I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 179 Those who illegally mint copper coins will be hanged! Yin Zhengmao, an active member of the cabinet.
October 27th.

Emperor Wanli dismissed Zhang Han from his post as Minister of Personnel without reward or punishment, and ordered him to retire and return home.

at the same time.

Emperor Wanli issued an edict reinstating Wang Guoguang, the former Minister of Revenue, as Minister of Personnel. To prevent him from refusing to take office, Emperor Wanli ordered Shi Qing, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to personally escort Wang Guoguang back to the capital from Yangcheng County, Zezhou Prefecture, Shanxi Province, with his handwritten edict.

The news of Wang Guoguang taking a concubine last year has spread far and wide.

If he dares to delay on the grounds of old age, the young Wanli Emperor will have Shi Qing bind him and bring him back to the capital.

……

In the blink of an eye, it's November.

The prosecutors in the Drafting Division are growing at an astonishing rate.

But I'm also incredibly busy.

One doesn't know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt until one is in charge of the household; one doesn't know the many affairs of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty until one drafts the imperial edicts.

The officials in charge of inspections had to review a whole host of matters, including the promotion and transfer of officials, the coordination of government affairs, the review of border military supplies, the preparation of royal ceremonies, the reception of envoys for tribute and trade, the transfer of censors to local areas, the capture of local bandits and criminals, and the reward and punishment of officials.

While many things can be handled according to routine, the inspectors must remember this point, otherwise it will affect the handling of other matters.

Therefore, I have to keep several times more things in my mind every day than before.

Of the eighteen prosecutors, seventeen are busy and happy.

Only Shen Nian is happy and not busy.

No one else wanted to see him stay up all night working on documents, otherwise the gap between them would widen.

Everyone has to admit it.

Drafting proposals does indeed require talent; some people may be born with the talent to be cabinet ministers, such as Shen Nian.

……

The fifth day of the eleventh lunar month is the winter solstice.

Emperor Wanli and his officials held a ceremony at the Altar of Heaven to celebrate the Winter Solstice, praying for good weather, peace, and prosperity for the Ming Dynasty in the coming year.

After the winter solstice.

For many ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty, this marked the beginning of the year-end season.

The capital city became increasingly bustling, with merchants flocking in and a scene of prosperity.

……

November 7th, afternoon.

During his leisure time, the young Wanli Emperor visited the Drafting Office.

He was the head of this temporary government office, so it was perfectly normal for him to come and inspect without prior notice.

And this moment.

The officials in charge of the rotation were Li Youzi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; Zhang Yue, the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review; Shen Nian, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy; Zhao Zhimou, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy; and Wang Daocheng, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Personnel.

Upon hearing that the young Wanli Emperor had come to the yamen, the five men immediately stood up from their desks and rushed outside.

"See Your Majesty!"

The five inspectors and more than ten clerks all bowed in unison.

"I'm just here to take a look, no need for formalities!" With that, the young Wanli Emperor walked into the drafting hall with great excitement.

After inspecting the area, the young Wanli Emperor sat at the very front and said, "I know that you have all worked very hard these past few days. If there is any shortage of food or other necessities, please ask the Directorate of Ceremonial for help. The money will come from the Imperial Treasury!"

The treatment of officials in the Ming Dynasty was clearly regulated, and no one was allowed to exceed the limits. However, with the help of the imperial treasury and the approval of the young Wanli Emperor, some extravagance was permitted.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. We have no shortage of anything!" Shen Nian and the other four bowed in unison.

Feng Bao has already aligned their treatment with that of the cabinet. Before they reach Zhang Juzheng's level, they are not qualified to make demands.

Some favors are an honor to refuse and a beautiful story to tell; once accepted, they become a burden and a sin.

After a brief chat between the emperor and his ministers...

Emperor Wanli thought for a moment and then said, "Are you all facing any difficulties lately? If you can't solve the problems, I will help you solve them!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Nian and the others shook their heads, but Li Youzi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, there is indeed a matter that may require your attention!"

"What is it?" the young Wanli asked in confusion.

"Today, while reviewing the memorials, I discovered that on July 18th, an official from the Censorate reported that a large number of privately minted new coins had appeared in the capital, causing more than ten copper coins to be worth only one fen of silver. Subsequently, Grand Secretary Zhang drafted a proposal to order the Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Garrison to arrest those who privately minted coins. His Majesty replied: 'Order the Imperial Guard to join forces with the Shuntian Prefecture and the Five City Garrison to arrest them and punish them severely.' However, at the end of September and yesterday, different officials submitted memorials again, stating that counterfeit coins were rampant in the capital and requesting the court to severely punish the coin minters and destroy the coin-making furnaces and molds."

"This problem has been reported by officials three times, the cabinet has drafted resolutions twice, and His Majesty has also issued orders, yet it remains unresolved. This is truly due to the dereliction of duty by the Imperial Guard, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five City Garrison Commands. However... however, we have no authority to urge them to be punished!"

