Chapter 240: Rain gathers and clouds assemble; there is not a single empty seat

The return of the Chief Minister to the capital was like a sudden vortex appearing on a sea that was already surging with waves.

The symphony of wind and rain was an indispensable backdrop; giant turtles and dragons vied to resonate, dancing along with the waves, while foul fish and rotten shrimp were swept into mid-air, exposing their decaying corpses.

The center of the vortex, however, was the most tranquil place.

After Zhang Juzheng entered the capital, he returned to his residence to settle in, tidied up his household, ended his leave at the Ministry of Personnel, and returned his reply to the Tongzheng Office, completing the entire reporting process in a calm, composed, and low-profile manner.

After drawing a fortune at the Zhenwu Temple for the Emperor's soon-to-be-born children, Zhang Juzheng returned to his residence, bolted the doors, declined all visitors, and completely ceased appearing in public.

This was because such was the custom for the resumption of office by a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

If one did not wait for the Emperor's summons upon the first arrival, but instead went about visiting relatives and friends, it would inevitably appear too arrogant and unrestrained.

This was also why Lu Diaoyang could only run to the ferry landing to welcome him, rather than waiting in the capital.

Of course, the Chief Minister must understand the rules, but the Emperor need not follow them.

Therefore.

"His Majesty orders me to return to the Cabinet to sit for duty first!?"

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, an imperial messenger had already arrived at the door.

Zhang Juzheng respectfully accepted the imperial edict from Wei Chao, frowning as he confirmed it repeatedly.

Wei Chao hurriedly stepped forward, supporting the Chief Minister with both hands, and explained, "The specific day of the Chief Minister's arrival in the capital could not be known in advance. His Majesty's political affairs for these past few days were already packed full; today's matters truly could not be shirked, and he is unable to be in two places at once."

"His Majesty repeatedly ordered me to convey that the Chief Minister should not overthink it."

Customs are always meant to be broken; this sentence was once again perfectly interpreted—Zhang Juzheng's wait did not result in an audience with the Emperor.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Juzheng immediately straightened his expression and bowed toward the direction of the Forbidden City from afar: "His Majesty is so weary; I fear it may hinder the Imperial health. Does he require this humble minister to share the burden?"

This was as good as asking directly: what exactly is the Emperor doing that he cannot even spare the time to summon the Chief Minister?

Zhang Juzheng did not suspect that he had fallen out of favor after being away from the capital for several months.

He merely looked Wei Chao up and down, feeling suspicious in his heart: could it be that the Emperor is ailing, and these eunuchs are keeping it a secret!?

The more he thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and even the look he cast upon Wei Chao changed.

Feeling Zhang Juzheng's gaze, Wei Chao could not help but smile bitterly in his heart.

He could only console himself that if a eunuch were not suspected like this, it would actually mean he was not important enough to be on the stage.

With a light laugh, Wei Chao did not avoid mentioning the Emperor's schedule: "Today, His Majesty is receiving foreign officials, accompanied by several dukes and marquises, the Eldest Princess, the Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Ceremonial Yang Zongzhong, the Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and Superintendent of the Four Barbarian Halls Chi Yude, and various interpreters and translators."

Aside from relatives and meritorious officials, the Court of Ceremonial handles simultaneous interpretation, and the Four Barbarian Halls handle written translation; they are the regular personnel for foreign affairs activities.

In his words, naturally, he was saying that professional matters are handled by professional officials to share the burden.

Outside his words, he was still explaining that the Emperor was genuinely busy today, and the meetings with foreign envoys could not be easily changed, so he should not let his imagination run wild.

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng finally suppressed the monstrous conspiracy he had imagined.

He asked awkwardly, "Foreign tribute? Which foreign states?"

Wei Chao recalled for a moment and replied, "Several delegations have arrived: the Fulangji, the Gansila, the Red-Haired Barbarians, Ryukyu, and Joseon."

"Besides tribute, there are other matters to discuss. Especially maritime transport; the ocean-going ships tested their routes along the coast at the beginning of spring, and the round trips were successful. Now, they must draft the routes for the long-distance voyage."

Hearing this, Zhang Juzheng nodded in realization.

The Emperor had said earlier that long-distance voyages should not just be for show of force; that was a waste of manpower and money.

If maritime trade is to thrive, there must be profit—a "virtuous cycle."

