I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 110: The Dilemma of Prefectures and Counties! I'd Rather Be a Seventh-Rank Official in Beijing Than a County Magistrate

The first day of November.

The Ministry of Rites, carrying the imperial edicts from the Rensheng Empress Dowager and the Cisheng Empress Dowager, posted the announcement of the queen's selection.

Young Wanli finally followed Shen Nian's advice and did not intervene in the matter.

As soon as this announcement was released.

Officials below the fifth rank, common gentry and merchants, and families of scholars who had daughters of marriageable age were all very excited.

According to the old system of our ancestors.

When the emperor chooses a queen, he will not choose the daughters of high-ranking civil or military officials. Instead, he will almost always choose literate and decent women from the lower classes.

If the daughter is chosen.

Although his family does not hold real power, it is inevitable that they will be granted titles of nobility in the future, and their future wealth and honor are limitless.

The most obvious example is Li Wei, a former bricklayer and current Earl of Wuqing, who gave birth to a good daughter and truly changed his fate.

In addition, the palace maids aged thirteen, fourteen or five in the palace were also excited.

Because of their humble status, they certainly could not become queens, but as long as the young Wanli married a queen, they would be qualified to be favored by the emperor.

The palace maids in the harem are all considered the emperor's women.

If you can be favored by the emperor and give birth to a dragon, your life will soar to the sky, and the fate of your entire family and even the entire county will be rewritten.

Many palace maids have begun to bribe eunuchs to gain the interests and hobbies of young Wanli, and some have even begun to flirt with each other in an attempt to gain the favor of young Wanli in advance.

However, Empress Dowager Li was very strict in her discipline.

No palace maids who were under 30 years old were allowed to enter the entire Qianqing Palace, so the young Wanli had no chance to be alone with the palace maids under 30 years old.

Although the young Wanli was beginning to show signs of romantic feelings, Zhang Juzheng often used the previous emperor as a counterexample, which made the young Wanli remain very honest.

……

At the same time, with the implementation of the "Seventy-two Articles on Discipline in Education".

Many private academies in local prefectures of the Ming Dynasty opened their doors to recruit students, and the trend of teaching was revived, but the voices of ridicule against the court decreased a lot.

At this time, Shen Nian's "On National Diseases" had spread throughout the Ming Dynasty.

It is even sold at book stalls in some remote counties.

Although this theory cannot cure the Ming Dynasty’s illness.

But it can make many scholars understand that only the new policies of the court can prosper the world and benefit all people.

Shen Nian's influence is enormous.

Some school-age children in his hometown of Qiantang County could recite the article by heart in order to show off their talent.

Some people even established the New Deal School based on Shen Nian's articles to discuss strategies for strengthening the country and enriching the people.

The teachers who once taught Shen Nian all have many successful students.

Many legendary stories about Shen Nian, who was "intelligent and talented since childhood", were spread from their mouths.

Shen Nian himself has no recollection of most of the stories.

There were also people in Qiantang County who sold pancakes, tea, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, storytellers, singing girls, etc., all of whom claimed to be acquainted with Shen Nian and could tell a long story about how they met Shen Nian.

Because of this "story", their business has increased several times over usual.

After hearing this, Shen Nian's father knew that these stories were fabricated, but since it would not damage Shen Nian's reputation, he did not expose them.

Unknowingly, Shen Nian had become the most famous official in Qiantang County, and some fellow scholars regarded him as the leader of the new policy faction in Qiantang County.

Shen Nian knew nothing about these.

……

On the third day of November, the regular court session began.

The official on duty at the Ministry of Public Administration read out a series of measures taken by the Hanlin Academy and the Imperial College, which were jointly summarized after the Hundred Schools of Thought, to provide suggestions for the new policies by officials from various yamen and to rectify the academic style in various academies in local prefectures.

The whole government and the country were in a state of prosperity.

Just when everyone was immersed in the joy of the Ming Dynasty's revival, Jiang Qing, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Personnel's Examination and Reward Department, stood up.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan to tell you!"

"Three days ago, I submitted a memorial regarding the implementation of the 'Accountability Law and the Policy for Reassuring the People.' In less than four months, over 150 officials, including magistrates, prosecutors, county magistrates, and county magistrates, have been demoted and dismissed, and the number is increasing."

"After I submitted this report, Your Majesty reviewed it and said: If there are Jinshi candidates, use Jinshi candidates; if there are no Jinshi candidates, use Juren candidates. However, I believe this is not a good solution to fundamentally solve the problem of officials being reluctant to serve as county officials. If this continues, I am afraid there will not be enough Juren candidates to serve."

"Many local governors, governors-general, and provincial governors have stated that if the performance evaluation system and the policy of pacifying the people are strictly followed, prefectures and counties may be left without officials who care for the people."

"One candidate official said, 'Becoming a county magistrate is like being an animal, and becoming a judge is like being a hungry ghost.' Another official said, 'The salaries of county officials are meager, but all public expenses come from them, and they even have to borrow money to meet their superiors.' Some even said, 'I would rather be a seventh-rank official in Beijing than be the mayor of a county.'"

