How I Pampered the Tyrant Into Devotion With My Space-Chapter 680: Striving for Good Governance, a Peaceful and Prosperous Realm

Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Striving for Good Governance, a Peaceful and Prosperous Realm

On the day the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion established a supervisory agency in Xuzhou and began strict enforcement, those officials were terrified and dared not embezzle anymore, promptly returning everything intact.

Then, in every region, a supervisory agency was established under the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

Therefore, the grain reaching the hands of the people was indeed as much as it was supposed to be.

Pei Shu’er, of course, knew this approach was somewhat extreme, but since there was already not enough food, having these parasites around would make overcoming the hardship even more difficult.

Now, the people of Xuzhou were finally saved, and their grain and health were assured, naturally, they were deeply grateful to Pei Shu’er.

Especially the medicine caught by Pei’s, which worked quickly and effectively.

When people saw Pei Shu’er, they knelt down to thank her.

"Empress, Dayan is fortunate to have you."

When the words "Dayan" were uttered, there was a sudden silence, as they almost forgot that Dayan had already changed its name to Great Tang.

Then the people quickly corrected themselves, "Empress, Great Tang is fortunate to have you."

Pei Shu’er smiled lightly, "Please rise quickly."

Indeed, now that Dayan is no longer called Dayan but Great Tang. Even though the book she was in was titled "Great Yan Medical Concubine," she couldn’t change the issue of the country’s name.

The country’s name had changed, and the Emperor had been replaced, so perhaps the ending wouldn’t be as bleak as in the original story.

Moreover, when Tang Zan changed the country’s name initially, it was with the clear purpose of telling the Yan Family and the people of Dayan that this realm no longer had any ties to the Tang Family.

The people were happy, but the officials were somewhat distressed.

As it turned out, corruption was a legacy, if others embezzled and they didn’t, they couldn’t fit in.

If they embezzled and others didn’t, they couldn’t fit in either.

More importantly, climbing the ranks depended on money.

The environment forced everyone to indulge in corruption.

At this time, Pei Shu’er wrote another letter to Tang Zan while in Xuzhou.

The letter discussed the rules and systems for promotion.

No longer was it about being recommended by high officials, but evaluated by the supervisory agencies set up by the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, with multiple secret review agencies conducting surveys among the people.

If the survey results were inconsistent, the review agency would re-examine them.

This entire system was very strict.

Meanwhile, junior officials without real power seeking promotions could also take exams.

The exams included written and oral tests.

They adopted a civil servant selection method.

Thus, the root of bribery was partially cut off.

At the same time, the welfare for these officials was increased.

It must be known that the current officials were quite poor, relying solely on their meager salaries meant a very poor life.

So the salaries were increased, including future holiday benefits and sufficient grain.

Most importantly, these holiday benefits were directly supplied by Pei’s factories.

If it were the old Pei’s, such a thing would be unimaginable, but the current Pei’s was large enough to handle this level of official welfare without difficulty.

Moreover, not all officials received these benefits; some who were excessively irresponsible didn’t meet even the broadest criteria, so naturally, they didn’t receive any.

To prevent those officials from making trouble, Pei Shu’er set a deadline: by the next month, if their reputation improved, they could regain their benefits.

This served as an incentive.

She knew, over time, they would develop strategies to counter her, but that would be a matter for the future.

When the time came, they could devise new plans, as there were plenty of solutions. Right now, the focus was on overcoming the present crisis.

Corrupt officials must not feel there were no opportunities, yet appropriate punishments were necessary.

As for the taxation system, Pei Shu’er also wrote to Tang Zan.

However, Tang Zan didn’t fully comply. His stance was that a portion could be deducted, allowing officials some leeway, as long as it didn’t cross the line, some leniency could be granted.

Too clear waters have no fish.

Pei Shu’er knew that it would probably be necessary to let some benefits slip through.

The most crucial factor was that Tang Zan’s position was not yet solid.

If, after some time, he could eliminate Yan Huan Yu and develop Dayan well, then people would support Tang Zan.

At that point, why worry about not being able to carry out bold reforms?

Indeed, the good days of Dayan could be seen.

Pei Shu’er led her people northward along the way. If the situation was particularly excessive, she took direct action. Right now, the main concern was the distribution of grain.

Through the thunderous methods of Pei Shu’er and Tang Zan, officials learned that they could be corrupt in anything except grain at this stage.

After all, it was the Empress who painstakingly led merchants to bring it in from outside.

It was incredibly difficult as it was, especially during this time of military hardship and civilian poverty. Crossing this line was unacceptable.

Some officials attempted to embezzle from other areas but found the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s surveillance tight, so they ceased, knowing there was always tomorrow.

Then, those corrupt officials, waiting for other opportunities, discovered their former colleagues or even subordinates had quickly risen in rank.

They realized the exams were genuine, and the supervisory and review agencies were real.

So they dared not act rashly. Besides handling official duties and resolving grievances, they also went about conducting perfunctory shows of concern for the people, then retreated to their studies to improve themselves.

Initially, there was an element of showmanship involved, but after understanding the hardships faced by the people, their perspectives shifted, genuinely beginning to care for the populace.

Those who could pass the exams to become officials were essentially not bad; they had simply enjoyed too many good years, sitting in officialdom just speaking.

And then those with ulterior motives offering silver gradually corrupted them.

Through this series of actions, they gradually rediscovered their conscience.

Of course, some were inherently corrupt and continued offending, already marked on blacklists.

Now, they just waited for capable, reputable individuals to emerge and replace their positions.

Furthermore, the current system was more lenient, unlike before when collateral accountability was enforced, even allowing for one-time leniency regarding past behavior.

Some officials who had committed wrongs in the past but genuinely sought repentance found opportunities.

Under these unwritten rules, Dayan’s officials were diligent, shedding the old habits of idleness, and started working earnestly.

Initially benefiting the people.

Without numerous onerous taxes and levies, their lives improved significantly.

And relief grain continued to be distributed steadily.

It was acquired from the grain earned by Dayan’s official convoy, as well as the grain donated by Pei’s abroad.