Chapter 22: Facts and Truth, Learning from Others
After being persuaded to ascend the throne at the morning court, Zhu Yijun left early, which was rare for him.

The reason is simple: today is the day for the palace cleaning at Ciqing Palace.

Starting tonight, Zhu Yijun will move into the Qianqing Palace.

The Qianqing Palace has been cleaned up these days, and the coffin of the late emperor that has been kept in the Qianqing Palace will be moved to another palace today.

Similarly, all the belongings in the Ciqing Palace would be collected one by one, and either sealed up as holy relics or taken to the Qianqing Palace.

"This jacket is no longer wearable. Why did you bring it to the Qianqing Palace?" Concubine Li looked at Zhu Yijun in confusion.

Zhu Yijun took the jacket from Concubine Li and stroked it in his hands.

"This coat was sewn by my mother herself. Whenever I wear it, I feel loving warmth. Even if I can't wear it, it's good for warming my feet at night."

He skillfully used the killer move of mother-son affection to conquer Concubine Li.

Concubine Li reached out and pinched her son's face, and said softly, "It's still early in winter, I'll make it for you again this year."

After saying this, she still ordered the palace maid to seal up the jacket.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Thank you, mother."

Concubine Li felt warm in her heart, but she couldn't show it on her face, so she simply pointed to another pile of items and asked, "Should my son seal these things up or take them to the Qianqing Palace?"

Zhu Yijun looked in the direction he was looking.

There were actually a bunch of toys for children, such as spinning tops, mechanisms and the like.

Most of them were presented by the young eunuchs at the behest of someone, but Zhu Yijun hadn't even looked at them recently and almost forgot about them.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "My mind is full of the nine provinces and I have no time to play with these things anymore."

Concubine Li nodded with satisfaction and ordered the palace servants to seal it up.

"Let's go and take a look at the Qianqing Palace with mother."

After saying that, he took Zhu Yijun's hand and left Ciqing Palace.

As soon as she went out, she saw Feng Bao and his men coming to greet her with a sedan chair: "Madam, the master."

Just as Concubine Li was about to speak, Zhu Yijun pulled Concubine Li's hand and said, "Mother, we haven't walked together for a while. Why not take a walk?"

As a mother, she naturally agreed to her son's words. Concubine Li looked at Feng Bao and said, "Feng Dayong, please withdraw the sedan chair. I want to go for a walk with my son."

Feng Bao quickly signaled, withdrew the sedan chair, arranged for people to clear the way in front, and followed the two men respectfully.

It's just the beginning of summer and the weather is not too hot yet.

Both mother and son were wearing casual clothes and walking slowly in the Forbidden City.

The imperial city was majestic and magnificent, and the roads were wide and clean. The two of them chatted, occasionally making Concubine Li cover her mouth and laugh, enjoying the rare family happiness.

Zhu Yijun turned around and said casually, "Feng Daban, please stay away. I want to talk to my mother about something private, and I don't want you to hear it."

Feng Bao originally pretended to be nobody and followed behind with his ears perked up, but was suddenly called out. He was stunned for a moment, but did not move. Instead, he looked at Concubine Li.

Concubine Li was in high spirits, and upon hearing this, she casually waved her hand, signaling him to stay away.

Feng Bao had no choice but to slow down.

Zhu Yijun was relieved when he saw him retreat.

He looked at Concubine Li, and then said, "I have said so much. If you have any worries, you can tell me. I have learned a lot from you recently!"

Concubine Li shook her head in amusement: "As long as you study hard and cultivate your virtue, mother will not have any worries. Even if there are, they are political affairs. You won't understand even if I tell you."

Zhu Yijun was not convinced and said, "How come I don't understand? Is mother worried about the performance evaluation system and the Ministry of Revenue's refusal to pay 100,000 taels of silver into the treasury?"

Concubine Li looked at him in surprise.

I couldn't help but ask with curiosity: "Oh? Even so, what do you want to tell your mother?"

Concubine Li did not get angry when the matter of her edict being rejected was mentioned. Instead, she was interested in seeing what Zhu Yijun thought.

In fact, the matter has been sorted out in the past few days.

Firstly, the previous emperor repeatedly took money from the Taicang Treasury and the Guanglu Temple Treasury and never returned it, failing to distinguish between public and private matters, so he was not in the right.