Upon hearing this, the young Wanli Emperor frowned slightly.

This problem is not an isolated case.

Many of the problems he handed over to the cabinet were never fully resolved before they were overshadowed by new ones.

Because the imperial court had many things to deal with.

Therefore, some unresolved and less important issues were left unattended.

Officials are also selective, and they will always put some issues aside.

The matter of privately minting counterfeit money.

This phenomenon is not unique to the Ming Dynasty; since the invention of copper coins, there have been those who privately minted counterfeit coins in every dynasty.

These counterfeiters are like weeds growing in the corner; once you remove one patch, a large patch will grow back every so often, making them extremely difficult to clean up.

Little Wanli thought about it.

If Zhang Juzheng were in power, and encountered a problem that had not been resolved after three memorials, he would certainly summon the officials responsible for solving the problem to the cabinet, give them a severe scolding, and order them to resolve the problem within a limited time.

This is now a weakness of the drafting department, and also a weakness of the cabinet.

The Drafting Office did not have the power of Zhang Juzheng, and Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang were never tough enough in their dealings.

This led some officials to treat people differently based on their status, and they were bound to neglect their duties during Zhang Juzheng's period of mourning.

However, the young Wanli Emperor could reprimand them just like Zhang Juzheng.

"Cough cough..."

Emperor Wanli coughed lightly, looked at a young eunuch beside him, and said, "Pass on my decree to immediately summon Jin Lijing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhou Hai, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to the Drafting Office for an audience!"

These two were the main executors of this matter.

As for the Five Cities Military Command.

The yamen was of such a low rank that it was practically a lackey of the imperial guards and secret police, not even worthy of being scolded by the young Wanli Emperor.

"I'm going to give them a good scolding and make all the officials understand that no task I assign them can be neglected!"

this moment.

A smile appeared on the face of Li Youzi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

That's exactly the effect he wanted to achieve.

The biggest weakness of the proposed inspector was that he could not possess the power that Zhang Juzheng had, which made all officials fear him. Therefore, the young Wanli Emperor was needed to make up for this.

After a while.

Jin Lijing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhou Hai, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, quickly arrived at the Drafting Office.

The young Wanli Emperor caught the two of them and gave them a good scolding.

"The matter I assigned you in July has not been completed by October. What is the point of the court employing you?"

"With the Grand Secretary gone, do you think you can slack off just because there's no one to supervise you? This matter concerns the court's finances and must be eradicated!" ...

"I hereby give you three days to arrest and imprison all those who have been rampant in minting coins in Shuntian Prefecture recently, and to destroy all the furnaces and molds they use for minting coins outside the Daming Gate! If you fail to do so, you may resign and go home!"

The young Wanli Emperor had a dark face and appeared very angry.

Both Jin Lijing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhou Hai, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, looked aggrieved.

Upon hearing that the case was to be concluded in three days, Jin Lijing couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, these private minters are always secretive about their whereabouts. In addition, they have inside agents in the Imperial Guard, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five Cities Garrison. They can escape as soon as they are caught. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to complete the mission within three days!"

"If the task is difficult to complete, then await severe punishment in three days. I will not listen to anything else, I only care about the result!" The young Wanli Emperor's face was gloomy.

Jin Lijing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhou Hai, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, exchanged a glance and then bowed and took their leave.

After a while.

Before leaving the Drafting Office, the young Wanli Emperor said to Shen Nian and the other four, "All examiners, remember this: if such problems of excessive delays by the executors occur again in the future, report directly to me, and I will handle it!"

"Your subject obeys!" Shen Nian and the other four bowed and said.

Emperor Wanli's words were meant for all the officials in the court.

The current drafting department can only rely on the authority of the young Wanli Emperor to make the officials wary.

……

Night falls at the Shen residence.

After finishing dinner, Shen Nian was playing with her son, Xiao Yanche, when she suddenly heard her mother call out to Aji, "Aji, I received several counterfeit copper coins when I bought fish today. I will hand them over to the authorities tomorrow!"

“Yes, Madam!” Aji took the copper coins handed over by Madam Shen.

At this moment, Shen Nian became interested.

He turned to Shen's mother and asked, "Mother, are counterfeit copper coins so rampant these days?"

"Yes! The vegetable vendors, porters, and peddlers on the street are all mixing government money with their own, and some of them are so fake that I can't tell the difference at all!"

Only a family like Shen Nian's would be willing to hand over counterfeit copper coins to the government free of charge.

If it were an ordinary person, they would certainly mix it with real copper coins and spend it.

"Aji, bring the fake copper coin over here, let me take a look!"

"Yes, young master!"

Immediately, Aji handed all six copper coins to Shen Nian.

These are six Wanli Tongbao coins, in relatively good condition.

Shen Nian stared at it for a long time but couldn't figure out where it was fake. Then he took out a real copper coin to compare it with.

By candlelight.

Counterfeit copper coins are noticeably duller in color, have rough edges, and produce a somewhat hoarse and dull sound when struck.

This indicates insufficient copper content.

