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Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 80 (Part 2)

The new emperor did not dismiss everyone, but instead instructed them to undergo assessments individually, and the content was all related to their positions. Those who pass the assessment can return to work after writing a letter of apology, while those who fail will be immediately dismissed and investigated thoroughly.

The original intention of the new emperor not to dismiss everyone was good, but how can those who donated silver to buy official positions have any ability? Most of them come from wealthy families. After getting the position, they hire several staff members to help them, and from this, they just make back the money they have previously spent to buy the official positions.  

What’s more, when it was time to hand in the paper, some couldn’t even write their name, making a big joke.

By the end of the investigation, nine out of ten people were dismissed, and Zhao Youcai was naturally among them. Not only that, the new emperor also announced that starting from next year, officials from various departments will undergo regular assessments, which wouldn’t be based on Four Books and Five Classics, but on government affairs. 

The Ministry of Works will conduct tests on fortifications, the Ministry of Rites will conduct tests on etiquette, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will conduct tests on official governance, the Ministry of War will conduct tests on military law, and so on. 

Anyone who fails will be immediately demoted, and those who fail three times will be immediately dismissed without any hesitation. The content of future imperial examinations will also be appropriately changed.

If it weren’t for the fact that suddenly changing the exam questions would have been unfair to the recent generations of scholars who have been studying the eight-legged composition for many years, the new emperor really planned to implement it immediately.

The officials of the Dayong Kingdom can only go up, not down, and there is also the risk of being dismissed every year. How can those officials tolerate this? Soon, a group of ministers united to protest, but they were rejected by the new emperor. 

In anger, they handed over a note of leave, refusing to go on duty. They wanted to see how the new emperor could manage the country by himself alone.

The new emperor immediately issued an imperial edict, ordering various petty officials in various ministries to take over the government affairs. In a department, those who are really proficient in business are actually these subordinate officials, who are equivalent to the officials at the top and are responsible for handling affairs. The so-called “if you talk at the top, you will break your legs at the bottom” is exactly like this (superiors only pay lip service and the subordinates do all the work).

However, petty officials are of low status, and the law states that they are not allowed to take part in the imperial examinations or serve in official positions, but their positions can be inherited by their family members. This is equivalent to cutting off their path to promotion, making many capable people quite angry.

But now it’s better. While the emperor vigorously rectified the administration of officials, he also improved the status of petty officials. If they come out on top in the assessment, they can even get rid of their humble status and embark on an official career. How can they not be happy and feel encouraged about this? They will also work even harder.  

When the ministers who were eating dry meals realized that something was wrong and cancelled their leave to go back to work, they found that the rights of those petty officials had long been elevated, while their own position had become a complete decoration. They regretted it so much that they immediately hired a gentleman to teach them about government affairs, so as not to get replaced in the next year’s assessment.

The new emperor’s thunderous tactics not only didn’t cause turmoil in the court, but also caused the six ministries to quickly move into action. Almost all government affairs could be properly resolved within the same day, and only those with major responsibilities would be reported to the Jinluan Hall. 

Using the other’s spear to attack the other’s shield, the new emperor cleverly exploited the power-struggle relationship between officials and their subordinates to make both of them work for himself, using them even more smoothly and efficiently.

You Shu had always known that the chaos in the Dayong Kingdom would not be difficult for his master to resolve. After rectifying the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the next one he would take action against would probably be the Ministry of Household Affairs. If You Shu could be transferred there, the chances of meeting his master would greatly increase.  

Just when he was looking forward to it, the transfer order came down. He joined the Ministry of Justice and became a court judge. He was in charge of punishment, exile, and other matters such as the abolition, establishment, increase, decrease, and dismissal of officials.

Although it was somewhat unsatisfactory, his wish to stay in the capital was finally realized. You Shu put on a brand new official robe and hurried to the Ministry of Justice to report. At that moment, Ou Tai had already entered the palace with several officials, and happened to pass by him.

Upon inquiry, You Shu found out: The emperor is preparing to reorganise the Ministry of Household Affairs and wants to transfer several people from all the Ministries to establish a separate inspection department to investigate the situation of national treasury deficits and recover debts of silver. These people are the capable officials selected by Ou Tai.

Due to the former emperor’s tendency to always intercept silver from the treasury for his own squandering, the officials below also followed suit, borrowing arbitrarily from the Ministry of Household Affairs and never returning it. The officials guarding the treasury actually stole from the treasury themselves, filling their own pockets, to the point where the virtuous state of Dayong was hollowed out into an empty shell. 

Last time, if it weren’t for the new emperor opening his own private treasury for disaster relief, more people would have died in vain, and this great country might not have been preserved.

The Ministry of Household Affairs has changed from the emperor’s money basket to a money leakage. If it is not rectified, how can we improve people’s livelihood, raise soldiers and build capitals? The economy, like official governance, is the foundation of the country and cannot be ignored. 

This time, the emperor’s determination to rectify the Ministry of Household Affairs was very firm. Even if several old ministers bumped against pillars in the Jinluan Hall to protest, they only received a sneer from him.  

According to the new emperor’s words: If a few people need to be sacrificed in exchange for a full national treasury and a strong country, why not do it? Anyone who wants to die can just go ahead and do it. He has prepared a coffin, and everyone in the hall would have a coffin, and everyone is indispensable.

