Chapter 268: You Go Be Shuntian Prefect

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Qiyu with amusement—this was truly a man who dared to speak.

He knew that by saying such things, Chen Qiyu had offended not just the various princes across the realm, but every figure at the very top of the empire.

In the Great Ming, whether imperial clansmen, hereditary nobles and their kin, or gentry and scholars, there was no one who did not annex land, no one who did not squeeze the common people—this was precisely why the Great Ming had sunk so deep that it could not be turned around.

Even the Emperor himself had imperial estates, vast tracts of land, using the income they produced to support himself.

Under such circumstances, curbing land annexation was nothing but a joke—Zhu Youxiao had seen this clearly long ago.

Wanting to curb land annexation in this era was nothing more than a castle in the air.

Because the foundation of the feudal imperial system was the landed gentry—without land annexation, where would the landed gentry come from?

If you abolished land annexation, who would support the Emperor?

The entire vested-interest class of the Great Ming included everyone; there was simply no way to change it. Wanting to pull one faction up while beating down another was utterly impossible, because no class would accept your overtures.

Unless you could offer a greater benefit and reshape an entirely new class, there was simply no hope.

Zhu Youxiao wanted to see how Chen Qiyu would answer, so he smiled and said: "Others have spoken of this matter to me as well, but I have not yet thought of a good solution. I wonder if my beloved minister has any ideas?"

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Chen Qiyu quickly stepped forward and said solemnly: "Your subject believes that all the realm's lands should be surveyed, the fish-scale registers compiled anew, hidden lands uncovered, land holdings limited in quantity, and the buying and selling of land strictly restricted."

Zhu Youxiao listened to Chen Qiyu's words and shook his head helplessly.

Still the same talk of this era—it held no real meaning, could not even be called a stopgap, let alone a fundamental cure.

Back in the day, Zhang Juzheng had surveyed every piece of land in the realm, but so what?

Where were the court's fish-scale registers now?

Could taxes actually be collected according to what the fish-scale registers recorded?

It simply could not be done—land was still being hidden, still being annexed. Without changing things at the root, patching and mending was useless.

"Your ideas are good, and I will think them over carefully and have people look into it thoroughly." Zhu Youxiao said in a thoughtful tone.

He had no desire to continue discussing this matter with Chen Qiyu any further, because it truly held no meaning.

Zhu Youxiao continued: "You did well in Henan, and I naturally have merits to reward. Tell me—is there any place you would like to go?"

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Chen Qiyu hesitated somewhat. He had not expected that he would have such an opportunity—to choose where he went himself.

Seeing that His Majesty was not testing him, Chen Qiyu began to form some ideas.

So he stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, might your subject be permitted to go to the Office of Transmission?"

This was indeed the office Chen Qiyu wanted to go to, and especially after what he had experienced this time, he wanted it even more.

Chen Qiyu felt that at the Office of Transmission he could make contributions, could do many things for the Great Ming and its people—could catch corrupt officials.

In Chen Qiyu's heart, corrupt officials harmed people terribly.

Zhu Youxiao quietly looked at Chen Qiyu.

This answer was something Zhu Youxiao had not expected—why on earth did Chen Qiyu want to go to the Office of Transmission?

It did not fit Zhu Youxiao's arrangements at all, nor did it serve his current interests.

The Office of Transmission had already begun to step onto the stage, and it would only grow more powerful—it could be used to implement the system of secret memorials.

At the same time, the exemplar he wanted to establish was Chen Qiyu; he could not possibly let him go to the Office of Transmission, as it would give people the false impression that submitting a secret memorial could get you into the Office of Transmission.

That precedent could not be set.

So Zhu Youxiao asked: "Is there any other office you would like to go to? The Office of Transmission is definitely out of the question—the situation there is rather complicated."

Though somewhat disappointed inside, Chen Qiyu also knew there was no way he could make His Majesty change his mind.

Chen Qiyu said: "Then your subject has no other place he wishes to go. Wherever it is, I will serve His Majesty and the Great Ming loyally—your subject is willing to follow His Majesty's arrangements."

A flash of awkwardness crossed Zhu Youxiao's face—he should never have opened his mouth to ask in the first place.

He asked, the man answered, and then he could not deliver—it was rather embarrassing.

Zhu Youxiao said: "In that case, hmm, then you shall go to Shuntian Prefecture—the position of Shuntian Prefect is being kept for you."

This startled Chen Qiyu.

What was this all about?

How had he suddenly become the Shuntian Prefect?

That position was a full third rank—how could he, a mere deputy fifth rank county magistrate, possibly sit in that seat?

This was a meteoric rise in one step!

