My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 136 Approval and Issuance
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month.

In the Ming Dynasty, there was already a saying similar to the Little New Year, which meant that on this day, both the government and the people would perform the ritual of worshipping the Kitchen God.

In addition, there is a saying that "officials worship the Kitchen God on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month and commoners on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month," which means that military households and officials worship the Kitchen God on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, while commoners worship the Kitchen God on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month.

Su Ze felt that perhaps this "officials on the third and commoners on the fourth" was the origin of the different dates for the Little New Year in the North and South.

Su Ze was also an official household, and Xu Wei had prepared offerings for the Kitchen God well in advance.

After cleaning the stove and tidying up, Su Ze burned incense and prayed, asking the Kitchen God to "speak good words in heaven" and protect the peace of the household.

While Su Ze was worshipping the Kitchen God at home, the Censorate was bustling with activity.
-
Censorate.

In fact, the Censorate had already locked down its offices.

However, due to the struggle between the Six Ministries and the Censorate, Wang Ting, the Left Censor-in-Chief, announced the reopening of the Censorate's offices.

Wang Ting had just been transferred from Nanjing to the capital.

Looking at the indignant censors below, Wang Ting felt a headache coming on.

He only arrived in the capital yesterday.

Wang Ting was originally the Minister of Rites in Nanjing.

Nanjing had the same six ministries as the capital, but the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing were hollowed out. Therefore, the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing was the first of the six ministries in Nanjing, and the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, along with the Nanjing Garrison Eunuch and the Nanjing Five Military Governors, were ranked as the three bigwigs of Southern Zhili.

This was the most prestigious position in Southern Zhili, also known as the top official outside the capital.

Interestingly, the second most important official stationed outside the capital during the Ming Dynasty was also in Southern Zhili, namely the Fengyang Governor stationed in Huai'an.

Fengyang is the birthplace of the Ming Dynasty and the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang.

The governorship of Fengyang held considerable political significance.

However, Fengyang is now a large royal prison, so the Fengyang governor's office is located in Huai'an.

Huai'an is located on a major north-south route of the Grand Canal, so the governor of Fengyang also served as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner.

The governor of Fengyang, also known as the Fengfu or Huaifu, was the second most powerful local official.

The remaining officials, even the governors and viceroys, were far inferior to these two positions.

The Left Censor-in-Chief was the head of the Censorate, a position second only to the Ministers of the Six Ministries among the Nine Ministers.

Logically speaking, Wang Ting's promotion from Minister of Rites in Nanjing to Left Censor-in-Chief was a high-level promotion.

But Wang Ting couldn't be happy.

His transfer was the last appointment made by former Grand Secretary Xu Jie before he left the capital.

It is said that it was only after Grand Secretary Xu pleaded with the emperor that Wang Ting's transfer order was approved.

Xu Jie's cabinet collapsed shortly after his appointment.

By the time Wang Ting received the order, Xu Jie was almost at Songjiang.

Wang Ting was well aware of why Xu Jie wanted to take on the role of Left Censor-in-Chief.

Before returning to Songjiang, Xu Jie even made a special trip to Nanjing and spent a day talking with Wang Ting.

Wang Ting did not want to get involved in the political situation in the capital, so he made up excuses and claimed to be ill, staying in Nanjing for a long time.

The position of head of the Censorate had been vacant for a long time, which even Emperor Longqing could not stand. After sending the Imperial Censorate twice to urge him to take office, the emperor lost his patience and sent a messenger to Wang Ting with a stern message: if he did not take office soon, the Embroidered Uniform Guard would be sent next time.

Wang Ting reluctantly set off from Nanjing, and after a long and arduous journey, he finally arrived in the capital before the deadline.

But as soon as they arrived in the capital, they encountered a major battle between the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

Wang Ting was still at home worshipping the Kitchen God in the morning when his subordinates knocked on the door and pulled him out, opening the locked courtyard of the Censorate.

