Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 102 Official Documents on Governing the World in the Ming Dynasty!

Zhu Youjian stretched and felt his whole body relax and his mind refreshed.

It's so good to be young!
Yesterday I stayed up for more than 30 hours on the Liaodong issue, and after a good night's sleep, I'm back to normal.

However, it's best to avoid doing this kind of thing in the future.

In this life, he still wanted to compete with the Qianlong Emperor, who was known as the "Perfect Old Man," to see who could live longer.

Gao Shiming stood to the side, his eyes still a little puffy.

He bowed respectfully and said:
"Your Majesty, the backlog of memorials from yesterday, plus those submitted by the Office of Transmission this morning, totaling 417, have been sorted and arranged according to your instructions."

Gao Shiming took another step forward, pointed to a stack of memorials on the left side of the imperial desk that was significantly fewer in number, and said softly:

"Your Majesty, there are seventeen documents here in total, all of which are proposals concerning the new policies in the capital."

"This servant has dared to include some items that were originally rated as Grade C or Grade D here as well."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow, a smile of approval on his face. "Gao Banban truly understands my heart."

He picked up the top book at random, and the cover prominently displayed "Xue Guoguan's Memorial on Road Repair in the Capital".

Zhu Youjian chuckled inwardly; a more fitting title would actually be "Xue Guoguan's Memorial on Road Repairs in the Capital - Version 3.0 (Final Version)".

Who knows, after he finishes reviewing them today, there might be "Version 4.0 (the final version)," "Version 5.0 (absolutely no changes)," or "Version 6.0 (I'd rather die than change it)," haha.

Upon opening the memorial, a distinct atmosphere from this era immediately comes to mind.

The document, spanning over a dozen pages, was roughly estimated by Zhu Youjian to contain between twenty and thirty thousand words.

From the background and reasons for road construction to the specific implementation plan, the detailed project budget, required resources, personnel mobilization list, and even the expected milestones in each stage, everything is written clearly and is easy to understand.

Zhu Youjian held the vermilion brush and examined it carefully for a long time, but he couldn't find any major mistakes.

Even some details that he himself had not thought of, such as the contingency plan for construction during snowfall and the scheduling of labor transfers in the Baojia system, were all added neatly and thoughtfully by Xue Guoguan.

"Awesome..."

Zhu Youjian couldn't help but admire it in his heart.

These ancient officials were truly outstanding individuals.

The imperial examination was held every three years, with no more than three hundred people selected each time, averaging only one hundred Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examination) per year.

This level of achievement is almost equivalent to the sum of all the top scorers in the college entrance examinations of various provinces in later generations.

The official document scheme I proposed for later generations, after all, did not involve a vision or technology that transcended the times; it was merely a more efficient and organized writing logic and way of thinking.

For this group of top-notch elites, once they understand it, doing it is a piece of cake.

Zhu Youjian awkwardly put down his vermilion brush. The absurd feeling he had when he thought, "I'm a student from a second-tier university, yet I'm grading papers for the top scholars," was quickly replaced by a stronger sense of satisfaction.

So what if you're a top scorer in the college entrance exam?

They'll all have to kneel before me, this time traveler!

All the talented people in the world can be put to my use!

A surge of pride welled up within him, and he casually flipped through the remaining sixteen memorials.

Guo Xingyan, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Works, proposed the resettlement of starving people in the vicinity of the capital.

Chen Binsheng, a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue, proposed to investigate and reform the long-standing malpractices of the nine customs gates.

……

The memorials contained a wide variety of contents, covering everything, presenting a picture of officials being ambitious and full of vitality.

However, the quality of these memorials varied greatly.

Some still followed the style of the old Ming dynasty, full of empty talk and clichés, while others clearly referenced Xue Guoguan's previous plan and made some improvements, but ultimately they were similar in form but not in spirit, failing to grasp the essentials.

Zhu Youjian's gaze lingered briefly on one of the memorials, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Sun Zhixie, a censor in the Hanlin Academy, proposed a crackdown on thieves in the capital...

Ah, Sun Zhixie.

Zhu Youjian sneered inwardly, "If you ever manage to rise above me in this lifetime, I will personally write the word 'I submit' for you."

