Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 154 Wang Lao Tai Tu Shi's Disciples and Former Officials!

Bian River, riverbank.

The shallows echo with the sound of jade chimes, and the river flows gently.

Jiang Zhao stood at the ferry crossing, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

A dozen or so steps away, led by Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Su Zhe, and Han Jiayan, there were about twenty or thirty people standing solemnly.

Jiang Zhao waved his sleeve and cupped his hands, saying, "Everyone, take care."

"Your Majesty, please take this seriously."

Dozens of people returned the gift in unison.

These people, either fifth or sixth grade officials, were all former officials of Xihe.

Jiang Zhao nodded and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead."

Dozens of people bowed in unison and then walked back one after another.

Jiang Zhao boarded the ship, stood with his hands behind his back, and felt a strange sense of melancholy.

Non-vegetation, ruthless Practice makes perfect?
I wonder how my grandfather from Huaizuo is doing?
"Set off—"

With a long roar, the large ship dropped anchor, changed direction, and headed straight for the left bank of the Huai River.

The administrative center of Huainan East Road.

The Office of the Pacification Commissioner.

At the head of the table sat an elderly man, thin and with white hair, around fifty or sixty years old, holding a classic book and engrossed in reading it.

This man, named Feng Xu, was actually the Pacification Commissioner of Huainan East Circuit, a powerful regional official who held military and political power over the area.

"grown ups."

A man approached, dressed in a blue robe, and appeared to be around forty years old.

"Chengxu, what's wrong?" Pacification Commissioner Feng Xu asked slowly without turning his head.

This seventh-rank official was a subordinate official of the Pacification Commissioner's Office, responsible for drafting documents and coordinating government affairs.

As officials similar to secretaries, the officials under the Pacification Commissioner wielded considerable influence, and there was a long-standing saying that they were "fake Pacification Commissioners."

"The Grand Physician Jiang of Huaizuo is seriously ill, and Vice Minister Jiang has already traveled south by boat to attend to him," He Shao reported.

The title "Chengxu" used by the pacification commissioner was his courtesy name.

Dr. Jiang was Jiang Zhi, who was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Master of the Palace.

"Returning home to care for the ailing?" Feng Xu looked up, gently setting down the books.

When an official is ill, he must report to the imperial court and obtain its approval.

Each of the two capitals and fourteen circuits had a corresponding official in charge of reporting to the emperor.

Once the request for medical treatment is approved, the official in charge of reporting will immediately issue a document to notify the local authorities.

When a high-ranking official returns to his hometown, there are many intricacies involved.

Countless officials from all levels of government and local administration longed to visit him, hoping to secure a smooth career path.

Of course, most officials only fantasize about it.

To be truly qualified to visit the Junior Grand Secretary, one must be at least a fourth-rank official.

If one can find connections, there might be a chance at the fifth rank.

Feng Xu stood up and paced back and forth in thought.

He didn't really crave to see them.

After all, he is already fifty-eight years old.

When his term as pacification commissioner ended, he was exactly sixty years old.

At that time, one would either be transferred to a second-rank official position in the capital, or to a nominal second-rank position, or simply submit a petition to retire.

Whether or not he meets the young Grand Secretary makes no difference to him.

After a moment, Feng Xu waved his hand and said, "Let Vice Envoy Song go, and grant him permission to mobilize three thousand troops."

When a high-ranking official returns to his hometown, the local government is not obligated to receive him, as per his duties.

Of course, defining responsibilities is one thing, but implementing them at the local level is another.

Whether or not a reception is held often depends on the influence of the official returning to his hometown.

If someone has a large influence, someone will be there to handle their reception.

If the influence is small, then nobody cares.

The Junior Grand Secretary was a person with far-reaching influence.

"Yes." The subordinate He Shao nodded and was about to leave.

Feng Xu waved his hand and instructed, "Remember to have him thank the young Grand Secretary on my behalf."

Without Jiang Zhao's strong support, the disaster relief efforts in Huainan East Road might have led to a rebellion.

Whether he will be able to land safely at that time is still uncertain.

"Yes." He Shao nodded emphatically.

The Deputy Envoy's Office was responsible for appeasing the envoys.

The subordinate official He Shao explained the situation in detail. The vice-envoy Song Huai, seated in the main seat, was startled and waved his hand, saying, "Please thank Lord Feng for me."

