Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Policy? What was that referring to? The words of important figures were always so abstruse and difficult to grasp. Zhang Jingwei lowered his head, his mind racing, but he couldn't form a complete sentence for a long time, and sweat began to form on his forehead again.

Seeing this, Liu Yanzhi wanted to smooth things over for him: "Prime Minister, Zhang Jingwei has only been in office for less than half a year. He may not have had time to carefully sort out some of his profound theories on statecraft..."

Zhao Mingcheng interrupted him with a smile, but his eyes were fixed on Zhang Jingwei: "Shut up. I want to hear what he has to say."

The pressure once again fell entirely on Zhang Jingwei. His face flushed, and he racked his brains. Suddenly, he remembered a sentence he was most familiar with in his previous life. Without caring whether it was appropriate, he blurted it out:

"Serve—serve the people!"

As soon as he said this, the private room fell into a dead silence. Only his heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart could be heard. Liu Yanzhi's eyes widened, while Zhao Mingcheng looked at him expressionlessly.

Zhang Jingwei thought to himself, "Oh no!" Isn't this too straightforward and weird?

After several seconds, Zhao Mingcheng slowly spoke, his tone unable to discern whether he was happy or angry: "This... is your answer?"

Zhang Jingwei was in a dilemma and could only bite the bullet and say, "Yes..."

"Tell me more about this," Zhao Mingcheng asked with great interest. "How do you 'serve the people'?"

Zhang Jingwei racked his brains, trying to explain it in the language of that era: "The people... are the common people. Students think that as parents of officials, they are not really the parents of the people, looking down on them from a high position. Instead, they should be the 'parents of the people', and should serve the people like children serve their parents. Filial piety is the first of all virtues. To teach the people about filial piety is to practice great righteousness; to let the people enjoy what is appropriate is a great benefit (note: appropriate, suitable, good)..." He began to lean towards Confucian classics.

Zhao Mingcheng frowned slightly and waved his hand to interrupt him: "Stop. I don't want to listen to these pedantic essays. Use plain language and tell the truth. What have you done in Gaoyang in the past six months? What do you plan to do in Gaoyang in the future?"

Zhang Jingwei, as if granted amnesty, quickly spoke matter-of-factly, "Your Excellency, since arriving in Gaoyang, I have first rectified the administration of officials, removing a number of corrupt and incompetent individuals. Secondly, I have sorted out tax accounts and put an end to exploitation. I have expanded the flood defense camp to prepare for emergencies. I have also recovered wages for oppressed craftsmen. Then, I submitted the memorial 'Chen Shi Shu' exposing the Shi family's evil deeds. I solved the Five-Stone Powder case and beheaded the culprit, Shen Kaiyang. Recently, I have also been working on the 'Salt Control Strategy' to benefit the country and the people..."

As he spoke, he secretly observed Zhao Mingcheng's expression.

Zhao Mingcheng listened and suddenly sighed, then said, "Alas! These are only what the world knows. Before you took office, you expanded the water defense camp; on the first day in office, you vigorously collected debts for the workers in Jia Village; "Chen Shi Shu" shocked the court and the public; you were decisive in solving the Wu Shi San case; Shen Kaiyang was executed by slow slicing, which was cruel; and your contribution of "Salt Control Plan" revealed your economic talent." He counted Zhang Jingwei's "merits" one by one.

As Zhang Jingwei listened to the prime minister personally enumerating his political achievements, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise up, which was harder to suppress than an AK rifle, and a huge sense of pride and satisfaction surged in his heart.

However, Zhao Mingcheng changed the subject, his eyes becoming playful. "There are some... unknown things. For example, what was going on in that 'Uniform Temptation' room downstairs last night?"

The smile on Zhang Jingwei's face froze instantly. He almost choked on his own saliva and started coughing violently: "Cough cough cough... Prime Minister! Prime Minister, please understand! That... I can explain! It was just for... for..."

Zhao Mingcheng waved his hand, interrupting his panic. "No need to explain. A talented scholar is romantic and youthful, and I'm not that old-fashioned. But everything must be done in moderation. Moral principles and the royal family's reputation must be maintained. You were right yesterday. The court needs face, and so do you and I."

Zhang Jingwei hurried down the stairs, nodding repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes! I'll remember your instructions, sir! I won't do it again!"

