White-robed Minister

Chapter 266, 0264 [First Objection]

The next morning, Pianpian, Yu'er, Dingxiang, and Dou Niang, along with their maids, saw Xu Lai off to work.

Especially Dou Niang, who usually sleeps in late and would never take Uncle San to work. Today she just wanted to see Xu Lai's entourage—

Xu Lai knew what they were thinking, so he specifically instructed his attendants to line up neatly.

When the soldiers noticed that there were women watching, Xu Lai also gave the order personally, and they immediately became extremely focused on their work.

My outfit has changed today.

Chen Xiaoyi was dressed in purple robes; his identity was that of a "purple-robed official," responsible for leading the horses and guiding people when they went out. After arriving at the Privy Council, he could enter the inner courtyard's office area to do some daily chores and relay orders to the attendants left in the outer courtyard.

From then on, the private secretaries recruited by Xu Lai were also classified as "purple-robed officials." These private secretaries could not go directly to work at the Privy Council; they would wait at the gate of Xu Lai's house every day. They had to serve as the vanguard of the honor guard, accompanying Xu Lai to the Privy Council.

The guards and attendants were all dressed in green robes.

"When the Deputy Privy Councilor travels, all unauthorized persons shall give way!" Chen Xiaoyi shouted loudly.

"Thump!"

A servant struck a gong.

The advance party held up plaques bearing official titles, which read "Deputy Privy Councilor" and other similar phrases.

Because it gets light late in winter, people still carry lanterns at this time.

Pianpian's attention, however, was focused on the umbrella.

Her father, Yu Jing, had all the other elaborate details of the occasion, though his entourage wasn't nearly as large. The one thing he didn't have was an umbrella!

During the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song, only princes, empresses, and crown princes were allowed to use umbrellas in their ceremonial processions.

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song, even the prime minister and the chief privy councilor could use umbrellas.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, the use of umbrellas was initially restricted to members of the imperial family. Later, it was expanded to include prime ministers, vice prime ministers, privy councilors, and vice privy councilors.

Xu Lai's entourage not only included parasols but also huge fans.

Of course, umbrellas and fans were only permitted to be used within Kaifeng city. Once outside the capital, Xu Lai was no longer allowed to use umbrellas and fans as part of his ceremonial regalia.

"Amang, is Daddy impressive?" Pianpian asked her son.

Xu Wei nodded and said, "Yes, impressive!"

She smiled and said, "You should study hard in the future, and only by passing the imperial examination can you be so impressive."

Xu Wei gave an "Oh," and stared blankly at the ceremonial fans. He thought those two fans were huge; how could there be such large fans?

Dingxiang stroked her swollen belly, watching Xu Lai walk further and further away, then turned to Pianpian and said, "Sister, why don't we ask our husband to recruit a few more attendants? It's a bit strange to have the guards carry the umbrella; it should be carried by the humble servants."

"Qianren" refers to the attendants and assistants of officials.

Not only umbrellas, but also official rank plaques, lanterns, and gongs should be carried by specially appointed guards. The imperial guards were primarily responsible for protecting the safety of officials.

Pianpian thought about it and realized it was indeed inappropriate. She said to Dingxiang, "Let's discuss it when my husband gets home."

Yu'er suggested, "We don't know the background of the people recruited in the capital. We can invite people from our hometown of Shaozhou. Or we can invite people from your hometown, sir."

"Mm." Pianpian nodded.

Regardless, they are all in a good mood now.

Pianpian also said to Dou Niang, "Dou Niang, dress up today, I'll take you to the palace to see the Empress."

"Okay!" said the damsel in distress, as she had never been to the imperial city before.

The Empress didn't just stay in the palace all day doing nothing; she would invite the female relatives of officials to gatherings every now and then—they had to report in advance, and there was a strict procedure.

Xu Lai, now serving as the Deputy Privy Councilor, summoning Pianpian to the Empress is routine procedure. The underlying political significance is simply that the Empress is helping the Emperor win over ministers, demonstrating the royal family's emphasis on the ruling ministers.

Pianpian then said to Yu'er and Dingxiang, "I'll take you to the palace next time."

"Thank you so much, sister!"

Yu'er and Dingxiang were both quite looking forward to it.

As a noblewoman, Pianpian was allowed to bring two women with her when she went to the palace to see the Empress. This time, in addition to Dou Niang, she also brought her personal maid.

Upon arriving at the Privy Council, twenty guards remained in the outer courtyard to wait, while only Chen Xiaoyi followed Xu into the inner courtyard.

Xu Lai personally went to find Li Shou, the Deputy Chief Censor, who was the merchant who had married a woman from the imperial family.

