The annual election of Chu, also called the election of Shu, was very grand in the pre-Ming Dynasty.
Before the Qin and Han dynasties, court ladies and concubines were basically prisoners of war, but after the Han dynasty, they were the daughters of good families.
Because of the great ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty required the emperor and princes to select concubines from good families.
For the emperor, every selection is basically equivalent to a nationwide audition, and quality and quantity are first-rate.
Unlike the Qing Dynasty, which was basically selected from the Eight Banners, the quality was worrying, and its body was also honest, and it often visited the Han Eight Banners.
When the Shaowu dynasty was established, the emperor established new rules, and the scope of the selection of Chu was no longer limited to women from good families, but included business women, nobles, officials, and scholars.
Moreover, self-registration is adopted instead of the previous compulsory selection.
This prevents political disasters to a certain extent.
You must know that in the Ming Dynasty, any election was a wedding day among the people. In order to prevent their daughters from suffering, many people had to spend a lot of money and beg their father to sue their mother.
Of course, this kind of voluntary registration must be helped by parents, and I rarely agree.
The age limit for candidates is between fourteen and sixteen.
As another great measure of good governance, any daughter who has reached the age of twenty, if she is not lucky enough and does not want to stay in the palace, can choose to leave the palace.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs will always give fifty silver dollars as settlement expenses.
In this way, the daughter can leave the palace and reap a lot of benefits, and the number of people signing up has greatly increased.
Also because of such frequent blood changes, the palace has always maintained a sense of freshness, without the staleness and resentment of previous dynasties.
For the emperor, it is excellent for the harem to always have a variety of beauties of various shapes and sizes that are not repetitive.
He really didn't understand why most of the palace ladies were kept until old age.
Expose royal secrets?
Without a certain status, it is impossible to know.
"How many people are there in the palace?"
On election day, the emperor also became interested. Who wouldn't want to see beauties?
"There are about 2,000 maids in the palace, and there are 300 people leaving the palace this time."
Regarding the emperor's question, Liu Afu had already drafted it in his mind and blurted it out.
After leaving the palace at the age of twenty, each palace maid stayed in the palace for an average of four years, with a maximum of six years.
Therefore, the age of the candidates for each election is different, and the number of people leaving the palace will naturally be different.
"If you choose two hundred and choose three hundred, wouldn't the number of people in the palace be insufficient?"
Zhu Yixi said in confusion.
"Sir, there are about a thousand eunuchs in the palace. If the palace maids are not enough, we will recruit more this year."
Liu Afu said softly: "When it comes to work, one eunuch can do as much as three palace maids."
After the Shaowu Dynasty, the prince's palace was not allowed to use eunuchs and maids unless they were given by the emperor, so they had to recruit them themselves.
Therefore, compared with the 30,000 eunuchs at the peak of the Ming Dynasty, the number of eunuchs in the Shaowu Dynasty seemed very poor.
Zhu Yixi didn't even use eunuchs in the first place.
But as time went by, he realized that the importance of eunuchs was too high.
To a certain extent, eunuchs are already a part of politics and an extension of imperial power, which cannot be replaced by female officials.
Therefore, every year, hundreds of eunuchs are recruited into the palace for their own use to control their number.
It doesn't look like much, but eunuchs are tenured for life. Unless they get old, they will stay in the palace. One hundred people a year is enough.
That is, use it enough but not abuse it, simplify it and use it.
After all, there is no need for eunuchs in these three aspects: overseeing the army, guarding the army, and being the king of the vassal. Naturally, the number of them is not too large.
Zhu Yixi felt a little itchy when she thought about choosing Chu.
The true nature of a man is nothing more than this.
"Let's go and see how the lady looks this year."
He climbed to a high place and took a sneak peek with his binoculars. He found a few people with large breasts. He wrote down their names and focused on them.
When I was thinking about it endlessly, someone reported that Zhu Jing was back.
"Okay, let him come to see me——"
Zhu Yixi was overjoyed and gave instructions hurriedly.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Zhu Jing came briskly.
At the age of thirty-four, Zhu Jing's complexion was slightly dark, which was the result of being exposed to the Annan wind and sun from time to time.
But his eyes were bright, and there was a murderous aura in his facial features, which attracted attention.
Compared to before, he was now more sharp and steady, and at first glance, he felt like he had a gap in his chest.
Obviously, conquering a country will make it grow rapidly.
"Just come back."
Zhu Yixi stood up directly, without the laziness of the past, he walked over in high spirits, weighed up and down, and couldn't help but beat his chest:
"Good job."
"I assume your Majesty's important responsibilities and dare not slack off at all." Zhu Jing was also very excited:
"Relying on the blessings of my ancestors and your majesty's good fortune, I can assist King Qin of Zuo in destroying Annan and creating a new country."
