I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 399: Official salary increase? Increase the pay of subordinate officials? Di Hanchen's shocking words

The last day of the winter month.

The imperial court announced the candidates for this year's Jinshi Kezhi Gongju: Zhizhigao Liu Chang.

Many candidates looked confused.

Because they have never heard of this name at all.

The candidates who knew the name "Liu Chang" couldn't help but shook their heads and sighed: The questions in this provincial examination are probably going to be difficult!

soon.

The candidates inquired about Liu Chang's resume.

He was the second-ranked Jinshi in the Qingli year and was the brother-in-law of Wang Yaochen, the envoy of the Third Division.

The meaning of classics, divination, astronomy, prescriptions, mountain scriptures, and geographical records are all studied and understood.

The imperial court appointed Liu Chang to know the tribute.

The monthly salary is fifteen guan.

Many Confucian scholars said——

The imperial court increased salaries and subsidies for officials almost every year.

Fu Bi, Wang Yaochen, Zeng Gongliang, Liang Shi, Su Liang, Wang Anshi, Sima Guang and others gathered in the conference hall.

Such an official who was about to retire made a suggestion that no one expected.

It doesn't depend on guessing or luck, it all depends on how much ink has accumulated in your stomach.

The person who wrote the memorial.

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

Taking turns looking at a memorial.

However, if the average commoner's family in the Song Dynasty could earn a hundred dollars a year, it could be called a family with a prosperous life.

at the same time.

It attracted high praise from officials.

I am afraid that officials will not spend enough.

"I sincerely request the imperial court to increase the salaries of the lower-level officials throughout the Song Dynasty."

There are also various subsidies for cloth, shoes, hats, tea, wine, cooking materials, firewood, salt, horses, minister's money, job fields, etc.

The academic characteristics of the examiner largely determine the direction of the examination questions.

among them.

After the candidates gradually reacted.

Fang Wangen was in his sixties, and the court had just approved his application for official appointment half a month ago.

Reform Department.

This scientific examination must be the most difficult one since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

……

There is no shortcut to whether a candidate can pass high school.

……

It is obviously telling the candidates that this provincial examination covers a wide range of content.

The largest expense item is: staff remuneration.

It was Fang Wangen, the magistrate of Nanpi County, Cangzhou, Hebei East Road.

Fang Wangen recorded in detail his expenses in the past two years in his memorial.

Take Fang Wangen, the magistrate of Nanpi County from the eighth grade, as an example.

The Kaifeng government constantly published lists and announced deceptive schemes for making money through imperial examinations for personal gain.

I wrote nine edicts in one day and wrote thousands of words in one wave.

All of them add up to an annual income of at least 300 yuan.

After Su Liang and others read the memorial, they realized why Fang Wangen said it was not enough.

Most of them no longer pursue quick fixes, but study seriously.

It’s afternoon on the third day of December.

Although there has been no major salary increase since the Song Dynasty's political reform, the income of officials is already quite high.

Ouyang Xiu asked him for advice on the Spring and Autumn Classics many times, and jokingly called him: Liu Quanquan.

The officials of the Reform Department were very surprised when they heard this suggestion without reading the memorial.

He will retire later this year.

This memorial was sent to the Reform Department half an hour ago by the official's servant.

Su Liang and others understood everything when they saw the remuneration of officials.

The Song Dynasty paid salaries to officials, but not to the staff employed by officials.

Therefore, officials need to use their own salaries to support staff.

but.

Most officials do not pay out of their own pockets, but promise some "lucrative" jobs to their staff so that they can maintain their livelihood.

This has led to the emergence of a large number of evil and dirty officials at the bottom of the officialdom.

Especially jailers and warehouse officials, there are many people who are corrupt and bend the law.

However, after the All-Song Dynasty Reform, the imperial court continued to reduce its staff and chose to employ labor, which alleviated this situation to some extent.

But it is impossible to lay off all the officials, and the court cannot leave them with nothing to do.

In this regard, the court's policy is actually relatively liberal.