Secondly, the current Ministry of Revenue is really stretched to the limit.

The late emperor passed away suddenly, and both the mausoleum and the ceremony required a sudden increase in expenses. In addition, it was the summer flood season of the Yellow River, and a batch of funds were taken away by the Ministry of Works, not to mention the military pay and salaries that were owed before.

This time Gao Gong stepped forward to block the hand extended from the palace, and it was not just his idea alone. He also obtained the support or acquiescence of almost half of the court officials from the Ministry of Works, Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, and Ministry of Revenue.

Concubine Li knew the seriousness of the matter and did not make a big deal out of it.

Zhu Yijun now has the Jinyiwei as his eyes and ears, so these things naturally could not be hidden from him.

He considered it for a moment, found a good entry point, and said slowly: "Let's talk about the silver first."

"Mother is a kind and loving elder. She will not covet the 100,000 taels. She is afraid that this will become a regular practice, causing the power of the treasury to be repeatedly eroded, and she will not be able to pass on a full treasury to me, right?"

Regardless of whether it is right or not, let's first put on a high hat and then distort the thinking - leaving aside the fact that the Ministry of Personnel withheld money, if you ask me how to fill the treasury, I do have an idea.

Concubine Li thought about it and felt that even if she was a little interested in the silver, the rest were mostly the same. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded.

Zhu Yijun said calmly, "If you want to fill the treasury... Mother, I have a way to achieve the best of both worlds."

Concubine Li was startled: "Best of both worlds?"

Zhu Yijun paused, and in the puzzled look of Concubine Li, he said: "Mother, I will explain it to you with an example."

"Mother, do you know how much the palace spent on tribute tea last year?"

Although Concubine Li was in a high position, she didn't pay much attention to these things. She still replied carefully before saying, "Fourteen thousand kilograms?"

This was mentioned by the late emperor when they were chatting casually. It seemed that the tribute tea was limited to this number and could not be more.

It includes rewards, sacrifices, the Ministry of Revenue, and Nanjing.

Zhu Yijun shook his head: "Mother, last year, it was a full 80,000 kilograms."

Concubine Li was stunned: "Eighty thousand kilograms? How can the palace use so much!?"

Zhu Yijun sighed, "Mother, during the Hongwu reign of Emperor Taizu, the tribute of tea was only 4,000 kilograms. Emperor Taizu thought it was a burden for the people, so he set up 500 tea growers, exempted them from labor service, and let them focus on production. This is the so-called official garden and official roasting."

"But apart from these official orchards and roasted products, the rest are produced by orchard owners in each province, and then levied at 6 cents per pound into the treasury."

"When the Emperor was alive, the quota was 14,000 kilograms, but according to the accounts of the Imperial Household Department, the amount of tea used in the inner treasury has actually increased year by year. Last year, it reached 80,000 kilograms a year!"

"This extra 60,000 jin is actually 36,000 taels of silver!"

Zhu Yijun glanced at the palace maids and eunuchs behind him.

Concubine Li was not a fool. She immediately understood that many people in the palace had taken advantage of this.

If each person shares some of the profit from the extra tea, the remaining profit will be several times greater.

She was silent for a moment before she said, "No wonder the treasury is always short of money."

Concubine Li did not mention a thorough investigation of the matter. She couldn't investigate everything. What if she really found something?

Since she could point out that officials in our dynasty make a living by corruption, she naturally would not have any expectations of eunuchs.

But she didn't expect the number to be so exaggerated!
She accepted that the palace maids and eunuchs took 20%, or even 30%, but she never expected... that... it was her family that took 20%!
One tribute tea contains 36,000 taels of water. What about gold flowers, banknotes, millet, silk, tea, wax, and pigments?

The millions of taels of silver that flow into the imperial treasury every year are all spent completely!

Zhu Yijun nodded: "Mother, it's not just that, this is just a secret."

"And there are also all kinds of calligraphy and paintings in Wenyuan Pavilion, rare copies, I'm afraid half of them have been replaced with fakes now."

"The brave ones just stole it."

He glanced at Feng Bao out of the corner of his eye. The modern treasure "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" in the collection of the Palace Museum still has the private seal of Feng Dayong.

