Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1477 The Selection of Shangshu!
royal palace, royal study
Gu Sansi stood aside, waiting for Ye Mingsheng's attitude with some trepidation, while Ye Mingsheng was looking at the report in his hand carefully.

Although Ye Mingsheng had clearly stated some time ago that Daqian would cut 10,000 officials and servants from the central government to the provincial governments and counties before the end of the year, Ye Mingsheng, who had experience at the grassroots level, was also very clear about how difficult it was to achieve this goal!
So although Ye Mingsheng proposed this goal at that time, he actually did not have much hope in achieving this goal. Ye Mingsheng wanted to set the goal of laying off 10,000 employees, and by then laying off 7,000 to 8,000 people would be satisfactory enough!
After all, you have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. You can't become fat in one bite. The problem of redundancy cannot be solved immediately in a short period of time!
Although Ye Mingsheng thought so in his heart, he did not expect that when Ye Mingsheng proposed the plan to lay off 10,000 employees, it was immediately opposed by people from all walks of life. Among them, Zhang Xiong, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, directly submitted a memorial to oppose Ye Mingsheng's plan to lay off 10,000 employees!
To be honest, when proposing this plan, Ye Mingsheng anticipated that there would be certain opposition. After all, layoffs would destroy people's jobs. These officials are all related to each other, and the relationship between them is complicated, so it is normal for some people to oppose...
But Ye Mingsheng did not expect that so many people opposed it, and that the opposition was so strong!

This made Ye Mingsheng furious, and he immediately took drastic measures, directly dismissing Zhang Xiong, the Minister of Personnel, and ordering him to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion!

Although this move of striking the first bird to stand out had some effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys and made some court officials who opposed layoffs silent, Ye Mingsheng felt that the effect was still not enough, so he asked the Coordination Office to investigate Zhang Xiong to see if he had done anything illegal or disorderly!

If there are some, just bring Zhang Xiong to justice and use his head to shock people!
But unfortunately, after Wang Xuecheng investigated, he found out that Zhang Xiong's dirty deeds were all from the Luoan court of the Great Zhou Dynasty. After joining the Yijing court, Zhang Xiong was quite clean and did not do anything illegal!

Although Ye Mingsheng felt a little regretful about this, he had promised Zhang Xiong that as long as he turned over a new leaf, the past would be over and Ye Mingsheng would not pursue the matter!

So in view of his promise and the fact that Ye Mingsheng did not want to kill anyone because of the minister's advice, he let Zhang Xiong go!
In addition, Ye Mingsheng, who had originally been satisfied with the goal of laying off only 7,000 to 8,000 employees, did not hold back this time and directly issued orders to the Ministry of Personnel and the provincial governments and counties across the country, once again emphasizing that the goal of laying off 10,000 employees by the end of the year was a red line, and whoever failed to achieve it would have to deal with it on their own!
This time Ye Mingsheng was really determined to punish a few people to make an example of them, but he didn't expect that the situation reported now was not bad. Before the situation in five places was reported, he had already laid off 7,600 people, saving more than 300,000 taels of silver every year!
If all of them were reported, Ye Mingsheng felt that the total number of layoffs would definitely be more than 10,000, or even 11,000 or 12,000, which was entirely possible, and the salary of nearly 500,000 taels of silver could be saved every year...

Thinking of this, although Ye Mingsheng still looked expressionless on the surface, he was still very satisfied with such a result and expectation in his heart!
With the saved 500,000 taels of silver, the court can implement all 100 library projects within the next year, and establish public schools in every prefecture and county in Daqian to reduce the current illiteracy in Daqian.

In addition, Ye Mingsheng felt that he would have some extra money to invest in other areas. All in all, this was a very good thing!
Thinking of this, Ye Mingsheng put down the report, looked at Gu Sansi and asked:
"When will the layoff reports for other places be delivered?"

Gu Sansi said without hesitation:
"Your Majesty, it has been snowing heavily in the north recently. The roads are covered with ice and snow and it is really difficult to travel. I think it may be a little late, but I think it will be delivered within half a month!"

