[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-359":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558525,2024,"Chapter 359","shao-song-chapter-359",359,"\u003Cp>No one cared about the Emperor's self-indulgent, hypocritical analysis, and besides, he hadn't mentioned it to outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the change of Imperial Consort Pan to Consort Pan didn't shake the overall court situation… in fact, quite the opposite. In the eyes of the chief ministers, Consort Pan's demotion was a rare positive force for the overall situation. It would make the Emperor's stated intention of establishing a Crown Prince without setting up an Eastern Palace even clearer, thereby stabilizing the court both inside and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And stability is the natural pursuit of bureaucrats, especially those in power, and has little to do with whether they are radicals or what specific positions they hold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Zhao Jiu also confiscating two million strings of cash and executing a 'Hanlin Academician,' that was hardly a major event… You see, Cai Mao and his ilk were truly the dregs of history, lambs to the slaughter. The fact that they were ignored by those in power and targeted by opportunists the moment they returned reveals as much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a sense, this incident might not have caused as much of a stir, from top to bottom, as that gaudy hot air balloon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Emperor using a bit of maneuvering to send Ma Shen away, it wasn't because he was worried Ma Shen would have too many ties to those old nobles… It's true they were all in the southeast, and all were disgruntled, but the Neo-Confucians and the old nobles weren't comrades-in-arms. Incidents like Wang Ciweng's back then were quite rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, even if the other Neo-Confucians were disgruntled, Ma Shen, as the head of the Ministry of Justice, was definitely not one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simply that the Emperor, mindful of past lessons, was worried Ma Shen would insist on procedural justice, just to be safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And after Ma Shen returned to court, he indeed caused no trouble. He merely submitted a memorial offering advice to the Emperor and then went about his duties with dedication.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, the real life-and-death situation for the court was the Northern Expedition, and the real problem it caused was the massive fiscal hole facing the radical pro-war faction in power. Once it became clear that this hole could be plugged through a series of measures, the situation naturally looked excellent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Consequently, all voices of doubt and opposition subsided, and the Emperor and his governing team rode a wave of high morale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, nothing seemed to be a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, in the following spring of the eighth year of Jianyan, the entire court, and even society as a whole, was in a state of high spirits. By the second month, the court struck while the iron was hot and introduced a new policy—a reform targeting the imperial clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the so-called imperial clan reform, it essentially boiled down to reducing the supply of money and grain, plus lifting restrictions to allow and encourage clan members to engage in productive activities… For example, those wanting to go into business were directly given a royal operating license, or were fobbed off with empty promises, like shares in the still-forming maritime trade company. Those wanting to become officials were given certain bonus points in the promotion exams for the Imperial Academy, prefectural schools, and county schools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a sense, this matter was also a natural development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You see, the management of the Great Song imperial clan wasn't as healthy as one might imagine. On the contrary, it had shown major problems as early as the reign of Emperor Shenzong—complex circumstances, chaotic management… but fortunately, the Jingkang Incident happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jingkang Incident didn't just eliminate the Great Song's problems of redundant troops and officials; it was also unprecedentedly thorough in helping the Song resolve the imperial clan issue. Because even after the Emperor later brought back these close-branch clan members, they had already lost their basic political influence. Moreover, due to the Emperor's inexplicable estrangement from them, they directly lost the protection of imperial power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, considering that the Emperor's own lineage was secure and the Crown Prince's position was stable, combined with the court's overall political task of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, this matter naturally became as logical as dealing with the old nobles who had fled from Yangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the final result, even the sons of the Emperor's several dozen biological brothers—who had already been demoted in rank back in Shaoxing—would have to fend for themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, talk of the Emperor's heartlessness once again spread, but it no longer stirred any waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the beginning of the third month, another fiscal matter was completed—taking advantage of the second voyage returning fully loaded from the Goryeo direction, which confirmed the expected success of the transit trade, the Emperor formally announced the establishment of the Great Song Royal Maritime Trade Company beneath the public pavilion outside Xuan De Tower, under the vertical banner hanging from the hot air balloon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This company, from the time the Emperor proposed the plan to Zhang Jun in the winter of the