"No need to be polite, just stand up." Chongzhen waved his hand.

After the three stood up, Wang Chengen reminded them, "My three lords, this red envelope contains silver notes. After the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, you can use the notes to exchange for the corresponding amount of silver at the Daming Money House on Qianmen Street."

"Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Wang!"

After they accepted the red envelope, Chongzhen got down to business: "Everyone, I have an idea. It can not only provide a way out for scholars, but also curb the corruption and arbitrary taxation of local officials."

"Your Majesty, please give us your instructions!" Fan Jingwen took the lead in asking.

Chongzhen stood up and paced back and forth while saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that the main reason why the country cannot maintain long-term stability is collective corruption."

Fan Jingwen and others knew that Chongzhen was going to give them a lesson, so they immediately stood up straight and listened attentively.

"What do you think collective corruption is?" Chongzhen looked at Fan Jingwen.

Fan Jingwen thought for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, can I use the Ming Dynasty as an example?"

"Yes, you can speak freely today, and whatever you say will not be considered a crime."

Hearing Chongzhen's words, Fan Jingwen perked up: "I think collective corruption is a top-down behavior."

Wang Chengen was about to open his mouth to refute, but Chongzhen stopped him with a look.

Fan Jingwen dares to think, speak and act, and is the best candidate for the next prime minister.

When Li Banghua is physically unable to do the job, Fan Jingwen can take over at any time.

It was also because of this that he allowed Fan Jingwen to speak freely.

The chief minister of the Ming Dynasty must be a ruthless person!

You have to be cruel to yourself, your ministers, and the emperor.

Fan Jingwen went on to say: "The princes and nobles embezzled money, which harmed the interests of officials, gentry, and the people."

"In order to make up for their losses, officials exploited the gentry and squeezed the people."

"In order to make up for their losses, the gentry thought of ways to oppress the people."

"The people at the bottom of society have no one to oppress, so they can only be bullied and slaughtered."

"In good years, people can still make a living, so they choose to swallow their anger."

"When natural disasters cause food shortages, the people can no longer survive and can only flee or rebel."

"I think this is what Your Majesty meant by collective corruption leading to a lack of long-term stability!"

Chongzhen nodded: "That's right, so natural disasters are just the cause, not the root cause! The disaster relief led by the Ministry of Revenue this time can only solve temporary problems, but cannot solve the problem of long-term peace and stability."

"What does your majesty mean?"

"Checks and balances!" Chongzhen stopped and glanced at the three people in front of him and said, "The grassroots government lacks checks and balances."

"Power is only responsible to the source of power, so grassroots officials will only flatter their superiors and not care about the lives of the people. As long as the people pay enough taxes and do not rebel, these officials will find ways to extort money from the people and give it to their superiors."

"Even if the people are forced to rebel, they are not afraid. No one knows the truth anyway. When they lie to the court that these unruly people want to become emperor, the court will send troops to suppress them."

Fan Jingwen and the other two stood there in silence.

Everyone understands the truth.

Everyone watched helplessly, and no one asked for change.

The last person who sought change was a man called Zhang Juzheng. After his death, not only were his property confiscated, but all his honors were stripped away and his crimes were exposed to the world.

Even family members were implicated.

Some starved to death, some were exiled.

Chongzhen saw the performance of the three people and knew that they had concerns in their hearts. He promised: "Three, what I am going to do will not only not implicate you, but will win you the support of scholars all over the world."

"I intend to establish county-level inspection offices in each of the 1,138 counties across the country, and appoint an inspector general to each inspection office."

"The inspectors are under the command of the Metropolitan Censorate, and their main duties are to supervise local officials and petition for the people."

When these words were spoken, Fan Jingwen and the other two were stunned.

Zuodu Yushi Shi Bangyao was the first to stand up: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, there are thirteen supervisory censors under the Metropolitan Censorate, a total of 110 people."

"They are in charge of the imperial examinations in the northern and southern capitals, and they inspect various places in the capital and take turns to report the news. Outside the capital, they are inspectors, who tour the country on behalf of the emperor, report major events, and make decisions on minor matters. They have great power. From the princes and nobles to the county officials, they all look up to them."

"This inspectorate... firstly, there are too many people, and secondly, it conflicts with the duties of the censor. Your Majesty, please think twice!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, there are too many inspectors. The Ming Dynasty cannot follow the Song Dynasty's example and have too many officials!" Fan Jingwen followed.

Qiu Yu counted on his fingers and said, "Your Majesty, the total number of students in the Imperial Colleges in the two capitals is less than a thousand. If so many inspectors are suddenly appointed, the court will be faced with the embarrassing situation of having no one to send. Moreover... the salary of more than a thousand people is not a small amount."

Chongzhen had expected their opposition. He smiled and sat back on the dragon throne: "Ladies and gentlemen, are there many people? There is only one inspector in a county. Not only does he have to fight against the county magistrate, but he also has to accept petitions from the people."

"As for the problem of no one being useless... that's not a problem. I never intended to have the Imperial College students serve as inspectors."

"Then who does Your Majesty want to be the Inspector?" Qiu Yu was puzzled.

"Scholars, Juren! Especially those who have failed the exams many times, give them a way out to become local officials. You can set a condition, and anyone who meets this condition can be selected as a local inspector."

"They report directly to the Censor-in-Chief and are not under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate or prefect. Their salaries and official positions are lower than those of the Censor-in-Chief. The annual salary of a thousand people combined is only a few hundred thousand taels, which the court can afford."

"In this way, the local government, the land bureau, and the inspection bureau can check and supervise each other, and can maintain fairness and stability to the greatest extent possible."

Chongzhen did this to weaken the power of local officials.

Concentration of power can be good or bad, but most of the time the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

Previously, all power in a county was concentrated in the hands of the county magistrate. The gentry only needed to bribe the county magistrate to evade taxes or engage in other illegal activities.

It’s no longer possible now. We have to find a way to bribe the Land Bureau and the Inspection Bureau.

Because they also have the right to monitor.

The cost for gentry to break the law has become higher!

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bangyao asked, "Your Majesty, what if the local government, the Land Bureau, and the Inspection Bureau are in collusion?"

Chongzhen had a plan in place: "First, the Land Department has people from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot. They may be bribed, but the cost of buying them off will be very high! I will rotate them from time to time to increase the cost of bribing the gentry."

"Secondly, the position of Supervisor is a competitive and coveted position. There are so many failed scholars and juren who are eyeing this position. If the Supervisor dares to make a mistake, the letters of denunciation from other scholars and juren will fill up the sedan chair of the Supervisory Censor."

"Let me put it this way. Under the supervision of those failed scholars and juren, the gentry can bribe others, but they cannot bribe the inspectors."

"As long as corruption does not form a closed loop, local government will not be in chaos!"