I'm really not doing business

Chapter 1101 History, Politics: The Strictest Father

To determine whether a workshop or asset is of poor quality, one should assess it from three perspectives: means of production, tools, and professional and technical personnel, rather than starting with how much money or debt is on the books.

The Ming Dynasty didn't have money in its accounts before, but the land and people of the Ming Dynasty were still there. By organizing production and sorting out taxes, it was able to recover.

All the assets that Sun Kehong handed over to the emperor were of high quality, because none of the means of production, tools, or artisans had been seriously lost. However, as Sun Kehong grew old, his sons, under the influence of others, began to fight over the family property, which led to the cotton mill being infested with weevils.

"So, less than 30% of the silver actually ended up in the hands of these sons. The remaining 70% was in the hands of these parasites." After reviewing the roster written by the new manager, Zhu Yijun discovered a basic fact: these sons didn't actually get much money; the lion's share of the silver was taken by the parasites they had planted.

When Hu Junde saw that His Majesty had asked about the distribution, he hesitated for a moment before speaking, saying, "Your Majesty, if the law is not enforced, it is because those above violate it."

"The law cannot be effectively implemented and universally obeyed because corruption often begins from the top down, rather than from the bottom up. This is a very common pattern."

“Sun Kehong’s sons began to fight for the family property. These people naturally stopped fearing the rules and became bolder and bolder. They soon discovered that they could still do whatever they wanted without the support of these sons, so they naturally kept most of the property in their own hands.”

Hu Junde explained why, in the distribution of the profits from the embezzled cotton textile business, his sons received 30%, while his henchmen and lackeys took the lion's share.

When the rule of law fails, it is because those at the top rebel. The greatest pain in the implementation of the law is that certain individuals who control the power to interpret the law, that is, those who hold power, do not respect the dignity of the law. This disrespect undermines the authority of the law, and ultimately the law is no longer universally accepted.

The same applies to rules. Once the authority of a rule is broken by its creators or owners, it becomes extremely difficult to establish new rules.

Rules and laws are actually part of the consensus of everyone. For any organization or group, consensus is the greatest foundation.

Once this foundation is hollowed out, it's a cataclysmic event.

Whether Sun Kehong entrusted the cotton spinning business to his biological son Sun Chengzhi or his adopted son Chen Jingyi, they could no longer reach a consensus. Entrusting the cotton spinning business to them would only lead to its complete ruin, because the suppliers of raw materials, the garment workshops that purchased cotton fabric, and the craftsmen of the cotton spinning business no longer trusted Sun Chengzhi and Chen Jingyi.

Sun Kehong handed over the cotton mill to the emperor in order to rebuild consensus and ensure that his life's work could continue to exist, rather than slowly decaying and becoming a laughing stock.

Sun Kehong had no choice but to sell the cotton mill, even if he refused to hand it over to the emperor, because people no longer recognized them.

This is actually completely consistent with Xiong Tingbi's saying that "human life is cheap, but people's hearts are precious." The Sun family's loyalty to Liyu Cotton Mill has already been lost.

Is this true only for cotton mills like Liyu Cotton Mill? It also applies to politics.

Rebels who undermined the authority, legal system, and legitimacy of the imperial court were prevalent among the common people and within the imperial court as well.

For example, the censors would impeach some officials every year for treating the seriousness of the law as a joke, acting arbitrarily, issuing documents and announcements, disregarding the facts, talking nonsense, and undermining their own authority.

Zhu Yijun posted a special notice announcing his decision, stating that salaries would be distributed within seven days. The notice was personally written and stamped by the emperor, demonstrating his commitment to keeping his word. Similarly, he solicited clues from all the craftsmen, hoping they would cooperate actively to find all the moths in the cotton mills and reduce losses for the cotton workshops.

Ask the craftsmen, and they'll know everything. They know who's making them suffer, who's breaking the rules, and who's acting recklessly.

The emperor's posting of the notice elicited cheers from the craftsmen. Soon, the craftsmen who had been sitting and demanding firewood gradually dispersed. Over the years, His Majesty's credibility had been recognized even by rebels and foreign barbarians overseas. They all knew that His Majesty kept his word.

