Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 179 Next year, I will spend a million! (This chapter is free, and includes yesterday's VIP ramblings)
After having dinner, Zhu Youjian went to the Zhenren Hall.

Gao Shiming, Wang Tiqian, and Tian Ergeng had already eaten the banquet and were waiting there.

The three men each took their seats at the three tables to their left. When His Majesty entered, they all rose and bowed.

Since the Grand Court Assembly, not only civil officials can sit to discuss matters, but palace officials also have a seat.

This is not merely a favor, but also a consideration of practical efficiency.

The reason is simple: the young emperor's orders were so numerous and frequent that without a desk and quick notes, it was impossible to remember them all by memory alone.

Zhu Youjian glanced at the three men, making no attempt at formalities, and directly called out their names:
"Gao Banban, three things."

Gao Shiming quickly picked up his brush, held his breath, and looked at Zhu Youjian.

"Firstly, my personal treasury still has 1.67 million taels."

"Of the 670,000 taels, I will keep as reserves, and the remaining 1 million taels, I plan to distribute in full next year."

Zhu Youjian's voice was steady and clear.

The money will be allocated roughly as follows:

"New policies for the inner palace and the secret police, 100,000 taels."

"New policies in the capital, 100,000 taels."

"New policies in Beizhili, 300,000 taels."

"Two hundred thousand taels for the reform of old policies such as the clearing of taxes and household registration in Ji and Liao.

"Two hundred thousand taels of silver for the collection of taxes from all provinces across the country."

"Finally, I will keep another 100,000 taels in hand for unforeseen circumstances."

He paused here, giving Gao Shiming a moment to take notes.

"The above are just my general thoughts; the details can be adjusted."

"You take the lead in this matter, consult with Yang Jingchen and Li Guopu, and determine the rewards for all matters related to the new policy."

"There is only one general principle: the greater the benefit to the dynasty, the higher the reward. Once it is decided, present it to me as soon as possible."

Gao Shiming wrote down several keywords quickly on the paper with lightning speed.

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, he raised his head, pondered for a moment, and confirmed:
"Your Majesty, I'd like to confirm this one more time."

"The purpose of this move is to inspire the enthusiasm of civil and military officials for the new policies, and to fairly distribute the benefits seized from the old policies to the meritorious officials who have implemented the new policies?"

While the talk of benefits and incremental gains still carried a certain air of propriety in the outer court, it was completely blatant in the inner court's discussions.

“You understand correctly.” Zhu Youjian nodded.

This was one of his many improvements to the working methods of the Ming Dynasty.

Nowadays, whether it's the committee, the secretariat, or the imperial palace, after he issues an order, they will all conduct a confirmation of the purpose, the method, and the difficulties.

Do not try to guess the king's thoughts, do not play word games, and clarify things immediately after receiving the order.

First, a draft is produced, then it is aligned a second time, revised step by step, and finally a final draft is formed. It is then submitted to relevant personnel for review, and if there are no problems, it is put into implementation.

Gao Shiming pondered for a moment, then asked again, "I believe that this matter can be carried out in parallel with 'adding red,' but it cannot be carried out completely in parallel."

“Even if some minor merits do not qualify for a reward of extra credit, they should still be rewarded in a measured way, so as to motivate the lower-level officials.”

"Excellent." Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction. "This suggestion is very pertinent."

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, then added:
"You can also extend this rule to include those former government officials who have performed exceptionally well. We must prevent the entire former government team from becoming lifeless and complacent."

After thinking it over, Gao Shiming gave a final deadline: "The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will need about fifteen days to submit the first draft of the plan."

Zhu Youjian nodded and continued, "The second matter is relatively simple."

“Have Cao Huachun select those who ranked at the top in the last assessment from the clean army, and have them participate in the border patrol and salary determination organized by Huo Weihua.”

"Give them a raise for business trips, and tell them to keep their hands and feet clean for me. Those who bring back valuable intelligence will be promoted to the Imperial Academy for further study."

Gao Shiming stopped writing and did some more confirmation, which will not be described here.

"The third thing is even simpler," Zhu Youjian said, a smug smile creeping across his face.
"Didn't I break off a corner of the table from my desk today?"

