The market sometimes needs to ensure a certain level of fairness and justice, even if it is only superficially fair and just.
Otherwise, there will be a situation where bad money drives out good money. By then, let alone industrial development, we will be thankful that it does not suffer a major setback.
Large-scale collusion between officials and businessmen has seriously affected the industrial and commercial development of the Chu Empire, which undoubtedly angered Luo Zhixue again.
Luo Zhixue doesn't pay much attention to some common corruption issues. As long as it doesn't cause any bad negative effects, in fact, many times he pretends not to know and lets the Inspectorate compete with those corrupt officials, or let the officials fight. They fight among themselves and find fault with each other.
However, when the scale and height of collusion between government and businessmen reaches a certain level, and even becomes a social trend, it will seriously affect the development of industry and commerce, and this is what Luo Zhixue cannot tolerate.
Ever since, beginning in the twelfth year of Chengshun, Luo Zhixue struck again, launching a new round of anti-corruption rectification, focusing on cracking down on collusion between government and businessmen.
At the same time, a series of regulations and measures were introduced to restrict officials and direct family members from doing business.
At the same time, the tax department also actively participated in the investigation process and played a great role.
Because many cases involve money transactions, many officials have made large amounts of illegal income. As far as tax officials are concerned, how you make money is beyond their control, but if you make money and don’t pay taxes, they will have to take care of it...
As for corrupt officials... naturally, few will declare their illegal income and then pay taxes in a proper manner.
So during that period of time, the tax patrols were busier than the anti-corruption patrols...busy every day investigating tax evasion by corrupt officials.
Of the dozens of high-ranking officials of rank three or above who were killed in those years, most of them fell directly into the hands of the tax patrol.
After all, these people are also smart people. They do things such as collusion between officials and businessmen or using power for personal gain very covertly. At the same time, the current series of laws in the Dachu Empire are actually not very perfect.
When they take advantage of various legal loopholes, you clearly know that they are corrupt officials, but the anti-corruption police officers can't form a chain of evidence... Without a complete chain of evidence, you can suspect him of corruption and perverting the law, and even the superiors can directly remove him. Their official positions (no evidence is required for administrative appointments), but if you want to directly convict them, it will not be easy.
However, due to legal loopholes and other reasons, they cannot be directly convicted of corruption and bribery. This does not mean that law enforcement agencies have no options.
The censors from the Supervisory Office and the tax officials from the tax department combined... and then conducted a tax investigation on these corrupt officials...
Now things are simple. These corrupt officials can exploit various loopholes and avoid corruption and bribery charges in various ways, but it is difficult for them to exploit the loopholes in the tax laws of the Dachu Empire...
The most complete and strict legal provisions in the Great Chu Empire are not the various messy laws of criminal punishment and civil law, but the tax law!
How to put it, you can compare it from the number of legal provisions. The tax law alone has more provisions than other legal provisions combined!
Moreover, some provisions are particularly ridiculous. The tax law clearly stipulates that any personal income must be proactively declared and paid personal income tax...
For example, if you pick up money on the ground, you will also have to pay occasional income tax on this money.
Although no one does this in real life...but the law is the law.
Most of the time, tax officials don't bother to talk to you, but when necessary, they will bring out the provisions of the tax law to arrest people.
And the actual income of these corrupt officials obviously exceeds their legal after-tax income... No matter how the money comes from, tax evasion will definitely not escape.
As long as you arrest someone, slowly break through, and follow the clues, you will be able to form a complete chain of evidence for corruption and perversion of the law. Then, charges such as corruption and perversion of the law will be combined and tried together with tax evasion and other crimes... Well, basically they will go to see King Yama!
There are also a very small number of people with extremely special identities and extremely clever methods of doing things, and even the tax officials can't do anything about them.
Don’t worry, there is also a Department of Internal Affairs of the Hanlin Academy.
The Internal Affairs Section of the Hanlin Academy is more simple and straightforward. It can directly pull out the relevant file information of this senior official from the file room. Basically, it will have all the criminal records, and then hand it over to the Inspectorate to arrest the person. As for the The Internal Affairs Department itself does not dare to fight against corruption.
