I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 21: Regulations for Post Stations! If officials suffer, the court will have money.
In the blink of an eye it was June.

The capital is getting hotter.

An ice mirror has been placed in the review hall of the Hanlin Academy.

There is ice in the ice container.

The hollow part can be used to place fruits and drinks to help officials cool down in the summer.

Shen Nian filed away May's diary and replaced it with a blank white tissue paper booklet.

The third day of June.

Shen Nian wrote: On the third day, Gengwu, the emperor held court.

The fourth day of June.

Shen Nian wrote: On the fourth day, Xinxu, the emperor went to the Wenhua Palace to give lectures.

……

The seventh day of June.

Shen Nian wrote: On the seventh day, Jiaxu, the emperor went to the Wenhua Palace to give lectures.

The eighth day of June.

Shen Nian wrote: On August 11th, Ge Shouli, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, repeatedly petitioned to resign. The matter was reported to the Cabinet... The Emperor approved Shouli's petition...

……

This is Shen Nian’s daily routine when writing his diary.

They would either take turns serving the emperor or look through memorials and documents, and then write content related to the young Wanli.

The readers and lecturers of the Hanlin Academy will review the content written by Shen Nian.

As for Zhang Juzheng.

He has never looked through the diary.

He believed in the Hanlin Academy, but he really had no free time.

Shen Nian seems to be traveling between the Forbidden City, the Hanlin Academy, and home every day, repeating the same cycle over and over again.

in fact.

The emperor's daily military and national affairs in the two capitals and thirteen provinces all flew by under his nose.

These contents were the stepping stones for Shen Nian's rapid rise to prominence, and he read them very carefully.

The most important thing these days.

None was more serious than the Left Censor-in-Chief Ge Shouli who retired due to old age.

The court promoted him to the title of Prince's Guardian, and provided him with four stone of rice per month and six men to serve him every year.

This is the treatment for a retired official of the second rank.

Compared with officials in the Tang and Song dynasties, the treatment was really shabby, but it was better than that of 99% of officials.

Many low-level officials had no pension after retirement and had to make a living by selling poetry and books. Some officials who were dismissed for crimes could not even afford to buy a coffin.

This is also one of the reasons why many officials work hard to make money during their careers.

The court is too indifferent to its officials.

Like Hai Rui.

Officials who wear cloth clothes and straw sandals, eat only two pounds of pork during festivals, and leave their families without food and drink for the sake of maintaining a good reputation are as insignificant as unicorn feathers and phoenix horns.

Shen Nian believes he can't do it.

If it really came to that, he would rather resign and go into business than let his family suffer for the sake of a damn good reputation.

……

June 26th, near noon.

Hot summer.

Just as officials in various government offices in the capital were listening to the cicadas' chirping and dozing off at their workstations.

Another new policy law.

It was like a bucket of cold water with ice chips poured over the heads of all officials.

Zhang Juzheng took action to address the long-standing problems in the postal system.

The "Regulations on Postal Service" were issued nationwide and implemented immediately.

Simply put, the regulations contain three main points.

First, the scope of the Kanhe (i.e. the letter of introduction used by courier) was limited. Officials were not allowed to ride in the courier unless it was for official business, and when riding in the courier, they had to carry items according to their official rank.

Secondly, the carriages, postmen, schedules, and supplies used by officials who received the permit were all set according to regulations, and they were not allowed to disturb the people or exceed the rules.

Third, all officials inside and outside the country who are in mourning, reinstated, granted leave, promoted, transferred, or taking up their posts will not be given permits and will not be allowed to travel by express post.

As soon as this regulation came out, all government offices in the capital were in an uproar.

Because it moved the cheese of countless officials.

There is always a need to travel on business trips, go home to visit relatives, transfer to another place, etc.

The post station was the best place for officials to rest when they were away from home.

As long as you have a permit, you can get free transportation, boats, food and accommodation.

