Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 88 I have money, but I can't give it to you (Bonus 4K chapter for the Alliance Leader S's redemption!)
……

Xue Guoguan was certainly not qualified to write on the imperial desk.

No matter how bold he was, or how much Emperor Taizu of Han could Zhu Youjian possess, he could not have broken the rules between ruler and subject in this way.

Finally, Zhu Youjian summoned a eunuch to bring a set of tables and chairs for Xue Guoguan in the main hall.

Thus, Xue Guoguan began the most exciting and glorious examination of his life in the warm pavilion of Qianqing Palace.

The examiner is the current emperor.

The topic is road construction in the capital.

Time is a two-hour period.

Zhu Youjian, on the other hand, leisurely sat back down behind his desk.

Just then, Gao Shiming had already retrieved the thick volume of "Huangming Jingshi Wenbian".

Taking advantage of this break, Zhu Youjian took the opportunity to examine it carefully.

He wanted to see how the elite civil officials of the Ming Dynasty thought and acted on a daily basis.

However, upon seeing this, Zhu Youjian's brows furrowed tightly.

First of all, this so-called "Collection of Essays on Statecraft" is actually compiled by people rather than by events.

This means that if he wanted to quickly understand how the "open market policy" had evolved and been revised throughout history, he would need to...

He actually needed to read the entire thick book from beginning to end to barely piece together a rough outline from the memorials and policy discussions of various famous officials.

Its system is so chaotic and the process of searching for information is simply outrageous.

The second problem is even more fatal than the first.

It turns out that Guo Yunhou's "Ten Financial Strategies," which only discussed the general direction and not the details, was not an isolated case.

The policy essays of civil officials in this era had extremely distinct characteristics of the time.

That is, the whole thing is a grand strategy from a high vantage point, a simple list of various measures.

As for the specific implementation details of these measures, what are they?
What problems might we encounter? How should we deal with them? In different places, facing different interpersonal relationships, how should we adapt to the changing circumstances?

These most crucial details are often vague or omitted.

Zhu Youjian tapped the table and fell into deep thought.

He recalled some doubts that later generations had when looking at this period of history at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Both Yuan Chonghuan and Wang Zhen were reducing their troops, but why was Yuan Chonghuan able to do so in Liaodong, while in the second year of Chongzhen's reign, that unfortunate fellow in Jizhou (whose surname seemed to be Wang) reduced his troops so much that the border defenses were breached, allowing the Later Jin to enter the pass?
So, isn't the fundamental problem precisely the details that weren't written down in these memorials and policy proposals?
In this era, the success of any official dispatched abroad depends heavily on the "human" factor.

The imperial court could only place its hopes on this exceptionally talented official, who, once he arrived in the local area, would be able to adapt to the circumstances and respond flexibly.

Because all he could gain from the experience of his predecessors was directional guidance, and he lacked detailed advice.

Can Zhang Juzheng and Sun Zhixie implement the same ten policies for governing the country in the same way?!
Judging from this, if national affairs are in such a state, local governance is probably even more wretched.

A county magistrate, newly arrived in his post, was completely clueless.

Who are the powerful local figures? What are their relationships with each other? How should we eliminate them one by one? And how can we prevent them from secretly colluding and instigating trouble?
They can't even write policy essays.

Zhu Youjian could even imagine that even if hundreds of honest and dedicated county magistrates fell from the sky, they would still be able to achieve their goals.

He'll send them out there eventually. But I doubt many of them will actually accomplish anything significant.

More than half of them will likely still be manipulated and deceived by the deeply entrenched local officials and gentry.

interesting……

Zhu Youjian put down the book in his hand, raised his head, looked at Xue Guoguan who had stopped writing and was standing respectfully with bows, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

Although things took a small turn for the worse, they eventually returned to the track he knew best and was most skilled at.

Since this era is lacking a book titled "500 Excellent Official Documents of the Ming Dynasty".

Then, I will be the one to start this.

Let your policy essay, Minister Xue, serve as the opening piece of this guide.

Whether or not you eventually become prime minister, your place in history is practically guaranteed!

……

Xue Guoguan stood there, his heart filled with unprecedented confidence.

Although it was only an hour, he felt as if he had divine assistance today.