Zhao Mingcheng seemed quite satisfied with his statement. After a moment's silence, he said, "From now on, we shall address each other as teacher and student. When I was young, I served as Dean of the Imperial College. I can barely be considered your teacher's teacher. Is it not too much to call you a student?"

Zhang Jingwei was overjoyed when he heard this! This was like a talisman sent from heaven, a ladder to heaven! He immediately bowed deeply and said, "I, your student Zhang Jingwei, thank you for your kindness, teacher! I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Zhao Mingcheng accepted the gift and continued, "You've been in office for less than three years. According to the imperial system, promotion or transfer is impossible. Even further advancement to a higher rank requires a year of excellent performance. Your Majesty wants to commend you now, which is truly difficult for me." He paused, holding up two fingers. "I have two ideas: First, you resign your position as Gaoyang County Magistrate, return to the capital with me, and enroll in the Imperial Academy. Within five years, I will secure you a prestigious and promising position in the capital. Second, I will petition Your Majesty to designate Gaoyang as a 'Zhongxian County,' which will naturally raise your rank accordingly. However, the prerequisite is that the number of registered households in Gaoyang must reach at least half of the imperial standard for a 'Zhongxian County.'"

Usually one has to meet the standards before being upgraded. Zhao Mingcheng said more than half here, which is a great relaxation of the conditions and is intended to provide incentives.

Zhao Mingcheng looked at Zhang Jingwei and asked, "Look, which of these two prospects is more suitable for you?"

Zhang Jingwei barely hesitated and immediately said, "Teacher, I want to stay in Gaoyang! My roots and assets are mostly in Yunbei. Although I might have a brighter future in the capital, I... I can't bear to leave this place."

A knowing smile flashed across Zhao Mingcheng's eyes: "You are worried about the people here, right?"

Zhang Jingwei nodded heavily, his tone becoming firmer. "Although the term is only three years, I want to see what Gao Yang can become in my hands in these three years! I want to give a tangible answer for myself and for my teacher!"

Zhao Mingcheng laughed heartily upon hearing this, appearing extremely pleased. "Haha, good! Not bad! It's pretty much what I thought! As expected, you're also a wild wolf that can't be tamed. You don't want to be kept in captivity, but only want to rule the mountain and become king! In that case, let's get your Gaoyang to the point where it has 3,000 households soon!"

Liu Yanzhi, standing by, looked a bit embarrassed. He quickly stepped forward and explained, "Uh... Teacher, I was just about to report this. During the war in the northern border last year, over half of the people who fled Wuzhou were registered as Yunzhou residents. Yunzhou's overall size has far surpassed the standard for a 'superior county'. Gaoyang County alone has over 6,000 registered households and a registered population exceeding 40,000! In terms of population, tax revenue, cultivated land, and even available military manpower, Gaoyang is more than capable of becoming a 'superior county'!"

Ancient counties were broadly categorized into the following levels: small, lower, middle, upper, prominent, capital (prefectural) (prefectural) (district) (prefectural) (prefectural) (prefectural) (prefectural) (prefectural) (prefectural) (prefectural) within the capital. Furthermore, there were "important" counties, owing to their military importance. Gaoyang, situated on the border and housing a flood defense camp, was originally designated a "lower county," a concession. Otherwise, poor border counties might have been classified as "small" or "lower county," and their magistrates might have been only seventh rank.

Zhao Mingcheng was visibly stunned after hearing this. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Six thousand households? Forty thousand people? This matter... the Ministry of Revenue never even mentioned it in court?! It shows that Minister Lu is truly old and confused, and has failed in his duties utterly!"

The young man next to him quickly defended the old minister: "Teacher, calm down. Minister Lu is old and must have been overwhelmed by official duties. He may have made some mistakes..."

Zhao Mingcheng's face darkened, and his tone suddenly turned cold. "Oversight? Such a major matter concerning the national economy and people's livelihood, as well as the assessment of local administrative levels, cannot be covered up with a simple omission? After returning to the capital, I will submit a memorial to impeach him! This will help him wake up soon, or even retire and return home to avoid delaying state affairs!"

Zhang Jingwei, who was standing aside, felt his legs trembling as he listened. He exclaimed in his heart, "Oh my God! Minister Lu is a first-rank Minister of Revenue and the Prime Minister of the court! He can impeach him and send him back to his hometown? This... is this the power of a prime minister?" He suddenly realized that Zhao Mingcheng's words seemed to be a temper tantrum, but perhaps he was also "flexing his muscles" to him, his newly recognized "student."