According to the status of each department, the ranking of the six departments of the Ming Dynasty is official, household, ritual, military, punishment, and labor.

The Ministry of Personnel takes all the promotion and assessment of officials in their hands, and it is important to be the top priority.

The Ministry of Revenue manages money.

The status of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War is actually not that low, because the ancient saying has long been said: The major affairs of the country are in sacrifices and Rong. Sacrifices are various sacrifices, rituals, sacrifices, divination, etc. Later, there were six ministries, and this part of the functions was responsible for the Ministry of Rites. Rong was military affairs.

So in terms of status, the Ministry of Rites is the most precious, and the Ministry of War is indispensable for a country.

Well, after all, everyone has a high status, is very important, and is indispensable, so the bottom ones are the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Works.

But don't think that there is less oil and water in low status.

If divided according to the amount of oil and water, the order of the six departments should be rearranged: official, household, labor, military, court, court, and punishment.

This is also easy to understand. Since the Ministry of Personnel is in charge of promotion of officials, in order to seek a good position and avoid being written as inferior in the inspection, it is inevitable to give money and gifts. Among them, the Wenxuan Department, which is the most powerful department in charge of civil servant assessment.

Although the Ministry of Industry is not at a high level, this is because of the problem of people's traditional concepts. It is not because it has little oil and water. Wherever it needs to be built, there is no need to build a palace or a river embankment. These all require money. Where money is needed, you can make a loophole to cut off a little as oil and water.

There is no way. It was too poor to be a court official in the Ming Dynasty. Not everyone was willing to write a book like Tang Fan to support their family income.

Although the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for money, in fact, there is not so much oil and water on hand. Taxes are reduced again and again, but the taxes are always not collected. More and more large tax evasion companies have been involved, but commercial tax has not changed since its founding. It is ridiculously low and is useless. In some places, it is basically not collected.

Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue of the Ming Dynasty became the poorest Ministry of Revenue in history. The emperor was sympathetic to the people's livelihood and adjusted the tax rate to the lower level, the people were still in poverty. The people were impatient with exploitation, and the bad people were all the way to the central government. In the end, the money was not in the hands of the central government.

According to Tang Fan's private estimate, the annual tax revenue of the treasury last year was about 4 million taels, which is still a lot, because the various natural disasters of the previous year were only about 2 million.

But the money has to be distributed to various departments, which cannot be taken over by the Ministry of Revenue itself. The Ministry of War is calling for war and war, the Ministry of Rites is calling for money to start the imperial examination and sacrifice to heaven, and the Ministry of Works is calling for somewhere that the river bank collapses again and there is no money to repair it...

After all, the money left in the Ministry of Revenue was only so much left. No wonder the salaries of the imperial officials were never raised. Even if the emperor wanted to raise his salary, he really didn't have that money. For the sake of life and enjoyment, there were fewer and fewer innocent officials, and more corrupt officials. The superiors did not care about their affairs and followed them to learn from them. Chenghua Dynasty was in a mess.

However, these are not related to Tang Fan's affairs now, but what the ministers of the Pavilion should worry about. Tang Fan just wanted to take care of him, but no one listened to him.

In short, in short, whether from the perspective of status or oil and water, the Ministry of Justice is ranked last.

Because although the Ministry of Justice handles the nationwide criminal prison, when it comes to the level where the Ministry of Justice accepts it, it is generally difficult to decide major cases. Generally, no one dares to bribe such cases, and even if it is bribed, it is useless. What's more, a case is not decided by the Ministry of Justice. Sometimes it has to be tried together with the three departments of the Dali Temple and the Censorate, which is restrained by the other two departments.

As a brother in distress, although the Ministry of Rites is also a cold yamen with little wealth, they are still in charge of the imperial examinations, which is a grand event for scholars all over the world. Moreover, the Minister of Rites generally also manages the Hanlin Academy. His identity is transcendent, and there is no comparison with a department like the Ministry of Justice, which is both vicious and at the bottom of the position.

And now, what Tang Fan wants to go to is such a department.

