The swansong of the swansong

Chapter 196 Everyone is happy
"Your Majesty, I'm thinking that the government's trial of allocating land tax to farmers will actually increase the burden on small farmers..." Tian Wenjing's eloquence was average, but what he said was that he had examples for everything.

Yinyu listened to Tian Wenjing patiently, and then asked him calmly: "Brother Yiguang, I am in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, not the Ministry of Revenue. Wouldn't it be better if you tell these opinions to Prince Yong?"

Tian Wenjing bowed and said, "Prince Yu, I have paid my respects to Prince Yong. However, Prince Yong said that the land tax distribution is a great policy of the court and cannot be slandered."

Yinyou glanced at Tian Wenjing and thought, this guy came from a county magistrate, he is indeed well versed in government affairs, and most of what he said makes sense.

However, Tian Wenjing's overall view was really bad, and he actually didn't understand what the fourth brother meant.

Emperor Kangxi implemented a pilot program to distribute the land tax according to the amount of land he owned. How could the fourth son, who wanted to pretend to be a filial son, dare to find fault with him?

No matter what era it is, if you are not in charge, you cannot speak nonsense.

For example, before driving Gao Gong away, Zhang Juzheng was very soft-hearted and did not confront Gao Gong head-on.

After Gao Gong was ousted, the emperor was only ten years old, and Empress Dowager Li also needed the support of cabinet ministers. After Zhang Juzheng seized power, he began a vigorous government reform.

"Yiguang, I'll let Wulin take you to see King Yong."

Yinyu didn't want to interfere in the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue, but he knew that Tian Wenjing was actually very much to the taste of the fourth son. It's just that the fourth son is not the emperor yet, so some things are not convenient to say openly.

"Thank you, Prince Yu, for your appreciation. I am grateful!"

Tian Wenjing was very happy. With Yinyou's introduction, the fourth brother would definitely pay attention to him.

Wulin took Tian Wenjing downstairs. Yinyou picked up the teacup, but was wondering in his heart what the Eighth Brother and the others might react to.

The Fourth Prince and Yinyou were both lone ministers. Even if they took down the officials of the Eighth Prince's party, they did not have any trustworthy people to fill so many vacancies.

Kangxi wanted Yinyu to be the thug in the front, but Yinyu knew that Kangxi did not want to start a war.

So, Yinyou had to use the knife, but he couldn't cut too hard!

The six ministries are short of so many staff members, so naturally they need to fill them up.

For a time, Yinyou's door was blocked by traffic every day.

That day, Fu Ning'an took the list of officials drawn up by the Wenxuansi and came to see Yinyou on his own initiative.

Yinyu pretended to look at the list, then gently put it on the table and said softly, "I'm thinking, why not be fair and let all the officials of the six ministries and the alternate officials draw lots together to decide. What do you think, Prime Minister Fu?"

Fu Ning'an was stunned. Is it possible to play like this?
However, Fu Ning'an had been the Minister of Personnel for several years after all, and he also knew that the early Ming Dynasty often selected officials by drawing lots to avoid being attacked by censors for abusing personal power.

Moreover, Fu Ning'an had never heard of anyone with whom Yinyou had a close personal relationship.

In fact, from Yinyou's perspective, since he did not want to leave a bad impression of forming a faction to Kangxi, then drawing lots in public to decide the official positions was actually the most advantageous option for him.

"Your Highness, I'm thinking that if we draw lots, the censors will have a lot to say." Fu Ning'an carefully put forward a different opinion.

Yinyu waved his hand and said, "It's okay. As long as you and I are selfless, why should we worry about the censors' slander?"

When Fu Ning'an heard this, he finally understood that Yinyou was determined to select officials by drawing lots.

"Taizai Fu, if you agree, then come with me to the garden to meet Khan Ama?" Yinyou deliberately pushed Fu Ning'an into a corner.

Yinyou is the prince in charge of the department. If Fu Ning'an offends him, he will be unable to move forward.

After weighing the pros and cons, Fu Ning'an made up his mind and agreed with Yinyou's opinion.

Kangxi, who was fishing on the imperial boat, heard that Yinyou and Fu Ning'an had come together, so he called them both on board.

"Little Fifteen, do you mean we must draw lots?" Kangxi frowned, obviously not quite understanding.

Fu Ning'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as Prince Yu really knew the Emperor very well.

Although the current emperor has gradually become indifferent to government affairs, he has always held on to military power and personnel arrangements.

If Yinyou agreed to Fu Ning'an's list of officials, Kangxi would definitely be suspicious: Is he trying to place his personal enemies in positions of power?

Objectively speaking, Yinyou's proposal actually pulled Fu Ning'an out of the vortex.

"Khan Ama, it is not conducive to the court's administration for officials to stay in one department for a long time. Besides, although it is a drawing of lots, people are selected from the current and alternate officials. Everyone has an equal opportunity, the capable ones are promoted, and the incompetent ones are demoted, and no one has any complaints." Yinyu said so much, but in the final analysis he meant only one thing, he had no intention of placing personal influence there.

Kangxi thought about it carefully and felt that what Yinyou said made sense.

As the saying goes, running water does not rot, and the door hinge does not rot. Only by allowing officials to move around can the court not worry about factionalism.

Yinyou was right in his judgment that it was easiest to become an official in a small peasant society.

In an agricultural civilization that has remained unchanged for thousands of years, being an official is easier than drinking water.

During the reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, officials were killed like bugs, and tens of thousands of people were killed at one time. As a result, there was no chaos in the world.

"Okay." When Kangxi was about to make use of Yinyou, he naturally wanted him to act boldly.

Kangxi waved his hand, and Fu Ning'an knelt down tactfully.

