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After Sima An left, Qin Mu paced alone in the imperial study with his hands behind his back. After all, it was still the same old saying: the deterrent effect of punishment does not lie in its severity, but in its inevitability.
It is definitely not possible to do the same as Zhu Yuanzhang did by skinning and stuffing straw. To make local officials afraid to commit corruption, the key is to rely on an effective supervision mechanism. To effectively supervise, the judicial supervision power must first be independent, otherwise how can we supervise
Qin Mu regarded this matter as a top priority. The method proposed by Sima An was a feasible strategy. If he really did it according to his advice, he would be able to effectively divide the voices of opposition from local officials.
In Daqin's current local administrative structure, the judicial power of provincial-level institutions is in the hands of the Censor, the Governor is only in charge of administration, and the supervisory power is in the hands of the Inspector-General.
That is to say, the judicial, administrative and supervisory powers are separated, and only the law enforcement power has not been separated. However, provincial agencies usually take on cases submitted by lower-level agencies, and rarely enforce the law directly.
In the three-level government structure of prefecture, state and county, the prefect, state magistrate and county magistrate not only have administrative power, but also judicial power. They even have the control over the supervision and assessment of subordinate officials. If they want to corrupt the government, it is very easy to do so.
Three years as a clean official, 100,000 silver coins. They are the ones who directly extort money from the people, so their influence is naturally the worst.
If provincial officials want to be corrupt, they can only rely on lower-level officials to pay them in. If the soil for corruption among lower-level officials at the prefecture, state, and county levels is removed, it will not be so easy for provincial officials to be corrupt.
Excluding the newly established Liaoning Province and Ningxia Province, and the two provinces of Luzon and Jinghai in Southeast Asia, there were a total of 1,562 county magistrates in Daqin. If prefects and prefects were included, there were nearly 2,000.
The Qin regime was built on the basis of these states and counties. This policy must be fully implemented. It is a matter of great importance, and Qin Mu had to consider it carefully and weigh it repeatedly.
Finally, Qin Mu decided to wait a little longer. After dealing with the Qitat in Hetao, he had to adjust the army, implement the garrison system, and rotate the generals regularly.
At the same time, generals such as Meng Ke, Ma Yongzhen, and Li Dingguo were transferred back to Nanjing to further control the army before reforming the administration. This would be safer. As the saying goes, don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be prepared for one!
When Qin Mu left the imperial study, the snow had just cleared up, a ray of sunlight shone through the palace, and the snow on the glazed tiles reflected the light, making it look very magnificent.
Hong Bao, who was following behind, saw the emperor walking towards the Jingyang Gate and was secretly anxious. He had been wanting to talk to the emperor about something in the past few days, but the emperor was too busy and he had never found a suitable opportunity.
Today, we finally waited for the emperor to leave the imperial study, but it was still early. Once the emperor entered the Jingyang Gate, there was no chance to talk.
In the harem, Qin Mu did not like to use eunuchs, and basically used palace maids. Most of the palaces were managed by female officials. For example, the Jingyang Gate of the Xijing Palace was where he and his concubines lived, and eunuchs were not allowed to enter without being summoned.
However, the Imperial Study Room often had to communicate with ministers, so a few eunuchs had to be arranged. The young eunuch Hong Bao was only fourteen years old. Because he was smart. Since Qin Mu came to Xijing, he had always been asked to wait for orders in the Imperial Study Room;
For the eunuchs who were already unpopular, this was a huge event. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a step to heaven. Which eunuch would not be extremely envious of him
Hong Bao himself couldn't help feeling a little proud, but he was still too young and didn't understand the principle of being content with what one has.
"Your Majesty..."
"Hmm? Is there anything wrong?" Qin Mu turned around and asked casually.
"No... nothing." When meeting Qin Mu's gaze, Hong Bao felt inexplicably guilty. He unconsciously bent his body too low. "Your Majesty, I just see that Your Majesty is busy until nightfall every day. Today is a rare day for you to have some free time. In my heart, I am happy for Your Majesty."
"Haha, what are you so happy about?"
"I am grateful for your majesty's grace. Every day I see your majesty working hard on state affairs, and the imperial meals in the palace are so frugal. I am worried about your majesty's health."
Hong Baoben was a smart man. Seeing Qin Mu smiling, he spoke more and more smoothly: "According to me, Your Majesty should not treat yourself so badly. I heard that the national treasury has an annual income of over 100 million dragon coins this year, which must be piled up into a mountain of silver.
