White-robed Minister

Chapter 123 0121 [The first bit of profit has arrived, corrupting Xu Sanlang]

The signing hall was, after all, just an auxiliary building of the government office, so the area of ​​its rear residence was naturally very "small".

It has two courtyards and an attached garden.

总共有正堂1间、书房1间、茶房1间、花厅1间、卧室3间、僕役房4间、厨房2间、柴房1间、储物房1间。

After Xu Lai finished get off work, he moved in and looked at the houses in the back courtyard, feeling somewhat emotional.

This was the first time he had "owned" such a large amount of private space.

Excluding the Yu family's residence in the capital, that was merely temporary accommodation. It's estimated that the Yu residence will be sold soon; houses in the capital are still in high demand.

Zhou Shenzhi took the employment contracts of the cook, gardener, and cleaning lady, and asked a broker to act as an intermediary, intending to transfer them all to Xu Lai for his own use.

All of them are five-year contracts, with more than four years remaining until they expire.

"Even a cook in Yingtian Prefecture earns five thousand coins a month?" Xu Lai asked, somewhat surprised.

Zhou Shenzhi said, "Xu Qianpan also lived in Tokyo, where even an ordinary cook required a hefty fee of five strings of cash to hire. Although prices are lower in Nanjing (Shangqiu), the cook I hired is no ordinary cook either. She can cook many stir-fries, noodles, pastries, and..."

Medicinal cuisine.

Xu Lai said, "Then I'll ask someone else. I don't like noodles, pastries, or medicinal cuisine."

In some professions in major cities during the Song Dynasty, the wages were higher than modern people can imagine.

At that time, top-tier cooks in Tokyo could earn a monthly salary of one or two hundred guan. When hiring them, one would also need to give extra silk as a gift, and be brought to the mansion in a grand procession carried by four palanquin bearers.

Hiring a top chef has become a way of showing off and is considered very prestigious in elite circles.

Top-tier chefs bring their own silverware and even several assistants; they have professional equipment and teams. During lavish banquets, they might even explain things to the hosts and guests, or even exchange poems with them on the spot!

Waiters in large restaurants in Tokyo can earn more than 20 kan per month and are in high demand.

Because the technical threshold for top-level waiters is very high.

They need to be able to walk around with plates of food on their hands and arms, just like an acrobat. They also need to be able to rattle off the names and prices of hundreds of dishes, because some diners are illiterate.

When there are a lot of customers, waiters need to serve dishes, greet customers, and announce the names and prices of the dishes all at the same time. They also need to remember which table ordered what dishes, the order in which they ordered, and whether any additional dishes were ordered during the meal, and quickly calculate the cost of the meal in their minds.

Most people really couldn't do it!

Xu Lai's monthly salary was only 39 coins, plus 4 shi of rice and dozens of bundles of firewood.

He felt that spending 5 yuan a month to hire a cook was really not worthwhile.

Xu Lai asked the broker, "Are there any cheaper cooks?"

The broker replied, "The cheapest option costs 2 per month, but the cooking skills aren't very good. They can certainly make pastries, but they won't be refined or elegant. They also don't understand pharmacology, so they can't make good medicinal cuisine."

As expected of Nanjing in the Song Dynasty, although prices are not as high as in Tokyo, even the cheapest private chef earns two strings of cash a month.

"Then help me hire a cook for 2 coins." Xu Lai looked at the contract for the cleaning maid, which paid 1600 coins a month. He readily signed the contract.

Next came the gardener; the original contract was voided, and he was hired as a part-time worker. He would come to prune every ten days, and each time he would be paid 40 coins.

This dilapidated garden is actually quite small and doesn't need a gardener at all.

After the contract was signed, the cleaning lady stayed behind, while the cook and gardener left immediately.

Zhou Shenzhi returned to his official residence and told his wife and children about the matter.

His wife exclaimed in surprise, "Doesn't this top scholar have any pride? Even if he thinks the cook is too expensive, he shouldn't say it in front of you!"

