Chapter 45: Zhang Juzheng's Grievance

Seven days passed in succession.

"Treasure Betting" had also become a topic of conversation in the streets and alleys of Beijing, discussed after tea and meals. Whether it was a small stake of one wen or a large stake of ten taels of silver, one could find it all here.

In seven days, strongholds for this had been set up on every bustling street in Beijing.

After deducting costs and labor, the total profit was over 2,750 taels.

Of course, Zhang Yunxiu also knew that this was because some people wanted to curry favor with the Senior Grand Secretary and, guessing the Senior Grand Secretary's intentions, were finding ways to send money.

Zhang Yunxiu was happy to let it be; it was other people's money anyway, so let them do as they pleased.

At this time, the chill was profound; in the past, even if old Beijingers were holding back a hot stream of urine, they would not want to leave their quilts.

Now, however, they were so tickled by that Treasure Betting that it felt as if the silver in their pockets was about to jump out.

Just past the hour of Chen this day, an eight-bearer warm sedan chair slowly landed in the sedan hall of the University Scholar Mansion. The head of the sedan bearers took a side step and walked forward to lift the curtain for the person arriving.

A person bent over and walked out from inside.

That person appeared to be about sixty-three or sixty-four years old, with a slender build, regular features, and a pair of eyes that were bright and spirited.

He wore a cyan ramie Daoist robe on the outside, layered over a bean-green cashmere vest, a cashmere hat on his head, and black soap-leather boots on his feet.

As he walked, he looked straight ahead, moving with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger.

It was none other than the Minister of Personnel, Wang Guoguang.

He was a metropolitan graduate from the twenty-third year of Jiajing, one examination earlier than Zhang Juzheng, and was also a close, inseparable friend within Zhang Juzheng's camp.

He was even closer than the relative by marriage, Wang Zhigao.

Bypassing the screen wall and garden of the Zhang Family, Wang Guoguang braved the cold and arrived at Zhang Juzheng's study.

There, Zhang Juzheng was already dressed and ready, waiting for his guest.

Inside the room, the palace lanterns were bright, the floor heating was burning warmly, and a maid had thoughtfully brought in a brazier of charcoal, placing the entire room in warmth.

When the two met, they did not stand on ceremony; after sitting down with the etiquette of host and guest, Zhang Juzheng went straight to the point: "Ru-guan, the Emperor's thoughts have been increasingly active lately; I cannot get a pulse on him."

Wang Guoguang smiled and teased, "Aren't you known as the 'Iron-Faced Prime Minister'? A few days ago, you advised the Emperor to close mines across the country and save on treasury expenses, and the Emperor listened to you, didn't he?"

"It's useless." Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and then spoke of his meeting with the Emperor at Yuntai five days ago.

It turned out that after the Emperor closed some of the mines, Zhang Yunxiu's money-making method was slow to pick up. The Emperor grew anxious and issued another decree, ordering the Ministry of Revenue to transfer 100,000 taels of Taicang Silver into the Treasure Note Treasury.

Again and again, how could Zhang Juzheng agree? So the Emperor summoned him in a huff. Upon meeting, the Emperor said with some displeasure: "Master Zhang, you told Me to close the mines and I closed them. Now My Inner Treasury cannot make ends meet. If this gets out, what majesty do I, the Emperor, have left?"

Zhang Juzheng knew the visitor meant trouble and could not push back too hard, so he circled around it: "Your Majesty, your Inner Treasury has an annual income of over 200,000 taels of silver. Just for food and clothing, let alone one year, even ten years would be enough."

He knew the Emperor was extravagant; whenever he encountered something that made him happy, he would casually give away five or ten taels.

With this way of giving away money, let alone 200,000, even adding another 200,000 would not be enough for the Emperor to squander.

The Wanli Emperor did not feel it was squandering at all; he only felt it was a matter of dignity. With a trace of displeasure, he cited precedents: "I heard that in the Tang Dynasty, there was a Taiping Princess who spent over a hundred million copper coins on a single piece of clothing. If she, a princess, could do that, what is wrong with Me wanting more silver?"

