Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 184: The Magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture! (5K chapter)
Zhao Xu asked the head of the Menxia Province to fight back, but his desire to keep Su Yun in Bianliang did not stop.

Zhao Xu thought for a moment, then said to Sun Sigong, "Please ask the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Cai Jing to come here."

Cai Jing hurried over, bowed to Zhao Xu and said, "Your Majesty, do you have an imperial edict to draft?"

Zhao Xu smiled very kindly, waved his hand, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, don't worry. Come on, Cai Qing, sit down and talk first. I haven't had a good chat with you since you came back from the Liao Kingdom. Come on, sit down first and let's chat."

Cai Jing was such a smart man that he could naturally see that Zhao Xu had other intentions, but he was a man of deep thoughts and naturally would not expose Zhao Xu's lies. Instead, he started a conversation with Zhao Xu very sincerely.

At the beginning, Zhao Xu only asked Cai Jing how he felt about his position as Zhongshu Sheren, whether there was any room for improvement, and what suggestions he had for the court. These are necessary procedures for the monarch and his ministers to report to each other.

Later, Zhao Xu seemed to say casually: "...You also know that my son is going to study, and I want to keep the new champion Su Yun in the capital to work, so that my son can ask him for advice on the classics at any time.

However, the court usually sends new Jinshi to prefectures and counties. I would like to ask you, is there any way to keep Su Yun in the capital to work?"

Cai Jing thought to himself: Here it comes!
This is the main part of the story. The previous ones are just excuses.

Cai Jing was secretly shocked, thinking that the emperor really valued Su Yun so much that he was reluctant to even send him away!

Originally, new Jinshi were sent to prefectures and counties as Tongpan or Qianshujianguan. This was the court's practice of training Jinshi.

If Zhao Xu wanted to train Su Yun, he only needed to send him out for a year or two and then transfer him back.

But now Zhao Xu didn't even let Su Yun go out for a year or two, and wanted him to stay in the capital... This is not the attitude he would treat an ordinary minister at all!

Cai Jing was shocked and did not dare to take it lightly.

The reason why Zhao Xu asked him to come here was not just because he didn't understand how to keep Su Yun. If the emperor of the Song Dynasty didn't even know this, wouldn't it be a joke?

Zhao Xu's intention, naturally, was to focus on his own position - Zhongshu Sheren.

The Zhongshu Sheren had to help the emperor draft imperial edicts. If he did not agree, the appointment would be difficult to carry out from the beginning.

So Zhao Xu came looking for him, meaning - I want to send Su Yun to do something, and you have to help me get it.

Cai Jing's mind was working rapidly.

This is a good opportunity to please the emperor, but it is also dangerous. If the emperor wants too much and you give it to him, you will certainly please him, but your reputation will be ruined.

The Zhongshu Sheren is a noble person who usually values ​​his reputation very much. He wants to create an image of being fair, impartial, and not fawning on his superiors. If he behaves too obviously, how can he survive in the court in the future?
Cai Jing's thoughts turned over in his mind for a moment, and he immediately came up with an idea.

Cai Jing said with emotion: "Parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run.

The father, Guan Jia, is really thoughtful.

Father is father, son is son, this is the foundation of our Song Dynasty governing the world with filial piety.

Your Majesty has such a kind heart, so I will naturally support you with all my strength. If your Majesty has any assignment you like, I will think about it carefully. "

Zhao Xu looked at Cai Jing with a satisfied look on his face. It was easy to talk to smart people. He had only said one sentence and the other person not only understood what he wanted to do, but also found an excuse for him. This made it difficult for anyone who wanted to make trouble in the future to find an excuse.

Zhao Xu naturally had some ideas in his mind, but he still pretended to think for a while before saying: "The custom for new Jinshi is to serve as Tongpan or Qianshujianguan in prefectures and counties. The purpose is to let them observe how the governor of a prefecture handles government affairs so that they can grow quickly.

I want my son to receive a good education, but I also want to let a top scholar go to waste. So, I want Su Yun to work in Kaifeng Prefecture. However, Kaifeng Prefecture is higher in rank than ordinary prefectures. Isn't it a bit too high?"

Cai Jing felt his eyelids twitching wildly. If this man was not the emperor of the Song Dynasty, but a prime minister or something like that, he would probably have walked away in anger.

How dare you say that!

It was customary to appoint new Jinshi as assistant judges, and it was also customary to appoint them as magistrates of prefectures and counties, but they would generally not be judges of powerful prefectures or upper prefectures, let alone the level of prefectures. At the level of prefectures, Kaifeng Prefecture was the capital prefecture, the best prefecture in the world!
How could a newly-minted Jinshi be appointed as the magistrate of the greatest prefecture in the world?

