Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 216: The Three Rites of the State and Settlement of Accounts

"Zixian, you don't have to be so modest. People in the court and the public are saying that it was because you risked your life to meet the emperor and explained the pros and cons that Cui Wensheng was prevented from slaughtering and harming loyal officials." Sun Ruyou said with a smile.

"Jingwen." Xu Guangqi turned to face Sun Ruyou and said, "I'm not being modest. The emperor transferred you to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue. It wasn't my credit, but the emperor wanted to continue using you. He told me personally that you are talented and shouldn't be discouraged by this."

"Did the emperor really say that?" The muscles on Sun Ruyou's face twitched slightly, and the smile on the corners of his mouth became less curved, but more real.

"How dare I forge what the emperor said?" Xu Guangqi said sincerely.

"The current Nanjing Minister of Revenue, Wang Weixiang, who was summoned by the emperor after he ascended the throne, once followed Geng Tiantai to lecture during his observation period. He is also a person who is devoted to Donglin. You will definitely get along well with him when you go to Nanjing." Zhou Jiamo interrupted at the right time.

Geng Dingxiang, courtesy name Zai Lun, was known as Mr. Tiantai because he built the Tiantai Academy on Mount Tiantai. He was a prominent figure in the teaching scene during the period of Yangming's successors. Some of his ideas became the forerunners of the Donglin School.

"The position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing is still vacant. The emperor asked you to go there, and he might also want you to participate in the affairs of state." Liu Yirong took the opportunity to paint a big pie in the sky.

Liu Yirong's speculation actually had some truth to it. The official system in both the Northern and Southern capitals was identical, with each vacant position in the Ministry of Revenue corresponding to a provincial clerk's office, warehouse, or subsidiary government office. Only the positions of Shangshu, Zuo Shilang, and Yuanwailang had no corresponding counterparts. If Wang Yingjiao so desired, he could have placed Sun Ruyou in any department as an assistant official, or even directly assist in the ministry's affairs.

"Okay." Sun Ruyou nodded heavily.

After some pleasantries and encouragement, the conversation turned to recent events. This also became Sun Ruyou's last high-level Donglin Party meeting in Beijing.

"Have you finished the accounts of your Ministry of Rites for the imperial financial meeting on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month?" Zhou Jiamo asked Xu Guangqi.

"Imperial Financial Meeting?" Sun Ruyou didn't remember such a regular meeting.

"It was convened on the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month at the order of the Emperor." Han Yu was the cabinet member who handled this note.

"Are there any items?" Sun Ruyou asked again.

"Last year's bill, this year's budget. If it is a government office with income, it must also keep an income account." Liu Yirong continued.

Sun Ruyou nodded, then said to Xu Guangqi, "Sorry to interrupt, please continue."

"The Ministry of Rites doesn't have much revenue. While the expenditures and budget are considerable, they're mostly concentrated in Beijing, making it relatively simple. Therefore, it was completed before the New Year. It's already been reported to the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department." Xu Guangqi looked at Liu Yirong and Han Yu and asked, "How is the draft?"

Han Yu glanced at Sun Ruyou, but in the end, he didn't shy away from the question and said directly, "The cabinet is still discussing the draft. It's still stuck with Elder Shen."

"Is it about opening a new government office?" Xu Guangqi submitted a memorial suggesting the creation of an institution similar to the Monks' and Taoists' Offices to manage Western religious affairs. A new government office would require the construction of offices, the appointment of officials, and the provision of runners, all of which would cost money.

"Yes." Han Yu nodded, but didn't continue. He knew that Sun Ruyou was very defensive and had a strong aversion to Westerners.

"What about the Ministry of Personnel?" Liu Yirong brought the conversation back to Zhou Jiamo, further avoiding the topic. "The Ministry of Personnel doesn't have any big accounts, right?"

"The Ministry of Personnel doesn't have any major accounts to settle. But we've received a note from the palace asking us to review the current status of officials, both those currently serving and those awaiting appointment, and to coordinate with the Ministry of Revenue to calculate this year's official salaries." Zhou Jiamo raised his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "We'll barely finish the review before the government seals the accounts. Tomorrow, the government will make a copy and send it to the Ministry of Revenue. Once the Ministry of Revenue has the accounts ready, I'll co-sign them. There's a rumor that starting this year, the court will not only pay officials salaries and travel expenses, but also clothing expenses. I'm not sure if that's true."

"Isn't this good? But Brother Mingqing doesn't seem happy?" Sun Ruyou asked.

"This is no small sum. A decent official uniform costs at least five taels of silver, and even with slightly better materials, it'll cost ten taels. With the two capitals, thirteen provinces, hundreds of prefectures, and thousands of counties, there are over twenty thousand official vacancies across the country, not counting officials but clerks. If we really add that much, where will the money come from? Although I'm not in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, I know the granary is practically empty." Zhou Jiamo only counted civil servants. If military officers were included, the number would swell exponentially. "We've come this far, there's no need to put more pressure on the court. And who knows how much the nine major border towns will have to submit budgets this year. Now is the time to cut back."

