Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5234: Suspicious
"Selection" is a necessary procedure for the promotion and appointment of officials, with a complete set of strict rules to prevent private favoritism. However, the procedure is controlled by the Ministry of Personnel, and how to conduct the "selection" and the length of the selection process are decided by the Ministry of Personnel itself.

As long as the officials selected are free from corruption, the selection process and time can be minimized to the greatest extent possible.

Fang Jun arrived early in the morning, and by the time Guo Xiaoshen arrived, under the supervision of Du Zhengyi, the de facto "uncrowned king" of the Ministry of Personnel, the "selection" process was completed swiftly, and officials were immediately appointed...

Guo Xiaoshen was overjoyed, but he managed to maintain his composure because Linghu Xiuji, standing to the side, looked quite displeased, seemingly disagreeing with Du Zhengyi's decision.

The Linghu family and Fang Jun have a deep-seated grudge. Du Zhengyi gives Fang Jun face, but Linghu Xiuji may not. Could it be that he wants to overturn Du Zhengyi's decision?
The Minister of Personnel was recuperating at home when the Right Vice Minister challenged the authority of the Left Vice Minister…

Guo Xiaoshen felt a chill run down his spine. Could he be getting caught up in the power struggle within the Ministry of Personnel?

Du Zhengyi looked at Linghu Xiuji with an stern expression and asked in a cold voice, "Does the Right Vice Minister have any objections?"

Linghu Xiuji met his gaze for a moment, finally giving in. His face was filled with barely concealed resentment and anger. He took a deep breath and slowly said, "Vice Minister Du is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel's affairs, and his decisions are equivalent to those of the Minister of Personnel. How could I dare not respect him? However, the court has not yet reached a conclusion on Guo Xiaoke's matter. Whether he is praised or criticized, rewarded or punished, is still uncertain. Vice Minister Du's haste in making a judgment shows a lack of consideration and inevitably makes people think that he is acting arbitrarily and that there is a suspicion of collusion."

Du Zhengyi's gaze was piercing: "So, what does the Right Vice Minister intend to do?"

Linghu Xiuji remained silent, his anger growing even stronger.

It's one thing for you, Du Zhengyi, to control the Ministry of Personnel and act with absolute power, but why humiliate me like this in front of outsiders?

Just to do Fang Jun a favor?!

Although intimidated by Du Zhengyi's imposing manner, he still stubbornly said, "Minister Du is free to make any decision, but I will impeach him."

Du Zhengyi nodded: "As you see fit."

Linghu Xiuji could no longer sit still, so he got up and left in a huff.

From this moment on, the conflict between the left and right vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel intensified completely. Linghu Xiuji had no way to retreat and had to confront the situation head-on. If the impeachment succeeded, he would be promoted to the position of left vice minister and take charge of the ministry's affairs. Otherwise, he would lose face in the Ministry of Personnel and could not stay for another day...

Du Zhengyi ignored Linghu Xiuji, who had just walked out the door, took a sip of tea, and smiled at Guo Xiaoshen, saying, "Guo Xiaoke died in battle in the Western Regions. His merits and demerits, as well as his rewards and punishments, have been a subject of much debate. Many people want to punish him for 'losing the army and disgracing the country,' but a consensus has yet to be reached. This time, the Grand Commandant personally came to find me so that you could take up an official post. I cannot refuse, and I am also grateful for Guo Xiaoke's merit in sacrificing his life for the country. There is no need to pay attention to the gossip of others. Just be an honest official and do your job diligently. Do not tarnish Guo Xiaoke's reputation, and do not disappoint the Grand Commandant."

"Here..."

Guo Xiaoshen bowed and agreed, not knowing what to say.

Why go to such lengths to obtain an official position, and what kind of upheaval will this cause?
Moreover, although he and Fang Jun are brothers-in-law, they are not close at all, and he has always harbored resentment towards Fang Jun. This time, Fang Jun took a huge political risk just to get him an official position... How can this seem so unbelievable?

When did our relationship become so good?

……

When Guo Xiaoshen went to the Ministry of Personnel to collect his official seal, the physician and clerks greeted him with smiles and the process was completed smoothly. There was not a trace of the rumored "extortion and bribery," which made Guo Xiaoshen very uncomfortable.

"I'm really sorry to have troubled you all!"

"Hey, what are you saying, Young Master Guo? The Prince and the Grand Commandant are close friends despite their age difference. Young Master Guo is the Grand Commandant's brother-in-law. How could we not do our best when we are handling matters at the Ministry of Personnel? In the future, if you need anything, Young Master Guo, just come directly. We will do what we can as quickly as possible, and we will find a way to do what we can't!"

"...I am truly flattered!"

Guo Xiaoshen felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if he were floating on clouds.

When Guo Xiaoke died, he was still young and considered a playboy in Chang'an, never experiencing the power and prestige of his elder brother in officialdom. By the time he grew older, Guo Xiaoke had already died in battle in the Western Regions, and he had not suffered any ridicule, mockery, or the coldness of human relationships.

In people's minds, the Ministry of Personnel was the head of the Six Ministries, in charge of the selection and promotion of officials throughout the country. It was extremely powerful and looked down on the officialdom. It must have been high above and looked down on all living beings.

Who would have thought that the government office, which others considered an insurmountable barrier, would become as easy as walking on flat ground for him once he stepped into it.

The official from the Ministry of Personnel smiled warmly: "Young Master Guo is the brother-in-law of the Grand Commandant, there's no need for such humility."

……

Stepping out of the Ministry of Personnel and standing on the long street, Guo Xiaoshen looked up at the sky, his heart heavy with an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Back home, sitting in the main hall with the official document and seal before him, his mind wandered, lost in thought...

