Zhu Ying has been implementing the recommendation to raise officials' salaries.

Zhu Yuanzhang was able to agree this time, naturally because the treasury was full, and also because Zhu Ying had given hints from various aspects before, and had said it many times.

Only today has it been truly implemented.

It is said that during the Hongwu period, both the officials and the people suffered.

The salaries of officials during this period could be said to be just on the edge of the subsistence line.

Some officials are really not kidding you when they say they haven't had food for two days.

Starve to death or be greedy, choose for yourself.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang always killed corrupt officials without stopping.

Think about it, this man was hungry for two days, and then he couldn't help but exercise a little power. Not only did he have a full meal, but he also had a lot of fish and meat. Even a fool knows how to choose.

According to the current salary, a ninth-grade official's annual salary is only sixty shi of rice, which is converted into thirty taels of silver, while a first-grade official's annual salary is one thousand and forty-four shi, which is converted into thirty taels of silver.

There were five hundred and twenty-two taels of silver, which seemed not too little.

But who is Zhu Yuanzhang? He was born in poverty, and more than just poverty. He was basically a beggar, with nothing. The lower the people were, the harder they had to struggle for life, so the dark side they saw was even more cruel.

He saw with his own eyes that at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, corruption was rampant and the common people were being exploited. He attributed the corruption problem of officials to officials' extravagance. If officials could no longer afford luxury and everyone could barely eat, then why would they want to be corrupt?

Therefore, he said: "Government should be based on virtue and virtue first, and virtuous people are the hope of the world. However, when a man of commoners is newly entrusted with government, he must cultivate his integrity and then blame him for his success."

That's all.

The standard of the salary system in the early Ming Dynasty was calculated based on lumi, but the problem was not all the rice used, but also the conversion of rice into money, silk cloth, hematoxylin, pepper and other items.

As for how much silk a stone of rice can be exchanged for, it all depends on the court's wishes. It is worth whatever the court says it is worth, regardless of the market's wishes.

Moreover, from the tenth year of Hongwu to the twentieth year of Hongwu, due to famines, salary arrears continued to occur.

Originally we were on the verge of starving to death, but now that money and food are no longer distributed, we are about to starve to death.

If you are not greedy, you will only starve to death.

At this point, it is indeed the court's fault for its officials, and there is nothing wrong with it.

How does Zhu Ying plan to change it?

He plans to change the previous Lumi system into a Baochao system.

In other words, in the future, the salary will no longer be issued with rice, silk cloth and other items, but will be replaced by treasure notes.

This binds officials to the national credit system.

Because the current Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes, after more than half a year of development, and the Qunying Chamber of Commerce continue to spend money to fill the vacancies, are almost the same as the value of silver.

The biggest thing among them is that Zhu Ying already has enough reserves.

When a chamber of commerce formed a monopoly in the Ming Dynasty, and with the guidance of Zhu Ying who had past life memories and the same cheating methods, the speed of collecting money was really unimaginable.

On the capital side alone, a large amount of goods are handled every day. Relying on the decree of His Highness Taisun, the lower-level officials gave the green light to the Qunying Chamber of Commerce.

Don't talk about buckling. You don't even have the dignity to intercept. Instead, you have to smile with a smile on your face to please, and occasionally you can get some rewards.

Goods in the capital are sold cheaply, but there is still a profit. The cheaper they are, the more people will buy them, which will boost the overall economy.

In the past, people who had some money always saved it, but they were reluctant to eat or use it.

However, being greedy for petty gains has been a common phenomenon since ancient times. For example, if you don’t buy rice at 10% off today, will you grab it tomorrow at 20% off?

Nonsense, no fool would snatch it away, this is food.

Fine.

Cloth is also on sale today, and oil and salt are also on sale tomorrow.

What else can I say? Buy, buy, buy. If you buy, you will earn.

Even like Di Yusen's wife, Qin Lixue, who has been living in the world for many years, she would like to break a copper coin in half and spend all of Di Yusen's half-month salary just by going out on the street.

It is enough to show that the current model of Qunying Chamber of Commerce in the capital is very successful.

By constantly collecting money, Zhu Ying had enough reserves, and both the people and officials were increasingly recognizing the Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes.

Besides, banknotes are indeed more convenient to carry than silver.

One pound is ten taels, one hundred twenty pounds.

A few hundred taels of silver, that's a few dozen kilograms.

If you are doing a slightly larger business, carrying dozens of kilograms on your back every day will be quite tiring for you.

The Ming Dynasty treasure banknotes have hundreds of denominations, hundreds of taels, and a few pieces of paper are carried in the pocket. They are light and airy, not to mention how comfortable they are.

