Chapter 625: It

Wang Wang Chonggu had already made it clear and direct enough: the reason he could store six months of labor remuneration for craftsmen in the Ministry of Revenue was because it was public money. As long as it was public money, it was used like mud and sand. It was equivalent to saying that in dividing the cake of the Great Construction of the Grand Works, Wang Wang Chonggu had left a little bit for the poor people, and it was their own labor remuneration.

Secondly, the imperial court had the money to do such things.

If the imperial court wanted to use this method to constrain all workshops and merchants in the world, in the end, the decree would only become a mess.

"The two of you, when metaphysical ideas and physical practice produce contradictions and conflicts, practice is paramount. *Han Han Feizi* says: 'If the world changes, things change; if things change, preparations must change. Therefore, the sage does not expect to follow the ancients, nor does he follow the constant permissions.' This is the general outline of the reforms of all dynasties." Wang Wang Chonggu had a headache looking at Hence Hai Rui and Shen Li. These two true "pure officials" were really too troublesome to deal with.

Han Han Feizi said: The world has changed, so everything will change accordingly. One must be prepared to deal with this change, not expecting to follow the practices of the past completely, nor sticking to the old constant permissions. One must know how to be flexible.

Fake "pure officials" only needed to be dealt with by various black materials, while these true "pure officials" and idealists could only be persuaded by trying every possible way.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng frowned and said, "I highly approve of the Junior Grand Secretary's point of view. The method of constantly storing six months of remuneration is not suitable for popularization. It's not that it won't be recognized, but I'm afraid this decree will become a wicked policy like the Green Sprout Law. The original intention of the Green Sprout Law was good, but after execution, it became a sharp blade to exploit the people."

"Once the method of constantly storing six months of remuneration is launched, I'm afraid the powerful families will be overjoyed, because they can annex others like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, finally forming the monopoly they dream of, lying down and collecting rent."

"Originally, this world is one where the strong get stronger, the weak get weaker, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. The laws formulated by the imperial court actually help the powerful annex others. The final result is a pool of stagnant water, with no vitality left."

If one only looks from the perspective of the court, one will see the workshop owners and merchants as opposed to the imperial court. But the most terrifying thing about this decree is the harm to small workshops. The powerful families can instantly complete the annexation path that would be difficult to complete in two hundred years. They would probably laugh in their dreams.

"The Senior Grand Secretary is right." Once Hence Hai Rui heard this, he immediately understood Zhang Zhang Juzheng's worry. The Theory of Contradictions told Hence Hai Rui that there is no thing that only has advantages and no disadvantages. All things have two sides. Only by thoroughly understanding both sides of the contradiction and weighing the pros and cons can one make a decision.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng's reform, if complex, has a thousand threads; if simple, it is actually three words: "Suppress Annexation." His reform is unfolded around suppressing annexation from beginning to end. This is Zhang Zhang Juzheng's pursuit.

Wang Wang Chonggu immediately said, "And with official factories, private workshops don't dare to go too far. That is a process of official-civilian wrestling, which is beneficial to both official factories and private workshops. Official factories and officialdom—the problems of officialdom are all present in the Xishan Coal Bureau and the woolen official factories. Only when private workshops have enough vitality can they curb the boundless rigidity, bloatedness, and corruption of official factories."

"The market is very fair. If you can't survive, you will be eliminated. Ensuring the vitality of private workshops is ensuring the vitality of official factories, and vice versa."

The truth is easy to explain. Official factories play a leading role. If official factories set a good example, then private workshops naturally won't dare to go too far. This is a mutual process.

"Then what is used to execute it? After the 'meat-eaters' and producers sign labor contracts, if the 'meat-eaters' don't execute them, the imperial court has no leverage. I'm afraid this decree will be just a piece of waste paper." Minister of War Zeng Ceng Shengwu raised his own doubts.

This won't work, that won't work, so what can be relied on to constrain the 'meat-eaters'? Could it be that after going around in circles, it still relies on morality to constrain the 'meat-eaters'? That is equivalent to no constraint.

Wang Wang Chonggu looked left and right and said in a low voice, "Tax auditing."

