I'm really not doing business

Chapter 996 Failure is the norm, success is the exception
Zhu Yijun had one last trick up his sleeve to deal with the changing times: equal distribution of land. This was not about returning land to its owners, but about equal distribution of land among the people.

Returning land to the state meant that the imperial court would take over the land and make it public, and then either grant or lease the land to the people to cultivate themselves; it was not simply confiscating the land for nothing.

Equal land distribution, on the other hand, involves killing gentry and officials. The nature of equal land distribution is completely different; it involves confiscating family property. This is the last resort. If even equal land distribution cannot solve the problem, then Zhu Yijun can only live and die with the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yijun recounted to Wang Guoguang the story of the assassination of Imperial Envoy Xu Chengchu in Rongcheng County and the subsequent military campaign in Rongcheng, indicating that he still had a backup plan.

In Zhu Yijun's view, the current relocation policy is only to reduce the scale of possible civil unrest, and his safety net measures are different from Wang Guoguang's.

Wang Guoguang listened patiently to the emperor's thoughts, and after thinking for a long time, he said, "Your Majesty, you truly care about the people. We are no match for you."

When the emperor mentioned the Qingmaqiao case in Rongcheng County, Wang Guoguang remembered that he had read that, regardless of the reason for the attack on the imperial envoy, he should follow His Majesty's example and send troops to Rongcheng!

The assassination of the imperial envoy was justified, no matter how intense the reaction. Even if Sun Qifeng, the magistrate of Rongcheng, was killed without any intent, such an action would still be taken.

During the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, there was an imperial brother-in-law named Bo Zhao. Bo Zhao's older sister was Emperor Wen's mother. After the Lü Clan Rebellion, bloodshed raged in Chang'an, and they ultimately decided to support Emperor Wen as emperor.

Emperor Wen of Han had doubts about this outcome, so he sent his brother-in-law Bo Zhao to Chang'an to negotiate and finalize various matters concerning his ascension to the throne.

Bo Zhao had the merit of supporting the emperor's ascension to the throne and was also a key figure in the decision-making process. Emperor Wen of Han was very lenient with him.

In the tenth year of Emperor Wen of Han, Bo Zhao killed an envoy of the Han court without authorization. Emperor Wen sent ministers to persuade Bo Zhao to end his own life to save face for everyone. Bo Zhao refused to do so, so Emperor Wen ordered all officials to go to Bo Zhao's home to mourn him, forcing Bo Zhao to commit suicide.

Despite being his mother's younger brother, a meritorious official who helped him ascend the throne, and a key figure in the imperial strategy, Emperor Wen of Han still achieved this.

In the end, Bo Zhao, whose skin was as thick as a city wall, had no choice but to commit suicide. If he hadn't, Emperor Wen of Han would have personally come to mourn him.

Killing the emperor's envoy, regardless of the reason, should be considered an assassination attempt. His Majesty's decision to send troops to Rongcheng is justified, and could even be considered very merciful.

Your Majesty executed all the powerful and influential people, local gentry and gentry in Rongcheng County, exiled their families to the Jinchi Governor's Office, redistributed the land, and did not exterminate their nine generations of relatives. Who dares to say that Your Majesty is not benevolent?

When His Majesty spoke of the Rongcheng land redistribution, he was telling Wang Guoguang that, as the emperor, he had the ability, responsibility, and means to handle any unforeseen events.

Wang Guoguang is confused, not that he has lost his ability to think.

The biggest difference between these two methods of providing a safety net is that one is a drastic measure, while the other is land redistribution. The difference lies in the fact that the emperor truly cared about the people and was unwilling to abandon these "troublemakers" even if a large-scale civil unrest broke out.

In His Majesty's heart, he never regards these people who are forced to rise up and rebel as troublemakers. Looking at all the dynasties, it is truly remarkable that His Majesty can think this way.

The ministers' thoughts and concerns, their stances, were not far from the mark. Although everyone proclaimed that the people were the foundation of the state, when making decisions, they still unconsciously prioritized maintaining the existence of the court and the dynasty.

To cut off one's own arm and extinguish the civil unrest within Tongguan Pass, while allowing natural disasters and civil unrest to occur, killing civilians and reducing the population to below the land's carrying capacity amidst war, disregarding the lives of the people of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan, is by no means a consideration for the overall situation.