Take Wang Anshi and Sima Guang as an example when they were in Qizhou.

Although the two men were strict in dealing with things, they still allowed the officials to have some "oil and water".

This kind of "oil and water" is similar to being the person in charge of building bridges and roads, becoming a guide for businessmen, and charging a certain commission, or they rely on some connections they made in the government to do some small business.

As long as you don't use your power to bully others, oppress the people, and harm the interests of the court.

The imperial court allowed officials to have such income.

The reason why Fang Wangen paid his own salary to provide compensation for officials was actually because Nanpi County was too poor.

There are few businessmen in poor counties.

They can only rely on farming, fishing, hunting and textiles.

Nanpi County has experienced several droughts and floods in the past two years, and the lives of thousands of households in the county are far worse than those in surrounding counties.

Although Nanpi County is poor.

However, after the court's policy is issued, it must still be implemented.

Since the Reform in the Song Dynasty.

Policies are springing up like mushrooms after a rain.

sometimes. Seven or eight reform strategies can be issued in one month.

Once policies are issued, they must be implemented and supervision is extremely strict.

The lower the level of officials, the more things they have to do and the harder they are to do, which requires a large number of staff.

however.

In poor counties, officials have little to gain.

Fang Wangen could not ignore the court's laws and policies, so he had to pay out of his own pocket.

Over time, he was tired and poor, and his political performance was not good.

Since most commerce and trade are concentrated in state capitals or rich counties rich in resources, this kind of problem exists in most poor counties.

That’s why other local officials didn’t give feedback.

On the one hand, it is because some local officials have rich families. They use their money to hire officials and work hard for three years. When they are promoted to a wealthy place, everything will get better and it will turn into a virtuous cycle.

On the other hand, some county magistrates, knowing that the tasks could not be completed and unwilling to pay for them, chose to slowly fail, either to survive and transfer to rich counties, or to wait for punishment from the court.

The ones who suffer the most are people like Fang Wangen.

Without family power and wanting to be a good official, I had to pay out of my own pocket.

Unfortunately, things still didn't work out.

As he approached his official appointment, he complained bitterly to the court.

The reform was vigorous throughout the Song Dynasty, and those who were most tired were the low-level executors.

He who does the most things gets the least rewards.

There are reform policies and entrance exams to restrict the throat, and there are people below who are willing to achieve fame and officialdom. They try their best, but they can only drift in the sea of ​​​​choices at the bottom. They are called mediocre officials, but they also have great ambitions, but Still doing nothing.

……

Fu Bi looked at everyone and said, "Everyone, please tell me how to solve this situation?"

At this time, everyone looked at Wang Yaochen, the third envoy.

Wang Yaochen straightened up and said: "Don't worry, money is not a problem. Last year, the national treasury revenue exceeded 100 million yuan. Although there is a war this year, it can be the same as last year. There is no need to consider the imperial court's financial expenditure. If this money should be Flowers, let’s spend them!”

The fiscal revenue of the Song Dynasty has been rising.

At the end of Tianxi year (1021), it was only more than million yuan, but now it has increased nearly five times.

Sima Guang coughed dryly and spoke first.

"Since the Reform in the Song Dynasty, our dynasty has reduced officials and officials, and various reform measures have been implemented continuously, which is indeed faster."

"After the implementation of the self-study examination law, lower-level officials are indeed very tired, especially those who deal directly with the people. They are even more tired than us."

"In the past two years, some poor counties have given up promotion. To a large extent, it is because it is too difficult to deal with political affairs. Even if they try their best, they can only end up with the title of mediocre county magistrate. Some officials even prefer to I don’t want to serve as an official in a remote and poor county even if I’m a first-class errand or sick.”

"During the Qingli New Deal, Fan Gong once said: The way to cultivate talents is to first provide them with generous salaries, and then they can punish honest people."

"I suggest that the salaries of these officials should be increased. Otherwise, with the intensity of the reform, the gap between poor counties and rich counties will become wider and wider, and there will be more and more low-level officials who see no hope and choose to work without food. ”

Liang Shi, the privy deputy at the side, shook his head.

