novelAbuy Chapter 45: Manipulating People's Hearts, the Crown Prince's Grand and Open Scheme!
Chapter 45: Manipulating People's Hearts, the Crown Prince's Grand and Open Scheme!
"The Court of Judicial Review (Dali Temple) is in charge of criminal cases and enjoys exclusive central judicial power. It compiles the number of cases adjudicated nationwide and is in charge of matters related to imperial prisons and the revision of laws and regulations."
"The Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review has a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), while the Vice Chief Justice, Assistant Chief Justice, and Registrar of the Court of Judicial Review have the same rank as the Chief Minister of the Imperial Treasury."
When the last temple came out of the mouth of Crown Prince Liu Ju, the attention of the court officials was focused on the Five Directorates.
The Dali Temple is no different from the Court of Justice; it's just a different name.
"China is known for its great etiquette, hence the name Xia; it is known for its beautiful clothing, hence the name Hua."
"The difference between the Chinese and the barbarians lies in two aspects: ritual and music, and education."
"I believe that if barbarians enter China, then China should be treated as such; if barbarians enter China, then China should be treated as such."
Facing the gazes of everyone present, Crown Prince Liu Ju put forward a concept that would shock the world.
Boom!!!
All the high-ranking officials present were terrified.
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, had a change in his eyes. The last sentence truly touched his heart. The Han Empire's acceptance of the surrendered Xiongnu, Qiang, and southwestern barbarians was all part of his practice of the king's rule. Under heaven, all land belongs to the king; on the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king.
"Your Highness's magnanimity is as vast as the sea; I admire you greatly!"
Er Kuan was the first to step forward. This burly man, a renowned scholar of classics and Confucianism, looked at Liu Ju with unusual fervor.
"Your Highness's magnanimity is as vast as the sea; I admire you greatly!"
Ministers including Sang Hongyang bowed respectfully to express their admiration.
"The Imperial Academy is in charge of education throughout the country, with teaching, etiquette, and music as its top priorities."
"At the end of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, Wen Weng, the governor of Shu Commandery, wanted to establish a school in Chengdu and recruit students from the subordinate counties. As a result, the academic atmosphere in Shu flourished."
"At the beginning of Your Majesty's reign, you widely summoned counties throughout the land to emulate Weng Weng's efforts in establishing schools, but the results were minimal. Why is that?"
"Firstly, the common people are so poor that they have no clothes to cover their bodies and no food to fill their stomachs, so they don't care about these things."
"Secondly, the establishment of schools requires the support of prefectures and kingdoms, and the feudal lords and prefects are unwilling to waste manpower, material resources and financial resources."
"For the empire to enjoy long-term stability and prosperity, it must ensure that its policies are effective and that its orders reach all corners of the country. This is closely related to promoting education."
Liu spoke eloquently, and every word he uttered revealed his deep respect for education.
"Crown Prince."
"What are you planning to do?"
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, became interested in this. He always touted himself as a sage emperor, so naturally he wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass him by.
"His Majesty."
"Now there are the great Confucian scholars Rong Guang, Hao Xing Gong, and Wei Xian of Guliang who wish to emulate the sages and educate the barbarians in the remote border regions."
"Your Majesty, I request that your wishes be granted."
Liu Ju, whose origins were quite remarkable, bowed and said.
"Huh?"
The assembled officials were all dumbfounded.
These three great Confucian scholars from Guliang were honored guests of the Crown Prince, yet they all volunteered to go to the frontier to study. It's truly unbelievable.
"I grant your permission."
Emperor Wu of Han waved his sleeve and agreed to the matter.
"Your subject believes that the Imperial Academy, which oversees all educational affairs in the country, must form a complete system from the central government to the local level."
"The Imperial Academy recruited outstanding students from all over the country, a move that preceded the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and was no less significant than the First Emperor's unification of the written language."
Liu Ju praised loudly.
『..............』
Sang Hongyang, Er Kuan, and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, was somewhat conceited on the steps of the palace. He always believed that his virtue was no less than that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and his talent was no less than that of the First Emperor.
"The initial salary of the Imperial Academy Doctor was 400 shi, which was later increased to 600 shi, with the Doctor and Assistant Minister as the head."
"Your subject believes this is not enough. The Imperial Academy is a place that all scholars in the world aspire to. It should take the lead in the world and be of great importance to the world."
"Therefore, the Imperial Academy should appoint a Chancellor to manage its administration, and appoint Doctors of the Five Classics and Doctors of the Six Arts to lead the Five Classics and Six Arts departments respectively. The Five Classics department should have 72 Doctors, and the Six Arts department should have 36 Doctors, for a total of 108 Doctors in the Imperial Academy."
"The Imperial Academy Chancellor's salary was 1,200 shi (a unit of grain), the Five Classics Doctors and Six Arts Doctors' salaries were 1,000 shi, and the salaries of other Doctors' salaries were 800 shi."
"Following the example of the Imperial Academy, state schools were established, with the chief administrator of a state school having a salary of 1,000 shi (a unit of grain). Below that were prefectural schools, with an academic director having a salary of 800 shi. Below that were county schools, with an instructor having a salary of 600 shi."
Liu Ju combined the educational administration system of the Ming and Qing dynasties with a solution that suited the Han dynasty.
Inside the Xuan Shi Hall, all was silent, as everyone was immersed in the educational system, or rather, the system of academic officials, that the Crown Prince had woven.
"May I ask, Your Highness?"
"Our dynasty has never had an official with a salary of 1,200 shi (a unit of grain measure)."
