Yang Hui, Zhang Yue, Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, Deng Wan and others came to Zhongshu to report to Han Jiang and Lu Huiqing about the pen fee.
Generally, when Hanlin scholars meet the prime minister, they must dress respectfully and hold a wat tablet in hand and take off their shoes to report the matter.
The last time Zhang Yue came to the Zhengshi Hall, he was exempted from the ritual of taking off his shoes and holding the wat, because he was a bachelor of the Duanming Palace. As for Yang Hui, who was a bachelor of the Imperial Academy, Zhang Yue had no reason to exempt him.
But Zhang Dun was also like this. He did not hold a wat tablet in his hand and entered the political hall with his shoes on.
Zhang Yue knew that Zhang Dun was very measured, Han Jiang was a kind person and would not scold him, and Lu Huiqing owed Zhang Dun a big favor, let alone anything.
Zhang Dun was used to being arrogant, Yang Hui and him didn't look at each other, and Zhang Yue kept a distance from him.
As for Zeng Bu and Deng Wan, they were dressed neatly.
Several people met Han Jiang and Lu Huiqing and talked about polishing their pens.
Han Jiang was also a person who had served in the Imperial Academy, and was well aware of the bad habit of refining pens in the Imperial Academy.
Zhang Dun expressed his intention to cancel the bad rule of raising money, and Yang Hui shared the thoughts of other bachelors. Han Jiang decided to report to the emperor that all the money should be used as ministerial money.
Yang Hui was not very satisfied with this matter. He actually wanted to divide it into three parts, one for the officials, one for the court officials, and one for the envoys.
But Han Jiang arranged it, so it had to be this way.
Then Yang Hui criticized the tactics in front of Han Jiang and Lu Huiqing.
In Yang Hui's eyes, the immunity method was already weird enough, but he didn't expect that the actual method would go one step further.
In fact, it goes without saying that a high-ranking official like Yang Hui is demonized in the eyes of most officials and even ordinary people.
But Zhang Yue was in the game and listened carefully, and he felt that Lu Huiqing could not be blamed too much for the realization, but what could be done if everyone did not trust Lu Huiqing.
Generally, after the former Prime Minister dismisses the Prime Minister, the new Prime Minister will be in power.
Because the previous Prime Minister had a lot of grievances during his reign and suppressed dissident forces too harshly, when the new Prime Minister came to the throne, all the officials were looking forward to it, hoping that he could refresh politics.
But after a while, they became disappointed, and many people even remembered the good things about their former husband-in-law.
From the time when Han Qi thanked him for his political support, and then when Wang Anshi paid homage to him and joined politics, everyone from the four friends of Jiayou to the officials had high expectations for him.
After Wang Anshi resigned as prime minister, the officials did not have much favorable impressions of Lu Huiqing, who succeeded him in carrying out the reform. He was always low in popularity. Now it has been almost half a year since Wang Anshi resigned, especially after Lu Huiqing proposed controversial tactics.
, and was criticized by hundreds of officials.
Speaking of this practical approach.
In the 34th year of Xining's reign, the fifth-class book was rebuilt, and it was presided over by Deng Wan and Zeng Bu of Sinong Temple.
According to the principle of making a fifth-class book every leap year, another fifth-class book must be made if necessary.
Therefore, Lu Huiqing proposed the first practical law based on the reconstruction of the fifth-class book this year. The purpose is to change from the past officials and household heads to say how many households should be reported, etc., to actual verification and reward for informing.
The most criticized thing is that it encourages reporting. Anyone who reports can get one-third of the property of the person who hides it. This is exactly the same as the reporting method of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. At that time, the reporting method allowed the reporting person to get one-half of the other party's property.
's family property.
This method was proposed by Lu Heqing, Lu Huiqing's younger brother.
Yang Hui said: "In the past, when Sinong Temple made books, they first determined the amount of money for exemption from service, and then the county went to local places to make books. In order to make books, many local officials were promoted to be suitable for making books."
Lu Huiqing said: "I have explained to the emperor many times, but there is no trace. The following prefectures and counties have not reported that they have been promoted to a higher household level, and there are even cases where the upper-level households have been hidden and listed as lower-level households."
