As soon as Yang Ling entered the signing room and saw the pile of official documents, he heaved a sigh of relief. Even though he still felt a headache, he was no longer as anxious. According to his reincarnation routine, he would always die again for no reason. The longest time he had died was no more than two months. Now, he had been in this world for a month.
The only difference from the past was that this was the poorest life he had reincarnated in. The first girl he saw when he woke up was crying like a pear blossom in the rain, and he felt pity for her. Therefore, he came to ancient times as a modern person. In his limited life, he only wanted to leave as much money as possible for his young mother to settle down. He had no ambition, nor did he dream of getting the favor of many beauties. He could not afford to live for only two months.
Now that his family had 40 taels of silver, it was considered a great fortune for the farmers in this place. If he left this money for his young mother, he would be able to leave without any worries if he passed away one day. Therefore, when he saw this thick document again, the psychological pressure was not so great.
He was not in a hurry, so he was much more clear-headed when dealing with things. After drinking two cups of tea, he reviewed another six or seven documents. He filtered out the ones that needed to be handled by Lord Min personally and put them aside. He picked up another one and found that it was a yellowed thread. It didn't look like it was written now. Could it be that someone had mistakenly submitted the previous documents?
Yang Ling curiously picked up the thread and saw that it had been edited and changed. It was obvious that it had not been done without hesitation. However, the small regular script was written beautifully. He himself liked writing calligraphy, but he could not write such beautiful small regular script. He could not help but click his tongue in admiration.
He opened the thread and read it carefully."The greatest and most urgent malpractices of the present government are the recent interference in discipline, the incompetence of the ministers, the excessive reward of titles, the excessive trouble of labor, the insatiable tribute, and the lack of exile. The change of heaven is probably due to this. At the beginning of the country, there was a system for the establishment of chamberlains. Now, there are more than ten people in a prison, six or seven generations in a matter. Some are distributed in the vassal states and enjoy the king's service. Some are in charge of the border areas and monopolize the power of generals. They use thrift and evil, offer strange skills, take money and grain outside the law, and pay tribute to local products. There are many kinds of bribes. Those who kill are forgiven, and those who do things escape punishment. There are countless examples."
Yang Ling let out a gasp. The content of the thread was clearly discussing national policies. How could such a thread appear in the official documents of a county magistrate? Yang Ling was engrossed in reading it when someone beside him laughed and said,""Scholar Yang, are you still dealing with the official documents?”
Yang Ling raised his head and saw a white-faced old man in his fifties standing in front of him. From his official robe, he looked like a low-ranking official of the eighth rank. He was none other than the county deputy, Huang Qiyin, who had been in the county for many years.
Yang Ling quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting."" So it's Deputy Huang. I'm sorry for my rudeness."
Huang Qiyin waved his hand and sat down on a chair at the side. He smiled and picked up the threads that he had piled up on the table to take a look. He chuckled and said,"Li Zi Province, Deng Chang 'en? Oh, these are all important officials of the Imperial Court during the Xianzong years. It seems that they should be memorials drafted by some lord. Where did Young Master Yang get them?“
Without waiting for Yang Ling's reply, he tapped his finger on the table and quickly browsed through the contents. He raised his head and asked,""What does Scholar Yang think?”
Yang Ling had first seen a draft of a memorial from the Xianzong period, which was nearly twenty years ago, in the official document. He had also seen the sudden appearance of County Deputy Huang, who had never shown himself before, and he had already guessed the reason. He saw that his deep eyes were staring at him, seemingly inquiring, but also somewhat anxious. The eagerness was like a child hoping to be praised by his teacher.
Yang Ling had been in the insurance industry for six to seven years, and he had seen all kinds of people. He was also the best at reading people's minds. When he saw the meaning in his eyes, he had a thought, and a bold idea suddenly popped up in his mind."First, it was a memorial from twenty years ago. County Magistrate Huang, who had not appeared for many years, said that it was a memorial drafted by a certain lord back then. Looking at the content of the memorial, it was denouncing an important official of the court at that time. Could it be that this memorial was written by him and he was convicted by the court because of it?