year before last until its formal establishment now, had been brewing for over a year… But this was unavoidable, as it was a novel concept. Many people were confused by it, and a simple statement like \"make money doing business with the Emperor\" couldn't reassure everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Zhang Jun, who had been a major general in the Lianghuai region for so long, had expended great effort just to facilitate a one-off maritime trade activity, let alone such a large-scale, institutionalized company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, when the fiscal hole had seemed insurmountable, this matter could never have succeeded. It could only truly take shape once the profits of maritime trade were demonstrated, such joint operations had been successfully run multiple times, and a prestigious monarch had forcefully pushed it through the entire court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But regardless, it ultimately succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This company encompassed the royal family, the imperial clan, all the major silk merchants of the Lianghuai region, all the famous porcelain kilns of the Central Plains, and almost all the large-scale maritime merchants north of the Yangtze River. It also dragged in almost all the major temples and monasteries of the Central Plains, Guanzhong, and Jiangnan, along with other wealthy merchants from various trades, who had participated in the Green Sprout Loan. It also automatically subsidized, in the form of share dividends, close-branch imperial clan members, members of the Secret Pavilion and Public Pavilion, and all the commanders and controllers of the Imperial Army… And this setup almost automatically monopolized China's traditional East China Sea trade with Goryeo and Japan from the moment it was established.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, all these people were only qualified to participate in capital contribution and dividend distribution. The actual operations were handed over to the maritime merchants, silk merchants, and official kiln owners themselves. The only person representing the Emperor and the Public Pavilion to oversee the whole thing, titled the Company President, was the former Grand Master of Ceremonies, Wang Shuzhan, who had been idle for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this accomplished, according to the Emperor, this was just the beginning. If this model operated smoothly, then in the future, a Royal Maritime Transport Company for the Southern Ocean direction might be established, as well as a Royal Land Transport Company for the Western Regions and Northern Frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goal was to ensure an equitable distribution of benefits, allowing more people to enjoy the fruits of maritime trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, everyone knew that last sentence was complete nonsense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because anyone could guess that when the time came, the Emperor would surely take everyone's principal and profits and funnel them all into the Northern Expedition!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what could you say?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People had already bought Northern Expedition national bonds, so why not this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the already zero-interest national bonds, this company might even turn a profit in the future, right? The only prerequisite was victory in the Northern Expedition!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the words of some Imperial Academy students, the Emperor's actions this time weren't so much about establishing a maritime trade company as they were, like all his other endeavors, about establishing a Northern Expedition Company!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But having said that, one had to turn around and add another twist. Since this Northern Expedition Company had been successfully set up, it also showed that everyone's confidence in the Northern Expedition was gradually increasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation was indeed improving… more and more people were willing to take this gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back, since the fiscal policy was established with great difficulty in the middle of last year, events like the Emperor's illness, the harem, the Crown Prince, the hot air balloon, the old nobles, the imperial clan, the company… one after another, each seemed so significant, but in reality, it was just one wave calming and another rising—the daily routine of this vast central state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the court was still the court. Even after losing the traditionally core regions of the Two Rivers, it remained a vast central state spanning ten thousand li. So, even the daily routine of this state was worthy of the utmost attention from everyone, both inside and outside the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, not long after the company was established, just a few days later, another event captured the attention of the court and the public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who submitted the memorial?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hanlin Academician Li Ruopu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Him of all people? That man has always been a gentleman. Doesn't he understand that submitting a memorial on this matter, given his position, would be somewhat suspicious?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no suspicion… Academician Li has been appointed as the Grand Coordinator of the Jingdong East Circuit. The documents passed through the Ministry of Personnel yesterday, and I saw them with my own eyes… This was clearly a long-prepared plan. To avoid suspicion, he specifically submitted the memorial publicly just recently.