prosperous age

"Restore the status of honest and law-abiding citizens?"

Zhang Xueyan suddenly said.

However, after saying this, he shook his head slightly.

Although clerks were of low social status, unable to participate in the imperial examinations or be promoted to official positions, they seemed to be in a very bad position.

However, in reality, the system of appointing officials by appointment in the Ming Dynasty gave local clerks a great deal of room for manipulation.

Most officials were from other places and had passed the imperial examinations, serving only a few years in office. The imperial court strictly prohibited clerks from participating in the imperial examinations and getting promoted, which resulted in local clerks' families or gangs actually controlling the positions in the government offices for a long time, forming a pattern of "officials without feudalism, but clerks with feudalism".

In name, local officials are high and mighty, but in reality, all power is exercised by clerks and lower-level officials.

Therefore, local gentry and powerful families often colluded with clerks and officials to deceive their superiors and commit various illegal acts.

The imperial court was aware of the drawbacks, but there was truly no other way.

To get rid of the original group of people, it's not enough to just find fresh blood to replace them; we also have to find a way out for them.

Otherwise, if things go wrong, it could lead to disaster.

In fact, these clerks were very capable. They were familiar with the imperial system and were good at management, which was the foundation of the imperial court's rule.

A scholar's rebellion may fail after ten years, but if it were a clerk, it would be hard to say.

At least, Wei Guangde always attached great importance to these staff members, both those within and outside the official staffing quota.

He knew that while ordinary people might succeed in a short time by rebelling, their vision was ultimately limited, and they might be good at causing trouble.

But once things stabilize and management begins, it becomes a complete mess.

Then, without the government troops doing anything, they started fighting amongst themselves.

On the contrary, officials who are familiar with the workings of the court are more insightful in their thinking and are less likely to make such mistakes.

Once this group of people causes trouble, they are the most difficult for the imperial court to quell.

Thinking about the civil service exams of later generations, Wei Guangde also felt that if the clerks in the government offices could be recruited through examinations in accordance with the model of later generations, it might be a necessary means to break the monopoly of families and gangs.

The saying "Officials have no feudal system, but clerks do" actually refers to the network of relationships formed by these clerks, whose influence in the local area was no less than that of the gentry and powerful families.

During the Ming Dynasty, clerks held a low social status, and the court stipulated that they were not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations, thus artificially cutting off their path to advancement.

As officials gradually differentiated, with the increase in grassroots clerks and the gradual decline in their status, grassroots servants and clerks merged to form a community of interests at the grassroots level during the Ming and Qing dynasties, namely, the clerk group.

The composition of local government offices in the Ming Dynasty was modeled after the six ministries of the central government, with six departments: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, Military, Justice, and Works. The officials of these six departments managed the local civil affairs of the prefectures and counties.

In addition, there are three other types of officials: bailiffs, constables, and guards. The bailiffs are the people we often see in TV dramas who shout "Majesty!" in the yamen hall.

This group of people is responsible for carrying out the court's judgments and orders, as well as acting as the ceremonial team. The constables, needless to say, are the grassroots police officers responsible for apprehending criminals, while the guards are responsible for maintaining local order.

In addition, county and prefectural governments could also hire servants, such as grooms and gate guards, who were also a type of clerk. This is the phenomenon of the merging of clerks and servants mentioned above.

Meanwhile, among the lower-level clerks in the Ming Dynasty, there were also hereditary "scribes," "calculators," and "chief writers." Relying on this ancestral skill, they could easily inherit their fathers' jobs in the government offices and pass on a certain position to their descendants, thus becoming "hereditary civil servants."

By the Wanli era, most of the lower-level officials in the Ming Dynasty were long-time veterans who had been entrenched in a certain place for many years. Their connections in the local area were so intricate that even the superior officials dared not easily provoke them.

Perhaps, in their eyes, there's no need for that.

As long as the local officials continue to offer tributes, they will not easily break ties with the clerks.

After all, they need these people to promote their own brand.

The clerks wouldn't easily offend their superiors, since in order to protect their local interests, they would repeatedly fill the same positions in the same region and department during each assessment, occupying the position for a long time to obtain considerable illicit income, which required the superior's approval.

Thus, with shared interests at stake, officials and clerks tacitly cooperated to divide up power at the grassroots level.

The so-called "rectification of officialdom" in the Ming Dynasty was not only aimed at officials, but also at these grassroots clerks.

Now that the Ministry of Rites has handed him a knife, Wei Guangde has to carefully consider whether he should wield it and how he should wield it.

"It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings; that's the saying that describes these petty officials."

It is clear that they are already utterly despised by the people.

The system of appointing clerks and petty officials also gave them the ability to monopolize local official positions and public power for a long time.

If this continues, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later.

Wei Guangde spoke slowly.

Everyone had read the memorial, which was then returned to Wei Guangde and put away.

