Zhu Yuanzhang can see my dreams

Chapter 311 There is no perfect solution in the world
Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth twitched as he listened to Wang Buli's judgment.

Both sides should be given a slap on the wrist, right?

But Zhu Yuanzhang has not yet refuted this judgment.

The main reason was that those officials really didn't give him face.

Zhu Yuanzhang had long ago ordered officials to treat their subordinates as slaves, mainly to rectify the bad habits left over from the Yuan Dynasty.

This is the remnant of the previous dynasty and must be taken seriously. The Ming Dynasty will never allow clerks to harm the people and accuse officials.

But as far as the current situation is concerned, few county magistrates can do what Zhu Yuanzhang ordered.

Many government affairs are supported by the clerks below.

"If this happens, won't all the evil officials in the world follow suit?"

Wang Buli Panchuan sighed and said, “Your Majesty, don’t think that I am a clerk because I didn’t take the imperial examination. I speak for the clerks.

For many scholars who have undergone the imperial examination system, their teachers were only responsible for finding ways to help them pass the imperial examinations, rather than training them to become qualified officials.

In my short two and a half years as a minor official, I served four county magistrates. They were quite proficient in poetry, songs, and the works of sages, but they knew nothing about the operation of government affairs.

“They have never received training in daily administrative work, they don’t know how to fill out reports, they don’t know how to keep accounts, and they don’t know how to effectively collect taxes from the people.

Even if there are people who care about current affairs, most of them are essentially political commentators and commentators, that is, they are good at talking, rather than experienced administrative officials.

It's really that this group of people is useless and has to rely on the clerks below to help him complete these tasks."

Zhu's strong anti-corruption efforts have resulted in the human skins and straw outside the Jiangning County government office not stopping.

And Wang Buli did not express another meaning.

In order to ensure the smooth operation of local government affairs, the imperial court would consciously cultivate a group of clerks with rich administrative experience, which was truly a case of "after the father dies, the son takes over, and after the elder brother dies, the younger brother takes over."

In the early days, Zhu Yuanzhang did not restrict minor officials from becoming officials because he lacked effective talents to govern the local area.

But he needs to maintain the authority of officials, otherwise everyone will disrespect their superiors in a similar way, and there will be more and more cases of insubordination.

By then, the foundation of his Ming Dynasty would be threatened, and that's what made him angry.

Now that Wang Buli presented the facts to him, Zhu Yuanzhang once again felt deeply helpless.

If we don't use Confucianism to control those scholars, is there any other way to control them?
Ever since Emperor Wu of Han abolished all schools of thought and promoted Confucianism alone, such a long period of time has proven that this theory is beneficial to the rulers.

The concept of "ruler is ruler, minister is minister, father is father, son is son" emphasizes the hierarchy and the relationship between superiors and inferiors, which is conducive to the ruler establishing his own authority.

Moreover, it only protects the rights of members within the class and does not advocate taking into account the interests of all people in the world.

You can only gain benefits if you become a "member of the class".

Therefore, many scholars dream of making the leap from a carp to a dragon.

In particular, the imperial examination system was used to force "scholars" onto this path.

No matter how capable you are, it will be useless if you don't pass the imperial examination.

Unless you can be as powerful as Huang Chao!
Then, in the central dynasties after the Tang Dynasty, with the continued consolidation and increasing centralization of imperial power, there was a greater demand for county-level administrators than before.

However, the acquisition of official positions became increasingly closely related to personal excellence in imperial examinations.

At the same time, it is also inseparable from the "elite scholar culture" created by the imperial examination.

The rifts between officials became increasingly obvious.

According to the view of Neo-Confucianism, political power is a privilege that only "gentlemen" can possess.

The personal qualities and moral qualities required for these people to hold official positions were recognized by the court in the form of granting them a certain official rank.

Clerks and runners were merely experts in a particular skill.

The value of people like them who undertake specific administrative affairs lies solely in the narrow "skills" they master.

