Chapter 798: The Statistics Department is established, the Censorate is launched, and the poor families fight for their lives (total 5K8)
"Agriculture is the foundation of the country. Land reform is a matter of great importance to the country. You must be attentive and allocate all resources. If you have any difficulties, please tell me directly. I will ask the court to fully support you."
When Su Yao saw Wei Ji taking over the position of director of the Statistics Department, he immediately and earnestly instructed Wei Ji to take office the next day and start setting up the Statistics Department to conduct a comprehensive inventory of Hedong's land and population.
Wei Ji kowtowed heavily and expressed his gratitude profusely. He then solemnly inquired about the personnel selection and specific powers of the Statistics Department.
His words stunned Su Yao, who wanted to be a hands-off boss.
But soon, Su Yao came to his senses. This Statistics Bureau was a brand new department. Although it was currently used to check the statistics of Hedong, it was ultimately a permanent institution of the imperial court with a wide range of involvements, so it naturally could not be without a plan.
Su Yao thought for a moment and spoke slowly:
"In selecting officials, loyalty and ability are the most important. You can select those who care about the people and are eager to make achievements from among the new candidates in the imperial examination. They are new to the officialdom, full of enthusiasm, and have not yet been tainted by the corruption of the officialdom. They can treat this job with sincerity."
"At the same time, as a professional agency, the Statistics Department should mainly be staffed by people who are proficient in mathematics and familiar with geography and household registration management."
“Only those who are proficient in arithmetic can accurately calculate land area and population data. Only those who are familiar with geography can conduct on-site surveys and draw accurate fields and maps to ensure that there is no deviation in land measurement. And those who are familiar with household registration management have rich experience in sorting and integrating population information, which can make population statistics work efficient and orderly.”
"I have set up a mathematics subject in the imperial examination, and the students I recruit are just for today's times."
"You can use the talents selected by the imperial examination as the core team, and select some capable officials from the Ministry of Personnel to assist them, and then recruit local clerks who are familiar with land and household registration affairs to help. This should solve the personnel problem."
Su Yao's words not only made Wei Ji's eyes widen, but the others were also amazed:
"The general has thought it through carefully and has already paved the way for the establishment of the Statistics Department!" Xun You clapped his hands in admiration.
Guo Jia also nodded in agreement: "The general has foresight and has long anticipated today's needs. The establishment of the mathematics discipline is to reserve talents for the Statistics Department. This is a far-sighted move."
Su Yao smiled slightly and continued to say to Wei Ji: "If there are still not enough people, I allow you to post notices among the people. We will recruit talents based on their abilities. As long as you have a skill, you can come and take the exam."
After hearing this, Wei Ji exclaimed “enough, enough” repeatedly, and was greatly encouraged:
"I am just a small statistics department, why do I need so many talents? The general really loves me so much, I will do my best to live up to the general's trust!"
It has to be said that Wei Ji's statement was quite modest. After all, as far as he could see, this department was responsible for the key mission of the future land reform and people's livelihood planning of the entire Han Dynasty. It was by no means a trivial matter and the official was not given enough power.
However, he didn't know that Su Yao's expectations of them were even higher.
Su Yao waved his hand and warned seriously:
"Although the Statistics Department is under the leadership of the Ministry of Revenue, it is of great importance and needs to be directly responsible to the central government of the court. It even has the right to report directly to me."
"The population and land inventory in the Hedong area is only the first step."
"You have done a good job. In the future, we will not only check the land and population, but also all key areas related to the national economy and people's livelihood, such as food production, material reserves, commercial trade, water conservancy facilities and even the development status of various industries. All of these will be included in the statistical scope."
"Each of these data is an important basis for our governance and is related to the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the Han Dynasty."
"Not only that, in order to accurately grasp the country's development trends and understand the people's livelihood, the Statistics Department must conduct a national population and land census at least once every ten years."
"Only through detailed data comparison and analysis can we identify problems in a timely manner, adjust policies, and ensure the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty."
"As the first director of the Statistics Department, you have a heavy responsibility."
"If you encounter any obstacles in the course of performing your duties, whether it is from the aristocratic families or interference from other forces, do not be afraid. Just report to me. I will support you and do my best to remove all obstacles so that the Statistics Department can carry out its work smoothly and lay a solid data foundation for the revival of the Han Dynasty."
When Wei Ji heard Su Yao's words, he felt a huge pressure on his shoulders, yet his blood was boiling.
He knelt down again, kowtowed heavily, and spoke earnestly:
"The general has placed so much trust in me that even if I die, I will never be able to repay him. I will risk my life to build the Statistics Department into the solid eyes and ears of the Han Dynasty and provide reliable support for the general's decision-making!"
Su Yao nodded slightly, with a look of satisfaction on his face:
"Okay, I feel relieved with your determination."
"Once the Statistics Department is established, we will immediately start the pilot work in Hedong. Remember, fairness, justice and seeking truth from facts are the first principles of work. Any fraud and malpractice will be severely punished once discovered."
