Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 442: The Dispute over Long and Short Pain
"General Wei." In a blink of an eye, Zhu Changluo turned his gaze back to Luo Sigong.

"I'm here." Luo Sigong replied.

"In the Jinyiwei Yamen, how many hereditary military officers are there like him whose families have fallen into poverty and will have to go without food if their salaries are stopped?" Zhu Changluo pointed at Lu Wenzhao and asked Luo Sigong.

"Well." Luo Sigong was stunned. After a long while, he said, "I don't know."

Zhu Changluo did not blame him, but turned around and asked Lu Wenzhao: "Then do you know?"

Lu Wenzhao subconsciously glanced at Luo Sigong, but saw only a slightly trembling profile. "I only know that most of my subordinates rely on this salary to survive, especially before a vacancy is filled."

"I will check it immediately when I get back!" As soon as Lu Wenzhao finished speaking, Luo Sigong took over.

"There's no need to check, it's definitely not less." Zhu Changluo said, "Didn't the Luo family fall into decline for a while before you started the rebellion?" Before the actual vacancy was filled, Luo Sigong's annual income was only 12 stone of rice and 22 taels of silver, and he might not even be able to get the full amount.

"Yes." Luo Sigong looked up at the emperor and asked cautiously, "Then your majesty means that the salary system will not be changed?"

"I'm simply referring to the suggestion in this secret report." Zhu Changluo pointed at the pieces of paper. "The author of this secret report believes that once salaries are cut off, many officials living on salaried salaries will lose their stable source of income. Small landowners like Lu Wenzhao, who still have a dozen acres of ancestral land, can still return to farming and at least make ends meet. But those who have nothing and can only rely on this salaried salary to get by, are left with nothing. I'm bringing this up with you because I want your advice."

"Your Majesty, could you please let me read this letter?" Luo Sigong requested.

Folding and tearing it, Zhu Changluo tore off the signature on the secret letter. "Show it to General Wei."

"Yes." Wang An walked up to Luo Sigong, holding the secret document. "General Luo, please."

Luo Sigong took the secret report and quickly skimmed through it, finishing it in no time. He discovered that the author was quite cunning, not explicitly stating whether they supported or opposed reform. Lengthy passages were devoted to discussing the potential hardship these officials would face if their salaries were cut. Even the potential negative consequences of the reform were briefly mentioned at the end, with a few slangy remarks like, "Those without permanent property have no perseverance."

"General Wei. What do you say?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"I think," Luo Sigong's mind was busy even as he read the secret revelation. Before his eyes moved to the broken edge of the last piece of paper, he had already formed a plan in his mind. "It is better to suffer a short pain than a long one."

"What is long pain? What is short pain?" Zhu Changluo asked.

Luo Sigong replied: "Long-term pain is of course the salary system."

"I believe that the salaries of officials at all levels of the imperial court, not just the Imperial Guard, are too low. Low salaries, coupled with the need to maintain a decent life, force officials to abuse their power for personal gain. This is the root cause of corruption. If this root cause is not addressed, no matter how much punishment or repair is done, it will only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Just like the root cause of the capital's poor public security is the roaming refugees and the bandits that thrive among them. If the refugee problem is not addressed, even the hard-working Imperial Guards and the Military Commission cannot bring peace to the capital. Only by rounding up the refugees with lightning speed, as was done not long ago, and then carefully identifying the bandits among them, can the capital's public security be restored."

"To cure the root cause of corruption, we must increase the salaries of incumbent officials to eliminate its root cause. To increase salaries without increasing court expenses and causing further long-term pain, we can only cut the salaries of unemployed and useless officials. However, once the salaries of redundant officials are cut, they will inevitably suffer losses, which is inevitable."

"Is this inevitable harm a short-term pain?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"Your Majesty, no." Luo Sigong shook his head.

"So what do you mean by short pain?"

"The long-term and short-term pains I'm referring to are the pains of the court, not the pains of the people," Luo Sigong said, his voice remarkably calm, or perhaps even remarkably cold-blooded. "The salary system is the court's long-term pain, while the court's short-term pain is the harm inflicted on the court by those who have suffered because of their dissatisfaction with the salary cuts."

Luo Sigong hesitated, then, seeing the emperor staring intently at him, continued, "Not long ago, I oversaw a major layoff in my own garrison. Hundreds of those laid-off officials gathered and attempted to threaten the commanding officers and the imperial court. Because I had already made arrangements, and the dismissed officials, mindful of their dependence on the imperial court, refrained from violent resistance. Therefore, the imperial court only feared a brief pain, but didn't actually suffer it. But if they had actually attacked the government offices and caused damage, then the imperial court would have suffered a brief pain."

