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The selection of officials is the same as before, except that they have to start from the eighth and ninth ranks.

Officials must be selected from Tongsheng or Juren, and they must take a public examination before they can take up their posts.Literary officials and soap officials, regardless of their superiority or inferiority, can be promoted upwards, and they can even be officials.

It may seem like a small change, but it is actually very important.

The decline in the rank of Jinshi sent to the outside world can make officials more capable of governing. The diploma and examination requirements of officials have broken the control of the local family by the family of small officials, making it easier for the chief official to govern, and also strengthened the court's control over the local government. control,

The price is the rise in administrative costs!

Many officials in the Ming Dynasty were not paid by the government. They made a living by corrupting the law and exploiting the people. Now they all need the government to pay their salaries, which is equivalent to adding to the salary expenditure of countless civil servants.

In addition, there are many small counties in each county, and the expenditure on grassroots education is also very large. Some poor counties have complained to their superiors about their poverty.

Li Banghua said: "Taxes at the county level should be reserved for local governments. Especially in poor counties with poor business and mountainous areas, small villages and county and town officials, there has been a phenomenon of arrears. In some places, already I have been in arrears for several years, and only pay three to five solid monthly salary every year. In this case,

It was still reported by the inspectors of the clean government, and local governments at all levels did not report to the higher authorities. "

Zhao Han also read the report of the Inspector of Integrity, and agreed: "Then give the local government an extra [-]% of taxes."

Zhao Han took out another secret report, which was sent by Liaodong Secret Works, and bypassed the imperial court and delivered it directly to the emperor: "Dor Shuan and Dai Shan are dead."

Pang Chunlai opened his eyes suddenly: "Infighting?

Zhao Han said with a smile: "Last winter, Daishan and Dorgon died of illness one after another. At the time when the puppet empress dowager and Daishan were fighting fiercely, the two suddenly died of illness, which made Man Dahai terrified and led his troops out to Hun River City has become independent, of course, Mandahai did not openly rebel, but only listened to the puppet Qing court and did not listen to the propaganda."

The actual control territory of the Manchu Qing Dynasty is already very small, and it is still divided into two parts.

Pang Chunlai: "Your Majesty, you can use troops in the Northeast now."

Zhao Han said: "Let the various ministries in Liaoning prepare for the expedition as soon as the rainy season is over."

It is still March, and it will take time to send the order to Liaoning, and it will take time to transport the military rations to Liaoning. It takes half a year to prepare for the expedition.

Pang Chunlai added: "When the Tartars are destroyed, please allow the veterans to retire."

Zhao Han thought for a while, nodded and said, "At that time, I will send someone to escort the teacher back to his hometown."

Pang Chunlai has been in poor health for the past two years, and he really wants to go back to Liaodong to enjoy his old age.Although the bitter cold in Liaodong is not a place for the elderly, but after being away from home for many years, the dream is to return to the roots.

Li Banghua followed: "Your Majesty, the minister is old and weak. After wiping out his son, he also requests to return to his hometown."

"Mr. Li is growing old and strong, please don't hesitate to work hard." Zhao Han symbolically persuaded him to stay.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration." Li Banghua planned to ask three times and resign three times.

Firstly, he was really old, he was 76 years old this year, secondly, he knew the emperor's mind, Pang Chunlai stayed here to check and balance the Jiangxi senior officials.Pang Chun came and left.He, Li Banghua, had better follow suit.

...

A few days after the Qionglin Banquet ended, the Shu Jishi's examination began.Among the 197 Jinshi in the second and third grades, 15 were selected. They first went to the cabinet to observe politics and familiarize themselves with the situation, and then became relatively low-level Zhongshu Sheren, that is, ordinary clerical staff in the cabinet.

From now on, all the people in Zhongshushe will be champions, second places, Tanhua and Shuji. Let them be familiar with state affairs, and then they will be sent to other places as deputy county officials, and they will be promoted back to the central court step by step.

This is very different from the Ming Dynasty. This group of top scholars in the Ming Dynasty were directly thrown into the Imperial Academy.The first three are to compile books, read history, assist the cabinet or government affairs, give lectures to the emperor and prince, and then wait for the promotion of seniority, and use Zhan Shifu as a springboard to be promoted to minister, minister, The cabinet ministers, and the Shujishi of the Ming Dynasty, are the most powerful officials of science and Taoism, followed by the six departments of the Imperial Academy, and the last one is the magistrate of the local area.

