plumnovel Chapter 016 Chen Boying, You're Finished
Chapter 016 Chen Boying, You're Finished
Chapter 016
Ye Xianggao secretly groaned as he faced the aggressive young emperor.
As the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, there were some things he could do, but he absolutely could not say, especially in the imperial court under the watchful eyes of everyone.
If he dares to utter a single word of dissent, countless officials will immediately impeach him. Benevolent governance and love for the people are the political correctness of the Ming Dynasty. If he dares to say that ancestral rules are more important than the people of the world, countless people will surely throw excrement into his house.
That's not the key point. The key point is that he can't say that ancestral rules are less important than the people of the world. If he says that, he will be seen as an outcast by the purists and will be attacked by the masses.
Despite being the Grand Secretary, second only to the Emperor, the problem is that because of the Donglin Party incident, he has offended countless officials from the Zhejiang, Chu, and Wu factions, who are just waiting for him to make a mistake.
After much deliberation, Ye Xianggao could only bow and say, "Your Majesty, we are pleased with the benefits of agricultural tools. However, rewards should be given in moderation..."
"Spend?"
Zhu Youxiao sneered: "What is 'measure'? Chen Boying built the Tianqi plow and the seed drill, saving countless lives. Doesn't that count as a great contribution to the country?"
"Calculate?"
Ye Xianggao forced a smile and said, "But..."
"Is it too much for me to grant him the title of a hundred-household commander?"
"You were blocking my way from giving him a reward, and now he's created something even better!"
Zhu Youxiao stood up and went to the seeder. He bent down, turned the gears with his fingers, and watched the seeds slide down from the funnel: "How ingenious! The number of teeth and the spacing of the gears have all been calculated. The curvature of the seed tube is to ensure that the seeds fall smoothly without damaging them. This adjusting latch... can change the row spacing in an instant."
He straightened up and looked around at his ministers: "You read the books of sages and preach benevolent governance and love for the people. But the people need to eat, and they depend on the crops in the fields. For the crops to be good, they need good farming tools. As the sages said, 'A craftsman must first sharpen his tools if he wants to do his work well.' Even a soldier understands this principle, yet you disciples of the sages don't?"
Ye Xianggao took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, it is not that we do not value agricultural tools, but we fear that excessive rewards will corrupt the selection system. Today, a craftsman can be appointed as a hundred households, tomorrow a merchant can be appointed as a sub-prefect, and the day after tomorrow..."
That's enough.
Zhu Youxiao interrupted Ye Xianggao. He knew very well that what Ye Xianggao feared was nothing more than opening a loophole, fearing that someone could obtain an official position without taking the imperial examination, thus shaking the foundation of all civil officials in the country.
Zhu Youxiao completely ignored the assembled officials and said coldly, "My decree remains unchanged. Chen Boying is hereby granted the title of 'Number One Craftsman Under Heaven,' and is granted the hereditary title of 'Hundred-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.' He will also be appointed as the Chief Supervisor of the Tianqi Manufacturing Bureau. The Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau will be renamed the Tianqi Manufacturing Bureau, directly under the Imperial Household Department, with all its funds and provisions shared by the Imperial Treasury and the Henan Provincial Treasury."
Ye Xianggao slowly knelt on the ground, gently removed his official hat, and held it in his hands: "Your Majesty, this old minister is old and his eyesight is failing. I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission to retire and return to my hometown..."
This seemed to be a signal, as cabinet vice ministers Zhu Guozuo, Shi Jixie, He Zongyan, and others knelt down to resign.
"you……"
Zhu Youxiao looked at the ministers kneeling on the ground. More than a hundred important officials had resigned. Only Wei Guangwei, who had sided with Wei Zhongxian, and Sun Chengzong did not resign.
Sun Chengzong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a confidential matter to report, please..."
Ye Xianggao was very anxious. He seemed to guess what Sun Chengzong wanted to say at this moment. Sun Chengzong gave Ye Xianggao a reassuring look.
Zhu Youxiao glanced at the silent officials in the hall, then waved his sleeve and said, "You may all leave."
The officials, as if granted a general amnesty, bowed and withdrew.
In fact, apart from Ye Xianggao, no one was truly willing to resign and return to their hometown. They had spent most of their lives trying to get into the central government and gain power.
If you ask them to retire, nine out of ten of them will be devastated.
The so-called resignation was just a performance. Of course, Zhu Youxiao understood this, but he could not directly allow the officials to resign. When it was time to back down, he could only reluctantly accept it.
Only the emperor and Sun Chengzong remained in the hall.
Sun Chengzong walked to the young emperor's side and said gently, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that we should both compromise."
"Master Sun, was I wrong?"
"Your Majesty is not wrong, nor is Minister Jin (Ye Xianggao's courtesy name), but ancestral rules cannot be disobeyed!"
