Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 465: The Stinky Thief in the Toilet
At the approaching of the 19th year of Taichang, the Ming Dynasty had its first crown prince acting as a county magistrate. He began to handle the first round of cases in Teng County, mainly cases involving branches and relatives of the Kong family who had their hands in Teng County.

In Shandong Province, which was under martial law, the three ministers gathered together to handle the major case of assassinating the crown prince.

In the first month of the 19th year of Taichang, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou began to handle another case. Qin Liangyu, the Earl of Loyalty, was transferred to the post of Left Commander of the Right Military Commandery. The Ming Dynasty had its first real female official.

This case is not difficult to investigate, but it is a little sensitive because it involves Prince Rui.

In fact, Zhu Changhao was almost frightened to death. He immediately submitted a petition and had it sent to the capital as an emergency.

How could he possibly rebel?
Yes, he now has soldiers and territory. But compared with the Ming Dynasty, what does this mean? Even just the New Port Squadron of the Nanyang Fleet can force the Toungoo people to defend the last Toungoo City area.

Similarly, the entire Lianghu, Huaiyang, Jiangning, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang regions all received orders from the central government: the new currency law was implemented, and the local public security bureaus and courts were to handle cases impartially.

The aftermath of the Autumn and Winter Fair has not yet ended, and the Daming Silver Banks at the provincial and prefectural levels have finally been hastily established and will start exchanging new currency this year.

The autumn and winter fairs set up in every county have become temporary counters and stores.

The issuance of physical currency meant that the Ming Dynasty could not invest enough new money to meet the needs of market circulation at one time, which was far from enough.

Old coins and private coins must be recycled, but there is currently only one mint in Beijing that produces the new Ming coins.

There is a shortage of raw materials and production capacity.

The imperial court did not impose martial law in all provinces after all, but the tense atmosphere had already begun.

This tense atmosphere was most evident in the city of Nanjing.

In the executive court of Jiangning Province, the governor of Jiangning Province was Wei Yunzhong, who had served as the governor of Liaoyuan and the left councilor of Liaoning Province. He had just seen off Wang Bing, the clan leader who had arrived in Nanjing in a hurry.

He set out by land years ago and traveled through wind and rain to Nanjing in order to find the three princes involved in the assassination case.

Back in the government office, the left and right councillors under the Executive Yuan and the heads of the various departments under the Central Executive Yuan were all restless.

After looking at them, Wei Yunzhong said solemnly, "Prime Minister Ye has given the order, and the Executive Yuan should only do its job. Whether it's inspection or case handling, there are the Central Inspection Team, the Public Security Bureau, and the court."

"Sir, the people in all prefectures and states are in a panic..."

"Are you worried about getting yourself implicated and not paying attention to your duties?" Wei Yunzhong glanced at everyone. "At the provincial affairs meeting, the inspector and the imperial envoy said: The court is not looking for clean water, but to catch the fish that stir up trouble and eat rotten things! The situation is there, and everyone knows it. The office where the inspection team collects the official files of job reports has always been open."

These words only increased some people's worries.

Wei Yunzhong sighed, "Now I understand, it's a war. Someone dared to assassinate the crown prince, and the Tianshu Camp also moved south. You all know better why the autumn and winter fairs are here. This year, we will implement new money, and there will be national examinations and special examinations. Now, the Inspection Office and the Security Office have issued an order, and the whole country will handle cases and make decisions for the people. The inspection examination is to test officials; the case handling is to deal with the gentry and wealthy families. Do you understand?"

Seeing that no one responded, his tone turned cold: "I know that you are in me and I am in you, and many things are not so clear. I only advise you that if you want to get involved in the assassination of the crown prince and treason, you will destroy yourself. If you still want to keep this official uniform, you must make clear what should be cleared."

"...Your words are too serious."

"I only have four words for you." Wei Yunzhong looked at them one by one majestically, "The flaws do not outweigh the merits! What are the flaws and how to be the merits? Please think about it carefully. Starting this year, it will be very tiring. If you do well, you will be on the road to success. If you don't do well..."

Wei Yunzhong didn't know who would still be in the ranks of officials after this year.

But it is clear that now is an emergency. Those who still refuse to change are destined to become stepping stones for others.

At this point, he asked for a prime minister's order and began to read it: "After the Great Political Conference, starting from the 19th year of Taichang, all provinces, prefectures and counties will set up Tongzheng schools, and the governors, prefects and prefects will serve as principals. Tongzheng schools in prefectures and counties can enroll students, Tongzheng schools in provinces can enroll candidates, and Tongzheng schools in the central government can enroll candidates. Those who are selected for further studies are incumbent officials and must uphold the idea of ​​serving the country and the people, governing the country and achieving great harmony. Ladies and gentlemen, do you understand?"

"Sir, this..."

"What it means is: even if he is just a ninth-rank clerk or even a runner, as long as he does a good job, the court will give him a chance to rise to the top, based on his talent and virtue!" Wei Yunzhong said solemnly, "After this year's inspection, perhaps many former clerks and runners will be able to rise to the top. Tell all prefectures, counties, and cities that if the officials in office lose interest in their duties because of the panic, then they will either advance or regress. Just imagine, how many old officials in prefectures, counties, and cities are very skilled in their work, but they only need this step to advance?"

