My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 105 That’s all my power!

"Six years ago, the then Minister of Rites petitioned the court, saying that the new emperor's accession to the throne must be accompanied by a prosperous atmosphere, and that the Taichang Temple was short of musicians, so he petitioned to take back the authority of the Jiaofang from the Jiaohua Department in order to select and train musicians..."

In the back hall, Lord Xu told Li Bailong the story of the past with a sad face.

"At that time, the government and the country were in turmoil, and the situation had just stabilized. The then head of the Education Department had long been executed by the previous emperor, and the position of the head had long been vacant. The Education Department was leaderless, and all the civil and military officials in the court were busy with government affairs. No one had the time to take care of the Education Department, which was a declining and unpopular government office. Therefore, the power to manage the Jiaofang was easily taken away by the Ministry of Rites..."

"The jurisdiction of Jiaofang can be large or small. Small ones are just the training and instruction of dancers and singing girls in the music palace, and big ones are the performance personnel, music registration management, and the disposal of official prostitutes... and so on. The withdrawal of these powers directly led to the nominal jurisdiction of the Jiaohua Department over brothels and other places being taken away by the Ministry of Rites..."

When Li Bailong heard this, he was furious.

Fuck!
Will it cost money to find an exotic courtesan to learn to speak Bac Ninh in the future?

But the worst is yet to come.

"Officials are like the underworld. If you can't hold your ground, you will be besieged. The Ministry of Rites easily bit off such a big piece of fat meat. The Education Department was leaderless and had no way to organize an effective counterattack. In addition, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the atmosphere in the court and the country was completely changed. It was time to rebuild order and demarcate boundaries, so the Education Department was targeted..."

Lord Xu said bitterly: "The Ministry of Rites returned with a full load, and the other hungry wolves rushed in. The Yunshao Department, Junrongzhi, Yiluan Bureau and other departments all seized the power of the Education Department under the instructions of their respective provinces and ministries..."

He said this and sighed heavily.

"The struggles in the imperial court are a weather vane for the local states and counties. If the Education Bureau can't hold on to its territory, how can the Tongwen Bureaus in various places struggle?"

"So after the great defeat in the court, all the government offices followed suit and started to attack the local Tongwen Bureau. Huazhou has a flourishing literary style, well-developed opera and drama, and its brothels and old courtyards are well-known throughout the world. The Tongwen Bureau has taken advantage of this cultural heritage, and huge sums of money have poured in like water. People have been jealous of it for a long time..."

It feels numb!

Insects! A swarm of insects!

That's all my power! My power!

Li Bailong still did not give up and planned to hold high the banner of procedural justice: "The powers of the Education Department and even the Tongwen Bureau were agreed upon by the court and signed by the Imperial Household. How can they be arbitrarily deprived of them!?"

"Yes... However, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below..."

Lord Xu said sadly, "Four years ago, Junrong wrote to the emperor, saying that the emperor ascended the throne, the world was in a new mood, the world was peaceful, and folk dance, music and opera were flourishing. However, the folk art scene is full of good and bad, especially the repertoires and operas involving national soldiers and soldiers on the battlefield. There are often discordant parts, untrue words, and disrespectful insults, which are criticized. If this continues, I am afraid that the soldiers of the world will be discouraged."

"Therefore, I request that the power to review operas and music involving official military battles be placed directly under the jurisdiction of Junrong..."

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Lord Xu spoke in a mess, but Li Bailong heard it clearly at once.

Jun Rongzhi is the Military Music Bureau, which is under the Ministry of War!
"Jun Rong has set a good example, and the court departments immediately got inspiration. As a result, the jurisdiction of Wenqu involving arresting thieves, mountain bandits, investigating cases, and public affairs was taken away by the Six Gates..."

It’s these fucking cops again!
"The Honglu Temple has taken away the power of foreign education, the Imperial College has interfered in domestic cultural and educational affairs, the various departments in the court are fighting for power and reputation, and the local departments are following suit, and what they are trying to grab is our money..."

Lord Xu said pitifully, "I took office in the autumn of the third year of Qingtian. When I took office, I was intimidated and beaten. It's a pity that in the past few years, I have been scolded by the court and bullied by my colleagues. I don't know where I am. I am also a fourth-rank official, and my position is only below the prefect. Who would have thought..."

Li Bailong interrupted his complaint.

This mediocre official left such a mess behind and still has the nerve to complain!
He got straight to the point and asked, "Let me ask you, does the Tongwen Bureau have no power at all?"

"It's still a little bit."

Lord Xu lowered his eyebrows and said carefully: "No matter how it is usurped, this bureau still has the responsibility to supervise and inspect the publishing of books and periodicals in the world. After all, compared with the huge profits from brothels and opera troupes, the income from writing and selling books is not too high, and other departments will always leave some soup for us. And the Education Department is the main government of the Lintai after all. No matter how much the court is fighting, it will eventually leave some face for the twelve governments of the Lintai..."

