Chapter 23 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Twenty-Three) The Rebellious Son of a Farmer...
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Xiang proposed the "government monopoly of mountains and seas" policy. At that time, the main products of mountains and seas were salt and iron. Guan Xiang proposed that the government monopolize the operation, control the benefits of mountains and seas, implement a salt and iron monopoly, and incorporate taxes into prices so that people could not avoid paying taxes, but did not feel that they were being taxed.
The current Dali Dynasty still practices the policy of non-interference adopted by the former emperor, focusing on recuperation and development, opening up private enterprises, and continuing to adopt a laissez-faire policy towards salt and iron industries. This has led to many officials engaging in salt and iron business in private, and even a random third-rank official is richer than Emperor Shunyuan.
Having a clear idea, Song Ce began to write "Salt and Iron Policies" in a very detailed and freehand style on the draft.
The article begins with some background information before introducing the government's control over the salt and iron industries, establishing a monopoly. The most important point is that salt and iron officials must be appointed in salt-producing areas to directly manage the production and sale of salt and iron. The monopoly and acquisition of salt must also be conducted under government supervision. Salt is produced by salt farmers, but the government must set prices, purchase, transport, and sell it. Iron, on the other hand, is subject to government control over all aspects, including iron ore mining, smelting, and iron casting. Strict prohibitions are placed on private iron casting and salt sales.
In closing, Song Ce simply presented Emperor Shunyuan with a calculation: Taking the entire Dali Dynasty as an example, if the registered population was 50 million, and assuming that only 5 million out of 10 were taxpayers, even if every single one of them paid their monthly tax, averaging about 40 coins per person, the Dali Dynasty's monthly tax revenue would only be 200 million coins. If salt were nationalized, with an additional 1 coin per liter, and salt sales based on household registration, the monthly revenue would be 50 million coins. If the price increased by 2 coins per liter, the monthly revenue would be an additional 100 million coins, far exceeding the income from the high monthly tax of 40 coins per person. Furthermore, excessive taxation easily incites popular uprisings, while the "iron salt policy" did not outwardly involve direct taxation, thus avoiding public complaints and achieving the goal of "showing the form of giving but not the principle of taking."
After completing the "Salt and Iron Policies," Song Ce added another measure: "Opening up trade routes." The Dali Dynasty, possessing the four seas, would be able to open trade routes for silk, porcelain, tea, and other goods. Border foreign lands would all be proud to possess the culture of the Dali Dynasty. If this method could be implemented, the trade routes alone would make the country the richest in the world, and the treasury would no longer be in dire need of funding.
After finishing the first question, Song Ce began to ponder the next one: The decline of the previous dynasty was all due to the chaos caused by the Five Kings. What is the explanation?
Song Ce lowered his eyes. He did indeed have a way to solve it, but it wasn't his own method; it was the political system of Emperor Wu that he had learned about when he was in school.
History books recount that during Emperor Wu's reign, the power of the feudal lords seriously threatened the imperial court. In order to consolidate centralized power, Emperor Wu issued the "Decree of Grace."
In simple terms, the "Decree of Grace" was an order to readjust the rules of inheritance for the families of feudal lords. This decree directly changed the inheritance system. Originally, the property and fiefdoms of feudal lords could only be inherited by their eldest sons. The "Decree of Grace" stipulated that the eldest son, second son, third son, and any number of sons could inherit together, which is to say, "the eldest son inherits the youngest."
The eldest son was originally powerful, but now both the sons of concubines and those from other families have a chance to rise to prominence. Would they be willing to let this opportunity pass them by?
Song Ce copied the two questions onto a new sheet of paper. After writing the last character, he put down his pen and suddenly realized that it was already dusk.
As the eunuch beside Emperor Shunyuan announced, "Collect the questions!" neither the candidates who had finished writing nor those who had not dared to linger, and stood up in front of their desks.
The officials in charge of collecting the papers quickly and carefully put them away, and the candidates left the hall one after another under the guidance of the civil officials waiting outside.
That night, the Hall of Heroes was brightly lit.
After collecting the papers, the officials in charge sorted the two hundred scrolls according to their rankings and sealed them one by one. The sealed scrolls were then sent to the Quhua Hall, where they were waiting to be reviewed.