Zhou Jiamo was already prepared. If someone submitted a petition to the court asking for money for clothing materials for officials, he would jump out and respond sharply.

"Brother Mingqing, what you say makes sense," Sun Ruyou agreed. Then, turning to Xu Guangqi, he asked, "Zixian, although I am no longer an official in the Ministry of Rites, I have something I want to ask you."

"Jingwen, feel free to speak." Xu Guangqi nodded.

"The Emperor has ordered a meeting to be held in front of the emperor, asking each ministry to submit its budget. Has the Ministry of Rites included the expenses of the 'Three National Ceremonies'?" As soon as Sun Ruyou said this, the atmosphere in the reception room immediately became solemn.

The so-called "Three Foundations of State" ceremonies refer to the enthronement, coming-of-age, and wedding ceremonies of the eldest son of the emperor. During the reign of the previous emperor, these issues, from the proposal of the Prime Minister Shen Shixing to establish a crown prince in the 14th year of the Wanli reign to the confirmation of the position in the 29th year of the Wanli reign, lasted a full 15 years, exhausting the emperor and his ministers and causing unrest in the court.

After a moment's silence, Xu Guangqi smiled and said, "I have calculated the expenses for the enthronement ceremony according to the old rules of March of the second year of the Longqing reign and have already reported them."

In the first month of the first year of the Longqing reign, Prince Yu ascended the throne and immediately held a grand naming ceremony for his five-year-old son. Prior to that, the previous Emperor Wanli had only a surname but no name. In the third month of the second year of the Longqing reign, the Emperor held another grand ceremony to enthronize his son as Crown Prince. Thus, the foundation of the nation was established.

Xu Guangqi followed the Longqing system rather than the Wanli one, firstly to avoid revisiting the current emperor's painful past, and secondly because it was difficult to accurately calculate the exact cost of the current emperor's crown prince enthronement ceremony. The relevant records are complex and replete with evidence of bargaining between the Wanli Emperor and the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue. It can be said that the late emperor turned the process of his eldest son's marriage, enthronement, coming-of-age ceremony, and marriage into a business.

"What about the coming-of-age ceremony and the wedding?" Sun Ruyou asked again.

According to ancestral rules, "the crown prince receives his coming-of-age attire and follows the same age as King Wen and King Cheng of Zhou, at the nearest twelve and the oldest fifteen." If we also consider that "the legitimate son is the heir apparent, and all other sons are granted the title of king, they must choose their marriage at the age of fifteen." Therefore, regarding the foundation of the nation, the ideal situation is to appoint a crown prince early, crown him at twelve, send him off to study, choose his bridegroom at fifteen, and marry at sixteen. However, even without considering the ideal timing, only two crown princes in the Ming Dynasty went through this complete process and successfully ascended the throne: Emperor Xiaozong and the current emperor. If the ideal timing is taken into account, it can be said that there is no crown prince at all. Emperor Xiaozong married at seventeen, while the current emperor delayed his marriage until twenty.

The eldest son of the Emperor, Zhu Youxiao, was fifteen years old this year, sixteen in lunar age. Sun Ruyou, then the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and acting director of the ministry, had been obsessed with persuading the Emperor to finalize the foundation of the nation almost from the moment of the late Emperor's death on July 21st. He then planned to complete the entire process, from marriage to marriage, within a year. However, a series of events interrupted his plans. Just as the Ministry of Rites had completed the conferment and posthumous honors on Wanli's concubines, and Sun Ruyou was preparing to ease relations with Xu Guangqi and discuss finalizing the "Three Rites of the National Foundation," the Donglin Party case broke out, Sun Ruyou was imprisoned, and the entire court began to revolve around this incident.

"No. I only reported the budget for the enthronement ceremony." Xu Guangqi's answer surprised Sun Ruyou.

"Why!?" Sun Ruyou was even a little anxious.

"No money," Xu Guangqi explained. "The Ministry of Revenue has no money. Minister Li and I won't ask the Emperor to use the treasury to handle this matter. Let's talk about it after this period of time."

The "Three National Rites" are still national ceremonies after all. There is no problem if the emperor himself asks to spend the internal treasury, but if the outer court asks to spend the internal treasury, it may be delayed due to "insufficient funds".

