Zhu Yijun agreed with Liang Menglong's words. The mindset of officials in this era was much more serious than in the future.
Although many people in the future were keen on becoming officials, not everyone did so. It was just that the ratio was higher.
However, in Daming's world, there was no one who could be successful except for being an official.
"Therefore, this official thinks that we should give the generals an official status."
Liang Menglong spoke for a long time before finally throwing out his idea. "This official thinks that this matter should be handed over to the Ministry of Works."
"Firstly, the Ministry of Works is in charge of construction. This is an internal matter of the Ministry of Works."
"Secondly, the Ministry of Works uses craftsmen as officials. There won't be much opposition."
Zhu Yijun looked at Liang Menglong. He finally understood why Liang Menglong gave so many reasons at the beginning. It was clearly to pave the way for his final statement so that Zhu Yijun would agree to let the Ministry of Works handle this matter.
Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Works had never been the most well-regarded.
Once the generals had the official status of the Ministry of Works, then the Ministry of Works would be able to extend its influence into the military. This would definitely be an expansion of power for the Ministry of Works.
As the Ministry of Rites began to establish public schools, the Ministry of Rites' power increased greatly. Clearly, the Ministry of Works had its own ideas.
However, this wasn't what Zhu Yijun was surprised about. Fighting for more power for one's own department wasn't something unique to this era. It was a normal thing in any era.
Zhu Yijun was surprised about the suggestion of military craftsmen as officials. Even if it was an official of the Ministry of Works, it would probably cause a huge commotion.
Obviously, Liang Menglong knew this. So why did he make this suggestion?
Zhu Yijun thought about it and understood. As the saying went, whatever was good at the top, the people below would be even worse.
His policy had always been to revere Confucianism and respect craftsmen. Although it was just a slogan now, the people below could already see the signs.
Liang Menglong was doing things according to Zhu Yijun's wishes and wanted to show off.
Zhu Yijun sighed in his heart. He finally received this kind of treatment.
After ascending to the throne for fifteen years and ruling for five, this was the first time Zhu Yijun had experienced this kind of treatment.
He hadn't even said anything or expressed his stance, but his subordinates had already done it.
"Your suggestion is very good!" Zhu Yijun nodded and said.
At this time, he naturally had to encourage Liang Menglong. This could be considered as a concrete policy of worshiping the Han Confucianism and valuing the work of others.
Zhu Yijun naturally had to support him and use Liang Menglong as a role model.
"Do you have a concrete plan?" Zhu Yijun looked at Liang Menglong and asked.
"Your Majesty, I do!" Liang Menglong quickly replied.
Liang Menglong did not hesitate at all. He was overjoyed. He had indeed made the right bet.
After a moment of silence, Liang Menglong opened his mouth and said, "This subject believes that the Ministry of Works should be established in the Ministry of Works."
"Specializing in the registration of craftsmen, recruiting and training craftsmen for the imperial court."
"At the same time, I'll be in charge of the assessment of the nation's craftsmen and assess their grades."
"We'll recruit them according to their ranks, and at the same time, we'll give craftsmen of different ranks different treatments.
The rank of a craftsman is the same as that of an official and is linked to their treatment, but it is appropriate to say that their treatment is slightly lower than that of a civil servant. "
"For example, we'll kneel before the officials, children can study in the Royal Academy or the Normal Academy, and those who commit crimes will have their ranks removed before they can be punished, etc."
Zhu Yijun looked at Liang Menglong and couldn't help praising him in his heart. The wisdom of the ancient people really shouldn't be underestimated. Once the train of thought was opened, all kinds of ideas would come to mind. Wasn't this the treatment of the future generations?
Liao Yuan had a deep impression of this because this policy was very popular in the future generations for a period of time.
Whether it was state-owned enterprises, schools, or hospitals, all of them had the same treatment as civil servants.
For example, the treatment of a section chief and a division chief. It was similar to what Liang Menglong said!
There were even military ranks in the military, and it wasn't like everyone had never seen a singing major general.
Zhu Yijun couldn't help but wonder if the future generations had faced the same predicament as him.
No matter what happened in the future generations, Liang Menglong's suggestion was absolutely feasible in Daming, and it could greatly improve the status of craftsmen.
Of course, to the gentry and scholars at the top, it was still not popular.
But to the ordinary people, it was already very good. What more could you want from an official with a rank?
As time passed, everyone would slowly accept this matter.
When the craftsmen made great contributions or had a high rank, they could enter the Royal Academy of Sciences.
