Chapter 101 Legislation is not about implementation, but about deterrence!

"Let's talk about the ministers in the court. The annual salary of a first-rank minister is 900 dan, which is indeed enough, but it is only enough!"

"But have you ever thought about the fact that their whole family, including their family members and maids, don't they need to eat?"

"Could it be that people have studied hard for more than ten years and become officials of our Ming Dynasty just to have enough food and clothing?"

"What if someone in the family gets sick?"

"What about weddings and funerals?"

"Why don't you think about it?"

"What can I do with the little salary you give me?"

After a pause, Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said.

The tone was still unpleasant.

Corruption was rampant among officials in the Ming Dynasty!
The reason was that the salary set by Zhu Yuanzhang for them was too low, and there was also a strict law established in the 18th year of Hongwu, which stipulated that anyone who embezzled 60 taels of silver would be punished by being skinned alive.

Of course, it’s not that scary now, but embezzlement of more than 60 taels is basically punishable by death!

This results in petty corruption that was originally just a momentary act of confusion, but with no room for maneuver. Officials will think, since it's a capital crime anyway, why not become more corrupt?

Anyway, it’s death!
Just like what Chen Sheng and Wu Guang said during the uprising, if we perish now we shall die, if we uphold justice we shall also die. Is it acceptable to wait for death and die for our country?
Although the circumstances are different, the principles are the same. Fleeing means death, and rebelling also means death. Since both are likely to lead to death, it is better to rebel!
After these words were spoken, even Zhu Yuanzhang fell into deep thought.

It’s not that he didn’t want to refute, but Zhu Yuanzhang had no reason to refute.

After all, it was not the ministers who mentioned raising the salaries of officials, but his son, Zhu Yuanzhang's most beloved son.

So if it wasn't for the good of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Gang could have simply not mentioned this matter. After all, what does this have to do with Zhu Gang?
Whether the officials are dead or alive, or corrupt or not, it has no effect on Zhu Gang.

After all, Zhu Gang was a prince and not an official.

"So, are we really wrong?"

A hint of thought flashed across Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes again.

"Dad doesn't want to encourage extravagance. I hope they can understand the suffering of the people. Officials need to serve the people."

At this time, Zhu Biao looked at Zhu Gang and spoke.

"Brother, now it's not a question of whether to be extravagant or not, but a question of whether or not you can survive."

"Take the case of my investigation into Yuexiang Tower today. The death of a prostitute implicated all officials in Yingtian Prefecture, including runners and clerks. Why? The complaint clearly states that they were poor."

"My mother is sick, but I don't have money to hire a doctor. What should I do?"

"As a son, how can I watch my mother die?"

"At first, he didn't think about corruption or bribery, but after borrowing all the money, it was still not enough to buy medicine for his mother. What else could he do?"

"Greedy!"

"But the old man's rule on corruption is that if it's more than sixty taels, it's a capital crime."

"As long as there is a way to survive, they will be more restrained and dare not be greedy and plunder the people's wealth!"

“Why? Because the cost of corruption is so low, so the amount of corruption is huge.”

"Or maybe you want the old man to admit that the people under the emperor's feet are all corrupt officials!"

"At least I can tell you very clearly that in the case of Yuexianglou here, the Jinyiwei's jail is already full, and all the officials in Yingtian Prefecture, from the prefect to the yamen runners and clerks, are not spared."

"Because even if they have all kinds of difficulties, they are still greedy."

After that, Zhu Gang sighed again and said in a complicated tone, "I originally wanted to punish him for a serious crime, but a seventh-rank official borrowed money from all his colleagues for his mother's illness, but it was still not enough. So there is only one way to go, and that is greed."

"What should I do? Should I kill him or not?"

"As a son and an official appointed by the court, it is difficult to be both loyal and filial."

"But Dad, if you were this official, and my grandma was sick on the bed and had no medicine to treat her, what would you choose?"

Zhu Gang leaned weakly on the chair again. In Kunning Palace, there was a deep silence, as if time had stood still. Only an indescribable heaviness remained, and there was silence.

“We are also greedy.”

After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang raised his complicated eyes and spoke softly.

Will be greedy.

Even if you don't want to, you have no choice but to be greedy.

After all, no child can watch his or her mother die of illness!

"The reason is that the salary is too low to support the whole family."

"Also, the cost of corruption is too low, which makes it easier for corruption to become rampant."

"What do you mean?"

"When will there be no death in troubled times?"

"Human life is as cheap as an ant."

“So, is it really that hard to die?”

“Before death, they will be afraid and scared, but when they are really close to death, they will become fearless and unafraid.”

"Because the bottom line for corruption is too low."

"It's low enough that they realize that once they get greedy, they can't stop."

"That is endless greed, because it means death anyway."

"If they are just greedy, that's fine, but what if they bring disaster to the village and harm the people?"

