My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 425 Is the Top Scholar Also a Member of the Su Party? (Two chapters resumed today)

Zhang Juzheng has been having some troubles lately.

The proposal to open a customs post in Yiling was approved after Su Ze submitted a memorial, but Zhang Juzheng offended Sichuan officials, led by Zhao Zhenji, as a result.

In subsequent cabinet meetings, Zhao Zhenji sided with Gao Gong and criticized and opposed Zhang Juzheng's opinions.

Zhang Juzheng knew that Zhao Zhenji, with his arrogance, would not side with Gao Gong.

But Zhao Zhenji's disgusting behavior made Zhang Juzheng very uncomfortable.

The most crucial point is that the official in charge of the Yiling tax collection has not yet been decided.

Zhao Zhenji rejected all of Zhang Juzheng's nominees.

Politics is about personnel matters.

The selection of the chief officer of the Yiling Customs House was extremely important.

According to Su Ze's plan, this tax official in charge will not only be responsible for levying taxes on past goods, but also for compiling data and calculating the total amount of goods entering and leaving Sichuan in order to determine the tax exemption policy for the following year.

That makes the position very feasible.

Zhao Zhenji distrusted Zhang Juzheng's people, believing that Zhang Juzheng's disciples would underreport the total amount of goods leaving Sichuan and overreport the total amount of goods entering Sichuan, thereby reducing the tax exemption for goods leaving Sichuan and harming Sichuan's interests.

Zhang Juzheng naturally strongly opposed Zhao Zhenji's nomination of a candidate.

The reasoning is the opposite of Zhao Zhenji's. If this position is controlled by Zhao Zhenji's disciples, the tax reduction and exemption policy will only become larger and larger, which will not be conducive to Zhang Juzheng's plan to force Sichuan to take the initiative to levy commercial taxes.

With both sides at a stalemate, Su Ze submitted another memorial.

Su Ze's letter this time was also about discussing the selection of the head of the customs office.

"Request to establish the Yiling Military Commissioner's Office, concurrently handling customs and tax affairs"

The content of this memorial was also very simple.

The Yiling Customs House was a focal point of controversy for the imperial court, and tax collection in Yiling Prefecture required coordination among various parties, which was not something that a mere tax official could handle.

Without the assistance of local officials, it would be impossible to handle customs duties properly. Not to mention anything else, just cracking down on smuggling and tax evasion is something that a single tax official could not accomplish alone.

Therefore, Su Ze suggested that a military commissioner be set up in Yiling Prefecture, and that this military commissioner be responsible for customs and tax affairs.

In this way, the Yiling Military Commissioner himself was in charge of the military and political affairs of Yiling. With an army in hand, he could better maintain the order of the customs.

What's unusual is that in this memorial, Su Ze recommended Zhang Yuanbian, the newly appointed top scholar, to serve as the military commissioner of Yiling.

——[Simulation Start]——

Your memorial, "Request to Establish the Yiling Military Commissioner and concurrently manage customs affairs," was submitted to the Cabinet. The Cabinet ministers all agreed with the first half of your memorial, agreeing to establish the Yiling Military Commissioner to be fully responsible for the affairs of the Yiling customs.

However, in the latter part, Zhang Yuanbian was also a protégé of Zhang Juzheng, and Zhao Zhenji opposed his appointment as the military commissioner of Yiling.

Zhang Juzheng also distrusted his disciple Zhang Yuanbian, who had always maintained a distant relationship with him, and did not make every effort to push for his appointment.

The Longqing Emperor agreed with the first part of your memorial and decided that the Ministry of Personnel would re-select a candidate for the Yiling Military Commissioner.

——[Simulation End]——

[Remaining Prestige: 3190.]

[To fully approve your memorial, you need to pay 200 prestige points. Do you wish to pay?]

Sure enough, it was easy to reach an agreement on establishing the Yiling Military Circuit to also manage the Yiling Customs.

