Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 275 Layoffs Expand

After crossing the Jinshui Bridge, the eunuch in charge of delivering imperial edicts, carrying a tray of memorials, headed straight for the Inner Court Room, where they would be copied and compiled into orders to be distributed to the various departments of the Outer Court. Wei Chao, walking ahead of him, carried the imperial edict personally ordered by him and headed east to the Cabinet Duty Room.

Despite the swift downsizing of the inner court, few within the Forbidden City were deemed redundant. The eunuchs on duty in the palaces and chambers continued to work in an orderly manner according to their old shifts. The only difference was that the yamen they served had been successively demoted. However, this wasn't a bad thing for them. Their duties remained the same, their salaries had increased, and whether their supervisors were eunuchs or imperial court officials was immaterial.

"Great Ancestor." Seeing Wei Chao approach, the eunuch assigned to guard the inner chambers quickly knelt and kowtowed, then opened the door for him. Wei Chao didn't look at the eunuch, only a barely perceptible nod toward the void as a response. Then, he stepped over the threshold and walked directly to Fang Congzhe.

"Prime Minister Fang, Second Minister Ye, and all the other ministers." Wei Chao bowed to Fang Congzhe and Ye Xianggao. To the others, he only gave a slight bow.

"Chief Wei." Fang Congzhe hurriedly returned the greeting.

Previously, cabinet officials referred to all key officials other than those holding the seal as "Bingbi". However, after news of the Silijian making minor changes and strictly following the seating order leaked out, Fang Congzhe changed his name to "Chief". Wei Chao was naturally happy to accept this honorific title that made him look good.

He pulled out the original imperial edict, which had been annotated in red, and handed it to Fang Congzhe with both hands, saying, "Here is an imperial edict addressed to General Luo. Your Majesty wishes the cabinet to send someone to read it out."

Each cabinet member had their own division of labor, but because their opinions needed the Prime Minister's approval before they could be adopted, Fang Congzhe had to review all the memorials submitted to the palace through the Ministry of Public Administration. He had a good memory, and when he heard Wei Chao say the words "Luo Weishuai", he immediately thought of Zhao Yanqing.

Although Zhao Yanqing had the ability to lie with his eyes open, he was not truly blind after all. Zhao Yanqing could still see Luo Sigong's size and his vigorous gait.

Zhao Yanqing didn't accept Luo Sigong's challenge out of his own strength. Instead, he used the challenge itself as a key point of attack. This time, he didn't mention Luo Sigong's "old age and illness," but instead described him as "warlike and unwise" and "tyrannical and arrogant." He was a pure reckless man, unfit to shoulder the important task of leading the Jinyiwei, which required wisdom and composure.

However, "warmongering but reckless" was just a minor addition. Zhao Yanqing's focus had completely shifted to the Luo family's gray and black income, as well as the serious corruption within the Jinyiwei.

The final conclusion was also very practical. Zhao Yanqing did not say anything about asking the Censorate or the Military Department to launch an investigation into Luo Sigong or even the Jinyiwei. Instead, he suggested that the emperor follow the example of the Dongchang case and rectify the malpractices of the Jinyiwei.

The draft of this impeachment letter was prepared by Liu Yirong, who wrote a lengthy paragraph on the paper. However, the key words were simply "Please approve." Fang Congzhe reviewed it without making any changes, simply dipping it in paste and pasting it on. However, judging by the contents of the imperial edict, while the emperor was dissatisfied with Luo Sigong and his Jinyiwei system, and even felt some anger, he also disagreed with the censors' request and the cabinet's opinion.

To put it more directly, although the proposal was rejected, the emperor still had expectations for Luo Sigong.

Fang Congzhe consciously relaxed his slightly furrowed brow, closed the memorial, and put it away. "Okay. I'll go right away."

At this time, Shen Youyou stood up and said, "You are the Prime Minister. If you leave, the drafting will have to stop." As he spoke, he turned to look at Liu Yirong with a smile. "Since the content of this draft was drafted by Brother Ji Hui, he should be the one to read it out."

"Oh?" Wei Chao asked Fang Congzhe with great interest, "Was the draft written by Lord Liu?"

"Yes." Fang Congzhe nodded, then said, "But like Mingzhen said, no matter who wrote it, the head of the cabinet still has to be me, the Prime Minister, who has to make the decision."

"Alright. You guys discuss this among yourselves. I have to get back to serving His Majesty." Wei Chao smiled silently at Liu Yirong. "Prime Minister Fang is old, so it would be good for him to work less." With that, he turned and left the cabinet.

Liu Yirong felt that Shen had truly honed his Qi-cultivation skills. "Hmph. I'll go if I want." He believed the emperor had his own standards and wasn't afraid of offending Luo Sigong.

