Chapter 929
: A single move affects the whole body
The emperor and empress were so distressed that they forgot to reply to Pan Yun's letter.
Pan Yun sat at the table staring at the talisman for a long time without any reaction, and finally went to sleep.
The emperor and empress, however, spent the entire night deep in thought and couldn't sleep well. In the end, the emperor went to court with dark circles under his eyes.
Yu Qian and other cabinet ministers were very dissatisfied when they saw that the emperor was drowsy during the morning court session.
When it came time to discuss matters in the Imperial Study, Yu Qian hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but advise the emperor to cherish his health and to take the late emperor's example, not to indulge in pleasure.
The emperor, somewhat aggrieved, muttered, "I didn't enjoy myself either~~"
Cao Nai couldn't help but ask, "Is Your Majesty troubled by something?"
The emperor immediately brought up the question that he and the empress had been pondering all night but hadn't been able to answer.
Upon hearing that the emperor was troubled by state affairs, the ministers' faces immediately brightened, and they all became happy.
Regardless of the specific issues they are considering, they are happy as long as it involves national affairs.
While the ministers were happy, Yu Qian pondered and said, "There is a way, we can just give the officials an exam."
The ministers' smiles froze: "An exam?"
“That’s right,” Yu Qian said in a deep voice. “The examinations are different for officials from different departments and with different ranks. After this one, officials will be assessed in the same way as before. Those who fail will be demoted or dismissed. They will be tested every five or ten years to determine whether they are neglecting their duties or are still suitable for their current positions.”
The ministers gaped in disbelief, and Chen Xun couldn't help but ask, "Do we also have to take an exam?"
Yu Qian glanced at him and said, "Why not?"
"How will we take the exam? Who will set the questions for us? Who will grade the papers?" Chen Xun said, "Lord Yu, don't just make things up on a whim."
The emperor, upon hearing this, was eager to try. Since birth, he had only ever been tested by others, never by himself, especially by the cabinet ministers. He really wanted to test them.
They were all officials of the third rank or above, so naturally only he could take their exams, and naturally only he could grade their papers.
The emperor was overjoyed, but seeing that his ministers were already arguing about the law, with some in favor of Yu Qian and others against him, he looked at them with wide eyes, his face full of excitement.
Of course, discussions in the Imperial Study couldn't be limited to just this one matter. Everyone tacitly stopped there, since they couldn't reach a conclusion in a short time anyway, and quickly moved on to the next issue.
The next major event was proposed by the Ministry of Revenue. Seeing the success of Quanzhou Port, they wanted to open seaports in other places as well.
For example, Tianjin and Suzhou.
Yu Qian keenly sensed Pan Yun's emphasis on maritime trade and also keenly perceived the commerce and related taxes it would generate. After a moment's thought, he said, "Now that the sea ban has been lifted, we should support maritime trade. Why not select several places along the coastline to open seaports, but we must not be extravagant and should proceed gradually?"
The emperor immediately said, "The Imperial Advisor drew several circles on the map before he left."
Yu Qian's brow twitched: "Oh?"
The emperor immediately ordered his eunuchs to return to the Kunning Palace to fetch a map, which he then unfolded for them to see: "The Imperial Advisor says that Tianjin, Lingshan, Suzhou, Quanzhou, and Guangzhou are all good places, suitable for opening seaports, but..."
Yu Qian looked down at the map and said in a deep voice, "We still need to develop our navy. Otherwise, with such a long defensive line, if these ports attract pirates, it will be a huge blow to the development of maritime trade."
The emperor nodded repeatedly: "Absolutely, absolutely. Minister Yu and the Imperial Preceptor have the same idea."
He stroked the map and said, "The Grand Preceptor also said that the sea can not only support fishermen and maritime merchants, but also bring greater benefits to the country, because there are countless treasures in the sea. If we want to retrieve them, we need soldiers who know how to fight at sea." Yu Qian's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked, "Did the Grand Preceptor mention how many naval troops are needed?"
Chen Xun, standing nearby, grew anxious and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, after last year's suppression of the pirates, the sea pirates have been temporarily suppressed. In my opinion, the sea pirates are not a threat in the short term. The most urgent issue is the northern barbarians. The national treasury is empty, and we still owe the Northwest Army, the Northern Army, and the Northeast Army border silver."
The imperial court also owed salaries to officials in the capital and local areas, but the Ministry of Revenue printed paper money at an alarming rate, which at least offset some of the debt.
But the paper money could not be given to the border troops.
They don't recognize this stuff at all; money that can't be spent is just a pile of waste paper, and all their printing work is for nothing.
Giving the border troops money was not an attempt to appease them, but rather an incentive for them to rebel.
So the imperial court simply refused to give it to them.
Once someone asks, they get a response after three inquiries, and only after three more inquiries will they manage to squeeze out some supplies from elsewhere to send over, barely managing to appease them.
There was nothing that could be done; the people were poor, and so was the imperial court.
Chen Xun was so tired of being questioned that he dared not agree to expand the navy at this point.
Yu Qian understood him and nodded: "It is indeed not appropriate to expand the navy at this time. Your Majesty, why not change the navy into a navy, let the existing navy get used to sea warfare first, and then expand it when the national treasury has money."
He said, "The garrisons along the southeast coast can defend the harbors, which has some deterrent effect."
Chen Xun choked, unable to find a word to object.
The emperor readily agreed.
In addition, there was the task of encouraging agriculture and sericulture, as well as dealing with the situation of displaced people in various places.
The emperor sighed helplessly and issued an edict ordering local officials and garrison troops north of the capital to continue searching for the missing soldiers and officials, and to bring them back to the capital.
At the same time, another imperial edict was issued, ordering all localities to make proper arrangements for the displaced people, providing them with land where possible, and if not, to find them a way to make a living.
Yu Qian felt that the decree was not strict enough and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the late emperor also issued an edict to properly resettle the refugees, but local officials turned a blind eye to it. Several years later, when the censors inspected the area, they found that no one was implementing it. This shows the importance of evaluating officials."
After a moment's thought, the Emperor said, "Issue the Censorate to select censors to inspect the implementation in various regions. Yu Qing, you will have to work hard and work with the Cabinet to come up with a useful assessment method as soon as possible."
Yu Qian agreed.
As soon as they left, the emperor immediately took out his yellow talisman and wrote to Pan Yun, saying, "If the Imperial Advisor were here, I could discuss the assessment of the cabinet ministers with him."
Pan Yun scoffed and replied directly, "Assessing cabinet ministers is unrealistic. Assessments are only applicable to local officials and executive officials in the capital. Instead of thinking about giving them exams, Your Majesty should think about how to implement this law after it is enacted."
“Good policies are only useful when they are put into practice; otherwise, they are just castles in the air,” Pan Jun praised without reservation. “The person who proposed this law is very good, but he will surely be resented by others. Your Majesty should protect him.”
The emperor did not mention that it was Yu Qian who made the suggestion, and Pan Yun did not bother to calculate it.
In her time and space, the assessment method, also known as the performance evaluation method, was proposed by Zhang Juzheng in later generations. It's unknown who was so talented as to propose it at that time.
Pan Yun was unaware that the whole affair had started when Yu Qian complained to the emperor about having too many redundant officials, and she, in turn, complained to the emperor about not having enough people. (End of Chapter)