Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 447: Three-point Rule

When Fang Congzhe found the Emperor through Huangji Gate, he was already circling the large square in front of Huangji Hall with his attendants and eunuchs. Anyone else might have just approached, but Fang Congzhe, with his frail frame, naturally couldn't catch up, nor did he want to. Fang Congzhe had seen the Emperor circling more than once, and knew he would inevitably pass by Hongzheng Gate, where he was standing, soon. So, he stood quietly, like a husband-waiting stone, silently waiting for the Emperor to approach.

After running past Wucheng Pavilion, the team turned a corner, and the emperor changed from standing with his back to Congzhe to standing beside him. Although he was far away, Zhu Changluo immediately noticed the bright red color that was different from everyone else present.

The emperor did not change his morning exercise route, but instead sent a eunuch to question him.

The eunuch had excellent eyesight and could clearly see Fang Congzhe's face before he even ran close. "Greetings, Prime Minister Fang." The eunuch politely bowed to Fang Congzhe before saying, "The Emperor asks if you would like to run with me. If so, please follow me."

Fang Congzhe shook his head and forced a smile. "My old bones can't handle this kind of torment. They're going to fall apart." Fang Congzhe had tried running the first time he was invited, but he clearly couldn't persevere. Not only was he disliked by the emperor for his slow pace, but he also nearly strained his back. Fang Congzhe suspected that Han Yu and Liu Yirong were the only "young men" in their fifties in the entire cabinet who could run the entire distance with the emperor.

"The cabinet has something to report. Please, sir, report it to the emperor on my behalf." Fang Congzhe bowed.

"Prime Minister Fang," the eunuch frowned slightly and asked, "Can't you wait until the Emperor finishes his morning exercises before reporting?" From the time the Emperor started his morning exercises until now, it has never been interrupted by factors other than the weather.

"That's fine," Fang Congzhe insisted, "but this is a serious matter, so please inform me, eunuch."

After a few moments of hesitation, the eunuch finally nodded. Fang Congzhe was the Prime Minister of the Cabinet after all, and the matter he mentioned was of great importance and certainly not a trivial matter. "Okay. I'll go right away."

"Thank you, eunuch." Fang Congzhe bowed to the eunuch again.

"You're welcome, Prime Minister." The eunuch turned and ran away, and soon brought Fang Congzhe's words to the emperor's ears.

By this time, the emperor and the group behind him had already passed the central axis. Even if they continued jogging along the original route, it wouldn't take long for them to reach Fang Congzhe's location. However, the emperor still made a sharp turn and led a group of people running towards Fang Congzhe.

When the emperor came over, Fang Congzhe was already kneeling at the foot of the steps. "Your servant Fang Congzhe pays homage to the emperor. Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"

"Hu!" Zhu Changluo exhaled a long breath, then adjusted his breathing before saying to Fang Congzhe: "Get up, get up. Your old bones can't kneel for a long time. If you get sick from kneeling, I'll have to call a royal physician for you." From the teasing tone, it can be seen that the emperor was in a good mood at the moment.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Fang Congzhe kowtowed to the emperor again in a serious manner before getting up from the ground.

"What's the matter?" Zhu Changluo took a dry cotton handkerchief from an accompanying eunuch. While wiping his sweat, he asked, "What's the matter with your great Prime Minister being so anxious that he has to come here at this time?"

"Zhang Wenda of the Censorate has brought a case." Fang Congzhe pulled the letter and memorial from his pocket and handed them forward. "I believe it is necessary to inform His Majesty immediately."

"If there is a case, just try it according to the rules. When did the cabinet come here to inquire about every case?" Zhu Changluo said this, but he still raised his head and signaled the eunuch to take the letters and memorials from Fang Congzhe.

"For ordinary cases, there is no need to alarm His Majesty, but this case is of great importance, and the cabinet dare not make a decision on its own." Fang Congzhe replied.

"This is a matter of great importance." Zhu Changluo put the handkerchief on his shoulder and then took the memorial from the eunuch's hand.

The memorial gave a brief summary of the case and was not lengthy, so Zhu Changluo finished reading it quickly.

Fang Congzhe had expected the emperor to be furious, or at least hesitant or worried. But the reality was that even after reading the memorial and returning it to the eunuch, the emperor remained calm and composed, not even bothering to read further.