The order and stability of the gold and silver notes currently depend entirely on the emperor's personal credibility, which is strong enough to issue notes.

His Majesty has made a promise, and he will certainly keep it.

The problem with Liyu Cotton Spinning is no small matter; it deserves the emperor's serious attention because it is a landmark event.

The powerful families of Songjiang Prefecture were all watching. They knew this was a hot potato. If the emperor couldn't handle it, the wealthy merchants and powerful families would have a great opportunity. Of course, the possibility of the emperor not being able to handle it was very small. These powerful families mainly depended on the emperor's attitude.

If His Majesty's attitude changes, the Salary and Wage Adjustment Office can selectively ignore it, which means giving the Songjiang Prefectural Government face and doing a superficial job. The labor-management conflict that has just eased will immediately intensify, and all the tools and laws of the Wanli Reforms regarding labor-management conflicts will no longer be universally observed.

But these powerful figures were destined to be disappointed, as His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, as always, showed even greater respect for laborers.

The emperor first met with the craftsmen to inquire about their situation and needs, and then asked the general manager and accountant to find out the truth. This order was very important, as it represented the emperor's attitude.

The next day, cartloads of silver arrived at Liyu Cotton Mill, and wages began to be paid. Seven days was His Majesty's promise, and one day was His Majesty's execution.

Meanwhile, the collection of clues is in full swing. In the past, the parasites were stealing from the Sun family's property, but now the emperor is the one chasing this debt!
Is there any justice left!
If you knew it was the emperor chasing after them, even if those corrupt officials had the audacity to take the money!
"Huh? No, how come there's so much more silver?" On the seventh day, Zhu Yijun received the account book presented by Hu Junde. It was already the third day of the sixth month.

Including debts owed to other suppliers, wages owed to artisans, and money owed to money lenders, Liyu Cotton Textile suffered a total deficit of 2.4 million taels of silver.

But Hu Junde wanted to collect three million taels of silver, which was six hundred thousand taels more than that.

“Your Majesty, this is debt collection. How can you collect debts by only demanding the principal? Interest is also required.” Zhang Hong said with a smile, “However, the name is not interest, but confiscation of public property for misappropriation.”

Hu Junde's reasoning was very sound: how much silver would it take to persuade His Majesty to take action?
The case of Liyu Cotton Mill has alarmed His Majesty. The Songjiang Prefecture has left a mark of incompetence in His Majesty's mind. This debt must be settled with punitive measures!
"Alright then." Zhu Yijun ultimately did not interfere with Hu Junde's pursuit of the debt.

Hu Junde's meaning was very clear: if you make a mistake, you should not only make amends but also make compensation; this is the proper way.

For example, when the wage arbitration is conducted, there is a calculation method for lost wages. From the day the craftsman stops receiving his salary until he successfully receives his salary, the lost wages are calculated based on the previous monthly salary, increasing by the number of months.

For example, Zhang Sanyue's monthly salary was one tael and three qian. He stopped receiving his salary for three months before he finally received the wages he was entitled to.

The first month's lost wages were 1.3 taels of silver, the second month's were 1.67 taels of silver, and the third month's were 2.2 taels of silver. Each month's lost wages were 1.3 times that of the previous month. If the lost wages were not received by the fourth month, the lost wages for the fourth month would be 2.86 taels of silver.

The poor laborers did the work, and these powerful and wealthy merchants paid their due wages and that was it?
Does the time that artisans waste not count as their cost?
Without calculating this lost work compensation, it's not about achieving fairness and justice, but about 'filling the gaps' and simply muddying things up.

Making up the difference is not about fairness and justice; it's money they should have paid anyway. The lost wages calculated by adding up the coefficients are a punitive measure.

This also takes into account the issue of administrative costs. The longer a case drags on, the higher the administrative costs become, and all of one's own performance evaluation will be affected. If a case is not completed within half a month, then one will be rated as below average.

This regulation was established to save administrative costs and prevent labor remuneration arbitration cases from dragging on for too long.

Ordinary people can't afford to wait.