Therefore, it is natural to know oneself and the enemy, to see where they like the commercial goods of the Great Ming, where there are local products scarce in the Great Ming, and, crucially, to demand sea charts.

Seen in this light, it is not without reason that people say the Emperor is burdened with heavy political affairs.

This matter could originally have been handed over to the Ministry of Rites to handle.

But the Emperor's relatives and meritorious officials have made a fortune in near-shore trade these past few years; how could they not get involved in something like long-distance voyages?

This forced the Emperor to set up his own stage outside the Ministry of Rites, bringing along his relatives and meritorious officials.

He reluctantly accepted the fact that the Emperor was truly busy today.

Only then did Zhang Juzheng look at the imperial edict, turning it over in his hands: "I have yet to ask, Wei Dandang, what is the meaning of this imperial edict from His Majesty?"

An imperial edict is a handwritten note that has not gone through the process, without the seal or stamp.

The form and wording are often three parts more casual.

But this imperial edict from the Emperor was more than three parts; it was already ten parts casual.

It was a simple piece of white paper torn from somewhere, with items one, two, three, and four, and the content totaled only a dozen characters.

Seeing this, Wei Chao smiled and bowed toward the direction of the Forbidden City, explaining, "These are the few matters His Majesty has handed over for the Chief Minister to discuss as soon as possible after returning to the Cabinet."

"The specific files have already been prepared by the Cabinet Secretaries."

So, there were tasks to be done.

Only then did Zhang Juzheng vaguely see the point in items one, two, three, and four.

Just as he was concentrating and thinking carefully, Wei Chao spoke again: "Regarding this matter, His Majesty also has an oral instruction."

His tone was solemn.

Zhang Juzheng hurriedly bowed.

Wei Chao cleared his throat and, pinching his voice, imitated the Emperor's tone: "Matters are numerous and piled up; I hope the Master will handle them as soon as possible. Whether they are appropriate or not, we shall discuss them thoroughly when we meet the day after tomorrow!"

The voice stopped, and Zhang Juzheng bowed once more.

"This minister accepts the decree."

Wei Chao helped Zhang Juzheng up for the second time and said with a kind smile, "Shall I take the opportunity to escort the Chief Minister into the palace?"

For the Emperor's urgency, a subject must provide a response.

Preparing a sedan chair would take a lot of time; by the time the sedan chair bearers were gathered and everything was ready, it would almost be dawn.

It would be better to squeeze in and invite the Chief Minister back to the Cabinet to work like an ox or a horse sooner.

Zhang Juzheng naturally had no objections and nodded: "I trouble you, Eunuch."

Having said that, amidst Wei Chao's polite pleasantries, they left the Zhang residence together.

The two of them lifted the curtain and entered the sedan chair together.

The sedan chair swayed as it headed toward the Forbidden City.

Two flowers bloom, each representing a branch.

Just as Zhang Juzheng was returning to the Cabinet, the court officials in the Zhao Wenhua Hall were conserving their energy for the upcoming court deliberation.

The court officials were in groups of three or five, discussing in low voices.

Wang Zongyi was discussing the various preparations for the Emperor's firstborn with He Luo Wen, while Yin Zhengmao stood by, interjecting from time to time.

Minister of Justice Pan Cheng and Junior Vice Minister Xu Guo seemed to have some disagreement in their words.

Minister of Revenue Wang Guoguang and Minister of Works Zhu Heng had gone to audit the accounts of the Ministry of Works' Jieshen Treasury and various shipyards today, so they were absent from the court deliberation.

They were represented by Junior Vice Minister of Revenue Li Youzi and Junior Vice Minister of Works Wan Gong, respectively.

Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Cabinet Shen Shixing had not yet arrived.

Grand Secretary of the East Cabinet Wang Xijue, however, had cornered the Cabinet Secretary on duty in the Zhao Wenhua Hall, Wang Yingxuan.

"Wang Junqing, I hear you went to Huguang and reported to the old ministers everywhere?"

Wang Xijue stood with his hands behind his back, his words carrying a hint of interrogation.

"Reporting" is a term exclusive to senior officials; it is not as simple as a casual chat, but often involves "gathering" relevant political affairs and then "reporting" them from a specific standpoint and angle.

You are a Cabinet Secretary; you only report current affairs to the Emperor and the Cabinet. What do you mean by taking it upon yourself to report Cabinet affairs to a former Chief Minister who is in mourning?

