Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 58: Bi Ziyan's Debate with the Confucian Scholars, Zhu Youjian's Weeping

"Why don't you all consult me ​​before you start doing things? Do I look so incompetent as to not care about important matters?!" Zhu Youjian felt wronged and angry. He even found Bi Ziyan somewhat repulsive and had a feeling of being betrayed.

However, Bi Ziyan naturally had his own reasons for doing so: the Xifeng Reform of the former Song Dynasty was futile, and the Wanli New Policies of the current dynasty ended with the death of the emperor, all of which proved that reform could not be implemented with the emperor's support alone, but it was absolutely impossible without the emperor's support.

The reason he didn't consult the emperor beforehand was that he didn't want to be seen as the emperor's henchman. If he did, how would he be different from the likes of Wei Zhongxian and Yan Song? The court officials wouldn't support his reforms; instead, they would collectively oppose him. Therefore, he wanted to remain impartial and neutral, hoping only that the emperor would set an example. Only in this way could he hope to persuade the court officials.

Of course, he knew that the chances of success were very slim, but he still chose to take the plunge. This is the way of a gentleman: to do something even when you know it is impossible!
In the past, Zhang Shuda used his power to promote reform, but he did not have such power, so all he could rely on was the greater good of the country and the people.

The king, seated high on the platform, remained silent, leaving Bi Ziyan somewhat disappointed, while attacks from his colleagues were already pouring in!

"Minister Bi keeps talking about 'unifying taxes,' does he mean to turn all six ministries into the Ministry of Revenue? Does he want to emulate that old scoundrel Yan Song and monopolize the nation's financial power?! I think your claim of caring for the nation is just an empty boast; your real intention is to fight for power and profit!" Grand Secretary Shi Fenglai mocked.

"Taxes should be unified, and all expenditures should be allocated by the imperial granary. The cabinet should draft and approve the proposals, the six censors should review them, and finally His Majesty should make the final decision. How can this be considered that I am wielding power alone?! Scholar Shi, please speak on the matter at hand and do not slander others!" Bi Ziyan said calmly, his expression unchanged. He had prepared for this moment for many years, honing his skills for a decade. He was well-prepared to engage in a debate with the assembled scholars.

Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang's words were even more insidious and sarcastic. He said, "Your Majesty is wise! He just cut off my funds for river repairs the other day, and today he wants to seize the Ministry of Works' treasury. I want to ask Lord Bi, since you intend to confiscate the repair costs of the nine border watchtowers, when the northern barbarians breach the pass, will you use your newly established 'ten taxes to one' as a shield, or will you use your brother Bi Zisu's corpse hanging at Shanhaiguan to repel the enemy?"

"Ahem, Minister Xue, be careful with your words!" Grand Secretary Huang Lijie finally couldn't help but speak up and admonish him. After all, no matter what, Bi Zisu had done his utmost for the country, and saying such things now was somewhat disrespectful to a loyal martyr and inappropriate.

Upon hearing this, Bi Ziyan suppressed his grief and retorted, "If the Ministry of Works could have implemented policies with sincerity and dedication, how could the watchtowers on the nine borders have fallen into such a state of disrepair?"

"The loss of the watchtower was due to the incompetence of the soldiers and generals, what does it have to do with my Ministry of Works?!" Xue Fengxiang retorted.

“Look at the time when Ningyuan City was rebuilt. The Ministry of Works purchased city bricks, and the actual price was only one and two qian per brick, but it was recorded as three qian in the accounts! As for the construction of the post road from Ningyuan to Shanhaiguan in the third year of Tianqi, the Ministry of Works reported 120 li, but the actual measurement was only 82 li. Are these shady dealings also none of your Ministry of Works’ business?!” Bi Ziyan rebuked angrily, unable to bear it any longer.

Xue Fengxiang's face was somewhat pale, and he hurriedly distanced himself, saying, "Your Majesty is wise. I was promoted to Minister of Works in the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. The matter before that has nothing to do with me!"