Li Shou had already obtained a civil service position. Three years prior, he was recommended by Wang Anshi and promoted by Han Jiang when Han Jiang was serving as the Vice Privy Councilor. He was a thorn in Wang Anshi's side within the Privy Council.

"This is my trusted aide, Chen Xiaoyi," Xu Lai said to Li Shou. "His family records are here; please help me with the paperwork."

After completing all the formalities, Chen Xiaoyi was able to freely enter and exit the inner and outer courtyards of the Privy Council on behalf of Xu Lai. From now on, when Xu Lai needed to order around the guards, Chen Xiaoyi would go to the outer courtyard to relay the message.

Li Shou bowed and accepted the order, then helped with the formalities.

After the formalities were completed, he personally brought two official documents for Xu to review and sign.

Xu Lai finished reading the official document and hesitated whether or not to sign it.

Li Shou stood to the side waiting. He was sent by Wang Anshi to test and observe Xu Lai's attitude.

Both of these documents are extremely important!

A document related to the Baojia Law.

The Baojia system was piloted in Kaifeng Prefecture last winter, but the content concerning the training of militia has never been formally confirmed by the Privy Council.

Previously, the training relied entirely on local civil and military officials, with the county magistrate and patrol inspector in charge of the drills.

The results of the anti-thief campaign were quite impressive; the local militia organized by the Baojia system captured dozens of thieves from Kaifeng Prefecture in a single year.

But the military projects were a complete mess.

Now, the Privy Council will select military officers to serve as the Inspectors of the East and West Routes of Kaifeng Prefecture and to oversee the training of the local militia. In other words, the Privy Council will appoint legitimate military officers to be in charge of all matters related to the training of the local militia in Kaifeng Prefecture.

Xu Lai thought for a moment and said to Li Shou, "I agree with the establishment of the Baojia system, but I do not support the training of local militias in Neizhou."

This was a way of conveying a message to Wang Anshi through Li Shou.

None of the contents of Wang Anshi's reforms were conceived on a whim. Instead, they were first implemented by local officials, and only after they proved effective were they adopted by Wang Anshi.

For example, the Baojia system (a system of mutual responsibility and mutual accountability) initially achieved great success on the border of Shaanxi. The border militia trained under this system were even more courageous in battle than the regular army because they were genuinely protecting their homes!

But what use would this thing be if transplanted to Kaifeng Prefecture?

The peasants of Kaifeng Prefecture had absolutely no motivation to protect their territory and ensure their safety. They were quite diligent in catching thieves, but asking them to conduct military training was utter nonsense. If they were actually taken to the battlefield, they would definitely scatter at the first sign of trouble.

Xu Lai opposed training local militias in inland prefectures and counties mainly because these things were too disruptive to the people.

Leaving aside how local officials harass the people, the village headmen in the countryside take the opportunity to exploit and oppress them. Many village headmen become like local tyrants!

Xu Lai explicitly refused to sign the first official document concerning the Baojia system.

Xu Lai signed the second official document without hesitation.

The second official document was for the purpose of rectifying officialdom: each month, the Secretariat and the Privy Council would send an inspector and an investigator to select cases to report to the Imperial Secretariat, and then issue them to local governments in the form of official documents.

What do you mean?

This refers to individuals being promoted for their merits, achievements, or talents, or being punished by the imperial court for their crimes. Previously, this information was published in the official gazette; henceforth, it will be distributed to local authorities as formal documents. These documents will encourage local officials and civil servants to learn from these exemplary deeds and admonish officials against violating the law or committing crimes.

Wang Anshi planned to establish a "Central Personnel Dynamics Reporting System".

After signing the document, Xu Lai said to Li Shou, "I'm judging the matter, not the person."

This statement was, of course, directed at Wang Anshi; Li Shou was merely a mouthpiece.

After Li Shou left, Xu Lai immediately wrote a memorial to the throne, explaining the dangers of organizing and training local militias. He suggested that the program should only be promoted in border prefectures and counties, or at most in neighboring prefectures and counties, and should absolutely not be implemented in inland prefectures and counties.

Meanwhile, Li Shou took the two official documents to Wu Chong, the Deputy Privy Councilor, for his signature.

Wu Chong saw that one document had Xu Lai's signature, while the other did not. He immediately smiled and made the same choice as Xu Lai.

Immediately afterwards, Li Shou delivered the official document to Wen Yanbo.

Wen Yanbo signed them all!

Wen Yanbo even signed the official document regarding the training of local militia. Since the Privy Council was responsible for selecting the military officers, and the specific officer to be chosen was ultimately Wen Yanbo's decision!

Wen Yanbo, who was a staunch opponent of Wang Anshi's reforms, was willing to cooperate with Wang Anshi this time.

Xu Lai and Wu Chong, however, explicitly expressed their opposition.

