Zhu Yuanzhang Returns from Modern Times

Chapter 101: Oh my god, the emperor actually raised his salary!

In the Wuying Hall, as Zhu Yuanzhang said this, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong was stunned.

For a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with my ears.

What did the emperor say?
Actually... want to increase officials’ salaries?

The sun comes out in the west?

Or is the emperor confused because of his fever?

Is this something the emperor could say or do?

“Sir, the salaries of our Ming Dynasty officials are also within a reasonable range.

The current salary is enough to live on.

We can eat meat during festivals and holidays, and our lives are much better than those of ordinary people."

Hu Weiyong was unsure of the emperor's intention for a moment, and was worried that the emperor was deliberately speaking in a sarcastic way to trick him.

So be prepared to be cautious and see what the situation is.

"Does Prime Minister Hu really think so?"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Hu Weiyong with a smile on his face.

Hu Weiyong said: "That... compared to the Song Dynasty, it is indeed slightly lower.

But you can still live.

If it can be improved a little bit, that would be great.

But it is not the early days of the Ming Dynasty yet, and there are still many places where money is needed.

For the better development of Ming Dynasty, this kind of salary is acceptable now.

The most important thing is to use the extra money and grain in the right places so that they can play a greater role."

Hu Weiyong carefully considered his words and did not easily reveal his attitude on this matter.

It’s not that he is too cowardly, it’s just that he knows the current emperor too well.

Because of his humble background, he had many prejudices against officials.

Especially the salary, which is given to the farmers who work on the land.

It would be great if officials could live better than the peasants who only know how to farm with their salaries.

The salary is reasonable.

Under such circumstances, how could he dare to easily reveal his true thoughts on salary?

"Well, with Prime Minister Hu's words, we can rest assured."

Zhu Yuanzhang had a smile on his face and looked very happy.

Hu Weiyong was also full of joy, as his thoughts were indeed correct.

The emperor was indeed preparing to go fishing.

Fortunately, I was smart and didn't say anything nonsense.

Otherwise, you will be in trouble with the emperor.

I knew it, how could the emperor be so kind as to suddenly increase the salaries of officials?
The emperor wanted to play tricks in front of him and trick him, but he was still a little naive.

"We will tell the officials tomorrow when we go to court.

We are planning to increase the officials' wages... and salaries. It was you, Prime Minister Hu, who persuaded us that the officials' current salaries are enough for their living.

We can still live well and not let our prices go up."

What the hell?
As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang said this, Hu Weiyong's expression froze instantly.

I was confused and at the same time, my hair stood on end.

No... can we still play like this?

Can we be human?
Is this something a human can do?
If the dog emperor wants to die, just say so.

Don’t be so deceiving!
Is this what you mean?
Hu Weiyong knew very well what the result would be if the emperor said such words to all the officials at the court tomorrow morning.

I'm afraid that I'll lose 30% of the people I've worked so hard to win over in an instant!

I don’t know how many officials will scold me.

Even in recent times, it is not impossible that, under the instigation of Li Shanchang, who was extremely diligent in attending court, many people asked for the execution of Hu Weiyong.

He knew very well what kind of situation many officials were in now that the emperor was forcing them to pay for the illegal gains they had obtained from the empty seal case over the years.

It's really that poor people are jealous.

This time, it is not as simple as the emperor squeezing out illegal gains.

It also means that many people will no longer be able to get a stable income from this in the future.

In this state, there is no need to think too much about how people will react to hearing such news!
The dog emperor is so insidious!
It's because he himself doesn't want to pay. In order to appease the anger of the officials, he should push himself out!

Yesterday, I discussed this matter with Chen Ning in private, and I was ready to make fun of the emperor and see how he would end up.

Who would have thought that things would suddenly turn out like this.

"My Lord, this is not what I meant. This cannot be done!"

Hu Weiyong argued aloud, and in his panic he stuttered for a moment.

But I dare not let the emperor do this, otherwise everything will be over.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood as he looked at Hu Weiyong, whose forehead was covered with sweat.

"Haha, Mr. Hu, don't be nervous. We were just joking."