Both Zhang and Zhang Juzheng were very disgusted with this phenomenon. Among them, Zhang Teigang once threw most of the concubines of a certain class to serve as officials in the local area.

And offended a lot of people.Therefore, Zhang wore all kinds of black and white, and even became a villain in "Those Things in the Ming Dynasty",

After the Shujishi assessment is over, the future of the new Jinshi has basically been finalized.

In order to express themselves, their first thing is to speak to the emperor and put forward their own ideas on national policy.

"This Cui Wenxiu is interesting." Zhao Han smiled, "A Korean official, insisting that North Korea has been the territory of China since ancient times, please take back the three roads south of the Yalu River, which is the hometown of the Yuan Dynasty. Haha, he is very loyal. .”

Li Xiangjun: "Scholar from Fanbang, please be more aggressive.

Zhao Han picked up another memorial, only read a few paragraphs, then frowned, and asked: "Are there many women in the folk who have their feet bound?

Li Xiangjun replied: "It was rare when I was young, I only heard that there were noble girls in the village who had their feet bound. Later, it gradually increased, especially when they were sold into brothels. Women in brothels often have feet bound. When I was sold by my relatives, it was over. At the age of foot binding, but my mother forced her to bind her feet."

Zhao Han looked down and said, "I can't tell."

Li Xiangjun: "It's not too hard."

"Take off your shoes and take a look." Zhao Hanyan was curious.

Li Xiangjun blushed and said, "Is it here?"

"Yes." Zhao Han nodded.

The female officials and palace maids next to each other buried their heads and snickered, and Ding Shijing, who was in charge of daily life, hurriedly said,

Zhao Han asked the court lady to bring a stool, and Li Xiangjun sat down and took off his shoes and socks.

Zhao Han stretched out his hand to pinch her foot, lifted up the little foot and examined it carefully. The big toe was completely normal, and the other four toes looked slightly smaller and had some buckles in them.On the whole, it is not deformed, and even has a slightly strange aesthetic feeling.

Zhao Han asked: "Is there any kind of foot binding that hurts the bones?"

Li Xiangjun's face was flushed with embarrassment, and his chest was also tense. He replied: "I have indeed heard that some people make young girls' feet become more severe for the sake of the three-inch golden lotus. In severe cases, the bones will be sprained, and even dislocated and then left to grow deformed."

Are there many cases like this? " Zhao Han asked.

Li Xiangjun shook his head: "It seems not many,

Zhao Han picked up the memorial and sighed, "Now there are more and more of them."

This memorandum was written by Mao Lei, a Jinshi in Zhejiang Province. He denounced the phenomenon of foot binding becoming more and more popular, and it became more and more out of shape. He asked the emperor to order a ban on women's foot binding throughout the country.

The formation and spread of foot-binding has nothing to do with Cheng Zhuli, nor with the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhu Xi did not talk about foot binding, but his second disciple Che Ruoshui denounced the phenomenon of women's foot binding, and it is pure nonsense that foot binding originated from the Han and Tang Dynasties.

After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, foot binding was also banned many times.As a result, the more banned it became, the more common it became. In the end, it had to be left alone. In the late Qing Dynasty, even Manchu women began to bind their feet.

The phenomenon of footbinding can be viewed from the perspective of Western missionaries.

Ricci in the late Ming Dynasty was not surprised by foot binding.Perhaps it was the foot binding in the late Ming Dynasty, which was not so deformed and was still within the acceptable range.

And in the Qianlong period, when the British envoy Macartney visited China, the British seemed very shocked.After investigation and inquiry, he learned that footbinding is a fashion for upper-class women, while lower-class women rarely bind their feet for the convenience of work, and the difference is similar in the northern and southern provinces. However, the closer to Beijing, the more common women's feet are bound. An act of pursuit of status and fashion.

From Macartney's records, we can infer two points: first, footbinding had not been fully spread to the middle and lower classes during the Qianlong period; It is a symbol of the family entering the upper class,

Only a few decades after Macartney's visit to China, footbinding in the late Qing Dynasty was everywhere, and even the daughters of rural landlords had tiny feet.

