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

Chapter 62 "Edict on Fiscal Reform" and "Imperial Edict on the Reduction and Appointment of Key Officials"

However, even after Zhu Youjian had said all that, Bi Ziyan still insisted on not leaving. He knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Emperor Guangzong was always weak and was already seriously ill when he ascended the throne. He also had several men with him every day. The fact that the chief minister allowed Li Kezhuo to administer medicine was because the imperial physicians had no other choice. It was not a premeditated regicide as some villains have claimed."

As for the late emperor, it was due to the imperial physicians' failure to treat him, not some kind of ghostly trick.

Your Majesty, I humbly beseech you not to readily believe rumors circulating in the streets, lest you harbor suspicion towards your ministers and cause mutual distrust between you and your subjects.

Zhu Youjian said with a hint of sarcasm, "Isn't this just a rumor? Didn't the officials submit a memorial accusing Wei Zhongxian of regicide? But before my death, my elder brother instructed me to 'care well for the Empress and serve the eunuchs well,' saying that Wei Zhongxian was capable!"

"Your Majesty is wise! Such words are nothing but slanderous remarks fabricated by narrow-minded people for the sake of factional strife."

Furthermore, even if Your Majesty has concerns, you now command a large army: the White-Spear Guards isolate the inside from the outside and guard the palace, which is sufficient to ensure Your Majesty's safety. Moreover, the governors-general and garrison commanders of the various provinces are all loyal to the Ming Dynasty and to Your Majesty.

Your Majesty's ascension to the throne is ordained by Heaven and is the legitimate successor. In addition, you also hold military power, so you have both the title and the reality. Why should you be so cautious?

The nation is in a time of great turmoil, surrounded by powerful foreign powers and plagued by banditry.

The court was severely understaffed, with many departments and offices in the six ministries neglecting their duties and unable to function properly.

The people of the world are pitiful, trapped in misery, living in constant fear, their lives worse than death. Your Majesty, as the sovereign and father of all subjects, how can you bear to see your people suffer such calamity?
Your Majesty, I earnestly implore you to rouse your spirits and lead the subjects of my Great Ming Dynasty in a joint effort to revitalize the nation!

This wasn't the first time Zhu Youjian had heard his ministers advise him to be diligent and strive to be a good and wise ruler, but most of the time he ignored them, discarding the memorials of advice as scrap paper. But now, however, he was beginning to waver.

Could it really be that he was just setting up a non-existent enemy for himself?! Although he had been arguing and fighting with court officials for the past few months, he had indeed survived unscathed and had not been assassinated, or perhaps he had already eliminated the danger before it even began.

He was reluctant to explain everything with conspiracy theories, but the deaths of his father and brother did frighten him.

Zhu You sighed and said, "I believe what you say, but the whole court opposes your plan. How do you intend to push through this reform? Do you expect me to have all the opponents beaten to death?"
Even if no one openly defies the imperial decree, what if everyone shirks their duties?

Furthermore, if someone were to take advantage of this situation and escalate their actions, like the Green Sprouts Law during the Song Dynasty, forcing people to borrow money and causing families to be ruined and lives lost, how would that end?

"Your Majesty can use the power of demoting officials to promote reform."

There are currently many vacancies in the government. It is appropriate to promote those who are keen on reform and support the reform to important positions, and demote and send those who obstruct the reform and secretly cause trouble to remote areas.

As for the initial stages of reform, it is only natural that there will be resistance from officials. In the past, when Duke Xiao of Qin reformed the laws, all the nobles and members of the royal family opposed it. However, Duke Xiao insisted on implementing the reforms, which ultimately made the Qin state strong and unified the six kingdoms.

Your Majesty should emulate Duke Xiao's decisiveness and suppress dissent with swift and forceful measures, only then can the new policies take root and flourish.

“Bi Ziyan, if you wish to emulate Shang Yang, you must know that Shang Yang’s end was not good!” Zhu Youjian shook his head and said.

Bi Ziyan said, “Your Majesty is not like Shang Yang, and would never knowingly break the law or trap yourself in your own web. Your Majesty is in the prime of your life and in good health, while I am already old and gray. Moreover, Your Majesty has always been kind and benevolent, so I have no fear whatsoever. I hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully.”

Zhu Youjian asked in a deep voice, "How can I know whether your reforms will be effective or whether they will gain momentum?"

