Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 516 Inheritance
The atmosphere in the main hall of the Eastern Palace was not very harmonious. There were huge differences of opinion between the emperor and his son and the ministers of the cabinet.

Regarding the issue of letting retired imperial guards serve as village heads and elders, the opinions of several cabinet ministers were basically consistent with the emperor's. The biggest disagreement between the emperor and his subjects was over the reform of the clerk system.

Although the clerk system of this dynasty was improved while inheriting the system of the previous dynasty, with a system of examinations and promotions for clerks, it also inherited the old habits of lowly clerks from the previous dynasty. Not only was it difficult for clerks to be promoted to high positions, but lowly clerks were common in government offices.

With no hope of promotion and looked down upon by society, these people have neither the possibility of being promoted to high positions nor the respect of the society. They can only make full use of the existing conditions to satisfy their own desires.

One is to take advantage of institutional flaws to gain actual power in a certain area; the other is to use the actual power they possess to make money, thereby causing "official corruption" that is difficult to eliminate.

"Official corruption" became one of the main evils in the country's politics.

Later, some changes were made during the reign of Emperor Taizong. In an attempt to eliminate official malpractices, on the one hand, the path to promotion for officials was blocked, and on the other hand, the number of officials was reduced and many measures were taken to prevent official malpractices.

However, the reality went against one's wishes. Instead of eliminating official malpractices, the dynasty was left with a situation where "the dynasty shared the world with the clerks", and official malpractices became even more serious.

There is a poem that goes: "Yesterday the rent collector came, and I slaughtered meat to fill the plate. The collector was angry and demanded more money. How can ordinary people tolerate this?"

Once they are not satisfied, they will simply "become angry at the clerk, and no longer look at the chains and bonds", which vividly depicts the faces of these "slaves" and "servants".

They relied on their good connections with the government offices, so they monopolized the money and grain, controlled the market, and did everything they could to support prostitution and gambling. However, if they still could not fulfill their desires, they would often collude with the police to trap thieves, reveal their whereabouts, and call it a trap.

Of the stolen goods, thieves took one-third and the thieves took the seventh. They also threatened the perpetrators with words, telling them not to report to the authorities. Even if the crime was discovered, the county police officers would collude with each other, either mistaking violence for theft or deliberately letting the perpetrators go. The officials would hinder them, and the people would be harassed and harmed.

They collected monthly fees from the robbers and used the name of investigating and arresting fugitive thieves. When they failed, they captured the thieves without making any noise. When they caught people, they tortured them privately. They also colluded with thieves to commit fraud and used the thieves' words to frame others.

Although these clerks have a low status, they are an important political force in the local area and are directly related to the quality of local governance.

The local officials were fully aware of this situation, and several university scholars at the central government were no strangers to it.

But no one dares to take action against “official corruption”?
Why? A single move can affect the entire body. The country is vast, and without the support of the clerks, how can the few officials of the court rule the people? Rely on the eight-part essays written by sages?

The emperor now wants to take action against "official corruption" and he plans to make drastic reforms to the clerk system right from the start. If this news gets out, the local area will be in chaos.

Even if Emperor Taizu were to be reborn, it would be difficult for him to quell the chaos caused by the clerks in such a short period of time.

"Your Majesty, the 'official corruption' has been around for a long time. I know that this matter needs to be reformed and improved, but one move can affect the whole body. We must be cautious and take a long-term view on this matter."

As the Prime Minister of the imperial court, Zhou Jiong understood best the bloated and complex operating mechanism of the Great Xia Dynasty.

For the first time, he looked at Jia Cong with sharp eyes and said dissatisfiedly: "Yongfeng... Jia Cong, I know that you are young and promising, and I also know that you have great ambitions. But some things cannot be solved by just thinking about it. In Princess Wen'an's memorial, those suggestions for reforming the clerk system should be yours..."

Jia Cong was about to nod his head in acknowledgment, but Zhou Jiong waved his hand to stop him from saying anything, and continued, "Let me ask you, how many prefectures and counties does the country have? How many clerks are needed? Even if all the imperial guards in service were deployed, could they replace the current local clerks in a short period of time?"

Zhou Jiong asked three questions in a row, which confused Jia Cong.

Daxia had a total of thirteen provinces, three protectorates, and seventeen military governorates, with a total of 162 prefectures and 1,866 counties.

The number of clerks needed is innumerable, and even if all the current imperial guards were retired and deployed to the local areas, it would not be enough. For the time being, it is indeed difficult to replace the current clerks.

Therefore, although Zhou Jiong's words poured cold water on Jia Cong, they also sobered him up from his momentary hot-headedness.

