Chapter 279 The Master's Appreciation

Master Di had a subtle, special affection for Longcheng County and even that remote Jiangzhou.

That was a quiet and solitary refuge for his soul when he was at a low point, having suffered setbacks in both his career and ambitions.

Jiangzhou has a long history of exiled officials.

It was far from the power centers of the two capitals in Guanzhong.

Longcheng is the most remote county in Jiangzhou.

Adjacent to it is the ancient Yunmeng Marsh, where legend has it that a goddess or fairy once graced its shores.

Di Fuzi especially remembered that the stir-fried dishes and pickled vegetables from the farmhouses there were delicious.

The people are simple and honest, yet they possess the fierce spirit of the Wu and Yue people, capable of both gratitude and resentment.

Unfortunately, the area is poor and the waters are harsh, with floods occurring more frequently than anywhere else in southern China. This has sadly fostered superstition among the people, leading to numerous illicit worships of water spirits and deities within the region.

So before Di Fuzi was transferred after completing his term, he left behind a cleverly designed sluice gate that he was quite satisfied with.

It is cost-effective and easy to manufacture, highly efficient in water management, and produces immediate results.

However, at present...

Someone casually erased his sluice gate on the map of Longcheng and added a new canal that was simple yet ingenious.

Instead of blocking, guide.

Turning the rotten into the miraculous.

"Butterfly Creek, Broken Wings... Canal? Does it mean the butterfly's wings have been broken?"

On the desk in the study, an open map book lay, its creases from being folded repeatedly smoothed out by the withered hand of a fat old man.

A finger, its pad tracing the prominent, straight canal on the map, slowly rubs and slides along the path from the western starting point to the eastern ending point.

It's as if they're intently simulating something.

After an incense stick had burned, the fat old man who had been hunched over his desk suddenly leaned back in his chair and nodded.

"With the fall of the isolated village, the whole situation is revitalized. This county is no longer a desolate place. The treacherous waters have been controlled, and the mountains are no longer impoverished."

A smile appeared on Di Fuzi's face as he turned his head.

Only then did he look at the letter presented by Xie Xun's disciple, in addition to the wonderful picture album.

The previous atlas only contained maps and detailed depictions of the Zheyi Canal, without mentioning the builders or those who facilitated its construction.

Di Fuzi took out the letter, unfolded it, lowered his eyes, and scanned it from top to bottom.

Xie Xun, who was sent to Jiangnan to look after the deposed Xunyang King's family, often posts pictures of his beloved disciple.

However, this time, the fat old man, who was recognized by scholars as the leader of the Confucian school and received a flood of letters every day, did not, as in the past, hastily glance over these letters of self-recommendation or recommendation and put them aside.

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and murmured, "The magistrate of Longcheng, Ouyang Lianghan..."

Di Fuzi took a letter from a stack of letters on the bookshelf, opened it, and then browsed through it again.

This letter was delivered by Shen Xisheng, the Imperial Censor, immediately after he returned to Luoyang from his mission as an inspector in Jiangnan to manage floods and investigate the rice case.

Besides detailing his trip to Jiangnan, the Imperial Censor repeatedly praised a young county magistrate, and at the end of the letter, he even sarcastically mentioned that he was "a top student of Xie Xun."

Ouyang Lianghan.

Di Fuzi had some impression of it.

The third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination of the first year of the reign of Emperor Jiushi had a good name. He was initially rewarded by the Empress and, after mourning his mother's death, returned to the capital to serve as an imperial censor.

However, seemingly influenced by Empress Wei, he impulsively advised the arrogant and favored Princess Chang Le, and confronted the Empress in court, receiving seventy strokes of the cane and being imprisoned.

This matter directly caused great dissatisfaction among the Prince of Xiang, who was living in seclusion in the palace.

Princess Chang Le was the younger sister of Prince Xiang, and also had the surname Li. She was sympathetic to her father's relatives and was someone Prince Xiang tried his best to win over.

Ouyang Lianghan, on the other hand, came from a Confucian academy and was naturally a member of the conservative and upright faction.

Well, putting aside the fact that Princess Chang Le was spoiled, arrogant, and transgressed the law, well, with Empress Wei setting an example, what's wrong with the princesses and other female nobles of the Great Zhou being a little arrogant and spoiled?

He should have sided with the Li family and Gan Tong, but instead he turned the blade inward and stabbed even his own people.

Pushing important allies they wanted to win over toward their mortal enemy, the Wei clan, only caring about right and wrong, not about their own interests?