"Your Majesty, I cannot say for sure that the reforms will succeed, but if they do not, we should make timely adjustments. With repeated attempts, we will eventually find the right path."

"You say you want to abolish the stipends for the imperial princes, but don't you worry that the world might see another rebellion like the Jingnan Rebellion? How will the imperial princes make a living without their stipends?" Zhu Youjian asked again.

"Your Majesty may not know this, but the princes and other noble families of the main lineage rely on their vast landholdings and have no worries about their livelihood. However, the members of the smaller lineages and the imperial clan, even if their stipends are not abolished, already struggle to make ends meet. Moreover, the main lineages often withhold their stipends, leaving the smaller lineages with no share. Some even have to pawn their property, beg for food, or are too poor to hold weddings or funerals."

Their hardship stems from the court's prohibition against them engaging in the occupations of the four classes of people. Why doesn't Your Majesty grant them land and money, allowing them to make a living through their own efforts?

In conclusion, granting the imperial clan greater autonomy would save on the enormous expenses of supporting them, and local taxes would no longer need to be withheld for the needs of the princes, thus enriching the national treasury.

"Your Majesty and the court should explain the situation to the imperial clan in detail, reason with them, and persuade them to comply. If any vassal kings cause trouble because of this, they should be punished according to the law, and suppressed when necessary, without any leniency. Your Majesty must establish your authority over the world and cannot rely solely on benevolence. Although benevolence can win the love and respect of the people, it is difficult to gain the complete obedience of your subjects. The way of a ruler should be a combination of benevolent and hegemonic strategies, using both kindness and severity, in order to win the hearts of all people."

"Then your proposed performance evaluation system will likely face opposition from the entire court, won't it?"

Opponents have their own reasons, and they can be divided. Some may fear the strictness of the examination system. We can reduce the difficulty of the examination and set more reasonable content and requirements.

The performance evaluation system not only punishes incompetent officials but also rewards those who are ambitious and enterprising. Therefore, although it is opposed by lazy and corrupt officials, it will surely gain the support of a group of capable ministers.

In today's court debate, my memorial received eleven votes in favor, mostly from censors and supervising officials.

On that day, in addition to supporters and opponents, a large number of officials were observing the situation, waiting for His Majesty's decree.

This year's imperial examinations have produced many successful candidates who are all disciples of the Emperor. Your Majesty may further increase the number of special examinations. These newly appointed officials can all serve as assistants to the reforms.

If Your Majesty were to make an exception and promote younger officials to replace those older, incompetent ones, it would surely bring a fresh perspective to the court.

Zhu Youjian and Bi Ziyan talked back and forth until late at night, with Sun Shiwan, disguised as a eunuch, responsible for transcribing their conversation.

Bi Ziyan recognized Sun Shiwan's true identity as a woman, but he merely frowned and offered no words of advice.

Due to the overwhelming resistance, they decided not to abolish the land tax exemption for those with official titles, and to continue to allow them to enjoy a fixed amount of tax exemption privileges. However, taxes evaded by illegally seizing land through various means would still be pursued.

After many twists and turns, the reform finally began in earnest.

Zhu Youjian drafted two edicts: the "Edict on Financial Reform" and the "Imperial Edict on Appointing Senior Officials".

The edict described the financial difficulties currently facing the court and announced that the Ming Dynasty would carry out financial reforms. It appointed Bi Ziyan as Grand Secretary, concurrently serving as Minister of Revenue, and bestowed upon him the title of Grand Tutor, entrusting him with overall leadership of the reform efforts and instructing the Six Ministries and other relevant departments to cooperate. This edict did not pass through the Grand Secretariat or the Six Ministries of Censors; it only bore the imperial seal, which read "By the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Reign Be Long and Prosperous."

The next day at court, Zhu Youjian had Wang Chengen read the imperial edict aloud in court. At the same time, the edict was enlarged and multiple copies were made and posted on the nine gates of the capital in the form of imperial edicts.

After causing a huge uproar in the court, Zhu Youjian ignored the heated discussions and left, leaving Bi Ziyan to preside over the rest of the court session. More accurately, he ordered Bi Ziyan to give the officials an explanation.

