Chapter 175: Black Crows and White Crows

As Zhu Youjian's words fell, the assembled ministers felt a chill in their hearts.

Rewards and punishments?

Here it comes — everything before was just groundwork. This is the real centerpiece of today's court session.

They heard only Zhu Youjian's calm voice, yet the words that came out were thunderous.

"From the founding of our dynasty to the present, nearly three hundred years — laws long in place breed abuses, power long held breeds weariness. As We observe the officialdom of today, nine out of ten are corrupt."

"The officers of the Nine Border Garrisons are so, and the civil officials in the capital are even more so."

"Among the dynasty's many annual expenditures, the court keeps the tightest watch over border pay. The eminent gentlemen of the capital still reach for it with a measure of decorum, still stretch out their hands with a measure of restraint."

"When old-pay funds for Yansui, Xuanfu, and the like leave the capital, after every level takes its cut, eighty percent can still reach the border garrisons."

"New-pay funds are the most critical. Liaodong can receive a full hundred percent; places like the Ji Garrison and Dongjiang can get ninety percent."

"Yet the moment the silver reaches the officers' hands, it is like boiling water poured onto snow."

"The various commanders first skim off twenty percent, forty percent, or some such share, then conscript the rank-and-file for labor, engage in trade and smuggling, misappropriate and divert funds — every extreme means is employed."

"Once the officers have scraped off enough fat, they channel the bribes back upstream through military-merit evaluations, officer selection reviews, Regional Inspector audits, and a host of other matters, until the money ultimately falls into the pockets of certain eminent gentlemen in the capital."

"In this way, the capital officials appear not to have stretched out their hands — yet they have stretched out their hands all the same."

Zhu Youjian paused, his gaze sweeping past the steps below. Several officials from the Ministry of War and the Five Chief Military Commissions hung their heads even lower.

His eyes then turned toward the civil officials.

"Beyond border pay, when hands are stretched out in other areas, the sight is not nearly so elegant."

"Every ministry and bureau in the capital has its own customary fees. When a sum of money leaves the treasury, whether the final recipient gets a sixty-forty split or an eighty-twenty split depends entirely on the appetite of those handling it."

"As for the provinces, among county magistrates and prefects, the honest are few and far between, while the greedy travel in packs. One who merely takes the customary fees without actively fleecing the common people can already be counted as 'a superior choice in incorruptibility.'"

"And the money they embezzle, in turn, flows back in great torrents into the hands of capital officials, through such junctures as merit evaluations, tenure reports, and transfers."

When Zhu Youjian reached this point, the corner of his mouth actually curved into an arc that was half smile, half sneer.

"Thus, hands reaching up and hands reaching down, layer upon layer of extortion — it is, in fact, just like our Great Ming's tax collection: from the bottom to the top, orderly and well-regulated. Tell me, my ministers, is such a spectacle not, in a manner of speaking, magnificent?"

"The dynasty has nurtured its scholar-officials for three hundred years, yet high and low scramble for profit, each minister clinging to his stipend and his connections — corruption has long since run rampant!"

The assembled ministers all bowed their heads, not daring to let out a breath.

Yet none of them were afraid.

The crowd had more or less grown accustomed to this new sovereign's pattern. Since he was laying it all out so openly, the emphasis was not on the present, but on the future — on the policies the new sovereign intended to implement.

The Duke of Ying, Zhang Weixian, had the strangest reaction of all. He felt only a burning heat across his face, even a sense of having nowhere to hide his shame.

For no other reason than this —

That phrase, "nurtured its scholar-officials for three hundred years," was something he himself had spoken in private with the Emperor.

For a moment, he could not tell whether the Emperor was seizing on the topic to mock him.

He instinctively raised his head, hoping to read some clue in the Emperor's face, but saw only an unfathomable calm.

"These observations of Ours are drawn from the submissions of over a hundred border officers and drill instructors, and also from seventeen statecraft memorials concerning the governance of officials."

