Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 321 Maritime Optimization Initiative
After morning exercises, Zhu Changluo returned to the Qianqing Palace. At this time, Pu Yi and Pu Yi had already left.

"Your servant kowtows to the emperor, wishing him long live, long live, long live the emperor." As soon as Zhu Changluo stepped into the door of the Southern Study, Wang An brought Wei Chao, Liu Ruoyu, and a group of eunuchs on duty in the Southern Study to kneel in front of him and pay homage to the emperor.

"Everyone, go back and sit down." Zhu Changluo walked straight through the kneeling crowd and came to sit behind the imperial desk. On the desk, besides the four treasures of the study and several piles of memorials, there was also a cup of water at the perfect temperature and a small dish of refined bamboo salt.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The three eunuchs and a group of eunuchs kowtowed in unison towards the imperial desk before standing up.

"Today is the last imperial examination, right?" Zhu Changluo scooped up half a spoonful of bamboo salt with a small spoon and shook it into the water.

"My Lord, I understand." Wang An did not return to his seat immediately, but instead came to the imperial desk to prepare cinnabar ink for the emperor. He had often done this work when he was a tutor, and his skill was very good. Now that he was in power, Wang An was reluctant to hand this job over to others. "The exam will be over tomorrow."

The imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty consisted of three parts. The first part required students to write three essays from the "Four Books" and four essays from the "Five Classics". They were required to draw comparisons with the classics of sages and be written in the eight-part essay format. This was also the part that examiners valued the most.

The second section tested "Essays," "Edicts," and "Judgments." This section tasked students with assuming the role of an official and writing official documents based on specific topics. There were no specific format requirements; familiarity with Han Dynasty edicts, Tang Dynasty edicts, Song Dynasty memorials, and the Ming Dynasty's "Great Ming Code" was sufficient.

The third section is called "Ce Wen." This involves giving students a passage or a question and asking them to answer it. This section is the easiest and serves as the icing on the cake. As long as the text is coherent and the question is answered, you're good to go.

The three exams were held on the 9th, 12th, and 15th of the Lunar New Year. Each exam lasted one day, but because students had to enter the exam hall one day earlier and leave the exam hall the next, the exams spanned three days. In other words, the exams lasted nine days, from the 8th to the 16th.

"When will the results be announced?" Zhu Changluo used a small spoon to dissolve the salt in the cup, and then drank it all.

"Your Majesty, the earliest will be the 28th, and the latest will be the 29th." Wang An sometimes wondered why the emperor, although very smart, would occasionally forget things he used to think about.

"What do you think of this subject this year?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Your Majesty is wise," Wang An said. "Each examiner has his own hometown and affiliation. This year's results will be fair and impartial."

The imperial examinations were entirely subjective, with only the first exam, the eight-part essay format, having some degree of objective rigidity. Furthermore, only rankings were given, not scores. The criteria for success or failure were entirely determined by the examiners. Maintaining fairness relied on allocating quotas based on region and arranging the appropriate number of examiners.

In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court was divided into two lists: the southern and the northern. During the Hongxi reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the newly ascended emperor established a rule to select candidates based on quotas from the southern, northern, and central regions. This rule was followed by all subsequent emperors, making it a permanent rule.

However, after the Jiajing reign, factional strife intensified, and several major cases during the Wanli reign intensified this struggle to a fever pitch. By the Taichang reign, the emperor needed to consider not only regional equality but also the balance of power within the party.

Wang An placed the ground red ink in the emperor's reach and handed him a wolf-hair brush. "But with Lord Shi in charge, I'm afraid some people will bring up what happened two years ago."

Shi Jixie was one of the chief examiners for the imperial examinations of the previous year. Zhuang Jichang was ranked first in both the provincial and palace examinations. However, officials later revealed that numbers had been scratched out on the top scorer's paper, and that the character "醪" (a type of Chinese wine) had been mistakenly written as "胶" (a type of Chinese glue). This incident escalated, leading not only to Zhuang Jichang's dismissal and return home due to public outcry, but also to Shi Jixie, Zhuang Jichang's fellow townsman from Jinjiang, who was widely attacked.

But if we must exaggerate, the person most responsible for this incident is actually the other chief examiner, Fang Congzhe, who also served as the examiner for the palace examination and was the only minister in the cabinet at the time. He was the first to commit cheating and favoritism. However, given their hometown status, people inside and outside the court believed that Shi Jixie was cheating and favoring his own students.

Meanwhile, the northern border was in crisis. Shi Jixie, along with Zhao Huan, led the remaining Nine Ministers and Censors to kneel outside Wenhua Gate, urging Emperor Shenzong to attend court. This request was denied. The interplay of these two incidents infuriated Shi Jixie, who departed court and headed south, refusing to serve the Ming dynasty's officials. Shi Jixie and Zhuang Jichang, one older and one younger, both from Jinjiang, Fujian, left Beijing and returned to the throne only after Emperor Shenzong's death.