He closed the numerous memorials, pondered for a moment, and then instructed Gao Shiming, who was standing beside him, "Gao, convey my decree to carry out three tasks."

Gao Shiming immediately bowed and said, "This servant obeys your command."

"Firstly, you should arrange for people to set up a separate area on the right side of Chengtian Gate and erect a large banner for me."

Zhu Youjian paused, then continued:

“Take Xue Guoguan’s memorial and copy it verbatim onto the main list. As for the name of the list… let’s call it ‘A Collection of Outstanding Official Documents of the Ming Dynasty’.”

"Furthermore, at the beginning of Minister Xue's policy essay, please write a comment for me using my vermilion brush. Just write..."

Zhu Youjian's lips curled into a wicked smile as he spoke, enunciating each word clearly:
"—The First Official Document on Governing the State of the Ming Dynasty!"

Once the title of "first" is given out, these self-important civil officials will probably be provoked, right?
After all, there is no first place in literature, but there is a clear second place in martial arts.

This might even significantly accelerate the promotion of the official document campaign.

It seems that Minister Xue is about to face some unexpected challenges, haha.

A glint flashed in Gao Shiming's eyes, and he immediately understood the emperor's deeper meaning. He smiled and flattered, "Your Majesty's idea is truly brilliant! It's just like the collections of contemporary essays circulating in the streets. With this model essay, I'm afraid it won't be long before the style of official documents in both the inner and outer courts will be completely renewed."

Zhu Youjian finally couldn't help but laugh, waved his hand, and continued:
"Secondly, proclaim my imperial edict."

"Xue Guoguan, formerly the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, was promoted to Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, with the additional titles of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

A barely perceptible look of surprise flashed in Gao Shiming's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and continued to listen attentively.

Zhu Youjian took in his expression and continued without a care:

"Another imperial edict was issued, ordering him to be in charge of the new policies in the capital. All matters involving various ministries, garrisons and government offices shall be subject to his command and he shall act as he sees fit."

"Furthermore, a new official seal shall be issued. From now on, all memorials and reports concerning the new policies in the capital shall be upgraded one level from their original level."

Now, Gao Shiming could no longer hide the surprise on his face.

This is not just an exception; this is an extreme display of imperial favor!

He hesitated for a moment, his lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just said, "This servant... obeys the decree."

Zhu Youjian saw his hesitation, laughed, and said, "No need to worry. I want to take this opportunity to see the attitudes of the officials in the outer court."

His tone turned somber, his eyes deep, and he spoke slowly:
"It can't be that my elder brother, who used to issue imperial edicts, can't I, the new emperor praised by all the officials for my virtue and prestige, issue them?"

"Is this reputation a compliment to me, or a constraint?"

Gao Shiming felt a chill run down his spine and instantly understood Zhu Youjian's meaning. He lowered his head and stopped trying to persuade him.

Zhu Youjian gathered the remaining sixteen memorials on the table and said:

"Thirdly, there are the remaining memorials. You shall approve them all on my behalf."

"First, let them carefully refer to Xue Guoguan's memorial, see where the shortcomings are, and make improvements accordingly."

"Secondly, tell them that every matter has a designated person, and every credit should be given to someone. Whoever proposes the plan will be responsible for it; don't think you can just talk the talk."

Finally, let me make the unpleasant points clear upfront.

"The new policies in the capital are now all under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture. The position of Prefect is gone, and if you want to do anything, you can only start from the level of Chief Administrator, Assistant Prefect, or even Vice Prefect."

"Make them think it over carefully. Only those who are truly willing to get down to work should submit their memorials. Don't just blindly join in the fun."

Zhu Youjian smiled and added, "Of course, please soften my tone and don't be too harsh, but that's the gist of it."

"The servant understands."

Gao Shiming bowed and accepted the order, carefully picked up Xue Guoguan's memorial and the other memorials, and left the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian watched his departing figure, smiled slightly, and buried himself once again in the mountain of memorials.

The bureaucrats of the world are like a vast net; if the main rope is pulled, the net will fall into place.

By grasping a few key points, a gentle nudge can set the entire network in motion.

In a sense, Xue Guoguan was a person and this matter.

—This is an even more crucial juncture than that of Li Guopu, Yang Jingchen, and Sun Chengzong!

(End of this chapter)