These days, officials from the Sixth Ministry have been imprisoned one after another.
He was still on duty at the Yamen in the morning, but in the afternoon he could only be seen in prison.
The officials in the six ministries were on tenterhooks, and the minister was even more frightened.
After all, even the assistant ministers below them were imprisoned.
No one can tell whether he will be imprisoned next moment.
Lao Zhu has a suspicious character, and no one knows what he thinks.
In such a depressing atmosphere, officials in the capital would write suicide notes in advance before going out every day, explain their funeral arrangements, and then say goodbye to their wives and daughters.
If you come back safely, you must celebrate.
After all, I survived another day.
Many officials could not stand such a depressing atmosphere and expressed their desire to resign and return to their hometowns to farm.
This old Zhu will not spoil them.
He said: "You are a greedy and unlucky villain, so you slander me and say that it is difficult to be a court official."
Directly put a big label of slandering the court on the official who resigned.
The officials really wanted to cry but couldn't.
I really want to escape, but I can't!
The number of officials in the Sixth Department is getting fewer and fewer day by day, and there are even no people to handle government affairs.
Several ministers wanted to cry but had no tears.
The first thing I say when we greet each other every day is: "How many of you died today?"
This shows what the living conditions of officials were like at this time.
For this reason, Zhu Biao and Yang Xuan are also under great pressure.
Fortunately, Lao Zhu helped them bear the biggest pressure.
Otherwise, the scholars' verbal criticism would be enough to drown them.
Under great pressure, Zhu Biao and Yang Xuan rest for less than two hours a day on average.
Finally, before the end of February, the case was settled.
At the court meeting, Zhu Biao and Yang Xuan made reports in front of all the officials.
"Your Majesty, it has been found that Guo Huan and his accomplices embezzled more than 24 million dan in taxes and grain, which is comparable to our fiscal revenue for the next Ming Dynasty."
Hearing this, Lao Zhu's expression also became extremely angry.
He looked at the civil and military officials below and said angrily: "Listen, listen, everyone, this is a good official of our Ming Dynasty!"
"The imperial court supports them, but this is how they repay the imperial court."
"We know that there must be some among you who are as corrupt as these people, but they haven't been found out yet."
"Don't worry, we will find out. We will definitely find out."
Lao Zhu's words contained strong murderous intent.
Then, he signaled Yang Xuan to continue the report.
"Your Majesty, the officials who committed the crime were all convicted according to the Ming Law."
"There was sufficient evidence for all the officers who were convicted."
"I have not wronged a good person, nor have I spared a bad person."
"In short, the guilty can be investigated and the law can be followed."
Hearing this, Lao Zhu cheered loudly.
"Okay, Yang Xuan, we didn't misjudge you."
As he said that, Lao Zhu looked coldly at the civil and military officials below.
In fact, according to his thinking, where is the need to go to such trouble?
Since these people collude with each other and are corrupt, it is already a fact.
Then cut them all off.
As for having an opinion?
Who has an opinion?
Come, come to us and tell us.
Later, Yang Xuan read out the results of the main criminal's treatment.
Among them, Guo Huan was executed by nine tribes.
Others, from the Yi clan or the whole family, were executed.
After all, thousands of heads and thousands of people will be killed this time, and they will either be sentenced or exiled.
The officials felt sad when they heard this string of names.
They really want the prince to ascend the throne soon!
In this way, their lives will be easier.
They didn't know that the result of this handling was much better than that of the Guo Huan case in history.
In history, Lao Zhu killed more than 30,000 people, and everyone in the court was wiped out.
Now only a few thousand people have died, and more people are alive. This result is already very good.
After the court meeting, Lao Zhu called Zhu Biao and Yang Xuan to Wuying Hall.
The case is over, but the subsequent problems are not.
The lack of officials in the imperial court can only pass the imperial examination.
But in terms of falsifying accounts, Yang Xuan can still improve.
The first is to take out the table-formatting method of later generations, and secondly, to capitalize the numbers.
That is, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ninety becomes one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, ninety.
This will be learned in later generations, in elementary school.
Lao Zhu was very satisfied with this. He smiled and praised: "Yang Xuan, these two methods you mentioned are both good. All accounts in the future will be done this way."
"You are not allowed to hide anything."
"As long as it is useful to the court, I will never hide anything private." Yang Xuan said quickly.
Hearing this, Lao Zhu was also more satisfied with Yang Xuan.
Now it seems that my original vision was indeed vicious.
Yang Xuan quietly observed Lao Zhu and saw that he was in a good mood, so he wanted to take this opportunity to express his views on the salary system.
"His Majesty."
"Huh? Do you have anything else?" Lao Zhu was confused.
"Your Majesty, yes."
"Say it!"
"Your Majesty, I have interrogated these corrupt officials."
"Some of them were just greedy and deserved to die."
Lao Zhu did not express his opinion. He knew that there was a but below.
Sure enough, Yang Xuan said it the next moment.
"However, there are still some officials who don't want to be corrupt."
"But if you are not greedy, you will starve to death."
"So, between starving to death and being killed by His Majesty when he found out, they chose the latter."
"Hey, are you trying to intercede for corrupt officials?"
Lao Zhu's face darkened.
"Or are you saying that we didn't give them a salary?"
Facing Lao Zhu in this state, Yang Xuan was still under pressure.
After all, no one can deal with an emperor who walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood calmly.
"Your Majesty, I am not interceding for them. I am just stating a fact."
Yang Xuan endured the pressure and gritted his teeth.
He has long had opinions about the Ming Dynasty's salary system.
Now that a large number of corrupt officials have been dealt with, the opportunity is just right.
"Okay, then you say it and we listen." Lao Zhu said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Although in the thirteenth year of Hongwu, His Majesty had already adjusted the salaries of officials."
"But now it seems that it has little effect."
"I have observed that this adjustment is mainly concentrated on senior officials above the fourth rank. The salaries of officials at all levels below the fourth rank are still low."
"Take a ninth-grade official, for example, his annual salary is only seventy dan."
"This is more than enough for an ordinary family."
"But officials are not ordinary people after all."
"A ninth-rank official who is a county magistrate outside has to support not only their own family, but also the petty officials of the yamen, yamen servants, etc."
"Not to mention visiting relatives during the holidays."
"This all costs money."
"Seventy stones is far from enough."
"Your Majesty, those low-level officials who have the most contact with the people are these low-level officials. If they can't even support themselves, there's no guarantee that they won't take advantage of the people."
"Therefore, Your Majesty, it is imperative to improve the salaries of low-level officials."
After saying that, Yang Xuan bowed and waited for Lao Zhu's final decision.
…