This is in line with the political conventions of the Ming Dynasty, which is that local officials are appointed to important local positions to promote a major undertaking.

For example, the Huaifu was also the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, which enabled him to mobilize local resources to complete his work.

The selection of the Yiling Military Commissioner became the focus of contention among various parties.

To Su Ze's surprise, Zhang Yuanbian, the newly crowned champion, was not taken as a core disciple by Zhang Juzheng, who was even unwilling to support him in this matter.

Could it be because Zhang Yuanbian and I are getting too close?

Su Ze recommended Zhang Yuanbian, primarily out of public interest.

This newly appointed top scholar valued practical learning and, instead of staying in the prestigious Hanlin Academy, voluntarily went to the Ministry of Works, a position that even ordinary graduates were unwilling to serve.

Zhang Yuanbian did indeed perform well in the Ministry of Works, and soon took charge of the construction of the workers' dormitories at the steel mill and chemical plant outside the city.

The construction of these new-style earthen buildings was rapid and of quite good quality, which is enough to demonstrate Zhang Yuanbian's project management capabilities.

The newly appointed top scholar, a seventh-rank Hanlin compiler, was appointed as the military commissioner of Yiling. This transfer was in accordance with the officialdom rules of the Ming Dynasty.

Given this, Su Ze chose "yes".

[Prestige points have been deducted, leaving 2940 prestige points. The memorial has been submitted in real life; please wait for it to take effect.]

Ministry of Industry.

Zhang Yuanbian had just returned from a construction site outside the city.

The steel mills grew larger and larger, and the number of craftsmen also increased.

If all these craftsmen lived in the city, it would be very inconvenient for them to travel back and forth.

Therefore, the Ministry of Works decided to build new-style earthen buildings for the steel plant to be used as dormitories for the steel plant's craftsmen.

These dormitories could be rented to steelworkers who did not want to travel to and from the city, or allocated to unmarried young steelworkers as a benefit of the steelworkers.

This task was originally the responsibility of Wan Jing, a construction worker, but after the construction of the Zhigu Railway began, Wan Jing was so busy that he was driven crazy, so he handed the task over to Zhang Yuanbian to practice.

Zhang Yuanbian, worthy of being the top scholar, was indeed talented. He formulated project specifications and stipulated the construction schedule. At the same time, he appointed craftsmen who graduated from the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture to be responsible for on-site supervision and to report to him daily on any non-compliant issues during construction.

Zhang Yuanbian further clarified the system, stipulating that after the completion of the project, the chief person in charge of the project, the person in charge of construction, and the supervisor must leave their names on the stone tablet of the building and leave a file in the Ministry of Works.

If problems arise in the future, the responsibility will be investigated according to the stone tablet.

Zhang Yuanbian used this system to significantly improve the quality of the Ministry of Works' projects.

At the same time, Zhang Yuanbian would also stipulate the construction schedule, formulate a more scientific construction sequence, break down the project into several parts, and let skilled craftsmen be responsible for a part of the work.

This, in turn, improved work efficiency.

Zhang Yuanbian's two tasks earned him praise from all levels of the Ministry of Works. The dormitory building for the steel plant in the suburbs of Beijing, which he was in charge of, was also completed at a speed far exceeding expectations.

Of course, Zhang Yuanbian himself also spent all his time on the construction site, which ensured that the system he set up could be strictly implemented.

So when Zhang Yuanbian returned to the Ministry of Works, he had become much darker and stronger.

Having not returned to the Ministry of Works for several days, Zhang Yuanbian was greeted by his colleagues as soon as he arrived.

Zhang Yuanbian was completely bewildered until his superior pulled him out of the crowd and took him back to the office of the Construction Department. Only then did Zhang Yuanbian understand why his colleagues had been surrounding him to congratulate him.

"Did Master Su recommend me to go to Yiling?"

