prosperous age

The Ministry of Revenue's account books had been explained clearly. Zhang Xueyan and the other officials from the six ministries only stayed in the cabinet for a while, chatted for a bit, and then took their leave.

Wei Guangde remained seated there calmly, showing no intention of leaving.

Soon, Zhang Siwei and Shen Shixing also felt they had nothing more to say, and they both got up and left the Grand Secretary's office under the pretext of official business.

"ShanDai, what's up?"

Zhang Juzheng found it strange. Usually, after the matter was finished, Wei Guangde would sit and chat for a while. But today, he sat opposite him without any intention of getting up. Zhang Juzheng guessed that Wei Guangde probably had something to say to him alone.

“Uncle, just now when Minister Zhang mentioned the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts for this year, especially when Vice Minister Zhang mentioned the arrears in the local garrisons, I thought of something.”

Since the founding of our Great Ming Dynasty, in order to facilitate the withdrawal of taxes, we have always implemented the rules of tax collection and retention.

Every year, local governments would submit a memorial to the imperial court requesting approval on the amount of taxes to be retained based on the previous year's expenditures.

After the records were retained, the Ministry of Revenue basically had no control over those accounts; they were handled by the local authorities.

Then they report a number, but there's absolutely no way to monitor the expenditures.

Wei Guangde immediately pointed out the financial problems he had noticed in the Ming Dynasty.

“I understand what you’re saying, Shandai. I’ve thought about it before, but there’s no way to do it. We can’t just start all the loans and then transfer them back when we need them. That would be even more laborious and costly.”

Zhang Juzheng began to speak.

"But if we build Taicang branch warehouses in each province, with one Taicang warehouse in each province, most of the silver can be stored in the warehouses, and the local areas can only keep some for reserve."

Afterwards, if no expenses were incurred, the local government would take the necessary documents to Taicang to settle the accounts, and if there was any shortfall, Taicang would make up the difference.

In this way, the Ministry of Revenue could monitor exactly how much was retained at the local level, having a concrete figure, instead of simply submitting a report from the local government.

Wei Guangde immediately replied, "Just like the Tax Bureau, it should be directly managed by the Ministry of Revenue."

"hiss"

Upon hearing Wei Guangde's words, Zhang Juzheng couldn't help but gasp.

In the past, there were very few government departments with such vertical management; if there were, they were usually local government offices.

For example, the Ministry of War could directly communicate with the provincial military commissioners, while the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate were connected to the provincial judicial commissioners.

In addition, the system of circuit inspectors was later established to supervise local officials, and the Censorate then had a subordinate circuit inspector's office.

Zhang Juzheng finally understood that Wei Guangde seemed to be intentionally breaking the management system that the Central Plains dynasties had established over thousands of years and increasing the central government's supervision over local areas.

Is this a good idea?
Of course it's good; at least for officials in the capital, it means more power.

However, this also means a problem: the weakening of local authority and the potential backlash from local officials.

Taking back local financial power is a difficult and thankless task.

"Since the Jiajing reign, the Taicang granary has been empty several times. After the old treasury was depleted, we could only borrow silver from the Changying treasury."

Is it true that the government has no money to spare?

No, it's because the silver is all stored in local areas; it's silver that the imperial court simply can't control.

The only way to recover the money was through periodic collection of funds from local authorities.

Even so, the local authorities still made excuses and obstructed the process.

Of course, with the current performance evaluation system, such situations are less frequent, but if the imperial court really needs money, they won't even know the extent of the funds.

Wei Guangde knew the difficulty of this matter, especially since it involved the local officials' money, which would make them very hostile.

But to truly control the empire, this step seems unavoidable.

Otherwise, the entire imperial court's finances would ultimately be like a heap of loose sand.

"We can reduce the amount of local government funds retained each year; there's no need for the Ministry of Revenue to extend its reach to the local areas."

"Now that they directly control the Taxation Bureau and your Agricultural Promotion Bureau, the subordinates are quite dissatisfied."

Zhang Juzheng decisively backed down this time. He could see the benefits to the court, but he couldn't do it.

Wei Guangde was taken aback, not expecting Zhang Juzheng to refuse so directly this time.

Come to think of it, he has already offended many officials across the country. If he were to take any more drastic measures, he might truly be standing on the opposite side of the bureaucratic system.

He was actually afraid; no one is unafraid of the power of officials.

Even Gao Gong, one of Emperor Longqing's most trusted ministers, slunk back to his hometown of Xinzheng amidst the general backlash against him.

"Then we'll talk about it later."

Wei Guangde wisely stopped mentioning the matter. In fact, there was no rush; he had only thought of it on a whim.

"I heard that the foundation of your Western-style building inside Chongwenmen was completed before the new year, and construction will begin tomorrow spring?"
Tell me, what exactly do you want to build it into?

I've heard rumors circulating that you're building it using European techniques, entirely in brick and stone, and that it's going to be several stories high.

