Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 407 Stay at Midnight
Pingcheng.

People crowded on both sides of the road, and soldiers were on guard, keeping their distance to prevent disturbances and trampling.

More than a hundred people walked in from the city gate.

The leader had disheveled hair, wore a huge green mask, and had all kinds of strange magical weapons hanging on his body.

As the man walked, all the magical weapons on his body made clear chirping sounds.

He was followed by two people, both dressed as evil spirits, one holding a drum and the other holding a torch.

The leader took a step forward, then stopped and stepped back, to the left, and then to the right.

He was saying something that no one could understand and walking forward at a weird pace. No one knew how he could move forward. His steps seemed almost the same, but he was constantly moving forward.

The person on the left was beating the drum, following the rhythm of the master, while the other person was waving the torch in his hand, and the torch flew over the master's head again and again.

The hundreds of people behind them were all dressed in this strange way, some were dancing, and some were singing.

The scene was full of strangeness.

They walked in from the north gate and headed towards the south gate.

The people along the road shouted loudly, and some people spontaneously shouted the same thing as them, and just watched them pass by on the road.

These people really don't seem to be tired at all.

We walked forward for more than an hour and finally arrived at another city gate.

The people started to roar, some threw out money, and the children squatted on the ground and picked it up.

When they walked out of the city gate, officials were already waiting for them.

Everyone took off their clothes and began to take off the masks on their heads. The leader finally took off his mask slowly.

The person under the mask was Chu Jiande.

Chu Jiande was panting and sweating all over. Several clerks rushed up to him and took off the equipment from him with a look of heartache.

"Mr. Chu, you are old. You can leave this kind of thing to others. Why do you have to do it yourself?"

"How can we let someone else perform this Nuo ritual?"

"The Spring Nuo Opera is a national event. I have to do it myself, and there can be no mistakes."

Chu Jiande said breathlessly, and then looked at the other people pretending to be nobles, and finally a smile appeared on his face, "You guys did a good job!"

"I was worried that you wouldn't be able to play the role of Fang Xiangshi. It seems that I can slowly give in from now on!"

Everyone laughed.

It was the spring planting season. Before the planting, according to national system, a grand Nuo opera had to be held in the city.

This is not something that came into being after the old Xianbei entered the Pass, but is something that was passed down from the pre-Qin period.

In the pre-Qin period, this thing was mainly used to drive away ghosts and avoid epidemics. The ceremony was complicated and noble. Common people were not worthy of participating. Only princes and nobles could participate.

By the Han Dynasty, there appeared state-run Nuo opera and privately-run Nuo opera. The privately-run ones were open to the participation of ordinary people.

After the old Xianbei entered the Pass, perhaps because the masters suffered heavy casualties and had no time to engage in these things, Nuo opera became completely secularized. There were no strict regulations, and the gods became diversified. Buddhist and Taoist gods also participated. Even a beggar could participate by wearing a mask. The purpose of Nuo opera changed from exorcising ghosts to paying tribute to the gods.

If you really want to be serious about it, it is essentially an event held before the farming season starts in the spring so that people can participate in it.

To thank the gods and nature, and hoping to receive their blessings this year, to live a better life with fewer disasters, everyone starts this year's farming activities with full joy and anticipation for the new year.

In a sense, this matter is indeed important.

The ceremonial guard of thanksgiving completed its mission, but the people in the city could continue their carnival. They put on various masks and celebrated the event in their own way.

The streets are bustling with people coming and going.

It was difficult for carriages to pass, so most people traveled on foot.

At this moment, a group of people acted like bad guests and squeezed out a path in the bustling crowd, and the carriage passed slowly.

With the sound of abuse along the way, the carriage finally arrived at a relatively quiet alley.

The carriage stopped and an official got out, muttering something.

The person who got off the car was Yang Xiuzhi, a minister of the Han State.

Yang Xiuzhi looked around and made sure that the place was quiet and empty, then he asked his men to knock on the door.

Soon, he walked into the house.

This was not the first time Yang Xiuzhi came here. He walked very quickly and, led by several servants, quickly appeared in the study, pushed open the door and walked in.