Wan Jing misunderstood Zhang Yuanbian, thinking he was unwilling to film outside, so he explained:
"The Yiling Military Commissioner is no small matter. The Yiling Customs House is related to the court's major commercial tax plan. If Zijin can make achievements in Yiling, he will be promoted and return to the court soon."

Zhang Yuanbian knew that Wan Jing had misunderstood, so he quickly said:

“Lord Wan, it’s not that I’m unwilling to be sent out, but I don’t understand why Master Su recommended me?” Zhang Yuanbian had a keen political sense. After hearing Wan Jing’s explanation, he knew that this Yiling Military Commissioner was no ordinary person.

At the beginning of this year, the Ministry of Personnel issued new regulations.

Officials holding the rank of chief minister in one of the six ministries, with experience as a people-friendly official, and who achieve a passing grade of average or above in their examinations, are given priority for recommendation.

This is not an implicit condition, but anyone with discerning eyes can see that the imperial court is paying more and more attention to the resumes of officials who are close to the people.

The position of Chief of the Six Ministries is a fifth-rank official, representing a significant step from a low-ranking to a mid-ranking position. Being one step ahead of others means it is easier to be promoted to a higher rank.

Wan Jing further explained:

"The Yiling Customs Office is not only a customs office for Yiling, but also has to count the total amount of goods entering and leaving Sichuan. It is a matter of great importance. If Zijin is really worried that he is not competent, I can plead with Brother Zilin on your behalf and ask the court to send another capable person."

Zhang Yuanbian quickly said:
"Chief Wan! I'm willing to go!"

Wan Jing nodded and said:

"Excellent ambition! As Brother Zilin said, the Yiling Customs House is the best place to train people. If you can manage the Yiling Customs House well, managing the commercial taxes of an entire province will be no problem in the future!"

"I have also seen the general trend of the court. Commercial taxes will become more and more important, and what the court lacks most now is officials who understand the collection of commercial taxes."

Zhang Yuanbian nodded repeatedly.

Imposing commercial taxes is a technical task.

Unlike land tax, the agricultural population is relatively fixed. Both land tax and poll tax are levied on the population tied to the land.

The difficulty in collecting taxes lies simply in the fact that local gentry evade or resist taxes.

These accounts can always be clarified if one is determined to investigate them.

However, commercial taxes are different.

Merchants employ a variety of methods to evade taxes, and many of them are merely passing through the area and not locals, making tax evasion highly profitable. As a result, the collection of commercial taxes has become increasingly difficult in recent years.

In areas where tax collection has always been a core indicator for evaluating officials, regions such as Shandong and Shanxi, which have already started collecting commercial taxes, have found that officials who are better at collecting commercial taxes are more likely to receive excellent ratings in performance evaluations and are also more likely to be promoted.

Zhang Yuanbian understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he himself was willing to go to the local area to gain experience.

Wan Jing then said:
"Although Brother Zilin recommended Zijin, Grand Secretary Zhao strongly opposed it, and Grand Secretary Zhang did not express his support for you. Whether the matter can be accomplished in the end depends on His Majesty and the Cabinet's decision."

Wan Jing then said:
"Zijin, Grand Secretary Zhang is your mentor, but he hasn't made a clear statement this time. Have you been too busy with official duties lately and forgotten to visit him at his residence?"

In fact, Wan Jing was already reminding Zhang Yuanbian that such an important position required the support of the Grand Secretary.

Zhang Yuanbian quickly said:
"Thank you for the reminder, Lord Wan. I understand what to do now."

After dark, Zhang Yuanbian sent a visiting card to the steward of Zhang Juzheng's household.

This is when the value of a top scorer becomes apparent.

If it were any other seventh-rank official, the person in charge wouldn't even bother to make the announcement.

As the saying goes, "even a seventh-rank official is no match for the prime minister," meaning that in the capital, there were countless officials of the seventh rank, and none of them were qualified to pay a visit to a high-ranking official like Zhang Juzheng.