This is exactly what the late Emperor Wanli did. To delay the marriage of the eldest son, the eunuch Sun Shun, who was in charge of the matter, currying favor with the emperor, drew up a staggering bill: wedding utensils, gold beads, and other items, valued at over 36,400 taels of silver; emeralds, etc., valued at over 129,200 taels of silver; coral, amber, etc., valued at over 18,700 taels of silver; and ambergris, etc., valued at over 25,200 taels of silver. The total amount reached hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Revenue believed the expenses were excessive and advocated for savings. Emperor Wanli seized on this opportunity and, citing the cost of the emperor's eldest son's wedding ceremony as an excuse, issued a decree: "If the Ministry and the Ministry of Revenue are as exorbitant as they claim, the ceremony should be held two or three years later, and the enthronement ceremony should be held at the same time to save money." The Ministry of Revenue, unable to resist, ultimately prioritized the wedding ceremony and complied with the order, scraping together the funds.

"Uh" This concise answer of "no money" left Sun Ruyou with a lump in his throat. And Xu Guangqi didn't intend to stop talking.

"What's more, the three princes, Rui Wang, Hui Wang, and Gui Wang, haven't yet decided on their palaces. Prince Fu spent 280,000 taels to build his palace in Luoyang. If we follow this example, we'll have to spend 840,000 taels to cover it." Although the Ministry of Rites was only responsible for the ceremonies for the three princes to leave the capital, and the money for the palaces was provided by the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, which had basically nothing to do with the Ministry of Rites, Xu Guangqi still sighed deeply. "Alas! No money, no money, no money."

"It's impossible to do that. Just keep it simple as usual." Liu Yirong knew that although the three princes other than Prince Fu did not compete with the prince for the throne, their relationship was not that good. Maybe they could delay spending the money.

"Does the Ministry of Revenue intend to submit this budget?" Liu Yirong asked Xu Guangqi.

"Of course not." Xu Guangqi specifically asked about this when he went to Li Ruhua to pay New Year's greetings and express gratitude. "But the Ministry of Industry doesn't know."

"Jingwen, don't worry too much about the national leader. The emperor's regard for your Highness is obvious. Just get the enthronement ceremony done, and other matters can be put off until later." Han Yu brought the topic back to the topic and suddenly said, "And there are no competitors, right?"

The elders nodded collectively. All the civil and military officials in the court agreed that the fifth prince Zhu Youjian was not qualified and could not become the crown prince just because of the special favor.

------

After serving the emperor a meal and taking a rest, Wang An returned to the Imperial Household Department with an empty stomach. As soon as he entered, he saw his eldest son Cao Huachun, holding a piece of bread in his mouth and clacking his hands with an abacus.

Wang An's claim to the emperor of "working overtime" was entirely true. Aside from a brief lull on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, the Imperial Household Department had been operating non-stop. Aside from not writing dates or stamping documents, they hadn't missed a single task.

When the eunuch waiting at the door saw the old ancestor come in, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed, and then knelt on the ground waiting for the old ancestor to allow him to stand up.

The eunuch's movement wasn't loud, but it was enough to draw the attention of those in the hall. After a moment, the sound of abacus calculations in the main hall of the Imperial Household Department ceased, followed by a chaotic cacophony of kneeling and shouting. "Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

Cao Huachun did not kneel down, but took out the bread he was holding in his mouth, trotted over to Wang An, lifted his robe and kowtowed, calling him affectionately, "Godfather."

"Children, get up! Get up! Go get busy." Wang An's face was filled with a loving smile. But since it was still light, he didn't intend to let them go back to rest. The Imperial Household Department was busier than the Cabinet, and this was no mere rhetoric.

"Has Godfather eaten yet?" Cao Huachun asked, "If not, tell the kitchen to light a stove."

"Not yet, but don't bother. Let's just have that." Wang An walked to the square table in the middle of the hall and casually picked up a flatbread from the porcelain basin and stuffed it into his mouth. The flatbread from the Imperial Household Department was much better than the "stone" flatbread that the third-rate painter Zhang Guoji had, which was neither sweet nor salty.

"We have pork elbow soup here." Cao Huachun picked up an empty bowl from the square table and walked to the stove where a soup pot was placed. He opened the lid, picked up a spoon, and carefully filled half a bowl. After blowing away the heat, Cao Huachun placed the bowl on the table closest to Wang An and said, "Godfather, please enjoy."

"Okay." Wang An nodded. Then he ate two pancakes in a row with the pork elbow soup.

After a quick meal, Wang An took the rarely used central seat and asked Cao Huachun, who was standing beside him, "Han Yuma said Cui Wensheng released both of Shang Lao's sons."

"That's what happened." Cao Huachun immediately understood what his godfather really wanted to ask, so he added, "Superintendent Cui sent all the silver confiscated from Chen Feng and Liang Yong to the transport warehouse."

"Where are the accounts?" Wang An asked.

"So far, we've only received the general ledger, personally delivered by Director Cui. The accounts from the West Factory and the shipping warehouse haven't arrived yet," Cao Huachun replied. "I'll send someone to follow up right away."

"No need. I definitely can't come to pay the bill for the Western Factory today. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)