-->Yang Hui, Zhang Yue, Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, Deng Wan and others came to Zhongshu to report to Han Jiang and Lu Huiqing about the pen fee.
Generally, when Hanlin scholars meet the prime minister, they must dress respectfully and hold a wat in hand and take off their shoes to report the matter. The last time Zhang Yue came to Zhengshi Hall, he was exempted from taking off his shoes and holding a wat, because he was a bachelor of Duanming Hall.
As for Yang Hui, who was a Hanlin scholar, Zhang Yue had no reason to exempt him. But Zhang Dun did the same. He entered the political hall with his shoes on without holding a wat board in his hand.
Zhang Yue knew that Zhang Dun was very measured, Han Jiang was a kind person and would not reprimand, and Lu Huiqing owed Zhang Dun a favor, let alone anything.
Zhang Dun was used to being arrogant, Yang Hui and him didn't look at each other, and Zhang Yue kept a distance from him. As for Zeng Bu and Deng Wan, they were dressed neatly.
Several people met Han Jiang and Lu Huiqing and talked about polishing their pens. Han Jiang was also a person who had served in the Imperial Academy, and was well aware of the bad habit of refining pens in the Imperial Academy.
Zhang Dun expressed his intention to abolish the bad rules of raising money, while Yang Hui expressed the thoughts of other bachelors. Han Jiang decided to report to the emperor that all the money should be used as ministerial money.
Yang Hui was not very satisfied with this matter. He actually wanted to divide it into three parts, one part for the officials, one part for the court officials, and one part for the minister's money.
But Han Jiang arranged it, so it had to be this way. Then Yang Hui criticized the tactics in front of Han Jiang and Lu Huiqing.
In Yang Hui's eyes, the immunity method was already weird enough, but he didn't expect that the actual method would go one step further. In fact, it goes without saying that a high-ranking official like Yang Hui is demonized in the eyes of most officials and even ordinary people.
But Zhang Yue, who was in the game and listened carefully, felt that Lu Huiqing could not be blamed too much for the realization, but what could be done if everyone did not trust Lu Huiqing.
Generally, after the former prime minister dismisses the prime minister, the new prime minister will be in power. Because the former prime minister had a lot of grievances during his reign and suppressed dissident forces too harshly, when the new prime minister came to the throne, all the officials were eagerly waiting for him, hoping that he could refresh politics.
But after a while, they became disappointed, and many people even remembered the good things about their former husband-in-law. From the time when Han Qi thanked him for his political support, and then when Wang Anshi paid homage to join the government, everyone from the four friends of Jiayou to the officials had high expectations for him.
After Wang Anshi resigned as prime minister, the officials did not have much favorable impressions of Lu Huiqing, who succeeded him in carrying out the reform. He was always low in popularity. It has been nearly half a year since Wang Anshi resigned, especially after Lu Huiqing proposed controversial tactics. , and was criticized by hundreds of officials.
Speaking of this practical approach. In the 34th year of Xining, the fifth-class book was rebuilt, which was presided over by Deng Wan and Zeng Bu of Sinong Temple.
According to the principle of making a fifth-class book every leap year, another fifth-class book must be made if necessary. Therefore, Lu Huiqing proposed the first practical law based on the reconstruction of the fifth-class book this year. The purpose is to change from the past officials and household heads to say how many households should be reported, to actual verification and reward for informing.
One of the most criticized ones is that it encourages reporting. Anyone who reports can get one-third of the property of the hidden person.
This is exactly the same as the method of reporting against Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the reporting method allowed the whistleblower to obtain one-half of the other party's property.
This method was proposed by Lu Heqing, Lu Huiqing's younger brother. Yang Hui said: "In the past, when Sinong Temple made books, the amount of money for exemption from labor was first determined, and then the county went to local places to make books. In order to make books, many local officials were promoted to be suitable for making books." Lu Huiqing said. : "I have explained to the emperor many times, but there is no trace. The following prefectures and counties have not been promoted to a higher household level, and there are even many cases where the upper-level households are hidden and listed as lower-level households." Yang Hui discussed this matter with Lu Huiqing. After many quarrels, Lu Huiqing angrily said that this is nothing at all and you should not keep holding on to this matter.
Yang Hui said: "Deng Zhongcheng personally admitted it to me, how could it be false?" Lu Huiqing glared at Deng Wan.
Deng Wan explained: "First measure the number of households in the prefectures and counties and then determine the amount of labor. It is just a rough number. As for the estimation and inaccuracy, it depends on the officials of the prefectures and counties. As for whether the reports by the prefectures and counties are accurate, it is not determined by Sinong Temple." ." The Third Division was blind to the local situation. They first estimated a number and asked the officials below to report it, then several officials each reported a number, and finally took an average.
Deng Wan went to great lengths to explain clearly what the truth was. Lu Huiqing said: "The so-called first is to let households report themselves first, so as to determine the amount of exemption money for next year. In the final analysis, the previous fifth-class property records were mostly hidden, and the bookkeeper and the head of the household colluded with each other to conceal it. There is no truth and no evidence for prosecution.”
"That's why we created a book and conducted an inventory!" Yang Huizhe said: "It's enough to know what happened to each household. Why is it necessary to report all the chickens, dolphins and domestic animals in advance like every foot to rafter and every inch of soil? How can we reward those who are untruthful?" "The biggest controversy about Lu Huiqing's methods is from the original reporting by households and confirmation by the government, to the reporting by households themselves and the investigation of reward reports.
