Chapter 124: The First Round of Layoffs and Optimization

In the Inner Palace School, after the awkward incident last time when three people had to share a single bench, several more square stools had been specially added.

Cao Huachun, Liu Ruoyu, and Zheng Zhihui now each sat on one, backs ramrod straight, expressions solemn, eyes on their noses and noses on their hearts.

The atmosphere was even more oppressive than the sky outside.

Zhu Youjian sat in the seat of honor, his fingers rapidly flipping through a memorial — "Memorial Proposing the Rectification of Inner Palace Personnel, Finances, and Oversight."

After more than a dozen rounds of revisions, the data and itemized proposals in the memorial were more or less complete.

But some of the major decisions, ultimately, were not theirs to make — they still required his personal judgment.

Zhu Youjian's gaze finally settled on a table, densely packed with the numbers and categories of the inner palace eunuchs.

(Attached illustration: the eunuch corps is that existentialist army — made up of eunuchs, ha.)

Cao Huachun was delivering his report in a steady, measured tone.

"... Therefore, the total number of eunuchs in the capital is nineteen thousand six hundred and forty-nine, of whom five hundred and seventy-two have been found to be aged and infirm... fraudulent enrollment..."

Zhu Youjian was not listening at all.

In meetings, no matter whether the leader has already read the document, subordinates must still recite the core content aloud once more.

Even the internet companies of later ages rarely managed to fully follow the principles of efficient meetings.

For no other reason than this: the leader's time is always more precious than the subordinates'.

It was not that Zhu Youjian deliberately wanted to hear these numbers he already knew; he was simply using this interval to complete the final deduction in his mind.

Now, he had finished thinking.

— My turn begins!

Zhu Youjian gently closed the memorial, producing a soft sound.

"This proposal still needs changes."

"But the overall rhythm must be carried out in phases. We shall speak; you shall record."

Cao Huachun immediately shut his mouth, rose from his stool, and stood with a bow, the very picture of attentive listening.

Gao Shiming shot a glance at the young eunuch attending nearby; the young eunuch hurriedly trotted forward, spread paper beside the desk, and took up a brush, ready to record.

"First." Zhu Youjian raised one finger.

"By the first day of the tenth month, dismiss all of the more than two thousand who are aged, vacant posts, or fraudulent substitutes."

"Reduce the total number of eunuchs in the capital to around sixteen thousand first."

He paused, swept his gaze across the three men, and finally let it rest on Cao Huachun, his tone growing heavier.

"Among these, the five hundred fraudulent substitutes are all to be sent to the Firewood Office to labor."

"As for those eunuchs who are truly aged, they must be properly settled."

"If they still have kin in the capital, bring those kin as well to be settled on the imperial estates, granting land and housing. If they are alone, settle them together in the almshouses of Shuntian Prefecture."

Zhu Youjian turned to Gao Shiming: "Issue an edict to Xue Guoguan, the Prefect of Shuntian, ordering him to immediately begin investigating and rectifying the almshouses of Wanping and Daxing counties and the prefectural city."

"Afterward, have Changqiu, in the name of the two palaces, donate one thousand taels of silver for this matter. This is to be published on the front page of the first issue of the 'Great Ming Times.'"

Gao Shiming nodded and accepted the order.

He turned his gaze back to Cao Huachun: "You will personally oversee this matter. The rectification of the almshouses and the settlement of the palace's elderly must both be handled properly. Do not cause Us to lose face!"

"This slave obeys the decree!" Cao Huachun dared not be negligent and bowed in acceptance.

Zhu Youjian continued speaking, his voice now devoid of its earlier warmth, leaving only icy indifference.

"Second. From the first day of the tenth month to the first day of the first month next year, a total of three months."

"One examination each month, testing the three subjects of literacy, arithmetic, and the classics, but with the first two weighted more heavily."

"Do not be stingy with silver or candles. Hire the best instructors from outside the palace to enter the palace, select nearby locations throughout the palace, and open night classes."

"All eunuchs, after coming off duty, shall attend school in batches and be tested on schedule."

"Over these three months, gradually reduce the eunuchs outside the eunuch corps to eleven thousand — matching the old figure from the Wanli era."

"Those who fail the examinations shall all be assigned to the Firewood Office to labor."

He raised his eyes and looked at the three men: "Any questions?"

Cao Huachun opened his mouth, wanting to speak but not daring to.

