Chapter 64: Assuming Office

Zhang Daocheng was, of course, well aware of how major merchants within Bianjing City exploited small and medium-sized proprietors through such monopolies. Even the Zhang family, being imperial merchants, were themselves engaged in this very business.

Although Su Ze’s initiative only concerned the workshops and shops under the Official Office of Housing and Lands, it inevitably impacted the business interests of numerous wealthy merchants.

To address this, Su Ze had also proposed a solution: allowing these merchants to buy shares in the enterprise and earn interest on their capital.

Frowning, Zhang Daocheng asked, "If we do this, their profits will certainly be less than before. Will they agree to it?"

Su Ze replied, "They will have to agree whether they want to or not. Once the Market-Exchange Bureau is established, they won't be able to reap these exorbitant profits anyway. Furthermore, collecting interest requires far fewer personnel than before, the returns are much more stable, and the risks are significantly lower."

After a moment of reflection, Zhang Daocheng realized that this was indeed the case.

After all, a monopoly of this kind was a physical trade, requiring a substantial workforce. People were needed to procure goods, transport them, and sell them; naturally, supervisors and inspectors were also required to handle various issues.

While such ventures yielded high profits, they also demanded immense effort and, most importantly, a team of competent and trustworthy individuals to keep a constant watch.

In any administrative system, the mere word "competent" was a rarity, and reliable talent was always precious.

Collecting rent, by contrast, was vastly simpler. One could simply sit at home and collect the funds.

Su Ze turned to Zhang Yaozu and said, "Uncle, my official rank is humble, and I lack the standing to submit a memorial directly to the Emperor. I must ask you, Uncle, to present this method to His Majesty in a formal memorial."

Zhang Yaozu looked at Su Ze. With his own discernment, he could readily see that the strategy of the Market-Exchange Bureau was an exceptionally ingenious scheme.

If it could truly be implemented according to Su Ze’s vision, it would not only revitalize the Office of Housing and Lands, but also genuinely benefit the common people residing within its jurisdiction.

Moreover, Zhang Yaozu believed that given Su Ze's capability, he might actually succeed in bringing this Market-Exchange Bureau into reality.

And this would be an immense achievement.

By asking him to submit the memorial, wasn't Su Ze simply handing all the credit over to him?

Su Ze added, "However, if Uncle presents this method, I fear you will incur the hostility of quite a few ministers at court."

Zhang Yaozu was suddenly startled. Su Ze was entirely correct; such a bold reform measure would inevitably offend a vast faction of conservatives, as well as the powerful backers behind those wealthy merchants.

Zhang Yaozu hesitated once more. In officialdom, risks and opportunities had always walked hand in hand.

A stepping stone to vault oneself to the skies could very well prove to be a bottomless trap of total ruin.

Yet, Zhang Yaozu ultimately failed to resist the temptation. If this endeavor truly succeeded, its primary proposer would undoubtedly reap massive political capital, and perhaps even earn the reputation of a truly capable administrator. Climbing the ranks to become a high-ranking minister of state in the future would be well within reach!

At the very thought of attaining the grand chancellorship, Zhang Yaozu could no longer sit still. He declared to Su Ze, "If this method can truly bring benefit to the common people, I am willing to submit the memorial!"

Seeing Zhang Yaozu take the bait, Su Ze breathed a sigh of relief. The execution of any new law required high-level support; Zhang Yaozu's official rank was already sufficient, and with his connections to the inner palace, he could barely serve as a political backing for the housing office reforms.

More importantly, because Zhang Yaozu was staking his political future on this enterprise, he would support it all the more resolutely, thereby making it much easier for Su Ze to handle various matters.

Under Su Ze’s dictation, a detailed implementation plan for the Market-Exchange Bureau was duly written down by Zhang Yaozu.

As he wrote, Zhang Yaozu grew increasingly engrossed. His initial surprise gradually gave way to deep admiration, and finally, to utter astonishment.

Su Ze’s "Housing and Land Market-Exchange Law" could be described as remarkably thorough. Not only did it outline specific execution targets, but it also calculated the projected revenues for those targets.

Su Ze listed out the personnel requirements, institutional setups, and legal backing he would need.