"Are you talking about the Zhuang Jichang incident?"

"Yes." Wang An nodded and said, "I am afraid that after the results of the imperial examination are announced, the court will be in turmoil again."

"Let them make a fuss, it's okay. Just don't get involved and bring trouble upon yourselves." Zhu Changluo shrugged.

Zhu Changluo had proactively summoned Zhuang Jichang to balance the court, without anyone's prior request. A young man like this, forced to withdraw from office by public opinion after passing the imperial examination, would likely face a lifetime of conflict with those who dictated public opinion. The court was now filled with elderly men, with few young men, so planning for the future was crucial. Zhu Changluo even speculated that if this man proved obedient and talented, he would be given to Zhu Youxiao.

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"Is there any battle report from Liaozhen?" Zhu Changluo picked up a prepared memorial, glanced at it twice, and signed the three words "I know" on it.

"Your Majesty," Liu Ruoyu, who was in charge of sorting the memorials, replied, "We haven't received any reports from Liao yet. We only have the first one from Zhang Quan, Minister of the Imperial Court and Military Commissioner for Jin, Fu, Hai, and Gai." Liu Ruoyu didn't know why the emperor was so concerned about Liao affairs lately, asking about it almost every day they met. But since the emperor was concerned, he was concerned too.

"Isn't the first one the memorial from the Ministry of Personnel regarding the imperial examination?" Zhu Changluo raised the leaf folder in his hand, but he immediately saw the "Miscellaneous Matters Concerning the Supplementary Grain Supply to Liao" placed on top of another pile of memorials. At this time, Liu Ruoyu had already stood up and was ready to help him find it.

"Sit down, I saw it." Zhu Changluo threw the petition from the Ministry of Personnel aside.

"Yes." Before Liu Ruoyu sat down again, he suddenly thought of something. "Master, there is another one."

"Whose? Is it a battle report?" Zhu Changluo remembered very clearly that Nurhaci would launch a large-scale invasion of Liaodong between February and March.

"It's the resignation letter from Wen Qiu, the Governor of Ji and Liao." Liu Ruoyu shook his head.

Strictly speaking, the Governor of Ji-Liao is now only the Governor of Jizhen, and he also has to carve out Tianjin.

"Another Wenqiu's list of words." Zhu Changluo frowned. "Where is it?"

Liu Ruoyu quickly walked to the imperial desk and quickly helped the emperor find the resignation form. "Master." Liu Ruoyu held the memorial in front of the emperor.

Zhu Changluo opened the leaflet and saw the following in the inscription:

"I have failed to govern properly, leading to numerous crimes and internal and external strife. I am deeply grateful for the kindness and leniency of the late emperor and your majesty. I appreciate your generosity and your understanding of my case and your wisdom. I hope to regain my spirits, support my ailing body, and strive to fulfill my duties and serve you to the utmost."

"For the past ten days, my worries and fears have compounded, exacerbating my old illness. My spirit is in turmoil, I can't sit or lie still, my spleen is damaged, and I've lost my appetite. Warm phlegm is flowing, my waist and thighs can't bend or stretch, and I have acute anger rising up, causing occasional dizziness. I've called in doctors, and they all say the disease is in my bone marrow, and it can't be attacked with chisels or stone, and it's hard to save me from the sun and water. My young life is about to end. Even if I die, I wouldn't feel sorry for it. I'm still alive, and I hope for a better life. I beg God to let me return to the fields to recuperate."

"Humph." Zhu Changluo snorted. "Wenqiu is going to die."

If the memorial's description is true, Wen Qiu likely passed away within the past two days. However, submitting a memorial citing illness as an example after being impeached was a common practice among high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty and should not be taken seriously.

Zhu Changluo then looked through the cabinet's proposal: "The situation on the border is urgent, and the country is in danger. How can the governor leave because of rumors? When a minister is not at the service of the emperor, he becomes restless, and when his heart is restless, his body becomes restless. It is advisable to draft a warm decree and send it quickly to relieve the governor's anxiety. When his heart is at peace, the restlessness will subside. After a while of rest, he can resume his duties as usual."

Zhu Changluo picked up the red brush and wrote at the end of the memorial: "According to the request of the cabinet, I will draft a warm decree to comfort and retain the governor Wen Qiu. Order him not to let people's words delay state affairs." After writing, Zhu Changluo blew the ink dry and called out, "Liu Ruoyu." "I'm here." Liu Ruoyu sat and got up like this until the cushion under his butt was almost cold.

"Send it out now." Zhu Changluo casually threw the leaf, which slid to the edge of the table and almost fell off. "The decree will reach Miyun today."

The Governor-General of Ji and Liao was stationed in Miyun in the spring and in Changping in the autumn, and both places could be reached in a day by horseback.

"I'll go right away." Liu Ruoyu knew the emperor was very unhappy with the matter from where the book had stopped. He hurriedly picked up the leaflet and ran out, handing it to the eunuch who was running errands.

