Hurrying slowly, Zhang Wencheng finally arrived in Changsha County in mid-June.
I saw, at a glance, the ancient Changsha City, majestic and majestic. The wide moat was more than ten feet wide, like a big river, and the people on the huge suspension bridge were like ants.
There are people leading donkeys, driving carts, carrying firewood, pedestrians leading children and girls, and traders with heavy luggage, all in an endless stream, which makes people dizzy.
As soon as they approached Changsha City, the packs on the mules and donkeys were immediately unpacked, and a group of soldiers put on armor and held spears, instantly becoming majestic.
Zhang Wencheng, on the other hand, was served by two servants and put on the imperial robe with embroidered embroidery on it. Among the black and white, the cyan official robe was particularly conspicuous. He wore a black sand hat on his head and a plain silver belt around his waist.
Weighing the black boots on his feet, Zhang Wencheng waved his hand: "Let's go into the city."
A man relies on his clothes and a horse relies on his saddle.
When you look like this, you stand out from the crowd.
However, he did not enter the city directly, but sent someone to inform the city.
After a while, I saw officials headed by the county magistrate coming in large numbers, beating gongs and drums, and it was very lively.
"But Judge Zhang and his party?"
The old county magistrate grinned.
"Don't dare bother me."
Zhang Wencheng saw that except for the county magistrate, everyone else from the county government had arrived, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It seems that the county magistrate is still unhappy that he has taken away the power of litigation!
With a slight smile, Zhang Wencheng handed over the imperial edict, sued himself, and gave the official seal.
The county magistrate did not dare to neglect it, so he looked at it carefully and quickly, and discussed it with the senior subordinates beside him for a long time.
It's not surprising that he was like this. In fact, the official seal, the edict, and the personal report were all stamped by Prince Yu's palace, and they were very new.
If you don’t know enough, you naturally have to take a closer look to make sure you don’t make any mistakes or make a joke.
Everyone stared intently, waiting for the final result, and the atmosphere was quite stiff.
"Judge Zhang is busy with work. You have worked really hard. I have wasted my time and it is my fault. Let's go. We have already booked a banquet to take care of you."
The county magistrate opened his mouth and said with a smile, and the atmosphere suddenly became lively, and compliments could be heard endlessly.
"If so, you are doing your duty faithfully."
Zhang Wencheng smiled and didn't take it seriously.
Immediately, a group of talents entered the city in large numbers.
When the guards at the city gate saw the formation, they hurriedly called for people to get out of the way and let them jump in and enter the city.
The common people knelt down tremblingly and lowered their heads in fear. Only the children had no scruples and looked up furtively at the returning master.
Zhang Shenyan walked in with his head held high and his chest raised, and when he raised his eyes, everyone bowed their heads and knelt down, like ants.
This kind of power is completely different from working in the Military and Political Department.
"This is power!"
After entering the city, the banquet was bustling with excitement, but Zhang Shenyan felt solemn in his heart.
The county magistrate came late and gave him a warning.
As soon as the wine entered his throat, he left, and the entire banquet became empty, making the atmosphere extremely awkward.
"Okay, that's great!"
Zhang Wencheng raised his wine glass and laughed.
Having been with Zhang Shenyan for many years, he didn't understand the thoughts and plans in the officialdom, but this was the first time he had seen such an almost tearful behavior.
"When I enter the city, I have to make sure you don't get what you want."
Zhang Wencheng sneered and returned to the Yamen.
The government office has not yet been repaired, and there are only three or five rooms in the house. If it were not for the plaque hanging on it, he would not have recognized it.
Opening the package, I saw a simple yet extraordinary wooden box, the size of a palm and weighing only half a kilogram.
"I'm afraid you don't know that I, the judge, not only have judicial duties, but also have the responsibility of monitoring you, up to heaven."
Holding the wooden box carefully, Zhang Wencheng raised his head and laughed.
The country is accustomed to using small things to control big things, and he is not an ordinary judge.
…
On the other side, in Prince Yu's palace, Zhu Yixi was busy reviewing secret boxes from all over the world.
The secret system was a measure taken by the Manchu Qing Dynasty to strengthen centralization and weaken the power of the prime minister after the decline of the General Affairs Department.
The function of the General Administration Department was, from the beginning, to collect memorials and submit them to the imperial court, and to select important memorials and provide them to the emperor for review.
In the early Ming Dynasty, it was even possible to check and balance the prime minister, refute memorials, and even block the hearing of saints.
It was the middle and late Ming Dynasty, and the emperor was lazy in politics. The memorials he submitted were usually left unpublished or handed over to the cabinet for processing. The importance of the General Affairs Department was greatly reduced.
In the later period, there was even a clerk's office in the inner court, which was responsible for "sealing the general affairs envoys into this chapter every day" and submitting memorials to the general affairs envoys for reclassification.
Furthermore, the emergence of Jinyiwei and Dongchang enabled the emperor to know internal and external news, making the General Administration Department almost useless.
In view of the cruelty of the eunuchs in the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty prohibited eunuchs from participating in politics, abolished factory guards, and made the General Administration Department useless, so the secret system came into being.
“It’s easy to use, but it’s a bit tiring.”
Zhu Yixi couldn't help but be filled with emotion as she reviewed the secret papers.
Dozens of secret boxes passed through the inn and arrived in Xiangyang quickly. All kinds of news were dizzying.
There are everything from local customs and customs to bandits and bandits, bad weather, and even the illegal activities of local officials.
As a result, Zhu Yixi also learned to classify.
Disaster prevention and control are the most important, followed by thieves and bandits, and officials breaking the law last.
Draft it in turn and let the Military and Political Department and the General Staff Department go to verify and handle it.
As for the officials' violations of laws and disciplines, Zhu Yixi could not just listen to one side of the story, but let the investigation department conduct a secret investigation.
"Politics is really wonderful."
After reading it for a long time, Zhu Yixi was filled with emotion.
No wonder reform has been difficult to implement since ancient times. It is because those with vested interests are too powerful.
Although these compromises did not directly explain the local constraints, they all revealed the difficult situation.
This is still Qicheng County Magistrate who was re-appointed by the shogunate.
Even though former colleagues from the Department of Military and Political Affairs served as judges, these new magistrates still repeatedly restrained themselves and did not want to lose the power in their hands.
Isn’t the terrifying thing about breaking up the family and magistrate the county, lies in the judiciary?
Nowadays, the power to collect commercial taxes has been stripped away, coupled with the judicial power, which makes the Bailihous quite uncomfortable.
Therefore, Zhu Yixi deeply understood that the judge was resisted not only because of his power, but also as a silent protest against the superiors.
"Therefore, there is no need to rush the reform and it must be done step by step."
Zhu Yixi lamented that all policies are formulated by those in power, but implemented by county magistrates and other people-friendly officials. It is not a good thing to impose too much pressure.
After thinking for a while, he placed a plan on the expansion of the Transportation Department into the National Taxation Department on the bookshelf and stuffed it into the middle.
The National Taxation Department, as its name suggests, coordinates all tax collection matters, namely commercial tax and agricultural tax.
The Transshipment Department has accumulated a lot of experience in collecting commercial taxes, and it is natural to also take into account agricultural taxes.
Now, there is no rush.
Although he temporarily gave up the National Taxation Department, Zhu Yixi still took the trouble of local restructuring.
He casually took out another plan from the top of the bookshelf - about the establishment of the Public Security (Police) Bureau.