Chapter 333: Report on the Investigation of Officials and Yamen Runners in the Imperial Court
Changping Villa.

The red candles in the back house were lit all night.

Until noon the next day.

A tender cry.

Lu Wenyan slowly opened her eyes in Yan Shaoting's arms.

Only then did Lu Gaoming realize that the man had woken up a long time ago and was staring at him with a smirk.

Lu Wenyan immediately hid her head in her arms with a shy look on her face.

"It's all Dr. Li's fault!"

There was a muffled sound.

Yan Shaoting burst into laughter.

Lu Wenyan couldn't help but raise her head and snorted at Yan Shaoting with a reproachful look on her face.

This damn man is always hungry in bed.

God knows what’s going on with Li Shizhen, just a prescription.

I didn't sleep a wink the whole night last night.

This man, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened.

Does he really think he is a donkey in the field?

Yan Shaoting was thinking about something in his heart, and whispered: "This time, if it is handled properly, your husband will be the benefactor of all officials in the world!"

Lu Wenyan's eyes immediately lit up.

He sat up immediately.

Then he exclaimed, and hurriedly grabbed the quilt to wrap himself up.

Large areas of snow-white skin disappeared.

Yan Shaoting couldn't help but sigh.

Lu Wenyan reached out and hit Yan Shaoting, blaming him: "Just tell me why you are the benefactor of all the officials?"

Without waiting for Yan Shaoting to explain.

This Miss Lu has already started to mutter to herself.

"If my husband really becomes their benefactor, then this favor must be enormous."

"In the future, my husband will continue to serve as an official in the court, and these people must accept this favor from him."

"As long as my husband doesn't go astray, these people will have to show some mercy to him. As long as this lasts for a long time..."

Lu Wenyan's eyes were shining, as if she saw something.

She suddenly clapped her hands on Yan Shaoting's chest.

Yan Shaoting was caught off guard and his mouth suddenly opened wide, and his whole body curled up.

Lu Wenyan's face flushed red.

"My husband will become the Prime Minister sooner or later!"

Mention the word "Prime Minister".

Lu Wenyan's eyes were full of light. She lowered her head quickly, and tightly grasped Yan Shaoting's arm with both hands, shaking it vigorously: "Husband! Please tell me quickly...husband..."

I felt dizzy after being shaken by the official-obsessed girl.

Yan Shaoting quickly reached out and grabbed her.

A glare.

"Shake it again!"

"I will fight you for another three hundred rounds!"

As soon as these words came out.

Lu Wenyan's eyes widened immediately, she covered her mouth tightly with her hands, and shook her head repeatedly with panic in her eyes.

Yan Shaoting then slowly said: "Although this time I praised the old dog Xu Jie in public, everyone knows that the article was published by our Changping newspaper."

"The clerks of our dynasty have been entrenched for two hundred years."

"Although these people also have inextricable ties with the local gentry and nobles, many of them even come from local gentry and nobles."

"But my Central Plains..."

"When did an official ever really fear a petty official?"

Now, for Yan Shaoting, stirring up class conflicts is a piece of cake and it is easy.

Just be in the position.

This kind of conflict can be provoked at any time as long as the timing is right.

Although it is said that the gentry in the world are a group of people.

But thinking problems can never be distinguished so simply.

We cannot simply assume that the gentry are a single entity and that merchants and gentry are in collusion with each other.

Just like you can't assume that all civil servants are of the same mind.

Things are never that simple.

And the same is true now.

If he were to take action against the government clerks and yamen runners who held local power in the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, it would inevitably affect the interests of the local gentry and wealthy families.

but?
Those court officials would naturally be happy to see the power of the local government truly returned to the hands of officials like them.

Officials are like tigers, and orders are like sheep.

It vividly illustrates the status of the county magistrates who are temporary officials in the county government.

A small clerk can be as fierce as a tiger but treat the county magistrate like a sheep.

It's really ridiculous.

This phenomenon is described in even more precise and detailed detail in "The Mirror of Official Administration".

"If there is any flaw in my official, they will point it out as a handle, report it to the police, threaten it in many ways, sell it to the collusion, and frame the innocent. As a result, the officials are controlled by them and dare not start; those who are strict become stupid and afraid to punish them."

A county magistrate who held the power of life and death granted by the imperial court was actually intimidated by the clerks in the county government and dared not use his power to punish them.

This is the real reason why imperial power does not extend to the countryside.

It is for this reason that it is popular for local officials today to bring their own staff and advisors with them when they take up their posts.