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That makes sense. Besides, Academician Li had the convenience of being an Inner Drafter, yet he didn't speak directly to the Emperor but submitted an open memorial. That's even more appropriate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That reasoning holds water… But what is the Emperor's attitude? This matter is probably hard for even the chief ministers to comment on, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct. Only Censor-in-Chief Li Guang is probably suited to say something, but ultimately, it depends on the Emperor's will.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And the Emperor…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who can predict the Emperor's will right now?\" Hu Quan, who had been silently tackling a salted duck egg at the bow of the boat, finished eating and tossed the shell into the lake, interrupting the table talk with a sneer. \"This matter is of great importance. I suspect even the senior officials of the Secret Pavilion are uneasy. How can we possibly get a glimpse of it… We'll just have to wait for the result.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's true.\" The man who had been pressing the question laughed, and the others on the boat joined in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the height of the third month's spring scenery. The Emperor had opened up Jinming Pool for public enjoyment. From Jinming Pool to the memorial temple at Yuetai, and to the cuju field north of the city, the roads outside the city were almost packed with visitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was a day off, so Hu Quan and his group naturally took the opportunity to gather. They found a plain black flatboat on the Bian River within the city and sailed it all the way into Jinming Pool to enjoy themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the distant shore, a stage had been set up, where a nearby Daoist temple was performing the opening act of \"The Legend of the White Snake.\" Closer by on the lake, small boats with purple curtains carrying ladies came and went, their laughter clearly audible. At the bow of their own boat, the boatman's wife helped prepare the dishes… Salted duck eggs, pickled snails, cold bean sprouts, apricot slices, green plums—all light and cheap seasonal items. And of course, a pot of plum wine was indispensable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, since it was a group gathering, it was inevitable that they would exchange information and discuss hot topics in the court. What they had just been talking about was the biggest recent event in the court—before Hanlin Academician Li Ruopu was transferred to an external post, he suddenly submitted a memorial, pointing out that the Emperor was employing the wrong people. This wasn't about any specific chief minister being bad, any minister being a villain, or any Hanlin Academician being a fraud. Rather, it was that the Emperor liked to form small circles, concentrating power too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the chief ministers, there were only four; for the ministers, only six, and vice ministers were not always appointed; for the Censorate, from Investigating Censors to Attending Censors and Palace Censors, the numbers were very small; for the Hanlin Academy, there were only a few people; and the Emperor's personal attendants were even fewer, basically just a handful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Li Ruopu suggested appropriately increasing the number of chief ministers, making the positions of Left and Right Vice Ministers in the Six Ministries permanent, and simultaneously increasing the quotas for censors, Hanlin Academicians, Secretariat Drafter, and Court Receptionists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only in this way could the Emperor avoid listening only to one side and ensure he had a reliable and large governing team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter directly involved over a dozen senior official positions at the Secret Pavilion level. For the court bureaucrats, wasn't that a huge deal? No wonder everyone was talking about it, discussing it from top to bottom… Even Hu Quan and his group, knowing they were far from reaching such positions, couldn't help but weigh in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enough digression, back to the present. Amidst the laughter, Hu Quan lowered his head and drank half a bowl of warm tea brought by the shopkeeper. He casually cleared his throat and continued, \"But even so, I'll make a rough guess. The Emperor might agree to increase the quotas for the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries and the censors. It's hard to say about the inner court officials, but it's probably ninety percent certain he won't increase the number of chief ministers… at least not right now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How do you figure that?\" Mei Li, a Drafter on duty, asked curiously… And it was hard for him not to be curious, because his elder family friend had said the same thing last night. He had his own guesses but was eager for someone to confirm them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing else.\" Hu Quan grew even more serious. \"The Councilors hold heavy positions; even slight additions or deletions will trigger changes in the court's structure, and His Majesty's mind is still set on the Northern Expedition. Before the Northern Expedition, he will never allow the court structure to be shaken.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Li immediately nodded. This was exactly what he had thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right.\" Another person nearby laughed in response. \"Not to mention anything else, if we really add Councilor slots, would Lu Yihao, Lord Lu, and Yuwen Xuzhong, Lord Yuwen, have to return? If they don't return, wouldn't they feel wronged? But if they do return—say Lord Yuwen returns—we wouldn't fear him joining forces with Lord Zhang through marriage ties; we'd only fear he'd spend all day smoothing things over, and then soften Lord Zhao back down again. What would we do then? And if Lord Lu enters court, the other Councilors might be fine, but would Lord Zhang still have a way to live?