Is the Ministry of Justice important? Of course it is important. Without the Ministry of Justice, many major cases cannot be sentenced. After being submitted to the central government, death row prisoners from various places are waiting for approval from the Ministry of Justice. However, no matter how important it is, it cannot change the fact that it has no money to make.

Like the other five ministries, the Ministry of Justice has a Shangshu and two ministers.

The following is divided into the Qingguan Department of each province according to the national administrative regions, which specializes in the trial of cases submitted by each province. In addition, there are the Prison Department, commonly known as Tianzhu, and the subordinates of all leaders - various officers, documents, Zaoli, etc. without grades.

Tang Fan was the fifth-ranking Henan Qing Lisi Department, the leader of the Henan Qing Lisi Department. He was directly responsible to the Secretary of the Shang Dynasty and under his jurisdiction.

On the day of taking office, Tang Fan would go to visit the Shangshu and the two ministers as usual.

Now the Minister of Justice Zhang Xiang is close to the current chief minister Wan An, and he is also dependent on the faction of Concubine Wan. He is not a traitor, and of course he is not a good person. Anyway, everyone is making a living. One day after another, this man is one of the "Six Secretarys of Clay Sculptures" known to the savages in the court.

However, Zhang Shangshu was not here today, so Tang Fan was out of here and could only go to visit the two ministers first.

Liang Wenhua, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, had a strange attitude towards Tang Fan. Faced with Tang Fan's self-introduction and greeting, he just squinted his eyes and asked slowly: "I heard that you worked in Shuntian Prefecture before?"

Tang Fan should be.

Minister Liang said, "Although Shuntian Prefecture is in charge of the capital, it is still a local government government after all, and it is incomparable to the Ministry of Justice. When you come to the Ministry of Justice, you must adapt well. Don't bring the small family spirit of Shuntian Prefecture here. After all, the six ministries are six ministries, and Shuntian Prefecture cannot be compared!"

Tang Fan felt a little strange, not understanding where the other party's sarcastic attitude came from. Logically speaking, the two had never met before, let alone any grudges. As a result, Liang Wenhua was so good that he had a threat as soon as he met, as if he owed him how much money he had.

Although he thought so, he was still respectful: "Abide by the teachings of the ministry."

Mr. Liang said a lot of lessons, but when he saw Tang Fan standing there like a wooden man, he was respectful no matter what he said, and he felt bored, so he waved his hand and asked him to retreat.

Tang Fan then went to the right assistant minister's duty room again.

Peng Yichun, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, just passed his 65th birthday last month. He was in poor health and was already at the age of semi-retirement. In his situation like him, there was not much chance of further progress, so he had no competition and conflicts with the rest of the department. When he saw Tang Fan, he rambled and encouraged him. Although there was no point in his focus and was all nonsense, he at least showed his kind attitude and lived up to the reputation of being a good man.

Seeing that he was easy to talk, Tang Fan asked for advice: "Pengbutang, the lower officials and Liangbutang had never met before, let alone old grudges. But when I went to see him just now, his words were quite cold, which made me very puzzled. I wonder if Liangbutang had encountered anything unhappy, or did the lower officials offend him inadvertently?"

Mr. Peng smiled: "Mr. Liang thought he was in a bad mood recently. Don't worry, it will be fine in a few days."

It is never possible to speak clearly in the officialdom. At this time, the other party needs to figure it out by themselves. Tang Fan is so smart that he immediately heard the clue from his words: "It seems that Mr. Liang's discomfort is related to his subordinates?"

Mr. Peng thought about it and finally said to him: "Mr. Liang has a disciple, who is now in the position of the Ministry of Justice. This time, the Henan Qing Likong came out. He originally belonged to his own student..."

Tang Fan understood that he had become Cheng Yaojin who appeared halfway through and snatched the position he originally wanted to take over, so he would naturally feel unhappy.

After knowing the truth, Tang Fan had no choice but to do anything.

There are only a few official positions, but there are so many people who want to be promoted, one carrot and one pit. If you occupy a position, others will only be jealous. Of course, they will dislike you unless you are willing to give up the position. Who is willing to?

