Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5039 Private Giving and Receiving
Liu Xiangdao felt the gazes of the officials, frowned, and asked, "Does the official letter from the Ministry of Works explain why Zhang Zizhou was given an official position?"

Shangguan Yi said: "There is indeed an explanation that Zhang Zizhou's father served as a deputy driver in Shaozhou. During his tenure, he felt deeply that the people of Shaozhou had a hard time. Because Dayu Mountain stretched from east to west and separated the north and south, Shaozhou was cut off from traffic, like a pool of stagnant water. It was difficult to replenish what was lacking and sell what was produced, and the people lived in hardship. Therefore, after several years of surveying the terrain and investigating the people's sentiments, he decided to dig through Dayu Mountain and connect the north and the south. However, the project was so huge that it was not something that Shaozhou could undertake locally, so when Zhang Zizhou went to Beijing for the exam, he handed over the construction drawings he drew by hand to Duke Yue. Duke Yue was grateful for the sincerity of Zhang's father and son, and was concerned about the hardship of the people of Shaozhou, so he went to the Ministry of Works to talk with Minister Yan. Minister Yan saw the drawings and checked the maps. He thought it was feasible, and Zhang Zizhou was good at construction and was a rare talent, so he wrote to the Ministry of Personnel to assign Zhang Zizhou to the Ministry of Works..."

He took the trouble to explain the whole process, from beginning to end. Otherwise, the Ministry of Personnel could not be kept out of the matter.

Liu Xiangdao was in a dilemma. Not only did this matter involve Yan Liben, but Fang Jun was also behind it. It seemed that there was indeed a suspicion of private transactions. However, after careful consideration, he felt that this might not be the case. Perhaps the Ministry of Works really had its eyes on Zhang Zizhou's talent?
Although he was upright, he was not stubborn. What if Yan Liben really just loved talented people and he impeached Fang Jun for private transactions? That would completely offend Fang Jun.

He is not afraid of offending people, and ordinary people can't do anything to him, but who is Fang Jun?
If that guy gets angry, he might even go to the Imperial Censorate...

Just as he was hesitating, someone in the hall suddenly said, "Is Zhang Zizhou from the Zhang family of Fanyang? Oh, if I remember correctly, the Zhang family of Fanyang and the Lu family of Fanyang are old relatives. The mother of Duke Yue and the wife of Prime Minister Fang are from the Lu family of Fanyang..."

Liu Xiangdao sighed in his heart, there are so many bad people...

He said solemnly, "Please ask Minister Shangguan to put this matter aside for the time being. I will investigate it in detail after I return to the Censorate and rule out any private transactions before making a judgment."

If there hadn't been this sentence "Zhang and Lu are old relatives", he might have been able to pretend to be confused, but after this sentence came out, he had to give an explanation, otherwise wouldn't he, the Imperial Censor, be just a figurehead?

Shangguan Yi had no objection and immediately picked up his pen to make a mark under Zhang Zizhou's name.

Li Xiaogong, who had been looking gloomy, disagreed and reminded him, "Isn't the Imperial Censor too harsh? This time, the selection of officials is strictly prohibited from private transactions and behind-the-scenes operations, but Zhang Zizhou's selection is an official letter from the Ministry of Works, and Yan Liben has already explained the situation. It is the Ministry of Works that selected Zhang Zizhou, which is within the formal scope. It is okay to investigate Zhang Zizhou. This is within the scope of the Imperial Censorate's authority. This prince has no comment, but Zhang Zizhou's selection cannot be shelved."

It is not allowed to transfer officials privately when selecting them, but it does not say that a certain government office cannot send a letter to request a person, and the reason is clearly given.

If the Censorate puts the selection of officials on hold for anyone it suspects, how can the Ministry of Personnel continue to function?

Du Zhengyi also said: "The Censorate has its own responsibility to enforce discipline, but the Ministry of Personnel also has its own procedures. If everything is done in accordance with the Censorate, where will the authority of the Ministry of Personnel be? Since there is no clear evidence that Zhang Zizhou's selection of officials violated discipline, the Ministry of Personnel will continue to follow the procedures. If the Censor suspects that there are any violations, he can investigate on his own."

The document from the Ministry of Works clearly stated that this was the behavior of the Ministry of Works and had nothing to do with any individual. How could we allow the Censorate to interfere?
Liu Xiangdao actually wished for this, but his face showed both embarrassment and annoyance: "Since the Ministry of Personnel insists on doing this, I will review it after returning to the Censorate."

After this matter was exposed, the selection of officials continued.

Most of the newly-appointed Jinshi had no experience in official career, so they could not be appointed as chief officials, no matter how high or low the official position was. Moreover, official positions such as Zhongshu Sheren and Gongbu Zhushi were special cases, and the other Jinshi were selected as county magistrates in Jingzhao, Taiyuan, and Henan counties, or Xiguan, Neipu, and Neifu Bureau Ling. Even those who ranked higher were only Supervisory Censors, Military Equipment Supervisors, Wuku Shucheng, Liangjingshi Shucheng, etc. This not only gave people the opportunity to exercise, but also would not affect the operation of various government offices.

By the evening, all the new scholars had completed their selection.

The officials dispersed one after another, and finally only Li Xiaogong, Liu Xiangdao and two assistant ministers were left.

Li Xiaogong stood up and stretched, then sighed to the left and right assistant ministers, "I followed Emperor Taizong in the battles in the past, and I was wounded and bled several times. I could still hold on when I was young, but now that I am getting older, my old injuries have recurred. My body is really suffering, and I have little energy. You have to pay more attention to the affairs of the yamen, and do it with confidence. If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility."

