The next day, Xie Shu went to the Ministry of Works to report.
As mentioned before, the Ministry of Works is the department in charge of various engineering projects, craftsmen, military farms, water conservancy, and transportation.
No matter which dynasty, among the six ministries, the Ministry of Works has always had the lowest status and is the least valued.
There are many reasons for this.
Let’s start with the other five ministries. The Ministry of Personnel has always been the head of the six ministries, directly deciding the selection and evaluation of officials and talents. At the end of each year, the Ministry of Personnel evaluates the officials’ performance, which affects the promotion of the vast majority of officials in the court. The benefits are innumerable.
The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of economic power and fiscal revenue, the Ministry of War is in charge of military power, and the Ministry of Punishment is in charge of national punishment and political orders. These are the foundation of a dynasty and their status is self-evident. Even the Ministry of Rites, which has the least functions, has the most noble status, because the legitimacy of the emperor comes from it, which cannot be shaken from both ideological and social perspectives.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the Ministry of Works has the lowest status among the six ministries.
The Ministry of Industry has several functional departments, including the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Tuntian, the Ministry of Resources, and the Ministry of Water Resources. The latter three functions are related to a country's infrastructure, but due to the feudal land ownership system, the Ministry of Industry does not have much power and is instead subject to the control of the powerful landlords who occupy the land.
As for the most important Ministry of Industry, it is also an important reason for the low status of the Ministry of Industry.
There were about 500 households of craftsmen in the Ministry of Works, and they had special household registration, namely, the craftsman households.
Artisan households were different from civilian households in that their skills had to be inherited from generation to generation. In order to better serve the imperial power and prevent the skills of the artisans from being passed down, their personal freedom was greatly restricted. They were directly managed by the government, their children inherited their business, and they could not even marry independently.
Therefore, even if they have extremely high skills, they do not receive any respect.
Although Xie Shu was mentally prepared, he was still surprised by the depressed scene when he entered the Ministry of Works.
Although it is the place in charge of various projects, the office is very simple.
Seeing the new commander looking around, several senior officials beside him lowered their heads respectfully, feeling even more uneasy.
Since the previous Minister of Works was raided, the Ministry of Works has also been purged, and many things have been confiscated. If you want to ask the Ministry of Justice to spare him, it is easy, as long as you pay enough money. However, the Ministry of Works is the department with the least money. The money has all gone to the previous head, so there is no money left. Now the wages for the craftsmen in the Ministry of Works warehouse will not last long.
Although everyone in the Ministry of Works thought Xie Shu was so young, everyone knew Xie Shu's reputation. They also heard that Ziwei Ling Lu Shuo was friends with him, so they didn't dare to treat him lightly. Instead, they were afraid that Xie Shu and others would blame them!
So when Xie Shu took over this new position, it was the first time that everything went so smoothly.
For several days afterwards, Xie Shu was checking the Ministry of Industry's various engineering matters and detailed regulations.
Everyone in the Ministry of Works was so nervous that they were waiting for Xie Shu to attack. However, Xie Shu only asked them to organize the data and compile them into books.
At the beginning, everyone in the Ministry of Works worked hard and never asked any questions. As time passed, Xie Shu never did any other work, and everyone really couldn't bear it anymore.
The Minister of Works went to Xie Shu and said, "Sir, the Ministry of Works has always been pragmatic and poor at writing. You asked us to compile a book but didn't tell us the reason. Please let me know."
It was no wonder that everyone was puzzled. Xie Shu had always been famous for his poetry. He was the first person in history to win three first prizes in a row, and he was a member of the Imperial Academy. No one could compare to him in terms of knowledge and talent. Most officials in the Ministry of Works were not good at writing, and they were usually inferior to others. Now they felt that there was a deep gap between them and Xie Shu, who was born as a civil servant.
After all, they had never seen Xie Shu's previous achievements in river management with their own eyes, so they thought that Xie Shu was not actually good at the management and work of the Ministry of Works.
Seeing his subordinates questioning him, Xie Shu remained calm and asked calmly, "When the previous emperor was alive, the Ministry of Works was ordered to build the Qianyuan Hall. How much did it cost? What materials were used? How many craftsmen worked on it? Five years ago, the Ministry of Works built the same main hall and secondary hall. What was the difference in the cost?"
The Minister of Works tried hard to recall. He could still roughly remember the project from five years ago, but how could he remember it clearly from decades ago?
But when Xie Shu asked, he could compare the data by just flipping through the newly compiled work book. A flash of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he immediately felt a sincere admiration for him.
However, he still had many questions in his mind. Seeing that Xie Shu was not arrogant, he asked respectfully: "The Ministry of Works still has many difficulties. I would like to ask you..."
After a long time, the Minister of Works came out of the inner hall. He had a sad face when he went in, but a cheerful look on his face when he came out.
Everyone in the Ministry of Works looked at each other, becoming even more curious. Before they could ask, the deputy chief called them in.
Xie Shu took out some of the policy details he had been thinking about these days.
The governance of a country requires talents from many fields. Even in peacetime, a country will face various problems. How to select talents and solve problems is a problem that system designers need to consider.
Xie Shu was a person who participated in the imperial examination. He understood and was familiar with the imperial examination system better than anyone else.
It is undeniable that the imperial examination system was a fair, just and more advanced system for that era. In later generations, the core rules of the imperial examination system were still used in society.
The drawbacks of the imperial examination system are also obvious. It is naturally good for a person to be familiar with Confucian classics and be able to write poems and essays, but the knowledge they study has nothing to do with the actual governance of the country. It is more of a kind of thought, culture and ideological literacy.
They may be able to write a good article, but they cannot save the people, nor can they make any real contribution. Some of them have become good officials who serve the people, but in essence, they are still for the maintenance of the existence of imperial power and the continuation of the current regime. Most people study only to enter the officialdom and become a member of the ruling class.
Therefore, there is a saying that all things are inferior except reading.
Simply put, to change the current situation, what Xie Shu needs to do is to solve the actual talent problem.
Science and technology and development are the cornerstones of society. It needs to attract professional talents and carry out necessary digital reforms.
Although the Ministry of Works had a low status, it had the right to issue relevant decrees and only needed the emperor's permission.
As for money and manpower, there is nothing to worry about as long as you follow his policies.
What Xie Shu needs to do now is to discuss with everyone, improve and refine it, and then wait for the opportunity.
The opportunity will come soon.
Emperor Qing's sleep is getting worse and worse. He likes to burn incense, so he asks the Imperial Hospital to make all kinds of precious spices, and he can fall asleep only after burning incense at night.
In the autumn of the eleventh year of Tai'an, a fire broke out in the Yangxin Palace where Emperor Qing often lived. Emperor Qing was not only frightened, but also extremely angry. He thoroughly investigated the palace servants who were on duty that night, and many people were implicated.
Emperor Qing needed comfort, but more urgently he needed a luxurious and comfortable palace to make up for it.
The Ministry of Revenue was worried that Emperor Qing would take advantage of the situation, so they tried to persuade him in every way, but the Ministry only agreed to allocate money within the prescribed range.
However, Xie Shu reported at this time that he had a way to build a palace that Emperor Qing wanted as soon as possible.
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