Allowing the deployment of 3,000 troops was Feng Xu doing him a favor.

As for the three thousand soldiers, what role did they play?
Show goodwill and express that you value it!
The Jiang family members will certainly see what the local officials have done.

Everything was done to express respect for the young Grand Secretary.

After the officials left, Song Huai stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked outside.

The young Grand Secretary descends to Huaizuo!

This opportunity is too good to pass up.

Whether his career can continue to advance depends on this opportunity!
There's nothing he can do; he's out of power now.

Or rather, the faction he belonged to has gradually died out.

The Royal Family!

Since the death of Grand Tutor Wang, the Wang faction has been facing a generational gap and has become increasingly weak.

Now, more than twenty years have passed since the death of Grand Tutor Wang, and his remaining influence has long since dissipated.

His former students and subordinates were not cultivated.

As far as Song Huai knew, he was the highest-ranking official!

Even so, despite being the highest-ranking official in the royal faction, his career was not smooth.

A twenty-seven-year-old junior official, and a fifty-year-old deputy pacification commissioner.

Such a promotion rate is extremely slow!
After all, he was a junior scholar.

It happens once every three years, and only a dozen or so people participate.

These dozen or so people could all earn the rank of third grade through years of experience.

Song Huai sighed.

To say he was unlucky is an exaggeration; he was among the last group of disciples and former officials of the Grand Tutor on his deathbed.

Moreover, they were not just ordinary students or former subordinates.

He was from the same hometown as the Grand Tutor!

Therefore, there was no way to change allegiances.

Some of the Grand Tutor's connections ended up in his hands, which made his early career relatively smooth.

However, over time, it gradually became congested again.

Unfortunately, the Grand Tutor hadn't really cultivated his subordinates; his so-called network consisted almost entirely of people around his age.

At most, he's only about ten years younger.

The old Grand Tutor has been dead for over twenty years, and those people have long since passed away.

My network of contacts is almost nonexistent.

The remaining one might not work either.

At twenty-seven, he became a probationary official; at thirty-three, he was appointed as a sixth-rank prefectural judge; and at forty-two, he became a fourth-rank transport commissioner. Such a rapid promotion was almost at the level of a party leader.

However, it wasn't until he was fifty that he was promoted to the rank of Deputy Pacification Commissioner of the third rank!
Eight years, and almost nothing has changed.

Occasionally, there may be changes in official positions, but only in the official title; the official rank remains unchanged.

Ever since the "Kang Wang clan" offended the young Grand Secretary, the Wang lineage has faced increasing difficulties.

At that time, Zhang Fangping was in the Ministry of Personnel, and he did a lot of things to obstruct Wang's faction.

Subsequently, Wang Yaochen entered the cabinet, and two Grand Secretaries from the Han faction were appointed as Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel. This goes without saying.

Once you're labeled as part of the "Wang faction," there's truly no way to get promoted.

The only person in the Wang faction who had a smooth career was perhaps Sheng Hong, the son-in-law of the Grand Tutor. But Sheng Hong was the father-in-law of the Junior Grand Secretary, so it goes without saying why his career was so successful.

"Someone come here." Song Huai's heart trembled, and he suppressed his excitement.

"My lord." The official strode in and bowed respectfully.

Song Huai instructed: "Order two thousand Xiang Army soldiers to clear the Huai River channel in the east. The Huai River left area must be strictly guarded and there must be no bandits or disturbances. Order one thousand Xiang Army soldiers to be stationed every ten steps along the official road on the Huai River left bank."

"This?" Gou Dang Gong Shi was taken aback.

What's happening here?
"Doctor Jiang is seriously ill, and his filial son is attending to him," Song Huai explained.

He was in charge of official business, and his duties were not much different from those of a "secretary." He was someone he had personally promoted.

Upon hearing this, Gou Dang understood the official business and quickly bowed.

As Song Huai's confidant, he naturally knew that Lord Song was desperately trying to "recognize a boss".

The young Grand Secretary is an excellent choice.

Unfortunately, the young Grand Secretary was stationed on the frontier, and Madam Wang was not good at educating her daughter, which led to a conflict between Madam Kang and the young Grand Secretary.

As a result, Lord Song naturally had no chance to "acknowledge the boss".

This opportunity for the young Grand Secretary to attend to the ailing official is undoubtedly an excellent one.

Whether they can defy fate and change their destiny depends on this wave!
(End of this chapter)