My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 396 A New Era of Paying Tribute from All Directions

The memorial requesting the establishment of a special patrol and inspection commissioner to oversee these matters was passed.

The patrol and inspection system became the origin of the modern police inspection system.

Initially, the oversight system reduced corruption among patrol officers and ensured the effectiveness of the patrol force.

[National fortune +1.]

[Prestige value remains unchanged.]

[Remaining Prestige: 1380]

Su Ze shook his head, realizing that his memorial to the throne had failed to boost his prestige, making it a complete loss.

It's likely that Hai Rui has gained all the prestige in the capital.
-
When Su Ze went out again during his break in mid-May, he felt that the street security had improved significantly.

While Su Ze was traveling, the newly appointed top scholar Zhang Yuanbian also excitedly arrived at his new home.

The construction speed of the new-style earthen buildings far exceeded the expectations of the Ministry of Works officials.

Because the construction of each Tulou was fixed, the only constraints in the early days of Tulou construction were cement and steel reinforcement.

However, with the large-scale production of steel plants in the suburbs of Beijing, and the fact that the Zhigu Cement Plant began to supply cement to the capital steadily after the completion of the Zhigu Fort, the cement supply for the new-style Tulou became increasingly stable.

Since Su Ze proposed the new style of Tulou, the Ministry of Works has completed more than fifty new-style Tulou.

These modern earthen buildings were scattered among various government offices in the capital. The room that Zhang Yuanbian was assigned was not far from the Ministry of Works.

Zhang Yuanbian originally lived in the guild hall, but the guild hall was far from the government office, and Zhang Yuanbian had to cross half of the capital every time he went to the government office.

Zhang Yuanbian was allocated a low-rent apartment, which was much cheaper than the original room in the guild hall and closer to the government office where he worked.

On his day off, Zhang Yuanbian, with the help of a group of friends, completed the housewarming process.

Zhang Yuanbian is already married, but his wife is still in his hometown. For a single man like him who has moved to Beijing, the room he was assigned in the new-style earthen building is spacious enough.

However, none of these men knew how to cook. When it was time to eat, Zhang Yuanbian's classmate, Wei Xin, said:

"How about we rent a pot from a restaurant at the Honglu Temple and have some grilled mutton when we get back?"

Upon hearing this suggestion, everyone applauded. Zhang Yuanbian had been busy at the Ministry of Works these days and was not familiar with the delicacies of the capital.

However, since everyone agreed, and Zhang Yuanbian's home was not far from the guesthouse of the Honglu Temple, the group immediately headed to the guesthouse.

The State Guest House of the Court of State Ceremonial was originally used to entertain foreign envoys. After Wang Shizhen took office, he also allowed the restaurant in the guest house to serve the public.

Because the guesthouse had to receive envoys from all directions, it also served many exotic dishes, and quickly became a famous restaurant in the capital.

Zhang Yuanbian then understood what roasted mutton was.

This is a special kind of iron plate pot. After everyone bought it, they returned to Zhang Yuanbian's house, lit the charcoal fire, and first poured some oil into the iron pot.

Next, add the seasoned and marinated lamb, and the whole pot immediately emits an irresistible aroma.

Smelling the aroma, Zhang Yuanbian thought of the price and said with some worry:

"This pot is so cheap? Did the guesthouse know you all and deliberately lower the price? The censors have been keeping a close eye on things lately!"

Wei Xin laughed and said:
"Brother Zijin, this roasted mutton is priced as usual, so please enjoy it without worry!"

Several of Zhang Yuanbian's classmates, who were also gourmets, testified to him that this was the price for the roasted mutton.

Zhang Yuanbian still seemed somewhat skeptical and said:

"Such a big plate of mutton, and it's so cheap?"

Wei Fang said, "Sheep in the north are cheap to begin with. I've heard that in recent years, the number of sheep traded at the Jiubian Horse Market has been increasing, and the price of sheep has been decreasing. Now, ordinary people in the capital can eat mutton once or twice a month."

"What about the spices?"

Zhang Yuanbian smelled the aroma of spices; spices used to be a luxury item.

Wei Fang said with a smile:

"Brother Zijin, is this something that happened in the distant future?"

"The price of spices is very low now, thanks to the Portuguese."

Zhang Yuanbian asked in confusion, "Thank the Portuguese?"

Wei Fang said:

"The Portuguese and the Ottomans were at war, which cut off the spice trade routes to the West. As a result, the spices produced in the plantations of Luzon could only be sold to our Ming Dynasty's merchant ships."

"Now, it's not just Luzon; people in Penghu have also started growing spices because they saw that spices are profitable, which has driven down the price of spices."

Zhang Yuanbian said:
"So, we're eating mutton from the grasslands and using spices from Luzon?"

Wei Fang said with a smile:

"Brother Zijin is right, hahaha!"

Another person from the same year said:
"Brother Zijin, what you said is not complete. The steamed buns we have are made with wheat flour from Liaodong."

"Wheat flour from Liaodong?"