After waiting for a while, Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the sweat on Hu Weiyong's forehead was getting more and more, and he was visibly panicked. Suddenly, he smiled and said these words.

Hu Weiyong relaxed instantly and felt like he was alive again.

The emperor is really not a human being!

How can this be a joke?
“If the higher-ups are really prepared to increase salaries, that’s fine.

Although many officials deserve the punishment they received, their salaries can be appropriately increased so that they don't have to worry about anything.

To reassure people and allow them to do their work better.

It is indeed good to have some rain after the thunder."

Hu Weiyong, who was frightened into a sweat by Zhu Yuanzhang's few words, became much more obedient.

I dare not talk nonsense anymore.

"Salaries must be increased. I'm not unreasonable, nor am I someone who doesn't consider officials."

Are you reasonable? Do you care about the officials? Who are you trying to fool?

How can you, as an emperor, have the nerve to say such things!

Hu Weiyong was madly complaining about the emperor in his heart.

He looked sincere and bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang: "On behalf of all the officials, I thank you for your grace.

When the officials heard this good news, they would be extremely happy and grateful for the grace of their superiors.

Work diligently and live up to the great grace of your superiors."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not comment on Hu Weiyong's words, and only said: "I hope so."

"There may be some ruthless people, but the majority of people will definitely be grateful for the kindness of the higher-ups and work harder."

The heartless person you are talking about is you, right?
Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but complain in his heart.

"Sir, I wonder how much the salary increase would be appropriate?"

"What do you think is appropriate, Minister Hu?"

"I am stupid, I can't explain this..."

After the lesson he learned not long ago, Hu Weiyong became more cautious.

She was afraid that the emperor would accidentally tell her another joke. Who could stand this?
Seeing that Hu Weiyong did not accept the challenge, Zhu Yuanzhang did not continue to pressure him.

He said, "We are going to take out 100,000 strings of cash as a year-end performance bonus.

Issued to officials of the imperial court and all officials under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture."

One hundred thousand strings of cash?
The emperor is so generous?

When Hu Weiyong heard the amount, he was stunned.

However, what does this year-end performance bonus mean?
"The year-end performance bonus is a performance appraisal of officials at all levels near the end of the year.

See who does well and who does poorly.

The better the results, the more performance bonuses you will receive.

Those who do not perform well, fail the performance appraisal, and fail to meet the minimum standards can only receive the lowest salary and can forget about bonuses.

We plan to use these to motivate officials to do their jobs well and be less dishonest.

The better you do, the more you get, which is the most fair and reasonable.

Those who are brave enough to do things and can get things done, put in a lot of hard work, but get the same salary as those idlers. This is really unfair! "

It is certainly necessary to increase the salary, but it is impossible to directly increase the salaries of officials collectively.
Performance appraisal in later generations is a good method, and countless verifications have fully proved how useful it is.

This wisdom of future generations must be used.

The Ming Dynasty also needs to roll up.

As the emperor, I am so busy that it has even reached the sky.

How could it be possible that these officials received their salaries but lived a more leisurely life than the emperor himself?

Roll, it must be rolled up.

So this is what performance-based year-end bonus means.

Hu Weiyong showed a look of sudden realization.

When I first heard about it, I thought this move was a bit unremarkable, even a bit like taking off your pants to fart.

But after a little reflection, I feel that it contains profound meaning, even being extremely exquisite.

From now on, the good days of countless officials are over.

This was the first thought that came to Hu Weiyong's mind after a little thought.

Following such a capable master is already quite tiring.

As a result, the emperor cut off the illegal income of many people with one stroke of the knife, and then hung a carrot in front of them.

If such means are used, won't people be killed?
In any industry, there are extremely capable people and lazy people.

Now that the emperor has done this, it is naturally a very good thing for those capable people.

But for those who are used to being lazy, or have no real skills and are just filling in the gaps, this is not a good thing.

The low salary is the secondary issue.

If you keep getting the lowest scores in consecutive tests, it won’t be a good thing.

Although the emperor only said that those whose performance does not meet the standards will not be able to receive the year-end bonus, he did not mention any other punishments.