Severe punishment without mercy is not empty talk.
Just when everyone was shocked by the fact that Su Yao had given the Statistics Department such great power and tasks, another major change was put before their eyes:
"Everyone, if we have statistics, we must have audit supervision. The two complement each other and neither can be missing."
"The Statistics Department is responsible for collecting and organizing data to present the true picture of the Han Dynasty's national economy and people's livelihood, while the audit supervision is to ensure that these data are true and reliable, and to ensure that the implementation of each policy is in line with the original intention of the court and is not eroded by evil tendencies."
Su Yao paused for a moment, looked at Sima Lang, and said slowly:
"In the past, the Censorate was responsible for supervising all officials. However, the current situation is complicated. In order to better perform the duties of auditing and supervising, I have decided to change the Censorate into the Metropolitan Inspection Office and reorganize its powers."
"The Censorate is responsible for supervision, auditing, impeachment and advice. It is headed by the Grand Censor, and is staffed by the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief, the Deputy Censors-in-Chief, and the Attendant Censors."
"Among them, the Zuodu Yushi leads the Supervision Department, which is responsible for all-round supervision of the work process and data output of the Statistics Department."
"Once any suspicious points are found in the statistical data, or any irregularities are found in the statistical process, the Supervision Department has the right to immediately intervene in the investigation and require the Statistics Department to give a reasonable explanation."
"At the same time, the Supervision Department is also responsible for supervising the daily administrative behavior of officials at all levels. Whenever it is found that officials are passive and lazy in their work, forming cliques for personal gain, and other bad behaviors, they must be recorded and reported in a timely manner."
Su Yao explained clearly:
"The Right Censor-in-Chief is in charge of the Audit Department, which conducts in-depth verification of the data submitted by the Statistics Department to ensure that every figure is true and reliable and can withstand scrutiny."
"At the same time, the Audit Department must also regularly audit the court's various financial revenues and expenditures, project budgets and final accounts, etc., to prevent corruption, waste, false reporting and false claims, etc."
"In matters related to land reform, the Audit Department should focus on reviewing the financial transactions during the land measurement and allocation process to ensure that there are no mistakes in the economic aspects of the reform."
"Not only that, the Supervision and Audit Department will also be set up at the county level to supervise and audit the fiscal revenue and expenditure of government departments at all levels, the implementation of project budgets, and even the performance of officials in matters such as land allocation and livelihood projects. All of these are within the scope of supervision by the Audit Department!"
"what?!"
"The Censorate?"
"The Supervision Department and the Audit Department?!"
When everyone heard this series of new institutional settings, they were all shocked and looked at each other.
Sima Lang's eyes widened even more. He thought he was just participating in the discussion of routine affairs after the rebellion was quelled, but he didn't expect Su Yao to propose such drastic reform measures.
"General, the establishment of the Metropolitan Censorate and the Supervision and Audit Department is of great significance, but..." Sima Lang hesitated for a moment, but still expressed his concerns: "In this way, the powers of the Censorate will be redistributed, involving the adjustment of many officials, which may cause a great shock in the court."
"I understand the pros and cons of this, but the current situation in the Han Dynasty has reached a point where reform is necessary."
Su Yao nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"And the key to governing a country is to govern officials first. If we don't reform official administration and strengthen supervision, how can we ensure the smooth implementation of the new policy?"
"Although the Censorate had the responsibility of supervision in the past, its duties were broad and its power was dispersed, which not only made it difficult to effectively supervise officials, but also caused many people to be idle, resulting in a lot of corruption and chaos, and the execution of government orders was greatly reduced."
"Now I am reorganizing the Censorate into the Metropolitan Inspection Office and refining the supervision and auditing functions in order to change this situation."
Su Yao looked at everyone present with a firm gaze, his tone revealing his unquestionable determination:
"As for the official adjustments, I have already considered it."
“This reform is not about removing officials without reason, but about reassigning them based on their abilities and conduct.”
"Officials who are honest, incorruptible, diligent and dedicated to their duties will not only not be affected, but will be given more important positions and play a greater role; while those who are idle in their posts and corrupt and pervert the law must be punished and will not be tolerated."
Reorganizing the Censorate was not a sudden idea of Su Yao, but something he had been preparing to do for a long time.
You know, although the Censorate has great power, the position is quiet and noble. Therefore, this institution has been completely monopolized by aristocratic families for hundreds of years, and has become a hotbed for them to place their confidants and protect their clansmen.
Under such conditions, many censors and their subordinate officials often relied on their family background rather than actual ability to rise to power, resulting in supervisory work becoming a formality and rampant corruption. Officials who truly wanted to serve the country found it difficult to do so, which was completely contrary to the original intention of establishing the Censorate.
In fact, due to the previous conflict between Su Yao and Sikong Zhongfu, many imperial censors were involved and fired at him under the leadership of Zhongfu.
