Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"Of course, a small official is pursuing wealth."

Although Zhu Di didn't want to admit it in his heart, he had to admit that according to the current model of separation of officials and local staff in the Ming Dynasty, there really was no room for promotion for junior officials.

The only promotion space left for minor officials is also in the capital, because only the capital has first- to third-grade yamen, and there are none in the local area.

Since there is no room for promotion, the petty officials will naturally have no choice but to make money crazily.

But when he thought of this, Zhu Di felt that the clerks were not making money, but were stabbing his flesh bit by bit with soft knives!

My money! My money!

But what can Zhu Di do?

Nine tribes Xiaoxiaole?

Obviously it is not easy to use, not to mention the nine tribes, even the ten tribes, or the more ruthless Yi three tribes (referring to the father's tribe, mother's tribe, wife's tribe, and the wider scope of implication).

Because killing people alone can only provide temporary pleasure and cannot solve the fundamental problem.

Of course, it’s okay to be happy for a while.

But back to the topic, Zhu Di couldn't think of any good solution for a while.

Increase the salary of petty officials?

Even more undesirable.

If we increase the salaries of petty officials, should we increase the salaries of all officials? If everyone increases, can Ming's finances bear it?

Furthermore, even if the Ming Dynasty's finances can bear it and the salaries of officials and petty officials have been increased, can you guarantee that the officials and petty officials of the Ming Dynasty are not greedy?

impossible!

Because people's hearts are not enough, Zhu Di had heard Jiang Xinghuo talk about the theory of "health factors and motivating factors" as early as the first class on the issue of salary increase.

The increase in salary and salary is naturally a sign of the emperor's grace at the beginning. Everyone kneels down to thank God, and maybe they will be really inspired in their hearts. Then they will work hard and be honest for a while, maybe a month, maybe half a year, all based on their conscience, who can say for sure?

But then, as monthly salaries are paid out on time, officials and petty officials will soon regard this newly increased salary as something they deserve, and then return to their previous lazy state.

As for evaluating minor officials like the vassal clan?

Zhu Di believed that it was still not feasible because the vassal king did not have local financial power and had to rely on the court for support. The main income of the clan came from the court's financial allocation to the clan.

But the petty officials are different. Even if they don't need the meager salary, they can still use the power in their hands to crush the people's bones and suck their marrow.

Therefore, the result of the assessment of petty officials is likely to be that the local petty officials are collectively corrupt and their performance is a mess, but they will still be greedy as they should, because firstly, if all the corrupt petty officials cannot be cleared out, then there will be no one to work; secondly, they will be greedy. The second is the root problem mentioned just now. There are no promotion channels for local officials. There are two things to get promoted and make a fortune. Since people can't get promoted, they can only think about getting rich.

"I have a friend."

Originally, Zheng He wanted to ask Jiang Xinghuo if this friend was himself based on his own personal experience, but Jiang Xinghuo later broke his idea.

Jiang Xinghuo said, "My name is Huang Zongxi."

Huang Zongxi is still two hundred years away from his birth. Naturally, no such person has been found. However, Jiang Xinghuo said this out of respect for him and did not want to directly apply the name of other people's laws to himself, so he said it casually. He asked.

"He proposed a very interesting law, which I will name Huang Zongxi's law. It is about how in the management process of a feudal country, the low-level officials who pursue wealth distort the policy, and how to make the management of the feudal country start from the bottom up. Get out of control."

"The content of the law is that in the history of feudal countries, taxes and fees were changed more than once, but after each tax and fee change, due to the limitations of the social and temple environment of the feudal country at that time, the burden on farmers in the feudal country dropped for a period of time. Rising to a higher level than before the tax reform is the so-called accumulation of irreversible harm."

After saying that, Jiang Xinghuo picked up another thick branch and started making gestures on the ground.

Actual burden after tax reform = actual burden before the first tax reform + (number of tax reforms * average amount of horizontal levies)

"Do you understand?"

Zhu Di's face darkened obviously. He had been listening to lectures through the wall before, so he had no intuitive understanding of these strange formulas.

But to Zhu Di's surprise, his silly son actually nodded seriously after chanting it several times.

"I can understand." Zhu Gaoxu said with certainty.

In fact, formulas are easy to understand as long as you are familiar with Jiang Xinghuo's expressions. The reason why Zhu Di is difficult to understand is because he is not familiar with them. Therefore, at first glance, it seems like reading a book from heaven, which does not mean that Zhu Di is stupid.

But his stupid son's confident performance made Zhu Di unable to deal with it.

"Can you understand? Explain?"

Zhu Gaoxu said proudly: "This means that before the first tax reform, a farmer only paid one stone of grain tax, but once the tax reform was implemented, the burden of excessive taxation would be increased by one stone. The number of stones."

"Why are there changes and additions?"

Zheng He suddenly asked, this was because he had not listened to the lectures originally, and the content about tax system reform happened to be taught before he was imprisoned, so he did not hear it.

"Mr. Jiang said this before when he talked about tax system changes."

Zhu Gaoxu paused and said: "At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the tax system of rent and adjustment was established. If there is land, there will be rent, if there is a household, there will be tax. If there is a body, there will be tax. If you rent, you will get grain. If you rent, you will get silk. If you get tax, you will get silk."