Where did this fool who can only distinguish right from wrong come from?

The Prince was quite angry. The message he received was that Ouyang Lianghan should be left to his own devices and that the old ministers who had protected him should not interfere. It would be fine if he died in prison, and it would also help Princess Chang Le to calm down and let the matter pass as soon as possible.

However, Ouyang Lianghan was, after all, a graduate of Bailudong Academy and a highly respected disciple of Xie Xun, a Confucian scholar with excellent connections among scholars in both the north and south.

So, several veteran officials from Bailudong, including Shen Xisheng, tacitly submitted a memorial to try and get him released. They also joined forces with the heated debate among the scholars of Luoyang... and in the end, they managed to get him out of trouble.

However, Her Majesty the Empress casually sent Ouyang Lianghan to the remote Jiangzhou to serve as a minor county magistrate.

Although he earned the reputation of being a virtuous and upright person in the eyes of the world.

However, this offended Prince Xiang and Princess Chang Le. Most of the pro-Li Li ministers in the court reached a consensus that they dared not help anymore and would not interfere for the time being.

Later, only Xie Xun continued to care about this beloved student and often introduced him to others.

However, he dared not ask for too much more. He was content with his beloved disciple's safety and considered it a chance to gain experience and smooth out his rough edges. He was very grateful for the help he had received from his friends, including Shen Xisheng.

That incident wasn't a major incident, but it wasn't minor either.

Di Fuzi didn't pay much attention, as he was busy with something more important at the time.

Therefore, it was Shen Xisheng and several other ministers who were working on this.

However, Di Fuzi tacitly agreed with this.

In addition to upholding the tradition of censors daring to speak frankly and offer honest advice,

He actually wanted to see if Her Majesty the Queen's attitude had changed.

Since Her Majesty the Empress assumed power, seized the throne from her son, and used her authority to control the world, she has employed her maternal family, the Wei clan, ruthless officials, and practitioners of Yin-Yang philosophy to thoroughly purge the court and change the dynasty to Zhou.

The country had been peaceful and prosperous for too long, and Master Di had not seen such a brave and fearless young man in a long time.

They dared to prepare a coffin in advance, offending the emperor, defying the princess, and making veiled insults, cursing both the mother and daughter.

Since the Wei family wanted to use Ouyang Lianghan to attack Princess Changle and smear the ministers who supported the imperial family.

He then used Ouyang Lianghan's case as a way to test the waters.

Di Fuzi wanted to see if Her Majesty the Empress, who had been firmly seated in the court for many years and felt that her legitimacy was secure, had begun to value her reputation before and after her death, and considered the so-called "eternal sage name".

Emperors who are ambitious and eager for glory are mostly protective of their power, even if it is only on the surface.

Ultimately, amidst the uproar of scholars and the widespread sympathy of the people of Luoyang, Her Majesty the Empress, though furious, ultimately suppressed her murderous intent.

Later, taking advantage of Princess Chang Le's offer not to kill him and not to give him a chance to be remembered in history, they went along with it and spared Ouyang Lianghan's life.

Furthermore, he was nominally promoted and expelled from the capital.

It seems that His Majesty has grown old and is beginning to realize certain things about what happens after his death and what his posthumous reputation is.

And they are now trying their best to cover up all the cold-blooded things they did before.

The widespread praise for peaceful and prosperous times in recent years is the most obvious example.

She is trying to emulate Emperor Taizong's achievements.

Master Di sighed and shook his head.

Regardless, with the Queen of Insight showing such a change of heart, he can now slowly begin to advance certain topics that were previously forbidden to be mentioned.

In this light, Ouyang Lianghan's advice to Princess Changle had both advantages and disadvantages, and it was indeed quite effective, although the young man's success was somewhat accidental.

However, Master Di didn't like him much; he was a young man who could only distinguish right from wrong.

Because lying down and doing nothing but distinguishing right from wrong is easy;

But it is difficult to stand up, get up and take action, and do practical things.

Moreover, sometimes it's difficult to distinguish right from wrong.

Even sages might not be able to explain this clearly.

In his youth, he read extensively and discovered that distinguishing right from wrong was a task that had stumped countless heroes throughout history.

But it's also like an addictive tonic, exciting young people to no end, causing them to waste their time and energy on distinguishing right from wrong, neglecting their proper duties. Therefore, he resolved in his youth that he would not become a so-called upright official who only knew how to distinguish right from wrong…

Outside the study window, a grove of trees rustled and whispered into the room, ruffling the thin corner of the letter in the fat old man's hand.