All of these staff and advisors were proficient in criminal law and arithmetic.

The purpose is to help the boss so that after taking office, he can fight for a little power in the government office with those complicated clerks and runners.

Can't anyone see this situation?
No.

Everyone can see the problem.

Just because there is no way to solve this problem, people make choices out of habit.

That is: turning a blind eye.

As long as you can't see it, then the problem doesn't exist.

The timid ones will act like quails, the weak ones will follow the clerks and yamen runners to exploit the people, and the strong ones will be able to directly exploit and oppress the clerks and yamen runners, and then allow these people to exploit the local people even more.

then.

This weird and twisted system has actually been running so stably day after day, generation after generation.

Now is the time for change.

"A benefactor who speaks for the civil servants of the world?"

Yan Shaoting muttered something and smiled.

Even though these people chose to turn a blind eye in the past, it doesn't mean that if I start to interfere in this matter, those people can continue to turn a blind eye.

People live.

All for their own benefit.

There was no choice in the past.

And now I have given them a new choice.

However, we still need to wait for the Changping newspaper to be published in the north and south so that this matter can be further developed.

Speaking of brewing.

Yan Shaoting couldn't help but glance at the little official who was obsessed with the girl.

He chuckled. Then the bed in the room creaked, and with Lu Wenyan's exclamation, the atmosphere began to become ambiguous.

And in the capital.

Nowadays, the masters in various ministries and government offices have a new hobby.

That is after reporting to the yamen early every morning.

He would make a cup of tea and then ask the clerk at the yamen to bring him the latest Changping newspaper.

Then he drank tea and read the newspaper.

In this way, half of the morning can be passed, and then it is time to start dealing with official business of the government.

Wait until noon when we are having lunch in the yamen.

Everyone would discuss with each other when their articles could be published in the Changping newspaper.

If an article from the department's office was published in the Changping newspaper that day, then after leaving the office today, this person would have to pay to find a restaurant and invite his close colleagues in the office to have a drink together.

unconsciously.

A small Changping newspaper has achieved such success in official circles.

The same is true in Shilin.

Compared with people in official circles, the scholars value Changping Newspaper more.

Three old masters, Nie Bao, Wang Ji and Qian Dehong, would occasionally write articles and publish them in the Changping newspaper. Occasionally, the Prime Minister and Yuan Ge Lao in the cabinet would also publish articles.

This is the best way to pursue fame and fortune.

Shilinli read almost every Changping newspaper. Whenever he found an opportunity, he would write an article or debate and send it to Changping Academy, hoping that it would be published and make a name for himself.

This pursuit became increasingly uncontrollable after the first few editions of the Changping newspaper, which announced that authors of all included and published articles would receive a sum of money.

For a while.

Changping Daily and Changping Academy have already become the leaders in the literary world of the Ming Dynasty.

As for whether anyone wants to get a copy of the same newspaper?
Naturally there is.

In areas such as Jiangnan, those wealthy and idle gentry naturally wanted to follow suit and publish a newspaper to make a name for themselves.

Many people also took action.

But in terms of influence, how can it compare with the Changping Newspaper published by the Changping Academy where Prince Yu is in charge? And how can we find old scholars who are more influential than Nie Bao and his three companions?
It is even more unlikely that any cabinet minister would submit articles to them for publication.

In comparison, the influence of Changping Daily is growing.

This day.

The latest issue of Changping Daily was sent into the capital the moment the city gates of Beijing were opened, and was delivered to the gatehouses of various government offices before officials reported for duty in the yamen.

Today, Gao Hanwen, like every other day, got up early at his doorstep, drank a bowl of soy milk and ate two pancakes, then went to the Censorate with a braised chicken leg in his arms.

As soon as he entered the yamen, he took a copy of the latest Changping newspaper from the gatehouse, put the newspaper under his armpit and went into his own office.

The gatehouse would take it down, and Left Censor-in-Chief Gao Hanwen would pick up a newspaper on that day.

When Gao Hanwen's salary is paid, the money for the newspaper will be deducted and the payment will be settled with Changping Academy.

After all, the president of the academy is named Zhu.

No one dared to owe money to Zhu Shanchang because of this newspaper.

Don't look back. Before Shanzhang Zhu said anything, Taoist Priest Zhu became furious.

It is said that Gao Hanwen, who entered the government office with the newspaper, first said good morning to several colleagues who worked in the same government office.

Gao Hanwen took a jar of tea from under his desk.

Actually, this tea was taken from the cabinet office when he was promoted to the Censorate.

As for who it was taken from.

