The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Emperor Hongzhi was reading the memorial when he suddenly raised his head and looked at Yan Chengjin: "I heard that the prince wants to beg for a change of fiefdom?"

Yan Chengjin said: "I have not promised to help him beg, and the fiefdom cannot be changed at will to avoid unevenness."

In the early Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang divided the vassal kings into two types.

One is guarding the country on nine sides, with fiefdoms in important towns such as Ningxia and Datong.

Such as King Anhua and King Dai.

One enjoys peace and happiness in a land of plenty and plenty, with fiefdoms in Jiangnan and Huguang.

Such as King Ning and King Shou.

The vassal kings on the border were initially sent by Zhu Yuanzhang to guard the country because of their ability to fight.

However, the imperial court did not allow the vassal king to control the military. After a few generations, it was abolished.

There is no point in being stationed in a border town.

Liu Jiandao: "Yan Chengjin is right. The previous king was lewd and corrupt. It would be a great favor not to permanently deprive him of his title."

Xie Qian and Zhang Sheng nodded in agreement.

Xiao Jing interrupted: "Your Majesty, Mr. Jiang has arrived in Beijing. Do you want to meet today or tomorrow?"

"Let him rest for a day." Emperor Hongzhi said.

Jiang Mian is in charge of the six departments in Nanjing and is very organized, but he would like to meet this person.

At this moment, Yan Mansion.

Jiang Mian put his hands behind his back and looked up at the surrounding walls, the dilapidated rubble, and the white paint falling off to reveal the stone in the wall.

He turned his head and looked at the housekeeper: "Is this Yan Chengjin's mansion?"

The butler looked confused: "It's right here. I've been asking about it for a long time and confirmed that it's right."

Jiang Mian nodded: "He is fairly honest and upright."

Changing the topic, he asked again: "How many wives and concubines does Yan Chengjin have?"

"I heard that there is only one wife and no concubines."

Jiang Mian nodded: "Well, he is not a womanizer either, but he is quite upright."

In Nanjing, there are some rumors about Yan Chengjin.

After entering the capital, he stopped by to see Yan Chengjin's mansion. Unlike the rumors, he was a rich and corrupt official.

Jiang Mian walked out of Xihua Gate, a bustling street stretching from west to east for two miles.

On both sides of the avenue, there are many buildings and buildings, with shops facing each other, crowded with people and majestic horses.

He couldn't help but sigh: "The capital is much more prosperous than when I left."

At this time, a large maroon horse carrying a figure came to him.

The factory guard stood up and dismounted: "Master Jiang, Your Majesty will allow you to rest for one day and return to Beijing tomorrow."

"Whose sedan is that?" Jiang Mian looked into the distance.

Jin Yiwei followed his gaze and said, "It's Master Yan's sedan chair."

Yan Chengjin vaguely heard his name.

Lifting the sedan curtain, I saw a middle-aged man wearing Confucian clothes standing in the center. He looked middle-aged but had white hair on his temples.

This old man's hair style is very fashionable.

He was overjoyed when he saw someone dared to stop the sedan. It had been a long time since he had made a meritorious deed in front of the young master: "There is a road this way. If you insist on blocking my young master's sedan, please take a detour."

Jiang Mian was stunned.

The sedan passed by him.

Normally, when an official is stopped in his sedan chair, the servant will definitely yell and beat the person holding the sedan chair half to death.

Why is this sedan hiding from people?

Jiang Mian came up and stood in front of the sedan: "I, Jiang Mian, will go to Beijing to take up my post today. I don't want to meet Mr. Yan."

Is it Jiang Mian? But in my early forties, my hair turns gray. It seems...

Working in Nanjing is really hard.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang, I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now."

The sedan did not stay long and soon disappeared from Jiang Mian's sight.

Jiang Mian originally wanted to see Yan Chengjin, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Back at the mansion, Yan Chengjin had just walked in, but heard the doorman say: "Young Master, just now an old man came to visit the house, he looks like a high official."

Why did Jiang Mian come to see his homestead?

This person's scheming is no less than that of Li Dongyang, and every word and action must have profound meaning.

