The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

After breakfast, Pan Yun followed Zhu Qiyu into the imperial study.

The Imperial Study was where the emperor worked, with a large space in the middle for meeting with ministers.

After Pan Yun dismissed the others, he showed the emperor a portion of the assets they had confiscated.

Cheng Jing remained inside the room, oh, out of Pan Jun's sight, there were two hidden guards lying in wait in this imperial study.

So the four people in the room were all dazzled by the gold and silver jewelry.

The emperor reached out and touched the golden Buddha statue, which was half the height of a human and sat cross-legged. He tried to push it, but it wouldn't budge.

Pan Yun floated over and said, "I checked it. It's solid gold. Xue Shao weighed it. It's exactly two hundred catties, not an ounce more or less."

The emperor's hand trembled slightly: "Pure gold?"

"Physical gold".

The emperor, who ruled the world, looked at the golden Buddha with a different gaze. Generally speaking, shouldn't such a large and heavy golden Buddha only be covered with a layer of gold leaf?

They actually made it solid.

Two hundred catties of gold! That's how many taels of silver that is, enough to do so many things!
Pan Yun said, "Xue Shao and An Chen said that these are not valuable items. Gold and silver are the two least valuable things in that pile."

The emperor's breathing quickened, and he asked, "Minister Xue, how much money is needed to settle the military households in Guangdong?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as the money is used effectively, at least 60% of what was confiscated can be returned to the national treasury, enough for the court to do many things."

The emperor was furious and spun around in place, saying, "This is simply outrageous! If all these corrupt military officers were confiscated, wouldn't the national treasury be overflowing? It seems that we really should weaken their power, just as Minister Yu said, to prevent them from becoming corrupt."

Pan Jun shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the corruption of civil officials is no less than that of military officials. The fight against corruption should target all officials, not just one. I do not recommend giving the Ministry of War the management of military farms and grain reserves."

The emperor was slightly taken aback. He thought Pan Yun would support this, so he asked, "Why? Don't you also resent their oppression of military households? With the Ministry of War in charge of unified management, the restrictions imposed on military households by local commanders and garrisons will be reduced, making it much more difficult to oppress them, and there is a greater chance that the Ministry of War will discover it."

Pan Yun only said one sentence: "The responsibility and authority to station troops should belong to the Five Military Commands."

The emperor frowned slightly, still thinking. Pan Yun mentioned the main purpose of her return: "Your Majesty, although you have never received the teachings of a wise ruler, you are very intelligent. Do you remember what I once told you? To be a good emperor, you only need to grasp the three most important points."

Zhu Qiyu: "Put the people first, listen to all sides to gain clarity, and hold military power?"

Pan Yun nodded: "The people represent the interests of the majority of the people. If Your Majesty takes them as your foundation, you will win their hearts. Listening to all sides will reduce wrong decisions. Governing a country is not about doing the most correct things, but about doing the fewest wrong things. If you do fewer wrong things, the way of Heaven will be natural, and people's hearts will turn towards the light, and you will naturally move towards the light. Holding military power is to ensure that Your Majesty can implement the first two points. You must remember that no matter how complicated everything in the world is, it is ultimately a clash of power."

Zhu Qiyu opened his mouth wide, and after a long while, he said, "But, but didn't you say that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world..."

Pan Yun: "Do you know how many civilians in the world are registered as military households under the Ming Dynasty's garrison system? Your Majesty, if you do not win the hearts of the people, will these military households obey your orders? Will they still be your army, your force?"

Zhu Qiyu remained silent. "Therefore, power and popular support are never contradictory, but rather move in the same direction. The more popular you are, the more secure your military power becomes, and the stronger your forces become."

Zhu Qiyu nodded, indicating that he understood: "But what does this have to do with my selection of the newest Guangdong Regional Commander?"

“Of course it’s related,” Pan Yun said. “Your Majesty can ask the Cabinet, the Minister of War, the Minister of Personnel, or even any minor official in the court, or even a palace maid who sweeps the palace, about the new Guangdong Commander. But you shouldn’t just ask me.”

"Only?"

“Yes,” Pan Yun said solemnly, “I have indeed achieved some success in my cultivation and can see some heavenly secrets, but I am neither a god nor an immortal. Even gods and immortals have their limitations. How does Your Majesty know that the answer you get from me is the correct one?”

Zhu Qiyu: "...Grand Preceptor, you are too honest. As the Grand Preceptor, shouldn't you try your best to make me believe you, even if you are wrong, you should still make me believe you are right?"

Pan Yun shook his head: "Your Majesty, I hope you will become a wise ruler, not a foolish one. Even gods make mistakes, so how can a human be without ever making a mistake?"

“Making mistakes is not terrible; what is terrible is not admitting mistakes and making the same mistake again and again for the sake of face and interests, carrying the error to the end,” Pan Yun said. “Your Majesty, if you look back, which wise ruler in history has not made mistakes? But when they made mistakes, they all admitted them and then corrected them.”

Zhu Qiyu seemed to be deep in thought.

"Therefore, Your Majesty, if one day someone insists in front of Your Majesty that they will not make a mistake, then they must be a treacherous minister, including myself. If you encounter such a person, Your Majesty should keep your distance."

Zhu Qiyu nodded earnestly.

Pan Jun was satisfied and then continued, "Your Majesty, even if what I said is correct, as a monarch, you should not only ask me for my opinion. Since you are listening to all sides, you should ask for the opinions of many people."

“The Guangdong Military Commander is a second-rank official. Whoever you ask for his opinion will feel that His Majesty values ​​them and will be more willing to offer advice to His Majesty.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu's spirits lifted, and he stared intently at Pan Yun, asking, "Does the Imperial Preceptor share this feeling?"

No, she only felt that her workload had increased. Originally, with the new emperor's ascension to the throne and the country running normally, she only needed to give the emperor some pointers from time to time and then focus on her own cultivation and training.

However, under Zhu Qiyu's expectant gaze, Pan Yun forced a smile and said, "Yes, but soon, I was filled with worry. Your Majesty, in the future, you should consult the court officials more often on state affairs. In addition to the cabinet and ministers of various ministries, you can also consult the Hanlin Academy members. They are all Jinshi graduates. Some are older and more stable, while others are young and ambitious. Listening to all sides will bring clarity."

There are so many scholars in the Hanlin Academy, who have passed the county, provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations, overcoming numerous obstacles. It would be a waste not to put these people to good use.

Zhu Qiyu was fired up by Pan Yun's words: "The Grand Preceptor is right. I have not thought things through. Some state affairs can indeed be discussed with the officials. Grand Preceptor, what do you think of the candidates Yu Qian proposed?"

Why are you still asking her?
Pan Yun said, "I know nothing about these people. Why doesn't Your Majesty ask for the opinions of others?"

Zhu Qiyu: "Does the Imperial Advisor really have no objections at all?"

Pan Jun rubbed his forehead and said, "Your Majesty, you should ask for other people's opinions again. Once you have decided on the right people, I will perform a divination for them."

Zhu Qiyu thought to himself: Does this mean that the people Yu Qian recommended aren't very suitable? (End of Chapter)