Su He boarded the train at Tangshan Railway Station. After completing his first inspection tour, he embarked on his journey back to the capital.
When Zhang Yuanshuo, the prefect of Tangshan, saw Emperor Su He boarding the train with civil and military officials, his nervousness immediately became relieved.
Every day Emperor Su He stayed in Tangshan Mansion, he was in physical and mental torture.
For fear of problems somewhere under the Tangshan Prefecture, he was directly dismissed from office by Emperor Su He.
As an official fanatic, Zhang Yuanshuo also wants to realize his own ambitions, so being dismissed from office will make him suffer for the rest of his life.
He studied hard for more than ten years and became a Jinshi.
After entering the officialdom, he worked hard for several years as a county magistrate before he achieved the coveted official position of magistrate.
Tangshan Mansion is one of the largest mansions in the country, and he has made great efforts to grab this position.
If Zhang Yuanshuo becomes the prefect of Tangshan, he hopes to be directly promoted from the position of prefect to governor like Wang Yanhu.
He heard the train whistle and saw the special train slowly starting.
Zhang Yuanshuo led the officials of Tangshan Prefecture and bowed to the special train to see Emperor Su He off.
He waited until the train was completely out of sight, then he straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.
Zhang Yuanshuo took a long breath and said that he must be an honest official from now on.
He didn't do anything bad, but he was still so scared. He was not the material to be a corrupt official.
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The train carriage Su He was in was relatively deserted.
He issued a decree that all accompanying officials should write their own suggestions on a certain matter based on what they saw and heard during this tour.
The officials were discussing with each other in other carriages.
Officials in charge of industry have the easiest time. This tour mainly inspects industry. They have too much to write about.
Officials from the Metropolitan Procuratorate and other three judicial departments are handling large-scale affairs in Tianjin, and they have too much to write.
Li Qingmu and other navies saw ironclad steamships and could imagine future ironclads.
The most troubled officials are those who have nothing to do with any of these.
They don't know where to start in order to write wonderfully.
Emperor Su He will definitely read the memorial written this time personally. This is an opportunity to show off one's ability, and no one is willing to give it up.
If the writing is too poor and makes Emperor Su He think that he is too weak, it is really not worth being demoted because of such things.
Su He looked at Wu Yong who was standing in the carriage with a worried look on his face.
"Wu Yong, you have solved the technology of water washing coal."
Wu Yong reported yesterday evening that he had completed the water washing coal technology.
Su He's itinerary has been planned for a long time. Today is already the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, and the New Year's Eve will be in five days.
As the emperor of the Great China Dynasty, Su He must return to the capital before New Year's Eve. There are many important rituals that cannot be separated from him as the emperor.
He no longer has time to personally see the results that water-washed coal technology can achieve.
Su He asked Wu Yong to return to Beijing with him. He was a talented person who should be sent to the Academy of Sciences for further study. He might be able to achieve greater achievements in the future.
When Wu Yong heard Su He's question, he looked a little nervous, but when he heard about the technical issues, he explained the water-washed coal technology very fluently.
"Your Majesty has great insight. I follow your Majesty's instructions and wash the newly mined coal with water.
After several days of experiments, I found the cheapest and most effective cleaning method.
After cleaning, the sulfur content in coal is significantly reduced, and other impurities are also reduced a lot.
These coals are not refined into coke, they are burned directly and produce only a little more poisonous gas than coke."
The technology of washing coal with water is not complicated at all. Wu Yong spent so long mainly because he was waiting for the washed coal to be dried.
It is the twelfth lunar month of winter, and if the washed coal is left outside, a thick layer of ice will form on the outside.
Wu Yong conducted many experiments to simulate the environment of normal water evaporation in summer.
He does not want to cause errors in the water-washed coal technology when used in summer due to environmental errors.
If this happens, he will bear greater responsibility, which would be worse than not successfully developing this technology.
Su He looked at the detailed technical information handed over by Wu Yong.
Coal is washed with water to remove many impurities.
The waste gas produced by burning untreated coal can kill mice.
The coal that has been washed with water and the waste gas produced by the combustion make the mice look a little sluggish, but they can survive normally.
Su He praised: "Okay, this technology is very good.
It is extremely low cost and can effectively reduce the pollution produced when coal is burned.
We cannot stop eating because of choking, or ban coal because of pollution, but if we can spend a little cost to reduce coal pollution, this is still a very worthwhile technology."
Su He rewarded Wu Yong with five thousand taels of silver coins. This was a silver coin that a farmer had to work for nearly a hundred years to earn.
He has been using generous rewards to convey information to the outside world. Emperor Su He attaches great importance to technology.