Thinking of this, Yang Ling tried to figure out the reason for his visit, and he pretended to say," Junior is ashamed that I don't know the details of these important officials during Emperor Xianzong's reign, so I really can't comment."
Huang Qiyin shook his head and said," Sigh, it's all old news. I have nothing to do today, so I'm just here to chat with you. It's something that comes out of your mouth and enters my ears, so it's not considered a discussion. Just comment on the contents of this thread."
Yang Ling's mind spun quickly, and he secretly guessed,""If my guess is correct, this unhappy old man must have offended the emperor because of this thread, and was demoted again and again. He came to test me today, could it be that he wants to see if I'm worthy of his help? Forget it, I reckon that I don't have many days left to live, so it's fine for me to be bold enough to discuss it. If I want his help, I'll naturally have to flatter him, but if I don't have my own unique insights, I'll be looked down upon by him again.
As he calculated in his heart, Yang Ling carefully read the contents of the letter and said,"" Since that's the case, then I'll be brazen. If I'm wrong, please don't laugh at me, Deputy Huang."
Huang Qiyin gave a fake smile and said,"It's fine, it's fine. You and I can be considered colleagues, but please speak freely. There's no need to worry."
Yang Ling nodded and said," The opening of this article was about how the imperial court was overcrowded and overpopulated. He asked the imperial court to reduce the number of officials in each department. His words were quite accurate, and the suggestions he provided were also considered wise. However,"
Huang Qiyin's eyes lit up when he first heard his comment of 'bloated organization and overhead'. He clapped his hands and praised,"Brilliant, brilliant! Just these eight characters were enough to explain everything, Young Master Yang was truly amazing, but what?”。
Yang Ling was stunned for a moment before he came to a realization.""That's right, this dynasty doesn't have such a term. No wonder he was so curious when he heard it. However, there's no need to be so excited that his face is red, right? Could it be because he found a soulmate?" Yang Ling laughed inwardly and continued,"It's just that this lord is overly scholarly."
A trace of displeasure flashed across Huang Qiyin's face as he asked unwillingly,""How do you know?"
Seeing his expression, Yang Ling felt even more confident, so he first praised him before suppressing him,""This lord is upright and resolute. He doesn't care about personal gains and losses. He's eager to bring order out of chaos. You can see it in his words. However, although he's hot-blooded, he thinks too simply.”
He thought about the more and more corrupt policies in the later generations, and slowly thought about it."From my point of view, although the officials in the various departments are becoming more and more bloated, it is unrealistic for this lord to expect that the emperor will order him to clean up the discipline and simplify the organization with a single order.
Daren, think about it, since the emperor has issued an edict, someone has to do it, right? The entire country responded in unison, and all the foreign envoys were recalled. The court lost its eyes and ears, and the officials were immediately downsized without any buffer. Many things could not help but come to a halt.“
He smiled bitterly and pointed at the document in front of him." For example, students. If I were to be in charge of money, food, taxes, and criminal lawsuits, I would be so busy. Not to mention that it would take me a long time to familiarize myself with the process, and I would have to take many detours without the guidance of an experienced senior. At the very least, I would be bound here and unable to move. Then, the specific affairs would have to be handed over to others. How could you guarantee that these people would be loyal to their duties?”
Huang Qiyin's expression became very ugly, but he silently took out a cigarette stick from his sleeve and trembled as he filled it with tobacco, looking a little excited.
Yang Ling continued," This isn't considered difficult. It's like a newborn baby. The mother has gone through a lot of pain, and the clouds have cleared. The difficulty lay in how many officials there were in the country? These officials were intertwined with each other, and it was unknown how many connections they had. Together, they supported the operation of this huge country. If they cut off many branches at once, how many people would react?
Although this force was invisible, it must be extremely terrifying. It would violate the interests of the officials of the country, including those officials who were in important positions and would not be dismissed. They would inevitably think that with more official positions, they would have more choices. Without official positions, it would not be so easy to do things. Their path as an official would be less feasible. Moreover, how could they bear to give up those intertwined relationships?
This suggestion was simply against the officials of the entire country. With fewer official positions, how could scholars stand out? If they offended the scholars, then what about the landlord and gentry who were close to them? Even if the Emperor accepted this suggestion, he would change his mind because of the many difficulties and the opposition of thousands of officials. "Although this idea is for the country and the people, it's not done according to the law. If we act too hastily, it will harm the country and the people."