At that time, he could add the title of an academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences and enjoy the treatment of a Grand Secretary.
This could also be considered as giving the craftsmen the highest ideal of an official, and it could greatly stimulate the craftsmen in Daming.
Of course, this might take a long time, but it was still a good idea and path.
The military craftsmen in the military would definitely be interested in this. Although they could earn more outside, there was no need to work for others as long as they were officials.
In this era, this kind of thinking was definitely mainstream.
"I'm going to try out the craftsmen's rank system in the military first." Liang Menglong said in a deep voice, "After we have experience, we can promote it to the whole country."
After listening to Liang Menglong's words, Zhu Yijun didn't speak for a long time. He just looked at Liang Menglong.
After a long time, Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "Since you have an idea, then we'll do as you say!"
"I'll leave this matter to you. You mustn't let me down."
When Liang Menglong heard Zhu Yijun's words, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will definitely not let you down!"
After Liang Menglong left, Zhu Yijun smiled. This matter had been resolved, and it had really removed a part of his worries.
As for whether Liang Menglong could do it, Zhu Yijun wasn't worried at all.
It was because Liang Menglong's past was too amazing.
Ever since he became an official, Liang Menglong had been a de facto official. He had been promoted step by step from a local official.
The first thing Liang Menglong did to become famous was to control the Yellow River. During the Jiajing period, the Yellow River burst.
Liang Menglong was the deputy envoy of Henan, in charge of river affairs.
In the process of controlling the river, he "tested the winch and the bell, and worked together with the soldiers. During the day, he didn't dare to go to the hut, and at night, he slept on the river."
It happened to be the Great Heat, and the plague was spreading. Liang Menglong took out his salary to buy medicine for the sick people, and "drank the servants, and saved tens of thousands of people."
In the process of controlling the Yellow River, Liang Menglong not only controlled the river, but also stabilized the place, which was quite effective in disaster relief.
Because there was a plague in the summer, Liang Menglong controlled the spread of the plague.
In the process of controlling the Yellow River, Liang Menglong caught the attention of the imperial court. Everyone knew that he was a capable official.
The second thing was when he was the governor of Shandong. At that time, Shandong was in an urgent situation, and the farmers lost their jobs. It could be said that it was only one step away from the people's rebellion.
Liang Menglong was appointed in the face of danger. Not only did he stabilize Shandong, but he also quickly restored the production in Shandong. That was when he was the governor of Shandong, Liang Menglong experimented with sea transportation in Shandong.
He was a very far-sighted official, and he was a down-to-earth official.
There was a famine in Liaodong, and the residents had no way to make a living. Thousands of people crossed the sea to Deng and Lai. They worked and lived there, but it was inevitable that they had conflicts with the local people, which intensified and became a disaster.
Because of this, the imperial court changed several governors, but they failed to pacify the situation.
After Liang Menglong took office, regardless of the danger, he took a boat to the sea and personally investigated the situation. On the basis of understanding the truth, he proposed three policies and eight measures to solve the conflict. Through a series of measures, the conflict between the people of the two places was eased, and the social order gradually stabilized.
Judging from what Liang Menglong had done in the past, he was a capable official.
He was a capable and down-to-earth official.
In history, in order to oppose Zhang Juzheng, the Wanli Emperor cooperated with Zhang Siwei to eliminate the dissidents, and all capable officials like Liang Menglong were sent home.
This was also the reason why the situation in Daming took a sudden turn for the worse. The imperial court was full of people who flattered and fought for power and profit.
It would be ridiculous to expect these people to do a good job.
Zhu Yijun had high expectations for Liang Menglong. If he did a good job this time, Liang Menglong, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, would not be able to escape.
After he entered the Cabinet, Zhu Yijun would also give him more responsibilities.
The news of the Ministry of Works establishing the Department of Craftsmen naturally couldn't be hidden, and those who were observant quickly received the news.
The news that the imperial court was going to make craftsmen officials and grant them ranks naturally caused a great uproar.
However, not many people submitted petitions. Although there were rotten scholars among the people who shouted that the etiquette was broken, basically no one paid attention to them.
Clearly, the idea of worshiping Han Confucianism and valuing craftsmen was beginning to show its strength. In other words, the central control of the imperial court had greatly increased.
No one expected that the doctor of the Department of Hundred Works was actually Li Zhi.
Everyone had almost forgotten about this scholar who advocated neo-Confucianism.
No one expected that he would reappear in front of everyone in such a way, which made many people wonder: what was the meaning of this?
