The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 248 Fire Loss Returned to the Public

The numerous changes during the first year of the Hongxi reign were quite overwhelming.

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "abolish".

The Hongxi reign abolished many things from the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, such as the prisoners who were exiled in the four major cases of the Hongwu reign.

For example, there were many descendants of criminals who were relegated to the lowest social class, and many temporary measures that took place based on the emperor's will and superseded the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

Another example is the extremely high taxes imposed on certain special regions.

"Most people in this world are bound by countless shackles, which have far exceeded what a person can bear. Whether they are officials or common people, they can hardly breathe. Your Majesty has removed these chains one by one, leaving only the most basic ones. This is Your Majesty's merit and wisdom!"

Everyone must admit that the current emperor is a kind and benevolent person with a broad mind, completely different from the previous two emperors. In just one year since his ascension to the throne, his benevolence has spread throughout the world, and countless people have praised his name.

"Only the wise and virtuous can win people's hearts!" In the Hall of Literary Glory, Zhu Gaochi closed the memorial in his hand and smiled at Li Xianmu, saying, "This is my creed as emperor."

Li Xianmu sincerely said, "What Your Majesty said is also recorded in Emperor Taizong of Tang's 'Imperial Model'."

"I learned this from Emperor Taizong of Tang: a ruler must set an example in order to gain the respect of his subjects and occupy the highest position in all court affairs."

"When the Tang Dynasty was about to fall, the rebels played the Qin King's Battle Song. As a result, the Tang soldiers who were about to surrender felt guilty and decided to fight one last time for the Tang Dynasty."

Let's give it one last shot for an emperor from two hundred years ago!
How radiant and dazzling!

Zhu Gaochi stood up, put his hands behind his back, and sighed, "Is this vast empire really confined to the palace?"

I see it in the hearts of all people!

Both Emperor Taizu and the late Emperor were outstanding emperors, but in my opinion, Emperor Taizu lost the hearts of the people greatly, and the late Emperor became increasingly harsh in his later years. Even I live in fear, let alone the people.

"I wish to establish benevolence for the Ming Dynasty, to leave a lasting legacy for future generations, so that the ruler and his ministers may live in harmony and work together to build a prosperous Ming Dynasty."

Li Xianmu thought of the Crown Prince Party, which now occupied almost 70% of the high positions in Ming politics, and his own extremely high political status.

This would have been impossible in the previous two dynasties. Not to mention the Hongwu era, even in the Yongle era when he was highly regarded, the emperor immediately removed him from his position as Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet after he became Minister.

Only during the Hongxi reign, when Zhu Gaochi was alive, would he receive such trust and respect.

"His Majesty's grace is witnessed by all officials and the people."

Zhu Gaochi sighed, "It's still not enough. The past fifty years have been too oppressive. How easy is it to rebuild trust between the emperor and his ministers, between the ministers and the people, and between the emperor and the people?"

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I have a plan that will please all the officials and will be of great benefit to the Ming Dynasty at present."

Zhu Gaochi suddenly turned around and asked curiously, "Mingda, what do you say?"

"Raise the salaries of officials!"

Li Xianmu went straight to the point, saying, "The salaries of our dynasty are so low that they are unprecedented in history. Increasing salaries is of utmost urgency."

Huh? Zhu Gaochi was stunned. This was too straightforward. How could he not be happy about the extra money?
"I know you never speak plainly. Tell me, what's the secret behind this that I don't know?"

Zhu Gaochi did not return to his throne, but sat directly next to Li Xianmu and poured himself a cup of tea.

Li Xianmu also said casually, "Your Majesty, let me first talk to you about the people's hearts, the hearts of the common people, and the hearts of the officials."

Most people in this world have the desire to improve their lives. Poor people envy the lives of the wealthy, which motivates them to study, become officials, or go into business to make money.

The emperor used the best of everything, princes used the next best, dukes and marquises used the next best, and so on down the hierarchy.

At this point, Li Xianmu asked Zhu Gaochi with a smile, "Your Majesty, do you think it's possible for the emperor to eat cornbread every day, marry an ordinary woman, and wear coarse linen clothes?"

"Impossible!" Even Zhu Gaochi couldn't do it. This fat man was quite frugal in other matters, but he was unrestrained when it came to women.

Li Xianmu sighed, "Officials think the same way. A seventh-rank county magistrate can be called the Marquis of a Hundred Miles and control the life and death of everyone in the county. It's impossible for him to suffer poverty again."

The imperial court did not interfere with the appointment and removal of officials below the county level. When a county magistrate took office, he had to bring his own staff to govern. The magistrate had to pay for all the staff himself. A county magistrate who was wealthy could still subsidize them, but a poor county magistrate had no choice but to take things from the imperial court. In addition, there were the personal relationships that were indispensable in officialdom.

Those unwilling to cross the line will forever remain at the bottom, while those who eventually climb up are a group of officials who have committed countless atrocities.

Li Xianmu looked at Zhu Gaochi. He would never have said these words if Zhu Gaochi was the one opposite him. He solemnly asked, "Do officials not have money?"

They have countless ways to make money. Since officials are guaranteed to be wealthy, then the court should provide them with that money in a legitimate manner.