In addition, these punitive measures also include tax audits. If a powerful figure refuses to comply with a ruling made by the Salary and Wage Arbitration Commission and delays for more than a month, the case will be transferred to the Tax Audit Court for audit. Once the case reaches the Tax Audit Court, it will no longer be a civil matter, but a major criminal case.

The tax inspectors are real wolves and tigers, and the tax bureau is notorious for its evil deeds. Once someone is transferred to the tax bureau, they won't escape unscathed.

Of the 8,000 cases handled by the Salary and Wage Arbitration Office, half are class action lawsuits, ranging from dozens to hundreds or even thousands of people. For cases of this scale, transferring them to the Tax Audit Court for enforcement has become the most effective means for the Salary and Wage Arbitration Office.

The same punitive measure of pursuing the 600,000 taels of silver owed also demonstrates Hu Junde's stance: he wants to uphold the dignity of the court, rather than allowing himself to be arbitrarily powerful and use the power given to him by the court to seek personal gain.

Or to put it more simply, Hu Junde was using the money he owed to punish corrupt officials to show his loyalty to the emperor, sever ties with the powerful figures in Songjiang, and express his stance and attitude.

This is very important to Hu Junde; he really wants to improve.

Zhang Juzheng said more than once that Gao Qiyu was power-hungry and would do anything for advancement. Hu Junde thought Zhang Juzheng was wrong. In officialdom, who doesn't want to advance? If you don't want to advance, why bother taking the imperial examinations or entering officialdom!
In early June of the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, the salary adjustment offices of Shuntian Prefecture, Jinan Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, Hangzhou Prefecture, Fuzhou Prefecture, and Guangzhou Prefecture were officially established. To everyone's surprise, Xuzhou Prefecture was also on the list of the first batch of salary adjustment offices.

How many times has Xuzhou Prefecture risen to prominence by taking advantage of the emperor's favoritism? People have gradually become accustomed to the emperor's preferential treatment of Xuzhou.

This was a policy favor. Prefect Liu Shunzhi of Xuzhou protected the people's livelihood and allowed the people of Xuzhou to live a stable life. The emperor was very pleased. Although there was no obvious labor-capital conflict in Xuzhou Prefecture, there was still policy support.

The imperial court's support for Xuzhou was partly due to the emperor's personal bias, but also reflected a consensus among the court officials.

The Xuzhou region has witnessed over fifty large-scale battles throughout history, the rights and wrongs of which are difficult to discuss. However, historians have all noted that it was on this ancient battlefield that the rise and fall of countless dynasties were determined.

This place is extremely important; it is necessary to ensure the loyalty of everyone in Xuzhou to the imperial court and the emperor.

Especially after the completion of Yanqing Palace, the emperor needed to travel between Shuntian Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture all year round. As the gateway to the south, if Xuzhou was not loyal enough, the emperor would have to worry about his safety. If there was a problem in this place and it was not loyal enough to the emperor, the emperor would not feel at ease.

If Jinshan Kingdom is a sword hanging over the heads of the governors-general of Mexico, Peru, and Chile, then Xuzhou is a sword hanging over the Jiangnan region.

One hundred and seventy people voluntarily enlisted in the army, which is a testament to the loyalty of the Xuzhou local government. The strong support from the government policies is an affirmation of this loyalty.

Shen Shixing launched a new round of official rectification based on the principle of "not pursuing empty fame and incurring real disaster." During this rectification, one case attracted widespread attention throughout the Ming Dynasty. All the major newspapers followed up with reports, and the court also loosened its control over public opinion, allowing the newspapers to discuss this typical case of corruption.

The seventeen officials who impeached Zhang Juzheng were also busy with this matter: the major corruption case at the Weishan Lake Coal Mine in Huancheng Town, Yi County, Yanzhou Prefecture.

Du Wenzhong, the prefect of Yanzhou, came from the Du family of Baokang, a truly prominent and wealthy family. When he was the prefect of Yanzhou, he entrusted the mining and management of the Weishan Lake Coal Mine to a powerful and influential person. In return, this person built an extremely luxurious manor for Du Wenning in his hometown.

This corruption case was massive, involving more than 1.8 million taels of silver, making it the second largest case after the Xu Jie case.