Small matters such as anti-corruption are not within their scope of business, and if they really want the Internal Affairs Department to fight corruption... Unless there are extremely special circumstances, Luo Zhixue will generally not use the Internal Affairs Department of the Hanlin Academy.
Similarly, the intelligence information of many officials collected by the Internal Affairs Division is also top-secret information. Without Luo Zhixue's will, it is impossible to access it, let alone use it as criminal evidence.
Because if the Internal Affairs Department of the Hanlin Academy is really used as an anti-corruption agency, there will be no one available in the officialdom of the Da Chu Empire.
This is not fun!
Everything must have a degree, this is one of Luo Zhixue's principles of conduct.
Of course, this is only for others!
For an emperor, rules are always required of others.
Otherwise, Luo Zhixue would not have reformed the Royal Music and Dance Ensemble... and he still asked Queen Wang to be responsible for the reform, and he would not care about it himself.
Not to mention, Empress Wang is worthy of being the legitimate daughter of a traditional gentry family. The education she received as a hostess since she was a child made her very handy in handling harem affairs.
The reform of the Royal Ensemble of Music and Dance was very successful!
Just like now, Luo Zhixue watched the performance of the Royal Music and Dance Troupe and couldn't remember what this music and dance troupe looked like a few years ago.
Looking at the performances of more than a dozen members of the Royal Music and Dance Troupe in front of him, Luo Zhixue was very happy that he married a woman who understood the general situation.
The choice of Queen Wang to be the queen was not wrong. Over the years, Queen Wang and the Wang family have not caused any trouble, and Queen Wang is also very sophisticated in handling harem affairs.
At least this music and dance troupe has reformed quite well. The dancers all have very solid artistic skills. Even if they move a little wider when dancing, or even if they wear less clothes, they still won't look like they are being looked down upon in a dirty place. It feels like a classic program.
But it makes people feel that their dance is very serious.
Looking at this, Luo Zhixue thought that maybe he could design a few sets of costumes for them to use as performance costumes. At any rate, he could contribute to the innovation of the costume culture of the Dachu Empire.
After all, he is the emperor of the Great Chu Empire. In addition to important matters of people's livelihood such as agriculture, industry and commerce, he also needs to pay attention to some culture and art, such as clothing culture.
After all, the Chu Empire was a traditional Chinese dynasty, and the country of China was a country of etiquette and the beauty of its uniforms.
Moreover, the development of clothing not only represents the changes in the aesthetics of the times, but also contains the profound significance of the development of the times: the liberation of productivity!
Throughout history, especially modern history, we can find that the development and changes of clothing, especially women's clothing, are often accompanied by major changes of the times such as the liberation of women, the liberation of labor, and the improvement of productivity.
The most representative one is that the waistband of Western European women has been completely thrown into the garbage dump of history. The existence of this thing is the persecution of the female body, and the demise of the waistband also means the liberation of European women. The liberation of women means that a considerable part of the female labor force has been liberated.
Its historical significance and positive significance to social development are no less than the liberation of the little feet in China.
Luo Zhixue feels that the Chu Empire now also has certain possibilities and needs for women's clothing reform, and can further promote the improvement of productivity.
Come and try it quickly. 】
Just like in the early years, I vigorously promoted the liberation of small feet and completely banned the registration of female officials.
At the beginning of the founding of the Chu Empire, foot-binding for female officials was completely prohibited. Violators were severely punished. At the same time, they continued to publicize the dangers of foot-binding for many years.
By now, women born in the new era in the Chu Empire basically no longer have their feet bound.
Needless to say, women from lower-class families do not actually have their feet bound. Women from lower-class families need to work, and the work they need to do is no less than that of men. If their feet are bound, they will not be able to do heavy work.
So footbinding actually has nothing to do with them.
But for women from middle- and upper-class families, this ban has greatly affected them and improved their health, because if women from these middle- and upper-class families are found to have their feet bound, then Their father or husband will be greatly hindered in their career.
