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

Chapter 61 I'm afraid of death, a complete coward.

Bi Ziyan hoped to gain the emperor's full support, but the emperor backed down, and his originally straight back slowly bent down.

Bi Ziyan mocked himself inwardly: He was already in his fifties, yet he was still so naive.

Zhu Youjian overestimated his own face. The final vote of the court deliberation group, composed of the heads of various government departments, the cabinet, and censors, was as follows:

There were 39 votes against the reform, and 11 votes in favor.

Even at this point, Zhu Youjian could have forced the passage of Bi Ziyan's reform proposal. After all, court discussions were meant to be advisory sessions for the emperor, but he ultimately did not do so.

Bi Ziyan's many days of hard work ultimately came to naught, and he died before his reform could be successfully launched.

However, what was rejected was merely a memorial entitled "Request for Unified Management of Finance and Taxation." Bi Ziyan remained the Minister of Revenue and could still propose other reform measures, but did nothing really change?

The thunder subsided, and the court returned to normal, becoming as lifeless as ever.

After the court session, Zhu Youjian felt a void in his heart. Perhaps if he had persisted a little longer, been a little more forceful, he could have succeeded?
Back at the Maoqin Hall, Zhu Youjian saw that Sun Shiwan, who had been sulking with him yesterday and said she wouldn't come, had still arrived. She had prepared the memorials early and was waiting for him, which made Zhu Youjian feel a little better.

"Is something on your mind, Your Majesty?" Sun Shiwan asked softly.

She saw Zhu Youjian staring at the memorial for a long time, unaware that ink was dripping onto the paper; he was clearly distracted.

"Sigh..." Zhu Youjian sighed, threw the vermilion brush on the table, reached out and pulled Sun Shiwan into his arms, saying, "Wanwan, my Great Ming has its own Xiao He, but I am not Emperor Gaozu of Han!"

"Is the Xiao He Your Majesty referring to Minister Bi?" Sun Shiwan immediately realized what was going on.

Zhu Youjian nodded, feeling somewhat depressed, and then he told Sun Shiwan about the mess that had happened in the court that day.

Sun Shiwan thought for a moment and said, "The only objection from the ministers is to consolidate the private treasuries of various departments into the imperial granary. Minister Bi's other proposal is to merge the tax categories into ten. In my opinion, isn't that feasible?!"

“You’re wrong about that.” Zhu Youjian shook his head and explained to Sun Shiwan with a smug look on his face, “Abolishing the private treasuries of the Six Ministries and unifying taxation were only the first step in Bi Ziyan’s reforms. His next step was actually to clarify the land ownership of the country and make everyone pay taxes. Abolishing the land tax exemptions for powerful gentry was the most fundamental reason why he was opposed by the ministers.”

"Your Majesty, I understand now," Sun Shiwan said, suddenly realizing her mistake. She comforted him, "If one strategy fails, we can try another. Why be discouraged, Your Majesty?"

"I'm afraid that from today onwards, all the officials will regard Bi Ziyan as an enemy. Just watch, tomorrow you will see memorials impeaching him flying in like snowflakes." Zhu Youjian said helplessly.

Sun Shiwan covered her mouth and chuckled, "Couldn't Your Majesty simply keep all these memorials in the palace and not issue them?! If Your Majesty is determined to protect a minister, what can anyone do to him?!"

"Yes, all I can do is keep quiet and not send anything else. I can't do anything else. It's already quite good that I can protect you all," Zhu Youjian said sadly. He touched Sun Shiwan's still unchanging belly and asked, "Wanwan, what kind of emperor do you think I am?"

“Your Majesty is a lazy ruler,” Sun Shiwan said with a smile, then added, seeing Zhu Youjian pout, “but also a benevolent one.”

"A benevolent ruler is useless; how can he possibly restore my Ming Dynasty from darkness to light?!" Zhu Youjian lamented in his heart.

The Ministry of Revenue was located east of the Thousand-Step Corridor within the Imperial City.

The atmosphere inside the yamen was somewhat oppressive, after all, they had just suffered a defeat.

The two vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue looked at Bi Ziyan with flickering eyes, and began to consider whether they might replace him.

Bi Ziyan was somewhat discouraged by his defeat in the imperial court.

Reflecting on his failures, he realized that what he lacked most were like-minded allies. His foundation was still too weak, and most of his former friends had retired. He thought to himself, "If only Sun Chengzong were still in the court."

Bi Ziyan didn't wallow in self-pity for long; instead, he began to consider the next steps for reform.

He knew he had offended almost all his colleagues and become an isolated official, but he did not receive the "imperial sword" and did not have enough power to promote reform. He originally wanted to change the world, but in the end he could only patch things up.

Bi Ziyan didn't know how much longer he could stay in the position of Minister of Revenue, but he hoped that he could do more practical things during the time he was still in the Ministry of Revenue.

The land survey still needs to be done, but the portion of taxes exempted cannot be recovered.

What can be accomplished depends on the cooperation of the Ministry of Personnel, but after what happened this morning, would the Ministry of Personnel still be willing to cooperate with him? Bi Ziyan was very doubtful.

The so-called cooperation from the Ministry of Personnel meant restoring the "Performance Evaluation System" to force local officials to measure land and collect back taxes. Otherwise, they couldn't accomplish anything by relying solely on a few people in the imperial court.

Instead of going to the Ministry of Personnel to cause trouble, Bi Ziyan wrote a memorial requesting the restoration of the performance evaluation system, incorporating land area, population, and tax revenue into the evaluation criteria.

Since the open-source attempt failed, the only option left is to continue cutting costs.

Reducing the number of old and weak soldiers and preventing the drawing of salaries without actual military personnel required the cooperation of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions. Bi Ziyan felt helpless, as he was hampered at every turn, and his reforms were simply impossible to implement.

After some thought, Bi Ziyan wrote another memorial requesting the cessation of stipends for princes and nobles. Then, carrying these two memorials, he went to the Qianqing Gate. He intended to speak with the emperor in person.

Upon hearing that Bi Ziyan had petitioned the emperor, Zhu Youjian had Sun Shiwan change into the clothes of a young eunuch and then invited Bi Ziyan in.

After the officials paid their respects, they remained silent for a long time.

Zhu Youjian flipped through the memorials he had brought directly, somewhat confused about their meaning.

A memorial that reaches the emperor directly without going through the cabinet is called a "secret memorial," and such behavior is called "direct memorial." It is against the rules and can lead to impeachment and disruption of the court.

Zhu Youjian, too lazy to beat around the bush, brandished the two memorials in his hand and asked directly, "What is the meaning of Minister Bi's actions?!"

"Your Majesty, I request that you reinstate the performance evaluation system and allow me to determine the land area throughout the land. The affairs of the state are difficult, so please suspend the distribution of stipends to the imperial princes," Bi Ziyan said respectfully.

"My question is why you did not submit this memorial to the cabinet?" Zhu Youjian said in a deep voice.

“Your Majesty makes decisions independently; why should you involve the cabinet?” Bi Ziyan said earnestly.

"What if my decree is rejected?!" Zhu Youjian asked, frowning.

Bi Ziyan replied, "Those who disobey the emperor and father should be dismissed!"

Zhu Youjian remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Bi Ziyan, you're entering this situation alone, aren't you afraid?!"

"I will serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty, even unto death!" Bi Ziyan prostrated on the ground and said.

However, Zhu Youjian was not excited. He simply said softly, "The late emperor has not yet been buried. Bi Qing, what do you mean by my elder brother falling into the water? And what was the red pill that my late father ate?! Go back, I will think about it some more."

(End of this chapter)