Chapter 221: Adapting to Circumstance: A Great Wind Rises

Zhu Youjian actually harbored a dual nature: the slacker and the grinder.

This is the defining trait of all wage-slave beasts of burden.

When they have no choice, they are naturally driven to grind until they pierce the heavens.

But the moment the slightest gap appears, they will do everything in their power to slack off.

You work and you grind, all so you can retire and lie flat — surely it's not so the boss can get himself a Maserati?

Zhu Youjian's present exertions are, naturally, also for the sake of realizing his dream of lying flat.

All the empire's talents, following the best methodology, would climb upward within the ladder of rewards and punishments he had constructed.

Sea transport, grain-tribute canal transport, land reclamation, colonization — a thousand threads, ten thousand strands, with clever men handling every matter for him, while he need only sit on the dragon throne and sigh with feeling.

"We clearly never even exerted Ourself — how is it that all under Heaven is at peace?"

"Ah, truly, Heaven loves me so."

The above was what Zhu Youjian saw after he finished reading the "Preliminary Discussion Draft on the Preparatory Plan for the Second Civil Service Examination of the First Year of Yongchang"

— a hallucination.

Compared to past official documents, this discussion draft had climbed yet another step in completeness and meticulousness.

So much so that he had briefly, absurdly fallen into an unrealistic daydream.

Not easy!

After repeated back-and-forth sparring with him, these Ming subordinates had finally begun, just barely, to tune in to his brainwaves.

Zhu Youjian read the entire "Preliminary Discussion Draft" through, and was indeed satisfied to the utmost.

The discussion draft touched on every aspect.

For instance, multiple-choice questions are easier to grade.

For instance, the quota of civil officers must be controlled, otherwise registration will flood out of control.

For instance, in the second session, the new-policy local officials of Northern Zhili could be borrowed to control the quality of the officers.

But when subsequently extended to other regions, one must watch for local officials compromising with the local gentry strongmen.

And for instance, the promotion ladder for civil officers must be made explicit — at the very least, first unblock the passage from the unranked grades up to the seventh rank.

Item by item, every matter laid out with perfect clarity.

Had Zhu Youjian been left to think through these matters himself, he certainly could have done so — but how much mental energy would that have cost him?

Of course, this memorial was not flawless.

For example, the prose still could not resist using a few flowery four-character adjectives, rather than relying solely on concise, precise expression.

And for example, it did not exert enough effort on the perspective of some of the lower social strata.

It did not explicitly carve out and distinguish the groups of sub-official clerks, landlords, wealthy households, middling and lower households, hereditary military households, and vagrants.

But no matter — it was already extremely good!

If a perfect score were 100 points, Zhu Youjian could already give this proposal an 85.

And that score, in times past, was a result that only a renowned capable minister, with utmost dedication and effort, could have achieved.

But now, with the statecraft official-document mechanism in place, the lower bound of the entire administrative governance could be greatly elevated. Random perturbations had been reduced to an acceptable level.

As for the 15 points still lacking, he could simply guide them when they reached the refined-proposal stage.

Nowadays, aside from the grand strategic direction, on detailed measures he basically did his utmost to avoid directly saying "you must do it this way," and instead asked "how do you think it should be done," or "do you think there is an even better proposal?"

This was not some damned imperial mind-game, but the most normal talent-development method of a modern manager.

For the sake of developing talent, Zhu Youjian was perfectly willing to expend more energy on proposal discussions.

He slowly closed the memorial and, without a blush or a skipped heartbeat, casually tossed out a lie: "On this discussion draft, We basically have nothing left to supplement."

He raised his eyes toward Gao Shiming, standing in attendance to the side.

"Companion Gao, draw some of the newly entered silks and satins from the palace storehouse and bestow them upon the various ministers who participated in this matter."

"Carry a word from Us," Zhu Youjian's voice carried a trace of gratification. "Say this: 'To have scholars such as these — the dynasty is most fortunate!'"

Gao Shiming bowed: "This subject receives the command."

Zhu Youjian extended three fingers and continued: "Next, this matter will be divided into three parts."

"One part, focusing on how to select people reasonably and fairly. Hand it to Lai Zongdao, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, to refine — including the examination questions, talent selection, communication with the localities, and so on."

