Three Kingdoms

Autumn is the end of the scorching summer and the end of the cold winter. This time is probably the best season of the year. There is neither the lingering coldness and lingering dampness of spring nor the winter that is so cold that you just want to curl up on the hot bed. It's boring, everything is just right, the sun is refreshing, and the white clouds are like cotton candy.

Fei Qian's three strategies of "Heaven, Earth and Man" to eliminate locusts curbed the spread of locusts in the three areas of Guanzhong, and also allowed the farmers in Guanzhong to start to relax and reap the rewards of a year's sweat and hard work. The first batch of crops has been harvested, and now they are waiting for the second batch of harvest, which is also the largest and heaviest batch of the year. The agriculturists scattered in various fields have begun to get busy and even mobilized. The government's pack horses and pack oxen are ready for transshipment.

Fei Qian has always believed that the blue version of the tickets in later generations is better, because after changing to red tickets, it seems that the original color in many people's hearts is either visible or directly black.

Of course, this is a joke.

But corruption is really a headache.

Does eating and drinking count as greed?

Is it considered rotten to use some and get some?

In the feudal era, what standards reached the corruption line, and was this line reasonable? Lao Zhu in the Ming Dynasty could not stop the pace of corruption even by cheating. So it is not surprising to think about the many people in later generations who have red eyes but dark hearts.

Wei Duan from the Council of Laws and Regulations had already visited once and delivered a copy of corruption laws that were neither light nor heavy, but also somewhat unclear. Fei Qian then sent him back lukewarmly, asking him to go back and start over again. Consider it.

If Party B is not allowed to change to a version of 20 or 30, is it still Party A?

This is a big problem, and even Fei Qian finds this problem very difficult.

In the feudal era, the problem of corruption was actually closely related to imperial power.

Because in ancient times, especially in feudal dynasties, the emperor represented the will of the entire country. Well, in most cases it was like this. The entire country was "the royal land", but the emperor was said to be the supreme king, but in fact He is just a lonely man who seems to own the entire country, but what he cannot manage personally is just a prisoner sitting in the Golden Palace.

Therefore, for the emperor, the bureaucracy was the only channel for contacting the outside world and controlling the country. Under this structure, the emperor did not have too strong a means of restricting the bureaucracy itself. Therefore, clean government requires the entire bureaucracy to consciously control their own hands, not to mention that most of the time the wages are low, so from the beginning of eating and drinking, taking and using, and finally developing to openly stealing and greedy for money, Isn't that normal?

Just like the Jia family in Dream of Red Mansions,

The emperor is like "Jia Mu". He seems to be the head of the family and has a good reputation. In fact, the ladies, maids, concubines, and servants below often engage in petty theft and unethical behavior. Does the emperor really not know that officials are corrupt? He knew it, but what could he do?

At most, a few people from Dongchang or Jinyiwei were sent to follow the officials openly or covertly. At first, the officials were afraid of this, so they joined in to get them involved. In the end, after a long time of hard work, the corruption became more and more serious, because in the end even Both Dongchang and Jinyiwei became corrupt together. In the end, whether it was the emperor's money, corruption money, or bribe money, it was all borne by the people, so that in the end the people were unable to make a living, and various uprisings and turmoil broke out out of tolerance.

Even if the head of the family accidentally discovers something due to his conscience, can corruption be avoided by replacing a group of more moral servants?

impossible.

Because it is the entire system that causes corruption, not just a few individuals. As long as this system exists, the result must be the same, because human nature itself is like this.

Therefore, Fei Qian admires those true revolutionaries of later generations, those great people who made selfless sacrifices, because they did things that ordinary people could not do. They surrendered their desires and showed the glorious side of human nature.

But in the feudal era, it was difficult. More people fall into desire, but as long as there is some brilliance, it is already very remarkable.

Why is corruption often out of control after the founding emperor dies?

This is because the reason why many subsequent emperors were able to sit high in the Golden Palace was that they had to have ministers to protect their authority and recognize their legitimacy. Without the endorsement of influential ministers, the emperor was nothing, just like He is the current Liu Xie.

