Chapter 167: Everyone in the world has their own future
Chapter 167: Everyone in the world has their own future (Subscription required)
Xu Qing's forehead darkened. Is the governor okay?
In this dynasty, the governor was first of the second rank, but later it was downgraded to the third rank, and it has been the custom ever since. The ordinary prefect was of the fifth rank, but in a direct-controlled prefecture like Jiangning, it was usually of the fourth rank, which is the current rank of Prefect He.
It would be easier to explain if Prefect He was the Prefect of Yingtian. After all, the Prefect of Yingtian was a third-rank official in the early years of the Ming Dynasty. After the capital was moved to the north, the rank of Prefect of Yingtian was downgraded to a third-rank official, which was still considered a high-ranking position.
However, the appointment of the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture was a helpless move. With a low rank, how could he suppress the powerful officials of Nanzhili? Should he continue to be this official?
Even so, I usually don't dare to offend others.
In this position, making a mistake is no small matter.
Fortunately, no matter how difficult it was to be the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, it was not as difficult as the current official position of Jingzhao Yin - the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.
Magistrate He also knew that his demands were too high, but this was also bargaining.
Xu Qing said, "Your Excellency, this imperial weapon is no joke. Who do you think I am?"
He Zhifu: "Just now I was joking, Gongming, what do you think I should do next?"
Although Lao He is jealous of Lord Feng and Lord Wu, in fact, Lao Feng's current rank is not high. The reason why he is so powerful is that he is equivalent to an ordinary cultivator who has obtained a powerful magic weapon.
It’s not that he is powerful, it’s that the magic weapon is powerful.
But with this resume, it's easy to get promoted.
Moreover, promotions below the third rank in this dynasty are not so particular. For example, Lord Wu was promoted by the Prime Minister. But Lord Wu has a strong resume, and he suppressed bandits and the Lotus Sect and other rebels...
Military merit is different.
The most important thing is that his brother is a minor official in the Ministry of Personnel.
If an ordinary person is promoted out of turn, the Ministry of Personnel will definitely argue about it.
It's different with Lord Wu. As long as he has enough merits and the Prime Minister wants to use him, others have no reason to object.
In the world of immortal cultivation, Lord Wu is a virtuous and true immortal.
As for the old father-in-law, in addition to some merits, the key is to have a good son-in-law. It is not easy to reward Xu Qing openly, but the credit cannot be denied, so Lord Feng also won without doing anything.
Lord He is simply mentally unbalanced and doesn't even look in the mirror.
But Xu Qing had too few connections to use, so it would be good for him if Lord He was promoted. And Lord He was not without merit.
However, Lord He’s rank is much higher than that of the Inspector General, so it would be difficult for him to take over his father-in-law’s position.
Xu Qing thought of a piece of news from Lord Wu, "Your Excellency, I heard that the Yingtian Governor originally planned to arrange for Lord Zhang Shilun to come here, but because of the strong opposition from both the government and the public, the position of Yingtian Governor has been temporarily shelved?"
Otherwise, why do people say that the Prime Minister is a cheating person?
Since everyone opposed Zhang Shilun to be the governor of Yingtian, the Prime Minister simply stopped mentioning the matter of the governor of Yingtian.
So now a strange phenomenon has appeared in Nanzhili.
After the previous governor left office, the Prime Minister took into account the close relationship between Governor Ling and the Duke of Wei's Mansion, and found an excuse to transfer him away a month ago.
Now there is no governor of Yingtian either.
Therefore, in terms of actual power in Nanzhili, it was Xu Qing's father-in-law who had the greatest power. Moreover, Lord Feng was appointed as the military inspector, which meant he was in charge of both military and political affairs, which was completely inferior to the position of governor.
The best thing about this move is that after using it, Lord Feng doesn't have to worry about not having a place to assign him, and it's also easy to take back the power, just a matter of a word.
After all, Lord Feng himself is only a seventh-rank official.
Therefore, it was justified for Xu Qing to ask for an official position for his father-in-law.
If Magistrate He wants to climb up further, it will be a matter of careful consideration as there will be only one position for each person.
When Prefect He heard Xu Qing mention the Yingtian Governor, he coughed and said, "Gongming, the Yingtian Governor is also the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Your situation is more difficult than that of the Provincial Governor."
Xu Qing rolled his eyes and thought, "Old He, you are quite a dreamer. Why not just go straight to the Sixth Ministry and become an official directly?"
Xu Qing complained inwardly for a while, then continued, "I'll try to speak for the Lord, I wonder if the Lord wants fame or reality."
