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

Chapter 76 The master told you all to take your seats, didn't you hear?
Jingzhao Mansion.

As the seat of Shaanxi Road, and the ancient capital of twelve dynasties including the Western Zhou, Qin, Western Han, Xin, Eastern Han, Western Jin, Former Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, and Tang, the layout of Jingzhao Prefecture is steeped in history.

Entering by carriage through Xuanwu Gate, one is greeted by the sound of morning bells and evening drums to mark the time.

Looking around, one sees bluestone-paved roads, vermilion buildings with upturned eaves, camel bells jingling like jade, towering watchtowers, felt tents reaching the clouds, barbarian wine shops overflowing, bustling border markets, and brocades fluttering in the wind.

There were often ironclad armor and metal clappers, post horses and shooting stars, and felt and fur coats mixed with brocade, which were very much in line with the frontier style.

Jiang Zhao lifted the curtain and began to observe.

Compared to Bianjing, Jingzhao Prefecture does indeed have a more solemn, frontier atmosphere.

"Go to Suzaku Street."

Generally speaking, when officials take office, they either buy their own houses to live in permanently or go to live in official residences.

Jiang Zhao is not short of money, so he will definitely buy a house to live in permanently.

Compared to his itinerary, Hesheng's journey was a few days faster, so he specially came to buy the house.

It was a courtyard about an acre in size, mainly quiet and secluded.

The journey from Bianjing (Kaifeng) to Shaanxi took nearly ten days, leaving one physically and mentally exhausted.

Even though Jingzhao Prefecture was unique, Jiang Zhao had no interest in strolling around.

So, they rested for a night.

Transport Office.

Jiang Zhao, holding the document, passed through without hindrance.

When he officially arrived at the yamen, the deputy transport commissioner, the transport judge, and more than thirty subordinate officials were all waiting for him.

As an office that influences the finances of the entire route, the Transport Office has very few officials, fewer than forty.

"This humble official, Sima Guang, Deputy Transport Commissioner, greets Your Excellency, Transport Commissioner."

The speaker was a middle-aged man with his hair tied up, wearing a crown, slender, and dignified, dressed in a red, narrow-sleeved official robe.

Sima Guang bowed, and the other officials followed suit.

"This humble official, Liu Ping, the Transport Commissioner, greets Your Excellency the Transport Commissioner."

"This humble official, Chen Xin, the Transport Commissioner, greets Your Excellency the Transport Commissioner."

"Your humble servant."

"Your humble servant."

Shaanxi is a strategically important border region with busy affairs. The Transport Commissioner specially created the position of Judge to be in charge of inspecting prefectures and counties and collecting taxes.

The Transport Commissioner, the Deputy Transport Commissioner, and two Transport Judges, totaling four people, were the core decision-makers of the Transport Bureau.

The remaining officials included the chief secretary, who was responsible for drafting imperial edicts and confidential matters, and the more than a dozen officials in charge of iron and steel affairs, tea and salt affairs, and land affairs. They were all officials in charge of a single aspect, and almost all of them were of the seventh rank.

The Grain Research Institute was responsible for recording officials' attendance and distributing their salaries.

The officials in charge of "gouya", "qianxing", and "houxing" were all high-ranking officials, but they did the work of minor clerks, such as verifying the legality of documents, managing files, checking accounts, and copying official documents.

In addition, there were several officials who came from military backgrounds and were responsible for escorting grain and inspecting post stations.

In the Transport Commissioner's office, from top to bottom, the highest-ranking officials held the fourth rank, while the lowest-ranking officials were just beginning to enter the ranks, a significant difference.

"No need for formalities." Jiang Zhao laughed heartily, while his eyes were fixed on observing the demeanor and expressions of the officials in charge of the yamen.

Having just arrived, he was not yet very clear about the situation of the officials in the yamen.

Especially Sima Guang!

His eight years as deputy envoy are a fact that cannot be ignored.

"Lord Jiang, please!" Sima Guang gestured to the mansion.

"Please." Jiang Zhaoping smiled and strode forward.

Sima Guang remained calm and lagged behind by half a step.

The remaining judges and officials followed in succession.

Upon entering the office, Jiang Zhao walked to the main seat and naturally took his seat.

"Sit down!" Jiang Zhao gestured with his hand.

As a newly appointed official, it will take some time to clarify the division of power.

"Thank you, sir."

Sima Guang bowed and sat down.

"Thank you, sir."

The two judges and their subordinates thanked them in unison, but none of them sat down. Instead, they all looked at Sima Guang.

