Chapter 142: Industrial Governance and Business
Chapter 142: Engineering and Business (First Update)
Cheng Xinzhan put away "Fire Refining Chixiao" and left Baihu Mountain.
Then he went to Zhongling Mountain.
Zhongling Mountain is the gate to Sanqing Mountain and is also the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He came to the Foreign Affairs Academy, where many people were coming and going. He also found that some familiar fellow disciples were looking at him differently. He looked at the White Tiger Bracelet, and sure enough, he was wearing it on his right hand.
"Xinzhan, well done!"
Someone passing by said this to him.
Cheng Xinzhan guessed it, this was because what happened in the morning had already been reported.
He smiled at them and walked quickly into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wanting to finish his business and leave quickly to return to Meiji Mountain. Although such things could be done, it was not appropriate to talk about them or show off.
When he arrived at the reception desk, he found his fellow student on duty and asked,
"Fellow Daoist, do you have a visiting card from the Xiao family of Peacock City in Baiyujing?"
The Taoist priest on duty was a very young boy, who looked to be about the same age as Cheng Xinzhan when he first entered the mountain gate.
"Brother Dao, wait a moment."
The young Taoist flipped through the book and said,
"Brother, is there a person called Empress Xiao? Oh, she submitted two visiting cards. One is for Taoist Master Cheng Xinzhan of Mingzhi Mountain to sign, and the other is for Dean Huo of our Foreign Affairs Institute to sign."
Hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan smiled and nodded, "Yes, I am Cheng Xinzhan."
At the same time, he thought to himself: Sure enough, this is Eleventh Lady. It is impossible that she came here just to get the elixir.
I remember that I was the one who invited her to Sanqing Mountain for the first time. The main purpose was to invite her to deliver seafood to Lu Chi and San Mei and take away the talismans I had drawn. Another reason was that Shiyi Niang had made Sanqing Mountain famous at Baiyujing Restaurant, and to express her gratitude, she invited her to visit Sanqing Mountain.
That time, Eleventh Lady brought a lot of people with her, and finished the tasks of delivering the fish and taking the talisman in no time. Then she asked me to help connect her to the Duchu Courtyard.
Cheng Xinzhan helped with this, and Shiyi Niang also seized this opportunity and negotiated for Bohai Haishi to supply seafood to Duchuyuan. They talked for a long time, but it was nothing more than promoting high quality and low prices.
Yuzhang is located in the inland of China and people there seldom eat seafood. After the waiters from Haishi practiced cooking on the spot, the head of the kitchen tasted it and thought it was really good. In addition, Shiyi Niang had made Sanqing Mountain famous in Baiyujing, and the kitchen itself was a big family, so the head of the kitchen agreed to the deal.
Therefore, the meals for the registered disciples of Xiao Wanshan have become more diverse now. Even many direct descendants of their respective lineages who live in the mountains will often return to Xiao Wanshan just to have a taste of this.
I just don't know if the good ranking that Eleventh Lady got when she reported on her work last time in Haiqing City has anything to do with this.
This time, Eleventh Lady will also visit the head of the Institute of Foreign Affairs directly. I wonder what kind of business she wants to discuss.
"This Daoist Xiao submitted his post yesterday, and it was reviewed very quickly. He must have been here before."
The young Taoist priest took out a visiting card from a cabinet and handed it to Cheng Xinzhan, saying,
"This is for you, Brother Daoist. The other copy has already been signed by our dean. By the way, Brother Daoist Cheng, she submitted a common visiting card. Daoists in Lotus Blessed Land and other hills that are not open to outsiders should remember not to bring guests in by mistake."
Cheng Xinzhan nodded, took the visiting card, signed his name on it, and returned it to the young Taoist priest.
At the same time, he thought to himself that he had forgotten about this. Next time, he would just tell her in advance and invite Eleventh Lady to sit in Meiji Mountain. It wouldn't hurt to have him accompany her anyway.