"Little Fifteen, someone submitted a petition, suggesting that your biological mother be included in the banner?" Kangxi asked Yinyou suddenly.

As soon as Yinyou heard this, he knew that someone must be trying to frame him.

"Khan Father, everyone in the court knows that my concubine's mother is a Han woman. I will serve my king and father with loyalty and filial piety, and it is better not to raise the flag." Yinyou expressed his attitude without hesitation.

Kangxi stared at Yinyu for a long time before he sighed and said, "Once your mother raises the flag, the world will be in chaos." The father and son were the only ones in the room, and Yinyu was not afraid to tell the truth, so he lowered his head and said, "My personality makes me only suitable to be an assistant minister.

Kangxi nodded and said, "You have such self-awareness, which is very good. If I pass the throne to you, your eighth, ninth, tenth and fourteenth brothers will probably not survive."

Yinyou sneered in his heart. If he passed the throne to the fourth brother, they would have no chance of survival!
However, the inherent impression that Kangxi respected the Manchus and suppressed the Han people has been deeply rooted, and there is no point in saying more.

Based on Yinyou's understanding of Kangxi, if the old emperor really wanted to give the concubine a promotion, it would only take a word for him.

However, Kangxi's worries were indeed justified. If the throne was passed to Yinyu, the Eighth Prince and the other banner leaders would all be dissatisfied and it would be easy for a bloodbath to ensue.

However, Kangxi was ultimately wrong. The fourth brother pretended to be a sheep, but was actually a man-eating tiger, and killed his three brothers one after another.

On the day of drawing lots to select officials, Yinyou deliberately asked Kangxi to send people from the Censorate to supervise the process to demonstrate his selfless and absolute fairness.

Anyway, the problem in this world is not the lack of supply, but the inequality of supply.

Everyone is so poor that they have no pants to wear and are screaming with hunger, but the society is super stable.

If, your family has plenty of wine and meat, and my family has no surplus food, then we will have to use knives.

Yinyu stood on the steps with his hands behind his back, and in front of everyone, he said coldly: "Come forward and draw lots one by one. Whatever you draw is what you get. There is no room for regret. Anyone who dares to cheat or make trouble will never be employed again. Do you understand?"

"Replying to Prince Yu, I understand!"

"Well, let's start drawing lots!"

Unexpectedly, the first candidate who came up to draw lots actually drew the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Office. He was so happy that he was incoherent.

"I won, I won." The man danced with joy and even his hat fell to the ground, but he didn't even know it.

The censor who was supervising the scene immediately shouted in a stern voice: "Pay attention to the official code of conduct."

Yinyou couldn't help but nod secretly. This censor was quite humane and did not intend to submit an impeachment memorial.

Once impeached, hehe, the cooked duck will surely fly away.

No matter how serious the law is, it must still take into account human relationships and social conventions. This is the tradition of the Qing Dynasty.

Anyway, as long as there is an excuse, there is no need to strictly abide by the law!
The lots drawn by qualified clerks and alternate officials must be handed over to the censor for public announcement.

Fair, just and open, Yinyou really did not cheat anyone!

The third official who drew the lots actually drew a blank lot and burst into tears in public.

The censor standing by shouted, "Cheng Hai, the deputy director of the Ministry of Literature, drew a blank lot."

Yinyou couldn't help but smile slightly. What he wanted was fairness and openness.

Only when things are fair and open, everyone will just blame their own bad luck and not Yinyou.

As long as Kangxi did not suspect Yinyu and wanted to take the opportunity to replace him with his own private, Yinyu would win no matter what.

Why?

The staff members in the six ministries are actually the group most infiltrated by the Eighth Master's Party, without a doubt.

Yinyou deliberately included alternate officials in the lottery sequence, actually just wanting to interfere.

Because the total number of reserve officials is at least five times more than the number of incumbent officials.

After the dilution of the lottery, Lao Ba’s potential loss can no longer be described as devastating.

Lao Shi, this idiot, is actually absolutely right.

With only the support of the Shangshu and Shilang, most of the officials below were reserve officials selected by lottery, which meant they were sidelined.

This is roughly the same situation as the Seoul Spring.

Zheng Shenghe and Zhang Tai are playing a game. Both of them are in high positions and have great power, but they cannot command an entire regiment. The people under them do not obey his orders, so they are bound to lose!

After the drawing ceremony, Yinyou was too lazy to give a speech and went straight back to his office.

In the afternoon, Wu Lin and Wei Zhu's godson Xiao Liu Zhang had a quick meeting.

"Sir, according to Xiao Liu Zhang, the person who petitioned to raise the banner for the secret master was Xiao Yongzao." Wu Lin bent over and continued to report, "However, Xiao Liu Zhang is too treacherous. For just this piece of information, he actually asked for five thousand taels of silver."

Yinyu smiled and said, "Wulin, don't be such a miser. Once the toll project from Zhangjiakou to the capital is completed, I will no longer be short of money."

The tolls collected were actually the lijin collected by the Hunan Army for the passage of goods, and had nothing to do with the existing city gate taxes.

The Qing Dynasty today, including Kangxi, could not see clearly that the monopoly on tolls was simply a treasure trove.

From then on, money came rolling in and there was no way to spend it all.

Of course, Yinyou was also very clear that everything has its pros and cons. The tax collectors collected more and reported less, harming the public interest for their own benefit, and concealing their profits as losses. The problem could only be solved by beheading and confiscating their property.

The monopoly on tolls actually resulted in losses. I guess you think Yinyou is a great philanthropist?
PS: This was the third update yesterday and it is not pretending to be the first update today.

(End of this chapter)