Chapter 346: Minister of Rites (IV)
If there were not so many political steps, Gao Pang would have liked the new style of wedding. The famous poem "Praise of the Humble House" says that there are great scholars talking and laughing, and there are no unlearned people coming and going. Gao Pang's guests perfectly embodied this state of mind.
Since Huo Chong "suggested Gao Pang to start a new trend of not accepting gifts", Gao Pang posted a copy of Huo Chong's letter on the door. Everyone was a wise man, knowing that Gao Pang was seeking progress, and no one caused trouble for Gao Pang.
There were handwritten congratulatory letters from the emperor, various civil and military officials, and celebrities from Jiangnan. Even if these people did not come in person, they at least wrote a congratulatory note for the sake of Gao Pang's father-in-law.
However, Gao Pang soon discovered that sensible people are sensible people. The Jiangnan guests secretly sent the gifts to his father-in-law Chen Mingtai's house.
The civil service exam is held once a year, not once every three years. After the Battle of Jiangning, the number of applicants for the civil service exam surged. In particular, the number of female applicants was five times that of last year. Those women who had just unbound their feet walked with some difficulty between the exam room and home, and they looked determined.
Similar to the situation in the court, the army was also engaged in various training and exercises. Wherever troops were stationed, military schools or temporary military schools were set up. As a military department, the guards were naturally tight. However, the noise could not be blocked. In the early morning, there was the wake-up call, and soon, the slogans for running exercises sounded in unison. During the day, they studied, and at night, the lights were turned off. The military school and the barracks were silent.
It was not until the Governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Gao Pang, ordered the troops to help in mulberry tree planting that the troops left the barracks and participated in the vigorous economic construction.
Gao Pang originally wanted to participate in the civil service examination held by the Education Departments of Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, but he was invited to the Industrial and Commercial Price Bureau instead. "Governor, the price of silk has almost doubled. Shouldn't we find some profiteers and kill them?"
Hearing the vicious Shandong dialect, Gao Pang was speechless for a moment. Merchants only seek to make profits, so their status in China is generally low. Although Jiangnan is a developed commercial area, it is still better. However, Shandong, a conservative place, will not indulge merchants. Moreover, Shandong merchants are also divided into different levels. If a craftsman sells the goods he produces himself, he is a craftsman. At most, people will scold such guys for being rich and unkind, or crazy about money.
But those pure speculators are said to have accepted the beatings.
The businessmen themselves have such an opinion of themselves, so it is not surprising that the Shandong-based Industrial and Commercial Price Bureau is calling for a crackdown.
Especially now that we are in war time, hoarding and speculating in goods is a real capital crime.
As a native of Qiongzhou in Nanhai who grew up in Jiangnan, Gao Pang totally disagreed with such indiscriminate killing. Because he married a wife, Gao Pang even felt that he was a Jiangnan person. Jiangnan, with its developed commerce, was much more tolerant of merchants. Recalling the figures he had learned, Gao Pang asked: "Didn't our own silk factory raise the price? The supply is also sufficient."
"Governor, those merchants are raising prices so much because they are trying to rebel!" The Industrial and Commercial Administration Bureau put a big hat on them.
Gao Pang sighed, "We are developing the silk industry, and the high price of silk is a good thing."
When the comrades from the Price Bureau heard this, they immediately became angry. "Letting them make money from everyone is a good thing? Governor, the original price of producing a piece of silk has not changed. Why should they sell it at twice the price?"
Gao Pang was helpless. Although the comrades he faced were so firm, Gao Pang still had to tell them his understanding of Huo Chong's policy. Once the price of silk increased, the profit of silk production would be high. With money to be made, more people would invest in the silk industry.
Huo Chong relies on exporting large quantities of silk to conduct trade. The more silk is exported, the greater the total volume of trade will be. This is a good thing.
But no matter what Gao Pang said, the comrades from the Price Bureau insisted that since the cost of producing silk was still that much, the skyrocketing price meant that someone was messing around.
When Gao Pang was exhausted, he had the idea of dismissing this person. As the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Gao Pang still had this authority.
Before dismissing him, Gao Pang first invited the director of the local Industrial and Commercial Administration Bureau. After a brief conversation, Gao Pang suddenly discovered that the director, who was from Shandong, was also dissatisfied with the sharp increase in silk prices and believed that someone was messing around.