He Zhifu wanted both, but he knew it was unrealistic. He was a good student now, so he asked, "Gongming, what is the difference between name and reality?"
Xu Qing: "If you want fame, you have to be transferred back to the capital and serve as an official. With your background, it is not impossible for you to be promoted to the position of Nine Ministers in a few years, but you will probably waste your time there."
Nowadays, officials in Beijing naturally respect key departments such as the Six Ministries and the Inspectorate. The Nine Ministers have nominal titles, but their real power cannot be compared with that of the Six Ministries and the Inspectorate.
To put it bluntly, the emergence of the three provinces and six ministries was to divide the power of the three dukes and nine ministers.
For example, the emergence of Shangshu Tai.
It's a power grab.
This matter can be traced back to the time of Emperor Wu of Han.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Prime Minister's Office still had great power. In order to take away the power of the Prime Minister's Office, Emperor Wu of Han established the Shangshutai, which contained many Shangshulang.
Emperor Wu of Han used these Shangshu Lang to write many opinions on handling state affairs and sent them to the Prime Minister's Office in the name of the emperor.
Whenever the emperor gave instructions, the prime minister had to personally review them and write down his opinions, even if he could object. He could not let others do the work for him, otherwise it would be a serious crime.
As a result, the prime minister at that time exhausted his energy every day responding to these trivial matters, and later on, as long as the opinions were sent by the Secretariat, the prime minister simply approved them.
In this way, the power of the Prime Minister's Office was transferred to the Secretariat.
Of course, the actual struggle process is definitely more complicated than what is described in history books, but the logic behind it is very clear.
No matter how powerful a person is, it is impossible for him to handle all the affairs of the world.
Decentralization is inevitable.
So later civil servants followed suit. When the emperor became monopolistic, they kept submitting memorials to the emperor, leaving all matters to the emperor to deal with. The emperor could not bear it and had to delegate power.
Just as this dynasty abolished the prime minister, the cabinet was still born.
Reclaiming power is only a small part of centralization. How to redistribute power and use it to get things done is the most difficult part.
After all, you can use a knife to seize power, but you can't use the knife to force people to do things in a down-to-earth manner.
Because there are too many things in the world, it is impossible to supervise everything. Doing so would consume more manpower and material resources. Besides, who will supervise those who supervise others?
No matter how perfect the system is, it still needs people to operate it.
When rule is by man, there is naturally a lot of room for maneuver.
Therefore, whether it is a prime minister or an emperor, the most important quality is not ability, but "peace".
The wise men’s words are profound and meaningful, and bringing peace to the world has fully explained the essence of governing a country.
Peace means balancing all parties and calming disputes...
When the world is peaceful, everyone is still in order and follows the rules when it is time to do so. Once there is no order, everyone is in danger and the rituals and music are ruined.
Etiquette is actually order.
At this time, Magistrate He no longer cared about being reserved and polite, and said, "Gongming, I have always been pragmatic and not idealistic. I still like to do things in the local area, establish my heart for the world, and establish my life for the people..."
Xu Qing laughed secretly, but since it concerned his future, even someone like Prefect He was no exception.
After all, the world is made up of a bunch of makeshift teams.
In his previous life, he had heard that some local bigwigs played Honor of Kings.
Xu Qing quickly stopped He Zhifu's serious performance and said, "In fact, have you ever thought about this, sir? Since the position of governor and the prime minister have been put on hold, do you think that the prime minister will continue the example of the governor of Yingtian for the vacant positions of the governor and governor-general?"
"After all, the governor is a permanent official. Unlike the governor-general, can the position be left vacant?" Lord He was a seasoned official and understood the implication of Xu Qing's words.
Under the governor are the councillors and the councillors. Without the governor, governor, or provincial governor, the councillors naturally have the highest position in local civil affairs.
The question is how to transfer the current political participants to make room for him.
But the idea is fine.
As long as there is no governor above him, even if he participates in politics, that is the power of the governor. After working for a year or two and then making some efforts, it is not impossible for him to be promoted to governor.
But the provincial governor is different from the governor-general and the governor-general.
Whether the latter two are set up or not, and whether people are sent or not, depends entirely on the mood of the cabinet and the emperor.
If the Prime Minister insisted on his own way, he could have sent Zhang Shilun to Nanzhili, but the struggle in the court required compromise. The Prime Minister took a step back in order to make progress in other areas.
Xu Qing thought that Lord He still lacked experience. The Wanli Emperor did not attend court or govern for decades, so it was common for many official positions to be vacant for several years.
He said, "Ancestors are not worthy of emulation, and natural disasters are not worthy of fear. Now that you have started to reform, how can you make it a success? The key to this matter lies in whether the Prime Minister is willing to help you, and whether the people above the Palace Master are willing to make an effort."
