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His eyes swept across the ministers, finally stopping on the list spread out on the imperial desk.

"My dear friends."

As soon as Yi Huawei opened his mouth, the entire square fell silent: "From today on, the cabinet will be expanded to thirteen people."

There was a sudden silence in the hall, followed by a low gasp.

Yang Shenxing raised his head suddenly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. The cabinet has always had only five to seven people, but now it is going to double?
Yi Huawei ignored everyone's reaction and continued, "In addition to the six ministers entering the cabinet, one more person will be added to the Censorate, the Five Military Commanders' Office, the Imperial Guard, the East Factory, and the West Factory."

He lightly traced the list with his fingertips: "In addition, Prince Zheng Zhu Zaiyu also joined the cabinet."

"Wow—"

The court was in an uproar.

Yang Shenxing's fingers trembled slightly. He was originally the leader of the Qingliu, but now he had to be included in the cabinet together with the Dongchang and Jinyiwei, which made him feel like a thorn in his throat.

Shi Xing's expression remained unchanged, but the corner of his mouth curled up slightly... The Five Military Commanders' Office entering the cabinet meant that the status of military officers would be improved, and he was happy to see it happen.

Wang Honghui frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tablet. With the Jinyiwei and Dongchang entering the cabinet, the power of the Ministry of Justice would inevitably be divided away by half.

Xu Guangqi seemed much calmer and just nodded slightly. He was not a power-seeker. As long as he could continue to implement the new policy, the expansion of the cabinet had nothing to do with him.

Gao Panlong's face instantly turned livid. It was a good thing for the Censorate to join the cabinet, but the question was - who would go?
There are two people in the Censorate, the Left Censor-in-Chief and the Right Censor-in-Chief. Yang Lian is upright and honest, and is deeply trusted by the emperor. If he is to enter the cabinet, it must be him...

Thinking of this, Gao Panlong pinched his fingers into his palms, and his knuckles turned white.

Duke of England Zhang Weixian stood at the front of the military attachés and narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard the words. The entry of the Five Military Commanders' Office into the cabinet meant that military power officially entered the center, which was unprecedented in the past hundred years.

He turned his head to glance at Wu Weixian behind him, who was trying hard to suppress the joy on his face - if nothing unexpected happened, the one who would enter the cabinet would definitely be him, the commander-in-chief of the central army.

Qiu Chengyun stood in the shadow of the palace pillars, the golden flying fish on his python robe glowing coldly under the candlelight. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, but his eyes were still sinister.

Wang Chengen, who was standing opposite him, lowered his eyes, as if he was indifferent to everything. But if you look closely, you can see that his fingers are gently stroking the folds in his sleeves.

Luo Sixian stood near the palace gate, expressionless. The entry of Jinyiwei into the cabinet meant that the results of the interrogation in the imperial prison would directly affect the government, which was an unprecedented power for Jinyiwei.

But he knew in his heart that the greater the power, the greater the risk. If he lost power one day, he would surely face a fate worse than the imperial prison.

When Yi Huawei read the name of 'Zheng Wang Zhu Zaiyu', the hall fell silent again.

A member of the royal family enters the cabinet?

Since the reign of Emperor Yongle, it has been an iron rule that the royal family cannot interfere in government affairs. Now the emperor wants to break this ancestral rule?
Zhu Zaiyu, who was standing in the line of the royal family, was also stunned. He had only come to the routine court meeting, but he did not expect to be called.

After coming to his senses, Zhu Zaiyu stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I am old and frail, and I am afraid I cannot take on this important task..."

"King Zheng is proficient in calendar and mathematics, and I wish to make use of his talents."

Yi Huawei interrupted him, his tone unquestionable: "From now on, Prince Zheng will be the advisor on the new policy."

Zhu Zaiyu's Adam's apple rolled, and finally he just kowtowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I accept your order."

Looking around at the ministers in the palace, Yi Huawei raised his finger slightly and then slowly pressed it down. It was just a simple action, but it made the court, which was originally whispering, quiet down instantly.

