The prince is more stable

Chapter 906 Treating Both the Root Cause and the Symptoms
Throughout the history of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Xiaoqian's order to execute more than eighty officials, merchants, and landlords in Chenzhou was actually very rare and shocking.

This kind of shock is enough to make people all over the world tremble with awe.

Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, so many people have never been killed at once.

The Song Dynasty, which has always valued civil officials and scholar-officials, has been in a distorted state of development and governance since its founding. Its emphasis on civil affairs over military affairs, the exemption of scholar-officials from punishment, and the rule of the country based on filial piety are all examples of taking a wrong turn.

Undeniably, due to its policy of emphasizing literature over military affairs, the Song Dynasty's cultural development and progress over the past century have indeed been enough to shine brightly in the thousands of years of Chinese civilization. During this period, it also produced many poets, lyricists, and literary masters who have become famous throughout history, such as Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and Zhang Zai.

However, from the emperor's perspective, this policy of emphasizing civil affairs over military affairs was clearly more harmful than beneficial.

Zhao Xiaoqian was a pragmatist. The Song Dynasty he hoped to see was not one where the articles and poems were classics, nor one where many great poets and lyricists were produced.

What he wanted was very simple: to demonstrate the nation's prestige, for the soldiers to expand the territory, for the people to live in peace and prosperity, for farmers to own their land, and for everyone to have enough to eat.

These are far better than producing ten thousand poets and lyricists.

After all, poetry and prose can't put food on the table. When people are starving, they can't fill their stomachs by reciting a few poems and prose.

Zhao Xiaoqian wanted to establish a new order, so he started by executing these eighty-odd people.

He wanted to use this cruel method to tell officials, merchants, and landlords all over the world that the imperial power would no longer tolerate collusion between officials, merchants, and landlords, and would not allow the exchange of power for personal gain.

The days when civil officials were spoiled by imperial power are gone forever.

From then on, the principle of "no punishment for scholar-officials" was no longer a life-saving charm for civil officials; it had become ineffective.

Inside the Funing Hall, Zhang Dun, Cai Bian, Su Zhe, and others sat respectfully before Zhao Xiaoqian. The expressions of the prime ministers today clearly showed more awe and caution.

After the execution of those eighty-odd people, the prime ministers of the State Affairs Hall probably understood Zhao Xiaoqian's character and will.

Don't try to brainwash the government with nonsense like "treat civil officials well" anymore; the government won't fall for that.

What he wanted was a stable and sound national system and the meticulous laws of the Song Dynasty.

Whoever commits the crime will be dealt with strictly according to the law, and there is no reason for leniency outside the law.

Sitting before the prime ministers, Zhao Xiaoqian still wore a smile. He seemed to have completely forgotten the power struggle between the emperor and his ministers at the court meeting a few days ago. At this moment, the emperor and his ministers were still in perfect harmony.

"Gentlemen, before we proceed with our meeting, I have something to say..."

Zhao Xiaoqian paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Jiang Changqing, the Vice Chancellor of the Council of State Affairs, Academician of the Hall of State Affairs, and Deputy Military Governor of Wu'an Army, is hereby dismissed from his post and expelled from the court."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was startled.

Zhang Dun exclaimed, "What crime has Jiang Changqing committed?"

Zhao Xiaoqian took a confession from the table, which had been personally signed and sealed by Zeng Shuli, the prefect of Chenzhou who had already been beheaded.

Handing the confession to Zhang Dun, Zhao Xiaoqian slowly said, "I am not a tyrant, and I will not punish court officials without cause, especially since the Council of State Affairs consists of important officials of the Great Song Dynasty. I will not dismiss them easily."

After glancing at the confession, Zhang Dun's expression shifted from shock to sadness. He shook his head and handed the confession to the others for review.

“When Zeng Shuli was in office in Chenzhou, he acted recklessly and harmed tens of thousands of people. Naturally, he had people in the court supporting him, and Jiang Changqing was his backer.”

Zhao Xiaoqian's expression grew cold as he said, "I have said that no matter who is involved in this case, we must eradicate evil completely and ensure that no one is wrongly convicted or let off lightly."

"Given that Jiang Changqing was a veteran of three reigns and had made great contributions to the Song Dynasty, I will treat him leniently, sparing his life and only dismissing him from office and exiling him. This is already giving him enough dignity. What do you gentlemen think?"

The people inside the hall remained silent.

The case is irrefutable; what else can be said?
They were too ashamed to even open their mouths to plead for mercy.

The Emperor is right; merely dismissing him from office is already a dignified gesture.

The atmosphere in the hall was a bit stiff. Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "Alright, there's no need to mention this matter anymore. It's decided then. Now, let's talk about the second matter."

“When I ascended the throne, I made an agreement with Mr. Zihou and others that the new policies could continue to be implemented, but some unreasonable clauses must be revised.”

"I believe that revising the new policies is merely a temporary solution. The root cause of the people's resistance to the new policies lies in the corruption of the Song Dynasty's officialdom. To solve this problem, we must address the root cause. Therefore, I have overruled the objections of the majority and established the Supervisory Office."

"Now that the Censorate has been established and twenty-three corrupt officials in Chenzhou have been beheaded, it has set an example for officials throughout the country, and local governments may already be wary of it."

"Now, let's talk about the amendments to the new policy terms."

Zhang Dun lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, we would like to hear your wise opinion."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled.

After killing more than eighty people, even the prime minister became less arrogant and looked much more docile than before. It felt really good.

Once Zhang Dun spoke, the other prime ministers in the hall echoed his sentiments.

