Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5223 Chief Secretary to the Chancellor
Linghu Xiuji was still trying to grasp the true intention behind His Majesty's permission for the sons of the Changsun family to serve in government, while Du Zhengyi frowned deeply: "Although the policy of enfeoffing princes has been decided, it is still undecided which prince will be enfeoffed in which country. How can we decide on the country and official position for the sons of the Changsun family in advance? We can only confirm that they will be included in the list of those to be granted official positions after passing the examination."

Linghu Xiuji then said, "Others may not know for now, but it is basically decided that the King of Wei will be enfeoffed in Wa (Japan). Why not assign the official positions of the Changsun family members to Wa and place them under the King of Wei's rule?"

Du Zhengyi glanced at Linghu Xiuji but remained silent.

The fact that the Changsun family was able to break free from suppression and confinement, and that their members were reinstated and appointed to official positions, has profound and difficult-to-understand implications. How could His Majesty have so readily arranged everything simply by issuing a verbal edict to the Ministry of Personnel?

Your Majesty's intentions are difficult to discern. If you mistakenly believe that the Ministry of Personnel harbors deep pity or even sympathy for the Changsun family, that would be extremely inappropriate.

The decree must be obeyed, but the difference between doing it quickly and slowly is enormous.

After all, while it may seem like the Changsun family has been forgiven, whether it was genuine forgiveness or forced forgiveness is entirely different. The Ministry of Personnel's response should be slow rather than fast.

Li Xiaogong, with drooping eyelids, asked, "How many people were selected for the recent selection of officials for the fiefdoms?"

Du Zhengyi said, "There are none. Everyone is listed as a candidate according to the selection criteria. Their performance is scored and ranked from highest to lowest on the list. The final decision rests with Your Highness."

In this selection of officials for the newly established fiefdom, various factions flocked to the process. The Ministry of Personnel, adhering to the principles of "fairness, impartiality, and transparency," devised several criteria for evaluating all candidates, prioritizing those with higher scores. However, the final selection had to be made by Li Xiaogong, and even the Vice Minister of Personnel had no authority to overstep his bounds.

There will certainly be a few positions for the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, but those positions will be allocated after the Minister of Personnel has selected the candidates and confirmed their official positions.

This is the rule of officialdom. Although Li Xiaogong holds great power, he will not swallow all the quotas at once. He will always leave some for other officials in the Ministry of Personnel. Even the Prince of Hejian and the Minister of Personnel cannot pocket all the benefits and favors.

Eating in such an unseemly manner is unacceptable...

Li Xiaogong also glanced at Linghu Xiuji and said, "Leave this matter to Vice Minister Linghu. The Changsun family will send someone to find you later."

Linghu Xiuji felt like he might have said something wrong...

Du Zhengyi patted Linghu Xiuji on the shoulder with delight: "The Prince is getting old and his energy is waning. I have long since given up on my career. From now on, you will have to take on the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel. Do a good job. I have high hopes for you."

After speaking, he nodded to Li Xiaogong, then turned and quickly walked out of the duty room to attend to official business.

The task assigned by His Majesty is not easy to do; it's neither too difficult nor too easy. Since Linghu Xiuji has opinions and ideas, let him do it.

I do not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes.

Linghu Xiuji looked nervously at Li Xiaogong and pleaded, "Your Highness..."

Li Xiaogong didn't say much, just waved his hand and said, "Do as you say, go down."

“…Here you go.”

Back in his duty room, Linghu Xiuji slapped his forehead, filled with regret.

Why are you so foul-mouthed?
Outside the door, a clerk came in and announced, "Minister Linghu, a member of the Changsun family requests an audience."

Linghu Xiuji let out a breath. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to take a hard line: "Let him in!"

"Here."

A moment later, the young, handsome, and elegant Changsun Run strode in from outside the door. Upon entering the duty room, he bowed deeply to the ground and said, "Changsun Run greets Minister Linghu."

Linghu Xiuji was momentarily dazed. This appearance and demeanor were so similar to his old friend Changsun Chong standing before him...

No wonder it wasn't the current head of the family, Changsun Yan.

Although he reluctantly accepted this hot potato, Linghu Xiuji's frustration quickly dissipated, and a smile appeared on his face. He raised his hand and said, "I am an old friend of Changsun Dalang. You can call me brother in private. There is no need for such formality. Sit down and have a cup of tea."

"Here!"

Changsun Run, who was initially nervous and fearing that she would be made difficult, breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.

Just as Changsun Yan had said, the connections that the Changsun family had built up over generations had not disappeared. They had simply hidden away to avoid trouble during times of hardship. Now that the restrictions have been lifted and the suppression has ceased, those connections will soon return.

After all, if we're talking about family heritage, how many families in the imperial court can compare to the Changsun family?
While the "Five Surnames and Seven Clans" have a long history, very few of them actually hold power in the court today...

After Changsun Run took his seat, Linghu Xiu had already instructed a clerk to serve tea before asking, "Has the family decided that you will be the one to take up an official post this time?"

What he really wanted to know was how the Changsun family had managed to change His Majesty's mind and forgive past transgressions.

However, it's likely that Changsun Run wouldn't reveal such a secret; we can only wait for further news to emerge...

Changsun Run respectfully replied, "That's exactly right."

Linghu Xiuji was delighted: "When the Duke of Zhao was alive, I heard him highly praise my twelfth son. Now it seems that he is indeed a gentle and refined gentleman with extraordinary talent."

"I am terrified."

"This is a rare opportunity for the Changsun family. Twelfth Brother should be ambitious and have high aspirations. He must not underestimate himself..." After a pause, Linghu Xiuji ordered the clerk to go to the Ministry of Personnel to retrieve the list of candidates for this year's conferment of fiefdoms and official appointments.

