Liu Xian was timid and afraid of getting into trouble. Hearing that Gu Zhengchen had recruited new students to fill the vacancies, he couldn't sit still.
In the first two years, students would never become officials easily. After all, there is a way to go through the imperial examination. If you study hard, you can reach the sky in one day.
But now, the imperial court has suspended the imperial examinations, and the students are already confused. They don't know where the future is, and they don't know when or when they can become officials. In this situation, Gu Zhengchen took advantage of the opportunity and promised him the benefits of recommendation, but they would work hard to get it done.
Liu Xian finally understood that the new county magistrate couldn't stop the collective illness and not doing anything. He was a man of means and a scheming person.
If you don't stand up and surrender, I'm afraid I will be the next one to be kicked out of the county government.
Liu Xian was anxious, and regardless of the arrangements of the county magistrate and Dianshi, he found Gu Zhengchen and gave it away. At the end, he did not forget to say: "County Lord, my admiration for you is like the endless stream of the river, and like the flood of the Yellow River. tidy……"
Gu Zhengchen thought he knew this person named Wei, but it turned out that he didn't even know "Bu Qiu".
"It's abominable to deceive me. But since you are sincere, I will keep you for a while. If you continue to disobey me, I will never keep you!"
"If I have two minds, five thunders will strike me!"
Liu Xian swore a poisonous oath.
Gu Zhengchen didn't believe that God would waste electricity for him, but winning over Liu Xian could set an example and break the monolithic situation of county magistrate, chief registrar, and historian.
"After midnight tomorrow, would you like to go out of the city and climb up together?"
Gu Zhengchen gathered everyone and asked with a smile.
Luo Shao, Tao Zhen and others looked happy, and Zhao Qian came out and said, "Tomorrow is the Double Ninth Festival, which is the day of climbing. If the county magistrate allows it, we will definitely go together."
Gu Zhengchen clapped his hands, and Gu Cheng walked in holding a small box.
Luo Shao and others looked on puzzledly.
Gu Cheng retreated to one side, and Gu Zhengchen walked over and opened the box. Inside was a pile of copper coins. Everyone was shocked.
Luo Shao swallowed his saliva and said to Gu Zhengchen uneasily: "County Lord, what does this mean?"
Gu Zhengchen stretched out his hand, grabbed a handful of copper coins, and let the coins slip from his hands and fall into the box with a clanking sound: "I have inspected and found that the imperial court only relies on six buckets of rice per month. It’s not enough to support the family, and even if there are wives and daughters to help, weaving and sewing, old people cutting firewood to sell, and growing vegetables by oneself, life is still miserable.”
"The time is still short, and with an innocent heart, a passionate heart, and a breeze on both sleeves, I will not harm or disturb the people. However, as time goes by, I endure hardships and hardships, and I can't even support my family. I am ashamed of my old parents, wife, and children. As a craftsman, How many officials who hold power can live in poverty all their lives? If given the opportunity, they will definitely use their hands to rob the people. Is this true for Liu Xian and Zhou Mao?"
Zhou Mao and Liu Xian walked out uneasily, looked at each other, and both lowered their heads and admitted, "That's true."
Gu Zhengchen dropped the last copper coin, looked at Luo Shao, Tao Zhen and others, and said seriously: "I have only one request for you: don't take advantage of the masses."
"Aren't you going to take advantage of the masses?"
Luo Shao, Tao Zhen, Zhao Qian and others looked at each other and repeated this sentence.
Zhou Mao looked at Gu Zhengchen with admiration. He did not take anything away from the masses. With a simple sentence, he told everyone clearly that no one was allowed to touch the things in the hands of the people. Except for legal taxes, no one was allowed to reach out or touch. cut!
Gu Zhengchen pointed to the copper coins in the box: "As long as you can do this and assess your integrity every month, then of the money here, you can each take four coins to encourage integrity!"
"What?"
Luo Shao was shocked, four dollars a month?
Tao Zhen's expression was uncertain. She looked away from the copper coin box with difficulty and looked at Gu Zhengchen: "Your Majesty, is this considered a blatant bribery?"