But based on his understanding of the current emperor, these people will probably not have an easy life. Even if they are not punished now, the emperor will impose corresponding punishments in the future.

If he didn't do this, he wouldn't be Zhu Yuanzhang.

On the other hand, the salaries of all officials are directly increased. In the first one or two months, the officials will be very happy.

But over time, the happiness and gratitude of many people will fade and become taken for granted.

They feel that this is the salary they deserve.

But the year-end reward is different.

This is an extra reward from the emperor.

Every time I receive something, I feel grateful unconsciously.

Because the emperor didn't have to pay this money.

Another advantage is that this thing is not fixed.

It is entirely possible to make timely adjustments based on the court's financial situation each year.

If the finances are good, we can allocate more money to pay out year-end bonuses.

If the situation is not good, you can spend less money to pay out year-end bonuses.

If the financial situation is really bad, it is not impossible to simply not issue it.

This was originally an extra reward given by the emperor and was not included in the salary.

If you post less or even stop posting, many people will feel uncomfortable and complain.

But it’s hard to say much.

But if we directly increase the salaries of officials, and then reduce or even stop paying them, then it would be hard to say.

Especially this thing, which is directly linked to performance appraisal, has made many people less resistant to the appraisal that should have been hated and few people are willing to accept.

Even welcomed it.

The resistance to implementation is greatly reduced.

high!
It’s really high!

It's a stroke of genius.

How did the emperor come up with this?
The more Hu Weiyong thought about it, the more he admired it and felt that this move was simply indescribable.

Liu Bowen!
It was definitely the idea of ​​that bastard Liu Bowen.

Apart from him, no one else has such a high level!
Moreover, some time ago, Liu Bowen went to the palace to see the emperor again.

He stayed in the palace for more than an hour before leaving.

This matter was most likely what Liu Bowen whispered to the emperor at that time.

This bastard, why doesn’t he die?
“Sir, this is a great idea, it has endless uses!
The talent of the superior is unfathomable, and he can even come up with such a brilliant idea!"

After thinking for a while, Hu Weiyong praised out loud with amazement on his face.

"Of course, otherwise how could I become the emperor?"

Zhu Yuanzhang agreed without hesitation. Ugh! How shameless!

Hu Weiyong secretly let out a loud "Puh!"

People who ask for food are really shameless.

It was clearly Liu Bowen who came up with the idea, but he insisted that it was his own idea.

At the same time, he became increasingly wary and hostile towards Liu Bowen.

The emperor even hid the secret from his prime minister. In response to his indirect questioning, he refused to reveal the identity of Liu Bowen, the person who came up with the idea.

From this we can see how much the emperor trusted Liu Bowen.

When Hu Weiyong thought about how Liu Bowen was able to resolve the misunderstanding with the emperor, and how it was all thanks to him, he felt even more upset.

"Sir, I wonder who is responsible for this assessment?"

Holding back the curses in his heart, Hu Weiyong asked a key question.

"The six ministries and the Censorate set deadlines for the tasks that their officials should perform and recorded them in three separate ledgers.

The six ministries and the Censorate will record this in their account books and conduct monthly inspections."

After hearing this answer, Hu Weiyong's depressed mood suddenly improved a lot.

The six ministries were all under the jurisdiction of the Secretariat. Letting the six ministries be responsible for performance appraisal was equivalent to letting the prime minister, who was in charge of the Secretariat, be responsible.

In this way, the power in his hands will be further expanded, and officials will respect and obey him as the prime minister more.

After all, the power of assessment is in your own hands.

How many of them dare to go against me?
As for the Censorate, which was beyond his control...

The Imperial Censor Chen Ning actually listened to his own words.

This means that everything from the Six Ministries to the Censorate is under his control.

"Three account books, one for the Censorate and one for the six ministries.

The Secretariat holds one.

Send the other one to us.

The six ministries and the Censorate were required to register each completed task, and even those that were not completed had to be registered truthfully.

Otherwise, the crime will be punished.

The Secretariat can require the six ministries to report on the implementation status every six months. Violators will be punished according to limited circumstances.

We will conduct the final verification here and verify the inspection work of the Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and the Censorate."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Hu Weiyong obscurely and then added something.