It's okay not to be discovered. Once discovered and reported by political opponents, it would be a matter of minutes to be dismissed from office.
With the current development, I dare not say that it has been completely banned, but at present, there are very few women in the empire with foot binding.
The same is true for women's clothing, and Luo Zhixue is also preparing to make some changes... I am getting tired of seeing the ladies in the harem wearing improved Hanfu every day.
Recently, Luo Zhixue has begun to miss the clothes of the squirming young ladies he saw in his previous life.
When the song ended and the lead dancer of the music and dance troupe came forward to speak softly, Luo Zhixue looked at the tulle Hanfu-style dance clothes on her body.
Immediately, he asked the maid who was waiting next to him to get a pen and paper dipped in water, and drew a few simple drawings on the paper. They were neither complicated things, but bikinis that everyone in later generations would know.
After briefly drawing a few strokes, Luo Zhixue showed the drawing to the lead dancer next to him and said at the same time:
"The times are developing, and the sound of machinery is spreading across the land of China. We cannot lag behind in clothing culture and must keep pace with the times."
The lead dancer took a look at the pattern and realized that even though she wasn't actually wearing much, she couldn't help but blush when she imagined herself wearing something like this with just a few straps and small pieces of cloth...
Luo Zhixue didn't notice her blush, and just said to himself: "I'll have someone make it later. You try it on first, and I'll see the effect. By the way, don't spread the design of the new clothes."
"Although the reform and progress of clothing culture are of great significance and have a great role in promoting social development and liberating productivity, we must also maintain an appropriately cautious attitude during bold reforms."
Luo Zhixue doesn’t want people to think that he is an LSP...
Things like bikinis, maybe, maybe, maybe, there is a high probability that they will not be accepted by contemporary people.
Therefore, some reforms and progress are not suitable to be announced to the public because their impact is too significant.
As he spoke, his interest arose, and he used a pen to draw a lot of clothing designs in succession, such as short cheongsams with slits to the armpits, suspender skirts, sailor uniforms, and other messy clothes. They painted a lot.
The lead dancer next to her looked at him, blushing at first, then slightly opening her red lips, with a look of shock on her face... even though she knew that His Majesty was not a gentleman.
Well... a normal gentleman would probably not personally teach a group of them to dance like this...
But the design of these clothes still broke her inherent impression of Luo Zhixue. His Majesty is more...even more...than she imagined.
After Luo Zhixue finished the painting, he put down the pen and paper directly and said: "Let's do this for now. This one still doesn't work. It's inconvenient to draw. I'll use charcoal to draw more details later!"
As he said that, looking at the dip pen in his hand, he thought that it was time for someone to get a real fountain pen. This kind of dip pen was troublesome to use. It had to be dipped in ink from time to time. It was very troublesome to draw a design. .
This kind of pen was designed by Luo Zhixue himself in his early years and had it made by others.
Because he handles a lot of official documents every day and needs to write a lot of words, this brush is too slow to write and takes up a lot of paper. It is not that easy for a young person to write.
The fonts used in official documents are all Guange style. This type of font emphasizes uniformity and looks the same as print, but because it is the same as print, it is very laborious to write.
In order to make it easier for him to write various official documents, Luo Zhixue tried to use a quill pen, but after using it, he felt that it was not very good, so he just thought about the design himself and asked the engineers below to implement the manufacturing. Finally, he came up with a dip pen.
Of course, this is just the most primitive dip pen, which needs to be dipped in ink after using it for a while.
Because it is indeed more convenient and faster to write with a dip pen, and more importantly, it is good for the upper part and good for the lower part. Luo Zhixue used this kind of dip pen, so a large number of officials also followed suit. Already...
In this way, this kind of dip pen gradually became popular in the officialdom of the Chu Empire, and later developed into various schools and even enterprises.
Nowadays, dip pens are very common in formal learning and offices in the Great Chu Empire. Of course, the emergence and development of dip pens did not directly cause the death of the brush. The brush calligraphy still exists and is still the mainstream of society.
