The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 273 Never Forget
Jian Yi let out a deep, long breath, feeling a sense of relief.

Although he also enjoyed the feeling of wielding power over tens of thousands of officials in the Ming Dynasty, he would rather not have it if the price was stagnation or even decline of the world.

This was the unyielding spirit he had cultivated through decades of studying the classics; he would never allow himself to become a treacherous minister who would bring chaos to the world.

Jian Yi looked at Li Xianmu, who happened to be looking at him as well. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, making sure he wasn't seeing things. It seemed that Li Xianmu had just given him a slight smile.
But it was fleeting, and he even wondered if he was seeing things.

While he was beginning to question the meaning of life, people in the palace were already recommending their preferred candidates to the emperor.

As Zhu Zhanji listened to these recommendations, he nodded slightly from time to time, as if to express his agreement. After they finished speaking, he looked at Li Xianmu and said with a faint smile, "Does Teacher have any candidates to recommend?"

Li Xianmu said calmly, "I have nothing to recommend, but I have some things to say about the new Minister of Personnel."

The candidates recommended by the nobles just now each have their strengths and are all capable individuals. However, as the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise and strengths and weaknesses. For example, the reason why none of you recommended the Grand Minister of Revenue is because the Grand Minister of Revenue is skilled in economic matters and the Ministry of Revenue cannot do without him.

The Minister of Personnel is in charge of the selection of civil officials throughout the country. He is known as the "Heavenly Official" and is second only to the Ministry of Rites in importance. Especially now, the position of Minister of Personnel is of paramount importance.

The reason is that the Ming Dynasty is currently at a very critical juncture; if it is not careful, it will fall into an irreversible situation.

Zhu Zhanji slowly sat up straight, and everyone else in the hall also straightened up and looked at Li Xianmu. Everyone knew that Li Xianmu was about to make another statement, about some crucial matters that could determine the fate of the world.

He's always like that!

He inadvertently uttered something that would have a profound impact on the entire nation.

"There have been various periods of good governance in history, such as the reigns of Cheng and Kang in the Zhou Dynasty, the reigns of Wen and Jing in the Han Dynasty, the reign of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty, and the reign of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty."

The difference between a well-governed era and a prosperous era should be self-evident to you all.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The difference between a well-governed era and a prosperous era is actually quite significant, or rather, a well-governed era is greater than a prosperous era. A prosperous era mainly refers to a strong country and a wealthy economy.

Of course, this wealth was also the wealth of the feudal dynasty. The most valuable golden age in history was probably the Kaiyuan era, when even poor families had stored grain and social order was relatively good.

A well-governed era refers to a politically enlightened period, which is actually more difficult than a prosperous era.

As we all know, economic prosperity takes time to develop. In the early Tang Dynasty, due to the wasteful son Yang Guang, eighty percent of the population was lost, leading to a devastated population. Even if Li Shimin were a god, it would be impossible for the population to recover in twenty years. Therefore, the prosperous Zhenguan era was impossible.

A clean and honest political system is a very difficult thing to achieve even in modern countries. It requires the ruler to have a strong grasp of the situation and political morality. This brings us to the most valuable example of a well-governed era: the Reign of Zhenguan.

Li Shimin suppressed 80% of the desires of a feudal monarch with an extreme, even self-destructive, self-control. His awareness was outstanding in the entire two thousand years of feudal dynasties.

It could even be argued that the already low moral standards demanded of emperors by feudal society lowered his potential.

"The examples of prosperous times I just gave you should have shown that they were all from the early stages of a dynasty. And those dynasties that did not have prosperous times in their early stages have already perished."

Li Xianmu spoke in a very calm tone, but said something that was quite frightening, causing everyone in the hall to flinch, and some even couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"When a dynasty is first established, the government is always efficient and the emperor and his ministers work together to govern. As a result, the country begins to grow strong and then conquers foreign lands while creating a golden age at home. This is the peak of a dynasty. But what does the peak mean?"
This means it's starting to decline!

Li Xianmu's voice was quite heavy as he continued to question everyone: "Then why is this happening? A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole; can years of illness be caused by a single day's ailment?"

This is because the bureaucracy had already become corrupt long before the dynasty reached its peak; it was just that the inertia of the past when the bureaucracy was clean and efficient was still pushing the massive dynasty forward.

Those rulers and ministers were still complacent about the prosperity of the dynasty, unaware that danger lurked within that prosperity.

Before the An Lushan Rebellion, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was still basking in the glory of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras, enjoying the tribute from all nations.

"Well said!" Zhu Zhanji clapped his hands and laughed as soon as Li Xianmu finished speaking. "This is exactly what I wanted to hear. This is truly insightful advice. Teacher, please continue. All of you should listen carefully."