Even the new top scholar can’t do it!

Cai Jing looked bitter and said, "Sir, this matter may cause great criticism."

Zhao Xu laughed and said, "Since I implemented the new law, there have been many criticisms."

Cai Jing was shocked. What did the emperor mean by this?
At first glance, what the government means is that I have encountered a lot of criticism since I implemented the new law, so there is nothing to be afraid of.

But if you think more deeply, it is like this: I implement new laws and recruit talents without any restrictions. All of you ministers of new laws were promoted by me without any restrictions. How come you were able to do it before but not now?
This is a heart-breaking statement.

Cai Jing did not dare to respond to this question. He chuckled and said, "I don't think anyone would dare to criticize the emperor's love for his son. However, I heard that Magistrate Hu and Mr. Su have a teacher-student relationship. If Mr. Su were to serve as the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, it might not be appropriate."

Zhao Xu glanced at Cai Jing, and Cai Jing lowered his head feeling guilty.

Zhao Xu naturally understood what Cai Jing meant. What he meant was that if the emperor wanted to make an exception and allow Su Yun to become the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, then the old party must make some concessions and let Hu Zongyu withdraw from the position of Kaifeng prefect. In this way, the new party would naturally have nothing to say.

Zhao Xu snorted. The New Party would have no objection to this, but the Old Party would have strong objections.

But Zhao Xu also knew that otherwise the New Party might not agree to this matter.

Zhao Xu thought quickly in his heart. The new law faction now occupied many important positions in the court. The old party was already weak. If Hu Zongyu was driven out of the position of Kaifeng prefect, the old party might not have any way to restrain the new party.

Cai Jing is indeed a smart man. He just wants to use this method to dissuade himself!
This would make him retreat in the face of difficulties. If he really wanted Su Yun to stay, Hu Zongyu would have to step down. If this were the case, the New Party would not blame Cai Jing, but would instead think that Cai Jing did a good job.

Zhao Xu was a little annoyed in his heart, but he also knew that the New Party would definitely not give in easily. This would be the case if Cai Jing came, and it would also be the case if Wang Gui came!
Zhao Xu thought for a moment and said, "Since Hu Qing took office as the prefect of Kaifeng, he has been diligent and conscientious, and has handled government affairs very well."

Cai Jing said with a smile: "Prefect Hu has indeed done a great job, and the people of Kaifeng have praised him highly."

Zhao Xu didn't say anything.

Cai Jing paused and said, "I heard that Censor Su has impeached countless officials recently, and his reputation for integrity has spread far and wide. The people of Kaifeng all say that Censor Su is impartial and selfless, which is really admirable."

This made no sense, but Zhao Xu understood it. Cai Jing meant that Hu Zongyu from the old party could be transferred to a local place, but the new party could also make concessions and let Su Che be promoted. This way, the old party would be comforted and would not come out to obstruct this matter again.

After all, Su Che is from the old party, and Su Yun is naturally from the old party. If Hu Zongyu retires, the old party can have two more new forces. The old party will probably agree to this deal.

Zhao Xu looked at Cai Jing with a smile on his face.

You New Party members are doing really good business. Everyone knows that the Su family is planning to marry Zhang Dun recently. Now you want Su Yun to be the magistrate of Kaifeng, and you also want to let Su Zhe, who is close to the New Party, take the position. This is an incredible business deal.

However, although this is not the best of both worlds, at least both the new and old parties can agree.

That is... the Su family got a great deal.

Su Yun didn't know that so many things had happened here, but when he heard that he was appointed as Xuanyi Lang and was sent to be the Tongpan of Kaifeng, Su Yun's expression was extremely excited.

The other newly-appointed scholars looked at him with astonishment and envy.

Su Yun had some understanding of the official system of the Song Dynasty. After hearing about the appointment, he immediately guessed that there must be some inside stories that he didn't know.

Afterwards, Hu Zongyu was relieved of his post as Kaifeng prefect and was appointed as the transport commissioner of the east and west roads of Beijing. His salary rank was promoted from Chaoyi Dafu to Zhongsan Dafu.

Although Hu Zongyu was removed from his post as prefect, his official rank was raised one level and he was also appointed as a transport commissioner. It can hardly be said that this was a demotion and it could be considered some compensation.

Afterwards, Su Che was promoted to the position of Jiujiulang.