In the Jiangning Provincial Government, these officials who were at least of the fifth or sixth rank were all overwhelmed.

After this, do I still need to go through so much trouble to pass the imperial examination?

Of course, nowadays, people over 35 are not allowed to take the imperial examination. If one is exceptionally talented and can pass the examination early, of course, one's starting point will be higher.

But now that the invisible threshold of promotion based on family background in the officialdom is about to be broken, is the court certain that even if many officials are investigated and punished, as long as the clerks and runners feel there is hope, they will definitely find ways to seize this opportunity and get things done?

They force the incumbent middle-level officials to compete with them: either work diligently and make achievements, or just pass on information easily like in the past and can be easily replaced.

This lecture in the Jiangning Provincial Executive Yuan was just a microcosm; all provinces had already received similar orders from the prime minister.

This was also a new power granted to the prime minister by the emperor starting from the 19th year of Taichang: the prime minister could issue executive orders to the local executive council and executive government system, and the effectiveness within the system was almost equivalent to an imperial edict. Violators could be directly transferred to the Inspection Council and the Jinxianyuan Liyuan system for accountability.

The first order of the prime minister issued by Ye Xianggao was a stepping stone for the successful candidates in the government, including scholars, students and even those who could only read and write.

Of course, when the inspection teams, the Procuratorate, and the Public Security Bureau begin their inspections and case handling process, a large number of bad apples will also be involved.

With one step forward and one step back, the imperial court is about to start a major reshuffle of the local areas.

At this moment, the ups and downs of the previous year certainly could not stop the candidates from taking the exam, and the joint examination in the 19th year of Taichang was held as scheduled.

However, in this imperial examination, most of the candidates were absent-minded.

When they set out for Beijing, either many local shops began to close and public resentment gradually grew, or there were chaotic autumn and winter fairs and frequent major crimes, or the assassination of the crown prince had already occurred and Duke Yansheng had hanged himself.

The candidates for the imperial examinations are basically the local "upper class" and have a lot of information.

Logically speaking, this year would be a good opportunity: it is foreseeable that many provinces will have many good vacancies due to the investigation of crimes, and there will also be a system of imperial examinations.

But this year, there may be a very shocking situation: if one passes high school, what if he returns to his family and is punished and stripped of his official title and status?

When it came to the palace examination, the new candidates were even more dumbfounded when they saw the examination questions.

The emperor asked: Why does the court exempt gentry from punishment?

……

Why did the imperial court exempt gentry?
Naturally, the debate over the palace examination topic would be huge, and the signal it sent made many people feel bad. "I just found out now! There are rules for preferential treatment and exemption. When your majesty first ascended the throne, he issued a strict order for all places to strictly implement preferential treatment and exemption. These evil gentry still have so many tricks!"

"Your Highness, please calm down." The judge of Teng County Court said with a bitter face, "Then these cases..."

"Whatever the law is, we will handle it impartially!" Zhu Youjian was obviously the crown prince, but at this moment he just said angrily, "Although I am the temporary magistrate, I cannot interfere with the court's decision according to the court's rules."

Lu Xiangsheng, who had already arrived in Shandong, felt a little strange.

A county court judge is of the seventh rank, which is not a low position. He shares the power of the county's former supreme ruler in criminal matters.

But he was in a dilemma now: "Your Highness, if you give the order, I will handle it impartially. But this matter involves many wealthy local gentry..."

"That's how it was in the past!" Zhu Youjian stared at him. "Although the court issued strict orders, local officials and gentry often colluded with each other, so the strict exemption of privileges was superficial. Is that right? Are you working for the court or for the local gentry?"

Lu Xiangsheng coughed and said, "Your Excellency, Judge Shen is just worried about causing trouble."

"What kind of trouble could there be?" Zhu Youjian was still young after all, so he said immediately, "If there are still people rebelling, please ask the Duke of Jingguo to go!"

"…County Master, you are the temporary magistrate, but you have the Duke of Jingguo leading the troops to protect you, and you are also the crown prince." Lu Xiangsheng reminded him, "Where are the other local officials?"

After listening to him, Zhu Youjian realized where the problem lay.

He followed Zhu Changluo's instructions, stood up and walked to the door, then took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

With his back to the crowd, he slowly spoke at the door of the back hall of the county government office: "Fellow clansmen, fellow townsmen, teachers, old friends, domestic servants, hired workers. Is that it?"

The Teng County Magistrate who had just replaced him said, "Your Excellency, the most important thing is the opinions of the scholars. With your dignity, if Teng County Magistrate ignores it, he will naturally investigate it thoroughly. But if it spreads to the court and the public..."

"Public opinion?" Zhu Youjian sneered. "I went to school when I was young, and what I learned was so different from what I see and hear now. Right is right, wrong is wrong. Can public opinion confuse right and wrong? Public opinion can also prevent the court from governing the people well, and make the government have many concerns. Where is the purity?"

