First Minister of Ming Dynasty

what are you thinking?

It's no wonder that Lao Zhu is not angry when he puts such things as job fields and job money on the table!

"Brother Li, what are you thinking?"

Li Shanchang looked up at Zhang Ximeng, and he was about to cry.

"Zhang Xiang, the grace of saving my life, I will remember it deeply, so I dare not hide it from you... But if I don't set up these names, the amount of the salary will, it will scare the superiors."

Zhang Ximeng was suddenly speechless, so there was such a thing to say!

Also, if Li Shanchang didn't disperse the salary and calculate it all together, it must be huge and amazing, and Zhu Yuanzhang might be even more angry at that time.

It's just that you, Lao Li, didn't scare Zhu Yuanzhang, but put yourself into a trap.

"Brother Li, the lord is wise and wise. I can't hide this trick from him. Although I want to earn more salary, I still need to have a lot of life. You should think about how to deal with the lord! If the next time the lord Still not satisfied, I can't help you!"

Zhang Ximeng glanced around, and found that on Li Shanchang's table, there was a bag of tea, which was just wrapped in ordinary paper, but Zhang Ximeng could smell a faint fragrance, and in his judgment, it should be top quality.

Li Shanchang is so cunning. Seeing Zhang Ximeng staring at the tea leaves, he hurriedly said: "Master Zhang, I am a layman, and I don't know much about tea, let alone taste it. Take it, and when you write an article at night, borrow it." With the fragrance of tea, you can write beautifully, and the writing will be handed down as a masterpiece!"

Li Shanchang stuffed the tea leaves to Zhang Ximeng.

Zhang Ximeng was slightly startled, he could even hear his own heartbeat!

That's right!

We finally took bribes!

How many years ago, apart from getting some rewards from Zhu Yuanzhang, he only took a gold ingot from Lu Qiuyun. This was the first time he officially accepted bribes. Although there was only one bag of tea, it was very meaningful and extraordinary!

This is the first step for him to become rich and improve his quality of life.

Don't look too greedy, but it's a good start after all, isn't it!

Zhang Ximeng took the tea leaves from Li Shanchang's hand and quickly put them away. Then he paused and lowered his voice, "Brother Li, the matter of official salary is not that simple. There is no end to counting up. No amount is too much." But it must not be too low, otherwise it will encourage officials to be corrupt and pervert the law. After all, they hold great power and can be suffocated to death by urine? All in all, it can be different from ordinary people, but it can’t be too outrageous. , I will help to speak with the lord later."

When Li Shanchang heard it, he nodded repeatedly, feeling like weeping with joy!

This bag of tea is so worth it!

It's just two catties of the best Longjing from West Lake, but in exchange for Zhang Ximeng's guarantee, if he had known this earlier, it would be great to pay a visit to Zhang Ximeng in advance, how could he annoy the superior?

Damn it!

"Thank you Zhang Xiang for your help. I will definitely drink tea with Zhang Xiang later."

Li Shanchang thanked him again and again, he still had to draw up a detailed charter, Zhang Ximeng didn't stop, so he took the initiative to leave and returned to his residence.

The smile on his face couldn't be stopped. After returning, he hurriedly boiled the water and tasted the tea he got.

As a result, the moment Zhang Ximeng opened the paper bag, he froze.

Why is something wrong?

In this paper bag, why is there a piece of paper with handwriting on it? When I opened it, it turned out to be a pawn ticket.

Who would enclose a pawn ticket in the tea bag?

The pawn turned out to be a box, worth a lot of money.

Tea, pawn tickets, boxes...subway, old people, mobile phones...

Zhang Ximeng was stunned for a while, instead of asking Li Shanchang, he silently took out the Yitong Bao note, and then went straight to the pawn shop, he wanted to see, what is the mystery of this box?

Is it purely careless and mistaken, or is someone giving Li Shanchang a gift?Or, was Lao Li giving him a gift?

It was so easy to accept bribes once, and there was even a story, Zhang Ximeng didn't know whether to cry or laugh...

Not to mention Zhang Ximeng's investigation of the pawn shop, but also Li Shanchang, after a busy stay, he stayed up all night for two nights, which made him thinner and haggard. This is how he got his new salary.

