71 Chapter 71

◎Wenhua Administration◎

The autumn rain formed a curtain, covering the entire capital city, and the sound of dripping rain was endless.

Lin Fan knocked on the door of the Cen residence again.

"It's Master Lin," the housekeeper said politely, stepping aside. "Please come in. The master has gone to the yamen and won't be back until twilight. Why don't you go first..."

Lin Fan didn't enter the courtyard. He said politely, "I appreciate it. Since Brother Cen isn't here, I won't go in. Please tell Brother Cen that the task I asked him to do has been resolved."

"Okay, okay, I understand. Take care, Mr. Lin."

Lin Fan nodded, turned around, opened his umbrella, and was about to leave the alley when he saw two soldiers from the military department approaching.

They supported a man who was pale and had his head wrapped in a cloth with blood seeping through the surface.

"Brother Cen?" Lin Fan stepped forward quickly. "What's going on?"

He thanked the two soldiers and together with the housekeeper who discovered the situation, helped the man to the bedroom in the main courtyard.

Cen Kui lay on his back in bed, not paying much attention to the head injury. Instead, he said, "Brother Lin, if you hadn't come to find me, I would have been looking for you. That day, I met a female Jinyiwei named 'Meng Zhuo' in the prison, but..."

"Brother Cen, thank you for your concern. I came here today to tell you that the person has been found." Lin Fanying frowned. "But you, you had an accident before, how come you are injured again today?"

Cen Kui sighed, "It was my bad luck. I was hit by a falling flowerpot while walking on the road."

He was just a minor official of the sixth rank and could not afford a carriage, so he walked to the yamen every day.

"No umbrella?"

"I left home this morning before it started raining, so I didn't bring any. Halfway through, it started raining, and I sought shelter under the eaves of a shop along the street. I accidentally got hit on the head by a flowerpot. Luckily, a patrolman saw me, took me to the clinic for treatment, and then sent me home."

Lin Fan sensed something unusual, "What caused the accident last time?"

"I was just out of town on business when I ran into a group of bullies who were running rampant in the countryside. I spoke up for justice and since I wasn't wearing my official uniform at the time, they beat me up too. Even though I've learned some martial arts, I couldn't stand up to them, so I got hurt."

Lin Fan: "Brother Cen pleads for the people, and turns disaster into blessing."

"Don't praise me. If it weren't for reporter Meng from the newspaper passing by and saving me together with his companions, I probably wouldn't have escaped so easily."

"Meng Shuo?"

Cen Kui was surprised: "You know him?"

"We've met twice." Lin Fan raised the corners of his lips slightly.

Miss Meng's brother is also a man who stands up for justice and is upright.

"You just came to Beijing and you met reporter Meng. Just now you said that the girl surnamed Meng was found. Could it be that she and reporter Meng..." Cen Kui's mind was working very quickly.

Lin Fan nodded in acknowledgment, but said nothing more. His gaze fell on the wound on his forehead and he said thoughtfully, "Although both incidents were accidents, Brother Cen still needs to be careful on a daily basis."

"I understand what you mean," said Cen Kui, a Ministry of Justice official. "I've already checked, and there's nothing wrong."

Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Xie Mingshuo stepped into the dining room and saw his family waiting for him. He sat down on a wide chair and said pitifully, "Please be comforted."

"What's wrong again?" Meng Qi touched his head.

"I feel like someone's watching me." Xie Mingshuo lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Today, when I went out on the street, I kept feeling like there were a few eyes staring at me from behind, but when I turned around, I couldn't see anything unusual. I felt a little uneasy."

Xie Changfeng: "With guards secretly protecting me, what are you afraid of?"

"Did you offend someone?" Xie Mingxuan asked bluntly.

It is common for journalists to offend people, and they are used to it.

"I didn't offend anyone... Ah!" Xie Mingshuo suddenly had an idea. "That day, I was chased through several alleys, and that's when I ran into Xiaolin."

