Jingming

Chapter 276 The era when everything is inferior is over?
After being away from the capital for more than three years, Wei Bin came back.

The palaces and pavilions of the Forbidden City remain the same, but Wei Bin is still surprised by the busyness of the previous dynasty.

An old man in the palace like him is more aware of the difference between today and then.

The Wenhuadian area in the southeast of the Forbidden City now has three major functional areas.

The courtyard of the Wenhua Hall is no longer used for holding sutra banquets, but has now been dedicated to the cabinet.

The original Wenyuan Pavilion has been transformed into the central shelf library and library building, and the engraved rooms and shrines to the east of the Wenhua Hall have been transformed into offices for officials serving the cabinet.

The area of ​​Wenhua Hall is larger than that of Wenyuan Pavilion. Now, each of the cabinet ministers has an independent small office building here.The first assistant and the second assistant live in the back hall of the Ministry, and the other four cabinet ministers are on both sides, while the central hall is a conference hall for cabinet meetings to discuss major issues.

On the south side of Wenhua Hall, in the four courtyards on the north side of the southern courtyard wall of the Forbidden City, apart from a Youguo Hall dedicated to "Xuantian God", there is also a famous inner carrier warehouse and so on.

Now, the internal transportation depot has been moved to the area of ​​the Silijian on the north side of the Hall of Renzhi, which has become the area where the internal prisons are concentrated.

The four courtyards to the south of the Wenhua Hall are now four important departments serving the emperor and the cabinet: the Secretary of General Administration, the Office of the Six Sections, the Office of the Edict, and the Ministry of Rites Mingbaohang located on the south side of the Donghua Gate.

This area was originally an incense library, and there is also a library of ancient and modern books used for collecting books.

But now, due to the proximity to the water, the row of houses in the south has become the publishing room, the row of houses in the north is the editing room, and the warehouse in the east is the closest to Donghuamen. This kind of planning has its own intentions.

The last functional area around the Wenhua Palace takes the Wenlou as the core, and includes many corridors in the area of ​​the Hanlin Academy History Museum, Zhongzuo Gate, and Dongjiao Gate. There are many small offices and small offices for the cabinet and various departments. meeting room.

The servants of the six or so departments who can stay here now have another title: Walking in the Wenlou.

If the servant wants to go further to become a minister, it will be very difficult without this experience.

The Hall of Martial Arts, which is opposite to the Hall of Wenhua, is obviously preparing for the same structure now.The house is still being repaired, but Wei Bin knows that the Hall of Martial Heroes and the Martial Arts Tower may also have a great effect.

What complements these new changes is the number of internal and external ministers in the former dynasty.

Wei Bin accompanied Zhu Houcong as they walked from the Hall of Mental Cultivation to the Hall of Jinshen, praising him again and again: "What I have seen in the past half a day since I entered the palace, the courtiers' single-mindedness and diligence are far better than in the past."

Zhu Houcong said with a smile: "You are a first-class smart person, you know that this is still far away."

Wei Bin didn't look old, but gained a lot of weight.

If you don't stay next to Zhu Houcong and worry about it, Wei Bin looks very moist in Guangdong.

"How is Uncle Liang?"

"It's not a serious illness, but it's a lot older after all." Wei Bin paused when he heard this, "I'm afraid he will only live for a few years at most."

He didn't say anything to death, but since the emperor asked the question himself, he still had to give his own judgment.

After Liang Chu resigned, he has lived in seclusion in his hometown for more than four years. Hearing what Wei Bin said now, Zhu Houcong just nodded.

You can't curse people, so Zhu Houcong lowered Liang Chu's life expectancy a little more: maybe he can only survive for another two or three years, and he may even die at any time.

Among the veteran officials who were active at the beginning of his succession, Yuan Zonggao and Zhou Zhao were the first.From now on, more and more veterans will pass away intensively, after all, they have passed the ages and even approached the old age.

According to the life expectancy level at this time, they are already quite old.

But there is not much time left for Zhu Houcong to cultivate new blood who will promote reform with him.

In another five years, [-]% to [-]% of the people above the fourth grade of Ming Dynasty will probably be replaced.

So Zhu Houcong has really become a "first teacher" now.

In addition to speaking to those craftsmen in Huangming University College, he also needs to speak to many people.

The subjects of today's "lecture" are the first batch of senior executives of the imperial merchants and government merchants of the Ming Dynasty who were drafted by Zhu Houcong himself.

Therefore, Wei Bin was called back, and he was naturally a "teaching assistant".

Among the three halls of the previous dynasty, the Fengtian Hall was used to hold court meetings, the Huagai Hall was a place for him to take a break during many ceremonial activities and court meetings in Fengtian Hall, and the Jinshen Hall was basically only used to change clothes and prepare.

Now, Jinshen Hall has been used as a classroom.