They actually hired someone cheaper right in front of you, aren't they afraid of being laughed at?

Zhou Shenzhi immediately gave a wry smile: "Who would dare to laugh at his poverty? In the eyes of the officials in the signing hall, he is a vicious tiger. Even the officials of the Six Ministries will have to be careful in the future, for fear of making mistakes in official documents."

"7

"Is Magistrate Feng going to be dismissed from office?" Zhou Shenzhi's son had obviously heard about this.

Zhou Shenzhi shook his head and said, "Prefect Feng was recommended by Prime Minister Ouyang, so he will most likely request to return to his hometown. Of course, he will definitely have to return the money he embezzled from the military treasury to settle accounts."

The military supplies treasury was not just a simple military storehouse. In addition to paying military salaries, officials of all ranks in Yingtian Prefecture also drew their monthly wages from the military supplies treasury. Even disaster relief funds could be drawn from the military supplies treasury.

Strictly speaking, the military supplies depot was actually one of the treasuries of Yingtian Prefecture.

From the prefect to the senior clerk, everyone could receive a share of the military treasury. However, the money was distributed before it was deposited into the treasury, so there was no accounting process, and no one could touch it after it was deposited.

Moving it is breaking the rules!

The son then asked, "What about the officials involved in the case from the Revenue Department and the Military Supplies Depot?"

Zhou Shenzhi said, "At least a dozen people will have to be dismissed and fined. One or two of them will probably go to jail, it just depends on what crime they are charged with."

Not only that, but the military registrar and the registrar would also be affected. However, these were civil servants who were not directly involved in the corruption, so the word "negligence" would only be added to their performance evaluations.

The Jingdong Road Supervisor of the Criminal Justice Department.

The newly arrived Jingdong judicial commissioner, Shen Qi, bowed to Wang Gang, who was about to leave office.

Wang Gang is not well-known in history, but he did something last year: he requested that a descendant of Confucius be prohibited from concurrently serving as the magistrate of Xianyuan (Qufu) County! And the court approved it.

This story begins with Emperor Zhenzong of Song.

Emperor Zhenzong of Song renamed Qufu to Xianyuan and appointed a descendant of Confucius as the hereditary magistrate of Xianyuan County, holding the title of Duke Wenxuan (Duke Yansheng).

Decades later, the Kong family has made a complete mess of Xianyuan County.

Wang Gang, the judicial commissioner of Jingdong Road, could no longer stand by and watch. Taking advantage of the new emperor's assumption of power, he enumerated the various crimes of the Kong family and requested the emperor to prohibit the Kong family from hereditary county magistrate positions.

Zhao Shu and Han Qi immediately approved it, completely disregarding Emperor Zhenzong's "ancestral instructions".

The newly appointed magistrate of Xianyuan County is currently in a state of utter chaos. Qufu, that wretched place, is a complete mess, riddled with problems, and he doesn't even know where to begin to fix it. Because he can't punish the Kong family!

To cover up the matter for the Kong family, the imperial court didn't even publish it in the official gazette, and related records are virtually nonexistent. Later generations can only glean some clues about what went wrong from a few sentences in the "Treatise on Rites" in the History of Song.

"Xingzong has arrived, and I can finally step down with peace of mind," Wang Gang said, leading Shen Qi to a room and pointing to a large number of files. "These are all case files involving the Kong family. The court's intention is not to investigate further. If any members of the Kong family continue to commit crimes, you can secretly report to the court, but the handling of these cases must not be carried out in a grand manner."

Shen Qi casually flipped through a few files and immediately felt a headache coming on.

The crimes committed by Feng Zirong, the prefectural magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture, were nothing compared to those of the Kong family.

Wang Gang suggested, "After we hand over the reins, you should personally go to Xianyuan County. In the name of the Emperor and Chancellor Han, issue a stern warning to Duke Yansheng. If he continues to discipline his clansmen, the court may take serious action!"

