Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 77 A Man's Heart Remains Unwavering Until Death (Seeking First Subscription~)

The sky was not yet fully bright; only a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the candlelight was bright, slightly dispelling the morning chill.

The esteemed Emperor Zhu Youjian of the Ming Dynasty is brushing his teeth.

Having transmigrated here, he has gradually become accustomed to this life of an emperor, where everything is done for him, even going to the toilet...

But brushing his teeth is something he absolutely insists on doing himself.

There was no other reason than that he didn't want to repeat his grandfather's mistakes.

Emperor Shenzong's toothache accompanied him for almost the rest of his life and even affected the fate of the Ming Dynasty to some extent.

He rinsed his mouth with warm water to remove the foam and let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing the opportunity, Gao Shiming, the Grand Master of Ceremonial, stepped forward. He bowed respectfully and said in a steady voice, "Your Majesty, the schedule you instructed me to prepare yesterday has been completed."

Zhu Youjian took the memorial presented by Gao Shiming and opened it.

On the memorial, neat, tiny characters were used to record various tasks to be done in a densely packed table.

Lu Xiang-sheng has been ordered to go to Beijing to take over the matter of converting horse fodder into silver; he is expected to arrive in Beijing on September 15th.

Sun Chengzong has been ordered to enter Beijing and is expected to arrive on September 5th.

[The Yongwei Battalion's drills were to be personally inspected daily at Chenshi (7-9 AM).]

[Today, there are 173 memorials awaiting review.]

……

There were a total of 25 items, ranging from personnel appointments and removals to major military and national affairs, and this was before the 173 memorials had even been fully displayed.

Looking at Zhu Youjian's focused expression, Gao Shiming couldn't help but sigh, "Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a short time, yet you are so diligent in your duties that you are almost comparable to Emperor Taizu Gao."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian looked up from his memorial, glanced at Gao Shiming, and his eyes held a hint of amusement.

Diligent in government?

There are only twenty-five things to do, which is nothing compared to the schedules of later generations.

However, he also had to admit that this chronological, log-like recording method did look quite frightening.

Everything was mixed together, looking like a mess, with no focus or order whatsoever.

"I can never match the diligence of the founding emperor," Zhu Youjian said with a faint smile, casually tearing the pages of the memorial off one by one.

"His Majesty!"

Gao Shiming was shocked. He hadn't expected the emperor to make such a move. Was His Majesty... dissatisfied?

He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to apologize.

Zhu Youjian noticed his unease, smiled, and reassured him, "Gao, don't panic. I just think we can use a clearer method."

After saying that, he tore each of the torn pages into long strips, one by one.

Gao Shiming stood aside, dumbfounded, watching the emperor's actions, full of doubts, but dared not say a word.

Zhu Youjian spread out the slips of paper one by one on the imperial desk, and then took a brand new large sheet of white paper and drew a simple table on it.

The top row of the table shows the dates from the first day of September to the tenth day of September.

The leftmost column shows the hours from 5-7 AM to 19-21 PM each day.

A simple yet clear schedule appeared before Gao Shiming's eyes.

“Look,” Zhu Youjian said to Gao Shiming, pointing to the slips of paper, “these things can be roughly categorized.”

He picked up a few slips of paper and continued, "Later, you have people divide these matters into four major categories: finance and taxation, personnel, military affairs, and administration. Each category should be written on a slip of paper of a different color."

“If something doesn’t fall into any of these four categories, use a white slip of paper.”

Gao Shiming immediately understood. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty's idea is ingenious. In this way, everything is categorized and clear at a glance. Your subject... has learned a lot!"

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, then picked up a few more slips of paper and said, "Next, just paste these items into this form according to their execution dates."

As he spoke, he demonstrated, muttering to himself, "Let me see, today is the first day of the month..."

He quickly picked out a few from the twenty-odd slips of paper.

[Proofreading the Brave Guard Battalion]

[Reply to Today's Memorial]

[Summon the personnel responsible for distributing the rewards for ascending to the throne in the Nine Garrisons]

He placed each of the slips of paper into the corresponding time slot in the "First Day of the Ninth Lunar Month" column.

"You see, although there are twenty-five things, there are only three to do today."

"As for the others," he said, pointing to the remaining slips of paper, "those with a definite date should be placed on the corresponding date. Those without a definite date should be placed here for now, so that you and I can keep them in mind at all times."

"Later, have someone make a large screen, frame this chart on it, and place it in the Qianqing Palace. Every morning, you and I, the emperor and his subject, will update the schedule here."

Zhu Youjian sorted through all the slips of paper and organized them into categories. The originally chaotic twenty-five items instantly became well-organized and clearly prioritized.

He looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction, a sense of joy welling up inside him. In later generations, people were used to electronic task lists, but in the Ming Dynasty, using this paper version of the list wasn't much different.

Anyway, he has subordinates to do all the maintenance and updates for him; he just needs to use them.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on several white slips of paper placed separately to the side; these were items without completion dates.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, picked up one of the papers, which read "Li Guopu's Secret Report on Corruption and Abuse."

"Has Li Guopu's secret report on corruption not been submitted yet?" Zhu Youjian asked.

Gao Shiming bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, it has not yet been submitted. Should I send someone to urge it?"

Zhu Youjian did not answer immediately. He gently stroked the note with his slender fingers and fell into deep thought.

Judging from the list of Donglin Party members he submitted that day, Li Guopu was undeniably proactive.

So, is the lack of progress in this matter because he is still collecting evidence, striving for completeness?