The officials reviewed the process by which Du Wenzhong was corrupted, and this process is typical of those who pursue empty fame but ultimately suffer real harm.

In the fourth year of the Wanli reign, Du Wenzhong became the magistrate of Kaixian County in Sichuan Province, a position he held for eight years. In order to seek a promotion, a powerful figure approached Du Wenzhong, expressing his willingness to invest in him. The specific investment method was to "package" him.

The two hit it off immediately, and soon Du Wenzhong gained a reputation for virtue, integrity, uprightness, and the ability to quell bandits and thieves.

Because of his widespread reputation for virtue, Du Wenzhong was transferred to the position of Prefect of Yanzhou. During his tenure as Prefect of Yanzhou, he began to repay this powerful man. From the twelfth year of the Wanli reign to the twentieth year of the Wanli reign, over a period of eight years, Du Wenzhong not only handed over the Weishan Lake coal mine to this powerful man, but also entrusted him with the appointment of the head of the three shifts of yamen runners, clerks, accountants, and so on in Yanzhou Prefecture.

Besides making money from the mines, this powerful man also made his living from repairing bridges and roads. Waterworks, roads, bridges, coal markets, and so on all ended up in his pocket.

Du Wenzhong's downfall was related to Liu Shunzhi. Liu Shunzhi wanted to be a protector of the people, not a superior. Liu Shunzhi resolved the issue of the Xuzhou coal mine, which was of utmost concern to the emperor, very thoroughly. In the process of resolving the issue, this case came to light.

The Weishan Lake Coal Mine borders Xuzhou Prefecture. When Liu Shunzhi was handling the case, he inevitably had to go through the territory of Yanzhou Prefecture. However, the investigation was repeatedly obstructed. According to the rules of officialdom, Liu Shunzhi could not cross the boundary.

At the end of the nineteenth year of the Wanli reign, Liu Shunzhi filed a lawsuit with the Grand Secretariat. A memorial listed the local officials of Yanzhou Prefecture who had obstructed the investigation of the Xuzhou coal mine case. Subsequently, Xu Chengchu and Fan Yuanshan of the Anti-Corruption Bureau began to intervene in the investigation.

It took a full three and a half years, starting from the 20th year of the Wanli reign, before this major corruption case was publicly announced.

"The people of Yanzhou have suffered. A treacherous king has fallen, but a hypocrite has arrived." Zhu Yijun had been paying close attention to this case and wrote his own vermilion comments on Xu Chengchu's memorial.

Not long after the fall of the Kong family in Yanzhou, and after the emperor had completely eradicated Kong Yanwang, this Du Junzi arrived. His reputation for virtue spread far and wide, and he appeared to be a gentleman on the surface, but in reality, he had committed all sorts of evil deeds and was rotten inside.

"This bastard has kept over a hundred mistresses. How can he manage? Keeping so many is just for others to keep." Zhu Yijun closed the memorial and sent it to the Censorate. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had already investigated and found out the truth. Now it was the Censorate's turn to judge the case. The Censorate was the legal department, specifically targeting officials. Cases like this had to be heard in the Censorate.

Fan Yuanshan investigated Du Wenzhong's case thoroughly, including how many gigolos his more than one hundred mistresses had kept with Du Wenzhong's money.

Du Wenzhong has so many women he supports, and he can't even remember the names of many of them. These women take the money and spend it on their ill-gotten gains with the men they like. They're not afraid even if Du Wenzhong catches them, because he himself doesn't recognize them.

“Your Majesty, the Anti-Corruption Bureau should be established; it is imperative to do so.” Zhang Hong expressed his opinion tactfully, reminding His Majesty not to focus solely on the case itself, but to consider its other implications.

The Anti-Corruption Division is right.

"Speak plainly." Zhu Yijun picked up another memorial and asked Zhang Hong for his specific meaning.

“Your Majesty, I am not very bright and there are some things I do not understand. But when the Anti-Corruption Bureau was being established, many officials submitted memorials against it, feeling that the oppressive government was like a tiger descending the mountain and that they were afraid of making too hasty changes. Your Majesty overruled the objections and established the Anti-Corruption Bureau. Now it seems that it was really necessary to establish it.” Zhang Hong explained his meaning.