Yang Hui had quarreled with Lu Huiqing many times over this matter. Lu Huiqing got angry and said that this is nothing at all, so don't keep holding on to this matter.
Yang Hui said: "Deng Zhongcheng personally admitted it to me, how could it be false?"
Lu Huiqing glared at Deng Wan.
Deng Wan explained: "First measure the number of households in the prefectures and counties and then determine the amount of labor. It is just a rough number. As for the estimation and inconsistency, it depends on the officials of the prefectures and counties. As for whether the reports by the prefectures and counties are accurate, it is not determined by Sinong Temple."
.”
The Third Division was blind to local conditions. They first estimated a number and asked the officials below to report it. Then several officials each reported a number, and finally an average was taken.
Deng Wan went to great lengths to explain clearly what the truth was.
Lu Huiqing said: "The so-called first reality is to let the households report themselves first, so as to determine the amount of exemption money for next year. In the final analysis, the previous fifth-class property records were mostly hidden, and the bookkeeper and the head of the household colluded with each other to conceal it.
There is no truth and no evidence for prosecution.”
"That's why we're creating a book and checking it!"
Yang Huizhe said: "You can just follow the example of the household and know it. Why should you report chickens, dolphins and domestic animals in advance? How can you reward those who are not true?"
The biggest controversy about Lu Huiqing's methods is from the original self-reporting by households and confirmation by the government, to the self-reporting by households and the tracking of reward reports.
Another thing is that the investigation was too detailed, which made the people panic. No chicken or duck was spared, and all were reported carefully.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that the biggest problem with this practical method is the gap between what should be and what is. To put it bluntly, it is a matter of subjective to objective, ideal to reality.
Can the bureaucratic system and statistical methods behind the Song Dynasty carry this practical method?
However, Lu Huiqing was determined to implement this method.
Yang Hui said: "This method is really the art of Shang Yang. Once the method is practiced and spread, people, even relatives, will inform each other."
"In the past, Shang Yang said, if you use kindness, the people will love you; if you use evil, the people will love you. If you combine it and combine it, it is good; if you separate it and regulate it, you will be traitorous. If you do good things, you will hide your faults; if you allow evil, you will be punished.
.”
Yang Hui criticized the biggest problem with this method, which was that it would lead to relatives informing each other, which would destroy the traditional Confucian system of hiding relatives.
But having said that, Lu Huiqing also knew that the lower-level officials at the executive level were unreliable, so he relied on informants among common people.
Encouraging people to inform people will corrupt social customs and put everyone in danger. Just like Shang Yang encouraged informers to expose people, the imperial court uses traitors instead of good people.
Yang Hui and Lu Huiqing argued for a few words and left after disagreeing.
Everyone found it boring and left one after another. When Zhang Yue arrived at the house, he learned that Han Jiang's confidant asked him to retire and visit the house.
Zhang Yue immediately went to see Han Jiang.
Han Jiang's house was given to him by Han Yi, and he and his brother Han Zhen lived in the house.
Han Jiang took Zhang Yue to his study, but saw that the study was full of antiques and famous utensils.
Han Jiang, Ouyang Xiu, and Wu Chong are all hardcore antique lovers, so they have countless treasures in their homes.
Han Jiang said that he had accumulated his collection since Han Yi, but he saw a penholder made of carved crystal placed on his desk, which looked like an iceberg. At first glance, it was a priceless thing.
In addition, there were so many other artifacts that Zhang Yue was dazzled by them.
This made Zhang Yue think of the saying that it takes three generations to become an official before you know how to dress and eat. Compared with Han Jiang's own life, it was too rough.
Han Jiang picked up a piece of celadon, handed it to Zhang Yue and said, "How would you like to see this porcelain?"
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "It looks like Tang porcelain."
Han Jiang nodded and said, "Yes, it was given to me by an old farmer when I was in Daming Mansion. He said that the real person was a good minister, so he presented it as a family heirloom. However, I found it with the Fang family and found it to be a fake."