Another thing is that the investigation was too detailed, which made the people panic. Not a chicken nor a duck is spared, and all are reported carefully.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that the biggest problem with this practical method is the gap between what should be and what is. To put it bluntly, it is a matter of subjective to objective, ideal to reality.
Can the bureaucratic system and statistical methods behind the Song Dynasty carry this practical method? However, Lu Huiqing was determined to implement this method. Yang Hui said: "This method is really Shang Yang's technique. Once the method is practiced, people and even relatives will inform each other."
"In the past, Shang Yang said, if you use kindness, the people will love you; if you use evil, the people will love you. Those who unite and combine are good, and those who are different and regulated are traitors. If you are good, you will hide your faults, and if you allow traitors, you will be punished. ." Yang Hui criticized the biggest problem with this method, which was that it would lead to relatives informing each other, which would destroy the traditional Confucian system of hiding relatives.
But having said that, Lu Huiqing also knew that the lower-level officials at the executive level were unreliable, so he relied on informants among the common people.
It can encourage people to inform, but it will also corrupt social customs and put everyone in danger. Just as Shang Yang encouraged whistleblowers, the imperial court used traitors instead of good people.
Yang Hui and Lu Huiqing argued for a few words and left after disagreeing. Everyone felt bored and left one after another. When Zhang Yue arrived at the house, he learned that Han Jiang's confidant asked him to retire from the government and visit the house.
Zhang Yue immediately went to see Han Jiang. Han Jiang's house was a reward from Han Yi, and he and his brother Han Zhen lived in the house.
Han Jiang took Zhang Yue to his study, but saw that the study was full of antiques and famous utensils. Han Jiang, Ouyang Xiu, and Wu Chong are all hardcore antique lovers, so they have countless collections in their homes.
Han Jiang said that he had accumulated his collection since Han Yi, but he saw a penholder made of carved crystal placed on his desk, which looked like an iceberg. At first glance, it was a priceless thing.
In addition, Zhang Yue was overwhelmed by how many artifacts there were. This made Zhang Yue think of the saying that only three generations of officials can know how to dress and eat. Compared with Han Jiang's own life, it was too rough.
Han Jiang picked up a piece of celadon and handed it to Zhang Yue, saying, "How do you feel about seeing this porcelain?" Zhang Yue smiled and said, "It looks like Tang porcelain." Han Jiang nodded and said, "Yes, it's an old farmer when I was in Damingfu." As a gift to me, he said that he was a virtuous minister and a good minister, so he presented it as a family heirloom, but I found it with the Fang family and found it to be a fake."
"The old farmer didn't believe it and cried loudly in front of my house. He said it was passed down from his ancestors. If he found someone to check it, it would definitely not be false."
"I had doubts in my heart, and I ordered others to look at them and say that they were all imitations. But I thought that what the old farmer said was true and definitely not fake. In the end, I bought the thing and hid it in my room." Zhang Yue said: "My husband said this quite a bit. What a profound meaning!" Han Jiang sighed and said: "You can't argue with anyone, it's hard to know the truth. As the prime minister, I am like an old farmer, kept in the dark by others." Zhang Yue did not dare to answer the question, and he was deceived by the higher-ups in the officialdom. It's commonplace at all levels, just tell lies with your eyes open.
Han Jiang said to Zhang Yue, "Have you seen Zizhan's letter?" Zhang Yue said, "Yes." Su Shi had moved from Hangzhou Tongpan to Mizhou Zhizhou, and his official position had also been moved to Dr. Taichang. Su Shi arrived The first problem Mizhou faced was the locust plague, and then the imperial court issued an edict with practical methods.
Su Shi then went to Shu Han Jiang, and Zhang Yue and others criticized the need to abolish the physical method (Note 1). Han Jiang said: "The locust plague in Mizhou is extremely serious, but the local officials lied and claimed that the locusts came and did no harm, and even weeded the people, so the disaster was not serious. It was a lie from top to bottom. If it is not what Zizhan said, I'm still in the dark, and I know that locusts won't eat the crops when they arrive in Jingdong." Zhang Yue almost laughed out loud when he heard this, but when he saw that Han Jiang was really angry, he had to hold it in his stomach.
Su Shi also spoke out. In addition to the locust disaster, he also criticized his good brother Zhang Dun unceremoniously. Zhang Dungang proposed to implement the Salt Disposal Law in Hebei and Jingdong.
Zhang Dun, the military supervisor, collected cattle hides from the people, and also adopted the policy of rewarding people together with the first actual law. Su Shi also believed that this was a move that corrupted the public morals.
But what Su Shi criticized most was the shortcomings of practical methods. Zhang Yue said: "Actually, the method is a follow-up to the labor exemption law. The original intention of Lu Shenzheng was to implement the labor exemption law, strictly assign labor according to household class, and prevent those first and second-class households from pretending to be fourth- and fifth-class households to escape labor and taxes. Law."
"But this method is not feasible at first glance?"
"Why is it not feasible?" Zhang Yue said: "Not to mention whether there is anything wrong with the whistleblower policy, the most important thing is that it disturbs the people too much. Officials will go to the countryside to check and verify. During this period, they will compile a book of policies and report it to the county. The county will then report it to Sinong Temple. , Sinong Temple will work out the details in detail, and then send out troops..."
"And the power to verify whether there is a reward or not lies in the hands of the officials." Zhang Yue wanted to follow Lu Huiqing's method. One was that the statistics were too vast.
Another thing is that the power in the hands of officials is too great. In an environment without good supervision,