The assignment of Jiujiulang is very interesting. Once you enter this position, it means that you have entered the fast lane of promotion. Many prime ministers will basically go through such a position, because this position is equivalent to a senior secretary of the official, responsible for recording the emperor's daily actions and national affairs. Ordinary officials do not have such an opportunity.

Combined with this, Su Yun keenly realized that his position as the Tongpan of Kaifeng Prefecture and Su Zhe's position as the Jiudilang were most likely due to Hu Zongyu's concession. Of course, this was not necessarily Hu Zongyu's initiative to withdraw. This was a political compromise, or in other words, because the government wanted to let him go, so he made a deal with the New Party!
However, Su Yun always felt a little guilty towards Hu Zongyu, so he took the initiative to invite Hu Zongyu to dinner, which was also a farewell to Hu Zongyu.

Hu Zongyu, however, was smiling and basically didn't say anything. He even kept encouraging Su Yun.

After the banquet was over, everyone was a little drunk, and Hu Zongyu pulled Su Yunzhu and fell behind.

Hu Zongyu whispered in Su Yun's ear: "Juzheng, this matter is not for you to decide, nor for me. Since the emperor has arranged it this way, it is naturally for his considerations. You don't need to feel guilty towards me."

Su Yun still looked a little guilty, and said, "Teacher, this is not what I want..."

Hu Zongyu smiled and said, "This is exactly what I wanted. Being a transport commissioner, and a transport commissioner from east to west of Beijing, this is much more convenient than being the prefect of Kaifeng.

Being the prefect of Kaifeng is not a job for a human being. I have been doing this for two years and I feel like I have aged ten years.

Go to the local area to enjoy the life there, and then return to the court. You may be able to become the head of one of the six ministries. This is not a bad thing.

As for you, you were appointed as the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture as soon as you entered the officialdom. This is a good thing, but it is also a difficult thing. It is really hard to say whether it is a good thing or a bad thing.

In my opinion, it would be better for you to start from the local prefectures and counties and take one step at a time. This is actually a good thing. Although you have started at a high point now, the affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture are too troublesome.

Even those who have been immersed in the officialdom for many years are trembling with fear when working in Kaifeng Prefecture, let alone you, a new official. Alas, it is not easy, not easy! "

Afterwards, Hu Zongyu explained a lot of things to Su Yun, such as what to do in officialdom. Hu Zongyu did not teach Su Yun anything about the imperial examination, but at this moment he taught him a lot of experience in officialdom, which could be regarded as fulfilling his duties as a teacher.

Although Hu Zongyu said that he was very glad to be away from Kaifeng Prefecture, he actually had mixed feelings in his heart. After all, usually speaking, after becoming the prefect of Kaifeng, the next step is to become a prime minister. However, he still had to go there, and it was unknown whether he would be able to come back in the future.

Su Che also had complicated feelings. From Censor to Attendant, it was naturally a promotion, but he also knew that his promotion was due to his good nephew Su Yun.

Su Yun did not have much time to sigh, because he would soon have to report to Kaifeng Prefecture.

To be honest, Su Yun was a little nervous. He thought that after passing the imperial examination, he would become an official, and the second-in-command of a state, which was equivalent to the second-in-command of a city in later generations. However, he did not expect that this city would be the second-in-command of the capital.

My goodness, that’s really scary.

Well... after you graduated from college, you took the civil service exam, then became a civil servant in Beijing, and then directly became the second-in-command in Beijing. Ha, I just want to ask you if you are afraid!
The Tongpan was not an ordinary official. He was nominally the deputy of the prefect, but in reality he was the governor of the prefecture, specifically responsible for monitoring the prefect.

After Zhao Kuangyin seized the Later Zhou regime through a military coup, he gradually eliminated separatist forces and unified the country.

Faced with such a vast territory, in order to stabilize people's hearts and consolidate the regime, the post of Tongpan was set up.

The Tongpan system of the Song Dynasty began in the first year of Qiande. After Song Taizu led his troops to pacify Hunan, Jingnan and other places, he ordered officials such as Jia Yan, a Langzhong of the Ministry of Justice, to serve as Tongpan in various prefectures in Hunan.

As for those old bureaucrats, they could neither be completely abolished nor left alone, so the position of Tongpan was set up to check and balance power.

The following year, Tongpan was appointed in all 43 prefectures within the former jurisdiction of the Later Zhou Dynasty.

In the following ten years, the Song Dynasty successively destroyed the regimes of Hou Shu, Southern Han, Southern Tang and others, and set up Tongpan in these newly annexed areas.

