GBP Chapter 379 Come on, let's hurt each other!
Chapter 379 Come on, let's hurt each other!
A letter from home?
Whose family's letter could be so full that it makes the envelope bulge?
Just as Yang Shaofeng was staring blankly at the frighteningly thick envelope in Chen Zhong's hand, Chen Zhong pushed the envelope in front of Yang Shaofeng.
Chen Zhong said with a smile, "His Majesty said that the idea of setting up a special auditing office was proposed by the Prince Consort. Neither the Duke of Han nor the Earl of Chengyi had ever heard of how this auditing office works, so they asked the Prince Consort to write down a few words about it."
Ok?
Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen didn't know how to set up an auditing office.
This is utter bullshit!
While inwardly complaining, Yang Shaofeng picked up the envelope, checked the sealing wax, and then took out the so-called "family letter."
One page, two pages, three pages... eight pages, nine pages?
Looking at the nine-page letter, Yang Shaofeng was so angry he almost exploded on the spot.
No, the Blank Seal Case was exposed by Liu Bowen, right?
Since I didn't cause the blank seal incident, why don't you go and mess with Liu Bowen instead of me?
Besides, it's already the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month of the third year of Hongwu. The New Year is just around the corner. You old drudge, why are you suddenly bringing up so many questions? Are you sure you're not just trying to annoy me?
Feeling increasingly displeased, Yang Shaofeng simply apologized to Chen Zhong and then took Emperor Zhu's letter back to his study.
Come, let me see what questions you old fool can't answer, and then I'll show you some advanced problem-solving techniques from hundreds of years in the future.
The first question is, after the old Dengzhou province was abolished, it was changed to the Provincial Administration Commission responsible for civil affairs, the Provincial Judicial Commission responsible for judicial affairs, and the Military Commission responsible for military affairs.
Tsk tsk, isn't this pure nonsense?
If I remember correctly, after abolishing the provincial system, the Ming Dynasty had a provincial structure with the Provincial Administration Commission responsible for civil affairs, the Provincial Judicial Commission responsible for judicial affairs, and the Military Commission responsible for military affairs. This could indeed be considered a system of decentralization and division of power.
The key point is that it's practically useless.
It seems that the original blank seal case in history occurred after the separation of the civil, legal, and military branches.
Moreover, the problem of blank printing of money and grain registers has not been completely solved; it has simply been done in a more secretive manner.
Ultimately, the real reason for these problems lies in the fact that the Ming Dynasty did not have a truly independent tax agency, nor a truly independent judicial and supervisory agency.
Take over-the-counter agencies as an example.
On the surface, the Censorate was not under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister, and later it was also not under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet. It can be said to be an independent supervisory body.
However, there is only one path to promotion in the Censorate. Even the top-ranking Left and Right Censors-in-Chief are only second-rank officials. Their power is far less than that of the Chancellor, let alone the Ministers of the Six Ministries, who are also second-rank officials.
So here's the problem: everyone has the same rank and the same treatment, but their rights and interests are vastly different. How can we expect the officials of the Censorate to work for love?
If they wanted to reach higher positions and receive better treatment, the officials of the Censorate would have to find a way to be transferred out of the Censorate. After being transferred out of the Censorate, the officials who were originally supervised by the Censorate would become their own people.
In this way, can the Censorate still maintain true independence?
The same principle applies to the tax authorities of the Ming Dynasty.
We're all officials in the same court, and we might all be transferred from the Ministry of Revenue to other government offices in the future. There's no need to risk offending future colleagues over a little bit of salary.
Shaking his head helplessly, Yang Shaofeng simply picked up his pen and started writing.
The Censorate was restructured.
Since Liu Bowen didn't know how to set up an auditing office, he might as well overturn his Censorate and directly transform it into the Ming Dynasty's top auditing model.
Now that we have the top-inspection model, why don't we just change it too and make it the Da Ming Top-inspection model?
Now that both the prosecutor and the judge have been brought in, the Ministry of Justice can no longer remain idle; it also needs to be reformed.
The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate have all been restructured; why not restructure the Provincial Secretariat as well?
For example, an auditing office could be added to the provincial administration to specifically audit the accounts of various government offices. However, this auditing office would not be under the jurisdiction of the provincial administration; its highest authority would be the reorganized Censorate.
For example, the provincial administration can be structured as a combination of the Provincial Administration Commission, the Provincial Judicial Commission, and the Provincial Military Commission. The Provincial Judicial Commission would then be further divided into two subordinate agencies: the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice. This structure would then be expanded to include prefectures and counties.
Another issue is the staffing of local government officials. Since clerks and servants are all employed locally and are overly dependent on local officials, it is suggested that they be incorporated into the low-ranking staffing system so that they can receive a proper government salary.
After writing a long and detailed account, Yang Shaofeng specifically noted that he was merely a minor prefect and knew very little about the workings of the Secretariat, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and other government offices. He hoped that Emperor Zhu would consult Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen more often.
In addition, considering that Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen are both quite old, it is suggested that Emperor Zhu set a retirement age in advance. If he really cannot bear to part with Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen, he can also consider a re-employment system.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Shaofeng turned his attention to Emperor Zhu's second question.
He summoned elderly people from the countryside to the capital to petition the government, allowing them to monitor local officials, audit government books, and even bring corrupt officials to the capital to file complaints.
Meow meow meow?
Although he had seen related content in historical books before, Yang Shaofeng really wanted to ask Zhu Chongba, that old tyrant, what he was thinking when he actually saw all of this in front of him.
It's fine to summon elderly people from the countryside to the capital to question the government, and it's also fine to allow rural people to monitor local officials or even allow them to kidnap corrupt officials and bring them to the capital to file a complaint. But allowing the people to audit the government's books is a bit of absurd, isn't it?
Are you sure those illiterate commoners can understand the government's account books and comprehend the Four Pillars Register method?
At the very least, you should improve the literacy rate of the general public first, right?
After thinking it over carefully, Yang Shaofeng simply picked up his pen again.
It is suggested that the government summon rural residents to the capital to discuss government affairs, since officials only state facts that are favorable to them and no one cares about the lives of ordinary people.
It is suggested that the emperor leave the capital regularly to visit the common people and see for himself what life is really like. After all, you, Emperor Zhu, came from humble origins, have your children and grandchildren experienced such things?
If we don't let them leave the palace to see the world, wouldn't that be a perfect example of someone who grew up in the inner palace and doesn't know the hardships of ordinary people?
It is recommended to build more community schools and vigorously promote the "Hongwu Zhengyun", "Hongwu Dictionary", "Hongwu Calculation Symbols", and "Hongwu Calculation Classic". Only after the literacy rate of the people has improved should we study the matter of allowing the people to audit the government's accounts.
Yang Shaofeng found it easier and easier to write.
Come on, let's hurt each other.
Zhu Chongba, you old bastard, you've been messing with me! I'll just give you a piece of my mind.
Anyway, I've given you a few questions and a general outline. The rest is up to you, Zhu Chongba, Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen, to figure out.
After all, I don't receive a salary from the Secretariat.