Wu Yong received the reward, and he happily left the train carriage where Emperor Su He was.
Su He read the memorial sent from the capital.
Some small matters can be handled by the cabinet.
If they can be sent to him, these are matters that the cabinet cannot handle.
Among the many complicated things, the one that concerned Su He the most was the first Longteng Award.
The Longteng Award is an award arranged by Su He, Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of Rites, and Tian Jiapeng, President of the Academy of Sciences, to prepare for it.
This award is awarded in the name of the Dahua royal family, and the presenter is the emperor.
Reward the most valuable science and technology.
Science is divided into categories such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biomedicine.
Generally, one technology will be selected to win the award, and a maximum of two technologies will win the award.
The Longteng Award is recommended by famous scholars and reviewed by the Royal Academy of Sciences.
The Longteng Award is rich in cash prizes and can also bring high reputation to the parties concerned, and the winners will be awarded knighthoods.
This award was created by Su He in order to improve the treatment of scientists.
The award it targets is the later-famous Nobel Prize.
The preparations for the Longteng Award are nearing completion, and Emperor Su He has confirmed the candidates for the award.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, the award ceremony will be held.
After Su He read the information about the Dragon Award, he looked at other things.
This includes the transfer of governors, the engagement of royal family members, the review of death sentences in Dali Temple and other tasks.
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The train was running on the tracks, making a clanging sound.
It was already dark, and most people in the carriage were sleeping.
A shrill whistle woke everyone up.
Eunuch Zhou Fangzhi had been waiting outside Su He's carriage.
He saw Su He woke up by the sound of the train whistle.
Zhou Fangzhi immediately stepped forward and reminded: "Your Majesty, the train has arrived at the Beijing Railway Station. It is now two o'clock in the morning."
Su He got up, put on his cotton coat, and walked outside the train station.
According to the expected itinerary, the train will arrive at the Beijing Railway Station at two or three o'clock in the afternoon.
But one of the major characteristics of steam engines in this era is that they have many faults.
The train stopped due to a breakdown midway, and the onboard engineer immediately made repairs.
The emergency repairs took a long time, and the speed of the steam train became even slower after the emergency repairs were completed.
This caused the train to be delayed and they arrived at the train station in the early morning.
Queen Wang Wenjun and her harem concubines were waiting at the train station.
The prince and princess also waited here during the day. At night, Wang Wenjun was afraid that they would catch the cold, so he sent them back to the palace.
When the train was delayed, Wang Wenjun felt a little panicked and wanted to send someone on horseback to check on the situation.
Her idea was blocked by her second brother Wang Zhongce.
If there is a serious accident on the train ahead, the Qilin Guards will definitely come to the capital to inform them.
They sent fast horses to check the situation, but the train was faster than the horses.
When the horses returned, the train had already arrived at the station, which was unnecessary.
They took a nap in the train station and heard the whistle of the train entering the station. Knowing that Emperor Su He was about to arrive, they immediately went to the platform to greet him.
Su He led the civil and military officials out of the train station.
There was a relaxed look on these people's faces.
They had been away from the capital for nearly half a month and had participated in many magnificent events. They were already very tired and wanted to return home for a moment of peace.
Su He saw his wives waiting for his return in the cold wind.
He first walked to Prime Minister Wang Zhongce and ordered: "Zhongce, please inform the relevant personnel to hold a royal meeting tomorrow to discuss the problems I have encountered during this period.
I will also arrange the court-related arrangements during the Chinese New Year holiday."
Wang Zhongce nodded, then left Su He and walked towards Wei Shiming's direction.
As the prime minister of the cabinet, he had to learn from the cabinet minister Wei Shiming about the emperor's tour.
Su He looked at Wang Wenjun's little face that was red from the cold and Li Huixin's slightly stiff fingers. He urged: "It's too cold here. Let's take a carriage back to the palace."
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4335 (AD 1638), December 30th, the last imperial meeting of the year.
Su He looked at the civil and military officials in front of him. He stood up, his face turned red, and he said angrily: "A dike of a thousand miles collapsed in an ant nest.
Corruption breaks out in Tianjin, and officials protect each other, forming a huge interest network.
Throughout the Tianjin officialdom, embezzlement of silver coins amounted to 4.56 million taels of silver coins.
The imperial court's allocation to Hebei Province did not reach this amount.
What is all this? This is all people’s fat and people’s anointing.
Looking at the leopard, except for Tianjin, are the officials in other provinces very honest? I simply can’t believe it.
Dahua had only been established for a few years, and the officialdom looked like the scene at the end of the dynasty, with corrupt officials rampant and people living in dire straits.