Upon hearing that her husband had returned home, Wu Xiuniang, who was in the back room, hurriedly led her maids to the main hall. Seeing Guo Xiaoshen lost in thought, her heart sank, and she quickly stepped forward and asked, "Why did you return so soon, my lord? Could it be that those officials from the Ministry of Personnel made things difficult for you? Logically speaking, that shouldn't be the case. My brother-in-law said he would personally handle the matter; how could the Ministry of Personnel not give him face..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the official document and seal on the coffee table.

He was immediately delighted and stepped forward to take it in his hand to examine it: "The Registrar of the Imperial Guard... this seems to be a seventh-rank official position, right? Hmm, very good."

Nowadays, the national policy is to select officials through the imperial examination, leaving fewer and fewer official positions for the privileged and hereditary nobility. For a scion of a noble family like Guo Xiaoshen, who has never served in office, it is already a rare and precious opportunity to obtain a seventh-rank official position when he does enter officialdom, which already surpasses the status of ninety percent of the sons of meritorious officials.

Guo Xiaoshen raised his head and looked at his wife's youthful, beautiful, and charming face. For some reason, a surge of lust rose within him.

"My lady, you may not know this, but this pursuit of an official position has even brought up the old case of my brother's death in battle. There are differing opinions and great disputes within the Ministry of Personnel. The fact that I was able to obtain such an official position is thanks to the Grand Commandant's risky efforts and the great favor he owed me."

Wu Xiuniang was so engrossed in the joy of her husband's upcoming official career that she did not notice the strange look on his face. She smiled and said, "We are family, why worry about gains and losses? We just need to appreciate my brother-in-law's kindness and repay him when we have the chance."

Guo Xiaoshen's expression was deep, his eyes burning: "Then how should we repay him?"

"How can I repay this..."

Wu Xiuniang was slightly taken aback and felt a little puzzled: "Since my brother-in-law has helped us, he has recognized our kinship. With his status and position, how could he expect us to repay him? We have nothing to repay him with, except to visit him often and send him a gift during festivals. That is enough."

In her view, Fang Jun's efforts were entirely due to his second sister's influence. Everyone knew that although Wu Meiniang was a concubine in the Fang family, she held a very high position because of Fang Jun's favor. She not only controlled Fang Jun's businesses, but even Fang Xuanling treated her differently.

If that's the case, the Guo family should simply maintain consistency with Fang Junzhi's political views and provide strong support from now on. Why is it necessary to explicitly repay him?

Guo Xiaoshen took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

He knew that his inexplicable thoughts were completely unfounded, and if he made a fuss about it, he would only be ridiculed for making trouble out of nothing and creating problems for himself.

Keep it in mind and observe carefully later. If it is indeed as you suspect, there will definitely be clues...

*****
The Censorate.

After finishing dealing with official documents, Liu Ji stood up to stretch his limbs. Instead of calling the clerk, he boiled a pot of water and brewed a pot of tea himself. He knelt on the mat by the window in the inner room of the duty room, poured himself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and looked out the window.

Last night, a heavy snow covered Chang'an. Although the snow in the courtyards has been cleared, the rooftops in the distance and the cypress trees nearby are covered with a layer of snow, which has not yet melted due to the cold weather.

The heavy snow weighed down the cypress branches, causing them to sway in the wind, and the snow fell in rustling sounds and was scattered by the north wind.

Sun Chuyue knocked on the door and entered. He approached Liu Ji, bent down, and handed him a file, saying softly, "News just came from the Ministry of Personnel: the Grand Commandant went to the Ministry this morning to seek an official position for Guo Xiaoshen and had a long talk with Du Zhengyi, the Left Vice Minister of Personnel..."

Liu Ji reached out and took the file, then gestured to Sun Chuyue: "Sit down and rest, have a cup of tea."

"Here."

Sun Chuyue sat opposite him, holding a teapot and pouring tea.

Liu Ji unfolded the file and read it carefully...

His brow furrowed, slightly surprised: "The Guo Xiaoke case?"

"Indeed. Back then, Guo Xiaoke died in battle at Kucha, and his entire army was almost wiped out. At first, many in the court wanted to punish him for 'losing the army and disgracing the country,' but others believed that since he died in battle and did not surrender, he should not only not be punished, but should be commended. The two opinions were deadlocked... Emperor Taizong asked the Duke of Ying, who advised that the eastern expedition should be the priority and that the matter of how to deal with Guo Xiaoke should be discussed later. However, due to several changes in the court, the matter was shelved and no one paid attention to it. Guo's family members were afraid that Guo Xiaoke's punishment would implicate the clan, so they did not urge him and pretended that nothing had happened."

"Guo Xiaoke... is a man of the Duke of Ying."

Liu Ji put down the file, seemingly lost in thought.

Sun Chuyue asked in bewilderment: "So what? Even if Guo Xiaoke's merits and demerits are still undetermined, the Ministry of Personnel's unauthorized granting of an official position to Guo Xiaoshen at the request of the Grand Commandant is a dereliction of duty or even malfeasance. This is within the jurisdiction of the Censorate. If it is not impeached, how can the Censorate justify itself?"

Liu Ji looked at Sun Chuyue and said, "When the Grand Commandant and Duke Ying join forces to protect someone, do you think anyone in this world can touch that person?"

He only said half of what he said; the other half was: Not even His Majesty!

Sun Chuyue disagreed: "It's one thing to make a fuss over every little thing, but it's another. The Censorate is responsible for supervising all officials and upholding discipline. It cannot ignore the perversion of justice. If it compromises out of fear of authority, then there is no need for the Censorate to exist."

Liu Ji nodded: "Then I'll leave this matter to you."

Sun Chuyue replied without fear: "Your humble servant obeys."