Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

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Hanlin Academician Shen Gou stepped forward and kowtowed heavily: "As a citizen of Zhejiang, I know that burning the Imperial Envoy is an offense against the Emperor, a heinous crime. The law of the land is clear, and there is no reason to forgive him."

"However, the burning of the imperial envoy was a disaster that originated in one corner. The millions of people in Zhejiang and Jiangsu were truly innocent."

"Today, Your Majesty's fury is so great that it extends to three generations of your family and implicates all officials, which has already shaken the two Zhejiang provinces. I have observed that among the officials in the prefectures and counties, there are many who are honest, self-disciplined, and diligent in their duties. If they are demoted or dismissed because of their place of origin, their life's achievements will be wasted, which will surely discourage the scholars of the country. Furthermore, there are scholars who have studied diligently for three years but have not been able to take the imperial examinations, which is tantamount to cutting off their path to serving the country."

"If this continues, the cultural heritage of Zhejiang will likely be lost. In ten years, there may be no more capable talents left in Zhejiang. Wouldn't that be like harming Your Majesty's most trusted advisor?"

"We humbly beseech Your Majesty to consider the severity of the punishment and grant them a glimmer of hope. The people of Zhejiang will surely express their gratitude for Your Majesty's grace and praise Your Majesty's wisdom!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down Shen Gou's face, and he bowed deeply.

"I humbly beseech Your Majesty to consider the circumstances and reduce the punishment, so as to preserve a glimmer of hope."

Officials from Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces all bowed in reverence.

In fact, for the officials of Liangzhe Road, neither the extermination of three generations of their families nor the severe punishment of accomplices was something they could not bear.

After all, the extermination of three generations and the severe punishment of accomplices were ultimately limited to a single county and did not affect the foundation of Zhejiang Province.

What was truly unbearable for the officials of Zhejiang and Jiangsu was the "percentage damage," which meant that officials at all levels would be demoted, barred from taking the imperial examinations, and prevented from being promoted, and would be split in two.

Firstly, the simultaneous demotion of officials from top to bottom suggests that the people of Zhejiang and Jiangsu may experience a "generational gap" in high-ranking officials.

Since ancient times, there has been a system of "avoidance," which means that officials cannot serve in their hometowns.

If one is the head of a county, one cannot serve as an official in the county where one was born.

If one is a prefectural official, one cannot serve as an official in the prefecture where one was born.

If one is destined to be an official along a certain path, one cannot hold office along the path one was born on.

However, compared to the prefectures and circuits where officials had to serve in other places, at least six or seven out of ten officials at the county level were from the "local circuit".

Most of the county officials in Liangzhe Circuit were from Liangzhe, which is why the ancestral homes of the counties arose.

Those from prominent families who have the ability to control the selection of county officials can easily wield power in a prefecture and influence the decisions of the prefect, assistant prefect, and vice prefect at all times.

The saying goes that wealth and honor don't come from other places, and those from Zhejiang who didn't serve as officials in the Zhejiang region, especially at the county level, were ultimately a minority.

Nowadays, officials at all levels are being demoted, with almost all county-level officials being removed. This means that only one or two out of ten of the new and middle-aged officials from Zhejiang and Jiangsu will remain. In the coming decades, there will definitely be a "generational gap" in high-ranking officials from Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

Compared to other wealthy regions where sixty or seventy people might reside in high positions in the imperial court, Liangzhe Road might have as many as twenty people residing in the imperial court at a time.

When there are fewer people in the government, the power of the local community weakens, making it easier for them to be bullied.

Secondly, they were barred from taking the imperial examinations for three years.

In an era where the imperial examination system was the path to officialdom, the sudden loss of a spring imperial examination carries profound implications.

Third, officials in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces were barred from promotion for six years.

If the simultaneous demotion of officials from top to bottom and the three-year ban on taking the imperial examinations affected the future of Liangzhe Circuit, then the officials of Liangzhe Circuit affected the present of Liangzhe Circuit and directly impacted the interests of the officials of Liangzhe Circuit in the imperial court.

Six years without promotion, ruining most of one's career – who could bear that?

Fourth, the Liangzhe Road was split up.

Compared to the ignorant common people, the scholars of Liangzhe in the imperial court naturally knew what this move meant.

The division of Liangzhe Road resulted in a "regional division".

Once Liangzhe Road is separated, the concept of "people of Liangzhe Road" disappears, and there are only "people of Liangzhe East Road" and "people of Liangzhe West Road".

The division of Liangzhe Road into two separate administrative divisions meant that the number of people from Liangzhe was immediately halved.

After all, the reason why people from the same hometown are from the same hometown is because they want to work together to seek benefits for their hometown.

Now that they have been split into two groups with different political structures, they are no longer considered fellow townsmen.

All four of these points are typical examples of "percentage-based damage." If they were to be implemented, Liangzhe Road would struggle to recover for at least several decades, and it would be virtually impossible for it to truly return to its peak.

The chief inspector's knife was indeed steady, accurate, and ruthless!

Standing on the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying looked down indifferently, unmoved.

“No.” Zhao Ceying said calmly.

"Are there any other people who wish to present a memorial?"

Changing orders frequently and being indecisive is not the behavior of an emperor who can be considered great throughout history!

"His Majesty!"

Shen Gou was startled and quickly said, "The late emperor ruled the world with benevolence, and all the people praised him. When the founding emperor established the country, he also said, 'In governing the country, we should strive to be lenient and fair.' Now, the judgments in Liangzhe have inevitably damaged the benevolent and harmonious governance."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that all officials in Zhejiang and Jiangsu who were not involved in the burning of the Imperial Envoy be given reduced sentences; and that all scholars from humble backgrounds in Zhejiang and Jiangsu be granted an extension of the years required to take the imperial examinations. Eastern and western Zhejiang are connected by waterways and trade routes, and have been integrated for centuries. Forcibly separating them would likely disrupt the livelihood of the people, and such a policy of separation must not be implemented."