Official coins contained 60% to 70% copper, with the remainder being a mixture of lead and tin.

Private money, on the other hand, increased the proportion of lead and iron, and the copper used was also inferior scrap copper.

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty: anyone who privately mints copper coins shall be hanged, and their family members shall be exiled to the border.

However, because so many such incidents had occurred, local officials only punished the people for being poor and resorting to theft, merely giving them a beating and confiscating their property.

This has made it impossible for private minting of copper coins to be stopped despite repeated bans.

Some officials, including clerks or supervisory officials, embezzled official copper and resold the copper, casting furnaces, and molds to private minters, making it difficult to distinguish between genuine and counterfeit products.

Shen Nian had a feeling that Jin Lijing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhou Hai, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, would have difficulty resolving this issue within three days.

……

Three days later.

Jin Lijing, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhou Hai, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, submitted a memorial to plead guilty.

They claimed that the number of people involved in counterfeiting coins was large, and that they had insiders in various government departments, making it impossible to eradicate them completely within three days. They implored Emperor Wanli to punish them.

Emperor Wanli was so angry that he tore the two men's memorials to shreds, but he did not severely punish them; he only deducted three months' salary from their pay.

Because the young Wanli Emperor knew that this was a very thorny matter.

Collusion between officials and businessmen, especially between low-level clerks and private money dealers, is like the intertwined roots and vines of a large tree, impossible to eradicate completely.

As soon as the imperial court takes action, someone will tip them off so they can move immediately.

He looked at Shen Nian, who was on duty recording the daily life of the people.

"Minister Shen, those who privately mint coins have gone too far. If I fail to punish them this time, they will likely become even more rampant in the future. Do you have any good ideas?"

A faint smile appeared on Shen Nian's face.

"Your Majesty, the difficulty of this matter lies in the collusion between officials and merchants. As long as the government takes any action, they can get advance notice and hide!"

"It would be too much of a waste of manpower to check everyone from the Imperial Guard, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five Cities Garrison at this moment. It would be better to leave these people out and let someone else investigate this matter!"

"Let someone else investigate? There are traitors and accomplices in the Imperial Guard, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five Cities Garrison. Other government offices won't be much cleaner either. I can't trust any of them!" The young Wanli Emperor said helplessly.

The most difficult things to do are those at the grassroots level, precisely because of this.

Because the monthly wages of clerks in various government offices were very low and the benefits were poor, they all had part-time jobs, and most of them made money through these shady businesses.

"I suggest that we use three hundred soldiers from the Beijing Garrison!"

Little Wanli shook his head slightly.

"Shen Qing, you're joking. These soldiers are only good at training and fighting, not at criminal investigation. They're not very familiar with the capital. Let alone arresting people, they probably won't be able to find anything!"

"Your Majesty, things would be different if there were a leader. I implore Your Majesty to order Grand Secretary Yin to investigate this matter!"

"Grand Secretary Yin is skilled in both literature and military affairs, adept at leading troops, and managing finances in the Ministry of Revenue is his primary responsibility. Grand Secretary Yin is certain he can do a good job, and he is extremely eager for this opportunity. Your Majesty, don't you want Grand Secretary Yin to make a contribution?"

Upon hearing this, the young Wanli Emperor immediately smiled.

At present, Grand Secretary Yin is diligent and honest in the Ministry of Revenue. It is said that he doesn't even swear when he is working.

His purpose was naturally to get the young Wanli Emperor to allow him to join the cabinet and participate in state affairs, given his good attitude in correcting his mistakes.

Yin Zhengmao is a workaholic.

He had no ambition to become the Grand Secretary, but he always wanted to join the cabinet and participate in its affairs.

He wanted to change the world's perception of him as a corrupt official and to be remembered in history.

The current cabinet, relying on Lü Diaoyang and Ma Ziqiang, is simply not holding on, and the young Wanli Emperor has long wanted to restore Yin Zhengmao's power to enter the cabinet and participate in state affairs.

It's just that a suitable opportunity has been lacking.

Now, that opportunity has arrived!
Shen Nian believed that Yin Zhengmao's reckless personality was the most suitable for dealing with those money dealers.

Yin Zhengmao is currently full of energy.

And no one would have imagined that the Minister of Revenue of the Imperial Court would do such a thing as apprehending thieves.

He is good at using unexpected and unconventional methods.

The money dealers had already figured out the tactics of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Shuntian Prefecture, and the Five Cities Garrison.

"Your Majesty, this matter should not be publicized. You can quietly instruct Grand Secretary Yin. I believe that within five days at most, he will be able to arrest and imprison all the coin minters who have been running rampant in Shuntian Prefecture, and seize all the casting furnaces and molds used for coin minting!"

"It's feasible! It's a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy. Minister Shen, the court is fortunate to have you!" The young Wanli Emperor looked at Shen Nian and said very seriously.

"Your Majesty flatters me!"

Even the usually thick-skinned Shen Nian couldn't help but feel her cheeks burning upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)