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd burst into laughter again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yihao's temperament and Yuwen Xuzhong's temperament were truly interesting, and it was also interesting how His Majesty used these two men in the northwest and southeast respectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this speaker also took the opportunity to tease Lord Zhao and Lord Zhang. Though everyone was on the boat, it wasn't easy to laugh too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the crowd soon returned to normal. Amid the distant tune of *The Legend of the White Snake*, they dropped the matter, then, while eating some spring vegetables, continued discussing other bits of news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this kind of chat naturally covered everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Vice Minister Lu made a fuss for a long time but ended up staying. However, Wu Min has gone to Jingxi East Circuit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Actually, both the Water and Wood factions still care about the big picture. It's only this Vice Minister Lu who loves to fight the most, which is why Lord Zhao wanted to kick him out before.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well said. In my opinion... if... I mean, if the two factions really do come to party strife, and Lords Zhao and Zhang truly fall out, it will definitely be because of this man.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His Majesty is sitting up there. How could real party strife actually break out? Zhang Deyuan's pride rests precisely on being His Majesty's foremost trusted confidant, and Lord Zhao is a truly loyal gentleman. When His Majesty gives an order, even if he disagrees in his heart, he still abandons Dao Learning and changes his original studies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's talk less about such matters...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speaking of which, since the last two million strings, has the Ministry of Revenue had any say on revenue-building?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course they have... At this rate, I'm afraid the thirty-million shortfall will be filled before the end of next year. After the autumn harvest, the overall situation will be stable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's a pity Chao Gongwu hasn't been coming lately. Otherwise, we could certainly mock him to his face.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't mention him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But it's not just about money... The Ministry of Works has said that even with money, war requires weapons and provisions. And right now, although we have the trade of a foot of cloth and a peck of rice with Nanyue, which can send rice directly to Jingdong, what about weapons? That can't be rushed either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our dynasty is so vast—how could we lack craftsmen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How could we not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Besides, it's not as simple as just weapons. There are also military supply depots along the river, restorations of supply routes, and other things that take time to do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speaking of which, isn't Junior Scholar Yu working on this? If we could ask him, it would be great. Too bad he's not here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's precisely because he's working on this that he's not here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you heard that His Majesty has investigated a new gadget? They say it's been issued directly to the various Military Governors and Commanders at the front... I hear it's made of crystal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that's the case, there's no way for us to know even if we wanted to.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you know the Jin Kingdom recently changed its laws again? When Zahan was in power, because rebel armies were swarming, commoners were not allowed to leave their homes without permission. Even merchants with travel permits couldn't travel more than thirty li a day... After Zahan left, this law was abolished last year. As a result, rebel armies flourished. Helpless, I saw in the Jin court gazette the other day that they've reverted to the old rules and are even setting up a mutual-responsibility system: if one family flees, ten families are punished together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those Jurchen dogs deserve to die, and the surrendered dogs who came up with those ideas deserve to die too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speaking of the Jurchens, Shanzhou is about to move troops toward Hezhong Prefecture again, right? I heard that the Vice Minister of War, concurrently Director of the Waterways Bureau, Vice Minister Liu (Liu Hongdao), has gone west.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It must be so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His Majesty never stops for a moment. The spring busy season has just passed, and he's already using troops...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's definitely unavoidable, and it will only become more frequent from now on. First, to train the troops; second, to alert everyone at home and abroad not to become complacent and forget about war.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if we're only setting ambushes in Hezhong Prefecture, even if we say 'don't forget war,' after a few times, the people of the world won't take it seriously.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no help for it... Actually, rather than worrying about that, we should worry about the Jurchens suddenly going all out to capture Pinglu, or giving up Hezhong Prefecture. That would be troublesome.