Then only Gao Hanwen knows.

After making a cup of tea, Gao Hanwen sat down and opened the newspaper.

While drinking tea and eating braised chicken legs, I started reading the newspaper.

See behind.

An article titled "Investigation Report on Clerks and Yamen Runners in the Imperial Dynasty" immediately attracted Gao Hanwen's attention.

He immediately turned to look at his colleagues around him and raised his head slightly.

Everyone was looking at the same article with frowns on their faces. Gao Hanwen didn't dare to delay and quickly lowered his head to continue reading.

This article is titled Investigation Report.

The article begins by mentioning the recent experience of Xu Jie, the Deputy Minister of the Cabinet, who examined and reprimanded officials in various ministries and government offices in Beijing. Then the author of the article, named Chang Zhongping, highly praised and commended Xu Jie's behavior.

then.

The article began with a fierce criticism of the clerks and runners in the various ministries and government offices in the capital, arguing that it was the dereliction of duty, laziness, and even corruption and illegality of these clerks and runners that made Lord Xu so furious.

However, Lord Xu was concerned about the administration of the country and the people of the world, which is why he took such action.

and so.

Lord Xu is loyal to his country and his people.

As the imperial court is currently in the process of rectifying the administration of officials, it should uphold the will of Lord Xu and use more severe measures and punishment methods to impose stricter requirements on the clerks and runners in the government offices.

In order to make this article more convincing.

The author of the article, Chang Zhongping, even listed many examples.

For example, there was a case in Xin'an County, Guangzhou Prefecture, where Lu Rongzu, a clerk, wanted to seek a better position, but Tao Yikui, the clerk in charge of the selection, acted impartially and rejected Lu Rongzu's request. Lu was furious and beat Tao Yikui to death.

This is a real murder case.

However, the magistrate of Xin'an County did not dare to intervene in the murder case that occurred in the government office under his jurisdiction, because he did not want to offend the small clerk Lu Rongzu.

If it weren't for the fact that the victim, Tao Yikui's family, took the case to the Guangzhou Prefecture, and the Guangzhou Prefecture took decisive action to severely punish the clerk Lu Rongzu according to the law, this matter would probably have been hastily resolved.

Yan Junyan, the Guangzhou prefect who was in charge of the case at the time, annotated that classic statement in the verdict.

Officials are like tigers, and orders are like sheep!
And Chang Zhongping did not just give an example.

Another example is still Guangzhou Prefecture.

There was a vacancy in the grain department of the government office, and a clerk named Liu Feng had long coveted the position, but his qualifications were not good enough. So Liu Feng bribed the clerk in the clerk's office and secretly modified his own materials.

Change one of the key dates from May 28 to September 28.

If everything goes right, the grain administration post will fall into Liu Feng's hands.

But fortunately, the prosecutor who was in charge of the case at the time was very careful. He not only checked the information sent by the clerk of the Lifang Office, but also went to the yamen's cabinet to check Liu Feng's original files. He found that the dates did not match, so he discovered this fraud case.

But there were so many prefectures and counties in the Ming Dynasty, two capitals and 13 provinces. The officials of Guangzhou Prefecture were able to find out that the date was wrong, but they also found it from the cabinet library. What about other prefectures and counties?

If we list a few examples, the harm done by clerks and corvée labor in government offices is enough to make it clear.

And those who read it are all appointed officials of the imperial court, so naturally they feel more involved.

There was silence in the government office for a moment.

Gao Hanwen had no experience in local government. In the past, he had worked in the Hanlin Academy or the Wenyuan Pavilion, and he did not know much about the harm done by clerks and runners.

He couldn't help but look around at his colleagues in the same room.

"it is good!"

"Well said!"

"This brother Chang must have been like us in the past, suffering greatly from the clerks and runners."

"What you said, Luo Ju Cheng Pian, is mostly about Guangzhou Prefecture. Could it be that officials from Guangzhou Prefecture were promoted to the capital?"

"Does anyone know which department in the capital this brother Chang Zhongping works for?"

"I will definitely treat this brother to a drink when I leave the court today!"

In the Censorate's office, Gao Hanwen looked at his colleagues who were united in hatred of the enemy because of this article.

And left the Censorate Office.

The various departments and offices in the capital were even more powerful.

Every government office was filled with applause.

The clerks and runners in the yamen were still at a loss as to what the masters in the yamen were going to do.

However, when these clerks and yamen runners saw the masters walking out of the government office, they discovered the way these masters looked at them.

Something seems wrong?

…………

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(End of this chapter)