Therefore, for the emperor, what he valued most was not corruption, but the security of the throne.

Most emperors in history did not kill ministers easily. This was a rule and a taboo. Once the emperor kills a minister, it is usually because the minister's remarks or actions involve the emperor's authority and legitimacy. This is the case in nine cases out of ten.

Therefore, for the emperor, the issue of corruption is only a national issue, not an issue of imperial power. But for the emperor who "has a family and a world", only when he has a position can he have a family and a world! As long as the emperor's power is stable, this family will exist. Part of the embezzled money should be used as a reward for the housekeeper's hard work in helping him look after the house and the courtyard. As long as the reward is not excessive, it can be divided into 28% or 37%, no matter what. Emperor, of course he turned a blind eye.

This is also the reason why people like Yan Song and He Shen are so corrupt, but the emperor still favors them very much, because the emperor also needs the transparent straw of corrupt officials to secretly absorb the wealth of the people.

Therefore, in the feudal dynasty where imperial power was respected, it must have been decided that it was impossible to completely govern the country according to the law, but could only be governed according to power. Once the power was checked and balanced, corruption would inevitably arise.

So faced with such an almost unsolvable problem, Fei Qian actually had a headache.

Fei Qian had a headache, and Wei Duan also had a headache. And it was even more painful than Fei Qian, because after Fei Qian read the first draft, he said it was slightly lacking, and then only gave Wei Duan five days to revise, and asked Wei Duan to go back and correct one or two...

Inadequacy, where is the deficiency! Wei Duan wailed endlessly, but Wei Duan did not dare to ask. He also knew that even if he asked, Fei Qian might not be able to tell.

Faced with a dilemma, Wei Duan had no choice but to make a bigger move...

"There is a saying in "Xia Shu": "Faint, Mo, and thieves are to be killed. Gao Tao's punishment is also the punishment." Wei Duan sat in the Shenlu Courtyard, looked at the group of people under him, and said slowly, "Greedy Taking a corrupt official as a motive should be punished. There are also "five faults" in "Shang Shu Lu Xing", but officials only uphold the will of the emperor and rely on power. But those who do the opposite take advantage of their power to avenge personal grudges. But for those who are inside, their relatives will do things and keep them in check secretly. Those who are materialistic, corrupt, accept bribes, and engage in extortion. But those who come here accept requests and bend the law for personal gain. The above five persons are all guilty in the same case..."

This is the main tone, the broad framework, which has been passed down from the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. It is politically correct. Naturally, no one has any opinions or dares to put forward any opinions.

What Wei Duanzhi said was that since China had a country, that is, the earliest Xia Dynasty, there has been corruption. However, at that time, the treatment of crimes was very simple, and there was only one, death penalty.

Among them, "faint" refers to doing bad things and stealing other people's reputation, "thief" refers to killing people wantonly, and "ink" refers to officials who violate laws and disciplines. The Xia Dynasty's provisions on punishment for officials violating laws and disciplines can be said to be the earliest provisions on corruption crimes in ancient Chinese criminal law.

After the Shang Dynasty, the Western Zhou Dynasty formulated an important code, "Lü Xing", which stipulated five official crimes for judicial officials - "weiguan, wei rebel, buti, weihuo, weilai", among which "weihuo" and "Weilai" respectively refer to extortion, bribery and acceptance of requests, corruption and bending the law, which are also subject to trial and punishment.

"We have summoned all the talented people here to discuss the responsibilities of "Faint and Mo"," Wei Duan looked around, "I hope you can speak freely and work together..."

Guo Tu glanced at Feng Ji, and Feng Ji happened to look at Guo Tu. Their eyes met and they understood each other.

Wei Duan dares to talk about the general direction, or in other words, anyone dares. It’s like talking about fighting corruption and promoting integrity on stage. Who wouldn’t say that? Are you singing a high-pitched tune? Isn't that voice so high-pitched?