So was Jia Cong, and so was Crown Prince Liu Hong.

When the two men woke up, they were all covered in cold sweats.

It is true that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, and the older the ginger, the spicier it is.

Everyone understands the "official malpractice", but the timing for Jia Cong's proposal to replace the current clerk system with civil service examinations is not yet mature, and hasty implementation may lead to disaster.

Several ministers in the hall all nodded in agreement with Zhou Jiong's opinion. When the Prime Minister's question left Jia Cong speechless, they felt a rare sense of relief.

It’s not that they have any problem with Jia Cong, it’s just that this guy is too “aggressive” and a little scary.

The Crown Prince and Jia Cong both looked somewhat depressed, but the Emperor was rather pleased to see this.

In fact, although he believed that Jia Cong's "public examination" model was a very promising path, he also believed that now was not the time to promote the "public examination" model to replace the old clerk system.

Not to mention anything else, just as Zhou Jiong said, the country has a territory of thousands of miles, and the number of officials needed can be described as huge.

Even with those retired imperial guards, there are not enough village heads and village elders waiting to be replaced.

The reason why the emperor brought Jia Cong to the East Palace and tacitly allowed several university scholars to pour cold water on him was to make Jia Cong understand one thing.

We can’t be impatient to reform!
Of course, he did this for the prince.

How can young people always act rashly? When I first ascended the throne, the court was in chaos, but I managed to take back power step by step by enduring and brought Daxia to a peak!
(The Emperor: Ah, yes, yes, you are not impatient at all!)
"Prince, Jia Cong, why don't you thank Zhou Qing for his teachings!"

The emperor's sudden words broke the solemn atmosphere in the hall. Liu Hong and Jia Cong stood up almost at the same time, straightened their clothes, and bowed to Zhou Jiong.

"Hong (Cong) thanks Master Zhou for his teachings!"

A teacher is still a teacher. Although Mr. Zhou Jiong is sometimes too cautious, his guidance and instruction in this matter did give the two of them an epiphany.

This matter has nothing to do with identity, but only with right and wrong. Therefore, Zhou Jiong accepted the gifts from the prince and Jia Cong calmly.

He nodded in return, then sighed and said, "But the harm of 'official corruption' must be improved and reformed. Jia Cong, your idea is indeed a good one. Why not try it out in one place first?"

"I think it's inappropriate. Reforming the clerk system is different from reforming the official system. The country has no shortage of people who want to be officials, so I can leak the news in advance and even guide the officials to discuss it. But the clerks are different. As you said, Zhou Qing, the country is too big and needs too many clerks. If they cannot be replaced quickly, it will cause disaster!"

If we find a place to try it out, wouldn't that be leaking the news that the court is planning to reform the clerk system?

When the vested interests get this news, won’t they be furious?

Zhou Jiong laughed bitterly again. He really thought too much. It seemed that the emperor had always been sober. He was afraid that the emperor would be tempted by Jia Cong's words and stubbornly implement the "public examination" policy.

Once things are talked out, things will become easier.

The emperor and his ministers soon reached a consensus. According to the results of the discussion between the emperor and the cabinet, the policy of bringing imperial power to the countryside was implemented first. The appointment and dismissal of village heads and village elders were returned to the court by combining retired imperial guards with "civil service examinations."

After the imperial court has actual control over the local areas, the scope of the "public examination" will be expanded to the clerk level.

This matter not only requires the integration of the forces of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, but also the involvement of the Ministry of Rites.

The most important part of this is to continue to promote compulsory education in an all-round way, and to carry out "national literacy" in the military and local areas, so as to cultivate enough talents to fill the country.

Otherwise, even if we want to hold a civil service exam to recruit officials, how can we take the exam if we can't read a few words?
……

As the sun sets, the "small court meeting" in the East Palace comes to a temporary end.

As soon as Jia Cong left the palace, he was invited to get on a carriage by Mr. Zhou, the chief minister of the cabinet.

The old man was intoxicated by the smell of fireworks outside the carriage. After lowering the curtain, he solemnly said to Jia Cong: "Today's matter is not directed at you..."

Jia Cong bowed his hands again and thanked him: "I know, I still have to thank you. Fortunately, the old man woke me up in time, otherwise I would still be stuck in the rut and unable to get out."

"I can still hold on for another three or two years. I'll try to save some money for you. By then, even if you poke a hole in the sky, we will have the capital to repair it."

Each generation has its own mission, and it seems to have become an unwritten system of inheritance that the previous generation must accumulate enough assets for the next generation.

Zhou Jiong thoroughly understood things that he had not understood when Wei Qinghe was in power during the continuous changes in the dynasty.