There's really no way to protect even a little bit, because if the country loses its credibility, people's doubts will arise. After the people in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan are sacrificed, they will definitely think, "Will I be the next one to be abandoned?"

Containing the rebels within Tongguan Pass and preventing them from leaving was merely the last gasp of the Ming Dynasty.

The Emperor before me was completely different. His decisions were entirely based on the idea that the people are the foundation of the state, and that a stable foundation ensures a peaceful state, and he put this into practice.

There's a big problem here: if the emperor really wanted to implement the equal-field system in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan, he would have to implement it throughout the entire Ming Dynasty.

Otherwise, local gentry and elders in the hinterland would become disloyal to the emperor due to concerns about the expansion of the policy, and Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan would be mired in popular unrest, completely shaking the foundation of the emperor's rule.

As long as policies like equal land distribution and equal wealth distribution are launched on a large scale, they will either not be implemented or they will sweep across the entire Ming Dynasty. And it seems that His Majesty has been preparing for these things for so many years.

In fact, His Majesty is not particularly concerned about whether the Ming Dynasty will perish or not; all His Majesty desires is for China to survive and for civilization to endure.

Wang Guoguang could clearly sense His Majesty the Emperor's firm will, his courage to face the problem head-on, his unwavering perseverance, and his resolute determination to perish together with the enemy.

"Your Majesty, I am old and senile." Wang Guoguang took back his memorial. The issue of relocating people in Qi Jiguang's memorial on relocating people to distant places was probably something that Qi Jiguang was aware of.

If Qi Jiguang didn't understand, how could Zhang Juzheng, who helped Qi Jiguang write his memorials, not understand?
Zhang Juzheng, Qi Jiguang and the emperor had the same goal: at worst, they would just take military control of the land and distribute it equally!

Zhu Yijun and Wang Guoguang talked for a long time before Zhu Yijun left Wang Guoguang's residence. To be honest, Wang Guoguang's memorial and Ling Yunyi's opinion were absolutely rational considerations. They maintained the continuation of the dynasty and ensured that the civil unrest did not spread to the heartland. It was a rational choice.

The emperor and Qi Jiguang were simply more resolute in their thoughts and actions, even willing to pay the price to the Ming Dynasty.

"Reporting to the Emperor and saving the common people is never just empty talk." Wang Guoguang sat in his recliner, looking at Pu Shu in front of him. After thinking for a long time, he finally understood the Emperor's confidence in doing so.

With the strength of ten thousand men united, they are invincible under heaven; with an indomitable military spirit, there is no obstacle that the Ming Dynasty cannot overcome.

Wang Guoguang leaned back in his recliner, swinging one leg back and forth, looking relaxed and carefree. He was in a very good mood and quite at ease. If this military spirit could continue to exist, he dared not say anything else, but at least it could ensure the stability of the Ming Dynasty.

For ordinary people, the best time is when they can live in peace and contentment, when they can discuss national affairs in the streets and alleys, at tea stalls and under trees.

Making a choice means choosing between oneself and the people. Once again, His Majesty chose the people over himself, just like the imperial road and the Dinghai school system.

Zhu Yijun returned to his study in Tonghe Palace and reflected on the policies of August of the nineteenth year of the Wanli reign, discovering two things.

The instability of the Ming Dynasty's system and the troubles brought about by the celestial upheaval were more difficult than imagined.

Ye Xianggao's question was actually about the instability of the Ming Dynasty's system.

The system of deliberation and decision-making in the Wenhua Hall relies on too many coincidences to maintain stability. Each link is interconnected, and if a problem occurs in any one link, the entire system will collapse like dominoes.

For example, now that Zhang Juzheng has retired, the relationship between the emperor and the chief minister is no longer so close, and this system seems unable to function effectively.

Zhu Yijun needs to continuously summarize experience in long-term practice to increase the stability of the public consultation system.

Zhu Yijun believed that the Wenhua Hall court discussions were more stable than Zhang Juzheng and Ye Xianggao thought, rather than as fragile as they imagined, easily shattered.

Because the Wenhua Hall deliberations were a system born from long-term practice in the Ming Dynasty, it may seem to have a great deal of chance, but in fact it has a certain inevitability. According to Zhu Yijun's experience, systems that have been tested in practice often have greater resilience.

The Wenhua Hall Council underwent drastic changes following the departure of key figures. These changes were also adaptations and self-corrections, adapting to the changes and the new environment. It would not completely disintegrate as Zhang Juzheng and Ye Xianggao had envisioned.

