A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 152 Overturning the table

"The old prime minister."

"The minister is here."

Gongsun Hong bowed and bowed.

He did not show the slightest unusual emotion.

"What do you think?"

"Perhaps the first system of its time!"

Gongsun Hong did not hesitate to praise the wisdom of the Hundred Schools of Thought, saying, "Using 'examination-based admission' and 'performance-based promotion' as criteria, he provided a clear path to officialdom for those in the world who were skilled in writing, accounting, and law. This is unprecedented in thousands of years."

fair.

It's still fair.

The Legalist principle is fairness.

What's even more remarkable is that it didn't have the limitations of the Qin Dynasty's probationary system for officials. By discarding the dross and taking the essence, the Han Dynasty's bureaucratic system was bound to be efficient, obedient, and professional in governing the country.

"Only the good side?"

"Of course not."

Gongsun Hong smiled. Since the imperial system was not tailor-made for him, he should accept his criticism, which was definitely not intended to attack him.

As the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, he had the obligation and responsibility to explain to the monarch the shortcomings of the government and system.

Zhang Tang felt a pang of panic.

“Your Majesty, in my heart, your subjects are divided into the ‘six righteous’ and the ‘six wicked’.”

What are the six righteous principles? What are the six evil principles?

“Zhengyi, before the sprouts have moved and the signs have appeared, clearly sees the opportunity for survival and the key to gain and loss, and prevents things from happening in advance, so that the ruler can stand out in a place of glory. Such a person is a ‘sage minister’.”

A wise minister is one who can see the big picture from small signs and take precautions before problems arise.

"Zheng Er, with a humble and dedicated heart, makes daily progress in good ways, encourages the ruler with propriety and righteousness, and advises the ruler with long-term strategies. He will follow the good and correct the bad. Such a person is a 'good minister'."

A good minister is one who inspires the monarch to do good, has foresight, and is good at addressing the root causes of problems.

“Zheng San, who rises early and retires late, tirelessly promotes the virtuous and diligently follows the deeds of the ancients to inspire his mind, is a ‘loyal minister’.”

Diligent and dedicated, he selects the virtuous and capable, and he uses history to encourage the monarch; he is a loyal minister.

"The fourth type of official is one who can clearly see success and failure, take early precautions and remedy them, block the gaps, cut off the source, turn misfortune into fortune, and ensure that the ruler is free from worries. Such a person is a 'wise minister'."

A wise minister is one who can discern success and failure and turn misfortune into fortune.

“Zhengwu, upholding the law and adhering to official duties, refusing gifts and honors, declining salaries and rewards, and living frugally, is a ‘loyal minister’.”

A loyal and upright official is one who abides by the law, is honest and self-disciplined.

"In the sixth year of the reign, when the country is in chaos and one's actions are not flattering, one dares to offend the ruler's stern face and speak out about the ruler's faults to his face. Such a person is a 'righteous minister'."

He stood firm in times of chaos, dared to speak frankly and offer honest advice, and was a loyal minister.

“A person who is corrupt, who is greedy for official position and salary, who neglects his duties, who drifts with the tide, and who observes from all sides, is a ‘good minister’.”

He only wanted to be an official, was irresponsible, and went with the flow; he was a treacherous minister.

“The second type of wicked person is one who says everything the master says is good and everything the master does is acceptable. He secretly seeks out what the master likes and promotes it to please the master, seeking to please the master's ears and eyes, secretly flattering and appeasing him, and enjoying the master's pleasure without considering the harm that will follow. Such a person is a ‘flatterer’.”

Acting according to the monarch's wishes, flattering and indulging in sensual pleasures without regard for future consequences, is the act of a sycophant.

“The evil three are treacherous inwardly, but outwardly appear cautious. They are eloquent and flattering, and jealous of the good and virtuous. When they want someone to advance, they will highlight their merits and conceal their faults; when they want someone to retreat, they will highlight their mistakes and hide their merits. This will cause the ruler to reward and punish inappropriately and to disobey orders. Such people are ‘treacherous ministers’.”

He appears honest but harbors treacherous intentions, framees virtuous people, and violates the law; he is a treacherous minister.

