Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 47 The Daily Work Routine of the Ming Dynasty Emperor (Part 1)

Bi Ziyan's first move in reform:

He proposed turning the two million salt deposits into "salt tickets," allowing merchants to purchase them and redeem them in installments. Salt tickets would be tradable, and holders could use them as collateral for loans. Salt merchants could borrow money from the Ministry of Revenue using unredeemed salt tickets at an annual interest rate of 15%.

The two main pillars of the revenue of the Taicang Treasury in the Ming Dynasty were land tax and salt tax. During Zhang Juzheng's administration, Taicang could receive about nine million taels of silver in land tax and two million taels of silver in salt tax annually. However, today, the total revenue of Taicang, including land tax, salt tax, customs duties, gold flower silver, and equal corvée silver, is less than five million taels.

Salt certificates were essentially shopping vouchers. The imperial court sold these certificates to salt merchants for tax collection convenience, and the merchants could then redeem them for physical salt at the salt fields. However, the current situation is that the court has over-issued salt certificates to maximize profits, leaving many people unable to redeem their certificates for salt. The credibility of salt certificates has collapsed, and they're practically worthless.

Bi Ziyan's idea was to change the salt certificates to delayed exchange, exchanging 200,000 certificates annually, restoring the credit of the salt certificates, increasing their financial attributes, and turning them into collateral, which was equivalent to issuing national bonds in disguise.

He added three seasonal ledgers to the existing four-column ledger method, namely the "New Moon and Full Moon Ledger," "Monthly Tax Ledger," and "Annual Tax Ledger," as well as two double-entry ledgers for tax collection and expenditure, thus improving the accounting method to plug the loopholes in the current salt tax system and root out the parasites that were parasitic on the salt tax of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Youjian watched as Bi Ziyan spoke eloquently in the court, but his face was pale, his stomach churned, and he felt a strong urge to vomit. Fortunately, there were many others who had the same reaction.

Although Zhu Youjian could barely understand Bi Ziyan's intentions, it was like a math lesson, bringing back all the psychological trauma from his past life. To avoid falling asleep during the court session, Zhu Youjian pinched his thigh until it was swollen.

"This is terrifying! So this is the real Minister of Revenue?!" Zhu Youjian thought to himself.

After finally getting through the morning court session, Zhu Youjian was still somewhat dazed. The "little eunuch" Sun Shiwan followed closely behind him, also somewhat silent.

"So, how was your first time attending court? Was it different from what you imagined?!" Zhu Youjian turned and asked. Sun Shiwan nodded and then shook his head.

In front of the Qianqing Palace, Sun Shiwan was about to leave with the emperor and return to her own courtyard when Zhu Youjian pulled her back and said, "Don't go, we still have to approve imperial edicts after court."

“Your Majesty, the harem is not allowed to interfere in political affairs.” Sun Shiwan finally couldn’t help but say this after holding it in for a long time. After saying it, she felt much more relaxed. Although she had a great interest in military and political affairs, this behavior, which was obviously a violation of the rules, still made her feel very uneasy.

"Don't talk so much nonsense. Emperor Taizu once said that eunuchs should not be literate. Don't overthink it. Come with me." Zhu Youjian put his arm around Sun Shiwan's shoulder and led her into the Qianqing Palace.

Wei Zhongxian and Wang Chengen exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away as if their eyes had been defiled. Although their eyes met only briefly, they could still see a hint of envy in each other's eyes.

Zhu Youjian allowed Sun Shiwan to freely browse through the memorials, read the original text and the cabinet's approval, and then let her write her own approval, which was attached to the memorials on a small piece of paper, just like the cabinet's approval.

Memorial from Wang Zhichen, Governor of Liaodong, requesting an increase in military pay.

Wang Zhichen reported to the emperor that the Jurchens had stationed troops in Liaoyang and requested an additional 500,000 taels of grain and provisions. He also impeached Man Gui, the general of Ningyuan, for being arrogant, corrupt, and negligent.

Hiss, upon seeing this memorial, Zhu Youjian felt uneasy. On August 8th of this year, due to the court's failure to pay military pay and the embezzlement of the military pay issued, the Ningyuan Mutiny occurred. Bi Zisu, the then governor of Liaodong, failed to obtain the pay from the court and was refused a loan from Shanxi merchants. Ultimately, he was forced to hang himself by Liaodong soldiers.

At that time, Zhu Youjian had not yet ascended the throne, and his brother, the carpenter, had died. The court was in turmoil and had no energy to attend to Liaodong, which led to this tragedy.

