But Liang Lin's heart was still full of expectations. As the saying goes, he is wise and he knows himself. He knew how much of his own abilities he had. He was a first-class poet and composeer, but this dynasty paid more attention to practical matters. Whether it is today or today, The prince has expressed this attitude many times.
If you can't give full play to your own advantages, you may have to work hard to become a fifth- or sixth-grade official. If you are lucky, you will be just a minister, which is not bad for others.
But Liang Lin, like his predecessors in poetry, had a dream of assisting the king in governing the world. Otherwise, why would he pursue an official career? With his family background and outstanding calligraphy, painting, and poetry, he could live a comfortable and wealthy life after passing the exam. It’s not difficult either…
When Zhu Biao went to the Jinshen Hall, he suddenly remembered that he had two younger brothers, so he went around to the Wuying Hall. He looked at his hard-working brothers from a distance for a while, did not go up to talk, and left with satisfaction.
After solving the problem, he looked at his unlucky brother again. This day couldn't be better. Along the way, he met a few disgraced noble princes. At first glance, they were pointed at their noses and scolded by Lao Zhu. It seems that today they Both father and son will be in a good mood.
He casually dismissed the marquis who came forward to salute, and went directly through the Huagai Hall of Fengtian Hall to the Jinshen Hall. Lao Zhu was drinking tea and looking at the memorial. When he saw Zhu Biao coming in to salute, he put down his tea cup and said, "Biao'er is here, everything is done." It’s done.”
This tone was not a question but a natural affirmation. Zhu Biao smiled and saluted and took the three talisman cards left by Liu Jin from Zhao Huaian: "I have asked the Ministry of Rites to handle the matter of sacrifice solemnly, and I have also seen the talisman cards. In addition to the three treasure tablets, I also ordered the Ministry of Industry to make forty more character tablets."
Zhu Biao stepped forward and handed the three treasure cards into his father's hands: "The molds have also been ordered to be destroyed to prevent people from confusing them."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with satisfaction, took the talisman, looked over it several times, and then put it aside casually: "Last month, we asked the Department of Household Affairs of Zhongshu Province to draw up the annual salary for civil and military officials. Today, Hu Weiyong personally sent it."
Zhu Biao took the memorial handed over by his father and looked at it: the first grade is 1,600 shi, the first grade is 1,400 shi; the second grade is 1,200 shi, the second grade is 1,000 shi... One hundred and twenty stones…
It's high, it's too high. This is nearly double the overall salary. In fact, it doesn't matter which rank you are in, because there are only a few officials in the court, whether they are actually serving or holding the title of first or second rank, no matter how high the salary is, it will not matter. The court was also under no pressure.
But the further down the line, the greater the pressure on the court. You must know that the salary issued by the court this year is only 900 shi for the first grade, and 70 shi for the ninth grade. This is what Zhu Biao gave them last year. Otherwise, the salary for the ninth grade is only 900 shi. The annual salary is only fifty dan.
Zhu Biao put down the memorial, shook his head and said with a smile: "He is anxious, but it is still a way."
Setting the annual salary is actually a hard job. If it is set low, the emperor will be satisfied, but his colleagues will scold him behind his back. If it is set high, his colleagues will be happy, but the emperor will not only reject it but also severely reprimand it, which is basically suicide. Yu Tian.
Therefore, the tacit understanding has always been to set it low, to the point that even the emperor can't bear it. In this way, the emperor will definitely mention it, and the officials will take advantage of the situation to be grateful and shout long live. This way, we get the best of both worlds. .
This year's salary has been revised two or three times since the first year of Wu Dynasty, and it's basically the same every time. Only Zhu Biao raised it directly last year. After all, the prince is the crown prince and is willing to give more to the people below. No one will say what.
Even Lao Zhu, who has always been stingy with officials, is happy to see results. He has always been supportive of anything that can enhance Zhu Biao's prestige. If the court is a little tighter, officials at all levels in the world can be blessed by the prince's kindness. This is very appropriate in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes.
But now Hu Weiyong changed the tradition and rashly raised the salary so high. It was obvious that he knew that the emperor would never approve it, but he still mentioned it. Presumably all the civil servants and generals in Beijing already knew clearly how much this annual salary was.
No matter how rational a person is, he will definitely be a little lucky. If the Holy One approves it, then everyone's life will be much easier. Today's salary is enough to eat enough. If the Holy One approves of Hu Xiang, Please...
The disappointment after having expectations is more profound, but the significance is not too great. The mood of officials is not worth mentioning to an iron-blooded emperor like Lao Zhu. Those who obey will prosper and those who rebel will perish. There is no room for you to bargain.
But for Hu Weiyong, it is a good political statement. He knows that he cannot compare with Lao Zhu in all aspects, but if he still wants to live, he must continue to recruit his comrades and strengthen himself, then he must establish A persona, a persona who asks for orders for officials, becomes the spokesperson of the vast bureaucratic group.
The position of prime minister is the head of a hundred officials, and it is an important presence for the civil servant group to restrain the imperial power. During the Han and Tang Dynasties, the prime minister had a high and powerful position, and even the monarch had to respect him.
However, as the imperial power continued to strengthen and the autocratic monarchy reached its peak, the prime minister's powers were constantly divided. The prime minister was no longer the spokesperson of the civil servant group, but became the spokesperson of the imperial power and even the scapegoat.