“The fourth type of wicked person is one who is wise enough to cover up his wrongdoings and eloquent enough to make his arguments work. He alienates his own family members and stirs up trouble in the court. Such a person is a ‘treacherous minister’.”

Those who can cover up their faults, speak eloquently, sow discord, and create trouble are treacherous officials.

“The fifth type of evil minister is one who abuses power and influence, exaggerates minor matters, forms private cliques to enrich his family, and arbitrarily alters the emperor's orders to elevate himself. Such a person is a ‘traitorous minister’.”

He usurped power, formed cliques for personal gain, and acted with absolute arrogance; he was a traitorous minister.

"The sixth type of wickedness is to flatter the ruler with wicked words, lead the ruler into injustice, form cliques and factions to obscure the ruler's wisdom, make it impossible to distinguish between right and wrong, and make the ruler's evil deeds spread throughout the country and known to the surrounding neighbors. Such people are 'ministers who bring about the downfall of a country'."

To deceive the monarch, distort the truth, and spread the monarch's infamy throughout the surrounding regions is the mark of a minister who brings ruin to the country. "This is what is meant by the six righteous and six wicked ways of a minister."

Gongsun Hong slowly recounted the principles of ministerial conduct, and looking at the increasingly panicked Zhang Tang, he smiled and said, "As for ministers who have built systems by gathering the wisdom of a hundred schools of thought, I say: 'Able.'"

What constitutes a capable minister?

"A minister who can enrich a country in small numbers, but destroy it in large numbers."

Gongsun Hong's voice was calm and unassuming, "A minister like the Imperial Censor is a truly capable minister."

Zhang Tang was so distraught he could barely stand, let alone sit. To be called a minister who would bring about the downfall of a nation in front of the emperor was a serious offense; if he didn't explain himself properly, his career would come to an abrupt end.

"Old Prime Minister, I salute you..."

"Grand Censor, please don't get agitated."

Gongsun Hong interrupted him, saying, "'Enriching the country' is unpalatable, but 'ruining the country' makes one jump over the wall. This is the mark of a 'minister who will bring about the downfall of the country.' As a high-ranking official, you should be prudent. Sit! Sit! Sit!"

Faced with the old prime minister's overwhelming aura, Zhang Tang almost gritted his teeth, but forced himself to sit down.

Liu Ju, seated on his throne, watched this scene of 'kindness between teacher and filial piety' with great interest and said with a faint smile, "Everyone praises capable ministers and officials, but how come the old prime minister says that having too many will lead to the downfall of the country?"

"Your Majesty, many capable ministers and officials pursue political achievements. In order to demonstrate their personal abilities and get promoted quickly, they blindly pursue 'political achievements' while ignoring the real suffering of the people and even competing with them for profit."

Gongsun Hong rose from the embroidered stool, bowed deeply to the ground, and said in a calm voice, "Forgive my overstepping, Your Majesty's 'national enterprise' system has set a bad precedent for the empire."

"Go on."

"The imperial court monopolizes certain industries or resources and reaps huge profits from them, such as grain, salt, ironware, etc. The gold and silver stored in the national treasury and the imperial palace now come from this."

"The old prime minister should understand that the industries and resources that I monopolize are for the court to manage, not for merchants to do."

“Your Majesty, this is the problem. The monopoly of national affairs is for the stability of the country and the peace of the people. Money is just an added bonus. There are no political achievements in this world that Your Majesty should pursue.”

Gongsun Hong knew the necessity of the court's monopoly, and he did not intend to criticize the government's policies on this matter. "However, in all systems, local taxes and revenues are one of the main indicators of a government's performance."

Taxes and grain revenue are the most direct figures and the most quantifiable achievements in terms of "accounting." Nothing demonstrates ability better than tangible results.

"Monopolizing local industries and resources makes it easy to gain countless political achievements. I believe this will become the choice of many capable officials. When there are many capable officials, it is equivalent to the court monopolizing all industries and resources. In my opinion, such an empire will not be stable for long. On the contrary, it will cause the court to lose the support of the people and perish quickly."