This is probably the most "advanced" classroom in the entire Ming Dynasty, because the eunuchs working in the imperial study are very familiar with some methods that the emperor would use.

The Department of Neijian is already a more professional team of eunuchs and secretaries than Neishutang. Teaching aids, courseware, teaching materials... Huang Jin can handle everything Zhu Houcong arranges properly.

At least at this time in Jinshen Palace, the "slideshow" can already be used.

On the huge wooden shelf are those specially made large picture scrolls - only the most critical content will be made like this by the internal file department.

The small pictures are directly drawn in the teaching materials, and distributed to the lecturers with more detailed content, so that they can listen to the lectures and study.

At this moment, nearly a hundred people lined up on the cloud platform outside the hall between Jinshen Hall and Huagai Hall.

Among this group of people, the most prominent are the three.

One of them is Zhu Rangxu, king of Shu.After Gao Kewei's turmoil in Sichuan, Zhu Rangxu supported all the emperor's demands without hesitation. With the reputation of the Shu king in Sichuan for more than a hundred years, Yangwuhou Xue Lun and Fei Hong quickly stabilized the situation in Sichuan. This allowed the forwards of the Fifth Army Battalion who were supposed to enter Sichuan to stay in Huguang.

The other is Xu Yande, the son of Duke Ding Xu Guangzuo.Xu Guangzuo first greeted the emperor in person, then went south to the emperor's town in Guangdong, and then rushed back to Beijing to temporarily supervise the Beijing camp.Now, Xu Guangzuo is seriously ill, and Xu Yande is the next Duke Ding.

The third person is a newly-appointed earl, but his background is not simple - Liu Yu, the sixth grandson of Uncle Chengyi Liu Ji.

Three people, one is the clan prince, the other is the son of the Duke of the state for many years, and the other is the honorable minister who has been granted the title by the emperor of the new dynasty.

Among the rest, there were eunuchs, many civil servants, and some civilians in common clothes with restrained and excited expressions standing at the back.

These civilians are businessmen.

By nomination, they are chosen from a large list.

Just like the craftsman Zheng Kui, they did not expect to have the opportunity to attack His Majesty, and even to come to the Jinshen Hall to listen to the emperor's lectures in person.

In a solemn atmosphere, Huang Jin walked out from the gate of the palace: "Your Majesty has arrived, and all the subjects enter the palace and take their seats."

Many desks and chairs have been set up in the hall, and there is a small wooden sign on each table, with everyone's name written on it, and the merchants are the top ones.

The name is placed in the Jinshen Hall. This is a major event that can be talked about after going back, put on the genealogy, and worshiped the ancestors!

It was still after they all found their place that Zhu Houcong arrived here.

Some rituals cannot be broken, this is after all in the Forbidden City.

But what they are asked to do today is the ceremony of meeting Mr.

Protégé of the Son of Heaven!

The four big characters popped up in the hearts of these businessmen again, and they felt a little hotter all over their bodies.

"Huangming Ji, Huangming Medical and Nursing Hospital, Imperial General Supervisor, Military Battle Bureau, Weaving Bureau, Mingbao Office of the Ministry of Rites, Baoyuan Bureau, Baojin Bureau, and Baoyan Bureau of the Ministry of Households, Military Weapons Supervision Bureau, Tongyi Bureau, The Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, the Treasure Ship Supervisor, the River Transport Bureau, the Maritime Transport Bureau, and the Group Animal Husbandry Supervisor.”

Zhu Houcong looked at the sequence one by one, and said sixteen names.

"From next year, you will change many industries in Daming."

What Zhu Houcong said is true.

Huang Ming Ji has already changed the entire "ecology" of maritime trade and even corvee labor in Guangdong, and now, there are more areas where huge changes are brewing.

It even includes coin casting, salt making, mining, post-transmission, water transportation, horse administration and many other fields related to the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty.

"Whether the new law can really enrich the country and strengthen the army, you are the key." Zhu Houcong first let them understand the significance of this, "As the heads and senior management of the first batch of [-] large enterprises in Ming Dynasty, you are the clan Those who are honored relatives or internal ministers can understand that I entrust the lifeline of the Ming Dynasty with great responsibilities, and can make great contributions; those with official status will still retain their rank and official salary, and they can still be sent to other positions in the future, and even be included in the national policy meeting; those without official status , from today onwards, he will be appointed as a designated product."

These words included all the people present at the lecture.

The most exciting thing is still those merchants who will be in charge of these many "big enterprises", which means that they will be able to wear brocade silk openly in the future!

"But I want to tell you first: This is the Hall of Respect, and you must keep it in mind. There are laws, accounting laws, the Department of Accounting, Auditing and Cleaning Department, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Officials and ordinary people, if they commit corruption, pervert the law, commit crimes, evade taxes, or oppress business people, I will not forgive them lightly!"

