and wash coal, and promoted coal stoves in the north, which has already solved the problem of people freezing to death every winter. Now, with the help of cotton-padded clothing, the number of people freezing to death can be reduced by more than half!"

Chen Shao was quite excited as he spoke. He had personally led troops and had also spent time among the common people, so he knew how difficult winters were in the north.

Many ordinary people, even entire families, only have one set of clothes, which is worn by whoever goes out.

Naked dolls are everywhere.

The northern tribes, who had just been incorporated into the Great Realm, fared even worse.

Nothing can be accomplished overnight.

Despite the immense power of the Great Jing, many people still freeze or starve to death every year.

However, once a country becomes powerful, it gains the strength to solve these problems.

Otherwise, the entire court would be focused on dealing with external enemies and internal troubles, leaving no energy to address the people's livelihood, and would even have to impose heavy taxes to support the army and defend against enemies.

Therefore, the strength of a nation is never unrelated to its ordinary people.

Emperor Chen Shao was already a very benevolent emperor, but if the war against Dingnan did not go well, he would still have to plunder the land and exploit the people to support the war.

There's no way around it; being a subjugated person is a terrible experience.

In any case, we must first defeat the external enemy and create an opportunity for development.
-
The emperor's entourage stayed in Zhenjiang Prefecture for a very short time, which surprised everyone.

My stay in Suzhou for so long was also unexpected.

People say that Suzhou has beautiful scenery, especially in late spring, which is why the emperor was able to stay.

Some even fabricated a story that His Majesty had taken a fancy to a beauty in Suzhou and was reluctant to leave.

Amidst these alluring and scandalous rumors, officials of all ranks in Suzhou lived in constant fear.

The emperor personally oversaw the rectification of the Suzhou officialdom.

He even disembarked and stayed in the city. Suzhou did not have an imperial palace; this was an official's residence.

It was originally given to Wang Kai by Chen Shao last time, but he didn't dare to accept it.

It's perfect for use as a temporary palace now.

After passing through numerous guards, Yuwen Xuzhong and Yang Yizhong walked through the front courtyard, the middle hall, and the back courtyard, finally arriving at an elegant and unique building.

Along the way, there are flowers and plants everywhere, with vines hanging from pavilions and bamboo groves standing on walls, typical of the luxurious mansions of Suzhou and Hangzhou.

The artificial rockery in the courtyard was exquisite and translucent. No wonder Emperor Huizong was so fascinated by stones. Although Chen Shao was not interested in this, Li Yi'an and Mao De, who had moved in, liked it very much.

Around the artificial lake, a cluster of green bamboo stands alongside vibrant five-colored camellias, their most beautiful blooms occurring in late spring. The screen wall in the rear courtyard is inlaid with blue brick carvings bearing the four characters "花竹怡静" (Hua Zhu Yi Jing, meaning "Flowers and Bamboo, Tranquility and Serenity"). The surrounding brick walls are decorated with delicate openwork carvings of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, their lines flowing and the carving exquisite.

These wealthy houses have doors on both sides and countless rooms. The center is decorated with artificial mountains and ponds, with strange rocks resembling honeycomb holes, and rounded, twisted pine trees. The lotus leaves on the water are bright green, creating a picturesque scene with the artificial mountains.

The first floor of the building consists of a large hall and a smaller hall, decorated in an elegant and luxurious style.

The small hall and the main hall both feature floor-to-ceiling windows that almost reach the ceiling, adorned with intricate carvings and made of expensive mahogany.

Chen Shao stayed here, but not all of his entourage came; only a small portion did.

When Yang Yizhong and Yuwen Xuzhong entered, Chen Shao noticed that Yang Yizhong deliberately stood a few steps back, allowing Yuwen Xuzhong to meet the emperor first.

This guy is truly born with an innate divine body, and he's incredibly cunning. Becoming an official is a perfect fit for his talent.

"Your Majesty." Yuwen Xuzhong bowed as he entered.

These past few days, the rectification of the Suzhou officialdom has seemed very fierce, but Yuwen Xuzhong knew that this was precisely because His Majesty had shown leniency.

If, like the last inspection, they discover problems but remain silent, record everything, and wait to review it later, that would be disastrous.

Such a high-profile crackdown, making an example of someone to scare others, makes it seem like the officials in Suzhou are in trouble.

But for local officials, this also served as a wake-up call, signaling that they needed to begin a crackdown.

This was actually Chen Shao's goal.

While large-scale crackdowns on officials may feel satisfying, under the current circumstances, they can also bring government affairs to a standstill and paralyze.

After all, the Great Jing Dynasty didn't have that many officials in reserve.

Especially after expanding the territory seven or eight times, the number of officials was actually insufficient.

Severely punishing officials near Suzhou will serve as a warning to officials in other areas. If this can serve as a wake-up call for some officials, it will be a great success.

Even in later generations, the focus remained on warnings, with those who refused to stop or cooperate being severely punished.

In this way, under the dual deterrence, many officials will choose to repent in order to protect themselves.

The new policies are progressing rapidly and vigorously, and cannot afford to stagnate for even a moment.

