Chapter 239 Salary

Chapter 239 Salary

Chapter 239 Salary
Only a small part of Tangliyuan has been built, but there are already dozens of servants.

It was almost noon, and the kitchen immediately got busy preparing food for Marquis Luyang's personal soldiers.

In the small kitchen next to the big kitchen, Mrs. Pei and Mrs. Lu were busy.

Both of them had red eyes, obviously they had been crying, and Lu cried the most sadly, with tear marks on her face.

Concubine Pei took out some fine silk, placed it on a wooden rack, then poured the flour on it and slowly sifted out the fine white flour.

"It's cold in winter, mucus freezes in the nose, frost forms on the outside of the mouth, soup and noodles are the best to replenish the body and relieve the symptoms." Concubine Pei said as she sifted the noodles, "How long have you not cooked? Have you forgotten your duties as a wife?"

Concubine Lu was a little embarrassed and said, "It's been many years."

"I haven't done it for many years." Concubine Pei sighed.

While the two were talking, they had sifted out some white flour together, then added water and kneaded the dough.

Pei and Lu worked very hard and the dough was kneaded into an extremely thin layer.

Concubine Pei gestured with the knife and cut the dough, making each piece two fingers wide and two inches long.

When she was eating the noodle, she glanced at Lu, and said, suppressing the bitterness in her heart, "If I have a child, when I am old and weak, I can ask him to make a plate of soup noodles by himself, which will be more delicious than those made by the servants."

Mrs. Lu's face first darkened, then turned red.

The woman is over 30 years old, but she doesn't even have a child. She didn't want to think about it before, and didn't dare to think about it. But now when she thinks about it, she wants to cry again.

Does she really expect Sima Li to take care of her in her old age?
The child was ten years old, but he still refused to leave Chang'an and insisted on staying with his biological parents. Mrs. Lu could not treat him as her son.

She also understood what her sister-in-law meant. She was actually asking her to remarry - no, not marry, but be taken as a concubine.

But she was somewhat unwilling. How could the daughter of Fanyang Lu be given to someone as a concubine? Besides, she was a princess, so would she still have any dignity left?

"Why is Shao Xun targeting the women of the Sima family..." Mrs. Lu was a little miserable and accidentally said what was in her heart: "Does he want to seize the Sima family's kingdom and... the women of the Sima family?"

"Xun Niang, why is she so vulgar?" Concubine Pei blushed and scolded.

But think about it, did Taibai come down to earth just to be the nemesis of the women of the Sima family?
The two of them talked for a while, and the atmosphere became less awkward.

Concubine Pei's face was still red and she felt a little aggrieved. She had done nothing, but she had to face Lu Xun's strange look.

Concubine Lu's face also turned a little red.

Sometimes she would read some poems and essays describing lonely women in their empty rooms. She thought it was because they missed their deceased husbands, but now she realizes that this may not be the entire reason.

"That's enough, that's all." The two of them worked so hard that sweat broke out on their foreheads. They made a large plate of noodles, then took it to the kitchen next door, put it into boiling water, and cooked it over high heat.

Pei and Lu took turns to put a piece of dough, and soon all the dough sheets in the plate were put into the pot. This thing was called "butuo" in the Tang Dynasty. There is a saying that originally people held the dough by hand and tore it into slices on the edge of the pot, but later they changed to cutting the dough on the table or tearing it by hand, and no longer held it by hand, hence the name.

The noodles cook quickly.

Concubine Pei fished it out and placed it in a bowl, while Concubine Lu poured gravy on it and mixed it.

Two bowls of soup noodles were made, one for Shao Xun and one for Pei Kang.

Pei and Lu both felt a sense of accomplishment after watching it.

Noble women learn women's skills from a young age, and making soup cakes and water-based cakes are almost compulsory courses. However, they have been pampered for many years and their skills have been somewhat rusty. It is unknown how many years it has been since they last cooked for their family.

After taking a look today, I think it’s not too bad.

"As soft as spring cotton, as white as autumn silk." Concubine Pei praised.