The young Taoist priest collected the visiting card and finished his business. Then he looked at Cheng Xinzhan with sharp eyes.
"But the White Tiger Envoy is in person?"
Cheng Xinzhan bowed and said, "It's me."
"Brother Dao, I am so grateful for speaking up for us!"
The young Taoist priest said excitedly.
Cheng Xinzhan's expression suddenly changed. "Does the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also use its authority to oppress others?"
The young Taoist priest shook his head hurriedly, "No, no, the Foreign Affairs Institute is very good. I worked in the Correction Department for a while a few months ago, but later I quit because I was too busy. At that time, the head of the Correction Department, Ma, said that I was not ambitious. Later, I came to the Foreign Affairs Institute, and things are much better. The salary is not low, the working hours are short, and it does not interfere with my cultivation."
Cheng Xinzhan's anger turned into joy, "That's good, that's good."
The young Taoist priest smiled and said, "Although I am not there anymore, I still want to thank you for speaking up for us who are sitting in the office."
Cheng Xinzhan suddenly understood something after hearing this. He asked,
"In the past, if there was injustice in the government office, where did you go to appeal?"
The man shook his head and said, "It depends on what the matter is. If there is corruption, beating, or withholding of salary, then of course we have to file a complaint with the Correction Office. However, this kind of thing rarely happens in our Sanqing Mountain. I haven't seen it much since I entered the mountain. But if it is the cancellation of rest days, private assignments, or extended working hours, it is actually not easy to say. And even if you report it to the Correction Office, they will not do anything."
Cheng Xinzhan pondered for a while after hearing this. He himself had worked in the Shuji Mountain and had a general understanding that there were tens of thousands of people working part-time in the Sanqing Mountain. Most of them were registered disciples, most of them were young, and they didn't even have a master. He asked again,
"There are so many people working part-time, have you ever thought about joining together to run a 'government'?"
The young Taoist priest was stunned. "'Cure'? What cure?"
Cheng Xinzhan explained, "Let's call it 'Office Workers' Governance' for the time being. It is something that unites all the people who work part-time in the office. When you are wronged, you can use this 'Office Workers' Governance' to report to the higher level. After all, if you want to speak up, you either need a high position or a lot of people."
The young Taoist listened with a look of horror. Isn't this a self-contained mountain?
Cheng Xinzhan looked at his expression, knew what he was thinking, and said with a smile,
"It's not as serious as you think. It's just a place to voice your opinions. Inside, everyone is from the same school. It's not like a government office where you have to divide people up. It's just that it's harder for the chief to manage. He needs to listen to everyone's opinions and then reflect them."
The young Taoist priest was still a little scared and a little moved. He asked,
"Is this really okay?"
Cheng Xinzhan smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? After all, we are cultivators, not officials. I will propose this to the headmaster. If the headmaster agrees, how about you becoming the chief administrator?"
The young Taoist priest was a little confused for a moment, "Can I do that? I have just opened a mansion, and my cultivation is shallow."
Cheng Xinzhan smiled softly and said, "Why not?"
----
He was unwilling to delay, and went directly to Sanqing Palace after leaving Baihu Mountain. This was a major event for the entire sect, and it would be useless to find any deputy headmaster.
After listening to Cheng Xinzhan's thoughts, Ji Hehe nodded.
"You have a point. We are cultivating ourselves, not seeking official positions. The existence of such a "bureaucratic governance" is also a warning to those who think they are officials. Let's do it. You can find someone to prepare first. I will tell you about it during the regular meeting of the sect."
Cheng Xinzhan said he was leaving.
After returning to Meiji Mountain, Cheng Xinzhan wrote a letter to Shiyi Niang, asking her to arrive tomorrow morning.
----
Wait until the next day.
