Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 303: The Ming Dynasty relied not on the imperial edict but on the subjects of all generations!

Zhu Yuanzhang's face turned pale.

The tickler in his hand was squeaking from being squeezed tightly.

The murderous aura that had been suppressed for a long time was completely released, shrouding the entire hall. As an emperor who had emerged from a sea of ​​blood and corpses, a sharp look from Zhu Yuanzhang was enough to shock people. However, Xia Zhibai seemed to be unaffected by this astonishing murderous aura and this raging rage.

Xia Zhibai looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang and said calmly: "Whether your majesty is angry or furious, it cannot change this established fact."

"No matter how much the Great Edict contains, no matter how much it criticizes the ministers, the people, and the meritorious officials, it is all empty talk when it comes to the actual facts. Your Majesty has exaggerated the severity and cruelty of the punishment in the Great Edict, but in my opinion, it is just a pretense to scare people."

"I hope that the ministers and the people below will listen to the imperial court's orders."

"Let your Majesty's philosophy of governing the country continue to be talked about and passed on."

“But the problem has not been solved.”

"In my opinion, the Great Edict is a red line drawn by your majesty for the people of the world, telling the subjects what they can and cannot do. In terms of the severity of punishment, the Ming Dynasty is undoubtedly unprecedented in history. And with the people in the world shouting 'your majesty is wise' and 'your majesty is wise', it seems to have played a role."

"But that's not the case."

“Whether in the south or the north, corruption is increasing every day.”

"Even the amount of corruption will only get bigger and bigger. His Majesty asked Duke Xin and the Royal Guards to go south. I'm afraid they have also conducted some investigations in private. I don't know whether Duke Xin and the Royal Guards have reported the situation in the south, but I can say one thing for sure."

"Your Majesty's high-pressure anti-corruption efforts are useless."

"At least it won't be very effective."

"I have done some research on the income of Ming Dynasty officials in recent years."

"It is mainly composed of official salary and family business income."

"In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Your Majesty had already determined the amount of rice and banknotes for civil and military officials."

"If I remember correctly, according to the regulations: the monthly salary of the first rank is 87 dan of rice, and it decreases by 13 dan from the first rank to the third rank, 26 dan from the third rank, 24 dan from the fourth rank, 21 dan from the fourth rank, 16 dan from the fifth rank, 14 dan from the fifth rank, 10 dan from the sixth rank, 8 dan from the sixth rank, and the monthly salary of the seventh rank to the ninth rank decreases by 5 dou, ending at 5 dan from the ninth rank."

"As can be seen from above."

"The Ming Dynasty's official salaries were the lowest in history."

"Of course, Your Majesty probably knows this, so in addition to giving them full salaries, you also give them rewards every few years, such as New Year's Day, Lantern Festival, and Winter Solstice, and give them wine and rice money as usual."

"And this part can only be enjoyed by officials in Beijing."

"So the court also made other supplements, which was to increase firewood silver and Martin silver, and sometimes even 'staff silver.'"

"The so-called firewood silver, Martin silver and stipend silver."

"Its essence is to allow officials to demand silver from slaves, that is, to allow slaves below to pay silver to be exempted from military service."

"Even so, the official salaries in the Ming Dynasty are still very low."

"But the number of officials in the Ming Dynasty has not decreased."

"Because the regular salary is only a small part of the basic income of officials."

"Most of their basic income comes from the family's business income."

"Among them, the majority of them are renting out land and real estate, and some officials' families even open textile machine rooms."

“Everything is very profitable.”

"And if you want to profit from land and property." "You must naturally take the land from the people."

"As for the 'rich families' in Yuhang, their land holdings could be as high as 'thousands of acres', so they could earn more than 440 shi of rent a year just by operating the land, and in addition to the 'silver rent', they could also earn about taels a year."

"As for where the rent comes from, Your Majesty should know it very well."

"Even if the Ming Dynasty only issued 'Ming Baochao' but did not accept 'Ming Baochao', the common people had no use for it and could only exchange it for copper and silver, which was then exploited by the local gentry and wealthy families."

"This is a wealthy family in Yuhang."

"A scholar from the Imperial Academy like Liu Sanwu, who thinks he is noble, is also not immune to idleness."

"Many families have weavers, and the money they save each year is used to trade in the market."

"In addition to these officials, there are the scholars."

"Especially the growing number of scholars with the title of Shengyuan, as the country became more peaceful, they began to constantly seek other ways to make money. At present, they still mainly rely on the money they earn from working in academies, but with the revival of the imperial examination system and the rise of the status of scholars, scholars have found two other ways to 'make money'."

"One is to take charge of the money and grain and act as a guarantor, so as to obtain 'a sedan chair and a horse for two or three cents'."

"Among them, the "guarantee" refers to the students obtaining contributions from ordinary people through the preferential rights stipulated by the court; while the "intermediary" category relies on the students' personal reputation to gain benefits."

"The second is to take on all the lawsuits, entrust official affairs, and profit from them, that is, to ask for favors at the prefectural and county government offices."

"Especially at this time of year, some students who used to live in rural areas have been staying at home for the winter. Once something happens, they will bother officials and the people all day long. Today they will submit a petition, tomorrow they will file a lawsuit, and they will settle the lawsuit as they please."

"But most people make money by doing favors."

"But whether it's mediating matters or taking advantage of the preferential treatment provided by the court, the ultimate goal is to obtain benefits."

"I have said so much just to tell your Majesty a very realistic and helpless thing through the officials and scholars. Today's world has already entered a society where 'everything is about money'. Money represents status and enjoyment. The whole society cares most about making money."

“The higher you go up the social ladder, the more so.”

"The lower classes just have no other choice now, otherwise this trend would have spread long ago."

"It is doomed to fail to control the lower classes and let the upper classes go."

“And it’s very hard to turn things around at this point.”

"Your Majesty should give up the idea of ​​'once and for all' and change to 'keep cleaning'. Just like a house, you need to clean it regularly. If you don't clean it, it will be full of dust. Only by cleaning it continuously every day can you clean the dust in the house."

"It is not enough to rely on a great edict."

"Your Majesty alone is not enough."

"We have to rely on the successive emperors of the Ming Dynasty and the subjects of the following generations."

"Your Majesty, don't always expect to accomplish everything by yourself, and don't always expect the world to remain unchanged."

"Your Majesty should truly believe that the world is constantly changing and will continue to change. In the long run, future generations should be more knowledgeable than us. They should have their own judgments. As a predecessor, your Majesty's judgments cannot and should not play a decisive role in future generations."

"Later generations have their own ideas and standards."

"I actually don't like the prince because he lacks enough courage."

"The prince has criticized your majesty many times and has opposed you many times, but he has never had the courage to resist the rules and regulations you have set for him. He can only cry in secret. Such a prince will always live under your majesty's shadow."

"This is not the appearance of the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)