Tomorrow, I will also bring this memorial back to the cabinet.

Bringing something out and letting it be lost are two completely different things, and Wei Guangde wouldn't make such a mistake.

"What do you mean by 'good loan'?"

Although Lao Kan was slightly raising his head, seemingly looking at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling, he was also pondering this matter in his mind.

"The Ministry of Rites' proposal has its merits, but it is not the safest option."

Wei Guangde slowly began to speak, “I hadn’t thought of that before, but after seeing the Ministry of Rites’ suggestion, I did think of something.”

That is to say that the officials appointed by the imperial court were selected through the imperial examinations, and it is no exaggeration to say that they were outstanding talents who fought their way out of thousands of troops.

But why are local clerks and officials considered hereditary low-status individuals, even though they are also part of the local power structure?

Would it be more prudent to select virtuous and capable individuals from the local area for positions such as local clerks through examinations?

Thus, as long as one could read and write, there was a chance to pass the exam and enter the government office.

However, this necessitates resolving the issue of clerks and their records, and providing them with a way out.

We can't destroy their livelihood and then deny them a way to survive; that's pushing them to their deaths.

After he said that, everyone knew.

Wei Guangde intended to reform the bureaucratic system, not just to reinstate certain subjects in the imperial examinations.

Perhaps he didn't have a clear attitude towards whether to reinstate the imperial examinations for these subjects, but he already had ideas about the clerks.

The clerks in local government offices are required to be literate, and it would be best if they could also understand mathematics, law, and literature.

In fact, local government offices mainly consist of these three things: being able to draft and reply to official documents, and being knowledgeable in arithmetic and law.

However, these things were long controlled by clerks and local scholars.

Scholars, given the opportunity to take the imperial examinations, naturally disdained the dead-end path of becoming a lowly clerk.

However, if clerks hold power, their families can maintain control for generations and continue to thrive in the government.

"You mean, you want students from local schools to pass exams and enter government offices as clerks?"

Jiang Zhi frowned and asked.

"Exactly."

Wei Guangde was very direct this time, and continued, "Taking advantage of this cleanup, we will bring the corrupt officials who have committed crimes to justice."

Those who committed fewer evil deeds were elevated from the lowest social class to the highest, granted the right to pursue four professions, and required to relinquish their official positions to the students of the school.

Of course, this cannot be accomplished overnight; it must be done gradually, with the replacement completed step by step.

After that, there were no more clerks; all new employees had to pass an examination.

If there are no mistakes in the position, the person will retire after thirty years and will be rewarded with a pension by the government to live out their old age in peace.

The most troublesome issue is how to deal with that group of people now.

Wei Guangde spoke up.

He had already mentioned his plan to take the local civil service exam, but he also felt that the most troublesome thing was the current batch of clerks, as it would be very difficult to resettle them.

We can't just punish them all; if we do, these people might just rebel. "Wait, Shan Dai, are you planning to have the imperial court appoint officials to these people who passed the exams?"

Lao Kan suddenly interrupted and asked.

This is actually very important; the imperial court appoints officials, not clerks.

"It's considered a local staffing system, organized by the Provincial Administration Commission. All we need to do is submit the list to the Ministry of Personnel."

Wei Guangde understood Lao Kan's words and immediately explained.

The imperial examination was the national examination, which was also known as the national or provincial civil service examination.

The examinations were county-level or city-level civil service examinations, which was Wei Guangde's strategy for selecting clerks.

I wonder if replicating the civil service examination system in the Ming Dynasty several hundred years in advance would have resulted in any problems.

However, in order to prevent the families of clerks from continuing to grow in power and control local authority, Wei Guangde felt it was necessary to do so.

"Moreover, at that time, clerks were no longer considered lowly, and those who took the exams were either people with official titles or people who were required to attend school. This also made it easier for ordinary people to send their children to school."

After all, graduating from the academy would allow one to participate in the civil service examinations organized by various provinces.

Once hired, one can enter the government office to serve in public service for up to thirty years, which is considered a stable livelihood.

Or, set the age at fifty.

Wei Guangde said, "We could even separate the clerks in the government offices and establish special offices at the provincial and prefectural levels to manage the clerks in each office and organize civil service examinations."

Previously, the Agricultural Promotion Office, under the leadership of Wei Guangde, had established branch offices in thirteen provinces across the country to organize the promotion of agricultural products in each province.

The results were actually pretty good.

Although it increased the government's expenditures, the crops promoted have gradually shown their value over the years.

In particular, the cultivation of sweet potatoes has been promoted in mountainous areas, and many sweet potatoes are also being planted in various places, with decent harvests.

That stuff is difficult to store, but it's cheap and easy to raise, and it has become a staple food for farmers in some areas.

It's okay if we don't have enough grain, but we can fill our stomachs with sweet potatoes.

