On the first day of November in the fifteenth year of Wanli, the emperor sent an edict to the Political Affairs Hall and ordered Liang Menglong, the prime minister for political reform, to appear in Yangxin Hall.
In the eyes of his colleagues in the Political Affairs Hall who were either jealous, blessing or envious, Liang Menglong walked towards the palace city. Just after passing the Xihua Gate, I saw Sun Long, the emperor's closest attendant, bowing and saluting behind the gate: "According to the emperor's decree, please invite Liang Xiang to enter the palace in a chariot." After saying this, he pointed to the steps carried by two internal officials behind him. Chariot.
When Zhang Juzheng was ill, he sat on a chariot both in the political hall and in the palace, and this tradition has remained. After Zhang Siwei became Prime Minister, the inner court did not remove the chariot. Otherwise, Zhang Siwei is suspected of being slapped in the face.
Before Liang Menglong was elected Prime Minister, the chariots inside Xihua Gate were ready. The emperor's message was very clear.
Although Liang Menglong was grateful, he didn't get dizzy and actually sat down. A stack of voices retreated humbly: "Please tell me, Your Majesty, I am just an auxiliary minister, and I dare not use it in shame. Besides, I walk healthily, and there is no need to use a chariot."
When Sun Long heard what Liang Menglong said, he smiled at him. Liang Menglong was determined, and smiled at Sun Long, cupping his hands and saying, "Thank you, Eunuch Sun." How could Sun Long dare to accept his courtesy? Turned around and left.
Yangxin Hall is on the west side of Qianqing Gate, with a straight road across the Neijinshui River. Liang Menglong composed himself, lifted up the hem of his python robe, and followed Sun Long and others, walking leisurely across the stone road on the bridge.
In the fifteenth year of Wanli's reign, the Yangxin Hall complex has been transformed beyond recognition by Zhu Yijun, in addition to its appearance. The East and West Nuan Pavilion was where he met with foreign ministers. The windows were bright and clean, and it was clean and bright. It was very different from the interiors in the past, which were full of blessings, wealth, longevity and joy.
As Deputy Prime Minister, Liang Menglong had entered the Yangxin Hall alone or with others dozens of times, but only this time made his nervous forehead sweat. When he entered the Dongnuan Pavilion, he bent his knees down anxiously as he bowed his head forward. He couldn't help but kneel on the teak floor before he could make a sound.
The next moment he woke up and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, Liang Menglong, come to see your Majesty!"
Zhu Yijun, who was sitting on the throne, raised his eyebrows and thought to himself: "It seems that the position of Prime Minister has made him lose his normalcy."
Making a judgment in his mind, he said softly without hesitation: "Mr. Mingquan, please get back on your feet quickly." He glanced at Wei Chao, who looked calm, and said, "Give me a seat."
Wei Chao lowered his head, took two steps, and gently gave Liang Menglong a hand. When Liang Menglong stood up with his face flushed, Wei Chao swept the dust fly in his hand on the armchair near the throne, and whispered: "Old sir, please sit down." Then he squeezed his arm slightly hard. Got a handful.
Liang Menglong suppressed his excitement, bowed and thanked him, and sat on the chair. Zhu Yijun seemed unaware that he had just done something stupid, and asked: "In the past few days, has Mr. Mingquan had any big ideas about political reform?"
Liang Menglong took a deep breath, completely calmed his mind, and replied: "Your Majesty, I have something on my mind."
After sorting out his thoughts, he replied: "In the matter of political reform, I believe that the key points are the word 'Integrity', the outline is the word 'Quan', the starting point is the word 'Law', and the word 'profit' is also taken into consideration." , but the step is the word 'gradual'."
Zhu Yijun's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded and said, "Please explain it in detail."
Liang Menglong swallowed his saliva and replied: "Yes."
"The so-called 'integrity' is the key, that is, the primary goal to be achieved in this political reform is to do a good job in the administration of officials. Since His Majesty came to the throne, especially after the reform, the administration of officials in our dynasty has generally been clean and clear--" At this point , he stole a glance to see Zhu Yijun's face.
Zhu Yijun was listening to him with bright eyes, and there was no hesitation on his face when he heard what he said. Liang Menglong thought to himself: "It seems that the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are indeed different. It would be wrong to flatter each other at this time."
