Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 439 Is My Sword Sharp?
The Imperial Academy was located next to the Hall of Direct Affairs. After Zhang Dai followed Wang Han in, the only people in the hall besides some clerks and other staff were Jing Qian from the Miscellaneous Duanban (a type of official post) and another Imperial Censor in charge of the academy.

"This humble official has met with all sorts of people."

After Zhang Dai entered the hall, he bowed to Ban Jingqian.

Ban Jingqian, who was in her forties or fifties and looked mature and steady, stood up and nodded to Zhang Dai with a smile, saying, "There are many old men in the censorate. We have heard that such a talented person as Censor Zhang has been selected as the Censor. All the officials in the censorate are looking forward to meeting him here soon!"

Ban Jingqian smiled kindly and didn't seem to be looking for trouble, which made Zhang Dai breathe a slight sigh of relief. However, even if the other party's attitude was unfriendly, Zhang Dai didn't need to be too wary. As Wang Han said, he currently had very strong connections in the Censorate.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with Ban Jingqian, Zhang Dai immediately hurried to the table on the other side of the hall, then bowed down and respectfully said, "Your son greets your great-uncle!"

The middle-aged man behind the table had already stood up, smiling as he looked at Zhang Dai. When Zhang Dai stepped forward to bow, the man stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Now that we are in the government office, young man, there is no need for such formalities! As Ban Zaduan said, most of the officials in the censorate are old fogies. It is rare for a handsome young man like you to be here."

But now that you have been so kindly selected and appointed by the esteemed officials, do not fail to live up to their kindness! People have different styles, but within the Censorate, only uprightness and integrity are valued. In your future service, remember this principle: speak out against injustice and correct wrongdoing; uphold your past character here, acting as a champion of justice and rectifying the moral climate of the world!

The person who could praise him so enthusiastically was naturally no outsider; this middle-aged man was none other than Yuan Yanchong, the younger brother of Lady Yuan of Yan, Zhang Shuo's brother-in-law. Previously, when Cui Yinfu served as the Imperial Censor, he vigorously purged Zhang Shuo's supporters, and Yuan Yanchong, as his brother-in-law, naturally couldn't escape being the first to be targeted and was directly eliminated.

Now that Zhang Yue's power has been restored and his followers have returned to the court one after another, Yuan Yanchong was able to return to the Censorate to serve as a Supervising Censor.

Therefore, in the Censorate at present, there are two Imperial Censors who are clearly affiliated with Zhang Yue. As for the other Palace Attendants and Supervisors, there are also many people who are close to Zhang Yue. Zhang Dai is indeed well-connected here.

Yuwen Rong also wielded considerable influence within the Censorate, such as the head of the Censorate, Ban Jingqian. Previously, Yuwen Rong had risen through the ranks from the Censorate to the position of Vice Censor-in-Chief, and the various officials and judges he appointed during the household registration reform had also successively entered the Censorate to serve.

Even Pei Kuan, the current Censor-in-Chief, once served under Yuwen Rong.

These political figures have very complex networks of connections, which is why even when some leading figures fall from power, their subordinates do not necessarily fall with them. Even if they are affected to some extent in the short term, they will gradually return to the political situation.

However, Zhang Dai still had some doubts. Yuwen Rong had already successfully become prime minister and had considerable influence in the Censorate. Why was he dismissed from his post after only one hundred days? How could he be so reckless as to achieve such a rapid success?
Zhang Dai's doubts remained unresolved, so Yuan Yanchong, who was standing nearby, said with a smile, "Knowing that you are coming to Taiwan today, I have already instructed the kitchen to prepare a meal to celebrate. You should first tour the villa with Wang Duangong, and we will meet again in the corridor later!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai took his leave and continued his tour of the Censorate with Wang Han.

The main hall was right next to the main hall. There weren't many people in the main hall at the moment, and there was no one worth asking for a special audience. Wang Han simply gave a brief introduction and then led Zhang Dai away from there.

The Censorate is located to the east of the Censorate. It is the largest of the three institutions in terms of scale and area, occupying nearly half of the entire Censorate government building.

"Among the three courts, the Censorate has the largest number of personnel. The Censorate is located in the northeast, while the Ten Circuit Censors' Offices are located in the southeast. The Censors inspect the prefectures and counties, and they are sent out in spring and autumn. After returning from their inspections, they compile and report to the Ten Circuit Censors' Offices."

After saying this, Wang Han said to Zhang Dai, "If Liu Lang is to go on a mission in the future, he should select one or two judges and clerks to accompany him. If you have a capable secretary, you can bring him to Taizhong to serve as a clerk. If not, Taizhong will select and assign him a position."

"Can an imperial censor really recruit his own staff?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai was also greatly surprised, never expecting that the Censor-in-Chief would have such privileges.

Upon seeing Wang Han nod in confirmation, Zhang Dai couldn't help but ponder. The clerk was similar to a contract worker in a modern government agency. They were not officially employed and their duties included handling various miscellaneous tasks, general affairs, and official documents. This was naturally undesirable to those who had other ways to become officials, but it was a very attractive position for the vast majority of ordinary people.

As Wang Han said, each censor could appoint one or two clerks. When he stayed in the capital, they would serve as secretaries and scribes, and when he went on a mission, they would serve as accompanying judges. Their duties were much broader than those of servants such as guards or servants. Moreover, after serving as a clerk for a long time, they could get the opportunity to become a full-fledged official and enter the official ranks.

In this respect alone, the treatment of the Censor-in-Chief was even inferior to that of ordinary officials of the fifth or sixth rank. No matter how prestigious the position of a junior official in the Ministry of Personnel, he could not arbitrarily place his trusted confidants or servants into his department. But the Censor-in-Chief could immediately cultivate his own cronies after taking office.

