"No official in the world has a permanent salary. They only make a living by accepting bribes and often get rich."
In the spring of the first year of Xingqing, a sign reading "Anti-Corruption Branch of Jiangnan East Road of the Song Dynasty" was hung in the East Liquor Storehouse on the west side of Jinling Lecture Hall.
The people of Jinling only know that the Anti-Corruption Branch fights corruption, but no one knows who is in the Anti-Corruption Branch, how many people there are, what they have done, and who they have arrested.
Except for one thing, who is the head of the Anti-Corruption Department.
Because the newspapers made it clear, and the people of Jiangnan East Road knew clearly that the head of the Anti-Corruption Department of the Song Dynasty was the brother-in-law of the current emperor, and he was in charge of anti-corruption matters on Jiangnan East Road.
Uncle Guo is in charge of the Anti-Corruption Department, which shows the determination of the Emperor of the Song Dynasty to fight against corruption.
Although he had never been an official, he had lived on the streets of Lin'an City for a long time and had heard and witnessed it. Zhou Ping knew the emperor's original intention of fighting corruption. He also knew that the emperor was targeting corrupt officials, and he knew that these people were difficult to deal with.
The foundation of the Song Dynasty was that kings and scholar-bureaucrats jointly ruled the world. Even if officials were found to be corrupt, the emperor would not punish them, let alone make these people upright and typical.
If you are greedy for more than ten thousand words, you will lose your head!
Not to mention losing one's head, one's home is ransacked and exiled, and one's wife and children eat and drink whatever they want, while doing manual labor all day long. That would be worse than death.
How can this happen?
With the help of the status of "Uncle of the State" and the strong assistance of the newly appointed Jiangnan East Road Envoy Wang Gang and the Chief of the Jiankang Prefecture Hu Mengyu, and with the help of official registration and taxation inspections and secret inspections, the Anti-Corruption Department also allowed the Anti-Corruption Department to conduct investigations in Jiangnan. The anti-corruption campaign on the East Road is not a show, but a real investigation. Everyone wants to make meritorious deeds.
The imperial court has issued an edict to relax the policy on private business taxes and exempt the people from exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. However, some officials in Jiankang Prefecture still used clever names and used them in every possible way. They regarded "rice for food" as "rice for wine" and "clothes" as "rice for wine". All "cloth and silk" are taxed, and even travelers with no property are taxed.
Those who abuse the people must be greedy. Although it is not within the scope of the Anti-Corruption Department's responsibilities, it is inseparable from official corruption, forcing the Anti-Corruption Department to discover one case and file a case to investigate the other.
Land annexation on Jiangnan East Road has a long history. A large number of farmers were forced to lose their land due to powerful annexation by officials, and became tenant farmers at the mercy of others, or had to leave their homes and become homeless.
Because the powerful officials occupied so much land that they were unable to fully cultivate it, some of the land became barren, and many people who lost their land had no land to cultivate.
Also due to official corruption, the water conservancy facilities on Jiangnan East Road tended to be abandoned, which greatly damaged agricultural development. Even in Jiankang Prefecture, which has good weather and good weather, frequent droughts and floods make the people miserable.
The people are in poverty, their livelihoods are in ruins, and those who have gained vested interests are spending their days and nights in arrogance and extravagance. If we don't fight corruption anymore, I'm afraid the country will really perish.
The Qinhuai River divides Jiankang Prefecture into two parts. The south of the Qinhuai River is Jiangning County, with scenic spots such as Phoenix Terrace, while the north of the Qinhuai River is mostly occupied by official offices and schools, including the palace, which is now the martial arts hall.
The phoenix travels on the phoenix platform, and the phoenix leaves the phoenix platform and the Kongjiang River flows by itself.
Beyond the blue sky, the three mountains are halfway down, and the two rivers are divided into Bailuzhou.
Due to the high terrain of Fengtai Mountain where Phoenix Terrace is located, you can see "the river winds in front of the city and the Heron Island divides in the middle" in the west of the city. Many tourists come here, so the businesses here are prosperous and bustling.
It was lunch time, and Jinling Restaurant, located in the bustling area of Fengtai Mountain, was bustling with people coming and going. On the second floor, two civil servants in official uniforms were sitting at a wine table, eating and drinking, and listening to small songs, which was very comfortable.