"One part, focusing on how to train and employ people once they are selected. Hand it to Yang Jingchen, Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, to refine — including the training manual, detailed reward and punishment regulations, the promotion system, the formulation of salaries, and so on."

"Finally, let Ni Yuanlu take the lead, with overall responsibility for the entire process of the first civil service examination. After summarizing the errors and omissions discovered in this rehearsal examination, submit them to the two aforementioned ministers for their reference."

Gao Shiming cupped his hands and asked: "Your Majesty, among these there are several points of divergence that have yet to be resolved through discussion. How should they be handled?"

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said: "Once the respective responsible persons are set for this matter, it is for the responsible persons to decide on their own. If there are still matters on which they absolutely cannot reach agreement, only then report them to Us."

"This subject understands." Gao Shiming bowed to receive the order. "Once the memorials are approved, this subject will pass the word down."

Zhu Youjian nodded and casually picked up the next memorial.

The several large characters on the cover made his brow twitch almost imperceptibly.

"Memorial Petitioning to Expound the Ills of the Age."

What was this?

He glanced again at the joint signatories — densely packed, it actually ran to four or five full pages.

Zhang Pu, Zhang Cai, Xia Yunyi, Xu Qian, Shi Kefa —

Zhu Youjian raised his head, looked at Wang Tiqian, and asked: "Is it this one?"

Wang Tiqian stepped forward and nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty. This is the official document jointly written by the capital's scholars that was spoken of last month."

He hesitated a moment, and in the end swallowed back the words: "Your Majesty said before that there was no need to bother with this matter."

If His Majesty remembered this matter, then naturally all was well.

If His Majesty did not remember, and he reminded him, that would instead be a path to his own death.

Zhu Youjian nodded, then shook his head. "We remember this matter, but We did not expect it to drag on so long. What is the reason?"

Wang Tiqian replied, "It was over the order of the joint signatures. At one point they actually linked up over two hundred people, but scholars from other provinces felt that Zhang Pu and his associates, merely by initiating the proposal, had all placed themselves at the very top — that this was unfair — and so they split off. That is why it has only now been submitted."

Zhu Youjian made an "mm" sound, unconcerned.

When high officials form networks, he sits on pins and needles, suspicious of every shadow.

But when scholars form networks — he is not nearly so anxious.

Compared to high officials, they are younger, more ignorant, and more fragile. The difficulty of handling them is not on the same order.

Most of the time, they are the objects of influence, not a force capable of shaping the world.

His gaze returned to the memorial.

Grain transport, official discipline, fraudulent land registrations, banditry —

All the same stale platitudes.

Zhu Youjian skimmed ten lines at a glance, sweeping past them hastily.

If he had read this memorial just after transmigrating, he would likely have treasured it as a rare gem, too excited to sleep.

But the man he was now was no longer the man he had been then.

Five interviews a day, rain or shine — nearly three hundred sessions over two months — layered on top of the steady stream of statecraft documents that the secretariat and the committees were continuously sorting and selecting.

Under all these measures, he could not claim to see every ill of the Great Ming with perfect clarity, but his understanding was in truth far deeper than the earnest appeals of these scholars.

What he now lacked was the most grassroots, most authentic perspective — not this sort of superficial current-affairs commentary any longer.

What was more, these juren gentlemen had submitted an outdated version. Many points were merely touched on in passing, and the figures were mostly strained and far-fetched — clearly copied out of histories and memorials at one glance.

Such empty grand pronouncements — nowadays they would not even get past the secretariat, let alone the committees.

When he reached the core argument concealed within the title — "more people means more officials are needed" — Zhu Youjian's expression stirred faintly, and a hint of something between a smile and a smirk flickered across his face.

Are there truly too few officials under heaven?

For the new policies in Zhu Youjian's mind, there were indeed too few.

But for this era, even if the population swelled to four hundred million or a billion, these official posts would still be far too many, not too few!

Constables, registrars, county magistrates — everywhere they are clogged with aging juren, seventy or eighty years old, who have never managed to pass the jinshi examination.

You would rather bear the title of juren, growing white-haired poring over the classics for decades, than stoop to take up such substantive posts.

And you come here to tell Us that the realm has too few officials?

First get a clear grasp of the relationship between governing capacity and the number of officials — then come and jabber before Us.

Zhu Youjian swiftly skipped past this drivel, his eyes landing directly on the Grand Secretariat's endorsement at the very end.