Shen Gou bowed deeply: "This is the way of a sage ruler!"

"This is the way of a sage ruler!"

The nobles of Zhejiang and Jiangsu bowed once more.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying scoffed and asked, "What kind of sage ruler is he?"

"Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing were wise rulers!" Shen Gou thought the emperor was interested and quickly responded.

"Emperor Jing?" Zhao Ceying secretly raised his eyebrows, but remained silent.

That's so low-class!

"No."

Zhao Ceying waved his hand and said, "Everyone, step back."

"His Majesty!"

Shen Gou, unwilling to give up until he achieved his goal, quickly said, "I have heard the Book of Documents say: 'When in doubt about a crime, consider the lighter punishment; when in doubt about a merit, consider the heavier punishment.'"

"At the beginning of his reign, Emperor Wen of Han abolished corporal punishment and abolished the system of collective punishment. In the case of the horse startled at Wei Bridge, Emperor Wen punished the offender with a fine, demonstrating his benevolence and filial piety in governing the country. Later generations all said: After the Three Dynasties, no one was more outstanding than Emperor Wen."

"If the smoke from cooking fires gradually thins out, students stop studying, and officials bow their heads in disgrace, how does that compare to the benevolence of Emperor Wen?"

"I humbly beseech Your Majesty to consider the reputation you will leave behind and govern the world with benevolence!"

As they spoke, the dozens of people bowed deeply once more.

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying's face immediately fell.

What does it mean to "think of one's name after death"?

Does this mean that not forgiving the officials of Zhejiang and Jiangsu makes one a tyrant and a foolish ruler?

Zhao Ceying glanced at the Hanlin Academy's Imperial Diarist who was recording the emperor's daily activities, then looked down sharply and said sarcastically, "To coerce me with his posthumous reputation, what a loyal minister!"

Shen Gou bowed his head and said, "I hope Your Majesty will govern with benevolence and forgive the people of Zhejiang."

"presumptuous!"

With a loud rebuke, Song Huai, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward, his face contorted with anger, and demanded, "Shen Gou, are you all trying to force the emperor to abdicate?"

forgive?

If we really forgive Liangzhe Road, where will we put Jiang Gong?

“How can the emperor’s authority be so easily changed?” Zhang Heng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward and echoed.

"Zhang Qing is right."

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Ceying calmly said, "A ruler's word is law."

An imperial envoy is an agent of Heaven, who travels on behalf of the emperor and is the face and embodiment of the monarch.

Burning the imperial envoy is an unforgivable crime.

Severe punishments were intended to deter all sides and uphold the emperor's authority.

If someone were to submit a memorial to the throne, and the king could be forced to back down, where would the king's authority be?

If you can't even withstand this little bit of pressure, then there's no need to continue dreaming of unification, becoming the greatest emperor of all time, or being Emperor Shizong. It's nothing but self-deception!

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Song Huai and Zhang Heng bowed together.

Zhao Ceying glanced at the officials of Liangzhe, then shifted his gaze to the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet: "With the Liangzhe Circuit split up, there are vacancies at all levels. The Grand Secretaries can submit their recommendations for the Pacification Commissioner and Deputy Pacification Commissioner. The remaining positions will be coordinated by the Ministry of Personnel and submitted to the Imperial Study."

As he spoke, he waved his hand.

"Retreat—"

A sharp cry echoed throughout the hall.

Many people glanced at the officials of Liangzhe Road and shook their heads inwardly.

Whether the emperor was truly strong-willed or not can be glimpsed from the incidents of Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu forcing the emperor to abdicate.

The way the emperor treated the burning of the imperial envoy reveals a lot about his attitude, as evidenced by the fact that the chief judge was Jiang, the Grand Secretary.

From the moment Jiang Ge Lao took charge of the investigation, the fate of Liangzhe Road was already sealed!

The emperor ordered the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet to recommend the chief officials of the eastern and western routes of Liangzhe, and put the Ministry of Personnel in charge of the selection of officials. Undoubtedly, this was intended to allow others to divide up Liangzhe and forcefully achieve the goal of splitting Liangzhe into two.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Shen Gou was terrified and called out several times.

How can we split up Liangzhe Road?

When he looked up, Zhao Ceying was no longer on the steps.

The senior officials gathered together silently.

None of the Grand Secretaries were from Zhejiang.

For the senior ministers and even the civil and military officials of the court, the severe punishment of Zhejiang was more of a cause for celebration.

After all, people have been demoted at all levels, and the organization has even been split in two, so someone has to fill the gaps.

Before long, all the civil and military officials withdrew.

Royal study room.

Zhao Ceying, seated at the head of the table, held a list and began to read it.

All those on the list were candidates for principal officials recommended by the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

Pacification Commissioner, second rank.

The Deputy Envoy for Pacification was a third-rank official.

Both positions were held by high-ranking officials in purple robes.

This means that those qualified to be recommended to serve as pacification envoys and deputy pacification envoys must themselves be officials of the third rank or officials of the fourth rank who are very close to being officials of the third rank.

Such people are few and far between under any single Grand Secretary, so it is not difficult to recommend them.

Song Huai, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Wang Fuzhi was appointed Minister of Agriculture.

Chen Jian, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

Wang Anshi, Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

One name after another, I looked at them one by one.

Wang Anshi!

Zhao Ceying squinted and stared at him for a few moments.

Immediately, he got up and went to the bookshelf to search.

About ten breaths later, several memorials concerning the reforms fell into his hands.

Three Reform Strategies Presented to the Emperor

A Discussion on Redundant Soldiers, Redundant Officials, and Redundant Expenses