Chapter 26: Going All Out

Xu Jingchang had struck at the psychological defenses of several Ministers of the Six Ministries time and again. They were truly on the verge of exploding, wanting to have a massive row with this brat and refusing to yield even if it meant death.

However, Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, was sharp. He stood by the window and looked outside, where heads were rolling everywhere and a thick, heavy scent of blood lingered—former colleagues, now decapitated.

On one hand, there was Zhu Di’s iron-fisted governance, which was unlike anything seen before; on the other, there was this kid Xu Jingchang, who was far too cunning and difficult to handle.

"Such a massive corruption case has come to light. Even though it covers the past four years, we must not be negligent; we should reflect upon ourselves," Xia Yuanji said.

With him having said that, the others dared not speak and could only look at Jian Yi.

A moment later, Jian Yi said, "State affairs are complex. Everyone, return quickly and send your reports to the Office of Transmission as soon as possible. Do not delay important matters."

Having said this, Jian Yi took the lead and hurried away. The other officials, filled with suppressed fury, had no choice but to disperse.

Only Xu Jingchang and Wu Shan remained, looking like generals returning in triumph after a great victory.

Halfway there, the aroma of roasted duck wafted from the street. Wu Shan looked over and immediately said, "My Lord, it is roasted duck; it is a specialty of our Jinling. This humble official would like to invite you to have a meal."

After a pause, he added, "I know you are accustomed to the finest food and clothing and may look down on this, but this is all I can afford to offer."

Xu Jingchang laughed. "Old Wu, I know your heart. I will take you up on this meal. Go buy some wine, and we shall have a small drink."

Wu Shan was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. A moment later, they found a spot on the side with a pot of wine and a jujube-red roasted duck, glistening with fragrant fat.

At this time, the method of wrapping roasted duck in lotus-leaf pancakes had not yet been invented. Wu Shan used a knife to carve off a leg and placed it respectfully before Xu Jingchang.

The two of them began to eat. Xu Jingchang smiled, "Tell me, Old Wu, do you think our Office of Transmission is lacking anything?"

Wu Shan hurriedly put down his chopsticks. "My Lord, I do not understand your meaning."

Xu Jingchang said, "Look at it now. Although we can host the decadal meetings, we are merely providing a venue for the ministers of the various departments to come and discuss business. To put it bluntly, we are just providers of space. We lack the means to exert influence; we have no real, substantive power."

Wu Shan gave a bitter smile. "My Lord, are you still not satisfied? I never even imagined the Office of Transmission could reach this point."

Xu Jingchang replied, "What kind of talk is that! Although I don’t particularly enjoy being an official, since I am in the bureaucracy, I cannot be without power. Look at the Ministry of Personnel, which handles appointments; the Ministry of Revenue, which controls money, grain, and households; the Ministry of War, which controls the military; and the Ministry of Justice, which handles the law... they all have their own spheres where they have the final say. We lack such authority, and it makes it seem as though our Office of Transmission is a cut below the rest."

Wu Shan thought about it seriously. "My Lord, why don't we just snatch the work of the Court of Imperial Entertainments?"

"The Court of Imperial Entertainments? They are responsible for the morning court, rituals, and banquets. If we were to merge with them, we would truly become a grand canteen. We would be responsible for imperial banquets, and when the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers come over, we would have to host them... what kind of profit is there in that?"

Wu Shan immediately retorted, "My Lord, the profit in that is immense. When have you ever seen a hungry cook?"

Xu Jingchang was stunned for a moment, then gave Wu Shan a fierce glare. "You will be ruined your whole life by your limited outlook! Your vision is too narrow!"

Wu Shan had nothing left to say and could only bury his head in his food, eating as if to exact revenge.

***

Xu Jingchang pondered to himself, and in the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

The reflections of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers were all delivered, and Xu Jingchang immediately sent them to the palace.

Before noon, Zhu Di sent someone to summon him.

This time, Zhu Di did not run over to the Office of Transmission. It seemed that with the establishment of the Cabinet, Zhu Di’s behavior was becoming more and more like a proper emperor; he was no longer as hands-on as before.

Xu Jingchang arrived at the palace once again. Zhu Di was all smiles, looking very satisfied.

"I was worried that you were too young to know how to manage the Six Ministries. Now it seems my worries were unfounded. This move of yours was excellent." As he spoke, Zhu Di picked up the reflections of the officials and waved them at him.

"These people finally know fear. What I want is for them to be diligent, anxious, and cautious. It must never be like the past few years of the Jianwen era, where things were handled haphazardly. I want to achieve great things, and to do that, I need to keep the officials on their toes. You have done that for me."

Zhu Di showered him with praise. Seeing that the opportunity had arrived, Xu Jingchang said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I am merely doing my duty; I do not deserve such praise. However, if Your Majesty wishes for the Office of Transmission to play a greater role, I dare to request that Your Majesty increase our budget and give me a bit more funding?"

