In the name, Zhu Youxiao called it "rewarding". In other words, as long as you are honest and not greedy, you can get twice as much money.

The low level of officials in the Ming Dynasty has always been a fairly certain thing in the history books. Then, there are arguments that the officials of the Ming Dynasty are very poor, corruption is excusable, and poverty is "the reason for being a corrupt official".

In fact, compared with the Tang and Song dynasties, the salaries of officials in the Ming Dynasty were lower, but they did not reach the pitiful level of not having enough food and clothing.

Taking Qipin officials as an example, seven stones of rice per month is more than 1,000 catties, which is enough to feed a family of five, and there is still a lot of surplus.

But why did the officials of the Ming Dynasty cry and howl, shouting that they were poor and couldn't eat meat! Moreover, is it true that it is quite difficult to live on income alone?

The reason is not so simple, just as what you think is not necessarily what you think.

First of all, officials and ordinary people are definitely different, mainly reflected in the large number of families. In addition to parents, wives, children, etc., you also have to add domestic servants, maidservants, etc., it's normal to have more than a dozen mouths, right?

When you become an official, you can't have only one wife, and it's okay to take a few concubines, right? Even Hai Rui has two, let alone other officials.

You have to spend a hundred and eighty taels of silver to take a concubine, and you have to build a few more rooms, and you have to add a few more people in the future, right?

Secondly, it is the reason of the imperial court, and it would be good if it was in full. But in the middle and later periods, he began to issue more and more worthless treasure money, and sometimes he used sumwood, pepper, silk cloth and the like to offset his wages, which made him complain.

Zhu Youxiao eliminated the accumulated shortcomings, paid it in silver, and doubled his salary.

If you're still noisy and don't have enough money, don't do it. You want to spend all day and drink to live a high standard, you want to have three wives and four concubines, why should the court pay for your luxury?

What's more, isn't it a favor and favor for the court to exempt you from servitude, taxes, and so on?

The holy decree of "rewarding honesty" was still being discussed in the court, and Zhu Youxiao issued another holy decree to the cabinet. This time it is not a salary increase reward, but for officials to self-examine and self-correct.

The scope of self-examination and self-correction is mainly the land owned by officials, if there is any illegal things such as encroachment, forcible occupation, contribution, and fraudulent mailing, the removal will be completed within three months, and the court will not pursue it, nor will it be recorded in the examination.

Before this decree was completed, another decree came to the cabinet, asking the local government to re-examine and compile the Yellow Book and the Fish Scale Book within the year and report it to the household department.

What is the yellow book, that is, the household registration, which is equivalent to the census; The fish scale book is a map that demarcates the shape, boundaries and ownership of cultivated land, which is equivalent to the land ownership certificate of later generations.

In the 14th year of Hongwu, Zhu Baba ordered the first national census to be carried out, and compiled it into a yellow book to facilitate the statistics of the population, so that there would be a basis for apportionment of taxes and forced labor.

After compiling the Yellow Book, Zhu Taizu ordered the measurement of the land of the whole country and compiled it into a fish scale book.

In view of the lessons of the ages, in order to prevent the recurrence of land annexation and concealment. Zhu Yuanzhang demanded that the census of population and land should be conducted once every 10 years, so that the government can always have the most accurate data.

But in fact, this set of policies has not been implemented. By the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the ten-year check had become a mere formality, and the yellow book and the fish scale book had also become bullshit.

Local officials are often conscripted for enlistment, and a separate volume is often compiled as the basis for conscription. Because it is privately compiled and not reported to the household department, it is called the white book, also known as the "real yellow book" and "enslavement white book".

Of course, Zhu Youxiao knew that the yellow book and the fish scale book could no longer be used as the basis for enlistment, but he wanted the local government to re-check it and use it as one of the indicators for the examination.

You continue to alter and fabricate, and you continue to collude with the gentry to cheat. It's all a crime, and sooner or later you'll be caught. When the time comes, the exile is not ambiguous, and the development of "Dongfan" is in need of manpower!

The decree continued, this time against the officers of the guards.

The same treatment as civilian officials, as long as the embezzled military land is handed over within the time limit, and the number of soldiers under his command is reported in full, he will not be blamed in the past. Otherwise, severe punishment will not be granted.

Obviously, this edict shows that the emperor was well aware of the embezzlement of military land, the enslavement of military households, and the eating of empty salaries by the officers of the guards.

It is precisely because these behaviors are extenuating and have become extremely common that the emperor will give you another chance, the so-called "leniency in confession, and strictness in resistance".

If we do as we are told, we will have nothing to do and start from scratch. Otherwise, you have to weigh for yourself how severe this punishment is!

Actually, this is just the will of the Cabinet.

And the secret decree that others don't know has been sent to Zuo Guangdou, the governor of Shaanxi, Fang Zhenru, the governor of Henan, and Yang Lian, the new governor of Shanxi.

The main social contradiction at the end of the Ming Dynasty was land. A large number of annexations and encroachments have led to the exile of landless peasants and a large number of military households, and the fate is equally tragic.

These displaced people and fugitive military households have formed a huge factor of instability. It can be maintained now, but when it comes to the general outbreak, it will be difficult to clean up.

Therefore, Zhu Youxiao firmly grasped this key point, made concerted efforts to strictly manage the land, and pulled back the land little by little.

Of course, for the clan vassal king who encroached on the most land, Zhu Youxiao also made a ruthless move.

……………

Luoyang, Henan, Fuwang Mansion.

The obese Fu King Zhu Changxun sat in the chair, his eyes rolling around, obviously thinking quickly, and a little difficult to weigh.

Dongchang Admiral Wei's husband drank tea all day long, and looked up at this magnificent palace from time to time.

Fuwang Zhu Changxun was born to Wan Guifei, and was loved by his parents as soon as he was born.

However, because the minister was worried that the Wanli Emperor would depose the elder and the younger. Therefore, Zhu Changxun has been extremely disgusted by the ministers since he was a child.

Actually, in the matter of establishing the prince, Zhu Changxun is also quite innocent, who put himself in such an embarrassing position!

After Zhu Changxun went to Luoyang to become a vassal, he should be relatively honest and did not do anything bad in Luoyang.

As for the history books saying that he is lustful and greedy for good drinks, there is no way to do it. The vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty, since the Yongle Emperor, can only raise themselves as pigs. Otherwise, the emperor is still not at ease!

It is forbidden for the two kings to meet, it is forbidden for the clan to marry with the nobles, it is forbidden for the clan to go out of the clan, it is forbidden for the clan to come to Beijing to perform pilgrimage, and it is forbidden for the vassal king to leave the city without permission......

These confinements are imposed on the body, what can those vassal royal clans do except eat and drink in the mansion and accept a few beauties?

"Your Majesty really allows this king to go out of the city casually?" Zhu Changxun decided to start a trial with this question, although he did not agree with the proposal made by the emperor's nephew.

Uncle Wei nodded and said with a smile: "With the respect of the prince, he doesn't even have the freedom to go out of the city, so what's the matter?" The emperor said that as long as the prince is willing, he can make a report in the official mansion, and he can go anywhere. ”