The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

"Your Majesty, in this old minister's opinion, this is not entirely a bad thing."

With the capital falling six times and the emperor being moved nine times, how could this be a good thing?

Upon hearing Wei Zheng's words, many officials around him showed expressions of disdain.

You old codger with thick eyebrows and big eyes, you usually criticize the Emperor in the most nasty way, but when it comes to the crucial moment, you start sucking up, don't you?

Even Li Er's face was filled with disbelief.

If you, Wei Zheng, were to say that it was not my fault, but rather the result of unfilial descendants, then I could accept it.

But you say that's not a bad thing? Isn't that just blatant lying?

"Does Your Majesty not believe this old minister's words?"

Facing the gazes of those around him, Wei Zheng simply smiled slightly.

Your Majesty doesn't believe me?

Then let this old minister explain in detail!

"What does the fall of the capital six times mean, Your Majesty? Do you know?"

"mean……"

"What else could it mean but that the capital has been breached by the rebels six times?"

"If Your Majesty is willing to look at it from a different perspective, it also means that the capital has fallen several times, but it has still been stubbornly taken back."

"In other dynasties, let alone the capital falling six times, they would probably have been on the verge of collapse by the first time it fell."

"As for the emperor's nine relocations, this is even more true."

Wei Zheng said slowly.

"Between the rebel army that breached the capital and the emperor who moved the capital, the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty chose the emperor without hesitation."

"Doesn't this show how important the Tang Dynasty is to them?"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider. Even if it were the mighty Han Dynasty, faced with the emperor's relocation of the capital and his flight, would the Han army truly still be able to firmly support the emperor instead of the various warlords?"

Obviously not!

The more Li Er listened, the more confident he became.

As expected of my beloved Minister Wei!

That's a nice thing to say!

"Moreover, His Majesty's Qin King's Battle Song can still turn the tide even a hundred years later. One can imagine His Majesty's divine power and how much later generations remember him!"

"Your Majesty is almost no less than Emperor Gaozu!"

At this point, Wei Zheng summarized the issue.

If we compare their achievements and abilities openly, they are indeed roughly equal.

Perhaps Liu Bang was good at using people, adept at enabling people to bring out their greatest strengths, and generous in rewarding meritorious officials.

On the other hand, Li Er also possessed these strengths, and was even superior in military strategy.

Comparing the two on paper, there isn't a significant problem.

As for the rest, although Wei Zheng was upright, he was not unaware of the situation. He knew when to say something and when not to say it.

"Minister Wei, if you can say that, I have no choice but to believe you."

Li Er chuckled, seemingly having forgotten how he had retorted to the old scoundrel when Wei Zheng had previously insulted him.

Now, he's transformed from an old scoundrel into Minister Wei.

The officials watching the harmonious scene between the two rulers felt a sudden sense of unease.

Is this still the same Wei Zheng?

"You, Li Er, can naturally think that way. After all, the powerful Han and prosperous Tang dynasties were just ordinary golden ages."

"But that's not what we're really concerned about right now."

"We are very curious to know what methods Emperor Gaozu would use to govern this era that has become rife with corruption."

Old Zhu didn't refute it. Compared to Li Er's little schemes, his attention was focused on the sky.

Addressing people's livelihood issues and reforming bureaucrats has always been a thorn in his side.

He felt that he had done his utmost by issuing the imperial edict, but there were still quite a few corrupt officials.

Aren't those people afraid of dying?

Judging from their reaction the moment they were arrested and imprisoned, they were probably afraid of dying.

If you're afraid of dying, why do you even do it?

Old Zhu said he couldn't understand it, and he also wanted to see how Liu Bang would handle the problem.

If, after the Han Dynasty is rebuilt, those from aristocratic families or the Donglin Party continue to embezzle public funds, then the promise of a good life for the people will be nothing but empty words!

In the early Han Dynasty, corrupt officials were not so blatant, probably because powerful clans had not yet gained significant influence.

However, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, the situation had become completely different.

If Liu Bang still wanted to govern the world using the old methods, those powerful families would show him what it meant to be outdated!

"I do know what you care about, but you can rest assured."

"The founding emperor naturally had ways to deal with it, and you said that no matter how much torture was used in your era, corrupt officials were still rampant."

"Is it possible that you're paying your officials too little?"

Liu Che thought for a moment and said.

If one knows that corruption will lead to death, and that superiors frequently order the investigation of corrupt officials, then there is a high probability that corruption will be discovered.

At least most officials probably wouldn't dare to cross that line.

However, according to Lao Zhu, no matter how severe the punishment, it cannot solve the problem of official corruption, and such phenomena are still very common.

The only thing he could think of was that his official salary wasn't enough to support his family.

After all, learning both literary and martial arts to serve the imperial family is ultimately for the sake of a better life for oneself and one's family.

Once they serve the emperor and enter the court, they still live a life even worse than when they were at home farming and raising pigs, to the point that their families can't even get enough to eat.

that……

How can they resist the temptation?

"We've already given them a lot in salary!"

"Putting everything else aside, it's enough to feed and clothe a family of five or six!"

The emperors of many dynasties before Zhu Yuanzhang had a question mark on their foreheads when they heard what he said.

Even if one doesn't become extremely wealthy and powerful, entering the imperial court as an official should at least ensure that one has enough to eat and wear.

What you're saying is misleading. The salary is only enough to feed and clothe a family of five or six. If there are two more people in the family, they will often go hungry.

So you're saying that officials exploit the people because they can't even afford to eat?

"Ahem, the salaries of local officials, especially county magistrates, are indeed not very high."

Although Li Er also felt that the salary was somewhat outrageous, at least Old Zhu had just acknowledged his abilities.

At this point, he naturally had to stand up and say a few words.

To everyone's surprise, Old Zhu popped up again as soon as he finished speaking.

“County magistrate? County magistrates don’t get that much salary. We’re talking about officials in the imperial court.”

Li Er: "?"

So what are you expecting here?

What methods will Liu Bang come up with to deal with corrupt officials?

No matter what method he comes up with, it won't work for you!

How can you be so stingy?

A court official's annual salary might not even be enough to support his entire family.

You expect them to follow the rules, govern the court properly, and not embezzle?

This is clearly forcing them to make money!

"Old Zhu, what I'm saying is, is it possible that if you take a look at the salaries of officials in previous dynasties and make a slight improvement, the situation could be better?"

"If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass first, right?"