The second thing, of course, was the change in the weather.

The weather has changed, and there is an imbalance between water and drought. The court should be more cautious in dealing with this. The court has underestimated the potential harm of the weather. Wang Guoguang's idea of ​​making drastic sacrifices is not an exaggeration.

The Shaanxi-Gansu-Sui region, which was already experiencing a slight shortage of food and manpower, could become severely lacking in food and manpower due to the changing weather. How to solve this problem required the imperial court to be extremely cautious.

"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince De requests an audience," a young eunuch said, bowing as he entered.

"Xuan."

Zhu Zaiyu bowed his head and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well."

"No need for formalities," Zhu Yijun said with a smile. "Please sit. Your Majesty, you never visit me without a reason. May I ask what brings you to this mortal realm?"

Zhu Yijun's Tonghe Palace was also a place of worldly affairs, while the Gewu Academy was detached from worldly affairs and not subject to the Five Elements.

"I have come here with three matters to discuss. First, since the development of mathematics, our Great Ming has cultivated tens of thousands of mathematical talents, including mathematical geniuses such as Li Kaifang, Li Zhizao, and Xu Guangqi. However, their learning is still in its infancy, and Western mathematics still has its unique aspects. I beseech Your Majesty to grant the esteemed scholar Kepler entry into the Academy of Natural Sciences as a Doctor of Mathematics." Zhu Zaiyu reported the first matter: Kepler's entry into the Academy of Natural Sciences.

This was a special favor, because Kepler did not have to pledge allegiance. Before Galileo entered the Imperial Academy of Sciences, he worked as a doctor for a year, inoculating the people of Ming Dynasty with cowpox. Kepler did not have to pledge allegiance.

However, Kepler came to the Ming Dynasty with his lover in pursuit of the truth. Moreover, Kepler had some problems with his eyes and hands due to the torment of smallpox. Zhu Zaiyu believed that he could be given some trust and leniency.

"I have heard that this man is quite talented, so I will follow your advice, Uncle." Zhu Yijun agreed to Zhu Zaiyu's request. Kepler was different from the missionary Matteo Ricci. Ricci came to the Ming Dynasty to preach Christianity, while Kepler came to the Ming Dynasty to conduct scientific research and study astronomy.

"My second matter is to present auspicious omens." Zhu Zaiyu gestured to the eunuch to present the Shengping No. 10 steam engine model he had brought to the emperor.

Zhu Zaiyu explained in detail the improvements that Shengping No. 10 made over Shengping No. 9. The horsepower remained at 450, but the weight was reduced from 10,000 jin to 4,700 jin, making it an improved model.

The reduction in weight and miniaturization opened up more possibilities for this steam engine, allowing it to be halved in weight and use less coal and less water.

Greater horsepower and smaller size are the relentless pursuits of the Institute of Geography. According to Zhu Zaiyu's design plan, in the near future, a 500,000-jin (250,000 kg) iron horse with 8000 horsepower will be enough to bring the imperial road into a golden age.

"Very good, very good." Zhu Yijun fiddled with the model of the steam engine, added water, lit the alcohol lamp, and the steam engine started to turn with a short whistle. Zhu Yijun inquired in detail about some issues related to technological improvements. The Ming Dynasty had been digging cylinders for nineteen years, and the airtightness was getting better and better.

"The third thing is that I made some progress on the glider I was working on before, but I have given up on the plan to make the glider on the iron horse." Zhu Zaiyu's third thing was to admit that his exploration had failed and that years of research had proven that he had entered a dead end.

Coal, water, and a steam engine combined are simply too heavy. Even if the steam engine were improved to be smaller, it still couldn't fly. The calorific value of coal is too low, and it also requires a lot of water. It's simply impossible for it to fly.

Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "It would be best if it could be successful, but if it can't, it's still an exploration of the infinite principles of all things. Wasn't the weight reduction of Shengping No. 10 also a result of researching gliders? On the road of exploration, failure is also a success."

Zhu Yijun immediately offered Zhu Zaiyu a large bowl of chicken soup, telling him not to be discouraged, as temporary setbacks are for a more glorious success in the future.

"Thank you for your comfort, Your Majesty." Zhu Zaiyu said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, "I have wasted one million taels of the imperial treasury. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Taking the emperor's money but failing to produce corresponding results is a crime.