Wang Yingxuan felt he had grievances he could not speak of, being cornered and questioned by this clansman.

There was a slight sweat on his forehead: "Grand Secretary Wang, this subordinate was ordered to go to Huguang to offer sacrifices at Chengtian Prefecture. On the return journey, I paid a visit to my teacher, and hearing my teacher mention that Jiangling Gong's hemorrhoids had recurred, I visited him on the way."

"The talk of reporting is purely groundless."

As one of the four disciples of the Yan school, visiting the Huguang Education Vice Commissioner Yan Jing was a matter of deep teacher-student affection, which goes without saying.

As for Zhang Juzheng, when he was re-editing the "Great Ming Collected Statutes," Zhang Juzheng had asked Wang Yingxuan to be a compiler, which was a favor of recommendation. How could one not visit a patron who was ailing?

In short, it was normal human interaction.

Wang Xijue, however, could not be bothered to listen to his defense and just snorted coldly: "You had better take care of yourself!"

He actually flicked his sleeves and turned away directly.

Others heard the commotion and cast their gazes over, either directly or subtly.

Seeing that it was Wang Xijue putting on a sour face again, they all revealed expressions of being accustomed to it.

The old stubborn donkey had this temper; in the court, he was called "Little Gao Gong," putting on a sour face and lecturing people every few days.

A month ago, when he entered the Cabinet and was at his most popular, there were even censorate officials who wanted to join his faction, taking the initiative to charge into battle for Wang Xijue and fight for power with Shen Shixing in the Cabinet.

As a result, Wang Xijue did not show any human kindness at all, but instead publicly scolded Censor Li Zhi, Jiang Dongzhi, and Supervising Secretary Yang Keli during the court deliberation, saying these people were petty opportunists who were "partial and partisan, fickle and treacherous," trapping him in injustice.

That was the end of that.

Once this happened, whether it was the censorate officials or the subordinates of the ministries, no one was willing to follow Wang Xijue.

Wang Xijue turned a blind eye to these gazes.

He naturally knew that his actions were somewhat out of place; he had realized this back when he offended Zhang Siwei and was demoted to Nanzhili.

But he felt that the current atmosphere in the court was not bad, and there was a desk to get things done. Why bother so much about winning over students?

Just like when he scolded Wang Yingxuan earlier, it was also out of public interest—he was not wary of Zhang Juzheng; on the contrary, he was wary of these Cabinet Secretaries!

The current Emperor is not like the Jiajing and Longqing Emperors.

Diligent in governance and handling ten thousand matters a day, it means more power is concentrating toward the Emperor.

It is just that when the moon is full, it wanes, and when the essence is full, it overflows; power will inevitably spread from the Emperor to those around him.

The current Cabinet Secretaries already have signs of gradually rising!

Especially in this month when the Emperor has not left the West Garden much, this group of Cabinet Secretaries already has the reputation of a "Little Cabinet"!

That would be fine; after all, they are in the court, and they have no real power within their duties.

But what does Wang Yingxuan mean by taking the initiative to run around like this?

Extending his authority? Conspiring to form a party?

Wang Xijue raised his vigilance to the maximum in his heart, and then adopted the most direct method: pointing it out and knocking him down to his face.

If he refuses to listen after repeated teaching, do not blame him for striking hard!

A small interlude made the whispering in the Zhao Wenhua Hall much quieter.

As colleagues entered the hall one after another.

The chatting court officials consciously separated and stood in their corresponding ranks.

With Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Cabinet Shen Shixing and Director of the Ceremonial Seal Zhang Hong arriving last, the Ritual Officials Xu Wenbi and Jiang Keqian also turned in from the side hall and stood at the head of their respective ranks.

Representing the Emperor, the Ceremonial Seal spoke first: "Let us begin."

Zhang Hong bowed respectfully toward the empty throne.

The officials performed their salutes in order.

Shen Shixing took the lead without hesitation and said: "Regarding the discussion on the currency law from last month, His Majesty returned the memorials from the Ministries of Works and Revenue, ordering us to refer to the proposal of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Works Wan Xiangchun, and then reply accordingly."

Shen Gelao has presided over the morning court for half a year; while his demeanor has become more composed, his arrangements are also orderly.