His eyes swept across the ministers and finally stopped on Wang Chengen, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

"Xuan."

"According to the order!"

Wang Chengen bowed and accepted the order, then took a step forward and took out a piece of bright yellow silk from his sleeve.

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims—"

Wang Chengen's voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a cold blade cutting through everyone's eardrum.

"Any child born after the second year of Zhaowu will be exempted from the Ding tax for three years."

Li Ruhua's fingers trembled violently. The Ding tax was an important source of income for the national treasury. With this reduction, the Ministry of Revenue would lose at least 3 million taels.

"For every son born, five mu of permanent farmland will be awarded; for every daughter born, three mu will be awarded."

Xu Guangqi frowned slightly. Land is the foundation, and such a large-scale reward would inevitably require a re-survey of the land. In this way, the staff originally borrowed from the Ministry of Revenue would have to be transferred back.

When Yang Shenxing heard that "a widow who remarries will be exempted from taxes and labor service for two years from her ex-husband's family", his face instantly turned pale. This was simply challenging the principles of Neo-Confucianism!
"If a prisoner's family member is pregnant, their sentence can be reduced by one level."

Wang Honghui knocked on the tablet unconsciously. This one was probably going to make the prisoners in the imperial prison work very hard.

"If the population of a local official's jurisdiction increases by 10% each year, his merit will be increased by one level."

Hearing this, Gao Panlong suddenly started coughing violently. This was clearly encouraging local officials to force marriages!
"For those who have three or more sons, five mu of land will be granted, and tax exemption will be granted for three years; for those who have five or more sons, ten mu of land will be granted, and tax exemption will be granted for five years, plus an additional reward of 20 taels of silver."

The hall was completely silent, with only Wang Chengen's voice echoing:

"Each prefecture, state or county shall set up a nursery to adopt abandoned babies. For each surviving baby, the local official shall be rewarded with five taels of silver. If a baby is found to have been drowned or abandoned, the parents shall be exiled three thousand miles away. Neighbors who know about the situation but fail to report it shall be punished as well."

Li Ruhua pinched his fingers into his palms, his knuckles turning white. Granting land, exempting taxes, and rewarding silver, each of these items required the Ministry of Revenue to pay money! He quickly calculated in his mind: If there were a million more babies born every year in the world, how many acres of land would have to be allocated just for granting land? Not to mention the loss of tax exemption...

Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead and his Adam's apple rolled, but he dared not make a sound.

Yang Shenxing's brows were furrowed so tightly that they could kill a fly.

Infant homes? Adopting abandoned babies? Isn't this encouraging illegitimate children among the people?

According to etiquette, only the offspring of a legitimate marriage are considered as descendants. Now the emperor even counts abandoned babies as his political achievements. This...

His lips moved a few times, but in the end he didn't speak.

A gleam of light flashed in Shi Xing's eyes. With more people, they would be a source of soldiers in ten years!

He secretly glanced at Wu Weixian who was standing in the military attaché queue. The latter was also looking over at him. Their eyes met and they understood each other tacitly.

Wang Honghui's fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the tablet. Exile three thousand miles away? This is much more severe than the current law. According to the "Great Edict", abandoning a baby is only a hundred strokes of the cane, but now it is directly exiled, and the neighbors will also be punished...

He looked up at the emperor and found that Yi Huawei was staring at him coldly. He suddenly felt a chill on his back and quickly lowered his head.

The governor of Suzhou standing in the back row began to tremble in his calves. Infant drowning was a common practice in Suzhou. If this order was really carried out, half of the city's population would be exiled...

He secretly glanced at the Songjiang Governor beside him and found that the other person also looked pale.

Wang Chengen continued to read:
"Each prefecture and county reported its population growth every quarter. For the one with the best growth, the prefect was promoted by one level and the county magistrate was rewarded with 100 taels of silver. For the one with the lowest growth for three consecutive years, the prefect was demoted and the county magistrate was dismissed and investigated.

