Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 322 Opening One's Heart and Soul and "Opening One's Heart and Soul"

April 30th, the second year of the Han Dynasty.

Hanxing Palace, Yuntai Pavilion.

Liu Bian's gaze fell on Zhu Jun, who was bowing down.

This former General of Anxi, after half a year in the Court of Justice, still stood tall, but the fierce arrogance that once lingered between his brows had been replaced by calmness. When he bowed deeply, he showed unprecedented caution and respect.

"Wenhe," Liu Bian turned to Jia Xu, who was standing beside him, and said, "These next few days, you will guide Gongwei to familiarize himself with the cabinet's procedures and document circulation. There's no need to rush into specific matters."

He paused slightly on the word "familiar," his gaze sweeping over Zhu Jun's lowered head.

Jia Xu was unaware of this. His deep, unfathomable eyes held only a barely perceptible glint as he bowed and replied in a deep voice, "Yes."

After speaking, Jia Xu naturally bowed slightly in Zhu Jun's direction, and Zhu Jun returned the bow in kind.

As it turns out, people can eventually understand.

At least when the emperor lowers his stance and has a heart-to-heart talk with you, if you don't want to be physically "heart-to-heart" taken advantage of, then you'd better be sensible and take the initiative to understand.

Watching Zhu Jun being led by Jia Xu to meet a group of cabinet ministers, Liu Bian felt a chill run through his heart, which was then replaced by a complex emotion.

However, on that day, he had a heart-to-heart talk with Zhu Jun, and his words were indeed those of someone who had been emperor for more than a year.

There was a time when he also lamented the unjust deaths of loyal ministers and generals in history books, cursed the incompetent rulers who could not distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and hated the treacherous officials who framed the loyal and good.

But once you actually sit on that supreme throne, standing at the highest point of the empire, many things change completely.

Even after reaching the summit, the mountains that seemed unattainable to the common people were nothing more than insignificant ants in his eyes.

However, the higher you are at the summit, the more easily your view is obstructed by the branches and leaves nearby.

If it weren't for the insight and understanding of someone who came after him, let alone the ability to discern, just distinguishing between loyalty and treachery, good and evil would have been enough to make him wander around like a headless fly.

Of course, he was not trying to exonerate or whitewash a certain unnamed, despicable Wanyan Gou.

To be unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery under such circumstances can only be described as blind in both eyes and mind.

However, most of the time, as the emperor, "nepotism" was almost an unavoidable choice in matters of state and military affairs.

Those ministers who were willing to set aside their reputation and pride, and even bear the stigma of "favoritism" in order to get close to the emperor, at least proved that they had a loyal heart to rely on.

The emperor was thus able to make a general assessment of their abilities through daily interactions.

If we do not appoint people based on personal connections, are we going to entrust the nation's most valuable assets to strangers whose names we only know, whose abilities we do not know, and whose loyalty we cannot discern?
If a subject is unwilling to give up his good reputation and is unwilling to actively show loyalty in other ways, what makes him think he can expect the emperor's trust?

Did Wang Jian really think that the First Emperor couldn't see through his tricks when he smeared himself back then?

That was simply the old general telling the emperor in the most straightforward way that the entire Wang clan of Pinyang was a hostage, and that he only sought to make meritorious contributions to glorify his family and was willing to sacrifice his own prestige to appease the emperor.

This is the price that commanders who hold significant military power must pay.

Wang Jian's self-defamation was an effective way to gain the emperor's trust; Huangfu Song's refusal to entertain guests and avoid forming cliques was also an effective way; and Dong Zhuo's proactive return of the benefits to the emperor after doing his deeds was also an effective way.

But if you do nothing and expect the emperor to trust you completely, even Emperor Taizu Gaozu couldn't do that.

Even though Han Xin, who had just joined the Han camp and had not yet made any contributions, was appointed as commander, it was a choice that Xiao He, a veteran, guaranteed with his life, and that had to be made due to the urgency of the war.

