Chapter 3299 3301 [Diligence and thrift]

In addition to pardoning the Eight Kings, Xiang Nan also retried the Nian Gengyao and Longkodo cases and pardoned a large number of implicated people.

Nian Gengyao was Yongzheng's most favored minister. Unfortunately, he was arrogant, arrogant, arrogant, and even rebellious. Therefore, he was disgusted by Yongzheng and was demoted from the powerful King of the Northwest. To the idle Zhang Jing guarding the city gate.

 After that, Nian Gengyao and his family were escorted to Beijing, impeached for ninety-two major crimes, and finally ordered to commit suicide. His son was beheaded when he was rich, and the rest of his sons were sent to the border to serve.

In addition, his staff, generals, and those who had close connections were also demoted, exiled, or even imprisoned. There were more than a thousand people implicated. Among them are many high-ranking officials such as governors, governors, generals, and governors.

Longkodo was also the hero who supported Yongzheng to the throne, and was Yongzheng's nominal uncle. However, relying on his support, he formed cliques for personal gain, specialized in government affairs, and was arrogant and domineering.

 Therefore, after Yongzheng dealt with Nian Gengyao, he imprisoned Longkoduo the next year. The eldest son was removed from his post and the second son was assigned. The once majestic Conglong hero died of cowardice.

When Longkodo was in power, he also tried to win over his subordinates and formed a force in the court called the "Tong Party", which often fought internally with Nian Gengyao's "Nian Party".

 After the fall of Longkodo, the Tong Party, like the Nian Party, was all implicated. There are countless people who have been dismissed from their posts, exiled, and imprisoned.

Now that Xiang Nan is retriing the cases of Nian Gengyao and Longkodo, it is also to ease the conflicts within the ruling class. Moreover, he also wants to recruit a group of talents for his own use.

 After all, there are many capable people in Tong Dang and Nian Dang such as governors, governors, generals, and governors. They were punished not because they were incompetent, but simply because they were on the wrong team.

Now that Xiang Nan has given them the opportunity to stand again, as long as they don't have water in their heads, they should naturally know whose team they should stand on. Moreover, they have no power at all now. If they want to recover and be reused, they can only hug Xiang Nan and fade away.

Xiang Nan paid almost nothing, so it was a good deal to acquire such a group of talents.

 …

In addition to pardoning Ba Ye Dang, Tong Dang, and Nian Dang, Xiang Nan also launched a series of policies.

 For example, the secret folding system. During the Kangxi period, the secret report system was first created, but only officials of second rank or above and the emperor's confidants could submit secret reports.

 After Yongzheng ascended the throne, in order to open up more channels of expression, the number of people who reported secret reports was increased. Any official of fourth rank or above can submit a secret report.

In addition to dealing with government affairs, Yongzheng also had to read a large number of memorials every day, so that he only had four hours of rest every day. Among the kings of the past dynasties, Yongzheng was considered diligent.

 After Xiang Nan came to the throne, he still adhered to the secret system and opened up his opinions to avoid becoming blind.

 For example, it is prohibited to falsely declare land reclamation. Reclamation of wasteland is a good thing in the past. The imperial courts of all dynasties have liked people to reclaim wasteland and expand the area of ​​cultivated land in order to increase food production and tax revenue.

However, during the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties, it was not uncommon for local officials to falsely report the number of cultivated lands. They falsely reported the quantity in order to win the emperor's praise and rewards, and also took the opportunity to increase taxes on the local area, thus causing the people to suffer miserably.

Hence Xiangnan’s special order prohibiting false reporting of reclamation, otherwise severe punishment will be imposed upon verification.

 Another example is the prohibition of donations. The so-called donation refers to a way for the court to make up for financial difficulties and allow people to donate money and materials to the country in order to obtain titles and official positions.

Although donating officials can help alleviate financial difficulties in the short term, it can easily lead to official corruption, with bribery and corruption becoming common.

 Just as it is said in "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan", donating an official position means buying an official position. Just like buying cattle and horses, the purpose of buying them back is to make money. The salaries of officials in the Qing Dynasty were not high, and the annual salary of a seventh-rank county magistrate was only forty-eight taels. And buying a magistrate costs 4,600 taels of silver. Even if officials die, they won't be able to earn back the money. Therefore, they are destined to be extremely greedy after taking office.

As a result, they will definitely engage in malpractice, corruption and perversion of the law, causing people to complain and suffer unspeakably.

Xiang Nan was aware of this shortcoming, so he resolutely prohibited donations and considered gradually eliminating officials who received donations in the future, in order to improve the integrity of officials.

 …

Just when Xiang Nan was promoting a series of policies that benefited the country and the people, in the harem, Fucha Langya also proposed that the concubines in the harem should be diligent and thrifty, and took the lead in saying that they would no longer wear expensive clothes and materials paid tribute by Jiangnan, nor would they wear expensive Jewelry.

In addition, daily rouge, gouache, charcoal, etc. must also be distributed in half, and even those who serve Brother and Princess must be halved.

As a queen, she is the lord of the Sixth Palace. Now she is taking the lead in advocating frugality. Anyone who dares to object will have no choice but to agree.

After Xiang Nan heard about it, he expressed his support.

 The expenses in the palace mainly include purchases, rewards, sacrifices, repairs, etc. Purchases include food, wine, clothing, jewelry, antiques, charcoal fires, etc.

 There is no need to be frugal in rewards, sacrifices, or repairs. We can only be frugal in purchasing.

During the Ming Dynasty, the palace’s annual expenses were about one million taels of silver. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the palace expenses were around 700,000 taels per year.

 Until Kangxi practiced frugality and reduced annual expenses to 70,000 taels.

On the one hand, he reduced the manpower in various palaces. Except for the Cining Palace and Ningshou Palace where the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager lived, the palace staff in other places were greatly reduced, leaving only more than a hundred maids in total.

On the one hand, he is not particular about his diet. He usually only eats two meals, and each meal only has one dish. "If you eat chicken, you will be a chicken, if you eat a sheep, you will be a sheep. If you don't eat, you will be ignorant, and you will be rewarded with the rest."

He also reduced the cost of court banquets and stipulated that the standard for each table should not be higher than eight taels of silver. Moreover, if you can do it without drinking, don’t drink.

He does not pursue any antiques and treasures. When he goes out to play, he picks up roots, stones, animal horns, claws and the like, and slightly modifies them as decorations. Even the carpets in his palace have not been replaced for forty years.

After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he continued Kangxi's frugal style and reduced the palace's expenses to about one hundred thousand taels of silver every year.

 Historical records indicate that after Qianlong succeeded to the throne, palace expenses increased sharply, reaching a huge amount of two million taels per year.

Two million taels is equivalent to the annual income of 100,000 households, accounting for about 4% of the imperial court's annual income, which is really no small matter.

If this money can be saved, whether it is used for disaster relief or river control, it will be a blessing to the people. Therefore, Xiang Nan agreed with Lang Hua's approach and believed that it was right to be frugal.

To this end, a couplet was specially written, "Abstain from extravagance and worship frugality, be strict with oneself, and spring will always be there; cultivate righteousness and eliminate evil, accumulate good deeds and cultivate benevolence and blessings will last forever", and asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to frame it and give it to Lang Hua.

Langhua was naturally very happy to receive the bonus for this couplet, so she implemented strict economical measures and implemented them in the palace.

 (End of this chapter)