Zhu Youjian's voice rang out again, breaking the silence.

"It is precisely from these that We have been able to glimpse the true face of our Great Ming today."

He looked around at them all, his gaze blazing like a torch. "My ministers, are there any errors or omissions in what We have said? Have We been deceived by treacherous and petty men?"

No one answered.

"If anyone believes what We have said is wrong — that the corruption under Heaven has not reached eight or nine parts in ten — you may raise your hand."

The ministers' bodies stirred almost imperceptibly, yet not one of them had the courage to raise a hand.

But they all pricked up their ears, waiting to hear the method the new sovereign intended to advance.

Those earlier arts of manipulating men's hearts could still be attributed to imperial blood, something inborn.

But a matter like the governance of officials — tangled roots and knotted branches, a thousand threads and ten thousand ends — unless one were a veteran clerk steeped in it for years, how could one even find a loose thread?

Zhu Youjian waited a moment. Seeing no one raise a hand, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Not bad. It seems that in this hall today, all are loyal and upright men."

He shifted tone abruptly and actually let out a hearty laugh. The oppressive atmosphere in the hall instantly relaxed.

"Nor are you all urgently clamoring to admonish Us to undertake rash and hasty actions. It seems you have gained some confidence in Us."

His gaze settled on Li Guopu, and he pointed at him.

"Minister Li, what you said in the hall that day — though it underestimated Us — was indeed sound."

"The dynasty is sick to the marrow. If harsh medicine is applied too suddenly, the vital energy will surely be damaged, and there is a danger of sudden death."

"Therefore, today, We shall speak with you, my ministers, about the method in Our mind for cleansing the governance of officials."

Zhu Youjian put away his smile, his expression turning solemn.

"In truth, among the people of this world, so-called sages are one in ten thousand; the utterly wicked are no more than one in a thousand. The majority are merely drifters, following the current, following the prevailing wind."

"Grass bends when the wind blows; those below emulate those above. The decline of public morals is not the work of a single day. It is the accumulation of days and months that has brought about this state of chronic illness, so hard to reverse."

"A newly minted jinshi is sent out as a county magistrate. The moment he takes office, the county clerks present him with thousands in customary fees."

"If he does not take this money, how can the department magistrate, the prefect, the Provincial Administration Commissioner take theirs? If he does not take it, what will he do when he later enters the capital for evaluation and selection? How should he entertain the Censor on Regional Inspector duty?"

"The web of human feeling and connection in all this — pull one thread and the whole body moves. We are clear on every bit of it."

"So then, how is this situation — where all crows under Heaven are the same black — to be broken?"

"We issue an order to fight corruption? How many can We fight? If all ministers are corrupt, then corruption cases become nothing more than pretexts for factional attacks."

"Fight and fight again, replace one batch of men with another — those who should take still take, without the slightest change."

"To break this impasse, the only method We can think of is this — start a new stove!"

"Since all crows under Heaven are the same black, then We shall first find a flock of 'white crows'!"

The moment the words "white crows" came out, the hall fell instantly silent. The grand ministers understood in a flash.

The New Policies! It's the New Policies!

Sure enough, Zhu Youjian continued speaking:

"Henceforth, anyone involved in the New Policies shall be counted among the disciples of these 'white crows'!"

"As for everyone else — so long as their conduct is not especially egregious, We can, for the time being, conceal Our edge and move with the common current."

"But among those within the New Policies, in Our eyes, not a single grain of sand shall be tolerated!"

At this point, Zhu Youjian called out a name directly.

"Minister Li, please rise. Tell your colleagues here of the matter you are charged with."

Second Grand Secretary Li Guopu slowly rose to his feet, stood with hands clasped, his expression solemn.

"This subject is charged exclusively with anti-corruption for the New Policies."

"All impeachment memorials and Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard investigative reports concerning corruption among New Policies personnel shall be submitted first to this subject. This subject shall then jointly adjudicate them with the three judicial offices of the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice."