Good heavens! No wonder Bi Ziyan kept chasing the Sixth Ministry for auditing accounts last year; he was waiting for us here all along!
The court officials, who had been eager to act, became somewhat hesitant. Many who were about to confront Bi Ziyan silently withdrew their feet. "If Minister Bi can ensure that the Ministry of Revenue remains clean and honest, and that no one takes a single penny, I will certainly support your reform!" Right Censor-in-Chief Shan Mingxu said, seemingly fair but actually setting a trap.

But anyone can see through such tactics, let alone Bi Ziyan, who is experienced in officialdom.

His expression turned solemn, and he said resolutely, "Whether it is the Ministry of Revenue or the other five ministries, or the Six Offices of Censors and the Twelve Directorates of the Inner Court, anyone found guilty of corruption shall not be pardoned. If I, Bi Ziyan, have committed any act of embezzlement, please ask Censor Shan to impeach me; if I am indeed guilty, I humbly beg Your Majesty to behead me!"

Seeing the emperor raise an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat tempted, Wei Zhongxian finally couldn't stand it any longer. He jumped out and said urgently, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the sixth year of the Tianqi reign? This fellow even dared to block the silver for the late emperor's construction of the three palaces, and now he dares to set his sights on the Inner Treasury! This old servant dares to presume to speak, if we follow Minister Bi's method, would we have to go to the Ministry of Revenue to have a clerk sign off on making a dress for the ladies of the inner palace?!"

Zhu Youjian was worried about this very thing, so he asked, "Minister Bi, I support so many people in my inner court, and they all need to eat and wear clothes. If the imperial treasury is empty, how am I supposed to live? Do you intend to starve the monarch to death? Is such behavior in accordance with the words of the sages and the way of the ruler and his ministers?"

Bi Ziyan straightened his robes and prostrated himself respectfully on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. How dare I disrespect Your Majesty? I humbly request that the imperial treasury be merged into the imperial granary. I truly hope that Your Majesty will set an example for the world and gain the trust of all people. Only in this way can the policy of 'unifying taxes and revenues and disbursements' be implemented."

It is the duty of a nation to support its ruler. After taxes are unified, I intend to allocate one-tenth of the total revenue from the imperial granary to Your Majesty's private funds. As for how it is used, I will not interfere.

However, no matter how eloquently Bi Ziyan spoke, Zhu Youjian was no child. If the military pay for the nine border regions could be delayed, why couldn't this so-called "one-tenth" be delayed as well? The more people involved, the less money there was; and the imperial treasury's revenue had to pass through the Ministry of Revenue—would he really be able to get it?!

Bi Ziyan was determined to tie him to the chariot. Instead of a fixed quota, he only talked about sharing the profits. This was practically kidnapping him, forcing him to support the reform and contribute to increasing tax revenue!
"What you mean by one-tenth, is it silver or grain? When will it be delivered? If the court finds an excuse to delay payment, tens of thousands of people in my inner court are waiting anxiously for their money. Are we supposed to starve?!" Zhu Youjian questioned.

"After the tax reform, land tax was collected according to the harvest season. In the south, it was collected two to three times a year, while in the north, it was collected once a year or three times every two years. Other taxes were accounted for monthly and transferred quarterly. One-tenth of all taxes collected by the court were retained and deposited into the imperial treasury."

"Your Majesty, please be at ease. I do not wish to abolish the Imperial Treasury, but merely to centralize the power of tax collection and expenditure in the Ministry of Revenue. This will prevent the chaos of taxation and avoid various government departments from shirking their responsibilities and passing the buck," Bi Ziyan explained patiently.

Bi Ziyan's plan was barely acceptable, but Zhu Youjian was still uneasy. He was in a dilemma, unsure whether to support Bi's reforms. These days, there were plenty of people who said one thing and did another; he was afraid of being taken advantage of.

(End of this chapter)