I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 88 Even Jesus can’t keep them, I said so!

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The morning light was dim and the mist had not yet completely dissipated. In front of the Xuande Tower, drums and horns sounded, announcing the arrival of the morning court.

Zhao Ya was wearing a dragon robe and a crown on his head, and he walked towards the throne with steady steps.

In the court, all the civil and military officials had already lined up in an orderly manner, with civil officials on the east and military officials on the west. They were dressed in court robes, wearing black gauze hats on their heads, holding tablets in their hands, and looking respectful.

When Zhao Ya took his seat, everyone shouted "Long live the emperor" in unison, and the sound echoed throughout the hall with magnificent momentum.

After the ceremony, Prime Minister Zhang Dun stepped out first and began in a resounding voice, "Your Majesty has been on the throne for over ten days. All matters have been initially settled. Only the complicated government affairs remain, which urgently need to be sorted out."

Afterwards, Zhang Dun reported in a clear and organized manner on recent matters concerning people's livelihood and taxation.

Zhao Ya nodded slightly, listening attentively, sometimes asking questions, sometimes answering, responding calmly and composedly.

The same thing happened when it was the turn of other ministers and officials to report on their affairs.

What made the prime ministers and ministers feel comfortable and at ease was that Zhao Ya was very good at focusing on major issues and letting go of minor ones, and he dared to delegate power to them and make decisions.

At the same time, Zhao Ya seemed to know everything, or at least knew one or two things. The prime ministers and ministers could not deceive him at all. There were even many things that Zhao Ya knew that the prime ministers and ministers did not know. This made the prime ministers and ministers all cautious when giving advice to Zhao Ya.

When it comes to employing people, Zhao Ya does not care whether they are from the new party or the old party. He only selects capable people. As for those who do not work well and are bent on fighting, or who speak empty words, Zhao Ya will listen to what they say, but then let them go, giving them the feeling of hitting cotton with a punch, making their generous words speak in vain.

Many ministers realized that Zhao Ya was a pragmatic emperor, and those ministers who only knew how to talk were destined to have their paths narrower and narrower.

There was a subtle tension and anticipation in the air.

The ministers knew that, despite his youth, Zhao Ya was no simple man. He was a man of deep thought and a sharp eye. His approach to state affairs was neither harsh nor blindly lenient, but rather possessed an indescribable precision and wisdom.

When the important matters were nearly discussed, Huang Lu, the Imperial Censor, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Sima Guang and his men ceded territory to appease the Western Xia, but gained nothing in return. This is truly treason. Now the Western Xia have joined forces with the Liao Kingdom to parade their forces on the border and pressure the Song Dynasty. This is truly a legacy of their misfortune. I implore Your Majesty to re-examine the case of Sima Guang and his men for treason, to rectify the government and avoid bringing shame upon the people and harming the country."

After saying this, Huang Lu knelt on the ground and kowtowed, with a look of determination on his face.

Then, Chen Cisheng, the Imperial Censor of the Palace, stepped forward and talked about the serious corruption problem that had existed during the reign of Emperor Zhezong since Sima Guang served as prime minister. He named more than 50 corrupt officials in one breath and requested Zhao Ya to take charge of anti-corruption and promote integrity in order to rectify the official atmosphere of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Ya originally thought that Zhang Dun and others would just send an imperial censor to trigger this incident, but he didn't expect that the people they sent were Huang Lu and Chen Ci Sheng.

Both men were renowned censors in history. The former, a core figure in the New Party, was known for his impeachments against the old party and held clear political positions. The latter, a censor for three dynasties (under Emperor Shenzong, Emperor Zhezong, and Emperor Zhaowei), was renowned for his outspokenness and courage. Historical records describe him as "three times in office, his advice was uncompromising."

As soon as the New Party came to power, it sent out two generals, obviously determined to win.

When the old party saw this, they jumped out to defend Sima Guang and others, saying that Sima Guang and others were gentlemen and loyal ministers, and that everything they did was for the Zhao Song Dynasty, and asked Zhao Ya to be more discerning.