Li Xianmu first bowed to Zhu Zhanji, and then continued: "So when the dynasty began to decline, the emperor and his ministers wanted to make changes, but found that they could not exert any effort and there were holes everywhere."

When official corruption collapses, the dynasty collapses!

Li Xianmu surveyed the assembled officials in the hall and said in a deep voice, “The Ming Dynasty has been established for sixty years, and the people have changed almost two or three times. There have been decades without any fighting in the local areas, and those who experienced the chaos of war have gradually passed away.”

What about the administration of the Ming Dynasty?
Even without me saying it, you all know that the administration is destined to be bad. In recent years, thanks to the influx of silver from overseas, the Ming Dynasty's finances have not been in trouble.

But I always remember that the court's expenditures have been steadily increasing over the years, with losses increasing by half a percent, all of which have been covered up.

I had someone secretly check the land register in a county in Zhejiang Province. The registered land area has even shrunk by a small amount compared to the 30th year of the Hongwu reign.

Why is that?
I probably don't need to say more. Could it be a statistical error? Or have those fields been abandoned?

Or...

"What if someone embezzled public funds, annexed those fields, and then stopped paying taxes to the court?"

The emperor's gaze sharpened instantly as he stared at Xia Yuanji and asked, "Minister Xia, is this truly the case?"

These things were not reported in the past, because clearing up land was a very labor-intensive and resource-intensive task. Xia Yuanji hesitated for a moment, but could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, the last time we cleared up land was in the fifth year of Yongle. When the Ministry of Revenue collected land taxes, it was based on the land that was registered."

Zhu Zhanji's face darkened further. He wasn't stupid; if the land decreased but the tax remained the same, wouldn't the people's taxes increase?

"My money!"

Zhu Zhanji, being a young man, angrily exclaimed, "They dare to pocket my money! They're courting death!"

The emperor's anger made everyone present shrink back. Xia Yuanji, however, was not worried about being punished by the emperor for this, since it had nothing to do with him. The court did not conduct land surveys, and he could not possibly know about the land changes below.

If he can prevent major chaos and raise tax revenue so that the court has money to spend on various expenses, then he, as the Minister of Revenue, will have made a contribution.

In order to make money for Emperor Wu of Han, Sang Hongyang invented a poll tax, which reduced the population of the country by half, but the emperor still relied on him.

After venting his anger, Zhu Zhanji realized that losing his temper was useless, so he looked at Li Xianmu again and said, "Teacher, just as you said, the importance of good governance is heavier than Mount Tai."

Li Xianmu bowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty has been established for nearly sixty years. Under your rule, a prosperous era can be expected, and the people of the world are becoming increasingly wealthy. There are no powerful enemies outside and no major internal turmoil."

However, signs of corruption were emerging in the bureaucracy. While the indiscriminate killings during the Hongwu era were certainly unacceptable, allowing corrupt officials to run rampant and corrupting the morale of officials throughout the country would inevitably lead to the downfall of the nation.

The newly appointed Minister of Personnel should have outstanding responsibility, dare to be a pioneer, and promptly stop this bad trend to prevent the Ming Dynasty from falling into an abyss.

Although I have no one to recommend, these are the words I wish to say, and I humbly request Your Majesty's wise decision.

"Teacher, you speak well," Zhu Zhanji exclaimed with admiration. "You've hit the nail on the head. The importance of the Minister of Personnel lies precisely in this. Of those you recommended earlier, did any of you offer any criticism of what you said?" The people in the hall looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Everyone knows the importance of good governance, but it is usually only brought up and treated as a major issue to be rectified when the official system has deteriorated to a certain extent in the later stages.

Although there are problems with the administration of officials today, it does not seem to have reached the point where it would endanger the country and its people.

The Minister of Rites hesitated and said, "During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the crackdown on corrupt officials was quite strict, and Emperor Taizong was equally strict in governing his subordinates. I suppose it can be considered relatively good."

"Yes, it shouldn't be that serious. I think my colleagues are quite honest."

Once someone started speaking, others followed suit, but their statements were rather ambiguous to avoid giving others cause for gossip.

Only Li Xianmu knew that although many corrupt officials were killed during the Hongwu period, the administration of officials did not improve at all.

Li Xianmu slowly opened his mouth and said, "Gentlemen, you are blinded by a leaf. Under the noses of the central court, Emperor Taizu, and Emperor Taizong, it goes without saying that those who survived were basically not bad people."

For example, you gentlemen, after being transferred to the Hanlin Academy and then serving in the Six Ministries, most of you have had relatively good careers as officials in the capital.

But what about next?

None of you have been there, have you?