Whoever controls the power of assessment controls the power of life and death over officials, and can naturally make countless officials bow down to him.

Then power will come naturally.

With such great power, how could he possibly stay in the Secretariat?

Especially if it remains in the hands of the Prime Minister.

It’s ok for the Secretariat to help out and do some auxiliary work, but as for the real power, it’s best to keep it in one’s own hands.

Only names and implements, don’t fake people.

He did not set up performance appraisals to give Hu Weiyong power.

Hu Weiyong was slightly stunned for a moment.

No, so I was happy for nothing?
What is the emperor doing?
Why not just let the six ministries and the Secretariat handle the matter? Why bother with this?
The emperor came to do the final review, and this one action alone took away at least 80% of the benefits brought by the assessment!
“The consideration from the higher-ups is naturally excellent.

It’s just that the superiors have a lot of things to do every day, and the assessment of officials is very tedious and complicated.

If the superior is responsible for the final verification, I am a little worried that the superior will be too tired and his body will not be able to bear it..."

Hu Weiyong never mentioned the issue of power, and his words showed his concern for Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head nonchalantly, "Don't worry about this Hu Xiang. Maybe other things about me may not be good, but my body and spirit are incredibly good.

It’s not a problem to do more.”

Hu Weiyong was speechless for a moment.

What the emperor said was true.

The emperor is simply not a human being. He is more capable than a donkey and seems tireless day after day.

I have to take care of many things personally and handle many government affairs every day.

Even then, he still had time to practice boxing, study, and come up with cunning ideas to harm officials.

And it won't prevent him from having children.

Sons and daughters came out one after another, just like piglets.

I have always thought that my energy is far beyond that of ordinary people, but compared with the emperor, it is still far behind.

Following the emperor's pace, one often cannot bear the hardship.

The key point is that he is eight years younger than the emperor!

Hu Weiyong racked his brains but could not think of how to refute the emperor and keep the power to evaluate officials in the Secretariat.

I could only suppress my frustration and say that the emperor was wise.

“Should the assessment of officials start this year or next year?
What kind of assessment criteria should be formulated?"

“It’s natural to start this year.

Although the time was a bit tight, we were able to gain experience, identify some problems through practice, and make timely adjustments.”

Zhu Yuanzhang answered as a matter of course.

“As for the assessment criteria, we must first establish a minimum standard.

For example, being able to attend work regularly and complete the tasks assigned by the court, not to mention being outstanding, but at least being able to get the job done, is considered to have met the most basic standards.

You will receive a corresponding performance bonus.

On this basis, the standards can be improved and refined step by step.

Correspondingly, each level has a corresponding level of performance bonus..."

Zhu Yuanzhang is talking here about the performance appraisal standards he is considering.

It is necessary to assess the work performance of officials.

Without assessment, there is no telling how lawless these people will become and how poorly they will implement good policies.

Zhu Yuanzhang now believes in the system more than in human nature.

The human heart is so complicated.

Although there is a saying that a good system also requires good people to implement it.

But if there is no good system, even if you want to implement it, you won’t find anything to implement.

Therefore, it is very important to establish a more reasonable assessment system.

While providing a basis for rewarding officials who perform well, it can also effectively supervise officials at all levels.

Urge them to work diligently.

Try to prevent them from messing around as much as possible.

In my previous life, I also realized the need to supervise and evaluate the officials below me.

Therefore, people will be sent from time to time to conduct random inspections in certain places.

It is called Jingcha.

However, the intensity of this kind of inspection is still small, and only a few departments are involved each time.

It is inevitable that many people will feel lucky.

This practice continued for nearly a hundred years at the beginning of the founding of the country before significant changes occurred.

In the eighth year of Tianshun, it was stipulated that the imperial examination system would be held every ten years.

Later, it was felt that the interval of once every ten years was too long, so in the 17th year of the Hongzhi reign, it was changed to once every six years.

By the time of Emperor Zhengde Zhu Houzhao, who had not only drowned himself and been slandered after challenging civil officials, he felt that the six-year assessment was too short.

Therefore, irregular inspections were added to the six-year fixed inspection of Beijing officials.