In other words, it took only a few decades for footbinding to be popularized from top to bottom.Don't talk about footbinding as anti-Qing. There may have been such factors in the beginning, but the great development of footbinding was in the middle and late Qing Dynasty, and this has absolutely nothing to do with anti-Qing.

Zhao Han carefully read the memorial and found that the specific situation was not clearly written, so he asked Mao to come to see him.

"Sir Mao Fan, pay homage to Your Majesty!" Mao Fan clasped his hands, very excited.Unexpectedly, I was summoned to ask for a ban on footbinding.

Zhao Han asked, "Are you from Zhejiang?

Mao Fan replied: "Your Majesty, I am a native of Jiashan County, Jiaxing Prefecture. He graduated from Hangzhou University and ranked No. 16 in the top three."

Zhao Han suddenly smiled, he likes the scholars cultivated by the new education: "There are many women with bound feet in Jiashan?

Mao Fan answered carefully: "Jiashan County is located between Jiaxing Prefecture and Songjiang Prefecture. prosperity, there are many people who become rich because of business, and those who become rich,

Gentlemen bind their daughter's feet, and observe it as a noble tutor, "

Well, too much money is causing trouble.

Mao Fan continued: "I don't know where it came from, but the binding of feet is getting tighter and tighter. These businessmen, who are getting rich, are very face-saving. They think that the smaller the binding of their daughters, the more authentic they are, so they all learn the new foot-binding method. A bound woman appeared in the county town, and a wealthy family paid a lot of money to bind her daughter's feet. I once saw with my own eyes that a young girl of the same family was bound so that the bones of her feet were completely out of place, and her feet were red, swollen and pus-filled. To show off his strict family education and elegant family background."

"It's disgusting!" Zhao Han said angrily.

Mao Fan said: "Foot binding is an elegant thing, w; Jinlian's little feet are loved by everyone, but if they are bound to the bone, it will not only spoil the scenery, but also make people hate it!"

The mainstream foot-binding method in the Ming Dynasty was divided into two schools, the North and the South.

Foot binding in the north doesn’t even need to bend the toes, it just needs to be more slender. Foot binding in the south requires the four toes to be buckled inwards, which is slightly deformed, but it still won’t hurt the body.

The wounding method that hurts the muscles and bones began in the late Ming Dynasty and spread widely in the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Han asked, "What reason do you think should be used to prohibit women's footbinding?"

Mao Fan said: "It hurts the peace of heaven."

Zhao Han shook his head: "Haven't you read the "Book of Filial Piety"? Body hair and skin, received by parents, dare not hurt, this is the beginning of filial piety, Mr. Xiang!"

"The minister is here," Li Xiangjun stepped forward.

Zhao Handao: "Women who intend to bind their feet to the point of damaging their bodies will be regarded as unfilial daughters. They cannot study, become officials, or marry officials! Their husbands are not allowed to obtain a franchise license. Once found, they will be taken back immediately!"

Zhao Han likes to beat magic with magic, Cheng Zhuli is very comfortable with him, and he is also very comfortable with Confucian classics.

The "Book of Filial Piety" is all like that. Of course, those who bind their feet are unfilial daughters, even if their parents allow it.

Today foot binding is still limited to wealthy families. Once bound women are not allowed to study, become officials, marry officials, or even marry businessmen with franchise rights, look at those bastard fathers who dare to bind their daughters feet!

Moreover, it is difficult for them to marry if they are labeled as unfilial daughters.

As for the disabled women whose feet have been bound, it is very embarrassing and they can only live with them. Fortunately, there are not many of them at this time.

Chapter 671 [The Prestige of the Emperor's Order]

Hangzhou, Jiaxing Prefecture, Jiashan County.

Chen Yaohui, the magistrate of the county, called a meeting of officials. The people attending the meeting included the county magistrate, the history of the classics, the chiefs of various departments,

Justice system officials.

Chen Yaohui took the official document issued by the imperial court: "Your Majesty promulgated the "Prohibition of Foot-Binding Order". I have had dozens of copies copied. Take it and have a look."

After the official document was issued, the head of the business department would ask: "It is clearly written in the "Prohibition of Foot-Binding Order" that only foot-binding that hurts muscles and bones is prohibited. But how can we tell whether there is any damage? Do women have to take off their shoes to see?"

The county magistrate Zhu Honggang said with a smile: "On the fourth line of the third page of the official document, bow shoes are also banned! The court has already written it clearly...

