The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 87: Sir, there are almost no people left at the top!
Lianghuai Road

Late at night, the main officials of Lianghuai Road gathered together to entertain Chu Hong and Liu Shi'an.

Patrolling the world can have a high or low political significance, but no matter what, the people who patrol are well-deserved big brothers and must not be offended easily.

The officials in Lianghuai Road were all quite enthusiastic. Each of them was a seasoned veteran in officialdom, and the atmosphere had never been cold.

Chu Hong sat in the main seat, quietly sipping tea and looking at the chaotic yet orderly world of life.

At this point, even if the Governor Cai Qing toasted him, he would drink tea instead of wine.

Sir, you need to take care of your health!
If the elder had drunk one less glass of wine, he might have lived one more day.

The longer you live, the more peaceful the world will be.

Who dares to have an opinion?
However, even if he used tea instead of wine, there were only a handful of people who were qualified to toast him.

After the toast, there were only two people who were qualified to talk and laugh with him.

One is the governor Cai Qing, and the other is Wang Su, a third-rank official!
It's a pity that some people are ignorant!
Chu Hong blew on the tea gently and glanced at the Governor Cai Qing.

Compared to Hu Kun, who is about to be promoted and is sensible and obedient, Cai Qing will definitely be demoted.

This person's attitude was neither close nor distant, and he had no intention of getting close.

He also came forward to chat and laugh with Chu Hong, but never mentioned political affairs, and sometimes seemed a little perfunctory.

If I remember correctly, when the new emperor ascended the throne, many provincial governors looked for opportunities to go to the capital and explain local political affairs to the new emperor.

Cai Qing relied on other backers and did not go!

If this is not done, it will be unjust.

Chu Hong looked at Wang Su who was sitting at the edge of the banquet table.

Wang Su, the eldest son of old Grand Tutor Wang, now holds the rank of third grade and is the highest-ranking official in the Wang family.

Wang Su had also come forward to toast before, but he only toasted and said something auspicious.

No real communication!
Theoretically speaking, a third-rank person is naturally not qualified to communicate with Chu Hong.

However, Wang Su's sister Wang Ruofu is Chu Hong's mother-in-law, so Wang Su can naturally come forward to communicate.

In other words, precisely because of this identity, he should be the person who communicates most with Chu Hong besides the Governor Cai Qing.

However, this is not the case.

Wang Su, I have no intention of communicating!
Seeing that Wang Su showed no intention of getting close to him, Chu Hong stopped paying attention to him.

What a joke! We can't ask him, a Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, to come forward and say hello with a cup of tea, right?
He dared to come forward and say hello, and Wang Su dared to acknowledge him with airs?
Chu Hong looked at the tea, then looked at Cai Qing, the governor of Lianghuai who was busy greeting people, and shook his head slightly.

A little bit of greed is not a big problem.

Unfortunately, he is not a man who knows the times.

If you are not close and have other backers, then you are destined not to be the same kind of people!

Since we are not of the same kind, we can’t stay!
"Den!"

The teacup landed steadily on the table, and Chu Hong took a step back slightly.

General Xiao Duan, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately ordered his men to come forward, and elite soldiers in armor tightly surrounded the hall.

Outside the hall, nearly a thousand soldiers surrounded the surrounding paths, and not even a fly could fly through.

Cai Qing was toasting Liu Shian, but when he saw the noise, he almost dropped his glass and his speech became a little incoherent.

Cai Qing secretly thought that something was wrong, and he suppressed his panic and asked hurriedly: "What does the old man mean?"

Many officials no longer had the heart to drink. They all felt nervous and weak, trembling like seventy-year-old men.

If you really think about it, who hasn't done some wrong or dirty things?

Patrolling the world depends on the mood of the inspectors. If they really want to conduct a strict inspection, there is nothing you can do.

But isn't this just the first day?

Can't wait for a day?
Liu Shian looked at everyone, saw their confusion, and kindly explained, "There are many places in the Great Zhou, and the elder has to go to each place in person. It will take more than a month just to travel. The cabinet has a lot of affairs, so the elder naturally has no time to argue with you."

Many people were sweating, realizing that the situation was a bit serious.

After all, there are no such soldiers on Jiangnan Road who surround people and prevent them from leaving, right?

In other words, the Lianghuai Road is going to get serious?

