Yet it still infuriated Emperor Xuanming, who slammed the table: "Outrageous, giving valuable items for promotion is corruption and bribery! Embezzling under the guise of one's position is a serious crime! Do they expect me to find a way for them?"
Chu Heng waited for Emperor Xuanming's anger to subside a bit before speaking: "Your Majesty, please calm down. The issues I raised are all too common among local officials."
"Speaking of this, it brings us back to the order of priority I mentioned, firstly, increasing the salary of officials is the court's act of grace. Secondly, if corruption and bribery occur even after raising officials' salaries, the court will naturally show no mercy, dealing directly according to the law. With a decent life achievable by salary alone and the court's strict oversight, timid officials would naturally not dare to be 'forced' into wrongdoing. After all, most officials are quite clean before they encounter the official circle."