Later, although Su Yao abolished the Sikong position after the great victory and replaced him with Wang Yun as the Chief Censor to lead the Censorate, the power of the aristocratic families within the Censorate was intertwined and old habits were hard to change. Although Wang Yun was willing to rectify the situation, it was difficult to see results in a short period of time. Reversing the atmosphere of the entire Censorate in one fell swoop was obviously not a problem that could be easily solved by changing the highest official.
Therefore, Su Yao decided to take this opportunity to completely reorganize the Censorate, refine its functions and clean out those who were just eating for free and those who were against him.
The new Censorate must be composed of people who are loyal and supportive of reform.
"For this reason, the new department of the Metropolitan Censorate should select people who have passed the imperial examinations, with moral character being the first priority, followed by talent and learning, and children from poor families being given priority."
"hiss--"
"What?!" "Disciples from poor families are given priority?"
Su Yao shocked everyone again.
As mentioned before, the Censorate was a noble government office, and was the favorite department of aristocratic families to gild their clansmen.
This can be seen from the fact that Yuan Shao, Han Fu, and Sima Lang in front of us were all from famous families in the Central Plains who were born as censors.
Now Su Yao proposed that newcomers to the Censorate should be given priority to those with a background in imperial examinations, and that students from poor families should be given priority. This can be said to have directly broken the idea of the aristocratic families monopolizing the Censorate (Censorate).
Therefore, as soon as Su Yao finished speaking, the atmosphere in the study suddenly became solemn.
Among those present, Guo Jia was from a poor family in Yingchuan and quite agreed with the policy. Wei Ji had just been promoted and would not say anything. As for Wang Ling, he was Su Yao's confidant. Although he was from an aristocratic family, the status of the aristocratic families in the border counties in the court was not as good as that of the poor families in the Central Plains, so he fully supported it.
Only Sima Lang and Xun You, both of whom were famous families in the Central Plains, looked at each other and saw a deep chill in each other's eyes.
The first to speak was Xun You. He stepped out slowly, bowed deeply and said:
"General, I have heard that the Book of Changes says, 'When you are in trouble, you must change. When you change, you will be successful.' Your reform of the Censorate is indeed a good strategy for governing the country. However, -"
Xun You paused, and glanced at the bamboo slips of maps hanging all over the room:
"Since Emperor Guangwu's restoration, the children of noble families have made great achievements in the post of censor. In the past, Yuan An defended his innocence and redressed his wrongs, and Yang Zhen refused to pay the tribute in the middle of the night. They are all models of the clean and honest censors. If we only recruit children from humble families now, we may lose the family tradition of generations of nobles. I think the general needs to consider the priority of children from humble families."
After Xun You finished speaking, Sima Lang followed closely and bowed, saying, "Gongda is right."
"My father often said, 'Books and poems are passed down from generation to generation, and propriety and morality are passed down from generation to generation.' We were born in a family of nobility. Since childhood, we have shouldered the responsibility of glorifying our family and serving the country. We are loyal to the court. After years of study, we have a deep understanding of classics, history, laws and regulations, and are adept at handling government affairs."
"Although the children of poor families have the ambition to make progress and there are also some talented people, but generally speaking, their accumulation of knowledge, experience and knowledge are probably inferior to those of the elderly."
"If the general wants to employ poor students, why not first let them serve as clerks and wait until they are familiar with the documents."
"You two are wrong!"
Suddenly, Guo Jia stood up:
"In the past, Chen Shi of Yingchuan was a man of humble origins, but he taught his people with the example of 'the gentleman on the beam'. Now the general has opened the imperial examination, which is in line with the intention of 'selecting the virtuous and not avoiding the humble' of the ancient sages."
Guo Jia's sudden appearance surprised Xun You and Sima Lang.
They didn't expect that this young man would dare to refute their views so openly and directly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the study became more tense.
Guo Jia was holding a feather fan and said in a loud voice: "The general's original intention of opening the imperial examination is to recruit talents regardless of their background. There are many ambitious people among the children of poor families. They have experienced hardships and understand the suffering of the people. They care about the people of the world. If we reject them because of their background, wouldn't it be contrary to the general's original intention?"
Xun You frowned slightly and retorted, "Although Fengxiao's words are reasonable, the children of aristocratic families have received a good education since childhood, and have a deep understanding of classics, history, and laws and regulations. They are naturally adept at handling government affairs. Although the children of poor families are willing to serve the country, if they are suddenly entrusted with an important task, they may not be able to cope with it and may make mistakes."
Sima Lang then nodded in agreement, saying that they were not against employing people from humble backgrounds, but were worried that they would not be able to take on important tasks:
"The Censorate supervises all officials. It sounds impressive, but how easy is it for a small official to supervise a big official?"
"Children of aristocratic families, with the support of their family background, can stand up straight in front of the provincial governors, rather break than bend, and speak up for justice."
