Chapter 18 Are You Daoyan?
Since the unification of the First Emperor, the Qin, Han, Jin, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, until the Ming Dynasty, it is hard to say which is better in other aspects, but in terms of official salaries, the Ming Dynasty founded by Lao Zhu can definitely come out on top without dispute.

As the first emperor in history who really climbed out of the bottom, Lao Zhu was born in a slightly cold family. When he was young, he saw with his own eyes that the food that should have been distributed to his parents was taken away by corrupt officials, causing his parents to starve to death. The hatred for corrupt officials can be said to go deep into his bones.

Kill all the corrupt officials in the world, and Lao Zhu will follow this rule until his death.

Historical records: The official salary in the Ming Dynasty was the lowest in history.Since ancient times, the official salary has been so thin that there has never been such a person.

How low?
The monthly salary of the first rank is 87 stones, from the first rank to the third rank, thirteen stones are reduced to 35 stones, from the third rank to 26 stones, the fourth rank is 21 stones, the fifth rank is [-] stones, the fifth rank is [-] stones, the sixth rank is ten stones, from the sixth rank to eight stones, the seventh rank is reduced by five dou, and the end is five stones.

If calculated based on the prices of the meeting in the early Ming Dynasty, the rations that a family of five need to spend a year are roughly 4-5 shi. Based on this calculation, the ninth-rank official can barely support a family of five by relying on his salary. From this point of view, Lao Zhu is not harsh.

But there is a problem overlooked.

These people are officials, wearing black hats. They not only have to support the mouths of the family, but also have a few servants around them. Take an eighth-rank county magistrate as an example.

For such a big county magistrate, his subordinates must have a lot of people in charge. Naturally, they have to give bonuses to their subordinates occasionally, and give some rewards, otherwise, who is willing to work hard for you.

Then there are those who assist the magistrate in his work, such as masters, bookkeepers, gatekeepers, etc. These people are not paid by the court, and the magistrate has to find a way to solve it himself.

In this way, the salary is definitely not enough.

Moreover, during the Hongwu period, Lao Zhu set the salary of officials as the ancestral system that cannot be changed by future generations, without considering inflation and other issues at all. After a few decades, the normal salary of officials could not even support a family of five.

Don't you see that the most upright official in the Ming Dynasty, Mr. Hai Rui, Hai Qingtian, was an official of the second rank, but after his death, he was so poor that he didn't even have a coffin board for burial.

It is impossible for a living person to be suffocated to death by urine, so what if it is not enough?
From ancient times to the present, there is one word: fishing.

But Lao Zhu is absolutely strict to the point of heinously regarding corruption.

Daming under the management of Lao Zhu issued the most severe anti-corruption order in history: Any official who corrupts more than 60 taels will be killed immediately!

The most horrific criminal law in history was used to deal with corrupt officials: peeling lasts and displaying them in front of the yamen. Some officials with a relatively large amount of corruption were either mutilated, castrated, or their hands were chopped off and their tendons were chopped off.

Corruption is the most ruthless in human history: any bribery case will be followed and killed, and the royal relatives will not be shunned. Anyone who is corrupt by the royal family will be severely punished.

It also implements the most ruthless policy of mobilizing people to report: it stipulates that as long as ordinary people find corrupt officials, they can tie up officials and send them to Beijing for punishment, and they must let them go all the way to Beijing.If someone dares to block, not only will he be executed, but he will also implicate the whole family!

It stands to reason that at the beginning of the founding of the country in all dynasties, the officials were relatively honest and upright. Coupled with Lao Zhu's continuous and ruthless operation, Hongwu's court atmosphere must be clean and honest.

But in fact, during the Hongwu period, corruption was repeatedly prohibited. The more pressure Lao Zhu became, the more severe the corruption became.

These officials are like asking for money rather than life, committing crimes against the wind one by one.

Until the "Guo Huan case" broke out in Hongwu in 18 years, Lao Zhu killed more than 3 officials in a fit of anger, affecting twelve chief envoys.

Historical records: From the left and right servants of the six departments, 700 million stolen goods, Ci Lianzhi, and provincial officials, are tens of thousands of dead.

The general idea is that all officials below the servants of the six departments were executed no matter how much they corrupted. The six departments killed only the bare-handed commanders, so that the chief officials who judged the case in the Yamen were all killed.

Looking at Hongwu's 31 years of bones, it is not easy for officials who can wait for Lao Zhu to die alive.

"Brother, do you think what we said makes sense?"

Just as Ji Boying was brainstorming, Lao Zhu finally finished speaking, his anger was palpable, he picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it down in one gulp, and the little Zhu Si beside him was very kind and filled Lao Zhu again.

"There is some truth to that."

"But not much."

Old Zhu was taken aback for a moment, thinking what is this talking about?Is it wrong to strictly demand the integrity of officials?

"What do you mean by brother?"

Lao Zhu asked, on this matter, Sai Potian didn't think he did anything wrong.

This also stems from his childhood experience. In the concept of grassroots background, corrupt officials deserve to die, which is a matter of course.

"Master, please speak frankly."

Zhu Biao on the side couldn't help asking.

He has always felt that there is a problem with this set of official salary system. As a prince with real power, he found that despite Lao Zhu's high-handed punishment of corruption, there have been more and more corruption cases among officials in recent years. This obviously does not conform to the common sense of the first dynasty.

"Yeah, yeah, I want to know too."

Little Zhu Si, who was smoking a cigar, also nodded, as if asking for advice.

"Brother, just speak up if you have anything to say, don't care about our feelings."

Old Zhu took a deep breath, he also wanted to know what was wrong with him.

"Wait."

Ji Boying thought about it.

The 13th year of Hongwu and the 20th year of Jianwen are too close to each other, only [-] years before and after. Some policies can be used in both time and space, such as the issue of official salaries, which reminded Ji Boying of one thing.

Since it is universal, there is no need to say the same thing twice.

Wouldn't it be beautiful to bring Zhu Laosi from the Jianwen Dynasty to Hongwu time and space, and make a table of mahjong?
Ji Boying's purpose in life: do what you think.

"You smoke cigars first, and I'll take someone with you."

As soon as the words fell, Ji Boying disappeared in place.

For Ji Boying's methods of ghosts and ghosts, Lao Zhu and A Biao are fine. One of them has experienced it personally, and the other has seen it with his own eyes, but Xiao Zhusi has never seen it, so he is completely dumbfounded.

"This, this, this..."

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Biao, and then at his father.

"What's all the fuss about?"

Old Zhu glared at Zhu Di, thinking about it in his heart.

'What's wrong with our salary system? '

And Zhu Biao, taking advantage of the moment when Zhu Di was in a daze, sneaked the cigar in his hand.

...........................

Jianwen Time and Space, Study Room of King Yan's Mansion.

"Master, the final decision has been made. I still need your assistance in many important matters tomorrow. Let's go back to rest early tonight."

Zhu Laosi and Dao Yan walked to the threshold together, and the only person in this world who Zhu Laosi could send off in person was Dao Yan, a crazy monk.

"Your Highness stop, I will take my leave."

Dao Yan saluted slightly, turned around and wanted to leave.

Suddenly, a figure came into Dao Yan's eyes, appearing so abruptly, just a short distance away.

Ji Boying pushed back his slightly curly long hair with one hand, took a deep breath of the cigar, took it off with the other hand, spit out a cloud of white mist, and sprayed it on Dao Yan's face impartially.

Speech is flat, understatement.

"You are Daoyan?"

(End of this chapter)

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