Ye Mingsheng frowned slightly when he heard this. Seeing this, Gu Sansi's heart also tightened. However, Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment and nodded slightly and said:
"It has snowed heavily these past few days, and some places have suffered disasters. But as the old saying goes, auspicious snow means a good harvest. I hope this snow can moisten the land and make next year a bumper year!"

"Well! Just give me a few days' grace. When the report arrives, give it to me as soon as possible, especially the layoff report in Qilu. Qilu is one of the most populous regions in Daqian, and the problem of redundant staff is also the most serious..."

Ye Mingsheng said it unintentionally, but when Gu Sansi heard what Ye Mingsheng said, his mood immediately became solemn. However, besides being solemn, he also felt a little relieved!
On the way to the Imperial Study to meet Ye Mingsheng, he had been hesitating and struggling over whether to suppress the memorial from his good senior brother Ma Runchuan.

Although his relationship with Ye Mingsheng has become somewhat distant due to some recent differences in political policies, after following Ye Mingsheng for so many years, Gu Sansi is more or less aware of some of Ye Mingsheng's political ideas. He can sense that His Majesty wants to make an example of someone to scare the monkeys!
Therefore, if His Majesty knew that his good senior brother only laid off 700 people in Qi and Lu, it is very likely that his good senior brother Ma Runchuan would become this chicken!

Therefore, Gu Sansi wanted to suppress the report and then send someone to inform Ma Runchuan to increase the intensity of layoffs. No matter what he did, he would only lay off one thousand people.

But doing so is risky for Gu Sansi. Although it may not seem like a big deal, from the perspective of ZZ, to put it in a serious way, this is the crime of deceiving the emperor and forming a clique for personal gain. Once people know about this and attack him, Gu Sansi will most likely be in big trouble!

This is also the reason why Gu Sansi is so entangled. However, when he thought that if he did not take action to suppress the matter temporarily, then His Majesty would be furious after seeing this report and it is very likely that his senior brother's family would be destroyed, Gu Sansi could not help but think of how good Senior Brother Ma was to him when he was not yet successful!

In fact, Gu Sansi was also comforting himself. He might have guessed wrong. His Majesty might not pay attention to the situation in Qi and Lu. Even if he noticed it, he would not be very angry. But Gu Sansi still couldn't deceive himself!
Finally, on the carriage entering the palace, Ma Runchuan made this difficult decision and temporarily suppressed Ma Runchuan's report.
Now after hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, Ma Runchuan was very glad for his decision, otherwise he would probably have heard the order from His Majesty to send the Coordination Office to Qi and Lu to arrest Ma Runchuan.

Gu Sansi was thankful and immediately said:
"Understood! As long as there is any news, I will send it to you as soon as possible!"

After hearing Gu Sansi's answer, Ye Mingsheng pondered for a moment and said:

"Think twice about whether the numbers in these reports are inflated."

After hearing this, Gu Sansi's heart sank. He knew that this was a very sensitive question and he had to answer it carefully. If his answer was wrong, the fate of many people might be rewritten!
Gu Sansi thought quickly and then spoke very carefully:
"Your Majesty, I have conveyed your orders accurately to the provincial governors and provincial judges in various places, so that they can fully understand the necessity and urgency of layoffs. I believe that these officials will do their work conscientiously and responsibly!"

Having said this, Gu Sansi paused for a moment, then raised his head slightly and observed Ye Mingsheng's expression in secret. Seeing that Ye Mingsheng was looking at him expressionlessly, Gu Sansi hesitated for a moment and then continued in a deep voice:
"In addition, our Ministry of Revenue will also send personnel to conduct open and secret inspections in various places to ensure that these reduction figures are true and effective..."

After hearing Gu Sansi's last words, Ye Mingsheng couldn't help but look at him deeply.

Gu Sansi spoke for a long time, but he did not give Ye Mingsheng a definite answer. However, Gu Sansi's words themselves implied an answer.

However, this was also within Ye Mingsheng's expectations. Daqian was so large with so many prefectures and counties, so it was inevitable that the figures were a little exaggerated. The key to the problem was how exaggerated the figures were, whether they were dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people. Ye Mingsheng didn't know the result yet, but the governors and inspectors below were all appointed by Ye Mingsheng himself.