The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the selection of officials, conferment of honors, and performance evaluation, and it oversaw four departments: the Ministry of Personnel, the Department of Conferment, the Department of Merit, and the Department of Performance Evaluation.

Officials of the third rank and above were personally selected and appointed by the emperor. Those of the fifth rank and above were nominated by the prime minister and submitted to the emperor for approval. The Ministry of Personnel then appointed them to their posts. Those of the sixth rank and below were "annotated" by the Ministry of Personnel based on their physical appearance, qualifications, abilities, merits, virtues, speech, and writing skills. The appointment was then submitted to the Secretariat for review and approval before being granted a post.

The current practice of granting official titles and granting fiefdoms follows the "approval" procedure.

However, since this granting of aid to a fiefdom differed from the normal selection and appointment of officials, and given the high status and prestige of Li Xiaogong, the Minister of Personnel, once the Ministry of Personnel selected the candidates and submitted their applications for approval, it was virtually impossible for the Chancellor to reject them...

Linghu Xiuji pointed to the thick list that had been delivered and said, "See this? This time, the conferment of fiefdoms and the granting of official titles has stirred up the entire court. Everyone is trying to squeeze in. If it weren't for His Majesty's decree, your family would have had no chance of participating."

Changsun Run repeatedly said, "We are deeply grateful for His Majesty's leniency. Our whole family is moved to tears. We also ask Brother Linghu to take good care of us. The Changsun family will never forget this kindness."

Linghu Xiuji nodded with delight: "Our two families are of the same lineage from Guanzhong, so we should help and support each other. I will definitely find you a good official position."

Although he had been tricked by Li Xiaogong and Du Zhengyi, and was in a hot potato where he was likely to make mistakes, he still had to do the Changsun family a great favor now that things had come to this.

"To be honest, the borders and rulers of the various fiefdoms are currently undetermined. Only the rosters of selected officials are recorded, and everything remains uncertain... However, since our relationship is different, I will inform you privately that His Highness the Prince of Wei's trip to Japan has been decided. If you wish to go to Japan, I can add your name to the roster and directly 'annotate' it, and your official position will be determined as..."

Linghu Xiuji considered for a moment and said, "...How about appointing him as Chief Secretary?"

The Council of State Affairs has now established a system of official positions for fiefdoms. Apart from the ruler, the emperor will appoint a "Prime Minister" to oversee the military and political affairs of the fiefdom. The Prime Minister's deputy is the "Assistant Minister," who assists in handling government affairs. There is also an acting official called the "Chief Secretary," who is in charge of documents and administrative affairs.

The power and status of the "Chief Secretary" were no less than the top ten within the fiefdom.

For Changsun Run's age and background, she was already considered "high-class"...

Changsun Run was not ignorant; he knew the importance of such an official position and how hard it was to obtain. He quickly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your care, brother. The entire Changsun family will never forget such kindness!"

He knew he was insignificant and that people didn't care whether he was grateful or not, so he constantly mentioned the Changsun family. He believed that the Changsun family would receive the favor and repay it in the future, not him, Changsun Run.

"Ruzi can be taught!"

Linghu Xiuji and Changsun Run were of the same generation, but there was a huge age difference between them. Linghu Xiuji also held a higher official position, so he naturally had a superior air about him and treated Changsun Run like a son or nephew.

Although His Majesty's true intentions are unknown, showing favor to the Changsun family now will not only win their favor, but also garner goodwill from the currently declining and weakened Guanlong aristocratic families, thus gaining him a wave of prestige.

Since His Majesty has allowed members of the Changsun family to serve in government, who knows if he will completely forgive the Guanlong aristocratic families tomorrow?

Even a centipede with a hundred legs does not die easily. The powerful Guanlong clans, which held sway over the court and wielded immense influence in the west, remained deeply entrenched behemoths despite their declining strength. If they were to rise again, their power would be astonishing.

Gaining the approval of the Guanlong aristocratic families and subsequently receiving more support would be extremely beneficial to one's career...

He then turned to the reserved page in the book, personally wrote down Changsun Runzhi's name, place of origin, background, and other information on it, and then put down the brush, blew away the ink, and closed the book.

He smiled and said to Changsun Run, "The matter has been settled. Twelfth Brother, you should return to your residence and wait for news. Once the Council of State Affairs has confirmed all matters concerning the fiefdom, the roster will be sent to the Secretariat for approval. Then, Twelfth Brother can set off for the fiefdom of the King of Wei. There will be no surprises."

Changsun Run stood up, his face full of emotion, and bowed, saying, "I have always known that you are kind and righteous, and today I am deeply grateful for your kindness and feel unworthy of it. This timely help is more precious than gold and jade. The Changsun family will remember it forever and will surely repay you handsomely."

Linghu Xiuji was extremely satisfied and said with a smile, "Our two families have a deep connection, why should we distinguish between each other? Twelfth Brother, you should go back and wait for news."

He added, "Although this matter has been confirmed, there is still a chance of unexpected twists and turns. You should keep a low profile when you get back."

"Here."

After Changsun Run expressed his gratitude and took his leave, Linghu Xiuji took the register and went to Li Xiaogong's office to report the matter in detail.

"The chief secretary under the prime minister?"

Li Xiaogong frowned slightly, feeling that the official position was too high and that Changsun Run might not be up to the task, but he quickly relaxed his brows and nodded: "Since it has been entrusted to you, you will naturally be in charge, so there is no need to ask for my opinion."

After saying this, he pushed the teacup aside, stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked out of the duty room, got into the carriage outside, and went home...