"It's no big deal, just one million taels of silver." Zhu Yijun indicated to Zhu Zaiyu that there was no need to worry about it. It was just a small amount of money, insignificant compared to the brilliant achievements of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The very act of studying astronomy and using celestial navigation to navigate oceans and ensure the safe return of ships is a monumental achievement that will benefit future generations.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhu Zaiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, as long as His Majesty didn't blame him for wasting one million taels of silver from the imperial treasury.

"How's the steam turbine that Imperial Uncle is working on coming along?" Zhu Yijun was still thinking about the steam turbine that could turn but couldn't be used. That thing was incredibly powerful. Zhu Zaiyu shook his head and said, "There's been no progress. It's unstable, unreliable, and the materials aren't durable. It's difficult to make any further progress at the moment."

Not every research project is successful; on the contrary, failure is the norm, and success is the exception.

The progress of the steam turbine was almost the same as what the emperor had seen before, but during this research and development process, the Ming Dynasty accumulated enough experience in controlling high-pressure and high-temperature steam.

Zhu Yijun asked about several projects, and the answers were similar: there weren't many projects that had made progress, but as long as they continued to work on them, these mountain-like difficulties would be overcome little by little.

"Is the Academy of Natural History short of money? My imperial treasury still has two million one hundred thousand taels of silver." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and decided it was better to bring it up himself. Zhu Zaiyu rarely asked for funding. Since its establishment, the Academy of Natural History had only received two million taels of silver from the emperor.

"The Imperial Academy still has money, more than 800,000 taels of silver, which is more than enough." Zhu Zaiyu shook his head. He came to the palace this time to report on the results, not to ask for money.

Zhu Yijun and Zhu Zaiyu then discussed the Dinghai education system, and the Academy of Sciences would give its full support to the talent cultivation under the Dinghai education system.

"Your subject takes his leave." After reporting on the recent situation at the Institute of Natural History, Zhu Zaiyu left the Imperial Study in Tonghe Palace.

The success of the Wanli Reform was achieved piece by piece, one by one, without any supernatural power behind it, only through the hard work of comrades who shared the same goals and joys.

"Liu Yushan, the Censor of Shanxi, has impeached Wang Qian, the Prefect of Songjiang." Feng Bao searched for a while, pulled out a memorial, and said with his head bowed.

“I am too dull to see the problem,” Feng Bao said in a low voice. “According to Imperial Censor Liu, the court loses three fen of silver for every thousand shi of grain harvested by the Dujiangyan Jimin Canal.”

A very strange ledger, and a very strange algorithm.

After reading the memorial, Zhu Yijun said, "It's just the poison of meticulous planning. Letting the people gain a little advantage is like taking his life."

Zhu Yijun had seen such memorials before, more than once, and he called them the "poisonous legacy of meticulous calculations." They were very similar in style, focusing on only one aspect of the facts and not the whole picture.

When Wang Qian went to Sichuan to handle the case of the steelyard, he used his own money to repair the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and built the 300-li Jimin Canal to irrigate the land in Guanzhong.

Water conservancy facilities cannot be used forever once they are repaired; they need to be maintained every year. The maintenance costs of this 300-mile-long Jimin Canal fell on the local government.

Liu Yushan's calculation was quite cunning. He subtracted the increased land tax from the newly reclaimed land from the maintenance cost of the 300-li Jimin Canal, and then spread it across the newly reclaimed land, concluding that the people owed the imperial court three fen of silver for every thousand shi of grain!

"Liu Yushan's idea is to make the people along the 300-li Jimin Canal pay silver, not much, ten coins per mu." Zhu Yijun stretched his shoulders and said, "The people never owe the court or the government anything."

Local government offices were maintaining the Jimin Canal, but the extra land taxes were insufficient to cover the expenses. This loss was mainly due to the imperial court's large-scale reduction and exemption of land taxes in response to the celestial changes.

The contradiction here is quite interesting. The imperial court could not make up for the deficit, and the local government did not want to acknowledge the deficit. In the end, they thought of asking the people for ditch maintenance fees.

After considering it for a while, Feng Bao replied, "I think we should not open this door. I don't know how to reclaim wasteland, I don't know how to farm, and I don't know how to do accounting. I can't figure this out."

"However, I know what the officials and gentry of our Great Ming Dynasty are. As long as the imperial study issues an imperial edict, the reclaimed land of the three hundred li Jimin Canal will have nothing to do with the people."