It was blatantly written on it: "Although they are as valuable as the Sui pearls and jade, they are truly rare in the world and you should treasure them." This shows how rampant the deception was.

Concubine Li became more and more silent, and only then did she realize that it was not easy to manage this family.

Zhu Yijun struck while the iron was hot: "If this continues, even if mother pressures the Ministry of Revenue and sends money to the treasury every year, it will not be enough for the people below to share, and we will be labeled as evil people."

"Mother, I will tell you later about the Ministry of Revenue intercepting the treasury's financial resources. I just want to say that if you want to fill the treasury, you really should cut back."

His tone was slow and persuasive.

But Concubine Li suddenly realized something, and she asked in confusion: "How does my son know these things?"

She frowned and asked, "Who is gossiping about the palace in private?"

Even she didn't know these things, so how come her ignorant son knew them all?
The court debates, tea laws, and book thefts mentioned just now involve all aspects of the Ministry of Revenue, Guanglu Temple, and the inner court. I don't think anyone would mention them casually.

Could it be Gao Gong...

Concubine Li was afraid that it was an outsider who was bewitching her son, so she sent him to act as a lobbyist.

Zhu Yijun did not answer this question directly.

Instead, he shook his head calmly with a firm expression, "Mother, the Book of Changes says that if a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his subjects. Since I am a ruler and have been trusted by my subjects, I must not be discreet. I apologize for not being able to answer your question, mother."

If one really wants to imitate the Overlord and say "These are the words of Zuo Sima Cao Wushang", then he would be crazy.

As a leader, you should be able to do your job.

Concubine Li's expression immediately turned gloomy.

Zhu Yijun saw that Concubine Li looked unhappy, but he did not back down at all.

He held Concubine Li's hand tightly, and said earnestly, "Mother, I am the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

Concubine Li's eyes narrowed.

Her son's reaction was completely beyond her expectations.

In a trance, the image of the timid and weak son who admitted his mistakes in a crying voice gradually became blurred, and was replaced by the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty who was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside and spoke in a firm tone.

Before this, she just felt that her son was gradually becoming wise, calm, kind, filial and intelligent, which made her happy.

Now, he suddenly realized how the eunuchs in the inner court and the ministers outside would react when they saw the new monarch in this state.

Is this what people want? Is this what everyone wants?
She was totally caught off guard that someone had secretly formed a team of loyal followers right under her nose.

If her son was a failure, she would be anxious. Now that her son has suddenly become sensible, she still feels very complicated.

She suddenly understood some of what Empress Chen felt as she watched her mother in the harem.

After thinking about it for a long time, Concubine Li still couldn't be marinated by power. She finally softened her expression and simply passed over the matter: "My son has really grown up."

Zhu Yijun breathed a sigh of relief.

He might have intended this as a test, but it was also a way to give Concubine Li a shot of prevention.

If he gets a taste of power and can't control himself, the situation will be difficult. Fortunately, looking at the current situation, he can still keep clear mind.

Seeing that Concubine Li had softened her attitude, he immediately grabbed Concubine Li's hand and said, "Mother, I will be able to serve you better when I grow up."

Concubine Li looked at her spoiled son and shook her head helplessly: "Go on, what does this cost-cutting have to do with the performance evaluation system? How can we have the best of both worlds?"

Zhu Yijun also tactfully passed over the matter: "Mother, the performance evaluation system may not only be used for civil and military officials."

The performance evaluation system not only urges officials to complete their tasks, but also has a natural anti-corruption function.

Zhang Juzheng's performance evaluation system was to have the six ministries and the Censorate be responsible for registering the deadlines for their officials to complete tasks and to establish three account books.

These ledgers recorded the expected completion date of each task, with one copy kept in the six ministries and the Censorate, one copy sent to the six departments, and the last copy submitted to the cabinet.

According to the account book records, the six ministries and the Censorate are required to check the officials' completion of tasks on a monthly basis. Each completed task must be recorded, and unfinished tasks must be reported truthfully, otherwise they will be punished.

It seems to have little to do with anti-corruption, but in fact, it has two functions, namely clear division of powers and responsibilities, and archiving of receipts!
That is, job division and ledger records.

With these two things, we can ensure that there are traces to be found above and people below can be held accountable.

