Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 190 Desiring to Serve as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel
Zhang Shuo was initially quite amused watching Cui Yinfu storm off, but after noticing Zhang Dai's slightly strange gaze, he felt a little awkward. Luckily, he didn't have mind-reading abilities, otherwise he probably would have been driven half-mad by the boy's inner thoughts.

Not to mention Cui Yinfu, who returned to the Censorate in a huff, the two prime ministers also looked rather grim when they learned from Gao Lishi that the Emperor had resolved the dispute between the two families.

Just now, the court officials were arguing endlessly about this issue, but when they turned around, they found that the problem they were arguing about was no longer there, which inevitably left them feeling astonished and disappointed.

"Does the Duke of Bohai mean that the crimes committed by Wang Huogong, such as his son committing violence in the streets, the rioting of the 10,000 cavalrymen at the Jinwu Guard's office, and the burning of Huiwen Mountain Pond, should not be investigated by the Ministry of Justice?"

Du Xian couldn't help but ask first, "The problem revealed by this matter is that the soldiers of the Northern Army are too unruly, and the Southern Province has a serious lack of control over them."

Now that the sage has resolved the issue before making a decision in the southern province, it is tantamount to depriving the officials of the southern province of their right to uphold and maintain the law through normal channels!
Gao Lishi had dealt with the outer court many times and understood the style and temperament of these outer court officials. When he heard Du Xian ask this question, he smiled and explained, "Please be patient, Prime Minister Du. The reason why the Sage intervened in this matter was not to interfere with the procedures of the Ministry of Justice."

However, considering the merits of Duke Yan to the state and the reliance of Duke Huo as a trusted advisor, it would be awkward for these two to fall out over a dispute between their junior disciples. Therefore, I have first mediated a reconciliation between the two families. As for how the outer court's judicial authorities should act, they will proceed according to the facts and ensure a fair judgment.

That sounds nice, but how can we really discuss the matter objectively? The sage has already made a final judgment on Wang Shouzhen, so how dare the Ministry of Justice impose a heavier sentence and accuse the sage of favoritism and corruption?
Moreover, when Wang Shouzhen committed the crime, he was a high-ranking official of the fourth rank, and his father was a first-rank official. But now he has become a commoner. As a result, when it comes to judging his crime, he has to reduce or redeem his father's rank. That is, a certain degree of political separation has been made, but not a complete one.

Both men had just witnessed the fighting prowess displayed by Lu Congyuan, the Minister of Justice, and Cui Yinfu, the Imperial Censor, during their argument and shouting match. They dared not imagine what kind of questioning they would receive from Lu Congyuan if they told him about this sentencing standard later.

However, if they did not inform Lu Congyuan of this, they would have to go to the palace themselves to remonstrate with the emperor, which would undoubtedly be more dangerous than being questioned by ministers.

Gao Lishi didn't care about the two men's feelings. As the prime minister, he was responsible for communication between superiors and subordinates. He either had to manage the officials and ministers or he had to advise and restrain the emperor's words and actions. If he couldn't manage both, he would have to be squeezed in the middle and suffer in silence!

At this moment, Zhang Jiuling and the others also learned about the outcome of the matter from Zhang Shuo, and they all had mixed feelings.

From the Zhang family's perspective, such an outcome was naturally gratifying. The纨绔 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) who had provoked and offended their family had been severely, even humiliatingly, punished. At the same time, their family could continue to seek compensation from Wang Maozhong's family by continuing to sue in Henan Prefecture.

But the situation was not so good for Zhang's cronies.

Their gathering around Zhang Shuo this time was not only to bolster his position and support him, hoping to seek justice, but also to eliminate some of his political enemies in the process, thereby regaining several key positions in the court.

Now that the emperor has directly vindicated Zhang Yue, it is both morally and logically impossible for Zhang Yue to cause trouble in the court anymore. But without such a process of denunciation, how can these people achieve their respective political demands?
This issue doesn't have much to do with Zhang Dai, since he can't directly take over his grandfather's team and lead it himself right now. In fact, he had already proposed a plan to his grandfather before, which was to abandon the central government and settle down in local areas, especially in key geographical areas like Hebei.

So Zhang Dai left the capital first, leaving his grandfather behind to continue communicating with the party members.

When he arrived outside the imperial city, he saw that in addition to An Xiaochen and the brothers Jin Huan and Yin Huan, his Zhang family members were also waiting there. Among them was Zhang Yu, who was carrying a long stick and looking around warily.

"It's alright now, everyone can go home!"

He approached his family with a smile and said this, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing it.

Zhang Yi approached him with a forced smile and said, "Brother, I understand the principle that brothers should fight amongst themselves while protecting each other. Last night, I also stood guard outside the Henan Prefecture villa to protect you. From now on, could you please stop hitting and scolding me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was also quite moved. He patted Zhang Dai's shoulder and sighed, "Brother, what deep-seated hatred could there be? Just behave yourself from now on, don't cause trouble, grow up strong and successful. Why would I scold or beat you?"

He wasn't the kind of person who could forgive and forget old grudges just because someone was nice to him for a while, nor would he hold someone as a lifelong enemy just because someone was bad to him for a while. His attitude towards people and things was always based on reality.