This wasn't Zhu Youjian deliberately setting him up; it was something they had already agreed upon: the emperor would take a gamble, but Bi Ziyan would have to bear the pressure from the court himself. After hiding for so long, this sudden shock made Zhu Youjian a little scared. However, Bi Ziyan reassured him, saying, "I will bear all the blame myself and will absolutely not implicate Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian carried a chair and sat down next to the carpenter.

The Ministry of Works said that the underground part of the imperial mausoleum was almost completed, and his brother could be buried around March; however, the budget had been exceeded, and additional funds were needed to complete the above-ground part, which was expected to be 500,000 taels more than the original two million taels.

When Zhu Youjian heard Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang's boastful report, he was so angry he wanted to draw his imperial sword and chop the scoundrel to pieces on the spot. It seemed that in their eyes, exceeding the budget was normal, and not exceeding the budget was abnormal. Now, with the project progressing so well, the emperor should thank them and reward them!

"How is the situation at court?" Zhu Youjian asked. Wei Zhongxian was present throughout the entire court session, while Wang Chengen shuttled between the inner and outer courts, reporting the battle situation to Zhu Youjian.

"Your Majesty," Wang Chengen reported, "the court officials surrounded Grand Secretary Bi, but he debated with them without flinching. They accused him of embezzling money for Your Majesty and flattering the emperor, calling him a traitor, just like Yan Song and Wei Zhongxian, who deceived Your Majesty's wisdom."

Zhu Youjian rubbed his forehead and asked, "Did those ministers curse me?!"

Wang Chengen shook his head and said, "Several people spoke rudely and have already been taught a lesson by your minister and Wei Bingbi."

"Investigate again," Zhu Youjian said, waving his hand.

"Your Majesty, those ministers have started fighting!" Wang Chengen reported breathlessly as he ran back.

"Bi Ziyan was beaten?!" Zhu Youjian asked, standing up from his stool.

"No, it was Grand Secretary Bi who beat up Minister of War Cui Chengxiu!"

"Is Lao Bi really that fierce?!" Zhu Youjian was dumbfounded.

Zhu Youjian circled the carpenter brother a few times, stomped his foot and said, "No, you take the Wuxiang Left Guard to the court and keep an eye on things. Bi Ziyan is outnumbered and weak, he'll get beaten to death later."

"Yes, Your Majesty. But please allow me to inform you that although Grand Secretary Bi is outnumbered, he is not without power. The Duke of Yingguo and some young and capable officials in the court have all sided with Grand Secretary Bi!"

Wang Chengen had been gone for half an hour and hadn't returned. Zhu Youjian was getting anxious, constantly stroking the golden nanmu coffin his carpenter brother had made. He felt restless and anxious. If he weren't afraid of becoming the target of public criticism in the court and being surrounded by a large group of people as a wishing machine, he would have wanted to go and watch the battle.

Finally, Wang Chengen returned, this time bringing with him the resignation letter of the former Grand Secretary Huang Liji. Zhu Youjian had only promoted Bi Ziyan to the cabinet and appointed him as Grand Secretary, but had not dismissed Huang Liji. Normally, he should have been demoted to Second Grand Secretary, but he had lost an argument with Bi Ziyan in court and was too ashamed to remain, so he requested to retire.

This time, Zhu Youjian did not try to persuade him to stay. Instead, he carried the imperial edict from the main hall of the Qianqing Palace back to his own happy little house, the Maoqin Palace, and readily stamped it with his official seal, approving Huang Liji's retirement application.

However, in order not to appear too harsh and ungrateful and alienate his ministers, he still had to grant him the retirement benefits he was entitled to: he was given the title of Junior Tutor of the First Rank, while retaining the title of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet; he was also rewarded with a certain amount of gold, silver, silk and other items, and given a postal service, with local officials along the way ordered to "welcome and send him off with proper ceremony".

In fact, Zhu Youjian didn't want to give him a single copper coin. This was all money from the imperial treasury, and he was heartbroken.

Compared to the original historical timeline, Huang Liji was identified as a member of the eunuch faction and ordered to return to his hometown, which was equivalent to being expelled. Zhu Youjian is now treating him very well.

When Wang Chengen returned to the court with the "Memorial Requesting Retirement" that the emperor had swiftly approved, the arguing among the officials ceased! Everyone realized that the emperor was truly serious.