"Also, the Wuzong Emperor spent over 300,000 taels of silver on a single dragon robe. My dragon robes combined are not as valuable as his. You tell Me, we are both Emperors, why must I scrimp and save?"

After listening, Zhang Juzheng drafted a response in his mind before looking at the Emperor and saying: "The Taiping Princess was licentious and lawless, extravagant and greedy, which led to the disaster of the blade and axe. As for the Wuzong Emperor, he also exhausted the people and wasted wealth..."

In short, it was one sentence: there was no money. The Emperor threw a small tantrum, crossed his arms over his chest, and huffed: "In any case, My mines are already closed. The remaining shortfall must be covered by the Ministry of Revenue."

"I don't want much; this time I want 100,000 taels."

After speaking, he glanced at Zhang Juzheng's complexion. Seeing his face darken, he felt a moment of fear and changed his words: "At least 50,000 taels; it cannot be any less."

Zhang Juzheng responded and withdrew from the palace.

After hearing Zhang Juzheng's grievance, Wang Guoguang knit his brows and whispered a word of advice: "Shuda, the Taicang Silver is currently abundant; a mere 50,000 taels is nothing."

"I know, but we cannot set this bad precedent." Zhang Juzheng sighed helplessly and added, "Moreover, although there are nine million in Taicang Silver, one cannot guarantee we won't encounter a major disaster. We still need to promote grain transport and consolidate border defenses."

"Last year, Qi Jiguang submitted a memorial saying he wanted to build fortresses from Shanhaiguan to Changping, one fortress every mile, each housing fifty soldiers, to support each other and resist invading enemies."

"From Shanhaiguan to Changping, stretching a thousand miles, that would be a thousand fortresses. At a thousand taels of silver each, that is one million taels."

Speaking of this, Zhang Juzheng sipped his tea and continued: "The Director-General of Grain Transport, Pan Jixun, also submitted a memorial to build a dam at Gaojiayan. You tell me, should the Yellow and Huai Rivers be managed or not?"

Wang Guoguang had also served as Minister of Revenue and naturally understood the difficulties of managing the household.

He was meticulous in every calculation, wishing he could split a single cent into two.

Silently pondering for a moment, Wang Guoguang looked up and said sternly: "Shuda, the ancients say that at sixty one is at peace with what one hears. You are about to reach the age of sixty; it is time to consider yourself."

"Let's not talk about that." Zhang Juzheng waved his hand to interrupt Wang Guoguang and changed the subject: "Have you heard of 'Treasure Betting'?"

"Isn't that something the Emperor sent people to set up?"

"Yes, this method is simply defrauding the common people." Zhang Juzheng nodded, but suddenly remembered this was his youngest son's idea, and he could not help but blush, a look of anger flashing across his face.

"Shuda, you are being too controlling." Wang Guoguang shook his head with a smile and teased, "It's just a case of one willing to strike and the other willing to suffer. If he weren't greedy, how could the people be deceived?"

"If it were promoted nationwide, wouldn't the income for the Emperor's Inner Treasury be sustained?"

"No, once such a method is introduced, everyone in the world will think of getting something for nothing. How could the world not fall into chaos?" Zhang Juzheng was filled with righteous indignation and gritted his teeth: "I submitted a memorial yesterday to abolish this method."

"This isn't your family—"

Wang Guoguang was full of suspicion. Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said with a cold face: "It was him who did it. I just want to knock him down a peg so he doesn't think that just because he is by the Emperor's side, he can do whatever he wants."

"What if the Emperor is unhappy?"

"If one only seeks to make the Emperor happy in everything, then why should I be an official? Wouldn't I just be a sycophant?" Zhang Juzheng said coldly.

Wang Guoguang could not refute this. After pondering for a moment, he took out a list of official promotions.

Zhang Juzheng took it and saw it written: "Wanping County Magistrate Lin Cheng, three-year term complete, assessment superior, promoted to Director in the Ministry of Justice."

"How much land was surveyed in Wanping last year?"

"Over ten thousand mu," Wang Guoguang replied.

"Then let him go to Nanyang to be a Department Magistrate and continue surveying the land."

Everything depends on today, my dear readers! (End of chapter)