Next came the specific implementation details. In this manner, Su Ze constructed a complex institutional framework, defining the responsibilities of every single department and even establishing a supervisory mechanism.

For instance, regarding the officials of the Market-Exchange Bureau responsible for issuing loans, the total volume of loans disbursed should not be used as a metric for their performance evaluations; this was to prevent those officials from violating regulations and issuing reckless loans merely to chase administrative achievements. Instead, the recovery of loans must be the sole criterion for their evaluation, compelling them to issue loans with greater prudence.

Additionally, Su Ze designed a bookkeeping system known as the "Dragon Gate Accounting Method." This accounting system was far more complex than the "Four-Pillars Balance Sheet" currently used in government offices, and its accounts could cross-check one another, making it significantly harder to falsify records.

The more he wrote, the more precious Zhang Yaozu felt this memorial to be. This was not merely a set of empty slogans, but a genuinely viable plan!

Zhang Yaozu even believed that one did not even need a talent like Su Ze; any by-the-book official could succeed simply by taking this plan and executing it step by step.

Reaching the conclusion, Zhang Yaozu said, "Nephew, perhaps we should still append your name to this."

Zhang Yaozu knew that if such a detailed and reliable plan were submitted, the Emperor would likely never believe he had conceived it on his own. It would be far better to honestly include Su Ze.

Su Ze offered no false modesty; once Zhang Yaozu finished writing, he appended his own name to the document as well.

Afterward, the three of them conferred for a long time, discussing how to paint a promising picture for those wealthy merchants, how to co-opt the peddlers and shops under their control, and how to deal with over-taxing tax collectors. By the time their discussion concluded, dusk was already approaching.

Only then did Zhang Yaozu remark, "Today I have finally learned what a true minister of finance for a country should look like."

He then said to Zhang Daocheng, "How I envy Brother Daocheng for having such an exceptional prospective son-in-law."

Zhang Daocheng beamed with joy. With abilities like Su Ze's, he could well pass for a great merchant of Bianjing. Even if he failed to pass the imperial metropolitan examinations, his talents would ensure the Emperor bestowed a scholar's status upon him, and he would undoubtedly be entrusted with heavy responsibilities sooner rather than later.

His daughter truly had an excellent eye for men!

Zhang Daocheng did not stay for the evening banquet at Zhang Yaozu's residence, being anxious to return and raise funds.

Although Zhang Chulan felt reluctant to part with Su Ze, she refrained from making any overly bold gestures; the two merely exchanged lingering glances of tender farewell.

Just as expected, the submission of Zhang Yaozu's "Housing and Land Market-Exchange Law" commanded the utmost attention from the Emperor.

Throughout various dynasties, whenever reforms were initiated, while the slogans were always lofty, the fundamental reason behind them was invariably "running out of money."

Ever since the reforms of the State of Qin, "enriching the country and strengthening the military" had been the eternal slogan of reform, which ultimately boiled down to "raising funds."

The wars between the Song and Western Xia, years of natural disasters, and the political blackmail of the Khitan Liao dynasty were precisely the reasons why Emperor Renzong desired reform.

With the imperial court facing financial strain, the blueprint painted by this "Housing and Land Market-Exchange Law" appeared exceptionally appealing.

It could raise the capital needed for the maintenance and renovation of the housing office properties without depleting the treasury, and following this method, there might even be a surplus.

Most importantly, the characters of "benefiting the people" were inscribed everywhere throughout the decree. When faced with these two words, even the most conservative scholar-officials found it difficult to voice any objections.

The Emperor dispatched Zhang Yaozu's memorial to the Secretariat. High-ranking ministers, including Chief Councilor Yan Shu, could raise no opposing arguments, and ultimately, the Hanlin scholars drafted the imperial edict announcing that the matter be handed over to the Office of Housing and Lands for execution.

Su Ze, who had previously served as the supervisor of the Left and Right Wing Housing and Land Offices, now acquired an additional title: Commissioner in Charge of the Housing and Land Market-Exchange Bureau.

By this time, Su Ze could no longer afford to linger idly at home. Choosing an auspicious day, he donned his official robes and stepped through the gates of the Court of the Imperial Treasury.