"The term 'New Policies personnel' encompasses the New Policies Committee, the Secretariat, the various capital New Policies officials under Prefect Xue, and all officials of every rank who shall in future, through examination and selection, join the New Policies in Northern Zhili. In sum, roughly two hundred persons — a mere one in every hundred officials under Heaven."

Li Guopu's voice was clear and steady as he began to read out the regulations already drafted.

"This anti-corruption undertaking shall be governed by four concurrent articles."

"The first article: Exemption of Past Offenses."

"For any official, from the day his name is entered into the New Policies roster, His Majesty's sacred word shall be the dividing line: all former dust is cast away."

"He need only, in light of past worldly circumstances, contribute silver to the state at an appropriate sum, and all past matters shall be pursued no further."

"Henceforth, he shall be judged solely on whether he is honest and upright in his service within the New Policies."

At these words, the assembled officials stirred at once.

Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang unconsciously clenched his fist; his fingertips dug sharply into his palm, sending a prickle of pain through it.

To donate one's salary was tantamount to entering a register of tainted names, to be marked in the Emperor's ledger, leaving a pigtail for him to grasp at any time.

Could this... truly work?

Yet if one did not donate, and did not enter this register, that was tantamount to cutting oneself off from the New Policies — and one's official career would likely be severed along with it.

The Emperor's words when he staged the Feast of the Severed Tassels and burned those three registers had long since been unearthed and studied exhaustively.

His Majesty had said that all former dust was cast away — but he had never once said that he had not read those three registers!

Li Guopu paid no heed to their reactions and continued:

"The second article: Salary Increase to Foster Integrity."

"All New Policies officials shall, in addition to their regular official salary, receive a separate integrity-fostering stipend. The exact amount of this stipend is still under deliberation and shall be publicly posted in writing shortly."

"However, in accordance with His Majesty's earlier instructions, its guiding principle is this: for low-ranked officials, to safeguard their dignity; for mid-ranked officials, to ensure their comfort; for high-ranked officials, to grant their families lasting prosperity free from want."

"This silver shall be disbursed from His Majesty's privy purse. This subject shall coordinate with Eunuch Zheng Zhihui of the Inner Household to open the ledgers, with review and distribution conducted quarterly."

Li Guopu paused, then offered a concrete figure for reference.

"Among these, officials of the principal seventh rank are tentatively set to receive an additional integrity-fostering stipend of twenty taels of silver per annum."

Twenty taels?

Another ripple of low murmurs stirred through the hall.

For those young officials in the Secretariat who had come from the Messenger Office or the Secretariat Drafter posts and had few avenues for income, this sum was not inconsiderable.

After all, a seventh-rank official's regular annual salary, combined with the monthly rice allowance, commuted silver, commuted levies, fuel-and-charcoal silver, and hall-attendance silver, amounted in total to roughly thirty taels of silver — this represented an increase of more than half again.

But for those officials who held customary perquisites and lucrative channels — such as the Supervising Secretaries of the Six Offices of Scrutiny and the Censors of the Thirteen Circuits — a mere twenty taels was truly beneath notice.

When a county magistrate entered the capital for examination and selection, the sums he dispatched to the capital began in the thousands.

A seventh-rank official in one of these critical posts could, in a single year, collect five hundred or even a thousand taels in various tokens of esteem.

For the most pivotal of pivotal posts, such as the Office of Scrutiny for Personnel or the Office of Scrutiny for War, three thousand or five thousand taels a year was nothing out of the ordinary.

As if seeing through their thoughts, Zhu Youjian rapped his knuckles on the imperial desk and added:

"My ministers, this salary increase is only a beginning. In time, there will be further additions."

"In Our mind, the ideal salary for a seventh-rank capital official should be an annual income of one hundred taels of silver."

He sighed, and his tone grew earnest.