Then the two sides started arguing and attacking each other.

This was different from the previous times when Zhao Ya had just sat on the sidelines and watched the fight between the two tigers.

This time, just as the argument escalated into a verbal fight, Zhao Ya stopped it and said, "Alright, if there's any corruption, we'll find out once we investigate."

Without waiting for the old party officials to explain themselves, Zhao Ya mentioned Cai Bian's name and asked Cai Bian to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Zhao Ya chose Cai Bian, a core member of the New Party, to handle this case, which has already made Zhao Ya's attitude clear.

This made the New Party members who had been worried about Zhao Ya restoring Meng Xiang to the throne breathe a sigh of relief, and some even became excited. However, the Old Party members who thought their time had come couldn't help but feel nervous, fearing that this was a new round of purges against them.

After the morning court session, Zhang Dun and Cai Bian came to Chuigong Hall to meet Zhao Ya and discuss specific matters.

Zhao Ya took out the idea given to him by Zhang Chun, which was to use the historical anti-corruption method of Emperor Yongzheng to cover up the incident of smashing the piggy bank.

Zhao Ya proposed the establishment of a special financial auditing agency, the "Hui Kao Fu," directly responsible to him. Cai Bian would oversee a thorough investigation of central and local fiscal deficits. By rigorously auditing accounts, he would investigate official corruption and break the corrupt networks of local officials protecting one another.

That is to say, from now on, all localities paying taxes or reimbursing expenses, and all departments using money and reimbursing funds must go through the government examination, that is, audit and verification.

After going through all these procedures, no matter how high the official's position is, he cannot do anything to cheat.

If the officials above cannot profit by taking advantage of their positions, then the officials below cannot fill the huge hole they previously shirked by using bribes.

Then, Zhao Ya used the second trick Zhang Chun gave him (actually Yongzheng’s second trick), the new official investigated the old official.

Didn't the Zhao Song Dynasty have too many officials? Didn't most officials have no real job?
Zhao Ya asked Zhang Dun to recommend a person of high moral character to serve as the Minister of Personnel. Together with the moderate and capable official Li Qingchen of the New Party and the "honest man" Su Shi, he re-evaluated the officials without actual positions and screened out available talents.

After these talents are screened out, Cai Bian will personally lead them to investigate corruption. Once they are found, these people will immediately replace the corrupt officials.

Of course, in order to prevent these officials from making false accusations and frame-ups in order to stay in office, the punishment for false accusations and frame-ups must be strictly enforced.

Mutual protection among officials has long been a chronic disease in the officialdom. Newly appointed officials often help their predecessors fill the holes, and then leave a large deficit for themselves to fill, leaving the next official to fill it. This has led to increasingly serious corruption, with more and more holes appearing and the holes getting bigger and bigger.

But if the successor comes to check the accounts of the predecessor, they will naturally not cover up for the predecessor, because they will be the ones who suffer.

Therefore, under Yongzheng's move, corrupt officials had nowhere to hide and could only bow their heads, plead guilty and accept punishment. Moreover, the newly appointed successors would not fill the gaps for them, and they naturally would not take the blame for their predecessors. Therefore, even their predecessors, or even their predecessors' predecessors, who were involved in corruption and embezzlement, would not escape the final punishment.

Of course, every policy has its countermeasures. Because transportation was not well developed in that era, the people sent by the court to investigate the case would take some time to arrive at the destination. During this period, corrupt officials might hear the news and then try to remedy the situation.

How to remedy the situation? That is to borrow money from local gentry and wealthy families to make up for the shortfall.

Generally speaking, local gentry, wealthy families and government offices have intricate ties and have formed a chain of interests with each other. They will certainly not refuse officials' requests to borrow money.

If the local gentry and wealthy families can successfully help the officials overcome the difficulties, they will definitely receive more compensation in the future.

In this regard, the imperial court can directly issue an edict that no matter who lends money to the government, it will be confiscated directly. In short, you will not be able to return it after borrowing it.