"A prefectural governor's salary is no more than a thousand shi (a unit of grain), and a county magistrate's salary is no more than eight hundred shi."
"The generous salaries of officials such as the Imperial Academy Chancellor, the State Academy Chancellor, the Prefectural Academy Instructor, and the County Academy Instructor are somewhat unfair to the officials."
Sang Hongyang, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, raised questions.
"Yeah, that's way too much!"
The assembled officials were abuzz with discussion.
"What does the Crown Prince think?"
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, watched the spectacle with an air of detached amusement, and even mentioned Liu Ju in passing.
Liu Ju remained calm throughout, explaining methodically, "I wholeheartedly agree with what the Grand Minister of Agriculture has said."
"The Three Dukes, Grand Marshals, and Grand Generals of our dynasty are entitled to a salary of 10,000 shi (a unit of grain), while the Nine Ministers, Generals, and Prefects are entitled to a salary of 2,000 shi (another unit of grain).
"The magistrate of a large county is paid 800 shi (a unit of grain), while the magistrate of a small county is paid 400 shi. The difference is too great."
"If you want to govern the people, you must first govern the officials. If officials are not well paid, how can they be motivated to govern the people?"
Do you all agree?
"good!!!"
The court officials, led by Sang Hongyang and Er Kuan, expressed their approval.
At this moment, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, seemed to realize what Liu Ju was up to: he wanted to use the Nine Temples and Five Directorates to change the official system of the court, thereby winning over the hearts of officials throughout the country. What a brilliant strategy to conquer the world!
"Father."
Liu Ju stepped forward and said solemnly, "Your subject has a report to submit."
"allow!"
Now that things had come to this point, Emperor Wu of Han could no longer stop him, so he simply sat back and watched everything unfold.
"Your subject believes that if officials' salaries are unfair, their hearts will be unsettled."
"When the imperial court selects talent and appoints officials, it should not only select from rural areas and the Imperial Academy, but should focus on local officials."
"A county magistrate who governs a local area well may be promoted to the position of magistrate of a major county, and the same applies to county assistants and county lieutenants."
"Therefore, it is necessary to clearly define the ranks of officials to correspond to their salaries."
"allow!!!"
Emperor Wu of Han's eyelids twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything more.
"Your subject requests that a nine-rank system be established, with the first-rank official receiving 10,000 shi of grain, the second-rank official receiving 5,000 shi of grain, the third-rank official receiving 3,000 shi of grain, the fourth-rank official receiving 2,000 shi of grain, the fifth-rank official receiving 1,200 shi of grain, the sixth-rank official receiving 1,000 shi of grain, the seventh-rank official receiving 800 shi of grain, the eighth-rank official receiving 600 shi of grain, and the ninth-rank official receiving 400 shi of grain."
"The Three Dukes, the Grand Marshal, and the Grand General are of the first rank; the Three Masters, the Nine Ministers, the General of the Flying Cavalry, the General of the Chariots and Cavalry, and the General of the Guards are of the second rank."
"The Three Junior Ministers, the Three Assistant Ministers, the Five Directors, the Generals with Titles, the Chief Secretary to the Chancellor, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, and the Chancellors of the Feudal States are all of the third rank."
"The Prefect of a Commandery, the Vice Minister of the Nine Temples, the Grand Chamberlain, and the Chamberlain are of the fourth rank; the Director of the Four Palaces, the Assistant Director of the Nine Temples, the Five Junior Directors, the Commandant of a Commandery, the Colonel, the Lieutenant of a Kingdom, and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy are of the fifth rank; the Assistant Prefect of a Commandery, the Military Commander, the Doctor of the Five Classics, the Doctor of the Six Arts, the Chancellor of the State Academy, the Three Commandants of the Crown Prince, and the Left and Right Guards of the Crown Prince are of the sixth rank."
"The county magistrate, military officer, scholars, and school director are of the seventh rank; the county head, assistant county head, county lieutenant, instructor, and chief clerk are of the eighth rank; and the county clerk and garrison commander are of the ninth rank."
"Large counties are governed by a magistrate, while small counties are governed by a county head. Large counties have more than 5,000 households, while small counties have less than 5,000 households."
"Officials were paid between 10 and 10 shi (a unit of grain measure). The rank of village head, village elder, tax collector, and patrol officer was 100 shi, while the rank of village head was 50 shi."
*Whoosh!*
The eyes of all the court officials lit up. In the past, the Nine Ministers were paid 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), but now they were paid 5,000 shi, which was at least twice as much.
It must be said that Crown Prince Liu Ju's proposal was very popular.
"Granted!"
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, keenly noticed that Liu Ju had included the Crown Prince's officials in the court system, allowing them to enjoy salaries. Even the assistant officials and honorary officials, such as the Three Masters and Three Junior Masters, who have existed since ancient times, received salaries comparable to those of the Nine Ministers and Five Directors, which was quite high.
However, he selectively ignored this point because once the nine-rank official system was introduced, officials across the country would inevitably become more loyal to the emperor, and the people's hearts that the crown prince had won over were not worth mentioning.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Liu Ju smiled slightly and bowed.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
All the officials in the hall praised Emperor Wu of Han.
PS: The Five Classics are the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.
The Six Arts are rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.
The Three Masters: Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Grand Preceptor to the Crown Prince, and Grand Guardian to the Crown Prince
The Three Young Masters: Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Junior Preceptor to the Crown Prince, Junior Guardian to the Crown Prince