Zhu Youxiao, however, was unconcerned—this had already been decided. He continued: "What, is there a problem?"

"Your Majesty, your subject has not served as an official for long; one could say I have only just entered officialdom. Shuntian Prefecture—beneath the feet of the Son of Heaven, the foremost place of excellence—how could I possibly govern it?"

"If any fault occurred in Shuntian Prefecture due to my inadequacy, my crime would be great indeed. Moreover, I am young and lacking in seniority—appointed Shuntian Prefect, I fear I would find it hard to command the respect of the people."

Chen Qiyu truly did not want this post—what kind of place was Shuntian Prefecture?

Though the Shuntian Prefect was a full third rank of the court, the officials there truly led a dog's life; by comparison, he would rather be posted to the provinces. Even going to the southwest or to Liaodong would be better than serving as Prefect in Shuntian.

Besides, he was currently at the height of his fame—many people were watching him, and quite a few in the court looked upon him with disfavor. Under such circumstances, going to Shuntian Prefecture might well make him their target.

Most importantly, he had no connections in the capital, and no senior official in the court to look after him. Once at Shuntian Prefecture, he could not command respect, and might well be schemed against in secret.

Such matters truly gave Chen Qiyu pause. He really did not want to go, which was why he had steeled himself to say these words.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Qiyu and smiled: "I, on the contrary, feel that my beloved minister is exactly right for it."

"In Shuntian Prefecture, nobles and imperial kinsmen are everywhere, and third and fifth rank officials are beyond counting. Throw a brick from the top of a tavern, and you might well hit several third and fifth rank officials."

"The position of Shuntian Prefect—though it looks high-ranking and powerful, in reality it is like the eldest daughter-in-law of a household. Above, there are in-laws to wait upon; below, uncles and young sisters-in-law; in the middle, one must manage one's own husband, while also watching over the children—it is a position for taking abuse. An ordinary person cannot do it well."

"Many who reach the position of Shuntian Prefect adopt an attitude of not stirring up trouble and practice the art of muddling through. After muddling along safely for a few years, they can simply leave the post of Shuntian Prefecture directly."

"But have they ever considered—the capital, the foremost place of excellence—how can it be allowed to be fooled around with like that?"

"But there are some matters I have no way to handle either; I have searched and searched but found no suitable person." After saying this, Zhu Youxiao stood up and walked directly down from the dragon throne.

He actually came to Chen Qiyu's side, gazing at him with bright eyes, and only then said: "But I feel that you are suitable."

"When you were in Henan, you were merely a county magistrate. Yet you had the courage—you dared to impeach your superior, you dared to impeach the Prince of Fu, you dared to drag all the officials of Henan into the water."

"Do you know how many people asked me to deal with you when your routine memorial and secret memorial reached the capital? Do you know why I didn't do it?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Qiyu and asked.

Chen Qiyu was momentarily stunned, but still hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your servant does not know."

"The ancients called the Yangtze 'the River' and the Yellow River 'the River.' The Yangtze's waters are clear, the Yellow River's waters are muddy; the Yangtze flows, and the Yellow River flows too. An ancient proverb says: When a sage appears, the Yellow River runs clear. But when has the Yellow River ever been clear?

"In this realm, countless officials pride themselves on being pure and incorruptible, but are they truly that pure?

"Are you the only one who knows about the affairs of Henan? No, you are not.

"There are countless corrupt officials in this realm—are you the only one who knows? No, you are not.

"Countless people in this realm are annexing land—are you the only one who dares to speak of it, the only one who knows? No, that is not so either.

"Among the officials at court, some pride themselves on their incorruptibility and compare themselves to the Yangtze, while others are called corrupt and likened to the Yellow River. But does calling oneself the Yangtze make one the Yangtze? Does being called the Yellow River make one the Yellow River?

"Who knows?

"Who can see clearly?

"That is why the Office of Transmission was established.

"Some say the Office of Transmission exploits people's private secrets, causing people to impeach their superiors and denounce their superiors over all sorts of private matters. They say this harms the great meaning of the sages. But I do not care.

"They also say that a minister should not serve his lord as a partisan, and a lord should not suspect his ministers as partisans; mutual suspicion between lord and minister is the beginning of disaster.

"But does not suspecting mean it does not exist?

"I do not believe that. At this court, which among fellow townsmen, fellow examination year-mates, and teacher-student relations could not form a faction?

"So this court does not lack officials—it lacks ministers like you, who dare to speak and dare to act.

"This time, making you the Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture is precisely to let you familiarize yourself with the capital region, to let you struggle and learn through trial. Once you emerge from Shuntian Prefecture, you will be familiar with the entire officialdom of the Great Ming.