Luo Sigong waited a moment, then, seeing that the emperor seemed unintentional in his response, raised the secret revelation again. "I believe this revelation simply amplifies the emperor's suffering while ignoring the pain of the imperial court. But there are few perfect solutions, and reform is no easy task. Just like Liu Bingbi's previous court layoffs, are we simply calling back palace servants and artisans just because they would be harmed, and thus futilely increasing the court's expenses?"

Liu Ruoyu had been listening to Luo Sigong's words with an air of indifference, but when he was suddenly called upon, an awkward expression immediately appeared on his face. Liu Ruoyu lowered his head even lower, and there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes when he looked at Luo Sigong.

Liu Ruoyu thought that Luo Sigong suddenly called on him in order to get him to speak for him, but he misunderstood. Luo Sigong called on him not to get him to support him, but to use this example to plant an expectation in the emperor's mind.

Luo Sigong judged that the emperor would still follow through on his original plan to change the salary system, or simply send someone to inform him verbally, without having to summon him in person. Luo Sigong speculated that the emperor had summoned him for advisory purposes simply to allow him to confront the cabinet. Luo Sigong didn't mind confronting the cabinet, but he needed to find a way to eliminate the hidden dangers. In other words, he needed to convince the emperor, deep in the palace, that unrest was inevitable and that appropriate repression was necessary after it occurred.

"Liu Ruoyu, what do you think?" There seemed to be a few more wrinkles between Zhu Changluo's brows.

"I think what the commander said is right." Liu Ruoyu didn't want to agree with Luo Sigong, but at this moment, he had to agree with Luo Sigong. "The Jinyiwei has its own difficulties, and the inner court has its own difficulties. The country is in trouble, so it's better to keep fewer idle people. Fortunately, the emperor is wise, and the small disturbance in the capital has been suppressed."

"Wang An, what do you think?" Zhu Changluo turned to look at Wang An.

"Compared to last February, palace expenses have indeed dropped significantly last month. If this continues, within two years at most, the savings will more than cover the extra compensation for layoffs." Wang An's response sounded irrelevant, but a moment's reflection revealed his approach to the "long-term pain, short-term pain" theory.

Zhu Changluo nodded, remained silent for a long time, and then turned his gaze to Lu Wenzhao. "Lu Wenzhao, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty," Lu Wenzhao said, "I had never expected the emperor to ask for his advice. "Your position is low, and I dare not easily interfere in the affairs of the court."

"When the emperor asks you a question, just answer it! Why are you talking so much nonsense!" Luo Sigong said in a deep voice. Lu Wenzhao looked up at Luo Sigong, but he couldn't understand his eyes.

"Yes." Lu Wenzhao retracted his gaze, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. The sound of his heartbeat was amplified by the darkness before him, and it was as clear as thunder. "Your Majesty, I do not agree with what General Luo said."

As soon as these words came out, Lu Wenzhao immediately felt a huge pressure. Although he closed his eyes, he also imagined that everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Luo Sigong's reaction was of course the most intense. Before Lu Wenzhao finished speaking, he cast an undisguised reproach at this "good son-in-law".

Liu Ruoyu's movements were not as big as Luo Sigong's, but the emotion in his eyes seemed to be even stronger than Luo Sigong's. Liu Ruoyu was of course unhappy with Luo Sigong's rash move to drag him down, but since Luo Sigong had already pulled him out, he naturally stood with Luo Sigong and there was no way to avoid it.

Wang An looked at Lu Wenzhao deeply, but quickly retracted his gaze. This kid had tried to circumvent Luo Sigong before, so he wasn't surprised that he would come out and object to his actions now that he had a chance to speak.

Wei Chao, who had been staying out of the situation, also put down his brush. His eyes were the kindest, even hinting at a hint of admiration. However, this fleeting admiration was quickly overshadowed by a sense of amusement. To put it bluntly, he was well protected by the palace walls. No matter how violent the events outside were, it had nothing to do with him. As long as the Son of Heaven remained in his position, he only needed to follow the will of heaven.

But what exactly is this providence?

Wei Chao sensed something strange. He subtly turned his attention towards the imperial desk, only to hear the emperor ask in a voice devoid of emotion, "Why not?"

