The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 288 Conspiracy
"The Ming Dynasty had provincial inspectors, censors, governors and chief censors, as well as the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, all of which were supervisory officials. Is it necessary to establish an anti-corruption bureau now?"

"Isn't this kind of layered and redundant organization a recipe for bloated bureaucracy?"

Some people were puzzled.

No matter what kind of government office it is, it cannot operate without funding. Since Li Xianmu came to power, he has repeatedly increased the number of bureaucratic offices, from the Naval Commandery and the Water Transport Office during the Yongle era, to the addition of the Provincial Administration Commissions of the Five Provinces, the addition of the Governors and Censors-in-Chief, and the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The number of officials in the Ming Dynasty has increased considerably.

"Shouzheng Gong has stated that arresting one corrupt official can solve the Anti-Corruption Bureau's funding problem for several years. And can't you see that?"

One of the regulations established by the Anti-Corruption Bureau allows officials at all levels to file a report with evidence and then apply to be transferred to the bureau.

This was clearly because the Anti-Corruption Bureau had just been established, and the Ming Dynasty had thousands of counties, so it was impossible to find enough suitable personnel. They needed to select young officials with integrity and ambition from among the scholars in order to quickly establish lower-level government offices.

Can't you see that scholars of the School of Mind are now enthusiastically joining the newly established anti-corruption bureaus in various places?

Several years later, these people will have made contributions, gained experience, and taken advantage of the fight against corruption to severely punish those former officials. This force will then grow rapidly and may even be able to influence the political situation.

During the Hongwu reign, there were so many young vice ministers and ministers because the Taizu Emperor had killed so many corrupt officials that there was no one left in the court.

The same principle applies today. After the Anti-Corruption Bureau has dealt with a large number of people, won't they need to replace them with new officials?
This Anti-Corruption Bureau must be a major strategic move by the Grand Secretary!

These words were a revelation to a large group of people, making them suddenly realize the truth.

"Now that the Grand Secretary concurrently serves as the Minister of Personnel, he can directly appoint officials below the fourth rank, and the appointment and removal of senior officials are also subject to the deliberation of the Cabinet."

hiss.

this……"

"Wouldn't this allow us to spread our disciples and former subordinates throughout the land in the fastest possible time? After that, how could we possibly fail in anything we do?"

After a moment's thought, everyone realized that if the Anti-Corruption Bureau really achieved results, it would be terrifying, and Li Xianmu's power would be able to reach every corner of the Ming Dynasty.

The Anti-Corruption Division is like a sharp knife hanging over the head of every official.

"Is that so? Brother, you are truly intelligent. In that case, isn't now the perfect time to join?"

"Fastest promotion, best future."

"No!"

The man smiled and shook his head.

"When the Anti-Corruption Bureau was established, it was different from other government offices. Once you entered it, you would be stuck there for almost your whole life. For the top three Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), it was a top-tier place. For the Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations), it was a place with a bright future. But for the top Jinshi in the second rank, once they entered, they would be restricted."

For official positions below the fourth rank, the Ministry of Personnel could directly grant them; however, for the fourth rank, candidates would need to choose from existing positions within the Censorate, and there were very few positions above the Censorate.

This statement immediately dampened the enthusiasm of many, which makes sense, as competition on the same line is naturally much fiercer.

In particular, although the governor and the censor-in-chief were nominally affiliated with the Censorate, they were actually high-ranking local officials and not subject to the same level of supervision.

Why is there such a rule against transferring to other departments?

Some people were puzzled, saying that this was not in line with the prevailing notion that officials were all-powerful, especially the local officials who were in charge of everything. "This kind of thing didn't start with the Anti-Corruption Bureau; it started with the Maritime Transport Office. In all these years, have you seen a single official from the Maritime Transport Office transferred out?"

"Grand Secretary Li must be quite dissatisfied with the fact that officials today are ignorant of the facts, entrust all matters to their advisors and associates, and leave the important matters to their clerks."

If the Grand Secretary continues to govern, the three highly specialized ministries—the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works—may gradually cease relocation.

"This……"

For a moment, everyone was somewhat bewildered. If that were really the case, the change would be too great. Compared to this, the matter of the Anti-Corruption Bureau seemed insignificant.

Li Xianmu was naturally unaware that there were quite a few capable people among the common people who had analyzed the reasons for his establishment of the Anti-Corruption Bureau with great accuracy, but even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

Because this is an open conspiracy.

Anti-corruption has always been one of the most politically correct things in China. Even in the Qing Dynasty, when political corruption was at its extreme and the saying "a clean prefect can amass 100,000 taels of silver in three years" was popular, no one dared to openly say that corruption was right.

However, they were being too simplistic in their thinking.

Putting aside the fact that it's impossible to actually eliminate all the officials in the country, even if a large number of them were eliminated, it's impossible to actually replace them all with one's own people. If that were the case, where would the emperor be placed?
Even if Zhu Zhanji trusted Li Xianmu, he would never agree to him doing that.

But this couldn't be done while Zhu Zhanji was alive. However, Li Xianmu knew that he would pass away in the tenth year of Xuande's reign. At that time, the new emperor would not be more than nine years old, and that would be the time for him to fully unleash his power.

Li Xianmu is currently focused on the news coming back from the anti-corruption bureaus of various provinces. The anti-corruption bureaus have only been established for a short time and urgently need some major events to prove themselves.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau can find information that other government departments cannot, proving that the establishment of this agency is not merely for show. At the same time, it is necessary to build the prestige of the Anti-Corruption Bureau to the point that officials tremble at the mere mention of it.

A sword must be sharp enough to instill fear.

As for preventing officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau from being transferred elsewhere, in addition to ensuring that they are dedicated to their duties, it is also to eliminate any other ambitions. If there are too many options, they will inevitably become less dedicated. Only by focusing on anti-corruption and promotion can they maximize their effectiveness.

"What if the anti-corruption campaign targets the nobility?" Zhang Wan asked with some concern. "They are all old friends and relatives; it will be difficult to handle."

Back in the Republican era, Chiang Kai-shek's eldest son went to Shanghai to fight corruption, but ended up targeting his own people and ultimately accomplished nothing before being recalled.

This has always been the case; once it involves members of the imperial family or relatives of the emperor, it becomes extremely difficult to implement.

Li Xianmu's confidants naturally knew that this anti-corruption campaign was mainly targeting civil officials. After all, Li Xianmu was the Minister of Personnel, in charge of the appointment, dismissal, and selection of civil officials, not the Minister of War, nor the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies.

Moreover, if the truth were to fall on the nobles, the emperor would try his best to cover it up, so the deterrent effect would not be as good as desired, and it would not have the desired impact.

But can the nobles really just ignore it?

"If the investigation really leads to nobles, suppress it first and investigate the civil officials first. The Anti-Corruption Bureau has limited manpower, so it is normal to delay for a while."

The real trouble lies in royal affairs.

Li Xianmu rubbed his temples and touched the incense sticks, thinking to himself, "Should I ask my father?"

(End of this chapter)