"That damn place in Annan." The emperor calmed down, looked at this little brother who had been with him for more than ten years, and sighed:
"Miasma is everywhere and snakes and insects are dense. If you can successfully capture Annan, you can be regarded as a first-rate general."
"I have chosen a good title for you, Uncle Lingbi."
"There is a poem in the Book of Songs: Lingbi Mountain has strange rocks and ravines. Its name and meaning are both good and it is just right for you."
"Your Majesty's choice is naturally excellent. I am very happy."
Zhu Jing smiled, very happy.
As the saying goes, divine grace is unpredictable. Two or three years after leaving Beijing, the emperor still kept him in his heart. This was the biggest surprise after his return.
No matter what a count is, divine grace can be found in everything.
"You rest for a few days, and I will give you another big task."
Although she didn't know anything, Zhu Jing understood that this was a good thing.
The two sat opposite each other and talked about the situation in Qin.
Zhu Jingyu said that the most busy thing for King Qin at this time was the imperial examination.
Then comes the summer harvest and autumn harvest.
Now, under the suppression of the army, all parts of the country are barely stable, and order has been established, but it will take time to completely stabilize it.
"Seeing that the state of Qin was gradually becoming more stable, and that officials were performing their duties, and that the government was well-organized and harmonious, I asked to leave and handed over the command of the capital camp to His Highness the King of Qin."
"This is what it should be."
The emperor nodded and said: "I gave these thousands of people to him as well. They can be regarded as his guards when they take root."
"At least, it's more trustworthy than the locals."
After chatting for half an hour, Zhu Jing came out of the palace.
His holy grace remained the same, allowing him to have an endless stream of customers, and the threshold was almost broken.
This made him feel like it was yesterday.
He still has the same wives and concubines, but his children are growing older, and many of them don't even know him.
But he brought a count to this family, and the price seemed so small that it was worth it.
…
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the joy of autumn harvest once again swept the entire Ming Dynasty.
Except for some areas that were still affected by the disaster, 90% of the Ming Dynasty's land was safe and sound. In a sense, this was a good harvest year.
Food prices fell in response.
However, for some areas in Henan, this is a disaster year.
The Yellow River overflowed as usual, and several counties in Kaifeng Prefecture were affected by the disaster, leaving tens of thousands of people starving.
Even though the governor of Henan quickly responded to the disaster and allocated 100,000 yuan, it is unknown how many people's houses were flooded and their families were separated.
The land where we settled down and settled down became a muddy ground.
Even if the flood recedes, the submerged land will become saline-alkali land, its fertility will be greatly reduced, and not much food will be harvested at all.
For a time, hostility abounded.
Xu Menglong, the governor of Henan, took the chief envoy and others to the provincial warehouse, where the storage was kept.
In the past dynasties, provincial yamen did not have financial power because they basically belonged to Beijing officials and acting officials.
It was not until the Yongzheng period that there was a reserve available.
In other words, local officials such as the governor simply do not have the financial and material resources to carry out rescue operations, and instead leave each county to take care of itself.
The local governor is also responsible for the province's disaster relief missions and is specifically responsible for disaster relief work.
As for money, starting from the eighth year of Shaowu Period, the imperial court established a reserve policy.
That is, the business tax is divided.
Fifty percent of the commercial tax was turned over to the court, 30% was reserved for local use, and the remaining 20% was reserved for provincial reserves.
The more commercially developed a province is, the more abundant its local finances will be, and the more it can provide relief to disaster victims.
For example, in Jiangsu, the annual commercial tax payment is 10 to 20 million yuan, and the annual provincial savings reaches 2 to 3 million yuan.
In addition to disaster relief, this money can only be used to repair official roads, dredge and build river embankments, borrow military pay, and carry out good deeds and sacrifices to the worthy.
But now that Henan Province has multiplied over the years, the scene where there were no roosters crowing for thousands of miles in the past has disappeared, and it has returned to its former prosperity.
Last year, the population of Henan Province reached 10 million, the scale of commercial taxes exceeded 8 million, and the annual savings exceeded one million.
Whether this huge amount is stored in the treasury or managed, it must be personally stamped and signed by the governor, envoy, and envoy, and it cannot be misappropriated at will.
Moreover, any use of more than five hundred yuan must be reported to the court.
"please--"
Xu Menglong took the first step, opened the wooden key box in the servant's hand, and took out the key.
The first lock is opened.
Then there are the chief envoys and the inspection envoys.
Only when the three keys are opened will the warehouse be opened.
Sunlight is absorbed and dust is everywhere.
I coughed for quite a while before I felt safe.
As the government officials filed in, the first thing they saw were dozens of wooden boxes. When they opened them, they were filled with silver coins.