Ok?
Jiang Zhao's eyelids twitched slightly. This was a tricky situation!
Sima Guang glanced at Jiang Zhao out of the corner of his eye and saw that Jiang Zhao's expression had become slightly more serious, which secretly relieved him.

This is the result he wanted.

He wanted Jiang Zhao to back down!

As the disciple of the Grand Chancellor, Jiang Zhao could never tolerate being in a situation of "having a name but no power".

They were all young people, and it was a dispute between the younger generation. He didn't believe that Han Zhang would bully the younger ones.

If one's skills are inferior, there is absolutely no reason for the older generation to intervene.

There's no way that Jiang Zhao can be allowed to win but not lose; there's never been such a logic.

Once Jiang Zhao realized he was being sidelined, he was either forced to take up a different post or complain to his superiors.

At the very least, Jiang Zhao couldn't reveal that he had been sidelined.

Otherwise, how shameful would that be?
Once Jiang Zhao chooses to be transferred, the position of Transport Commissioner will become vacant, and he can successfully take over the position through the recommendation of Grand Secretary Pang Ji.

If Jiang Zhao doesn't leave, it's understandable that he chooses to file a complaint.

Once the complaint is filed, Grand Chancellor Han will surely realize that he has been in the position of deputy envoy for too long and must be transferred.

However, if someone leaves because of the air conditioning, surely we can't let them suffer a loss by lowering the price, right?

In this way, he can still be promoted.

Eleven years have passed, and Sima Guang is still eager to make progress!
As a local strongman and a deputy transport commissioner for eight years, he didn't believe Jiang Zhao could seize power.

The political struggles in Bianjing (Kaifeng) are not the same as those in other parts of the country!

Sima Guang was satisfied, but his expression remained relatively calm: "Didn't you hear Lord Jiang tell you all to sit down?"

"Thank you, Your Honor." The judge and his subordinates responded in unison and took their seats.

Jiang Zhao glanced at his adjutant, his heart sank, but his expression remained unchanged. He calmly commented, "It's a good thing that the officials of the yamen are united."

Sima Guang stepped forward at the opportune moment and said respectfully, "I have served as the deputy envoy for eight years, during which time the transport commissioner has changed several times. The transport commissioner changes frequently, but the deputy transport commissioner does not."

The lower-level officials only know how to do their jobs honestly and rarely pay attention to who the superior is. They handle things habitually, and I hope you will understand.

"Ha ha!"

Jiang Zhao laughed heartily, seemingly unconcerned: "We're all doing this for the court, why bother distinguishing between you and me?"

“What you say makes sense, sir,” Sima Guang echoed.

Jiang Zhao remained noncommittal, and asked indifferently, "What kind of affairs has Deputy Envoy Sima been responsible for in the past?"

"The movement of supplies was monitored and evaluated by state and county officials, who advocated for the scheduling of grain transport."

Jiang Zhao glanced at him indifferently.

Transport company!
Can you guess why it's called the Transport Bureau?
A deputy envoy in charge of the canal transport scheduling and supervising the performance evaluation—what a load of rubbish!
Jiang Zhao then asked, "Are there any records of the officials' performance evaluations over the years?"

"The records of the officials' performance evaluations over the years were all signed by your humble servant, Assistant Manager," Sima Guang replied calmly.

Assistant Manager?

Such documents involving examinations might not be submitted to the transport envoy for signature?

Jiang Zhao waved his hand, appearing to be doing what was best for his subordinate: "From now on, all documents should be sent over without the chief officer's signature. This is to avoid unnecessary trouble should anyone report them."

"Yes." Sima Guang nodded.

It's not surprising that a high-ranking transport commissioner, realizing he's being sidelined, would want to seize power.

However, most of the officials in the Transport Department were their own people.

Whether the important documents could be delivered to Jiang Zhao was no longer up to him.

The saying "government orders do not leave the Transport Office" perfectly describes this situation.

After a few questions, Jiang Zhao had lost the will to ask any more.

This transport office was almost entirely staffed by Sima Guang.

Difficult to handle!

"Go and do your own thing!" Jiang Zhao instructed.

In this situation, asking further won't yield any results.

"This humble official takes his leave." Sima Guang bowed and withdrew.

The remaining judges and officials learned one lesson each and then withdrew one by one.

Jiang Zhao's expression darkened slightly.

It's fictional!
　Please vote for me! The recent political intrigue chapters are making my head spin.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)