For example, when contemporary people write personal letters or other documents that are not too serious, most people are still used to writing with calligraphy brushes.
Even for official documents, many people continue to use brushes, and there are no restrictions on this. Basically, you can use whatever you like, as long as the work is done.
How should I put it? Luo Zhixue did not forcefully stipulate what pens people or even officials should use, and you can use whatever you like, but there are regulations on fonts.
In order to prevent officials from writing official documents in a messy font that even the author himself would not recognize after a while, Luo Zhixue had stipulated many years ago that any memorial must be written in a standard font.
The Ministry of Etiquette further stipulated that all official documents and other fonts must be standard fonts. This standard font is actually Guange style, which has also been the standard font for various official documents since the Ming Dynasty.
It's not for the sake of good looks or artistry, it's just that this thing is actually the same small regular script, but it is precisely because of the sameness that it is highly recognizable and will not be misunderstood.
However, this font is very convenient to read, but it is not easy to write with a brush. How many imperial examination candidates have spent countless days and nights to practice Guange style.
Even if you have practiced, writing official documents in Guange style in daily work is still very laborious. What's even more disgusting is that the fonts in official documents are not large. You can't just write a few words on a piece of paper. I have to write a lot of words.
It’s impossible to just write a report of several thousand words with dozens of pages, a thick stack!
Therefore, the Guange style fonts in official documents are all very small.
Once the calligraphy becomes smaller than a certain level, the writing difficulty will increase sharply. It is not that easy to write in small regular script...
This is also the reason why dip pens are popular in official circles. The reason is very simple, because it is convenient and fast to use small standard fonts to write.
As for font art and the like, there is no art in Guange style, and you are not even allowed to engage in any artistry.
In the previous Ming Dynasty and even in the current Great Chu Empire, Guange style was a pure official font. It focused on uniformity, high unity, easy recognition, and no mistakes. If you insist on creating a unique artistic font, it will Being criticized.
The dip pen appeared and developed in this context, but Luo Zhixue was still not satisfied with this dip pen, mainly because it was annoying to dip it in ink from time to time.
He thought it would be great if he had a fountain pen. After so many years, the technology has improved a lot compared to more than ten years ago, so he might be able to do it.
When Luo Zhixue thought of this, he kept it in mind and prepared to ask people from the Ministry of Industry to do one tomorrow.
As for now, he will continue to guide the lead dancers of the music and dance troupe and other backup dancers' costume culture-related matters.
Although bikinis and other new-age clothing are still on the drawing board, sometimes advanced things do not mean everything, let alone abandoning tradition completely.
To be honest, Luo Zhixue quite likes various styles of improved Hanfu made of gauze silk. They have both the elegance of the traditional humanistic atmosphere and the passion of the new era. Mixed together, there is a feeling of the collision of the old and new eras.
Therefore, Luo Zhixue soon became immersed in the collision between tradition and the new era!
…
The next morning, after Luo Zhixue got out of bed surrounded by more than a dozen dancers from the music and dance troupe, the lead dancer next to him leaned over and whispered in Luo Zhixue's ear: "I will ask the tailor in the palace to make new clothes today." Clothes."
Luo Zhixue casually grabbed a pink silk gauze jacket and put it on her: "It's cold in the morning in autumn, and it's easy to catch a cold when you're naked!"
"We can make a few more sets of those new designs. You can all give it a try, or you can make up a new dance or something. I will come back to see how the design and tailoring goes."
After leaving the dancers of the music and dance troupe, Luo Zhixue took a hot bath in the bedroom, had a simple breakfast and then headed towards the front hall.
Although Luo Zhixue also likes to play, to be honest, he has never let the women in the harem affect his work.
There has never been any such thing as a king not attending court early, let alone absenting himself from work.
Of course... In fact, Luo Zhixue never went to the Early Dynasty, because there was no such thing as the Early Dynasty in the Chu Empire.
Luo Zhixue is not willing to get up and go to work before dawn... Damn, you can't all travel through time and become an emperor. Your life will be even worse than that of office workers in later generations.