What's the point of face!

If this continues, the Education Department will be closed down!

Li Bailong breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the fucking online literature still has some power left.

You can still land a heavy punch!

Obviously, he was happy too early.

"But...Alas."

Lord Xu sighed again, "The three-year term is about to end, and everyone in the Tongwen Bureau is worried, so they have started to make more money. Originally, the bookstores and shops sent tributes regularly according to the previous rules, and we approved the books they published and sold every month. Now, my subordinates want to raise the price..."

At this point, the fourth-rank official, the governor of the Tongwen Bureau, smiled bitterly.

"Who would have thought that they didn't take us seriously at all, saying that the officials in the Tongwen Bureau didn't want the money, but there were many people who wanted it. So in the past two days, the small flags stationed in various government offices in the Tongwen Bureau began to spread rumors, saying things like 'Since the book involves criminal matters, it must be reviewed by the Procuratorate'..."

Li Bailong's eyes widened.

He didn't care about the nonsense in the Tuiguan Office.

"To various government offices?" Director Li's voice rose eight octaves. "Send small flag officers?"

Lord Xu was like a quail, almost shrinking his head into his chest: "Yes, yes, yes, I am incompetent, and I was bullied by the petty officials of the various government offices. They openly entered the Tongwen Bureau, occupied the office, and competed with us, excluded and wooed us. Now, there is no one named Xu in the Tongwen Bureau anymore!"

Fuck!
The house was stolen!
Li Bailong finally understood why the Tongwen Bureau, a humble office, was so crowded and magnificent. It was clearly a government office, but there were actually lewd sounds coming from it...

When Lord Xu saw the sneer on his face, he shuddered and knelt down again.

"Lord Li, Lord Li! I am incompetent and have failed the trust of the court!" He cried miserably, "I have not dared to spend a penny of the money I have collected over the years. I have kept it all in the treasury to strengthen the prestige of the people! Please have pity on me for being helpless and having to flatter wolves and tigers, and allow me to take up my post with nothing. I am ashamed of you and have brought shame to the Education Department..."

He crawled on his knees to get an account book from the table and handed it to Director Li with both hands.

Li Bailong took it coldly, flipped through a few pages, and suddenly asked, "According to the imperial system, the Tongwen Bureaus of prefectures and counties can recruit soldiers for service on their own. Who took away this power?"

“Not really.”

Lord Xu whispered, "It's just that the government offices are lazy. They figured out that if the bureau wants to recruit people, the expenses must be raised by itself. They instructed all the businesses and shops to strictly limit the tribute fees submitted. They also made arrangements so that all the Huazhou militiamen and vagrants are not allowed to apply for jobs in the Tongwen Bureau. There are also many small flags stationed there to hinder them, so..."

Li Bailong sneered and nodded.

Personnel power is tainted, and financial and economic power is strictly controlled.

In this case, even if we can form an armed law enforcement team, it will be difficult to cook without rice...

Awesome.

Not only did they seize the power and benefits of the Tongwen Bureau, but they also suppressed it tightly, leaving it with no room for recovery. If they wanted to achieve this, it was not something that could be accomplished one by one. The officials of Huazhou had to work together.

It seems that the ripples left by the Tongwen Bureau have been well received by every brother unit...

He thought about it and looked at Lord Xu.

Lord Xu was still kneeling on the ground, looking up at him eagerly, looking pitiful.

"Old senior, please stand up quickly."

Director Li's expression changed, and he smiled as he helped him up and sat him down at the table.

"I already know the situation in Huazhou."

He smiled and took the brush, ink, paper and inkstone, and ground the ink for him: "I have another unwelcome request, please agree to it. After you do this, you can calmly take up your post and escape from the pit of fire."

A hint of joy flashed in Lord Xu's eyes.

it is good!
If I had known that this scholar had a reputation as a chivalrous man and was so young, I'm afraid he would not be able to bear seeing tears, seeing pity, or hearing crying and begging. Sure enough, it was worth my humble efforts!

He whispered, "I dare not refuse! I dare not refuse!"

"That's good."

Li Bailong held the pen in both hands and handed it over with a sincere smile.

"The seniors of the Tongwen Bureau and below, all kinds of corruption, dereliction of duty, and abuse of power, as well as conflicts with government offices and departments, all kinds of embezzlement, and collusion between officials and businessmen... Please spare no effort and write down everything."

Lord Xu was shocked.

He almost couldn't hold the pen, his heartbeat quickened, and after a while, he forced a smile: "This... This is against the rules, right?"

Li Bailong said in a gentle voice: "It is not in accordance with the rules for the various prefectures to usurp power."