"Because they know they will die, they will give in to the desire to do evil. They want to live a glorious life before they die, even if they will be infamous for eternity. So what?"

"Why should we fear the reputation after death if we are the people who lived before us?"

"Just like Yue Wumu, who spent his entire life fighting for the Northern Expedition for Song, but ultimately died at the hands of treacherous officials."

"Then Qin Hui and Zhao Gou don't understand? The consequence of killing Yue Wumu is to be infamous for eternity?"

"Dad, they understand, because no one would not understand, let alone the prime minister and the king of a country."

"But do they care?"

"not give a damn about."

"Because, why should they be afraid of someone poking their spine?"

"People at the pinnacle of power only care about power and gains and losses. As for some fictitious reputation, it is all just a passing cloud in the future."

Zhu Gang looked at Zhu Yuanzhang again.

When people face death, they will eventually feel fear.

But after the fear, I realized that I was already dead.

Then this fear will turn into madness.

I would rather be cursed in the future than enjoy glory in this world!

This is the reason.

"I understand what you mean, so what should we do?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded with complicated eyes.

"Increase the salaries of officials and reform the law at the same time."

"I divide salary increases into three categories."

"First, increase the basic salary, which means increasing the current salary, and this is the fixed basic salary."

"Moreover, from now on, the Ming Dynasty must bear the salaries of low-level officials."

"Second, I call it performance, which means that local officials should do their jobs, set deadlines, register them separately, and conduct monthly inspections."

“Performance bonuses will be distributed based on the degree of government affairs completion.”

"Third, I call it a bonus, which means the better the official does in the local area, the higher the bonus will be."

"To put it bluntly, it means scoring based on performance and distributing bonuses at the end of the year."

"This will not only increase the salaries of officials, but also motivate them to work more actively, while also assessing their abilities."

"Of course, if this is the case, it is impossible to eliminate corrupt officials, because human hearts are unpredictable, and who can explain desires?"

"Just like you, it's true that you do it for the people of the world, but to put it bluntly, you want the Ming Dynasty to last forever, right?"

As he spoke, Zhu Gang glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang again.

"Ah."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly and did not refute.

This is the fact, why refute it?

After all, which emperor doesn’t want his dynasty to last for thousands of years?
So corrupt officials will never disappear, but we can avoid more corrupt officials, which is already a blessing.

"But those officials who have to be corrupt in order to make a living will stop doing so."

"Then there will be many more honest officials in the Ming Dynasty. After all, no one is born to study for the purpose of corruption and abuse of power."

"They also have ideals and ambitions, and they want to leave their names in history."

Zhu Gang also showed a smile on his face.

"Well, this is indeed a good idea." Before Zhu Yuanzhang could speak, Zhu Biao was the first to nod in admiration.

"What about the change?"

Old Zhu hesitated for a moment before looking at Zhu Gang and speaking.

"Dad, what do you think is the purpose of strict legislation?"

In response to Zhu Yuanzhang's question, Zhu Gang pondered for a moment and then spoke.

"I hope they can abide by the law and be honest and upright."

Zhu Yuanzhang said without even thinking about it.

"Does that work?"

Zhu Gang continued to ask.

"Of course there are, but it doesn't have much effect."

There was a flash of hesitation in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes before he spoke.

"Let's put it this way. Since ancient times, legislation has indeed been intended to make people abide by the law and keep officials honest and incorruptible."

Zhu Gang shook his head and said, "But none of them hit the point."

"So what do you think the legislation is for?"

Zhu Biao turned around and asked.

“The purpose of legislation is not to enforce it, but to deter it.”

Zhu Gang raised his eyes and spoke softly.

When these words were spoken, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were both shocked!
"Killing people is not enough, but it can arouse madness and make them more unscrupulous."

"But if there is a glimmer of hope, who would be willing to miss it?"

"After all, a good death is worse than a miserable life, and the desire to survive arises in their hearts, and their fear of death will be infinitely magnified."

"So from now on, the Ming Dynasty will thoroughly investigate officials who are corrupt and accept bribes."

"For minor corruption, those who know their mistakes can be given minor punishments, but no matter how much they embezzle, they will never be hired again."

"Extreme corruption is punishable by death, and the family will not be allowed to serve as a general or an official for three generations."

"Of course, the corrupt officials who concealed the truth and benefited from it within the three tribes will be exiled at the least and beheaded at the worst."

"As for the most corrupt officials, all nine clans will be executed."

"But there is still a glimmer of hope. If you don't want to be exterminated, you can start with the nine clans and report them to avoid death."

"If a direct descendant reports his father, the direct relatives below the son will be exempted from the crime of complicity. The highest limit is that they can be acquitted, but their property will be confiscated."