"Living in the capital is no easy matter. For a household of eight to live with dignity, without resorting to heavy borrowing, an annual expenditure of some fifty taels is needed merely to avoid straitened circumstances."

"And for a capital official who has attained any rank at all, with the comings and goings of guests, seasonal gifts, and social obligations, without a hundred taels a year, one is perpetually hard-pressed."

"If one desires a life of luxury, then five hundred or six hundred taels is not too much."

Zhu Youjian paused and asked, "We have heard these conditions from the marketplace and streets — is there any inaccuracy in this?"

The hundred officials shook their heads in unison. Chief Grand Secretary Huang Liji clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty sees clearly across ten thousand li and can feel for the circumstances of those below — this is truly a blessing for the altars of state."

"Then We are reassured." Zhu Youjian nodded. "The primary purpose of this salary increase is to safeguard dignity, so that each New Policies official, while refraining from reaching out his hand, may still maintain the self-respect of official rank. As for comfort and wealth — those will depend on the results of the New Policies."

"We are no miser. Dwelling in the deep palace, sustained by all under Heaven, this wealth and coin are of no use to Us."

"Yet at present, the nine border garrisons have gone years in arrears of pay, the state treasury cannot meet its expenditures, and until the New Policies show results, We truly cannot add too much."

"Next year, when the first phase of the New Policies in Northern Zhili is complete, We shall, based on the results, determine another salary increase. Thereafter, each time the New Policies advance one step, salaries shall be adjusted once."

"In sum, when the dynasty's finances are ample, your salaries shall naturally be ample. Let us, sovereign and ministers, be of one heart, and first strive to restore salaries to the level of the time of the Exalted August Emperor, our dynastic founder — and then we may speak of other things!"

Zhu Youjian had painted a grand pie in the sky. Without waiting for the officials' reaction, he waved his hand directly, signaling Li Guopu to continue.

In his heart, however, all was lucid clarity.

The Exalted August Emperor was likely the endpoint of his salary increases.

High salaries to foster integrity?

It could not be sustained.

Such methods are suited only to small states with sparse populations. So long as the returns from power far exceed the income from salary, officials will inevitably seek power for rent — this is human nature, and cannot be avoided.

What was more, the Great Ming still had the institutions of concubinage and household servitude.

Capital officials had it easier, but the moment a local official took up a post, he brought his entire family, plus aides and servants — often more than a hundred people in all.

The retinue of a mere rank-seven County Magistrate was grander than that of a high official in later ages.

How much would you have to raise salaries to support these hundred-odd people?

As the men of Ming themselves put it well: the ruin of scholarly integrity begins with ruinous extravagance.

Once the fashion for extravagance takes hold, you could pay salaries as high as the sky and still not put a stop to graft.

At this stage, all they were doing was using the twin whips of a "fast promotion track" and "high-pressure oversight" to keep their desires in check.

Li Guopu, catching the signal, drew a deep breath and delivered the third point — the one that made men's hearts quail.

"Third: strengthen surveillance and make punishments severe!"

"To govern a chaotic age, use heavy statutes!" Li Guopu's voice rose slightly, carrying a grim, lethal edge.

"His Majesty has said that those who impeach officials of the New Policies must present detailed evidence. But he has not yet made clear what punishment follows once the crime is proven. Today, that shall be made plain."

"Whenever graft or corruption is uncovered among officials of the New Policies, the penalty shall, in every case, be heavy and severe!"

"Where an ordinary official would be sentenced to wear the green cangue, a New Policies official shall be sentenced to three green cangues!"

"Where an ordinary official would be dismissed from office, a New Policies official shall be stripped of his rank and reduced to commoner status!"

"Where an ordinary official would be sentenced to redeem his crime with a fine, a New Policies official shall be sentenced to public beheading!"

With every sentence Li Guopu spoke, the faces of the assembled officials in the hall grew a shade more solemn.

When the words "public beheading" fell, the entire great hall sank into deathly silence.

