My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 136 I am here to save the world

After parting ways with Ma Yu, Zhu Biao first went to find Zhu Shuang:
"Second brother, help me investigate the living conditions of officials."

Zhu Shuang asked blankly, "Which aspect specifically?"

Zhu Biao said, "Living conditions refer to their food, clothing, shelter, and transportation; it's about whether their lives are frugal or affluent."

"Just investigate the officials in Yingtian Prefecture."

If the officials in Yingtian live in such poverty, then the local area must be even worse off.

Zhu Shuang asked in confusion, "Why are you investigating this?"

Zhu Biao didn't hide anything and said, "My cousin said that the salaries in the Ming Dynasty are very low and officials live in poverty. Can you check if this is true?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shuang said, "Hey, there's no need to investigate this, I know."

"The day before yesterday, Ji Huan, a senior official in the Ministry of Works, lost his mother. He didn't even have money to attend the funeral, so his colleagues helped him raise the money."

“Shen Yi, an imperial censor of the Censorate, a dignified seventh-rank official, only bought three catties of pig's head meat to entertain his mother’s birthday guests.”

"..."

He rattled off more than a dozen examples, all of which concerned the poverty of officials.

Finally, he said, "Take a seventh-rank official as an example. He receives an annual salary of eighty shi (a unit of dry measure), but the key is that he cannot receive the full amount."

"The national treasury doesn't have that much cash or grain reserves, so it often converts them into cloth and spices."

"When the Ministry of Revenue distributed the money to officials, it was calculated based on the highest market price."

"But when the officials took the cloth to the market to sell, they couldn't get such a high price at all."

“Merchants would even deliberately lower prices on the days when officials were receiving their salaries, while grain merchants would raise prices on those days.”

"The officials were waiting for the rice to be cooked, so they had no choice but to accept it."

"After all the back and forth, the actual salary received is only about 60%."

"For ordinary people, this amount of food is indeed enough."

"But they are officials, and they need to maintain social relationships."

"You have to give gifts for weddings and funerals, right? And you have to visit relatives and friends during holidays, right?"

"Now that you've become an official, people from your hometown who encounter difficulties will come to you for help. You can't just turn a blind eye, can you?"

"I don't know about the situation of officials in other places, but I'll just tell you about the officials in Yingtian Prefecture."

"Nine out of ten people who aren't greedy will find themselves living beyond their means."

"The remaining one comes from a wealthy family and receives subsidies from their family."

Zhu Biao gasped in shock: "I never imagined the situation would be this bad. Didn't you tell Father about this?"

Zhu Shuang shrugged and said, "I told you, our father said that most people in the world can't even afford to eat, while officials who have no worries about food and clothing are still not satisfied. They are just too greedy."

At this point, he said sarcastically, "Our father ordered 12 dishes for breakfast and 24 dishes for lunch for himself."

"Tsk tsk, that really highlights someone who's strict with others but lenient with themselves."

Zhu Biao felt a throbbing pain in his temples, glared at him, and said irritably:

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up."

"Write down the details and give them to me; I'll need them in a few days."

Zhu Shuang said, "I have some ready-made. I'll have someone send it to you tomorrow."

Zhu Biao nodded and left with a heavy heart.

My cousin often says that this world is just a giant makeshift operation.

He didn't believe it before, but now he knows that the Ming Dynasty's leadership was indeed very sloppy.

Especially his own father, who had absolutely no sense of being an emperor.

Wanting a horse to run but not wanting it to eat grass is nonsense.

Before the world was unified, the reason for low salaries was the shortage of money and food, which everyone could tolerate.

But now that the world is unified, who can stand it like this?
The key point is that the emperor himself prescribed 12 dishes for breakfast and 24 dishes for lunch.

But if officials are required to eat only dry food and not even have any oil or meat, who would be willing to work for them?

It must be changed.

Moreover, this matter must be resolved as soon as possible.

The Ming Dynasty has unified the country and is about to begin governing it.

If officials are made to work on an empty stomach, one can easily imagine what will happen next.

My cousin was right. High salaries can't eliminate corruption, but they can give those who want to be honest officials peace of mind.

Otherwise, it would be forcing officials to be corrupt.

Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, he, as usual, first pondered on his own.

Write down what Ma Yu said and then summarize the key points.

Then compare it with the current situation in order to grasp its essence more clearly.

He found some parts of the content increasingly fascinating.

For example, forcing people to separate households and create a family system.

Dividing the family into smaller households and dispersing their power is somewhat similar to the "Decree of Grace".

Another brilliant move was the revision of the calendar, adopting the Yellow Emperor's calendar.

In the past, the imperial court had to use many methods to prove that it was the legitimate successor of the Chinese nation.

For example, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't wait to compile the history of the Yuan Dynasty.

If the Yellow Emperor's calendar were truly adopted, it would be more effective than compiling ten Yuan Dynasty histories.

Crucially, this method is also very practical and convenient for people.

Zhu Biao felt that his father would definitely agree to this suggestion.

However, in some aspects, he felt it was too radical.

The most radical of these is the popularization of history among the general public.

He wasn't doubting whether this approach would be effective, but rather worried that things would get out of control.