Ye Mingsheng had some understanding of these people. It was possible for them to falsely report a hundred or so people, but if it came to thousands of people, Ye Mingsheng really didn't believe they had the courage to do so!

However, Ye Mingsheng really doesn't like Gu Sansi's statement. In the past, Gu Sansi would tell Ye Mingsheng his judgment very clearly, but in reality, Gu Sansi's answer was to remove him first. Should this mean that Gu Sansi has become more mature, or has he become more slippery?

Although Ye Mingsheng didn't say anything when he thought of this, a hint of disappointment inevitably flashed in his eyes!
Seeing this, Gu Sansi was able to feel something from Ye Mingsheng's eyes, and then he felt a little ashamed and did not dare to look Ye Mingsheng in the eye.

At this moment Ye Mingsheng was also a little bored. He instinctively wanted to let this important official of Daqian, whom he had promoted, leave. However, Ye Mingsheng could not do so now as the matter was not yet settled...

Ye Mingsheng hesitated for a moment, and did not continue to discuss the issue of layoffs. Instead, he changed the subject and asked:
"Who do you think is capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility in the court now?"

After hearing this, Gu Sansi was somewhat confused. After hesitating for a moment, he said:

"Your Majesty, could you please tell me clearly? What kind of mission is it?"

In response to Gu Sansi's question, Ye Mingsheng was silent for a while. Seeing Ye Mingsheng's silence, Gu Sansi became even more surprised and confused. At this moment, Ye Mingsheng's voice came to his ears again.

"Shangshu!"

Although Ye Mingsheng's answer was brief, it undoubtedly dropped a bomb in Gu Sansi's heart, making Gu Sansi extremely shocked.

Because Daqian currently does not have a prime minister, the six ministers are at the top of Daqian's officials. Each minister holds a vital position in Daqian, and the most important thing is that all the six ministers of Daqian are in office and there are no vacancies!

And now, Your Majesty asks himself, who can be the Shangshu?
Does it mean that Ye Mingsheng is dissatisfied with someone’s work and is planning to replace that person?

Thinking of this, Gu Sansi, who was the Minister of Personnel, inevitably associated the matter with himself, and felt a little panicked. He had recently had some disagreements with Ye Mingsheng on the issue of layoffs, and there was obviously some disappointment in the look of His Majesty when he looked at him just now!

However, Gu Sansi, who knew Ye Mingsheng's style, changed his mind and realized that this person was most likely not himself!
After all, with Ye Mingsheng's usual style, if he really intended to replace himself, he would not ask himself this question!
Since Your Majesty asked yourself this question, it means that the person Your Majesty wants to replace is not yourself··················

Thinking of this, Gu Sansi felt a little more at ease. At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder, who among the six ministers of ministries did His Majesty want to replace?

Although he really wanted to ask Ye Mingsheng this question, Gu Sansi knew that this question was too sensitive. Moreover, even if he asked it, His Majesty would not answer it, and it would also violate His Majesty's taboo!
So Gu Sansi suppressed the doubts in his heart and gave a standard answer.

"Your Majesty, Governor Murong is a veteran of Daqian. He has made great contributions to Daqian. He has always performed well in Jiyu and Jiangnan. He is qualified for the post of governor!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng waved his hand and said:

"Murong Yuliang's ability and qualifications are indeed enough to be the Shangshu, but Jiangnan and Huainan cannot do without him now. Think about others!"

Hearing Ye Mingsheng reject the candidate he had given without hesitation, Gu Sansi realized that His Majesty had already considered this issue, so Gu Sansi pondered carefully for a moment and said tentatively:

"Your Majesty, the governor of Jiyu, Zhao, is in his prime and has always performed very well. I think Zhao is qualified to be the minister. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Seeing Gu Sansi talking about Zhao Wanxian, Ye Mingsheng directly rejected it and said:
"Although Zhao Wanxian has good performance, he has too little experience, and he has just been transferred to Jiyu. If he leaves Jiyu now, many of his work will be abandoned halfway, which is not a good thing. Let him gain experience in Jiyu for a few years first!"

Seeing that Zhao Wanxian was also rejected by Ye Mingsheng, Gu Sansi began to wonder in his heart, not understanding what Ye Mingsheng was thinking...