The governor Cai Qing pretended to be calm and bowed slightly, "Lianghuai Road will definitely cooperate with the elders in the investigation, and make sure that none of the corrupt officials who harm the people will escape."

Chu Hong looked at Cai Qing deeply, which made Cai Qing feel uneasy and he avoided his gaze involuntarily.

"What the governor said makes sense. He certainly didn't miss any bad guys and wrongly accuse any good guys." Chu Hong slowly stepped forward and looked at his trusted confidant Bu Mu, "Bring me the silk cloth with the officials' names on it!"

"What? A silk cloth with a name on it?"

"You have silk cloth?"

"This official must be an honest official!"

When many people saw the list, their cheeks immediately turned red and they sweated profusely. They didn't make any drastic movements, but they just kept sweating.

Even the Governor Cai Qing did not dare to look at the silk cloth that Bu Mu was taking.

No matter what evil spirits are around or what ghosts are seeking revenge, none of them are as frightening as that piece of silk cloth.

After a while, under the nervous gaze of everyone, the silk cloth fell into Chu Hong's hands.

Chu Hong looked at the list while looking at the officials from Lianghuai. Everywhere he looked, he saw them retreating and dodging.

In fact, Chu Hong didn’t know these officials, and the officials in Lianghuai also knew that Chu Hong didn’t know the officials in Lianghuai.

But I just couldn't help but panic.

At this moment, I am not in the mood to show any acting skills.

Amid the anxious expressions and heavy breathing of the crowd, Chu Hong read out the first name.

"Cai Qing!"

"What? Sir, Sir, I am innocent!"

Cai Qing immediately collapsed to the ground, his face turning red uncontrollably, and he cried out for justice with snot and tears.

Chu Hong did not react, and the soldiers who had been waiting immediately stepped forward to drag him away.

"Master? Master, please forgive me. From now on, I will obey your orders."

Cai Qing shouted and kowtowed, with a pious and sincere look, begging for mercy.

Chu Hong didn't believe his nonsense.

Even if Cai Qing came to his senses and wanted to get closer, there was no need to stop him.

The two Huai regions are rich in grain. Wouldn't it be better to replace one of our own people instead of keeping a new comer?

Just like that, in full view of everyone, Cai Qing was dragged out of the hall by three soldiers.

Many officials were so frightened that their legs and feet became limp and they lost their ability to move.

What's worse, some people were afraid to watch Cai Qing being dragged away, and raised their sleeves to cover their eyes.

Just as he was about to be dragged out of the hall, Cai Qing's angry and frightened voice was heard.

"Chu Zifeng, I'm the brother-in-law of the Grand Master, how dare you touch me?"

Chu Hong shook his head slightly and looked towards the entrance of the hall. "Oh? It seems that the governor has a powerful backer?"

Having said that, Chu Hong was not afraid at all.

In terms of rank, Cai Qing's rank is much higher than that of Da Zong Zheng.

He pulled out the Grand Master simply because he relied on the Grand Master's royal bloodline.

But who doesn’t have royal blood?
The contemporary Grand Clan Leader may even be the Grand Clan Leader from the previous emperor's time, but not the Grand Clan Leader appointed by the new emperor. This makes the relationship even more distant.

Who's afraid?

The Grand Clan Leader should act like a Grand Clan Leader. Why would he interfere in government affairs?
A new emperor ascends the throne but does not go to Beijing to discuss state affairs with the emperor. The new emperor's nephew has no close relatives when he tours the country, so who else can he target if not you?

Could the livelihoods of tens of millions of ordinary people be handed over to a stranger?
There are tens of millions of people here. What will happen if someone has ulterior motives?
Chu Hong looked at Cai Qing quietly.

"Cai Qing has absolutely no intention of disobeying the elder, but I beg the elder to show some leniency."

Cai Qing felt flustered, but he did not act arrogantly. He looked like he was begging for mercy.

"What about the Great Master's matter?"

"That was just Cai Qing joking. Please rest assured, Mr. Lord, Cai Qing has no intention of disobeying you."

"The new emperor ascended the throne, have you gone to the capital to discuss state affairs?"

"At that time, the two Huai regions were busy, so I planned to go to Beijing to appeal for justice after a while."

"The big shot above you is not as big as me!"

Chu Hong shook his head slightly and sneered, "You have a lot of people above you, but I am running out of people above me!"

