"Zhang Aiqing, how many supervisors are there in the Inspectorate?"
"Your Majesty, there are 110 people in the Beijing Inspectorate and 30 people in the Nanjing Inspectorate. Now that Nanjing has been abolished and the officials from the south have returned to the north, there are a total of 140 supervisors in the Inspectorate."
"So, there is one person in each mansion!"
Chongzhen responded softly, and continued after a moment: "I remember that the supervisory censor of the Supervisory Office inspects and transfers every twenty-five months, right?
This system was changed to a rotation once a year, and each rotation must be separated by one province or five hundred miles.
A batch of supervisory censors must be replaced every three terms. They may be sent out to fill the vacancies or transferred to the Military Discipline Inspection Department. Firstly, to prevent them from becoming too familiar with the officials below and engaging in favoritism.
Secondly, they patrol various places and are well-informed. After taking charge of one place, they can copy what they see and think in that place. This can also benefit the people.
Specifically, you make a statement and come up, you can go down first! "
"I obey the decree!"
After Zhang Tingdeng exited Dongnuan Pavilion, Chongzhen looked at Fang Guiwei: "Fang Aiqing, there used to be eighteen state capitals in Southern Zhili, but if you look closely, after the split, Jiangsu still occupies seven or eight of the former Southern Zhili. The six prefectures and two prefectures of Anhui have become much weaker economically.
You must be careful in selecting the chief envoys of Anhui and Jiangsu this time. Find someone who has experience in various official positions, has a sense of pioneering and innovation, and must understand business. "
Having said this, Chongzhen looked at Bi Ziyan again: "Bi Aiqing, the six prefectures and two prefectures of Anhui, your household department should pay more attention to see how to develop so that you will not lag too far behind Jiangsu, and focus on local characteristics.
For example, Huizhou is famous for its timber production and Hui-style architecture in the Ming Dynasty; Hefei Prefecture’s horse industry and Lu’an tea; Taiping Prefecture’s dyeing pulp industry, etc.
These are all local characteristics. Your Ministry of Household Affairs should support them and strengthen ties with Jiangsu's state governments, so as not to divide the family into distractions or divide the pot. "
"I understand!"
The two of them were shocked. From the emperor's special explanation, they knew that the emperor attached great importance to business and would definitely take action on commercial taxes.
After arranging these trivial matters, Chongzhen's face became serious: "Four dear friends, I have called you here mainly to discuss one thing, that is, how to fight corruption.
Those strategies in Huangji Palace can only solve part of the problem. The problem of human nature is put aside for the first time. Part of it is because the salary is too low and forces them to commit corruption. "
Listening to the emperor's words, Yuan Keli, Sun Chengzong, Bi Ziyan, and Fang Guangwei fell silent.
The issue of salary and salary was a pain in the hearts of Ming officials. It was not that there were no ministers to report it, but there was no change at all.
Since the Qin Dynasty, the salary in the Ming Dynasty has been the lowest in history.
"Bi Aiqing, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs and are in charge of the Ming Dynasty's finances. Please tell me how much the salary of Ming Dynasty officials is. I am talking about what can be obtained, not what is on paper."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Bi Ziyan muttered and turned aside, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the current salary system was established in the 25th year of Hongwu, and it is an ancestral system that is positioned as a 'permanent system'. The monthly salary for the first grade is eighty-seven stones. Seventy-four stones...from the ninth grade to five stones,
Although it was low, based on the prices in Taizu's time, it was still enough for officials to make a living, and it was even considered a wealthy family.
But after becoming a renter, the Ming Dynasty's economy developed rapidly, and prices also developed rapidly. Under the ancestral system of "permanent system" of salary, the living standards of officials declined sharply.
After Chengzu ascended the throne, he divided the salary into two parts: the original color and the second color. The original color was rice, and the second color was converted into cloth, silver, and treasure notes and distributed.
Chengzu stipulated that officials in the capital would only receive 30% of rice, 70% of color, cash in spring and summer, and hematoxylin and pepper in autumn and winter.