Don't blame the court for being cruel. Since you want to invest in officials, you must be prepared to lose all your money.

And, do you think that's the end?
Those gentry, prominent families, and wealthy families who bribed officials must be thoroughly investigated and made to return all the money they have taken from the country, and they must do so in an even more drastic manner.

In short, Zhao Ya proposed that they should insist on implementing the three-step approach, that is, first dismissal from office, then compensation, and finally confiscation of property.

After officials were dismissed and embezzled funds were discovered, they were ordered to make up the deficit within a specified period. The reason for claiming compensation after dismissal was to prevent some officials from extorting money from the people to make up for the deficit. Zhao Ya believed that during the audit, no matter who was involved, no one should be shown leniency. Regardless of their past achievements, the principle of "merits are credited and faults are accounted for" should be upheld. Anyone who participated in corruption and owed money to the national treasury must be compensated, and even relatives who had benefited from their official positions must be held accountable.

In addition, a secret seal system was established to strengthen supervision, that is, to expand the scope of use of secret seals, allowing officials at all levels to report directly to themselves in secret, including reporting corruption by colleagues.

——This system can break the information monopoly of the bureaucratic level, allowing Zhao Ya to grasp the local realities more directly, and also allow Zhao Ya to control the misconduct of officials at all levels.

Of course, we can't be too extreme. If officials make up for the financial deficit within a specified period of time, the punishment can be reduced. If they have made significant contributions, they may not even be punished. Otherwise, they will be severely punished and their property will be confiscated to make up for the deficit.

There are also heavy penalties for corrupt officials and a system of collective responsibility, whereby superiors are jointly liable for corruption by their subordinates, forcing officials to supervise each other.

In fact, at the beginning, according to Zhao Ya's idea, it would be enough to smash Sima Guang and the others' thirteen piggy banks.

But Zhang Chun said that if Zhao Ya treated the ministers as piggy banks for money, it would damage his reputation. Empress Dowager Xiang also advised Zhao Ya to handle this matter with caution.

If the purpose is to punish corrupt officials, he can achieve his goal of settling accounts with Sima Guang, the annoying guy, and making money without leaving any evidence.

The key point is that by doing this, the Zhao Song court may not be too short of money for a period of time in the future.

Moreover, this can alleviate the problems of redundant officials and redundant expenses to a certain extent.

As for those thirteen people, they will definitely become the main targets of the attack. In short, "I have them ready. Even Jesus can't stop them. I say so!"

Of course, these were just the ideas of Zhao Ya and Zhang Chun. As to whether they would work, Zhao Ya had to discuss it with Zhang Dun and Cai Bian, who were both staunch reformers and had high moral standards.

What made Zhao Ya really unsure whether to do this was good or bad was that his idea played into the hands of Zhang Dun and Cai Bian, who were worried that he would defect to the old party. They were just looking for an opportunity to clean up the old party members, and now it had finally happened.

Zhang Dun and Cai Bian immediately praised Zhao Ya's idea, believing that it was the best way to solve the current predicament of the Zhao Song Dynasty, and promised that they would implement it immediately and resolutely.

Even if Zhao Ya used his heels to guess, he could guess what Zhang Dun and Cai Bian were planning.

But even if he knew there would be such a result, Zhao Ya had to give it a try. Who made Zhao Ya take over such a mess?
Kangxi at least left Yongzheng eight million taels of silver. But Zhao Xu left Zhao Ya with nothing but a mountain of foreign debt. It could be said that the Zhao Song Dynasty Zhao Ya inherited was a seemingly glamorous but ultimately empty shell. Therefore, Zhao Ya had to leave at this point, or face death.

However, although this matter had to be done no matter what, Zhang Dun and Cai Bian were so enthusiastic that Zhao Ya felt a little hesitant.

So, as soon as he returned to the harem, Zhao Ya sent someone to call Zhang Chun over.

Because of the white flag of exemption from war, Zhang Chun, who had been struggling for several days, planned to take a good rest for a few days and then think about how to take down Zhao Ya.
No, Zhang Chun didn't want to look for Zhao Ya, but Zhao Ya came looking for her.