"Ah, so it's relying on tax auditing!" Zeng Ceng Shengwu suddenly realized, looked at Wang Wang Chonggu, and said quite approvingly, "I have no opinion."

"I have no opinion either. If you had said earlier that it was tax auditing, what else would there be to say? Tax auditing is good, very good." Hence Hai Rui immediately agreed with Wang Wang Chonggu's statement. Hence Hai Rui had dealt with too many of these powerful families. These powerful families absolutely were not without money; they just wouldn't give it.

The tax auditing cavalry of the Tax Auditing Institute are called "Ox-Head and Horse-Face," and the tax auditing payment notices are widely called "Life-Urging Talismans." But any powerful family that receives a payment notice, even if they don't die, will lose a layer of skin.

All tax auditing actions of the Tax Auditing Institute must have a payment notice. If there is a notice, urge; if there is no notice, do not urge. But any arbitrary collection without a payment notice is treated as rebellion, with the whole clan implicated. The state code exists, and it will never be forgiven.

This was the experience summarized after the Tax Auditing House was established as a pilot and constantly tried and erred.

Behind every payment notice are countless clues reported by informants. The tax auditing battalion commanders bring the cavalry to check the accounts, finding them from the clues. In order to be worthy of their labor, the tax auditing battalion commanders will try every possible way to urge the payment of taxes.

Paying taxes is as inevitable as death.

The Emperor who created the Tax Auditing Institute is truly a genius!

"Wealth grows in two ways: one is creation, the other is transfer. All changes remain the same." Minister of Revenue Wang Wang Guoguang said very firmly, "Creating wealth is production. In the days of slash-and-burn, people could only gather and hunt. Later, people tamed crops and livestock and entered agriculture. Peaches don't need to be picked in the wild at risk; they can be picked in the peach orchard."

"Transfer is plunder. It can be violent or reasonable. For example, Great Ming relies on strong productivity to obtain commodity advantages, and then uses these advantages to earn the price difference through trade, which is reasonable. For example, the West relies on more tyrannical force to scrape three feet of ground for plunder, which is violent."

"The transfer of wealth is always a zero-sum game. If there is a winner, there must be a loser. If someone has more money, someone else must have less. Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue believes that since we want to regulate the contradiction between 'meat-eaters' and producers regarding labor remuneration, we should focus on encouraging production—that is, creating wealth—rather than focusing on transferring wealth."

"Admittedly, production is tiring and slow, while annexation, plunder, and exploitation are fast and easy. People are all fond of ease and hate work, but this is the duty of the imperial court."

Wang Wang Guoguang's meaning was very clear. The decree formulated by Wang Wang Chonggu did not encourage production, only encouraged transfer. The Ministry of Revenue did not particularly approve of this decree.

Wang Wang Chonggu frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Does the Minister of Revenue have any high insights?"

Wang Wang Guoguang took out a memorial and said, "For those who refuse to issue labor remuneration on the grounds of business difficulties, when the Tax Auditing Institute finds that there are no executable assets, this private workshop will be converted into collective ownership by craftsmen and apprentices, with seniority as the standard for compensation. The official factory will appoint a general manager, accountant, and master craftsman, with a three-year period, to try every possible way to revitalize this private workshop."

"This is encouraging production."

It has always been private workshops coveting official factories; now it's the other way around. This made Zhu Zhu Yijun, who was on the moon platform, slightly surprised. Is this "the enemy can go, I can also go"?

"Isn't this just ransacking homes?" Minister of Works Wang Daokun said blankly, "Confiscating and returning to the public. Minister of Revenue, I'm afraid this will be scolded as 'competing with the people for profit'."

"If we don't ransack homes, will the imperial court not be scolded for competing with the people for profit? Flip through the state code and records; the imperial court has been competing with the people for profit for more than two hundred years. Where is the profit?" Wang Wang Guoguang immediately retorted.

When you are accused of wanting to rebel, you had better really be rebelling, or have the ability to rebel, then no one will dare to accuse you.

Wang Wang Guoguang's meaning was very clear. Since we are going to be scolded anyway, we might as well do it boldly.