Lu Wenzhao knelt down and slowly said, "I am now the actual deputy captain of the East Office. As far as my own interests are concerned, I certainly agree to reform the salary system and increase income. In this way, I don't have to accept the regular silver from those shops against my will, and I can concentrate on serving the court and sharing the worries of the emperor. But from the perspective of those officials who rely on salaries, the salary system reform is tantamount to the sky falling." Before Lu Wenzhao finished speaking, he was interrupted by Luo Sigong in a hurry.

"You're just worrying about nothing!" Luo Sigong cursed, "It's none of your business whether their sky collapses or not. Are you just bored?"

"Let him finish his words." The emperor's voice came faintly.

"Yes." Luo Sigong immediately restrained his momentum, shrank back, and sat quietly like an ordinary old man.

The hall fell silent, and Lu Wenzhao continued, "I haven't read the secret report. But I suspect the reason the person who filed it emphasized 'human pain' was to mitigate the 'short-term pain' General Wei mentioned. What if those who were laid off and their salaries were cut rally together as they did before, violently resisting, attacking the court, or even committing acts of treason?"

"Just send troops to suppress it," Luo Sigong seemed to be waiting for this question, and he took over the conversation as soon as Lu Wenzhao finished speaking. "How can we throw the baby out with the bathwater?"

Lu Wenzhao turned slightly. "I want to ask, Commander Wei, what will happen after the rebellion is suppressed?"

"After that." Luo Sigong said as a matter of course: "What's there to ask? Once the short-term pain is eliminated, the reform will be completed."

"No, that's not what I meant." Lu Wenzhao said, "Please forgive my intrusion, General Wei. I think you are wrong."

"What did I do wrong?" Luo Sigong immediately asked back. Liu Ruoyu's brows were also completely twisted.

Lu Wenzhao replied, "I believe the Jinyiwei layoffs and the inner court layoffs are completely different. The inner court layoffs are indeed, as the commander-in-chief said, a struggle for long-term and short-term pain. As long as we plan ahead and suppress the chaos in the end, even if there are some disturbances along the way, it won't matter."

Hearing this, Liu Ruoyu's expression eased slightly.

"But the honorary title of the Jinyiwei, which carries a salary, not only covers the court's expenses; it itself is a reward from the court for meritorious service. I owe my humble position to my ancestors who followed Emperor Chengzu in suppressing the rebellion two hundred years ago. Although the lineage of the guards is more complex, they also inherited Jinyiwei rank due to their merit."

Lu Wenzhao had dug deep, revealing that the Luo family's ancestors had experienced a tortuous journey, from following Taizu in his campaigns, to following Chengzu in the Jingnan Campaign, to accompanying the founding king of Anlu, and finally returning north with Emperor Shizong. Tracing their ancestral roots, the Lu family had served in the Jinyiwei for even longer than the Luo family. Before accompanying Emperor Shizong back north to the capital, the Luo family had been ordinary hereditary officials in ordinary guards, long under the jurisdiction of the Rear Army Commandery. It wasn't until Emperor Jiajing, upon his succession, urgently needed trusted confidants to fill key positions that he appointed Luo An, then accompanying the emperor in the imperial guards, to the Jinyiwei, thus establishing the Luo family's hereditary title of Jinyiwei.

"The Northern Ministry of Agriculture's Vice-Minister was a descendant of Tian Shaobao; the Eastern Ministry of Revenue's Admiral Liu was a descendant of Liu Zhuangxianggong; the Jiedao Ministry's Admiral Zhang was a descendant of Zhang Shaobao, and the list goes on. Even those officials without actual official positions, most of whom received this imperial salary thanks to the merits of their ancestors. Without this salary, the reward itself would be meaningless. If this hereditary position has no meaning, how will the court reward those meritorious officials who fought bravely on the front lines, hoping to pass on this legacy to future generations? Furthermore, if, as the General Wei said, a strong-fisted crackdown on possible unrest is truly implemented, wouldn't that chill people's morale and cause lasting harm?"

"." This time, Luo Sigong did not take the initiative to respond to Lu Wenzhao.

"General Wei." Zhu Changluo called out.

"I'm here." Luo Sigong looked up at the emperor and found that there seemed to be more appreciation in the emperor's expression.

"Deputy Captain Lu said you were wrong, what do you say?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"I think what Deputy Captain Lu said does make sense. But no matter what, the salary system must be changed," said Luo Sigong.

"Then how should we change it?" Zhu Changluo asked.

Luo Sigong opened his mouth, then slowly closed it, and finally said, "I can't think of it at the moment."

"Then go back and think about it slowly."

(End of this chapter)