Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Zhu Biao's fingertips tapping on the imperial desk suddenly quickened the pace, and his eyes swept across the swaying candlelight on Li Shanchang's official robe with python pattern.

This founding hero was eager to promote his student to the position of general manager of the Railway Bureau. His intentions were obvious - the Huaixi Party had always regarded important positions in the court as forbidden delicacies. The railway was the treasure trove of the future. How could Li Shanchang tolerate the monopoly of imperial power?
The danger of "a tree standing out in the forest" mentioned by Ouyang Lun last night now turned into the flickering candlelight in the Golden Palace, igniting into flames of vigilance in Zhu Biao's eyes.

"Duke Hanguo is anxious." Zhu Biao raised his lips with a smile, "But this railway bureau is different from ordinary government offices. It needs to be familiar with practical affairs and business. Although Minister Huang is familiar with the grain transport, he may not know how the wheels of a train turn."

He deliberately emphasized the word "business ethics". From the corner of his eye he saw the censors in the corner of the hall holding their memorials tightly. It was obvious that the label of "associating with merchants" was on the tip of their tongues.

Li Shanchang seemed to have not heard him, and his cane made a thumping sound on the blue bricks: "Your Majesty, you are wise. The canal and the railway are the lifeblood of the country. I have assisted Your Majesty for many years. How could I recommend the wrong person?" He suddenly turned around and winked at Huang Zicheng, "Minister Huang, please tell Your Majesty and the others about the rules I discussed with you yesterday."

Huang Zicheng waved his sleeves and stepped out of the line, his purple robe emitting a calm hue in the morning light. He first bowed deeply to Zhu Biao, his voice clear as the sound of a chime: "Your Majesty, I think the railway operation should be based on the word 'stable'. The first priority is ticket management, which can be imitated from the system of anonymous examinations, with daily ticket stubs numbered and sealed, and the Ministry of Revenue sends a specialist to check to prevent fraud. The second priority is freight dispatch, with two routes, 'official goods' and 'civilian goods'. Official goods are given priority, and civilian goods are taxed by weight - this will ensure the smooth flow of materials for the court and increase tax revenue."

A low exclamation of admiration was heard in the hall.

Left Censor-in-Chief Wang Jinghong twirled his beard and nodded, while Minister of Revenue Yu Xin took out an abacus and fiddled with it secretly.

Zhu Biao noticed, however, that when Huang Zicheng mentioned "official goods first", a barely perceptible smile flashed across Li Shanchang's lips - many members of the Huaixi Party had private property, and if the railway became a fast lane for the rich and powerful to transport goods, the benefits could be imagined.

"As for personnel management," Huang Zicheng continued, "we can follow the old system of the Ministry of Works and set up positions such as 'Tizhu' and 'Zhishi', and each will receive a salary according to their rank.

In this way, it would not violate the court system, and it would also keep order from top to bottom. "He looked at Zhu Biao deliberately, "I know that Your Majesty is worried about the problem of redundant officials, but the railway is related to the foundation of the country, and we should not give up because of choking. "

These words cleverly avoided the "business structure" proposed by Ouyang Lun, and instead packaged it with the traditional official system. This not only catered to the psychology of the conservatives, but also secretly met Li Shanchang's desire to place his own followers.

Zhu Biao had to admit that Huang Zicheng was indeed quite capable - if he were an ordinary emperor, he would probably be persuaded by his "stability" strategy.

"What Minister Huang said does make some sense." Zhu Biao spoke slowly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the coiled dragon pattern on the edge of the imperial desk, "But I heard that the emperor is also very concerned about this matter. The day before yesterday in the Jinshen Palace, my father specifically asked how the railway can 'not cost the court a penny, but generate millions of gold in profits'."

He suddenly raised his voice and said, "Duke Hanguo, Minister Huang, please tell me, if we follow your method, where will this 'million-dollar profit' come from?"

The temperature in the hall dropped suddenly.

Li Shanchang's walking stick stopped in mid-air, and cold sweat oozed out of the back of Huang Zicheng's purple robe.