Gao Pang immediately stopped himself from making any rash moves. If he just wanted to reassign a firm employee in the Price Bureau, Gao Pang could do it with his authority. However, Gao Pang could not easily remove the head of the Zhejiang Industry and Commerce Bureau.
Helpless, Gao Pang thought hard and decided to find someone who could support his idea. He held a large-scale meeting. However, no matter what Gao Pang said, the people below generally believed that some merchants were hoarding goods. Even officials who knew the court's plan maintained a tough attitude and believed that these merchants should not be allowed to do whatever they wanted.
Gao Pang was really shocked this time. After the meeting, Gao Pang dismissed several cadres who he thought were reasonable but had shown a tough attitude during the meeting.
When asked privately, the cadres hesitated to speak. Gao Pang knew it was not easy to get them to tell the truth, so he simply used Huo Chong's tricks, "Your Majesty once said that if people only talk about reason, it is just empty talk. Empty talk means saying nice things. Once they pursue specific interests, they will inevitably become ugly. I am not afraid of this ugliness, I just want to ask, what interests do you all have in mind when you say that!"
Seeing Gao Pang's seriousness, the others finally told the truth. It turned out that they were not unaware of the court's policy, but were very clear about it. This clear understanding led to a result. Since the sale of silk was controlled by the court, once the merchants raised the supply price, the court would make less money.
That is why the industrial and commercial departments are so determined to maintain a common attitude that the purchase price of silk cannot be increased.
Gao Pang was speechless for a moment. He originally thought that since the anti-business attitude was likely to be a lack of understanding of business. Now Gao Pang had to admit that the people had sharp eyes. As long as it concerns their own interests, everyone knows where the interests come from.
The benefits that fall into your pocket are benefits. If they are taken away by others, you will suffer a loss.
It is indeed a simple, pure and realistic view!
Gao Pang was helpless. If he used his power, the governor could even replace the entire industrial and commercial department. But what would happen after the replacement? Even if the policy was successfully implemented, Gao Pang would still have to face so many opponents. And the opponents did not think they were wrong. The government had spent so much effort to open up the trade route, so why should the merchants make money?
If Gao Pang took such measures, his official position would be almost ruined.
Gao Pang was depressed and had no one to talk to. After two days of frustration, he had no choice but to go across the river to meet his father-in-law Chen Mingtai and tell him about his depression.
Chen Mingtai is a good listener, at least when he thinks he can listen.
After Gao Pang finished speaking, Chen Mingtai laughed and said, "This is how you rule the world. Look at the court's salt policy, which was a mess in order to make money. Since the court wants to implement such a policy, how the government will do it depends on whether it can benefit everyone."
Gao Pang sighed, "It's either this or that... By the way, according to... Your Majesty, this is a zero-sum game. There are positives and negatives. How can it be possible for everyone to benefit?"
Chen Mingtai actually had no other options. This kind of thing had happened many times in history. The Han Dynasty held a salt and iron conference, which eventually determined the idea of salt and iron monopoly. After that, every dynasty made adjustments to salt and iron production, which was essentially a business where the court monopolized the most profits.
Now Huo Chong proposed to increase import and export trade and increase silk production tenfold. According to Huo Chong, this is business. However, in the eyes of others, this is a super huge profit. It would be strange if no one wanted to make a fortune from it.
Seeing his son-in-law in such a dilemma, Chen Mingtai could only give advice based on his experience, "You might as well invite the governors of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to come and discuss. Let's see what they will do."
Gao Pang thought this was a good idea, but when it came to making the decision, Gao Pang only asked the Jiangsu Governor Kong Bugeng. Although there was no special reason, Kong Bugeng was not an official from Shandong after all. Perhaps he could be more flexible.
Kong Bugeng arrived in Zhenjiang very quickly. After hearing Gao Pang's difficulties, Kong Bugeng said straightforwardly: "Governor Gao, there are two ways to deal with this matter. The first is to consult His Majesty. We will do whatever His Majesty says. The second is to ask other people to come up with a solution that everyone can accept. After all, the drama of changing rice to mulberry is a national policy, and everyone has seen it. Whether changing rice to mulberry is good or not is not important. What matters is that if the two factions fight, it is a party struggle. Under party struggle, everything is a fight. Your Majesty is a wise man. Do you think Your Majesty will sit idly by and watch the party struggle?"