"Lao Gao, have you heard about the Anti-Corruption Department?"
The plump soap official was in his twenties, with a fleshy face and fair complexion. He looked like he had been in the job for a short time.
"I heard, isn't it the newly-named Yamen on the west side of the palace? What's wrong?"
The thin-faced Zaoli Lao Gao picked up a piece of tender fish and put it in his mouth to chew. Followed by a glass of sweet fruit wine, your face will be full of enjoyment.
Obviously, he didn't take the so-called Anti-Corruption Department seriously.
Anti-corruption, when did the Song Dynasty really combat corruption? If we were really anti-corruption, all Song officials in the world would probably be arrested.
"Lao Gao, when you hear the name of the Anti-Corruption Department, it is investigating corruption and bribery by officials. The newspaper said that no one from the past will be investigated, only those from the present will be arrested. Be careful!"
The fat soap official was still panicking. He always felt that the court was serious this time.
"Afraid of shit!"
Lao Gao put down his cup, glared, and smiled coldly.
"Even if they want to be investigated, the Anti-Corruption Division is also investigating those people with big headscarves who have a lot of money. We, the little fish and shrimps in the ditch, can't be brought to the table at all!"
All those officials are rich men and big landowners. If we don’t investigate them, we should investigate our own insignificant officials. Isn’t this nonsense?
"But I still feel anxious."
The fat man was obviously timid, and he was worried about the news in the newspaper and the repeated orders from Jiankang Prefecture and Jiangning County.
"Duban hasn't been here for the past few days. Do you think something has happened?"
Although Shangguan rarely interferes with official governance corruption, they occasionally take measures to eliminate or reduce official governance shortcomings. Now that the Anti-Corruption Department is coming in force, the government is definitely going to sharpen its sword against the "best" among its subordinate staff.
"Old Du loves to play in the tiles on the Qinhuai River. Stop being suspicious!"
Lao Gao persuaded the fat man, but he was also a little scared.
The anti-corruption issue was widely reported in newspapers, and it was the benchmark for the court's policy. If the government was serious about it, he would probably be exiled to the army just for the scandalous things he had done.
The fat man nodded. The Yamen of Jiankang Prefecture abolished the status of official prostitutes, and there were many fewer flower boats on the Qinhuai River. However, there were still some women who had no source of income and made a living from this, and the government had nothing to do. The government abolished the status of official prostitutes, but did not abolish the entire brothel industry.
"Lao Gao, those people at the Jingjie Office are busy jumping up and down all day long, clearing the fields, and distinguishing the color of the soil. Do you think they will be like before, asking for nothing, and it's useless?"
The fat man changed the topic and brought it to the Sutra Realm Dharma.
"Those people in the Anti-Corruption Department and the Economic and Social Affairs Bureau still don't know if they can continue. How many times have we done this before, but the thunder is loud and the rain is small? The emperor is messing around, and in a few days, it should stop! "
Lao Gao is a sensible person and has no hope for the implementation of the Sutra Realm Law.
In the twelfth year of Shaoxing, Li Chunnian, the deputy envoy to the two Zhejiang provinces, issued a petition stating that there were ten dangers caused by irregularities in the economic boundary and suggested the implementation of the economic boundary law. However, it failed after a few years and Li Chunnian was dismissed from office. In the second year of Shaoxi's reign, he tried to clear his father-in-law again, but it failed, and the leakage and transfer of taxes became more and more serious. Jiading continued to promote Jingjie. In the end, due to the opposition of officials and gentry, it could not be implemented.
"The emperor established a military lecture hall and an anti-corruption department in Jinling, trained troops, and abolished these taxes. He is coming with all kinds of force. I am afraid that this time it will be true!"
When it comes to the new policies on Jiangnan East Road, the fat man's face is as dark as water, and he has no thought of eating or drinking.
Jiangnan East Road houses a prefecture (Jiankang Prefecture), 5 states, 2 armies, and 68 counties. It is one of the most prosperous roads among the 17th Road in the Song Dynasty. Regardless of the number of households, grain output, or the number of scholars who passed the imperial examination, they all ranked among the best in the Song Dynasty, comparable to Huainan East Road and Liangzhe Road.
The emperor's choice of Jiangnan East Road as a pilot project for the New Deal must have been deliberate.
