"Heh-heh, you flatter me, Father." Qian Xunji laughed and scratched his head. Still, he felt there was something off about Qian Daoliu, though he couldn't say what.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother." Murong Huai came over to offer his congratulations too.
Now that Qian Xunji's Martial Soul had evolved to a higher level, Murong Huai wondered if he'd be able to withstand Tang Hao's hammer in the future. Still, he figured there shouldn't be a problem. If he couldn't take it even now, then the Clear Sky Hammer would have to be banned.
"Huai'er, your senior brother really has to thank you." Qian Xunji patted Murong Huai on the shoulder and said with a smile.
Qian Daoliu didn't want to discuss the subject any further, so he interrupted them:
"Since you're awake, Xunji, you should hear this. Huai'er just looked over some reports submitted from various places and has quite a few insights into the current policies and systems of Spirit Hall."
"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll certainly listen." Qian Xunji was quite interested.
Murong Huai nodded and picked up a report at random.
"It's like this: Spirit Hall's current policies and systems are generally sound, but there are loopholes in certain areas.
"Take this report, for example—the Soul Master subsidies. The two great empires and Spirit Hall pool their funds, which Spirit Hall then distributes. Soul Masters at level ten receive one Gold Soul Coin a month, Soul Grandmasters receive ten, and Soul Elders receive a hundred. As far as I know, there aren't any restrictions, are there?"
Qian Xunji nodded. "That's right. Soul Master subsidies are a benefit provided to low-level Soul Masters across the continent, giving them some financial support in their early years. What's the problem?"
"Of course there's a problem, and it's no small one. The subsidy was created with good intentions, but it has also encouraged some lazy people. They take the money and spend it on wine, women, gambling, and other indulgences, treating the benefit as their own personal cash machine.
"They make no contribution to Spirit Hall or the continent, yet still take a subsidy from Spirit Hall every month. Take Soul Elders, for instance. Some reach that rank at thirty and then stop cultivating. They receive a hundred Gold Soul Coins a month—that's twelve hundred a year, and twelve thousand over ten years, not to mention what they'll collect over an entire lifetime.
"Never mind the two great empires—I wouldn't be willing to pay for that either. It's a complete waste of resources." Murong Huai shared his opinion.
At this, Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji thought it over and realized that he was right. There were quite a few people like that in Spirit City.
"If we set no restrictions, then the scum of the Soul Master World will waste these resources. How many people like that are there across the continent, and how much will they waste?"
The two men found Murong Huai's reasoning persuasive. He continued:
"So I suggest revising this policy and placing some limits on the subsidies. We could set a time limit: Soul Elders can receive the subsidy for at most one year, Soul Grandmasters for at most three years, and Soul Masters for at most five years."
"Wait, why do those with lower ranks receive the subsidy for longer?" Qian Xunji asked. Beside him, Qian Daoliu seemed deep in thought.
"First, reaching the rank of Soul Elder at thirty means you have at least some talent. And receiving over a thousand Gold Soul Coins in a year is enough. If you're already a Soul Elder and still can't support yourself, you might as well go find a tree and bash your head against it.
"As for why the lower the rank, the longer the term: those at lower ranks are weaker, so providing them with a fixed subsidy for a longer time to help them cultivate is reasonable.
"A Soul Grandmaster gets ten Gold Soul Coins a month, which comes to three hundred and sixty over three years—enough for them to get by. And those with some talent should be able to break through to the next rank in about ten years."
"Of course, this won't get rid of every lazy person, but it will weed out quite a few and greatly reduce the waste of resources. Once their subsidies run out, they'll have to find work to make a living instead of slacking off.
"At that point, Spirit Hall could also set up temporary posts for various tasks, much like a mercenary corps. They could help with Soul Hunting, Martial Soul awakenings, defending against beast tides, and so on, with the pay adjusted according to the difficulty of each task.
"That way, they could earn a living through their own abilities while improving their strength. And Spirit Hall's people wouldn't have to handle every miscellaneous task themselves. This would also be a form of work-relief."
Murong Huai spoke at length. Qian Daoliu slapped his palm and laughed.
"Hahaha, good! What a fine idea—work-relief! That would get Soul Masters across the continent moving, give us more manpower, and help every city prosper. Excellent!"
Qian Xunji nodded in wholehearted agreement and praised him.
"Not bad, Huai'er. What on earth is in that little head of yours? You know so much."
"Hahaha, Xunji, your father's judgment is pretty good, isn't it? With Huai'er helping you from now on, I can rest much easier." Qian Daoliu patted Qian Xunji on the shoulder.
"Teacher, Senior Brother, there are still quite a few problems here. For example, reports from different regions all pile up together, with construction, military affairs, and people's livelihoods all mixed in. It makes everything a mess. I suggest that when each region submits a report, it briefly state which category the matter belongs to." Murong Huai pointed out a few more shortcomings.
"Besides, major matters need the Pope's approval, but the people below should be able to decide some minor matters themselves, shouldn't they? Teacher, you could establish six departments beneath the Pope: Works, Revenue, Rites, Justice, Personnel, and War. Each would handle its own duties and follow the Pope's orders.
"The Ministry of Personnel would manage the appointment, assessment, and rewards and punishments of Spirit Hall's officials. The Ministry of Revenue would oversee finances, taxes, and economic affairs. The Ministry of Rites would handle ceremonies and diplomacy. The Ministry of War would manage the military, the selection of military officers, and military orders. The Ministry of Justice would oversee judicial affairs and criminal cases. The Ministry of Works would be responsible for engineering, water conservancy, and construction.
"Reports from each region could be divided among these six departments. The head of each department would select the more important ones and submit them to the Pope together. This would ease the Pope's burden while also giving his subordinates experience."
What Murong Huai had proposed was the Six Ministries from the ancient system of three departments and six ministries, which had flourished in his previous life. The two great empires on the Douluo Continent had no such system, and their way of handling affairs was rather old-fashioned.
As he listened to Murong Huai, Qian Daoliu walked along, pondering.
"The Six Ministries System... Clear divisions of responsibility, each department handling its own duties, all under the Pope's authority... Good, a fine idea."
Qian Daoliu quickly grasped the brilliance of the Six Ministries System. Spirit Hall had been devastated by the great war and was practically a blank slate. If they could put this system to use, it would greatly improve their governing efficiency and allow Spirit Hall to develop rapidly.
Murong Huai continued:
"Oh, and I noticed plenty of other problems in the reports I just read, but I can't list them all one by one. We'll have to put things into practice to discover the truth.
"Teacher, Senior Brother, people in your positions are high above the world of ordinary affairs. Your perspective may be broad, but how much can you really know about the most basic aspects of people's livelihoods? How much of what local officials report is actually true? You can't know for sure.
"So you still need to see things for yourselves. Go down to the grassroots and observe the situation as it really is. Only then can you understand what the people of the continent truly need."
"Oh, go down to the grassroots and see things as they really are..." Qian Daoliu turned the words over in his mind, feeling as if a sudden revelation had struck him.
"Huai'er is right. I really did overlook this. Spirit Hall needs someone to show us what the people across the continent are truly like... Only then can we make the right decisions. But who should we send?"
Qian Daoliu considered who would be most suitable. He turned to look around, then finally fixed his gaze on Qian Xunji.
"Me? You mean me?" Qian Xunji pointed at himself.
(・o・)!
Before you continue