"Currently, all the candidates for the imperial court are unwilling to serve as county officials. Some even refuse due to illness. It is difficult to maintain the people's well-being and to evaluate the achievements simultaneously. I earnestly implore the court to come up with a good solution to resolve this crisis!"

The officials heard Jiang Qing's words.

Some frowned in deep thought, some looked into the distance, and others tried hard not to laugh out loud.

The saying "To become a county magistrate is to be reborn as an animal, and to become a judge is to be reborn as a hungry ghost" comes from the Tang Dynasty document "Tang Yu Lin Buyi 1", which is a mockery of county officials.

The local county magistrate directly faces the people and is responsible for all the political leaders in the county, which requires a lot of hard work.

Not only are they easily scolded by the people, but they are also easily punished by their superiors. They are like mice trapped in a bellows, being bullied from both ends. Therefore, they are compared to the animal realm.

As for the judge, he is an official under the jurisdiction of the prefecture or county.

Similar to the status of a county magistrate, the salary is meager, it is extremely difficult to get ahead, and one often has to take the blame for one's superiors, so it is called the "hungry ghost realm."

Local county officials are the parents of the people.

present.

They were the most difficult officials to be in the Ming Dynasty, so many officials refused to be transferred to become county officials.

……

Shen Nian stood below and understood everything after listening.

With the implementation of the policy to pacify the people, it is indeed difficult for county officials to collect taxes without offending the people.

The performance appraisal system requires the amount of tax revenue, and the policy of ensuring the people's well-being requires that the people be the foundation. Both must be taken into account in order to achieve excellent performance.

But it is almost impossible to take both into account completely.

The current reality is: if the tax collection is not favorable, the superiors will be scolded; if the tax collection is too harsh, the people will scold you. If you offend either of them, your official career may be cut short.

in short--

The salary is low, there are many official duties, there is no hope for promotion, wealth and honor are hard to come by, and it is easy to be blamed, so no one likes to be a county official.

Zhang Juzheng stroked his beard lightly with a serious expression.

"If there are Jinshi candidates, use Jinshi candidates; if there are no Jinshi candidates, use Juren candidates" was exactly what he wrote.

It was also his helpless act.

He advocates that talent comes first and qualifications come second.

Some successful candidates competed for the imperial court and sought important positions, and regarded the prefectures and counties as a daunting task.

He doesn't want to be spoiled.

So he planned to select county officials from among the successful candidates.

But according to Jiang Qing, the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Personnel's Examination and Reward Department, the situation at the local level was much more serious than he had imagined.

Many people would rather wait for the position than become a county official, and many successful candidates are unable to handle the important tasks. Although county officials have low positions, they play a very important role.

Young Wanli sat up straight and said, "The governance of the country begins with the prefectures and counties. The prefectures and counties are the foundation of the country. If the foundation is not solid, the country will fall. If a county is safe, the country will be safe. I said that I had no choice but to use Juren because there were no Jinshi candidates. Do you have any good suggestions? You can speak freely in the regular court!"

Regular court sessions were the only occasion where the young Wanli could call the shots, so he currently enjoyed the feeling of officials discussing and deciding things together, and then he would make the final decision.

At this time.

Shen Yikuan, the "conspicuous person" of the Hanlin Academy, was the first to step forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe that officials are unwilling to serve as county magistrates because of the endless transfer process. Currently, there are over a thousand county magistrates in our Ming Dynasty, but less than half of them are eventually promoted to prefects. The court should break the concept of 'officials in the capital are more important than those in other provinces' and make special exceptions for county magistrates as well, not just for Hanlin scholars..."

After hearing the last sentence, Shen Nian vaguely felt that Shen Yiquan was targeting him.

However, the officials who are easiest to be promoted in the court at present are indeed Hanlin officials, followed by Kedao censors.

As for the prefecture and county officials.

There are too many of them, they are far away from home, and their talents can only be seen after they have been employed in one place for a long time.

Opportunities for career advancement are often limited.

After Shen Yikuan finished speaking, a doctor from the Ministry of Personnel stood up.

"Your Majesty, our dynasty has thousands of county officials. Even with special promotions, only a few dozen are allowed. Shen Bianxiu's plan doesn't cover everyone and isn't a good one. I suggest that instead of making special promotions and skipping ranks, we should reduce the burden on county officials. Currently, county officials, in addition to managing taxes, levies, and criminal justice, also have to manage water conservancy, bridges, roads, disaster relief, and bandit suppression. These matters should be handled by the provincial government..."

Soon, another official stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe that neither special promotions nor reductions in responsibilities are as effective as selecting county officials from among the vast number of clerks. Our dynasty has always advocated selecting talent over qualifications. Clerks interact with the people frequently, and those with experience are better suited to serve as county officials."

"Your Majesty, I believe that we can commend some county officials who have performed well, perhaps by awarding them plaques or imperial letters to encourage them. Naturally, there will be county officials willing to devote themselves to the Ming Dynasty..."