Yan Chengjin couldn't help but think deeply.

West End, another mansion.

As soon as he entered the new mansion, Jiang Mian walked towards the study. The butler reminded: "Don't you want to take a rest, sir?"

"The official salary is too high and it only increases the burden on the state treasury. I will discuss with the princes to reduce the salary. You prepare a brochure and pen and ink."

The next day, morning.

There was another man in front of Yan Chengjin, and it was Jiang Mian whom he saw yesterday. After putting on official clothes, he gained a bit more official authority.

She thought Jiang Mian would show something, but she saw him standing aside without saying a word.

Watch the changes as time goes by, and don’t speak rashly.

After the court discussion, Emperor Hongzhi looked at Jiang Mian: "I heard that Jiang Qing's family is known as Zhuge Kongming in Nanjing?"

"Your Majesty is so complimentary that I dare not accept it."

Dismissed the morning court and returned to the cabinet.

After Liu Jian took his seat, he ordered tea to be served.

Everyone started to feel nervous. Jiang Mian didn't know Yan Chengjin, and the others were all old acquaintances.

"My official, Yan Chengjin, is named Lao Gao."

Jiang Mian looked strange. He thought it was strange to call him Lao Gao: "My official name is Jiang Mian. My courtesy name is Jingzhi."

"Mr. Liu, I would like to discuss the official salary and the expenditure of the treasury. Now, the official salary has become huge. It is time to reduce it."

Liu Jian and others fell silent.

Yan Chengjin's heart moved slightly and he looked up.

Jiang Mian took out the brochure and handed it to Liu Jian: "In the early Ming Dynasty, the salary of a first-grade official was 80 shi per month. Now, it is 140 shi, which is not bad, nearly twice as much.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the monthly salary of the seventh-grade county magistrate was seven stones of rice. Now, it has become thirteen stones, which has become a heavy burden on the national treasury. "

The cabinet room was silent for a moment.

Li Dongyang spoke first: "It's easy to go from low to high, and it's difficult to go from high to low. I'm afraid it will be difficult for my brother Jing to stick to the old system."

In the past, military pay and salary were the bulk of the financial system.

After the salary increase, the salary expenditure is half more than the military salary, which is equivalent to about 2.37 million taels of silver per year.

Everyone can understand Jiang Mian's painstaking efforts, but it is not easy to put it into practice.

Jiang Mian nodded and opened the booklet under the case: "Mr. Li is right. Although it is not easy, my foolish brother may have a way.

This is the "Brief Record of Awakening Corruption" established by Emperor Gao, which can reduce official salaries according to the ancestral system. "

This book states which level of officials and monthly salary.

With the ancestral system of oppression, no official dared to object.

Liu Jian and Li Dongyang looked at each other.

Yan Chengjin cursed in his heart, no wonder he went to see his mansion. From now on, it would be really difficult to get along with Jiang Mian.

The official governance that Jiang Mian wanted to implement was the Shoujing philosophy.

Officials live by their salaries honestly, doing so much work and getting so much money.

Use spirit to make officials themselves clean and honest, and save the national treasury expenditure.

And the official administration he wants to promote is high salary and integrity.

Use materials to give officials high salaries and generous salaries, so that they can avoid the worries of hunger and cold, and not be greedy for money, so that the officials in the world can be governed cleanly.

"I think this is not possible. Sir Jiang's intentions are good, but now, this move will force officials to be greedy."

I was used to big fish and meat, but suddenly it was gone.

If you don’t stop greedy for ink, where will the money come from?

Jiang Mian was an upright official, and the mansion he lived in was very dilapidated, but it was difficult for other ministers to suffer from such poverty.

Jiang Mian looked at Liu Jian and Li Dongyang: "What do the four elders mean?"

"Now that the national treasury is tightening, it will be good to implement it."

The family has thousands of acres of fertile land and a mansion. The salary is not too much for Liu Jian and others.

Liu Jian frowned. He had always wanted to reduce the court's expenses and didn't know where to start.

One function can save five taels of silver per month, and there are thousands of officials in the world.

At the end of the year, it is hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.