The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 226 The Poor Scholar's Plan
Looking at this scene at the finance meeting, Li Qi couldn't help but feel a little emotional. His blueprint for the Ming Dynasty had been turned into reality one by one in Li Xianmu's hands.

Modern governance models are far more advanced than those of ancient times, with significant differences in fiscal systems, where budget systems are of paramount importance.

This is actually a control over money. Currently, it only controls the national treasury and the Six Ministries. One day, this system will inevitably control all the money of the Ming Dynasty.

Whoever controls the money controls half the empire!

The ignorant are fearless.

Li Qi had only one thought in his mind.

Such a system, which greatly restricted the power of the emperor and officials, was passed so easily.

The emperor probably felt that having all budgets approved by him greatly increased his power, but all gifts had already been secretly priced.

Once the emperor weakens, this power can be seized by his subjects, and it will not be easy to regain it.

Every power that his son is granting to the emperor is ultimately aimed at seizing power for himself.

The annual fiscal meetings of the Ming Dynasty after the fifteenth year of the Yongle reign were relatively peaceful, because the Ming Dynasty had enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests for those three years, and had also received silver imports from abroad, so its finances were quite abundant.

When you have money in your pocket, other problems don't really matter.

The meeting lasted until noon, when palace servants brought out the palace's meals. The meeting continued for the rest of the afternoon, until evening when the sun began to set, at which point everyone left the palace.

Zhu Di pointed to the crowd leaving the palace and said to Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, "The most important thing for an emperor is to find capable ministers."

"My six ministers, and those talented individuals in the cabinet, will henceforth be entrusted to you."

I dare not say how capable the six ministers will be, but the cabinet is full of talented people, and their future will surely be bright.

……

As they walked out of the palace, Yang Rong leaned over and asked, "Mingda, the budget system you mentioned in the hall earlier isn't as simple as it seems, is it?"

Li Xianmu glanced at Yang Rong, who was known for his quick wit and resourcefulness. He knew this couldn't be kept from him. He smiled and whispered, "The budget system is a net, ensnaring everyone in the world, including you and me, and..."

Li Xianmu raised his finger and pointed upwards.

Yang Rong was immediately taken aback, then said with admiration, "As expected of you, your thoughts and ideas are all for the world. I truly admire you."

"This is just the beginning." Li Xianmu exhaled softly, his breath freezing into a white puff of air in the cold winter. "Now that I have taken on the position of Minister of Revenue, I naturally have to do something for the finances of the Ming Dynasty."

It's just a pity that many things can't be done now; His Majesty wouldn't agree.

“Sometimes I’m really afraid you’re Wang Anshi,” Yang Rong said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Wang Anshi's reforms led to the decline of the Northern Song Dynasty, much like a seriously ill patient being given a potent drug that rendered him paralyzed.

This was taken as a serious warning in ancient times.

Li Xianmu laughed and said, "Don't worry, I won't be Wang Anshi, I'll only be Shang Yang."

Although Shang Yang was a representative figure of Legalism, his successful reforms enabled the Qin state to unify the six states. In terms of reform, Shang Yang is the most admired figure.

As the two were talking, Zheng Huan stepped forward and said, "Mingda, you said earlier that you had something to tell me. I wonder what it is?"

Upon seeing Zheng Huan approach, Li Xianmu immediately said solemnly, "Zhongfu, please proceed to the Princess's residence."

Zheng Huan was even more curious about what this matter was that required a special trip to the princess's residence to discuss, but he still replied, "Alright, let's go together then."

……

Princess Lin'an's Residence.

Inside the Snow Viewing Pavilion.

This is a pavilion in the princess's residence, specially used for appreciating snow. Looking out the window, one can see plum blossoms in bloom, as well as pavilions and towers, a scene reminiscent of the Jiangnan region. After the snowfall, it becomes quite charming.

Li Xianmu, Zheng Huan, Yang Rong, and several others sat in the Guanxue Pavilion, warming wine around the stove.

This scene reminded Li Xianmu of when his father was still alive, when he would always invite a few close friends over warm wine to discuss state affairs.

It has truly been the same generation after generation, without any change.

"I actually mentioned this matter to His Majesty several months ago. His Majesty's attitude was neither to support nor oppose it, but to leave it entirely to us to do ourselves."

Li Xianmu put down his wine cup, addressed the group seriously, and then revealed his idea, which he had previously shared with the emperor, of allocating more civil service examination slots to those from humble backgrounds. Zheng Huan understood why Li Xianmu had sought him out; if the emperor didn't intervene, then as the Minister of Rites, he had the most say in the matter.

If he were willing to assist Li Xianmu, the chances of success in this matter would be greatly increased.

Everyone was shocked by Li Xianmu's words. While there had always been sympathy for those from humble backgrounds, directly favoring them with the imperial examinations was utterly astonishing, even...

"This is unfair!" Zheng Huan exclaimed. "The current allocation of places to students from different provinces has already caused considerable dissatisfaction among students in the Jiangnan region. The admission rate in Jiangnan is extremely low, it's practically a hard mode. Now, if we were to allocate places to those from poor families, wouldn't that just cause an uproar? It would definitely be met with widespread opposition."

Yang Rong had thought so too, but then something else occurred to him, and he pondered, "Does Mingda mean that quotas should be allocated to each province separately?"

