Huangming

Chapter 27: Increasing Revenue and Reducing Expenditure, Thoroughly Investigating Corruption
After three years of clearing the magistrate's office, he received one hundred thousand snowflakes and silver.

The salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were indeed low. A first-rank official's annual salary was only 1044 shi (a unit of dry measure), which, at the current prices in the capital, was only equivalent to 87 taels of silver.

A county magistrate of the seventh rank only received an annual salary of 90 shi (a unit of dry measure), which was equivalent to only 7.5 taels of silver, barely enough to support a family of five.

From this perspective, being an official in the Ming Dynasty was truly the worst possible situation.

However.
Is it really the truth?
Of course not.

If Ming Dynasty officials relied solely on their legally mandated salaries, they could hardly make a living, so they generally depended on "gray income."

Although there was no formal system, local officials intercepted a portion of tax revenue as subsidies through "fire loss," with county magistrates receiving 50-200 taels of silver annually.

The higher you go, the more you earn.

There were also public allowances, and local officials could use the income from "public land" for the daily expenses of their offices.

During festivals, some officials would receive rewards, such as the Grand Secretary who could receive 100-500 taels of silver, but this was not a regular occurrence.

In addition to these legal incomes, there are also illegal, but tacitly accepted, gray incomes within the officialdom.

For example, the losses collected during taxation, such as the loss from melting and casting silver fragments, were actually a disguised form of taxation.

For example, the "festival gifts" (ice gifts in summer and charcoal gifts in winter) that local officials sent to officials in the capital were regulated according to their rank.

The governor sent 1000 taels of silver to the chief minister annually.

The county magistrate presented the governor with 50 taels of silver per year.

Even when the imperial court levied additional taxes under the guise of "river repair," "disaster relief," or "Liaoning tax," local officials could retain a portion for their own use.

In addition, there was the practice of accepting "tribute money" for judging cases, and so on.

In the Ming Dynasty, being an official only meant a low income on the surface; in reality, which of these officials wasn't well-fed and clothed?
And which one doesn't have several concubines?
Why did an incorruptible official like Hai Rui become so famous? Why was he made a role model by the imperial court?
It's simply because there are too few people like that.

The more something is lacking, the more it should be promoted.

This is an eternal truth.

The emperor remained silent, but his eyes were dark and gloomy. Wei Chao knew what he should do at this moment.

The eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were always the emperor's henchmen.

Things that the emperor couldn't do or say, they had to express.

Therefore, Wei Chao, head held high and chest puffed out, questioned his ministers from the steps: "Are all the officials of the Ming Dynasty truly as incorruptible as water? Are they all penniless?"

Wang An colluded with foreign officials, which is why he was disliked by the emperor, leading to a change in the position of Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Having learned from Wang An's example, the Wei dynasty naturally dared not collude with foreign officials. In order to please the new emperor, it even had to pretend to be in opposition to foreign officials.

"Li Sancai, a native of Tongzhou in Shuntian Prefecture, once served as the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and the Governor of Fengyang. He accepted bribes from salt merchants, earning tens of thousands of taels of gold annually. He also allowed his servants to forcibly seize farmland from the people. His mansion, 'Shuizhu Villa,' was extremely luxurious, and he kept dozens of singing girls. He owned thousands of acres of estate in Tongzhou, making him 'the richest man in the region, acting like a king.' Is that right?"

"As for Gu Xiancheng, whom the Supervising Secretary mentioned earlier, he belongs to the Gu family of Wuxi. His family has abundant land and shops, so how can he say that his family has no surplus wealth?"

"Do you all not know how much additional income our Ming Dynasty officials receive besides their salaries?"

Some things weigh less than four ounces on the scale, but if you put them on the scale, they can weigh a thousand pounds.

This is clearly the unspoken rule in officialdom.

Yang Lian immediately roared, "You treacherous eunuch, how dare you insult a subject of my Great Ming Dynasty! In your eyes, are all officials of my Great Ming Dynasty corrupt and incompetent? Are you trying to deceive the Holy Emperor?"

Yang Lian was indeed qualified to say such things; he took Hai Rui as his role model.

Aside from his salary, he refused all other gifts, including ice and charcoal, and was so poor that he "had no cotton clothes in winter and ate only one bowl of porridge a day."

of course
Yang Lian's integrity was reminiscent of Hai Rui.

