My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 406 The number of Soviet Party members has increased again!

As a high-ranking official and the soon-to-be-appointed head of the Henan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, Liu Yingjie's memorial carried considerable weight.

Zhang Juzheng quickly realized what was happening!

Yes! Why must a province levy a commercial tax? It could be done prefecture by prefecture!
As long as the provincial governors do not object, commercial tax reform can be carried out starting from the prefecture level.

The tax-sharing reform proposed by Su Ze was essential to convince local officials to implement commercial taxes.

The previous experiences in Shandong and Shanxi's Shuntian Prefecture also made Zhang Juzheng realize that only by reforming the civil service could the government have sufficient administrative capacity, and only then could his ultimate goal of collecting taxes in silver be achieved.

So this time, Zhang Juzheng directly requested an audience with the emperor and explained in detail the benefits of the tax-sharing reform.

Liu Yingjie's memorial and Zhang Juzheng's detailed explanation of the advantages and disadvantages finally convinced the Longqing Emperor to make up his mind and approve Su Ze's memorial.
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Shen Yiguan rushed into the newspaper office and looked at Su Ze, asking:

"Brother Zilin, you also have connections with Provincial Governor Liu?"

Su Ze shook his head repeatedly.

Liu Yingjie's sudden memorial to the throne ultimately led to the implementation of the tax-sharing reform.

The claim that Liu Yingjie was also a member of the "Su Party" has been rampant, and some people have even asked about Shen Yiguan, a "key member of the Su Party".

Shen Yiguan denied the rumors several times, but he began to waver and rushed to the newspaper office to ask Su Ze for confirmation.

Su Ze smiled wryly and repeatedly stated that he had no dealings with Liu Yingjie before Shen Yiguan finally believed him.

That's right. Liu Yingjie has always worked in Henan and has no connection with Su Ze.

However, the timing was just too coincidental!
Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze, not entirely trusting his words.

Su Ze and Hai Rui didn't have much interaction, but since Hai Rui came to Beijing, he and Su Ze have cooperated well on many matters and he has been identified as an important member of the "Su Party".

Who knows if Su Ze has been secretly in contact with Liu Yingjie?
However, there's no point in dwelling on this. Shen Yiguan looked at Su Ze and asked:
"Why did Governor Liu choose Huaiqing Prefecture? Is there anything special about Huaiqing Prefecture?"

Su Ze said:

"The beauty lies precisely in Huaiqing Prefecture!"

Su Ze also sighed, "The officials of the Ming Dynasty in this era were indeed remarkable. Liu Yingjie, an official who is not famous in history, had such a sharp eye!"

Huaiqing Prefecture had a name in later generations—Jiaozuo.

Su Ze said:

"Huaiqing Prefecture was a major thoroughfare for transporting coal from Shanxi to other regions and a transportation hub between Shanxi and the Central Plains."

“Huaiqing Prefecture can be connected to Shanxi via the Dan River and is also close to the Yellow River waterway, making it an important node for water and land transportation.”

"If we levy industrial and commercial taxes here, we can collect transit taxes."

"Now that the coal transportation industry from Shanxi is thriving, this commercial tax provides a guarantee for tax revenue."

"In addition, Huaiqing Prefecture was formerly known as Hanoi. During the Han and Tang dynasties, it was the coal and iron center of the Central Plains, making it suitable for developing industry and mining."

In the entire Henan province, no place was more suitable for developing industry and commerce than Huaiqing Prefecture.

From this perspective, Liu Yingjie was indeed a capable minister.

After finishing discussing the matter in Henan, Shen Yiguan asked:

"What is the court's decision regarding Lord Cheng?"

At this point, Su Ze also felt a bit of a headache.

Cheng Ziwen's case has been thoroughly investigated. It is true that the money Cheng Ziwen amassed from the local chieftains over the years was used for local development in Guangxi.

Rumors also circulated within the palace that the Longqing Emperor was preparing to pardon Cheng Ziwen.

However, Cheng Ziwen still violated the laws of the Ming Dynasty and broke the rules of officialdom.

Within the cabinet, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng, Zhao Zhenji, and Yin Shidan were in complete agreement on this matter, all requesting the emperor to punish Cheng Ziwen.

The cabinet was divided on how to punish him.

Zhang Juzheng's attitude was the most moderate; he suggested a minor punishment as a warning, allowing Cheng Ziwen to return to Guangxi to serve as an official.

Cheng Ziwen is familiar with the local conditions in Guangxi and enjoys prestige there. Sending him back to Guangxi to take up his post would also appease the people of Guangxi.

Su Ze said:

"Grand Secretary Zhang's intention is to demote Cheng by two ranks and send him back to Guangxi to serve as the governor of eight prefectures."

Even Shen Yiguan couldn't hold back his composure at this outcome, and he said:

"Of the twelve prefectures in Guangxi, are the governors of eight of them still being punished?"

Luo Wanhua nodded in agreement. In the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty, the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner to Governor was hardly considered a punishment.

The governor was an official of the Censorate, which was a Beijing official position, and Beijing officials were three ranks higher than the provincial governor.

Moreover, although the Provincial Administration Commissioner was nominally the chief official in charge of civil administration in a province, he was hampered by the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and had military power shared by the Provincial Military Commander.

However, the governor was a position that handled both civil affairs and supervision. In some remote areas, the governor would even be responsible for military preparations and had the power to mobilize local troops.

For example, Hai Rui, who was the governor of ten prefectures in Yingtian back then, had astonishing power. The court and nobles in Nanjing were all afraid of him.

"The Prime Minister's meaning is that Cheng Ziwen still needs to be transferred away from Guangxi."