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's just armchair strategizing... The reason Pinglu has been repeatedly preserved is that the Zhongtiao Mountains lie between it and Hezhong Prefecture. The Jurchens have to detour through mountain passes for their advance and logistics, while Pinglu and Shanzhou's prefectural seat are separated by only one river, currently connected... As for giving up Hezhong Prefecture, we'd just occupy it. If the Jurchens later turn back to try to encircle and annihilate us, what's the harm in abandoning it then? His Majesty and the Military Governors are all accustomed to using troops; they won't be overly particular about this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd laughed again, but this time there was no small amount of sneering in it. Meanwhile, Hu Quan, the leader on the boat, had long since just been eating and didn't say a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Secretary Mei beside him was also laughing, but in his heart, he knew exactly what was going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, since he had joined this small group, only a year had passed, but things had already changed greatly... Now, Chao Gongwu, who was talented but held different views from the rest, had gradually stopped coming; Junior Scholar Yu, Yu Yunwen, who was excellent in both talent and learning, hadn't been promoted at all, but like the elder brother Hu Quan sitting among them, he was the type who would soar once his seniority and opportunity came. Lately, he had become increasingly busy, shuttling between various military camps and Green Sprout Loan points... Under these circumstances, it was inevitable that some mediocre people would fill the ranks, making the gatherings gradually lose their interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Does anyone have anything interesting to say?\" After a long pause, seeing that the shop had already run out of food, which had been eaten up by a group of young officials in their prime, and only a large basin of boiled bean sprouts was left, Hu Quan, somewhat impatient, had the intention to turn back. He simply asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There is one thing... not important, but somewhat strange... perhaps worth mentioning.\" A fairly reliable Gentleman from the Ministry of Justice frowned as he spoke. \"Do you all still remember that incident last year when someone from the Imperial Academy, during the political inquiry, prostrated themselves before the Academy gate to submit a petition to the Emperor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There was such a thing... Hasn't it been settled yet? Could it be some major case?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The case is from Fujian. A round trip takes two months, and besides, it's not a serious matter like murder or property disputes, but a rather absurd triviality.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I see. So what's strange about it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's like this: in Quanzhou, foreign merchants have long gathered, and they may have built their own foreign temples in the area. Recently, a foreign temple was built across from the county school in a county under Quanzhou. But the foreign temple chants scriptures, which inevitably disrupts the students' classes. So the students reported it to the County Magistrate... Who would have thought that such a simple matter would be handled perfunctorily by the magistrate? This angered the locals, who felt the magistrate might also believe in the foreign religion. So some local gentry found old Fujian connections in Dongjingcheng and asked for help to blow the matter up, in order to deal with the magistrate and also tear down the foreign temple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Hu Quan, holding a large bowl of bean sprouts, already knew what was going on. After glancing at Secretary Mei, who was staring blankly at the bean sprouts beside him, he sneered and said: \"If I'm not mistaken, Minister Ma of the Ministry of Justice must be on the side of the local gentry, demanding an explanation from the magistrate and ordering the foreign temple to be torn down. As a result, the Fujian local authorities just prevaricate, going back and forth to protect that magistrate. The matter has been dragging on like this, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct... The Fujian side generally supports that magistrate.\" The Gentleman from the Ministry of Justice immediately perked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maoxiu (Mei Li's courtesy name), what do you think?\" Hu Quan indeed asked Mei Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Li shook his head with a wry smile: \"What else can it be? Isn't it that the court now takes fiscal matters as the guiding principle, with everything revolving around revenue-building, and official performance evaluations also depend on this... Not to mention a county under Quanzhou, even the whole of Fujian relies on the foreign merchants in Quanzhou making more trips... Besides, after His Majesty's stern refusal last time to allow foreign merchants to receive imperial documents and flags, the foreign merchants in Quanzhou were very upset. At this time, the Fujian local authorities naturally don't want to stir up trouble! If commercial taxes drop by even a bit, affecting their official careers, who would be held responsible?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd suddenly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's another layer to it.\" Mei Li continued with a bitter smile. \"Since the Jingkang Incident, turmoil has spread from north to south, and Dao Learning has also moved south in force. After the Baima Shaoxing incident, Dao Learning gained support from many gentry, to the point that academies have sprung up everywhere in the southeast. County schools are fine, but the so-called local gentry are nine times out of ten connected to Dao Learning... Even the Grand Marshal (Minister of War Liu Ziyu) took his younger brother out of Fujian precisely because he feared he would take the path of Dao Learning... So, in my opinion, this matter only landed with the Grand Minister of Justice (Ministry of Justice Ma Shen). If it had been anyone else, they would have long since accommodated Fujian's difficulties and suppressed this matter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Right.