One thousand three hundred and forty-seven chapters officials do not pay grain
"So, you were the one who instigated the prince's memorial?" Lao Zhu's unkind eyes wandered up and down Han Du's body, as if he was looking for a place to strike.
Han Du felt a stab of pain all over his body and couldn't help but explain quickly: "Your Majesty, I have never done this."
Lao Zhu obviously didn't believe it, and did not turn around to ask Zhu Biao, because Lao Zhu knew that if he asked Zhu Biao, even if Han Du had done it, Zhu Biao would protect him.
Instead, he stared directly at Han Du and asked again: "Are you really not the one who incited me?"
"No." Han Du stood upright and replied with a clear conscience.
Lao Zhu's eyes stayed on Han Du for a moment, and then he said reluctantly: "In that case, you should get up first."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Han Du slowly stood up from the ground and relaxed his stiff legs.
Seeing Han Du's appearance, Lao Zhu couldn't help but groaned and cursed: "Don't pretend to be pitiful in front of me. I don't know you yet?"
However, after a while, Lao Zhu turned around and whispered to the old eunuch: "Please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Han Du quickly bowed to express his thanks.
Who wants to stand when they can sit?
After Han Du sat down, Lao Zhu asked: "You also agree with the prince's memorial, why?"
The main event was coming, and a thought flashed through Han Du's mind. After pondering for a moment, he asked: "Your Majesty, how many honest officials do you think the world has had since ancient times?"
"As rare as a phoenix." When he said this, Lao Zhu had to sigh. He longed for upright officials just like he longed for the stars and the moon, but even so he had to admit that there were too few truly upright officials.
"Where are the corrupt officials in the world?" Han Du asked again.
Lao Zhu's face darkened and he said angrily: "Like the sand of the Yellow River."
Han Du spread his hands and said with a smile: "That's it. There are so few honest officials, but there are so many corrupt officials. Corruption is like a scourge. If you want to control it, you can't just rely on severe punishments to stop it. Thousands of dollars.
Years ago, Emperor Yu told us that if we want to control floods and scourges, it is better to remove them than to block them."
"Okay, that's very well said." Zhu Biao became excited when he heard this. Han Du compared corruption to a scourge, compared controlling corruption to controlling floods, and also suggested that it is better to block than to dredge. These words,
It simply spoke to Zhu Biao's heart.
Although Lao Zhu also felt that Han Du's words were reasonable, he did not react much. He said disdainfully: "It sounds nice, but it is better to block it than to block it. Corruption is different from floods. How can you divert it?"
Seeing Lao Zhu being so stubborn, Han Du paused and started to tell the story, "Your Majesty, this time I was in Liyang and found that some officials were indeed greedy and took the initiative to accept property from landlords and gentry. But some officials were originally able to stick to their duties.
Heart..."
"Don't excuse those corrupt officials. If they could stick to their true intentions, why would they accept Pan Fu's money?" When Lao Zhu saw Han Du mentioning Liyang, he became furious. In his opinion, those corrupt officials in Liyang
They all deserve to die, no one is innocent.
Seeing this, Han Du had no choice but to explain: "Judging from what they did later, they were indeed worthy of their death. But I was wondering, among so many officials, can't I find even one who sticks to his true intentions?"
?”
Han Du's words forced Lao Zhu to fall silent. There were dozens of officials in several counties, and it would be too much to say that he could not find even one who could stick to his true intentions.
Han Du understood it and immediately said: "The reason is that officials' salaries are too thin."
Lao Zhu disagreed, and snorted coldly and said: "Are officials' salaries low? Yes, the salary I set is indeed not generous compared to other dynasties, but I also gave the officials and gentry preferential treatment without having to pay for it? So,
Isn’t that enough?”
Han Du looked at Lao Zhu speechlessly. Such words could only come from Lao Zhu's mouth. What do you mean it is not generous compared with previous dynasties? This is simply the lowest salary in history, okay? And compared with
In the past dynasties, it was not a little less, but a lot less. Take the Tang Dynasty, which Lao Zhu most admired, for example, the salary of officials in the Ming Dynasty was only one-tenth of that of the Tang Dynasty. Who dares to believe it?
However, Han Du had no time to argue with Lao Zhu about this now. Instead, he sincerely bowed down and said, "Your Majesty, the officials and gentry's failure to pay for food will cause endless disasters. You must not continue."
"First Evolution"
After hearing this, Lao Zhu suddenly turned pale, stared at Han Du with his cold eyes, and said sternly: "Do you know what you are talking about?"
It was Lao Zhu's proud strategy that officials and gentry did not have to pay taxes. Now Han Du said it was causing endless disasters. Lao Zhu did not slash Han Du's neck with a knife because he was his son-in-law.
It has to be said that although Lao Zhu was tough and merciless to officials, he was still able to show enough tolerance to his own relatives.
"Han Du shut up, how can you question the emperor's will?" Zhu Biao was anxious. Whether his memorial could be accepted by the emperor was a small matter. If Han Du angered his father, he might not be able to save him.
Handu.
Han Du glanced at Zhu Biao gratefully. He didn't want to say anything himself, but he had to say some things.
Pursing his lips vigorously, Han Du said under Lao Zhu's burning eyes: "Does your Majesty know why Jiang Yiru and others committed evil in Liyang, but no one reported them?"
Liyang can be said to have become a pain in Lao Zhu's heart. No matter what the circumstances are, Lao Zhu will pay great attention to Liyang. Suppressing the anger in his heart, he asked in a deep voice: "Isn't it because they have won over all the people?"
Official?"
Han Du shook his head slightly, "This is indeed a reason, but even if the officials are shielding Jiang Yiru and others, isn't it strange to the emperor that before this, for so many years, no suffering common people came to the capital to complain against them?
"
"Why is this?" Lao Zhu suddenly pondered. He did not think of this problem at first. Now that Han Du reminded him, he felt that it was indeed very strange.
It stands to reason that for as many years as Jiang Yiru and others have been dominating Liyang County, the people of Liyang have suffered for many years. But why have no people come to the capital to sue them in the past?
Not to mention that Jiang Yiru and others could block all the people who sued them in Liyang. Official Jiang Yiru and others might still be able to block them. Could it be that they could even block all the trails in the county? This is impossible.
Besides, they can still stop one or two common people. There are countless people suffering in Liyang, so it is impossible to stop them all, right?
If they could really do this, then no scholar named Huang would come to the capital with a blood letter to sue them this time. This chapter has been completed!