Hu Weiyong is now trying to regain his original status as prime minister. In the future, he will not be a yes-man like Li Shanchang, Yang Xian, and Wang Guangyang. Instead, he will fight against the imperial power to fight for the interests of the bureaucrats, not just civil servants, but also military generals.
Only in this way can he have a chance to fight for a chance of survival. In fact, it is true, this is indeed his only way out, even if Zhu Biao is in his position, this is the only way, because this is what the emperor wants to see.
Facing a monarch who has centralized power to this extent, apart from finding a way internally, how can he go outside to rebel? There is no hope at all. What's more, Hu Weiyong himself is also a person who longs for power. This road was forced by Lao Zhu , but maybe he also wants to leave?
Otherwise, Hu Weiyong committed suicide by taking poison, and Lao Zhu would have no choice. It was undoubtedly a wise decision to die to save his family, but Hu Weiyong did not do this. His father's vision of people is really sharp. If Li Shanchang, Wang Guangyang and his likes thought carefully about it, they would definitely If he chooses to commit suicide, Yang Xian will probably fall at Lao Zhu's feet and express his loyalty like crazy, not even daring to die in confrontation.
"We think we can just add an additional fifty dan to what we set last year. That is to say, this year only Shaanxi and Gansu will suffer from severe drought, and the rest of the country will be fine. Otherwise, we would have planned to reduce it a little for them."
Zhu Biao nodded and said: "It's not good if it's too high, but it's even worse if it's reduced in this situation. It's better to increase it more or less. At least let those officials who are honest and not corrupt save some savings."
Zhu Biao's attitude has always been to pay more salaries, not because he was prepared to pay high salaries to support his integrity, but because the salary set by Lao Zhu from the beginning was too low. Officials, big and small, might have to support their clan elders, and this would not be the case over time. Those who are greedy may also be greedy.
The benefits of corruption and perverting the law are huge. You have tasted it countless times once. From small corruption to big corruption and then to huge corruption, it actually won't take long. Lao Zhu hopes that officials can reach the level of food and clothing, and Zhu Biao It is hoped that officials will at least reach the level of Xiaofu.
Zhu Biao thinks that it is not too much to worry about food and clothing and still save some money for his children and grandchildren. Whether they are officials in the capital or local officials, except for a few Qingshui Yamen, most of them are very busy and have to risk decades of hardship. For a job with the risk of decapitation, a somewhat higher income is reasonable.
If you want a horse to run, you have to give him some good grass, otherwise, why would he travel a thousand miles?
In this way, it would be convenient to kill officials who dare to take bribes and bend the law. Otherwise, some officials' families are really poor. There are wives and children in the capital who are seriously ill. In addition to the dilapidated houses with air leakage from all sides, they only wear official uniforms. All the officials were sold out.
Zhu Biao also specially sent someone to check. He thought he was another ruthless person who wanted to be famous for his integrity, but it turned out that he was really poor. If he hadn't sent someone to help him, he probably wouldn't have been able to pay his annual salary this year. .
There are countless officials in the court who are corrupt and bend the law, but there are indeed a group of officials who are honest and upright, especially in the Yushitai and the Hanlin Academy. Just like when the dynasty was prosperous, it was impossible for there to be no corrupt officials. No matter how bad the atmosphere was, There are always honest officials who appear stupid.
There were not many memorials today. When Zhu Biao was chatting with his father, he turned to the number of prefectures and counties in the world reported by the Ministry of Officials. There were 141 prefectures, 192 prefectures, and 1,010 counties. Third, this also officially included the original prefectures and counties of the Xia Kingdom into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Biao asked curiously: "Father, Liu Bowen has been going to Bashu for a while, but he didn't mention coming back?"
Zhu Yuanzhang was unhappy when talking about Liu Bowen. He leaned back in his chair and hummed: "I don't want to come back, I just want to quit. Since last month, I have been sending letters saying that I am old and ill for a long time. I hope We can give him a favor and let him return to his hometown in Qingtian before he dies."
Zhu Biao put down the memorial in his hand and walked behind his father to massage his shoulders: "Let him go back to his hometown next year. Liu Bowen is an old man who has been following and assisting you since his early years. He has merit and hard work. Even if my father does not If you like him, you should also give him the grace to raise him. This will be a good story for the king and his ministers to be passed down to future generations."
Zhu Yuanzhang squinted his eyes and enjoyed his son's filial piety, but he still had no intention of agreeing immediately. Zhu Biao behind him naturally felt it and couldn't help but curiously said: "Father, even if Liu Bowen is a little arrogant, you have never seen anyone. Speaking of arrogance and arrogance, Chang Shuai back then was not much better than Lan Yu today, and you were able to control him well. I can’t believe that you hate a great talent just because of this."
Zhu Yuanzhang groaned a few times before he said: "Your mother always praises him as a great talent in our ears, and tells us to win him over, but no matter how you show your kindness, the old boy always looks like he is neither close nor close to you. , forget it if you can’t do it with us, but you are still very close to your mother!”
Zhu Biao couldn't help laughing. It turned out that it was still because of his mother. No wonder all the hard work had been thrown to Liu Bowen for so many years. It turned out to be jealous.
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