However, his bottom line is not as firm as Hai Rui's, and he is also more flexible in his actions.

It can only be said to resemble it in form, but not in spirit.

"I am not so foolish as to be deceived by eunuchs."

Zhu Youxiao finally spoke up. "Liaodong must be defended, and the Liaodong military pay must be raised. Our soldiers on the border have shed blood and sacrificed their lives. How can our Great Ming Dynasty delay paying their soldiers? If this continues, morale will surely plummet, and this will harm the country!"

Zhu Youxiao's words had already set the tone.

Money has to be paid.

But how to get it out, and from where?

This is what needs to be discussed and resolved.

"Your Majesty, there may be corrupt officials among your ministers. But if the salaries of all the ministers are used to pay the Liaodong military expenses, how will honest officials conduct themselves? Does Your Majesty wish for the Ming Dynasty to be full of corrupt officials?"

Yang Lian made a scathing critique.

However.
Zhu Youxiao had been waiting for him to say those words.

"I know that the Grand Censor is an incorruptible official, and I naturally hope that all the civil and military officials in the court, and all the officials in the country, are as incorruptible, loyal to the country, and devoted to the people as the Grand Censor. However, are many officials in the Ming Dynasty today truly like that?"

Being praised like that by the new emperor, Yang Lian felt as refreshed as drinking iced plum juice on a sweltering summer day.

He was already seeking fame, and now His Majesty's words have only enhanced Yang Lian's reputation.

Zhu Youxiao continued speaking.

He took out a cheat sheet he had prepared beforehand and, in front of all the civil and military officials, legitimately recited it verbatim:

"Since I ascended the throne, I have been constantly vigilant, fearing that my virtue is insufficient to inherit this great legacy. However, recently, the censors have submitted a series of memorials, directly exposing the evils of corruption: some have embezzled Liaodong funds to enrich themselves, others have exploited the common people to curry favor with powerful eunuchs, and still others have sold official positions and titles, and confiscated property. Such behavior betrays the laws of our ancestors and goes against the expectations of the people; they are truly traitors to the country and enemies of the people!"

The Book of Documents states: "A minister should not rely on favor or profit to secure success."

I am now determined to clean up official corruption:

An imperial edict ordered the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to conduct a joint trial, examining all land and tax deeds of officials of the third rank and above. Any land exceeding a thousand mu but for which taxes were less than half was to be punished as "fraudulently registered land."
Two orders were issued to thirteen imperial censors to inspect prefectures and counties, strictly investigate fire loss, surplus, and apportionment, and anyone who dared to levy even a single coin privately would be executed on the spot.
The three Xu soldiers and civilians truthfully reported corrupt officials. For each case involving more than a thousand taels of silver in illicit gains, half of the reward would be given, and one of their sons would be allowed to be imprisoned.

I have heard that Emperor Xuan of Han executed Huo Yu and the Han dynasty was restored, and Emperor Taizu of Song beheaded Zhang Qiong and the imperial guards were disciplined. Now, the Ming dynasty's discipline is in disarray, and it needs the force of thunder!

From princes and dukes to lowly officials, if anyone is found to be corrupt, embezzling public funds, or harming the people, I will personally draw up an imperial edict and have them executed in the West Market. No one, not even close relatives or meritorious officials, will be spared!

All officials should be mindful of their conduct and work together to uphold justice and integrity.

After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, the officials in the Wenhua Hall stood in solemn silence.

But no one dared to step forward and argue.

This was because thoroughly investigating corruption was politically correct in the Ming Dynasty.

The founding emperor himself strongly advocated it and practiced it personally.

This once made being an official during the Hongwu reign the most difficult job in China's five-thousand-year history.

"What do you dear ladies think?"

Yang Lian immediately praised it highly.

"Your Majesty's move is a virtuous policy that benefits the country and its people!"

Most of the others agreed to celebrate.

But some people frowned, looking like they wanted to say something but couldn't.

Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe was the one who frowned.

On the one hand, he felt gratified to see the Ming emperor working so hard for the country and its people.

The Ming Dynasty has not had such a responsible emperor for far too long.

But on the other hand...

A thorough investigation into corruption will lead to great chaos.

Can His Majesty withstand the pressure?
Can the Ming Dynasty afford it?

(End of this chapter)