Xie Mingzhuo hinted, "The ones chasing you are from the East City Military Affairs Division. Perhaps the ones staring at you today are also from the Military Affairs Division. They patrol the streets on a daily basis, so staring at people wouldn't seem out of place, so you didn't notice anything unusual."

"Little sister, it has to be you." Xie Mingshuo suddenly understood.

"Has the secret of the golden egg been uncovered?"

"No," Xie Mingshuo said with a distressed look on his face. "The golden egg has been sold. The person who bought it was a small businessman. He probably just wanted to use it to smooth over his connections in the capital."

There is nothing wrong with this method of bribery. Both parties are willing to take the blame. As long as Mr. Du does not do anything illegal, no one else can do anything to him.

Xie Mingzhuo: "How much did the golden egg sell for?"

"Two hundred taels."

"What kind of business does the small businessman do?"

"Just some groceries."

Even Xie Mingxuan sensed something was wrong: "How can you come up with two hundred taels just by selling groceries?"

"That merchant had some family business, and even though it's in decline, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse."

Xie Mingzhuo: "Where is his registered residence?"

"From Huizhou Prefecture," Xie Mingshuo understood, "Is there something wrong?"

Xie Mingzhuo shook her head. She just suddenly thought of one person, but this intuitive suspicion was too inexplicable. Without any evidence, she couldn't say it out loud in order not to mislead the other four.

"Second brother, go check the Du family's background again, focusing on his network of contacts."

"Leave it to me."

The late autumn rain continues, as if to wash away all the filth in the world.

Xie Mingzhuo lifted her slightly damp skirt, shook it off, and entered the Wenhua Palace. After officially entering politics, she had set up a room next to the Wenhua Palace school to handle official business.

Previously, he borrowed the Palace of Heavenly Purity, but his father disliked these ministers who always took the opportunity to meet the emperor and occupy his private space, so Xie Mingzhuo changed his office location to Wenhua Hall.

Three officials from the Ministry of Personnel were already waiting inside.

Xie Mingzhuo sat in the main seat and waited for the three people to pay their respects before offering them a seat.

"Your Highness, we have drafted a code of conduct for officials. Please review it."

The person who spoke was Fang Ji, the Left Vice Minister. He was also the one who sent the records of appointments and dismissals of officials that he had previously consulted.

Feng Caiyu stepped forward, took the memorial, and presented it to Xie Mingzhuo.

"Cough cough." Chang Wei covered his face with his sleeves and coughed twice.

"Caiyu, serve tea to the three adults." Xie Mingzhuo gave an order and lowered his head to read the draft memorial.

Feng Caiyu went outside the hall to give instructions to the palace servants, and then returned to stand in the hall.

The only sounds left in the room were the flipping of pages and the occasional cough from Prime Minister Chang.

"Teacher, have you seen a doctor?" Xie Mingzhuo looked up.

Chang Wei: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have already seen the doctor."

"There's been no improvement for several days. I'll have the imperial physician take your pulse later."

"No need to trouble the imperial physician. I'm just old and caught a cold." Chang Wei's attitude of resistance was very similar to that of some stubborn elders in the hospital.

Xie Mingzhuo said sternly, "Teacher, you are the Prime Minister and the backbone of the five ministries and six departments. You have a heavy responsibility. If you are not responsible for your own health, you are not responsible for the people of the world. You cannot refuse."

“…”

"It is a great blessing for us that the princess is so considerate of us." Right Vice Minister Teng Shitong flattered her lightly.

He has an ordinary appearance, small eyes with single eyelids, a mustache, and the word "slippery" is written all over his body.

Compared with the calm Chang Wei and steady Fang Ji, they have completely different styles. I wonder whether their daily work is harmonious.

Xie Mingzhuo glanced at him and didn't respond. After Chang Wei nodded in agreement, he said, "The memorial is too difficult to understand. Take it back and rewrite it, striving to make it concise and easy to understand."

Three people: "..."

"What's the problem?"

Fang Ji was the first to say, "If it's too common, it might undermine the authority and make the effect less obvious."

"Are you trying to say that if you write official documents too bluntly, officials at all levels will laugh at you?"