Zhang Yu rarely received a kind word from his elder brother, and he immediately became excited again, saying, "My family is not an ordinary family that can be bullied by others! Brother, why don't we take advantage of the fact that everyone is here and go get our revenge!"

This kid has big ambitions, but when Zhang Dai looked at the fact that there were only about a hundred able-bodied men and servants in the clan, he was afraid that if they attacked the North Gate like this, they would be wiped out on the spot.

"Since the Sage himself upheld justice, there's no need to mention this matter again. Wang Shouzhen will be joining the palace as a guard tomorrow, so you should all get along well with him!"

He waved to his family, gesturing for them to head south, and said with a laugh as they walked. Upon hearing this, the family members couldn't help but burst into laughter. Since the family upheaval last year, they had been somewhat unclear about their current situation and position in the political climate; now, they finally had a relatively clearer understanding.

Even if their family advocated for relinquishing the position of prime minister, they would not easily be bullied. Even a powerful figure like Wang Maozhong of the Northern Court offended them, and his son was even demoted to a slave in the Zhang family!

On his way back, Zhang Dai made a special trip to Huixunfang Villa and found that it was still quite badly burned.

After autumn arrived, the pond in the courtyard was drained, and a lot of firewood and charcoal were stored up for heating. In addition, since the buildings were mostly made of wood, most of the attic and houses in the back, except for the front gate, were burned down.

To make it appear as if the fire was deliberately set by outsiders, some of the valuables stored in the mansion were also burned to ashes. Zhang Dai strolled around, feeling a deep sense of loss.

The fire mainly started in the west building, and therefore spread primarily to the Qiwang Mountain Pond Courtyard to the west, burning down the two pavilions and several rows of side rooms of the Qiwang family. As for the eastern neighbor, since people happened to be living there and had built a firebreak in time, it was not affected.

"My lord, the lost and found register has been completed. Shall we submit it to the Henan Prefecture as is?"

Ding Qing had been waiting here the whole time. He only remembered Ah Lang's instructions and was determined to make things bigger, but he didn't expect the fire to be so thorough. He was quite uneasy and went forward with the list of lost items to ask questions.

After looking at it, Zhang Dai found that the records were very clear, including not only the materials used in the house and the money and silk stored, but also the amount of firewood, charcoal, oil and salt in the kitchen.

"Don't record too many of these miscellaneous items, lest the Henan prefectural officials have trouble reviewing them. I don't recall this many light goods; add several times the amount for each. If we can recover the stolen goods, that's good; if not, then the Wang family will have to compensate us at the original price!"

After glancing through the list, Zhang Dai casually gave the instructions.

He wasn't worried that his exorbitant demands would further anger Wang Maozhong; their relationship was already irreparably strained, and extorting some money was the lightest form of revenge. Besides, he still had Wang Shouzhen as a hostage, so he wasn't afraid his father would renege on the agreement.

He no longer needed to go to Henan Prefecture. He had already explained everything that needed to be explained. If the officials in Henan Prefecture still didn't know how to judge the case, they could ask the Emperor.

They leisurely returned home, and soon after, Zhang Yue also returned. Once home, he summoned Zhang Dai into his study and said in a deep voice, "What you did during today's audience with the Emperor must never be repeated in the future. Do you understand?"

Zhang Dai knew he was referring to his fabricated slander against Wang Shouzhen, and upon hearing this, he quickly nodded in agreement. "I'll try not to do it in front of you again next time; look how scared the old man was."

After warning Zhang Dai again, Zhang said, "Wang Maozhong has brought this trouble upon himself, and he will inevitably have many worries in the future. He will not have the time to make things difficult for you. But don't think that the sage just said it casually. Now focus on preparing for the exam and strive to pass it in one go. If you fail the exam, you may have to be imprisoned at the North Gate."

"I would like to ask you, Father, will the personnel selection process be affected by changes in the political situation at court?"

Zhang Dai knew that once he entered the North Gate, he would inevitably be tormented. He was originally quite confident, but when he thought about the personnel infighting in the court that would follow, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Upon hearing this, Zhang said in a deep voice, "It seems inevitable. Jiu Ling and I have deliberated that the court urgently needs adjustments. First, the Censorate, then the Secretariat, and then the Ministry of Personnel. Although your provincial examinations are not the most important matter, you will still be affected."

The imperial examination system in the Tang Dynasty did not hold a high position in the overall election system, as evidenced by the fact that it was initially overseen only by the Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination. The Assistant Minister of Personnel Examination was only a sixth-rank official, meaning he was easily influenced by power struggles at the top.

After this uproar, it was obvious that the Censorate would be reorganized, and the Grand Censor Cui Yinfu had become the target of the entire court's criticism. The Secretariat, with the arrival of a new prime minister, was also bound to undergo personnel changes.

As for the Ministry of Personnel, as the most important of the six ministries, if no adjustments are made, it's as if there's no struggle at all.

"Therefore, I am also preparing to fight for the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel for Jiuling. If it can be achieved, there will be much room for maneuver. If it cannot be achieved, the situation will probably remain difficult!"

Zhang then spoke in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)