"Alas!" Fang Congzhe sighed and handed the imperial edict with the imperial edict inscribed on it to Liu Yirong.

--------

As he exited Donghua Gate, Liu Yirong keenly noticed that there were significantly more guards on duty there than usual. He crossed the moat and, just as he reached the riverside residence, he was momentarily blocked by a patrol. Liu Yirong found this unusual, but he continued on.

When he arrived at the intersection between the medical school and the gate wall of Dong'anli, Liu Yirong saw more soldiers and a familiar figure.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Yirong decided to go up and ask around. He quickly approached and greeted the familiar figure, "Li Sizheng!"

Li Yongzhen was stunned at first, then he turned around and respectfully bowed deeply to Liu Yirong, saying, "I am honored to meet you, my dear teacher."

Li Yongzhen was indeed a student of Liu Yirong. Liu Yirong passed the imperial examination in the 23rd year of the Wanli reign. Although his ranking on the imperial examination list was not high, not even in the top three, but near the bottom, Liu Yirong later passed the imperial examination for the title of Shujishi (Shujishi) and successfully entered the Hanlin Academy. During his time as a Hanlin, Liu Yirong was assigned to the Imperial Academy as a lecturer, and it was during this time that Li Yongzhen entered the Imperial Academy and began studying the Four Books and Five Classics. Li Yongzhen was subsequently arrested and imprisoned for eighteen years, and Liu Yirong regretfully never saw this student again.

"What kind of business are you doing? Why is it such a big deal?" Liu Yirong asked with a smile.

"Layoffs," Li Yongzhen explained. "After the Xixinsi (Ministry of Revenue) is abolished, we'll start cleaning up the Guanglu Temple and integrating the Shangshenjian (Changshanjian). We, the West Factory, are here to maintain order."

"Has the abolition of the inner court begun?" A puzzled look appeared on Liu Yirong's face.

"Yes. It started early this morning. Now the work at Xixinsi is almost over, so we came here to escort the dismissed officials from Guanglu Temple." Li Yongzhen said.

To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the inner court's violent apparatus was meticulously planned and deployed. During the period of the reduction, the imperial guards were assigned additional patrol shifts, but were not allowed to leave their assigned posts. Guards from the Imperial Stables were stationed at the four gates of the palace, but entry and exit were not prohibited. Troops from the East Depot were stationed in areas particularly affected by redundancy, including the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Salaries. Meanwhile, the West Depot was tasked with protecting the government offices being eliminated and the headquarters of the Imperial Household Department.

"No wonder there are so many guards." Liu Yirong said.

"Master, don't you know?" Li Yongzhen asked.

Liu Yirong shook his head silently.

The cabinet only knew that the inner court was going to carry out a major move to cut redundancies, but it did not know the specific arrangements and start time.

"How many people does the Imperial Household Department plan to lay off this time?" Before Li Yongzhen could answer, Liu Yirong added, "If you don't want to tell me, forget it."

"It's not really that inconvenient," Li Yongzhen replied with a smile. "The layoff register is with our ancestor Liu. I'm not sure of the exact number, but it should be half." Liu Ruoyu was a year younger than him, Li Yongzhen. But the rules were there; he had to kowtow and address his ancestors. "Half!" Liu Yirong was startled by the word. According to the Ministry of Revenue's records of various material transfers, the imperial city was home to at least 70,000 eunuchs and craftsmen serving the royal family. If that was truly half, then this cut would have eliminated over 30,000 people.

"That's right," Li Yongzhen nodded. "Take the Guanglu Temple for example. There are around 9,700 kitchen servants on the books. This time, over 5,000 will be laid off in one go."

While sifting through old documents, Liu Ruoyu, the chief steward of the inner court, noticed that over 200 years ago during the Hongwu era, the Guanglu Temple's kitchen staff quota was only 800. However, Liu Ruoyu didn't dare use this as a basis for reductions. The inner court during the Hongwu era was fundamentally different from the inner court of today. The eunuch-dominated inner court was no longer simply an institution serving the imperial court; it actually undertook numerous national tasks, such as weapons manufacturing and the transportation of supplies. To forcibly reduce the number of kitchen staff to less than 10% by relying on ancestral rules and regulations would inevitably lead to serious problems.

In reality, the number of layoffs in the Guanglu Temple was calculated based on the number of retained personnel from all other government offices. The specific calculation involved converting the remaining palace servants into the annual consumption of rice, meat, and vegetables. Using this consumption figure, the number of kitchen servants responsible for purchasing food would be required to meet these requirements. Taking into account reasonable redundancies, the final result was that at least 4,500 kitchen servants were needed to maintain the productivity of the imperial city.