Previously, when the emperor wanted to appoint or dismiss officials, he would usually transfer the existing officials to other positions. Now, however, he was directly dismissing officials!

If Zhu Youjian knew what his court officials were thinking, he would probably curse them out: Huang Lijie resigned on his own, so how could the blame be placed entirely on him, the emperor?!

The emperor was determined to implement reforms. In fact, everyone knew that the court was in dire straits and reforms were inevitable. However, the fact that Bi Ziyan was chosen as the leader of the reforms was met with strong opposition from the public.

Doesn't he even know what Bi Ziyan did at yesterday's court assembly? His "Memorial on the Complete Transfer of Taxes to the Imperial Granary" was terrifying! And that's not all; he's playing mind games with everyone, using one explosive point to cover up an even bigger one. He actually wants to abolish everyone's land tax exemption!
What is he trying to do? Is he trying to starve all the officials? Without these two acres of meager land, how are they supposed to survive on the pitiful salaries from the imperial court?!
Ultimately, no one wanted the Ming Dynasty to collapse, since the tiger skin they were wearing still needed the Ming Dynasty's endorsement.

As for the idea of ​​surrendering to the Jurchens, no one even considered it. They'd have to be crazy to run after these uncivilized savages and become Tartar officials!

However, it's still possible to make some money by doing business with the Jurchens! I heard that the price of grain in Liaodong is now more than ten times that of the interior, and those military leaders on the border are making a fortune by stealing and selling military rations. Why can't they get involved and earn some money for their daily expenses?
Bi Ziyan was good at spreading alarmist rumors to deceive the emperor. He took advantage of the emperor's young age and kept talking about the fall of the country. How could the Ming Dynasty fall so easily?!
Ultimately, everyone knew that reform was necessary, otherwise the court couldn't survive. But if reform harmed their interests, that was absolutely unacceptable. Bi Ziyan wanted to curse even more: There's only so much wealth in the world; why is it so difficult for everyone to contribute a little? He's not trying to scrape the bones; he can't conjure money out of thin air, can he?

Bi Ziyan made a very straightforward promise that he would not touch the land that everyone had legally acquired, but everyone had to pay the tax, except for the portion that was exempted by imperial grace. He would punish anyone who refused to pay! However, he also compromised and made empty promises: if the court's revenue increased, he would ask His Majesty to raise everyone's salaries.

"The salary is only a pittance," high-ranking officials in the court scoffed, but some lower-ranking officials and those of the "pure stream" were tempted. Besides those who indulged in lavish feasts, there were indeed a group of people in the court who came from poor backgrounds and still lived in poverty after becoming officials.

In fact, Zhu Youjian only issued policy documents, without mentioning specific reform measures. These things still needed to be debated and finalized one by one.

Zhu Youjian was anxious for a long time, but was pleasantly surprised to find that everything was as before, and that his reluctant movement had no effect whatsoever!
A full-blown brawl broke out in the imperial court, but things eventually calmed down, and everyone acquiesced to the emperor's edict and his appointment of Bi Ziyan.

Bi Ziyan, by waving the emperor's banner, finally won over a group of people and gained a foothold in the court.

He also understood that among this group, a small portion were ambitious, but most were simply trying to curry favor with his power. After all, he had become the Grand Secretary the moment he entered the cabinet.

Whether it's currying favor or sharing the same ideals, Bi Ziyan believes that as long as they can be placed in the right positions, that's enough.

However, not everything remained unchanged: Bi Ziyan, as Grand Secretary and head of the Ministry of Revenue, could now approve the memorials submitted by his ministry during the drafting process; after establishing a close relationship with the emperor, most of his memorials would also be approved. Only the final obstacle remained: the Six Censors.

Some chief ministers were named Zhang Juzheng, while others were merely paper figures.

Zhu Youjian mustered his courage and took a gamble, using his so-called "absolute authority" to forcibly elevate Bi Ziyan to this position. As for whether he could ultimately subdue the Six Ministries, that would depend on his own abilities.

At night, Zhu Youjian held Sun Shiwan in his arms and asked, "Wanwan, am I too timid?!"

Sun Shiwan was involved in the entire planning process, so she naturally knew what the emperor meant, but she also knew that what the emperor needed now was not an answer.

So she laughed and said, "Your Majesty, you're just a toad, you jump around when you poke it."

(End of this chapter)