Chapter 101: The Number One Document of Great Ming Statecraft!

Zhu Youjian stretched, feeling every joint and sinew loosen, his mind clear and his body refreshed.

A young body really is wonderful!

Yesterday he had stayed up over thirty hours dealing with Liaodong affairs, then slept a while, and now he was a stout fellow once more.

Still, he had better do that sort of thing less often in the future.

In this life, he still wanted to compete with that Qianlong Emperor who styled himself the "Old Man of the Ten Completed Greatnesses" and see who could live longer.

Gao Shiming stood to the side, the rims of his eyes still somewhat swollen.

He bowed respectfully and said,

"Your Majesty, the memorials that piled up yesterday, together with those the Office of Transmission presented early this morning, total four hundred and seventeen. This slave has sorted and arranged them by category according to your instructions."

Gao Shiming stepped forward again, pointed at a conspicuously smaller stack of personal memorials on the left side of the imperial desk, and said softly,

"Your Majesty, these seventeen are all policy proposals concerning the capital's new reforms."

"This slave makes bold to have placed here as well some that, under the old rules, would have been graded third- or fourth-class."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow, a smile of approval spreading across his face. "Companion Gao, you truly understand my heart."

He casually picked up the topmost memorial. On its cover was written in bold characters: "Xue Guoguan Memorial on Road-Building in the Capital."

Zhu Youjian laughed inwardly. A more fitting title, really, would be "Xue Guoguan Memorial on Road-Building in the Capital_v3.0 (Final Version)."

Who knew, after he finished reviewing it today, there might yet be a "v4.0 (Final-Final Version)," a "v5.0 (Absolutely No More Changes Version)," or a "v6.0 (Dead-Or-Alive No Changes Version)" — ha ha.

Opening the memorial, he was met with an aura utterly unlike anything from this era.

Page after page, a dozen or more in all — Zhu Youjian made a rough estimate and figured it could not be less than twenty or thirty thousand characters.

From the background and reasons for road-building, to the concrete implementation plan, to the detailed project budget, required resources, personnel transfer lists, and even phased projected milestones — everything was written out with perfect clarity, clear at a glance.

Zhu Youjian took up the vermilion brush and read through it meticulously for a long while, yet could find no major fault.

There were even details he himself had not thought of — contingency plans for construction during snowfall, shift scheduling for baojia labor mobilization — all supplemented by Xue Guoguan in neat and thorough order, considerate and complete.

"Damn impressive…"

Zhu Youjian could not help but praise him inwardly.

These officials of old really were the finest talents of their generation.

One examination every three years, and no more than three hundred candidates taken per examination — on average, only a hundred jinshi a year.

The caliber was practically the equivalent of gathering together all the provincial top scorers of the gaokao in later ages.

The modern-style official document format he had introduced, after all, did not involve any vision or technology beyond the times; it was merely a more efficient, more structured logic of composition and a way of thinking.

For these elites of the highest intelligence, once the trick was pointed out, executing it was a mere trifle.

Zhu Youjian set down the vermilion brush with a slightly sheepish air. That absurd feeling in his heart — "a second-tier college graduate like me is actually grading papers written by zhuangyuan" — was quickly replaced by another, far stronger sense of satisfaction.

So what if they were gaokao top scorers?

They still had to prostrate themselves at the feet of this transmigrator!

All the talents under Heaven are mine to command!

Heroic sentiments surging in his heart, he casually leafed through the remaining sixteen personal memorials.

Guo Xingyan, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Works, proposed settling famine refugees in the vicinity of the capital.

Chen Binsheng, Bureau Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, proposed investigating and eliminating entrenched abuses at the nine gate tax posts.

The memorials covered a wide range of subjects, all-encompassing — a splendid scene of officials striving upward, full of vitality.

The quality of the proposals in these personal memorials, however, was uneven.

Some still followed the old Great Ming style, full of empty phrases and formulaic language; others clearly drew on Xue Guoguan's previous proposal and showed some improvement, but ultimately captured the form without the spirit, missing the essential point.

Zhu Youjian's gaze paused briefly on one of the memorials, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold sneer.

Sun Zhixie, Probationary Editor of the Hanlin Academy, proposed rectifying the problem of bandits in the capital…

Heh. Sun Zhixie.

Zhu Youjian gave a cold snort in his heart. In this lifetime, if you ever manage to rise under my reign, I will personally write you the character for "submission."

He closed the various personal memorials, pondered for a moment, and then instructed Gao Shiming, who stood waiting at his side:

"Companion Gao, convey my decree. Three matters."

Gao Shiming hastily bowed. "This slave obeys the decree."

"First, assign men to set aside a space to the right of the Gate of Accepting Heaven and erect a large placard for me."