"Okay, after the handover is complete, I'll go to Xianyuan County immediately," Shen Qi said.

With holes everywhere, Shen Qizhen couldn't afford to worry about Feng Zirong's case.

Unless someone makes a formal complaint, even if Shen Qi finds out afterward, he cannot overturn the Transport Commissioner's verdict.

Even if Bao Zheng were to be resurrected, his methods would be the same, not just Shen Qi's recommendation.

When Judge Bao was an official, he knew what he should manage and what he shouldn't.

Another half month passed.

After Xu Lai and Zhou Shenzhi finished their handover, in addition to the two major cases involving Feng Zirong, he also discovered many minor issues.

However, Xu Lai's job only involved checking for errors in official documents and reporting major cases revealed in the documents.

He had no authority to interfere in many matters. Even if he ordered his subordinate judges to arrest and interrogate people, he only had the right to make judicial recommendations based on the results. The specific sentencing was to be decided by the prefect, the transport commissioner, or the judicial commissioner.

He could certainly report to the Censorate, but doing so would be considered bypassing the proper channels of communication. This would offend the Yingtian Prefecture, the Transport Commissioner's Office, and the Judicial Commissioner's Office, as well as the prime ministers who were at odds with the Censorate.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Criminal Investigation Department was focused on the handover of official duties and the Kong family, Wang Yirou and Lü Jujian handled the case very quickly.

Prefect Feng Zirong only returned part of the embezzled money; he had already used the rest to pay off loans, marry off his daughter, and buy land and repair houses in his hometown.

What should we do then?

Doesn't he have a businessman acting as a middleman? He can just ask the businessman for a refund. Even if the businessman goes bankrupt, he'll still have to settle the debt!

And Liu Fang, the registrar of the Household Department, was the only civil official in this case to be severely punished.

This fellow was a candidate for the imperial examinations, and it took him more than ten years to finally become a selected official. He spent a lot of money and connections while waiting for the throne, and finally managed to officially enter the civil service. Now, however, he has been brought back to square one: dismissed from office and his family property confiscated!

Of course, Wang Yirou's decision to dismiss a civil official was not enough; he had to report to the imperial court for approval.

The imperial court swiftly issued a reply, ordering Liu Fang to get out of here immediately.

Feng Zirong requested to return to his hometown to care for his elderly mother, and the imperial court swiftly approved his request. However, he could not leave immediately and had to wait for the new prefect to take over.

The head of the household affairs bureau was imprisoned and his family property was confiscated.

The treasurer of the military supplies treasury was exiled to Cangzhou, and his family property was confiscated.

More than a dozen other officials were implicated and were all dismissed and fined.

"Xu Qianpan, I've come to say goodbye. I'll be returning to the capital with my family tomorrow." Zhou Shenzhi had become very polite, and he even came to tell Xu before leaving.

Xu Lai also said politely, "When do we depart tomorrow? I'll see you off at the dock."

Zhou Shenzhi quickly replied, "No need! Official business is important; how can I trouble Judge Xu?"

"Then I'll be rude," Xu said.

Zhou Shenzhi said, "Xu, the magistrate, is busy with official duties, loyal to the emperor and benevolent to the people; that is the greatest gift. These small farewell gifts are nothing to mention."

Zhou Shenzhi now only feels fortunate that he was able to leave office safely.

As a former judge, his main task was to sign and stamp documents.

He would stamp and sign the documents issued by the prefect and the vice-prefect before sending them to the six ministries and the various counties. He would then sign and stamp the documents sent by the six ministries and the various counties before submitting them to the prefect and the vice-prefect.

Although there is a supervisory responsibility attached to the agreement, and one can refuse to sign if something is amiss, this situation rarely occurs. Zhou Shenzhi usually just glances at the document before signing.

His approach leaves no room for corruption.

But there was definitely some kickback. Whether it was from superiors, subordinates, or sister units, he had to share all the illicit income with them.

These illicit gains are never recorded in the books!

