I only listened to Zhu Cihong's talk: "My son believes that the principle of the reform of the government is that everyone who works for the government is an employee of the imperial court, and the imperial court pays a salary. This is true whether it is civil or military, whether it is a police officer or an official with swords and pens. "
"In this way, these low-level officials will have nothing to worry about, and they should be able to fulfill their duties and not think about trying to get money from the people, harming the people's livelihood of the Ming Dynasty, and damaging the reputation of the court!"
Emperor Chongzhen listened and felt that it made sense, so he nodded slightly.
When Zhu Cixiang saw this, his confidence doubled, and his voice became louder when he spoke next.
"Of course, since it is the imperial court that wants to provide a salary, it will naturally select the best for admission. But now, I think the time is ripe!"
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen said "Oh" and then said: "Why do you say the time is ripe?"
After hearing this, Zhu Cihong glanced at Zhang Mingwei secretly, then looked at Emperor Chongzhen, and said seriously: "First of all, now all the people in the Ming Dynasty are soldiers, and there is a time limit for being a soldier, and you can retire after the expiration. I think that all local military positions can be Select the best among the veterans. For example, local police officers, patrol officers, etc., all veterans will be qualified for the job. And I believe that after being tempered in the military, whether it is their mind or body, they will be able to do the job. It’s a great choice.”
Nowadays, in the Ming Dynasty's army, there are always guards and supervisors in royal robes. One of the responsibilities of the Jinyiwei Supervisory Army is to control the ideology of the army, such as the "Three Major Disciplines and Seven Points of Attention", etc. Everyone in the army must be able to sing and recite, and be loyal to the emperor and patriotism, which is also instilled every day. And in his spare time, he would teach military officers how to read and write.
It is much better for such an army to serve as a police officer after retiring from the army than those who are hereditary police officers.
Emperor Chongzhen listened, thinking in his mind, nodded slightly, but did not speak, and continued to listen to Zhu Cixiang's words.
"Secondly, in terms of civil service, because our Ming Dynasty has popularized Pinyin and simplified characters over the years, more and more people are reading and literate. As a result, more people are reading and literate, and I believe the quality of the imperial court's merit-based admissions will also be higher. There are many, there is no need to look for the tall ones among the short ones!"
"Thirdly, the income of the imperial court is increasing every year. Although the expenses are also huge, there should be no problem in allocating part of it to distribute these salaries. I have calculated it."
When Zhu Cixiang said this, he handed over the memorial with both hands and said: "Please ask your father to take a look at the detailed reform strategy!"
When Wang Chengen, the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department, saw it, he quickly took it with thousands of hands and presented it to Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen smiled and read the memorial on the spot.
Seeing this, Zhu Cixi secretly turned to look at his brother-in-law.
Zhang Mingwei received the look, responded with a smile, and nodded slightly. Immediately, Zhu Cixiang was obviously very happy.
The police officers are actually the police. They are hereditary and even serve in rotation. How can they fulfill their duties!
Selecting the best among veterans not only gives soldiers a stable escape route after serving in the army, but also greatly improves the quality of police officers. It is a double-edged sword.
In fact, the innovation of low-level officials in this local government was, in the words of later generations, the civil service examination. Although there may be various problems, it is definitely much better than what it was before the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Cixiang's plan was indeed his own idea first, and then he went to Zhang Mingwei to discuss it. Zhang Mingwei gave some suggestions, which finally became the memorial presented this time.
After Emperor Chongzhen read it, he asked Wang Chengen to pass it on to Zhang Mingwei, and said with a smile: "Come, all the ministers, take a look and tell us what do you think?"
Everyone can see that he is very satisfied, with the kind of expression that a father would have when he sees his son's excellence and satisfaction.
Of course, Zhu Cixiang's plan was indeed good after being checked by Zhang Mingwei.
Therefore, people including Zhang Mingwei only had to read Zhu Cixiang's memorial, and some even started praising it without even reading it.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is thoughtful and considerate, and I think this is actually a great example of good governance in our Ming Dynasty!"
"That's right, the common people can also benefit from it, and they will be less subject to blackmail by cunning and cunning officials!"
"..."
Emperor Chongzhen was very happy to hear this and told Zhu Cihong: "In that case, you and the cabinet will take the lead and handle this matter!"
"I accept the decree!" Zhu Cixiang was very excited when he heard this and quickly agreed.
Emperor Chongzhen was satisfied and asked with a smile: "Is there anything else you want to report?"
When Zhu Cixiang heard this, he quickly reported: "My son's inspection found that there are many squires in the local area who rely on their power to seize the interests of others and do a lot of harm to the people. The reason is that the number of new provinces established by the imperial court increased in a short period of time. This is due to the neglect of the outline of laws and disciplines..."
He has been responsible for the taxation of Jiangnan and provided logistics to Sun Chuanting's southwestern army. Therefore, he pays more attention to people's livelihood issues. He conducts many local inspections and encounters many problems.