Cai Qing immediately lost all hope and let the soldiers drag him away. "Next, Chu Rui!"

Names were called out one after another, and Wang Su huddled in a corner, not daring to make his presence felt.

Until you no longer say your name!
A quiet and peaceful courtyard with a few sandalwood scents.

Old Mrs. Wang sat quietly in the chair, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Tonight, Chu Zifeng and Liu Shian arrived in Huainan. Did you go up to them to test their words?"

"Mother, Chu Zifeng and Liu Shi'an were accompanied by the Provincial Governor Cai Qing himself, and the heads of the four departments were also there. I am a third-rank official, so how can I have the time to test the waters?"

Wang Su was sweating profusely and looked at his old mother with difficulty. He was only a third-rank official, while Lord Chu was a first-rank official. The difference was not small at all.

"You are Hualan's uncle after all, so why don't Chu Zifeng come forward and talk to you?"

Old Mrs. Wang was immediately a little dissatisfied, and her eyes were full of disappointment when she looked at her son.

Wang Su shook his head slightly, not knowing what his mother was thinking. How could he be qualified to ask the elder to come forward and say hello?

Old Madam Wang looked at her son's cowardly look and snorted, "Your father raised you for decades, and when he passed away, he was worthy of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and given the title of Grand Tutor. But Chu Zifeng secretly lured you to usurp the foundation of the Wang family. If your father were still alive, would Chu Zifeng dare to act like this?"

Wang Su looked at his mother and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.

"what's up?"

"Tonight is a Hongmen Banquet."

"What?" Old Lady Wang was startled, and then a little surprised, "Tell me in detail what happened tonight!"

"Tonight, halfway through the party, Elder Chu suddenly took out a piece of silk cloth."

"It seems that Chu Zifeng has actually offended the Grand Master?"

Old Mrs. Wang's eyes lit up shrewdly, and a bold plan took shape in her mind.

"Mother, it was the Grand Master who offended Elder Chu."

Wang Su corrected in a low voice, saying that a mere Grand Chancellor really had no deterrent power in front of the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

Old Lady Wang pondered for a moment and looked at Wang Su, "The matter of Cai Qing could have been big or small. Chu Zifeng was avenging a personal vendetta and attacking a political enemy."

"Su'er, tell me, do you have the potential to become the governor of Lianghuai?"

Old Mrs. Wang's eyes became brighter and brighter, and she suddenly had a way to revive the Wang family.

"Mom, I can't get up!"

Wang Su sighed. Everyone wants to be an official, but he just can’t reach that position!
"Since you are capable, let Chu Zifeng find a way for you!" Old Lady Wang was full of momentum and looked quite confident. "Then Chu Zifeng forced your father's disciples and old officials to stay, so he must pay a price."

"What does mother mean?"

"Call Chu Hong and Liu Shian to see me tomorrow morning."

Early in the morning, Chu Hong and Liu Shi'an each brought a stack of charges and discussed how to deal with the officials in Lianghuai.

There are many ways to deal with civil servants, and demotion is a commonly used one.

"Demote them! Since there are problems, demote them. Except for the governor Cai Qing, who was demoted to the fifth rank, the rest should be demoted to at least the fifth rank or lower."

Chu Hong took a quick look and made a decision immediately.

These officials must not be allowed to hold power.

However, we must also leave a glimmer of hope and not let people go down the path of rebellion.

"Yes!"

Liu Shian responded immediately. He has been very motivated recently and is at his peak all the time.

At this time, Bu Mu, who had been serving, stepped forward.

"My Lord, Wang Su wants to see you."

Chu Hong looked puzzled, "Wang Su? Well, let him in!"

Bu Mu hurried out to report.

In less than ten breaths, Wang Su walked in quickly, "Wang Su greets the elder."

Chu Hong nodded slightly without even looking at Wang Su. Since the other party did not try to establish a kinship relationship with him, he did not treat him according to kinship treatment.

It was a rare opportunity for him to come in as a mere third-rank official.

"Why are you here?"

"My mother asked the Lord and Minister Liu to go see her."

"Ah?" Chu Hong looked at Liu Shian a little unconfidently, only to see that Liu Shian was equally surprised.

"What did you say? Old Madam Wang asked me to go see her?"