Thinking back to previous years when spring arrived, the flowers were in full bloom, and one could leisurely row a boat on the Qinhuai River, but now he had to listen to the quarrels of his subordinate censors in this bitterly cold capital, Wang Ting missed the days in Nanjing even more.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have preferred to resign rather than get involved in this mess!

Just then, a senior censor rushed into the Censorate.

"Su Ze has submitted a memorial! Su Ze has submitted a memorial supporting the Six Ministries! He also supports the Six Ministries' oversight of the Censorate!"

"what!"

The Censorate was quiet for a moment, then erupted into an even more heated argument.

On his way to the capital, Wang Ting had already heard about Su Ze's achievements: two hereditary princes, a former Grand Secretary, and others such as Censors and Attendants, which could not be considered achievements.

Su Ze's memorial sided with the Six Ministries, which naturally aroused the anger of the Censorate. However, beneath the anger lay a fierce exterior and a weak interior.

After all, Su Ershu's reputation is too formidable! This time, he has joined forces with the Six Ministries, and even if the Censorate has more people, they may not be a match for him.

The crowd slowly turned their attention to Wang Ting.

"Grand Censor!"

Another senior censor said, "Grand Censor, you are a high-ranking official among the Nine Ministers, you must express your opinion on this matter!"

"Yes, Grand Censor, these petty scoundrels from the Six Ministries are now jumping on our head to become the Censorate. From now on, they'll have to report everything to the Six Ministries. How are we supposed to uphold discipline then!"

Wang Ting felt even more desperate.

Just then, another well-informed censor entered and said:

"The Six Ministries also submitted a lot of memorials today, which must have been pre-arranged with Su Ze to launch a joint attack!"

"Shameless Sixth Division!"

"Judging from this, they've been planning this for a long time! The Six Ministries must have planned this all along. The Six Ministries charged into battle while Su traitors provided support from the outside! What a clever scheme!"

At this moment, the senior censor Qi Kang could no longer remain seated. He stood up and said:
"We should do everything in our power to impeach Su Ze and suppress this evil wind!"

But soon, more senior censors stood up and said:

"The culprit this time must be the Sixth Division. What's the use of impeaching Su Ze!"

"Yes! Let's start by impeaching the Six Ministries! We can divide into several groups and impeach the twelve censors of the Six Ministries separately!"

"Yes, yes, yes! The Six Ministries are short-staffed. If we impeach one or two of them, we can crush their arrogance!"

"I have damaging information about Shen Shu, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Justice! I'm here to impeach him!"

Qi Kang, who was present, increasingly felt that the situation was starting to get out of control.

The Censorate's strength lay in its large numbers, but if it attacked the Censorate as a group, it would alienate the Emperor and the Cabinet.

Qi Kang wanted to persuade his colleagues to calm down and find some solid evidence before impeaching him, but given the current atmosphere, he couldn't say anything more.

Even faced with such an out-of-control situation, Wang Ting, the Left Censor-in-Chief, looked completely bewildered.

Having come this far, Qi Kang had no choice but to go with the tide. As for where the tide would ultimately lead, that was beyond his control.
-
The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

When the emperor saw the piles of memorials on his desk, he said to Li Fang beside him in an annoyed tone:
"This is my imperial censor!"

Li Fang held a memorial impeaching Shen Shu, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice. The memorial was extremely offensive, even accusing Shen Shu of secretly colluding with Yan Song.

Shen Shu, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice, offended Yan Song by submitting a memorial in the twenty-seventh year of the Jiajing reign and was imprisoned in the imperial prison for eighteen years.

He was not released from prison until the Longqing Emperor ascended the throne, and he then befriended Yan Song.

Did he befriend Yan Song while in prison?

The memorial also stated that Shen Shu had no son because of "disorder in the family."

You've been imprisoned for eighteen years, try having a son and see what happens.

Li Fang shook his head; he even thought the censor who submitted the memorial was a fake.

"Is this how the Imperial Censorate treats its officials with leniency, and how they investigate their ministers?"