Zhang Juzheng didn't want to talk about that matter anymore, so he thought of the rumors he had heard before and wanted to inquire about them.

Wei Guangde's Midas touch was well-known in the imperial court. This time, he secretly set up a business association specializing in construction.

Despite the widespread news of the construction of a large building at Chongwenmen, while everyone from high-ranking officials to nobles was watching closely, no one actually approached Wei Guangde to discuss matters such as the possibility of him becoming a shareholder.

They all chose to stand by and watch, to see what was so good about this Western-style architecture that made Grand Secretary Wei willing to spend money to build it.

The preparations were quite extensive. The Wei family bought several quarries and transported a lot of some kind of ash from Datong, claiming it was building material.

Okay, the Wei family also bought the place in Datong that produces that ash, and they'll be collecting that kind of stuff from now on.

A lot of money has been spent, but nothing has been seen yet.

Of course, not everyone in the imperial court was completely ignorant of this, since officials from the Ministry of Rites who had visited Europe had mentioned the magnificent architecture there.

The church, in particular, with its enormous space that is tens of meters high, gives one a sense of grandeur as soon as they enter.

Did Wei Guangde see a church inside Chongwenmen?

He doesn't believe in Western religions.

So everyone is now waiting to see what kind of thing Grand Secretary Wei will come up with.

In fact, Wei Guangde knew in his heart that European construction projects had extremely long construction periods, which was why no one was willing to partner with him.

The most striking thing for the Ming Dynasty delegation in Europe was the churches, and the construction period of these churches was indeed a pain in the neck.

Construction often takes more than a decade, and even large cathedrals like Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris have taken more than a century to complete.

Life is only a hundred years long; isn't this just making a wedding dress for future generations?

Although there's an old saying that one generation plants the trees so that another can enjoy the shade, that's not how it's done. Why spend so much money building houses?

The Wei family keeps its architecture very secret; in fact, no more than a handful of people know the details.

Now that Zhang Juzheng had some free time, he wanted to get information from Wei Guangde about what he was planning to build, and whether it was one of those buildings that would last for decades.

Chongwenmen Inner Street is a prime location in Beijing. If it were built there for decades, the loss in land rent alone would be substantial.

“I’ve heard that too. It won’t take that long. What do you mean by ten or twenty years? That’s an exaggeration.”

Wei Guangde smiled faintly, "But it does take much longer than traditional wooden pavilions."

"It's just a project to build a building and see how it goes. Once it's completed, I'd like to invite my uncle to come and inscribe something."

Wei Guangde chuckled and didn't respond. He knew there was a significant benefit involved, and revealing the inside story too early would be detrimental to the Wei family.

They should delay for at least a year or two, allowing the Wei family to buy up prime land in various prefectures before releasing the news.

By then, with the contract between Mario and his apprentice in hand, he wouldn't be afraid of them being poached.

Others can certainly participate, but it would take one or two years to send ships to Europe to hire architects.

However, by then, his plan to build skyscrapers across the country would have already begun, and their involvement would not pose any obstacle to the Wei family.

"Hehe, very good, I'll see how you, the Midas touch, build the Western-style buildings."

Seeing that Wei Guangde was unwilling to say more, Zhang Juzheng did not press him further and could only smile.

He wouldn't do what Wei Guangde did.

The Zhang family also has some businesses, but they are all very well hidden and run by servants within the mansion, unlike Wei Guangde, whose business dealings are known to everyone in the court and among the common people.

This was actually a flaw that Wei Guangde deliberately left unsaid, so that everyone would know that the censors would have no shortage of reasons to impeach him.

As the saying goes, no one is perfect. If you do your best, you will be suspected by the palace.

You were allowed to impeach him, but the Wei family received real benefits.

Don't think that just because you're a cabinet minister and have your hands in the Censorate, you have complete control over it and can prevent censors from impeaching you.

That's impossible. Even the annual impeachment task must be completed by the censors.

Who to impeach?
What's the point of impeaching a minor official? You have to impeach big shots like the Grand Secretary or the Minister of the Six Ministries.

Zhang Juzheng submitted at least dozens of impeachment memorials every year, with all sorts of bizarre reasons, but none of them were particularly serious.

Wei Guangde was the same; even if others didn't play the instrument, Wei Guangde would have Lao Kan arrange for some memorials to say a few words about him.

Back when Yan Song was in power, he held immense influence in the court and the country. Censors came one after another to impeach him. Do you think all those who impeached him were acting out of public interest?

Some of these people were actually arranged to put the Jiajing Emperor at ease, so that he would not have a complete grasp on the government.

If no one impeaches him, then Emperor Jiajing will probably have to consider whether to keep Yan Song or not, as he poses too great a threat to imperial power.

Yan Song was able to remain firmly in his position as prime minister because the Jiajing Emperor recognized the powerful forces at court that could oppose him, which is why he dared to use him with confidence.

Emperor Jiajing was indeed a genius. He ascended the throne as a prince, but he quickly figured out that the so-called art of emperorship was actually about "balance".