"Saying it's ransacking homes, it's actually not, because it's not confiscated to the imperial court, but confiscated to all craftsmen." Wang Wang Guoguang said with a strange expression, "Haven't you noticed? Now between official factories and private workshops, there is one up and one down, but there is no middle. And the private workshops collectively owned by craftsmen are the middle ground."

Great Ming people are very fond of compromise, but one side is official factories and the other is private workshops, which lacks compromise. And now, led by the Ministry of Revenue, they are exploring the middle way between state-owned economy and private-owned economy: collective ownership economy.

"A production mode in which producers collectively occupy the means of production. This exploration has actually begun in official factories. After all, craftsmen possess a part of the power of dividends, realized by the Emperor's rewards." Wang Wang Guoguang supplemented the situation.

Wang Wang Guoguang had this idea not out of thin air, but because he saw the practice of official factories. Xishan Coal Bureau and the woolen official factory would distribute 30% of the profits downward. This is also a certain collective ownership economy. Craftsmen occupy a part of the means of production, and their experience is a part of the means of production, while the Great Ming Emperor realized dividends in the form of rewards.

Possessing the power of dividends means being a shareholder and one of the masters of the official factory.

"Confiscating the means of production—this is written in the guarantee of labor remuneration, which is very appropriate." Wang Wang Chonggu approved of Wang Wang Guoguang's proposal. Anyway, we have to explore institutional construction, so we might as well start with these powerful families who refuse to abide by the law and don't even want to give labor remuneration to the people.

"Regarding the guarantee of labor remuneration, it will be temporarily managed by the household departments of Southern Yamen at all levels. We will see later if a special legal department is needed for execution. Let's conduct a pilot in Songjiang Prefecture for now." Zhu Zhu Yijun stamped the floating ticket and mentioned the pilot place—Songjiang Prefecture again.

The Great Ming imperial court put pressure on Shen Shen Shixing again. Songjiang Prefecture is the vanguard of the Emperor Wanli Reform.

The Metropolitan Gendarmerie in front of the Great Ming capital was extremely lively. In front of the Metropolitan Gendarmerie were a team of patrol captains standing straight, who were here to see someone off.

There were also some commoners watching. Although they didn't know what happened, as soon as they saw three censors in plain clothes standing in front of the door, the commoners in the capital knew that the Chief Censor Hai was conducting a purge again.

Hence Hai Rui is the Chief Censor of the Censorate, in charge of anti-corruption, and he has some honest officials under him who have been identified by Hence Hai Rui as having upright bones, specifically in charge of anti-corruption. The image of this group of people is very unified; they are never in silk and satin, only in plain clothes—that is, undyed official robes.

Wherever these plain-clothed censors appear, there will be commoners watching, because another corrupt official is going to be in trouble.

The captains were expressionless, but their eyes carried some schadenfreude. Damn, the patrol censor who was arrogant and pointing fingers all day was finally caught by Hence Hai Rui!

The person who was about to be taken away by the plain-clothed censors was the patrol censor Zhao Zhao Chengfan. This person was a Ming Jinshi of the second year of Emperor Wanli. After serving in the local area for six years, he returned to the capital to be a patrol censor.

Zhao Zhao Chengfan heard that he was going to be taken away for investigation. Originally, he was still walking like a dragon and a tiger, with an appearance of being upright and not afraid of shadows. When he walked to the door and saw the three plain-clothed censors, Zhao Zhao Chengfan immediately stood in place, looking at the three plain-clothed censors without saying a word.

He couldn't walk; he really didn't dare to walk forward anymore, because in front of him was a bottomless abyss.

The captains looked like they were seeing off a superior, but they were actually here to watch the excitement. Seeing Zhao Zhao Chengfan standing in place and refusing to move forward, everyone showed a playful expression.

"Zhao Zhao Chengfan, we also rolled up from the local area; don't lose face!"

"Right, be spirited!"

A group of people were not afraid of big trouble, shouting loudly, telling Zhao Zhao Chengfan to be spirited! How could he be so cowardly in front of three censors in plain clothes after climbing from the local area to the capital step by step!