They didn't expect Zhu Biao to bring up Zhu Yuanzhang, nor did they expect the topic to suddenly turn from "system" to "profit" - this was clearly dragging them into Ouyang Lun's battlefield.

"Your Majesty," Huang Zicheng swallowed his saliva, "the benefit is in freight. Merchants' goods transported by rail reduce losses by 30%, but the speed is twice as fast as the canal. I did some calculations. If an additional five cents per ton of goods is charged for transportation, 100,000 taels of silver can be obtained every year."

"Only 100,000 taels?" Zhu Biao raised his eyebrows. "I heard that the advertising space in the carriage alone can bring in hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every year. Minister Huang, do you know what 'advertising' is?"

Huang Zicheng's face turned pale and veins on his forehead throbbed.

He had been in the imperial court for a long time, but had never heard such "mercenary" words? Li Shanchang keenly caught the loophole in Zhu Biao's words and immediately said: "Your Majesty, how can such business tricks be used in the imperial court? If you only pursue profits, you may lose the support of the people!"

This statement hit the mark exactly what the censors wanted.

Zhou Heng, the Criminal Affairs Department's Censor, immediately stepped forward and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty! In the past, Wang Anshi's reforms caused turmoil in the world because he competed with the people for profits. If we follow the system of merchants today, we are afraid of repeating the same mistakes!" The hall was immediately filled with voices of agreement, like a summer rainstorm hitting the green tiles.

Zhu Biao looked at Ouyang Lun who was standing on the steps, with an imperceptible expectation in his eyes.

Since the court meeting began, the prince consort has been standing quietly behind the ranks of military generals, like an outsider.

At this moment, he raised his eyes and met Zhu Biao's meaningful eyes. He sighed in his heart, trouble came again!

Can't you just let me be a transparent person?

"You are wrong." Ouyang Lun's voice was not loud, but it was like a sharp blade that cut through the noise. "The benefit of railways is not to compete with the people for profits, but to facilitate people's livelihood. A third-class seat costs 20 cents, which allows farmers to travel 100 miles a day to sell vegetables; freight losses are reduced by 30%, which allows merchants to reduce costs and transport goods all over the world - this is the way to 'hide wealth among the people'. As for the advertising space, it is just using the space in the carriage. It does no harm to the people, but can allow merchants to advertise widely. What's wrong with that?"

He turned to Zhu Biao and took out a roll of drawings from his sleeve: "Your Majesty, this is the 'train timetable' I drew. If we follow this schedule, we can accurately dispatch 20 trains every day, which is more than ten times more efficient than the grain transport. And each train can carry 500 passengers and 10 tons of cargo. With this calculation, the annual profit is more than one million taels?"

The blueprint was passed around among the ministers. Li Shanchang stared at the densely packed time marks on it and suddenly sneered, "Your Highness is indeed well versed in business. But this 'timetable' sounds wonderful. How can we be on time if there is wind, rain, or mechanical failure? If so, it will be the court's supplies that will be delayed. Who will bear the responsibility?"

"Of course it's 'performance appraisal'." Ouyang Lun had prepared for it. "Monthly statistics are kept on punctuality, freight volume, and passenger satisfaction. The officer with the lowest score will be dismissed and investigated. If the standard is met for three consecutive months, a reward of 1,000 taels of silver will be given. With such heavy rewards and heavy penalties, why worry about people not being dedicated?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the generals cheered loudly.

Xu Huizu, who was already the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, patted his chest and said: "We lead the troops by clearly distinguishing rewards and punishments! This method is feasible!" However, the civil servants looked at each other, not knowing how to refute - after all, the army and the government are different.

Zhu Biao looked at the two factions confronting each other on the steps, and secretly admired Ouyang Lun's cleverness.

He deliberately threw new terms like "performance appraisal" to military generals, using their rough character to break the dogmatism of civil officials, and the effect was indeed remarkable.