He Zhifu said: "I have enough support behind me, but Gongming, you also need help here. Otherwise, I am not sure."
He knew that Xu Qing could definitely have a say with the Prime Minister regarding matters in the southeast.
After some work, he was promoted to the position of councillor, which was a bit unusual, but not too unusual. After all, He Zhifu also contributed to the Lotus Sect, the rice-to-mulberry conversion, and the land survey. When he mentioned the governor earlier, he actually meant the position of councillor. This is called seeking the best and getting the middle.
But he also wanted to have the power of a governor.
What's more, seeking power and power is a basic quality of being an official.
You don't even want to get promoted or gain power, so do you want to rebel?
Xu Qing smiled: "Actually, this matter is difficult and easy. But it may be unfair to the Lord."
"No, no, Gongming, you know me. I have always advocated achievements. Everything I have done is for the welfare of people in the world." Prefect He immediately waved his hands and spoke righteously.
Xu Qing really wanted to complain, "Old He, are you worthy of being called the 'common people in this world'?"
He continued, "Your Excellency, all you need to do is ask my father-in-law for help and submit a memorial. But there is a grudge between the two of you, and if he embarrasses you, you must admit your mistake."
Prefect He did not mind admitting his mistake. He asked, "This memorial should not be about recommending me, or asking the court not to send a governor."
Xu Qing nodded: "The key to this matter is that before my father-in-law left office, he wrote to Your Majesty, requesting that the land in each prefecture in Nanzhili be surveyed. In particular, he requested that the court send a minister of high moral character to serve as the governor to personally supervise this matter. This move is for the benefit of all the people in the world, and I don't think any old man would be afraid to take on this important task."
Prefect He was startled at first, but soon came to his senses and slapped his thigh, "Gong Ming's move is brilliant!"
He understands so well.
As long as it is clearly stated that the governor has to survey the land in Southern Zhili, who would want to step into this fire pit?
The difficulty of surveying the land in Southern Zhili and that of surveying Yingtian Prefecture and Jiangning Prefecture were incomparable.
It is clear that this is definitely a pit of fire. Once you enter it, it is impossible to get out unscathed.
The key to this matter lies in how to tie the governor and the land survey together.
As an inspector and censor of the local areas, Lord Feng naturally has great say, and the memorials he submits should naturally be taken seriously by the cabinet and the emperor.
In addition, the Prime Minister must also approve this matter.
But for the Prime Minister, whether it is the maritime affairs in the southeast, or the conversion of rice to mulberry, the survey of land in the two prefectures... these things that have already produced results must be protected and no one should be allowed to ruin things.
Therefore, the governor could not cooperate with the reformists and would rather not use him.
But surveying the land in Southern Zhili was a matter of swords and fire, and even the reformists did not dare to do it.
It can be said that in the current dynasty, except Zhang Shilun, no one else had the courage to do so.
Lord He was excited, but also worried: "Gongming, if the governor hadn't come, would this matter fall on the councillor?"
Xu Qing: "Your Excellency, please do not learn from Yuan Benchu. No one would be afraid of losing his life when doing great things. I remember your heroic figure when we wiped out the Lotus Sect bandits. I can still see your heroic figure in front of my eyes."
Lord He would naturally not be fooled by Xu Qing's sweet words, but he changed his mind and realized that if it really came to this, the worst that could happen was that he would resign.
But important opportunities in life often only come once or twice. Once you miss them, it will be too late to regret.
Lao He also didn't bring a sword, otherwise he would have to learn from Sun Shiwan who cut off the table before the Battle of Red Cliff to show his determination. He slapped the table and said, "A real man born in this world should make achievements. Gongming, I'll leave this matter to you."
Xu Qing naturally agreed.
In his opinion, Lao He was definitely a middle-of-the-road figure that both the reformists and conservatives were willing to accept, because Lao He was not a reformist by nature, and was on the same side as the conservatives.
Now that the reformists are powerful, it is not unacceptable for Lao He to endure humiliation and infiltrate the enemy.
After Xu Qing saw Lao He off, he could not help chanting on the steps: "If you are in a high position in the government, you will worry about the people; if you are far away in the world, you will worry about your ruler. So you will worry if you advance, and you will worry if you retreat."
"Husband, don't worry. Can you ask Uncle He to apologize to Dad?"
"Just tell me whether my father-in-law is happy or not?"
"Then he must be very happy." Feng Wu smiled.
...
...
"The people of the world." The Prime Minister read Xu Qing's letter and couldn't help but throw it to the ground. When would it be his turn to say the words "the people of the world"?