It was Gao Shiming, already familiar with His Majesty's style, who gently offered a reminder:

"Your Majesty, with nearly three thousand extra people all at once, the Firewood Office... I fear it cannot accommodate so many."

Zhu Youjian shook his head, his expression unchanged: "No matter. The matter of the Firewood Office — We shall address it shortly. It will certainly be able to accommodate them."

"This subject understands." Seeing the Emperor's complete confidence, Gao Shiming immediately shut his mouth and said no more.

"Third." Zhu Youjian's voice grew even colder. "Also from the first day of the tenth month to the first month. The three thousand troops of the eunuch corps shall also be examined. Test archery and horsemanship, test literacy and arithmetic, test military formations and administration."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of Zhu Youjian's mouth.

"Tell them: henceforth, all army inspectors dispatched to the frontier garrisons shall be selected solely from the eunuch corps, on the basis of merit."

"Whoever learns his skills well, whoever earns top marks in his studies — he shall have this opportunity."

"As for the numbers of the eunuch corps, for now they remain unchanged. Those who fail the examinations shall have their pay docked. All docked pay shall be awarded to those who excel in the examinations."

"Any questions?"

Cao Huachun and Gao Shiming accepted the decree in unison.

Zheng Zhihui and Liu Ruoyu, cowed by this storm-like tempo, dared not make a sound; their hands had already begun to sweat.

The young eunuch beside them tasked with recording was even more drenched in sweat, feeling as if his brush weighed a thousand catties; even as his brush flew, his wrist trembled faintly.

Zhu Youjian fell silent for a moment, mentally reviewing the three commands once more, confirming there were no omissions.

Only then did he pick up his teacup and take a light sip.

"Now, let us discuss the Firewood Office."

He set down the teacup, picked up his brush, and swiftly drew a rough sketch on a blank sheet of paper, then handed it to Gao Shiming.

"Winter is drawing near, and the poor commoners in the capital struggle to afford coal for heating."

"Have your craftsmen crush the coal into powder, mix it with yellow clay, adobe, and the like in varying proportions, add water and stir, then press the mixture into this shape with a mold and leave it to dry."

"Test as many ratios as you can. You must find the one that saves the most cost while still burning long and hot enough. Once it is settled, have the Firewood Office mass-produce it."

"Set a price just a little above cost, and sell it at fair rates throughout the capital region."

"Any questions?"

(The only surviving calligraphy of the Great Ming's Yongchang Emperor, now held in the Great Ming Imperial Library — haha.)

Gao Shiming took the sketch, studied it carefully, then passed it to Cao Huachun for a look.

The task seemed simple enough — compared to the earlier ones, it actually let them breathe a little easier.

The two men each received their orders.

Zhu Youjian nodded, his tone softening somewhat:

"This way, those eunuchs dismissed from the palace will also have somewhere to go, and will not be left without food or clothing, wandering the streets."

"Your Majesty's sagely grace is vast and generous!"

The others chimed in one after another, their words brimming with gratitude.

What they did not know, however, was that these were merely Zhu Youjian's hypocritical words.

Cutting back the eunuchs was the right thing to do in itself.

Why should the reach of imperial power require over ten thousand castrated men to manifest?

To him, a thousand clever, literate, capable eunuchs serving as his eyes, ears, claws, and fangs, spread across the realm, were more than enough.

Another two thousand to handle the daily chores of living, rising, sweeping, and washing — that was already more than plenty.

Maintaining a eunuch corps of ten thousand men, aside from eating rice for nothing, was of absolutely no damn use.

In later ages, the Manchu Qing kept fewer than three thousand eunuchs — who would dare say their emperor lacked power?

Of course… the crueler part lay in the arrangements for the Firewood Office.

His true objective lay beyond the honeycomb briquettes.

Once this winter had passed, once the spring sowing began.

By then, these several thousand eunuchs, who had toiled bitterly for months in the Firewood Office's coal works, would have built up enough resentment in their hearts and enough dread of hard days.

Then he would release them — to investigate and purge those imperial estates seized by palace eunuchs and ennobled magnates.

Most likely, they would be more than happy to pour all their pent-up fury onto those former "colleagues" and the lofty, powerful nobles above them.

A deep, icy glint flickered through Zhu Youjian's eyes.

If you want them to fight, you must first make them desperate.

A man long trapped in desperation, at the sight of a single ray of light, will throw himself forward without regard for his life.

Involution — it cannot be left to the civil officials and military officers alone.

In my Great Ming, the eunuchs must also be made to involution for me!