Knight of the Blue Lagoon (The Past of Tao v)

102. Five Rules:

Officials are not in their place if they are not assigned to them, and salary is not what they deserve if they have merit.

~

"Your Majesty, we have been waiting for this moment for a long time, and Old Man and Wen have been thinking about this issue for so many years. The restrictions on the power of imperial officials are based on the first system and the second supervision. There must be strict institutional restrictions and supervision by the people. Power comes from the people, that is, as a parent and official, you must love the people as your own children, and you must not enrich your own pockets and prey on the people. Officials should serve the people and should pursue their own affairs in their positions. Those who do not serve as officials are lazy officials, which are as detestable as corrupt officials. The people are great, so we must form a system in which the mediocre are demoted, the mediocre are given way, and the capable are promoted. It is a shame for an official to avoid things for a lifetime. An effective assessment mechanism is formed through the method of subordinate supervisors and superior supervisors. There are inspections from the imperial court at the top and feedback from the people below, and they are judged according to their ability. Be honest and diligent, clean and responsible, live your whole life, serve as an official for one term, and benefit one party. Lao Chen and Lao Wen have five suggestions for the future development of Dongfu Country."After saying this, Mr. Yan handed the note to His Majesty.

"First, the development of a country, like a person moving forward, cannot be without direction and goals. First of all, the development route and policy of Dongfu Kingdom should be formulated, which should be divided into large and small, long-term, medium and long-term, overall and local goals, step by step, practical implementation, and periodic review and correction. For effective implementation, the court atmosphere is crucial.

The second is to establish a good court atmosphere through the system and education, and strictly eliminate the unhealthy trends in the court, the wind of comparison, the wind of corruption, the beginning of extravagance, and the gradual end of danger. Eliminate careerists and conspirators, never surrender to the enemy, be selfless in state affairs, eliminate evil in politics, and show no mercy to the law. Those who speak duplicity and violate the law must be eliminated, and those who form cliques and cliques will be severely punished. Those who join the party are only seeking personal gain. If a gentleman is not party-minded, he will not be able to help others in trouble; if a villain is friendly, he will benefit others and help others. The bigger the official, the more they are required to be cautious, as if they are facing an abyss, as if they are walking on thin ice. If one is not comfortable, then the people will benefit. Those who follow selfish principles will lead to chaos, while those who follow the principles of law will rule.

The third principle is that officials should be upright in their own bodies and in their families. What kind of life the imperial official has has his own style, and what kind of family tradition he has. Bad family tradition is the beginning of unhealthy tendencies. If you are going to teach the world, you must set your family in order, and you must rectify your body. Don't use the third master, who will abandon his post and die. Don't offend heaven and earth with your thoughts, and leave a good example to your children and grandchildren with your words and deeds.

The fourth rule is that the court has discipline and the officials have laws. To be upright, officials must also perform well. The responsibility of officials is to serve the people. They must clarify their responsibilities, implement them, and hold them accountable. Officials can be relieved of their duties, but their responsibilities will always be pursued. Those who win the hearts of the people will win the world, and those who lose the hearts of the people will lose the world. They must withstand the supervision of the people and fulfill the expectations of the court.

Fifth, the above four articles are not written articles, that is, the law is stricter than the law. It does not happen overnight, but every moment. Once implemented, it will be implemented for eternity."

The King of Dongfu first browsed through it in general, then read each one word by word, and then read it again. Seeing these two ambitious old ministers in the mountains, who have been working hard for the country of Dongfu, he didn't know what to say for a while. Okay. Turn around and call the eunuch:"According to this document, not a word of it can be changed. Copy it quickly. Each official of high rank will have a copy. They must memorize it. In addition, it will be posted everywhere for explanation and announced to the world for supervision by the people."

~

Soon the Xilu Kingdom sent the ransom money to the Dongfu Kingdom, along with the head of the Minister of Hubu. After learning that their family members in the Xilu Kingdom had been expelled to the land without care, the official minister fell on the couch and kept shouting in a mumble:"Madam, my son, my son!... It's over, it's over, everything is over. It's all over……"

There was no one in the house anymore. Seeing that the situation was over, the concubine, maid, housekeeper, and servants had already left. The yard was in a mess, and only two slaves were left.

"The master has a severe fever and wants to call a doctor."The slave from my hometown touched the forehead of the Minister of Civil Affairs.

Another middle-aged slave looked at the desolate mansion and said:"Who dares to come to see the master now."

The slave from my hometown had to bring a basin of water and kept scrubbing the master. When he was tired, he took a nap next to the master. He vaguely heard footsteps stopping. The slave from his hometown opened his eyes, and a shadow carrying a bag gradually became clear. , he understood immediately:

"You go, I won't blame you"

"They're all gone, you should go too."Middle-aged servant.

The old slave slowly shook his head:"I was born in the master's house, and I have followed the two masters all my life. As long as the master is still here, I will not leave. Where can I go when I am old? , you go, the master will understand"

"I'm leaving."