At this moment, Li Shanchang's face was livid, and Huang Zicheng's fingers were white as he clenched the imperial hut. Obviously, he had not expected the prince consort to do this. "In my opinion," Zhu Biao deliberately dragged out his voice, "Huang Shilang's 'stable strategy' and the prince consort's 'profit strategy' both have their merits."

Zhu Biao's fingertips stroking the dragon pattern on the imperial case suddenly stopped, and he turned to look at Ouyang Lun, with a hint of meaningful inquiry in his eyes: "Since the prince consort is well versed in this, does anyone have a candidate to recommend?" This sentence was like a chess piece thrown into the lake, instantly causing undercurrents in the hall. Li Shanchang's cane made a harsh sound on the blue bricks, Huang Zicheng's Adam's apple rolled rapidly, and the generals below the steps all cast their eyes on the silent prince consort - they knew that this gentleman was not in harmony with the Huaixi Party, and they were afraid that there would be a tough battle at this moment.

Zhu Biao had his own plans in mind.

Last night at the clan house, Ouyang Lun had deduced the structure of the Railway Bureau to perfection. From the establishment of the three departments to performance appraisal, from ticketing stratification to advertising revenue, every detail revealed the edge of an innovator.

If we were to say who knows the most about railways in the world, it would be Ouyang Lun.

But Zhu Biao knew better that if he directly appointed Ouyang Lun, he would be attacked by the Huaixi Party, and the censors' reports of "foreign relatives interfering in politics" would pile up like a mountain.

At this moment, under the pretext of asking for candidates, he was actually giving Ouyang Lun an opportunity to "save the country in a roundabout way" - recommending a trustworthy person to take charge of the Railway Bureau, which could not only ensure the implementation of the new policy, but also leave enough room for Ouyang Lun to intervene in the future.

Li Shanchang's pupils suddenly contracted, and his back under the official robe with python pattern instantly tensed up.

He suddenly remembered the delicate balance reached between the Huaixi Party and Ouyang Lun after Ouyang Lun helped Lan Yu win on the grassland.

But now the lucrative position of the Railway General Manager is right in front of him. Who can guarantee that Ouyang Lun will not take the opportunity to break the balance?

Huang Zicheng was so nervous that he dug his fingernails into his palms. He and Li Shanchang had been planning the "stability strategy" all night last night. He thought that they could use the traditional official system to shut up the reformists, but he didn't expect Zhu Biao to suddenly pass the ball to Ouyang Lun.

The censors in the corner of the palace began to whisper to each other.

Ouyang Lun raised his eyes and his gaze met Huang Zicheng's.

Although the purple robe of the Minister of Rites was straight, there were lines of anxiety on his brows.

Last night at the Imperial Clan Court, Ouyang Lun had specially marked the "Details of the Separation of Official and Civilian Goods" in the "Management Regulations". Now he pointed at Huang Zicheng and said, "Mr. Huang just mentioned 'official goods first'. I wonder if you have ever thought that if official goods occupy the tracks and civilian goods are delayed, how can merchants use the railways? And how can we talk about 'increasing taxes'?"

Huang Zicheng's face instantly turned from pale to red: "This will naturally reserve a time slot for civilian goods."

"How much is reserved?" Ouyang Lun pressed on. "From Mao to Si every day, official goods are allowed to pass, and the rest of the time is for civilian goods? Or is it rotated by ten days? If there is an emergency official, will the civilian goods have to be squeezed out of the time?" He took out a yellowed record of the delay of the grain transport from his sleeve. "Last year, the grain transport was delayed because of transporting official kiln porcelain from Jiangnan, and 300 civilian ships were stranded, causing the price of rice in Suzhou to soar by 30% - when Mr. Huang was in charge of the grain transport, did he ever think of 'keeping wealth for the people'?"

Li Shanchang's cane slammed heavily on the ground, making a dull sound. "What do you mean, Prince Consort? Do you think that Minister Huang's past achievements need to be reported to you one by one?"