After all, people 997 don’t have to get up before dawn to go to work.
Therefore, there is no such thing as morning court in the Great Chu Empire. There are only morning meetings on weekdays. The scale is not large. Basically, the rotating ministers and co-organizing ministers participate. Sometimes there are seven or eight people, and sometimes there are more than ten people, discussing some daily matters. affairs.
The courtiers generally called it the 'Imperial Morning Meeting'. In the early years, it started at 7:30 in the morning, but later Luo Zhixue felt that it was still too early and there was no time to prepare... so he simply postponed the morning meeting to eight Half.
Luo Zhixue usually arrives at the imperial study room in the front hall, which is his office, around eight o'clock, and then briefly reviews the relevant reports of the morning meeting, and drinks tea to clear his mind. After almost entering work mode, that is, eight o'clock Halfway through the meeting.
It can be seen from the time of this meeting that Luo Zhixue actually does not meet people's definition of a diligent emperor these days, but what makes people puzzled is that even though Luo Zhixue started handling government affairs so late, he was still able to handle government affairs. The empire is firmly in hand, and power has not been lost.
And this is the institutional factor.
The content of the Great Chu Empire was formed by the counselors and co-organizing ministers of the Government Affairs Council, plus the independent ministries, the corresponding departments of the Hanlin Academy, the Grand Inspectorate, the Court of Justice, as well as the Military Administration Council and military ministries of the military. Establish a balanced and stable operating system.
In this system, there are actually not many things that Luo Zhixue needs to personally participate in and handle. Even if he does, he is relatively pragmatic, but the specific matters are actually handled by the ministers.
And what does Luo Zhixue do on weekdays?
Evaluate the work of his ministers, balance the high-level politics within the empire, and appoint and remove ministers from their positions.
To put it bluntly, it’s about taking care of people...
If Luo Zhixue wanted to do something, he usually wouldn't do it himself. Instead, he would tell a minister to do it. If the minister did a good job, he would reward him. If he didn't do well, he would be devalued and asked to leave, and then he would choose a minister to do it.
Just like the new round of administrative storm that started in August of the 16th year of Chengshun, this round of administrative storm is different from the past. In the past, the administrative storm was generally limited to targeting middle and senior officials. In the early days, it was targeted at the remnants of the previous Ming Dynasty. The middle and later stages are aimed at collusion between officials and businessmen.
But what is pursued is to intimidate the officialdom from top to bottom by successively winning heavyweight senior officials.
With the high-level official governance that started in the twelfth year of Chengshun being almost completed, Luo Zhixue decided to penetrate the official governance work downwards and launch a comprehensive grassroots official governance rectification work to completely reverse official corruption and bribery. Officials will not do things without receiving money. A few The distorted culture of officials only collecting money and not doing anything.
Luo Zhixue is not saying that the whole atmosphere will improve after pursuing a turbulent rectification of officialdom, but at least it will take three to five years to calm down the atmosphere in the imperial officialdom, and let the officials, especially the grassroots officials, know that corruption The price of taking bribes is very high, too high for you to bear.
How to put it, to be honest, what I want to tell the officials, especially the grassroots officials: you have to make money, but you have to do the work, and don’t make money so blatantly, just take it easy...
In short, the core meaning is: don’t go too far, otherwise your family will be confiscated and your family will be destroyed...
However, Luo Zhixue doesn't care about how to do it. The rectification of officials cannot be done in a day or two. How can Luo Zhixue have so much time and mind to focus on it?
He directly handed over relevant matters to the Grand Inspector Youdu Yushi and the co-organizing minister Wang Bingqi, making him fully responsible for this time's rectification of grassroots officials.
The main thing at today's morning meeting is that Wang Bingqi will report on the preliminary arrangements for the rectification of grassroots officials.
This also means that the Great Chu Empire is about to set off a new round of administrative rectification storm that is different from the past, involves a wider scope, and may even affect tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of officials!
Luo Zhixue is looking forward to this, and Wang Bingqi is looking forward to it even more!
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