Zhu Pingan quickly went out to meet Zhang Tongsheng and others, far from seeing Zhang Tongsheng, Wang Xiu Cai and other people, then arched his hand to welcome the front, his face is full of smiles, warm as if it can melt the ice and snow.
Anciently, it’s not like this to welcome one another upside down.
Seeing that the Prefectural Governor attached such importance to himself and the others, Zhang Tongsheng and the others were exceptionally touched, and felt immensely correct for their decision to serve in the Prefectural Office.
Zhu Pingan enthusiastically welcomed Zhang Tongsheng, Wang Xiucai and others into the county government office, called Liu Dazhou, Liu Mu and other county magistrates, introduced them to each other, and in the future they will be colleagues.
In the morning, he mainly led Zhang Tongsheng and others to familiarise themselves with the county government office, at noon, Zhu Pingan let the county government office cookhouse cook a few more dishes, and invited all the magistrates to set up tables and chairs in the courtyard of the county government office to have a gathering, and by the way, he received a welcome for Zhang Tongsheng, Wang Xiucai and others, and enhanced their knowledge and understanding of each other during the banquet.
“We still have official business in the afternoon, so we won’t drink. I’ll toast you all with tea instead of wine, and welcome you all. All of you are from your hometowns and are more familiar with the local customs of Jingnan than I am, so I will ask for your assistance in governing Jingnan in the future.”At the banquet, Zhu Pingan lifted his teacup and toasted Zhang Tongsheng and the others.
“Thank you, County Duke. County Honour is overstating the case, we will certainly do our best.”Zhang Tongsheng and the others rose with their teacups.
“The old concept is unfriendly to the Xuxu officials, and the generalisation is that Xuxu officials are of low rank and cannot take the entrance examination. In my opinion, this idea is a big mistake, the Xu official’s position is low but high, the salary is thin but the plan is big, the Xu official is an indispensable part of my Daming, and it is also the most basic cornerstone of the administration of my Daming. Xuxu officials assume the state officials and county magistrates and the local red gentry and old people between the link, no Xuxu officials, how can the government order under the people? Without them, how can people’s livelihood reach the top? Xu official plays an indispensable role in consolidating the country and securing the state. In addition, it is not impossible for them to take the imperial examinations. In the Ming Dynasty, there were cases where they were allowed to take the township examinations and the imperial examinations, and they were even granted the title of Scholar. For example, in the eighth year of the Xuande reign, Lord Cao Nai took the imperial examination as the official historian of Taihe County in Jiangxi Province, and won the first place in the Imperial Examination, and His Majesty Emperor Xuanzong named him the scholar of the Imperial Examination and gave him a banquet at the Ministry of Ceremonies. I also ask that you all discard your old acquaintances and strive to make a difference.”
Zhu Pingan held his teacup and continued to say to Zhang Tongsheng and the others.
“Many thanks for your encouragement, Prefect.”Zhang Tongsheng and the others couldn’t help but be excited when they heard this. With the county dignitary placing such importance on the xuxing officials, they could not help but once again feel immensely correct for their decision to go out to the county office.
“I have dismissed all of Jingnan’s old Suxian officials together. The reasons for this have all been explained to you before, so I won’t repeat them here. Your character, knowledge, and ability are all ones I trust, or else I wouldn’t have asked you to assist me in governing Jingnan. However, as the saying goes, it takes three years to learn well and three days to learn badly. As the officials, you are in direct contact with the people, and in the eyes of the people, you are the magistrates, and your words and actions have a direct bearing on the well-being of the people of Jingnan. ‘In the twilight, I threw myself into the village of sh*tengou, and some officials arrested me at night. The old man went over the wall, the old woman went out to see. The official called out in anger! The woman cries a why bitter ……’I believe that no Jingnan citizen would like to experience such a scene. I also ask you all to keep your hearts and act impartially, and if there are those who are not of good character and do harm to the people, I will not show any mercy.”