Li Xianmu sneered, "I have a question for you all. In your opinion, in a chaotic era, is it easier for good people to survive, or for bad people to survive?"

This question immediately made everyone solemn, and even Zhu Zhanji's expression changed slightly.

Everyone knows the answer.

Good people have a hard time surviving, and good officials have a hard time being in office, so it's natural that bad people have an easy time surviving.

As for that chaotic era, although Li Xianmu did not name names, everyone knew that it was Emperor Taizu who liked to kill people indiscriminately.

Although it was somewhat disrespectful, no one had nothing better to do than criticize Li Xianmu. Everyone, including the emperor, was somewhat afraid of that terrifying environment.

In those major cases involving the implication of others, officials who didn't bribe or bribe officials were easily implicated. They never even reached the emperor; they were simply written off in the household register and their lives ended.

"After Emperor Taizong executed the tyrant and quelled the national crisis, a group of high-ranking officials in the upper echelons of the Ming Dynasty were removed, but no action was taken at the lower levels. This was the easiest time to manipulate the situation, so another group of people skilled in scheming were promoted."

Therefore, the true state of official corruption is far from optimistic.

The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty had reached a rather serious level, and by the Zhengtong era it was extremely serious, as it took many years to conquer the Luchuan Kingdom.

As for the Chenghua and Xiaozong eras, there's no need to mention them.

This time, no one spoke up. Li Xianmu's words were indeed reasonable and well-founded, and he extricated these officials from the capital from the situation once again.

"Otherwise, why do you all think I would have so strongly promoted the governorship system and suggested that all governors be given the title of Censor-in-Chief?"
"This is because I don't even trust the nineteen circuit censors, since they've been in the provinces for too long," Li Xianmu said with a sigh. "It was precisely because I sensed some signs that I devised this plan."

"There's no need to discuss it further."

Before anyone could react to Li Xianmu's words, they heard the emperor's voice coming from the head of the table.

The crowd looked up at the throne with some confusion, only to see that the emperor's face was full of solemnity, yet also showed a sense of relief and a feeling of being relieved.

Looking at the puzzled ministers, Zhu Zhanji calmly said, "I think there is no need to discuss the selection of the Minister of Personnel any further. I already have the most suitable candidate in mind."

These words made everyone's hearts skip a beat. After eliminating all the impossible options, even if the last answer was the most unbelievable, it could only be that answer!
They all glanced at Li Xianmu out of the corner of their eyes.

"I believe that the teacher is most suitable for this crucial position."

When Emperor Zhu Zhanji brought their suspicions to life, they still had a sense of disbelief, as if they were in another world.

The emperor actually handed over the position of Minister of Personnel to Li Xianmu!

"Your Majesty, what about the Grand Secretary?"

"Naturally, the teacher will still be in charge."

Everyone was now numb. With the Grand Secretary and the Minister of Personnel both in office, didn't the Ming Dynasty's court need checks and balances?
How could you give such an important position to a minister?

Your Majesty, have you forgotten that your father-in-law is the Duke of England?

Zhu Zhanji ignored their expressions and smiled at Li Xianmu, "What do you think, teacher? Are you confident in overcoming those difficulties? This is no easy task."

"Since the teacher described it as so terrifying, then I really need good grades."

A hint of emotion flashed in Li Xianmu's eyes. He had made some guesses, but he was still shocked by Zhu Zhanji's courage.

If he were emperor, he would never grant such great power to a subject.

"His Majesty trusts me deeply; I can only devote myself to the cause until my dying breath!"

Li Xianmu knelt down and then kowtowed heavily.

Zhu Zhanji stepped down from the throne, walked to Li Xianmu's side, and reached out to help him up. "Teacher, I'm giving you this position above all others. What I want is a prosperous Ming Dynasty."

In the eleventh year of the Yongle reign, the second northern expedition took place on the grasslands. We made our promise!

The students have never forgotten, nor dared they forget!

Zhu Zhanji was beaming, his eyes and face full of smiles!
The smile spread, and Li Xianmu couldn't help but smile as well, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Yes, Your Majesty, yes."

Sun rise.

The Ming Dynasty was rising.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the third day of the tenth month of the first year of the Hongxi reign, the emperor appointed Li Xianmu as Minister of Personnel. At that time, Li Xianmu held the titles of Grand Master of the Palace, Junior Tutor, Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Personnel, and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory. He was in charge of both the affairs of the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel. His power was unparalleled since the abolition of the position of Grand Secretary by the Hongwu Emperor. He was known in court and among the people as "Grand Secretary" or "Prime Minister," a term used to refer to Li Xianmu. Although nominally a minister, he was in reality a prime minister. —Biography of Li Xianmu, History of Ming

(End of this chapter)