At noon, he came to Zhongling Mountain again and found the young Taoist priest who was on duty yesterday and told him that the headmaster had agreed. The young Taoist priest was surprised and happy because Cheng Xinzhan also told him to plan this matter. As long as he drafted the rules and regulations and the headmaster approved them, it would be done. He would be the first head of the "Shugongzhi".
The young Taoist priest didn't expect that this matter would be implemented as soon as it was proposed, so he was a little flustered at first, but he immediately calmed down and told Cheng Xinzhan that he was willing to do it.
So, Cheng Xinzhan also knew his name.
Wen Qingzhang, a disciple of Moyashan.
After hearing his name, Cheng Xinzhan was in a trance for a moment. When he entered the mountain, the generation names had not yet been sorted out. Now it has been passed down to the 49th generation!
While he was waiting for Eleventh Lady, he suggested to Wen Qingzhang how to contact people and how to manage the list. Moreover, there were so many government offices in Sanqing Mountain that they had to be divided into different administrative areas.
As he was speaking, he saw someone coming down from the sky, landing straight towards the gate of Sanqing Mountain.
"Let's not talk about it for now. Just think about it yourself. You can do it!"
He smiled and waved to Wen Qingzhang, then went to meet Shiyi Niang.
To outsiders, Sanqing Mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round. If you accidentally walk into the clouds and mist, you will walk out by yourself and return to the place where you first entered.
If you try to force your way in again and again, you will be trapped in the formation for a longer time.
If you attack this cloud, you will be sucked into it and will never be able to get out.
In this vast sea of clouds, only a small green dot is visible in the east. From a distance, it looks like a lotus leaf floating on the water. It is very eye-catching and easy to find.
When people land on this lotus leaf, they will find that this lotus leaf is exceptionally large. It is a huge and flat alpine lawn, which is large enough to park dozens of flying shuttles and cloud ships.
This high mountain lawn exposed outside the mountain protection formation is actually a cliff protruding from the east side of Zhongling Mountain. A little further inside is the official building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On the lawn stood a huge stone about ten feet high, on which were written two rows of ten characters, in iron and silver strokes:
Lotus Peak Blessed Land,
Sanqingshan Cave Heaven.
At this moment, Cheng Xinzhan is at the foot of this huge rock.
When Eleventh Lady saw that the person was already under the stone, she smiled sweetly and descended from the cloud.
"Eleventh Lady, long time no see."
Cheng Xinzhan saw the person falling down, so he stepped forward to greet him. At the same time, he saw an old man behind Shiyi Niang, so he asked,
"Eleventh Lady, who is this?"
Eleventh Lady introduced him, "Xinzhan, this is my third uncle, Xiao Qing, the most accomplished elder in my lineage, who came all the way from Haiqing City to Kongque City to support my business. Third uncle, this is Taoist Cheng Xinzhan,"
The old man bowed to Cheng Xinzhan and said with a smile,
"Meet Taoist Master Cheng. I have heard of your great reputation for a long time."
Cheng Xinzhan returned the greetings, "Mr. Xiao, I am very polite. It is just a little fame. Come, please enter the mountain gate."
Cheng Xinzhan led the way, followed closely by Shiyi Niang, and Xiao Qing followed a few steps behind.
After passing through the clouds, they soon saw the Ministry of Foreign Affairs built on the mountain. The office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was built in a very elegant style, and those who didn't know would think it was a Taoist temple.
Cheng Xinzhan asked, "I heard that Eleventh Lady is going to visit Dean Huo. It is only natural to pay respect to the elder first. How about I take you and Mr. Xiao there first? I have just inquired and Dean Huo is in the courtyard right now."
Eleventh Lady looked at him and said yes after hearing what he said. She felt sweet in her heart, thinking that he really didn't blame me for being nosy, and if he was there, it would be easier to talk to Dean Huo.
The three of them entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked someone to inform Dean Huo.
It was only because Cheng Xinzhan had just taken office as the White Tiger Envoy, and the big fuss he had made was still spreading. Most of the people working here were part-time registered disciples, and these people looked at Cheng Xinzhan with special respect.
