Chapter Thirty-Five: Minister of Revenue

Fang Congzhe pondered for a moment before saying, “Your Majesty, I fear that even this may not work. Many ministers in court, or their relatives, own numerous shops. If taxes are imposed, they could still profit, but no one ever complains of earning too much. I doubt they’ll consent, especially since they have a respectable justification—that the court should not compete with the people for profit. Moreover, the late Emperor only recently abolished the mining tax; for Your Majesty to immediately levy a commercial tax would surely provoke much debate among the ministers.”

Zhu Youxiao considered this and tentatively replied, “What if I, together with the Grand Secretary, agree and then forcibly issue an edict to collect the tax?”

Fang Congzhe quickly objected, “Your Majesty, that must not be done. The Censorate can block the imperial edict. If Your Majesty issues an order to impose a commercial tax, I am certain they will reject it, and then the authority of the court will be damaged.”

Zhu Youxiao understood Fang Congzhe’s implication—that the Emperor’s prestige would suffer. It turned out that even the Emperor could not always act at will. So, what method would succeed? He sought advice from the Grand Secretary. Fang Congzhe remained silent for a while before replying, “Unless the majority of ministers agree.” He shook his head after speaking, knowing full well how unlikely that was.

Only then did Zhu Youxiao realize the gravity of the issue—this would not be easy. He resolved to proceed step by step. He then proposed appointing Xu Guangqi as Minister of Revenue and asked the Grand Secretary to support him, which Fang Congzhe readily promised.

A few days later, Zhu Youxiao convened a meeting of the Cabinet and proposed promoting Xu Guangqi to Minister of Rites. Because Xu Guangqi was his first daily lecturer, Zhu Youxiao also suggested awarding him an Imperial Tutor’s gold plaque, enabling him to have an audience with the Emperor at any time, and granting him authority over officials below the third rank, including the power to remove officials below the fifth rank.

The Cabinet strongly opposed this. Save for Fang Congzhe, the other two members believed Xu Guangqi lacked sufficient seniority—he was only a third-rank official. Moreover, Sun Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, had just assumed his post and had done nothing wrong; how could Xu Guangqi replace him? The gold plaque would grant Xu Guangqi enormous power over all officials below the third rank, and the power to dismiss officials below the fifth rank. This would make his authority even greater than that of the Grand Secretary, which could hardly be considered a blessing for the nation.

Fang Congzhe was highly satisfied with Xu Guangqi—not merely because the Emperor had spoken well of him days prior, but also because Xu Guangqi belonged to no faction. Having him as Minister would be far preferable to an Eastern Forest Party member. Yet, it was awkward for him to agree to Xu Guangqi replacing Sun Shenxing, especially since Sun Shenxing had passed the imperial exam nine years before Xu Guangqi, making him superior in seniority. Moreover, the Emperor had previously mentioned the Ministry of Revenue, not Rites, which perplexed Fang Congzhe, so he refrained from expressing an opinion.

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, “Mr. Xu may lack seniority, but if seniority means the number of years since passing the imperial exam, I concede that point. Yet, since achieving his degree, Mr. Xu has translated Western books, written various works on agriculture and calendrical science, opened canals for rice cultivation, strengthened the army, and educated the imperial grandsons. Some passed the exam earlier but spend their days scheming for power, fighting factions, contributing nothing to the country. Such seniority is like that of an old villain—better to have none than such.”

With the Emperor’s words, the Cabinet members could no longer object on grounds of seniority. The two Eastern Forest members, in particular, feared the Emperor might lump them with factionalists, since Sun Shenxing was also one of their own. Liu Yizhi said, “Even disregarding seniority, Minister Sun of the Ministry of Rites has served diligently since his appointment. If his post is taken, the reason will be unclear, and the arrangement difficult. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider.”

Zhu Youxiao immediately replied, “So you all agree Mr. Xu can be promoted to Minister, but the difficulty lies in arranging for Minister Sun?”

The two Cabinet ministers reluctantly answered, “Precisely.”

Zhu Youxiao laughed and changed the subject: “Grand Secretary Fang, the memorial from Minister Li requesting leave for illness has not yet been processed, correct?”

Fang Congzhe finally understood the Emperor’s intent and was delighted. The Minister of Revenue was far more important than the Minister of Rites. “Indeed, Minister Li suffers from a serious illness, and as there is no one suitable to succeed him at the Ministry of Revenue, his request has not yet been approved.”

“In that case, Xu Guangqi, skilled in mathematics, can serve as Minister of Revenue.”

Now, Liu and Han were out of arguments. Since they had acknowledged Xu Guangqi’s qualification for Minister of Rites, he was certainly eligible for Minister of Revenue. Still, Liu Yizhi was unwilling to concede and raised doubts about the gold plaque, claiming its powers were excessive. Having achieved his main objective, Zhu Youxiao did not press the issue and agreed to reduce the plaque’s functions by one grade, finally securing unanimous Cabinet consent for Xu Guangqi’s appointment.

Within days, Minister of Revenue Li Ruhua submitted his ninth memorial seeking retirement. The Emperor at last granted it. To reward Li for his diligent years at the Ministry of Revenue, he was honored as Crown Prince’s Guardian and given gold, silver, and fine silks, with the Imperial Guards escorting him home.

At the same time, the Emperor issued a decree: Xu Guangqi was appointed Minister of Revenue, awarded an Imperial Tutor’s gold plaque, granting him audience with the Emperor at any time. Any memorial he submitted, once marked, would bypass the Office of Transmission or the Gate of Deliberation (memorials from provincial officials had to pass through the Office of Transmission, those from capital officials through the Gate of Deliberation) and go straight to the Emperor.

Xu Guangqi had expected the Emperor would only appoint him as Right Vice Minister of Revenue, or at most Left Vice Minister, but unexpectedly he was made full Minister. He did not feign modesty or decline. After entering the palace to express gratitude, he immediately began discussing methods for collecting commercial taxes with Zhu Youxiao. Their conversation lasted until supper, with no end in sight. Zhang Yan waited for the Emperor to dine, but he never arrived. After sending someone to inquire, she became furious—again it was Xu Guangqi, whom she had yet to confront over the previous incident. She took Duan Ying and Wang Wan and went directly to request an audience with the Emperor.

Zhu Youxiao was quite surprised and allowed them to enter, not asking Xu Guangqi to step aside. After the three women greeted him, Zhang Yan spoke: “Your Majesty, your health is the foundation of the realm’s safety and the support of your consorts, as well as the chief concern of the people. Minister Xu has delayed your meal and affected your well-being. I wonder if the esteemed Minister can bear such responsibility?”

Only then did Xu Guangqi realize how late it was, and he hurriedly knelt to beg forgiveness. Zhu Youxiao stopped him and smiled. “It was I who kept the gentleman for consultation; it is not his fault. Well, it is nearly finished, you may go now.”

Xu Guangqi thanked the Emperor and withdrew, full of puzzlement. He had heard that the Empress was wise and gentle; why had she singled him out today? Had he done something to displease her? After pondering for some time without an answer, he could only sigh and return home.

Once Xu Guangqi had left, Zhu Youxiao smiled at Zhang Yan and said, “You know you cannot resent me, so you vent your anger on Minister Xu. That’s like blaming the fish basket when you catch no fish. Minister Xu’s intentions were good—don’t do this again. Since it is your first offense, tonight you’ll be subject to family discipline, and I shall personally administer it.” The three ladies blushed, spat playfully, and fled with laughter.