Master Di glanced at the painting of the Broken-Winged Canal fluttering in the wind on the table, and seemed to be deep in thought:

"You're not just good at distinguishing right from wrong..."

The following day, Master Di rose early to attend the morning court session, where he led all the civil and military officials in a daily audience with the Empress.

After the court session, His Majesty the Empress kept him there and accompanied him to the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity. He was given an embroidered stool and sat with her to receive the foreign envoys who were paying tribute. The envoys bowed their heads in submission and sang praises of the Empress. The Empress rested her chin on the back of her hand, quite pleased, and bestowed upon him the generous gifts befitting a celestial empire. Di Fuzi sat beside her, expressionless...

Half an hour later, the elderly empress finally released the fat old man and allowed him to return to his official residence.

Master Di slowly returned to the Phoenix Pavilion, sat down at a small table by the window, and began to fiddling with abacuses.

The two rows of officials below the Phoenix Pavilion would occasionally glance at the head of the hall.

Di Fuzi lowered his head to do the accounting, as usual.

As the prime minister on the spot, every move he made was watched by countless eyes, whether friend or foe, speculating on his motives and trying to figure out his thoughts.

Di Fuzi was already used to it.

Nothing was said that day.

At the second quarter of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), Master Di rose from his seat and, as always, was the first to leave the hall.

This time, however, he slowed down a bit, and when he passed by the Censorate, he happened to run into Shen Xisheng, the Censor-in-Chief, who was also off duty.

"Master," Shen Xisheng bowed.

With his hands behind his back, Di Fuzi gave a soft "hmm" and walked ahead.

Shen Xisheng followed without making a sound.

The two seemed to be going the same way, heading towards Yingtian Gate, and had just managed to avoid the large crowds on the main road.

During the short journey, Di Fuzi spoke a few words to Shen Xisheng without turning his head.

The latter was slightly taken aback. Before he could ask any more questions, the two approached Yingtian Gate. Master Di stepped forward to greet the high-ranking officials, leaving Shen Xisheng behind.

The Imperial Censor looked thoughtful.

The next morning.

A young censor from the Censorate walked proudly into the Ministry of Personnel, carrying a document.

The young censor requested to retrieve all the performance evaluation reports submitted by various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan Circuit this year, down to the smallest detail, for his superiors to review.

The Censorate had the power to supervise all officials, including reviewing the evidence of their performance and promotion. It was not surprising that they would access these files.

An official from the Ministry of Personnel glanced at the seal and signature of a certain Lord Shen in the lower right corner of the document, confirmed that it was correct, and then turned around and led his men into the archives to retrieve the file.

...

The night was cool and still.

Inside Jishanfang, there is a low-key and simple residence. The bustling traffic outside the gate during the day has long since dispersed, and it only becomes slightly quiet late at night.

At this moment, the lights in the prime minister's residence are sparse.

This stands in stark contrast to the brightly lit, all-night mansions of the surrounding area, and the magnificent red buildings along the Luo River and the long riverside street not far away, which are illuminated with colorful lights.

Indeed, in Luoyang, the prime minister of the court and a skilled woman who sweats a lot could even live in the same neighborhood.

Luoyang was a city with crisscrossing streets and adjacent neighborhoods. The unique neighborhood system facilitated management. Although there was a curfew, Luoyang was the most prosperous city in the world at that time, with a population of one million.

The curfew only restricts the movement of people between neighborhoods, but does not restrict the special nightlife within a single neighborhood.

The bustling brothels along the Luo River not far away did not disturb the silent atmosphere in a certain study.

Master Di quietly flipped through the memorials and examination reports.

On the table, a single lamp faintly illuminated the names of the officials from Jiangzhou in Jiangnan Circuit on the memorials and examination reports.

Even on one of the memorials, the four-character name "Ouyang Lianghan" flashed by.

All the reports and memorials submitted regarding the flood control in Longcheng and the Zheyi Canal are here.

This also includes examination records documenting the evaluations and observations of officials at all levels in the state and county.

The entire story revolves around the construction and details of that broken-wing canal.

Although Luoyang and Jiangnan are thousands of miles apart, the whole process of a young county magistrate quietly building the Zheyi Canal gradually pieced together in the mind of the fat old man who squinted under the lamplight.

In matters like this, Master Di never listened to only one side of the story.

Even trusted juniors like Xie Xun and Shen Xisheng.

"Oh."

Master Di chuckled softly.