He kept talking: "But now, both in the government and in the public, there are several major shortcomings in the administration of officials that have hindered the great cause of reform, and must be reformed."
"First, family corruption has become a chronic disease. Due to the yellow registration and land-sharing orders, it was difficult for high-ranking officials to become landlords in the past. But now in the world of industry and commerce, who does not have officials behind them? In recent years, major iron, cement, and textile industries have merged. Violent, the victory or defeat does not depend on the foundation and benefits, but on the level of backing behind him. This alone is a serious illness."
As soon as he said this, Zhu Yijun, who was sitting on the throne, clapped his hands and stood up from the throne.
Liang Menglong looked up at Zhu Yijun and saw the emperor looking at him with a smile on his face and said, "Mr. Mingquan got it! Go on." After saying that, Zhu Yijun couldn't hide his excitement and walked slowly in the room.
"The second is extravagance. As our country's national power grew stronger, extravagance began to flourish. This trend was originally popular in the south. The so-called wedding and funeral ceremonies were also complicated and were quite arrogant. However, before the death of Prince Zhongxing, this trend had already It was popular in the capital. The imperial court in Taicang was overflowing with money, and local officials came to "make money" for political achievements and lavishly extravagant it. What's even more detestable is that most of the people who visit are for promotions, lawsuits, and projects. These people entertain the capital officials at every meal. Twelve taels of silver are no longer on the market, and there are many places where one hundred taels and one thousand taels are available, let alone giving gifts! Since the emperor ascended the throne, the palace, gardens, chariots, rides, and uniforms have not been improved, but the ups and downs have no effect. This peace has lasted for a long time. That’s why.”
"Third, the most difficult and most important thing to correct is the corruption of subordinate officials. Officials are corrupt and have their own supervisors to correct them. But the policies implemented by subordinate officials are all around the people. 'County officials are not as good as current officials', and the emperor's favor is difficult Your Majesty is an innocent man, and the reform policy has gone down the wrong path, which is not good for the people but harms them, and it is a serious disease in the world."
Seeing that Zhu Yijun was listening attentively, Liang Menglong said a few more things, vigorously stating that the current unclear governance of officials has become a serious harm to the reform. Finally, he concluded: "Our dynasty has been in peace for two hundred years, but the official governance has not accumulated. This is inseparable from the emperor's reforms in recent years. First, the emperor established the Metropolitan Procuratorate and focused on anti-corruption; secondly, he established circuit courts to clean up There have been a large number of unjust, false and wrong cases; after the third time, the public servants returned to public service, and with the money to support their integrity, it will be much easier to manage the officials."
"But the diseases that I see in the officials' treatment are not only the shackles of the reform, but also the reasons for the destruction of the country. Therefore, I believe that the key to this political reform lies in the word "integrity"."
"Yeah. That's good——, do you have any specific ideas?"
"Although I have seen this disease, I have not conducted in-depth research, and I don't have any good insights. I just have random thoughts - I request the introduction of the "Prohibition of Officials' Families from Engaging in Business" to curb the power of businessmen, and the introduction of the "Edict of Respecting Heaven and Protecting the People" to To curb extravagance, the "Edict on the Scientific Examination of Officials" was issued to govern the subordinate officials."
Zhu Yijun's footsteps stopped. Limited by historical perspective, Liang Menglong only saw the surface of the corruption problem, but did not have a deep understanding of the political and economic logic behind it. Therefore, except for the "Edict on the Scientific Examination of Officials", which was somewhat novel, the other two solutions he proposed were just prohibitions. ——I really didn’t understand it.
Corruption and extravagance will lead to the destruction of a country. There are many examples at home and abroad in ancient and modern times. But as long as there is a state as a collective power, as long as there is public power, its opposite - corruption will inevitably breed. Corruption is like viruses and bacteria in the body. While it attacks the political system and the country, it also promotes the continuous renewal and reform of the superstructure.
But for Huang Ming, as long as Zhu Yijun, a "lone man", existed, no matter how he restructured, decay would be inevitable. But even so, can we stop arresting officials and punishing them? Not only must they be arrested, but they must be arrested skillfully, step-by-step, and methodically. Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, who relied on the "Great Edict" to arrest officials, has already had a failed example. This time, he must be careful and cautious, and use the political system to arrest officials. Change and achieve results!
(End of chapter)