"The bold ones will be starved to death, and the timid ones will starve to death. Drink the wine when you should, and eat the meat when you need it. Being an official for thousands of miles is just to get promoted and make a fortune. Officials in Jiankang Prefecture, and officials in the entire Jiangnan East Road, from top to bottom There are a few who are not greedy. Just eat and drink with confidence, and put your heart back into your stomach!"
Lao Gao smiled coldly and encouraged himself.
He glanced around, moved closer to the fat man, and lowered his voice and said:
"Gu Song, the general judge of Jiankang Prefecture, is greedy and ruthless. He has made hundreds of thousands of dollars at least. But over the years, there have been a lot of people suing him. Have they been arrested? Gu Song is a disciple of Hu Ju, the minister who participated in the political affairs of the dynasty. , and also has contacts with Prime Minister Xue Ji. Think about it, if the imperial court wanted to move Gu Song, they would have already done so. "
After Lao Gao finished speaking, he sat up and continued lazily.
"Just say that we are subordinate officials. There are thousands of people in Jiankang Mansion alone. Without extortion, what will we eat and drink? How will we feed our family?"
"Yes, yes! Lao Gao, you still see clearly!"
A smile appeared on the fat man's face and he nodded repeatedly.
"Let's go, we have to go back to the Yamen later to answer an errand."
Lao Gao finished the wine in his glass, wiped his mouth, and stood up.
The two people came down from upstairs. Lao Gao picked his teeth with the willow in his hand and lazily came to the counter.
"Gao Kongmu, are you done eating?"
Seeing Lao Gao and Fatty coming over, the shopkeeper smiled apologetically and was respectful, like a pug.
"Shopkeeper Xu, write down the account first and settle it later!"
Lao Gao said casually and walked away.
The fat man was a little nervous and couldn't help but look around a few times.
"Okay, okay, Gao Kongmu, walk slowly!"
Shopkeeper Xu nodded repeatedly and watched the two subordinates leave.
Seeing the subordinate staff walking away, the smile on Shopkeeper Xu's face disappeared and changed into a ferocious look. He cursed in a low voice and spat on the ground.
"You bastard, I won't kill you, you bastard!"
"Shopkeeper, just let them go like this?"
Guy Cao Er came up and said reluctantly.
"What should I do if I don't leave? These guys have great hands and eyes. They are in charge of prisons and lawsuits. They are more ruthless than rogues. They can't be offended!"
Shopkeeper Xu broke out angrily.
Jiangning County Government had only five officials appointed by the imperial court. The county magistrate is in charge of managing civil affairs, encouraging farmers, mulberry trees, and resolving prison lawsuits; the county magistrate, above the secretary and captain, is still selected from those who have family backgrounds and orders; the chief clerk is in charge of cashiering official property, Cancel the registration book; county captain, each county has one captain, who is under the chief register, and is given the same title; town and village official, each town is placed under the jurisdiction of the most populated areas, and a supervisor is set up to oversee the fire ban or alcohol tax Things.
In the Song Dynasty, scholars were selected through the imperial examination, and most of the officials came from the imperial examination. Followed by Enyin's officials' children. These two types of people only study classics and poems, but are not familiar with laws, criminal laws, and administrative affairs. However, laws and regulations are the basic rules for handling general affairs. This is precisely the strength of officials, so officials have to rely on subordinate officials, forming a unique situation where officials are weak and officials are strong.
"Sooner or later, we'll get rid of these idiots!"
The man muttered, shook his head and walked away.
"Shopkeeper Xu, take a look at Gao Xi's accounts."
Two ordinary young men came over and stood in front of the counter.
"You are……"
Shopkeeper Xu saw that the two of them were dressed in ordinary clothes, but they were dignified and full of authority. They seemed to be not ordinary people, so he finally did not dare to say anything about expelling guests.
"Anti-Corruption Director Bai Qiming and Li Guoliang."
The two young men took out their official certificates and showed them to Shopkeeper Xu.
"Shopkeeper Xu, Gao Xigao Kongmu, show us his accounts! Quick!"
The two anti-corruption department officials were rude and even a little impatient.
"Anti-Corruption Department..."
Shopkeeper Xu was shocked and quickly took out the account book.
"Two officers, please investigate carefully!"
The Anti-Corruption Department, the nemesis of the evildoers, is here. The good days of these bullies must be coming to an end, right?