An elderly scribe was sitting in the study.

It was Cui Jishu.

Cui Jishu was not surprised to see the distinguished guest coming, as if he had expected it. He gestured and asked Yang Xiuzhi to sit next to him.

Yang Xiuzhi sat down and saw many documents placed in front of Cui Jishu, all of which were filled with various names of people.

Yang Xiuzhi narrowed his eyes.

Cui Jishu pointed to a name and asked, "Mr. Yang, what do you think of this person?"

Yang Xiuzhi glanced at him, "Meng Ye?"

"Isn't this the governor who bought the donkey?"

Cui Jishu laughed, "It was the governor who bought the donkey."

"Why, are you going to become a governor?"

Yang Xiuzhi said with disdain: "This man is as timid as a chicken. When Gao Yue summoned him to Sizhou, he was harassed by several Xianbei soldiers at the city gate. He was so scared that he dared not go in, and Gao Yue had to send someone to invite him in."

"I don't even dare to kill a chicken. I am so timid."

"Can someone like him be a governor?"

Cui Jishu exclaimed, "Don't dare say that."

"Your Majesty has only arranged three people, one of whom is Meng Ye. Your Majesty said that this person is honest, loves the people, and is kind, and is a suitable candidate for the governor."

Yang Xiuzhi's lips trembled, and he tried hard not to criticize.

But his attitude still betrayed his inner thoughts.

Does he deserve it? ?

He simply stopped thinking about it, "Three people? I wonder who the other two are?"

"One is Cheng'an Ling Fang Bao, and the other is Su Qiong"

"Oh, Fang Bao is a good talker. Su Qiong is not bad, but unfortunately, she is not good-looking."

"Then who do you think can take on this role, Lord Yang?"

Yang Xiuzhi cleared his throat and said, "I think there are two people who can do it. One is the Secretary Cui Zhan. He was highly valued by Prime Minister Yang in the past. After the founding of the country, he also made great contributions. He is smart, knowledgeable, honest and upright. He can be the governor."

"One is my son Yang Piqiang, he has extraordinary understanding and the ability to govern the world."

Cui Jishu suddenly laughed.

"No wonder Lord Yang looks down on others. He starts with Cui and Yang."

Yang Xiuzhi said hurriedly: "Mr. Cui, I am not the kind of person who talks nonsense. My son is already very old, but he still hasn't found a suitable official position. He is my only son, and I am also old. I am very worried about the future."

"As long as the new governors are not incompetent, they can all make achievements."

"It's so dilapidated over there. It's a good opportunity to make achievements."

"I'm not afraid of what others say about me. I just want to give my son a chance. What others can do, my son can do too. With my help, maybe he can do better."

"Mr. Cui, your son is currently discussing the selection of the governor with Gao Lu and the other two. Everyone knows this. If you are willing to help, please give them some help."

Cui Jishu tapped the table in front of him lightly with his fingers.

"Your Majesty has taken three of the eight provincial governors."

"Gao must at least give one to the former royal family, and Lu must give one to the people of Cheng'an. My son and I serve in the same court, but Lu is different after all, so he must give one to the people of Dingzhou."

"That means three fewer candidates, leaving only two."

Yang Xiuzhi said hurriedly: "Then it's our turn to choose."

"There are few talented people in the frontier areas, and they have no say in the court."

Cui Jishu laughed, "That won't work. Shi Dixian'an is still here. Many of the border people nowadays look up to him. He has a say in the court. If it's taken away like this, he may not be happy."

Yang Xiuzhi frowned, "That's right, there is still one that belongs to us."

"I'm willing to change. I can contact the others myself and ask them to give me the last spot."

This was the first time that provincial governors were assigned since the founding of the country.

The previous ten provincial governors were selected directly by Liu Taozi and Zu Ting, without involving other ministers at all.

The Inspectors of Han were different from those of Qi.

Qi has more states and the governors are cheaper. At least the governors who serve as governors of four or five states are acceptable.