No sooner had Zhou Shenzhi left than Zhang Deyong, the clerk, came to report on his work.

Zhang Deyong took out two boxes of silver and said, "Judge Xu, this box is the mounting fee, totaling 50 strings of cash. This box is the allowance, totaling 30 strings of cash."

"It's all yours to take. Don't worry about it; it's not illegal."

Xu Lai asked with a smile, "What's the 'mountain fee'?"

Zhang Deyong said, "The money that the officials and clerks pooled together was to welcome the new official. Judge Zhou is leaving today, and everyone also pooled together a farewell gift for him. However, Judge Xu is more popular, and this time the farewell gift was the largest."

What makes Xu Lai more popular? It's because everyone contributed the most introductory gifts.

He terrified the officials in the court of judgment!

Xu Lai then asked, "What is this 'official allowance'?"

Zhang Deyong said, "In Yingtian Prefecture, all merchants in all trades have to pay a fixed fee, which is then delivered to the government by the head of the trade. Officials can share these fees according to their rank."

"Every month?" Xu Lai asked.

Zhang Deyong nodded: "It happens every month."

These are all gray incomes, which are not allowed by law in principle, but no one cares even if the case is taken to the central government.

Xu Lai said, "Since the mounting fee is everyone's kind gesture, I would feel bad if I didn't accept it. How about this: use it to buy some office supplies. Use the rest to buy meat and distribute it among the officials in the office. Those who are struggling financially can receive a larger share, especially the menial servants."

"Huh?" Zhang Deyong was extremely surprised that his subordinates refused the gifts offered to welcome the new official.

Xu Lai then said, "These allowances will be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' treasury for deposit, and will be sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' treasury every month thereafter. Consider it as my donation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' treasury."

Everyone gets a share of the money; it's become a tradition, and he's unlikely to break it.

But he didn't want to get involved, so he simply donated the funds for the government office's operating expenses.

Zhang Deyong left in a daze, and not far from the door, he was surrounded by the judge, the magistrate, and the clerks.

Judge Zhang Jingwen asked, "Did Judge Xu accept it?"

Zhang Deyong nodded: "I'll take it."

All the officials were delighted.

Zhang Deyong added, "He collected the horse-riding fee, but then used it to buy office supplies, and used the rest to buy meat to distribute to everyone. He even said that those with financial difficulties could get more, and even the servants in the signing hall received a share."

"what?"

The officials were all stunned.

Zhang Deyong continued, "He accepted the allowance, but then donated it to the minister's treasury."

The officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

They knew that Judge Xu was difficult to deal with, but they didn't expect him to be so stubborn, refusing even his mother's illicit income.

If he hadn't taken it, it would have been fine; he would have been ostracized by everyone, including the prefect. But Xu Lai accepted it and then donated it back, refusing to handle it at all.

"This one is difficult to please."

"I've been an official for over a decade, and I've never seen a superior like this."

"Young people do things differently. We'll see how long he can last; he might just be putting on an act."

"It's best to be careful from now on."

"We in the signing department don't have the opportunity to embezzle; at most, we'll get a small share of the profits. What's there to be afraid of?"

"Even if you don't embezzle, it'll be difficult to be an official under him. You can't get away with anything by lying. You'll have to be more attentive to your work from now on."

.

"His family is in business? How could he check the accounts so quickly by himself? We didn't even know that Judge Feng was embezzling money from the military treasury, but he found out in just a few days."

"Didn't you read the official gazette? It has his memorial requesting the refusal of the silver reward. His family is very poor, a fifth-class household in the mountains. They even have to eavesdrop on others' studies and practice writing on the rocks in the stream with chicken feathers."

"Can someone like that really get the top score in the exam?"

"There's no comparison between people. I studied diligently for over ten years and traveled for several more, only to pass the imperial examination as a fifth-class scholar. Alas, some people, before they even reached adulthood, became the top scholar simply by eavesdropping on lectures."

"Dismissed, dismissed. Just be careful in the future."

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