And Bi Zisu was Bi Ziyan's younger brother! It's hard to say to what extent Bi Ziyan was spurred by his brother's tragic death when he proposed the reforms at the Ministry of Revenue.

The cabinet's opinion was to issue a "reprimand order" to Man Gui. The Ministry of Revenue said they couldn't come up with 500,000 taels and could only give 300,000 taels at most. All nine border regions were in arrears with their pay, and if Liaodong was given that much, the other military towns would cause trouble.

Sun Shiwan then quoted her father, Sun Chuanting, who believed that Man Gui's strategy of refusing to divide his troops during the Battle of Ningyuan was correct. Man Gui's memorial stating, "I only know how to defend the territory, not anything else," should not be simply interpreted as disobeying orders. Therefore, Shiwan felt that Man Gui should not be reprimanded, but rather appeased. Regarding military pay, she believed that troop numbers should be verified before disbursement to prevent the misappropriation of funds.

Zhu Youjian wrote in red ink: circle the words of the cabinet's reprimand, and write "Not permitted" below them. Regarding the allocation of 300,000 taels, he wrote "As proposed, the Ministry of Revenue shall allocate it promptly."

“Wang Banban, have the Imperial Wardrobe prepare a flying fish robe for Man Gui, and reward him with a thousand taels of gold… No, let’s just give him five hundred taels of gold.” Zhu Youjian said, and Wanwan looked at him thoughtfully.

An audit?! That would be a recipe for disaster. The issue of receiving salaries without working is like pulling up a radish and bringing up a whole host of other problems; Zhu Youjian isn't planning to touch it yet.

The Ministry of War reviewed Mao Wenlong's request for provisions from Dongjiang. Mao Wenlong requested 300,000 shi of grain and provisions from Pi Island. The Ministry of War believed that he had falsely reported the number of soldiers and suggested that only 100,000 shi be allocated. The Ministry of War also sent an imperial censor to investigate.

The cabinet has drafted the proposal.

Sun Shiwan seconded the motion.

Zhu Youjian wrote, "It should not be promised lightly."

He planned to wait until Yuan Keli arrived before discussing Mao Wenlong's issue. Mao Wenlong was a bit rebellious. Back then, Yuan Keli was Mao Wenlong's superior, and the two had a love-hate relationship, constantly bickering and making a scene, which ended up causing quite a bit of trouble for Yezhupi.

Memorial from Li Song, Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, reporting the decay and damage of the navy's warships.

The Dengzhou Navy currently has 127 warships, of which 68 are in disrepair. They request the Ministry of Works to allocate 12 taels of silver for repairs.

The Ministry of Revenue thought his words made a lot of sense and said that it would definitely allocate funds to him when the court had money.

The Cabinet approved the proposal.

Wanwan felt that she should be paid.

Zhu Youjian sighed and wrote the words "as proposed," agreeing with the cabinet's opinion.

The Ministry of Revenue's Memorial Requesting the Reduction of Funds and Grain for the Provincial Textile Bureau

Guo Yunhou, the Minister of Revenue, petitioned to suspend the annual production of silk and bolts by the Suzhou and Hangzhou Textile Bureaus, which would save 280,000 taels of silver to be used for military expenses in Liaodong.

This is quite ironic, as Guo Yunhou has now been reassigned. Let professionals handle professional matters. Zhu Youjian sensed a conspiracy in this memorial. Although he couldn't pinpoint the exact problem, he was certain the newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Bi Ziyan, could. Therefore, he rejected the memorial, ordering the Ministry of Revenue to reconsider.

Report from Su Maoxiang, the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, on the Canal Siltation

The section of the Grand Canal from Linqing to Xuzhou is silted up for 120 li, and 400 grain transport boats are stranded, which may delay the transport of grain to the north.

Memorial from Shaanxi Governor Hong Chengchou requesting the exemption of taxes and grain levies in Yan'an Prefecture

Yan'an Prefecture suffered a severe drought, with only 30% of the autumn grain harvested. They requested an exemption from taxes in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign.

The Ministry of Personnel's Memorial on Reinstating Yuan Chonghuan

Yuan Chonghuan submitted a memorial requesting reinstatement, but the Ministry of Personnel postponed it due to "unresolved public opinion."

The cabinet agreed to reinstate Yuan Chonghuan.

Wanwan simply gave up and handed in a blank paper.

Zhu Youjian refused.

He pondered whether he should send Yuan Chonghuan to raise elephants, restore the Guangxi Elephant Training Guard system from the Hongwu era, and then go to Southeast Asia to plunder food.

(End of this chapter)