Inspiration flows freely, and a thousand words are written in a single stroke.

In his entire essay, he listed nine countermeasures, and then racked his brains to come up with one more, finally making it "Ten Strategies"!
Every point in the text is incisive and to the core, hitting the nail on the head and offering profound insights.

He believed that this was absolutely the most brilliant policy essay he had ever written in his life!
However, Zhu Youjian remained calm and composed after sitting down at the imperial desk.

really.

The exact same style of policy discussion.

The entire piece is written from a high-level perspective, without any attention to detail.

Zhu Youjian had no doubt that if they followed this strategy, Xue Guoguan, with his talent, would be able to figure out the details as he worked on it and eventually get the job done.

But this was not the "excellent official document" he wanted.

There was a classical prose movement in the Tang and Song dynasties, but this involved the ideological stronghold of Confucianism, and he did not intend to touch this forbidden territory so quickly.

However, launching a "document campaign" within the court is the most opportune moment.

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, gently put down the policy document, and asked:
"Minister Xue, let me ask you this: the national treasury is empty, the imperial treasury is tight, and time, money, and manpower are all extremely limited."

"These sixteen gates of the capital city, both inside and out, comprise sixteen main streets. Which one do you plan to build first, and which one later?"

Xue Guoguan's mind raced.

The origins of the road construction, the estimated time of Donglin's arrival in Beijing, the geographical location, prosperity, and political significance of each street... countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

In a short while, he had his answer.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Chaoyangmen Street should be repaired first, followed by Xuanwumen and Chongwenmen Streets. As for the rest, we can temporarily mobilize local firearms and level the dirt roads first."

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction.

Sure enough, the details are all in the minds of these clever people; they just don't bother to write them down.

Chaoyangmen was the eastern gate of the capital city. Further east lay Tongzhou, which was connected to the Grand Canal. Repairing this road not only slightly accelerated the canal transport but also served as a signal to the Donglin Party members who were about to travel to Beijing via the canal.

In a sense, the road construction was essentially a "vanity project," designed to give the Donglin faction a small "shock to the eunuch party."

Outside Xuanwu Gate were mostly the residences of officials; outside Chongwen Gate, it was a gathering place for merchants.

It is only natural to prioritize these two paths, corresponding to the official and civilian groups respectively.

(P.S. The image below shows the three roads to be repaired. I calculated them using a scale; they are approximately 7.2 li (approximately 3.6 kilometers) and 1296 zhang (approximately 640 meters).)
"Very good." Zhu Youjian asked again, "If we take the first day of the tenth month and the first day of the eleventh month as the deadlines, to what extent can the project progress?"

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Xue Guoguan's face.

"Your Majesty, this matter... this humble subject is not yet aware of it. I need to go down and carefully examine the files and records, and after careful consideration, I will be able to find out."

Zhu Youjian remained noncommittal and pressed for an answer again:
"If, during road construction, officials, nobles, relatives of the emperor, or wealthy merchants encroach on the road and obstruct construction, how will you deal with it?"

This problem directly touched upon Xue Guoguan's area of ​​expertise.

He perked up and said loudly, “Your Majesty, this matter is easy! According to the Great Ming Code, ‘Anyone who encroaches on streets and alleys to build houses or gardens shall be punished with sixty strokes of the cane and ordered to restore the original state. Anyone who breaches a wall to dump filth into the streets and alleys shall be punished with forty strokes of the cane.’ There is a law to follow, and I will act in accordance with it!”

Zhu Youjian didn't speak, but just smiled and looked at him.

That smile held a knowing glimpse of everything.

Xue Guoguan felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze, and his confidence in acting in accordance with the law instantly vanished.

He smiled awkwardly and added, "Of course... the laws of the current dynasty are lax, so such strict laws cannot be implemented suddenly."

"My suggestion is to first issue a public notice to inform the entire city. Then, arrest a few outliers and punish them severely to serve as a warning to others. As for the rest, we can decide whether to require them to pay a ransom."

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction.

"When doing this, you don't need to worry about anyone."

He paused, then suddenly remembered his eccentric father-in-law, and said in a low voice:
"Even if it is my closest relatives or nobles who commit a crime, I will take responsibility for them. You may do as you please."