"The air is vigorous and spreads, and the fragrance spreads far and wide." Concubine Lu added.

"A pedestrian loses his saliva due to the wind, and a servant boy chews in vain and looks sideways."

"The one holding the vessel licks his lips, and the one standing by swallows dryly."

The two of them chatted with each other, and then laughed happily.

Strange woman!

After laughing, they each held a bowl and went to serve food to Pei Kang and Shao Xun.

Pei and Shao were sitting idly in the hall. They first talked about the conquest of Hebei, and then mentioned the situation in Hedong.

Just then, two women came over with soup noodles.

"Eat first." Concubine Pei put the bowl she was holding in front of her father and said.

Mrs. Lu hesitated for a moment, walked to Shao Xun's side, and gently put the bowl down.

"In the middle of winter, eating a bowl of soup noodles is the ultimate enjoyment," Shao Xun praised.

Pei Kang nodded, looked at his daughter, and was speechless.

The two stopped talking and started eating soup noodles.

Pei and Lu retreated to the outer room and walked leisurely in the warm sunshine.

They climbed up a pavilion built on the mountain, looked at the bare trees, the frozen river and the uninhabited grassland in the distance, and felt an indescribable loneliness in their hearts.

"Such a bleak scenery is just like the state of the world." Concubine Pei leaned on the railing, with a look of worry between her brows.

Mrs. Lu also felt something and remained silent.

"At first, I was also frightened and felt something in my heart..." Concubine Pei continued.

"Sister-in-law, I won't tell anyone." Lu lowered her head and said softly.

Concubine Pei's face was a little hot, and she didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only say casually: "More and more officials and scholars have come to Guangchengze to seek refuge. In this chaotic world, you are alone, and even your family generals and soldiers are unreliable."

Mrs. Lu’s face turned pale.

Just imagine, what would happen if there was a royal palace with considerable wealth, and there were no men left in the palace, with only a powerless princess left, and the world was becoming more and more chaotic, the prestige of the court was declining, and order was collapsing day by day?
Mrs. Lu suddenly realized that although the reason why she came to live with the Princess of Donghai was because they had a good relationship, was there really no other reason?

There were some things she hadn't thought about too deeply, but her instinct to seek profit and avoid harm had already helped her make the decision.

Especially the way some so-called relatives and some so-called household officials looked at her, she didn't even dare to check the accounts carefully.

"Sister-in-law." Lu hugged Concubine Pei, her eyes slightly wet.

Concubine Pei's face turned even hotter, and she felt extremely ashamed.

In order to cover up certain things, she had to scare Lu, a relatively simple woman. This was contrary to what she had always respected, and she felt ashamed to face people.

According to her idea, it would be best if Shao Xun had no woman around him, but she also knew that this was wishful thinking.

How could it be possible that a warrior who emerged from the pile of dead bodies in the chaotic times could continue to rise like the rising sun...

He is no longer bound by anyone.

As time goes by, these ladies and noble ladies will have to rely more on others.

The wind was whistling, and the sound of stone mining could be heard from the distant foothills. Even in this cold winter, there was no pause.

More and more people are going south to build villas and manors.

******
After Pei and Shao finished their soup noodles, they continued to discuss the matter.

The former Hongnong prefect Pei Yi lost his job, and Shao Xun himself was responsible. After discussing with Pei Kang, he gave him the position of Luyang State Prime Minister.

This position is of the eighth rank, lower than the prefect, and is considered the prime minister's deputy.

Old Pei also mentioned Liu Anzhi.

Liu Anzhi brought 500 private soldiers, 300 of whom were from the Pei family and 200 from the Liu family. In addition, there were more than 3,000 pieces of silk, which were provided by the Pei family, more than the reward from the court - Shao Xun was promoted to Duke of Luyang County, and was given 1,800 pieces of silk, 1,000 strings of money, and 100 pieces of gold and silver utensils.

Shao Xun gave him the position of Minister.

"The position of Langzhongling is temporarily vacant. Liu Anzhi can take the position of Assistant Minister and have his five hundred troops incorporated into the Yicong Army. Ask him if he is willing. If he is willing, he can take office before the New Year. If not, he can go back." Shao Xun said.