The so-called proposal of Wan Xiangchun had already been circulated to many colleagues in advance.

After the land survey comes tax reform; a great battle has not yet ceased, and another follows immediately after.

The central government cannot make policies on a whim; naturally, there is a lot of preparation. The currency law is the basic preparation for the tax law, and it is currently being discussed regarding the standards of copper coins.

The copper coin standards of this dynasty can be summed up in one word: chaotic.

From the Hongwu to the Xuande years, in order to promote paper money, although copper coins were minted, the people were not allowed to use them.

The credit of paper money and the vacant market were right there in plain sight; this behavior led to large-scale private minting and circulation, and even government offices joined in, colluding with them.

From the Zhengtong to the Chenghua years, paper money failed completely, and the central government was powerless, simply going mad.

While lifting the ban on coins, they did not mint copper coins themselves.

As for private minting? Sorry, still not allowed.

It would be strange if this did not lead to a currency famine; in the words of the then Minister of Revenue Qiu Jun, it blocked the flow of goods and poisoned commercial affairs.

It was not until the second month of the sixteenth year of Hongzhi that the central government realized the gravity of the situation and decided to re-mint coins, the "Hongzhi Tongbao."

But it was useless for those above to understand; those below had to do the work—just like the Wanli land survey and the official evaluation, which were prepared for seven full years—and the Hongzhi dynasty had long since lost the ability to transmit orders from top to bottom.

A few years later, the Hongzhi Emperor decided to check how his currency law was being implemented, and the reply he received was "one or two out of ten minted in various places."

Helpless, the Hongzhi Emperor could only issue a decree to check the coins of the Hongwu, Yongle, and Xuande dynasties stored in the two capitals and the thirteen provincial administration commissions.

It was clearly that minting coins could not continue, and they could only redeem the copper coins minted by their ancestors, hoping to alleviate the sluggishness of the circulation of commercial goods.

This, of course, was useless.

It was not until the Shizong Emperor ascended the throne that he was furious and began to settle old accounts, ordering "the Ministry of Revenue to join the Ministry of Works to check the coins not minted in previous dynasties and mint them all to make up for it."

In the sixth, eighteenth, twenty-third, and thirty-second years of Jiajing, copper coins were issued almost every once in a while; the currency law was given a great boost during the Jiajing dynasty.

It was chaotic again for a few years during the Muzong Emperor's time, mostly because the Muzong Emperor truly had no firm opinions.

The Nanjing Ministry of Revenue said there was a lack of minting capital, so Muzong stopped minting coins.

Subsequently, Tan Lun submitted a memorial saying that minting coins is a good policy for storing wealth; not only should they be minted, but the format should be unified, not using the reign title, but uniformly minted as "Great Ming Tongbao" so that the people could identify and circulate them. The Muzong Emperor thought it made sense, so he ordered 1.2 million in minting capital to be issued.

Subsequently, Zhang Siwei submitted a memorial saying that other emperors used reign titles to mint coins, but this dynasty has no characteristics; is it looking down on our Muzong Emperor?

Muzong thought about it and felt it made sense, so he withdrew the order.

Shanxi Governor Jin Xueyan felt it wouldn't work; he said, is the promised minting of coins just not going to happen? He immediately submitted a memorial saying that it could also be called "Longqing Tongbao."

The Longqing Emperor thought about it and approved it again.

Back and forth until the fourth month of the fourth year of Longqing, Gao Gong finally could not stand it anymore.

Although the old man Gao did not understand the currency law, he knew that unstable policies were not conducive to market confidence, so he submitted a memorial asking the Longqing Emperor "not to allow more talk, confusing the people's eyes and ears"—don't think of one thing after another, making the common people confused.

It was the old man Gao whose words were effective; the Longqing Emperor finally made up his mind and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to mint 2 million "Longqing Tongbao" coins, "and from then on, the currency law was slightly smoother."

Of course, it was only "slightly smoother," barely stabilizing market transactions.

Rampant private minting, arbitrary pricing of official coins, and shoddy work were still a pile of problems.

In the Wanli dynasty, in order to prepare for tax reform, these problems had to be solved; otherwise, the general environment would be problematic, and if tax reform were implemented, it would immediately lead to chaos in the world.

Junior Vice Minister of Revenue Li Youzi could not hold his face and stepped out to ask: "Shen Gelao, may I ask why His Majesty did not take our ministry's proposal?"

