Chapter 976: Moving Toward a Virtuous Ruler

Chen Xun rolled up his sleeves, determined to make all the departments under the Ministry of Public Works prosperous.

Of course, he wouldn't work for free, so he spent the night drafting a memorial to formalize cooperation between the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Public Works.

The Ministry of Public Works provides technology; the Ministry of Revenue handles operations—this achievement, the Ministry of Revenue must take at least half the credit.

Hu Cheng had little appetite for power, but the Ministry of Public Works had other officials besides Hu Cheng and the artisans.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works was no technical expert; when he learned of this, he pounded his chest and stamped his feet: "Your Excellency, if you're not good at operations, don't you have me?"

Hu Cheng: "Perfect. Then you handle the negotiations with the Ministry of Revenue. I entrust this cooperation to you."

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works: "... Your Excellency, what I mean is, this could be done entirely by the Ministry of Public Works. If we lack manpower, we can hire more. It's hard to find three-legged people in the world, but there are plenty of talented, operationally skilled men."

Hu Cheng: "How much energy would it take to assemble such people? The Ministry of Revenue has experience in this, and the personnel are already ready. Why not cooperate with them? After all, any profits must still go into the state treasury."

"Foolish, foolish," said the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works. "Money in our own hands is not the same as money in the state treasury. If the profits stay with the Ministry of Public Works, then you and the artisans can conduct any research you wish, buy any materials, build any furnace—you decide everything, submit your own reports, approve your own requests. But once the money enters the state treasury, retrieving it becomes extremely difficult!"

Hu Cheng blinked, puzzled: "But aren't we doing all this precisely to earn money for the state treasury, to strengthen the nation and enrich the people?"

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works was speechless; after a long pause, he said: "Money kept in the Ministry of Public Works can also strengthen the nation and enrich the people. After covering our own expenses, how much we give to the state treasury is still your decision, isn't it?"

Hu Cheng smiled faintly: "You're right—but if all six ministries think this way, each acting independently, then the Great Ming won't be far from collapse."

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works knew further argument was useless—it would only make him seem greedy and self-serving.

"Still, you've given me a useful reminder," Hu Cheng said. "When the Ministry of Revenue's people arrive, make sure you negotiate with them: at least twenty percent of annual profits must be retained for research. Whether it's the steel mill or any other workshop, research must continue—and research costs money."

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Public Works's eyes lit up, and he eagerly agreed.

Zhu Qiyu had also seen Pan Yun's plan, which they called Shuyao.

He too was stirred with excitement, unable to help asking: "These things have never existed in this world. How did the National Teacher know about them? And how did you draw blueprints for all of them?"

Pan Yun said: "I saw them in the future."

Zhu Qiyu's eyes sparkled: "The future?"

Pan Yun deceived him: "Yes. Though the Great Ming is currently the world's strongest nation, last year's defeat in the northern campaign broke my heart."

Zhu Qiyu lowered his head, equally saddened.

"Moreover, during these past two years traveling to Japan, I've seen much of the sea. Only then did I realize the world beyond the Great Ming is vast. In the west, there are two nations called Spain and Portugal—they've long sought to come east, and have heavily developed maritime trade. Your Majesty, there is gold on the sea. You can see it from our quarterly maritime tax revenues and the silver we retrieve from Japan. I have a premonition: if we continue the maritime ban, yesterday's pain from the Oirats will happen again. Perhaps because I thought of it constantly, one day my spirit left my body and traveled to the future."

Zhu Qiyu listened, stunned, and believed him. He pressed: "What did you see in the future?"

Pan Yun sighed: "I only glimpsed briefly—I arrived in a place filled with books. I know little, but even that little reveals hints."

Pan Yun said: "In the future, the people's physical condition will be far superior. Average lifespan will reach seventy; the elderly will live to one hundred and four."

Zhu Qiyu's eyes sparkled again and again as he asked: "How did future generations achieve this?"

Pan Yun: "With sufficient resources—enough to eat, warm enough to wear, education for the young, care for the elderly, medical care for the sick—combined with cultivation to strengthen the body, this can be achieved."

Zhu Qiyu murmured: "Education for the young, care for the elderly, medical care for the sick—three short phrases, seemingly simple, yet how impossibly difficult. Just ensuring everyone has enough to eat is harder than climbing to heaven."

Zhu Qiyu was no emperor who asked why the poor didn't eat meat. Imperial edicts struggled to reach the countryside, and the Great Ming was so vast. To ensure every single person had enough to eat filled his heart with crushing weight—as if he carried Mount Tai on his back.

But Pan Yun's eyes sparkled as she gripped his hand, pressing slightly: "Your Majesty, do you lack confidence in yourself?"

Zhu Qiyu looked up at her.

Pan Yun looked at him firmly: "I believe you can do it. A virtuous ruler gathers virtuous scholars; a wise ruler gathers talented, ambitious ministers. And Your Majesty is both virtuous and wise—I believe you can!"

Zhu Qiyu clenched his fists, his gaze bright.

Unlike in another timeline, Zhu Qiyu here is righteous and legitimate.

Zhu Qizhen died before Zhu Qiyu ascended the throne; Zhu Qiyu's succession was a heroic rescue, a burden borne in silence, a fulfillment of filial piety and fraternal duty.

In another timeline, Zhu Qiyu, out of jealousy and fear, treated his elder brother cruelly, sparking doubts among courtiers and the public about his moral character.

And the power struggles of some individuals pushed events toward an even worse direction, making many of his intended reforms nearly impossible to implement.

But here, as long as Zhu Qiyu maintains his current resolve and clarity, the ministers gathering around him will be far more virtuous and capable than corrupt ones.

Hu Ying understood this. Yu Qian understood it too. Whether it was the Emperor's favorite, Pan Yun; the rising noble, Yu Qian; or the veteran minister, Hu Ying—everyone was pushing the Emperor in the same direction. As long as he didn't turn away himself, he would keep moving forward on that path.

Zhu Qiyu made the final decision: he approved the memorial.

Like Yu Qian and others, he chose not to make it public, but locked it away, occasionally taking it out to read.

The next day, Chen Xun formally submitted his proposal for Ministry of Revenue–Ministry of Public Works cooperation. While officials were still bewildered, the Emperor approved his request.

Neither the Ministry of Revenue nor the Ministry of Public Works objected; the Grand Secretariat raised no opposition. The remaining officials, though stunned, said nothing—yet as soon as court ended, they surrounded Hu Cheng and Chen Xun: "What are you two up to?"

Hu Cheng and Chen Xun spoke in unison: "The state treasury is short on funds—we must do this. Otherwise, the Ministry of War wants to expand the navy and even split off a separate ocean fleet; the Ministry of Public Works wants to dredge not only the Yellow River but also the Huai River and the Grand Canal; the Ministry of Rites wants to open community schools so every school-age child can attend free of charge; your Ministry of Personnel—how much do you spend annually on external inspections? Just the costs of posthumous honors alone are substantial. And don't even get me started on our Ministry of Revenue—do you know the actual population and arable land of the Great Ming right now?"

"In the reports, villages report to counties, counties to prefectures, prefectures to our Ministry of Revenue—five layers in all. In reality, each layer strips away resources. Do you think only money gets stripped away?" Chen Xun said. "Wrong! People and land are stripped first!" (End of chapter)