On the morning of March 26th, the examiners dressed formally and entered the Quhua Hall in turn.
Inside the Quhua Hall, there was a long table where ten examiners sat, arranged in order of their official rank. The officials in charge of collecting the examination papers brought out the sealed boxes, opened them, and distributed the papers to the examiners one by one according to their ranking. The number of papers each examiner received depended on the number of candidates taking the palace examination, and this continued until all the papers in the boxes were distributed.
Two hundred examination papers were distributed among ten examiners, resulting in twenty papers in total. After each paper was graded, it was passed to the left side of the next examiner's desk, awaiting their turn. This ensured that each paper bore ten grades and the corresponding official seal. The grading process lasted two days, with no candles used for further grading. The examiners, receiving the imperial order, dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest.
The highest-ranking of the ten examiners was Shen Songbo, the Minister of Personnel. Although the Minister of Personnel and the Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet were both of the second rank, the Minister of Personnel was actually the head of the six ministries and the head of the civil officials. Therefore, Shen Songbo sat in the first seat, and the others had no objections.
In addition, Grand Secretary Su Changxing was also on the list, and Song Ce's scroll naturally appeared on the desk of Minister of Personnel Shen Songbo.
Shen Songbo's family, the Shen family, is the maternal family of the late Empress Dowager. However, Shen Songbo comes from a branch of the Shen family. He rose step by step to the position of Minister of Personnel through his talent and learning. He is at odds with the main branch and is currently one of the most trusted civil officials of Emperor Shunyuan.
Shen Songbo opened the scroll of this scholar and read it carefully. However, the further he read, the more he leaned forward from the back of the chair until he sat upright.
What a brilliant idea! He saw the form of giving but not the principle of taking away! Shen Songbo held the scroll in his hand and read it again with great concentration, even beginning to consider the feasibility of implementing this strategy.
Half an hour had passed since Shen Songbo finished reading the two essays on Song Ce's questions. He calmed himself, suppressed the turmoil in his mind, picked up his brush, and marked them as first-class. He then affixed his official seal to the upper right corner.
Grand Secretary Su Changxing sat to the left of Shen Songbo and naturally accepted Song Ce's scroll. After carefully examining it, he felt that Song Ce's titles of Jieyuan and Huiyuan were well-deserved, and that the Dali Dynasty was about to produce a top scholar who achieved the highest honors in all three categories.
Su Changxing, a close advisor to the emperor, believed that only the talented should be selected, so he also wrote down a first-class grade and passed it to the next examiner.
The examiner, seeing that both Minister of Personnel Shen and Grand Secretary Su had ranked this person first-class, immediately began to read the papers carefully. However, the more he read, the more shocked he became. This scholar's arguments were too bold and too radical, but if truly implemented, they would certainly be beneficial to the nation and its people! However… this argument was too much of a competition for the people's interests; first-class ranking was unacceptable.
It is said to be competing with the people for profit, but in reality it is competing with the officials for profit. This examiner is a staff member of the Second Prince. This scroll has been in his hands for almost half an hour. It must be the first scroll that Lord Shen has seen... The owner of this scroll is already obvious.
It must be that twenty-year-old top scholar, Song Ce. Thinking this, the examiner secretly made a note of the person. With the two officials' outstanding achievements preceding him, he couldn't be too obvious, so he picked up his pen, marked it as second-class, and stamped it with his official seal.
...
By dusk the following day, the ten examiners had finished reviewing the papers. They selected fifteen outstanding papers with the most first-class markings, which were then presented to the Emperor by Minister of Personnel Shen Songbo and the other examiners.
Inside Hanyuan Hall, all the court officials were present, because the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations would be held in the palace on the 28th of the third month, so the rankings of the top three candidates had to be determined today.
Shen Songbo led the group of examiners in bowing respectfully. Emperor Shunyuan gestured for them to rise and said, "You have all worked hard."
“We are selecting talents for Daqing and sharing Your Majesty’s burdens. Why do we complain about the hardship?” Shen Songbo stepped forward and said, “We have selected fifteen outstanding scrolls from more than two hundred scrolls. Please review them, Your Majesty.”