Fang Congzhe was stunned. He had prepared countless scenarios for the emperor's possible reactions, but he hadn't expected the emperor to react at all. Fang Congzhe stood there speechless for a long time. Finally, the emperor spoke first.

"Fang Qing." Zhu Changluo called out.

"I'm here." Fang Congzhe came back to his senses and saw that the emperor was looking at him with a very strange expression.

"How can I tell you this?" Zhu Changluo smacked his lips, then walked over and patted Fang Congzhe on the shoulder. "Forget it, let's find a place to sit and talk. Come with me."

"Yes." Fang Congzhe took back the letters and memorials, and followed the emperor to a nearby wing room that was temporarily unused.

"You!" Before entering, Zhu Changluo casually pointed to an accompanying eunuch, threw a cotton handkerchief to him, and ordered: "Go and call Wang An."

"Yes." The eunuch turned around immediately, but was stopped by the emperor: "Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished speaking yet."

"Yes!" The eunuch turned around again, with a look of panic on his face.

Zhu Changluo wouldn't argue with him. "Tell Wang An to bring the East Factory case files with him when he comes."

"I obey your order." This time, the eunuch waited until the emperor turned around before running towards the Qianqing Palace. The distance was not short, and even if he ran at full speed, it would take several minutes to run back and forth.

"Come, my Prime Minister." The emperor walked in and sat down.

"Yes." Fang Congzhe closed the door. The soundproofing in the wing room wasn't great, but as long as people didn't shout at the top of their lungs, no one would know what they were saying.

"Fang Qing." Zhu Changluo looked at Fang Congzhe.

"I'm here." Fang Congzhe thought that the emperor was going to get straight to the point and his face became more solemn.

However, Zhu Changluo pointed at the stool and said nonchalantly, "What are you doing? Sit down. There are several stools here, why are you standing?"

"I dare not sit down." Fang Congzhe shook his head.

"What are you afraid to sit on?"

"There is no order of height on this stool. If I sit on it, I will be sitting shoulder to shoulder with Your Majesty. As a subject, I dare not overstep my bounds." Fang Congzhe said sincerely.

"You, oh, trouble." Zhu Changluo stood up and walked to the window, pushed it open, and ordered: "Someone, go and find a low stool for the Prime Minister!" "Yes." The eunuch who reacted the fastest took a step and ran away, as if he was afraid that someone would snatch the job from him.

Zhu Changluo closed the window and returned to his seat. Just as he cast his gaze over, Fang Congzhe knelt down. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the seat."

"This one hasn't arrived yet." Zhu Changluo rolled his eyes at the old man. "Get up, get up."

"Yes." Ever since he went against the emperor's wishes last time and was reprimanded by Wang An in front of everyone, Fang Congzhe has been extremely cautious, fearing that he would say or do the wrong thing and make the emperor unhappy.

"Before Wang An arrives, Fang Qing, please talk about the Jinyiwei first." Zhu Changluo said slowly.

"This..." Fang Congzhe placed the memorial and letter on the square table in front of the emperor. "Has the emperor already known about this?"

"You'll understand when Wang An brings the things. Now I'm asking about the Imperial Guard." Zhu Changluo asked, "The Prime Minister doesn't have any ideas at all, does he?"

"Yes!" Fang Congzhe nodded quickly. Even if he hadn't thought about anything at the moment, he had to bite the bullet and say a few words, not to mention that he had already thought about it carefully.

"Go ahead." Zhu Changluo smiled and nodded.

"I believe it is indeed necessary to reduce staff and salaries, and to use them for practical purposes," Fang Congzhe said, confirming the emperor's intentions. After this exchange, Fang Congzhe had grasped the emperor's intentions and felt free to speak out. "But we should not rush into this, but rather proceed step by step, in stages, and at different levels."

"How do you divide it?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"First, we need to do it in stages," Fang Congzhe explained. "So-called stages mean cutting salaries first and then cutting positions."

"In other words, cut the salary but retain the official position?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Your Majesty is wise." Fang Congzhe nodded and said, "I think what the 'right' person said in the reply is indeed very reasonable, but it is not entirely correct. Even if the Jinyiwei's hereditary position loses its salary, it is not all gone. As long as they have the hereditary title of Jinyiwei, they can at least enter the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School and participate in the Beijing Guard Martial Arts School examinations. This is an additional level of preferential treatment in the selection process compared to the hereditary military officers of the guards outside the capital, and even more than that of the common people. If we can temporarily retain the position and the preferential treatment, we can greatly alleviate the resistance."