Langzhongling (sixth rank) was a very critical position, which generally had three responsibilities: the first was to be responsible for elections within the territory, the second was to be responsible for the guard work, and the third was to convey religious orders.

The other two items are not a big deal, but the guards are very important.

The meaning of Suwei is not just imperial guards, that is too narrow.

At this time, the field troops took turns to guard the capital and the palace. The guard army was the main field force - the part of the Luoyang Central Army stationed in the city was called the "Seven Guard Armies" or "Seven Guard Camps".

The Langzhongling was in charge of arranging the garrison of the imperial guards, issuing orders for their deployment, etc. It was a very critical position.

In Shao Xun's plan, the Silver Spear Army and the Long Sword Army will be the future guards to protect his "capital", while the Yicong Army and the Yamen Army will be "foreign armies" to serve as garrison troops or front-line counterattack forces in strategic locations.

Therefore, the doctor ordered him not to hand it over to outsiders.

Student soldiers are the most suitable, but they are too inexperienced now. Even though seven or eight of them have been enrolled in the Imperial College in recent years and are qualified to be officials, they are too young to be the sixth-rank Langzhongling.

Therefore, the position of Langzhongling was temporarily vacant, and Shao Xun personally took on the position.

Under the Langzhongling, there are two eighth-rank assistants, who are considered deputies, one for Liu Anzhi and the other for Chen Yougen.

The assistant ministers can appoint their own subordinates, but they don't need to find people themselves. Shao Xun plans to give them a group of scholars and sons of powerful families from Hebei.

From now on, the assembly, garrison and mobilization of the Silver Spear and Long Sword armies will be the responsibility of Shao Xun, who is also the Imperial Physician Commander. The two assistant ministers will bring their subordinates to convey orders, inspect the camps, and count personnel and equipment.

Everything is done according to the system.

"He's already here, how could he not be willing?" Pei Kang laughed, obviously quite satisfied with the eighth-rank minister. After laughing, he asked again: "How many official positions have you given him now?"

"One prime minister, one chancellor, one tutor, two assistant ministers, one chief of agriculture (Chu Huo), one chief of guards (Tang Jian), and one chief of books (Yang Ming), a total of eight."

"How much is the annual salary?"

Shao Xun calculated it.

The standards for salary payment for officials in the Ming Dynasty were very confusing.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, the "zhishi" system was used.

Official ranks appeared during the Cao Wei period.

At this time, there was a "dual track system" with rank stones and official ranks running in parallel.

By the middle and late Northern and Southern Dynasties, the official rank system was basically in place.

Therefore, the salary standards for officials during the operation of the "dual track system" were rather confusing and bizarre.

Cui Gong, the prime minister of Luyang State, was of the fifth rank and had a salary of 600 dan (some county magistrates also had a salary of dan, and some prefects had a salary of dan). According to the standards of the imperial court, he was given hu of grain per month ( hu per year), rolls of silk in spring, rolls of silk in autumn, and kilograms of cotton. He also had hectares of vegetable fields and farmhands.

As an official of the fifth rank, his salary was the same as that of the Shangshu Ling.

Yes, the Shangshu Ling has a rank of 1,000 Dan, and some county magistrates in large counties also have a rank of 1,000 Dan. However, the former is in charge of all national affairs, while the latter can only manage one county. It is simply outrageous.

Shao Xun decided to use the system of distributing salaries based on official rank that had been in place since the middle of the Southern and Northern Dynasties to get rid of the chaotic dual-track system.

The prime minister’s annual income is divided into five parts.

Grain: 600 hu.

Cloth: 100 pieces of silk and 70 kilograms of cotton.

Money: None.

Land salary: six hectares (this income will be enjoyed during employment, but will not be available upon leaving the job).

Labor: Six field servants, responsible for cultivating the land for salary. If not enough, more people can be added, as there are many captives anyway.