But when it comes to "discussing responsibility" and when it comes to specific details, there is naturally no voice.

Wei Duan was unwilling and did not dare to talk about the details, because whether it was set high, low, or neither high nor low, it would be troublesome, so Wei Duan took a theory from the beginning. The framework was used to fool Fei Qian, but it was like using an outline to fool the editor, and then the editor, uh, Fei Qian called him back.

After all, with just an outline, you can deceive, uh, those who sign contracts and get money, only those few people, Wei Duan is naturally not among them, so in desperation, the only option is to "work together". As the saying goes, the law does not blame everyone, Everyone unanimously proposed that even if the board falls, it should be carried out in some portion, so that it does not all fall on your butt.

But "everyone" is not stupid either.

When a person thinks that others are a fool, he is often a fool himself. When he suspects that he is a fool, it is often because he is overthinking it and others do not think so.

So when Wei Duan hoped for a "sand sculpture" to act as the big head, he found that the biggest head was still on his head, and the rest of the people were silent, just like what Wei Duan said just now. A bunch of them, and then nothing was heard.

"Ahem..." Seeing this, Wei Duan coughed twice first, seeming to have coughed away the unspeakable embarrassment. Then he put on a smile on his face and started to roll call, "Guo Shenlu, what do you think?" Any good advice or advice? 』

Guo Tu cursed in his heart and kept a calm expression on his face.

You see I'm new here, is it easy to bully?

Wei Duan smiled and seemed very friendly, full of encouragement and expectations. He just said that everyone should applaud together and invited Guo to speak.

Just because you’re new here, who else would I bully if I didn’t bully you?

The Han Dynasty also had laws against corruption, and they were much more detailed and clear than those in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. For example, I will not talk about accepting money from others. There are also laws that distort the interpretation of the law. For example, you must predict two seconds in advance, otherwise Those who are responsible; those who bend the law based on personal circumstances, such as the one who clearly knew the results of drunk driving and refused to let him take a blood test; and those who use their power to steal the national property they control and manage, misappropriate public funds and sell off their official positions. etc……

So it’s not that there are no rules or laws, it’s that the people above take the lead in not obeying or enforcing them, or they use their power to exempt themselves from the law. For example, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty took the lead in selling his official position and getting a title. Is it possible that the Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty should be arrested and impeached? Did he chirp a hundred times?

Can Guo Tu give an answer? Obviously it's impossible. Even if there was an answer, Guo Tu would not tell him, so Guo Tu said that it was difficult to tell because he had just arrived and the situation was unclear.

Wei Duan asked Feng Ji again, and Feng Ji also said that he had little talent and little knowledge, and his situation was unknown and difficult to explain.

When asked, everyone shook his head, and when asked, everyone was humble.

In the end, Wei Duan couldn't keep the smile on his face. He was furious and asked everyone to go back and write a detailed rule and hand it in three days later. Anyone who didn't hand it in would be dismissed from office!

When Fei Qian heard what happened to Wei Duan in the Senate, he couldn't help but sneered.

Who is this for?

But it doesn’t matter. There’s no rush to settle it in a day or two. Anyway, it’s enough to slowly guide it in the direction Fei Qian wants...

Maybe some people will say it's simple, just kill them. Where do you get so many holy thoughts or unfounded thoughts?

If we follow the common people's concept of killing a corrupt official, wouldn't it be the simplest and most convenient thing to do? Then who will discover these corrupt officials? It is said that officials protect each other, so it seems that it is not possible for officials to discover and supervise, so it is for the common people to discover. After all, the eyes of the masses are sharp, and the people's judgments are fair...

Is this really the case?

The authority is at the top, but the people at the top don't follow the rules. If authority is delegated to the people, will ordinary people in the people follow the rules?

There is a saying that seems to be widely circulated, "I don't agree with your point of view, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." ” This sentence is very popular, and almost every quoter cites it as a famous saying by Voltaire. In some forums, some people regard this sentence as a talisman for their unscrupulous speech, and even use it. Sentences to mock or attack other netizens who are discussing with them. But in fact, did Voltaire himself, known as the "Father of French Thought", really say this?