Huang Liji, Li Guopu: A linked composition; should be rebuked by official dispatch. If they submit joint remonstrance again, treat it as forming a clique for private gain.

Inwardly, Zhu Youjian nodded.

Mm, not bad. Some sensitivity. Worthy of old ministers who lived through the era when academies were banned and destroyed.

Handling it this way is not unworkable, but it is — somewhat crude.

Although Zhu Youjian disliked these literary men stirring up trouble through networks, his reputation as a "Confucian enlightened sovereign" still needed to be maintained for the time being.

Once the concrete achievements were in hand, it would not be too late to shed this mask and transform into a tyrant.

He pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Draft an edict."

Gao Shiming immediately lowered his head and focused his attention.

"'To reach the broad and great while exhausting the subtle and minute — these two are originally one body. Yet to cast aside the subtle and minute and speak emptily of the broad and great is like building a tower upon sand: when the wind rises, the tower collapses. Therefore the way of policy discourse lies in substance, not in empty reputation.'"

"'Such hundred-man petitions, discoursing on the affairs of the realm, merely seek undeserved fame throughout the land, yet bring no benefit to the state.'"

"'Let it be decreed: henceforth, statecraft documents or any form of remonstrance must focus meticulously on a single matter, and joint signatories may not exceed five persons.'"

"'Among the five, contributions shall be ranked, distinguishing first author, second author — wait.'"

"'That will do. Polish Our words, then issue the decree.'"

"This subject obeys the command." Gao Shiming cupped his hands to receive the order, picked up his brush, and rapidly noted down the gist.

Having casually disposed of such a trifling matter, Zhu Youjian was about to turn his attention to the next memorial.

Suddenly, his hand halted in midair.

An overlooked problem flashed through his mind like a spark from flint.

He raised his head and looked at Gao Shiming. "One more thing."

"The Great Ming Times — there is no need to limit the print run any longer. Starting with the next issue, increase the printing to ten thousand copies per issue."

"Also, collect all the back issues and compile them into a bound volume. Print one collection each month."

He turned to Wang Tiqian, the Director of the Eastern Depot.

"And that thing — the 'His Majesty's Annotated Edition of Xue's Memorial on Road Repair' —"

At this, Zhu Youjian himself could not suppress a laugh.

"Withdraw all the warnings to the booksellers. No need to ban it any longer. Let them print it if they wish."

Wang Tiqian was briefly taken aback, then immediately bowed. "This subject obeys the decree."

Zhu Youjian's gaze then returned to Gao Shiming. He continued, "Also, some of the records of Our daily communications with the committees and the secretariat — select those that are not particularly confidential but can convey the spirit, methods, and inclinations of the new policies. Compile those as well and print them together."

"Take general charge of this for now. Once you have delineated the scope, review it with Us."

The sudden instruction left Gao Shiming somewhat puzzled, but he quickly grasped the deeper meaning behind it.

"Your Majesty always used to say the time was not yet ripe. This subject did not fully understand before, but now this subject sees it clearly. It turns out to be the principle that 'a thing is valued in proportion to its rarity.'"

Zhu Youjian glanced at him with approval, nodded, and turned back to the remaining memorials.

In the capital, the so-called "paper so costly it made Luoyang's paper expensive" — the absurdity of a single newspaper or a single handwritten copy going for ten taels, even thirty taels of silver — Zhu Youjian was of course well aware of it.

Wang Tiqian's Eastern Depot reported on the capital's commodity prices and trends as a matter of daily routine.

If he did not know about such things, then he would be truly finished.

Gao Shiming had once requested permission to increase the print run, but Zhu Youjian simply said the time was not yet right.

Why?

To build up a storm, that was all.

The best way to spread news is to make people seek it out and obtain it on their own initiative.

Only then will they feel a sense of treasuring it, will they discuss it deeply and share it within their small circles.

But now that the new policies have reached this stage, continuing this hunger marketing is no longer appropriate.

One look at this jointly submitted "Memorial on the Ills of the Realm" tells the whole story — the understanding of the capital's juren is already several versions behind the understanding of the new policies' inner circle.

A severe information gap has already appeared.

At this point, the balance of pros and cons has quietly tipped to the other side.

The wind rises from the tip of a duckweed leaf — that was a month ago.

But now, it is precisely time for a great wind to rise, so as to win the fierce warriors of the realm!