Let’s not talk about cloth and silver. In the early Ming Dynasty, the Guanbao banknotes could only be exchanged for one tael of silver. By the Wanli period, the Guanbao banknotes could only be exchanged for four cents of silver.
After the One Whip Law was implemented, officials and subordinates in various places lost even their income from "Lin Jian Ki Hu".
Moreover, at the beginning of this year, His Majesty issued a strict order to send icing tributes to Beijing officials in summer, charcoal tributes in winter, farewell tributes when going to the capital for business, group worships during festivals, etc.;
After all, I have to calculate that the monthly salary for a first-grade official can only be twenty to twenty-five dan, and it is estimated that the monthly salary for a ninth-grade official is only about two dan. "
Fuck...
Listening to Bi Ziyan's report, Chongzhen suddenly said a curse word in his heart, "It's an ancestral system."
He didn't know what Taizu was thinking. There were ancestral systems one after another. Among the ancestral systems he knew, except for the embezzlement of sixty taels of peeled grass and the prohibition of members from discussing politics, the rest were very annoying.
A real first-grade official only gets twenty-five shi in salary a month, and from a ninth-grade official to two shi, what is the concept?
Now the monthly salary of the border army sergeants in the nine towns is one stone and a half, and they are also responsible for food and housing. Although the risk has increased several times, the pension is also high.
He didn't know why later emperors didn't change it. Didn't this force officials to commit corruption?
Both the horses must be good and the horses must not eat grass. The court will take advantage of all the good things. Therefore, the court must bear the main responsibility for official corruption, land annexation, etc.
Even though it was as low as this level, Taizu also set a harsh punishment of sixty taels for corruption and peeling off the real grass. Corrupt officials killed batch after batch.
In the end, the scholar who was killed was unwilling to become an official. As a result, Taizu directly forced him to come out, and if he didn't come, he would be killed.
If we look at it solely from the perspective of salary and severe punishment, it is not wrong to say that later generations regarded Taizu as mean and ungrateful.
"My dear friends, I can't help you!"
Chongzhen complained secretly in his heart and expressed his misfortune for the fate of the officials in the capital. Then he said: "Bi Aiqing, where are the salaries of other dynasties?"
"Your Majesty, in the Han Dynasty, those with the highest salaries were Taiwei, Sikong, etc. Although they were known as ten thousand shi, their actual monthly salary was 350 shi. The lowest monthly salary for Doushi, Zuoshi and other minor officials was eight shi to About ten stones;
Salaries in the Tang Dynasty included lumi, salary money, job land, salary power, etc. Relatives of officials enjoyed preferential treatment and privileges. If the person or his parents died, the general funeral utensils would be paid by the court;
The monthly salary of the first grade is sixty dan, the salary is thirty-one taels, and the job field is twelve hectares. When converted, the average monthly salary is between 190 and 200 dan, and the monthly salary of the ninth grade is 22 dan;
The salary of the Song Dynasty was more complicated. Taking the prime minister as an example, the monthly salary was 100 guan, the additional support was 200 guan, the salary was 100 shi, and at the end of the year, one piece of silk was given, 40 pieces of damask, 60 pieces of silk, and 100 pieces of silk. Down, the monthly salary is at least a thousand dan, and from the ninth grade to 50 dan.
Even in the Song Dynasty, when the economy was developed, prices were on the high side. When converted to the Ming Dynasty, they were about seven or eight times that of the Ming Dynasty. "
He is the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, so he picked up this information casually.
At this moment, Chongzhen's face was a little red, and he almost covered his face. Compared with the salaries of other dynasties, his own salary was extremely low, and he was just sending people to beg for food.
No wonder some people say: Since ancient times, official salaries have never been as thin as this.
After a moment of silence, Chongzhen looked at the four of them: "Four dear friends, if I reformulate official salaries and increase them, will it reduce the incidence of corruption?"