No, it's what "Voltaire's Friends" said...

This reflects a very interesting phenomenon. Will ordinary people really care and find out the truth?

The more ordinary people are, the more they only think about the truth they want.

For example, the Luo Guanjun incident, corporal punishment of an asthmatic girl, Dr. Deyang An...

When future generations delegate the authority to make arbitrary comments without any responsibility to ordinary people, how many people will realize that this is a precious authority that cannot be used lightly? Which online abuser has ever been held accountable for his words and deeds? At most, they silently deleted their remarks. Some people even knew the truth in the end and still insisted on what they said at the beginning, such as "Why don't you die?" There was nothing wrong with it. It's just a "perhaps somewhat inappropriate expression" of "heart of justice". I don't feel the need to apologize to anyone...

So it is obvious that whenever there is an issue of authority, an issue of human nature will arise. Human nature needs to be supervised, but who should serve as the supervisor, and who should supervise itself?

Even when most of the later generations have escaped illiteracy and have certain knowledge and social awareness, when the emotions of the mob are ignited, the truth of many incidents is no longer the focus.

So does Fei Potential delegate power to ordinary people?

Obviously it doesn't work.

Therefore, at the moment, all Fei Qian can do is to make improvements from the top and then promote them to the bottom. It is unrealistic to implement the things Wang Mang did in the feudal dynasty.

Fei Qian was now preparing to use Zuo Fengyi's disaster relief, scratching the guy's claws and hooves to expose them, so it was like following a vine to find a melon, there must be a vine coming out to find a melon.

Cai Yan obviously failed to understand Fei Qian's thoughts. The things reported in the past two days were purely for merit. They said that this girl did a good job and that official also performed well. Maybe in Cai Yan's heart, everyone is a good person. , all are meritorious, even helping to grind ink and carry water, etc., are all merit.

Or maybe Cai Yan couldn't lose face and was unwilling to put his men on the fire. But the problem is that if you don't put your subordinates on the shelf, there is a high possibility that they will put you on the shelf and roast them.

Cai Yan's knowledge is undoubtedly top-notch, but in the officialdom, it is not just about high knowledge, but strong means. At least Wei Duan knew how to put on a show, but Cai Yan didn't understand it at all.

Cai Yan's temper may be like this, so if we want Supervisor Zhi Yin to meet Fei Qian's needs, we must either replace her or add some assistants to her to deal with those things that Cai Yan is embarrassed about or feels uncomfortable with. Easy things to do.

"Wang's concubine, how about being promoted to editor?" ” Fei Qian knocked on the table and asked Zaozhi, “There is also Chunyu, who was also mentioned as a compilator...”

In Zhiyin Prison, the post of editor, originally a deputy, was vacant and had not been appointed. As for Wang Shu, judging from his performance that day, his methods are definitely much better than Cai Yan's. Although the people who went to Langya have not come back yet, after all, the road is chaotic and not easy to walk, but for the time being, Wang Shu can It seems to be a good idea for Xiu to come out and assist Cai Yan so that Supervisor Zhiyin can really get on the right track.

On the one hand, Chun Yuying is a doctor who can carry out plague prevention and control work after the disaster. On the other hand, Chun Yuying can also be used to cover up Cai Yan and Wang Shu and attract some attention.

It's just a matter of arranging Cai Yan, Fei Qian said, but if you want to use Wang Shu to do some things, especially to let Wang Shu do some things that Cai Yan can't do, you have to find Zao Zhi at least to express an attitude, but you can't If you say you quietly used someone else's wife without saying a word, isn't that just like Lao Wang next door...

Well, although the metaphor is inappropriate, the general meaning is this.

Zao Zhi looked at Fei Qian, and his gaze made Fei Qian feel like he was looking at Lao Wang next door, "My lord, what he meant is..."