However, Zhang Yuanbian was the top scholar of this imperial examination, and his name dominated the headlines in the capital for a long time. Even the steward of the Zhang family had heard of him.

"Please wait a moment, sir, I will go and inform him."

A short while later, the steward of the Zhang residence opened the side gate and, with a smile, welcomed Zhang Yuanbian into the mansion:
"Your Excellency is meeting the top scholar in the side hall. Please follow me."

Zhang Yuanbian followed the steward into the Zhang residence and arrived at the side hall where guests were received. He took a deep breath and began to tidy his appearance.

Zhang Yuanbian was still a little nervous.

Since he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he has only come to Zhang Juzheng's residence with his classmates to send a visiting card, and has never come to pay his respects to his mentor Zhang Juzheng.

After Zhang Yuanbian went to the Ministry of Works, he spent most of his time outside the city, and even his relationships with his classmates from the same year became distant.

There were even outrageous rumors in the capital that Zhang Yuanbian was a member of the Su faction, saying, "They only knew of his tutor Su Ze, but they didn't know of his mentor Zhang Juzheng."

Zhang Yuanbian naturally thought this was nonsense!
I am indeed closer to Su Ze, and we often communicate through postal letters when we are outside the city.

To say that he was a member of the Soviet Party would be a huge injustice!
But for some reason, standing in front of the side hall of Zhang Juzheng's house, Zhang Yuanbian suddenly felt a little guilty.

Forget it, I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and go for it.

Zhang Yuanbian stood in front of the side hall door, cupped his hands, and said:
"Student Zhang Yuanbian pays respects to his esteemed teacher."

"Please come in, top scholar."

Zhang Yuanbian stepped into the reception hall and saw Zhang Juzheng, dressed in casual clothes, sitting in the hall, holding a teacup and smiling at him.

Zhang Yuanbian quickly bowed and exchanged simple pleasantries. Zhang Juzheng then asked Zhang Yuanbian to sit down and had his steward serve him fine tea.

"Even the top scholar is a rare guest in our household."

Upon hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, Zhang Yuanbian immediately rose from his seat and bowed.
"I am sorry that I have not been able to visit you often, Master!"

Zhang Juzheng did not dwell on the matter, but instead said:

"The top scholar came here for the position of Military Commissioner of Yiling, right?"

Zhang Yuanbian thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth:

"This disciple has indeed come for this matter."

Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhang Yuanbian, surprised that he was so straightforward.

Zhang Juzheng laughed and said:
"Is the top scholar going to emulate Mao Sui?"

Zhang Yuanbian immediately said:
"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Please give me a question, Master."

Zhang Juzheng immediately began setting questions.

In addition to financial issues, Zhang Juzheng also addressed some issues related to people's livelihood and governance.

Zhang Yuanbian's experience on the project has given him a deeper understanding of human nature.

Politics, in fact, tests one's understanding of human nature.

After asking a few questions, Zhang Juzheng stroked his meticulously groomed beard and looked at Zhang Yuanbian, as if he were looking at a smaller version of Su Ze.

No, he still can't compare to Su Ze, but he has already surpassed the other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of the same period.

More importantly, it's Zhang Yuanbian's confidence and youthful vigor.

Having already missed out on Su Ze once, Zhang Juzheng's appreciation for Zhang Yuanbian's talent intensified.

After Zhang Yuanbian finished answering all his questions, Zhang Juzheng said:
"From now on, the top scholar should visit my home more often, and I will help you secure the position of Military Commissioner of Yiling."

Zhang Yuanbian was overjoyed and bowed to Zhang Juzheng again.

The following day, Zhang Juzheng recommended Zhang Yuanbian, the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination, to serve as the military commissioner of Yiling. Grand Secretary Gao Gong also supported this.

Ultimately, Su Ze's memorial was approved by the emperor, and this crucial candidate was decided.

(End of this chapter)