"Prime Minister, why do you say salary cuts right away? That wasn't what you meant in your previous post, was it?" Zhu Changluo chuckled.

Fang Congzhe had a plan in mind, and remained calm. "I previously considered that many of the Jinyiwei's hereditary military officers were propertyless, unemployed, and depended solely on their salaries for survival, and I still think so now. If their salaries were cut all at once, these people, suddenly deprived of their livelihoods, would likely turn to banditry, transforming from hereditary officials into bandits. At that point, regardless of whether suppressing them would damage the court's prestige, the suppression itself would cost money and food."

"So?" Zhu Changluo nodded slightly.

"That's why I've proposed a phased approach, meaning a gradual reduction in salaries. Rather than slashing them all at once, we should reduce them gradually over three, five, or even longer periods. This way, the hereditary officials, who have no property, no job, and no official position, will have a chance to breathe. They can also be motivated by the prospect of salary reductions." At this point, Fang Congzhe added a subtle flattery. "This is the same principle as the severance pay given out when the palace was cleared of redundant personnel."

Zhu Changluo understood, but didn't fall for it. "Fang Qing."

"I'm here." Fang Congzhe replied.

"You had already thought of these words when you submitted that secret report, right?" Zhu Changluo asked, "Why didn't you write them down at the same time?"

"This..." Fang Congzhe lowered his head. In fact, he had submitted the secret report just to test the emperor's mind.

Fang Congzhe, the chief advisor, had to consider many issues, including whether the emperor had made up his mind, whether the decision was urgent or slow, and whether anyone in the emperor's family needed special care. Decades of experience in the political arena taught him that rash suggestions without thoroughly understanding the various internal circumstances and the emperor's thoughts would ultimately backfire.

However, this little thought was not something Fang Congzhe could express openly.

Just as Fang Congzhe was racking his brains to find something to say, the sound of running came over the platform outside the window and into his ears.

Then, a cautious call, accompanied by a gentle knock on the door, drifted into the wing room. "Master, this servant is here."

"Just come in." Zhu Changluo also put away his slightly playful look.

"Yes." Wang An responded, pushed the door open and walked in. He was accompanied by the eunuch who had been ordered to find a stool, and another eunuch carrying a tray.

The eunuch who had been ordered to find the stools had returned some time ago. Although he didn't know the specific content of the conversation, he didn't dare to interrupt. Compared to the potential displeasure the emperor might incur by interrupting the conversation, asking the Prime Minister to wait a little longer was not a big deal. Now, Wang An's arrival provided him with an opportunity, and he took the two stools into the room.

"Ancestor, Prime Minister Fang. Please sit down." The eunuch put down the stool behind the two people, and then retreated with the eunuch who brought water and snacks to the emperor.

After running all the way, Wang An was a little out of breath, but he did not go up to sit immediately. Instead, he looked at the emperor until the emperor nodded silently, and then he sat side by side with Fang Congzhe.

Zhu Changluo suddenly found it funny. The sight of the two old men sitting side by side on the low benches suddenly made him feel like he was teaching little old men in a senior citizens' university.

Zhu Changluo took a sip of the warm water, and the other party Congzhe said, "Go on."

"Yes." A fleeting look of relief crossed Fang Congzhe's face, and he silently thanked Wang An inwardly. "I believe that the reduction in salaries and staff of the Jinyiwei is simply a 'slow and round' approach. That is, first gradually reduce hereditary salaries, and then gradually reduce hereditary positions." This summary was clearly intended for Wang An. "As for the period and method of reducing hereditary salaries, a tiered approach can be adopted."

"Is it divided according to the level of official rank?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Your Majesty, that's not the case," Fang Congzhe explained. "I believe the hereditary Jinyiguan officials should be ranked and graded according to how long ago they received their positions, rather than their official rank. The earlier they received their positions, the lower their rank, and the sooner they should be dismissed."

"In other words, the hereditary salaries during the Hongwu period will be cut first, and the hereditary salaries during the Wanli period will be cut last?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Fang Congzhe further explained, "I believe that the earlier one obtains hereditary office, the greater the benefits they enjoy. This tiered reduction will not only reduce unnecessary expenditures, but also provide a staggered distribution of talents, encouraging those with lofty ideals to continue contributing to the country. For those who have only inherited the title for one or two generations, or haven't even started passing it down, we simply won't reduce them."

(End of this chapter)