Volume 1 Jiangdong Fengyun Chapter 86: Ziyi, you are naughty again
Bai Tu was leisurely drinking tea at the main seat. There were several other people in the hall, some with gloomy faces and some fidgeting. The scene was very silent.
In the end, it was Lu Kang who smiled bitterly and spoke first: "Mr. Bai, everyone is here. As for the rumor about abolishing the imperial examination, can you explain it?"
That’s right, a few days ago, news suddenly came out that Bai Tu wanted to abolish the recommendation system in Jiangdong, and all officials must be selected through some "imperial examination". It is said that this imperial examination is an exam?
Although it was only a rumor, it was very convincing. In addition, the governor's office took a long time to refute the rumor, which caused all the major families to be furious.
If there were such there would probably have been trouble.
However, on the one hand, Bai Tu's situation has become a reality, and mere "rumors" are not enough to make the aristocratic families go all out. On the other hand, Lu Kang, as the helmsman of the Lu family among the four major families, has already stood on Bai Tu's side, which is equivalent to establishing a stable communication channel between Bai Tu and the aristocratic families.
Therefore, all the major families now still want to "civilize" Bai Tu and prevent him from causing trouble!
"Cao Ju? Hey, there is a nursery rhyme, I wonder if you have heard of it? If you select a scholar, he doesn't know how to read. If you select a filial and honest official, his father lives separately..." As soon as Bai Tu opened his mouth, Lu Kang and several people in the hall felt something was wrong.
Even if they were not the leaders of the major families, those who could sit here were all representatives, such as Zhang Zhao of the Zhang family, Gu Yong of the Gu family, Zhu Zhi of the Zhu family, Wei Teng of the Wei family, Yu Fan of the Yu family...
There are less than ten people in total, each representing the most top-notch family in Jiangdong!
"I have heard for a long time that Lord Bai has far-sightedness, like a swan overlooking the sky. Why do you give up because of choking? Moreover, the system of selecting officials for the imperial examinations was a policy for stabilizing the country and maintaining peace during the reigns of Emperors Wen, Jing, and Han. The reason why it is so disappointing now is that there are no virtuous people and villains are in power. This is because the ruler is dark and the ministers are incompetent. With the case of Lord Bai in Jiangdong, the wisdom of selecting officials for the imperial examinations can be restored. Why do we need to look for another way?"
The person who was speaking was wearing a unique green square scholar's hat and a scholar's robe. He was about forty years old and had a rather big nose.
Although he looked at Bai Tu with a burning gaze and spoke in a firm tone, his words were not aggressive - in short, he was saying that the reason the recommendation system had become rotten was because the "ruler was incompetent", that is, the emperor was not good enough, and Bai Tu was very wise, and he could completely restore the glory of the recommendation system like those wise rulers.
"Well, there is some truth in Zi Bu's second half of the sentence." Bai Tu smiled and nodded.
Everyone: ...
Can you be convinced by this? Everyone felt a little unreal, and even felt like someone had spit on their face, and when they were about to fight back, as soon as they raised their hands, the other party admitted their mistake!
"Zi Bu" refers to the person who is speaking. Zhang Zhao, whose courtesy name is Zi Bu, is now over 40 years old.
Although the representatives of the aristocratic families of the Eastern Wu were not as rigidly and retro in their dress and appearance as Kong Rong, they were also very "honest".
"But why does Zi Bu think I am wise but still oppose my opinion? Is it because of selfish motives?" Bai Tu changed the subject.
"Brother Zhang naturally has no such intention. I am just worried that you, the governor, will make a mistake or act biased, thus ruining your own reputation." Xu Gong stepped forward and said.
Among all the people present, the one Bai Tu despised the most was this person - the former governor of Wujun, who first colluded with Yan Baihu, pretended to be dead the whole time, used Yan Baihu's hand to do whatever he wanted in Wujun, and then used Yan Baihu's head at the critical moment, leaving Bai Tu with no excuse to deal with him!
I don’t know if it’s a psychological reason, but Bai Tu always feels that this guy looks rat-like and annoying.
"A momentary mistake? No, no, no, I have prepared a lot. Ziyi, show it to everyone." Bai Tu said.