After a pause, Zhu Houcong said, "You are partly part of the government office and partly a commercial firm. What I have given you are some privileges related to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. What you need to keep in mind is that your primary task is not to earn money. How much money, how much meritorious service has been achieved, how many officials have been promoted, but what each of them bears means to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty and to the new law. Now, I will explain it to you one by one!"

Sixteen super-large "state-owned enterprise" groups each have monopoly resources.

Huangmingji, which has a shareholding of its relatives, has monopolized the privilege of sea trade, and now it has established a new system in the field of labor services and land transportation.

In the field of water transportation, Zangfeng and Ma Cheng will each take the lead from then on, one will be in charge of canal water transportation, and the other will "take the blame" to develop sea transportation.

The Baoyuan Bureau already existed, but from now on, Zhu Houcong began to take back the minting rights step by step, laying the foundation for the future banking and financial system.

After the mining and manufacturing of many key products such as salt farms and mines are integrated, these areas will involve changes in many areas such as the salt introduction system.

The supervisor of the herdsmen will take care of the matter of raising horses in the form of an enterprise.To this end, Daming will need a group of specialized "state-run racecourses".

The Queen's Bureau, the Construction Bureau, the Treasure Ship Bureau, the Weaving Bureau, etc. will be based on the huge amount of artisan resources already owned, both to generate income and to demonstrate.

The Bingzhan Bureau and Military Weapons Supervisor are more specialized in the research and development and manufacture of military equipment.With the authority of the emperor, the ministers, ministers, and civil servants will simultaneously participate in this major event related to the military equipment of the Ming Dynasty.Combined with the procurement method, there are new regulations for the manufacture, distribution, and storage management of equipment.

As for the Mingbao Bank, Tongyi Bureau, and Huangming Medical Nursing Home, they use the existing post station system, residence newspaper system, and doctor resources to generate income and profit in the form and efficiency of enterprises, and to better implement the Law on the Treatment of Officials.

"Guangdong and Shandong have already set local models for the reform of the government office. As for how the central government reforms, you only need to care about the rank and salary." Zhu Houcong looked at them, "The title of rank, title of grace, title of merit, and title of honor will be yours from now on. A place where you can think for yourself.”

From the first grade to the ninth grade, Daming's [-]th grade basic treatment will be determined from then on.As long as there is quality in the body, the basic official salary and treatment have been determined.In addition to money and food, there are also benefits in many aspects such as housing, travel, children's education, medical care and so on.This set of welfare system is being implemented with the establishment of these large enterprises and the establishment of the Huangming College system.

And the title of grace is a false title of civil and military rank in the past, such as a certain doctor or a certain general.But now, these honorary titles will have correspondingly clear additional salaries and benefits, and there are even more civil eighteenth-rank rural virtuous titles.

The titles are those honorary words added by Sangong, Sangu and Xunchen generals. Basically, each word represents certain privileges. These are basically the status of high-ranking bosses-at this level, they have already transcended material needs.

The title of title is simpler and will benefit future generations.

"From next year, the Great Ming will be rewarded for meritorious deeds, and punished for its demerits." Zhu Houcong said clearly, "From the imperial clan to the common people, from learning, from soldiers, from businessmen, from workers to farmers, all can be rewarded for meritorious service. In the Ming Dynasty, he was awarded titles of grace and even titles. Juefan kings, dukes, marquises, uncles, counties, and townships can be promoted or demoted. If there is no merit, even the clan must be degraded and expelled from generation to generation."

In front of the heads of the new "state-owned enterprises" of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Houcong said these things not only to motivate them, but also to warn them.

Zhu Rangxu, King of Shu, has heard Zhu Houcong's many "tips and orders". He knows that there are three large enterprise groups that are only "shared" by the clan kings, namely the Huangming Grain Store, the Imperial General Supervisor, and the Huangming Medical Nursing Home. What a weight.

In the clan, only the high-ranking princes and county kings lost the hereditary qualification of the first son of the direct line, but the middle and lower ranks of the clan gained freedom and the opportunity to be promoted to nobles, as well as the full salary guaranteed by the emperor.

Xunqi can participate in Huangmingji, Bingzhan Bureau, Shipping Bureau, and Interpretation Bureau for the same reason.The establishment of the sixth-class earl system and the new title of Duke Yasukuni made it possible for the relatives to be promoted to nobles and even be named kings with different surnames in the face of the pressure of downgrading.

In the promotion of meritorious service in the Huguang Rebellion, some middle-level generals who started as military soldiers were rewarded by earls, county nobles, and township nobles.

As for the civilians, besides serving as soldiers, craftsmen, merchants, and farmers have the title of [-]th rank of village sages.The low-level ones can go to these "state-owned enterprises" and localities to work as officials-the premise is to be literate, the middle-level ones have the qualifications to deliver books to the emperor and attend the Xiangxian Academy, and the high-level ones can rely on the Xiangxian Academy as a whole. He has the power to hand over official memorials, travel to other places to inspect counties and even inspect road censors.