"Zhao Zhao Chengfan, this is the arrest warrant issued by the Chief Censor of the Censorate. After you read it, if there is no problem, come with us." One of the plain-clothed censors took a step forward and showed the arrest warrant issued by the Chief Censor.

Reaching this step, in fact, the Censorate had already fully grasped the conclusive evidence. Zhao Zhao Chengfan had a problem, and the problem was very big.

Because small problems mostly followed the impeachment process and didn't need plain-clothed censors. Plain-clothed censors were very, very busy, busy to the point of being exhausted, busy to the point that becoming a plain-clothed censor was basically equivalent to saying goodbye to their families.

Plain-clothed censors are honest officials, not cruel officials. Even the lowly Confucian scholars of Great Ming couldn't define these censors as cruel officials, because they were all extremely honest like Hence Hai Rui and were truly the "purest of the pure." There were only seven such censors in total.

Seven people were enough. One Hence Hai Rui was scary enough, and now Hence Hai Rui had seven upright officials under him. Seven people, each leading a team, were enough to make people tremble with fear.

Zhao Zhao Chengfan did not become spirited under the encouragement of the crowd; instead, he became visibly withered. He began to walk forward. Originally walking like a dragon and a tiger, his steps became more and more floating, slower and slower, trembling as he walked forward, or rather, moving.

The two captains really couldn't stand it anymore and carried Zhao Zhao Chengfan to the plain-clothed censors.

"Our Censor Zhao seems to be unable to walk. Do you need help sending him to the Censorate?" The captains carried Zhao Zhao Chengfan and asked the plain-clothed censors where to go.

These two captains were really here to see him off! They carried Zhao Zhao Chengfan and sent him away.

"Send him to the Northern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Thank you for your hard work, two military gentlemen." The plain-clothed censor said quite gently. The tone was gentle, but the words made Zhao Zhao Chengfan fall into an ice cellar. His legs went soft, and if it weren't for someone supporting him, Zhao Zhao Chengfan would have collapsed to the ground.

"You are welcome, not hard work, not hard work!" The two captains were flattered. Everyone said that these plain-clothed censors were hard to get along with, but after contact, they found that they were really easy to get along with, polite to everyone, and never put on airs.

"When you were greedy, I didn't see you afraid! When you took silver, you were very tough! Go!" The captain cursed Zhao Zhao Chengfan fiercely and said in a low voice, "You didn't give enough filial piety during the New Year, and you treated people like animals! You dog!"

This captain had clearly been made difficult by Zhao Zhao Chengfan. Just because he didn't give enough filial piety during the New Year, the captain finally took revenge for being made difficult.

The two captains dragged Zhao Zhao Chengfan like a dead pig to the gate of the Northern Division of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and two cavalrymen walked out from behind them to take over the case.

The cavalry had always been there. The reason they let the two captains help was to provide convenience and let the two captains vent their resentment.

"Thank you, two military gentlemen." The plain-clothed censor said very gently again.

"You are welcome." A captain asked curiously, "What did this Zhao Zhao Chengfan do to be dragged to the Northern Division? Ah, excuse me, the three censors must be inconvenient. It was my big mouth, my big mouth."

"No harm. I can't say what he did, but in a few days, a notice will be posted outside the Donghua Gate. If the two military gentlemen are curious, you will know at a glance." The plain-clothed censor's smile was like a spring breeze.

The plain-clothed censors were not polite to everyone. These two captains had risked their lives for the public interest of Great Ming, so they were called "military gentlemen" by the plain-clothed censors.

What did Zhao Zhao Chengfan do? Actually, it was a small matter: he provided convenience to Xu Xu Zhaode, the third son of Xu Yang Youren who assassinated Wang Wang Chongyi, by letting the gunpowder used for the attack into the capital.