With punishments so harsh, what did that paltry salary increase mentioned earlier amount to?

Many eyes turned toward the faces of those officials already serving in the New Policies, seeking their reaction.

But the group of ministers led by the New Policies Committee were, for the most part, expressionless — plainly briefed well in advance.

As for the young officials of the Secretariat standing in the rear rows, far from showing fear, their eyes blazed, every face alight with a fervent, hungry anticipation.

Kill away! Kill away! If you don't kill and I don't kill, when will a Grand Secretary's seat ever reach my house!

Idealists and ambitious climbers alike scented rare opportunity in this.

Zhu Youjian took it all in.

He had deliberated over this for a long time and argued back and forth with his ministers: where exactly to draw the line against corruption.

After all the talk, at the level of state policy, in public, the only line that could be drawn was a red line of "zero tolerance."

As for the more detailed bottom lines — how many taels embezzled triggered a warning, how many triggered dismissal, how many triggered the death penalty — none of these could be stated openly. They could only emerge gradually through future precedents.

— He could hardly, with his own imperial lips, promise that stealing no more than ten taels was fine, could he? Then why not just raise salaries by ten taels?

The bottom line was the bottom line; it could not be surrendered.

But in practice, it could be adjusted slowly, according to the times and the rhythm of events.

Li Guopu paused, then dropped another bombshell.

"Fourth: reward informers and accusers."

"Any disciplinary official who can investigate and substantiate a major case of graft by a New Policies official, with evidence beyond dispute, shall receive, for each such case, a reward of one hundred taels of silver and one 'red' mark added to his merit record, to honor his work in cleansing the realm!"

"Those who succeed in impeachment, His Majesty shall not stint in rewarding and promoting. Whether they wish to enter the New Policies or not, the choice shall be their own."

"These four points are the broad outline of the anti-corruption regulations under the New Policies. The detailed rules shall be posted at the Gate of Accepting Heavenly Mandate within the month for public notice."

With that, Li Guopu bowed deeply and withdrew to his place.

Zhu Youjian nodded and turned his gaze to Fang Zhuangli, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

"Minister Fang, your Censorate must keep a close watch on this matter."

"The duty of the Chief Censor is to purify the public climate and rectify the discipline of the court — not to serve as a pawn in factional strife. Do your work well. Do not disappoint us again."

Fang Zhuangli scrambled to his feet, his aging face flushing crimson, and bowed.

"This subject… this subject shall certainly overhaul his ranks, purge the indolent, sweep the realm clean for Your Majesty, and would die ten thousand deaths without flinching!"

Zhu Youjian had tossed out a casual rebuke, but he held no great expectations for the man.

Someone who could sit in the high seat of Left Censor-in-Chief during the eunuch faction's ascendancy — what kind of backbone could he possibly have?

He was nothing more than a transitional figure.

If Fang Zhuangli failed at this task, it would be the perfect excuse to replace him with a hard case like Liu Zongzhou, which would also help balance the factions at court.

Among the Donglin crowd, there were quite a few suited to the path of surveillance.

By now, the "New Policies expressway" he was building for the realm's officials had two of its three lanes laid out.

Salaries: high (moderately high). Oversight: strict (like strict). Promotion: fast (truly, breathtakingly fast).

Only, this road was one that only true warriors and outstanding talents were qualified to set foot on.

Either, like the upcoming official selection examinations in Northern Zhili, you relied on solid, practical statecraft ability to rise above the rest.

Or you took the surveillance route, using fiery, discerning eyes to root out the black sheep, paving your own road to promotion with the bones of "black crows."

Zhu Youjian's gaze swept slowly across the assembled officials in the hall.

The matter of salaries — explained.

The matter of oversight — also explained.

Only the most alluring and most critical piece — "fast promotion" — still hung like the moon behind clouds, glimpsed in shadow but never yet made clear.

The time had come to let everyone see this carrot dangling before them, plain and unmistakable.