Feng Bao wasn't unaware of the crux of the problem; he was simply trying to sow discord among the civil officials by speaking ill of them!
We must speak ill of civil officials every day; we cannot avoid it. We must always be vigilant against these shrewd individuals!

“You’re right.” Zhu Yijun agreed with Feng Bao’s view. No matter how much the government loses, it’s all public money. But land annexation, once acquired, becomes private gain.

Ten coins per mu may seem like a small amount, but once the emperor approves the request to increase taxes, all sorts of exorbitant taxes and levies will come flooding in. This approval with a vermilion pen is a license for private plunder and an imperial edict permitting land annexation.

Zhu Yijun read the memorial again before saying, "There is an important question here: Is this 300-li Tonghe Jimin Canal really a loss? Is the government just a business? Do you only care about profits and losses and not about the importance of securing the land and governing the people?"

"Three cents of silver can produce an extra thousand bushels of grain. What a wonderful thing! If it really causes a civil unrest, then they'll know to repent."

“Even if we only look at the actuarial calculations, tell me, Mr. Feng, did the local government really not collect the fee for dredging the ditch?”

“Your Majesty is wise. This local government office has been collecting money under various pretexts, even for unreasonable amounts. They would have been collecting reasonable amounts a hundred years from now!” Feng Bao hurriedly said.

The emperor is not easily fooled; he knows exactly what the local government offices are like.

"This memorial is actually a test. In our Great Ming Dynasty, some government offices are running a deficit." Zhu Yijun looked at the memorial with a somewhat solemn expression.

The reason why Zhu Yijun was willing to expend energy to deal with this obviously problematic memorial, rather than simply stamping it with a seal, was not because the memorial was so reasonable, but because the memorial reflected a problem.

Amidst the changing times and the special circumstances of the imperial court's continuous reduction and exemption of land taxes, problems arose in the distribution of benefits among local government offices in the Ming Dynasty, where land taxes were the main source of revenue.

Simply put, there are still as many wolves as there are wolves, but not enough meat to eat.

With so many meat-eaters, and so little meat available, wouldn't they have to find ways to squeeze every last drop out of the people? In a small-scale peasant economy, what other way is there besides reaching into the people's rice bowls?
Officials and gentry didn't even want to bear the infamy, so they let the emperor take the blame and bear the infamy.

Feng Bao understood what His Majesty meant, and his brows furrowed. This problem was indeed somewhat thorny. Not all local government offices in the Ming Dynasty were as wealthy as Songjiang Prefecture. Songjiang Prefecture had so much silver that it could fund His Majesty's construction of a palace.

"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Feng Bao couldn't think of a good solution.

"Never mind." Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and then explained his solution.

"Ignore it?" Feng Bao was truly baffled. It seemed like a very serious problem, yet His Majesty was simply ignoring it.

Zhu Yijun explained, "Master Feng, the officials are testing me. The reason they are testing me is that they dare not act recklessly, which is why they are asking for my imperial decree."

"Why don't they dare to act recklessly? They are afraid of my wrath and punishment. If they do it secretly, they will be impeached by the imperial inspector or the governor, which means losing their official hats. Their official hats are more important than their lives."

"Secondly, there is the fear of popular uprising. This reduction in land tax is a national policy that is announced to the whole country and known to all people. We dare not make a fuss about land tax, so we have to think of other ways. Without an imperial edict, if popular uprising occurs, local officials will lose their heads."

Zhu Yijun's solution was to ignore it, but as long as he could receive the silver without an imperial edict, these scoundrels would not write any memorials to the emperor.

The people of the Ming Dynasty were capable of armed resistance against taxes. Every year when the yamen runners came to the countryside to collect land taxes, it was a scene of "thousands of people rushing out with their sticks and tens of thousands lining the streets to watch." If they acted recklessly, it would be "cut down your trees, tear down your poles, follow me, and kill the tax officials." The people of the Ming Dynasty were definitely not lambs who did not know how to resist.

The peasant uprising in Ruijin, Ninghua and three other counties even resulted in the breaching of the county government offices.

With too many wolves and too little meat, and unable to plunder from the common people, and with the emperor unwilling to use the pretext of righteousness, the only option left was for the wolves to fight amongst themselves.

