Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yunying was in a good mood. Watching the civil officials continue their chaotic infighting, he inexplicably felt quite pleased. It was a strange feeling indeed.
This is probably why Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to clarify the positions of some ministers for many years, and now the ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice are vacant. Leaving aside the fact that officials in these two ministries who believe they have a chance for promotion are frantically working and trying to impress others while searching for connections, they are also working and performing exceptionally well.
Even ministers and vice ministers from other departments, or other officials, were actively trying to seize this opportunity.
While efficiency improved dramatically, mistakes were also largely avoided. These ambitious officials kept showing off, which naturally led Zhu Yunying to see many capable ministers and officials, making him look at their abilities with new respect.
This is probably the emperor's happiness, and this is probably the capitalist's enjoyment. They basically just draw up big promises and make their subordinates grit their teeth and work hard to move forward. The cost of personnel is much lower than before.
Zhu Yunying was now experiencing this joy, so he encouraged everyone to continue performing. While everyone's enthusiasm was high, he wanted these civil officials to continue to work diligently and conscientiously; Zhu Yunying felt there was no need to rush into anything.
While Zhu Yunying was "sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight," he did not forget some things that would affect his reform plans.
By casually mentioning the Maritime Trade Office, many civil officials began to shift their attention. The military elites also started to take it seriously; after all, the Maritime Trade Office generated a tremendous amount of money, and everyone naturally wanted to keep an eye on it.
The military clique had long ago ventured to Southeast Asia and Japan, reaping substantial profits. Meanwhile, the civil service had long coveted the Maritime Trade Office from both the imperial family and the military clique, recognizing it as an invaluable source of revenue.
The silver brought back from Japan was undoubtedly destined for the national treasury and the imperial coffers. However, the spices and jewels brought back from Southeast Asia, and the porcelain, tea, and ironware shipped out from the Ming Dynasty, could also bring back many fine items.
The Ministry of Revenue had long wanted to bring the powers of the Maritime Trade Office under its jurisdiction, but so far their role has been limited to assisting others; they have no real influence over the Maritime Trade Office.
The emperor had previously expressed his stance that the Maritime Trade Office was the foundation of the imperial family and military officials, a fact that many civil officials understood. Military officials were generally good at spending money, enjoying a luxurious lifestyle, and emphasizing pomp and circumstance; their salaries from the court or the output of their land were certainly insufficient.
The emperor's willingness to include military officers stemmed not only from the fact that this group was the backbone of the Ming Dynasty's military power, but also from the emperor's desire to prevent them from interfering in local affairs or engaging in corrupt practices. Seizing this lucrative opportunity was no easy task.
The powerful families within the territory could only serve as suppliers and distributors, even though they coveted the profits from maritime trade. However, if they were caught going to sea without authorization, they would certainly face beheading and confiscation of their property. The merchant ships of the Ming Dynasty were not just for merchants; their fleets would certainly include various warships.
In agrarian civilizations, prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce was a normal practice; however, the Song Dynasty was more friendly towards merchants.
Zhu Yunying naturally wouldn't strictly prioritize agriculture over commerce. He knew that commerce could inject more vitality into the Ming Dynasty's economy, but he also didn't want to see everyone busy doing business, and he certainly didn't want to see some of the wealthiest merchants in the world having unrealistic fantasies after they became rich.
A businessman should fulfill his or her duty as a businessman. Especially in the feudal dynasties of today, some wealthy merchants are not satisfied after accumulating a certain amount of wealth; they want to improve their social status.
If it were simply a matter of training scholars step by step, that would be fine. But the real fear is that these people might try to corrupt Ming Dynasty officials with gold and silver. Or, to put it another way, the scholars they train might become officials not for the country and the people, but to protect their family's wealth, or to engage in collusion between officials and merchants.
Continue casting his bait, the patient Zhu Yunying preparing to play the long game. Moreover, his uncles were probably already itching to get started; they had undoubtedly begun preparations.
When it comes to leading troops in battle, Zhu Yunying's three uncles were all of average appearance, and even Chang Mao, who was once given special attention, did not have much talent.
However, if you ask them to do something shady, to act like a spoiled brat or a heartless rich man, they only need to understand Zhu Yunying's meaning slightly, and then they can complete the task very dutifully, even exceeding Zhu Yunying's expectations.
Immediately after the court session, Zhu Yunying summoned Lian Zining from the Censorate to the Wuying Hall. This was a reminder to the Censorate to get into work mode and prepare to offend people comprehensively. Whether civil officials, military officers, or members of the imperial family, they might all be offended at once.
The Censorate is indeed about to get busy. Originally, the Censorate evolved from the Imperial Censorate of Chiyo and is in charge of supervision, impeachment, and recommendations.
During the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, the Censorate was divided into thirteen circuits, each with its own Censorate, which inspected prefectures and counties, and was responsible for investigating and impeaching officials.
Therefore, I'm giving the Censorate a heads-up now: preparations are about to begin for the thirteen censors to inspect various regions. The Censorate and the Ministry of Revenue will also begin preparations, including inspecting granaries, rivers, cities, military farms, stamping horses, inspecting grain reserves, supervising the collection of grain measures, checking the sluice gates and soldiers, managing the capital garrison, and comparing and inspecting military equipment.
This is not just about starting to register and count farmland and population; it's also about checking the Ming Dynasty's grain reserves, war preparedness, and people's livelihood.
During Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, the Ming Dynasty's household registration and land reclamation were relatively smooth due to his strong leadership. Now, Zhu Yunying is going to conduct a formal assessment, and his previous data and information are merely speculations based on existing records.
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