nashuaworldcup Chapter 295 Buying and Selling Official Positions
Chapter 295 Buying and Selling Official Positions
"It can be said that Cai Jing is largely responsible for Emperor Huizong's ability to enjoy himself for so many years. With Cai Jing backing him, he could have done whatever he wanted with great pleasure!"
"In order to continue making money, Cai Jing also introduced the 'five-cash coin,' which meant that one coin was used as five coins. Later, there was the 'ten-cash coin,' which had a similar meaning."
"Because copper was in short supply at the time, the later tin-plated coins were also somewhat underweight."
"The only ultimate result of this insufficient amount of currency is the collapse of the market economy, a complete collapse."
"Wang Mang did this before, so if you're not very confident about currency reform, it's best not to touch it."
"In addition to the above, Cai Jing also participated in selling official positions. If the early reforms still benefited the people, then the later reforms became laws that harmed the people."
Emperor Zhezong of Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: ...
Zhu Yuanzhang (the Hongwu Emperor): What a treacherous minister! We're furious just seeing him amassed so much wealth! Emperor Huizong of Song was truly speechless!
A spoiled young master from the Song Dynasty: How terrifying! Thank goodness I kicked the bucket!
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Outrageous! Or is it because the emperor of the Song Dynasty was too extravagant with his money?!
……
"The Northern Song Dynasty's emphasis on civil administration and suppression of military affairs led to a situation of redundant officials. Of course, the sale of official positions was also a contributing factor to this problem."
"However, this situation also occurred in other dynasties, such as Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty. But the buying of official positions by the first few emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty was relatively well controlled, and the official positions were relatively small, so it did not have a great impact, except that the number of people buying them was a bit larger!"
Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty gave you a thumbs up!
Liu Xiu, the Chosen One of the Great Han Dynasty: Roll on the ground!
"However, the sale of official positions eventually led to inflation. Although it wasn't as terrible as currency, the price of these positions began to depreciate in the end."
"Can you believe it? In other places, official positions are bought and sold based on the highest bidder, but here in the Northern Song Dynasty, they've actually depreciated in value!!!"
All the emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty: !!!
"This brings us to Cai Jing. He brought this matter to the forefront, and once a leader was identified, many officials followed suit. As more people started selling, the price dropped."
"There's a big problem here. It's one thing to spend a lot of money to buy a minor official position, since you won't get any real power. But if positions with real power are also being sold off..."
"For example, in the early Northern Song Dynasty, a seventh or eighth-rank official position would cost about 15,000 strings of cash, while in the late Northern Song Dynasty, a position like a sub-prefect could be bought for 300 strings of cash."
"This not only leads to a large increase in the number of officials, but also results in powerful positions being held by people with little ability. Who will suffer the most in this situation?"
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: This is all due to inflation!?
A bystander in the Ming Dynasty commented: "It's because so many people are buying these positions that they no longer treat official positions as official positions!"
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Cai Jing is quite the talent, so good at making money! If only his methods were better!
A Qing Dynasty official: That's impossible. Emperor Huizong of Song, who is behind him, was the most pleasure-loving emperor of the entire Song Dynasty!
Song Dynasty emperors other than Emperor Huizong: ...
Upon hearing this answer, Lin Ke inwardly agreed. Putting everything else aside, wasn't that grand garden something he built back in the day?
She then added, "Rather than the claim that Cai Jing made Emperor Huizong spend money on pleasures, I'm more inclined to believe that Emperor Huizong himself was also someone who enjoyed pleasure."
"When the emperor enjoys himself, the only group that usually suffers is the common people."
"According to the records in 'The Anecdotes of the Xuanhe Era of the Great Song Dynasty,' he built a 'Wansui Mountain' at that time, which included pavilions and towers, most of which were made of strange rocks."
"Think about his ancestors. They were criticized by civil officials for having a small hobby. His elder brother, Emperor Zhezong, was criticized for simply wanting the tables and chairs left by Emperor Shenzong. If it were Emperor Huizong, would such a hobby be something an emperor should have?!"
"At that time, only the Cai faction remained in the court, and Emperor Huizong of Song didn't need to take them seriously. No one was as talkative and incessant as Zeng Bu. He was probably overjoyed that such a group of people wouldn't disobey him!"
Emperor Zhezong of Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu (itching to play): ...
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: He got to enjoy all the benefits from the previous generations!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: It can be quite annoying sometimes!
Wei Wumei of the Tang Dynasty (advising and threatening): What does Your Majesty want to say?!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty (（ ' - ' * )：……
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhezong of another time decisively ordered his attendants to call Zhao Ji, who was still playing outside, back to the palace.
At this moment, Zhao Ji, still a cultured young man, thought: (. ? ? ?.) Brother! You were looking for me!?
King Cheoljong (smiling): Bro, how about I give you a love massage?!
……
Back to the live broadcast room.
Lin Ke continued, "In history, in order to please him, rare flowers and stones were specially transported. This kind of transportation was called a 'gang,' which refers to a transportation team."
"At that time, ten ships were organized into one 'gang', which was the grouping of materials in the Song Dynasty. For example, the transport of horses was called the 'horse gang', and the transport of rice was called the 'rice gang'."
"At that time, Emperor Huizong of Song not only liked calligraphy and painting, but also had a particular fondness for rare flowers and stones. As for the reason, it is said that in 1113 AD, Emperor Huizong had a dream in which he claimed to have received guidance from Laozi, the Supreme Lord of Taoism, and Taoism also reveres strange stones."
"So Emperor Huizong felt that being among strange rocks must give him some kind of power or divine strength, and thus he spent more than 20 years collecting strange rocks."
"The Wansui Mountain we mentioned earlier is from this, and the state-owned assets used in its construction were indeed enormous!"
“Initially, Cai Jing only collected strange stones from the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. As the demands grew, he later took charge of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Imperial Collection Bureau, which was dedicated to collecting strange stones.”
“If a commoner’s home has a single blade of grass, a single tree, a single stone, or a single flower, they will seal it with yellow paper, claiming it is an offering to the emperor, forcibly turning the residents from owners into guardians.”
“They could easily be convicted of a crime if they were not careful, and the way they moved things was also quite rough, often damaging people’s houses.”
"We also know that sometimes these strange rocks are found in ravines, deep streams, and steep cliffs. The more exquisitely sculpted by nature, the more dangerous the location."
"Therefore, if any of the strange rocks in these places catch the eye of the Suzhou and Hangzhou Imperial Sacrifices Bureau, they will order countless laborers to move them."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty (cursing): Is he out of his mind?! Why does he have to like this kind of broken stone?!
Zhu Bajie of the Ming Dynasty: If we had descendants like this, we'd give them a good beating!
Emperor Zhezong of Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu: They're fighting!!
Liu Zhuzhu, the Great Han: What's so fun about this broken rock?! I really don't understand!!
First Emperor Qin Shi Huang: Was all that manpower and resources spent just for show?
……
Lin Ke sighed again, "During the reign of Emperor Huizong, a Taihu stone was acquired and named 'Panguhou.' It was said to be four zhang tall, and it was transported on a giant ship, requiring thousands of laborers."
"In some prefectures and counties that could not be passed through, the solution was to dismantle water gates and bridges, and to break through city walls."
"If the ships originally prepared by the Bureau of Supply and Deliverance were insufficient, then thousands of ships originally intended for transporting grain would be forcibly repurposed, and this would even involve merchant ships, causing great harm over the past twenty years."
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Now I understand how he ruined a rising Jiangshang!