Huang Qiyin was in the middle of this, so how could he compare to the problems that Yang Ling had easily seen in the newspapers and magazines, which had been analyzed by Yang Ling's analysis of the administrative experience of many generations and the organization's streamlined articles that combined the advanced systems of China and foreign countries?
Thinking back to when he was young and impetuous, he saw the corruption of the bureaucrats and the bloated organization, so he used his hot blood to make a statement to the Emperor. The Emperor really accepted it. Soon, he dismissed a large number of officials, demoted the national teacher, and reduced more than 500 officials. He also wanted to implement it throughout the country.
However, in less than half a month, he was banished from Jingcheng. Li Zisheng, Deng Chang 'en, and the others who were banished were reinstated. He was ostracized everywhere and was demoted again and again. In five years, he was demoted from a grand censor to a small county magistrate.
When the new emperor ascended the throne, Li Zisheng and others were punished. They thought that they could see the light of day again. Unexpectedly, many officials who were attacked by Li and Deng's party were restored to their original positions. Only they seemed to have been forgotten. They had sent letters to their old colleagues several times, but there was no follow-up. It turned out that the crux was here.
He was conceited about serving the country and the people, but he ended up like this. He was cynical and depressed all his life. He did not expect that a young man who was not even twenty years old would reveal the secret of heaven. It turned out that he had offended all the officials.
After thinking through the details, even in the cold weather, Deputy Huang was still sweating profusely. He smiled sadly and said,"Could it be that we just sit back and do nothing, allowing this situation to continue? In the end, we'll be like the maggots of the country, and the grease of the people will be eaten by the traitors?”
Yang Ling sighed and said," It's not impossible to change it, but it's not something that can be done in a day. Not only must the decrees be unified, but they must also be coherent. They cannot be abolished because of people. The specific implementation can start from the top down, from the point to the surface, starting from the capital. In the beginning, only some unimportant departments and officials will be abolished. The commotion should be small but not big, and the actions should be slow but not urgent.
In this way, it would take thirty to fifty years for the results to be stable. At that time, the system of officials would have to be confirmed in the law. Then, there would be no fear of repetition. Although it would take a long time, it was the only feasible method. However, it would take thirty to fifty years to obtain a foundation for thousands of years. Although it would not be a temporary contribution, it would benefit the people for thousands of years.”
Yang Ling brought up his frog theory again and said,""Have you heard of a fable? He poured water into the pot and put a frog in. Then, he lit a fire to boil water. The water temperature slowly heated up. Because the speed was slow, the frog would not notice it, so it would not be in a hurry to resist and jump out of the pot. By the time it reached the point where the water was too hot, it would be too late for it to jump out of the pot. By then, it would be too weak to struggle out.
The students didn't know if frogs would jump out of the water because of the heat. The master used it to describe the world, but the students felt that it was extremely vivid. "When a country's major policies are implemented, a slight change will affect the overall situation. Therefore, changes that are too drastic should be done carefully and slowly. When the results gradually show results, even if the opponents discover it, they will be powerless to resist."
County Deputy Huang was stunned for a moment before he laughed hoarsely. He stood up and bowed deeply." Listening to your words is better than reading ten years of books. I've learned a lot." After saying that, he turned around and hunched his body, as if he had aged twenty years in an instant. He walked out with difficulty.
Yang Ling hurriedly stood up and took two steps forward to block his path. He bowed deeply and said,"" Elder Huang, I'm just talking big on paper. I'm only saying these words because I'm not in the picture. If I'm really in the picture, I'll be completely blind. Look at me, I can't even handle the documents of this county. How can I be taught? Speaking of which, I should sincerely seek advice from Elder Huang."
At this time, he called Elder Huang without any official title, which meant that he really considered himself a student. County Deputy Huang's expression was uncertain. He looked at Yang Ling for a long time. Yang Ling bowed respectfully, cupping his fists and not bowing. What a joke. After talking so much nonsense, he just wanted to invite someone who understood him to give him some pointers. How could he let him leave just like that?
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