I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 10 Compromise and Exchange

Yan Song carried the coffin back to his hometown, and only Xu Jie and Yuan Wei were on duty in the cabinet.

Yuan Wei often had to go to the Western Garden to be on duty and write poems for Emperor Jiajing, so the cabinet affairs were handled by Xu Jie alone during these days.

He often called his most proud student Zhang Juzheng to the cabinet to discuss some matters privately.

Xu Jie said, "I drafted the memorial of Wang Zhaolong, the censor, impeaching Yan Shifan for violating the rules. Yan Shifan was stripped of his post and exiled, but the Imperial Household Department kept it in the palace and did not issue it."

Zhang Juzheng's face changed: "Your Majesty, do you still want to protect the Yan family father and son?"

He felt indignant.

Previously, teacher, you analyzed and said that the emperor wanted to overthrow Yan, and then the prince took every step carefully to plan to overthrow Yan. Now that the critical moment has come, you realized that your analysis was in vain!
Happy for nothing.

Xu Jie glanced at him and said, "You are not as impatient as Gao Gong, but you are equally impatient. When you are unsure, you act rashly. This is not good."

Zhang Juzheng's face straightened and he replied respectfully, "Teacher, I remember it."

"Here is another memorial, take a look at it too."

Xu Jie handed over a memorial, Zhang Juzheng took it and read it quickly.

"The people of Nanzhili, Zhejiang, and Fujian have donated their property to help suppress the Japanese.

Then the emperor bestowed the name of the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office, collecting donated industries and coordinating operations to support military use. He also said that retired officials would be appointed to fill the office, run this matter, serve the country in the local area, and share the emperor's worries.

Teacher, this matter?"

Zhang Juzheng was unable to judge the matter for a moment, "There has never been such a thing in the past hundred years of our dynasty."

"Of course not. Just because something hasn't happened doesn't mean the emperor can't do it. Twenty days have passed, and Xiyuan's trump card has finally been revealed. The big fish that I told you about before has surfaced!"

Zhang Juzheng's eyes lit up. "The Southeastern Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office, is that Xiyuan's idea? Under the pretext of raising food and pay, they are raising money for the emperor?"

Xu Jie said calmly: "I collected 100,000 taels of silver, 50,000 for military use, and 50,000 for the capital. Who knows?"

"Teacher, looking at this memorial, the Southeastern Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office is still privately run and has nothing to do with the government?"

"It is said that this is a righteous act by the people of the southeast to serve the country. Naturally, it has nothing to do with the government, but it is inextricably linked to the palace. After all, it is somewhat similar to the Shaofu of the Qin and Han dynasties."

"That won't work. This is against the national system. Besides, once this precedent is set, won't the royal family be able to make money under various banners? Where is the court system? Where is the national taxation system established by Emperor Taizu?"

Xu Jie glanced at Zhang Juzheng.

Like most knowledgeable civil servants, his student does not allow any channels for making money outside the system to emerge.

The system in their minds is nothing more than one that can be controlled by civil servants through institutions and operating systems at all levels of the court.

Zhang Juzheng asked, "Teacher, how did you draft it?"

"I have proposed this unprecedented move, and the Ministry of Revenue should appoint an official to take charge of this matter."

Zhang Juzheng was relieved: "Teacher, this is the advice of an experienced and wise man for the country."

Xu Jie snorted softly and said, "So Yan Shifan's impeachment memorial was retained."

Zhang Juzheng was not calm anymore. "Your Majesty wants to exchange?"

Xu Jie answered without hesitation: "Yes, if we agree to the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office, the emperor is willing to overthrow Yan! Now it depends on how we choose!"

Zhang Juzheng did not expect that the emperor would pose such a big problem.

The upright people headed by Prince Yu's Mansion dreamed of overthrowing Yan day and night.

For the bureaucrats headed by Teacher Xu Jie, overthrowing Yan would free up their positions.

If Yan Song falls, the teacher will be able to take his place as the Prime Minister.

Yan's party members were cleared out, and a series of official positions were vacated. Everyone got a share and was promoted to a new position.

How to choose?
Xu Jie smiled, "Uncle, you are hesitant too. To be honest, I am also hesitant."

Yes, people in the world are not saints and cannot be selfless and forget about personal gain.

Suddenly, Zhang Juzheng remembered what his student Zhu Yijun had said: "Students feel that ordinary people have their own seven emotions and six desires."