Comparing the two, naturally everyone knows how to choose.

Zhu Ying and Zhu Yuanzhang discussed the issue of how many treasure notes to issue.

Speaking of which, in this big world, it belongs to Lao Zhu's family. The grandfather and grandson discussed how much money they would make every month, and this matter was settled.

There is really no need to convene a meeting with officials.

When the official salary system was first formulated, Zhu Yuanzhang basically did the calculations alone, and then Empress Ma came up with some ideas. After the general content framework was determined, she would fill in the salary for the officials, and then it would be OK.

"Dasun, your setting is too high. No, no, no. How can a mere ninth-grade official get so much treasure? You have to change it, change it."

"Dasun, the standards of your cafeteria are not up to par, and every meal is meaty. No, if you eat so much, you will become a loser. You need to change it, you have to change it."

"Dasun, it's not okay for you to give out so many rewards on the first day of the year at the end of this year. We have given them so many treasures every month. It's a festival. Just change the meaning.

"

"Dasun, how can this official enjoy so many benefits? There are too many patrol officers. No, it has to be changed. The standard of food must be lowered. This is our treasure.

"

"How come the expenses in this palace have increased so much? Grandson, you... oh, you are really just selling your land, don't feel bad!"

"This is scraping our flesh!"

In the past few days, Zhu Yuanzhang's exclamations, scoldings, and red-faced arguments could be heard every day from the Qianqing Palace.

Grandfather and grandson really feel like they are at war.

It made everyone in this palace panic.

Every time Zhu Ying returned to Kunning Palace, Ye Yueqing would give him a few words of advice: "Your Highness, please give in to Your Majesty. I heard the noise even in Kunning Palace."

"Even Concubine Ning has come to me several times and told me not to go against His Majesty, but to go with what you want."

On the surface, Zhu Ying agreed well, but the next day, it was the same again.

For Zhu Yuanzhang, giving out so much money at once is like shaving off the flesh on his body. How can he be willing to do this?

The dispute between the grandfather and grandson soon spread in the palace, and even the ministers in the court knew what had happened.

They listened closely, and many ministers even deliberately stayed longer after the morning court in order to know some news in advance.

This is about their salary.

As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for the people, and even officials are also human beings. They cannot do without two meals a day, and money is obsessed with oil and salt.

"It is said that His Highness the Grand Sun wants to raise our salary. Now he is arguing with His Majesty. The whole palace is aware of the quarrel."

"Let me tell you, I have received news from the eunuchs in the palace. This time His Highness the Grand Sun is going to make reforms. Instead of paying rice and other things, our salary will be replaced by cash."

"Are you sure? This is good news. After receiving it every month, you still have to redeem the treasure banknotes. You know the prices on the market. The prices of rice are getting lower and lower because of His Highness Taisun's Chamber of Commerce. It is really difficult to redeem them.

trouble."

"I think it's good to issue treasure banknotes. Now in the capital, there's nothing that treasure banknotes can't buy. It's straightforward."

"Of course this treasure banknote is fine in the capital, but I don't know what's going on in other areas. Some places are short of food, and there's nothing we can do about it if we get this treasure banknote."

"That's not that simple. If you send the treasure money, you can just exchange it for food."

"This move makes sense. We had high-yielding crops in the Ming Dynasty, and now we are not short of food. This year, I'm really not used to it. I'm in the Ministry of Household Affairs, and I haven't even received news about famines.

"

"At this time in previous years, there was still a famine all over the place. Now with the guarantee of the Qunying Chamber of Commerce, the seeds of the famine have just appeared. There is already a large amount of cheap food over there. There is no need to worry at all. It is really much more comfortable."

The news about Qianqing Palace not only affects officials, but also eunuchs, maids, concubines, including many princes and grandsons, who are all thinking of ways to find out.

Liu He, the eunuch in charge of the ceremony, also became very busy during this time.

There was no way he could help it. When the grandfather and grandson were talking in the palace, he was guarding the door. He could probably hear some of the news inside.

In fact, most of the news was revealed by Liu He. This was not because he couldn't keep his mouth shut, but because he was secretly instructed by Zhu Yuanzhang and His Highness Taisun.

It can also be regarded as a kind of test for officials, eunuchs, and the palace.

This tug-of-war can be regarded as involving everyone in the capital.

During the morning court meeting, everyone tacitly agreed not to talk about it. After the court meeting, they basically stopped talking about the morning court affairs. They all talked about the salary issue.

There is no way, this is a matter of eating for yourself.

Whenever Liu He sent a message to the lower officials saying that His Highness the Grand Sun had won today, the whole court would immediately be filled with joy.
To be continued...