Although Gao Pang still failed to get a specific solution from Kong Bugeng, he thought this was a good idea. Huo Chong had the ability to solve problems, so he naturally liked capable people. If Gao Pang was stumped by this matter, his evaluation in Huo Chong's eyes would be lowered.
There is nothing worse than being looked down upon by your lord, especially a lord like Huo Chong. After thinking for a moment, Gao Pang asked in a low voice: "Brother Kong, who do you think can discuss this?"
Kong Bugeng thought for a moment and said, "I can't explain this matter clearly. Why don't you ask Brother Gao to go and ask Weber?"
Speaking of Weber, Gao Pang understood a little. Weber had been the agent of the Transfer Department before, and now that the department was split, he went to the Ministry of Agriculture to become the Minister. Although silk production has become a big fat piece of meat in the eyes of the industrial and commercial departments because of exports, a considerable part of silk production is still agricultural production. There is no more reasonable choice than to talk to the Minister of Agriculture about agriculture.
Gao Pang and Kong Bugeng went to Xuzhou together. The imperial court had already moved to Xuzhou, so the Ministry of Agriculture could not stay in Linzi alone.
When he saw Weber again, he saw that Weber's expression was no longer as cold as when he first met Huo Chong. This coldness had turned into a very strong feeling, which was somewhat similar to the powerful Qing officials that Gao Pang had seen.
Although he looked strong, Weber was not overbearing. After listening to Gao Pang's question, Weber thought for a moment before answering, "This matter is no longer something the Ministry of Agriculture can decide. The Ministry of Agriculture is only responsible for agricultural production. Whether everyone is satisfied or not is another matter."
Gao Pang didn't expect that Wei Bo had turned into a bureaucrat so quickly, and asked unhappily, "What does Minister Wei want?"
Weber did not play Tai Chi in front of his colleagues. He answered decisively: "Since it involves whether everyone is satisfied, it is better to ask the Ministry of Rites to discuss such matters."
"Ministry of Rites?" Gao Pang was confused.
"Yes, the Ministry of Rites." Weber gave a very positive answer. Seeing Gao Pang still confused, Weber smiled calmly and said, "Haha, Brother Gao, why don't you meet the people from the Ministry of Rites and have a chat. I think you haven't seen Gong Yu for a long time, and Luo Yiren is the person recommended by Brother Gao's father-in-law. It would be great for everyone to meet. Besides, since the salt administration reform, the salt merchants are finished. Now many chefs from Huaiyang come to Xuzhou to cook, and the food here is pretty good."
Gao Pang had no choice but to ask Weber to make the contact. Weber did not refuse and invited these people to come that night.
When they met, Weber smiled and said, "Minister Gong, why don't you tell Brother Gao about the Ministry of Rites."
Gong Yu said in a serious tone, "I am not the Minister of Rites. I am just acting as the Minister of Rites for the current job."
After correcting the incorrect statement, Gong Yu then gave Gao Pang some general knowledge.
It was first established in the Northern Wei Dynasty. After the Sui Dynasty, it became one of the six ministries of the central administrative agency, in charge of the rituals of the five rites and the methods of school examinations. The chief official was the Minister of Rites, and this position remained unchanged in all subsequent dynasties. From the Sui Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, it belonged to the Shangshu Province, and in the Yuan Dynasty it belonged to the Zhongshu Province. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was an independent agency that directly obeyed the emperor. The Sui Dynasty had one Shangshu.
The Ministry of Rites was composed of four departments: the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Shrines, the Ministry of Food, and the Ministry of Guests and Hosts. It was initially managed by the Vice Minister. In the third year of Emperor Yangdi's Daye reign (607), the Vice Minister was changed to the Assistant of the Shangshu, and the Vice Ministers of each department were changed to Lang.
For more than a thousand years, the Ministry of Rites has basically maintained four major powers, with four departments in charge of rituals and music, schools, religion, ethnicity, and diplomacy.
At present, school education has been divided into an independent Ministry of Culture. Nationalities have been divided into the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Diplomacy has been set up as a separate Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The only thing left is a seemingly meaningless ritual music.
"Brother Gao, rituals and music have also been assigned to the Ministry of Culture." Gong Yu told Gao Pang about the current situation of the Ministry of Rites becoming a complete shell.