……

Shen Nian listened carefully and then eliminated them one by one.

In his eyes, the primary reason why many Jinshi and Juren were unwilling to become county officials was that the salary was too low.

Most of the county officials were new to the officialdom, and most of them came from poor families. Some of them had accumulated a lot of debts due to studying and taking exams before entering the officialdom.

This leads to the situation that many officials’ first goal after taking office is to make money.

Secondly, compared with important official positions such as Hanlin Censor.

If county officials have no money, they cannot even control the clerks below them, and may even gang up on them to bully them. It is impossible for them to achieve any achievements.

Not everyone can be like Hai Rui, the former magistrate of Chun'an County, who rejected all common practices as soon as he took office.

After the county magistrate and the chief clerk resigned, he took over the management and was still able to govern Chun'an County in an orderly manner.

After Zhang Juzheng implemented the performance evaluation system, he almost condoned the common practices of officials (gray income). In fact, he was afraid that he would push the lower-level officials too hard and cause them to quit their jobs.

Now, Shen Nian's policy of pacifying the people, which "can only make officials suffer", has made many county officials want to quit.

Shen Nian understood that Zhang Juzheng's tactic of "tacitly approving common practices" was almost allowing officials to engage in corruption, which was not a good strategy.

……

After a moment, Shen Nian stood up.

"Your Majesty, I believe that promoting county officials above their proper rank, reducing their burdens, or increasing their gifts are not strategies for stabilizing the county administration."

"I suggest abolishing the existing regulations for officials, increasing their salaries, honoring their ranks, and increasing public funds. In this way, the prefectures and counties can be safe, the people's livelihood can be safe, and the foundation of the country can be secure!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Huangji Sect fell silent.

Abolish common practices, increase salaries, and add public funds.

This is simply impossible because it goes against the rules set by the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Almost at the same time, several censors in front of Shen Nian took a step forward.

After they exchanged a glance, the censor on the far left strode forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, what Editor Shen said goes against our ancestral rules and is truly treasonous."

"Taizu has issued an order that Ming officials' salaries cannot be increased. Moreover, the current salaries of officials are already far higher than those of ordinary people. Officials should not regard money as their primary concern..."

After he finished speaking, another censor stood up.

"I second the motion. Salaries are commonplace matters. As a Hanlin scholar and a lecturer at the Imperial Lectures, how could Shen Bianxiu speak so recklessly as to violate ancestral rules? For such inappropriate remarks, I implore Your Majesty to severely punish Shen Bianxiu!"

……

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Next, it was like fish constantly emerging from the water on a rainy day.

Officials continued to stand up and denounce Shen Nian for being a corrupt official, demanding high salaries in the court, and violating the ancestral system.

Shen Nian knew that proposing "canceling the common practice, increasing salaries and public funds" at the moment was against the ancestral system, but he had to mention it.

Because the best way to solve this problem is to abolish the common practice and increase the salaries of officials.

Although the common practice can alleviate the low salaries of officials, it is by no means a long-term solution and will only make corruption more serious.

After the officials finished reprimanding Shen Nian.

Shen Nian continued, "Your Majesty, I think it's possible to set different salaries for officials of the same rank based on their performance, that is, bonus salaries..."

Swish!
Before Shen Nian could finish his words, he was interrupted by the young Wanli waving his hand.

"Editor Shen, according to the ancestral system of our dynasty, salaries cannot be increased. Please don't mention it again!" Young Wanli said seriously.

He was protecting Shen Nian.

The more Shen Nian speaks, the more he violates the ancestral system of the Ming Dynasty, and the more memorials will be submitted to impeach him.

Shen Nian had no choice but to retreat.

not far away.

Zhang Juzheng, Lu Diaoyang, Ma Ziqiang and others remained silent. They knew that it was absolutely impossible to implement the policy of increasing officials' salaries.

This is the ancestral rule.

Just like when eating, chopsticks must be placed flat on the bowl and not stuck in the bowl. The descendants of the Ming Dynasty cannot change this in the slightest.

After a while, the officials still had not reached a conclusion.

The young Wanli ended the regular court session and ordered the officials to think carefully and then submit a solution to the cabinet.

……

After the regular court session ended.

Shen Nian returned to the editing office and continued to write his plan to increase officials' salaries.

He also set up special funds such as anti-opium money, public money, and money for maintaining integrity to increase the salaries of officials, and emphasized that the common practices of private activities in the officialdom must be abolished.

pity.

He submitted three memorials in succession, which were not only rejected by the young Wanli on the grounds that "the ancestral system does not allow it", but he was also impeached by many officials.

At last.

Young Wanli ordered Shen Nian not to mention the salary increase again, fined him one month's salary, and confined him to his home for three days, not allowing him to go out.

Shen Nian did not feel any resentment towards this result.

He knew this would be the result, but he still wanted to give it a try.

The towering tree of the Ming Dynasty's ancestral system cannot be shaken overnight, but he still wants to shake it hard so that more people can hear his voice.

Next, he will most likely do many things that go against ancestral rules.

(End of this chapter)