No one can guarantee what will happen once the public's awareness is awakened.

Then he remembered Ma Yu's words and looked at Zi Chan's resume.

Could the answer to this question lie in Zichan?

Thinking of this, Zhu Biao immediately ordered someone to retrieve the records about Zichan.

Because of Ma Yu, the Eastern Palace also employed many historians to assist Zhu Biao in understanding historical knowledge.

Their role is roughly equivalent to a human search engine.

So at this moment, Zhu Biao simply issued an order, and soon someone brought over all the records about Zichan.

Zichan was a native of Zheng and the grandson of Duke Mu of Zheng.

The State of Zheng was a small state, and its most glorious period was during the reign of Duke Zhuang of Zheng, when it almost became the hegemon of the time.

However, his arrows shot at King Huan of Zhou, and his defeat of Duan at Yan were due to his short and clumsy hands, which made him despised by the world.

Therefore, he was not selected when the hegemon of the Spring and Autumn Period was chosen.

In the end, he only received the title of one of the Five Lesser Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.

However, the state of Zheng was too small and weak, and its glory lasted only a short while before it became sandwiched between the states of Jin and Chu.

It was under these circumstances that Zichan stepped onto the political stage.

The system of Zheng was somewhat unique, with a total of six ministers in charge in addition to the ruler.

In order, they are first, second, and sixth.

At that time, the first chief minister was Zi Pi, the actual ruler of the state of Zheng.

Zichan was the second ruler and the main driving force behind the reforms.

After seeing the situation Zichan was facing, Zhu Biao couldn't help but feel worried for him.

It's no exaggeration to call it a desperate situation.

It should be noted that both Jin and Chu were states with a thousand chariots each; the former was a former hegemon, and the latter was a future hegemon.

The territory of Zheng was no more than a hundred li, and the number of chariots was no more than a hundred.

Caught between these two countries, their situation is extremely precarious.

However, as descendants, we can only offer a few words of reflection before it's all over.

However, people like Zichan at that time still had to continue living.

Even when faced with the worst situation, they could only grit their teeth and persevere.

They couldn't give up, because giving up meant death.

After a few words of reflection, Zhu Biao continued reading and finally came across the Zichan Reform.

[To establish irrigation ditches, the land boundaries of officials, nobles, and commoners were demarcated, and farmers were organized into groups of ten or five. Private land was taxed according to its acreage.]

The system of "Shiwu" (什伍) weaving is somewhat similar to the later Baojia (保甲) system.

Taxing private land by the mu (unit of land area) was a follow-up to the establishment of private ownership through the initial tax on mu.

Zhu Biao perked up again. He had previously listened to Ma Yu explain the patterns of historical development, but what happened between the initial land tax and the Qin Dynasty's equal-field system?
It's impossible that once the State of Lu implemented the initial land tax, everyone in the country would follow suit; there must have been a development process involved.

But how exactly it developed, and what twists and turns it went through, remains a mystery.

Zhu Biao had noticed this problem long ago and had even looked through historical records, but he didn't get much useful information.

There's no way around it; China's historical records are simply too vast.

Relying on manual sifting to find the desired information is like finding a needle in a haystack.

But now, Zichan's reforms have filled this missing link.

Zhu Biao was overjoyed to have finally found the information he was looking for and immediately continued reading.

[The land tax was levied based on the size of the land and the population, and military taxes were paid accordingly.]

Seeing this change, Zhu Biao became even more excited.

Isn't this the origin of land rent and poll tax? Especially the poll tax, which was originally established by the Zichan Reform.

Indeed, everything has a source, and the laws governing the development of all things are traceable.

I really need to read more history.

Keep reading...

[Implement a personnel system that prioritizes academic qualifications before entering politics and selects individuals based on their abilities.]

[We will not destroy the village schools; we wish to hear the common people discuss politics.]

One must first learn before becoming an official and governing; one must select capable people to govern.

In the eyes of later generations, isn't this just the most basic way to select officials? What's there to say about it?

But Zhu Biao didn't think that way.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, an era that valued lineage, becoming an official was not based on ability, but on the closeness of one's blood relation to those in power.

Those closely related by blood could become high-ranking officials, those distantly related could become low-ranking officials, and those with no blood relation were commoners.

The practice of 'selecting the virtuous and capable' can be described as breaking with convention.

The key is "to hear the common people discuss politics".

What is a commoner?

They are ordinary people, 'savages' who have no blood relation to those in power and no political status.

Zichan actually allowed them to discuss national affairs and participate in political activities.

This is a completely unconventional approach.

When it comes to selecting and appointing talented individuals without being bound by conventional standards, who is the first person that comes to mind?

The military merit system in the Qin state did not consider birth or social status, but only military achievements to be awarded titles.

However, Zhu Biao did not expect that people had already done this during the Spring and Autumn Period.

A careful review of the major reforms during the Spring and Autumn Period reveals that none of them addressed one crucial aspect: talent selection.

The descendants of nobles will always be nobles, and officials are all descendants of nobles.

Ordinary people will always be ordinary people; they have no right to be officials.