"So that's the case, Zhu Cheng is really careful." All the officials immediately flattered him.

The imperial decree that Zhao Han asked Li Xiangjun to draw up was only a draft, and it had to be handed over to the cabinet and imperial edict room for polishing.The cabinet will supplement the details, and even convene officials to discuss, and then hand it over to Zhao Han for review.

When the "Prohibition of Footbinding Order" was implemented, there were two key words: one was filial piety, and the other was bow shoes.

"Filial piety" is the theoretical and moral basis for prohibiting foot-binding and harming the body, while "bow shoes" is the core of the specific implementation of prohibiting foot-binding.

Not only women's feet are bound, but men's feet are also bound, but they are wrapped in foot wraps.Regardless of men and women, an important reason for foot binding is to look better, because the uppers of ancient shoes are soft, and it is easy to look thick and flat when worn out.

The imperial court could only ban foot-binding methods that damage the body, and it is impossible to ban normal foot-binding methods.

How to tell the difference?

It depends on what kind of shoes you are wearing. Most women with bound feet wear bow shoes.As for the way of foot binding that damages the body, you will wear the kind of pointed and small bow shoes, which can be recognized at a glance.

Chen Yaohai, magistrate of the county: "Most of the deformed foot-bound people are gentry and wealthy businessmen in the county. You can't just let their daughters not get married, otherwise they will definitely cause trouble. According to the official documents, just let go of the feet and let the damaged toes recover slowly. A way to compensate for filial piety. After the little feet recover, unfilial daughters are filial daughters. Therefore,

The key is to put your feet up! "

At this time, it was not like the situation in the late Qing Dynasty, when the countryside was full of little feet. The "Prohibition of Foot-Binding Order" is aimed at the daughters of gentry and wealthy businessmen. If there is no reason for "damaging filial piety" and severe punishment, these gentry and wealthy businessmen will have a way to fool them.

However, specific implementation needs to pay attention to methods, and it will be smoother to change the prohibition of foot binding into the prohibition of bowed shoes.

Foot binding is for men to save face, and women are not allowed to wear bow shoes, so why do they still bind their feet?At most, you can keep it at home and watch it yourself. Do you think men like to look at red, swollen and pus-feeding feet?

Chen Yao said: "Women's feet are bound, the youngest is four or five years old, and these girls have not yet gone to school.

Lao Zhu and I, as well as the heads of various departments, visited the gentry's home in person.The rest was arranged by Yang Dianshi, who went to visit schools in the whole county, and all women had to check their slippers.Remember, all the doctors in the county are called together, and they have to be treated after the feet are released. "

"Obey!" The officials stood up in unison.

It has to be said that although there are constant corruption cases in various places, as long as the emperor issues an order, the local officials will complete it quickly, and the administrative efficiency of the government is surprisingly high.

This comes from the authority of the founding emperor!

The next day, Chen Yaohai, the magistrate of the county, took a doctor and two small officials from the county government to visit Sun Dongqing, the richest man in the county. There is no doubt that, as the richest man in the county, Sun Dongqing already knew the purpose of coming to the county, and an official sent someone last night Of course, it is necessary to pretend that you should pretend, Sun Dongqing bowed and said: "The county lord has come to the humble house, and the grassroots are terrified!"

"Mr. Sun is modest." Chen Yaohui followed suit.

While talking nonsense, he led the magistrate into the inner hall.

After sitting down, Chen Yao said directly: "Your Majesty has a decree that foot binding is forbidden to hurt the body. Mr. Sun, please call all the female family members. Regardless of age, all women come."

Not long after, all the women of the Sun family were present, even Sun Dongqing's old mother was brought along.

Chen Yaohui took a glance, but no one was wearing bow shoes.He was convinced that the news had been leaked, he was slightly angry, and said with a smile on his face:

“All slippers!”

Sun Dongqing's expression changed immediately, and she hurriedly said, "How can a woman's feet be seen by outsiders at will?"

The old lady of the Sun family even beat the ground with a cane, angrily said: "Chen Zhixian, you are also a parent official, are you here to humiliate the old man today?"

Chen Yaohui sneered and said, "If you don't take off your shoes, then the official will leave. You can handle the crime of disobedience and disobedience."

The entire Sun family fell silent.