If a girl does not marry at the age of sixteen, her parents will be fined five taels of silver per year; if a man does not marry at the age of twenty, the fine will be doubled... If anyone prevents a widow from remarrying, he will be beaten with a stick eighty times.

With each sentence that was recited, the breathing in the hall became heavier.

After Wang Chengen finished reading, Yi Huawei slowly stood up, and the jade moss on his crown did not move at all.

"During the Hongwu period, the world's population was 60 million, but now it is less than 40 million."

Yi Huawei walked to the edge of the Danbi and looked down at the ministers: "The Jianzhou Jurchens have only a million people, but they can repeatedly invade the border; the Japanese pirates have thousands of people, but they can run rampant in the southeast - why?"

There was silence in the hall.

“Because there aren’t enough people!”

Yi Huawei suddenly raised his voice: "Without a population, who will farm? Who will serve in the army? Who will pay taxes?"

His eyes swept through everyone like a knife:

"From today on, population growth will be listed as one of the three major achievement criteria, along with grain production and taxation."

"Wang Banban!"

Yi Huawei tapped the imperial desk rhythmically with his fingers and swept his eyes over the civil and military officials in the hall.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen took a sandalwood box from the eunuch behind him, stepped forward, carefully opened the lid, and revealed half of a gold-embossed document.

"I want to establish an academy of science."

Wang Chengen presented the document to the imperial desk, and Yi Huawei unfolded the scroll, revealing densely packed red comments. He looked up at the court: "Xu Guangqi, Matteo Ricci, step out."

Xu Guangqi was shocked when he heard this, and quickly straightened his blue official robe, took a deep breath and stepped out of the queue. Matteo Ricci beside him hid the silver cross on his chest in his sleeve. The 43-year-old Italian missionary with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in a Confucian scholar's long gown, followed him out with a slightly awkward movement.

The two stood under the plaque "正大光明". As the sun rose higher, the shadow of the plaque just covered half of their faces. Xu Guangqi felt sweat on his back. Last year, when he translated "Elements of Geometry", he had dared to advise the emperor to introduce Western learning. He didn't expect that it would come true today. He caught a glimpse of the tense faces of several officials in the Ministry of Rites. He couldn't help but lower his eyes and adjust the hem of his already meticulous official uniform again.

"Matteo Ricci presented the "Universal Map of the World" to help the Imperial Astronomical Observatory revise the calendar and taught the principles of geometry to the Imperial College."

Yi Huawei pushed the document to the edge of the imperial desk: "I am specially granted the second-rank hat and appointed as the Western consultant of the Academy of Sciences. Xu Guangqi is in charge of the affairs, and all the people in the academy are called 'academicians'."

Shi Xing stood at the head of the military officers and glanced over the documents. The cinnabar annotation at the end of the regulations was particularly eye-catching - a reward of 1,000 taels of silver for improving military equipment and the provision of a son, which was almost equivalent to the hereditary treatment of a third-rank military officer.

He frowned slightly and was about to speak when the Minister of Revenue, Li Ruhua, stepped out first. Holding an ivory tablet in his hand, he bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue may have difficulty raising the annual budget of 300,000 taels of silver..."

"Don't worry about that. The money will be paid from the treasury."

Yi Huawei raised his hand to stop the discussion: "The Department of Physics has set up a firearms bureau and a machinery workshop, and the Ministry of Industry has been ordered to allocate 100,000 kilograms of wrought iron from Jiangnan. The Department of Astronomy has built an observatory in Tongzhou, and all the star maps in the old collection of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory have been transferred. The Department of Agriculture has set up an experimental field in Zhili, and each prefecture and county must report the types of local crops. The Department of Medicine and Science..."

He paused and said, "Order Shuntian Prefecture to provide ten bodies of executed prisoners every month."

There was a sudden gasp in the hall. Wang Honghui suddenly knelt on the ground, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull sound: "Your Majesty! This action is against the moral principles of mankind, and I am afraid that scholars all over the world will criticize it!"

