Preamble:
In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a saying of "ten officials and nine greedy", and this phenomenon still exists in today's society!
"If you don't make decisions for the people, it's better to go home and sell sweet potatoes", in this muddy officialdom, it is impossible to get out of the mud without staining.
But in the late Qing Dynasty, the following kinds of silver taels were old fritters who were mixed with officialdom and did not dare to embezzle, and they kept that bottom line in their hearts!
What kind of silver taels do officials not touch? Let's find out:
The silver of the imperial examination
When it comes to the imperial examination, this is a major event for the imperial court, involving the future of the country and the selection of talents.
The annual imperial examination silver is used to maintain the examination room and subsidize the candidates, and the emperor attaches great importance to this.
Want to get out of the imperial examination funds? That's the rhythm of looking for death.
He Shen, the most famous corrupt official in the Qing Dynasty in history, although he leaned towards the government and the opposition, even he did not dare to think about the imperial examination silver.
Because the seriousness behind this is far beyond ordinary corruption, once it is exposed, not only the reputation of the individual is ruined, but it may even affect the entire family.
The reverence of the magistrates for the silver of the imperial examination also shows the respect for education and the importance attached to future talents in the officialdom.
The silver taels of the treasury
In the Qing Dynasty, the treasury of each province was like a piece of fat meat that was closely guarded, which made people salivate when they looked at it, but it was also full of traps.
The money from these fiefdoms was originally used for emergency and emergency affairs, and it is reasonable to say that it is the easiest place for every local official to get started.
However, the "Great Qing Statutes" have long provided for severe punishments, such as dismissal from prison and death penalty for theft.
Take Wang Kangwang, the political envoy of Gansu during the Qianlong period, for example, this old man actually united with the officials of the whole province to start eating away at the treasury of the domain, and the result?
After the incident, Emperor Qianlong was furious, and he drove everyone to death with a holy decree, which shows how big the crime of embezzling the treasury and silver is!
This is the fate of corrupt treasury money, so no one among the officials wants to take this risk.
The silver taels of the river are transported
Let's talk about the river and the silver of the water.
These two sections, especially the river, have a fixed annual fund for repair and maintenance.
But these silver officials can only be discouraged.
Every expenditure needs to be clearly reported to the imperial court, and the slightest disturbance may attract severe scrutiny from the imperial history.
Although there have been few cases of corruption among river officials in history, almost every time they occur, they have been punished severely.
So while these departments are well-funded and can be described as places where the lion opens their mouths, they are also the most dangerous places.
This disproportionate risk and reward has led many officials to choose to be conservative rather than easily involved.
Let's talk about Cao Yun again, because Cao Yun is related to the food supply in the capital, and it is directly related to the life of the royal family and the Eight Banners in Beijing.
Therefore, every penny of silver here seems to be staring at the emperor's eyes, and if anyone dares to touch this piece, it is equivalent to directly touching the dragon's beard.
Historically, although the internal consumption of the transportation system was huge and the costs soared, this was mainly due to the transfer of interests within the bureaucracy, and there were very few real direct corruption.
Officials are even more tacit, looking for benefits in various ways, but on the surface they maintain an image of integrity.
In this case, Caoyun's silver became a battlefield with a turbulent undercurrent, involving the clan, ministers, and even the emperor's cronies.
You take the money you should take, and you can't touch the money you shouldn't!
The money involved in the future of the country and the selection of talents cannot be moved!
The silver that deals with the situation of the national crisis cannot be moved!
The silver related to the food supply of the capital cannot be moved!
The silver that affects the stable livelihood of the people cannot be moved!
The contest between corruption and justice
In this seemingly impregnable system, embezzlement and corruption still exist in various forms.
Local officials have increased their income in disguised form by setting up various bad rules and envy.
Although the court sometimes turns a blind eye, this does not mean that there is no one to govern.
Once serious violations are discovered, the imperial court's crackdown is very swift and decisive.
This kind of high-pressure policy has made many officials extremely cautious when carrying out corrupt activities, because if arrested, it often means the destruction of the entire family.
In this environment, the lives of officials are full of contradictions and antagonisms.
On the one hand, they enjoy the convenience and benefits of power, and on the other hand, they must find a balance between the temptation of corruption and the constraints of duty.
This inner struggle is not only reflected at the individual level, but also in the microcosm of the entire bureaucratic system.
The fate of clean officials and corrupt officials
Let's take a look at the fate of those clean and corrupt officials.
Those who were known as Qing officials in history, such as Hai Rui and Bao Zheng, their names have endured for a long time and have become the objects of admiration for future generations.
And those corrupt officials often end in tragedy, and ministers like He Shen, who are in power and in the opposition, will eventually die.
This contrast provided a stark lesson for later officials: even in an era of rampant corruption, honesty and honesty remained the foundation of the way to be an official.
Epilogue:
In such a turbulent period as the late Qing Dynasty, behind every penny of officialdom was a complex human nature and brutal power play.
And these stories undoubtedly provide us today with a profound reflection on power, responsibility, and morality.
By deciphering in detail the stories behind these untouchable pieces of silver, we can not only better understand history, but also draw important lessons from them to be honest and honest.