Zhu Youjian paused, then continued:

"Copy Xue Guoguan's memorial, exactly as it is, onto this large placard. As for the name of the placard… call it 'Collected Exemplary Official Documents of the Great Ming.'"

"Furthermore, at the head of Minister Xue's treatise, write a line of annotation for me in my vermilion brush. Write…"

A wicked smile curled at the corner of Zhu Youjian's mouth. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word:

"— The Number One Document of Great Ming Statecraft!"

Once the title of "Number One" was bestowed, those civil officials who thought so highly of themselves would surely be provoked, would they not?

After all, among scholars no one admits a superior; among warriors no one admits an equal.

Perhaps the pace of the official document reform movement would even quicken considerably because of this.

Though Minister Xue might have to weather some unexpected storms — ha ha ha.

A gleam of understanding flashed in Gao Shiming's eyes; he instantly grasped the emperor's deeper meaning. He smiled and flattered, "Your Majesty's idea is truly brilliant! Just like those anthologies of current prose in the marketplace — with this model essay, I fear it will not be long before the document style of both the inner and outer courts is completely refreshed."

Zhu Youjian could not hold back a laugh after all. Chuckling, he waved a hand and continued:

"Second, proclaim my direct palace edict."

"Promote Xue Guoguan, formerly Chief Supervising Secretary of the Office of Scrutiny for Justice, to Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, with the concurrent title of Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, and the concurrent title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works."

A trace of surprise, barely perceptible, flickered through Gao Shiming's eyes, but it quickly subsided into calm. He remained bowed, listening.

Zhu Youjian took in his expression fully but paid it no mind and continued:

"Add one more edict of commission, authorizing him to take sole charge of the capital's new policies. In all matters touching the various ministries and guard station offices, he shall direct and deploy as he sees fit, acting at his own discretion."

"In addition, have a new official seal cast and issued to him. Henceforth, for all matters of the capital's new policies, the evaluation grade of every memorial and routine memorial shall be raised one level above its original rating."

At this, the astonishment on Gao Shiming's face could no longer be concealed.

This was no longer merely an extraordinary appointment — this was imperial favor carried to its utmost extreme!

He hesitated, his lips stirring slightly as though he wished to speak, but in the end it resolved into a single phrase: "This slave… obeys the decree."

Zhu Youjian saw his hesitation and laughed aloud. "You need not worry. It is precisely this opportunity that I intend to use, to see the attitudes of all the ministers and officials beyond the palace walls."

His tone grew somber, his gaze deepening, and he spoke slowly:

"After all, it cannot be that direct palace edicts — which my late imperial brother could issue — are somehow beyond the power of the new sovereign of virtue and renown, as the hundred officials call me?"

"Then this 'virtue and renown' — is it praise for me, or is it a shackle upon me?"

Gao Shiming's heart tightened. In an instant he grasped Zhu Youjian's meaning, and lowering his head, he offered no further remonstrance.

Zhu Youjian gathered the remaining sixteen memorials on the desk and said:

"Third, as for these remaining memorials, you will handle the red endorsements on my behalf uniformly."

"First, have them study Xue Guoguan's memorial carefully, see where the gap lies, and apply themselves to improving."

"Second, tell them: every undertaking must have its master, every achievement must have its owner. Whoever proposes a plan shall take up the commission before me. Let no one think they can merely wag their tongue."

"Finally, let me speak the ugly words up front."

"The capital's new policies now all fall under Shuntian Prefecture. The position of Prefect is already gone. If they still wish to do things, they can only start as Assistant Prefect, Vice Prefect, or even Assistant Prefect."

"Let them all weigh this clearly. Only when they are truly willing to stoop down and do the work should they submit memorials. Let no one swarm in blindly to join the excitement."

Zhu Youjian smiled and added: "Of course, soften the tone for me when you convey it — don't make it too blunt. But the meaning must remain exactly this."

"This slave understands."

Gao Shiming bowed and accepted the order. Carefully cradling Xue Guoguan's memorial and the other personal memorials, he departed Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian watched his receding figure, smiled faintly, and once more buried himself in the mountain of memorials piled before him.

The bureaucracy of the realm is like a great net: lift the headrope and all its meshes open.

Seize a few critical junctures, give them a gentle tug, and the entire net will stir in response.

This man Xue Guoguan, this affair — in a certain sense,

— is precisely a more critical juncture than Li Guopu, Yang Jingchen, or Sun Chengzong!

(Chapter 101: The Wind Rises from the Tip of a Duckweed — Bonus chapter, begging for monthly tickets~)

(Chapter 101: The Wind Rises from the Tip of a Duckweed — Bonus chapter, begging for monthly tickets)