Or perhaps... he simply didn't want to take the path of "secretly reporting to a loyal minister" from the bottom of his heart?

Would the secret memorial system, which was prevalent during the Kangxi era, be unsuitable for this era?
After a moment, he raised his eyes and asked, "What was Grand Secretary Li's reaction when I handed him the imperial edict?" Gao Shiming recalled for a moment and replied, "The eunuch who delivered the message that day reported that Grand Secretary Li had just received the 'My Wei Zheng' plaque bestowed by His Majesty and was very excited. But now it is indeed impossible to discern his attitude towards the matter of the secret memorial."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian tapped his index finger lightly on the table, making a soft tapping sound.

The secret rendition was a probe he launched.

He wanted to see if Kangxi's methods could actually work in the Ming Dynasty.

If feasible, he could open up a completely new intelligence channel, in addition to the secret police and the channels of communication among civil officials.

The transparency of information about all affairs in the world can then be raised to a new level.

However, the political landscape of the Ming and Qing dynasties may not have been the same.

He thought for a moment and then said, "Don't rush Elder Li for now."

"But wasn't Yang Jingchen, the Minister of Personnel, just taken office?"

"Here's what you'll do: have someone make a box with two keys. One key is with me. The other key, along with the box, should be personally delivered to Yang Jingchen."

"I also asked him to write a policy essay on the matter of corruption, including its problems and methods of governance. After he finished writing it, he was to put the essay in a box, lock it himself, and then send it directly to the palace to be presented to me."

Gao Shiming felt a chill run down his spine; he immediately understood the emperor's intention.

This shows they don't trust Li Guopu and want to add more people to test him.

Your Majesty's methods are truly remarkable!
"Your subject obeys the decree." Gao Shiming accepted the order without hesitation and turned to arrange for the eunuch to handle the matter.

Zhu Youjian watched Gao Shiming's retreating figure as he talked with the young eunuch, his gaze becoming distant.

Is corruption important?
It's important, and it's not important.

The British and American superpowers of later generations, despite rampant corruption, still dominated the world for two eras.

The key is that after you've taken the bribe, you have to be able to get things done.

Can corruption be eradicated? Frankly, it's probably impossible.

Water that is too clear has no fish; absolute integrity only exists in the imagination of sages.

However, combating corruption requires a persistent and unwavering approach.

This is not only a gesture, but also a deterrent.

The running water does not rot, and the pivot of the house does not stink.

The fight against corruption is not something that can be accomplished overnight, but rather requires a long-term commitment.

Even if it only makes those corrupt officials a little more restrained, the national treasury will have more revenue and the people will have less burden.

However, none of these are the most important things right now.

What he needs to do now is not to launch a massive anti-corruption campaign.

The time is not right yet; acting hastily will only result in a poorly written answer.

He simply wanted to use this seemingly most difficult and offensive task to select those who were truly willing to stand with him and walk with him through life.

The art of managing people lies in both profit and righteousness. However, before pursuing great profit and righteousness, it is even more important to observe their hearts and examine their will.

It is best to test their sincerity with small matters and their ability with difficult matters.

What he wants to see is attitude and loyalty, regardless of whether someone is loyal or treacherous.

Of course, it was also a chance to test the Ming Dynasty's scholar-officials' level of acceptance of the "secret memorial" issue.

He could almost imagine what would happen if he handed the box to a sage like Liu Zongzhou.

That old scholar would probably smash the box on the spot, then point his finger at him, spit in his face, and denounce him for his treacherous ways, disrespect for civil officials, and disregard for ancestral rules.

This era, and the Qing Dynasty more than a century later, may ultimately be different.

The backbone of the scholar-officials has not been completely broken; they are not yet slaves to future generations.

They still harbored a sense of pride in "ruling the world together with the monarch".

This is both a good thing and a bad thing; it all depends on how he guides the situation.

Gao Shiming returned quickly and bowed to report: "Your Majesty, the arrangements have been made. The box will be delivered to Lord Yang Jingchen's residence before noon."

Zhu Youjian nodded and stopped thinking about it.

The pieces have been placed; now it's up to the board to react.

He glanced back at the simple schedule on the table, which clearly marked today's arrangements.

“Let’s go,” he said to Gao Shiming. “We’ve already been delayed a bit today. If we go any later, the morning exercises for the Yongwei Battalion will be over.”

Gao Shiming quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian strode out of the palace, the morning light shining through the palace doors, casting a long shadow behind him.

The moment I stepped out of the palace gate, the vast Forbidden City was deserted and desolate, and a cool morning breeze swept over me.

Those civil officials, since they don't have to attend court today, are probably still lying in bed.

As a result, I was the only one who got up early in the morning to eat the northwest wind!

A sense of loneliness, as if no one understood him, quietly welled up in Zhu Youjian's heart.

Who can truly understand all that he has done?

The Duke of England initially thought he was Emperor Shenzong, but in a few days he might think he was Emperor Wuzong.

Gao Shiming took his ambition as his own, but in his heart he probably regarded him as a tyrant who manipulated people's hearts.

Even ministers like Li Guopu and Yang Jingchen, who bound themselves to each other with titles and positions, probably couldn't understand his true thoughts.

Among the court officials, some saw him as a wise ruler, some as a tyrant, and some as a reckless ruler, but none of them knew what kind of future he carried on his shoulders.

Those who know me say I am worried; those who do not know me ask what I seek.

Zhu Youjian took a deep breath of the damp, cold air, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

But so what?
And just crush them one by one!

(End of this chapter)