"No, I mean..." Lord Xu whispered, "I, as the head of the Tongwen Bureau, was transferred to the former residence, and I actually..."

He stopped talking here.

But the subtext is obvious.

It is a taboo in the officialdom to expose all the scandals of subordinates and colleagues before leaving the job, leaving them to the eager and malicious successor to deal with at will.

The walls of the officialdom are leaky everywhere and the news is extremely well-informed. After the news got out, he went to Xiangning Prefecture to be an official. Should he still continue to work there?

How will his new colleagues view him?

Li Bailong smiled and held Lord Xu's shoulder.

"Senior, don't worry, and think about it carefully." He said softly, "Is Xiangning Prefecture the ancestral land of the Imperial Dao?"

As an official, Lord Xu was well versed in the situation of the prefectures and counties in the country. Upon hearing this, he immediately replied, "No, Xiangning Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of the Lingyu Sect. This humble official is being sent out..."

"Then please think about it again, Senior." Li Bailong said patiently, "What is the relationship between Lingyu Sect and me?"

Lord Xu was about to speak when his face suddenly turned pale.

Although the events in Lin County were covered up and suppressed as much as possible, although the six major sects could control everything in Da Qi, they could not control Beining.

Ning Manzi exaggerated the story and spread it everywhere, even conferring the title of marquis on Li Bailong to commend his great achievement of "thwarting Feng Lin's major strategy and instigating a national war between the two factions."

Bei Ning's plan of sowing discord was not worth mentioning and had been publicly denounced by the Honglu Temple. The six major sects also released countless confusing false news to cover up their tracks. However, it was obvious that the conflict between Fenglin Huoshan and Lingyu Sect in Lin County was definitely related to Baihua Valley and even Li Bailong.

These days, officials in Huazhou have been secretly discussing this matter, but the true and false information are mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish. No one can tell the truth clearly.

——But Lord Xu received a secret order from the Emperor’s uncle.

He said that this year's Jiangbei Jieyuan Li Bailong was summoned by him to take over the affairs of the Tongwen Bureau.

This man was involved in the Fenglin incident and was jointly guaranteed by the Emperor's uncle, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and Master Zhang, and he was also made a military lord... If this is the case, then those rumors are probably true!
"Senior, the emperor's uncle allowed you to pass the test and promoted you to become a sixth-rank judge. Why did he send you to Xiangning Prefecture instead of settling you in the emperor's ancestral land?"

As he realized this, Lord Xu's face turned even paler.

Li Bailong gently squeezed Lord Xu's shoulder and said kindly, "You said that the emperor's uncle is generous and tolerant, which is true, but this is the condition for letting you go. The time is only today, and the place is only here. Please explain all the circumstances at the limited time and place, and do not hide anything from the organization."

He sighed: "In my opinion, our Education Department is still too lax, spineless and bloodless, so it is bullied and humiliated by all kinds of dog officials. After I take office, I am determined to take back the money and power lost by my predecessors. Please give me some advice, otherwise..."

He leaned down and whispered in the other's ear.

"Sir, you don't want to escape unscathed and run to the Lingyu Sect to serve as an official, and then be worried about by me, your friend as the Minister of Agriculture, every day, right?"

"After all, whether your future career as an official will be comfortable or not does not depend on your colleagues' opinions of you, but on how I, as the governor of Huazhou, evaluate you..."

Lord Xu shuddered.

"If you explain clearly and provide evidence, Lord Xu still has a bright future. If you insist on not complying, and leave me alone and unarmed to face the cold officialdom of Huazhou, then there are only two possible outcomes for me."

"First, I failed to live up to the trust of the Emperor's uncle and returned empty-handed. The work of the Huazhou Tongwen Bureau was a mess. I had no choice but to resign in shame and join the Lingyu faction." Li Bailong chuckled, "By then, you must still be an official in Xiangning Prefecture. I will definitely find a way to renew our relationship."

Shivering.

But Lord Xu was still struggling with his conscience and hesitating.

"Secondly, I am a man of natural talent. I have turned danger into fortune, won battle after battle, and finally cleared the difficulties of the Huazhou Tongwen Bureau. I will surely be trusted by the emperor's uncle and be invited to the capital to be entrusted with important tasks. When that time comes, I will definitely be grateful to the senior for his good intentions of refusing to explain the situation at that time - to torture my mind, sharpen my muscles and bones, and strengthen my body, so that I could face the difficulties alone and finally become a great man..."

"When that time comes, I will be grateful and will do my best to repay you, Senior."

Li Bailong's smile revealed a sinister malice, whispering like a devil.

"——When I take over the throne, I will definitely invite you back to serve as an official in the Education Department."

This was even more powerful than the threat from the familiar person of Lingyu Sect. It frightened Lord Xu so much that he almost jumped up. He was so flustered that he almost cried out: "Write! Can't I write it?"

(End of this chapter)