"Within the province?" Zheng Huan slowly recovered from his shock. "If it's within the province, with each province allocating three or four slots, the impact might not be significant."

But it's not that simple. Are those from poor families truly poor? Back in the Han Dynasty, there were cases of people being recommended as scholars who were illiterate, and people being recommended as filial and incorruptible officials whose fathers lived separately. Can our Ming Dynasty be so different?

What if these spots meant for children from poor families are instead taken up by children from wealthy families?

As a minister, Zheng Huan was naturally not one to be trifled with, and immediately pointed out the pain points of this policy.

Even under the supervision of modern society, there are countless people who pretend to be poor, let alone in the Ming Dynasty where supervision was inadequate.
Yang Rong also frowned slightly. "After a poor family member passes the imperial examination, he will soon become rich. If it is discovered late, it will be difficult to find out exactly when he became rich."

Li Xianmu said firmly, "These problems can all be solved, but opening a path for children from poor families is something that must be done."

If supervision is difficult to implement, then the punishment should be increased. If this policy is implemented, the provincial education commissioners will be assigned to prefectures and counties according to their levels, and they will be allowed to recommend candidates to higher levels. If anyone is found to be impersonating someone, they will be punished for cheating in the imperial examinations.

If the government cannot effectively control the situation, it should allow scholars to tell each other, as it is impossible for them to keep all the scholars who come to take the exams quiet.

If they are risking their lives for a place in the imperial examinations, then kill them.

If the punishment were based on cheating in the imperial examinations, Zheng Huan and the others frowned deeply. Yang Rong, however, heard something else: "The quota for Juren? Isn't it for Jinshi?"

Zheng Huan also raised his head instantly. A scholar?

“Being a Juren (举人) is enough to change one’s fate,” Li Xianmu said calmly. “Jinshi (进士) are the true pillars of the nation. Once they pass the Juren exam, they will naturally have the money to support their studies.”

If, even with renowned tutors, someone still fails to pass the imperial examination within ten years, then they are not the genius we are looking for.

"Wonderful!" Yang Rong couldn't help but clap his hands in praise.

The real purpose of this program for underprivileged students is twofold: first, to open up a path for underprivileged students so that they have hope of climbing the social ladder; and second, to identify talented individuals from underprivileged backgrounds who cannot afford renowned teachers.

The first goal was simply to promote someone to the rank of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations). There were poor Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) and rich Juren. In the Ming Dynasty, there were basically no poor Juren. Even Hai Rui had the money to take a concubine. According to the court regulations, one had to have at least fifty taels of silver to take a concubine.

The second purpose is that if someone passes the provincial examination through the poor family plan and has the money to study but still fails to pass the imperial examination, then their talent is definitely insufficient. True geniuses can pass the imperial examination before the age of twenty-five, and even those who are slightly less talented can pass it before the age of thirty.

Zheng Huan also looked at Li Xianmu with amazement, "Mingda, sometimes I wonder how your brain works. Why is it that no matter how difficult something is, you seem to have a solution?"

"You flatter me. I just prefer to think about things indirectly."

"By bypassing the problem, it sounds simple, but it's incredibly difficult to do, and very few people can do it."

"What does Zhongfu think of the 'Humble Beginners' program?"

“I think it’s feasible. If it’s just the provincial examination, then the situation will be limited to the provincial examination. Moreover, the appointment of a provincial graduate as an official is limited. True aristocratic families will not allow their children to become officials as provincial graduates, so the resistance will be much less.”

After saying this, Zheng Huan pondered for a moment and added, "Of course, before it might have been absolutely impossible to succeed, but now the probability might have increased by a few percent."

If His Majesty doesn't support it, then there will be a lot of arguments. Be prepared, it will take at least two years. Fortunately, you are now the Minister of Revenue, otherwise, if I were to lead the charge alone, this matter really wouldn't be possible."

“Next year, my senior brother Wang Gen will return to the capital to report on his duties. His Majesty intends to appoint him as the Provincial Governor of Zhejiang. However, Zhejiang is now basically our territory. My idea is to give him a push. The position of Minister of Rites in Nanjing is vacant. If he can be appointed as the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, things will be much simpler.”

"Minister of Rites in Nanjing..."

Zheng Huan frowned slightly and said, "That's a bit too difficult. It's like skipping two and a half levels. It's unlikely. The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing could do it though."

Wang Gen is currently a provincial inspector of the third rank. The next step would be to become a provincial governor of the second rank. The next step for a provincial governor would be to go to the capital to serve as a vice minister of the six ministries of the third rank. After that, he would either become a minister or go to Nanjing to serve as a minister to gain experience.

“I also think that the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing would be more suitable.” Yang Rong echoed, “This is considered a half-rank promotion, equivalent to a provincial governor. The next step could be to be promoted to Minister in Nanjing, or return to the capital as a Vice Minister, thus skipping the step of becoming Minister in Nanjing later.”

It's also beneficial for one's career.

The Song Dynasty had a rule that prime ministers must rise from the ranks of local officials. The Ming Dynasty did not have prime ministers, nor did it have such a rule. Many officials in the capital spent their entire lives serving in the capital, including Yang Rong, who never served as a high-ranking official in a local area.

(End of this chapter)