Zhu Changluo was multitasking. While flipping through Zhang Quan's petition, he called out, "Wang An."

"I'm here." Wang An didn't stand up, but took out his memo and prepared to write it down.

"Find out all the notebooks impeaching Wen Qiu since the beginning of the year." Zhu Changluo ordered.

"Yes." Wang An received the order and immediately went to the shelf behind him to find an index book.

This booklet records the title, summary, and person who submitted the memorial in chronological order, so that the memorial can be retrieved at any time.

Wang An quickly found the memorial the emperor needed by looking through the index. He summoned a young eunuch and instructed, "Go to the main room and bring the memorial here, following the markings above."

The Zhifang Wang An mentioned wasn't the inner Zhifang, but the Bingbi Zhifang, located near the Forbidden City's moat. Approved memorials would be temporarily stored there, awaiting transcription and archiving. Besides temporarily storing memorials, the Bingbi Zhifang could also be used for sleeping.

After the court session ended, if these top eunuchs were not serving the emperor in the Forbidden City on shifts, or did not want to return to their private residences outside the imperial city to sleep, they could rest here or at the headquarters of the Imperial Household Department, waiting for the Forbidden City to open. This greatly saved commuting time.

If you wanted to open the Forbidden City gates in the middle of the night, it was impossible. Except for the emperor and the emperor emeritus, no one could open the gates of the Forbidden City at night, otherwise it would be considered treason.

"Yes." The young eunuch took the index book and before he left the Southern Study, he heard the emperor say, "There's no need to look for the original. I don't want to read it either. Just list the people who submitted the memorials."

"Give it to me, I'll list it." Liu Ruoyu just came back and took the index book from the young eunuch.

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Zhang Quan's memorial contained no flowery rhetoric. He got down to business right from the start:

Although the court's decision to change the way grain and money were transported to Liao from land to sea was a good policy, it was useless.

Shanhaiguan was 750 li from Liaoyang, and Lushun was also 750 li from Liaoyang. Transporting all the grain and money from Dagu to Lushun and Jinzhou, and then to Liaoyang, was virtually the same distance as transporting it to Shanhaiguan and then out of the pass to Liaoyang. To transport this grain and money from southern Liaoyang to Liaoyang, the military preparation office had to use a large number of draft animals for transportation. This not only wasted the advantages of sea transportation but also affected production in Liao.

The minister Xiong Tingbi had written to the officials several times, hoping that they could change the destination of sea transportation from Jinzhou to Gaizhou, but all his letters fell on deaf ears.

Therefore, the provincial minister Zhang Quan pleaded with the emperor to issue a decree directing the transport of Liao grain, Liao military supplies, and various other supplies directly to the Yingkou area of ​​Gaizhou. This would allow the grain, military supplies, and equipment to flow north along the Hunhe River to Liao and Shen. This would greatly reduce losses and waste during transportation, allow draft animals to be used for farming, and significantly restore Liao's self-sufficiency.

The cabinet's draft of the memorial was short: "Perhaps it can be carried out after the ministers are summoned for discussion."

Zhu Changluo raised his pen to write his comments, but even after the tip of his pen touched the paper, no red mark remained. He looked up at Wang An and asked, "Who is the person in charge of Liao's military supplies?"

Wang An immediately replied, "Your Majesty, it was Li Changgeng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

"Is he in Beijing?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"No, he should be in Beitang now." Wang An replied.

"Beitang? Where is it?" Zhu Changluo couldn't remember the place name for a moment.

"Beitang belongs to Tianjin," Wang An replied fluently. "Since Li Zuotang was appointed the Supervisor of Military Revenue in the 47th year of the Wanli reign, he has been there ever since."

"Oh." Zhu Changluo nodded, then wrote in red on the memorial: "Summon Li Changgeng to the capital to make a statement."

After finishing writing, Zhu Changluo threw the memorial aside and said, "Send someone to call Li Ruhua to the palace."

"When?"

"Right now."

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"Master, I've finished transcribing." As the eunuch, who had gone to summon Li Ruhua, stepped out of the Qianqing Gate, Liu Ruoyu finished transcribing the names. "Should we give it to the Jinyiwei to arrest them?" Liu Ruoyu asked.

"It's not that serious." Zhu Changluo hooked his finger at Liu Ruoyu and said, "Just give it to me."

"Yes." Liu Ruoyu walked to the emperor and handed over the list.

Zhu Changluo used a red brush to scribble randomly on the list. Liu Ruoyu felt that the emperor was making a decision and his hair stood on end.

Zhu Changluo put down his pen and pointed at the different markings. "These two circled ones are for minor positions in the outer regions. Those with ticks will be demoted and transferred abroad. Those with crosses will be demoted but retained. The rest will have their salaries fined."

"How much is the fine?" Liu Ruoyu swallowed.

"casual."

(End of this chapter)