"As for the children of poor families, firstly, they are weak and lack connections. When faced with powerful forces, they may be afraid of power and dare not act impartially. Secondly, the officialdom is complicated, with intricate and complex interest relationships. The children of poor families have no experience. Once they are deeply involved, not only will they be unable to protect themselves, but they may also hinder the supervision work and make the reform cause fail."
"The Imperial Censor is wrong."
Guo Jia fanned himself lightly, a hint of disapproval on his face:
"It is true that the children of poor families are weak, but it is precisely because of this that they cherish this hard-won opportunity even more. Once they shoulder the important task of supervision, they will be more diligent and strive for fairness."
"Besides, whether or not one is afraid of power depends on one's character and integrity, not one's background."
Next, the two sides engaged in a heated debate on the issue of poor families and wealthy families.
Both sides cited classics to support their arguments and argued in front of Su Yao, even Wang Ling and Wei Ji were involved.
However, they are all smart people who are well-versed in classics and have extensive knowledge. Each of them has his own reasons, and when it comes to their own positions, they will not give in to each other.
Wei Ji tried twice to mediate, but not only did he fail, he was also mocked by both sides for his previous weak and opportunistic behavior.
For a while, everyone in the study was arguing with each other, their faces red and their ears sticking to their own opinions. The quarrel lasted from the evening until late at night, and no one could convince anyone else.
In the end, it was Hong'er who saw that Su Yao and the others had not gone to eat yet, so she came with food and knocked on the door, temporarily stopping the dispute.
Hong Er knocked on the door and came in, carrying a steaming meal, and saluted carefully:
"My benefactor, my lords, it's late, please have some food first. State affairs are important, and you should not starve yourself."
At this time, Su Yao, who had been silent with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced at Hong'er cheerfully, then glanced at the people who were blushing, smiled slightly, and raised his hand to signal everyone to stop arguing:
"Okay, let's take a break and eat something. We can continue the discussion after we're full."
Seeing the hot food in Hong'er's hand, a strange gurgling sound suddenly came from the room. At this time, everyone's faces turned red, and they finally stopped arguing and sat down.
Upon seeing this, Hong'er quickly called for the servants to bring in the table and prepare meals for everyone.
That’s right, he brought in the desk.
The Han Dynasty practiced the system of separate dining. Large round tables were not popular at that time. Everyone used their own desk, sat on the ground, and ate their separate meals.
Everyone sat around, the tables in front of them were filled with exquisite dishes, but the atmosphere was still a little subtle.
Hong'er quickly added drinks to everyone's cups and then quietly left.
Before leaving, Su Yao pinched her hand, which made her face turn red. She moaned softly, saying that her benefactor was so dishonest.
However, he had no idea that Su Yao was in a really good mood at this moment.
Yes, I'm in a good mood.
Even though these people were noisy tonight, they ate in silence and the whole house was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
But in fact, all this was just as Su Yao expected.
Abandoning the aristocratic families and giving priority to the poor?
Considering Su Yao's previous approach of always prioritizing pragmatism, how could he suddenly be so extreme this time?
At present, aristocratic families are still an important force that cannot be ignored in the Han Dynasty court. They have deep roots and extensive connections, control a large amount of land, wealth and population, and have extremely high influence in the local area.
Su Yao knew very well that if he wanted to successfully implement the reforms, he must not completely break with the aristocratic families, otherwise he would encounter great resistance whether he was fighting or governing.
However, this does not mean that he would compromise with the aristocratic families like Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu did.
Are you kidding? He has already released his ultimate move in the imperial examination. As long as he maintains stability, every successful imperial examination will weaken the power of the aristocratic families. I have the advantage now. There is no need to fall out with them at this time and force this matter at the risk of overthrowing the foundation of my rule.
Therefore, after this great victory in Hedong and sweeping away the local aristocratic rebels, Su Yao deliberately put forward the highly controversial idea of "giving priority to children from poor families", which actually had another purpose.
In addition to eliciting the true thoughts of all parties and observing their attitudes, the most important thing is to use this unreasonable demand to exert "extreme pressure."
Lu Xun once said: Chinese people always like to reconcile and compromise. For example, if you say that the room is too dark and you want to open a skylight here, everyone will definitely not allow it. But if you advocate removing the roof, they will come to reconcile and be willing to open the skylight.
Xun You and Sima Lang represent the interests of the aristocratic families. Su Yao wants to bring a large number of people from poor families into the court, especially to let them enter the Censorate, a place regarded as a forbidden place by the aristocratic families. Needless to say, he will be met with unanimous opposition.
Therefore, Su Yao deliberately put forward the extreme demand of "giving priority to children from poor families" as the starting point of the negotiations to achieve his real goal.
For this purpose, Su Yao specially sought out Guo Jia, a poor student, to cooperate with his actions.
And then, of course, it happened as expected.
When Su Yao saw these smart guys arguing until their faces turned red and they were so exhausted that they couldn't say a word, he knew it was time for him to come on stage.
It's time to end this long debate.