Seeing Zhang Dai's thoughtful expression, Wang Han chuckled and said, "The duty of the Censor-in-Chief is to oversee all officials, and to be skilled at impeaching and correcting wrongdoing. But a person only has two eyes; how can one effectively oversee all officials if one sits in the Censorate all day? Therefore, clerks are appointed to act as eyes and ears, just as the Censor-in-Chief is the Emperor's eyes and ears. You should carefully choose whom to select, Sixth Brother!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement, feeling even more that he had come to the Censorate too late! It turned out that becoming a Censor-in-Chief, with official permission, granted the right to plant spies and build one's own intelligence network!

The two quickly arrived at the Censorate, where someone was already waiting. It was Yang Wang, whom they had met at the Prince Zhong's residence a few days ago. He strode forward and greeted them with a cupped hand and a smile, saying, "Attendant Zhang, we meet again! I arrived a day earlier than Attendant Zhang, so I will temporarily act as your guide and introduce you to my colleagues."

"Then I will trouble Attendant Yang!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai smiled and said, then turned and told Wang Han to go about his business, while he went to meet with his colleagues.

Wang Han had also been in Taiwan for a short time and had his own things to do. He only took half a day because Zhang Dai was coming. Seeing that he knew Zhang Dai here, he said goodbye and left.

The layout of the Censorate was relatively simple. Apart from the main hall facing south, there were rows of buildings and corridors on both sides. Many tall locust trees with dense canopies were planted outside the corridors, blocking out the sunlight and making the entire courtyard gloomy. Zhang Dai felt quite uncomfortable when he first arrived here.

"The yamen is where cases are handled and lawsuits are heard. If any sages or commoners outside the yamen come to file a lawsuit, the censor on duty will receive them. The east wing is where each of the censors is on duty, and the west wing is where we, the clerks of the village, are on duty. We can live and rest here. Although we are on duty with the censors, apart from being specially appointed, we are mainly waiting for appointments in the yamen."

Yang Wang then pointed out the buildings in the Censorate to Zhang Dai and introduced them to him. Zhang Dai nodded in agreement.

Although the Supervising Censor and the Supervising Censor enjoy the same treatment, the Supervising Censor is not a full-time position, so it is only natural that he or she is a substitute.

"The duties of the Censor-in-Chief are the most numerous. Most of the Censors-in-Chief are either on patrol or on missions, or assigned to various departments. There are not many who remain in their posts. I will first lead Censor-in-Chief Zhang into the hall to meet with Censor-in-Chief Zhang Yi, who is on duty today, and then we will discuss other matters after we have determined the duties for the month."

As Yang Wang spoke, he led Zhang Dai toward the main hall.

After the two entered the hall, a middle-aged man in his thirties who was sitting in the hall stood up, cupped his hands and said with a smile: "I have often seen Attendant Zhang standing proudly in the court, and I admire him greatly and long to be like him. Now that Attendant Zhang is also sitting in the court, it is a refreshing breeze to enter the hall and make people feel refreshed!"

"You flatter me, Your Excellency Zhang. I am a junior official who has entered this place without knowing anything. I will have to rely on Your Excellency Zhang's guidance and assistance!"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai quickly raised his hand in a bow as well. However, the way they addressed each other sounded a bit strange, and others might think they were schizophrenic.

Zhang Yi was no ordinary person. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, there were three brothers, Zhang Jian and Zhang Yi, who all held the third rank in officialdom and whose gates were lined with halberds. They were known as the Zhang family with three halberds. Zhang Yi came from this family.

What made him even more famous was a corruption case in the Ministry of Personnel during the Tianbao era. His son, Zhang Shi, was an incompetent scholar, yet he ranked first in the Ministry of Personnel's selection process. As a result, he was reported by An Lushan, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang personally conducted a re-examination at the Hua'e Tower. Zhang Shi submitted a blank paper, which also implicated Zhang Yi, the then Vice Censor-in-Chief, who was demoted.

However, this incident did not have a significant impact on Zhang Yi. When the An Lushan Rebellion broke out, he had already returned to the court to serve as the Imperial Censor, and even got to experience the life of a prime minister after being captured by the rebels.

This shows that the administration of officials was corrupt and incompetent in the later period of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Even the Imperial Censor, who was in charge of the country's laws and regulations and was responsible for maintaining order in the court, was like this. How many other high-ranking officials were of good quality?
Regardless of Zhang Yi's future actions, at least for now, his attitude towards Zhang Dai is quite good, and he takes good care of Zhang Dai when arranging his duty roster.

When Zhang Yi took out the records of the Censorate, Zhang Dai saw the long list of tasks and gained a direct understanding of how busy the Censorate was. Putting aside the matters that required him to leave the capital for diplomatic missions, he had to handle hundreds of matters, large and small, even while in the capital. No wonder he was so busy that he could hardly find anyone in the entire Censorate.

Since Zhang Dai was new to the Censorate and unfamiliar with many affairs, and since he had not yet resigned from his original post as Assistant Musician and related official positions, Zhang Yi, after inquiring about his schedule, only arranged five days of work for Zhang Dai in the first month: two days of on-duty service and three days of fieldwork.

"What the Censorate sees are merely mundane daily matters. What truly brings fame and merit is impeaching the lawless and rectifying the morals of the world! I have heard of Zhang Shiyu's past deeds, and I look forward to even more great achievements from Zhang Shiyu after he enters the Central Government!"

After arranging Zhang Dai's duty roster, Zhang Yi, with a mischievous grin, said...

Not only Zhang Yi, but Zhang Dai himself was also looking forward to seeing who would dare to run into his blade and let them taste how sharp his sword was!

(End of this chapter)