But in today's Han State, there are even fewer states. Take the eleven governors today for example. Each of them holds a high position and has great power. They not only have the power of inspection, but also have direct jurisdiction over all counties and are fully responsible for their administration and economy.

That is much more powerful than the provincial governors in the past.

This war resulted in the capture of eight more states. In the eyes of many people in the court, these eight states were like eight glittering hens that laid golden eggs.

Whoever gets the child will be promoted, rich, and powerful. In the past, everyone liked to run to the court, and sent them to serve as provincial governors as a means to deal with political enemies, but now, they are trying every means to get their children to run away.

After Liu Taozi's edict arrived in Pingcheng, Gao Yu summoned his ministers twice to discuss the selection of the governor.

Because this matter is of great importance, the Ministry of Personnel cannot make a single decision. It requires consultation among all the ministers.

When Cui Jishu arrived at the Shangshutai office, several important officials were already waiting there.

Cui Jishu greeted everyone and when the appointed time came, he followed them in.

Liu Taozi was not in the capital, so many important matters were discussed in the small courtyard of the Shangshutai.

This courtyard is heavily guarded and ordinary people cannot get close to it.

But the interior is very simple and not luxurious, just an ordinary courtyard.

There were fourteen officials in total who came, all of them were ministers serving in various ministries. Because Liu Taozi was away, decisions were made in the central court, so Lu Qubing was the main person in charge of negotiations, with Gao Yun as his assistant.

Lu Qubing still likes attending meetings very much.

It's just that others don't like him to come to the meeting.

After everyone arrived, they took their seats and the negotiations went smoothly.

The first are the three candidates given by Liu Taozi. Of course, without exception, these three candidates were recognized and approved by everyone.

Then comes the traditional division of spoils, which everyone is looking forward to the most.

Cui Jishu looked around and saw his son Cui Gang across from him, but Cui Gang had a solemn expression on his face and didn't even look at his old father.

It is a good story that father and son serve in the same court. It is not surprising that the Cui family has always had such an old tradition.

Cui Jishu was weaving words in his mind, waiting for the quota to be allocated.

Many of the ministers present looked at each other, and there seemed to be expectation in their eyes.

"Langmao."

"His courtesy name was Weizhi. He was born in the second year of Xinghe. His native place was Xinshi, Hengshan. He started out as a military officer in the Sikongxing Army and later moved to Baocheng County. He had outstanding political achievements and was honest and upright. He was appointed as the Hu Cao of Shuozhou. His political achievements were notable and he was awarded three titles and prizes."

Gao Yu asked the soldiers to distribute one person's information to everyone, and then read it aloud.

There was a flash of astonishment in Cui Jishu's eyes. He picked up the document in his hand and read it over and over again.

Lang Mao? ?
Where did this come from?
He couldn't help but look at Gao Yun, Lu Qubing and Cui Gang.

This person is not a royal family member, and it seems that he has no marriage relationship with the royal family. Excluding Gao Yun, he is not from Cheng'an, and he is not from the elder faction. Excluding Lu Qubing, he is not from Dingzhou either?

Cui Jishu was unable to determine his background for a moment.

Gao Yu looked at everyone, "What do you think?"

For a moment, there was silence in the room.

Lu Qubing asked, "Mr. Gao, isn't this person a little too young? He is only 29 years old this year?"

Gao Yu nodded, "He is a little young, but I have seen him. He has studied criminal law since he was young, is proficient in law, and is good at governance. After serving as a local household official, his political achievements are particularly outstanding. He is a virtuous person, and he does things calmly without the impatience of young people."

Cui Jishu looked at Yang Xiuzhi in the distance, and both of them saw some confusion in each other's eyes.

Everyone agreed to this proposal.

"Pei Panzhi."

"Zi Shi Ping"

Gao Yin immediately talked about the next person.

This man was born into a prominent family, Hedong Pei, but the problem was that Cui Jishu still couldn't connect this man with the three.

His eyes became more and more confused.

Gao Yu and others mentioned several candidates for the post of governor.

It's not just one person per three candidates as Cui Jishu expected, they gave more than a dozen candidates, all of whom are people with outstanding political achievements and good in all aspects.

