noffsinger Chapter 1311 Yu Zhengqing's Promotion
Chapter 1311 Yu Zhengqing's Promotion
The Censorate, known in the imperial court as the "Censorate Office," was headed by officials called "Censorate Officials." They were responsible for supervising all officials and impeaching those who violated the rules of the court. Their duties sounded similar to those of the Censorate, but in terms of real power, one Censorate Official was equivalent to ten Censors.
The work of the censors was mostly about writing, impeaching officials and correcting their errors in memorials.
The Censorate, however, placed more emphasis on practical application. In the words of the officials, they were a pack of dogs that didn't bark, but once they bit someone, they wouldn't let go.
The Assistant Censor, a fourth-rank official, was considered the most vicious of all officials, wielding immense power.
In the Golden Palace, no one expected that Yu Zhengqing would be promoted as soon as he returned to the capital, and that he would skip the "fourth rank" and be appointed as the fourth rank Assistant Censor.
Under the watchful eyes of several envious men, Yu Zhengqing lifted his robes and knelt on the gold bricks: "Your subject Yu Zhengqing thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! I will certainly perform my duties diligently, cleanse the court of its corrupt atmosphere, and never fail Your Majesty's trust!"
Grandpa Hong carried the tray to Yu Zhengqing.
Looking at the imperial envoy's seal on the plate, the officials suddenly understood—the appointment of Yu Zhengqing as Vice Chief Censor was not a spur-of-the-moment decision by His Majesty.
In retrospect, even if Ji Benchang hadn't caused that scene, His Majesty would still have ordered a thorough investigation of the Ministry of Rites and local government offices.
Guo Bizheng lay on the ground, the surrounding whispers like sharp needles piercing his spine, leaving him with no courage to get up.
The Emperor's voice reached my ears: "What do you think, Ji Qing?"
Ji Benchang's anger had lessened considerably: "Your Majesty is wise! This old minister has no objections!"
The emperor chuckled: "Just now, weren't you insisting on investigating personally?"
Ji Benchang glanced at Yu Zhengqing, "Your Majesty, this old minister still trusts Lord Yu's character..."
In short, he both expressed goodwill to Yu Zhengqing and kicked Guo Bizheng into the mud.
Yu Zhengqing looked down at Guo Bizheng's head, then knelt down and reported another unresolved matter: "Your Majesty, I have another matter to report, which is also related to Huai Gongwang."
Guo Bizheng tensed his back even more.
The emperor feigned ignorance: "What is it?"
Yu Zhengqing said, “Previously, you issued an edict appointing Xu Yunyan, the registrar of Tongan County, to concurrently serve as the clerk of Liuyang Prefecture. However, when Lord Shen took Xu Yunyan to his post, the original clerk was murdered, and the act was staged as suicide. Lord Shen and I both suspect that this matter is related to Huai Gongwang. It seems that he wanted to use this to shake public morale and obstruct Lord Shen’s arrival at his post. However, Huai Gongwang has refused to admit any involvement to this day. I implore Your Majesty to issue an edict ordering the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate this case and clarify the whole story!”
"Huai Liao actually dared to murder an official of the imperial court?!"
The officials were astonished: "Logically speaking, Lord Shen had been living in Tongan County for a long time, so there should have been no conflict between them! Why would he be so heartless as to use the lives of the prefectural officials to obstruct Lord Shen from taking office?!"
Ji Benchang sneered, lowered his eyes, and said meaningfully, "Who knows, he might be acting under someone's orders?"
The officials instantly understood, their gazes shifting between Guo Bizheng and the officials of the Ministry of Rites.
The emperor's gaze passed over the officials and landed outside the palace.
Compared to the vast Tai'an prison, Huai Gongwang, huddled in the corner of the prison cart, was like a termite hiding in a giant gate, insignificant and not worth mentioning.
But it is precisely these inconspicuous termites that secretly gnaw at the wooden door, causing the originally airtight door to silently develop cracks, eventually leaving it hollow inside and on the verge of collapse.