This was, of course, Zhu Yijun's arrangement. Li Zhi entered the Department of Hundred Works and presided over the reform of craftsmen.
Although the Neo-Confucianism was defeated by the Revered Antiquity Faction, it was a compromise that Zhu Yijun had no choice but to compromise.
At this stage, the Revered Antiquity Faction was easier to accept and promote by Daming.
In comparison, the Neo-Confucianism was much more dazzling.
However, Zhu Yijun would not give up on the Neo-Confucianism because there were many places in the Neo-Confucianism that Zhu Yijun could smear at will.
In Zhu Yijun's view, the Revered Antiquity Faction was just a transition, a Renaissance.
After the Renaissance, many new knowledge would definitely be derived. Among these new knowledge, there needed to be a knowledge that Zhu Yijun could smear at will. This knowledge was Li Zhi's theory.
In the battle of ideas, Zhu Yijun had compromised with the bureaucratic group and obtained a stage victory. However, this was not the final result that Zhu Yijun wanted. He needed more new ideas.
People who did not think far ahead would have immediate worries. After Shen Shixing and the others left, Daming would need new people.
Letting Li Zhi go to the Department of Hundred Works was also a good opportunity to spread his ideas. It had to be known that Li Zhi's ideas were very popular among the common people.
The Revered Antiquity Faction worked from top to bottom, while Li Zhi's Neo-Confucianism worked from bottom to top.
The power of the people was great, and Zhu Yijun needed to hold this power in his hands.
As things began to move forward, Zhu Yijun's mood improved a lot. He was already ready to move on to the next step.
The reform of the craftsmen was handed over to Liang Menglong, and he needed to keep an eye on the business tax.
Forbidden City, Hall of Literary Glory.
The Minister of Revenue, Ceng Shengwu, and the Tax Department's Wang Yongji stood there with their bodies bowed.
Even though the Tax Department was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue, everyone knew that the Tax Department was a yamen personally held in the hands of the emperor. Anyone who touched the emperor would get angry. Ceng Shengwu had deeply experienced this point in this period of time.
Logically speaking, the Ministers of the Six Ministries had entered the Cabinet and had the final say in their own yamen.
However, the Ministry of Revenue was not like this, because the Ministry of Revenue had a Tax Department.
Wang Yongji of the Tax Department had the title of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the title of Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory. He had great power.
The Ministry of Revenue was also the only yamen with two Grand Secretaries.
This time, Ceng Shengwu didn't know why the Emperor had called him and Wang Yongji together, but he knew it was definitely not a small matter.
Zhu Yijun walked out from behind. Seeing that the two were about to salute, he waved his hand and said, "Dispense with the formalities!"
When the two stood still, Zhu Yijun ordered, "Give them a seat!"
These two were both Zhu Yijun's trusted officials, so Zhu Yijun didn't want to create any atmosphere. In addition, the matter they were discussing this time was serious enough. If the atmosphere became serious, there would be no way to talk.
When the two sat down, Zhu Yijun said, "You know that the court is revising the Law of Daming, right?"
Ever since the decision to revise the Law of Daming was passed last year, this matter had been carried out.
However, they didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, so this matter had been carried out in a very low-key manner.
Zhu Yijun took out the manpower from the Six Departments and added the manpower from the Inner Factory to revise it in secret.
Up until now, the secrecy had been done very well, and no news had leaked out.
After nearly ten months of revision, the first revision of the Law of Daming was basically completed, and the completed part was the tax law.
The tax law was reformulated, and the first sentence was, "Paying taxes is the responsibility and obligation of every Daming subject to Daming."
From the land tax to the commercial tax, to the industrial tax, everything was formulated. The manpower from the Inner Factory ensured that the entire formulation process didn't deviate from Zhu Yijun's guiding ideology.
Although there were still many areas that weren't perfect, they had to wait until the actual work was done to revise it.
The first version of the Law of Daming had been revised, and Zhu Yijun was ready to bring it out.
The two didn't expect that the Emperor would actually ask about this matter. Although this matter was a secret to the outside world, it wasn't a secret to Wang Yongji and Ceng Shengwu. They knew that the court was secretly revising the Law of Daming.
Although many people outside thought that there was no news from the court and it might be over, Ceng Shengwu and Wang Yongji knew that the work of revising the Law of Daming had been going on, and it was carried out in an orderly manner.
The two looked at each other and said together, "We know."
Zhu Yijun nodded and said, "What I want to talk to you about today is related to this matter. The revision of the Law of Daming is not something that can be done overnight, but part of the revision has been completed."