(End of this chapter)
"Agriculture is the foundation of the country. Land reform is a matter of great importance to the country. You must be attentive and allocate all resources. If you have any difficulties, please tell me directly. I will ask the court to fully support you."
When Su Yao saw Wei Ji taking over the position of director of the Statistics Department, he immediately and earnestly instructed Wei Ji to take office the next day and start setting up the Statistics Department to conduct a comprehensive inventory of Hedong's land and population.
Wei Ji kowtowed heavily and expressed his gratitude profusely. He then solemnly inquired about the personnel selection and specific powers of the Statistics Department.
His words stunned Su Yao, who wanted to be a hands-off boss.
But soon, Su Yao came to his senses. This Statistics Bureau was a brand new department. Although it was currently used to check the statistics of Hedong, it was ultimately a permanent institution of the imperial court with a wide range of involvements, so it naturally could not be without a plan.
Su Yao thought for a moment and spoke slowly:
"In selecting officials, loyalty and ability are the most important. You can select those who care about the people and are eager to make achievements from among the new candidates in the imperial examination. They are new to the officialdom, full of enthusiasm, and have not yet been tainted by the corruption of the officialdom. They can treat this job with sincerity."
"At the same time, as a professional agency, the Statistics Department should mainly be staffed by people who are proficient in mathematics and familiar with geography and household registration management."
“Only those who are proficient in arithmetic can accurately calculate land area and population data. Only those who are familiar with geography can conduct on-site surveys and draw accurate fields and maps to ensure that there is no deviation in land measurement. And those who are familiar with household registration management have rich experience in sorting and integrating population information, which can make population statistics work efficient and orderly.”
"I have set up a mathematics subject in the imperial examination, and the students I recruit are just for today's times."
"You can use the talents selected by the imperial examination as the core team, and select some capable officials from the Ministry of Personnel to assist them, and then recruit local clerks who are familiar with land and household registration affairs to help. This should solve the personnel problem."
Su Yao's words not only made Wei Ji's eyes widen, but the others were also amazed:
"The general has thought it through carefully and has already paved the way for the establishment of the Statistics Department!" Xun You clapped his hands in admiration.
Guo Jia also nodded in agreement: "The general has foresight and has long anticipated today's needs. The establishment of the mathematics discipline is to reserve talents for the Statistics Department. This is a far-sighted move."
Su Yao smiled slightly and continued to say to Wei Ji: "If there are still not enough people, I allow you to post notices among the people. We will recruit talents based on their abilities. As long as you have a skill, you can come and take the exam."
After hearing this, Wei Ji exclaimed “enough, enough” repeatedly, and was greatly encouraged:
"I am just a small statistics department, why do I need so many talents? The general really loves me so much, I will do my best to live up to the general's trust!"
It has to be said that Wei Ji's statement was quite modest. After all, as far as he could see, this department was responsible for the key mission of the future land reform and people's livelihood planning of the entire Han Dynasty. It was by no means a trivial matter and the official was not given enough power.
However, he didn't know that Su Yao's expectations of them were even higher.
Su Yao waved his hand and warned seriously:
"Although the Statistics Department is under the leadership of the Ministry of Revenue, it is of great importance and needs to be directly responsible to the central government of the court. It even has the right to report directly to me."
"The population and land inventory in the Hedong area is only the first step."
"You have done a good job. In the future, we will not only check the land and population, but also all key areas related to the national economy and people's livelihood, such as food production, material reserves, commercial trade, water conservancy facilities and even the development status of various industries. All of these will be included in the statistical scope."
"Each of these data is an important basis for our governance and is related to the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the Han Dynasty."
"Not only that, in order to accurately grasp the country's development trends and understand the people's livelihood, the Statistics Department must conduct a national population and land census at least once every ten years."
"Only through detailed data comparison and analysis can we identify problems in a timely manner, adjust policies, and ensure the long-term stability of the Han Dynasty."
"As the first director of the Statistics Department, you have a heavy responsibility."
"If you encounter any obstacles in the course of performing your duties, whether it is from the aristocratic families or interference from other forces, do not be afraid. Just report to me. I will support you and do my best to remove all obstacles so that the Statistics Department can carry out its work smoothly and lay a solid data foundation for the revival of the Han Dynasty."
When Wei Ji heard Su Yao's words, he felt a huge pressure on his shoulders, yet his blood was boiling.
He knelt down again, kowtowed heavily, and spoke earnestly:
"The general has placed so much trust in me that even if I die, I will never be able to repay him. I will risk my life to build the Statistics Department into the solid eyes and ears of the Han Dynasty and provide reliable support for the general's decision-making!"
Su Yao nodded slightly, with a look of satisfaction on his face:
"Okay, I feel relieved with your determination."
"Once the Statistics Department is established, we will immediately start the pilot work in Hedong. Remember, fairness, justice and seeking truth from facts are the first principles of work. Any fraud and malpractice will be severely punished once discovered."