Seeing him showing a helpless expression, Mr. Peng smiled and said, "Since you come, you can rest assured and do it well."

Tang Fan still respected this kind old man very much. He heard this and quickly responded to the teachings.

After seeing the two ministers, he returned to the courtyard where the Qing officials and officials were located. The Qing officials and officials of the Ministry of Justice were divided into thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty. There were thirteen Qing officials and officials. As a backward, Tang Fan naturally had to take the initiative to visit all his colleagues and seniors.

Most of the young colleagues acted plainly and even a little polite, which made Tang Fan very boring.

However, after learning the whole story from Peng Yichun, he could understand other people's attitude.

Because of the rumors in the court, it is said that Zhang Xi will be re-elected to the cabinet soon, so he will naturally be given up as the Minister of the Shangshu. Among the two Ministers, Mr. Peng is old and sick. Naturally, the Minister of Liang, who dislikes Tang Fan, will definitely become the next Minister of Justice.

Who is not a person who is trying to make trouble in the officialdom?

When Tang Fan came, he occupied the position of the next disciple of the Shangshu, which made Liang Shilang unhappy. In addition, Tang Fan had no foundation in the Ministry of Justice. What would everyone choose between alienating a fifth-rank doctor and offending a third-rank minister?

No need to think about it!

Who is close to Tang Fan at this time? Wouldn’t that mean that he didn’t take Minister Liang seriously?

Therefore, Tang Fan visited the Qing Lishu in the other twelve provinces and got similar attitudes.

Of course, no one will be too explicit, but they are not overly enthusiastic. They are all polite and reserved, and they greet each other with a polite manner, which will make you feel awkward and you will not be able to find any problems.

The only exception is Lu Tongguang, the doctor of the Qing Lisi Department in Jiangxi. This old man is a kind man like Mr. Peng. Seeing that Mr. Tang Fan seemed to be confused and did not know the reason, he told him tactfully, and even hinted him around the bush that Mr. Liang was not a person with a broad mind. He suggested that Mr. Liang should find time to apologize to Mr. Liang so that Mr. Liang would not hold a grudge. In the future, Tang Fan would often wear small shoes.

Tang Fan thanked Lu Tongguang for his kindness, but pretended not to understand his suggestions, because in his opinion, he did nothing wrong. He was not asked for this official position, but was partly supported by the officials. Mr. Liang did not dare to settle accounts with the people of the Ministry of Personnel, so he exhaled his anger on his head. It was really inexplicable. As an official, he often had to compromise, but he could not retreat to the limit. This would only make people bully to death.

Besides, since Liang Wenhua is narrow-minded, even if he goes to pour tea and apologize and takes all the mistakes on him, he will still hold grudges if he should hold grudges.

Seeing that Tang Fan refused to listen to him, Lu Tongguang sighed in his heart, thinking that the young man was still too proud and arrogant. One day, he would only realize the reality after suffering a great loss. He stopped persuading him. Instead, he told Tang Fan about some trivial matters about the Qing officials and departments in the mind of making a good relationship.

He was always an enthusiastic person and took the initiative to guide Tang Fan: "You first arrived at the Qing Lishu, and you were not very familiar with your subordinates in the department, especially those who were not qualified. Although they had a humble status, these people were the most scammers. If you want to induce them, you might as well invite them to dinner first, contact each other and have a relationship, so as to take the opportunity to understand the situation so as not to be kept in the dark when things happen."

Tang Fan thanked him for his advice and asked tentatively: "Before I entered the Ministry of Justice, I heard that the Qing officials and officials had dinner every month and took turns to work together. Is this true or false? Is this true or false? I am not afraid of Brother Lu's joke. Although my parents died early, my daily expenses are quite large. If there is such a rule, I would rather borrow some money early so as not to be able to take out the money to treat you."

Lu Tongguang nodded: "There is indeed such a rule, but you don't have to worry. The places we go to are not big restaurants like the Xenix Tower, but just ordinary small restaurants, and they don't use everyone's salary."

Tang Fan was very surprised: "Where did that money come from?"

The two had a deep conversation, but Lu Tongguang wanted to speak but stopped, and finally told him the truth.