"The old farmer didn't believe it and cried loudly in front of my house. He said that it was passed down from his ancestors. He found someone to check it and there was no way it was false."
"I had doubts in my heart, and I ordered others to look at them and tell them that they were imitations. But I thought the old farmer was telling the truth and it definitely didn't seem to be a forgery. In the end, I bought the thing and hid it in my room."
Zhang Yue said: "My husband's words are quite profound!"
Han Jiang lamented: "It's hard to tell the truth and it's hard to tell the truth. As a prime minister, I'm like an old farmer, being kept in the dark by others."
Zhang Yue didn't dare to answer the question. It's common in official circles to lie to the next level. He just told lies with his eyes open.
Han Jiang said to Zhang Yue: "Have you seen Zizhan's letter?"
Zhang Yue said: "I saw it."
Su Shi had moved from Hangzhou Tongpan to Mizhou magistrate, and his official position had also been moved to Dr. Taichang. The first problem Su Shi faced after arriving in Mizhou was the locust plague, and then the imperial court issued an edict with practical methods.
Su Shi went to Shu Han Jiang and Zhang Yue criticized the need to abolish the physical method (Note 1).
Han Jiang said: "The locust plague in Mizhou is extremely serious, but the local officials lied and said that the locusts came and did no harm, and even weeded the people, so the disaster was not serious. It was a lie from top to bottom. If it is not what Zizhan said, I am still in the dark, and I still know that locusts will stop eating crops when they arrive in Jingdong."
Zhang Yue almost laughed out loud when he heard this, but when he saw that Han Jiang was really angry, he had to hold it in his stomach.
Su Shi was also bold in speaking out. In addition to the locust disaster, he also criticized his good brother Zhang Dun unceremoniously. Zhang Dun had just proposed to implement the Salt Disposal Law in Hebei and Jingdong.
Zhang Dun, the war inspector, collected cattle hides from the people, and also adopted the policy of rewarding people together with the first actual law. Su Shi also believed that this was a move that corrupted the public morals.
But what Su Shi criticized most was the shortcomings of practical methods.
Zhang Yue said: "Actually, the method is a follow-up to the labor exemption law. Lu's original intention to participate in the government was to implement the labor exemption law, strictly assign labor according to household class, and prevent those first and second-class households from pretending to be fourth- and fifth-class households to escape labor and taxes. Law."
"But this method is not feasible at first glance?"
"How is it not feasible?"
Zhang Yue said: "Not to mention whether the whistle-blowing policy is inappropriate or not, the most important thing is that it disturbs the people too much. Officials will go to the countryside to check and verify. During this period, the policy will be compiled and reported to the county. The county will then report it to Sinong Temple. Sinong Temple will then give details. Determine the details and then send out the dispatch..."
"And the power to verify whether there is a reward or not lies in the hands of the officials."
Zhang Yue wanted to follow Lu Huiqing's approach. One reason was that the statistics were too vast.
Another issue is that officials have too much power. In an environment without good supervision, how can the quality of grassroots officials be ensured?
That's why it has been said for a thousand years that imperial power does not go to the countryside.
This practical approach is doomed to end in vain due to too much opposition.
Han Jiang asked: "How to repair it? Is it feasible according to the five ancient methods mentioned by Su Zizhan?"
Zhang Yue said: "Su Zizhan's five-level ancient method is indeed very good, but I think it is still based on the method of exemption from military service, and we should restore the old vows of the father-in-law."
Han Jiang said: "You mean the exemption law is as set by you and me?"
Zhang Yue said: "Yes, change the exemption law back."
From the time when Han Jiang and Zhang Yue proposed the exemption law, to the time when Wang Anshi and Lu Huiqing implemented the exemption law, there were two versions.
The difference between the two parties is whether to collect the exemption money and the leftover money from the household.
Now that Han Jiang was prime minister, Zhang Yue suggested changing the exemption law back to their version.
Ps1: "The Prime Minister of Han Dynasty's Handbook on Disasters" or "The Prime Minister of Shangzhang Duanming's Handbook on Disasters".