Fang Ji said sincerely, "Making fun of me is secondary. Although the regulations were drafted by the Ministry of Personnel, the final decision is made by His Majesty."

This is using the emperor as a raft.

Xie Mingzhuo asked with a smile, "Minister Fang, as the Minister of Personnel, don't you know who has more officials or who has fewer clerks?"

"Of course I understand. However, few of the lower-level officials can read and write. Whether the code of conduct is written in obscure or common language makes no difference to them."

"Even if you can't read, you can still read and listen. Do storytellers in teahouses always spout 'zhihuzheya'?"

“…”

Teng Shitong said with great shrewdness, "Using simpler language will make it easier for the officials to understand and easier for them to learn. Your Highness, that's a wise idea."

"Minister Teng," Xie Mingzhuo looked him straight in the eye, "tell me how we should change this."

Teng Shitong said respectfully, "I am a foolish official. If my words are not good, please forgive me, Princess."

"Um."

"I believe that the key to clarity and conciseness lies in distilling the essence, and the key to easy understanding lies in rooting it in the grassroots. Simply using words like 'strictly prohibited' and 'not allowed' will be more effective than using numerous allusions to warn officials.

If you do those fancy things, the officers won’t understand what you say.

Xie Mingzhuo couldn't help but remind himself not to judge people by their appearance in the future.

Although this person is slick, he is unexpectedly a practical man.

"You put it very well." Xie Mingzhuo was neither stingy with his praise nor forgetful in his compliments. "Minister Fang's concerns are justified, but in order to promote this more quickly, the court must make some sacrifices."

Fang Ji: "Yes."

"Go back and draft it again."

"I will take my leave."

Xie Mingzhuo: "Teacher, please stay. I have already asked someone to invite the imperial physician."

Outside the Wenhua Hall, the left and right assistant ministers walked side by side in silence until they were near the Ministry of Personnel, where Fang Ji stopped.

"Minister Teng, congratulations."

Teng Shitong smiled and said, "Minister Fang, congratulations to you."

"Have you ever heard of a story, Minister Teng? In the previous dynasty, a man was skilled at flattering his superiors, earning him considerable favor. He rose rapidly from a poor scholar to become prime minister. Unfortunately, before he could even warm to the position, his family and property were confiscated and his entire family was exterminated."

Teng Shitong was surprised: "How could such a thing happen? Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading."

“…”

"Minister Fang, do you have anything else to say?"

Fang Ji: "Minister Teng, this world ultimately belongs to the emperor."

"One word from you is worth ten years of reading."

“…”

Fang Ji flicked his sleeves, stopped talking to him, and walked forward. A princess is still a princess after all, no matter how powerful she is.

In Wenhua Hall, the chief judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau was summoned to take Chang Wei's pulse.

When treating Chief Minister Chang, he had to be extremely cautious and pay close attention to every step of the process, including observation, listening, questioning and palpation.

Xie Mingzhuo waited patiently until the judge frowned slightly.

"how?"

"This..." The judge was speechless for a moment and looked at Chang Wei in embarrassment.

Chang Wei's expression remained calm as he smiled, "Birth, aging, illness and death are the laws of nature. I'm just following them."

"What disease?" Xie Mingzhuo's voice was calm, but his heart was in a mess.

She had only known Chang Wei for a few months, and the time they had spent together as teacher and student was even shorter, but Chang Wei was definitely a senior official of the country.

Once he falls, the court situation will probably undergo a major reshuffle.

Moreover, after she returned to Beijing, she clearly felt the change in Chang Wei's attitude towards her, from previous warnings to silent support now.

In her heart, she already regarded him as a true mentor.

"The elder's cough is indeed caused by a cold, but..." the judge said with deep regret, "The real problem is in the stomach. It's caused by the accumulation of phlegm and stagnation, and there are symptoms of a mass. Medication can only alleviate it, but it can't cure it. If he rests properly, he should be able to recover for three years at most."

Xie Mingzhuo had read many miscellaneous notes and knew what this meant.

In this era, even early-stage gastric malignancies cannot be removed and treated.