This fellow student, named Yao Chunchen, was currently observing government affairs at the Ministry of Revenue, working in the local department in charge of supplies for the capital.

He said:
“Starting last spring, the imperial court issued a policy that would reduce or exempt taxes for three years for people who were willing to go to Liaodong to develop the region, and would give each household ten mu of land and a cow for households with five or more members.”

“Many people from Shandong and the Beijing area have already moved north.”

"The imperial court gave these people wheat seeds, which are said to be high-yield varieties from the Wuqing Earl's family."

"Liaodong is a cold and harsh place, but the soil is fertile, and the wheat grown there is indeed of superior quality. The steamed buns made from this wheat flour are used in the guesthouse."

After hearing all this, Zhang Yuanbian sighed:

"Now the capital is truly a place where 'all directions come to pay tribute'!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. This was different from the tribute system of the past. Now, these trades brought benefits that ordinary people could also experience.

Zhang Yuanbian then asked:

"Can ordinary people in the capital enjoy these things?"

Everyone nodded.

Yao Chunchen said:
"When I was buying grilled meat, the person in front of me in line was a craftsman from the south of the city. He came here specifically to buy meat."

"Of course, mutton is still a bit expensive. According to the Ministry of Revenue's report, ordinary people in the capital eat sausages more often."

"Sausage?"

Zhang Yuanbian knew about sausages.

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, sausages were made in the north to preserve meat.

Yao Chunchen said:
“There is a kind of sausage made from pork and offal at pig farms outside the capital. After adding some spices to remove the fishy smell and enhance the aroma, it can be eaten after a simple boil. It is very popular among ordinary people.”

"I heard that Hanlin Su also highly praised this kind of sausage and even asked the Crown Prince to establish a factory to make sausages."

"These factories all use machines, which further reduces production costs. Now, shops in the Eastern Palace sell this kind of sausage, and ordinary people in the capital rely on it to obtain meat."

Zhang Yuanbian recalled these sausages. Every day on his way to the Ministry of Works, he would encounter stalls frying these sausages, and some pedestrians would buy a portion, wrap it in a pancake, and eat it while walking. Zhang Yuanbian also remembered that on the construction site of the Ministry of Works, there were large pots of the same sausages being cooked. He never imagined that these sausages were actually related to the Crown Prince's Palace.

Zhang Yuanbian recalled the smell of intestines. Even when boiled, the minced meat and offal couldn't mask the fishy, ​​gamey smell; only when fried in oil could it taste decent.

"These intestines don't taste good, do they?"

Yao Chunchen said:
"Of course it doesn't taste good. The Donggong Shop also has sausages made of pure meat, but the price is still too expensive for ordinary people."

“These sausages are much more affordable and allow ordinary people to earn some money. Everyone calls them ‘Donggong Convenience Sausages’.”

"The people of the capital still really like this kind of sausage."

When Zhang Yuanbian thought of the craftsmen eating sausages on the construction site, their faces beaming with smiles, he finally understood how this great era had changed the lives of ordinary people.

Wei Fang then said:
"Brother Zijin, I heard that the Ministry of Works is planning to build new-style earthen buildings in both the north and south of the city?"

Zhang Yuanbian nodded. This wasn't a big secret; he had already heard Chief Wan discuss it at the Ministry of Works.

The government also owns some properties in poor locations.

These properties are located in some areas with poor public security in the north and south of the city. They are too far from the major government offices, so no one wants to rent them to officials.

Therefore, the Ministry of Works was also discussing whether to build these houses into new-style earthen buildings.

However, there was controversy within the Ministry of Works regarding the Tulou after its completion.

Some officials believed that the buildings should be sold to the public in one go, so that the Ministry of Works could recoup its funds and build more earthen buildings.

Some officials, however, believed that these earthen buildings should be rented out cheaply to impoverished residents of the capital, just like the ones rented to impoverished officials.

Both sides held their own views and had their own reasons, so the Ministry of Works could not reach a conclusion.

These newcomers to officialdom also expressed their opinions on this topic, with most agreeing with the idea of ​​selling the shares.

But when Zhang Yuanbian thought of the large characters on the Ministry of Works' sign that read "May all the poor scholars of the world be sheltered and rejoice," he felt that it would be better to rent these houses to the poor.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they suggested going out for a stroll. After some discussion, they decided to visit the Crystal Palace outside the city.
-
Su Ze also chose to travel to the Crystal Palace.

Since the last exposition, the Crystal Palace has become an important market outside the capital city.

Because goods entering the city were subject to taxes, many merchants who came to the capital to do business would simply bring their goods to the outskirts of the city for distribution.

Merchants in the capital city would go out of the city to the Crystal Palace to select goods, and then bring those goods to shops in the city.

If all merchants wait at the city gates for inspection and to pay taxes, the efficiency of goods passage will be too low.

So the tax collectors of Shuntian Prefecture came up with a solution.

Shuntian Prefecture also set up a tax checkpoint at the Crystal Palace Market. After a transaction, merchants could obtain a tax payment certificate here, and then the tax officials would seal the goods.