It’s no wonder Chu Hong reacted like this. He is the second-in-command of the civil service of the Zhou Dynasty. How could he be asked to take the initiative to meet people?
Who has such a big face?

What the hell! The queue for people to see officials in the world would last until he died of old age, and yet someone asked him to take the initiative to see them?

Even the royal family doesn’t have such a grand ceremony, right?
Wang Su lowered his head and didn't dare to say anything.

He had advised his mother, but his mother always maintained the dignity of the "Grand Tutor's Mansion" and refused to listen.

Although he was a third-rank official, he could not persuade his old mother.

Chu Hong looked into the distance with some doubt about life. Is this world so upside down?
He is the second in command of the Civil Service Group, and Liu Shian is also one of the top ten figures in the Civil Service Group. Isn't there any respect for such a combination?

"Okay, let's go play!"

Chu Hong shook his head and waved his hands impatiently. This Wang family might be a little too arrogant!

Grand Master, you must be quite awesome.

But in reality, this thing has no real power at all.

The gap between one grand master and another is as huge as a chasm, and it mainly depends on whether the disciples and old officials are capable enough.

If it was the case of Old Grand Tutor Wang or Old Grand Tutor Yu, the elders would probably smile if they gave him face, but it would be entirely possible that they would show a stern face to his face if they didn't.

For a Grand Tutor of this level, if he says something, it’s likely that no one will listen.

If his teacher Han Zhang became the Grand Tutor, most ministers would have to smile even if they were in a bad mood, and it would be impossible for them to show a bad face to his face.

A Grand Tutor of this level can be worth a thousand words and can shake the court with just one word.

The influence of Old Master Wang has always been quite ordinary. It is actually an exaggeration to say that his disciples and former officials are spread all over the world.

Such a Grand Tutor had little influence during his lifetime, let alone after being dead for nearly twenty years?

To put it bluntly, Old Master Wang’s influence is almost extinct.

If Liu Shian had not been close to Chu Hong and gained Han Zhang's favor, he would have only been a third-rank official or a second-rank honorary official for his entire life.

They are not even qualified to participate in the peak competition, where does their influence come from?

Even if Old Master Wang were still alive, even if he was at the peak of his power, Chu Hong could still easily crush him.

Twenty years have passed, and an unreasonable old lady is relying on the almost non-existent prestige of the old Grand Tutor to show off her power in front of the second-in-command of the civil service?
Wang Su hesitated. Why did this “Let’s go and have fun” sound so contemptuous and indifference?
Lord Chu, are you going or not?

He wanted to ask, but didn't dare to.

Bu Mu stretched out his hand and gestured to go out.

Chu Hong sighed slightly, looked at Wang Su walking out, and then looked at Liu Shian, "Add Wang Su's name!"

"How much rank did you get demoted to?"

Liu Shian shook his head slightly. This old lady Wang was showing off her power to the wrong person. It seemed that she had stayed in the local area for too long and didn't know her place.

Chu Hong didn't think about it, "From the third rank, demoted to the seventh rank, so as to avoid showing off and causing trouble for others."

"Yes!"

Bu Mu, who had been serving, hurried out to chase the man. How could a demoted official run away so easily?

"Sir, what about the Wang family?"

Chu Hong narrowed his eyes slightly and looked into the distance, "Let's see if she impeaches the two of us! Some things cannot be regretted once they are brought to court. In the next few days, have someone collect evidence of the Wang family's crimes, and make sure it is detailed."

Some things require high-end processing. Old Master Wang is too lonely in the Taimiao, so let him come out and bask in the sun.

He is waiting, waiting for the opportunity!
"Yes!"

Liu Shian looked at the disappeared Wang Su and the old lady Wang who had never appeared, and marveled at it.

He is a master who single-handedly brought the Grand Tutor's Mansion to ruin.

At the Wang family, old lady Wang looked very bad.

She really didn't expect that her son, who had already passed the test, would be used for personal revenge and inexplicably charged with more crimes.

It would have been fine if Chu Zifeng didn't come to see me, but he even kept me here. Doesn't that mean he doesn't give me any face?
There are so many ministers in the world, how many of them are enshrined in the Taimiao?

You don’t even give me this little bit of face?
"Humph, wait until Sanlang is released and then go to the capital. I don't believe that the title of Grand Tutor is useless!"

(End of this chapter)