Furthermore, the revenue of the inner treasury is not small, and Your Majesty has tightened his belt to save money, but the Internal Supervision and Research Department has not saved money for Your Majesty;
I heard that the Internal Research and Development Department spent more than 700,000 dragon coins last year, but they didn’t even develop a decent product. I really don’t know what they spent so much money on. If they saved this money, Your Majesty wouldn’t have to live such a hard life…”
Hong Bao was like a little child, complaining angrily and looking as if he was standing up for Qin Mu.
Qin Mu glanced at him indifferently, and Hong Bao quickly stopped talking.
The inner palace had many sources of income, such as the soap factory and painting and embroidery workshop run by the Internal Supervisory Office, as well as the trading company jointly invested with Xu Yongshun and others, all of which were sources of income.
But the expenses were also huge. Hundreds of royal elementary schools and three polytechnics were the biggest expense burden for the inner treasury. In addition, there was the Internal Supervision Research and Development Department.
The Internal Supervision Department of every dynasty had many first-class craftsmen who made all kinds of exquisite supplies for the royal family. Two years ago, Qin Mu integrated the skilled craftsmen of the Internal Supervision Department and established a research and development department.
Whenever he thought of something, he would ask the R&D Department to research it. Things like cement, soap, and flush toilets were all developed by the Internal Supervision R&D Department.
Hong Bao suddenly complained about the Internal Supervision and Research Department, but he was afraid that things were not that simple. The Internal Supervision and Research Department had always been managed by Han Zanzhou, the chief steward.
Because of the military and political affairs, Qin Mu really didn't know whether the Internal Supervision Research and Development Department really spent 700,000 dragon coins last year, but it was true that there were no research results last year.
Seven hundred thousand dragon coins is not a small amount. The last time the funds were allocated to the Military Equipment Bureau for the manufacture of the Type 69 flintlock rifle, it was only seven hundred thousand dragon coins, which is enough to make 20,000 rifles and millions of bullets.
It seems that not only the outer court, but also the inner court needs to set up some supervision mechanisms.
Of course, Hong Bao’s motives for bringing this up may not be so simple.
Qin Mu said nothing in the end. He waved his hand and walked towards the Jingyang Gate. Hong Bao was feeling uneasy. He stopped outside the Jingyang Gate and watched Qin Mu walk away. Then he quietly wiped the sweat off his forehead.
There were only concubines and palace maids inside Jingyang Gate. It was a deep palace where many beauties competed for beauty. Even the lowest-level palace maids had to go through layers of selection before they had the opportunity to enter the palace.
Here, any one you meet is beautiful and charming. There are hundreds of beauties here, and you can knock down any one of them anytime and anywhere if you want...
As Qin Mu was walking on the gallery beside the Taiye Lake, he inexplicably thought of some people. Empress Changsun, Wu Meiniang, and Yang Yuhuan, these beauties whose names have been passed down through the ages, must have once strolled beside the Taiye Lake.
In a trance, it seemed as if I could still hear the beautiful woman's gentle laughter echoing on the pond.
Qin Mu was not mistaken, there was indeed the sweet smile of a beauty coming from the pond in the wind. Looking across the water, he saw four beauties, Li Xiangjun, Dong Xiaowan, Xu Ruoshi and Li Zhiyin, gathered in a warm hall, brewing tea, watching the snow, reciting poems and having fun.
The breeze was blowing gently, and I could faintly hear Li Xiangjun chanting: "Outside the courtyard, the orioles were singing in the middle of February, the sun's shadow shone on the curtains of the dressing table... I tried the light silk and got wet with the rain, and occasionally tasted the new wine and got drunk in the east wind..."
This should be a seven-character regulated verse, but Qin Mu only vaguely heard these four lines. Although incomplete, it is quite worth savoring. I believe that the whole poem is a masterpiece for ladies.
After Li Xiangjun finished reciting, Dong Xiaowan and the other two girls praised her. Then, no one knew what Li Xiangjun said, but Li Zhiyin was so embarrassed that she stood up and started to play with her, and her charming laughter was heard in the wind.
Looking at the beautiful figures, Qin Mu suddenly thought of a poem: You stand on the bridge to enjoy the scenery, and the people watching the scenery look at you from the upstairs. The bright moon decorates your window, and you decorate other people's dreams.
It is true, everyone is a landscape. I admired Wu Mei Niang and Yang Yu Huan by the Taiye Lake, and Li Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan, these peerless beauties, are they not also the objects of admiration for future generations
Qin Mu suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction and revealed a sincere smile. He did not disturb Li Xiangjun and the others, but turned and walked towards Hong Niangzi's Zhaoyang Palace.
As soon as I walked outside Zhaoyang Palace, I heard screams and the sound of swords clashing from inside...
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.(To be continued..)
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