The Longqing Emperor picked up his pen and said:
"Submit a memorial entitled 'Request to Investigate the Performance Evaluation of All Memorials,' and promulgate the Performance Evaluation Law. The Six Ministries shall be responsible for overseeing the Censorate, and the Six Ministries shall submit their performance evaluation records to me." "All memorials must clearly state the date and provide factual details. For matters concerning finances, the records shall be examined; for criminal cases, the case files shall be reviewed; and for matters concerning official administration, the people's sentiments shall be investigated."

"Anyone who speaks based on hearsay and does not keep the facts will be given a lower grade in their performance evaluation. Those who repeatedly commit serious misconduct will be transferred out of the Six Ministries and the Censorate."

After finishing writing, the Longqing Emperor said to Li Fang:

"Send it to the Cabinet, and then the Cabinet will draft a specific set of regulations and issue an edict for implementation."

"only."

Seeing that Li Fang did not immediately leave, the Longqing Emperor asked again:
"What else?"

Li Fang said:

"Grand Secretary Li submitted a memorial requesting that this year's Lantern Festival be held."

"Chief Minister Li said: 'Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the world has been at peace. Holding the Lantern Festival at this time is to demonstrate Your Majesty's virtuous rule, to showcase the prosperous and peaceful era, and to comfort the people's longing for Your Majesty's good governance.'"

"Chief Minister Li also discussed it in the cabinet. On the Lantern Festival, officials and common people are allowed to go out all night, and the Shuntian Prefecture will maintain order. As before, twenty lanterns will be hung outside Zhengyang Gate, and the decoration costs will be paid by the Ministry of Revenue."

"If Your Majesty feels that the lantern festival is not grand enough, the imperial treasury can provide additional funds."

Li Chunfang's memorial made it very clear that the Lantern Festival should be held, and the money for maintaining public order should come from the outer treasury. However, the Ministry of Revenue could only afford the most basic lantern display, which was the twenty lanterns of the old dynasty.

If the emperor wanted to make it even more extravagant, then the imperial treasury would have to pay for it itself.

Upon hearing Li Fang's words, the Longqing Emperor was naturally overjoyed!
Actually, it's not that he's unwilling to spend money, but organizing a lantern festival isn't something that can be done simply by spending money.

Maintaining public order, preventing fires and theft—these were all tasks coordinated and implemented by the outer court.

If all that's done is to put up a few lanterns and create a lively atmosphere in the palace, then what's the point of this lantern festival?
As expected of Chief Minister Li! He solved my problem with a single move!

"Permission granted!"

The Longqing Emperor eagerly granted his request, and then said to Li Fang:
"Summon the Imperial Palace Attendant to an audience. I wish to personally inquire about the design of the royal lanterns."

"Furthermore, the common people are permitted to make lanterns and enjoy them together; I wish to share the joy with my people!"

Li Fang reiterated her position, but did not step down.

"Anything else?"

Li Fang then took out another memorial and said:
"This is the resignation letter of Wang Ting, the Left Censor-in-Chief."

"Didn't Wang Ting only take office the day before yesterday?"

Emperor Longqing, considering the current state of the Censorate and growing weary of Wang Ting's delayed resignation, was prepared to accept his resignation.

But he still asked:
What is the Cabinet's view?

Li Fang said:

"Chief Minister Li felt that Wang Ting was timid and had not yet adapted to his new post, so the cabinet advocated rejecting the proposal."

Weiwei character?

Does that mean someone with a weak personality is easy to manipulate?

Emperor Longqing understood Li Chunfang's meaning: at this crucial time for the reform of the Censorate, a Left Censor-in-Chief with a gentle and mild-mannered personality like Wang Ting was exactly needed.

"Prime Minister Li is indeed very thoughtful; he has refused to allow Wang Ting to resign!"

Seeing that Li Fang still hadn't left, the Longqing Emperor said helplessly:

"Li Daban, is there any more?"

Li Fang took out the last memorial and said:
"Your Majesty, there is one last thing. This is the resignation letter of Li Yiyuan, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review."

Thinking of Li Yiyuan's busy figure in the Office of Transmission, the emperor felt a little sympathy for this Transmission Commissioner who had suffered so much in the second year of the Longqing reign.