"For the floods in the three counties, one hundred thousand yuan should be enough!" the chief envoy said with a look of reluctance.
"Not enough." Xu Menglong shook his head and said: "Although the autumn harvest grain is cheap, it is too late to rush to grow miscellaneous grains if there is no land. Tens of thousands of people must eat at least March and April."
"Besides, the river embankment needs to be renovated, which will cost 300,000 silver coins."
The inspector-general expresses his approval, while the chief envoy can only accept his fate.
Three hundred thousand silver dollars came out of the treasury, some were corrupted, some were stripped, but in the end the refugees were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Xu Menglong sighed with emotion: "Fortunately, it is the autumn harvest. If there was a food shortage, I would probably have money but no food!"
With this in mind, he wrote a memorial and went straight to the capital.
"Discussing the Preliminary Warehouse"
Within seven or eight days, Henan was hit by a disaster, and the government and the public heard about the use of reserved silver for disaster relief.
And this memorial reached the emperor's desk directly.
Zhu Yixi looked at this 2,000-word memorial and felt quite emotional for a while.
He will explain the ins and outs of the prepared warehouse in detail.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the reserve warehouse system was created during the Hongwu period.
Preparatory warehouses are used to collect grain in rich years, provide relief in lean years, store grain during the autumn harvest, and lend money to the people during lean years.
On the surface it does appear to be a good system.
But this is like insurance, the wool comes from the sheep.
The money for the reserve warehouse cannot come from the regular tax, right? Naturally, the people will be levied an additional sum of money to make the reserve warehouse.
Over time, it became a harsh regime.
With the corruption of official circles, the reserve warehouse system has naturally become a paradise and money bag for the rats.
Even though Taizu of the Ming Dynasty asked officials to supervise private affairs and Chengzu moved the reserve warehouse from outside the city to the city, it was still inevitable that the reserve warehouse would be hollowed out.
During the Longqing period, the reserve warehouse existed in name only.
In the late Ming Dynasty, it served a relief function, but instead became a charity warehouse run by the private sector.
The gentry donated grain and lent money to the people at low interest rates, thus allowing the charity warehouse to operate.
Therefore, among the people, the gentry are the cornerstone of maintaining the court, and it is impossible to count on corrupt officials.
The reason why the South has maintained stability for a long time is that this free warehouse system has made a huge contribution.
However, the free warehouse is entirely voluntary, and it may not be able to operate if you are not careful.
Moreover, only in times of famine would common people sell their sons and daughters, or even their fields, so that landlords would have the opportunity to legitimately annex the land.
How can most landowners have good intentions?
Not many people can adhere to this kind of moral requirement.
Therefore, Xu Menglong said that the reserve warehouse was in decline, and the court needed food to provide relief to the people, and could not rely solely on money to provide relief.
Sometimes, even if you have money, you can't buy food.
It suggested that county warehouses should be re-established in each county and no longer be engaged in lending business, but should be specifically responsible for relief.
Each county uses its annual surplus or forces them to purchase 5,000 to 10,000 tons of grain to establish county warehouses.
Implement the county magistrate's responsibility system, supervise the inspection envoys, and make inspections by the censor, so that there will be food in the famine years.
Zhu Yixi expressed appreciation for this.
In the officialdom, complex lending businesses such as reserve warehouses and free warehouses are simply not possible.
The county magistrate's sister-in-law comes to borrow food. Do you dare to ask her to return it?
It's just a relief business, but it can be put into practice.
"However, there are too many county warehouses."
For some reason, Zhu Yixi thought of the grain depot.
As soon as I go to inspect the grain depot, the grain depots in various places will catch fire for no reason, and there will be no evidence of death.
Compared with dereliction of duty and secretly selling stored grain, it is much lighter.
"Besides, counties are already facing financial difficulties. How can they have any spare energy to build county warehouses? Doesn't this force them to engage in corruption?"
Zhu Yixi shook her head and pointed out several faults.
"Therefore, there is no need to have too many granaries. If there are too many granaries, they will be complex, and if they are complex, they will be difficult to manage. Therefore, we need less but better."
He just thought to himself, his mind began to empty out, and he thought in a simple and convenient direction.
We also need to establish an accountability system to prevent officials from passing the buck.
"Therefore, each government established a warehouse, managed it by the prefect, and supervised it by the governor."
"The grain in the government warehouse is purchased from the reserved reserve. Every year, half of the reserved reserve must be used to purchase grain to enrich the government treasury so that there will be food for relief in disaster years."
As for the excess food being wasted, this is impossible at this time.
Although disasters and famines are unpredictable, people at that time understood that every three years there would be a normal year, and every five years there would be a disaster.
There may be slight differences, but they are generally accurate.
In three to five years, there will always be natural disasters such as drought or floods, which are simply unavoidable.