A few days later, the Minister of Civil Affairs woke up and began to look dazed. Then he kept laughing and shouted:"Go, go, go to court, I, I want to go to court.……"

The Minister of Libu went crazy. After his house was ransacked, the Minister of Libu lived on the street and was beaten to death in a corner not long after.

When the officers and soldiers who searched the house came to the mansion of the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, everything was quiet. When they entered the main hall, the officers and soldiers were shocked. The Minister of the Ministry of Justice and his two concubines were hanging from the beams. Their bodies had been stiff. It looked like they had been there for several days. In mid-air, the red silk on his body fluttered with the cold wind in the room. He questioned heaven and doubted earth, refused to accept heaven and earth, and judged heaven and earth. How many lives and deaths have been controlled by others, but in the end they are unwilling to accept others controlling their own life and death.

Looking at the empty mansion, the minister of the Ministry of Industry walked around the yard blankly, as if to feel everything here for the last time. Following a temptation, he stumbled to the wine cellar, where jars of aged wine were filled. They were all lined up, and a jar overturned on the ground. The fragrance of wine, once upon a time, the garden was full of fragrant wives and concubines, drinking and talking happily. I thought that the fragrance would last forever, and the sound of joy would last forever. But now the fragrance of wine is still there, and the laughter has gone. The Minister of the Ministry of Industry touched the wine jar:"Now you are the only one left to accompany me. Now."

Minister of the Ministry of Industry kept drinking, each sip was like a dream, one after another, until a scorching heat slowly burned. He couldn't stop, and he didn't want to stop, he wanted to feel more heat. , and muttered:"Let me go with you for this yellow spring water!"

After the death of the ministers, the nepotism of the retainers who usually oppressed the people were liquidated one by one. The property was returned to the court for forgiveness. Those officials never expected that they had chosen the Xilu Kingdom and placed all their hopes on it, but in the end they would end up bankrupt and separated from their wives and children. You choose your own path, and only you bear the consequences. No one pities you, and you don’t deserve pity. The large gentry households who were eager to sell grain and land did not know that the Luoba merchants who collected grain and land at that time were appointed by the imperial court. In this way, the imperial court took back the land occupied by the large gentry households at extremely low prices. When some people thought about it, the fields were gone and it was difficult to buy back their ancestral homes with the remaining money, and they all regretted it.

Thanks to everyone's efforts, although a cure has never been found, the disease has been effectively controlled in Chenzhou. Disease disasters have had a certain impact on grain production. The so-called famine does not mean an absolute lack of food, but an uneven distribution of food. Most of the food is in the hands of a few big officials, gentry and large households, and the people are hungry because they cannot obtain it. Now the food is in the hands of the court, and the court distributes it to the people. Not only do they have enough food and clothing, but they also have more food than before.

Yingping purchased a large amount of grain fields for the imperial court. Most of the farmland now belongs to the imperial court. Public land accounts for nearly 70%, and 30% is private land, most of which are small farmers. The fertile land is taxed equally regardless of the gentry or large households. Under the initiative of Yuan Sitian, he vigorously promoted Tianpu Society, guided planting, and promoted his planting technology. Under the hard work of farmers and workers, the rice thrived and the harvest was imminent. Yuan Sitian, who had been worried about food security, was finally relieved, and the court greatly rewarded Yuan Sitian. The octogenarian Yuan Sitian never wanted to leave the fields and was still running around in the fields. He had a bad fall that day. He returned home and left peacefully with a smile in the company of his children and grandchildren. His farming skills have been greatly improved in Dongfu. The country was effectively popularized, and more people followed his footsteps and contributed to the farming of Dongfu Kingdom. Yuan Sitian was named a Shennong by King Dongfu. People from all over the country learned of Yuan Sitian's departure and came spontaneously. The scene of mourning for this old gentleman was very touching.

King Dongfu reorganized the layout and boldly appointed new people. Su Su became the Minister of Household Affairs, the first female Minister of Household Affairs in the history of Blue Lake. Li Lai succeeded Daozhi as Minister of the Ministry of War. Suosuo, Suini Chenggang and others were named generals and took charge of the armies guarding Daying and Luoba. Chenggang became the chief instructor of the Dongfu Army. Other soldiers who followed Daozhi were highly valued. , they are all grateful to His Majesty. Yingping was named a righteous merchant by the imperial court and was responsible for the commercial affairs of Dongfu Kingdom in Blue Lake. Yan Lao and Wen Lao became court supervisors and temporarily took charge of the two vacancies in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Industry respectively. King Dongfu had long noticed that Zhai, the governor, was very talented and upright, and a great talent. King Dongfu never promoted him because he was actually protecting him. The Minister of Rites After recommendation, he was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the Minister of Rites became the first among the six ministers. People with lofty ideals were given the opportunity to display their talents. After experiencing disasters and wars, the people had unprecedented confidence in the imperial court. The people of Dongfu became more and more confident. The country of Dongfu was prosperous, and the people respected and loved each other. At Li Lai's request, King Dongfu allowed King Yi to return to his daughter to take care of her.

Daozhi left Dongfu Country, and Daozhi's past was widely circulated in the Blue Lake. Countless people wanted to become a knight as respected as Daozhi, a true knight of the Blue Lake.