There cannot be only one voice in the court; if there is, it is a path to death.

Maintaining a balance of power among the various factions in the court, with the emperor in a position of supreme control, is essential for the stability of imperial power.

Emperor Tianqi actually did a pretty good job of maintaining a balance, which can be considered passable. However, Emperor Chongzhen did not do a good job. The Donglin Party was too powerful and was not strongly suppressed, which was an important reason for the final collapse of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if he started employing people outside the Donglin Party, it would be too late.

Zhang Juzheng did not teach the young emperor these things. Instead, he taught him to govern the country with benevolence and filial piety, and to follow the Confucian way.

Zhang Juzheng's education was actually very effective, because during the more than forty years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, even if the Wanli Emperor was dissatisfied with his ministers, he never ordered the execution of any minister, and he carried the concept of "benevolence" throughout his imperial career.

The preferential treatment given to the Empress Dowager and her brothers also reflects the aspect of filial piety.

Although in the eyes of later generations, these are all outdated notions of "benevolence" and "filial piety".

Even though the purge of Zhang Juzheng was criticized and resulted in the deaths of many of Zhang's descendants, Emperor Wanli only issued an edict to "recover stolen goods" and did not actually order any killings.

However, Wei Guangde said that he didn't want to cause too much trouble, or rather, to ensure his own safety, it would be best to talk to the young emperor about how to protect the army.

In fact, the Jiajing Emperor was very ruthless and would execute ministers at the drop of a hat.

Using the Jiajing Emperor's methods to balance the court, even if you know it's the emperor's political maneuvering, you still can't understand it from the ministers' perspective.

This is how the emperor stands on the side of righteousness.

If the Jiajing Emperor had not frequently killed his ministers, but instead had demoted, transferred, or dismissed them like the Wanli Emperor, his reputation would have been much better.

This is something Wei Guangde added after carefully studying the curriculum for young emperors designed by Zhang Juzheng.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing we both need to pay attention to."

Zhang Juzheng suddenly spoke seriously to Wei Guangde.

"What's the matter?"

Wei Guangde asked.

“Last month, the eldest son of the emperor celebrated his one-month birthday, but His Majesty did not go to Cining Palace.”

Zhang Juzheng began to speak.

Wei Guangde knew about this matter and had mentioned it before, but the young emperor only agreed in person and it didn't seem to affect him.

"This matter is troublesome. His Majesty is not pleased, so we can only teach him slowly. After all, he is his flesh and blood. How can he be treated so poorly?"

Wei Guangde nodded in agreement. Although it was a matter for the royal family, treating one's children coldly was contrary to Confucian principles.

"In addition, Shuanglin sent a message a couple of days ago, saying that the selection of concubines to enter the palace will take place in September, and His Majesty seems to be particularly fond of one of the women named Mengjing."

"We shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the inner palace, but His Majesty is young, and I worry that he might be tempted by women and cause trouble again."

Zhang Juzheng continued.

"Then let's send a message to the palace to reduce the number of imperial concubine selections in the future."

If there is a shortage of palace maids, then palace maids will be added; there is no need to have them reviewed in front of His Majesty.

Your Majesty already has more than ten concubines in the harem; having more might not be a good thing for your health.

Wei Guangde thought for a moment and then said.

"I will speak to Shuanglin about this privately, and you should also talk to Chen Ju, who is in charge of this talent show."

Judging from His Majesty's intentions, it seems he will have to conduct the imperial concubine selection again in the future.

Zhang Juzheng said.

Wei Guangde didn't respond this time, but simply nodded slightly.

So this is where the trouble started. Feng Bao was probably worried that Chen Ju would select a concubine for His Majesty and choose a woman he would love, thus gaining favor and surpassing Feng Bao's position in the emperor's heart.

What I just said was just a casual remark. If it helps Chen Ju get promoted, Wei Guangde naturally won't object.

Wei Guangde was about to rise to the highest ranks of officialdom, and Chen Ju naturally wanted to advance to become the Grand Chancellor as well. So, there were some things that were hard to say.

After leaving the Grand Secretary's office, Wei Guangde returned to his own office to handle government affairs.

As for Zhang Juzheng's words, strictly speaking, it was already too late in terms of the timing of his reminder.

The woman he referred to as "Dreamland" was none other than Consort Zheng, who would later become famous during the Wanli Emperor's reign.

Zheng was quick-witted, beautiful, and lively, which won her Zhu Yijun's favor.

The Zheng family's desire to make their son the crown prince triggered a succession dispute that lasted for more than a decade, which also led to the family feuds that plagued the late Ming Dynasty.

In the subsequent cases of the seditious book case, the club attack case, and the red pill case, Zheng became the focus of the conflict. It can be said that Zheng's activities during the Wanli reign triggered huge political turmoil.

However, neither Zhang Juzheng nor Wei Guangde were aware of these things at this time.

It was only when Lady Zheng was made a concubine the following year that Wei Guangde became somewhat wary because of her surname "Zheng". (End of this chapter)