Moreover, because of the large output, Wei Guangde also ordered the Agricultural Promotion Bureau to purchase sweet potatoes to feed poultry and livestock such as chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle, which was actually the most important economic channel.

In later generations, sweet potatoes were mainly used for brewing wine and raising livestock.

Wei Guangde had already promoted this method of increasing farmers' income to the Ming Dynasty, which also helped to curb inflation.

In addition, potatoes and chili peppers have been promoted. Now, people in both the north and south of the Ming Dynasty have gradually become accustomed to these two new crops, especially chili peppers.

"The past management model of the imperial court may be changed. For example, the Agricultural Promotion Office and some other government offices can be separated and do not need to be wrapped up in local government offices."

Wei Guangde spoke up.

"From now on, in addition to managing officials, the Ministry of Personnel will also directly manage the placement of clerks in various provinces."

The Ministry of Rites presided over the assessments, the Ministry of Personnel allocated positions, and the Imperial Censors and the Provincial Surveillance Commission supervised from the sidelines, thus forming a vertical management model for the Ministry of Personnel.

In doing so, officials and clerks can also form a system of mutual supervision.

Officials needed to instruct their clerks to perform tasks, but if any task violated the law, the clerks naturally had the right to report it to higher authorities. They could also supervise officials to prevent them from recklessly committing illegal acts in their localities.

The separation of officials and clerks was maintained. Officials assigned tasks to clerks, and clerks supervised the actions of officials. There was no direct subordinate relationship between officials and clerks because the power to appoint clerks did not belong to the officials, so they could not threaten the clerks.

However, if clerks do not obey reasonable orders from officials, the officials can naturally take action and have the Ministry of Personnel punish them.

"The imperial examinations and civil service exams are quite interesting."

Zhang Ke suddenly smiled and said something at that moment.

“Officials in the imperial court came from the imperial examination system, while clerks came from the civil service examination system; they both had a proper background.”

Wei Guangde also laughed.

“A good loan is better done this way.”

The system is established first, and then local officials are allowed to conduct self-examinations. If they consider themselves to be of good character, and their self-examination is rated as above average, then they can continue to serve.

However, to remain in office, one must undergo review by the Imperial Inspector and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner; passing the review is naturally acceptable.

If a self-examination reveals a fault, the individual will automatically resign from their position.

For those who self-report their departure from office, the imperial court will not pursue their previous responsibilities, or if their crimes are extremely serious, their sentences may be reduced.

Lao Kan suddenly said.

This is blatant coercion and enticement.

The existing clerks should be forced to resign voluntarily, or an investigation should be launched.

Of course, there will be no problem with the investigation of those who have not committed any crimes.

But those seasoned officials are different; they can't withstand scrutiny.

"Hehe, that's one way."

Jiang Zhi suddenly laughed.

Having been around for so long, he naturally understood the ins and outs of this.

If you want to land safely, you should voluntarily give up your position.

Otherwise, he might end up spending the rest of his life in jail.

That's not right either. The Ming Dynasty didn't have this punishment. It should have been exile to the border three thousand miles away.

"But if we were to elevate the clerks to the status of good officials, there would likely be opposition in the court."

Wei Shiliang said.

“Those who are appointed as assistant officials or those who report for duty will be promoted directly, while those who are punished will have their household registration restored after three generations.”

This punishment of being relegated to a minor post was actually a form of punishment where students, imperial students, or even low-ranking officials who made mistakes were relegated to clerical positions. These individuals were generally well-educated and often held administrative roles such as clerks.

It's impossible to drastically change the "Great Ming Code," and the punishments and disciplinary measures will continue, but a buffer period of three generations has been given.

After three generations, one can be restored to a good household registration. As for the previous punishment, one only needs to change to another job and no longer serve as a clerk.

In fact, the idea that one could apply to be released from slavery after accumulating three generations of low social status was not just something Wei Guangde casually mentioned; the Ming Dynasty actually had such a system.

However, those granted the special privilege of "hereditary low social status" are an exception.

Only families that had offended the emperor could possibly receive such a "special honor".

Such families, even after three generations, will not be able to find a way to redeem themselves; they are truly destined to be slaves, prostitutes, and beggars generation after generation.

"These people are well-off; they should be able to support themselves for three generations without any problem."

Wei Guangde chuckled.

Don't underestimate those clerks; if they can really make it hereditary, the job can be very lucrative.

Moreover, although they were of low social status, they held power in public service and their social standing could not be truly regarded as such.

Take those constables and clerks, for example. They were equivalent to the public security officers of later times. Who would dare to underestimate them?

Those officials from the Six Ministries also have power; they can issue travel permits when they go out without fear of being harassed.
"Let's all think it over, get together later, and draw up some rules."

"Replacing the clerks with new blood is actually quite necessary."

Jiang Zhi said.

Some timid and weak-willed graduates were bullied by local officials and clerks when they arrived in their local areas, and the imperial court was not unaware of this. (End of Chapter)