In fact, it was the practical function of clerks and the narrow skills they possessed that made them unqualified for high-ranking official positions.

Technocrats were not popular in feudal dynasties.

Because they lack extensive training in literary literacy from Confucian classics.

As a result, they are unable to be influenced by the orthodox social values ​​and political ethics contained therein.

Yamen clerks were considered clearly unfit to exercise the powers possessed by officials.

The dividing lines between yamen clerks and rank-bound officials had been firmly established, and the problem became how to maintain control over these "yamen parasites."

As a result, these officials were controlled, which made Zhu Yuanzhang feel ashamed.

Zhu Yuanzhang also knew that there was a hint of Legalism in Wang Buli's ideas.

The Legalists can be roughly summarized into two prominent points.

The first is that he did not believe in the power of language education. In particular, Han Feizi extremely distrusted scholars who were keen on preaching, believing that there was a disconnect between what they said and their actions.

The second is to establish a set of behavioral rules that apply to most people and have everyone follow them.

This method is highly recognizable and easy to operate, and there are only two results: compliance or non-compliance.

On the contrary, Confucians who talk about benevolence, righteousness, and morality are living in romantic fantasies all day long.

The goals they set can only be achieved by one or two people throughout history.

Many people are far behind, it all depends on personal awareness.

Naturally, the Confucian disciples did not have a strong sense of loyalty to the court, but they had a strong sense of making money for themselves.

Because this group of people also know that the conscience awakening and moral consciousness advocated by Confucianism they studied are too difficult to implement, and the loyal people trained in this way are very rare, so they simply don't suffer that sin.

What is needed for national governance are technical officials, and it is difficult for those who became officials through the imperial examinations to adapt to this situation. Therefore, Wang Buli felt that it would be difficult for Zhu Yuanzhang to rule effectively.

This is also the difficulty of governance in feudal dynasties.

"So, without the clerks, the government offices can't function?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Wang Buli, wanting to hear his opinion.

"Best regards, Your Majesty!"

Wang Buli immediately turned Zhu Yuanzhang's question into a declarative sentence and praised him at the same time.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he rarely felt unhappy after becoming emperor, and Wang Buli was always able to cure his low blood pressure.

Zhu Biao was about to laugh out loud, but then he immediately pursed his lips and prepared to listen to Wang Buli's insightful opinion.

Both father and son lack understanding of grassroots operations.

"Without the clerks and runners in the county government, the Ming Dynasty's rule would not be able to function properly."

Wang Buli first made the final decision, and then began to elaborate:
“For example, the drafting, copying and filing of documents and files, the compilation of records after land surveying, and the registration of land and house transactions;

Receive petitions and forward them to the county magistrate, post official notices, and issue business licenses and permits.

Clerical communication with higher-level yamen, and all other matters related to the daily affairs of the county yamen.

In addition to implementing the above-mentioned administrative responsibilities, it is one of the most important mechanisms for implementing the authority of the court.

Clerks and runners also played an important role in areas such as arresting and detaining criminals, maintaining local law and order, and collecting taxes.

Can the magistrate alone have full control over these matters?

Your Majesty, do you really think that everyone can have such strong energy and determination to fight for the Ming Dynasty until death?"

Although the officials in the local government offices played an extremely important role in the administrative affairs of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang still believed that these people who served him were the most cunning and greedy villains.

At this time, Wang Buli's words of flattery did not change his inner opinion.

In orthodox thinking, yamen officials were regarded as "villains".

The work they did in the yamen was also associated with those menial forms of work that were looked down upon by people in society.

Moreover, each of them is good at using the little power in their hands to make things difficult for the people.

Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply impressed when he was a child.

"That makes sense." Zhu Biao agreed, "Dad, the clerks aren't actually that bad. Aren't there only two cases in the entire Ming Dynasty where someone dared to hit a county magistrate? And there were reasons for it."

"Bullshit, I have always suspected that the county magistrates cannot fully control the officials under their command. After this incident, if they were to make the judgment according to my son-in-law's judgment, their control would become even more fragile.