Gao Pang was not surprised. " Brother Gong, with your talent, how could you be put into such an empty shell? His Majesty would never let the Ministry of Rites do things like recruiting surrenders and accepting traitors. I wonder what task the Ministry of Rites has been assigned."
"As expected of Brother Gao, you really understand!" Gong Yu praised. After asking everyone to drink a glass of wine, Gong Yu continued, "The Ministry of Rites seems to have nothing at the moment. But it will become a place to select talents. The basis for this is whether or not you agree with your majesty's ideas. If you agree with the ideas, you will become a member of the Ministry of Rites that the Ministry of Rites is preparing to prepare. This membership is not an official position, but a kind of recognition. Only those who are willing to agree with the ideas can join after applying, being recommended, and being assessed."
"Well...what happens after joining?" Gao Pang asked the topic he was concerned about.
"Haha" "Haha" Everyone at the table laughed knowingly. Finally, Gong Yu said, "Since it is so difficult to become a member of the Ministry of Rites, how can the court squander such a gift? We are all talented people!"
Gao Pang had some understanding of the changes in the Ministry of Rites, but he still didn't understand the connection between the Ministry of Rites and the problems he was facing.
Weber briefly told Gong Yu and Luo Yiren about the trouble Gao Pang had encountered. Luo Yiren was young after all, and he couldn't help but sneer.
Gong Yu looked at Luo Yiren and said, "Why not let Xiao Luo speak first?"
Luo Yiren was quite motivated to take on the responsibility. "To put it bluntly, the comrades in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang government are eyeing this fat piece of meat. They are afraid that others will take some of it. Brother Gao, I wonder if the price of silk has doubled, compared with those asphalt and so on, is it a profit or a loss?"
Thinking of how he felt after the roof of his house was replaced, Gao Pang answered decisively: "The tarpaulin is a new item, so it's still a good deal. But it didn't turn into a big profit."
"No, no, no, that's not it. I mean, has the oil felt business made any money for the production departments in Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"
Gao Pang was stunned, and then he remembered that no one from the Industry Department participated in the debate this time. Judging from the attitude of the Industry Department, they actually had an attitude of not caring about it. At that time, Gao Pang only considered the opponents, and the supporters were very small, so he did not pay attention to the attitude of the neutrals.
"Should I go to the Ministry of Industry?" Gao Pang asked.
Luo Yiren couldn't help but sigh, "Brother Gao, you should just be happy that those people don't come out to make trouble with you. If you want to get this done now, you have to find people who support you. Since the Ministry of Industry won't say anything, then you have to look to the Ministry of Agriculture. Why don't you let Minister Wei talk to you?"
Weber snorted when he heard this, "Xiao Luo, you only know how to cause trouble for me."
Although he said so, Weber did not refuse to answer, but gave Gao Pang a suggestion, "Brother Gao, this matter seems difficult to handle. In fact, it is still a righteous cause. The current increase in silk prices is obvious. Even His Majesty would not think that the price should not be raised. If the price is not raised, how can everyone work hard? If everyone does not work, what use will it be even if you send all the officials and cadres to the fields."
"That's it! That's it!" Gao Pang clapped his hands and praised.
"But! You certainly can't let all departments go to the fields to work. Only His Majesty can give this order. Or, if His Majesty disagrees, you can do it yourself. But after doing it, hehe..."
Gao Pang couldn't help but smile bitterly. Although Weber and his gang were not the old brothers who rebelled in Shandong, they had a broader vision than the old brothers. In fact, Gao Pang suddenly felt that it was a good idea to send these officials to work down there. Only if they understood the difficulty of silk production, these guys would stop talking nonsense.
Weber continued, "Brother Gao, if there was a Ministry of Rites, this matter would be easier to handle. Everyone wants to advance. If it is the current situation, if it is not the person appointed by His Majesty, but the newcomer, he will want to compare with those nobles. However, once the Ministry of Rites comes out, such things will be completely different. Treat each other with courtesy and treat each other with courtesy. Among the members of the Ministry of Rites, everyone can certainly talk about interests, but should science and democracy, ideals and reality, be discussed? If not, what is the use of the Ministry of Rites?"
Gao Pang understood a little, and asked the three people, "What do you want me to do?"
Seeing that Gao Pang understood, Gong Yu said frankly: "Brother Gao, please write to His Majesty and try to implement the Ministry of Rites in Jiangsu and Zhejiang first. If Brother Gao writes, His Majesty will definitely agree."
