Volume One: The Young Dragon Opens Its Eyes Chapter 134: Zhu Qizhen’s First Fire

Chapter 134: Zhu Qizhen's First Major Move

Zhu Qizhen asked, "Does Mister Yu find any obstacles in handling matters?"

Yu Qian replied, "With Your Majesty's favor and protection, no one in the capital dares to test the imperial majesty."

Zhu Qizhen said, "The Grand Empress Dowager is already preparing to let me take full charge of state affairs."

Yu Qian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Grand Empress Dowager is truly wise."

Seeing the strange look on Yu Qian's face, Zhu Qizhen asked, "Is something the matter?"

After a brief hesitation, feeling he should speak out, Yu Qian answered, "Among the Censorate, some have already decided to submit a memorial claiming that the protracted rain without clearing skies is a sign of the yin being above and the yang below."

"Audacious! Shameless!" Zhu Qizhen raged.

The so-called "yin above and yang below" was nothing less than a veiled reference to the Grand Empress Dowager's administration of government.

Though these men might appear to be loyal subjects solely devoted to his interests, Zhu Qizhen had been tempered over the past few years and could easily see through their petty maneuvers.

First of all, the Grand Empress Dowager's intention to return power had already been perceived by the senior officials at court. With so many people aware of it, it was no longer a secret.

Moreover, Zhu Qizhen had long since consulted the city elders in the capital, who assured him that heavy rain could not last indefinitely and that clearing skies were expected within days.

If these censors submitted their memorials just as the weather cleared, wouldn't they take credit for a natural phenomenon ordained by heaven and earth?

Claiming the credit of heaven and earth for oneself was one thing, but planting a thorn in the heart of the Grand Empress Dowager was quite another.

Yu Qian said, "Calm your anger, Your Majesty."

Zhu Qizhen sneered, "This is an attempt to sow discord in the imperial family. Mister Yu need say no more. Attendant Wang."

Wang Zhen immediately stepped forward, "This slave is here."

Zhu Qizhen ordered, "Go to Senior Grand Secretary Yang. Tell him I know of this matter and let him handle it as he sees fit."

Wang Zhen immediately replied, "This slave is on his way."

Witnessing this, Yu Qian sighed inwardly, knowing that those censors would certainly come to a bitter end. Yet Yu Qian understood the bigger picture perfectly.

Harmony between the two palaces was the blessing of the state.

The Grand Empress Dowager was, after all, no Wu Zetian, and filial piety was the foundation of governance. At such a critical juncture, it was best not to create complications.

Bringing the conversation back to the main point, Zhu Qizhen said, "Mister Yu, as the saying goes, a newly appointed official institutes three sweeping reforms. I must accomplish something."

Hearing this, Yu Qian felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Most officials were inherently averse to turmoil and reckless changes. Unless driven to desperation, they were unwilling to alter established laws; even Shang Yang had once stated that unless the benefits were tenfold, laws should not be changed.

In truth, Yu Qian often felt overwhelmed by Zhu Qizhen's many whimsical and radical ideas.

Zhu Qizhen's tone today reminded Yu Qian of the previous endeavor to open maritime trade.

To say that opening maritime trade was a mistake would be defying reality.

Presently, the tax revenue collected from just Xin'an County was almost on par with that of Guangzhou. And this was while Li Shimian had been extremely cautious, implementing strict inspections and severely restricting impostors during the opening of maritime trade in Xin'an.

Once restrictions were fully lifted, this tax revenue would undoubtedly skyrocket.

The mounting calls from the south for the opening of maritime trade were living proof of this.

Even so, having a superior who was constantly driven to enact changes made life difficult for his subordinates.

Yu Qian asked, "Where does Your Majesty intend to begin?"

Zhu Qizhen replied, "If one cannot sweep a single room, how can one sweep the empire? If I wish to govern the realm, I must start with Beijing. The capital is a gathering place of dragons and serpents; regarding public security, too many factions can intervene, resulting in no one taking responsibility."

"Therefore, I intend to consolidate all authority over public security in the capital under the Shuntian Prefecture. Starting today, the Six Ministries, the Brocade Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Five Chief Military Commissions shall no longer bypass the Shuntian Prefecture to meddle in the capital's security."

"What does Mister Yu think of this?"

Realizing the implications instantly, Yu Qian thought to himself, 'Your Majesty is practically placing me on a roasting fire.' This move would undoubtedly cut off the financial streams of countless people.

Yet Yu Qian did not care.

He had long wished to effect changes within Beijing, but due to constraints from various quarters, those plans had always fizzled out.

Yu Qian asked, "What does Your Majesty wish me to do?"

Zhu Qizhen said, "I once heard a saying: while officials have no hereditary fiefs, petty clerks do. Although the founding Emperor established benevolent laws prohibiting officials from casually venturing into the countryside, lower-level petty clerks have usurped the authority of officials, acting as tyrants, deceiving their superiors while oppressing those below. Their villainy surpasses even that of corrupt officials. Does Mister Yu agree or not?"

