Lao Zhu's face looked a little ugly. The salary of Ming officials was actually set by him during the founding of the People's Republic of China. When signing the contract, Lao Zhu made precise calculations to ensure that the salary was only enough for the officials' daily needs, and there was no room for extravagance. Its salary can be said to be the most harsh in all dynasties.
But in fact, it’s no wonder Lao Zhu. When the Ming Dynasty was first established, the nostrils of these literati and officials were actually pointed in the sky. In the former Song Dynasty, the "literati and scholar-bureaucrats share the world" was pursued. A group of scholar-bureaucrats talked about benevolence, righteousness and morality, which penetrated the "weak Song Dynasty" from beginning to end and failed to hold it together. In the Yuan Dynasty, they did not share the world with the scholar-officials, but they were "too lenient" and gave the scholar-officials too much power. The scholar-officials became the spokespersons and tools for making money for the nobles of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty: as long as you pay your taxes on time, you will be We don't care what happens in your territory.
In the Song Dynasty, scholar-bureaucrats were very corrupt, but they were still highly relied upon. Even if they embezzled huge amounts of money, they were not in danger of being beheaded. In the Yuan Dynasty, the scholar-bureaucrats were like local emperors. In addition to collecting taxes for the court, they were also full of fat and fat. After these two dynasties, when scholars were overly favored, by the time Lao Zhu established the Ming Dynasty, each of these scholars had been rich and powerful for hundreds of years, and they were used to being coaxed by the emperor and the court. No matter how much salary the Ming Dynasty offered them, I'm afraid it would still be difficult to satisfy them.
Unfortunately, they met Lao Zhu. Who is Lao Zhu? He is a person who would rather dump the whole pot of meat than give an extra piece of the pie to corrupt officials.
Want to cover taxes? no way! I would rather entrust the burden of collecting and transporting grain to the illiterate grain chief than let these officials get involved. Do you want the imperial court to be well-equipped with scholars? Absolutely impossible! I will give you the lowest salary in history. If you want to be an official, don't think that in the Ming Dynasty, I will have to support you like an uncle. If you don't want to, feel free to leave the customs and go north. The official position in Yuanting is much more comfortable than being an official in the Ming Dynasty!
Therefore, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, many literati and officials followed Emperor Yuan Shun out of the country and fled northward. Not all of them are die-hard Mongolian aliens. They really can't let go of these huge "benefits" given to them by the Yuanting, and they have a dream that one day the Yuanting will be restored and they can continue to dominate. However, the facts later became clear. Yuanting was in decline, but the Ming Dynasty, which they regarded as a reckless regime, was rising. Therefore, those who were addicted to officialdom had to let go of their extravagant hopes and concentrate on serving the new people. toward.
Naturally, there are also some relics from the previous dynasty who have been hard-pressed to return and have not yet figured out their position. It does not matter. The four major Hongwu cases were vigorous and vigorous, completely clearing away this unhealthy trend in officialdom that continued from the Song Dynasty to the present, and laid a solid foundation for the Ming Dynasty.
It wasn't until Baozong was captured in Tumubao and all the military honors of the Ming Dynasty were lost, that these literati who had been suppressed by the old Zhu family for four generations raised their heads again...
"We only have one bowl of rice and two dishes to eat by ourselves. Your mother has also been a queen for more than ten years, and the hem of her skirt has not even covered her feet. We have conquered the world, and we are so simple. Why, they can't stand poverty, and they have to ask us Do you want more support from the people?" Lao Zhu looked unhappy.
"Having said that, it is true that... officials have a hard time finding work, and most of them have to find other ways to make money." Zhu Su said. "Historically, in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, there was an endless stream of officials paying various ceremonial salary and paying tribute every year. The court also regarded it as a routine and did not stop it. Why? It is because this matter has become a fashion, and it affects the whole body. Never move lightly.”
"Is it possible that at that time, all officials in the Ming Dynasty were corrupt and there was no loyal person at all? No, everyone knows that the living expenses of officials are increasing day by day, but their salaries must respect the ancestral system and cannot be touched. Therefore, they have to allow officials to commit suicide The road to food and clothing has given rise to so many titles. Only taking the share that one should take is an upright official. But since the title is here, how can those corrupt officials not only take more, but also take more? This will lead to It erodes more of the people's fat and the people's anointing, and although the salary is set at a low level, judging from the results, it puts the cart before the horse."
"It would be better to increase the salary of officials, and then put an end to such money-making methods as ice worship, charcoal worship, etc. Now that we have adopted banks and banks in the Ming Dynasty, we can also ban the fire consumption on the road. From then on, the imperial examination will reject three generations of businessmen. Become an official. In this way, officials and scholars from poor families will be happy, the turmoil in the court can be resolved, and other people with a guilty conscience do not need to take care of it. Secondly, many common titles have been banned, making it easier and clearer to investigate corruption in the future, but It will make the court more clear-minded. Third, by saving these extravagant expenses, the court's surplus may be greater than in previous years. It may not necessarily lead to losses."
Lao Zhu was not an unreasonable person. Although he was unwilling to be too tolerant to these officials, he still looked thoughtful. Over there, Zhu Biao already said: "Father, I think it is feasible."
"Since the opening of banks and the issuance of treasure banknotes, the Ming Dynasty's treasury has been frugal and has consumed a lot of money. And now officials are also very frugal. These silver coins are enough to increase the officials' salaries. Not to mention the gold coins from Yingzhou and Fengmingzhou. Mine income. The Ming dynasty’s treasury is already very rich.”
"New economics has also demonstrated that the so-called wealth is the income of people's labor. Gold and silver are only used to measure their value."
"If you hoard it and don't use it, it's no different than scrap metal. Distributing it to officials is also a good policy that is beneficial to the national economy and people's livelihood!"
"In that case, boss, go and discuss this matter with the cabinet and check for any gaps. If there are no problems, let's try it out for a period of time..." Lao Zhu thought for a long time and thought that the current officials had already changed. , and most of them are supporters of the new learning. They are no longer the pedantic people before, and their tone has finally become looser. Zhu Biao was delighted when he heard this and nodded in agreement.
Since he is willing to send it to the cabinet for discussion, the matter is actually settled. Once the salary is increased, the Chao Gang, which is currently in some turmoil due to the exile of many officials to Fengmingzhou, will inevitably stabilize again because of this good news.
"Forget it, the court situation is stable, and we can free up our hands and feet to continue to deal with the barbarians." Lao Zhu said. "Annan in the south has been very restless recently. Ying'er hasn't accumulated enough troops in Yunnan yet, and he still doesn't know if he can take down Annan. There are also the countries in Nanyang. Recently, the Ming Dynasty has opened up its maritime affairs, and there are more and more merchant ships coming and going. Many small countries in Nanyang have taken the opportunity. Imposing tariffs...this is all about making money in the hands of Ming Dynasty!"
"To the north, Laosifang has conquered Hami. I'm afraid that when the ice and snow thaw, they will suffer a counterattack from the remnants of Yilibaili and Wala."
"There are so many things going on in the imperial court that it really shouldn't be postponed any longer."
"Fourth brother..." Zhu Su's face gradually became solemn. He already knew that Zhu Di had already begun the Western Expedition that he had longed for. However, what was different from the Mongol and Yuan Dynasty's Western Expeditions in the past was that the Timurid Empire, which was rising strongly, was blocking Zhu Di's west. Whether Emperor Timur was more mighty or Emperor Yongle was more heroic, even he, a time traveler, may not be able to say for sure.
(End of chapter)