Just a small case of losing one's head. ===== CHAPTER 627 =====

"For planting trees, including ceremonial trees and street trees, beyond a three-year limit, if fewer than ten out of every thousand trees die, no action shall be taken; if ten or more die, the performance evaluation shall be lowered by one grade; if fifty or more die, the official shall be held accountable and fined six months' salary; if one hundred or more die, the official shall be fined one year's salary; if two hundred or more die, the chief official shall be demoted three grades to observe future performance, and the supervising minister shall be fined one year's salary."

"If there is a major disaster, it shall not be counted."

"Isn't this too strict? If ten out of a thousand trees die, it's already going to affect the performance evaluation?" Zhu Zhu Yijun said immediately. He felt first and foremost that the rules set by the Ministry of Revenue were simply too strict; this was no longer just harsh law.

This was essentially forcing the officials to their deaths.

Zhu Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said, "Grand Minister, I also farm and plant trees. It's already quite good if seventy percent of these trees survive. Your requirements are too high, and replanting can only be done around the time of the Awakening of Insects. Once this order is issued, I fear there will be complaints everywhere, and it will be impossible to carry out."

In the vast Hall of Literary Brilliance, among the twenty-seven court officials, only the Emperor knew how to farm, and only the Emperor knew how to plant trees. Zhu Zhu Yijun could empathize; after all, before he learned to farm, he couldn't even keep a pothos—a plant that lives on water alone—alive.

Wang Wang Guoguang bowed his head and said, "That is why, beyond the three-year limit, dead trees can be replanted, and the performance evaluation is accumulated over three years, just to give them time for replanting."

"Even if they can replant, this is still a harsh law. Reduce the penalty by one grade." Zhu Zhu Yijun scribbled on the paper, calculating the survival rate. In the end, he still demanded the penalty be reduced by one grade, meaning only if more than fifty out of a thousand trees withered and died would they face a demotion in their performance evaluation.

Wan Wan Shihe hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this is the established law of our ancestors."

"In the nineteenth year of Yongle, Emperor Emperor Chengzu Wen moved the capital to the Northern Capital and personally planted the first cypress tree in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, ordering it to be protected and watered regularly. Because it was well-tended, it grew lush and became the leader of the cypress grove in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, honored as the Divine Tree, and the official who watered the tree was called the Divine Tree Official."

"Your Majesty, the tree-planting law of the Yongle period was much stricter than what the Grand Minister has formulated; stealing ten trees was punishable by forty strokes of the cane and three years of penal servitude."

Wan Wan Shihe explained the ancestral law regarding tree planting during the Yongle period of the Great Ming, which generally started at three years and went up to the death penalty, with punishments varying according to the number of trees stolen; corporal punishments like cutting off hands and feet were also not uncommon.

Wang Wang Guoguang's main requirement was for officials to pay attention to tree planting and encourage it, not to manage the planting while ignoring the watering.

When the capital was moved in the nineteenth year of Yongle, Emperor Emperor Chengzu Wen began encouraging tree planting and established strict regulations against illegal logging. However, more were planted than were cut; after all, after the Northern Capital became the capital, the population began to increase, and the demand for firewood and timber grew rapidly, slowly turning it into a dormant law. Laws that cannot be enforced will all fall dormant.

And now, the Great Ming can revisit this old matter, mainly because the Xishan Coal Bureau can provide six hundred million catties of coal to the capital annually, and with the continuous expansion of production scales at the Shengzhou Official Factory and the Womagang Official Factory, this number will further increase, making tree planting possible.

"So that's how it is, but the penalty must still be reduced by one grade." Zhu Zhu Yijun estimated carefully and said, "You esteemed gentlemen do not farm or plant trees, so you don't know that these trees are actually hard to keep alive. Let's pilot it in the capital prefecture first and see the results."

Tree planting is also a craft; it's not just about digging a hole and burying some dirt to make them live. It also requires fertilization and watering. Excessive harshness will not achieve the desired effect. Setting an unattainable goal too high will ultimately result in failure.

"Your subjects obey the decree." Seeing that His Majesty remained firm, Wang Wang Guoguang bowed his head and accepted the order.

The court discussion continued. The decision-making center of the Great Ming was making various decisions with a pragmatic attitude. Everything was orderly, and as the Emperor gradually grew up and his prestige was established, state affairs became orderly.