Gao Yu also expressed the hope that everyone could give their own candidates to see if any talents have been missed.

Cui Jishu gently stroked the list in his sleeve, but he didn't dare to speak.

It was even more so for Yang Xiuzhi who was far away. He hung his head and looked distraught.

Among the candidates given by Gao Yun and others, there is not one who can be related to the three of them, as if they really only look at political achievements.

And Yang Xiuzhi's son, placed among these people, was simply horrible.

Even the one with the least experience among them can beat Yang Xiuzhi's son in all aspects.

Things went very smoothly. Everyone discussed for a whole day. When it was getting dark, Gao Yun took out a list of eight people.

"Appoint Yuan Biao as the governor of Luozhou."

"Su Qiong serves as the governor of Yuzhou."

"Fang Bao is appointed as the governor of Yanzhou."

"Liu Xuan was appointed governor of Xuzhou."

"Meng Ye serves as the governor of Haizhou."

"Pei Panzhi was appointed governor of Chuzhou."

"Lang Mao serves as the governor of Weizhou."

"Xu Yuan serves as the governor of Xiazhou."

From the moment Gao Yun opened his mouth until the end, Cui Jishu did not dare to speak. Many ministers were like this. Many different emotions could be seen in their eyes: confusion, bewilderment, and incomprehension.

With the addition of these eight provinces, the eleven provincial governors in the past now have nineteen provincial governors.

These 19 provincial governors were all strictly screened by the imperial court and selected from wise men all over the world. Basically, they have proven their abilities, have sufficient political achievements, and have been verified as human beings.

According to Zu Ting, governing a place is neither difficult nor easy. As long as an outstanding governor can be appointed, governance will be mostly successful, at least dozens of times better than before.

Gao Yu could finally breathe a sigh of relief at this time, and looked a little tired.

Lu Qubing looked at the people around him and spoke slowly.

"Everyone, before discussing these important matters, someone came to me, asked me, and told me some things."

"I know what you are thinking."

"Isn't the appointment of provincial governors just about distributing benefits?"

"However, that was the Qi State in the past. Qi State has perished. Not long ago, the young emperor who was enthroned officially bowed his head and pledged his loyalty to the King of Han."

"Now it is the Han Kingdom."

"I don't know what will happen in the future, and I don't know if one day the Han Dynasty's negotiation meeting will become the Qi Dynasty's spoils-dividing meeting."

"But at least, while I'm alive, this situation will never happen!!"

"You all know how big a role a governor can play. Not only a governor, but even a small official in the countryside can sometimes play an unimaginable role."

"You are the ministers of the Han State. You are paid by the emperor and share his worries. Please do not bring your own private interests to pollute the purity of this temple."

"This is the first time, I just thought I didn't know, but if there is such a trend in the temple in the future, and they dare to openly arrange their own children to enter the temple or local officials to take up some official positions, which leads to unhealthy trends, then I will not let it go easily."

At this moment, Lu Qubing suddenly turned his head and looked at Yang Xiuzhi who was not far away.

"Mr. Yang, what do you think?"

Yang Xiuzhi shuddered all over, then slowly lowered his head, "Mr. Lu is absolutely right."

After Lu Qubing finished speaking, he made the final decision, drafted the imperial edict, and decided on the candidate for the governor.

After the governor, there are candidates for local officials such as prefect, county magistrate, etc.

But at this moment, no one dared to think too much.

After completing the initial discussion, everyone left.

Cui Jishu was in a trance and just as he walked out the door, he almost bumped into Yang Xiuzhi.

Both of them woke up in shock.

They had conspired a lot with everyone before coming here.

But now, they don't know what to say.

The old practices seem to be less effective in today's court.

Yang Xiuzhi sighed deeply and looked at his old colleague dimly.

"Mr. Cui, what time is it now?"

Cui Jishu was startled, raised his head and looked at the sky, "It should be the hour of the dog, right?"

Yang Xiuzhi shook his head slowly.

"wrong."

"It's Chenshi."

"But we are still in the midnight."

ps: The second chapter will be posted tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)