He thought about it carefully, and there was no doubt that the officials would not be satisfied with this thing.

But there is nothing he can do. If he satisfies you, I will be dead.

Li Shanchang handed over his plan. Officials of the first, second, third and fourth grades, their annual salary ranges from a thousand stones to three hundred stones, with each level decreasing by one hundred stones, and all of them are given three hundred guan in salary.

The five grades are 220 shi, and [-] shi are reduced, and the banknotes are all [-] guan.The six grades are one hundred and twenty stones, and ten stones are subtracted from each other, and the banknotes are all ninety pieces.From the seventh grade, the ten stones are reduced from the sixth grade, and the banknotes are all sixty guan.

There are 75 stones in the eighth grade, and five stones are subtracted, and the banknotes are all 45 guan.From the ninth grade, the five stones are reduced from the eighth grade, and the banknotes are all thirty.

After Li Shanchang's plan was submitted, before Zhu Yuanzhang could say anything, the officials of Zhongshu Province, as well as officials from Yingtian, Hangzhou, and other places, all turned their backs.

What do you mean?

Prime Minister Li, are you going too far?

With such a small salary, raising an eagle and a tiger is not enough to eat!

Wasn't it originally agreed that we should refer to the salary of the Song Dynasty. Although a lot will be cut off, we all know it in our hearts, but we must be careful!

We don't ask for the water of the Yellow River, it's rolling in, but we can't use such a little thing to fool things!

No!

We need to find a superior judge!

Li Shanchang had been the prime minister for so long, and this was the first time that he encountered collective opposition from his subordinates. With his dignity as the left prime minister, he couldn't hold it back.

The big guys were furious and filled with righteous indignation. They first contacted each other, and then a few ministers came to Li Shanchang, and they seemed to go to Luo with a knife and complain about their interests.

In the entire Zhongshu Province, except for Jia Lu and Zhu Sheng, the two more detached counselors, everyone else moved.

Li Shanchang's housekeeping is like the six major factions besieging Guangmingding, it's a lively scene!

Prime Minister Li, who has long sleeves and is good at dancing, finally realized the feeling of being overwhelmed.

This group of people who are usually silent, finally tore off their disguise!

"Okay, let's go see the superior now and let the superior decide!" Li Shanchang had no choice but to rush to see Zhu Yuanzhang. Other officials followed, and he had to ask for an explanation for his own value.

Regarding the whole incident, Zhu Yuanzhang watched with cold eyes. The more violent the reaction of the officials, it showed that he had grasped the point. He was happy that he was not deceived, but he was angry because of the greed of the officials.

Even if it is the ninth rank, the lowest official has an annual salary of seventy stones and thirty coins.

It's enough for food, drink and flowers, but a first-rank official can get a thousand stone yearly salary, why not enough?

Lao Zhu only felt a stream of anger rushing straight to his forehead, Li Shanchang could no longer hold it, maybe a direct conflict between the monarch and his subjects was right in front of him.

But at this moment, Zhang Ximeng came over, "Colleagues...let me say a few words, based on the situation in Hangzhou, after equalizing the land, each person can get [-] mu of land, which is far from enough in some places. Two shi per mu, calculated as two crops a year, is sixty shi grains, and land taxes have to be paid, and seed irrigation has to be deducted... An ordinary person can only get thirty or forty shi grains, and when they meet In famine years, there may be so many. The lowest-level officials get twice as much as ordinary people, how many times do you think it is appropriate to get?"

After Zhang Ximeng finished speaking lightly, the officials who were aggressive just now quieted down instantly, and the embarrassed Li Shanchang also had a chance to breathe. He glared at his subordinates and asked angrily, "Mr. Zhang is right, how much do you want?" ah!"

Chapter 311 Zhang Xiang is a Good Man

Li Shanchang felt that his infatuation was all in vain.In Zhu Jiajun's team, he is the one who takes care of the people below the most.Especially these civil servants, not all of them are protected by him.

As a result, Han Xiuniang was almost involved in the case last time, and he offended Princess Ma because of it.

Now because of his salary, he directly made a fuss with the superior, and he lost all his old face.