Without waiting for the Prime Minister to speak, the servant hurriedly picked up the letter, not daring to read it.
The Prime Minister winked and the servants brought a brazier, into which he threw the letter. Afterwards, the ashes from the brazier had to be strictly handled.
The Prime Minister sat down and pondered.
Although Xu Gongming kept saying that he was asking for an official position for his father-in-law for the sake of the people of the world, Feng Xifeng's next position was also a key issue.
It won’t be easy to raise the level any further.
The Prime Minister thought that recently the performance of the six departments' secretaries was not to his liking, which made him feel constrained in doing things.
Since the goal is to clarify the administration of officials, the position of Six Departments Censor must naturally be completely mastered.
In fact, he originally considered abolishing the six departments of the Imperial Censorate.
There is no other reason. Although this position is the same as the Imperial Inspector, it is only a seventh-rank official. In fact, it has great power, including the power to seal and reject, report to the Ministry of Personnel, and cancel. "Seal and reject": assist the emperor in handling memorials; "report to the Ministry of Personnel": inspect the affairs of the six ministries; "cancel": cancel means that the imperial edict and memorials are registered with the Ministry of Personnel every day, and sent to the cabinet for filing every five days. The executive agency handles government affairs within the specified time limit, and the six departments will verify and cancel it every five days.
In addition, the six departments of the Imperial Censorate can now participate in court discussions and recommendations.
Therefore, the six departments’ secretaries can also participate in the central government’s decision-making.
To use Xu Qing's words from his previous life, he could be said to be the top keyboard warrior.
These people can enter the decision-making level and don't have to take the blame. Even if they can't get things done, they can still fail.
The key point is that the emergence of the Six Departments of Censors is a microcosm of the dynasty's policy of using the small to control the big, and it is intended to prevent high-ranking officials in the court from becoming too powerful.
After much deliberation, the Prime Minister still felt that abolishing the six departments of the Imperial Secretariat would be difficult to implement.
Since they cannot be abolished, we can only replace them all with people who are more comfortable with them.
In the past he had to pretend, but now, after struggling step by step, the enemy and ourselves are clearly distinguished, and his power is consolidated. Naturally, some things should be done.
The key to governing is to employ people well.
Feng Xifeng was assigned to the Six Departments as a Censor. If Xu Gongming still made trouble, he would be unfilial.
It is difficult to rule the world.
Sometimes, the Prime Minister couldn't help but want to use the golden hammer given by the emperor to smash the heads of those insects who opposed him.
At this time, the Prime Minister was actually looking forward to Xu Qing's entry into the center. Based on his understanding of Xu Qing, this kid was both powerful and decisive, and could do jobs like knocking heads without a golden hammer.
Thinking of this man's martial arts skills, the Prime Minister couldn't help but feel a headache.
The key lies in the other person's age.
How can the rise and fall of a family be compared with the construction of a national system?
There was something Xu Qing said that he strongly agreed with.
The rise and fall, everyone is responsible.
Each generation has its own affairs. Power does not come out of thin air, but has a goal and is in the interests of the majority. Many people revolve around you and share the benefits, so naturally an interest group is formed.
Shun was born in the fields. Actually, when Shun was ploughing the fields, many people followed him to plough the fields and got a lot of harvest, so he was naturally supported by others.
Dayu controlled the floods. In the process of controlling the floods, he mastered the human and material resources, solved the floods, and naturally became the common lord...
If you are virtuous, why should Xu Qing worry?
If the king is unjust, there are more people to worry about than just Xu Qing.
The Prime Minister made the decision, but he couldn't help but sigh. This kid has been studying at home. Could it be that he is thinking about the affairs of the court all day long?
He found another opportunity.
Moreover, he keeps his achievements and fame secret, and hides his abilities well.
But the Prime Minister’s surprises did not end there.
Not long after, Lord Feng, served by Lord He, drank a good wine comfortably and wrote a shocking memorial.
"Please clear the land area petition in Nanzhili!"
A memorial to the emperor's memorial caused a huge uproar in the court which had been gradually stabilizing.
Minister Zhang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
Recently, in order to obtain the position of the Governor of Southern Zhili, naturally, some qualified people came to the Ministry of Personnel to inquire about the information, which gave Minister Zhang some opportunities to seize.
Unexpectedly, it only took a short time.
The governor of Nanzhili became a hot potato.
Of course, those who had come to inquire about the news before had hinted, either explicitly or implicitly, that Minister Zhang should not recommend them.
One thing, after all the hassles, I am forced to accept two gifts!
Absolutely!
(End of this chapter)