Having spent long years in local administration, Yu Qian understood local malpractices far better than Zhu Qizhen. He answered, "Such things do indeed exist. Furthermore, some nominal officials are nothing more than puppets manipulated by local veteran clerks."

"In the end, even when people are thrown into prison, they remain oblivious to what has transpired because these treacherous clerks collude from top to bottom, acting hand in glove."

Zhu Qizhen continued, "Moreover, although the court cherishes the people and keeps the number of officials modest—with a county magistrate having only a handful of formally appointed aides—the unregistered runners number in the hundreds, if not thousands."

"These men receive no salary from the court and exist solely to ravage the common folk."

"The people suffer more under the clerks than they do under the officials."

Yu Qian mused inwardly, 'I wonder whose master strategist inspired Your Majesty. These words are certainly not something His Majesty, long secluded within the palace walls, could have conceived on his own.'

It was not merely correct.

It was profoundly accurate.

Local officials understood many of these truths, but the art of officialdom dictated that one should deceive superiors while shielding subordinates. Even Yang Shiqi might not have understood the situation quite this clearly.

Because Yang Shiqi had spent too long at the center of power, he was inevitably detached from local realities.

Only an experienced administrator like Yu Qian, who had long served in the provinces and possessed genuine administrative talent, understood this better than Zhu Qizhen. Yet this was an open secret, and no one would have specifically reported it to Zhu Qizhen.

Little did he know that in later eras, there were countless treatises and discussions on this very subject.

Zhu Qizhen had merely caught wind of it and commanded the Brocade Guard and the Eastern Depot to investigate.

While the Eastern Depot and the Brocade Guard were less effective in foreign operations, within the borders of the Great Ming, very few things could escape their notice.

Consequently, having gathered a wealth of intelligence, Zhu Qizhen was able to deliver these remarks today and intended to use this issue as his very first major reform.

Yu Qian said, "Your Majesty is truly wise."

Zhu Qizhen declared, "I will not allow such things to continue."

Prepared as he was, Yu Qian was still somewhat startled. "Your Majesty, this matter is of monumental importance and affects the whole body by a single hair. It must not be undertaken lightly. If we abolish the hereditary succession of runners, where will local governments source their clerks? And if we incorporate unregistered runners into the official establishment of the state,"

"where will the necessary funds and grain come from?"

Zhu Qizhen understood this naturally. The Great Ming Dynasty had only ten or twenty thousand officials, but if they were to officially pay salaries to all clerks, the number would be immense—by his estimation, at least one hundred thousand and upwards.

Even if their compensation was modest, multiplied by one hundred thousand, it remained a staggering sum.

Zhu Qizhen replied, "I naturally understand the gravity of this, which is why this task does not rest upon me, but upon you, Minister."

For a moment, Yu Qian was puzzled. "Me?"

Zhu Qizhen explained, "I am entrusting the responsibility of governing the capital to the Shuntian Prefecture. With the prefecture's duties naturally expanding, its personnel must increase accordingly. Take advantage of this opportunity, Mister Yu, to devise a way to shatter the entrenched power of the clerks for me and establish a regularized bureaucratic structure for the prefectural government."

"I know that county offices traditionally have six departments to handle the affairs of the court, yet what the common people actually encounter are still these petty clerks. When you govern the capital, Mister Yu, I want you to forge a model for me."

"The fact that the common people were previously able to bear the extortion of runners proves that the local areas possess the capacity to support them. As to how we should proceed so that it benefits the people while protecting them from exploitation,"

"that is for Mister Yu to figure out."

"Once Mister Yu succeeds, I will certainly promulgate this system across the entire realm in the future."

It would be a lie to say Yu Qian felt no excitement upon hearing this. To establish merit and leave words that endure—if the entire empire were eventually to operate according to the framework Yu Qian devised, it would be an immense encouragement to him.

Many scholars and literati might not care for wealth, but very few were indifferent to fame.

Yu Qian was no exception.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Qian said, "Your Majesty, I shall do my utmost in this matter. However, this cannot be accomplished in a few years; it is certainly not something that can be achieved overnight."

Zhu Qizhen said, "I understand. I am young and have plenty of time; my patience is exceptionally good. However, this matter must not be spoken of to outsiders and can only be carried out in secret."

"This subject understands," Yu Qian replied.

Zhu Qizhen added, "Therefore, outwardly, your most prominent task will be relief work through labor. I do not wish to see waterlogging in the capital ever again, so dredging the sewers, reinforcing the city walls of Beijing, repairing the three great halls in the palace, and strengthening the embankments of the Lugou River are all tasks you must undertake."

Thinking to himself, 'This is truly working a man to death,' Yu Qian could only reply, "This subject obeys the imperial decree."