Chương 563: Popular Election

"Please take a look, everyone. This is a new type of double-layered windproof glass lampshade that our artisans in the Ministry of Industry have recently developed through dedicated research. It is not afraid of being blocked by strong winds and rain, and it can also further improve the brightness of the streetlights. No matter how strong the wind is, it cannot be blown out, and no matter how heavy the rain is, it cannot be damaged."

"Now our Ministry of Works has produced more than 100, 000 of these lampshades in large quantities, enough to cover all the streets and alleys of the entire city of Luoyang."

As night fell, the city was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. The thieves and criminals who used to lurk in the darkness had nowhere to hide anymore; under the light, even the pockmarks on their faces were clearly visible!

"The probability of various crimes occurring in the capital at night can be reduced by at least 60%! This is solid data, I guarantee it with my life!"

The ministers gathered around, taking turns admiring the exquisite and translucent glass lampshade. Everyone marveled at it, some touching it, some looking at it, and some holding it up to the light, repeatedly praising the craftsmanship of the Ministry of Works artisans.

I've never seen such a novel object before. It's much brighter than an oil lamp, and you don't have to worry about it being blown away by the wind.

Kong Rong examined the lampshade from all angles for a long time, then couldn't help but exclaim, "With this lamp, I dare to walk at night. From now on, I won't need to carry a lantern when I go out at night anymore!"

Wang Yun muttered to himself, "This thing is good, very good. Thieves have nowhere to hide now."

Even Yang Biao couldn't help but come over, flick the lampshade with his finger, and nodded after hearing the crisp sound.

"Lord Song, is this lampshade broken?" someone asked.

Song Yingxing laughed and said, "Of course it will break if you drop it. It's glass, after all, it's not made of iron. But as long as you don't smash it on purpose, it won't break even after decades of normal wind and rain."

...

Chen Gong sensed the potential problems in grassroots management and immediately bowed to ask a question, his voice tinged with caution:

"Your Majesty, the stewards of each neighborhood have the authority to issue temporary passes, and thus hold the power to facilitate the travel of ordinary people."

If this continues, it will easily breed selfishness and greed. If a corrupt neighborhood official takes advantage of his position to deliberately make things difficult for ordinary people and extort money for personal gain, it will generate a lot of resentment among the people and disturb their peace and stability.

How does Your Majesty intend to prevent such widespread corruption at the grassroots level?

Chen Gong's question directly addressed the core shortcomings of grassroots governance, hitting the nail on the head and drawing nods of agreement from the assembled ministers.

Corruption must be eradicated at its root.

Everyone understands that even the best system can be distorted in the hands of those who implement it.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce nodded slightly, fully acknowledging Chen Gong's concerns. He then calmly explained the layers of constraints and rules to eliminate corruption at the grassroots level from the root.

His voice was calm yet powerful:

"My dear minister, your consideration is thorough. I have already established strict and comprehensive rules to govern this matter, with layers of safeguards to prevent any malpractices from arising."

"Firstly, the managers of each neighborhood were not appointed or selected by direct orders from the imperial court or government, but were elected by all the residents of the neighborhood through open voting."

All ordinary citizens within this neighborhood who are 20 years of age or older, of good character, and have no criminal record are eligible to elect others and be elected by others.

"You choose your own leaders; only those you choose are truly on your side."

"A new election for neighborhood administrators is held every three years to replace the current administrators. The same person may not serve more than two consecutive terms as neighborhood administrator."

A three-year rotation, or at most six-year, system is in place to prevent one person from gaining power and fostering self-interest. Power cannot remain in the hands of one person indefinitely. Let the people elect; only those elected are reliable.

"Secondly, the scope of authority of the neighborhood managers should be clearly defined."

The neighborhood stewards are primarily responsible for maintaining order and security within their neighborhoods, issuing temporary passes for residents, mediating minor disputes between neighbors, and disseminating basic fire prevention and disaster preparedness knowledge—all essential community services and security matters.

"We absolutely do not have any law enforcement powers, such as arresting and interrogating criminals, convicting and punishing ordinary people, or privately collecting taxes and fines!"

Any conflicts, disputes, or illegal activities that arise among the residents shall be collected and summarized and handed over to the Luoyang Prefecture government for impartial handling in accordance with the laws of the Han Dynasty. The neighborhood officials have no right to make decisions on their own.

Power should not be given indiscriminately; once given, it is easily abused.

"Thirdly, the court officials regularly paid all the ward stewards their full salaries according to their rank and salary standards, ensuring that they could live a worry-free and stable life."

If they have enough to eat and wear, they won't have any reason to have wicked thoughts. At the same time, strict rules were issued, forbidding any ward manager from using their position to extort even a penny of money or goods from the people within their jurisdiction under any pretext.

"Once the court verifies that the ward manager has engaged in corrupt practices such as oppressing the people and extortion, he/she will be immediately dismissed from all his/her posts and will never be allowed to hold any grassroots ward position again. At the same time, he/she will be severely punished in accordance with the laws of the Great Han Dynasty. There will be no leniency or indulgence! Every case discovered will be dealt with without hesitation."

After hearing about the strict and layered rules and regulations, Chen Gong had no more concerns and immediately bowed in praise:

"Your Majesty's considerations are comprehensive. This arrangement not only mobilizes the enthusiasm of the people to participate in neighborhood governance, but also firmly restrains and controls the power held by local officials, cutting off the breeding ground for corruption at its root. It is truly ingenious! I am completely convinced!"

Yang Biao stroked his full head of white beard, pondered for a long time, and then asked the last crucial question concerning the vital interests of the people, his voice tinged with worry:

"Your Majesty has established new rules for nighttime travel. If ordinary people unintentionally violate the curfew rules in the future, how should they be punished?"

Should we continue to use the old, harsh laws, readily resorting to caning and corporal punishment on the people? This old minister worries that the people are not accustomed to the new rules, and that unintentional mistakes might be met with severe punishment, leading to widespread resentment.

"Naturally, we will no longer use the old methods of harsh corporal punishment against the people."

Liu Ce gently shook his head, his tone gentle yet firm, his voice carrying a hint of kindness.

"Now that the Han Dynasty is growing stronger and more peaceful, and the people of the world are living in peace and contentment, I am determined to create a harmonious and prosperous world. I will never again use cruel methods of beating, scolding, and punishing ordinary innocent people. They are all my subjects, not criminals."

Having said that, Liu Ce picked up a draft of the rules for punishing violations of the curfew, which he had carefully prepared beforehand, and read aloud the new regulations and punishment guidelines in front of all the civil and military officials, his voice ringing out:

"I have now established a tiered and flexible punishment system, which will differentiate punishments based on the severity of the violation."

"Firstly, if ordinary citizens unintentionally violate the curfew rules for the first time without causing any trouble or disturbing the street order, they are simply given a verbal warning and their identity information is clearly registered before being allowed to pass without any substantive punishment."

This is the first time I've made a mistake, so I'll give it a chance, but don't let it happen again.

"Secondly, those who knowingly and deliberately violate the curfew rules again shall be fined one hundred coins as appropriate. This amount shall serve only as a warning and will not excessively burden the people. One hundred coins is enough to make those who do not learn their lesson feel the pinch."