Content related to the new law was usually delivered to the emperor on the same day without delay.

Zhao Xu looked at the signatures on the two documents, then at the memorial that Xu Lai had just sent, and said to his attendant, "Go and invite Wang Anshi and Xu Lai here."

Wang Anshi and Xu Lai's offices were very close to the Wende Hall, and they arrived at the hall shortly afterward.

Zhao Xu asked, "Does Mr. Xu oppose the Baojia system?"

Xu Lai clearly stated: "I am not entirely rejecting it, but I believe that the Baojia system can be further improved. Even the training of Baojia militia is not entirely rejected by me. In border prefectures and counties, as well as prefectures and counties adjacent to the border, I believe the Baojia system is very useful. Not only should it be implemented, but it should also be vigorously promoted."

Zhao Suo was quite satisfied with this attitude.

The emperor had a strong desire for reform and disliked those who opposed reform indiscriminately.

Wang Anshi said, "The advantage of using the Baojia system to train local militia is that in the event of a major war and the urgent need to recruit soldiers, the militia of the inner prefectures can be quickly organized into an army. This method hides soldiers among the people, saving countless military expenses!"

Xu Lai said, "The imperial court has saved on military expenses, but the people are suffering terribly."

"When Xu Shu was on his way to the Liao Kingdom, he impeached the magistrate of Changyuan County for training local militia during the busy farming season. This person has been demoted for delaying farming," Wang Anshi said. "I have strictly ordered that such a thing must not happen again. From now on, training will only be conducted during the off-season. Although it will be slightly inconvenient for the people, it will not affect their livelihood."

Xu Lai asked, "Has Master Wang ever lived in the countryside? Do you know what the countryside is like?"

Wang Anshi replied, "My home is also in the countryside on the outskirts of the city."

Xu Lai said, "Does Master Wang know what the lower-class households in the countryside are like?"

"Of course I know," Wang Anshi said. "During the off-season, farmers mostly have nothing to do. When I was young, I often saw farmers sunbathing in the winter, doing nothing all day but wandering around. Letting them exercise during the off-season would not only benefit the country but also prevent them from causing trouble."

Xu Lai was both amused and exasperated: "Master Wang, what you see isn't the whole story. During the off-season, farmers do often sunbathe and stroll around, but they're not idle. They might sunbathe in the afternoon, but they're probably busy with chores in the morning. And that's not the main point."

"The real disturbance lies in giving the village headman the power to train the local militia. The village headman will inevitably take this opportunity to extort money! This extortion isn't necessarily about money. It's about demanding that your family help me with my rice harvest. Even if it delays your harvest, you have to help me first. Otherwise, I'll beat you half to death during the training!"

"During the dry season, when water is scarce, you all have to help me get water and carry it. As for your fields, it's your own fault if the crops wither and die!"

Wang Anshi said, "The village and household chiefs are all selected by the government from among those who are capable, financially strong, and of good character enough to command respect. What Vice Minister Xu is worried about may happen, but it will only be a minority."

These words infuriated Xu Lai, who couldn't help but retort, "Even the officials personally selected and promoted by Prime Minister Wang aren't necessarily both virtuous and capable. How can you guarantee that all the village chiefs across the country will be virtuous and capable? Are the local officials responsible for selecting village chiefs more discerning than Prime Minister Wang?"

This statement really hits Wang Anshi where it hurts!

Xu Lai said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, reform is certainly necessary, and the Baojia system is also feasible. I also support training local militias in border prefectures and neighboring prefectures. However, I dare say that training local militias in the inner prefectures using the Baojia system will inevitably cause countless disturbances to the people. I used to be a fifth-class household, so I know the realities of rural life all too well."

Zhao Xu hesitated. He thought Wang Anshi's words made sense, but Xu's words seemed to make more sense.

Xu Lai continued, "This is just disturbing the peace, let's talk about military matters. Minister Wang has never fought a war, he doesn't know what the soldiers are thinking. The farmers of Neizhou are already full of resentment from their daily drills. They have never experienced battle, and even their drills are like child's play. When they go to the battlefield, these resentful recruits will only think about how to escape. Not only will they be unable to fight, but they will also affect morale! Once the local militia collapses, it could even lead to the entire army's defeat."

"Is that so?" Zhao Xu was more inclined to trust Xu Lai in military matters.

Xu Lai said, "If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may summon a few veteran generals to speak with you."

That makes sense.

Zhao Xu planned to summon several military generals who had been leading troops in battle for many years to ask them their opinions on the militia in the inner prefecture.

Wang Anshi left the Wende Hall, extremely dissatisfied with Xu Lai.

He hadn't expected that Xu Lai's first official task after entering the Privy Council would be to oppose the new law. Ironically, Wen Yanbo was willing to sign and cooperate.

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