After Zhu Pingan encouraged the crowd, he knocked them in advance and said the ugly words in advance.
“Don’t worry, we will live up to the trust of County Honour and the people of Jingnan.”Zhang Tongsheng and the others said in unison.
“Good, gentlemen please.”Zhu Pingan raised his teacup and once again toasted the crowd.
“Please, County Honour.”
The crowd returned the toast and drank it all together.
After lunch, taking advantage of the fact that the entire staff of the county office was present, Zhu Pingan proceeded to arrange all the appointments.
The original system of the county government office was the six rooms, modelled on the six ministries of the central court, and all the county government offices in the Ming Dynasty were of this system. However, Zhu Pingan is from modern times, clear that this body can be improved.
Therefore, following this opportunity to dismiss all the officials, the county office system was also improved.
Of course, Zhu Pingan was not changing the feudal bureaucratic form, but rather reforming and improving it within the framework of the feudal bureaucratic form.
To talk about the pinnacle of feudal bureaucracy, naturally, it was not the Qing Dynasty.
In modern times, a good friend from Neixiang in Henan Province got married, and Zhu Pingan went to the wedding. After the wedding, his friend took Zhu Pingan and other wedding guests to the AAAA level scenic spot, the Neixiang County Yamen. Zhu Pingan was more interested in history and viewed it more carefully, which is still fresh in his mind.
Naixiang County Yamen was built in the Yuan Dynasty, through the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties repair, the formation of a large and magnificent government offices complex, well-preserved, known as “the Forbidden City in the north, south of the County Yamen”, “the dragon’s head in Beijing, the dragon’s tail in the township,” as the name of the beauty.
In Zhu Pingan’s opinion, the inner system of the Naixiang County Yamen is no less beautiful than the beauty of its outer buildings.
Therefore, Zhu Pingan took the Neixiang County Yamen system as a blueprint and reformed the Jingnan County Yamen system.
“Gentlemen, I’ve decided to add another four rooms, including the Shop Manager’s Room, the Chengfa Room, the Warehouse, and the Treasury, on top of the six rooms of the County Office for Officials, Households, Rites, Soldiers, Penal Affairs, and Labour.”Zhu Pingan said to Zhang Tongsheng and the others.
“Adding four additional rooms on top of the six rooms?”
“The duties of the six rooms are clear to us without a doubt, but what are the duties of this shopkeeper’s room, the hair-bearing room, the barn, and the storehouse?”
“Is it possible that the Prefectural Governor added these rooms specifically to accommodate us? The county governor need not be so, the county governor’s attention, we have long felt, the county governor must not for us, affect the operation of the county department.”
“County Dignitary, since ancient times, the county department institutions are all six rooms. This shop long room, Chengfa room, warehouse, storehouse four rooms is unheard of, have not seen which prefectures and counties have this setup, but also please county honourable think twice ah.”
When Zhang Tongsheng and the others heard that Zhu Pingan wanted to set up four additional rooms, they could not help but be puzzled, they were worried that it was Zhu Pingan who had purposely set up the four additional rooms of the shop manager’s room, the hair-bearing room, the barn and the storehouse in order to accommodate them. Since ancient times it has been the six rooms of the county office, if it was to add four rooms arbitrarily in order to accommodate them, wouldn’t that be a small loss for a big loss.
“No.”Zhu Pingan couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh at his words, “There are eleven of you, if it is to house you all, then shouldn’t I add five rooms? How could I create four additional rooms? All of you have been overly concerned. I am not a person who would waste the public for selfish reasons. The reason why I established four additional rooms, namely, the storekeeper’s room, the hair-bearing room, the barn, and the treasury, is the result of careful study and deliberation since I assumed office, and not a hasty move.”
That’s also true.
If it was for the purpose of resettling us, the addition of five rooms would have been the right thing to do.
When Zhang Tongsheng and the others heard this, they couldn’t help but nod, but they were still puzzled by Zhu Pingan’s move to create four additional rooms.