The Tongpan and the prefect jointly managed state affairs, and were responsible for matters such as military and civilians, money, grain, household registration, taxes and labor service, and trial of lawsuits.

All official documents of each state must be signed by the prefect and the magistrate before they can take effect.

In other words, although the Tongpan is not responsible for specific matters, he has a veto power.

The Tongpan also had the power to supervise and recommend officials of the state to the court. If the prefect acted illegally, the Tongpan could report it to the court.

Therefore, Tongpan is usually known as "Banci", which is the so-called "half a governor".

Su Yun was indeed a little nervous.

Just as Hu Zongyu said, he was just a newcomer in the officialdom.

Although Su Yun was not unfamiliar with officialdom, it was indeed his first time entering it. It seemed like that from the outside, but when he actually entered it, he really didn't know what it would be like.

A few days later, Su Yun arrived at the Kaifeng government office.

Generally speaking, Kaifeng people do not call it Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen. When talking about it, they always call it Nan Yamen.

It is not because the Shangshu Province is located in the south of the Imperial Palace, so it is called "Nan Sheng". "Nan Ya" means "Nan Sheng";
It was not named because Kaifeng Prefecture was located to the south of the imperial palace, nor was it named because Kaifeng Prefecture was located to the south of the East and West Prefectures and the Shangshu Province where the prime minister and the privy council lived, so people used to call it the Southern Court.

It was named after the geographical location of the residence of Emperor Taizong of Song.

After the establishment of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin named his younger brother Zhao Guangyi as King of Jin. At that time, the King of Jin's mansion was located in the south of Da'nei and Kaifeng Prefecture.

In July of the second year of Jianlong, Emperor Taizu of Song appointed his younger brother, Prince of Jin, Zhao Guangyi, as the prefect of Kaifeng.

After King Jin Zhao Guangyi took office as the prefect of Kaifeng, he did not go to Kaifeng to work or live, but handled government affairs in his own residence.

From then on, not only Emperor Taizong of Song was nicknamed "Nan Ya", but also Kaifeng Prefecture and the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture were also nicknamed "Nan Ya".

For example, Hu Zongyu before, others could call him Hu Zhifu, or "Hu Nanya" to distinguish him from ordinary prefects.

Su Yun sighed softly, remembering what Hu Zongyu had said to him: "...The Nan Ya has a complicated organization and too many conflicts. Just the officials inside are enough to make people dizzy.

In this government office, there is a prefect, a judge, four or five judges, a military officer of the Silu Army, a military officer of the six departments, a military inspector of the left and right armies, a military inspector of the left and right armies, and officials in charge of the left and right wings...

The six ministries are the officials of the Shi, Hu, Yi, Bing, Xing, and Gong departments, with two recorders, two officials in each of the six ministries, eight military assistants, and hundreds of clerks.

The Mission Office had eleven cases, which were responsible for issuing documents on money, grain, taxes, and various criminal cases every day. It had dozens of people including accountants, escort officers, front officials, rear officials, and heads of the line, as well as hundreds of clerks.

The left and right military inspectors, the judges, the left and right military inspectors, the left and right wing officials, four people, and 600 clerks...

Just these, there are already thousands of people in the government office.

If we add the thousands of people working in various warehouses and storage facilities under its jurisdiction, this is a huge organization with more than 10,000 people.

People often say that the Sansi is bloated and huge, and is the largest government office in the world, but the Nan Ya is not much simpler than the Sansi.

Hehe, don't say that you are a newcomer in the officialdom, even if I were to enter the officialdom, I would often feel that there are too many constraints.

So, this may be a good thing for you, but it may also be a case of forcing things to happen, so you have to grasp it well.”

But then Su Yun smiled and walked inside.

Although he was nervous, it was only because he was shocked by his extraordinary promotion. For Su Yun, he quickly figured it out.

As long as I am lazy enough, there is no job that is difficult to take!

The Tongpan is naturally a high-ranking official with great power, but if one wants to be lazy, it is very easy to do so.

If you were in a remote prefecture, being a Tongpan might not be easy, but being a Tongpan in the capital is much easier.

The prefects and governors of remote prefectures are all local tyrants. Without anyone watching them, they can squeeze the people dry. But this is Bian Jing. There is no need for the Tongpan to watch over us. There are countless eyes watching us from top to bottom.

As for whether the prefect would use something to frame me... hehe, I was just the document signer, and if something really went wrong, the prefect would be the one bearing the brunt of the responsibility. A prefect of Kaifeng, who was in charge of four levels of government, would use his bright future to harm me... then let him be.

(End of this chapter)