Sun Chengzong was well aware that continuing the stalemate was not a solution. This was not a matter of national importance, nor was it a case of transferring the palace. In fact, even if it were a case of transferring the palace, it would not be considered a major national issue.
It's simply a matter of whether it's Consort Li from the East or Consort Li from the West. Although Consort Wang, Zhu Youxiao's birth mother, was posthumously honored as Empress, Consort Li was nominally the adoptive mother of the Tianqi Emperor. According to the rules of etiquette, Consort Li was Zhu Youxiao's mother, so it was perfectly reasonable to promote her to the rank of Noble Consort. Only in this way could it be proven that Zhu Youxiao was the legitimate son.
Whether it's bestowing the title of "Number One Craftsman in the Land" upon Chen Boying or making him a hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, these are not the real reasons why the officials are stopping Zhu Youxiao. The real reason is the Tianqi Construction Bureau.
This construction bureau, directly under the Imperial Household Department, was the real reason Ye Xianggao opposed it. The Tianqi Construction Bureau was a farce, and once it was officially established, Ye Xianggao, the Grand Secretary, would become a laughing stock.
Even if a Royal Construction Bureau were established, directly under the Imperial Household Department, Ye Xianggao would not object.
"Master Sun, if all the fields in the world used this plow and seed drill, the people would suffer less from hunger. Isn't that right?"
"right!"
Should Uncle Chen be rewarded?
"Should!"
Sun Chengzong lowered his voice and said, "This old minister has heard that Chen Boying is a military household of Guide Guard? And his ancestor was a centurion in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu?"
Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "That's right, but..."
"Your Majesty, this old minister has a compromise!"
Sun Chengzong smiled faintly and said, "The military and political selection will be held in September. Why not let Chen Boying participate?"
In the Ming Dynasty, the hereditary officers of the garrisons had to participate in military and political examinations. The examinations mainly covered horsemanship, infantry, archery, and policy essays, which were practical skills plus basic cultural literacy.
This military and political selection process was completely different from the military examinations and the imperial examinations. It was an internal qualification review within the military officer system, and the examination was relatively lenient.
Zhu Youxiao looked at Sun Chengzong with a puzzled expression and asked, "Master Sun, what do you mean...?"
"Chen Boying will participate in the military and political examinations held by Guide Guard, and will be nominated for the hereditary position of centurion of the Ma Mu Centurion Office. This old minister dares to guarantee that Chen Boying will definitely pass the examinations!"
Sun Chengzong continued, "After the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel issue the appointment letters, the Five Military Commands and the Central Military Command, due to the needs of the situation, will upgrade the Ma Mu Hundred-Household Garrison under the Right Thousand-Household Command of Guide Guard to the Ma Mu Garrison Thousand-Household Garrison, merge the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau into the Ma Mu Garrison Thousand-Household Garrison, and promote Chen Boying to the rank of Fifth-Rank Thousand-Household Commander of the Ma Mu Garrison Thousand-Household Garrison! This old minister further orders the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commands to relocate the Ma Mu Garrison Thousand-Household Garrison to Changping, rename it Shahe Garrison Thousand-Household Garrison, and elevate a mere military household to the hereditary rank of Fifth-Rank Thousand-Household Commander of the Garrison Thousand-Household Garrison, which can be considered a reward for Chen Boying's contribution in making the plow!"
Sun Chengzong is also helpless now. The border affairs in Liaodong are not peaceful, Sichuan and Yunnan are at odds, Henan is suffering from floods, Burma has invaded various parts of Yunnan, the Dutch in Fujian are eyeing the country covetously, and the White Lotus Rebellion has broken out in Shandong. The central government needs to come up with timely response strategies.
The Ming Dynasty cannot allow the Chen Boying incident to disrupt the operation of the country. What Ye Xiang and other officials wanted to uphold was not the ancestral system, but the power of the Ministry of Personnel to appoint and dismiss officials, which is the power of personnel.
Normally, officials of the third rank and above need to consult with the Grand Secretariat and the Emperor. Officials below the third rank have the power of the Ministry of Personnel. Now, Zhu Youxiao wants to take away this power, which infringes on the power of the civil service group.
Sun Chengzong's proposed method for Zhu Youxiao shifted Chen Boying's influence to the garrison area, making the emperor the nominal supreme leader of the army, a fact tacitly accepted by the civil service group.
First, there's the sixth-rank centurion, who is selected through military and political examinations by the various guard posts. Chen Boying conducted the selection within the Guide Guard. All it took was for the Ministry of War to send a minor official to give a hint, and the commander of the Guide Guard would certainly comply, and do it very well.
As for the abolition and establishment of the thousand-household garrisons, this is an internal matter of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions. The increase of a fifth-rank thousand-household garrison does not need to be discussed with the imperial court.