Du Zhengyi and Shangguan Yi responded in unison: "The prince has made great contributions and should cultivate himself. I will do my best to live up to the prince's trust."

Who can not love a boss who is willing to delegate power and take responsibility?

Li Xiaogong nodded and advised Liu Xiang, "Based on my understanding of Fang Er, Zhang Zizhou's matter has nothing to do with him. The Imperial Censor only needs to send a letter to the Ministry of Works to inquire about the matter and have Yan Liben reply. It is best not to involve Fang Er in a big way."

Liu Xiangdao couldn't tell whether Li Xiaogong was really kind or trying to excuse Fang Jun. After all, the two had always been in the same boat and had common interests. He frowned and said, "I am not targeting anyone. I am just following the emperor's will. There is nothing wrong with that. Besides, Fang Jun is now the Grand Marshal, the best man in the dynasty. Can he still act recklessly and disregard the rules of the officialdom as he did before?"

In the past, he did have reservations about involving Fang Jun. That guy was a stick, he couldn't be provoked, he would scold and beat the ministers at will, and he wouldn't take him, the Imperial Censor, seriously. But now Fang Jun is still the Grand Commandant, a high-ranking official, how could he still be so careless and wanton as before?
When one reaches a certain official rank, one always has to take certain official rules into consideration.

Li Xiaogong looked at him in surprise and asked, "Is this the first day you met Fang Er? How could that fellow care about the so-called official rules you mentioned? If he is unreasonable, he will shirk responsibility and confuse others. If he is reasonable, even the Imperial Censor will dare to break his legs. Do you believe it? I just said something extra and don't want to cause trouble. The Imperial Censor can do what he wants. However, I have been sitting all day today. My waist and knees are sore and I am exhausted. I am anxious to go back to the mansion to rest, so I will not treat the Imperial Censor to dinner."

After saying that, he ignored her, turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked away slowly.

When Li Xiaogong disappeared in the shadow of the ginkgo tree in the courtyard, Shangguan Yi smiled awkwardly and said, "Is your subordinate going to arrange a banquet to entertain the Imperial Censor?"

When two government offices work together, the landlord has to arrange meals, otherwise he will offend others. Li Xiaogong is of aloof status and does not care about these official rules, but Shangguan Yi, as a subordinate, always has to be polite.

Liu Xiangdao naturally knew that this was a polite remark, so he smiled and bowed, saying, "Everyone has worked hard all day, so go home and rest quickly. When I have some free time another day, I will treat the two assistant ministers to a few drinks."

Du Zhengyi returned the greeting: "You're welcome."

Shangguan Yi: "I dare not."

The three of them saluted each other, and Liu Xiangdao turned and left.

Du Zhengyi stroked his beard and squinted his eyes: "Do you think the Imperial Censor will make a big fuss about Zhang Zizhou?"

Shangguan Yi thought for a moment and said, "Although there is suspicion of private transfer in this matter, there is a lack of evidence. The Censorate can't hold on to it, right?"

Du Zhengyi said with a smile: "For some people, their background determines their stance, and their stance determines their style. When they act, their primary consideration may not be their own advantages and disadvantages, let alone the right and wrong of the rules. Therefore, there are often some incredible things in history books. When we look at those things from the perspective of later generations, we just think they are absurd and stupid. Little do we know that behind the few short lines in the history books, there may be unknown reasons... When people are in the court, their stance is more important than their ability. Remember, remember."

……

Shangguan Yi returned to his mansion, bathed and changed his clothes with the help of a maid. After having dinner with his wife, he drank tea in the study, pondering Du Zhengyi's previous words and gaining some understanding.

Soon, the eldest son Shangguan Tingzhi and the second son Shangguan Tingzhang came back from outside and entered the study to greet.

Shangguan Yi was handsome and elegant, and his two sons were also handsome and good-looking.

After Shangguan Tingzhi greeted him, he hurriedly asked, "Father, what is the result of today's selection of officials? I wonder which government office I will be assigned to?"

He also took part in the imperial examination this time, passed and became a Jinshi, and is currently being selected as an official.

However, this time, the selection of officials has attracted much attention from the court and the public because of the importance attached by His Majesty. Even though my father is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he dare not operate in private and even has to avoid suspicion...

Shangguan Yi glanced at his son and said, "Mayor of Xishi."

"what?"

Shangguan Tingzhi exclaimed in disbelief: "Although my son never claims to be a child of aristocratic family, he is well-read and has a clean family background. Even if he doesn't join the six ministries and nine temples, he should go to the prefectures and counties to serve. How can he mix with merchants?"

Shangguan Tingzhang also said: "Even if you are the mayor, you can go to the East Market, how can you be in the West Market?"

The shops in the East Market were mostly owned by the nobles, and the goods were expensive. The traders were mostly nobles, generals and ministers, so the shops were relatively clean and simple. The West Market was mostly run by barbarians, who gathered goods from all over the world. Every day, there were herds of cattle and sheep, and pack horses. The shops were chaotic, dirty and low-class.

Shangguan Yi frowned, "This is the decision of the Ministry of Personnel. As the Right Vice Minister, your father must avoid suspicion. You should be appointed to the position decided by the Ministry. How can you be picky? Besides, the position of Mayor of West Market may seem lowly, but it actually has a bright future. You should study economics diligently, which will be beneficial to your future."

With the prosperity of maritime trade and the smoothness of the Silk Road, goods from all over the world were traded in and out of the Tang Dynasty, and the economy was extremely prosperous. The previous system of "scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans" had become somewhat outdated. People of insight knew that the most important thing for an official to do was to focus on the economy. If they did a good job in trade and were familiar with the economy, they would have a better chance of becoming a governor of a certain area.