Shiyi Niang and Xiao Qing saw this and gained a new understanding of Cheng Xinzhan's status in Sanqing Mountain.
The three of them didn't wait long outside the main official residence of the courtyard before the door opened and someone came out. It was Huo Jingyan who sent someone out. Xiao Qing of the Xiao family knew at a glance that this person was wearing a Taoist robe of the Jingming Sect and was also in the Jindan realm.
At this time, the great monk of the Jingming Sect saw Cheng Xinzhan and said with a smile,
"Xinzhan, when you have time, come to my Wanshou Palace and give some guidance to those naughty people in the sect, so that they won't be so arrogant every day."
Cheng Xinzhan recognized him. He was one of the leading Jindan of the Jingming Sect at the Dragon and Tiger Dharma Assembly, named Taoist Gao Jin.
He smiled and bowed, "Master, I am joking, but I will definitely bother you in the future to ask the Taoist brothers in Wanshou Palace for advice on water magic."
Taoist Gao Jin laughed, looked at the two people from the Xiao family, nodded in greeting, and strode away.
Huo Jingyan then invited the three of them to come in and sit down.
"I wonder what advice the two of you have for me?"
Huo Jingyan said with a smile.
Shiyi Niang and Xiao Qinglian said they dared not, and first each reported their family names, and then Shiyi Niang said,
"Sanqing Mountain is the ancestral home of a large sect. It is the place where Ge Weng, an immortal, practices Taoism with great concentration and tranquility. My Xiao family has long yearned for this place, but I dared not disturb it lightly. It was not until I met Xinzhan by chance that I dared to send this letter. Please forgive my abruptness."
"Mr. Xiao is a distinguished guest from Baiyujing, why are you speaking so modestly?"
Huo Jingyan said with a smile.
"Master Huo, please allow me to report. My family has some businesses in Baiyujing, and we have had dealings with your sect's Duchuyuan before. This time I visited Master Huo to further deepen the relationship."
"Oh, please speak."
"The disciples of Sanqing Mountain, I mean the Taoist priests of the first and second realms, they are all people with profound Taoism. Your sect practices all kinds of methods. During their daily practice, there must be outputs such as talismans, elixirs, treasures, spiritual plants, etc. If there are outputs, there must be investment, that is, talisman paper, gold and stone, materials, spiritual seeds, etc. Moreover, some of the outputs are the practice works of your sect's disciples, not for their own use. Most of them are traded between fellow disciples, or thrown away as a cover during a battle."
Huo Jingyan nodded, looked at Shiyi Niang, and motioned for her to continue.
"In fact, the practice works of your sect's top disciples can be great treasures in the hands of some poor independent cultivators. Dean Huo, do you think it would be okay to do this? Don't waste the practice works of the top disciples of Sanqing Mountain. Your sect can collect them and my Xiao family will collect them. As a reward, we can negotiate the price in gold and silver, or we can send raw materials. Our Xiao family has our own business, and we can get precious materials from all over the world."
After Xiao Shiyi Niang finished speaking, she stared at Huo Jingyan without blinking.
Cheng Xinzhan was listening on the side, thinking that Shiyi Niang had found inspiration from herself.
Huo Jingyan closed his eyes and thought quietly.
After a while, Huo Jingyan opened his eyes. He nodded to Shiyi Niang, but turned to Cheng Xinzhan and said,
"Xinzhan, it's rare for Mr. Xiao to come to Sanqing Mountain, so you can take him around. As for Daoist friend Xiao Qing, I will arrange for someone to receive him. This matter not only involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Affairs, and the mountains. I will go talk to them, and when there is a result, I will ask you two to discuss it in detail."
Xiao Shiyi Niang and Xiao Qing were overjoyed. They stood up and bowed, thanking them for their trouble.
(End of this chapter)