Reforms starting from the top down may be easier, but for them to be fully implemented and enforced, the grassroots level is also a crucial factor.

Otherwise, a flood of seemingly drastic policies will be launched, but they will have no real impact. Worse still, if the wrong approach is used, even good policies will be distorted beyond recognition.

In ancient times when there was no Internet, no computers, no mobile phones, and information and communication were underdeveloped, it was obviously far from enough to rely on the Censorate to "correct and impeach hundreds of officials, identify injustices, and supervise all regions."

Moreover, Zhu Youxiao now not only has to monitor the officials, but also has to severely punish the illegal activities of the gentry and merchants.

Historically, in order to supervise officials, Wu Zetian once "cast copper into a box". The copper box was divided into four sides, painted in blue, red, white and black respectively, and each had an opening for putting letters.

The green box facing east is called "Yan'en", and those who offer poems and seek promotion in the government are thrown there; the red box facing south is called "Zhaojian", and those who speak of the gains and losses of the government are thrown there; the white box facing west is called "Shenyuan", and those who have been wronged are thrown there; the black box facing north is called "Tongxuan", and those who speak of celestial phenomena, disasters, and military secrets are thrown there.

It can be said that Wu Zetian invented the earliest "opinion box" in history, which opened up channels for communication and encouraged criticism.

But then, the "opinion box" became a "report box," and the trend of informing on others became rampant. Wu Zetian even stipulated: "If anyone informs on others, the ministers shall not question them, but shall provide them with post horses and food of the fifth rank."

Not only did informants enjoy generous treatment, but if their reports were in line with the emperor's wishes, they could also receive special promotions. Even if their reports were untrue, they would not be punished.

Thus, encouraged by the belief that one would not be guilty if one did not confess and would not be guilty if one confessed the wrong thing, "informers emerged from all directions, and everyone walked with caution and held their breath."

"Setting up a box" deviated from its original intention of ensuring smooth communication and conveying opinions from the people to the top, and became a means for Wu Zetian to strengthen political control, eliminate dissidents and attack political enemies.

When it comes to the supervision and crackdown on illegal activities of merchants, Emperor Wu of Han's "Gao Min" order can serve as a reference for Zhu Youxiao.

The so-called "Gao Min" order was also a report-and-expose order, but the targets were wealthy businessmen, and the illegal crimes were tax evasion and tax avoidance.

If the facts are verified to be true, the court will confiscate all the property of the tax evader and exile the entire family to the border for one year. Half of the property of the person who is caught will be rewarded to the informer.

Although the "Gao Min" order greatly increased national revenue, it dealt a severe blow to the development of commerce. For a time, the number of businesses decreased and prices soared.

As a person with the vision and thinking of a time traveler, Zhu Youxiao can learn from it but will not copy it verbatim.

"Opinion boxes" or "report boxes" are allowed, but their purpose is to ensure the fight against corruption, the trial of injustices, and the communication of public opinion, rather than to encourage a culture of informing.

Illegal activities by gentry and merchants can be reported and rewarded, but the rewards do not have to be too high, otherwise they will become greedy and false accusations will become prevalent.

It is necessary to punish corrupt officials, crack down on illegal businessmen and gentry, and maintain social stability as much as possible, promote the development of industry and commerce, and collect more taxes.

It's quite complicated, right? But this balance must be mastered and has nothing to do with indecision or decisiveness.

As the helmsman of such a huge empire, Zhu Youxiao believed that this was a responsible behavior, rather than making decisions on the spur of the moment.

To make the right decision, one must be discerning and sharp-eyed. This was not easy for the emperor, who lived deep in the palace.

The secret reporting system is one channel for obtaining correct information, and the other is the factory and guard system, which has been criticized in history.

Wei Zhongxian, the director of the Eastern Depot, was kneeling in the imperial study at this time. He did not show any dissatisfaction because the emperor seemed to have neglected to ask him to stand up.

Compared to officials, being a eunuch and calling yourself "slave" actually makes you seem closer to the emperor. The emperor's eagerness to see the report he presented indicates that it's important. Being able to handle important matters doesn't demonstrate the emperor's trust.

Zhu Youxiao certainly didn't intend to let Uncle Wei kneel for any longer. After taking a quick look at the report, he raised his eyes and slowly said, "Wei Ban, please stand up!"

Wei Zhongxian kowtowed again before standing up and bowing.

Zhu Youxiao pondered for a moment and said, "You have done a very thorough investigation. Thank you for your hard work, Wei Ban."

Raising his hand to stop Mr. Wei from expressing his modesty, Zhu Youxiao continued, "We must keep a close eye on key individuals and not let our guard down. Developing internal spies is quite good. Wei Ban is really putting his heart into it."

"I dare not disobey my best efforts," Wei Zhongxian bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. Anyone outside who dares to speak disrespectfully to you or show disloyalty will not escape the eyes and ears of the East Factory."

Although Zhu Youxiao had warned and instructed the Jiangning Weaving Factory to bribe and plant spies in officials' homes, Wei Zhongxian was self-taught and he still admired Wei's cleverness.

Now, even which concubine an official sleeps with at night and what position he uses when having sex would probably not escape the emperor's eyes and ears.

However, the sources of wealth of some officials are very suspicious and they have been put under the emperor's close attention. Their good days will not last long.

"The next step is to focus on investigating officials who have connections with Jiangnan merchants." Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but laugh, then stopped and ordered, "There should be quite a few, especially those Donglin officials."

"I understand." Wei Zhongxian said with disdain, "They are just those useless people who are usually enthusiastic but have no idea what to do when faced with a problem."

Zhu Youxiao nodded, very satisfied with Lao Wei's summary, and said, "I also have some lists here, which I will have someone sort out and send to the East Factory."

Wei Zhongxian said yes, but he was secretly shocked in his heart. He knew that the emperor had other channels of information, but he didn't know that Zhu Youxiao's information came from his memories of his previous life.

"Your nephew Wei Liangqing has come to the capital for refuge, so let him go to the Pacification Office to work first!" Zhu Youxiao said lightly.

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