Of course, this does not require the ministers to make unilateral contributions.

A monarch can also choose to actively cultivate relationships with capable ministers and respond appropriately to their advances.

After enduring half a year of imprisonment and teetering on the brink of death, Zhu Jun finally "got it" completely.

Zhu Jun, who had been released from the Court of Justice, had only been recuperating for half a month when he eagerly submitted a memorial requesting to serve the emperor, expressing his hope to atone for his crimes by serving the emperor with his crippled body. His words were earnest.

What's even more remarkable is that Zhu Jun sensibly stated that his body had been damaged during his six months in prison. Although he had recovered his strength, it would still take time before he could fight. Therefore, he requested to enter the Attendant-in-Ordinary to serve the emperor in military and political affairs.

Liu Bian also privately summoned the Imperial Physician Zhang Ji to inquire about Zhu Jun's health.

Zhang Ji stated that Zhu Jun's health was not seriously compromised; his previous health problems were simply due to a loss of spirit, or rather, a mental illness that led to his gradual weight loss.

Now that his inner conflict has been resolved and his spirits have been restored, with Zhu Jun's active cooperation, his health has recovered quickly, and he will be fully healthy again in less than half a year.

Therefore, Liu Bian did not refuse his request.

With Zhong Yao now transferred to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Cheng Yu stationed in Youzhou, the heavy burden of the Attendant-in-Ordinary Temple falls on the shoulders of Jia Xu and Dong Zhao, the only two Attendants-in-Ordinary.

Even the most enjoyable kind of busyness must eventually be done in moderation.

Although Zhu Jun was known for his military achievements, he was not neglecting his duties as governor of Jiaozhou and Liangzhou. At the very least, he would be competent enough to be entrusted with military advice. As for the title of General of Anxi, it was naturally revoked, and the fief of Marquis of Duyu was reduced from 700 households to only 100 households, but the title was retained.

Liu Bian hoped that the four characters "Marquis of Duyou Pavilion" would serve as a constant reminder to Zhu Jun, so that he would not repeat the same mistake.

As for choosing Jia Xu to guide Zhu Jun, Liu Bian had given it much thought.

Firstly, Jia Xu possessed the ability to discern people's hearts, which allowed him to secretly observe whether Zhu Jun was truly repentant, thus preventing him from harboring ulterior motives.

Secondly, it was also to save face for Zhu Jun.

The Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Secretariat were generally young, and it would be embarrassing for Zhu Jun to have a young man "mentor" a veteran minister with outstanding achievements.

Although Jia Xu was not highly experienced, he was also someone who was burdened by regional prejudices, and he was only four years younger than Zhu Jun. They were both Attendants-in-Ordinary, making their positions the most suitable.

Judging from what just happened, Liu Bian's prediction was correct.

Jia Xu and Zhu Jun got along quite well.

Zhu Jun also had a good impression of this colleague from Liangzhou. After all, the Jia family of Guzang had long since declined and their situation was not much better than that of the Zhu family of Kuaiji, who had once struggled to make a living.

Liu Bian's gaze lingered briefly on Jia Xu and Zhu Jun before returning to the pile of memorials on his desk.

Today's official duties are not too complicated; the most important task is to review the list of candidates for the Spring Festival's "filial piety and incorruptibility" and their answers to the policy examinations.

In fact, it was the norm to hold a selection examination every quarter to recruit candidates who were filial and incorruptible.

The previous monthly examinations were merely a means to quickly place people in the court, consolidate power, and further expand influence within the court.

Liu Bian put down his vermilion brush and rubbed his temples.

Although he no longer personally attends the examinations for the candidates of the Imperial Academy and the Imperial College, he personally drafts the core questions for each examination, which are closely related to the important issues facing the Han Dynasty at present, such as military affairs, agriculture, water conservancy, people's livelihood, immigration, and education.

The candidates for the civil service examination had to answer questions on paper and then be questioned by the Grand Tutor, the Three Dukes, and other high-ranking officials who presided over the examination, which was similar to writing an essay and answering questions on the spot.