"I know." Zhu Di nodded slightly.

"But when Yang Yan changed the two tax laws, there was no middle class between the rich and the poor. Although the mediocrity modulation disappeared, the mediocrity modulation was actually incorporated into the tax, right?" Zhu Gaoxu continued to ask.

"Yes." Zheng He replied.

"Later... Huh?" Zhu Gaoxu scratched his beard and then remembered that he seemed to have overlooked an important issue. The two-tax-three-thirds system is not an increase in taxes, but a change in the distribution of taxes.

As for the latter part, Mr. Jiang seems not to have talked about it.

Jiang Xinghuo smiled and took over the words: "Later, in the Song Dynasty, Yong Tiao did not reduce the rent from the Two Taxes Law, but started to collect Ding Shen rice money again."

"People in the Song Dynasty commented: The two taxes are rent; Ding Shen is a mediocre tune. Did you know that it is a gift that comes out again? How can it be done if the name of mediocre tune is not gone! Therefore, Yang Yan's benefit is small for a while, but it is harmful It will be great for future generations."

Jiang Xinghuo teased: "This principle is the same when applied to our little story. You might as well think about it. For example, Huang Wulang, the envoy of Yacheng's recruitment, was beheaded in public, and the deputy envoy of Yacheng's recruitment was promoted. What would he face? What will the people of Yacheng who are so angry do? It must be to combine a series of exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes, including 'money'."

"This is natural." Zhu Di responded.

"This involves a variable in the 'Huang Zongxi's Law' just mentioned, which is the so-called 'average amount of horizontal taxes'. This average amount of horizontal taxes is relatively difficult to measure. It can only be measured after several tax reforms. Of course, the important thing is not the average, but the 'average amount' itself. From a mathematical point of view, it is a number that far exceeds the amount of tax payable."

Zhu Di's eyes lit up, and he grasped the essence of the problem almost instantly, which was also the problem that had troubled him before.

"Mr. Jiang is saying that the petty officials will take action?"

Jiang Xinghuo nodded and said: "For ordinary people, the increase in the average levy is not the most terrifying thing. The most terrifying thing is that every time the average levy increases, the local officials will increase the average levy by an unknown amount. The burden will be paid twice as much to ordinary people."

——————

"How to solve it? The channels for promotion to officials can still be discussed, but now petty officials are allowed to take the imperial examination. How can we broaden the channels for promotion and solve the problem that local petty officials cannot seek official positions but only seek wealth, and then exploit local people. "

Zhu Gaochi frowned deeply and fell into the same trouble as his father just now.

There is a misunderstanding that was widely circulated in Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, that is, just as many people think that minor officials cannot be promoted to officials, many people think that minor officials cannot participate in the imperial examination.

Even many scholars and writers will spread it like this without detailed research.

But it is worth mentioning that just as petty officials cannot be promoted to officials, but only those in the first- to third-grade yamen can be promoted to officials, petty officials are also not unable to take the imperial examination.

This misunderstanding comes from an edict issued by Zhu Yuanzhang, the great emperor of the Ming Dynasty, in the fourth year of Hongwu. In July of the fourth year of Hongwu, the edict said: Only officials with bad mental skills are not allowed to take the exam.

——That is, a complete ban on officials taking the examination.

However, this policy is predicated on a special historical background. That is, officials in the Yuan Dynasty had a high status and could take the imperial examination. However, in the early days of the Ming Dynasty, when PepsiCo was founded, the world had not yet been unified, and wars were still going on. In order to facilitate the smooth transition of political power, most of the old systems of the Yuan Dynasty were inherited. Therefore, when the imperial examination was first opened in August of the third year of Hongwu, officials were allowed to enter the examination according to the custom. The conditions for admission were that they were in service, had no offenses, and had practiced in the industry.

Why did Zhu Yuanzhang fall out in just one year?

That is because in the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the ability to control local administration was weak, and almost all relied on the local administrative system inherited from the Yuan Dynasty. The same was true for the imperial examinations, which led to the corruption of petty officials whose interests were intertwined in the local area. In the imperial examination hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was displeased and dismissed a number of minor officials who had passed the imperial examination to become officials in the third year of Hongwu. In more than ten years, Ming Dynasty gradually completed Ming's control of the local administrative system.

After this rectification process was completed, Zhu Yuanzhang announced that minor officials would once again be allowed to take the imperial examination. At this time, the Ming Dynasty's control over the local administrative system had also been greatly enhanced.

When Zhu Yuanzhang resumed the imperial examination in March of the 17th year of Hongwu, the rules for officials to take the examination were: "Retired officials are dismissed, and officials are not allowed to take the examination." In other words, minor officials who had been punished in the past could not participate in the imperial examination, and there were no other restrictions. .

In terms of promotion, junior officials can become officials and participate in the imperial examination.

In terms of making a fortune, you cannot increase the salary of small officials, otherwise it will be useless.

Everything that can be done has been done, what else can be done to these low-income officials?

Zhu Gaochi could only look at the eavesdropping sound-amplifying wall covered with tiny cracks.