"If there is an increase, the salary increase cannot only be for low-level officials. They must be treated equally. Otherwise, how can we explain it? Are the officials in Luzhou Prefecture not as tired as the officials at the county level?"

"However, if it all goes up, I don't think it's worth it. This situation does exist, but it is a minority after all."

Sima Guang shook his head and retorted: "A few? If we, the Song Dynasty, want to create a prosperous age, we must bring these minorities together and we must not abandon them."

At this time.

Zeng Gongliang said: "I suggest that a full salary increase is not impossible. But there is a premise. If the salary is raised, officials' acts of corruption and perversion of the law will be severely punished. Those with serious corruption and inaction can be punished by beheading, and will not be tolerated. !”

Su Liang on the side nodded slightly.

This is high salary to support integrity under the premise of severely punishing those who corrupt and bend the law.

Immediately, Wang Anshi stood up.

"I don't agree to increase the salary for officials. The salaries of officials in our dynasty are already very generous, and people's desires are unlimited. Nowadays, most of the people who are greedy are those who have millions of dollars in their families. The more money they have, the more greed they will have."

Sima Guang looked at Wang Anshi.

"Jiefu, do you think that all officials in the world are like you and can just eat porridge and pickles every day? Only when officials do not have to worry about their livelihood can they devote all their efforts to the affairs of the court. For many low-level officials, being an official The first purpose is to make yourself live a better life, and then the country and the country, there is nothing wrong with that!”

"I mean we won't increase salaries for officials, but we can increase salaries for subordinate staff!"

"If you increase the salary for officials several times, it will not have much effect for most officials. If you increase the salary too much, the court will suffer too much loss, and it will cost a lot of money to do small things, but if you can pay for the officials every month If you add a few dollars, it will be a great blessing.”

"So, I think it is better to increase the salary for officials than to increase the salary for officials. It is a good idea to include subordinate officials into the imperial salary system. All we need to do is limit the number of local subordinate officials!" Wang Anshi said in a louder voice.

Incorporate subordinate officials into the imperial salary system.

As soon as this method came out, everyone's eyes lit up.

"I agree, but the premise is still that the local supervisory departments and the state government should strictly supervise. Once subordinate officials accept bribes, extortion, etc., they must be severely punished!" Fu Bi said first.

"I agree too!" Zeng Gongliang and Wang Yaochen said almost at the same time.

"I agree too!" Sima Guang, who opposed Wang Anshi, also supported this strategy.

Su Liang also smiled and nodded.

If you want a horse to run, you have to let it eat grass.

Having the court pay remuneration to subordinate officials can make this matter much simpler.

……

immediately.

Everyone from the Reform Department rushed to Chui Gong Hall.

After the other princes of the two mansions found out, they also came to Zhao Zhen.

soon.

Wang Anshi reported to Zhao Zhen and other ministers on the practice of incorporating subordinate officials into the salary system.

After hearing this, Wen Yanbo, Zhang Fangping, Wu Yu, and Song Xiang all agreed that it was indeed difficult for subordinate subordinates at the bottom, and the key to reform lies at the bottom.

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen also thought it was a good idea.

If the salaries of all officials were to be increased at the moment, although it would not be a huge hardship for the court, it would still be a considerable expense.

And if you increase the pay for subordinate officials.

On the premise of controlling the quantity, the court's expenditure was obviously much smaller.

Just when Zhao Zhen was about to make a decision, Privy Councilor Di Qing suddenly stood up.

"Officials, I object to the inclusion of subordinate officials in our salary system!" Di Qing's voice was very crisp.

Everyone looked at Di Qing and couldn't help feeling a little surprised.

Although Di Qing shines in the management of the Privy Council, he is very low-key in discussing political affairs in the court.

Generally speaking.

Now, he is completely contrary to the opinions of the public and the officials of the Reform Department, which is strange.

Su Liang couldn't help but smile.

He knew that Di Qing was very cautious and steady in political affairs, and he was looking forward to what Di Qing would say next.

(End of this chapter)