Severe punishment without mercy is not empty talk.
Just when everyone was shocked by the fact that Su Yao had given the Statistics Department such great power and tasks, another major change was put before their eyes:
"Everyone, if we have statistics, we must have audit supervision. The two complement each other and neither can be missing."
"The Statistics Department is responsible for collecting and organizing data to present the true picture of the Han Dynasty's national economy and people's livelihood, while the audit supervision is to ensure that these data are true and reliable, and to ensure that the implementation of each policy is in line with the original intention of the court and is not eroded by evil tendencies."
Su Yao paused for a moment, looked at Sima Lang, and said slowly:
"In the past, the Censorate was responsible for supervising all officials. However, the current situation is complicated. In order to better perform the duties of auditing and supervising, I have decided to change the Censorate into the Metropolitan Inspection Office and reorganize its powers."
"The Censorate is responsible for supervision, auditing, impeachment and advice. It is headed by the Grand Censor, and is staffed by the Left and Right Censors-in-Chief, the Deputy Censors-in-Chief, and the Attendant Censors."
"Among them, the Zuodu Yushi leads the Supervision Department, which is responsible for all-round supervision of the work process and data output of the Statistics Department."
"Once any suspicious points are found in the statistical data, or any irregularities are found in the statistical process, the Supervision Department has the right to immediately intervene in the investigation and require the Statistics Department to give a reasonable explanation."
"At the same time, the Supervision Department is also responsible for supervising the daily administrative behavior of officials at all levels. Whenever it is found that officials are passive and lazy in their work, forming cliques for personal gain, and other bad behaviors, they must be recorded and reported in a timely manner."
Su Yao explained clearly:
"The Right Censor-in-Chief is in charge of the Audit Department, which conducts in-depth verification of the data submitted by the Statistics Department to ensure that every figure is true and reliable and can withstand scrutiny."
"At the same time, the Audit Department must also regularly audit the court's various financial revenues and expenditures, project budgets and final accounts, etc., to prevent corruption, waste, false reporting and false claims, etc."
"In matters related to land reform, the Audit Department should focus on reviewing the financial transactions during the land measurement and allocation process to ensure that there are no mistakes in the economic aspects of the reform."
"Not only that, the Supervision and Audit Department will also be set up at the county level to supervise and audit the fiscal revenue and expenditure of government departments at all levels, the implementation of project budgets, and even the performance of officials in matters such as land allocation and livelihood projects. All of these are within the scope of supervision by the Audit Department!"
"what?!"
"The Censorate?"
"The Supervision Department and the Audit Department?!"
When everyone heard this series of new institutional settings, they were all shocked and looked at each other.
Sima Lang's eyes widened even more. He thought he was just participating in the discussion of routine affairs after the rebellion was quelled, but he didn't expect Su Yao to propose such drastic reform measures.
"General, the establishment of the Metropolitan Censorate and the Supervision and Audit Department is of great significance, but..." Sima Lang hesitated for a moment, but still expressed his concerns: "In this way, the powers of the Censorate will be redistributed, involving the adjustment of many officials, which may cause a great shock in the court."
"I understand the pros and cons of this, but the current situation in the Han Dynasty has reached a point where reform is necessary."
Su Yao nodded slightly and said with a smile:
"And the key to governing a country is to govern officials first. If we don't reform official administration and strengthen supervision, how can we ensure the smooth implementation of the new policy?"
"Although the Censorate had the responsibility of supervision in the past, its duties were broad and its power was dispersed, which not only made it difficult to effectively supervise officials, but also caused many people to be idle, resulting in a lot of corruption and chaos, and the execution of government orders was greatly reduced."
"Now I am reorganizing the Censorate into the Metropolitan Inspection Office and refining the supervision and auditing functions in order to change this situation."
Su Yao looked at everyone present with a firm gaze, his tone revealing his unquestionable determination:
"As for the official adjustments, I have already considered it."
“This reform is not about removing officials without reason, but about reassigning them based on their abilities and conduct.”
"Officials who are honest, incorruptible, diligent and dedicated to their duties will not only not be affected, but will be given more important positions and play a greater role; while those who are idle in their posts and corrupt and pervert the law must be punished and will not be tolerated."
Reorganizing the Censorate was not a sudden idea of Su Yao, but something he had been preparing to do for a long time.
You know, although the Censorate has great power, the position is quiet and noble. Therefore, this institution has been completely monopolized by aristocratic families for hundreds of years, and has become a hotbed for them to place their confidants and protect their clansmen.
Under such conditions, many censors and their subordinate officials often relied on their family background rather than actual ability to rise to power, resulting in supervisory work becoming a formality and rampant corruption. Officials who truly wanted to serve the country found it difficult to do so, which was completely contrary to the original intention of establishing the Censorate.
In fact, due to the previous conflict between Su Yao and Sikong Zhongfu, many imperial censors were involved and fired at him under the leadership of Zhongfu.