Didn’t we use 60,000 kilograms more of tribute tea?
Who is responsible for all this? Where did all the money go?
In the past, the management was chaotic and there were no records or ways to check.

Once the evaluation results are out and the responsibilities and powers are clearly defined, we can immediately sort out who is responsible for the matter and who is swimming naked will be immediately exposed, making it impossible to shirk responsibility.

Similarly, with a ledger, every transfer and use can be traced, and it is clear at a glance how much was used by whom and the difference.

Whether or not to hold someone accountable if something goes wrong is a matter of one word.

This is the sword hanging over the heads of all officials, and it is also one of the reasons why there is so much resistance today.

Even if this method cannot be said to be perfect, it has at least taken the first step in the fight against corruption and the management of officials in terms of the system. As for what will happen next... taking too big a step may easily lead to setbacks.

That's enough. The rectification of officialdom has never been completed. As long as he is alive, this matter will not stop.

The devil is one foot high, the Tao is two feet high, and the devil is three feet high, and it will spiral upward.

Concubine Li immediately responded: "You want to implement the performance evaluation system in the palace as well!?"

Zhu Yijun shook his head.

If you play like this in the core departments, you don’t know when you will be strangled to death in your sleep, so of course you have to play supporting roles first.

He considered and said, "Mother, this matter is too harsh for the inner court. If it is spread rashly, it will be detrimental to your virtue."

"Mother is afraid of causing trouble. The child is here to share her worries. How can I add to her burden?"

This is also what Concubine Li is concerned about.

She was hesitant even about the performance evaluation system in the outer court, so how could she agree to implement it in the palace?

Therefore, Zhu Yijun needed to dispel her doubts.

She asked in confusion, "What does my son mean?"

Zhu Yijun said slowly: "Mother, I have an idea."

"First, this matter is too big to be carried out hastily. We might as well try it out in one or two places for a while and proceed step by step."

Concubine Li asked: "How to proceed step by step?"

Zhu Yijun answered frankly: "Outside the palace, the performance evaluation system will be implemented within Shuntian Prefecture, and other places will not be involved for the time being."

"In the palace, let's take the Needlework Bureau as an example and give it to Zhang Hong to take charge. With mother watching, we can also see if it is effective, so as not to be deceived by foreign officials."

"It would be good for the child to learn how to supervise and gain some experience."

"Although it takes a little longer, it will not only help us summarize our shortcomings and mistakes, but also help us accumulate a group of experienced people to facilitate future work."

"If it doesn't work, stop it immediately. If it works, it can save money for the treasury."

Concubine Li has always liked to compromise.

If it came to extending the performance evaluation system to the two capitals and thirteen provinces, she might be hesitant.

But if she was limited to the small needlework bureau and Shuntian Prefecture, she would be much more accepting.
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　Note 1: "(During the Hongwu period) the tribute tea was more than tea leaves from all over the country. The tribute from Jianning, Fujian was the best quality, with names such as Tanchun, Xianchun, Cichun, Zisun and Jianxin. In the past, the tea leaves were picked and crushed, and pressed with silver plates to make large and small dragon balls. Taizu stopped making tea leaves because it was a burden on the people, and only ordered the tea buds to be picked and presented to the emperor, and households were required to pay tribute to the emperor. All tribute tea was provided according to the quota, and the details were not recorded." - "History of Ming Dynasty, Volume , Food and Goods "

　　Note 2: Regarding the price of tea, please refer to Gu Yan’s “Tribute Tea Monument” and “Cixi County Annals·Volume ”.

　　Note 3: The content of the Qingming Shanghe Tu privately engraved by Feng Bao is: In my spare time as an imperial attendant, I read books and saw the Qingming Shanghe Tu by Zhang Zeduan of the Song Dynasty. The exquisiteness of the figures, the wonderfulness of the trees, boats and vehicles, the market bridges and villages are all masterpieces, and it is like a real scene in front of my eyes. I feel refreshed. It is as precious as a pearl from the Sui Dynasty, but it is really a rare treasure in the world! It should be treasured. - Imperial Envoy, Governor-General of the East Factory, Official School Office and Imperial Supervisor, Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, Shuanglin of Zhenyang, Feng Bao.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)