"... I think it is necessary for the imperial power to go to the countryside. This is one of the reasons why I reformed local control." Zhu Cixiang said seriously, "I think that people's livelihood issues cannot be ignored. During the Ming Dynasty, When visiting the mainland, we must also pay attention to the outline of laws and disciplines!"
As he spoke, he took out another memorial, presented it with both hands and said, "My son, I have selected a few typical cases and asked my father to take a look at them!"
Emperor Chongzhen's expression became serious after hearing this, and he immediately took it from Wang Chengen and started reading it.
Over the years, Emperor Chongzhen really didn't pay special attention to these details, just focusing on big things.
The several cases selected by Zhu Cixi are mainly reflected in several aspects.
First, the vigorous development of science and technology led to the vigorous development of social productivity in Ming Dynasty. In the midst of this, many powerful locals took advantage of their own advantages to annex the output of other disadvantaged people and sell it at high prices.
For example, Jiangnan's silk production has greatly increased due to Zhang Mingwei's improvements. However, ordinary people did not receive much benefit. They were suppressed by local tyrants in various ways, and they could only be sold to these local tycoons in the end. Later, these local tycoons either resold them to maritime merchants or went to sea themselves, earning many times the profits.
The second is that local tycoons covet patents. There have been several cases where ordinary people's patents were snatched away by local tycoons before they were reported to the yamen. They became local tycoons and registered in the yamen, making a lot of money. .
Third, there are more people traveling north and south to do business, and the number of Roadhog gangsters has also increased. There are also many people who kill people and steal goods, and even steal and rob on trains.
…
Emperor Chongzhen did not expect that behind the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, there were so many dark things, and he couldn't help but anger suddenly appeared on his face.
When the relevant officials in the hall saw it, they immediately became panicked.
"Sir, take a look!" After Emperor Chongzhen finished reading, he immediately forwarded the memorial to Zhang Mingwei and said angrily, "Is this still a peaceful and prosperous age? Is this still a prosperous and prosperous age?"
Zhang Mingwei did not answer immediately. After taking the memorial, he looked at it and replied with a smile: "Your Majesty, these are actually expected things. After all, the imperial court focused most of its energy on opening up territories. Omissions in other places are inevitable. Now that we have discovered a problem, we have to solve it. Once a problem is solved, there will be one less problem. In the end, I believe that the prosperity your Majesty wants will definitely come!"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen felt that it made sense, and the anger in his heart suddenly decreased a lot. He asked in a slightly gentle tone: "So, sir, what do you think should be done most effectively?"
Many people in the hall secretly wiped their sweat and listened to Duke Xingguo's words with their ears raised. They knew that Duke Xingguo would definitely find a way.
"The method is just four words!" After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei immediately replied, "Punish evil and reward good! Evil deeds can be severely punished and will never be condoned. For specific measures, local governments are ordered to crack down hard, and the imperial court sends out light and covert inspection teams to inspect local areas. The local government and the imperial court should work together to kill them, punish the evil and reward the good, and change the social atmosphere!"
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he immediately nodded solemnly, and then shouted: "Du Qing!"
"The minister is here!" Upon hearing this, Du Yinxi quickly went out to wait for the order.
"You have heard what you said, sir!" Emperor Chongzhen said with a serious face, "Let the cabinet formulate measures to punish evil and reward good, and order local government offices to strictly implement them!"
"Wei Chen received the order!" Upon hearing this, Du Yinxi did not dare to neglect and responded quickly.
"Where is Zuo Qing?"
Hearing Emperor Chongzhen's roll call, Zuo Maodi, the imperial censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, quickly went to Qianhouzhi and said: "The minister is here!"
Emperor Chongzhen looked at him and solemnly ordered: "The Metropolitan Procuratorate will immediately arrange inspections in various prefectures. Cross-inspection inspections must be carried out, and all prefectures in the world will be inspected!"
"Wei Chen accepts the decree!" Zuo Maodi heard this and quickly agreed.
"Wang Daban?"
When Wang Chengen heard this, he immediately took two steps forward and stood beside Emperor Chongzhen to wait for the order: "My servant is here!"
Emperor Chongzhen looked at him and said: "Dongchang must also make arrangements to conduct secret visits to the world to investigate the performance of local officials and patrol inspectors!"
"This slave accepts the order!" Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen quickly agreed.
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen turned to look at Zhang Mingwei and consulted him: "Do you think, sir, that Jin Yiwei is going to participate?"
Previously, Zhang Mingwei and Emperor Chongzhen had discussed that the Jinyiwei, as an army, would be used to monitor all armies in the world. In this way, their responsibilities could be differentiated from those of Dongchang.
Nowadays, there are imperial guards and supervisors in all armies, which is very effective. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen also recognized this.
Now that we have to crack down hard, Emperor Chongzhen will think of Jin Yiwei and ask Zhang Mingwei for his opinion.
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei pondered for a while and then said: "Strike hard everywhere. If necessary, the army can be deployed to assist. If the army is involved, the Jin Yiwei can participate in the inspection!"
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he immediately nodded in agreement.
In this way, the first severe crackdown plan since the Taiping period was released during the Chongzhen period.
(End of chapter)