In addition to the prime minister, the sixth-rank great farmers and tutors received 480 hu of grain, 70 pieces of silk, 50 jin of cotton, five hectares of land as an official salary, and a number of labor service each year.

There were also five eighth-rank officials, who received 240 hu of grain, 30 pieces of silk, 20 jin of cotton, three hectares of land as an annual salary, and a number of labor service.

"More than 2,000 bushels of grain and nearly 400 rolls of silk per year." Shao Xun replied, "Maybe more."

"Not much more," Pei Kang commented.

Shao Xun nodded.

These salaries are definitely not enough because they have to appoint their own subordinates.

Some subordinate officials can be recruited through corvée labor, while others require spending money.

In fact, until the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the salaries of officials were not enough. At this time, another source of income, which was not fixed but not to be underestimated, had to be introduced - rewards.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, often gave banquets and allowed officials to take the leftover food home for their families - and many people actually packed it up to take back.

In addition, at the banquet, "various excuses were made up" to reward a lot of money and property under various pretexts, which became an important part of officials' income to make up for the shortfall of regular salaries.

Of course, most of the officials these days were scholars, whose family conditions were much better than those in the early Tang Dynasty. Some even thought that the government offices were simple and the expenses were not abundant, so they paid their own money to become officials in order to maintain their quality of life.

Being an official also brings in a lot of hidden income, which is not known to outsiders.

"How much does it cost to hire all the officials for the government? I still have many talented people in my pocket." Pei Kang said with some dissatisfaction.

"There is enough food, land, and labor, but not enough silk." Shao Xun looked at Old Pei and said, "How about Mr. Pei..."

If we really hire officials as Pei Kang said, we will need at least 50 or 60 people, and the expenditure will be much less than the current eight people. Add to that the rewards during festivals, who will fill the financial hole of several thousand pieces of silk every year? Unless Old Pei is willing to reimburse...

"You have never been an official." Pei Kang smiled contemptuously and said, "Don't count the money. Liu Yuanhai asked the Pei family to send people to serve as officials. Not only did they not receive any salary, but the Pei family also had to pay money and food. Look at what they did, how would you do it?"

Shao Xun laughed.

Why does the Hu regime like to play this?

He remembered that in the early Northern Wei Dynasty, officials had no salary, so they were allowed to plunder. Later, the court found that this would cause greater losses, so it had to set salary standards.

"You are so famous, but the scholars in Yingchuan don't pay tribute to you?" Pei Kang looked at Shao Xun with a look of disappointment and said, "They are starting to rely on you now, but where is the tribute? Even I——"

"Forget it." Pei Kang waved his hand and said, "You can do whatever you want. Asking for tribute is not a good reputation, but who doesn't do it? They are afraid of you now and beg you, so you should give them tribute. The money and silk you captured during the expedition may be enough for the time being, but it will not be enough in the long run."

After hearing this, Shao Xun immediately stood up, bowed, and said, "Please ask Mr. Pei to take up the position of Luyang Guoyou."

Friends are responsible for accompanying the king and providing advice and corrections to him.

As Sima Yan said when he was selecting friends for the kings: "Han Qi used to be friends with Tian Su and was kind-hearted. We should definitely find the right person."

This is a high-ranking official with few tasks and a lot of money (rank 6). In fact, his job is to follow the king and give him advice. If he sees the king doing something wrong, he will immediately give advice and correct his behavior.

Lao Pei originally wanted to refuse.

I am a man in my seventies, and I cannot afford to lose face by accompanying you who is in your twenties for “playing”. Moreover, I am the one who gave you your salary, so you want me to spend my own money to accompany you for “playing”? This is absurd!

However, Pei and Lu soon came together.

Old Pei's heart was moved, so he sighed: "Forget it, this old bone still has to accompany you to torment, it's really - ah!"

Shao Xun was stunned at first.

When I first saw Pei Kang's expression, I thought he was going to refuse, but he suddenly agreed. What happened? What did he want to do?
Shao Xun suddenly felt that asking Pei Kang to be a national friend and "correct" his behavior might not be a good thing...

(End of this chapter)