Zhao Qian rolled his eyes at Tao Zhen. He had seen lower officials bribe superior officials. Have you ever seen superior officials bribe officials? This is at best a division of profits, but where does the money come from from the county magistrate? He has only been in office for a long time.
Is this private property?
That's unacceptable.
Using private wealth to support officials is similar to using private wealth to support soldiers. This is something that the current court will never allow.
Once discovered, it will definitely be a capital crime.
Because this move broke the rule of "benefit comes from the highest", it also meant that the officials in the yamen became the "private officials" of the magistrate. They no longer need to answer to the court, but to the magistrate. It is easier for one person to dominate. Become a local scourge.
If this is county silver, then it is unacceptable.
Every transaction in the county treasury needs to be accounted for. If the income and expenditure are not reconciled, sooner or later you will be prosecuted. And with four guans per person per month, such a big hole cannot be filled with a simple excuse. .
Zhou Mao was breaking out in a cold sweat. When Liu Boqin, Zhao Doubei, and Chen Zhong were doing things, they would come secretly and call them over one by one. They would divide the profits in private and win people's hearts. It would be better for you. This is the second hall of the county government. It's not the magistrate's house. This is a dozen people, not one or two. Are you not afraid of something happening if you do such a thing in such a public way?
First you have to distribute money to the common people, and now you have to distribute money to officials. Where do you get the money? It's true that you are the county magistrate, but the county government's money is not your family's money. If you give it to your family, you are asking for death.
Liu Xian was a little eager for four ounces of money. When I followed Liu Boqin, I only had two ounces of money a month. Now that I have changed my position, the benefits suddenly doubled. Happiness came too suddenly...
Gu Zhengchen looked at everyone and knew his scruples. He walked back to the desk and sat down, his tone became stern: "Four pieces of money will allow you to live with dignity, but you remember, after receiving this money, whoever will do it again will Greedy, if he reaches out and takes something he shouldn't take, I can only ask for an order to move him to the Earth Temple!"
Everyone trembled.
Earth Temple?
The county government's Tutu Temple is not a good place.
One of the torture methods used by the imperial court to treat corrupt officials was to peel off the skin and stuff it with straw. The place where the "scarecrow" was placed was the Earth Temple!
There are no scarecrows in Jurong County Government yet, but they have appeared in some prefectures and counties!
Luo Shao looked at Gu Zhengchen worriedly and reminded: "My lord, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to do this, right?"
Gu Zhengchen waved his hand: "Don't worry, take it. This is the Integrity Silver given to you by the imperial court, not from me."
"Court?"
Luo Shao, Tao Zhen and others were speechless.
Would the imperial court be willing to give money to officials, or four guans of money? What a joke. You, a seventh-grade county magistrate, earn less than four guan of money a month. We are not official officials, so how much will the court give us?
Is it appropriate to use the name of the imperial court to do things that are not allowed by the imperial court?
Liu Xian didn't care about this. After thanking Gu Zhengchen, he counted the four coins. Seeing this, Zhou Mao also extended his hand.
Seeing that Luo Shao and others were motionless, Zhao Qian looked at Gu Zhengchen: "Your Majesty, if you do this..."
"Take the money and go back wherever you need to go. Everyone goes home at dusk and climbs up at midnight tomorrow."
Gu Zhengchen slammed the table and lost his temper.
When Zhao Qian, Luo Shao and others saw this, they were no longer polite. They each took the money, thanked them and left the second hall.
Seeing that there were still a few strings of money left in the box, Gu Zhengchen said to Gu Cheng: "Put four strings of money into our account, and prepare some chrysanthemum wine, Double Ninth Festival cakes, and pick some dogwood trees."
Gu Cheng happily agreed.
Later generations did not pay much attention to the Double Ninth Festival, and it was not even a legal holiday. But for ancient times, this was a big festival, and both the government and the people paid great attention to it.
Lao Zhu did not work during the Double Ninth Festival. After all, it was an ancestor worship festival, and he also needed to find a place to chat with Zhu Wusi.
Scholars need to plant dogwood trees, go hiking in autumn, appreciate chrysanthemums, and drink chrysanthemum wine.
People need to make Double Ninth Festival cakes, take their sons to visit their husbands, and send their daughters back to their parents’ homes.