Regarding the discussion on the currency law, he presided over the ministry's discussion.

The opinions in the ministry were almost unanimous: "Private coins are circulating, official coins are increasingly blocked; strictly punish the ringleaders, open up reporting and capture, and ban private trafficking." It is not that the current currency law of the Ministry of Revenue is bad, but that it is harmed by private coins; we must use means and catch typical cases.

Hearing this, Shen Shixing turned his head to look at this newly promoted senior official of the Ministry of Revenue and explained politely: "His Majesty said that for fiscal and tax problems in principle, we should try to use fiscal and tax means in the general direction."

The implication is that the Ministry of Revenue's proposal is scratching an itch from outside the boot, only fit to be a supplement, beating the drums for the correct policy.

Li Youzi was speechless.

Seeing this, Vice Minister of Works Wan Gong followed closely and stated his attitude: "Shen Gelao, according to Wan Xiangchun's proposal, the Ministry of Works has calculated it."

"Unifying the format is not difficult; we can unify the three names of gold-backed, fire-lacquered, and spun-edged into 'Great Ming Tongbao,' and just add the reign title on the back."

This is naturally simple; after all, with the format unified, both labor and materials can be saved.

If it weren't for Muzong feeling that this move weakened the reign title, the Ministry of Works would have done it during the Longqing years.

"But the clause on eliminating impurities is truly unreasonable; minting coins according to this, the cost will increase by at least 70%!"

"Now the copper capital in the national treasury is probably unable to support it."

In his view, Wan Xiangchun's proposal is simply out of touch with reality.

In short, this Supervising Secretary believes that the main reason the currency law is not working is that the imperial court's copper coins are too mixed and cheap, and the people do not recognize them and look down on them.

Not only should the format be unified and exquisitely carved, but lead sand should be removed and the copper content increased so that the people will love to use them, and official coins will circulate.

But the former is simple, and the latter is difficult; the national treasury may not be able to bear this cost.

"This is wrong."

A voice rang out, and everyone turned their heads.

It was Minister of War Yin Zhengmao who stepped out to refute.

Don't look at Yin Zhengmao as a commander; he is also an expert in currency law—people at the time joked that after years of corruption, he had entered the path of wealth.

Yin Zhengmao was completely unaware, his belly protruding, and he said with full breath: "Vice Minister Wan, do not try to deceive us. When our dynasty mints silver, let alone the cost increasing by 70%, even if it doubled, the imperial court would still make a profit."

The imperial court has always made a huge profit from minting coins.

During the Jiajing years, Yin Zhengmao participated in a discussion on currency law; at that time, he calculated it himself: with a cost of 390,000 taels of silver, 650 million copper coins could be obtained, worth more than 930,000 taels of silver.

Basically, it was a profit of more than two times and 30%.

Hearing this, Wan Gong was displeased, but this fellow Yin Zhengmao was indeed knowledgeable, and he was blocked for a moment.

At this time, Junior Vice Minister of Personnel Yao Hongmo suddenly spoke to resolve the situation: "Times have changed; in the forty-fifth year of Jiajing, the minting of coins in Yunnan was stopped."

"These years of sporadic copper smelting can barely make ends meet."

"If we follow His Majesty's intention of minting new coins on a large scale, I am afraid we will have to resume mining copper in Yunnan, and the costs of manpower, transport, and banditry by the chieftains will also have to be calculated."

The cost of sourcing materials inland and at the border is naturally much higher.

The two sides went back and forth for several rounds, and neither could convince the other.

For a time, the discussion seemed to be deadlocked.

"Supervising Secretary Wan, you are the initiator; what do you say?"

Wang Xijue suddenly spoke, signaling Wan Xiangchun himself to express his opinion.

As soon as "Little Gao Gong" spoke, the verbal sparring of the crowd stopped immediately, and their gazes gathered on Wan Xiangchun following the Grand Secretary's line of sight.

Wan Xiangchun was no more than thirty-five or thirty-six, with very little hair on his forehead.

He was standing at the end of the rank, and being suddenly the center of attention, he was also startled.

Wan Xiangchun immediately collected his thoughts and stepped out to answer: "Grand Secretary, fellow colleagues, I dare to express my humble opinion... I believe that the imperial court minting coins is not for profit, and we must not skimp on the cost."