Moreover, I suspect that in the future operation of government affairs, the actual control will gradually fall into the hands of those officials.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty have all become puppets. Even if my orders are passed down to the county, their true meaning will be distorted by this group of people."

Wang Buli understood that Zhu Yuanzhang had fallen into a chain of suspicion.

He trusted no one and always wanted to find a foolproof plan to maintain his ideal of eternal inheritance of the Zhu family.

"I understand your Majesty's concerns about this situation, but according to your Majesty's current system, the way clerks and runners make their livings makes your worries even worse."

"how?"

Zhu Yuanzhang kept his composure. He wanted to hear what other insights Wang Buli had.

"Because the court only provided these yamen officials with meager subsidies or even no remuneration at all.

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, these people have relied on collecting various ubiquitous customary fees (broken rules and fees) from any common people who have dealings with the yamen.

Regardless of whether the other party voluntarily provides these fees, as long as they come to the government office to do business, they must pay.

Although this practice was officially prohibited, it was the primary reason why clerks and runners gained the notoriety of being corrupt and profit-driven.

Your Majesty, in your early years before you rebelled, you must have encountered many such evil officials, right? "

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly. He also followed the system of the previous dynasty and did not pay the officials. That is, the formal officials only received a subsidy of one stone of grain every month, and the rest of the staff had to pay money to work for the court.

"These people only know how to seek profit, and have no gratitude. If the officials are lenient, they will indulge in their desires, but if the officials are strict, they will stop because they are afraid of the power."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not think he had done anything wrong. He was strict with his officials so that they would work wholeheartedly for the court and would not dare to ask for money from the people easily.

But the money that the court ultimately saved was taken away in another way.

"Your Majesty, if you don't pay me, it will be hard for me to help you!"

Listening to Wang Buli's casual words, Zhu Yuanzhang opened his eyes wide and stared at him, speechless for a while.

Zhu Biao suddenly understood why Wang Buli always used money to pave the way and mobilize everyone's enthusiasm.

It turns out that this set of rules is the operating rules in the county government.

As for what Wang Buli just said about those salaried officials not working hard for the Ming Dynasty, do you think the clerks and runners who have no place to get their money will work hard?
No matter what, it is still driven by interests.

Otherwise, why should I work for you obediently?

Zhu Biao did not speak easily, as the system was set by his father.

After a long silence, Zhu Yuanzhang finally spoke: "Buli, if someone else said this, I would have to kick him out, give him a beating in court, and let him stay in jail for a few days."

Wang Buli spread his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am your son-in-law. If I were someone else, I would not bother to say such unpleasant words and bring trouble to myself."

"Hahaha."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed out loud. This kid is really good at being stubborn.

His original intention was to tell Wang Buli that he valued him very much, but Wang Buli interrupted him and asked Zhu Yuanzhang to remember his "kindness"!
"Well, not bad." Zhu Yuanzhang pinched his beard and said:
"Ordinary people won't tell us their true feelings, and we have to be a family to do that!"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt more and more that he had made the right move in granting the marriage.

Only by tying Wang Buli to the Ming Dynasty ship will he give us some good advice with all his heart.

Wang Buli was not fooled by Zhu Yuanzhang's empty promises and PUA. It was really outdated for this stingy boss like Zhu to use such tactics.

No one in the court knew about the problems just now. Zhu just wanted to save money, and because he hated clerks, he didn't want to understand at all.

Therefore, we intend to punish the two clerks who beat officials severely.

Now that Wang Buli had pointed it out, he had no choice but to take the matter seriously.

"But once all the counties in the country are run according to your Jiangning County model, the emperor is far away and it is more likely to cause false cases and wrongful convictions."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up and strolled a few steps, then stopped in front of a large map with pictures of various parts of the world.

"The imperial court doesn't have enough money to support such a large expenditure!"