Upon hearing the word "money," Zhu Di’s head began to ache.

"You want money, he wants money. I just exempted the provinces from three years of taxes, and in other regions, I halved the taxes... The Three Great Halls need to be rebuilt, and so many meritorious officials need to be rewarded. There are countless things to do, and money is needed everywhere. In the end, you all come asking me for money. Who am I supposed to ask? Should I increase the burden on the common people?"

Xu Jingchang argued eloquently, "Your Majesty, now that the Ministers of the Six Ministries all come to me for the decadal meetings, I have to provide them with some refreshments! It is a matter of national dignity, and I hope Your Majesty will understand."

Zhu Di huffed, "You want dignity, but where is my dignity? Regardless, I have no money. Think of a way yourself, or go ask the Ministry of Revenue."

Xu Jingchang immediately said, "Your Majesty, if I beg the Ministry of Revenue, I will inevitably be under their thumb. How will I be able to preside over the decadal meetings in the future? I dare to propose that the Office of Transmission raise its own funds."

"Raise your own funds? You have a way?" Zhu Di asked suspiciously.

Xu Jingchang smiled. "Your Majesty, it is like this: at present, the Office of Transmission is responsible for compiling the activities of the various government offices and following the progress of major political affairs... I was thinking, could we select a portion of this and publish it in the 'Di Bao' (Gazette) to sell to the public?"

Zhu Di frowned deeply. The Office of Transmission, which transmits government affairs, was naturally responsible for the Gazette, but this Gazette was only for local government offices and was not sold to the public.

"What kind of devious scheme are you cooking up now?"

Xu Jingchang hurriedly cried out that he was wronged. "Your Majesty, I am also racking my brains to raise money. I think that instead of letting the public gossip and speculate, it would be better for the imperial court to issue its own Gazette, allowing the people to buy it, and incidentally raise some money to increase revenue."

Zhu Di was slightly stunned and asked, "What do you intend to publish?"

"Naturally, whatever Your Majesty requires. I was promoted by Your Majesty and am a legitimate relative; I would certainly not favor outsiders, would I?"

Zhu Di took a deep breath. The joy on his face grew even more intense, and in the end, he actually laughed out loud.

"Good! You truly have put your heart into this. My heart is greatly comforted; my heart is greatly comforted!"

Seeing that the Emperor was in a good mood, Xu Jingchang added, "Your Majesty, at the moment, the Office of Transmission is short of staff. Could I select a few capable men to join the office and handle the affairs of the Gazette?"

Zhu Di thought for a moment. "I will arrange that for you later."

***

After speaking with Zhu Di, Xu Jingchang was satisfied and returned to the Office of Transmission with a light heart.

He called Wu Shan over again. "Old Wu, tell me, how do you measure the status of a government office?"

Wu Shan said, "Naturally, by its rank. Just like you, my Lord, you are a third-rank Transmission Commissioner, one of the Nine Ministers!"

Xu Jingchang shook his head. "That is not comprehensive. Having rank alone is not enough; even Master Yao is a Duke of the highest rank! The strength of an office also depends on its annual budget and the number of officials it controls. The more people and the more money, the more powerful it naturally is."

Wu Shan asked, confused, "My Lord, can all that money be spent?"

"Fool!" Xu Jingchang said bluntly. "There is no such thing as money that cannot be requested, only money that cannot be spent. You must have faith in the ability of the officials to waste money."

Wu Shan touched his nose, feeling helpless. From this perspective, he was truly a bit unqualified.

"My Lord, why are you saying all this? Could it be that our budget has been increased and we are adding more staff?"

Xu Jingchang smiled. "The budget hasn't increased, but our authority has grown quite a bit. We are now allowed to sell the Gazette."

"Sell the Gazette?"

Xu Jingchang laughed. "That’s right. You go now and recruit some craftsmen who know how to print books. Oh, and find some 'know-it-alls' who are familiar with the situation in Yingtian and know the secrets of the court officials. I want to keep the officials in a state of constant trepidation!"

Wu Shan was completely dumbfounded. This man’s desire for revenge was truly profound!

Writing a reflection wasn't enough; he had to keep tormenting people.

To be saddled with such a difficult opponent—the officials were truly having the unluckiest time of their lives.

What else could Wu Shan do? He could only go and make the arrangements.

Three days later, someone came to report.

"This humble official, Hu Yan, a drafter of the Hanlin Academy, pays his respects to the Commissioner."

Originally, Hu Yan was serving in the Wenyuan Pavilion, considered a scholar close to Zhu Di.

Now that he had been sent to the Office of Transmission to be responsible for the Gazette, it showed just how much importance Zhu Di placed on this.

"Very good. Now that Scholar Hu has arrived, we can show our true colors and make a grand splash!"