"Liu Yushan should be sent to the Materials Estimation Office of the Ministry of Works. Isn't he skilled in precise calculations? It would be most suitable for him to be in the Materials Audit Office for precise calculations." Zhu Yijun approved Liu Yushan's memorial and sent him to the Materials Estimation Office.

The Materials and Estimation Office was a newly established department of the Ministry of Works. It had no power whatsoever and was busy from dawn till dusk every day, exhausting itself with accounts. Because it was newly established, it was a time when it was short of people.

Having little power while being constantly busy is the true picture of most government offices. Only by climbing the ranks can one gain control of power while being busy.

Power is the most tempting thing. Gao Qiyu, a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites, was willing to stay up late writing memorials and work overtime even when he returned home because he had truly gained enough power and rewards.

"Your Majesty, Xu Chengchu, along with the Anti-Corruption Bureau, has investigated the accounts of the six departments of Shuntian Prefecture." Feng Bao presented the Emperor with the preliminary results of Xu Chengchu's anti-corruption efforts.

"What was the result?" Zhu Yijun picked up the memorial, read through the floating votes, and then inquired about Feng Bao's situation.

Feng Bao thought for a moment and said, "A petty official with enormous greed."

The anti-corruption storm in the six branches of Shuntian Prefecture has just begun. Xu Chengchu's memorial is only the result of a preliminary investigation. A larger-scale anti-corruption storm is still brewing.

Corruption among petty officials is a very common phenomenon. Some petty officials embezzle more than ministers. Preliminary investigations have revealed that corruption in the Six Ministries alone exceeds 150 million taels of silver. Further investigation by the Imperial Guards is needed to uncover more details.

This case is comparable in scale to the corruption scandal involving the imperial highways, but the imperial highways were a massive construction project with huge investments. The corruption of the six clerks, who were meticulous about every penny, took everything from the people, making it even more hateful.

"No, does Xu Chengchu mean we should thank them for their corruption? That's unbelievable!" Zhu Yijun exclaimed in astonishment as he read.

Because these six clerks embezzled money, they actually tried to overthrow the Heavenly Gang to subsidize the deficit of Shuntian Prefecture!
For the first time in history, it wasn't the six clerks who emptied the treasury, but rather the officials who were corrupt and used the treasury's deficit to make up for it!

Zhu Yijun never expected that after investigating for so long, the emperor would have to thank these corrupt officials for maintaining the normal operation of the government.

The land tax and commercial tax retained by Shuntian Prefecture were sufficient to support the operation of the Shuntian Prefecture government. However, because there were too many powerful and influential people in the capital, the deficit kept increasing. Today, the Marquis's family would come to the government office to make a request, and tomorrow, the ministers would write notes.

It was common for ministers to write notes asking for favors. For example, Fu Bi, a famous prime minister in the Northern Song Dynasty, asked someone to do something for his son. Logically, the note should have been burned, but the person who helped him liked Fu Bi's calligraphy and kept it, which later became the famous "Letter to His Son".

This is the book that Fu Bi requested was burned but was not. How many books were preserved and how many were burned?

Yang Junmin, the Vice Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, was accused by censors of prioritizing tax collection. This accusation was not false or unfounded. Yang Junmin was indeed suspected of using bribery to obtain official positions. Among the six clerks, whoever could pay the taxes could obtain an official position through the civil service examination system.

Therefore, Yang Junmin only got a chance to redeem himself by seeking the emperor's favor.

Shuntian Prefecture has its own difficulties; it can't ask the Emperor's henchmen, the Tax Bureau, for help with every little thing.

Therefore, the accounts of the Shuntian Prefecture government were very strange. Despite the shrinking tax base, the government was able to collect taxes on schedule every year.

The corruption among the clerks of the Six Offices was indeed massive, even enough to subsidize the government offices.

"If they don't take from above, they will take from below; it's all the people's hard-earned money." Feng Bao didn't think these six clerks were any good, because they would fill the holes in the Shuntian Prefecture government office first, and then fill their own stomachs.

"Moreover, the deficit of the Shuntian Prefecture government was caused by them. Most of the clerks and runners in these six departments are henchmen of powerful and influential families," Feng Bao added.

The fundamental logic behind this corruption case is that it uses the wealth of ordinary people to cover the deficits caused by powerful and wealthy individuals. Sacrificing public interests for private gain is tantamount to harming the people of the world.

The public-private theory defines public and private as follows: the public is a larger collective relative to the private; satisfying private interests inevitably harms the larger collective.

(End of this chapter)