The thousand-household units of the Ming Dynasty were divided into different types, including ordinary, garrison, military and civilian, herding, agricultural, and military garrison units. Among them, the garrison thousand-household units were not subordinate to any of the guards, but were directly subordinate to the Regional Military Commission. This organization was similar to a directly subordinate regiment or an independent regiment.
Zhu Youxiao was well aware that he was not a qualified emperor and did not understand the principles of governing a country.
But he understood wood, mechanisms, and how much effort a good tool could save and how much harvest it could increase. Chen Boying, far away in Henan, seemed to understand this even better than him.
However, continuing to contend with the civil officials now would likely have dire consequences. More importantly, he was worried that the civil officials might take risks and cause Chen Boying to die suddenly, which would be unacceptable to Zhu Youxiao.
Although Sun Chengzong's proposal did not completely satisfy him, it basically satisfied him. Chen Boying was promoted from a military household to a fifth-rank garrison commander and was also put in charge of the construction bureau, which was able to continuously create new things.
"Let's do as Master Sun says!"
"I obey your decree!"
……
In late July of the third year of the Tianqi reign, half a month had passed since Chen Ying adopted thirty-five sons and daughters. Chen Ying also sent a marriage certificate to the Song family and formally accepted betrothal gifts from the Song family on July 16.
The betrothal ceremony was the fourth of the six rites, also known as the grand betrothal ceremony. Chen Shiyou's betrothal gift to the Song family was: "Sixty-six taels of gold and silver, four bolts of Shu brocade, four bolts of Lu silk, a pearl crown (in place of red gold with a pearl), two pig shoulders, and two bushels of fine millet!"
In fact, during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty, it was stipulated that the betrothal gifts of ordinary families should not exceed fifty taels of silver. In practice during the early Ming Dynasty, this was the standard for ordinary families' betrothal gifts.
However, by the late Ming Dynasty, almost no one followed this standard, and the court did not care. In fact, ordinary people paid taxes in auspicious amounts of six, eight, or sixteen taels of silver.
Of course, this is not always the case. For example, the Song family was actually a scholarly family. Their ancestors had produced Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and high-ranking officials such as the Minister of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty. They were not ordinary people.
Although Chen was a military household member, he was not too stingy and worried about being looked down upon, so he took the initiative to increase the gift money to sixty-six taels of silver.
Based on Chen Ying's current salary as the Consul General of the Yongcheng Construction Bureau, he only receives one and a half shi of grain per month, which is equivalent to only one tael and eight mace of silver. This is equivalent to him not eating or drinking for thirty-six months.
Throughout history, marriage has never been a trivial matter. With the betrothal gifts completed, he only had two steps left: setting the wedding date and welcoming the bride. As usual, Chen Ying inspected the construction bureau, resolving any problems he encountered.
Behind him were eight children, all dressed in matching indigo short-sleeved shirts. These shirts were hastily made by Song Yanniang and her older adopted daughters; though the stitching was rough, they were thoroughly washed.
"Godfather, these are grapes sent by Godmother. They're chilled, please have a taste..."
"Godfather, wipe your sweat!"
"Godfather, this is iron material sent from Xia Yi. Please take a look..."
Now that Chen Ying has adopted these children, his first feeling is that he is much more relaxed. Now every morning when he gets up, the water for washing his face is brought to him and the towel is laid out. When it's time to eat, he doesn't have to queue up, and the meals prepared by the family are brought to him every day.
He even lived the life of a feudal landlord, with food served to him and clothes provided for him; he didn't even have to wash his own feet.
Is this what the feudal era was like?
Chen Ying gradually grew to like this era. It was the best of times for capitalists, where no wages were paid, only meals were provided, and a large number of free laborers came to work.
There was no need to worry about the workers shirking their duties; they were all very serious and afraid of being kicked out. Overtime pay was nonexistent. Chen Ying even used his overtime hours to process twenty-two horizontal knives.
These were all side jobs, and also Chen Ying's extra income. There was no other way; he needed to feed thirty-five people. Although the Ming Dynasty was technologically backward and life was hard, he was the one who had the final say in supervising the manufacture of agricultural tools in Yongcheng.
Respected by more than a thousand craftsmen, almost all of whom regarded him as their benefactor, and the children regarded him as their father and master, this complete trust gave rise to a strange sense of satisfaction in Chen Ying's heart.
"The feudal era was wonderful!"
"Commander Chen!"
Chen Ying turned around and looked at Li Xiaojie. Seeing Li Xiaojie's smug expression, he immediately realized something was wrong: "Supervisor Li, what is it?"
Li Xiaojie said with a forced smile, "The county magistrate requests your presence!"
"knew!"
As Chen Ying reached the door, Li Xiaojie whispered, "Chen Boying, you're finished..."
Li Xiaojie was the head of the workshop in Yongcheng County, and by his job, he should have been the primary person in charge of craftsmanship. However, Uncle Chen had taken his job. He had always wanted to deal with Chen Ying, and finally, he found his opportunity.
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