"The collateral informant can be directly exempted from the crime for all generations above and below him, but the illegal gains must be confiscated. If the collateral wants more relatives to be exempted from the crime, they can make a joint report."

"Because we must understand that both major and minor corruption are capital crimes and are absolutely unacceptable."

"So, we can only determine the lower limit based on the upper limit."

"After all, think about it, if there is a corrupt official, someone in his nine clans knows about his corruption and bribery."

"But he doesn't know exactly how much he has embezzled. Will he think about how much this corrupt official has embezzled and whether it constitutes a crime of punishing the entire clan?"

"Should we report it or not?"

"But even if that relative wants to cover up for the corrupt official, he will think, even if I cover up for him, will other relatives report this corrupt official, and then he will be implicated in the crime? In that case, he will not cover up for the corrupt official, but will report directly without hesitation."

"because."

Zhu Gang's faint voice sounded.

"human nature."

Zhu Yuanzhang took over the conversation.

"If a man does not serve himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth."

Zhu Biao also sighed with some complicated emotions.

If one could survive, who would be willing to be buried with others?
Moreover, this is corruption and bribery, not the height of chivalry, serving the country and the people!

All that is left is endless curses, not praises!

"Old Third, how long will it take to revise the Great Ming Law?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked again thoughtfully.

“Reconstruction is not the goal, perfection is the goal.”

“And if it’s just a reconstruction, it won’t take too long.”

“But if it is to be perfected, it may take a very long time.”

Zhu Gang thought about it and then spoke.

Revision means to revise the laws, which is not a difficult task.

But to perfect it, we need many talented people who are well versed in the law to improve the shortcomings one by one.

But in today's Ming Dynasty, where can we find so many people who are well versed in law?

Doesn’t it still need to be cultivated?

It's impossible to let Zhu Gang come alone, right?

Then Zhu Gang might be the Zhu Biao in history, who died young.

"Rice tastes delicious only when you eat it bite by bite."

"We are not in a hurry, and neither is Daming. Let's take our time."

Zhu Biao patted Zhu Gang's shoulder and smiled.

"Let's put it this way. The salary increase and the national policy of the tenure system will be handled by the boss."

"The national policy of revising the Ming Dynasty Law will be handed over to the Third Brother to solve."

"You brothers should work together and strive to promote these three national policies throughout the country in the Hongwu year."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally understood the difficulty, so he spoke slowly.

Salary increase and the appointment system are not difficult to understand, and with Zhu Biao's intelligence, he can naturally solve it.

However, only Zhu Gang could be qualified to revise the Ming Dynasty Law, because in the current Ming Dynasty, no one else could be qualified except Zhu Gang.

Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao looked at each other, then stood up together, bowed and said, "As you wish."

In response to this, Queen Ma, who was sitting next to her, frowned but did not say much.

After all, this was a state affair, and with Empress Ma's intelligence, how could she not understand that no one except the third son in their family could be competent for the task of revising the laws.

"By the way, is there really not a single honest official in Yingtian Prefecture?"

After saying this, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Gang again and frowned.

"Of course."

Zhu Gang shook his head.

Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's brows relaxed, and he said, "That's good enough for not disappointing us too much, and Qing."

"If you count them all, among the hundreds of officials in Beijing, there are only two or three honest officials."

In response, Zhu Gang sneered and interrupted Zhu Yuanzhang, saying: "This is enough to show how honest and upright the officials of our Ming Dynasty are."

The last words were full of sarcasm towards honesty and integrity.

As expected, Zhu Yuanzhang's brows tightened again, and the atmosphere in Kunning Palace became tense again!
But Zhu Gang and Zhu Biao didn't care at all.

After all, Lao Zhu doesn’t get angry once or twice every day, so just get used to it!
But this time there was no outburst of anger as expected.

Instead, he took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "We can allow the petty corrupt officials not to be killed, but we will not employ these corrupt officials again!"

"It's natural."

"After all, if you are greedy, you are greedy. If you are guilty of breaking the law, you should be killed."

Zhu Gang nodded.

"But if we kill them all, where will the court find officials to fill the vacancies?"

"After all, the court has taken too many actions recently, and even killed many criminal officials."

"It is already difficult to fill the vacancies, so if we kill them all now, how can we transfer the officials?"

Zhu Biao frowned and said.

During this period, Zhu Gang vigorously reformed bad policies, especially targeting the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, and many officials were dismissed.

Although he deserved the punishment, the vacancies in the court were already showing signs.

If officials are dismissed and punished at this time, how can the vacancies of officials in Beijing be filled?

"Open an imperial examination to recruit officials."

Zhu Gang said without even thinking.

　Brothers, I will update one chapter first. I can only say sorry, but I am busy. So in order to compensate you, I will send a red envelope in the group in the evening. Brothers are welcome to join the group. Thank you.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)