As a ruler, Your Majesty sometimes overlooks your own wisdom and needs someone like Zhang Hong, who may lack quick wit, to remind you of your brilliance.

When His Majesty sees the memorial, he will only think that Xu Chengchu and Fan Yuanshan are indeed worthy of being Mr. Zhang's prized students, and they did a great job in this case!
Xu Chengchu was a military officer from Jingzhou, Huguang, and a true fellow townsman of Zhang Juzheng. Both of them came from very poor backgrounds; one had a large tumor on his neck and suffered discrimination, while the other was simply a son-in-law.

But when the ministers and officials saw this case, they could only sigh and say that His Majesty was absolutely right to set up the Anti-Corruption Bureau against all odds.

The Wanli Reforms were in full swing, and the role of silver began to become increasingly important. If the Wanli Reforms had not cracked down on corruption, all the fruits of the reforms would have been stolen.

For example, in the case of Du Wenzhong, this powerful man took all the money allocated by the imperial court to build three-tiered schools in Yanzhou Prefecture and used it for private schools. This caused the scale of private schools in Yanzhou Prefecture to expand uncontrollably, crowding out the official schools and making it impossible to build them.

Yanzhou Prefecture also became the place in the entire Ming Dynasty where the Dinghai education system was implemented the worst.

This is the hometown of Confucius, a sacred place of culture and education, yet popularizing education here is extremely difficult; it's utterly ridiculous.

If we don't fight corruption, the current prosperity of the Wanli Reforms will be nothing but a mirage, a dreamlike illusion.

"Now that you mention it, I have indeed done something." Zhu Yijun nodded after listening to Zhang Hong's explanation, and he was extremely satisfied with his decision back then. He hadn't even noticed it if Zhang Hong hadn't mentioned it.

Feng Bao wouldn't say these things, nor would Li Yougong. His Majesty's wisdom is self-evident; isn't this a matter of course?

But Zhang Hong, the chief eunuch, was in charge of the emperor's daily life for many years and rarely participated in politics. He noticed that His Majesty was unaware of his own wisdom and therefore did not understand the fundamental reason for the young and middle-aged men's fanaticism towards His Majesty.

Putting yourself in Zhang Hong's shoes, if he were a virtuous and righteous person, he would also be passionate.

"Military administration was handled by Commander Qi, and officialdom was handled by you, sir. I merely stood on the shoulders of giants and did a small but necessary job." Zhu Yijun said modestly to Zhang Hong, "Zhang Hong, my sir once told me something that I didn't understand before, but after I took over the reins in the tenth year of Wanli's reign, I gradually came to understand it."

"All glory, all success, all achievements, become the past the moment they are accomplished."

"Your subject is foolish and dull..." Zhang Hong pondered this sentence over and over again, and finally felt somewhat powerless. He really didn't understand. Did the achievements he made not count?
His Majesty truly wanted to teach, and Zhang Hong truly wanted to learn, but unfortunately, he couldn't.

"Feng Bao has always wanted to give himself a final, decisive end. He is very disappointed with the powerful and influential. Where is his courage from back then?" Zhu Yijun reminded Zhang Hong. Feng Bao was very uneasy after leaving office. He always wanted to exchange his sons in the name of loyalty to the emperor. He was very clear about this principle.

Zhang Hong seemed to be deep in thought, as if he had grasped some of the principles.

Zhu Yijun continued, "People are just so greedy. They take what they get for granted and think it's their due, instead of appreciating that it's the result of a hard struggle. Only when they lose it do they regret it."

"Once something is accomplished, it becomes a past achievement, and people only realize its value when they lose it."

"At the time, I thought it was just an ordinary thing."

This has happened many times throughout history.

For example, after Sima Guang returned to Kaifeng and abolished all of Wang Anshi's new policies, people realized just how much change Wang Anshi had brought to the Song Dynasty.

Similarly, after Zhang Juzheng died, he was purged, and people lost all the achievements of the new policies. Only then did they realize how absurd it was to purge Zhang Juzheng, and how relevant it was to everyone.