\" Someone nearby applauded in response. \"But it did land with the Grand Minister of Justice, and the principle of the matter is indeed on the side of the local gentry and the Grand Minister of Justice. The Fujian local authorities can only go in circles with the Ministry of Justice. They won't be able to hold out forever, and then it might even end up before the Councilors in the Capital Secretariat, or even before His Majesty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd became even more enlightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, that Gentleman from the Ministry of Justice hesitated for a moment, then earnestly added a point: \"The matter is roughly as Brother Hu and Maoxiu have said. But what I find strange is one thing: the Prefect of Quanzhou is different from everyone else in Fujian, both above and below. He advocates for strict handling of this matter and the immediate demolition of the foreign temple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's probably a Dao Learning adherent. What's so strange about that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that's the case, it will only make this matter escalate faster. It might even reach the Councilors and His Majesty soon... But in the end, it's a trivial matter, unrelated to the court situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd nodded in agreement and said no more. The matter was considered settled. By then, even the basin of boiled bean sprouts had been eaten. Everyone looked at Hu Quan together, waiting for this leader to speak, ready to disperse, have the boat turn back, first find a place to relieve themselves, and then go home...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, for some reason, Hu Quan was silent for a moment. After a while, he laughed ruefully and, for once, took the initiative to speak: \"After all you've said, I thought of Academician Li's proposal to expand the regulations for senior officials in the Secret Pavilion. If you say he had ulterior motives, I don't believe it. But he himself may not have them; the person who gave him the idea, or who urged him to make this proposal, may not be without ulterior motives either...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean, Brother Hu?\" The crowd was slightly startled, and then someone became curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Two points... First, internally there are only six Ministers, and externally there are nearly twenty Circuit Grand Coordinators. The court talks about balancing internal and external appointments. So from an external perspective, it's a bit narrow. Second, the overall court situation is stable. We're waiting for funds and grain to accumulate and weapons to be refined before launching the Northern Expedition. The places to earn merit are in the north and the central government. At this time, some southern envoys might be restless, wanting to take the opportunity to be transferred back.\" Hu Quan spoke calmly with a half-smile. The crowd was stunned, then fell into quiet contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Hu Quan had already turned around and was telling the boatman to turn back and dock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be precise, Hu Quan still had some capital and connections. After this gathering at Jinming Pool, only five days later, His Majesty issued an edict. Just as Hu Quan had said, it temporarily did not expand the Councilors, but emphasized that the Six Ministries should handle the world's affairs. It specially established permanent Left and Right Vice Ministers, while also expanding the staffing of the Censorate, and slightly increasing the quotas for Hanlin Academicians, Secretariat Drafter, and Court Receptionists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the Secretariat immediately began selecting and promoting worthy and virtuous gentlemen according to the sovereign's wishes... This was not something that could be accomplished overnight; no one knew how long the Water and Wood factions would take to reach a compromise on this personnel matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But almost at the same time, the case of that foreign temple in Fujian finally reached the imperial presence... And contrary to everyone's expectations, Zhao Jiu showed almost no hesitation and issued a resolute decree, fully supporting Minister of Justice Ma Shen, dismissing the County Magistrate, reprimanding the Fujian Circuit Grand Coordinator, and ordering the local officials to immediately demolish that foreign temple which had been encroaching upon the county school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only after Zhao Ding, Minister Zhao Ding, strongly urged him that he agreed to allow those foreign merchants to rebuild the foreign temple elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention the other minor ripples of this matter, but after this incident, the Sichuan-born senior official Gou Long Ruyuan, who was Prefect of Quanzhou, formally entered the line of sight of the chief ministers at court, and immediately received a recommendation from his fellow townsman Zhang Deyuan, and then, with no effort at all, became the first beneficiary of this reform—transferred to Vice Minister of Works and summoned to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In late March, the battle for Shanzhou erupted once again, and tens of thousands of troops, including Wang De's Central Army of the Imperial Encampment, once again surrounded Hezhong Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In early April, the first batch of promoted officials, including Gou Long Ruyuan, arrived in the capital. Almost simultaneously, because Wanyan Balisu sent Yelu Ma Wu as vanguard to cross Jishan in force, the Song army withdrew again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by late April, as Wang De led his troops back, Zhao Jiu personally led the hundred officials out to Yuetai to review the various armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to the Silver Alliance leader Xuanxi Hilla, thanks to the new alliance leader Sima Mario, this book already has 163 alliance leaders.\u003C\u002Fp>",5203,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","fd8771b68c5e708e1d92dd48c6ba27bae9ee4ea572064c333909b437bb7dc085","shao-song-chapter-360","shao-song-chapter-358",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]