No wonder Wei Qinghe always adopted a moderate way of governing when he had the opportunity to force reforms at that time.

It's not that Mr. Wei didn't want to go down in history as a famous reformist prime minister, but because Wei Wenzhen knew that implementing the new law at that time might be feasible, but it would definitely cause a major shock to the relatively stable situation and cause excessive losses to the court and the people.

Zhou Jiong was able to smoothly implement the new law because he inherited the wealth accumulated by Wei Qinghe. In a wealthy Daxia, the people would not go hungry after such a change. The Ministry of Revenue had enough silver to support it, so the court had the confidence to fight against the vested interests who opposed the reform.

The land survey and acreage survey has gradually come to an end. Except for sporadic resistance incidents in the vast territory, the work of land survey and acreage survey and curbing land annexation can be said to have been completed smoothly for the most part.

The next step is to rectify the administration of officials and reform the official system. As long as this is done smoothly, the remaining reform policies will be easier.

Zhou Jiong's deep eyes reveal confidence, but also infinite emotion.

It's a pity that he probably won't live to see the day when the reform is truly accomplished.

"Jia Cong, I am already in my seventies. Once the reform of the official system is completed, I will probably have to leave the court. The rest will be up to you young people."

Zhou Jiong's sudden sigh startled Jia Cong. He looked up and down at the old man sitting opposite him. The rainbow light of the setting sun shining through the curtain of the carriage turned the old man's white beard and hair red.

Unexpectedly, in just four years, the once high-spirited Lord Zhou Jiong has now become an old and frail man with white hair and beard.

Jia Cong didn't know how to respond and could only stare blankly at the chief minister of the cabinet, the head of all officials.

Zhou Jiong opened the car curtain again and pointed at the bustling city life outside.

"My efforts over the past few years have not been in vain. I have fulfilled the oath I made. Today, Daxia is strong and the people are prosperous. I have not wasted Wei Wenzheng's efforts..."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "You have done a great job, old man. Since ancient times, reformers cannot succeed without great perseverance and wisdom. The country can be strong and prosperous today, and you have made great contributions!"

This is a fact. No one can deny Zhou Jiong's contribution.

Zhou Jiong shook his head and said with a smile: "You are wrong in one respect. If we talk about the greatest contribution, Wei Wenzheng is in the first place. I and others are just standing on the foundation laid by Wei Wenzheng and stepping onto the platform step by step."

“Who of us is not standing on the shoulders of giants?”

Jia Cong bowed to Zhou Jiong again with full sincerity and said solemnly: "Duke Wei Wenzheng planted the seeds of reform for us, and what the elder has done in the past few years has allowed the seeds to germinate and gradually grow. Therefore, the elder's contribution is no less than that of Duke Wei Wenzheng. In terms of merit, the elder and Wei Wenzheng are both at the top of the list, and no one can deny this!"

"You kid..."

Zhou Jiong laughed heartily. He had always wanted to compete with Wei Qinghe all his life, but he believed that he had never reached Wei Qinghe's level.

However, hearing such comments from Jia Cong today, he couldn't help but be unhappy.

His laughter even alarmed the people outside the carriage, and they all looked at the carriage escorted by several Dragon Guards.

When they saw the logo on the carriage, they all stepped aside respectfully, either bowing or standing with their heads bowed.

Jia Cong pointed at the respectful people outside and grinned, "The people have a scale in their hearts. The greatness of your achievements can be seen from their attitude towards you."

Zhou Jiong also looked outside the carriage. As the carriage moved, the people on both sides of the road stepped back and saluted. This really made the Prime Minister, who had no time to think about these things every day, feel for the first time the change in people's attitude towards him.

If he remembered correctly, a few years ago, when he was still the second assistant minister of the cabinet, the people's attitude towards him should have been more fearful and curious...

Crunch, crunch~
The carriage continued to move forward and only stopped when it reached Ningrong Street.

Jia Cong bowed and was about to get off the car, but Zhou Jiong suddenly called him.

"Tell me, what posthumous title will I get after I die?"

This question is really difficult. Jia Cong understood that Zhou Jiong was not asking him for a posthumous title, but was asking whether Jia Cong would succeed him and continue to implement the reform after his death.

This is inheritance, the previous generation then selects the successor to the political ambition.

Jia Cong jumped off the carriage, scratched his head, bowed to Zhou Jiong, and then made a face: "This... you really stump me. Let me think about it carefully, and I will definitely think of the most suitable posthumous title for you!"

Seeing Jia Cong's embarrassment, Zhou Jiong burst into laughter.

"Well, I'll leave this matter to you. Don't let me down!"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　Thanks to Xiaoju391 for the tip.

　　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)