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

"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.

The idea is difficult!

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.

Chapter 77 If he holds the official position of Deputy Transport Commissioner, does that mean even I have to listen to him?

Transport Commissioner's Office.

Jiang Zhao squinted.

Empty!

Unfamiliar words!

If it were an ordinary person trying to figure out the rules of officialdom on their own, they might really not know how to deal with being sidelined.

Unfortunately, his teacher was Han Zhang.

If we're talking about which prime minister or chancellor has the most experience in undermining others, Han Zhang is undoubtedly the one.

During the Qingli Reforms, Han Zhang used methods such as "recommendation" to bring Zhang Fangping, Wang Yaochen, and others under his command.

These officials gradually replaced the prime minister and chief minister, Zhang Dexiang.

An essay titled "Ode to the Virtues of Emperor Qingli" successfully packaged the new policies as a "timely solution," manipulated public opinion, and attempted to sideline the head of all officials.

In the fourth year of the Qingli era, Han and Fan had a disagreement over the construction of Shuiluo City. Han and Zhang decided to take a two-pronged approach, joining forces with Wen Yanbo and Di Qing to suppress Fan Zhongyan and successfully weaken his power. They also portrayed Zhang Dexiang as an incompetent prime minister who could not reconcile the contradictions.

Kill two birds with one stone!

This person's ability to create fictional worlds is truly remarkable.

As a student, Jiang Zhao also learned some basics.

Not only did I learn the forehand—to deflect opponents' attacks, but I also learned the backhand—to prevent deflections!

When it comes to the process of sidelining someone, it's nothing more than power isolation and manipulation of public opinion.

Power isolation means either pulling one group or hitting another.

Through a certain degree of power struggle, the chief official's power is reduced to that of the deputy, while those trusted by the chief official are suppressed, those with wavering will are won over, and subordinate officials are united to gradually isolate the chief official.

As a result, the chief official gradually lost access to information from his subordinates, eventually leaving him with no one to rely on, and even leading to wrong decisions.

Once the leader makes a wrong decision, it can be used as an opportunity to create some major events, causing the leader's prestige to plummet and creating public opinion that the leader is "incompetent and mediocre".

Simple combos, unpretentious yet practical.

From petty officials fighting amongst themselves to Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet usurping the power of the top officials, this is the pattern.

Of course, once an official position is high, the existence of a "referee" must be considered, namely the will of the monarch.

The process of reversing fictional narratives is actually the same.

The purpose of "opposing the subordinate" is to seize power; in reality, it means that the principal official turns the tables and sidelines the deputy official.

Pull one group in, then strike another; gradually replace the adjutant with his men, seize power, and, combined with public opinion, deliver a fatal blow.

The chief officer and the deputy officer have always been of different strengths, with one being stronger and the other weaker.

Even the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and the Grand Chancellors, who represented the pinnacle of power among the officials, were subject to manipulation and were essentially sidelined.

The concept of "fictionalization" and "counter-fictionalization" is a double-edged sword, nothing unusual.

Very simple!

Jiang Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, looking out.

But why did Sima Guang sideline him?

He just came down here to gain experience and accumulate power.

Furthermore, this was his first time leaving the capital since he became an official, and he had never had any interaction with Sima Guang before!

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then beckoned and said, "He Sheng, have the two transport judges come over."

Hesheng nodded and walked out.

Jiang Zhao paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.