The last question was absolutely mind-blowing!
Do officials not have money?
"Mingda, do you mean to use high salaries to encourage integrity?" Zhu Gaochi's eyes lit up. "Would this really stop corruption?"

"No!" Li Xianmu answered without hesitation.

Zhu Gaochi's smile froze on his face. "Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; some people are insatiable. No matter how much you give them, they'll never feel it's enough. Raising salaries is to protect those officials who genuinely want to be good officials. I believe that as long as it can save 20% of officials from being honest and dedicated to their duties, raising salaries will not be a loss, and moreover..."

A cruel sneer appeared on Li Xianmu's face. "What I said earlier was tantamount to covering corrupt officials with a cloak of righteousness."

During the Hongwu reign, embezzling sixty taels of silver resulted in being skinned alive and stuffed with straw. Did His Majesty also find this too harsh?

Zhu Gaochi didn't speak, but only nodded. It was indeed too much.

"That's it. Your Majesty, as the emperor, thinks it's excessive, and I, as a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty, also think it's excessive, and even think that some of it is understandable."

If His Majesty is willing to increase salaries, it would be equivalent to breaking their rhetoric, and then when it comes to executing corrupt officials in the future, we can question them directly!

Zhu Gaochi's face immediately lit up. "I can question this person, 'I pity the officials for their hard work and have increased their salaries. Their entire families and even their welcoming and sending off of guests are all included in this. Why are they still so greedy?' People will surely condemn this person instead of blaming the emperor."

Li Xianmu smiled and said, "Exactly!"

"Mingda, what you said today has been a revelation to me. Raising the salaries of officials is indeed an urgent matter."

Li Xianmu smiled and said, "High salaries may not necessarily foster integrity, but low salaries certainly cannot. High salaries + supervision + heavy penalties will inevitably improve the integrity of the official ranks."

To eliminate corruption is simply wishful thinking.

"Mingda, how do you think we should increase salaries? How much should we raise them by? Too much would greatly increase expenses, while too little would be barely worth it."

"The salaries of high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above should be increased by two to three times, because most of these high-ranking officials have concurrent salaries, plus the wives of officials and ladies of high rank, each of whom have their own salaries, and they also have family property. They are exempt from land taxes and corvée labor for a large number of people, so most of them are not short of money."

Exempting officials from corvée labor was actually a huge sum of money. The salaries of high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty were not low. Even Hai Rui, who was as incorruptible and intolerant of wrongdoing, could afford to take concubines.

Normally, officials of the fourth rank or above would not lack money simply by investing in land.

"The key issue is officials below the fifth rank. Their salaries are too low, while their expenses are too high. Their salaries should be at least five times higher. If their salaries are increased by so much and they still try to take money from those below, then they can't blame the court when it comes time to behead them."

Zhu Gaochi hesitated now. "If it's five times, won't that greatly increase the financial burden on the imperial court?"

“This money naturally cannot come directly from the imperial court,” Li Xianmu explained. “Does Your Majesty really believe that the imperial court can collect all the taxes that are due?”

"Of course not. In recent years, we have gradually started using silver to collect taxes, which has reduced a lot of losses. However, there are still a lot of losses when smelting silver, and the court has repeatedly tried to stop it but to no avail." Zhu Gaochi was quite clear about these matters.

Collecting taxes in silver was naturally more convenient for the imperial court than collecting taxes in kind, but it also resulted in losses due to fire.

"This is local officials intercepting funds privately. It is not considered embezzlement and does not violate the laws of the Ming Dynasty. Rather, it is a behavior that the court prohibits but cannot control."

As I said, officials can't possibly be poor; they have countless ways to put money in their pockets.

Zhu Gaochi shook his head helplessly, not too angry, after all, he had already said so much.

"In the past, the court did not care about the fire tax, but it cannot be ignored in the future. I suggest that the fire tax be turned over to the public and that local governments should not be allowed to retain it privately. Then, the fire tax should be used as extra salary and given back to the officials."

The money that was previously illicit or even illegal was transformed into legitimate salaries for the imperial court, so that even upright officials who were unwilling to participate could benefit.

As for those officials who insist on intercepting [the goods], we'll see if they're stubborn enough to back down, or if the court's sword is sharp enough.

The lost tax revenue was returned to the public treasury, and then distributed as rewards.

In this way, the amount of taxes the imperial court received remained unchanged, while the officials' legitimate income increased.

Zhu Gaochi was tempted. Li Xianmu had considered all aspects of the situation for him, leaving him no choice but to agree.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Li Xianmu, the greatest reformer of the Ming Dynasty, had a famous insight into reform—

"When is the best time for reform? It's now."

When a policy has accumulated many problems, it has actually missed its best opportunity.

When you implement a policy, you must pay close attention to its characteristics and be prepared to correct it at any time.

This is what is meant by "a skillful strategist achieves no great feats!"

Only ten years after the silver tax gradually replaced the in-kind tax, and only three years after the practice of withholding fire tax became popular in the Ming Dynasty, Li Xianmu proposed the policy of returning fire tax to the public. Many people may not care about this policy, which is little known in history, but I see a terrifying future in it.

Fortunately, that future was decisively aborted by Li Xianmu during that conversation in the first year of the Hongxi reign. —From "Changes in the Political System of the Ming Dynasty"

(End of this chapter)