The candidates for the Filial Piety and Incorruptibility Examination did not need to be knowledgeable about all the questions. As long as they could provide an answer in a certain area that was deemed acceptable by the senior officials, they would be considered to have passed the examination.

Of course, if one can perform well on multiple issues, one will naturally be the first to be noticed by the emperor and important officials of the court, and will be given a better position after passing the examination.

The candidates for the civil service examination naturally hoped to present their best selves to the important officials in the court. After all, for most of them, this might be the only opportunity in their lives to meet the emperor and high-ranking officials with salaries of 10,000 or 2,000 piculs of grain.

In the past, the places where the candidates for the civil service examination and the three departments were located were mostly the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice.

The Three Offices refer to the combined Offices of the Five Offices General, the Left Office of the Central Army General, and the Right Office of the Central Army General, which are respectively abbreviated as the Five Offices Office, the Left Office, and the Right Office.

Those who perform exceptionally well may gain the favor of the Three Dukes and serve as their subordinates in their offices.

However, as many functions of the Three Dukes' Office were taken over by the court to the Ministry of Personnel, the Maritime Trade Office, and the Nine Ministers, their actual power and future prospects were not very good. But if they could form a connection with the Three Dukes, they could use their connections to enter the court and perhaps have a smoother career path.

The status of the Ministry of Personnel remains largely unchanged, but the most disliked positions are definitely the former popular destinations of the Three Departments.

The three offices were responsible for guarding the palace. The Office of the General of the Five Offices was in charge of guarding the main gate and core area of ​​the palace. The Office of the General of the Left Office was responsible for patrolling the eastern palace and pavilions. The Office of the General of the Right Office was in charge of the defense of the western government offices.

However, now that the palace guards are all under the command of the Wuwei Camp, the three departments have lost one of their powers.

Among the duties of attending the monarch, matters such as attending to the emperor's ceremonial rites and delivering documents all fell under the jurisdiction of the Attendant-in-Ordinary Temple.

In reality, the three offices had no real power and instead became nominal positions, often being seconded to functional departments such as the Ministry of Personnel and the Nine Ministers.

Therefore, in the present Han Dynasty, the best option for candidates who have passed the imperial examination is to serve in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

The mere fact that one could meet the emperor every day was enough to make many officials of the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measurement) envious.

Even if you're just a low-level employee in the highest-ranking department directly under the Han Dynasty's top leadership, you can become a familiar face after two or three years, and it's not difficult to get ahead based on seniority alone.

When they were assigned to local posts, they would at least be appointed as magistrates of large counties, rather than serving as county heads of small counties.

Moreover, officials from the Imperial Secretariat are naturally branded as part of the emperor's faction, which will be an intangible asset and protection that accompanies them throughout their lives.

Even those who are dull and lack social skills will not be subjected to excessive harassment or suppression when they are transferred to other positions, and they will be given priority consideration for promotion.

After the examination, the emperor summoned the candidates, provided them with food, and conducted an impromptu additional test for some of them. Afterward, he discussed the arrangements for the candidates with his ministers.

Yesterday, a total of twelve high-ranking officials of the court, led by Grand Tutor Lu Zhi, including Grand Commandant Yuan Pang, Minister of Works Liu Yan, Minister of Agriculture Cui Lie, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Liu Tao, Right Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Pei Mao, Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Zhong Yao, Attendants-in-Ordinary Jia Xu and Dong Zhao, and the General of the Five Offices Fu Wan, Left General of the Five Offices He Kui, and Right General of the Five Offices Ding Gong, jointly presided over this examination.

Although Liu Bian had not yet inquired in detail, he heard that after the examination, the four functional departments of the Three Dukes' Office, the Secretariat, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Three Offices were in an uproar over the affiliation of the candidates for the civil service examination.

Clearly, the quality of the candidates selected this spring is quite remarkable.

(3096 words)
(End of this chapter)