Gongsun Hong displayed the vision and magnanimity of the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, saying, "Therefore, the great sage Yan Hui said: 'If the people are not well-off, how can the ruler be well-off?'"

In his eyes, calling a capable minister a minister who would bring about the downfall of a country was indeed somewhat unfair, but calling him a "minister who amassed wealth" was no problem at all, as he was adept at extorting money.

When the country is poor and weak, corrupt officials can help the court's finances become rich rapidly. What's frightening is that these corrupt officials will not stop when the court's finances are rich.

An unrestrained and powerful court.

Because officials are evaluated based on their performance, the growth of taxes and revenue is the most obvious indicator of their performance, especially for officials in charge of taxation.

In their eyes, increasing revenue is the only right thing to do. They only want to increase revenue and can come up with all sorts of theories and methods for taxation.

He'd rather make the common people suffer so that his career could go further.

Gongsun Hong didn't actually finish his sentence. When countless sums of money and grain are gathered in the central court, and the national treasury is inexhaustible, an emperor like Your Majesty will surely indulge in debauchery, engage in extravagant construction projects, wage wars, and squander money recklessly. If the top leads to the bottom, no amount of money will be enough for such extravagance. At that time, if there is not enough money, taxes will be increased. If there is too much money, extravagance will only increase, leading to "unrestrained spending by the rulers and unlimited taking from the people, who will exhaust their strength but still be unable to provide for them," thus embarking on the road to national ruin.

This is the reason why the Book of Rites, "The Great Learning," says: "A family with a hundred chariots should not keep ministers who amass wealth; rather than have ministers who amass wealth, it is better to have ministers who steal."

He could say that Zhang Tang was a minister who brought about the downfall of the country, but he could not say that the emperor was a ruler who brought about the downfall of the country. This was the political wisdom of an octogenarian prime minister of the Han Dynasty.

"In the Prime Minister's mind, is the system that gathers the wisdom of all schools of thought the system that will lead to the downfall of our Han Dynasty?" Zhang Tang could no longer hold back.

The Hundred Schools of Thought contributed so much wisdom to destroy the Confucianism, and the system they tailored for it was, in the words of the old prime minister, meant to destroy the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Tang had no prejudice against Gongsun Hong whatsoever. If this were a system created by the Hundred Schools of Thought for the old prime minister, he wouldn't have uttered a single word of objection.

"When the Grand Censor was one of the Nine Ministers, he could act with 'cruelty,' but now that he is one of the Three Dukes, he must act with 'rules.'"

Gongsun Hong was quite helpless with his former student's stubbornness. For a ruler, the best way to kill is through "rules," not "laws." He sighed and said, "I have said that the system of a hundred schools of thought is the best system in the world. But a ruler who wants to govern a great country must first win the hearts of the people and second, he must practice benevolent governance. Take the finances of the court as an example. What a ruler wants is not a world that is eager for quick success and instant benefits, only interested in profit, and severely divided, but to adhere to the idea of ​​'keeping wealth in the hands of the people' without wavering."

"Does the Prime Minister mean that reducing taxes and revenue is a good achievement?"

"No."

Gongsun Hong shook his head and solemnly said, "Increasing revenue is undoubtedly a matter of an official's ability. What I want to talk about is the 'merit and demerit theory' in the Hundred Schools System. Merit is merit, and demerit is demerit. At any time, merit cannot outweigh demerit. Those with great merit should be promoted, and those with great demerit should be dismissed immediately. Mistakes made in the past can be dealt with now, and accountability should also be pursued in the future. We must ensure that all officials of the Han Dynasty always have a sense of awe."

He wanted to achieve "political success," enjoying great popularity while in office, but leaving behind a mess after leaving office.
They must be held strictly accountable!
Whether it's a few years, a dozen years, or several decades, no matter how many years have passed, those responsible will be held accountable once the troubles they've sown come to light.

Zhang Tang gasped in shock. When the old prime minister returned to his residence, he asked himself whether he was a Confucian or a legal official.
His every move was more law-abiding than that of a legal official.

A sense of awe—it's amazing he could even think of that!
(End of this chapter)