The scourge of termites lies not in their small size, but in their insidious nature and their sheer number.
If the termite nest is not completely eradicated today, even more termites will swarm out tomorrow, weakening the foundation of the dynasty, corrupting the minds of officials, and causing unbearable suffering to the people.
The emperor tapped the arm of his chair lightly with his knuckles, his voice deep and cold: "Luo Bizhi."
“Your subject is here!” Luo Bizhi stepped forward.
"You shall personally lead a thorough investigation into the case of Huai Gongwang. Once you have obtained concrete evidence, you shall immediately execute him according to the law and punish him severely as a warning to others!"
"Sir, obey the order!"
Once the case fell into Luo Bizhi's hands, all the officials knew that Huai Gongwang was truly finished.
......
After the court session, Yu Zhengqing handed over Huai Gongwang to the Ministry of Justice.
As the prison cart slowly drove out of sight, he breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the Vermilion Bird Gate.
"Lord Yu!" Ji Benchang caught up with him and offered his congratulations without saying a word: "Congratulations, Lord Yu! Today is truly a day of double happiness for you!"
Yu Zhengqing stopped in his tracks, puzzled: "Lord Ji, are you referring to... my promotion?"
It's called "double happiness" because he jumped one rank in his official career?
"Oh dear, I almost forgot, you're late and don't know what happened up ahead," Ji Benchang said mysteriously. "Your Jiusi, just like you, got promoted too!"
Yu Zhengqing paused, then exclaimed in surprise, "Jiu Si has been promoted?! Wasn't he... not in the capital?"
How could someone get promoted when they're not even around?
"Oh dear, what are you saying? Does someone not being here mean they can't get promoted?" Ji Benchang pointed to the Vermilion Bird Gate in front of them: "See that? From now on, this gate will be under the jurisdiction of your family, Jiu Si."
Yu Zhengqing: ?
My son went from being a figurehead general to a doorman?
What kind of promotion is this?
"And what about the other gates?" Ji Benchang pointed to the gate connecting the six ministries, "those gates are also under the jurisdiction of your family, Jiu Si."
Yu Zhengqing's expression changed from confusion to horror: "You mean, Jiu Si wants to inspect several doors at once?!"
Ji Benchang: "...Didn't you understand what I meant?"
Yu Zhengqing actually understood.
But he couldn't believe it.
"Lord Ji..." He licked his dry lips, "The imperial city guards...aren't they always members of the imperial family? Jiu Si doesn't even have a title, how can he..."
How could I have become His Majesty's confidant so quickly?!
“Well, that’s why we ministers shouldn’t try to guess what His Majesty is thinking.” Ji Benchang patted him on the shoulder. “Anyway, that’s the gist of it. Once your Jiusi comes back, he’ll be stationed in the capital permanently.”
Yu Zhengqing stood still and spun around once.
The imperial city is so vast that you can't see the end of it even if you look at it ten times.
"By the way, Lord Yu," Ji Benchang added, "I overheard some old fellows discussing in the palace earlier that they wanted to marry their daughters to your Jiu Si. I reckon it won't be long before they send someone to sound you out."
"..."
Yu Zhengqing was still reeling from the fact that his son had become so sought after: "Well... it still depends on the child's own wishes."
Ji Benchang chuckled, about to say something, when Eunuch Hong appeared behind them at some point.
"This old servant greets Lord Ji and Lord Yu."
Seeing this, Ji Benchang understood: "Lord Yu, you go ahead with your work. I also need to go to the Ministry of Revenue."
Yu Zhengqing followed Eunuch Hong all the way to the Imperial Study.
As soon as the study door opened, the emperor's displeased gaze met his eyes: "You're leaving after court?"
Yu Zhengqing choked, looking down at his dust-covered robes: "Your Majesty, I simply... wish to return to my residence to change into clean clothes before coming to see you again."
The emperor's expression softened slightly.
After a moment of silence in the room, the Emperor beckoned him to sit down and coughed lightly: "Did you bring anything back to the capital this time?"