"Here!" Taishi Ci said as he unfolded a scroll of standards for selecting guards and a plan for their expansion on the hanging board next to Bai Tu.
"Does Governor Xu think that this preparation is sufficient?" Bai Tu asked.
The scene was extremely awkward for a moment. Several people who wanted to reply lowered their heads, as if they were unwilling to interrupt. Xu Gong's face also turned red and blue.
Rumor has it that the Xu family has recruited many assassins and even used strong men from the Green Forest as farmhands. Now Bai Tu is showing his guards, which is a bit heartbreaking...
Lu Kang smiled bitterly, but still stood up and said, "Mr. Bai, you worry too much."
"How can this be unnecessary worry? It is a very important matter... Eh? Ziyi, did you post the wrong notice? Recruiting guards is our own family's business. Why are you showing this to all the adults?" Bai Tu just turned his head and exclaimed.
"Ah! I made a mistake!" Taishi Ci quickly changed one.
"Really, you are so careless. What if someone tries to assassinate me later? Do you have to avenge me? You will lose your salary this month!" Bai Tu criticized.
The notice that Taishi Ci posted this time described the departmental composition of the Xinzhou Mu Mansion. The six departments were presented in the form of a tree diagram, and the overlapping powers and responsibilities that directly restricted and governed each other were also marked.
Of course, it is closer to the revised version by Chen Gong and Lu Su.
Although it was the first time I read a document that violated the article format, the people present were all the best of the best, so they could understand most of it.
After a while, the attention of most people present was focused on the Ministry of Households - the new household registration system, the new taxation system... This would have a greater impact on the aristocratic families than abolishing the recommendation system!
Seeing this, Lu Kang seemed to want to persuade him to do something, but was stopped by Bai Tu's gaze.
After letting the scene fall silent for a while, Bai Tu took the initiative to speak before Xu Gong was about to speak again: "Is my preparation sufficient? Old Lu, you resigned from the post of Lujiang governor before. Now I want to recruit you to be a staff member of my governor's office. How about that?"
Lu Kang's eyes moved slightly when he heard this and he said, "I am an old man, not worthy of being appointed, but since Lord Bai values me, I can do some small things like feeding horses and chopping firewood."
"There's no need to bother you, Mr. Lu, with feeding the horses and chopping firewood. On the contrary, the duties of the Ministry of Revenue need someone as mature and steady as Mr. Lu to preside over them." Bai Tu said.
Hearing this, Lu Kang smiled bitterly and said, "Then I, an old man, can only donate my old bones to Mr. Bai... to the Lord."
"Well, and...what Zi Bu said just now makes sense. Let's do this. Let's add one more item to the Ministry of Rites' powers." Bai Tu said, picking up his pen and drawing another circle on the frame of the Ministry of Rites, and wrote the word "Cao Ju" in it.
It was considered as an acknowledgement that the recommendation system would continue to be listed as one of the ways to select officials, along with the "Naxian Hall for screening those who recommend themselves" and the "Xuanxian examination for selecting officials in batches through imperial examinations".
"Since you proposed it yourself, I think Mr. Zibu will not refuse to serve as the 'Cha Ju Lang' of the Ministry of Rites?" Bai Tu said.
It is very clear on the chart that the heads of the six ministries are called "Sibu", and there are two other positions of "Changshi" and "Zhubu" to assist them. In addition, there are "such and such Lang" who are responsible for specific matters. In fact, it is based on the configuration of the three officials' offices, which is equivalent to the Shangshu .
It is just because in name, the six ministries are just staff departments under the Yangzhou Governor's Office, so the ranks are generally not high, and the largest department is only of 600 stones. However, everyone here understands that this cannot be described by the rank!
"Zhao, I will serve my lord." After a slight pause, Zhang Zhao's face also obeyed the order.
"Hahaha, great! If all the talented people in our Jiangdong are like Zibu, there's no need to worry about not being able to wipe out the troubled times. The others don't have to worry. Mr. Lu has introduced me to many talented people from Jiangdong before. There's naturally plenty of room for my staff in the six departments to display their talents!" Bai Tu said cheerfully.