Killing to establish authority is effective at any time. The current Council of State no longer dares to oppose Zhao Xiaoqian. The more than eighty heads still haunt their nightmares, coldly staring at them. "I have no great insights. I am not aware of the true situation among the people, and you who occupy high positions in the court are probably not aware of it either. The only people who understand the suffering of the common people are the one hundred officials selected by the Council of State a few months ago and sent down to various villages and towns in the capital region."

"Several months have passed, and they should have some real observations and insights to send to Bianjing by now."

"How to revise the new policy should be based on the true situation reflected by these one hundred officials from the people. The emperor and his ministers should discuss it carefully before making a decision. What do you all think?"

After exchanging glances, the prime ministers nodded in agreement.

After ascending the throne, the first thing the emperor did was not to revise the new policies, but to rectify official corruption, which surprised everyone.

As it turns out, the order in which the government did things was correct.

First clean up official corruption, then implement new policies; address the root cause before addressing the symptoms; work from the inside out, and success will be achieved.

"Since you gentlemen have no objections, I have decided that in a month, those officials who have been sent down to the countryside will return to the capital to report on their duties. I will also establish a temporary 'New Administration Office' specifically to summarize and compile the true situation among the people."

"The members were led by Mr. Zihou, with Han Zhongyan, the supervising physician, as the assistant. These one hundred officials were responsible for compiling all the information into a book, which would serve as the most important reference for revising the new policies."

What are your thoughts, gentlemen?

Zhang Dun bowed and said, "Your Majesty's vision is far superior to ours."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Then let's proceed accordingly. We are all doing this for the good of the Great Song Dynasty. I hope that the Great Song Dynasty will eliminate the old malpractices and implement the new policies. I believe that the Great Song Dynasty will take on a new look in all parts of the country. Perhaps you and I, the emperor and minister, can create a prosperous era. In this way, we will not fail the foundation laid by our ancestors."

…………

Jingji Road, Yangdi County under the jurisdiction of Yingchang Prefecture, Xinwang Village.

Yingchang Prefecture was one of the four auxiliary prefectures of the capital region of the Song Dynasty, and also one of the satellite cities guarding Kaifeng Prefecture of the Song Dynasty, making its geographical location very important.

Yangdi County was under the jurisdiction of Yingchang Prefecture, and Xinwang Village was a new village established less than forty years ago under the jurisdiction of Yangdi County.

Zheng Chaozong has been sent down to this village called "Xinwang Village" for more than three months.

Zheng Chaozong was originally a Fengyilang in Bianjing, a rank of eighth-grade official.

What is the job of the official title "Fengyilang"?

To be precise, it does nothing and has no power, but it enjoys the salary and allowances from the imperial court.

That's right, "Fengyilang" was a post-respective official position in the Song Dynasty.

Having no real power, if Zheng Chaozong were to enter any government office in Bianjing, the ordinary clerks and runners below him would all bow respectfully to him, based on their rank.

But if he loses his mind and insists on walking into the main hall of the government office and sitting down, issuing orders in the name of an eighth-rank official, and commanding the office's servants to do things for him...

Well then, I'm sorry, none of the underlings will listen to him. Instead, they'll immediately report to their superiors, who will then order him to be dragged out.

This was roughly the status of a "Ji Lu Guan" (a high-ranking official in the Song Dynasty).

Those who held honorary status but no real power were the honorary officials of the Song Dynasty.

Of course, it can also be understood as a prospective official of the Song Dynasty court who might one day bump into a large transport truck and find that a vacancy in a powerful government office happens to arise, thus filling the vacancy and rising to prominence.

Even though the chances are slim, what if...? People should always have dreams, and even a salted fish should at least be turned over and aired out.

Zheng Chaozong was such a nominal official. He entered officialdom through the formal imperial examination, but there were simply not that many officials with real power in the court. He couldn't even get a turn in line. After many years of taking the imperial examination, he only managed to become a nominal official of the eighth rank.

After the new emperor of the Song Dynasty ascended the throne, he caused a lot of trouble.

The State Council, acting on imperial orders, selected one hundred officials from all levels of government in Bianjing (Kaifeng) and those holding official positions in the capital, to be assigned to the prefectures and villages under the jurisdiction of the capital region.

The official term used was a very trendy one: "investigation." People from the Political Affairs Hall explained that this term came from the mouths of officials and roughly means "to investigate and study," or in layman's terms, "to understand the hardships of the people."

The Council of State Affairs selected one hundred officials in the capital to be sent to lower levels, and whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Zheng Chaozong was chosen.

When he was first selected, Zheng Chaozong refused, and his refusal was quite vehement.

What a joke! I'm a perfectly good official, I don't do anything in Bianjing every month, and the court still pays me my salary. Why would I go to the countryside when I have nothing better to do?
Moreover, officials from the State Affairs Hall had warned them that after being sent down to the countryside, officials must participate in the labor just like the local farmers, and they must record what they see and hear every day, as well as the pressure and suffering faced by the people at the level of the imperial decrees.

After Zheng Chaozong was selected, he immediately jumped up and vehemently opposed it.

This awful and miserable job is so bad even a dog wouldn't do it...

Dry!
If the dog won't do it, I will!
Yes, Jeong Chao-jong had to change his mind.

An official from the Council of State asked him a question very seriously: "Do you want to advance in your career?"
This one sentence dispelled all of Zheng Chaozong's dissatisfaction, and he gladly accepted the task and was happy to do it.

So what if I'm sent down to the countryside to farm for half a year, and then I write a diary entry when I get back to my room at night? I can do it, I'm willing, I'm happy to be a servant of the people!
(End of this chapter)