This remark was slightly offensive; does considering the cost make me a petty person chasing profit?

Wan Gong immediately pulled a long face.

Fortunately, Wan Xiangchun did not see it.

He paused and continued: "The imperial court minting coins can certainly make a huge profit, but it is ultimately a one-time deal. If the copper coins are rotten and full of lead sand, once they flow into the hands of the people, one official coin will only be worth half a private coin."

"By then, the people will discard official coins like worn-out shoes, and they will eventually become the cost of private minting, which is the root cause of the corruption of the currency law!"

"Only when copper coins circulate throughout the world can they benefit the flow of goods; then, storing wealth among the people and feeding back into tax revenue, a long-term flow, is the right path!"

Having said that, he bowed.

Wang Xijue nodded, not giving others room to interject, and looked straight at Junior Vice Minister of Revenue Li Youzi.

Li Youzi was almost incontinent from this glare—it is well known that he has a kidney deficiency, but he really does not want to bring the nickname "Li Three Pots" to the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

He hurriedly stepped out to respond: "This subordinate will return to the ministry for discussion after the court is dismissed."

Wang Xijue gave a light "hmm" and looked at Wan Gong: "Discuss it together and report it to the Cabinet."

An official one level higher crushes people; Wan Gong bowed helplessly.

Seeing that there was a general direction, Shen Shixing also nodded slightly: "Next matter."

He paused: "Still the currency law."

"Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Rites Fu Zuozhou submitted a memorial that Ministry of Works Main Official Huang Jinshe and Clerk Lei Ruhang were greedy and reckless, using fake coins to replace real ones, causing the currency law to be blocked."

Wan Gong's eyelids could not help but jump.

This matter had reached the court deliberation, and he didn't even know about it!

Shen Shixing's words were naturally picked up by those in the know.

Vice Censor-in-Chief Chen Wude stepped out one step: "Ministry of Works Main Official Huang Jinshe and Clerk Lei Ruhang, involved in corruption and harm, have already been dealt with according to the corruption regulations, dismissed from office and made commoners, and their academic status stripped."

That is to say, it was indeed as Fu Zuozhou submitted; the two officials of the Ministry of Works were heavily involved in corruption regarding the minting of coins.

Considering that their actions ruined the ecology of the currency law, in addition to being dismissed from office, their academic status was also stripped.

This fast process looked like the result of the Emperor's small meetings.

It scared Wan Gong, the senior official, so much that he did not even dare to say a word to protect his subordinates.

Seeing that there was no objection, Shen Shixing continued to the next topic: "Next is the memorial from the Ministry of Revenue, saying that the grain stored for famine relief in various provinces and prefectures is far below the required amount."

The local fiscal and tax retention of this dynasty is not small.

The founding Emperor even established the custom of building famine relief granaries in various prefectures and counties to prepare for famine.

As for now, "far below the required amount" is a euphemism; to put it bluntly, it has basically been emptied out; check one, and you find a fire.

As soon as the words fell, Chen Wude, who had not yet returned to his rank, spoke first: "There are as many famine relief granaries in the world as stars; do not add any more inspections, otherwise, even if you empty out the censorate, you won't be able to finish checking them."

There are not a few famine relief granaries in the Great Ming dynasty; large prefectures store 30,000 shi, medium prefectures 20,000 shi, small prefectures 10,000 shi, and each county is also divided into three grades.

If you check them one by one, you might not be able to finish a round in more than ten years.

There was silence in the hall for a while.

After a long silence, Junior Vice Minister of Revenue and Superintendent of Granaries Fan Yingqi sighed in his heart and stepped out: "Let's just upgrade the level."

"At the county level, there is really no need to store grain; it is better to merge them into the provincial granaries."

"Now, even if there is a disaster, it is all dispatched from the provincial level; the county granaries can be said to exist in name only."

"Moreover, according to the experience of several granaries in the Ministry of Revenue, only from the prefecture level and above, where there are people watching all around, will they restrain themselves a little."

This is not a new idea; someone had proposed it during the Jiajing years.

But after all, it is the livelihood of millions of canal workers; abolishing the reserve granaries in prefectures and counties would offend quite a few people.

It was fine if people were stabbed in the back, but in the end, the method was not adopted.

The imperial court still allowed prefectures and counties to retain land taxes, pouring them in and out of the granaries.