The emperor is expanding the entire official system, and is also building more upward channels, expanding more opportunities for the voice of the people to communicate and even supervise the government.

How effective it will be, the old officials standing here are not sure yet.

But there are two things that are certain.

First, after the suppression of the Huguang rebellion, no one dares to stop the wheels of the new system.

Second, look at the first batch of businessmen who came here and got official status. What kind of expressions do they have now?
There is no room for them to think too much. After the opening remarks, this round of class that will last for many days begins.

Zhu Houcong has sufficient theory, and Wei Bin has rich practical experience.

Wei Bin shared his thoughts on how Huangmingji undertook various tasks in Guangdong, contributed taxes, and at the same time relied on monopoly power to support the needs of the country and boost the development of related industries.

At the same time, under the double-entry bookkeeping method and the annual bookkeeping, Huang Mingji's assets and profits were also told to them.

Commercial firms are not a new thing, private commercial firms aim to make money.Businessmen with low status used to rely on good relations with the government and officials to obtain some business management rights.

Now, these [-] state-owned enterprises have the right to monopolize some businesses, or directly rely on the government to have a huge advantage.

But the mission that Zhu Houcong wants them to accomplish is to stimulate the potential of related industries, and to let them take the lead in practicing commercial and tax laws, so as to promote the creation and flow of wealth in Ming Dynasty.

The truth here involves a new understanding of wealth and a macroscopic understanding of the entire economy.

"How to manage your own people and run your own business well according to the regulations, how to balance the needs of the court and your health and turnover, you need to understand it carefully." Zhu Houcong said at the end of this class, "If ten In the 20th year, the situation I want will be realized, and all of you will have meritorious deeds. I can give you a reassurance: 20 years later, among you, there will be those who will be appointed as marquises. Even if it is a special hereditary prince and a king with a different surname, it is not impossible!"

The prince must start striving to make unworldly achievements outside of the bloodline and become those special real hereditary princes.

The relatives of Gonghoubo county and township with different surnames are facing the temptation of upward mobility and the pressure of downward mobility.

In front of the middle and low-level civil and military people and even the common people in the world, it is possible to climb up in the four sequences of rank, kindness, merit, and honor.

At this moment, in the editorial office of Ming Pao, which is under preparation, are the first batch of Hanlin scholars who participated in the compilation of "Jiajing Dictionary".

Lin Xiyuan was a Jinshi in the 12th year of Zhengde. His ranking was not high, and his first official position was a judge in a certain state.

After the beginning of the 16th year of Zhengde, during the frequent flow of the imperial court and local officials, he returned to the capital and became the Qingliu of the Imperial Academy, which is now favored by fewer and fewer people.

Now, after he participated in the editing of the "Jiajing Dictionary", he became the first batch of "crab-eating" officials, and turned to become the chief editor of Ming Pao, which is not in the ranks of civil servants.

His grade is still: the fourth grade, but he no longer has civil affairs authority over other officials or people.

He is only responsible for editing and reviewing the content of each issue of "Ming Pao", using new simplified characters.

Now, the content of the first issue of "Ming Pao" has almost been confirmed, and he is watching carefully.

The content of this issue will shock the world, and it will also be the first newspaper to be distributed throughout Daming through the post station system of Daming and through the new Interpretation Bureau.

Each government office will directly issue a copy, which will be purchased by the official department on an annual basis.

The rest of the government and the public can also buy this newspaper through various channels.

This "front page headline" of the first issue of "Ming Pao", which will be printed on relatively large paper, is exactly what the emperor said in the Jinshen Palace.

"Officials and civilians must be rewarded for all meritorious service: a detailed explanation of the new system of titles, titles, and titles of the Ming Dynasty"

Its content and writing style are different.

When Lin Xiyuan was in charge of compiling the "Jiajing Dictionary", he stayed with Zhu Houcong for a long time as a walker in the royal study. He knew very well that the emperor attached great importance to this matter and these details, so he "abandoned politics and went into business".

There are more than two thousand words eloquently written by him, and there is not much nonsense.

Highlight one meaning: the emperor's kindness is mighty, and Ming Dynasty is about to change.Even ordinary people, farming and receiving food and accumulating goodness, doing business and paying taxes and obeying the law, and craftsmen who create technical tools with heart, it is not a day that they do not get a title or even a knighthood.

[Everything can be top grade, only those with merit are the highest.It is an agreement to make a report to the world, and there must be rewards for meritorious service. 】

Lin Xiyuan couldn't help thinking of the emperor's young face: Is it really possible to change the situation that all things are inferior and only studies are high?

(End of this chapter)