Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 126 Do you still remember what I said?

Zhu Youjian turned to the section on finance and taxation in his policy essay.

The first thing that catches the eye is the measures and means of financial accounting, statistics, and supervision.

To be honest, he didn't make many changes to the Ming Dynasty's accounting system.

In his half-baked opinion, the Four Pillars of Debt Accounting Method was already quite good. He had never studied accounting in his later years, so he didn't know where to begin when he wanted to give guidance.

The procedures for receiving and using funds in the palace have been quite mature over the past hundred years.

The problem lies not in the system, but in people's hearts.

When society is in decline, the corruption of palace eunuchs will only be faster and more rampant than that of officials in the outer court.

Perhaps out of 100 civil servants, 5 might be slightly more honest—this has nothing to do with morality, it's purely because they're rich.

As for eunuchs... are you crazy? You've fallen so low as to become a eunuch, and you still talk about being incorruptible?!

Zhu Youjian didn't expect all the eunuchs in the palace to instantly transform into sages like Hai Rui; that was unrealistic.

Fighting corruption is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It's not as simple as arresting a bunch of corrupt officials, killing them all, and expecting no one to dare to be corrupt anymore.

Only by focusing on this every day and every month, making supervision and punishment a regular practice, and keeping it hanging over everyone's head, can we see even a little bit of effect.

Even reducing corruption from 90% to 70% would be a tremendous victory.

Therefore, the only major change Zhu Youjian made was the forced addition of two mechanisms: "budget establishment" and "approval and verification".

In the palace, a total budget needs to be formulated at the beginning of the year, and then adjusted and confirmed every quarter and every month.

This policy proposal took nearly half a month to complete and was revised repeatedly, but it still couldn't satisfy him. In fact, the biggest problem lay here.

When finance and taxation are adjusted, personnel and supervision departments will follow suit. The three are intertwined; if one is changed, all departments will have to be changed.

however!
Zheng Zhihui, however, submitted a series of nonsensical budgets!
Zhu Youjian sneered inwardly.

Jin Huayin was in arrears every year, and he only received 800,000 taels. He didn't expect to get any more for the time being and planned to deal with it when the reforms really started.

He had 27,000 hectares of imperial estate, and the annual income of 1.25 million taels of silver was only 50,000 taels in his hands. He tolerated it and waited until the spring to settle accounts.

But these ten storehouses in the palace, right in front of his sword handle, he actually dared to fool them like this!
After being repeatedly rejected and revised, Zheng Zhihui told him that thanks to various cost-cutting measures in the palace, the supplies in the ten warehouses could be saved by... 60,000 taels a year!

However, Liu Ruoyu's reward was that Zheng Zhihui had accepted money from the managers of various treasuries, the amount of which was unknown, but estimated to be over ten thousand taels.

What a mess!

They're making a fool of me!
If I can't touch the officials in the outer court, or the landlords in the countryside, then surely I can't touch the dozen or so chief eunuchs in the Forbidden City?
This idea had been ignited the moment he saw the first perfunctory tax and financial proposal.

This anger only grew stronger as Zheng Zhihui repeatedly covered up and gave vague answers regarding the issue of the ten warehouses.

Today is the day to detonate.

Zhu Youjian slowly raised his gaze from the policy essay and swept it over the crowd standing below the steps.

Zheng Zhihui, the eunuch in charge of finance and taxation, had beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Your turn, Zheng Zhihui."

The emperor's voice was calm, and no emotion could be heard.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhihui immediately stepped out of the queue, knelt down, and was about to report.

Zhu Youjian raised his hand to stop him.

"No need to say more, I have already read your policy proposal several times."

Zhu Youjian's tone remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"I ask, you answer."

Zheng Zhihui swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart. She could only kowtow in fear and say, "This servant... obeys the decree."

Zhu Youjian didn't waste any words. He casually turned to a page of the policy document and pointed to a line with his finger.

"My first question is, why did the palace still require 120,000 catties of beeswax annually, according to the budget of the first year of Yongchang?"

The moment the question was raised, the atmosphere in the hall instantly turned even colder.

Zheng Zhihui opened his mouth, stammering as he explained, "Your Majesty, there are many palaces and halls in the palace, and the daily lighting, sacrificial ceremonies, etc., cost a lot. This...this is already a reduced amount."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian's lips curled into a faint, cold smile.

He didn't look at Zheng Zhihui, but instead slightly gestured with his chin toward Gao Shiming.

Gao Shiming understood immediately and said without any emotion, "Your Majesty, during the Tianqi era, Eunuch Wei once ordered a ban on palace lanterns. Since then, the annual cost of yellow and white wax candles in the palace has been no more than 20,000 catties."

As soon as she finished speaking, Zheng Zhihui's face turned deathly pale.

Zhu Youjian then turned his gaze back to him, his voice suddenly turning cold.