But despite the sympathy, the emperor was still satisfied with Li Yiyuan's performance this time.

"No."

Then the emperor said, "Tell Grand Secretary Gao that after the capital inspection, when the court recommends the Vice Minister of Justice, Li Yiyuan's name should be included."

The Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries were also official seals, serving as the permanent deputy heads of their respective ministries, and were appointed through a court recommendation process.

The Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs was a third-rank official, and the Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries were second-rank officials; this could be considered a promotion.

As for Hong Chaoxuan, the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he is politically dead and is just waiting for the capital inspection to complete the process before he is removed from office.

The emperor has already chosen his successor, because the list recommended by the outer court must ultimately be confirmed by the emperor.
-
At Su Ze's home, the system popped up a settlement report.

[Through the efforts of Grand Secretary Li Chunfang, your memorial was placed after the Six Ministries' memorials.]

The disputes between the Six Ministries and the Censorate annoyed the emperor, and the memorial requesting an investigation and evaluation of all memorials was passed.

Five years later, Zhang Juzheng submitted a memorial to the throne requesting the full implementation of the performance evaluation system.

[Your version of the performance evaluation system has been in effect for five years, increasing the Ming Dynasty's lifespan by 1 year.]

[Host's prestige +400.]

Is it only valid for ten years?
The reign term was only extended by one year. That's right, this is a degraded version of the performance evaluation system, which restricts officials who speak out.

Zhang Juzheng's comprehensive performance evaluation system, I wonder how many more years it added to the imperial reign?
Prestige increased by 400! This shows that the people have long suffered from officials who dare to speak out!
Su Ze's actions can be described as very gratifying.

This time it was actually Li Chunfang who made the move?

That's right. This technique is fluid and seamless, which is indeed Li Chunfang's style.

Su Ze reviewed the recent events again and was even more impressed by Li Chunfang's methods.

Li Chunfang merely delayed Su Ze's memorial for a while, instigating conflict between the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

If Su Ze's memorial were submitted at this point, the situation would change to Su Ze cooperating with the Six Ministries to attack the Censorate.

This completely changes the situation.

Originally, they were supposed to face the entire group of officials from the Six Ministries and the Censorate, but they were instead divided into two groups.

Finally, Su Ze, an "accomplice" of the Six Ministries, "proposed" that the Six Ministries investigate the Censorate. However, the Six Ministries were also put under the emperor's control.

It’s high, really high.

The performance evaluation system, which faced tremendous resistance to reform, became a compromise between the two sides, with both the Six Ministries and the Censorate obediently accepting it.

Su Ze sighed again, "Grand Secretary Li, you're such a lazy fox, you've been around for a thousand years."

At this moment, Xu Wei walked in from outside, carrying several boxes in his hands, and said:

"Master, today is the day for our door-to-door visit. The gifts are ready."

Visiting relatives and friends before the Lunar New Year involves giving them gifts.

This custom continues to this day; it's about reciprocity, and in officialdom, social interactions are unavoidable.

There are different interpretations regarding who to worship, how to worship, what relationship to have, and when to worship. There is a strict set of rules for worshipping relatives.

If it weren't for Xu Wei as his advisor, Su Ze, the time traveler, really wouldn't have understood the intricacies of the situation.

This is why officials of all ranks in the capital needed to hire advisors. If they couldn't find good advisors, they would have to rely on a capable wife at home to help them manage things.

Xu Wei not only helped Su Ze compile the list, but also prepared gifts according to Su Ze's requirements, which shows that he was quite capable.

Su Ze took the list, and the first name on it was the current Grand Secretary, Li Chunfang.

Su Ze was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, and Li Chunfang was the president of the newspaper. Therefore, Li Chunfang was Su Ze's superior, that is, his direct superior.

This decision determined that the first person to visit during the family visit should be Li Chunfang. Su Ze thought of the gift he had prepared for Li Chunfang and asked Xu Wei to carry the wooden box to the home of Li Gelao, who had just helped him a lot.

(End of this chapter)