Hot flashes

Zhou Heng stood by the window of the East Warm Pavilion, looking out at the world that was being reshaped by one imperial decree after another, holding a scroll of documents that had not yet been presented.

On the ninth day of the second month, Xiao Jue publicly announced the final list of those promoted beyond their rank at the court assembly.

After the list was read out, the hall remained quiet for a long time.

Then Xiao Jue closed the list, leaned back in his throne, and glanced at the faces that were still in shock: "I have one more thing to announce."

He pulled out a folded document, unfolded it, glanced at it, then looked up, his voice neither loud nor soft, as if he were saying something utterly ordinary: "From this day forward, the hereditary system of official positions is abolished. All government posts will be filled regardless of family background or origin, based solely on merit."

As these words fell, the hall seemed to freeze, as if something had suddenly seized their breath. Those who had just recovered from the shock of the collapse of the aristocratic families underwent a rapid change in expression, from bewilderment to shock, and from shock to a complex mix of anger and despair.

Hereditary official positions – the reason why aristocratic families are aristocratic families is not because they are rich or powerful, but because their descendants can hold official positions for generations, occupy the most important positions in the court for generations, and control the channels for selecting officials, keeping children from poor families out.

This is the root of the aristocratic family, the foundation of its existence, and the fundamental reason why it has been able to stand firm for hundreds of years.

The imperial examination system cut off their path, but even though the path was cut off, the roots remained.

Even if those scions of aristocratic families failed the imperial examinations or entered the imperial court, as long as the system of hereditary official positions still existed, they could easily obtain official posts that others could not obtain in their entire lives by relying on their ancestors' influence and the legacy of their fathers.

But Xiao Jue is saying now that it's gone.

From now on, there will be no ancestral privileges, no hereditary succession, and no one's son will be born to be an official.

If you want to be an official, take the exam; if you pass, you become one; if you fail, go back to your studies and study for generations until one day your descendants can enter this great hall by their own abilities.

The silence inside the hall lasted for a long time.

No one stepped forward to object, nor did anyone second the motion. Everyone stood there as if nailed to the spot, even deliberately holding their breath, afraid that the slightest sound they made would break the deathly silence and make them the first target locked by Xiao Jue's gaze.

Xiao Jue waited for a while, and seeing that no one spoke, he closed the folding book, placed it on the table, stood up, said "Dismiss the court," and then turned and walked into the back hall.

That night, Zhou Heng waited until very late in the East Warm Pavilion. Xiao Jue finished reviewing the last memorial, put down his pen, and looked up at him.

Zhou Heng walked over and placed the folded book that he had been repeatedly caressing over for many days on the table.

Xiao Jue glanced down at the words on the cover, but didn't open it. Instead, he looked up and stared into Zhou Heng's eyes.

Zhou Heng sat down next to Xiao Jue, opened the folding book, turned to the page he had marked with cinnabar, pointed to that line of text, and slowly said, "The hereditary privileges and stipends are gone, but that's not enough."

His voice wasn't loud, but he spoke each word slowly and heavily, as if afraid Xiao Jue wouldn't hear him clearly, or as if afraid he would miss something if he spoke too fast. "The reason why aristocratic families have been able to dominate for hundreds of years is not because of the hereditary system of official positions and stipends. Hereditary positions and stipends are just the top layer."

His finger moved away from the line of text, drew a circle on the folded paper, enclosing the passage, and then he looked up at Xiao Jue.

"Administrative, financial, military, and supervisory powers were all previously concentrated in the hands of one person."

The governor of a prefecture was in charge of civil affairs, finance, justice, supervision, and local military garrisons; he controlled everything and had the final say in everything.

Such a person can stay in one place for several years, and everyone from top to bottom will be his people; the imperial court can't touch him even if it wants to.

He spoke slowly, as if he were disassembling an extremely intricate object, carefully removing each part, wiping it clean, and then reassembling it. "That's how powerful families rise to prominence. They operate in the local areas for generations, holding every power in their own hands. After holding onto it for a long time, they start to think that those powers belong to them, not the imperial court. What I mean is, dismantle all these powers."

The folded paper contained a simple chart, with messy handwriting and scribbling marks everywhere, but every line pointed in the same direction—decentralization.

The military governor was in charge of the army, the transport commissioner was in charge of finance, and the judicial commissioner was in charge of judicial supervision. Each was responsible to the imperial court, but they were not subordinate to each other and checked and balanced each other.

No one is allowed to stay in one place for too long. Once their term is up, they must be transferred immediately. No one is allowed to serve another term or stay in one place for an extended period.

When an official stays in one place for a long time, he develops a power base. With a power base, he can then form a clique.

Having followers inevitably breeds disloyalty. This is an inherent human trait, and has nothing to do with whether a person is loyal or treacherous, wise or foolish.

A good system doesn't expect everyone to be a saint, but rather to prevent even the most greedy from having the opportunity to take advantage of others, and to prevent even the most ambitious from having the means to rebel.

Xiao Jue's hand landed on the folded paper, his fingertips slowly tracing the rough lines.