The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The 25th year of Yonghe, Rain Water.

The atmosphere in the office of the Ministry of Personnel was as oppressive as the sky before a storm.

The promotion assessments after the start of spring are usually the busiest time for the Ministry of Personnel, and this year two more major events have been added.

The Runzhou official ship case implicated a number of fallen officials, leaving several positions of senior officials and principal officials in the Six Ministries vacant.

Following the retirement of several senior officials, the high positions vacated became coveted by various factions.

He Jingzhong, the Minister of Personnel, has been sleeping only one or two hours a day for several days in a row.

Every day, I would scrutinize that thick performance evaluation list, afraid of missing someone who deserved a promotion, and also afraid of promoting someone who didn't deserve one.

But what troubled him most was the lack of senior officials in the six ministries.

Especially the position of Vice Minister.

The Vice Minister is a powerful figure below the Minister, holding the rank of third grade, and there are no more than two such officials in a department.

Appointments at this level were never decided solely by the Ministry of Personnel; a list of candidates had to be prepared and submitted to the Emperor for his personal selection.

At this moment, in the duty room, He Jingzhong and the two vice ministers were sitting around the table, checking the vacant positions one by one.

The position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works has been vacant for more than two months.

After Liu Wenzhao, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the position has remained vacant until now. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice are also missing a vice minister.

The vacancy in the Ministry of War is the most troublesome.

The former Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War was transferred to a post outside the capital due to his involvement in the case of the Fourth Prince, and the Right Vice Minister was already in his sixties and often claimed to be ill.

"Lord He," the Left Vice Minister put down his teacup and rubbed his aching temples, "if this list isn't finalized soon, I'm afraid we won't be able to attend tomorrow's morning court session."

"Several people have come to inquire about the news today, from the Grand Tutor's office, the Grand Commandant's office, and the Grand Protector's office, all trying to get information indirectly."

"They're all asking the same question: how does the Ministry of Personnel plan to fill the vacancy for Vice Minister?"

He Jingzhong did not answer immediately.

He picked up the tea that had long since gone cold from the table, took a sip, and slowly moved his gaze across the roster.

The Grand Tutor's Office recommended Su Shi, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, as the candidate for the new Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Kong Yan's last disciple, a seventh-rank scholar, was renowned for his talent and was impeccable in terms of seniority and reputation.

The Grand Commandant's office recommended the Director of the Department of Military Affairs of the Ministry of War to be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

The Second Prince's men were personally trained by Zhou Jing.

Marquis Zhao Xi of Wu'an also sent a letter, recommending the same position of Vice Minister of War.

One spot, fought over by two sides.

For the remaining vacancies for vice ministers, various factions also had their own candidates.

"This is a headache." He Jingzhong sighed and tapped the list with his finger. "These people all have powerful backers. If you use one, you offend another. If you use that, you offend this one."

"Our Ministry of Personnel is caught in the middle, with no one to turn to."

His finger continued to scroll down, but stopped abruptly at the end of the list.

Those were several officials who had served in local positions for many years, holding high ranks but never attracting attention.

Their resumes were unremarkable; they did not take sides or form cliques, and they belonged to the most inconspicuous category in the Ministry of Personnel's assessment files.

Two people in particular caught his attention.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

"Fang Xuanling, the Vice Prefect of Runzhou, has served in Runzhou for many years and worked with Zheng Ke. His performance evaluations by the Ministry of Personnel over the years have always been above average, not outstanding, but he has never made any mistakes."

"Du Ruhui, the Sima of Changzhou, was in charge of criminal and financial affairs in Changzhou. His performance evaluation was average, and he was not popular. However, no one could find fault with his practical work."

He Jingzhong read the comments on the two files, remained silent for a while, and then suddenly looked up and said, "These two people have no powerful backers."

The Left Vice Minister put down his teacup, leaned over to take a look, and nodded: "Indeed, there isn't any."

"Fang Xuanling stayed in Runzhou for many years, but the Grand Tutor's office never recommended him, nor did the Grand Commandant's office make any arrangements for him."

"Du Ruhui was even worse; he offended many people in Changzhou, and even his superiors didn't speak well of him."

"This kind of person is destined not to rise in local positions, but in the current situation, he is actually the most suitable candidate."

"Without a powerful backer, no one will accuse our Ministry of Personnel of favoritism, and other factions will find it difficult to openly oppose us."

He Jingzhong took the two files out of the roster and placed them on top.

Several more candidates without obvious factional affiliations were added below, making up a complete candidate list.

He picked up a vermilion pen and wrote a line at the end of the list: "Respectfully presented for Your Majesty's perusal, humbly requesting Your Majesty's decision."

Then he put down his pen, let out a long breath, leaned back in his chair, looked out the window at the palace walls gradually sinking into twilight, and murmured to himself, "The rest depends on His Majesty's decision."

The list was delivered to the Imperial Study the following morning.