He flipped through the officials' reports and memorials regarding the Zheyi Canal, and began to understand why this water conservancy project, which benefited both the present and future generations, was so remarkable.

After the report was submitted to Luoyang, it did not cause even the slightest discussion among the Ministry of Personnel and other relevant departments.

Besides the Ministry of Personnel, the superiors responsible for evaluating the performance of local officials neglected their duties.

Another reason is that this entire channel for reporting on the performance of local officials has become almost completely rigid and blocked.

In these memorials, most of the inspecting officials from Jiangzhou Prefecture, as well as officials from several surrounding counties that benefited from the program, were lavish in their praise.

However, there were also generalities or mixed praise and criticism, such as that of Wang Lengran, the governor of Jiangzhou.

Look at the achievements of the other prefectures and counties in the ten circuits of the empire. They all report the same praise to the Ministry of Personnel. They are tacitly united and exaggerate the achievements to the skies.

Even if someone's achievements are only 30%, they'll exaggerate them to be 100%.

But this broken-wing canal is a real gem, a shining example of political achievement.

Whether the hype was effective or not, a group of people subtly dragged things down, resulting in mixed reviews.

In the eyes of the officials in charge of personnel assessment, this would be considered good if they could get five points. This also requires the assessing officials to have some knowledge of water conservancy, which is considered to be a sign of their discerning eye.

The fat old man put down the stack of memorials, shook his head, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, silently turned his head, and picked up the unremarkable memorial that was placed beside him.

I looked at it again.

This memorial was signed with the four characters "Ouyang Lianghan".

It was none other than Xie Xun's beloved disciple, the magistrate of Longcheng County.

However, among the many officials who submitted reports on their achievements, he was the most outrageous.

Officials in other places at least know to boast about their own wares.

This Ouyang Lianghan, it seems, has completely and confidently entrusted the entire process of praising others to the county magistrate, Diao, the second-in-command.

His memorial contained no words of praise or flattery, but instead displayed rows of numbers, as if he were afraid that his superiors in the Ministry of Personnel, who were leisurely drinking tea, would be able to understand it.

The candlelight cast an orange glow, illuminating the dense, tadpole-like numbers on a young county magistrate's memorial to the throne.

"interesting."

The fat old man suddenly laughed.

His fingers, which were holding the memorial, unconsciously tapped the cover page, as if he were manipulating a set of counting rods.

This young upstart likes to throw around numbers, and coincidentally, his teacher, Di Fuzi, is also most familiar with numbers.

"Do you also like doing accounts?"

In this memorial, Ouyang Lianghan carefully calculated the costs and benefits.

He calculated how much silver and grain Longcheng County had saved for Jiangzhou and the imperial court, and how many disaster victims it had fed, all thanks to the disaster relief and flood control efforts.

He calculated that he would provide reverse support to several disaster-stricken counties in the surrounding area, and even replenish the Jimin Granary in Jiangzhou, which had been emptied by rats.

He calculated how much hidden income the Zheyi Canal and the new ferry crossing, built with almost no government funding and through investment from rice merchants, would bring to the people of Longcheng each year, and how much of the commercial tax revenue would be returned to the government…

The young county magistrate meticulously listed each account and number in black and white on this memorial, in a straightforward and ordinary manner.

This is the greatest boast a local official can have.

However, this factual memorial, which had been lying quietly in the dimly lit storeroom of the Ministry of Personnel, was kept at the bottom of a box, as new as ever.

It was not handed over to Her Majesty the Queen or any of the Chancellors of the State Council.

If it weren't for the fact that Ouyang Lianghan also had a mentor, a renowned scholar from one of the five prominent families, who recommended him...

Master Di closed the memorial and sighed softly.

"He is an excellent prospect to become a chef. I almost misjudged him. We must 'catch' him back and not let him go."

"How should we settle him? Should we transfer him back to the capital and train him slowly and closely, or should we... find a way for him to reach the highest levels of power, even though the risks to that family are actually quite high..."

He stared at the empty study in front of him, remained silent for a long while, and then suddenly reached out and pushed the pile of memorials and examination papers in front of him three feet forward.

The old man's gesture of gesturing and inviting the guest to do as he pleased created a gentle breeze that caused the single yellow candle on the table to flicker, yet it never went out.

He faced the empty room and a slight smile appeared on his face:

"You choose for yourself."

Xiao Rong is going to adjust his schedule. The next chapter will be updated tomorrow afternoon, my good brothers!

(End of this chapter)