It can be said to be the best welfare for officials in the Ming Dynasty.

In the early Ming Dynasty, when Zhu Yuanzhang was in power, the principle of "no post station is allowed unless it is for important military or national affairs" was upheld.

After that, things gradually became chaotic.

In the past, some officials and clerks colluded with merchants to smuggle contraband and used the post stations to smuggle and evade taxes; some held on to Kanhe for a long time and gave them to others as favors; even worse, some extorted money from local postmen.

In addition, there are many fake Kanho.

Many fake certificates, when traced back to the government, were actually issued by the government.

It was common for officials and clerks to spend the court's money to do their own things, and it had become a common practice.

If an official paid out of his own pocket and stayed in an inn instead of a post station to save money for the court, he would be regarded as a fool.

During the Jiajing period.

The postal expenses were too high, and the otaku emperor was furious, so he directly cut the postal budget by nearly half.

As a result, the post stations had no money, nine out of ten postmen fled, and nine out of ten horses were missing.

The post stations were shut down one after another.

Even the couriers who delivered military intelligence were short of food and water, and had no horses, so a piece of military intelligence could be delivered a month late.

Just imagine——

The court only learned about the border war a month later. The reason was that the post stations were closed and no food, drink or horses were provided.

What a ridiculous thing this is!
In the end, Jiajing had no choice but to restore the budget and get money from other places.

Zhang Juzheng learned from the lessons of the previous dynasty and chose to restore the post and courier system of the Taizu period.

In his memorials, he even boasted: "It would only take a simple effort to enrich the country and the people and establish eternal peace."

pity.

Zhang Juzheng once again offended a large number of officials.

A large number of officials submitted memorials that day.

They said that this regulation would cause many inconveniences to officials across the country and requested that it be abolished.

Ever since.

A series of debates broke out in the cabinet duty room, the six department corridors, inside and outside the Huangji Gate, and even in the official kitchen at noon.

Many officials believe that this is official welfare.

If we sever ties like this, it will appear that the court is ungrateful.

Doing so would cause dissatisfaction among officials at all levels across the country towards the court and even lead to unrest.

This type of officials are typical of those who say, "If it can save the Ming Dynasty, I am willing to go through fire and water and sacrifice my life for the country, but if my salary and benefits are reduced, I will never agree."

Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang and the ministers and secretaries under them were very tough and refused to compromise at all.

Young Wanli also made a high-profile statement: he supported the implementation of the "Regulations on Post Stations".

They didn't waver at all.

The most important reason is that if this regulation can be implemented, it can save the court millions of taels of silver a year.

This money is more than enough to fight two major wars.

But the officials in the capital still found various reasons to refute, and they went to the yamen all day long, arguing from morning till night, either debating or writing memorials.

After Shen Nian saw this regulation.

The first person that comes to mind is a postman named "Li Zicheng".

If this regulation could have been implemented until the Chongzhen period.

Perhaps Emperor Chongzhen would not have had to cut the number of post stations to save treasury expenses, and Li Zicheng would not have risen up in rebellion because he lost his job. The Ming Dynasty might have lasted a few more years.

Sudden.

Shen Nian thought of a celebrity who was not yet born, Xu Xiake, a well-known traveler in the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Xiake began traveling in the 36th year of the Wanli reign.

At that time, all of Zhang Juzheng's measures were abolished. The post stations were being used for private purposes and fake permits were everywhere.

Xu Xiake naturally had to fleece the imperial court.

Perhaps if this regulation had continued, Xu Xiake would not have been able to travel so far and visit so many places, and the content of "Xu Xiake's Travel Notes" would have been reduced by half.

Shen Nian shook his head, jumping out of his conjecture. Looking at the memorial in his hand, he muttered, "It's none of my business, so I'll just ignore it. What's the point of thinking too much? The current Ming Dynasty is supported by Prime Minister Zhang!"

(End of this chapter)