"Wei Zhongxian was illiterate, yet he still managed to reduce the cost of candles to 20,000 catties."

“Zheng Zhihui, you’ve studied at the Imperial Academy for over a decade. Are you really not as good as an illiterate man?”

"Then tell me, where have all those books you've read gone?!"

These words struck Zheng Zhihui like a heavy hammer blow to the heart.

He could hold on no longer and slammed his head against the cold bricks with a dull thud, trembling as he cried out, "Your Majesty, spare me! This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die!"

Cao Huachun and Liu Ruoyu stood to the side, their eyelids twitching violently, and their heads drooping even lower.

Zhu Youjian snorted coldly, ignoring his kowtows and pleas for forgiveness.

"I'm not asking why you're banning palace lanterns or arguing about these tens of thousands of pounds of candles. What I'm asking is, what kind of utter rubbish is this budget you've prepared?!"

He picked up the thick booklet and casually flipped through it.

"You expect to produce 360,000 bolts of wide white cotton cloth annually, but you anticipate an annual output of 320,000 bolts?"

"You expect to produce 110,000 bolts of unbleached silk annually, out of an annual income of 140,000 bolts?"

"You earn 360,000 jin of cotton wool annually, and you expect to lose 240,000 jin annually?"

With each sentence he read, Zheng Zhihui's body trembled.

Zhu Youjian shook his head, seemingly too lazy to continue reading, and threw the booklet heavily onto the table.

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound made everyone's heart skip a beat.

Zhu Youjian leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his fingers interlaced, his eyes like those of a hawk, staring intently at Zheng Zhihui, who was kneeling on the ground trembling.

"look up."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that penetrated people's hearts.

"Look at me."

Zheng Zhihui trembled as she raised her head, her forehead bruised and swollen from hitting her head, her face covered in cold sweat and fear.

Zhu Youjian spoke clearly, word by word: "At the beginning of my reign, I told Wang Tiqian about my two principles. Have you heard of these two principles?"

Zheng Zhihui's lips trembled, and it took her a long time to squeeze out a few words: "I...I've heard of it."

“Repeat it.”

“First, loyalty.” Zheng Zhihui’s voice was trembling with sobs, but she dared not not answer. “Loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal. Whatever we servants see or hear, whether it is good or bad, as long as Your Majesty should know, Your Majesty must know.”

"Second, don't reach into the treasury. Once you've taken your salary, don't reach into the national treasury."

After hearing this, Zhu Youjian's smile grew even colder.

"Then tell me, which rule have you broken?"

Zheng Zhihui could no longer withstand the immense pressure. Her psychological defenses completely collapsed, and she burst into tears, desperately kowtowing: "This servant deserves to die! This servant deserves to die a thousand deaths! This servant... this servant has committed both crimes!"

"Ah."

Zhu Youjian let out a soft laugh.

"At least, you still have a little bit of loyalty left for me."

"Otherwise, you'll be sent to the Xixin Division right now." Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhihui immediately realized there was still a way out, and burst into tears, crying out, "Your Majesty is merciful! Your Majesty is benevolent!"

Zhu Youjian leaned forward again, his eyes filled with icy coldness.

"I'm giving you one last chance."

His voice was cold.

"First, redo the budget for the first year of Yongchang! Combine it with the plan to reduce redundant staff, and make sure that every penny of silver, every bolt of cloth, and every pound of candles is accounted for clearly."

"Stop trying to fool me with this rubbish budget, and don't force me to ask the court officials to help you with the calculations!"

"Secondly, you must return to me every single tribute you have received from the various chief eunuchs and stewards over the past half month, without missing a single penny, and proactively register it with Liu Ruoyu!"

Zhu Youjian paused, sat up straight, picked up the teacup on the table, and spoke in a low voice.

"This is the last chance, Zheng Zhihui."

"Think carefully about what kind of answer you need to give to be worthy of my mercy."

After saying that, he drank the slightly cooled tea in his cup in one gulp.

Zheng Zhihui collapsed to the ground, feeling both relieved and utterly disoriented. She could only kowtow repeatedly, muttering incoherently, "This servant obeys the decree... This servant will definitely repent and reform... This servant..."

"Get out."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand, without even glancing at him again.

"Until you have accomplished these two things, I must not see you again."

Zheng Zhihui felt as if he had heard heavenly music, and he scrambled out of the inner study hall.

……

Zhu Youjian let out a long sigh and placed the empty teacup on the table.

He looked up and realized that Cao Huachun and Liu Ruoyu had stood up at some point, bowing their heads, looking even more nervous than Zheng Zhihui had been.

Zhu Youjian laughed heartily.

"Sit down, there's no need to be so scared."

After thunder comes rain.

He pointed at Liu Ruoyu, his tone carrying a hint of approval: "Ruoyu, you did a good job."