July is the season for typhoons to form in the ocean east of Jilong Island. The great Western galleons caught the tail end of June and stepped onto the ocean's highway—the ocean currents—sailing along the North Pacific current toward the New World.

The fleet consisted of twenty-two five-masted ocean-crossing ships. None of the ships were fully loaded; this was to spread the risks of shipping, and also because the silver carried by the poor galleon fleet could not fill these twenty-two five-masted ships. Among them, ten were to be delivered to Philip II to be used for launching a full-scale attack on England.

Under the mast of the fleet's flagship, a man was tied. He was disheveled, his lips were cracked, and his hands and feet were bound to the mast, tied in a strange posture, unable to move.

The stars were scattered, and the moonlight spilled over the blue waves, shimmering. Under the moonlight, one could barely distinguish the man's appearance. It was none other than the Western envoy Li Li Yashi, who had stayed in the Great Ming for twelve years. Even before returning to the West, Li Li Yashi had already faced judgment.

Marcus came under the mast with a water bottle and two hardtacks.

"You said you were living well in the Great Ming, so why not just stay there? You had to take a ship back to the West. Look at you now, reduced to this state." Marcus's tone was filled with pity. He broke the hardtack into pieces and fed them to Li Li Yashi, incidentally feeding him some water mixed with Imperial Cellar wine to rehydrate him.

At sea, the most dangerous thing is dehydration. Seawater cannot be drunk; the more you drink, the thirstier you get.

Li Li Yashi's hands and feet were firmly tied to the base of the mast, unable to move, but he still finished the entire hardtack before sighing heavily and saying helplessly, "I've come back to life."

"It's my fault. Living in the Great Ming for too long spoiled me into an imperial giant infant, so much so that I forgot how dangerous criticizing religion is in the eyes of Westerners."

"Giant infant" is a term His Majesty uses to scold base Confucian scholars, meaning some terrible fellows—really terrible—who only grow in age but not in intelligence. They are clearly adults, but their minds are like infants.

Li Li Yashi admitted his mistake. The reason he was tied to the mast was that among the books he brought back to the West was a series titled "Carefree Anecdotes."

The most taboo part of "Carefree Anecdotes" was the chapter on the alienation of people by religion. In the Great Ming, this was a topic that could be discussed freely, but in the West, and even on the ship, this was a taboo. After all, everything is a gift from God, and only then can one violently plunder with peace of mind.

In his travelogue, Li Li Yashi had criticized the Emperor's stinginess, and the Emperor had even found out. The Emperor didn't mind, just saying, "I am such a person," and released Li Li Yashi from the Northern Depot.

In "Carefree Anecdotes," the chapter on the alienation of people by religion was translated by Li Li Yashi into Latin. Not everyone on the ship was an illiterate adventurer; there were also literate envoys. When these envoys saw these books, they told everyone, immediately making the sailors on the ship furious.

"You're right, it's all because I was spoiled by His Majesty." Marcus held his forehead and said, "I couldn't help it. Indeed, the captain is supreme at sea, but facing angry sailors, I could only tie you to the mast."

As captain, this was the limit of what Marcus could do—giving Li Li Yashi water and food. It was hard, but at least he was still alive.

"Returning to the West, I'll probably be sent straight to the stake," Li Li Yashi said very pessimistically.

"That's not necessarily true." Marcus shook his head and said, "Returning to the West might actually be better. There is currently a very popular sect in the West called the Wisdom Sect, also known as the Great Ming Sect. Their church is the House of the Wise, and the Grand Patriarch is the Portuguese Minister of State, Xu Fan—the son of the murdered Grand Secretary Xu Xu Jie."

The reason Xu Fan wanted to establish the House of the Wise and this Great Ming Sect was actually for one reason: Western politics was still in the stage of identity politics, similar to the filial sons during the selection of filial and incorrupt officials. To secure his position as Minister of State, Xu Fan gave himself the identity of the Grand Patriarch of the Great Ming Sect's House of the Wise, spreading the Great Ming Sect to the East with great momentum.

In Xu Fan's words, one must fight poison with poison.