It turns out that the Ministry of Justice is different from what Tang Fan imagined. Although it is a cold yamen, it is not without any oil or water. For example, some major cases, as long as they are not major cases related to rebellion, they can usually be submitted to the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice can decide on their own, and there is room for discussion.

For example, if the sentence of exile is sentenced to three hundred miles and three thousand miles, it is definitely different. If the sentence is sentenced to a pole, ten sticks and one hundred sticks, it is definitely even more different. Whether it is light or heavy is decided by the Ministry of Justice. There are only general provisions in the Ming Dynasty's law. If someone encounters a clearing activity, it doesn't matter if he is sentenced to lighter.

But it also depends on the region. For example, Zhejiang, Huguang, and Jiangxi are all relatively wealthy provinces. There are many rich people and many people who can use money to clear them. For example, Henan, Guizhou, Yunnan, etc., where Tang Fan is located, there is much less oil and water.

These are tacit rules, so the Qing officials took turns to have dinner together. In fact, the richer Qing officials took out some of the oil and water to treat them, so that the other Qing officials would not be jealous of them and would go to report themselves. Then the net was defeated and no one would have to play.

Seeing Tang Fan suddenly realized, Lu Tongguang said, "You don't need to worry. Everyone knows that Henan Qinglisi has no money and will not force you to treat you. However, if you are just a newcomer, if you want to get along well with others, it is best not to be stingy with that little money. If you are worried that the money for treating you is not enough, I still have some here..."

Tang Fan finally saw his kindness and quickly smiled and said, "No, no, I'll ask, thank you for your kindness. I can still afford the money for a meal. I'll feel relieved if you say that. I still think it's a month to invite me!"

After going back and forth, the relationship between the two immediately became much closer.

Lu Tongguang laughed: "How is this possible? Even the people in the ministry can't afford to invite this!

Tang Fan said: "Why would you like to ask me, who should be the organizer at the end of this month?"

Lu Tongguang twisted his beard: "According to the rules, it should be my turn."

Tang Fan also laughed: "That's a coincidence. Let's discuss with me and join the team. What should I do at the end of this month?"

Lu Tongguang was easy to speak, so he nodded and said, "Okay, since you have just taken office, you can indeed get to know your colleagues and contact each other through dinner. However, when booking a place, you should be careful not to order those big restaurants, big restaurants, or some small restaurants that are cheap and affordable, otherwise if you open a job, the people behind you will blame you."

This is a conscientious suggestion. Tang Fan also understood the truth and quickly received the teachings and said, "How many ministries should I invite?"

Lu Tongguang shook his head: "No, the ministry loves to cherish their feathers and will not mingle with us. Just ask the doctors of each department and the official website."

Tang Fan asked again: "Don't you have to invite the person in charge?"

Yuanwailang is the deputy of the doctor, and the chief officer is the next level, the sixth level, and each department has one person.

Lu Tongguang shook his head again: "No, just doctor and Yuanwailang."

There are all things here. In the eyes of a director like Lu Tongguang, the chief is a starting point. Although he has a grade, he does not need to be too close to him, otherwise he will confuse the main and the secondary, which will make people look down upon.

In this way, the rules of the six ministries are more stringent than those of Shuntian Prefecture. If they were treating guests to dinner in Shuntian Prefecture, Tang Fan would usually call the police chief like Lao Wang to show that the top and bottom are united.

It seems that every place has its own rules. Tang Fan wrote down these details, chatted with Lu Tongguang for a few words, and then prepared to say goodbye and leave. Speaking of which, he had not yet reached his own territory and had seen his subordinates, so he naturally had to go back and recognize his familiar faces.

As a result, Lu Tongguang stopped him: "Brother Runqing, there is something I have to tell you first."

Seeing that he was so serious, Tang Fan felt a little bad: "Brother Lu, it's okay to talk."

Lu Tongguang said: "Your current deputy, Yin Yuanhua, the deputy general, is the disciple of Mr. Liang, and the person who was originally planning to replace you."

Tang Fan: "..."
To be continued...