Li Shanchang knew very well that in the officialdom, especially when he cared about face, he was not safe as a left minister. If he couldn't suppress the people below, the consequences would be serious.

So this time, no matter what, a few people have to be operated on!

"You are dissatisfied with your salary, so you have to tell a reason! Are you greedy for Zhao Song's generous salary? You have to think about it clearly. Now that you have reopened the rise and fall, and rebuilt China, you have to compare it with the Song Dynasty. You also want to come to Jingkang again. Shame? Do you want to cross the cliff again?"

Li Shanchang's speech was like a knife, accurate and ruthless, and he stabbed at fatal places, making most of the officials afraid to answer.

After being silent for a while, Yang Yuangao stood up. He first saluted Zhu Yuanzhang, and then said to Li Shanchang: "Mr. Li, how dare we expect to be like Zhao Song... just like an official, there are always some unavoidable expenses. For example, if you go out, you need a carriage, or a sedan chair, a housekeeper and cook, a magistrate, and a master. If you are in Yingtian, you must have a residence... It is really not comparable to ordinary people. Li Xiang, you have been in the officialdom for a long time. Knowing these things, this, this salary is really not enough!"

Li Shanchang sneered and said with a dark face: "What's not enough? The clean will be clean, and the turbid will be dirty! If you are a corrupt official, no amount of money will be enough, your desires will be hard to fill, and your heart will not be enough! If you are a clean and self-sufficient official, the money is enough to support your family! Why do officials need to sit in a sedan chair? Is it not good to be a car? I also need a housekeeper and cook, is there no wife at home? As for asking a master, this is even more nonsense! If you don’t understand anything and you have to ask the master to help you, then just ask It’s enough for the master to become an official!”

Lao Li is worthy of being a petty official, how can these rhetoric deceive him?

In addition, he is eager to clean up in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, so he is not polite at all.

"The most indispensable thing in the world is people who are officials. Let me also remind you that the expenditures are so large now, and we are in a difficult situation. We are in the same boat, and we are in a hurry to ask for money before we have done much! What is this? I'm sorry Did you read the book?"

Everyone was speechless again. Although they were not convinced, Li Shanchang's big hat was really scary. After all, there was Zhu Yuanzhang staring at him. Old Li was just bluffing. If Zhu Yuanzhang made trouble, he would be dead.

After a long silence, among the group of people, Tao An suddenly took a step forward.As a long-time Confucian who joined Zhu Yuanzhang after crossing the river, Tao An and Li Shanchang were not considered the same people, and naturally they were not very close to Zhang Ximeng.At another age, it is appropriate to stand up and speak out.

"Li Xiang, we are all scholars, but poems and songs are not for food. The big guy has been studying hard for ten years, just to get ahead and make his ancestors shine. Learn literary and martial arts, and sell goods to the emperor's family. This is what ordinary people understand Lier. Now the big guy is dedicated to his loyalty, working for his superiors, working tirelessly. In the end, there is only this little salary, really, it really can’t be justified!"

Li Shanchang snorted coldly and said, "What? Tao Shangshu, you can get nine hundred shilumi and three hundred guan banknotes. Isn't that enough? Ordinary people can't earn so much money in a few years?"

Tao An bit his teeth, but fortunately he was willing to go all out, "Li Xiang, you are also a literati, you should know how much a literati spends? Not to mention anything else, just the four treasures of the study, a good paper, a piece of Hui ink, as well as furniture and porcelain. Calligraphy and painting all cost money, right? You, how can you put scholars and ordinary people together? It’s really polite and disrespectful!”

After saying this, Tao An felt a pair of sharp eyes piercing towards him.

The old man was taken aback for a moment, turned his head with difficulty, and found that it was Zhu Yuanzhang who was glaring at him, and Tao An was so frightened that he trembled all over.

Bad thing!

Tao An hurriedly bowed and apologized to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Your Majesty, old minister, I don't mean that, old minister, old minister is confused!" He knelt down directly, trembling.

Seeing this scene, the other officials also lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Tao An's words have actually expressed the essence of officials' dissatisfaction with their salaries.

The principles mentioned above cannot be said to be wrong, but in the final analysis, as an official, he is a member of the scholar-officials.How to reflect the difference between scholar-bureaucrats?