Jinling.
Zong Lai, the abbot of Tianjie Temple, arranged for two thousand guan of money to be sent to the East Palace. Zhu Biao took a letter and ordered someone to carry two thousand guan of money to Kunning Palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang was joking with Queen Ma. When he saw Zhu Biao coming, he glanced at the box in the yard and asked, "What is that?"
After seeing the gift, Zhu Biao handed over the letter with a smile on his face: "Father and Queen, this is a Double Ninth Festival gift from Buddhism."
"Double Ninth Ceremony?"
Empress Ma smiled faintly: "It's really strange. I have never heard of it, not in previous years, but it was sent this year. It must be something famous."
Zhu Yuanzhang opened the letter, glanced at it a few times, and moved the corner of his mouth slightly: "Sister, this is not the Double Ninth Festival ceremony of Buddhism, but the Double Ninth Festival ceremony of the county magistrate. What a good boy, you are corrupt and bribery, and you dare to pull the strings. Let's be corrupt together. !”
Seeing the peaceful look on Zhu Yuanzhang's face, Empress Ma pretended to be angry and said, "The county magistrate is so brave and dares to openly embezzle. Your Majesty, he must be severely punished. He will be deprived of food for at least three days." "
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily, took Queen Ma's hand and sat down: "Girl, don't be angry, the county magistrate still needs to eat. But this corruption is really special, let's take a look."
Empress Ma took the letter, read it carefully, and couldn't help frowning: "He actually used Buddha bone relics to steal five thousand coins from Tianjie Temple?"
Zhu Biao stepped forward: "Mother, there are two thousand guans outside, and the remaining three thousand guans are left in Jurong."
When Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Queen Ma was silent, he snorted: "This boy is really brave. He eats the big head, but let us eat the small head!"
A smile appeared on Empress Ma's face: "Chongba, you are being unreasonable. He took the money from Buddhism based on his ability, and he is very understanding of the world when he can share two thousand guan with us. But I see, this kid They are not here to share the spoils, but to beg for mercy and save their lives.”
Zhu Yuanzhang picked up a cup of tea and said cheerfully: "My sister is right, he is buying his life with two thousand guan, begging me not to kill him. This kid is really good at making trouble. He proposed to try something to raise honest silver, and every time Give the subordinate four ounces of money a month, but if you don't see that the money will not leave the county treasury or the people, you will have to give him a beating."
Empress Ma lowered her head and read the letter, with worry in her eyes: "Chongba, Gu Zhengchen made an account and said that he would give four guan of money to a subordinate. The monthly payment was only 200 to 300 guan, but he could avoid seventy-eight percent of the money. Corruption can reduce the harm caused to the people. Although the benefits are invisible, it is better than thousands of households being peaceful and having enough food to eat. If this is true, it is not impossible."
Zhu Yuanzhang said with a cold face: "This guy is just rounding the corner and saying that I punish the subordinate officials harshly and give them too little! The greed of subordinate officials can only be suppressed by severe punishment, and Xu Yili can only increase their greed! He doesn't even think about it. All the prefectures and counties in the world do things like this. The imperial court has to spend 10 million dan to support officials every year. Isn’t this harmful to the people? The imperial court’s annual tax is less than 30 million dan! This kid is just messing around!"
Queen Ma looked at Zhu Biao and winked.
Zhu Biao quickly walked up to Zhu Yuanzhang and persuaded him: "Father, I think you might as well take back another two thousand guan from Jurong's 3,000 guan and leave him only 1,000 guan. He wants to give it to the subordinates on a trial basis." The money will be left to him. All he needs to do is to issue a decree that the subordinate officials will support the honest money, and he is not allowed to use the county treasury, he is not allowed to ask the gentry for it, and he is not allowed to prey on the people. In this way, he will realize the difficulty and retreat……"
Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up, this was a good idea.
In this way, the imperial court received four thousand coins in vain, and gave Gu Zhengchen a step up, so as not to dampen his enthusiasm for work. Without this money, it would be impossible for Gu Zhengchen to continue to pay his subordinates. Buddhism was robbed once. It's impossible to get robbed a second time.
Just do it like this, boy, let’s see what other tricks you have!
