I'm a big dick

Chapter 151 Reward for honesty, self-examination and self-correction

In name, Zhu Youxiao called it "rewarding honesty".In other words, as long as you are honest and not greedy, you can get twice the salary.

The low salary of officials in the Ming Dynasty has always been a fairly certain thing in history books.Then, there were arguments that officials in the Ming Dynasty were very poor, corruption was justifiable, and poverty was "the reason for being a corrupt official".

In fact, compared with the Tang and Song Dynasties, the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were relatively low, but they were not to the point where they could not eat enough to wear clothes.

Taking Qipin officials as an example, seven stones of rice per month equals more than 1000 catties, which is enough to feed a family of five, and there is still a lot left.

But why are the officials of the Ming Dynasty crying and howling, yelling that they are poor and can't eat meat!Moreover, is it true that living on salary alone is quite difficult?

The reason is not that simple, just as what you think is not necessarily what you think.

First of all, officials and ordinary people are definitely different, mainly reflected in the fact that they have a large family.In addition to parents, wives, and children, there are also servants, maidservants, etc., is it normal to have more than a dozen people?

When you become an official, you can't have only one wife, right? It's okay to have a few concubines, right?Even Hai Rui has two, let alone other officials.

It costs a hundred and eighty taels of silver to accept a concubine, and build a few more rooms, and add a few more people in the future, right?
The second is the reason of the imperial court. It would be better if the salary is in full.But in the middle and late stages, they began to issue less and less valuable banknotes, and sometimes they used sumac, pepper, silk cloth, etc. to offset wages, which caused complaints.

Zhu Youxiao got rid of the long-standing disadvantages, and his salary was converted into silver, and his salary was doubled.

If you still argue that your salary is low and not enough to spend, then don't do it.You want to live a high-standard life with extravagance, and you want to have three wives and four concubines, so why should the imperial court pay for your extravagance?

What's more, isn't it preferential treatment and favor for the imperial court to exempt you from corvee, taxes, etc.?

The imperial decree of "rewarding honesty" was still being discussed by the court, and Zhu Youxiao issued another imperial decree to the cabinet.This time it is not a salary increase reward, but officials are required to conduct self-examination and self-correction.

The scope of self-inspection and self-correction is mainly the fields owned by officials. If there are illegal things such as encroachment, forcible occupation, donation, and treachery, they will be cleared within three months.

Before the imperial decree was finished, another imperial decree came to the cabinet, requiring the local government to re-check and compile the yellow book and fish scale book within the year, and report it to the Ministry of Household Affairs.

What is the yellow book? It is the household registration, which is equivalent to a census; the fish scale book is a map marking the shape, boundaries and ownership of cultivated land, which is equivalent to the land ownership certificate of later generations.

In the 14th year of Hongwu, Zhu Baba ordered the first national census, and made it into a yellow book, so as to facilitate the statistics of the population, so that there is a basis for apportionment of taxes and corvee.

After compiling the yellow book, Zhu Taizu ordered to measure the land of the whole country and compile it into a fish scale book.

In view of the lessons of past dynasties, in order to prevent land annexation and concealment from reappearing.Zhu Yuanzhang requested that the census of population and land be carried out once every ten years so that the government can always have the most accurate data.
But in fact, this policy has not been implemented.By the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the ten-year investigation had become a mere formality, and the yellow book and the fish scale book had become bullshit to deceive the upper and lower.

Local officials often compile a separate volume as the basis for the collection of taxes and services.Because it was compiled privately and not reported to the Ministry of Household Affairs, it was named Baichu, also known as "Yellow Book for Actual Collection" and "White Book for Taxation and Service".

Of course Zhu Youxiao knew that the Yellow Book and the Fish Scale Book could no longer be used as the basis for tax collection, but he wanted the local government to re-check and use it as one of the indicators for the examination.

You continue to alter and fabricate, and continue to collude with the gentry in fraud.These are all crimes, and you will be caught sooner or later.At that time, the family will be confiscated and exiled unambiguously, and the development of "Dongfan" will need manpower!

The imperial decree continued, this time it was aimed at the officers of the guards.

The same treatment as civilian officials, as long as the embezzled military fields are handed over within the time limit, and the number of soldiers under him is reported in full, the past will be forgotten.Otherwise, there will be severe punishment.

Obviously, this imperial decree shows that the emperor knew very well about the behavior of guard officers embezzling military fields, enslaving military households, and eating empty wages.

It is precisely because these behaviors are justifiable and have become extremely common that the emperor will give you another chance, the so-called "leniency for confession, strictness for resistance".

If we follow the instructions, we will treat it as nothing and start from scratch.Otherwise, you can decide for yourself how severe this severe punishment is!

In fact, this is only the will sent to the cabinet.

And the secret decree unknown to others has been sent to the governor of Shaanxi Zuo Guangdou, the governor of Henan Fang Zhenru, and the new governor of Shanxi Yang Lian. It is very simple. in the end.

The main social contradiction in the late Ming Dynasty was land.A large number of mergers and occupations resulted in the exile of peasants who lost their land, and a large number of military households also fled. The fate was equally tragic.

These refugees and fleeing military households formed a huge unstable factor.It can still be maintained now, but when the general outbreak occurs, it will be difficult to clean up.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao firmly grasped this key point, and strictly controlled it from all aspects to claw back the land bit by bit.

Of course, Zhu Youxiao also dealt with the clan vassal who occupied the most land.

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

Luoyang, Henan, Prince Fu's Mansion.

The obese Fu Wang Zhu Changxun sat in the chair, his eyes rolled back and forth, obviously thinking quickly, and looking a little hard to weigh.

Mrs. Wei, the admiral of the East Factory, drank tea leisurely, looking up at the magnificent palace from time to time.

Fu Wang Zhu Changxun was born to Concubine Zheng, and was loved by his parents since he was born.

However, because the minister was worried that Emperor Wanli would abolish the elders and establish the younger ones.Therefore, Zhu Changxun was extremely disgusted by the officials since he was a child.

In fact, Zhu Changxun was quite innocent in the matter of setting up the crown prince, who put himself in such an awkward position!

After Zhu Changxun came to Luoyang and became a vassal, he should be relatively honest, and he didn't do anything bad in Luoyang.

As for the history books saying that he is sensual, greedy and fond of drinking, there is nothing he can do about it.The vassals of the Ming Dynasty, since Emperor Yongle, could only raise themselves as pigs.Otherwise, the emperor is not at ease!
It is forbidden for the two kings to meet each other, the marriage between the clan and the nobles is forbidden, the clan is forbidden to be an official, the clan is forbidden to come to Beijing for pilgrimage, and it is forbidden for the vassal king to leave the city without permission...

With these restrictions imposed on him, what else can the feudal princes and clans do besides eating and drinking in the mansion and accepting a few beauties?
"Your Majesty really allows this king to go out of the city at will?" Zhu Changxun decided to start probing this question first, even though he did not agree with the emperor's nephew's suggestion.

Uncle Wei nodded and said with a smile: "With the honor of the prince, you don't even have the freedom to go out of the city. What's the point? The emperor said that as long as the prince is willing, he can go anywhere by making a report in the government."

(End of this chapter)