"The fact that we were able to uncover Zheng Zhihui's bribery after only half a month of investigation shows the effectiveness of our efforts."

Liu Ruoyu was flattered but dared not take credit. She quickly bowed and said, "It is all thanks to Your Majesty's guidance. This servant was merely acting on imperial orders and dared not claim credit."

Zhu Youjian shook his head.

"Methods are methods, and doing things is doing things. I also gave Zheng Zhihui a method of budgeting, and how did he repay me?"

Liu Ruoyu's methods, besides the usual palace rules and regulations and strict palace discipline, can be summarized in two words: "rewards for reporting" and "monthly symposiums".

The reward for reporting the matter was originally intended to be a sum of money.

Zhu Youjian felt something was amiss after reading it.

Simply giving money is unlikely to cause a real stir.

There's no other reason than that everyone understands whether it's a full meal or a full meal every day. Considering the rejection and persecution they would face afterward, every eunuch knew exactly what to do.

After being sent back, Liu Ruoyu revised the second version of the plan.

The reward money was changed to a reward for one's future.

"Anyone who reports such a person will not be rewarded with silver, but will be allowed to study in the inner study hall. A separate roster will be created for them, and they will be given priority for promotion."

It makes a big difference by directly separating the whistleblower from their original environment and offering a more attractive reward.

As for the monthly symposium method, it was entirely a plan proposed by Zhu Youjian.

Every month, key eunuchs were selected for private conversations, casual chats, inquiries, or requests for accusations.

By combining the prisoner's dilemma with 360° environmental impact assessment, every discussion becomes accurate.

……

Zhu Youjian offered a few more words of encouragement and praise before beginning to explain the follow-up work.

"Later, compile the list of bribe-givers that Zheng Zhihui provided." He looked at Liu Ruoyu. "And while you're at it, compile the list of those who leaked palace secrets that you found out as well."

"The slaves obey the order."

Zhu Youjian then looked at Cao Huachun.

"Liu Ruoyu is only responsible for supervision; the final rewards and punishments are up to you."

Cao Huachun felt a chill run down his spine and bowed to obey the order.

"Those who are corrupt will all be thrown into the Salary Conservation Department."

"As for leaking palace secrets..." Zhu Youjian paused, as if weighing something.

The air inside the hall seemed to freeze again.

After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind and abandoned the idea of ​​punishing someone without teaching them.

“Those found in this batch will all be expelled from the palace.”

His voice turned icy, carrying an undeniable killing intent.

"But pass on the message: from this day forward, any further discoveries, regardless of the level of the leak..."

Zhu Youjian gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

"Execute them all! Leave no one alive!"

"The slaves obey the orders!"

Cao Huachun and Liu Ruoyu were shocked and responded in unison, their voices trembling slightly.

In this era, Zhu Youjian was able to be tolerant of most behaviors, much like a modern person.

When it comes to his own safety, he will only resort to the most ruthless measures.

There is absolutely no room for compromise when it comes to safety!
……

With that, the personnel, finance, and supervision matters of the inner palace have all been settled for today.

The entire first phase of the palace renovation work will continue until the first month of the lunar calendar.

Wait until the first day of next year when Zhu Youjian changes the era name to Yongchang.

There should be more literate and arithmetic-skilled people in the palace—specifically, five hundred, one thousand, or two thousand, but that's uncertain at the moment and depends on the efficiency of education.

The thousands of eunuchs dismissed by the Xixin Division will gradually accumulate resentment, waiting for an opportunity to release it.

It is still unclear how much money the audit of the ten treasuries' finances and taxes will save, but it should be around 100,000 to 200,000 taels.

The atmosphere of leaks and corruption within the palace should improve slightly. As for the extent of the improvement, that depends on whether it can be sustained.

Most importantly, some of the personnel, finance, and supervision aspects involved here are actually pilot projects he is conducting in advance for the reform of the outer court.

Any methods or systems that have been verified and approved can be applied to the outer court.

The Forbidden City is, in some ways, a small country, but without the complexities of a real country, making it a perfect testing ground for a simplified version.

Do the officials in the outer court think that forms, documents, and official documents are everything?
Zhu Youjian smiled wickedly to himself.

How naive, you Ming Dynasty slaves!
-
Attached is a list of the inner court's revenue:
This is from the sixth year of the Wanli reign. I can't find the one from the Tianqi reign, but the difference shouldn't be too big. The Ming emperors never loosened their stance on this in-kind tax; it would only be more, not less.

Aside from the fact that Emperor Chongzhen exempted the Jiangnan textile manufacturers from paying tribute immediately after ascending the throne...

Since some users have mentioned that they can't see the images in the main text on their phones, the assistant will add a comment near the image with the image attached.

If you can't see the image, try scrolling around it. ^^
This description of the image is quite important, so I'll mention it here specifically in the main text; I won't go into it again later.

(End of this chapter)