Later, although Su Yao abolished the Sikong position after the great victory and replaced him with Wang Yun as the Chief Censor to lead the Censorate, the power of the aristocratic families within the Censorate was intertwined and old habits were hard to change. Although Wang Yun was willing to rectify the situation, it was difficult to see results in a short period of time. Reversing the atmosphere of the entire Censorate in one fell swoop was obviously not a problem that could be easily solved by changing the highest official.
Therefore, Su Yao decided to take this opportunity to completely reorganize the Censorate, refine its functions and clean out those who were just eating for free and those who were against him.
The new Censorate must be composed of people who are loyal and supportive of reform.
"For this reason, the new department of the Metropolitan Censorate should select people who have passed the imperial examinations, with moral character being the first priority, followed by talent and learning, and children from poor families being given priority."
"hiss--"
"What?!" "Disciples from poor families are given priority?"
Su Yao shocked everyone again.
As mentioned before, the Censorate was a noble government office, and was the favorite department of aristocratic families to gild their clansmen.
This can be seen from the fact that Yuan Shao, Han Fu, and Sima Lang in front of us were all from famous families in the Central Plains who were born as censors.
Now Su Yao proposed that newcomers to the Censorate should be given priority to those with a background in imperial examinations, and that students from poor families should be given priority. This can be said to have directly broken the idea of the aristocratic families monopolizing the Censorate (Censorate).
Therefore, as soon as Su Yao finished speaking, the atmosphere in the study suddenly became solemn.
Among those present, Guo Jia was from a poor family in Yingchuan and quite agreed with the policy. Wei Ji had just been promoted and would not say anything. As for Wang Ling, he was Su Yao's confidant. Although he was from an aristocratic family, the status of the aristocratic families in the border counties in the court was not as good as that of the poor families in the Central Plains, so he fully supported it.
Only Sima Lang and Xun You, both of whom were famous families in the Central Plains, looked at each other and saw a deep chill in each other's eyes.
The first to speak was Xun You. He stepped out slowly, bowed deeply and said:
"General, I have heard that the Book of Changes says, 'When you are in trouble, you must change. When you change, you will be successful.' Your reform of the Censorate is indeed a good strategy for governing the country. However, -"
Xun You paused, and glanced at the bamboo slips of maps hanging all over the room:
"Since Emperor Guangwu's restoration, the children of noble families have made great achievements in the post of censor. In the past, Yuan An defended his innocence and redressed his wrongs, and Yang Zhen refused to pay the tribute in the middle of the night. They are all models of the clean and honest censors. If we only recruit children from humble families now, we may lose the family tradition of generations of nobles. I think the general needs to consider the priority of children from humble families."
After Xun You finished speaking, Sima Lang followed closely and bowed, saying, "Gongda is right."
"My father often said, 'Books and poems are passed down from generation to generation, and propriety and morality are passed down from generation to generation.' We were born in a family of nobility. Since childhood, we have shouldered the responsibility of glorifying our family and serving the country. We are loyal to the court. After years of study, we have a deep understanding of classics, history, laws and regulations, and are adept at handling government affairs."
"Although the children of poor families have the ambition to make progress and there are also some talented people, but generally speaking, their accumulation of knowledge, experience and knowledge are probably inferior to those of the elderly."
"If the general wants to employ poor students, why not first let them serve as clerks and wait until they are familiar with the documents."
"You two are wrong!"
Suddenly, Guo Jia stood up:
"In the past, Chen Shi of Yingchuan was a man of humble origins, but he taught his people with the example of 'the gentleman on the beam'. Now the general has opened the imperial examination, which is in line with the intention of 'selecting the virtuous and not avoiding the humble' of the ancient sages."
Guo Jia's sudden appearance surprised Xun You and Sima Lang.
They didn't expect that this young man would dare to refute their views so openly and directly.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the study became more tense.
Guo Jia was holding a feather fan and said in a loud voice: "The general's original intention of opening the imperial examination is to recruit talents regardless of their background. There are many ambitious people among the children of poor families. They have experienced hardships and understand the suffering of the people. They care about the people of the world. If we reject them because of their background, wouldn't it be contrary to the general's original intention?"
Xun You frowned slightly and retorted, "Although Fengxiao's words are reasonable, the children of aristocratic families have received a good education since childhood, and have a deep understanding of classics, history, and laws and regulations. They are naturally adept at handling government affairs. Although the children of poor families are willing to serve the country, if they are suddenly entrusted with an important task, they may not be able to cope with it and may make mistakes."
Sima Lang then nodded in agreement, saying that they were not against employing people from humble backgrounds, but were worried that they would not be able to take on important tasks:
"The Censorate supervises all officials. It sounds impressive, but how easy is it for a small official to supervise a big official?"
"Children of aristocratic families, with the support of their family background, can stand up straight in front of the provincial governors, rather break than bend, and speak up for justice."