Xue Guoguan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and quickly cupped his hands in agreement.

However, before he could even catch his breath, the emperor's next question immediately followed.

"Manpower, labor, materials, supervision, anti-corruption, patrol, maintenance..."

Zhu Youjian continued to ask a series of questions, each one more detailed and more difficult than the last.

At first, Xue Guoguan could answer fluently, but gradually, the prepared answers in his mind were no longer enough.

Some questions he could only silently memorize, his back already soaked with cold sweat once again.

After this barrage of questions and answers, Xue Guoguan's once incredibly optimistic heart, fueled by writing the "Ten Strategies," had long since vanished.

He was so confused by the questions that he felt the young king in front of him was not an emperor raised in the deep palace, but an old official who had been struggling in the local area for decades!

Finally, Zhu Youjian asked the last and most crucial question.

"As you said before, manpower can be used for labor, so let's leave that aside for now. But how much silver would be needed for the wages of the craftsmen and the materials for the stone slabs?"

Xue Guoguan breathed a sigh of relief.

This problem just happened to fall within the scope of his preparation.

He respectfully replied, “Your Majesty, this matter still requires careful calculation by the Ministry of Works. However, based on the cost of road repairs in the past, I estimate that if we were to pave all three main streets—Chaoyangmen, Xuanwumen, and Chongwenmen—which total more than 1,300 zhang in length, the cost of silver would be between 300,000 and 400,000 taels of silver.”

Wow! That's pretty expensive!
Zhu Youjian raised his eyebrows slightly.

However, although the number is huge, it is consistent with his understanding and basic logic.

After all, if the stone-paved roads in the capital were really cheap, they wouldn't have remained unpaved for over two hundred years.

He looked at Xue Guoguan and slowly asked, "How do you plan to resolve this issue?"

Xue Guoguan hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help himself and tentatively asked, "I don't know... about the imperial treasury..."

A sincere smile appeared on Zhu Youjian's face.

"Minister Xue is someone I rely on, so I don't need to hide anything from you. After distributing the enthronement reward silver, there are still 1.3 million taels left in the imperial treasury."

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Xue Guoguan's eyes.

One million three hundred thousand taels! That's enough!
However, before his smile could fully bloom, Zhu Youjian raised his hand and gently interrupted him.

"However, I cannot give this money."

Xue Guoguan's smile froze on his face instantly.

But he wasn't too surprised. After all, the Ming emperors always treated the imperial treasury as their own private property, and even subsidizing the military pay for the nine border regions was incredibly painful, let alone using it for road construction.

He was about to speak and reveal his prepared backup plan.

But Zhu Youjian shook his head and continued:
"This is not because I am stingy."

"I possess the wealth of the entire world; all the riches under heaven belong to me. How could I possibly be stingy with a mere four hundred thousand taels of silver?"

—This is a lie told by Zhu Youjian.

He looked at Xue Guoguan earnestly, his expression sincere, but then changed the subject.

"This matter is actually exactly the same as the political abuses we just discussed, and can be called 'financial abuses'."

"The Imperial Treasury was originally set up to pay the salaries of officials in the capital. After a century of changes, it now only pays the salaries of military officers and also distributes rewards to border troops. It has long been a mess."

"As for the outer court, the Changying Treasury, the Tai Cang Treasury, the Jieshen Treasury, the Guanglu Temple Treasury... the various treasuries were broken up and misappropriated to fill the loopholes in border affairs. The responsibilities and powers were unclear, and corruption was rampant. There are countless cases of this."

Xue Guoguan was startled upon hearing this.

With his keen perception, he almost instantly sensed something extraordinary in the emperor's seemingly casual words.

—This new ruler actually wants to reform the finances!

Zhu Youjian did not delve into this topic, but only touched upon it briefly and then stopped.

"Moreover, the road construction in the capital is ultimately not as important as the border affairs in Liaodong. The only beneficiaries are the people of the capital."

“It would not sound very good to use the gold and silver that come from the tributes of various places in the south to fill this hole.”

"Therefore, it is not that I do not want to take this money, but that I cannot take it."

"...Do you have any other plans, my dear minister?"

(End of this chapter)