"Have someone take care of that corner of the table, and tomorrow send it to Huo Weihua's residence in a grand manner."

"Also, there's no need to replace that desk. Just smooth out the edges and continue using it for future meetings."

Gao Shiming had nothing to confirm about this. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is so benevolent that the hearts of the people of the world have all turned to you."

Zhu Youjian laughed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He then looked at Wang Tiqian: "Wang, you have two things to discuss."

"First, you must keep a close eye on corruption."

"I plan to select a few typical cases next spring to make an example of them."

"Find a few people for me, including those from the new administration, those from the old administration, and even my trusted retainers."

Wang Tiqian thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the people in the new government seem to be very obedient at the moment, so they may not be easy to find."

Zhu Youjian frowned: "Keep an eye on it for now. If we can't find it in two or three months..."

"Then let's put some people with criminal records into the new policies in Beizhili."

"With a large number of people, there will always be some who are not clear-headed."

Wang Tiqian felt a chill run down his spine and bowed to accept the order.

"Secondly, the surveillance and investigation of officials must continue," Zhu Youjian continued.

"Cabinet members, Governor-General of Beizhili, Provincial Treasurers of the Thirteen Provinces, local officials of Beizhili..."

"There is a reason why I have released so many official positions in such a short period of time."

“Those who are interested will surely be moving around frequently at this time.”

"Take this opportunity to update the 'Chart of Officials' presented to you."

"If you do this well, I won't reward you openly, but I will reward you privately."

Wang Tiqian quickly and solemnly replied, "How could I possibly work for the sake of rewards?"

Zhu Youjian waved his hand: "It's your business if you don't want it, but it's my business if I want to give it to you."

He finally looked at Tian Ergeng, who was in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"You said at the end of the meeting that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was short-handed. What's going on?"

Tian Ergeng cupped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty, as Your Majesty instructed, the Embroidered Uniform Guard must select young men with clean backgrounds to manage the radio station and place personnel in the nine border regions."

"There are many things to do these days. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has enough manpower on the surface, but if we want to find innocent young men, we really don't have enough."

"Your Majesty, I request that the selection be expanded beyond the Embroidered Uniform Guard to include innocent young men from the eighty-seven guards in the capital region. Those who are literate, skilled in horseback riding, and proficient in martial arts should be recruited into the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Let's set the number at one thousand. I can fill this quota by weeding out the old and weak from the existing quota of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Old Tian is indeed reliable." Zhu Youjian nodded approvingly. "Such foresight shows some of the style of your ancestors. Very well, I approve."

He changed the subject: "Also, there's something else you need to do."

“Find skilled craftsmen from all walks of life in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the armory, and the armory, and send them to the palace. Metallurgy, carpentry, blacksmithing, glassmaking... bring them all, and select three to five of the best from each field.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall instantly became quiet.

Gao Shiming and the other two looked up at the same time, their eyes filled with surprise and unease.

Gao Shiming opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Youjian suddenly realized what was going on and laughed, "Hahaha, did you think I was going to do that 'Hundred Crafts Play'? Don't worry, if I were to become obsessed with this, the Emperor's Sword would not spare me."

The worry on the three faces lessened slightly, but they were clearly not completely relieved.

Zhu Youjian shook his head, offering no further explanation, and then said:
"Here's a third thing for you. Have the flag officers in charge of radio stations in various regions investigate local farming experts, give each of them five taels of silver as a settlement allowance, and bring them into the palace for me as well."

Having said all that, Zhu Youjian ignored their reactions and clapped his hands: "Alright, that's all for now, meeting adjourned!"

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve, hurried away, and headed towards the warm pavilion.

Only Gao Shiming, Wang Tiqian, and Tian Ergeng remained, looking at each other in bewilderment.

A moment later, Gao Shiming and Wang Tiqian exchanged a glance, both seeing a knowing smile in each other's eyes.

The two chuckled, said nothing, bowed to each other, and left.

Only Tian Ergeng felt a chill run down his spine from their laughter.

On the way home, I kept thinking about whether the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and the Eastern Depot had reached some kind of tacit agreement.

……

(End of this chapter)