"Then how should we place these laid-off eunuchs and craftsmen?" Liu Yirong asked.

"Give them resettlement allowances," Li Yongzhen said matter-of-factly. "As long as they have money, they can be resettled anywhere."

"How much silver?" Liu Yirong asked again.

"The base salary is one tael of silver. For every year of service, one tael is added, with no upper limit. Some older men who entered the palace during the Jiajing period could earn over sixty taels," Li Yongzhen replied. "This is based on the date of entry. If that's not possible, we look at the face. Young people get five taels, middle-aged people get ten, and older people get twenty."

"So, you'll have a pension when you're old?" Liu Yirong nodded slightly.

"You are worthy of being my mentor. You hit the nail on the head!" Li Yongzhen couldn't help but praise.

"Teacher, I've been here recently." The Guanglu Temple staff waiting to be laid off were still gathering, and Li Yongzhen had time to catch up with his teacher. But Liu Yirong hadn't forgotten his mission.

"We can't talk anymore. I have to go." Liu Yirong interrupted Li Yongzhen apologetically.

"Master, are you going out?" Li Yongzhen asked with some disappointment.

"Yes. I'm going out to convey the order." Liu Yirong said.

"The Emperor's envoy!" Li Yongzhen suddenly realized and bowed respectfully. "Please go now, don't delay. I'll visit you another day."

"Okay." Liu Yirong did not refuse.

--------

In the main hall of the Jinyiwei Commandery, Luo Sigong, the head of the guard, stared intently at the copy of the imperial edict before him, his head bowed. He held the pen in his hand, but could not write a single word of defense.

Although Luo Sigong firmly believed the Emperor would continue to employ him, this impeachment still made him panic. Zhao Yanqing had only been appointed Censor last August. How could he have such a detailed understanding of the Imperial Guards and even the Luo family? How had these details leaked out?

Moreover, although the case of the Rear Army Commandery was reported to the Emperor, on the surface, it was the Jinyiwei who caused a lot of uproar in the city, but in the end, it was a failure and nothing was found.

Luo Sigong could imagine that Zhao Yanqing's impeachment was just the beginning. For a period of time to come, he would at least face fierce attacks from the censors, the imperial court, and the Ministry of War. When that happened, would the emperor defend him? Or would he throw him out to the court to answer for his actions?
Suddenly, Luo Sigong did not notice that Liu Yirong, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who was wearing a second-rank crimson brocade pheasant robe, had come to him.

"General Luo." Liu Yirong's voice was gentle and deep, but it still startled Luo Sigong who was distracted.

"Lord Liu!" Luo Sigong hurriedly stood up. "Why are you here?"

"There is a will!"

Luo Sigong's expression suddenly changed, and he quickly knelt before Liu Yirong. "Your Highness, Luo Sigong, respectfully listens to the Holy Instructions!"

"Ahem!" Liu Yirong coughed lightly and pulled out the original copy of the imperial edict. But as soon as he opened the leaflet, he froze. The red-ink comments were so scattered and edited that it took quite a while to read them word for word.

As a last resort, Liu Yirong could only spend time reading it through twice before reciting to Luo Sigong, who was kneeling and waiting with his head bowed:

"Luo Sigong, listen carefully!" As soon as these words came out, Luo Sigong's heart immediately rose to his throat.

"I consider you to have made considerable military achievements, and your reports are of high rank. I believe that, though your hair is turning gray, you are still a capable general who can protect the people, punish bandits and suppress corruption, and bring order and peace to the people. Therefore, I will continue to entrust all matters in the capital to you, without the slightest doubt."

"However, your investigations have been fruitless, your internal purges have yielded no results, and you have been repeatedly impeached by the Ministry of Personnel for corruption, abuse of power, and appointments of personal connections! With this being the case, how can I trust you and employ you?"

"I hope you will be vigilant and diligent, and quickly produce results. Do not slack off in the slightest, and live up to my expectations. I hereby order you to do so."

As Liu Yirong recited, Luo Sigong's expression changed several times. But after he finished, all the complicated thoughts in his mind disappeared, leaving only a wisp of enlightenment hanging on the tip of his heart. "Your servant, Luo Sigong, is deeply ashamed and respectfully accepts the imperial edict."

Liu Yirong felt awkward and didn't want to stay any longer. So, after handing the leaf to Luo Sigong's raised hand, he immediately said, "General Wei, since the order has been passed on, I won't stay any longer."

"Goodbye, Mr. Liu." Luo Sigong was in no mood to chat with Liu Yirong, so he bowed and said goodbye.

After Liu Yirong disappeared, Luo Sigong returned to his seat, sat upright, and called out loudly, "Messenger!"

(End of this chapter)