Zhu Yijun?
"Teacher, the emperor's willingness to make an exchange this time is beyond my expectation."

Xu Jie also shook his head. "Uncle, I am also surprised. The emperor in the past was not so easy to talk to. It may be because of your good student.

I think this is a good start." "A good start?"

"The emperor is a man of great wisdom and determination. During the dispute over the great ceremony, hundreds of scholars and ministers were beaten to death. He never negotiated any conditions or made any exchanges with his subjects."

Xu Jie spoke, choosing his words carefully.

Zhang Juzheng understood.

The teacher was right. Emperor Jiajing's methods were vicious and most of them involved beatings in court, exile, imprisonment, and execution. He could be said to be mean and ungrateful.

Even Yan Song, who had worked hard for him for thirty years, was only used by him and had no gratitude towards him at all.

"Uncle, the emperor is doing this now, not because he has changed his personality. It's because he knows very well that the throne will eventually be passed on to his good grandson."

"Teacher, are you saying that the emperor is training a prince?"

"Yes."

To train a prince is naturally to train him to become the emperor.

Then how to control court officials and achieve one's own goals is also one of the important contents of training.

In this case, the teacher is right. Some kind of compromise and exchange between the monarch and his subjects is better than the Emperor Jiajing's means of control.

The teacher and the student sat facing each other for a long time. Zhang Juzheng finally said, "Teacher, I think we can still give it a try."

Xu Jie asked with a smile: "Do you really want to try? Uncle, you may have a deeper understanding of the prince's methods in the future."

Zhang Juzheng knew what his teacher meant. After hesitating for a while, he still spoke.

"Then let's give it a try."

"Okay, I'll re-draft and agree to the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office."

The memorial that Xu Jie had redrafted was sent back to the Imperial Household Department and was soon presented to Emperor Jiajing.

He glanced at Zhu Yijun next to him and said, "Jun'er, the Southeast Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office has been approved by the cabinet. Even if there are censors who make a fuss later, it is their business as civil servants.

We continue to do our work. It was you who proposed the Southeastern Anti-Japanese Food and Pay Coordination Office. What should we do next? Are there any rules?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhu Yijun took out a petition from his arms and handed it over.

Emperor Jiajing looked at the still immature words on the petition and read it carefully.

The Coordination Office consists of the Planning Department, the Settlement Department, and the Audit Department, which supervises Company A, which specializes in silk, Company B, which specializes in porcelain, Company C, which specializes in tea, and Company D, which specializes in cotton cloth.
Each business shall maintain its own accounting and be responsible for its own profits and losses.

Hire professional businessmen as managers to take charge of daily operations.

The key is to improve the accounts and strengthen auditing.

Emperor Jiajing's heart moved, "Jun'er, you said the key lies in perfecting the accounts?"

"Yes. Grandfather, Yan Maoqing was corrupt when he was inspecting the salt industry in Lianghuai. Yan Shifan took advantage of all the major projects and embezzled a lot of money. More than half of the tax revenue in the southeast was lost. I think an important reason is that our fiscal and taxation system is imperfect, especially the accounting system is too simple and has too many loopholes, which is one of the major drawbacks."

Emperor Jiajing said: "The taxation system of our dynasty was established by Emperor Taizu."

Zhu Yijun smiled inwardly.

My grandfather, among all the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, you are the one who has the least respect for the ancestral system.

How much of the ancestral rules have you trampled upon by the great ritual debate?
"Grandpa Emperor, you have made up for and corrected the omissions in the ancestral system of Emperor Taizu, which is enough to go down in history."

A rare smile appeared on the majestic face of Emperor Jiajing.

Due to his background, he was extremely sensitive to ancestral rules and was very keen on checking and correcting them, as well as formulating his own ancestral rules.

Zhu Yijun's words just hit the spot.

"I will keep this petition from my grandson and take a closer look. Huang Jin."

"The minister is here."

"The memorial impeaching Yan Shifan is approved. Yan Shifan is unfilial and disrespectful, unworthy of being a son and a minister. He is dismissed from his post, his property is confiscated, and he is exiled to Leizhou, Guangdong. Yan Song failed to educate his son properly, so he is ordered to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion in his hometown."

"According to the order."

"Remember, when you have people search the Yan Mansion, be sure to find evidence of Yan Maoqing's embezzlement. You dare to embezzle my money, humph!"

(End of this chapter)