"As for the children of poor families, firstly, they are weak and lack connections. When faced with powerful forces, they may be afraid of power and dare not act impartially. Secondly, the officialdom is complicated, with intricate and complex interest relationships. The children of poor families have no experience. Once they are deeply involved, not only will they be unable to protect themselves, but they may also hinder the supervision work and make the reform cause fail."
"The Imperial Censor is wrong."
Guo Jia fanned himself lightly, a hint of disapproval on his face:
"It is true that the children of poor families are weak, but it is precisely because of this that they cherish this hard-won opportunity even more. Once they shoulder the important task of supervision, they will be more diligent and strive for fairness."
"Besides, whether or not one is afraid of power depends on one's character and integrity, not one's background."
Next, the two sides engaged in a heated debate on the issue of poor families and wealthy families.
Both sides cited classics to support their arguments and argued in front of Su Yao, even Wang Ling and Wei Ji were involved.
However, they are all smart people who are well-versed in classics and have extensive knowledge. Each of them has his own reasons, and when it comes to their own positions, they will not give in to each other.
Wei Ji tried twice to mediate, but not only did he fail, he was also mocked by both sides for his previous weak and opportunistic behavior.
For a while, everyone in the study was arguing with each other, their faces red and their ears sticking to their own opinions. The quarrel lasted from the evening until late at night, and no one could convince anyone else.
In the end, it was Hong'er who saw that Su Yao and the others had not gone to eat yet, so she came with food and knocked on the door, temporarily stopping the dispute.
Hong Er knocked on the door and came in, carrying a steaming meal, and saluted carefully:
"My benefactor, my lords, it's late, please have some food first. State affairs are important, and you should not starve yourself."
At this time, Su Yao, who had been silent with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced at Hong'er cheerfully, then glanced at the people who were blushing, smiled slightly, and raised his hand to signal everyone to stop arguing:
"Okay, let's take a break and eat something. We can continue the discussion after we're full."
Seeing the hot food in Hong'er's hand, a strange gurgling sound suddenly came from the room. At this time, everyone's faces turned red, and they finally stopped arguing and sat down.
Upon seeing this, Hong'er quickly called for the servants to bring in the table and prepare meals for everyone.
That’s right, he brought in the desk.
The Han Dynasty practiced the system of separate dining. Large round tables were not popular at that time. Everyone used their own desk, sat on the ground, and ate their separate meals.
Everyone sat around, the tables in front of them were filled with exquisite dishes, but the atmosphere was still a little subtle.
Hong'er quickly added drinks to everyone's cups and then quietly left.
Before leaving, Su Yao pinched her hand, which made her face turn red. She moaned softly, saying that her benefactor was so dishonest.
However, he had no idea that Su Yao was in a really good mood at this moment.
Yes, I'm in a good mood.
Even though these people were noisy tonight, they ate in silence and the whole house was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
But in fact, all this was just as Su Yao expected.
Abandoning the aristocratic families and giving priority to the poor?
Considering Su Yao's previous approach of always prioritizing pragmatism, how could he suddenly be so extreme this time?
At present, aristocratic families are still an important force that cannot be ignored in the Han Dynasty court. They have deep roots and extensive connections, control a large amount of land, wealth and population, and have extremely high influence in the local area.
Su Yao knew very well that if he wanted to successfully implement the reforms, he must not completely break with the aristocratic families, otherwise he would encounter great resistance whether he was fighting or governing.
However, this does not mean that he would compromise with the aristocratic families like Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu did.
Are you kidding? He has already released his ultimate move in the imperial examination. As long as he maintains stability, every successful imperial examination will weaken the power of the aristocratic families. I have the advantage now. There is no need to fall out with them at this time and force this matter at the risk of overthrowing the foundation of my rule.
Therefore, after this great victory in Hedong and sweeping away the local aristocratic rebels, Su Yao deliberately put forward the highly controversial idea of "giving priority to children from poor families", which actually had another purpose.
In addition to eliciting the true thoughts of all parties and observing their attitudes, the most important thing is to use this unreasonable demand to exert "extreme pressure."
Lu Xun once said: Chinese people always like to reconcile and compromise. For example, if you say that the room is too dark and you want to open a skylight here, everyone will definitely not allow it. But if you advocate removing the roof, they will come to reconcile and be willing to open the skylight.
Xun You and Sima Lang represent the interests of the aristocratic families. Su Yao wants to bring a large number of people from poor families into the court, especially to let them enter the Censorate, a place regarded as a forbidden place by the aristocratic families. Needless to say, he will be met with unanimous opposition.
Therefore, Su Yao deliberately put forward the extreme demand of "giving priority to children from poor families" as the starting point of the negotiations to achieve his real goal.
For this purpose, Su Yao specially sought out Guo Jia, a poor student, to cooperate with his actions.
And then, of course, it happened as expected.
When Su Yao saw these smart guys arguing until their faces turned red and they were so exhausted that they couldn't say a word, he knew it was time for him to come on stage.
It's time to end this long debate.
(End of this chapter)
