Han officials

Chapter 89: Actions, Not Hearts [13]

In the fourth year of Zhongping, March of spring.

Originally, the new Lelang prefect Fan Chou was supposed to take office this month, but Wei Zhe was unable to complete the handover.

Obviously, Fan Chou failed to arrive at his post on time.

So Wei Zhe had no choice but to continue performing his duties, otherwise the spring plowing would be delayed.

The next day, at the prefect's residence.

"My Lord, I have learned that they were blocked on the road."

Inside the study, Yuan Jun said with a strange expression, "I heard that thousands of thieves in Xingyang rebelled, attacked and burned counties, and killed the magistrate of Zhongmu County."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe couldn't help but frown and asked, "Where is Fan Daya now?"

"...Zhongmu"

After hearing this, Wei Zhe was speechless.

Wow, let’s just dive in!
If Wei Zhe didn't know Yuan Jun's character, he would have thought he was joking.

After all, Zhongmu County is right under Luoyang's nose, not to mention Xingyang.

If the Xingyang bandits had been a little bolder, they would probably have been able to reach the outskirts of Luoyang.

A rebellion of thousands of people broke out in a place like this... Has the situation become so serious?

But no matter how outrageous it seemed, Wei Zhe had no choice but to accept it.

He looked speechless and said, "What about now? How serious has the chaos developed?"

"The emperor issued an edict ordering Henan Yin He Miao to attack, and now he has defeated the bandits and put down the rebellion."

At this point, Yuan Jun couldn't help but sigh, "For this, the emperor has already appointed He Miao as General of Chariots and Cavalry, and granted him the title of Marquis of Jiyang, with a fief of 3,000 households. Lord Fan is already on his way again and should be arriving by the end of the month."

To be honest, Yuan Jun really felt sorry for Wei Zhe.

But this was the rule of the Han Dynasty, and even though he felt speechless, he had no way of saying anything.

However, Wei Zhe didn't care, instead he felt relieved.

It's good that the person is okay, otherwise replacing the Lelang prefect may not be suitable.

After confirming that Fan Kuo was fine, Wei Zhe put aside his worries and turned to look at Yuan Jun. "Ziliang, when are you going to leave? I'll help you with the preparations then!"

Speaking of which, the success in the Three Koreas War was naturally not the result of Wei Zhe alone.

Therefore, Wei Zhe also reported Guan Xiu and others in the victory report.

Although Yuan Jun had been staying in the rear, as the chief military officer of Lelang County, he naturally had to provide assistance.

Not to mention that he also played a role in the defense when the Wuhuan rebel army under Zhang Chun attacked Lelang County.

So after this battle, Luoyang issued a transfer order, summoning Yuan Jun to the court to serve as the Imperial Censor.

Although the salary of the Imperial Censor was only six hundred stones, the same rank as that of the Chief Clerk of the Army, it was undoubtedly a promotion to become a court official from a local official.

Not to mention border counties like Lelang County, even in the heart of the Central Plains, there are countless county magistrates who would like this treatment.

For Yuan Jun himself, this was clearly a leap forward.

For Dai Fangyuanshi, it was undoubtedly a sign of great happiness coming out of their ancestral graves.

After all, if it were three years ago, let alone the Imperial Censor, Yuan Jun couldn’t even be appointed as the halberd bearer at the Luoyang Palace Gate.

Therefore, Yuanshiwu in Daifang County has been very lively these days, with a buffet that lasted for three days.

However, after hearing Wei Zhe's words, Yuan Jun fell silent. After a moment, he said seriously, "I only wish to follow you, my lord. Luoyang is not my place."

As soon as these words came out, Wei Zhe was stunned.

He'd always heard stories of people turning down imperial appointments, but he hadn't expected to witness one himself. Wei Zhe immediately frowned and said, "Ziliang, this is no joke!"

But Yuan Jun said nothing when he heard this. He just bowed to Wei Zhe and said, "Please take me in, my lord!"

Seeing this, Wei Zhe finally couldn't sit still anymore and quickly stood up to help him up.

There was no way around it. Yuan Jun obviously would rather not be a Censor-in-Chief and follow him around as a commoner.

Such loyalty and righteousness really made Wei Zhe at a loss for words for a moment.

"Alas~ How can I be so worthy and capable!"

However, after hearing Wei Zhe's sigh, Yuan Jun looked as if it was a matter of course.

From Wei Zhe's perspective, Yuan Jun's actions seemed too impulsive, even a little stupid.

But if you think from Yuan Jun's perspective, perhaps you can understand his thoughts.

Yuan Jun asked himself that he was not a genius. The reason why he was able to be promoted from a county official to a military chief in just a few years, and even to be summoned to the court and appointed as a royal censor, was simply because he followed the right people.

If he hadn't met a mentor like Wei Zhe, he wouldn't have his current situation.

So in his opinion, going to Luoyang might not be more valuable than staying with Wei Zhe.

Besides, he was a powerful man from a border county with no background in Luoyang City. What good would it do him even if he became the Imperial Censor?

If he really entered the court as an official, Luoyang would probably not be the new starting point of his career, but the end point.

So sometimes it is really difficult to distinguish between pros and cons and morality.

But then again, Yuan Jun’s choice is not too outrageous at the moment.

After all, in the Han Dynasty, the relationship between the sponsor and his students and former officials was very close.

The relationship between the two is not just one of political dependence, but also of personal dependence.

Even when the sponsor encountered misfortune, there were many students and former officials who gave up their official positions to avenge the sponsor, observe mourning, or rescue the sponsor.

The loyalty of students and former officials to their sponsor sometimes even exceeds their loyalty to the emperor.

The most obvious example is Zang Hong in the original history. Because the prefect Zhang Chao once appointed him as Gongcao, when Zhang Chao was besieged by Cao Cao and asked Zang Hong for help, Zang Hong, who was the prefect of Dongjun at the time, cried and begged Yuan Shao to send troops.

However, Yuan Shao refused to send troops, so Zang Hong resolutely broke with Yuan Shao and betrayed him.

As a result, Yuan Shao's troops surrounded Dongjun, and Zang Hong was killed when the city was broken.

It can be said that Zang Hong was more loyal to his sponsor Zhang Chao than to the emperor.

Compared with this, Yuan Shao, the real master, is nothing.

Of course, judging by actions rather than hearts, no one in the world is perfect.

At least that's what Wei Zhe thought.

No matter what Yuan Jun was thinking in his heart, Wei Zhe was still very relieved.

But after thinking for a moment, Wei Zhe looked at Yuan Jun opposite him with a serious face and said, "Ziliang, in my opinion, you still have to go to Luoyang!"

Without waiting for Yuan Jun to speak, Wei Zhe explained, "The Imperial Censor receives memorials from the ministers, supervises all officials, enforces the law, and maintains order both inside and outside the country. If you're willing to help me, then go to Luoyang!"

You should know that the duties of the Imperial Censor, in addition to investigating illegal activities and supervising ministers, also include serving as the emperor's envoy to investigate cases in counties and states.

The most important thing is that the Assistant Censor also has the qualification to "know the affairs of the public office."

The so-called "knowing public affairs" is not actually an important personnel right, but it is very important.

Because in addition to helping the emperor handle clerical matters and having documents prepared by their hands, many imperial censors were also responsible for supervising memorials from court officials to ensure that they complied with regulations and legal requirements.

In addition, memorials from various prefectures and counties were also received by the Censorate, processed by the Assistant Censors, and then forwarded to the corresponding departments.

(End of this chapter)