"So do your work well—clean up Shuntian Prefecture properly for me, and return to the people a bright and clear sky.

"Didn't someone once say that Lord Bao sat in judgment at Kaifeng Prefecture?

"Starting today, you sit in judgment at Shuntian Prefecture." After saying this, Zhu Youxiao gently patted Chen Qiyu on the shoulder, then turned and walked out.

As he walked out, Zhu Youxiao said slowly, "I hold great expectations for you. Don't let me down."

Chen Qiyu hurriedly bowed and saluted, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Your servant understands."

After Chen Qiyu left the palace, the news spread.

The Magistrate of Luoyang, who had come from Henan Prefecture, had now been promoted—from a magistrate of the fifth rank to the Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture of the third rank.

For a time, the capital was in an uproar.

Countless people began to criticize Chen Qiyu, and his reputation was ruined in an instant.

In many people's eyes, Chen Qiyu was a traitor among officials. Of course, that could not be said outright—it needed to be framed differently, such as accusing him of bewitching the emperor, calling him a treacherous and fawning minister.

Although no great storm had yet been stirred up, some people had already begun fabricating stories about Chen Qiyu.

Chen Qiyu did not care, because His Majesty trusted him, so his heart was still filled with drive.

At the same time, another matter made Chen Qiyu somewhat hesitant—he had received several invitation cards.

At the top of the list was Chief Grand Secretary Han Kuang; besides Han Kuang, there was also Second Grand Secretary Xu Guangqi.

Apart from these two great figures at court, Minister of Justice and Grand Secretary Huang Kezuan had also sent an invitation card.

It could be said that the two factions at court had already begun trying to win over Chen Qiyu.

The only one who had shown no intention of courting him was Sun Chengzong.

It was not that Sun Chengzong did not want to, but rather that Sun Chengzong knew very well in his heart that he and Chen Qiyu were simply not on the same path—Chen Qiyu would definitely end up on the side of Huang Kezuan and Han Kuang.

So Sun Chengzong did not waste the effort; inviting a snub was meaningless.

Chen Qiyu felt somewhat helpless. Having just entered the officialdom of the capital, he had already fallen into a dilemma. If he chose one side and not the other, would he be offending the other side?

Did he have to pick a side as soon as he arrived?

While Chen Qiyu was racking his brains, Zhu Youxiao also heard about this matter.

At the Western Park.

Listening to what Chen Hong was telling him, Zhu Youxiao's face immediately showed an interested expression, and he smiled as he asked Chen Hong, "Did he go to whose house?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, he went to no one's house." Chen Hong quickly said.

"Chen Qiyu, Lord Chen, sent replies to both sides, saying that having just arrived at Shuntian Prefecture, he felt like treading on thin ice, fearing he might fail the imperial grace, so he had no time to pay respects to the two lords."

Hearing Chen Hong's words, Zhu Youxiao immediately laughed, and laughed heartily.

He had not expected this Chen Qiyu to be such an interesting person.

Zhu Youxiao said, "Have the Imperial Household Department select a courtyard in the capital and send it to this Chen Qiyu. Say it is my gift to him, so he can establish a home in the capital."

As the Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture, Chen Qiyu naturally would not lack a place to stay.

Because the residences of Great Ming officials were designed with the office in front and private quarters behind—the meaning was simple: the front was for conducting official business, and the back was for living.

So Shuntian Prefecture also had a place to live.

But once Chen Qiyu left Shuntian Prefecture, he would have no place to live.

For officials of the current Great Ming, being able to establish a home in the capital was no easy matter.

As the saying goes, it is no small feat to dwell in the capital—that was truly not just empty talk. For someone in Chen Qiyu's situation, he probably could not afford to buy a house.

Unless one day he steeled his heart and committed corruption, otherwise, he would have no hope in this lifetime.

Zhu Youxiao was very satisfied with Chen Qiyu's approach, so he simply rewarded him with a house. First, it was to recompense Chen Qiyu; second, it was also a statement.

Mainly to tell everyone: this man is one I have my eye on—do not act rashly. I am very satisfied with his attitude of not meeting with you, so do not stir up trouble either.

This was also a form of protection for Chen Qiyu.

Although Zhu Youxiao trusted Xu Guangqi and also trusted Han Kuang, matters of officialdom were not something that could be handled with trust alone.

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Chen Hong understood in his heart that this Chen Qiyu truly enjoyed His Majesty's favor—not only had he been promoted across multiple ranks, but His Majesty also protected him so. He truly had boundless prospects.

So this time, Chen Hong prepared to go personally, to build a closer relationship with this newly appointed Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture.