ps: Please do not subscribe to this chapter! I'm no longer sweating profusely, and my cough has lessened, but my head on the left side has started to hurt! I just want to ask the experts, especially Kenjiro Bunko, who appears once in several hundred or thousand years, why this illness, which is said to be no different from a common cold or a severe cold, can bother me for more than half a month without getting better! Damn it!
There is a folk saying in the Great Ming that there are four kinds of tightness: a new lock, new shoes, soaking wet hemp rope, and a screw cap. However, compared to the hand of Liu Huaiwen, the Minister of Revenue of the Great Ming, holding his money bag, these four kinds of tightness are not even comparable to "a maiden's waist, a cotton bag, a ripe persimmon, and a willow branch," which are said to be the four kinds of looseness.
In the Great Ming, it has always been Liu the Miser who takes silver from others and puts it into the national treasury, but no one has ever been able to get silver from him. Even Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, has to curry favor with Liu the Miser to transfer some funds from the national treasury.
Now, Zeng Cheng looks at Liu Huaiwen, naturally wanting to see what color Liu Huaiwen's face is. If it's a normal color, it means Liu the Miser is willing to take money out of the national treasury. Then, whether or not those short and ugly Japanese people can spread leprosy to the Great Ming, Zeng Cheng, the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, doesn't need to worry too much. If Liu the Miser's face is not right, it means Liu the Miser is unwilling to take money out of the national treasury, and Zeng Cheng, the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming, will likely be troubled by Japan spreading leprosy to the Great Ming.
However, what Zeng Cheng did not expect was that Minister Liu Huaiwen actually had a smile on his face! After hearing the news that those short and ugly Japanese people might spread leprosy to the Great Ming, and after hearing that the Five Military Commissions might take action against Japan, Minister Liu Huaiwen actually smiled!
For a moment, Zeng Cheng couldn't tell whether his old eyes were mistaken or if Minister Liu Huaiwen had gone mad from these two money-consuming news items!
After confirming multiple times that his eyes had no problem, Zeng Cheng couldn't help but comfort Liu Huaiwen: "Minister Liu, the expenses this time should not be too much. The national treasury..."
Liu Huaiwen looked at Zeng Cheng with a bewildered expression and retorted unceremoniously: "Not too much? How can that be? The money that should be spent must be spent, whether it's because of this leprosy matter or because we are going to attack Japan, this money must be spent! The national treasury has money!"
This time, it wasn't just Zeng Cheng who was confused, even Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, couldn't help but straighten up with a "whoosh," walked quickly to Liu Huaiwen's side, grabbed Liu Huaiwen's hand, and said, "Uncle Huaiwen, it's not a big deal if the imperial treasury pays for it this time. You can rest for a few days, but don't overwork yourself."
Liu Hemeng also said in a low voice: "Actually... actually, attacking Japan doesn't cost much money, Minister Liu, you..."
This time, it was Liu Huaiwen's turn to be bewildered.
Liu Huaiwen forcefully pulled his hands out of the Emperor Zhu's grasp, counted on his fingers, and after calculating, said, "I'm not senile yet! I just calculated that if the Five Military Commissions attack Japan, it will require about five hundred million Long Yuan in military expenses, and the cost of completely blocking the import of leprosy from all regions will be around one billion Long Yuan."
Hearing Liu Huaiwen's rough calculation, Liu Hemeng's voice dropped by another three points: "Actually... actually, it's not impossible to save."
However, what Liu Hemeng did not expect was that Liu Huaiwen actually glared fiercely at Liu Hemeng: "Save what? In the years I've been in charge of the national treasury, I wouldn't dare say 'the national treasury's money is accumulated in immense quantities, corroding through and beyond reckoning,' nor would I dare say 'the granaries' grain is piled up year after year, overflowing and exposed outside, to the point of being rotten and inedible,' but it's still easy to come up with fifteen hundred million Long Yuan."
After boasting about himself with pride, Liu Huaiwen turned his gaze to Emperor Zhu Jinsong again: "It's just that the national treasury can produce fifteen hundred million Long Yuan banknotes, but it cannot produce fifteen hundred million taels of silver. Coincidentally, Japan has the Iwami silver mine..."
When Liu Huaiwen finished speaking, the Emperor Zhu, who had been looking worried just moments ago, awkwardly snorted and then paced back to the dragon throne. The worries on the faces of others such as Zeng Cheng and Liu Hemeng also disappeared. Some even subtly shifted their steps, trying to distance themselves from Liu Huaiwen.
They had heard of shameless people, but they had never heard of anyone as shameless as Liu Huaiwen. Was he genuinely willing to contribute money to support the blockade of leprosy transmission, or was he genuinely willing to contribute money to support the Five Military Commissions in eradicating Japan?
Neither, in fact.
Liu the Miser was thinking about Japan's Iwami silver mine and the Karyo gold mine from beginning to end!
Damn it!
What can the Shogunate do if those good and lowly people of Japan are hiding around the Ming merchants?
If they anger those Ming merchants and provoke them to draw their swords and confront the Shogunate, it will be the Shogunate that suffers in the end!
Thinking more and more, Tokugawa Ienari frowned and asked, "Have you negotiated with those Ming merchants? Aren't they afraid of contracting leprosy?"
In an era where patients with rolled-up trousers are rampant in later generations, the dogs raised by the Eagle of the Barbarians always use "Why is this country like this, it's the system" to make trouble.
The problem is that Emperor Zhu himself is trapped in the question of "system."
What path should the Great Ming take?
Should it adopt the so-called three-branch separation of powers and freedom system of Europe?
In fact, such an idea can only be thought of. If this kind of practice is implemented in the Central Plains court, it would be a great death.
Analyzing the specific reasons in depth is too complex, but in the final analysis, it all comes down to the word "interest."
You choose.
In fact, this is why Europeans and the Eagle of the Barbarians are generally broad-minded.
Because Europe has never had a truly unified dynasty, and the barbarians are accustomed to the mentality of small countries and small populations, and are also accustomed to small court systems.
The Bear is similar – is Bolshevism good? Yes! The key is that human beings have desires!
This kind of practice is of course not a problem in normal times, as it seems to be the case with the people in the Central Plains court, and there appears to be no difference.
However, once disasters like the Little Ice Age occur frequently, or when the people truly cannot survive, the difference between large and small courts becomes apparent.
The Eagle of the Barbarians is not much better than Europe, otherwise, student Bai Zhenhua would not have ascended the throne, nor would the great joke of the internal conflict in the Eagle of the Barbarians starting with the Second Mao have occurred.
However, Bolshevism, which is also a large court system, may not be usable if directly transplanted.
There is a huge hidden danger in directly copying the set of Bolshevism, which is that the Great Ming does not currently have the environmental conditions for that set of theories to survive.
Of course, it cannot be said that this set of theories is wrong, because all countries in the world propagate it.
Is it not much better to strive for the merit of eliminating the rebels with the dragon than to serve those peasant rebels wholeheartedly?
At that time, the Central Plains court had not yet experienced the pain of imminent national extinction.
Especially as the emperor gradually delegated power, the cabinet could directly replace the emperor's role.
Because Emperor Zhu directly clarified the political status of the cabinet.
This is actually quite funny. When Emperor Zhu the Fourth created the cabinet, he treated the cabinet ministers as secretaries. Later, after the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong, the cabinet's power gradually increased.
However, despite the power, the rank of the cabinet ministers who could lead the six ministries was not high. The so-called leadership of the six ministries was also not legitimate or proper, and they were also subject to the supervision of the Directorate of Ceremonials.
Now, Emperor Zhu has clarified the rank and responsibilities of the cabinet. The Grand Secretary of the cabinet is of the first rank, the other several assistant ministers are of the first rank below the main, and the ministers of the various ministries are of the second rank.
Correspondingly, the original six ministries of the Great Ming and the later added Ministry of Poverty and the Ministry of Railways, which was upgraded from the Railway Department, and a large number of other ministries are all clearly placed under the management of the cabinet. Besides the Grand Secretary, the remaining six cabinet members are each responsible for a specific area, with responsibilities clearly assigned to individuals.
Parallel to the cabinet is the Five Military Commissions. The Grand Secretary of the cabinet can inquire about matters related to the military commissions, but only to inquire; they can ask, but they do not have the power to decide. The decision-making power of the military commissions rests with the Grand Military Commissioner.
There is nothing to say about the Censorate. Their main responsibility is to criticize. The Emperor and all civil and military officials are targets they must monitor.
However, the Censorate is not managed by the cabinet. The only entity that can manage the Censorate is the Bureau of Censors. Alongside it is the Court of Judicial Scrutiny. These two agencies are not managed by the cabinet but are directly responsible to the emperor. Among the Bureau of Censors, some censors in the capital are responsible for criticism, while the rest are responsible for the duty of inspection. The Court of Judicial Scrutiny is responsible for both trial and judgment.
The final interpretation of the Great Ming Law rests with the Ministry of Justice.
In short, there are all sorts of messy departments, and their responsibilities are clear. They must not only support each other but also restrain each other.
Basically, it can be said that the emperor is useless, but the emperor is also indispensable. Emperor Zhu can directly bypass the cabinet and the Five Military Commissions to do anything he wants. However, future emperors after Emperor Zhu, apart from supervising and having the right to change the prime minister, will basically be unable to intervene in political affairs.
Want to regain power by changing the prime minister?
First, the Embroidered Uniform Guard must find evidence of the Grand Secretary's crime, and then the Censorate must initiate impeachment, and the Court of Judicial Scrutiny must convict. Only by completing this process can the prime minister be changed. If any step in this process cannot be completed, the Grand Secretary cannot be changed.
The tenure of the Grand Secretary and the cabinet ministers is fixed, calculated from the date of entry into the cabinet, five years per term, with a maximum of two terms. This is a strict iron rule directly set by Emperor Zhu, which cannot be changed at all.
In addition, the Great Ming Law emphasizes that anything not prohibited by law is permissible, and a large number of policies for suppressing clans and wealthy merchants have been established. The protection of ordinary people is reflected not only in the law but also in the fact that farmers' associations also bear part of the responsibility.
This puts the national system of the Great Ming in a very delicate state: it appears very beautiful, almost a model of a virtual monarch. Apart from the emperor, everything else can be considered democratic and free, and it can even be said to be operating with near-perfect efficiency.
However, Emperor Zhu knows very well that this kind of perfection is basically nonsense.
Even the set of systems used by rabbits is not flawless!
Whether it was the tearful execution of two Ma Su in the past, or later the wealthy not willing to lead the poor to wealth and even wanting to extend their hands into the court, these are objective facts!
This is why Emperor Zhu has been delegating power to the court but has never relaxed the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the censors – the officials of the Great Ming do not have such high moral character! If they are slightly relaxed, they can create huge problems!
Thinking of this, Emperor Zhu couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly.
No matter how hard he tries, he is not a god, how can he solve such long-standing problems?
After a self-deprecating smile, Emperor Zhu directly said: "What I need to say today is very simple. First, we must get rid of those scoundrels. Since they are unwilling to live a good life, let's throw them into construction sites to endure hardship. Especially those who are rampant in their villages and have committed illegal acts, let's directly take them to the firing squad."
"The second thing is about those factory owners who are unwilling to make money honestly but think of oppressing the people. Those who should be killed should be killed, and those who should be exiled should be exiled. The longer they are allowed to live freely, the more people will suffer from their harm."
"And those officials who jump out and court death, I don't need to say more about how to deal with them, right?"
The assembled Zeng Cheng, Liu Hemeng, and other important officials all know that when Emperor Zhu refers to himself as "We" (咱), there are usually no major problems. However, outside of the grand court meetings, once he uses the word "I" (朕), it usually means he has the intention to kill.
After Zeng Cheng and Liu Hemeng and other important officials bowed in assent, Emperor Zhu then turned his gaze to Zeng Cheng: "Minister Zeng, you have been prime minister for almost thirty years now, haven't you?"
This former prefect of the Great Qing, who voluntarily defected to Emperor Zhu during the Liangshan campaign, became the Grand Secretary of the Great Ming in the first year of Emperor Zhu's reign due to his abilities and his comprehension and execution speed of Emperor Zhu's various instructions. It has been twenty-six years now. The reason for this situation is not that Zeng Cheng is reluctant to resign or that Emperor Zhu insisted on keeping Zeng Cheng to break his own rules, but that Emperor Zhu set this rule when it was already the twentieth year of the "Sacred Emperor" period, as the common people say.
That is to say, Zeng Cheng, as the Grand Secretary, can still serve for another four years, and then he must honestly step down from the position of Grand Secretary. After that, he cannot hold any other positions with real power and can only honestly stay in the capital or return to his hometown to retire.
Of course, the Great Ming has always treated its meritorious officials well. Although he is no longer the Grand Secretary, all his benefits are still calculated as if he were the Grand Secretary, and he will even be granted a noble title.
Heavenly Emperor's Noble Lineage reminds you: please remember to collect after reading.