"Read it—" As soon as Emperor Shunyuan spoke, Su Changxing stood to one side and began reading Song Ce's ink scroll.
Song Ce's examination papers received six first-class awards, one second-class award, and three third-class awards. Fortunately, most of the examiners were close advisors to the emperor; otherwise, such talent would have been buried.
Su Changxing glanced at the third-class mark on the scroll, smiled faintly, and began to read the contents of the scroll aloud.
When Emperor Shunyuan read about the "salt and iron policies," he put down his teacup. When he came to the account that Song Ce had calculated, his eyes lit up and he sat up straight.
Emperor Shunyuan had considered the idea of "opening trade routes," but the treasury was too empty, so he put the idea aside after ascending the throne. If the "salt and iron ore administration" were successfully implemented, then "opening trade routes" would be imperative!
Emperor Shunyuan was already pondering how to implement the "salt and iron policy" when the three words "Decree of Grace" gave him a jolt!
The single word "gratitude" perfectly encapsulates the brilliance of this strategy!
As the monarch, he only needs to issue decrees; there are no other overt actions. Rebukes, political coercion, military intimidation, etc., are all forms of gentle governance. Like a gentle breeze and fine rain, he can disperse the power of a powerful and self-reliant vassal king without firing a single shot. If the power extends to the sons and grandsons of the vassal kings, the already dispersed power will only become more dispersed. In this way, it becomes even easier for the monarch to control the various vassal kings.
The "Decree of Grace" was an open scheme with no way to be countered; it was truly ingenious.
After Su Changxing finished reading, Emperor Shunyuan asked, "What do you all think of this scroll?"
Shen Songbo immediately stepped forward: "In my humble opinion, this scroll has unique insights, and its owner must be a genius. He should be the top scholar this time."
Upon hearing this, officials from King Cheng's faction also stepped forward: "Minister Shen's words are premature. We should listen to other policy documents before making a decision."
Shen Songbo took a look and recognized the man as the elder brother of one of the examiners who had graded Song Ce's paper as third-class. Both brothers were from the Cheng King's faction.
Su Changxing stepped forward and said loudly, "In my opinion, this essay is excellent, and this young man has extraordinary talent. He truly deserves the title of top scholar."
"This humble official believes that Lord Shen and Lord Su are right. It is a blessing for our dynasty and for His Majesty that our Great Li Dynasty has such talents," another civil official said.
"Xia Qing, what do you think?" Emperor Shunyuan asked thoughtfully.
Xia Changlin rose from a lowly official in a remote post to his current high position as prime minister not only because of his learning and talent, but more importantly, because of his ability to read people's expressions and moods. He secretly looked at Emperor Shunyuan's satisfied smile. Although he did not want this person to become the top scholar, it would be a loss if he went against His Majesty's wishes for this matter.
"In my humble opinion, this scroll has received the most marks and deserves the title of top scholar. However, to demonstrate Your Majesty's wisdom and fairness, it would be better to hear the opinions of the other scrolls. At that time, I would like to ask all the ministers to express their views. What does Your Majesty think?"
Xia Changlin's words were both a gesture of respect to Emperor Shunyuan and a way out for the officials; they were undeniably tactful.
"Very well! As Xia Qing says," Emperor Shunyuan said. "Continue reading—"
Su Changxing opened the second scroll and began to read it carefully.
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Author's Note: In the next chapter, the car will be the top scholar! Finally, it's achieved the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examination! The first story was a bit slow; the second story will definitely be shorter and faster-paced. Thanks for adding it to your favorites!
1. The concept of "official mountains and seas" was proposed by Guan Zhong during the Spring and Autumn Period. This is hereby noted.
2. The inspiration for "opening trade routes" comes from the Silk Road (I originally wanted to add Sang Hongyang's policy of balancing price and transport, but I thought I'd wait until Che became an official).
3. The "Decree of Grace" was taken from Emperor Wu of Han.
4. The names of the imperial palaces were directly taken from historical records, although some may have had a different character used.
5. If it's about achieving the highest honors in all three levels of the imperial examinations, that's also a satisfying story, so just enjoy it quietly and don't worry about the age factor~ Thank you, please like and add it to your favorites~ Your likes and comments are my motivation, thank you again~
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