Yi Huawei's expression remained unchanged, and he tapped the armrest of the dragon chair with his fingers: "Does Song Ci's "Xiyuanlu" violate the moral code? Medical books say that 'the heart governs the mind', but Matteo Ricci's "Human Anatomy Diagram" clearly shows that the brain governs thinking. The cabinet has been discussing the Academy of Sciences for three months. Anyone who objects will be punished for obstructing the new policy."

Wang Honghui looked up and hesitated to speak, and finally just kowtowed heavily. The assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice standing behind him quietly pulled down his sleeve, signaling him not to argue anymore.

“The Academy of Sciences is divided into four departments.”

Yi Huawei picked up the jade tablet and tapped the table. "The Department of Gewu mainly studies the improvement of firearms and the manufacture of machinery. Anyone who makes a cannon with a range increased by ten feet will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and one of his sons will be admitted to the Imperial College. Anyone who revises the calendar, draws sea charts, and makes an accurate navigation compass in the Department of Astronomy will be promoted to the sixth rank. Anyone who studies grain cultivation and water conservancy equipment in the Department of Agriculture and increases the yield per mu by 30% will be awarded 100 mu of good land. Anyone who practices human anatomy, develops new drugs, and finds a good way to overcome the plague in the Department of Medicine will be appointed as the co-director of the Imperial Hospital."

"Each department shall have two doctors, selected from the Hanlin Academy, the Imperial Observatory, and the Ministry of Works; and forty students, selected from the academies of each province."

Yi Huawei paused, and glanced at the ministers in the palace: "The research results will be reported every three days, and the Imperial Household Department will present them to me for review."

Qian Qianyi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, could no longer hold back. This young official in his early thirties slammed his tablet on the ground, making a crisp sound: "Your Majesty! Such strange and lewd learning may disrupt the way of the saints! I beg Your Majesty to think twice!"

The officials of the Ministry of Rites standing around him nodded in agreement and whispered. Grand Secretary Wen Tiren stroked his long beard, with a flash of approval in his eyes.

"Listen to me carefully."

Yi Huawei's voice suddenly turned cold: "The Academy of Sciences specializes in practical research and is not involved in the imperial examination. I want to ask you, if there were tools to dredge the river last year, how could three thousand people have been drowned?"

With a cold snort, Yi Huawei turned around and ordered Wang Chengen: "Make ten copies of the regulations and post them in the six government offices."

Qian Qianyi froze in place, his face turning from red to white. Yang Shenxing behind him quietly pulled his sleeve, signaling him to leave.

Just as the atmosphere in the court was stagnant, Yi Huawei suddenly raised his voice: "In addition, I have decided to establish a navy department."

This sentence froze the whole court. Since Zheng He's voyages to the West during the Yongle period, the Ming navy has been declining day by day, and nine out of ten coastal garrisons are empty. Wen Tiren, who was standing in the line of civil officials, secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Last year, he rejected the memorial of the Fujian governor to add warships on the grounds that it was "wasting national funds."

"Zheng Zhilong."

"Chen is here!"

A sturdy man in a scarlet official robe strode out from the military commander's formation. The friction of his armor was particularly harsh in the silent hall. This man was originally a big pirate who roamed the southeast. After being recruited, he still maintained his pirate habits. The wolf head tattoo under his official uniform was faintly visible. When he knelt on one knee, the dragon patch embroidered on his chest shone golden in the sun.

"You are to be the governor of the navy and control the naval forces of Fujian, Guangdong, and Zhejiang. I will allocate 500,000 taels of silver from the national treasury and require you to build 12 Fujian ships within two years. For any enemy ships captured, 30% will be confiscated by the government and 70% will be used as military expenses."

Yi Huawei took out the gilded order and handed it to Wang Chengen: "Go to Quanzhou Port within three days to reorganize the fleet. The Ministry of Industry will give priority to allocating the required ships; the Academy of Sciences will fully cooperate with the required firearms."

Zheng Zhilong took the token with both hands and said in a loud voice: "I ask your Majesty for permission to recruit coastal fishermen as soldiers and follow the pirate formation method."

(End of this chapter)