At the time, it seemed like an ordinary matter. I thought that even without Minister Wang and Mr. Zhang, there would still be Grand Secretary Shen to support the sky. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

"How can these achievements be disregarded!" Zhang Hong understood His Majesty's meaning and immediately became agitated. Did this mean that everything he had done was in vain?

"So, history is a very patient teacher. If you don't learn it, it will come back to you again until you really learn it. Some things happen repeatedly because you haven't learned them." Zhu Yijun picked up the memorial and said, "We should continue to work on this."

The repetitive and spiral nature of history stems from the fact that all achievements and glories, once accomplished, become the past.

Zhang Hong was indignant. He knew His Majesty was right, but he was helpless. In the end, he put aside his worries and helped His Majesty govern the country.

The establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau was also full of twists and turns. Some people say that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Absolute incorruptibility means absolute inefficiency. This statement is absolutely correct. Zhu Yijun certainly knew this. To a certain extent, he, as the emperor, even allowed corruption.

As long as it gets things done, taking a little money is nothing. If it can make the roads of the Ming Dynasty spread everywhere, then Wencheng Gong taking a little money won't prevent him from receiving the ultimate honors after his death and being buried in the Jinshan Imperial Mausoleum.

But everything has its limits. You can take the money, but you can't not do the job.

Every organization, from small families, neighborhoods, workshops, and merchant groups to large imperial courts, has an impossible triangle: authority, integrity, and efficiency. The core of all governance lies in working around this impossible triangle and finding a balance among these three elements.

The three elements of politics were principles that Zhang Juzheng taught the emperor by example when the emperor was ten years old.

If we pursue both authority and efficiency, we must allow corruption; if we prioritize morality and pursue both authority and integrity, we can only fall into inefficiency.
If the pursuit of integrity and efficiency is prioritized, there will be no authoritarian figures, because authoritarian figures will limit subjective initiative.

On the surface, the Anti-Corruption Division is committed to combating all corruption, but in practice, there is a threshold: 50,000 taels of silver. Corruption cases involving less than 50,000 taels of silver are generally not investigated.

Moreover, if the official involved is a fourth-rank official, the punishment is not based on a specific number, but on a percentage. A typical example is the corruption case involving the Beijing-Guangzhou highway. The officials took too much, which delayed the project and led to the emperor's heavy crackdown.

If you get less than 10% of something, you'll let most of it go.

Officials of the fourth rank could sit and eat at grand banquets, while those below the fourth rank had to stand.

The imperial system of prefectures and counties naturally pursued authority, and the emperor also sought efficiency. Therefore, to a certain extent, the phenomenon of taking money was allowed, but it could not go too far. If it went too far and became known to everyone, causing widespread suffering, the emperor would not be stingy with his power.

What Zhu Yijun told Zhang Hong was actually very superficial. He would discuss some deeper content with Zhang Juzheng and then tell it to Zhang Hong, but Zhang Hong could not understand it. Sometimes, when the emperor communicated with some ministers, it was also difficult for some ministers to communicate effectively.

The Ming Dynasty was a serious court, and its politics and political science should be serious, rather than engaging in debates for the sake of debates.

History is the strictest father of political science. Any act of cheating or deceit will be repeated in history, educating everyone with facts.

Zhang Hong is actually right. Your Majesty cannot fully understand your own brilliance, because Your Majesty yourself does not realize that being able to discuss political principles with Zhang Juzheng is itself a manifestation of brilliance.

Zhang Juzheng was already a rare talent, especially in the field of governance.

Zhu Yijun was unaware of how brilliant he was; in fact, he subconsciously avoided the question to prevent himself from becoming immersed in praise and accolades and developing arrogance.

If he becomes arrogant as the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he will become like Felipe.

A true master always retains the heart of a student!
Zhu Yijun once had a nightmare: he dreamt that in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, inside and outside the Danbi Square, there were ministers standing everywhere. Each of these ministers had countless heads, each head had countless faces, each face had countless mouths, and each mouth had countless tongues. All these tongues were praising His Majesty's wisdom.

This nightmare was the most terrifying nightmare Zhu Yijun had ever had in his two lives.

Zhu Yijun was truly afraid—afraid of becoming a sinner in history, afraid that his arrogance would ruin everything.

(End of this chapter)