When the trucks entered the city, the tax collectors at the city gates only needed to check the tax payment receipts and then unseal the trucks.

This greatly increased the efficiency of entering the city and made it more convenient for merchants to enter and leave the city.

As merchants gathered at Crystal Palace, the city's residents gradually learned that Crystal Palace offered a wide variety of inexpensive goods.

Individuals could bring goods into the city without paying taxes, and for ordinary people, buying things here saved them the tax on entering the city, so Crystal Palace gradually became a super market.

When Su Ze came this time, he saw that the walls of Lengyan Temple had receded a lot further.

Shen Yiguan said:
"This is another piece of land donated by Lengyan Temple, which was handed over to Shuntian Prefecture to build a market."

Su Ze went on a trip today with the families of Shen Yiguan and Luo Wanhua.

I had originally made an appointment with Shen Shixing, but with the war in the southwest these days, Shen Shixing, as a military officer in the Ministry of War, has to stay at the Ministry of War on his days off, so he can't go.

Su Ze had also made plans with Wang Renzhong and Shen Zao, but they also had to work shifts during their days off due to official business.

Shen Zao was recommended by Hai Rui to serve as the first Supervising Censor, responsible for supervising the patrol battalions under the jurisdiction of the Five Gates Patrol Censors.

Shen Zao was busy setting up the patrol and supervision team, and these days he frequently went to the newspaper office to ask Su Ze what to do.

Su Ze brought over the police supervision system from his previous life and helped Shen Zao establish a simple supervision system.

When the Crystal Palace Expo was held last time, Lengyan Temple took the initiative to donate land. This time, Lengyan Temple took the initiative to give up land again. Su Ze could only sigh that the abbot's awareness was too high.

The Lengyan Temple, which ceded its land, became even more popular with worshippers.

Shen Yiguan said:
"I heard that the monks at Lengyan Temple no longer need to farm."

Luo Wanhua asked:
"Didn't the imperial court issue an order restricting monasteries from lending money at exorbitant interest rates? How are the monks of Lengyan Temple supposed to make a living?"

Shen Yiguan said with a smile:

"Although the land has been given up, the shops next to the temple still belong to Lengyan Temple. Renting out these shops can generate a large income."

"Also, Brother Yifu, you may not know that the vegetarian meals at Lengyan Temple also generate a significant amount of income."

"Vegetarian food!?"

Shen Yiguan said:
"Such a large market, and there aren't many houses around. At first, the merchants donated incense and asked Lengyan Temple to cook some vegetarian meals and send them over."

“Over time, Abbot Fayan discovered a business opportunity and simply set up a dining hall to sell vegetarian meals directly.”

"The vegetarian food at Lengyan Temple is delicious and inexpensive, and soon merchants and ordinary people from the market also started to eat there."

"I heard that there are more than a hundred monks in the kitchen of Lengyan Temple who are busy all day long preparing vegetarian meals."

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh, this Abbot Fayan is truly a business genius, it's a pity he's just abbot!

But looking at the rebuilt main hall of Lengyan Temple and the flourishing incense offerings, it seems that being an abbot does indeed require management skills.

The group walked into the market and soon saw a crowd surrounding a stall, from which an argument could be heard.

Su Ze originally wanted to leave, but then he spotted a familiar figure – Zhang Yuanbian, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination.

It turned out that Zhang Yuanbian and his classmates came to this market. One of them saw the novel glass products being sold at this stall and couldn't help but touch them, but broke a glass vase.

The shop owner immediately jumped up, claiming that he was an envoy from the Western Regions paying tribute and that the vase was a gift to be presented to the emperor, and demanded one hundred silver dollars.

In the past, if these newly appointed scholars had simply revealed their identities, the shopkeeper, who looked like a merchant from the Central Plains, would not have dared to extort them anymore.

However, now that Hai Rui is reorganizing the Censorate, the censors are keeping an eye on the officials. Since everyone is a newcomer to officialdom and doesn't want to cause trouble, they can only argue.

The more theoretical the discussion became, the louder the merchant's voice grew.

Just as Zhang Yuanbian was in a difficult situation, a group of police officers walked over.

The fat constable in the lead was Li Defu, the police superintendent of the outer city police battalion.

These days, the entire police force is on edge. Crystal Palace Market is an important place in the outer city, and the flow of people is the largest on rest days. As the police superintendent, Li Defu personally came to maintain order.

After Li Defu stepped forward and learned about the situation, he said to the merchant Hu:

"The imperial court has a decree that merchants from vassal states must sell their goods in the Sifang Market next to the Honglu Temple. You say these glass items are tribute items, so why are they being sold in the Crystal Palace Market?!"

Now the old merchant was sweating profusely. Li Defu then said:
"Impersonating a tribute envoy is a serious crime!"

Old Hu, the merchant, quickly said:
"My lord, spare my life! I am not a tribute envoy, and this glass was all purchased from the Fangshan Glass Factory!"

(End of this chapter)