Ouyang Lun ignored him and continued to stare at Huang Zicheng: "Ask Mr. Huang again, how many times a day does the locomotive need to be inspected? How often is the track inspected? If a rainstorm causes the roadbed to collapse, how should we deal with it in an emergency?"

These three questions came like a string of cannonballs. Huang Zicheng opened his mouth but couldn't answer a single word.

Although he was in charge of canal transportation, he had never been exposed to the details of mechanical operation, and had no professional knowledge of track maintenance.

Beads of sweat slid down his forehead and dripped onto the front of his purple robe, leaving dark marks. There was laughter in the hall, and the generals laughed out loud without hiding their laughter. Xu Huizu even slapped his thigh and said, "If you don't even know how to drive a locomotive, how can you manage the railway?"

Li Shanchang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He suddenly realized that he had made a fatal mistake - he shouldn't have let Huang Zicheng show off his skills in front of Ouyang Lun. This prince consort seemed to be idle, but in fact, he had already studied the railway inside and out during the trial performance at Taile Palace.

"Since the son-in-law is so proficient," Li Shanchang suddenly sneered, "could it be that he wants to recommend me to be the general manager?" His words were murderous - if Ouyang Lun dared to agree, he would immediately be accused of "coveting an important position". After all, it is sensitive for the son-in-law to interfere in state affairs.

Ouyang Lun shook his head, "As the son-in-law of the emperor, how dare I take real power? I just saw that Mr. Huang was unfamiliar with practical matters and was worried that the railway would be delayed." He turned to Zhu Biao with a sincere look, "Your Majesty, the general manager of the railway must have three qualities: understand the principles of mechanical operation, understand the way merchants make profits, and be able to withstand pressure from the powerful. This person does not have to come from a prominent family, but must have more than ten years of experience as a craftsman and have a good reputation among the people."

A light cough suddenly sounded in the hall.

Among the military commanders, a middle-aged man in a blue shirt stood out. He was tall and thin, with fine wrinkles around his eyes. He had a copper waist plate hanging around his waist, on which was engraved the words "Ministry of Works and Construction Office".

Li Shanchang frowned - he didn't even know there was such a person in the Ministry of Works.

"Your Majesty," the middle-aged man said in a hoarse but steady voice, "I am Wang Tiechui, a craftsman in the Ministry of Works for fifteen years. I have participated in the repair of Nanjing City Wall and the transformation of Qingjiang Shipyard. Seven years ago, I accompanied Zheng He on a voyage to the West. I saw 'steam carriages' in Western countries. After returning, I tried to imitate a simple rail model." He took out a palm-sized iron model from his arms, "This is the prototype of the locomotive I made last year. Although it has not come true, I have figured out some tricks."

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up. He had seen the steam locomotive blueprint that Ouyang Lun showed last night, and it was somewhat similar to this model.

Ouyang Lun spoke at the right time: "Wang Jiangzuo once tried the 'private freight joint venture' model in Yangzhou, where merchants pooled money to hire craftsmen to build roads and shared the profits according to the investment ratio - this coincides with the 'derivative income' that I envisioned."

Li Shanchang was anxious: "Your Majesty, this man is just a craftsman, how can he manage the officials of the court?"

"What Lord Han said is wrong." Ouyang Lun said calmly, "When Qin Shihuang built the Lingqu Canal, he appointed the Imperial Censor Shi Lu; when Emperor Wu of Han managed the Yellow River, he appointed Tian Qianqiu. In terms of their backgrounds, they were not noble. As long as they have real talent and knowledge, why bother about their status?" He suddenly raised his voice, "Besides, Wang's work has no rank or grade, which is in line with the new rule of 'not being included in the court system' - this way, the censors will have no reason to 'add redundant officials'."

This statement hit Li Shanchang's vital point. He finally understood that Ouyang Lun had already laid out the plan: using a craftsman without any party affiliation to run the railway bureau would not only avoid the interference of the Huaixi Party, but also shut up the censors. More importantly, this craftsman would definitely follow the orders of the prince consort. (End of this chapter)