The new emperor is so tough and occupies the national law, so the ministers seem to have no other choice but to compromise. After all, how can they just say that they don’t want to repay the silver they owe? On the other hand, the newly appointed officials of the court had a short time in office and owed very little, which was nothing.

However, after years of accumulation, those aristocratic families all owe hundreds of millions of taels to the Ministry of Household Affairs. Once they take it out, it will break their muscles and bones, or even ruin their families, so they will naturally resist to the end. And all these people hold most of the power, and they can be said to be intricately connected and flourishing with each other. If trouble comes calling over their heads, the emperor has nothing to fear, but those who work under them will suffer miserably.

Undoubtedly, this is a difficult job. Even the most ambitious petty officials in the Ministry of Justice were tempted to quit, but they were still caught by Ou Tai and forcibly taken into the palace.

“Lord Zhao came a step too late and was able to avoid getting into such a mess. It’s really good luck.” A colleague sighed sincerely, and the others also nodded in agreement.

You Shu, however, looked as if he had been struck by lightning, and repeatedly asked, “You mean, the emperor personally established and commanded this inspection department, and officials from this department would run errands in the palace?”

If he joined the inspection department, wouldn’t he be able to see his master every day? When he realised this, You Shu pounded his chest and felt regretful, thinking he shouldn’t have been greedy before. On his way here, he bought a freshly made meat bun, which delayed him for a quarter of an hour. If he came a step earlier, he would be able to catch this wonderful trip!

He asked anxiously, “If I want to go too, what should I do?”

All his colleagues looked at him with strange eyes. Once you take on this job, it’s equivalent to offending nine out of ten powerful figures in the capital. Those people have great hands and eyes, and they will do anything to stop the investigation. 

Planting and framing are still trivial matters, but in worse cases, it can even lead to assassination. The officials who were invited to the palace were all mournful and distressed by grief. But why does Lord Zhao want to throw himself into the trap instead?

Sure enough, he is a short-sighted person. Do you think that by catering to the emperor, you can rise to the top? Why don’t you first look if your neck is hard enough? 

Everyone was quite disdainful, but out of the mentality of adding insult to injury, they all gave him advice, “If you chase after him now, you can probably catch up with Mr. Ou’s carriage. If you can’t catch him, tell the guards at the gate your intention, and they will relay the news for you.”

In the Qianqing Palace, several ministers each led four capable officials to come to see the emperor.

Emperor Xuanguang put down the memorial and looked up. He first looked towards Ou Tai, but did not see You Shu’s figure, and his eyes couldn’t help but dim slightly. Then he looked at the other people brought by several ministers. 

What he needs now are officials with outstanding abilities, and those who are fearless of the powerful and have courage to take action, but these people obviously do not meet the requirements. Some of them had cold sweat on their foreheads, some looked in a hurry, and some looked frightened, which showed that they are not willing to accept this job.

However, Emperor Xuanguang can also understand their mood. A thorough investigation of the Ministry of Household Affairs can be said to be a major violation of the rule of law here, and they will face pressure from the entire court. He can disregard life and death because he knows that in this world, no one can kill himself, but how can others have this confidence? After all, people are still afraid of trouble, and more importantly, death.

Emperor Xuanguang put down the memorial and sighed. All the ministers lowered their heads and dared not speak up. It can be imagined that in the near future, the capital will inevitably experience another bloody storm, and it would be best not to be implicated.

Just at this moment, a guard hurriedly walked in and whispered something in Emperor Xuanguang’s ear.

“What did you say?” His tone rose a bit, slightly surprised.

The guard repeated, and finally waited quietly for the emperor’s order.

Emperor Xuanguang shook his head in disbelief and repeatedly tapped his fingers on the imperial case, as if contemplating. His eyes, which were already dark and unpredictable, became brighter and hotter. With You Shu’s extremely intelligent brain, how could he not see the danger in it? However, he came rushing here wanting to help, indicating that his previous statement of pursuing himself was not a joke.

Undoubtedly, You Shu stepped into this dragon pool and tiger’s den for his sake, and that fool also disregarded life and death for his own sake. This little thing is really stubborn and has put in a lot of effort! Emperor Xuanguang secretly slandered You Shu in his heart, but a strong sense of joy flowed from his eyes.

He ordered the guard to bring the people in, and finally looked at Ou Tai, “There is a foolish and bold person under your command who actually came to the palace to ask if he can join the inspection department. Can you guess who it is?”

After pondering for a moment, Ou Tai hesitated and said, “Could it be Magistrate Zhao Youshu?” Looking at Dayong, the person who is least afraid of death is probably this Lord Zhao. Who let him have the support of the King of Hell?

Emperor Xuanguang nodded and sighed, “That’s right! If all my mediocre officials are as concerned about the country and the people as Lord Zhao, and devote themselves wholeheartedly, why worry about the decline of our country and the end of the prosperous era?”

Someone came to take the initiative to die. There was no reason why the ministers wouldn’t welcome him, and they all spoke in agreement. 

As they talked, You Shu quickly entered the main hall. He first looked at his master eagerly, then half-knelt down and saluted, thinking: No matter what, I must take over this job, after all, the tower near the water gets the moon first.

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