Zichan's reforms were the first to make changes in this regard.

Ordinary people, as long as they have the ability, can also become officials.

What does it mean to promote talent without being bound by convention? This is it.

What does it mean to break with convention? This is it.

The significance of this is no less than that of Confucius's "education for all."

No wonder Confucius praised Zichan so highly, and no wonder my cousin specifically asked me to study his experiences.

He was indeed a reformer who was overlooked by everyone.

He inherited the essence of the reforms of his predecessors and made pioneering contributions, providing a reference for future generations.

It can be said to be a bridge between the past and the future.

Unfortunately, the state of Zheng was too weak, and even with a wise ruler like Zichan in charge, it was difficult to turn the tide.

Looking back, his lack of fame was most likely due to being dragged down by the state of Zheng.

If he were moved to a slightly larger country, the situation might be different.

Unfortunately, history doesn't allow for "what ifs".

However, another question arose: my cousin asked me to look at Zichan. Was it because he dared to break with convention in selecting talent?

It can't be that simple, right?

Then look down.

[Cast the Tripod of Punishment.]

It means to inscribe the legal provisions on the bronze tripod and make them public to the world.

From then on, officials had to judge cases according to the laws inscribed on the tripod; otherwise, they would be considered to be enforcing the law illegally.

As long as ordinary people do not violate the regulations on the tripod, they are not considered to have committed a crime.

At first, Zhu Biao did not realize that there was a problem.

The Great Ming Code was published throughout the country early on, which served both as a deterrent to the people and, to a certain extent, as a constraint on the behavior of officials.

It's very simple. If no one in the world knows the law, then officials can just sentence people however they want.

Wouldn't that lead to chaos throughout the world?

Enforcing laws and regulations and enforcing strict rules is only natural and there's really nothing to say about it.

But he soon discovered that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

Historical records clearly state that after Zichan cast the bronze tripod for punishments, he was met with criticism and opposition from the people of the world.

Moreover, there was a lot of opposition, with Shu Xiang being a representative opponent.

Shu Xiang was no ordinary man; he was a renowned virtuous and capable minister of his time.

He upheld the hegemony of the Jin state externally and maintained the authority of the central government internally; he even dared to kill his own brother for embezzlement.

His reputation even surpasses that of Yan Ying.

This virtuous and capable minister took the lead in opposing the casting of the bronze tripod for punishment.

He also wrote several letters advising and vehemently criticizing Zichan, arguing that casting the bronze tripod of punishment would lead to:

If the people know there are rules, they will not fear their superiors.

The gist is that once ordinary people know the laws, they will no longer be afraid of officials and powerful figures.

Zichan's counterattack was that the nobles abused the law, harming the common people and undermining the central government.

Moreover, the lack of clarity in the laws deterred merchants from doing business, causing the state of Zheng to become increasingly impoverished.

He cast the bronze tripod for punishment to limit the power of local nobles and maintain the authority of the central court.

With rights and obligations clearly defined, the interests of the people were protected, and merchants dared to do business in Zheng.

'I am here to save the world!'

Upon seeing this, Zhu Biao finally realized that things were not as simple as he had thought.

The fact that everyone in the world opposes casting the bronze tripod for punishments and opposes making the laws public shows what?
This indicates that the laws of the past were not made public.

At this moment, the phrase that Ma Yu always had on his lips resurfaced in his mind.

If the punishment cannot be known, the power cannot be measured.

Did people at that time hold this kind of mindset, and therefore were unwilling to make the law public?

Thinking of this, he could no longer sit still.

He issued another order, instructing the historians of the Eastern Palace to search for historical records from the time of Zichan and to examine the development of Chinese law.

Although there was no search engine, with the efforts of five or six historians and a dozen scribes, what Zhu Biao wanted was found a few hours later.

It was already past midnight, but Zhu Biao was not sleepy at all.

I started reading through the materials as soon as I got them.

First, let's look at the historical situation during the time of Zichan, according to the Zuo Zhuan:

"Deliberations should be conducted in accordance with established rules, and should not be subject to punishment."

What this means is that there were no fixed laws, and how to judge someone depended entirely on the nobles' discussions.

They decide how to rule, and that's how they rule.

Zichan's casting of the penal tripod was tantamount to stripping the nobles of their sentencing power and centralizing the power to formulate laws.

Nobles can no longer judge cases as they please as before.

That's why the aristocratic and official class so opposed casting the bronze tripod for punishment.

Shu Xiang then angrily denounced: "The people know of the disputes, and they will abandon propriety and resort to books. They will fight over even the smallest things!"

Even Confucius, who greatly respected Zichan, criticized him, saying:
How can a nation function if there is no distinction between the noble and the lowly?
According to the "Treatise on Criminal Law" in the Book of Han, the direct attitude of the powerful and wealthy towards the casting of the bronze tripod for punishment was:
In the past, I used the law as a blade to cut the people like straw dogs; now that the blade is displayed in the market, how can I cut them?

Seeing this, Zhu Biao finally understood what Zi Chan's casting of the bronze tripod symbolized.

He also understood why Ma Yu had asked him to look at Zichan's experience.

(End of this chapter)