First of all, the living room should be bright and spacious, with green brick tiles and mahogany furniture!There are also calligraphy, painting and porcelain, which should be used to decorate the home.Fortunately, Lao Zhu sealed the brothel, otherwise he would have invited a few singers to stay at home, with red sleeves to add fragrance, poetry and wine, this is the realm of a scholar-bureaucrat.

The level of salary is one thing. Comparing a poor man with a scholar-bureaucrat is an insult in itself... This is like saying that Denmark surrendered in four hours, so why bother?Why no milk pill?The problem is that putting Denmark and France together is an offense to France, okay?

That's the way things are, no matter how well Zhang Ximeng's article is written, and how eloquently he explains the rise and fall, that's just the beginning.

Even within the Zhu family army, there are many people who are unwilling to accept what is people-oriented, what is the people's will is God's will, and what is the same heart and mind... In their view, this is just an idea.

In fact, they still have to maintain the detached status of scholar-bureaucrats.

Do scholars still need to care about basic necessities of life?

Kings raise scholars, just like Zhao and Song emperors, obediently high-ranking officials and rich salary, and take good care of scholars, or like the Yuan court, allowing scholar-bureaucrats to find ways to make money and handing over the village to the gentry and landlords, in that case , we don't need to care about this salary.

You can't expect us to work honestly and be loyal, only to get a salary that is several times higher than that of the poor, and we can't tell the difference, can't we?

To think so is to blaspheme the scholars!

Tao An was indeed old, and in a moment of urgency, he told the truth.

"Mr. Tao, you have read a lot and are very knowledgeable. Since you joined us, you have suffered a lot and done a lot of things. We have seen it all. We must thank you for not giving up, sir. You think highly of us!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was low and slow, and each word was accurately delivered to Tao An's ears.

How can the old man not understand at his age!

This time I really fell.

"Old minister, old minister is confused, please forgive me!"

Zhu Yuanzhang watched him, and smiled for a long time, "It's not a crime, it's just a different way... Prepare 200 taels of silver for Mr. Tao, and ask him to return to his hometown to retire!"

At this moment, Tao An seemed to be ten years older, his body was rickety, especially his back collapsed in an instant, and his whole body was drained of energy.

Zhu Jiajun has a unique charm, which is completely beyond the simple promotion and fortune, and the confinement of his wife and son.

Among so many insurgents, those like Tian Wan and Han Song who can come up with a set of official systems and call for the restoration of the Great Song Dynasty are already rare, and they look down upon the world.

But if you look closely at their internal structure, it is still a mess, Liu Futong killed Du Zundao, Chen Youliang turned back against Ni Wenjun... To put it bluntly, it is at the level of Liang Shanbo, and anyone with a little knowledge should know that they can go to the end and rule the world. Yes, it must be Zhu Yuanzhang.

Moreover, the grandeur shown by Zhu Jiajun has greatly exceeded everyone's imagination. If there is no accident, this must be an unprecedented prosperity.

To be able to create a prosperous world and reshape the universe must be famous in history.

In the end, because of a salary issue, he was dismissed from office and lost his old face.

What a loss!

Tao An, you can go back to the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and the poetry and wine are romantic.

You can go and enjoy the treatment of scholar-bureaucrats, but I'm sorry, our Zhu Jiajun can't tolerate you anymore.

Tao An struggled to get up from the ground, staggered, and walked forward step by step, leaving the crowd with a desolate and bleak figure.

Including Tao An's old friend Li Xi, and Yang Yuangao who just spoke out, almost everyone has mixed feelings.

Although this salary is not much, it can still live on, and since he is an official, he is unlikely to starve to death. It is not worth it to argue with his superiors and offend Li Shanchang for this matter.

With Tao An's black hat, the dispute over salary seems to be over.Although Li Shanchang was a bit embarrassing in the early stage, his superior shot helped him regain his face and won a big victory.

Li Shanchang is full of joy, it seems that he has to follow the superior closely, the teacher of all officials is not as good as the favored minister of the superior!

Look at Zhang Ximeng, how comfortable these years have been, why should he be so tired?