Local officials are evaluated every three years.

It was not until Zhang Juzheng became the chief minister of the cabinet and implemented the performance evaluation system that the Ming Dynasty's assessment of officials finally reached its peak.

It was through the performance evaluation system that Zhang Juzheng controlled the six departments, and used the six departments to control the six ministries, and even controlled all officials in the world.

The necessary power to implement reforms is in their hands.

Through the performance evaluation system, a large number of officials who supported the new policies and were capable of getting things done were promoted.

It also greatly broke the bad habit of promoting and appointing officials based on seniority.

It makes it easier for people who are truly capable and dare to do things to reach high positions.

At the same time, a large number of termites were also cleared out.

According to records, over a period of more than ten years, nearly one-third of officials were punished or dismissed through the performance evaluation system.

Having touched the interests of so many people, Zhang Juzheng naturally ended up in trouble.

Not only was he held accountable after his death, but his family members were either forced to death or exiled, and Zhang Juzheng was almost exhumed and his corpse whipped.

At the same time, various short essays are flying all over the place.

He secretly built a palace-like house, kept countless beauties there for his own enjoyment, and traveled so extravagantly that he had to ride in a sedan chair carried by sixty-four people. He also said things like "I am not a prime minister, but a photographer."

Reformers never have a good ending.

This was true from Shang Yang to Wang Anshi and then to Zhang Juzheng.

The interests involved are simply too great.

Now, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to do it all at once. Six years or even three years would have been too long.

Assessments must be conducted every year, or even every quarter.

Make it customized.

He wasn't afraid of taking too big a step and getting his balls hurt.

Rebel if you have the guts.

If you don't have the ability, you have to follow your own rules.

After a few more years, those who are trying to take advantage of the situation will be eliminated, so that more and more people will pass the assessment and occupy high positions.

Then he would raise his son Biao and his eldest grandson Xiongying well.

If you make sure your successor can continue along his own path, then there won't be any major problems.

The regime will not perish with the death of the leader.

……

After returning to the Secretariat and sitting at the mahogany desk with no one around him, Hu Weiyong's face suddenly became gloomy.

It looks extremely ugly.

The dog emperor is going too far.

As soon as this system of assessment plus performance bonus came out, especially the last sentence that the emperor would be responsible for verifying the work of the Secretariat, the Six Ministries, and the Censorate, it directly took away a lot of power from the Secretariat.

Liu Bowen deserves to die!
Damn it!

I just hit him before, and I didn't really do anything to him.

Why would he be so ruthless towards the Secretariat so often?

I must find a way to get rid of this bastard!

……

"Ah!"

At the Marquis Chengyi's residence, Liu Bowen, who was reading a book, sneezed loudly.

This was the twenty-third time he had sneezed today.

Rubbing his nose hard, Liu Bowen found a blanket and wrapped himself in it.

And ask someone to make a pot of scallion and ginger tea for him to drink.

He felt that he was probably sick...

……

In the Huagai Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang, sitting on the gilded dragon throne, told the officials who came to the morning court about the bonus.

After confirming that what the emperor said was true, all the officials instantly lost their composure.

There was a buzzing sound like that of mosquitoes and flies, revealing a lot of excitement.

Some people were even on the verge of tears.

The emperor finally opened his eyes and finally did something human!
After Zhu Yuanzhang and others were excited for a while, they linked performance appraisal with performance bonuses and told all officials the corresponding appraisal regulations.

There was undoubtedly another buzzing sound.

However, although there were some buzz, with the huge bonus as a big carrot, there was no clear voice of opposition.

The assessment, which usually irritates countless people and is absolutely difficult to pass, was easily passed today.

It was not much different from what Zhu Yuanzhang had expected at the beginning.

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a good mood.

However, he also knew that the difficulty of the assessment method was not passing the court hearing, but the subsequent implementation.

That’s when the challenge really begins.

However, he is confident that he can win the battle, and it remains to be seen who has the better tactics.

Thinking of this, he announced another thing.

There is something that Xu Da is obsessed with. Once it is used, it will definitely completely destroy the Northern Yuan Dynasty court!
(End of this chapter)