I can sign in in Datang

Chapter 467

Chapter 467

Lin Xuan underestimated Li Shimin's determination. After Li Lizhi replied to Li Shimin, Li Shimin sent someone to call Lin Xuan into the palace that afternoon.

Swinging back and forth, Li Shimin stared at Lin Xuan and asked, "Why? Why don't you want to help me check the accounts?"

"Your Majesty is so determined to check the accounts of the Seventh Department. In fact, he knows that there must be corruption in the Seventh Department. This kind of thing will be completely eliminated. If this is the case, why does Your Majesty ask the minister to check the accounts?" Lin Xuan said.

Throughout the dynasties, corruption has been the biggest headache for those in power.

Speaking of dynasties that severely punished corruption, the first thing everyone thinks of is the early Ming Dynasty when Zhu Yuanzhang was in power.

This is the same as Zhu Yuanzhang's previous tragic life experience. Whenever he thinks of the scene where the relief food that should have been distributed to his parents was embezzled by officials, causing his parents to starve to death, he can't help gnashing his teeth. All these people deserve to be killed!

Zhu Yuanzhang once said to the ministers: "When I was an ordinary citizen, I saw corrupt officials who ignored the sufferings of the people. I hated them. In the future, I will legislate to strictly prohibit them. I will never forgive corrupt officials who dare to harm the people."

He encouraged people all over the world to report and supervise officials.The people are allowed to go directly to the capital to report and report corrupt officials, and even allow corrupt officials to be sent to the capital.No one can stop the people from breaking into the government to arrest officials with bad deeds. If there is anyone who stops, the whole family will be killed.He announced the crimes of the offending officials at the Shenming Pavilion to let the common people know and warn the officials not to do evil.

Due to the shortage of talents, officials who committed a crime are not killed, but can work in shackles and handcuffs.He ordered the Ministry of Punishments that all officials who committed crimes could be pardoned for their crimes and returned to their original posts, but they would post a bulletin on the gate of the government to announce his crimes, urging him to reflect, and punish those who did not repent.

In ancient times, there was no such thing as commutation of sentences, but when there was any happy event, the imperial court would pardon the world. Except for a few crimes such as treason and deception, other crimes could be pardoned, but Zhu Yuanzhang stipulated that officials should not be pardoned for corruption.

However, with such strict regulations, the problem of corruption is still repeated.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that his methods were not ruthless enough, so he increased the punishment of corrupt officials. Officials had more than 60 taels of corruption, not only showing their heads to the public, but also skinning them.There is no mercy when killing corrupt officials. In order to increase deterrence, Zhu Yuanzhang also set up a shocking policy.The Ming Dynasty set up an additional land temple between the gate of the county government and the second gate. This land temple is a place where people are skinned. After Zhu Yuanzhang ordered officials to be executed for corruption, they would peel off the skins of corrupt officials and stuff straw into the skins. , Make a scarecrow and hang it beside the public seat for everyone to visit and deter corrupt officials.

It can be said that Zhu Yuanzhang has been competing with corrupt officials all his life. During his 31 years in power, he killed as many as 15 corrupt officials.But the corrupt officials still went on one after another, and they were still unable to be eradicated.Zhu Yuanzhang lamented in his later years: "When the cure is late, there will be crimes, and when the evening is ruled, it will be the same in the morning; the corpses have not been moved, but the people will continue to heal, and the more serious the cure, the more crimes."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't understand until his death. His determination to punish corruption was not unresolute, and his methods were not extreme. Why he still failed to completely eradicate corruption?

In fact, the governance of corruption cannot rely solely on deterrence, but also requires an effective regulatory system.

To say that the period with the least corruption in history is actually the Zhenguan period when Li Shimin was in power.

This is why Lin Xuan is unwilling to check the accounts for Li Shimin.

During the Zhenguan period, although there were fewer corrupt officials, it does not mean that there were no corrupt officials, but it was much better than other periods.

There are many corrupt officials and liquidators recorded in history, but in the long history of more than 2000 years, they seem insignificant.

Why are there only so many corrupt and honest officials recorded in the history books?

In addition to those people who are more famous, the most important thing is related to the ancient official system.

Take the county as an example, the officials appointed by the imperial court are only a few people such as the county magistrate, county magistrate, and county lieutenant.

These people have official positions, and it is not enough to govern a county by relying on these people alone.

It is also necessary to recruit Shi Ye, Zuo Za, the third class and the sixth house, Mu You, and Chang Sui. Together, there are more than 100 people in counties with few counties, and hundreds of people in counties with many counties.

The court will not pay these people's wages.

All must be borne by the officials themselves.

However, officials have limited salaries and need to support their families. Naturally, they cannot afford so many people.

The court didn't give money, so they had to figure out their own way.

How to do it?They can only collect money, and the servants are doing business to collect fares, tea money, etc. from the parties.

Although the money is unreasonable, it is also the default.

Naturally, this money alone cannot support so many people.

Officials had to look elsewhere.

All the expenses of the government are paid by the court. If you make a false report, won't the money come?

Most officials do this.

The few who are unwilling to do so can only streamline their staff and supplement themselves to make ends meet.

This is also the reason why those famous upright officials are poor.

Take Hai Rui, a well-known upright official in the Ming Dynasty, for example. When he died, he couldn't even afford to have a funeral, so others chipped in to help him with the funeral.

You must know that Hai Rui was a fourth-rank official when he was the highest.

An official of the fourth grade, even if he is not corrupt, he will not have no money for burial, right?

If being an official is not corrupt, you will be poor like that, and there will not be so many people thinking about becoming an official.

Those who falsely reported consumption did not get the money in their own pockets, so they are not considered corrupt officials.

But their behavior, of course, cannot be regarded as honest officials.

And most of the officials in the imperial court are like this. After all, there are not many fools who post money by themselves.

If Lin Xuan helped Li Shimin check the accounts, the false report by the officials would definitely attract Li Shimin's attention.

Although it's not a big deal and there are too many people involved, it's not easy for Li Shimin to pursue it, but Li Shimin will definitely rectify this situation.

What should officials do if they cannot get money from the court?

If you don't want to pay for it yourself, you can only start with the people.

Then there will be a big mess.

"I naturally understand what you said. I think this emperor is a good one, but I want to see if I am a good emperor." Li Shimin said.

He always imagined that Li Yuan proved that it was a mistake not to make him the crown prince.

It has become a knot in his heart for so many years.

He felt that he governed well, the officials were clear and bright, and the people did not close their doors at night, but the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs made him a little suspicious.

He didn't even notice that the people around him were involved, let alone the whole world.

"Your Majesty, just take the minister's family as an example. Are those in charge of purchasing not corrupt? This is impossible. Most people are selfish. How can they not think about themselves? There must be corruption, but I never go After digging into it, you just need to beat them from time to time to let them know the majesty of the Lord's family." Lin Xuan said.

In fact, he was talking nonsense, and he basically didn't take care of the family affairs.

But what he said was what was in his heart.

Normally, both honest and corrupt officials are in the minority.

Most of the officials are the kind of officials who don't have much corruption and don't do much harm to the people.

For such officials, it is only necessary for the court to catch some typical examples so that they do not dare to go too far.

Is it a good thing to arrest them directly and punish them?

I'm afraid not necessarily, who can guarantee that another official will not be more greedy than the previous one?

Many things, if you investigate too clearly, you will overcorrect.

(End of this chapter)