It is precisely because of this that other court officials in the ministries and courts remained silent, waiting for the Ministry of Revenue to speak—this was originally a matter for the Ministry of Revenue to propose; it was just that Wang Guoguang was about to retire, so he only stated the problems and did not offer solutions, throwing the pot to the Zhao Wenhua Hall.

After being deadlocked with Li Youzi for a long time, Fan Yingqi finally couldn't hold back and put on the hat of the initiator.

Shen Shixing looked around, and seeing no one answering, he also pretended and said: "Since this is the case, the Cabinet has no other way, so we will draft the proposal according to Vice Minister Fan's meaning."

Fan Yingqi bowed and returned to his rank.

There are truly quite a few things in the imperial court nowadays.

Looking back ten years, court deliberations often finished dividing the pots in half an hour; now nearly two hours have passed, and the bottom has not yet been seen.

From dredging the Baigou River to facilitate shipping, to the proposal of assimilation brought back after Wen Chun took office in the Southwest.

From the causes and consequences of the civil unrest in Shandong, to Fujian as a pilot, the land survey is nearing its end.

There is governance and chaos, joy and worry.

It was not until the sun climbed almost to the top of the head and the ice cubes placed by the eunuchs in the corner of the Zhao Wenhua Hall melted that the last matter of today's court deliberation was finished.

Shen Shixing looked up at the sky: "Today we shall..."

Just halfway through, Zhang Hong, who was beside the throne, suddenly spoke, cutting off the words: "The Imperial Kitchen will prepare lunch later and send it to the Zhao Wenhua Hall."

Hearing this, the officials were stunned.

The meeting is over; who still wants to stay here and eat the clear soup and light water from the Imperial Kitchen?

However, the court officials in the Zhao Wenhua Hall were all sharp people.

Shen Shixing thought for a moment and asked Zhang Hong: "Does Eunuch Zhang mean that His Majesty is coming to discuss matters later?"

Zhang Hong did not speak, but looked at the side hall to the side.

"His Majesty has indeed handed over a few matters, ordering us to discuss them as soon as possible."

In the Zhao Wenhua Hall, a familiar voice rang out.

The officials were shocked and turned their heads one after another.

I saw a figure who had not been seen for many days, following behind Wei Chao, stepping out from the side hall.

Zhang Juzheng put down his beautiful beard and bowed politely: "I was just reading files and official documents in the side hall; my appearance was abrupt, colleagues, do not blame me."

Everyone suppressed the sudden surprise in their hearts and bowed to greet him one after another.

"Chief Minister!"

"Chief Councilor."

"Zhang Gong."

Zhang Juzheng looked at Shen Shixing first and smiled: "Shen Gelao leading the court deliberation already has a certain demeanor."

Shen Shixing was somewhat at a loss and took half a step back from the leading position.

Only Wang Xijue asked bluntly: "Chief Councilor, have you had an audience with the Sage?"

Didn't the Cabinet Secretary say that the Emperor had no time to summon Zhang Juzheng today?

For the Chief Minister to come to court without an audience after mourning is, to put it seriously, disrespectful to the monarch and father.

Wei Chao finished leading the way and was about to pass through the hall; he did not forget to explain before leaving: "This is His Majesty's instruction."

Zhang Juzheng smiled without saying a word, and everyone nodded in realization.

It is not early now, and it is not the occasion for pleasantries. Zhang Juzheng stood in the position where Shen Shixing had just been and went straight to the point: "His Majesty's imperial edict is concerned with several important matters; everyone, let us discuss them together."

The court officials in the hall heard this and felt that the visitor was not kind, so they lowered their heads and did not speak.

There are quite a few things piled up in the court that have not been sorted out, and all of them have reasons and are extremely tricky.

It must be that the debt collector has come today.

"Chief Minister, please speak."

Wang Zongyi of the Ministry of Rites has never been involved in anything; at this moment, only he was at ease and took the initiative to ask.

Zhang Juzheng looked around at his colleagues in the hall, his gaze lingering on Minister of Justice Pan Cheng, Junior Vice Minister Xu Guo, and Vice Censor-in-Chief Chen Wude: "The first matter, His Majesty asks, have you all reached a result on the Lotus injustice case?"

"Should Nanjing Minister of Justice Weng Dali and Five Cities Military Command Commander Zhang Guowei die?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 241 =====