Yun Xiyan’s office on the second floor of the Ministry of Commerce.
Zhuo and his three companions sat opposite Yun Xiyan, looked at the simple office, thought about the simple procedures they saw downstairs, and then looked at the simple young minister opposite them.
"My Lords, I can only give you half an hour, because today I must go to Beijun City in Hexi Prefecture. The Fan State across the way has already begun building a bridge, and the construction of Beijun City must be completed before that bridge is built."
Zhuo Yixing nodded slightly and asked, "The court just started today. When did His Majesty give you the decree?"
Yun Xiyan said with a smile as he poured tea, "This kind of thing is within the business department. Why does it require your Majesty's order?"
He put down the teapot and continued, "Last year, Your Majesty signed a bilateral trade agreement with the Thirteenth Prince of the Fan Dynasty. The remaining matters naturally have to be coordinated and completed by the Ministry of Commerce. Honestly, I got there a little late. At the end of last year, in order to set up various local commercial bureaus, I selected some talented students from the autumn examinations, which delayed my trip."
"You... don't need to ask His Majesty for permission? What if the result doesn't meet His Majesty's requirements..." Meng Changping asked.
Yun Xiyan smiled and said, "Why wouldn't it meet His Majesty's requirements? If the bilateral trade agreement is to be implemented, the first thing to do is to expand Beijun City, otherwise it will not be able to accommodate the influx of merchants.
The Ministry of Commerce sets up a Commercial Bureau in Beijun City, which will make it convenient for all merchants to register in Beijun City, publicize our dynasty's commercial laws to them, and regulate their business behavior.
This is a market economy. As long as the business activities of merchants are legal, the Ministry of Commerce will never interfere.
If there is a commercial dispute with the Wu Dynasty, the Commercial Bureau can resolve it on the spot without reporting it to the Emperor..."
Yun Xiyan paused, and said somewhat embarrassedly: "Actually, our emperor really doesn't like to be bothered by these trivial matters."
"Back in the Yu Dynasty, when you were in Wofeng Road, I followed Your Majesty. Wofeng Road was so big, but Your Majesty decided on the development plan for it and then just walked away. This "walk away" doesn't mean you really don't care!"
"What is that?" Nangong Yiyu asked curiously.
"His Majesty doesn't care about the process, but he does care about the results. The final results of the execution will be reported to him and that's it."
“But what if the results are biased?”
"Your Majesty, what does this matter? Everyone makes mistakes, and plans are bound to change. If the changes are too significant or for the worse, they should be corrected promptly. As department heads, our job is to identify and correct deviations in the execution of the plan, ensuring a positive outcome in the end."
"Your Majesty said this is the art of leadership. So, when I go to Beijun City, I'm not going to handle all the details. Those matters are the responsibility of the Beijun City Commerce Bureau. I'm going there just to see if there are any deviations and to hear what opinions and suggestions the local people and merchants have for the Commerce Bureau."
"That's all."
Yun Xiyan's words had a strong impact on the minds of the three prime ministers. They had all been officials for decades. Every day they got up at yin hour and went to court at dawn hour for a court meeting of an hour or so. Then they returned to their offices to make a pot of tea, listen to the reports from their subordinates and read the memorials submitted from all over the country.
He would make some comments on these memorials and then present them to the emperor, who would then review them and give feedback to various places.
That's about it.
The most crucial step is to present it to the emperor for review!
But Yun Xiyan's words happened to fail to mention presenting the matter to the emperor, which they considered the most important procedure.
Yun Xiyan made all the decisions regarding the Ministry of Commerce and the Commercial Bureau under it.
Is this really a good idea?
Is there a possibility of deceiving the monarch?
Court officials abusing their power has been a taboo for emperors since ancient times. A closer look at emperors throughout the dynasties reveals that, unless they were incompetent, they all enjoyed arbitrary decisions. Our Majesty is clearly not incompetent, so isn't he afraid of power falling into someone else's hands? Isn't he afraid of someone deceiving their superiors?
As if he knew what the three ministers were thinking, Yun Xiyan said, "I'm going to say something I shouldn't say. I've only been with Your Majesty for six months, even at Wofeng Road. You probably don't know how discerning Your Majesty is. Don't even think about fooling him. I dare say that no one in this world has ever been born who could fool Your Majesty."
Zhuo Yixing stroked his beard and nodded slightly, because his Majesty was indeed smart, and he also held the Censorate in his hands.
"I dare to say a few more words. My Lords, please think about our Majesty."
"Back when he was a small landowner in Linjiang, he went to Xishan. He talked cordially with the farmers and personally planted rice in the fields. He understood their hardships very well. That's why he invented the rice seeds that Fu Wudai uses today. Together with the sweet potato, he solved the farmers' food problem in one fell swoop."
"In Nanjing, he opened many workshops and founded the Sitong Bank. He was well versed in business and had a keen understanding of economics."
"In Wofengdao, he attracted investment to build roads and bridges. He visited many prefectures and counties in Wofengdao before establishing the Qingzhou light industrial base and the Qizhou heavy industrial base."
"In the Chi Le Chuan Autonomous Region, he used his own policy of managing the wilderness, effectively managing the region, which was at high risk of unrest. He visited the six prefectures in the autonomous region and established the Muyang Salt Works, the Ziqi Prefecture's perfume and glass workshop, and so on."
"This is what His Majesty once said: Officials should clearly understand everything under their jurisdiction! This includes the people and resources. He said that wealth is created by allowing the people to make good use of these resources. When the people are prosperous, the country will naturally be prosperous as well."
"I have taken to heart your Majesty's wise words. You said governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; the emphasis is on details. I deeply agree with that. That is why I followed your Majesty from Wofeng City to Guanyun City."
"Almost half of Wofeng City's officials want to leave and join Your Majesty... This is because of Your Majesty's charisma, and they also want to follow Your Majesty to create a grand cause."
"My Lords, Your Majesty is a man of lofty ideals. If these bad habits... are not eradicated, I'm afraid Your Majesty will personally eliminate them, which would be unsatisfactory."
"The time has come. I must set off. My Lords, I apologize!"
After returning to the palace, the three prime ministers and six secretaries came to the Xuande Hall.
"When the great roc soars into the sky with the wind, it soars up to ninety thousand miles... Yun Xi's words are true. Your Majesty is a man of lofty ideals, but we, the three provinces and six ministries, have hindered Your Majesty from spreading his wings and soaring high. This is our fault!"
"Starting tomorrow, the court meetings are cancelled and all departments are required to reflect on their actions. I will ask the Censorate to oversee this. If anyone is found to be idling in office... regardless of their rank, they will be dismissed and investigated!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