The county magistrate couldn't say anything.

Zhu Youjian turned around, looked at them and said, "My father ordered me to tour the south on behalf of the emperor, and also allowed me to serve in the local area for training. Do you know what my father hopes I can accomplish?"

He changed his address, and the others immediately said solemnly: "We will listen to your instructions, Your Highness."

"Father, the Emperor hopes that I can identify and employ people. Identify those who share the same aspirations for the people, and employ those who are courageous and decisive in taking on tasks!"

After Zhu Youjian said this, the remaining officials in Teng County couldn't help but feel a little warm in their hearts: this is the time of fortune.

Then I couldn't help but feel a little anxious: Did His Majesty really say that? Does His Majesty trust Your Highness so much? Is it too early to choose a side now?

Zhu Youjian continued, "Now I understand. My father asked me to leave Beijing because he was using me."

He paused for a moment before laughing: "Yes, I am the crown prince. In Teng County, it is naturally easier for me to do what I want than in other counties. What I have done is also more eye-catching than in other counties. But because of this, I must do this well. Do it well so that everyone in the court and the public will know that I am of the same bloodline as my father, and we are also dedicated to the people. I am also brave enough to take on tasks!"

Lu Xiangsheng smiled upon hearing this and immediately took over the topic: "Mr. Shen, Magistrate Lu, since the imperial court has issued a clear order, then you can do it with confidence. Your superior can take responsibility, so what are you worried about? After the case is tried, I'm afraid there will be a lot of land to be dealt with this year, so the spring ploughing cannot be delayed."

After that, he gave instructions: "It would be best if the Tianshu Camp could not be used. The Public Security Bureau should work harder, and the common people who are worried that the burden will be heavier after the convenience of donation is gone should naturally be announced more by the government. The tax arrangement this year must be implemented in a practical manner, and we cannot turn a blind eye to the strict implementation of preferential tax exemptions because of concerns about the rich. After the case is handled, if there are indeed some gentry and wealthy families who are unforgivable crimes, they should be investigated. If there is a lot of stolen silver, calculate the taxes for next year, and re-determine it this year, and ask the court to set a new local tax."

"Mr. Lu means..."

"Since the county magistrate has decided to take the position, why not start with Teng County!" Lu Xiangsheng's eyes were full of determination. "After the implementation of the money law, the tax system must be changed. If Teng County can take this opportunity to completely eliminate the exemptions for the gentry and still promote culture and education, and the people's taxes will not increase and the annual income will not be a worry, then it can be a model for all counties and states in the world!"

"...Eliminate them all... exempt them?"

"Eliminate! Why not?" Zhu Youjian said, "The court exempted the gentry, what did they get out of it? In my opinion, the officials of Teng County do not need to be exempted! As long as they are brave and decisive in their work, the current salaries and expenses are from the official duties, and there are rewards for diligence and honesty. What do you lack?"

These words made everyone feel embarrassed for a moment.

For some people it may be just a little, but for others it is not a little.

But these cannot be said openly. Are there many opportunities to leave a good impression in front of the prince?
"I would rather the extra revenue of the court be used for officials who are dedicated to serving the people and are brave and decisive in their work!" Zhu Youjian expressed his opinion again, "They have talents but do not take up official posts, and they are idle in the countryside but only know how to harm the country. Why should they be exempted from such privileges? You should pay what you should pay, so that they have nothing to say. I will request a different name for the exemption of officials and then reward you with it."

This is more or less a solution, but since it is a reward, there will naturally be a performance test...

No matter what, Zhu Youjian was going to do this in Teng County.

He planned to start directly from handling the case in Teng County, and implement the rules set by his father for the world: if there were cases where officials and gentry harmed the people, they would be demoted or exempted, until all the exemptions were removed.

Just want to be real.

And after he had started to do so, the news that the palace examination questioned the court's reasons for exempting gentry from official duties only reached here.

This seems to have pointed out a clear path for the world: the purpose of handling this case is to achieve the effect of removing those officials and gentry who should be exempted from punishment.

The imperial court seemed to not care what the officials and gentry thought, and was not afraid of any major chaos.

But the storytellers have already started. What do the common people think is that officials and gentry should be exempted from punishment?

"Ye Jinqing, the little name toilet, is actually a toilet-born stinky thief!"

The bad reputation that was spreading nearby had already spread to the capital, and some people who had failed the imperial examination but were still waiting for the imperial examination began to echo it privately.

If I still fail the exam, will the privileges and exemptions that come with my status as a juren be gone in the future?

Ye Xianggao, with a sullen look on his face, ordered someone to hand over the list to the Jinxian Academy: "Let the Jinxian Academy handle the cases reported from various places that involve candidates taking the exam and successful candidates!"

One of his assistants went to work, and another assistant came over and said, "Your Majesty has given me lunch, and a personal note from the emperor: The frugal ruler and father are a blessing to the people, and the noble and honest ministers are a blessing to the country."

He looked at the "lunch box" sent by the emperor in silence.

(End of this chapter)