Chen Shao also wanted to settle scores quickly and was intolerant of any wrongdoing, so he dealt with all the officials who were negligent in their duties.

However, he couldn't guarantee that the new batch wouldn't be like this after this batch was processed; the gap in between would be fatal.

For the sake of the bigger picture, he chose to make an example of someone.

The world is not black and white; pursuing absolute fairness will only lead to your downfall.

Especially in officialdom.
Yuwen Xuzhong could see through Chen Shao's thoughts and truly understood them, so he cooperated fully in handling the affairs of Suzhou.

"Now the eyes of the whole world are probably on Suzhou. Let the Da Jing Daily publish the truth. I am not afraid that the people will see the corrupt officials of our Da Jing. I am afraid that they will not see it."

"Your Majesty is wise. When the time comes, the winds will blow and the clouds will gather, and the administration of the world will surely be rectified."

"One inspection is clearly not enough. I will come here every few days, not just in Suzhou, but to conduct spot checks in various places. It doesn't have to be until I arrive at the destination that I conduct the inspections. I will organize people to go and inspect the places on my behalf!"

Both Yuwen Xuzhong and Yang Yizhong were worried for the local officials.

His Majesty's inspection efforts are clearly not insignificant.

Moreover, if you really want to deceive your superiors and subordinates, it's not easy at all.

His Majesty's confidants are rooted in every manor across the land.

It has only been a little over a decade since the founding of the dynasty, and they have not forgotten His Majesty's kindness. In the conflict between imperial power and local authorities, it is really hard to say which side they will stand on.

When the emperor sends people to inspect the localities, the local gentry must be of one mind to win. Even if there are one or two people who stand with the emperor, the shady dealings will not be hidden.

In Dajing, there were many small landowners who stood with the emperor.

Moreover, the small size of the imperial clan of the Great Jing Dynasty was both a weakness of Chen Shao and, in some ways, an advantage.

Now that things have come to this, the ministers who want to oppose Chen Shao can't even find a single person who can serve as a figurehead.

At the founding of the Jin Dynasty, powerful and wealthy families used Sima You, the Prince of Qi, to check and balance Sima Yan.
During the Tang Dynasty, powerful clans in Hebei could support Li Jiancheng in opposing Li Shimin;

During the Song Dynasty, the commanders of the Imperial Guards supported Zhao Guangyi to consolidate their power.
Whom do you support in Da Jing?
My entire family, including the Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty, died defending Shaanxi on the battlefield.
This is the only one left.

Chen Shao has been considering the selection of inspection officials for the past few days.

He felt that the inspecting officials must have sufficient reason to reject the corruption of local corrupt officials.

This requires them to design a system.

Chen Shao has written several personal letters in succession, asking the cabinet to discuss this matter.

Inspectors should be given power, but not too much.

To avoid becoming another faction.
These things all require a balance.

The longer Emperor Chen Shao reigned, the more he felt the weight of the word 'balance'.

The key is that no one can tell him about these thoughts, because if you do, you will lose the dignity of the emperor.

How could the emperor compromise? How could the emperor have such schemes?

The emperor's image to the outside world must be one of absolute authority, with his word carrying immense weight, allowing no room for compromise or conformity.

Otherwise, the country cannot be stable, and people's hearts will yearn for change.

He could only write these things down in his diary, and perhaps he could tell Crown Prince Chen Wang about them when he returned in the future.

Therefore, when faced with trusted ministers like Yuwen Xuzhong and confidants like Yang Yizhong whom he had personally promoted, Chen Shao didn't say much, but simply discussed matters of officialdom in Suzhou with the two of them.

After Yuwen Xuzhong and Yang Yizhong left, carrying Chen Shao's decree, Yang Yizhong excitedly went to arrange for his subordinates to investigate and interrogate the suspects.

Yuwen Xuzhong was tasked with collecting and processing other government affairs.

Their identities were different. Yuwen Xuzhong no longer needed any merit; he was the undisputed prime minister of the next term.

But Yang Yizhong still had dreams. He was still young and longed to make greater contributions and gain a higher status.

Upon arriving at the gate, Yuwen Xuzhong looked at the Guangyuan Hall Commander, whose eyes were gleaming, and said earnestly, "Commander Yang."

Yang Yizhong was extremely respectful, not daring to be negligent in the slightest, and bowed respectfully, saying, "What are your orders, Junior Protector Yuwen?"

"Some officials, knowing their crimes are heinous, will make baseless accusations during interrogation, which may implicate good officials. Commander Yang, when you are handling a case, do not blindly trust testimonies; always rely on physical evidence."

Yang Yizhong nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Junior Guardian. I will certainly keep it in mind."

Yuwen Xuzhong shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.

Yang Yizhong straightened his back, and Wang Yin's former confidants were now completely obedient to him.

Hao Kai's eyes shone with the same light as his own. He stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and whispered, "Commander, Suzhou Prefecture under the emperor's nose is completely rotten. The brothers still have quite a few potent medicines on hand. When will we present them to His Majesty?"

Yang Yizhong said in a deep voice, "Bring them all here first, let me take a look."

"Yes!" (End of Chapter)