Zhu Yuanzhang put his hands behind his back, stared at the map and said:
"I always remember you said that if too many banknotes were printed, they would become worthless."

He had been waiting for Wang Buli to talk about the Japanese silver mine.

But after waiting for a long time, he still didn't hear what Wang Buli said, and he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

This guy hides too deeply.

However, Wang Buli wanted to speak out that this matter was not easy to explain away.

You have never even been out to sea. The Japanese themselves don’t know that they have a large silver mine. How do you know that?

Could it be that I was dreaming?

Wang Buli was also thinking, and then he said:
"Your Majesty, I heard from Lan Yu that there are copper mines in Yunnan. As long as we conquer Yunnan, there will be no shortage of copper coins in the Ming Dynasty.

Although the imperial court does not supply much goods to Goryeo now, it still makes considerable profits.

Moreover, institutional changes cannot be accomplished overnight. Once you have money, you can change many things.”

"The matter of the Yunnan copper mine is so illusory. I am still quite worried."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and stopped forcing Wang Buli.

"Dad, actually what my brother-in-law said makes sense. If we don't pay those officials, then they will naturally find ways to get the money back from the people doubled."

Zhu Biao also saw the changes in the clerks and yamen runners in Jiangning County. These people were very motivated to get subsidies.

If this policy were implemented throughout the Ming Dynasty, even though the imperial court would have to spend a lot of money, the living environment of the people would ultimately be much better.

And if they dare to take action again, we can punish this group of people even better.

"We are all human beings. Except for Your Majesty and a small number of people, no one is willing to sacrifice their own money to build the Ming Dynasty."

Wang Buli stressed again: "Some money may seem to be saved, but it will be paid back double in the future and create an irreversible bad situation."

"So, in addition to external supervision, we also need to establish what you call internal rules?"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was still unhappy in his heart, he wanted to know something about it and did not simply condemn it.

"Internal rules can restrain people from breaking the rules, otherwise they will be fired.

We must not let everyone in the room be implicated because of one person's mistake. This is also a means of mutual supervision."

Wang Buli would not tell Zhu Yuanzhang about his ability to control people's hearts.

There were less than ten people in the torture room at the time, so there was no need for any sophisticated methods. He believed that Lao Zhu was much more mature than him in this regard.

"If we distribute money in the future, then it can't be a case of the son inheriting the family property after the father's death."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not want local officials to be mobile, but as a result, these clerks were all passed down from generation to generation.

By then they all became teachers of the "officials".

If they intermarry with each other, the complicated local relationships will weaken the power of the already weak officials.

In the future, if the imperial court issues orders and the county magistrate cannot control the county government at all, who will be able to work for the Ming Dynasty?

By then, the local authorities will be controlled by clerks. Wouldn't I be ruling the world like the clerks?
Wang Buli also nodded slightly, Zhu Yuanzhang's worries were correct.

However, many of the systems he created were based on the principle of inheriting the throne from father to son. The main premise was to maintain the rule of the Ming Dynasty, thus making it stagnant so that every generation of the Zhu family could become emperor.

It was to prevent someone from becoming the emperor and seizing the empire from the Zhu family.

"Your Majesty, I believe that there is no perfect policy in the world. If a policy can be maintained for a hundred years, it is enough to prove that it is extremely powerful.

Even if all schools of thought were abolished and Confucianism was the only one respected, it would not be able to stop the rise and fall of dynasties. "

Wang Buli sat on the chair and said: "Instead of wasting time thinking about what the world will be like hundreds of years later, it is better to do well in the present. After all, it is not uncommon for people to die and their governments to end."

Zhu Biao agreed with Wang Buli's words.

Because he also had this idea, and saw the foolish actions of his descendants in the fairyland, he was powerless to stop them. He could only find ways to fill the loopholes so that the Ming Dynasty could last longer.

However, Zhu Biao felt that his father had different ideas from his own. He was determined to maintain the Zhu Dynasty for eternity and worked tirelessly for it.

(End of this chapter)