Zhou Qian sat behind his desk, with the list of candidates presented by the Ministry of Personnel spread out in front of him.

The list included six vacancies for vice ministers in the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Personnel.

Each vacancy has two to three candidates listed below it, with their current official position, past performance evaluations, and recommender noted after their names.

Zhao Gao stood by his side, holding a whisk, and the only sound in the imperial study was the rustling of turning pages.

Zhou Qian read very slowly.

He would pause for a moment at each name.

It's like flipping through this person's resume in your mind, or weighing the weight behind this name.

When he saw that the Grand Tutor's office recommended Su Shi for the position of Vice Minister of Rites.

His finger lightly tapped the two characters "Su Shi" twice, without making a red mark or rejecting the paper, but simply turning to the next page.

When he saw that both the Grand Commandant's office and the Marquis of Wu'an's office were recommending him for the position of Vice Minister of War, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He knew what this position meant.

The Vice Minister of War was in charge of all official documents and confidential matters concerning the deployment of troops throughout the country. Whoever held this position had a say in military affairs.

He suddenly broke the silence: "Zhao Gao."

"Your servant is here."

"Have you looked at this list?"

Zhao Gao bowed slightly, holding his whisk: "Your Majesty, when I was organizing the documents submitted by the Six Ministries in the Directorate of Ceremonial, I saw a draft of this list."

"This humble servant has dared to investigate the backgrounds of a few of these individuals for Your Majesty."

He spoke with his usual respectful tone, devoid of any extraneous emotion.

He knew that Zhou Qian wasn't asking for his opinion, but rather testing his judgment.

Zhou Qian did not press further, but instead flipped to the end of the list, his gaze lingering on two names side by side.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui.

He tapped the two names lightly with his fingers, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of these two people?"

Zhao Gao's hand holding the whisk remained motionless, but a very subtle glint flashed in his eyes.

He carefully considered his words, his voice steady and cautious: "Your Majesty, Fang Xuanling has served in Runzhou for many years. The prefect of Runzhou, Zheng Ke, is a well-known incorruptible and loyal official. Anyone who can endure so many years under Zheng Ke without making a mistake must be quite capable."

"Du Ruhui was in charge of criminal and financial affairs in Changzhou. He was ostracized for many years but never made a mistake. Such a person can get things done in the cracks, not because of luck."

"It's just that these two have been in the local areas for too long, and no one in the court speaks up for them. Their performance evaluations by the Ministry of Personnel are always above average, and they have no hope of promotion."

"If Your Majesty can employ them, they will naturally be grateful and loyal to Your Majesty."

Zhou Qian closed the list and leaned back in his chair.

He doesn't belong to anyone, and that's exactly what he needs most.

The court was rife with powerful factions: the Grand Tutor's household, the Grand Commandant's household, the Grand Protector's household, and the various princes' households...

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui spent nearly twenty years working in local areas, never taking sides or currying favor, their resumes were as clean as two blank sheets of paper.

You don't need to worry about these people having other powerful backers, because their only support is the person who promoted them.

"Have the Ministry of Personnel draft an imperial edict." Zhou Qian picked up the list again, and with a vermilion brush, circled the names of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui. "Fang Xuanling is transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and Du Ruhui is transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. They shall go to the capital to take up their posts immediately after the spring."

Zhao Gao bowed and agreed, holding his whisk. Just as he was about to step down to draft the decree, Zhou Qian called him back.

His voice suddenly softened, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps asking Zhao Gao, "Have I relied too much on those with powerful connections all these years?"

Zhao Gao lowered his eyes slightly and replied softly, "Your Majesty's way of employing people has always been to use them according to their abilities."

"People with connections have their advantages, and people without connections also have their advantages."

"The fact that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were able to endure so many years in local government without currying favor or taking sides shows a level of composure that not everyone possesses."

"Your Majesty's promotion of them is not only to fill vacancies in the court, but also to set an example for scholars from humble backgrounds throughout the country. As long as they maintain integrity and are not partisan or self-serving, they will eventually have their day."

Zhou Qian nodded slightly and said nothing more.

He placed the vermilion brush on the brush mountain, leaned back on the dragon throne, and gazed at the rising sun on the horizon outside the window.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of reviewing and allocating the nation's tax accounts, making it one of the positions most susceptible to corruption among the Six Ministries due to personal connections and favors.

Fang Xuanling was able to uphold his principles in Runzhou for so many years, so he is perfectly placed in this position.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works was in charge of the nation's water conservancy projects and government-run workshops, a demanding job that required both technical and managerial expertise.

Du Ruhui had managed criminal and financial affairs in Changzhou for many years without making any mistakes, and this meticulousness was just right for the Ministry of Works.

He suddenly sighed softly. This emperor had been in power for more than twenty years, and what he feared most was not foreign enemies or natural disasters, but the fact that the entrenched power in the court had buried all the talented people in the country.

Hopefully, these two people won't disappoint him.