"The reason why Cheng Ziwen was able to act so recklessly was precisely because he had a great reputation in Guangxi and controlled the Guangxi officialdom. That's why his affairs only came to the attention of the imperial court now."

"Therefore, the Prime Minister believed that Cheng Ziwen should be transferred away from Guangxi."

Shen Yiguan nodded as well.

This is the difference between Zhang Juzheng and Gao Gong. Gao Gong placed more emphasis on organizational procedures; when he wanted to do something, he would first establish rules and then implement reforms.

Zhang Juzheng was somewhat "unscrupulous." When it came to reforms he cared about, he didn't care about factions or positions; he cared more about the ability of the officials who implemented them.

In other words, Zhang Juzheng was more flexible.

"Grand Secretary Zhao wants Lord Cheng to resign, so this is to give him some dignity."

"Grand Secretary Yin's demand to strip Lord Cheng of his official title is the most forceful one."

Shen Yiguan sighed:

"What does Brother Zilin think?"

Su Ze thought for a moment and said:
"I still agree more with the Prime Minister's opinion. It's too early for Lord Cheng to retire at his current age. He can still continue to benefit the people."

Shen Yiguan nodded silently.

It is widely believed that Cheng Ziwen is a member of the "Su Party," and Shen Yiguan was just testing Su Ze's opinion.

It all depends on Cheng Ziwen's arrangements.

Just then, Zhang Hong, the eunuch serving the crown prince, suddenly arrived at the newspaper office.

Since Xiao Pangjun moved to the palace, the Imperial Household Department has suspended classes.

This gave Su Ze the opportunity to slack off at the newspaper office.

Thinking that it had been a while since he had seen his good disciple, Su Ze followed Zhang Hong to the palace.

Since the Longqing Emperor fell ill, the Crown Prince has been living next to the Emperor's bedroom.

It must be said that Su Ze's teaching during this period has been quite fruitful.

Little Fatty Jun faithfully upheld the standards of filial piety in the Ming Dynasty, serving the emperor daily and even personally testing medicines, earning unanimous praise from the cabinet to the court officials.

The Longqing Emperor was very satisfied with this. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices did not hold any classes this year, but it continued to bestow rewards upon the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. This should all be attributed to Little Fatty Jun.

Su Ze followed Zhang Hong not to the emperor's bedroom, but to the west side of the Forbidden City. Su Ze quickly realized that this was the West Garden where the emperor often lived.

Since Emperor Longqing ascended the throne, in order to show that he was breaking away from his father’s style, he sealed off the West Garden.

Upon entering the West Garden, Su Ze smelled the pungent odor again.

Zhang Hong guided the conversation while saying:
"After His Highness moved into the palace, he saw the abandoned alchemy furnace in the West Garden and asked His Majesty to open the West Garden and hand it over to the alchemist Tao for alchemy."

Su Ze couldn't hold back any longer. It turned out that Little Fatty Jun had taken advantage of the emperor's illness to hand over the West Garden to Tao Guan to use as a chemistry laboratory.

Filial piety, it’s really filial piety.

But thinking about it, it doesn't seem wrong. The West Garden did indeed contain many precious medicinal herbs and alchemy equipment, as well as various treasures collected by the Jiajing Emperor.

However, in addition to the pungent chemical smell, Su Ze also detected a strong, unpleasant odor.

what is this?
Zhang Hong led Su Ze into a side hall in the West Garden, but the windows of the entire side hall were covered with cloth, and the inside was pitch black.

Su Ze frowned. Just then, a ghostly light appeared in front of him, and a ghost-like thing rushed over.

Su Ze almost pulled out the [Wind-Up Toy Guardian], but he recognized the voice from the shout as belonging to his good disciple.

"Your Highness."

Su Ze suddenly understood something, and the glowing shadow in front of him stopped.

Then Su Ze heard his good disciple's order: the eunuchs pulled back the thick curtains, and light shone in through the window.

Su Ze was able to see his beloved disciple whom he had not seen for a long time.

Little Fatty Jun has grown taller. He has a smile on his face, with Tao Guan and Zhang Hong following behind him. Tao Guan is holding a glass bottle containing some white powder.

"Master Su! You were just scared, weren't you!"

Su Ze smiled and said:

"I am terrified. If I am not mistaken, this is something that Mr. Tao created, isn't it?"

Little Fatty Jun nodded repeatedly and said:
"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Master Su! Master Tao, quickly show the item to Master Su!"

Tao Guan quickly handed the bottle to Su Ze, who opened it and smelled it. Sure enough, it was what he had guessed—a canister of white phosphorus.

Su Ze observed carefully and found that after taking out the white powder and exposing it to air, it indeed emitted a faint glow, confirming that it was indeed white phosphorus.

"Master Su, guess where Master Tao retrieved this wondrous object?"

Su Ze said without hesitation:
"As soon as I entered the West Garden, I smelled a pungent odor. If I'm not mistaken, Master Tao extracted this substance from human urine, didn't he?"

Xiao Pangjun and Tao Guan both exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!?"

Little Fatty Jun lowered his head and said, "Nothing can stump Master Su."

Su Ze chuckled inwardly, realizing that he had actually cheated.

In the original timeline, the earliest white phosphorus was extracted from urine.

The white phosphorus from the original timeline, after being extracted, became popular among the nobility during a court performance, becoming a fashionable item pursued by the aristocratic class.

The nobles of the time were keen on applying white phosphorus to their hands, and this trend was named "ghost claws".

Moreover, early phosphorus had to be extracted from human urine, which was very inconvenient and extremely expensive. Only the most elite nobles had the manpower and resources to extract white phosphorus.

This was no big problem for Tao Guan, who had the support of the Crown Prince. Wasn't there enough urine in the Forbidden City for him to extract?
(End of this chapter)