Although she didn't really want to go, since Zhao Ya asked her to go, how could Zhang Chun not go?

There was no choice, Zhang Chun could only come to see Zhao Ya in disappointment.

After the meeting, Zhao Ya told Zhang Chun directly that he would let Zhang Dun and Cai Bian carry out her plan.

Zhang Chun, who was originally not very energetic, immediately became energetic when she heard that Zhao Ya had used her strategy, and actively discussed it with Zhao Ya.

Zhao Ya did not hide anything and told Zhang Chun about the attitudes of Zhang Dun and Cai Bian, as well as his own concerns.

After hearing this, Zhang Chun vowed, "My plan is to reform the system, implement economic laws, and enforce strict punishments, combining kindness with severity. If implemented, we can quickly revive the finances of the Song Dynasty and rectify the administration of officials."

Seeing that Zhao Ya was worried, Zhang Chun said, "Although my plan is a bit harsh and relies on the emperor's power, it will surely lay a solid foundation for the reform."

Zhao Ya expressed his greatest concern: "If we allow Zhang Dun and Cai Bian to carry out this plan, they will surely take this opportunity to liquidate the Yuanyou Party members."

Zhang Chun smiled slightly (if you give her a feather fan, she will definitely wave it a few times), and then she shook her head and said:
"If there is a false accusation or frame-up, the people sent by Minister Zhang and Minister Cai will not dare to fabricate it out of thin air."

"As for your concern that Minister Zhang and Minister Cai will only punish officials belonging to the Old Party, that's fine too. Once Minister Zhang and Minister Cai have finished investigating the Old Party officials, you can use the same method to teach Minister Han and Minister Su to investigate the New Party officials."

"If we repeat this several times, not only will we be able to resolve the financial deficit of the Song Dynasty, but we will also be able to achieve clean governance in the Song Dynasty's officialdom, curb the trend of official corruption, and eliminate redundant positions. The rectification of inefficient and corrupt government offices will be just around the corner."

"However, to be on the safe side, the government should also employ talents in an unconventional way and personally promote some officials who are either talented or honest and pragmatic."

"Furthermore, anti-corruption ideology should be promoted through clean government documents, requiring officials to govern the country with a 'public heart' and to regard integrity as a moral responsibility. Official media should also be used to expose corruption cases and hold public trials to serve as a warning to others. At the same time, dissent from the scholar-official class regarding anti-corruption efforts should be suppressed to strengthen the authority of the imperial power."

"We should also be wary of high-pressure policies that lead some officials to respond passively or even falsify their achievements..."

Zhang Chun, who finally had a place to use her skills, told Zhao Ya everything she could think of, including precautions, and she was extremely hardworking.

This made Zhao Ya feel a little relieved.

The two chatted until late at night, and Zhang Chun spared no effort to answer Zhao Ya's questions and put his mind at ease.

Seeing Zhang Chun working so hard to help him, Zhao Ya couldn't bear to bully Zhang Chun any more, so after the two finished chatting, Zhao Ya said to Zhang Chun: "My beloved concubine, you have worked hard. Please stay and sleep with me tonight."

After Zhao Ya said this, Zhang Chun was in tears.

She never thought that what she had been pursuing for so many days would be achieved so easily? ! ! !
But the problem is, she can't do it today!

'Is God playing a trick on me? Or is Zhao Ya playing a trick on me? ! ! !'

Zhang Chun was almost going crazy.

Seeing Zhang Chun's hesitation, Zhao Ya said, "If my beloved concubine still has doubts, we can do it next time."

Zhang Chun quickly explained: "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm coming... I'm having my period."

Zhao Ya was also surprised! He hadn't expected that Zhang Chun's journey to the emperor's bedchamber would be so bumpy.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Ya said to Zhang Chun: "It's okay, I have a plan to deal with it."

After saying this, Zhao Ya grabbed Zhang Chun with both hands, picked her up, and carried her into the bedroom...

……

(End of this chapter)