I will never allow this phenomenon to continue to exist.
The officialdom must be purged and the administration of officials must be improved.
If you can't complete this task, I will replace you.
Zhu Yuanzhang was able to kill so many officials in the past, how could I not kill him?"
The officers who attended the imperial meeting watched the civil servants being reprimanded by Emperor Su He, and they snickered on the sidelines.
The Royal Army of Dahua has no additional income and only relies on allocations from the court.
Appropriations from the imperial court are reviewed at all levels by the emperor, the cabinet, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, the parliament and military-related agencies.
Mid-level and low-level officers have no chance to get their hands on them.
A high-ranking military officer with the carrot of overseas kingship hanging in front of him.
They will never embezzle military pay and lose the opportunity to become the founding monarch of the country.
The officers could stay out of the matter and watch the civil servants being reprimanded by Emperor Su He.
The civil servants had mixed feelings, and Emperor Su He had issued an ultimatum.
If the cabinet cannot take action to rectify the administration of officials, Emperor Su He will inevitably learn from the former Ming Dynasty Emperor Hongwu.
He will raise his butcher knife against all civil servants, and their blood will flow like rivers.
As the founding emperor, Su He had absolute authority and could cleanse the officialdom several times while still maintaining the stability of the country.
The cabinet ministers and the six ministers all looked at Prime Minister Wang Zhongce.
As the prime minister of Dahua, Wang Zhongce is the head of the civil service and must stand up at this time.
Wang Zhongce saw most of the civil servants looking at him.
He knew that at this time, he must also come up with ways to solve the problem of the collapse of officialdom.
Wang Zhongce worked with Emperor Su He for so many years.
He understood Emperor Su He's temperament and the cabinet would not resolve this matter.
Once it is Emperor Su He's turn to take action, blood will inevitably flow.
Wang Zhongce stood up from his seat, and first bowed in the direction of Emperor Su He.
"Your Majesty, I have rich experience in local governance.
Tianjin is so close to the capital, and official corruption is so rampant. If it is far away from the capital, that is, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, many problems will inevitably arise.
This is because the cabinet did not do its job well, and I apologize first."
Wang Zhongce first admitted that there were indeed problems with officialdom.
The Tianjin case shocked the whole country, and the facts cannot be disputed.
Who knows which mountain is high and far away from the emperor, and big eucalyptus will burst out.
After admitting its mistake, the cabinet also shied away some of the relevant responsibilities.
Wang Zhongce knew that just admitting his mistake would never satisfy Emperor Su He.
Seeing that Emperor Su He was not angry, he proposed the solution he had thought of these days.
"Your Majesty, many famous ministers and prime ministers in the past dynasties want to solve the problem of officialdom.
The methods proposed by many of them are very good, but due to the opposition of interest groups, many policies have been abandoned.
The famous official closest to us, the solution he proposed is in line with the characteristics of the times.
My wisdom is limited and I can't think of a better way.
I request your Majesty to strictly implement the examination method established by Zhang Juzheng, a famous minister of the Ming Dynasty.
Every quarter, an assessment is conducted for all officials across the country.
Those who fail three times will be demoted."
As soon as Wang Zhongce said this, many civil servants in the Qianqing Palace couldn't help but discuss it in low voices.
Zhang Juzheng's examination method examines each official's ability to do things.
This is equivalent to putting a shackles on every official.
Wang Zhongce continued: "When I was managing the civil service department and inspecting and promoting officials, I used the examination method for reference.
The examination method is used in the Ministry of Personnel and is only used when officials are promoted.
There is no relevant system in place to conduct detailed inspections of officials’ daily work.
It is easy for officials to govern the Qingming Festival.
As long as the capable ones are promoted and the mediocre are demoted, the imperial court will strengthen the assessment and management of officials and deal with the bad ones in a timely manner."
When Su He heard Wang Zhongce's suggestion, he was quite satisfied with it.
He saw other civil servants who were blushing, and some wanted to refute this policy.
But taking into account the authority of Emperor Su He and the power of Prime Minister Wang Zhongce, they did not speak.
Su He said with a smile: "Wang Aiqing, you take advantage of the Chinese New Year holiday to improve the system related to the entrance examination.
I think the test method is good, so I will start implementing it in the capital city.
This way we can find some problems and get feedback in time.”
The issue of official administration was initially resolved, and the imperial meeting entered the formal process.
After Su He finished settling some accumulated matters, he began to make arrangements for the court's New Year's holiday.
After the imperial meeting ended, Su He deliberately stayed with Tian Jiapeng and asked him about the situation related to the Dragon Award.
