Chapter 256: Bold and Sharp Actions

Whether the two Empress Dowagers will disagree, whether the little emperor will become the deciding factor in their tug-of-war, or whether the little emperor will be dissatisfied with both Empress Dowagers when he grows up, these are all points of conflict that will erupt many years later.

At least for now, the harem is still under the control of Empress Dowager Yun, and the Yun family represented by Empress Dowager Yun and Yun Qian are in line with the direction of Prince Cheng and Su Fengzhang, and they cooperate very tacitly.

With Empress Dowager Yun putting pressure on the harem and Prince Cheng and Yun Qian in the previous dynasty, some of Su Fengzhang's original plans to take things slowly could actually be accelerated.

Unexpectedly, after the Ministry of Revenue was sorted out from top to bottom and fully under its control, Su Fengzhang was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel with one order, and he became the newly appointed Minister of Personnel.

The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue have always been the two most important of the six ministries besides the Ministry of War, and it is hard to say which one is more important.

But in the eyes of outsiders, Su Fengzhang spent a lot of effort to reorganize the Ministry of Revenue, and finally cleared up the problems left by Minister Xu and made some achievements. Now he was directly transferred, and all his previous efforts were in vain, and the credit was given to his successor in vain.

Some officials even privately speculated that Su Fengzhang's achievements surpassed his master's, and that he was too capable, which made Prince Cheng feel wary, so he deliberately put him in this troublesome position.

But soon, all the civil and military officials in the court knew that they had guessed wrong.

Prince Cheng was not afraid of Su Fengzhang at all; he simply obeyed his every word.

Less than a month after Su Fengzhang took the position of Minister of Personnel, he proposed ten administrative rules that shook the Great Zhou Dynasty.

This was like a heavy bomb dropped on the imperial court, turning the entire Great Zhou upside down. Those who had been forced to lie dormant temporarily due to Prince Cheng's dominance were blown out again.

At the grand court meeting, after Su Fengzhang finished reading the Ten Rules of Official Administration, he just stood with his hands hanging down.

Many people could no longer hold back. One of them, his eyes wide open, angrily said in a cold voice: "Master Su, how long have you been in the Ministry of Personnel? How dare you be so audacious and wantonly change the ancestral system?"

Su Fengzhang's expression remained unchanged. "Lord Leng, what do you mean by audacity? Emperor Taizu left us with instructions. The governance of the Great Zhou should be adapted to the circumstances. We cannot be rigid and rigid in our administration."

"I propose the Ten Rules for Civil Service Administration and reform it in accordance with the will of Emperor Taizu."

Lord Leng couldn't help but curse in court: "Bullshit, Su Fengzhang, don't think you can stir up trouble with your sweet words. Civil service is a matter of national importance, the foundation of the country. How can it be changed at will?"

Su Fengzhang countered, "This is not a random decision. I have carefully considered and summarized the administrative situation of the Great Zhou over the years. This is the reform method I have decided on. Lord Leng may not agree with it, but you must not slander me."

"You..." Lord Leng shouted angrily.

Su Fengzhang asked again: "Master Leng, which one do you think is unusable?"

"Is it wrong to eliminate excessive taxes and levies, or is it wrong to speak out against them?"

Lord Leng said angrily, "Su Fengzhang, don't avoid the main point. If you want to eliminate excessive taxes and allow censors to make suggestions, then that's a good thing. How could I possibly object? But if you want to cut redundant staff and streamline the bureaucracy, that's absolutely unacceptable!"

"Why not?" Su Fengzhang asked calmly.

The more he downplayed it, the angrier Lord Leng grew. He practically roared, "These officials may be mediocre, but they have always served our Great Zhou diligently. How could Lord Su dismiss them just to save a few taels of silver? How would the civil and military officials at all levels feel about this?"

Su Fengzhang was surprised and said, "Master Leng, I'm afraid you have misunderstood."

"When did I ever say I wanted to lay off those officials who worked diligently for the Great Zhou?"

"I want to take action against those who are in office but do nothing, manipulate the law, deceive their superiors and subordinates, and undermine the political system. These people are of no benefit to governing the country and the people. I believe that everyone, from officials to ordinary people, will deeply detest them."

Su Fengzhang pressed the issue, "Why, Lord Leng, do you think these people still need to exist?"

Lord Leng's face suddenly turned ashen. He had originally wanted to refute the layoffs, but after Su Fengzhang said that, it seemed that cutting redundant staff was reasonable. If he insisted further, he would be considered a corrupt official.

Su Fengzhang did not let him go and continued, "If Lord Leng insists on opposing this, I will suspect that you have sold official positions and titles, which is why I am afraid of this top-down investigation."

"Su Fengzhang, stop slandering me!" Lord Leng shouted angrily.

Su Fengzhang ignored his anger and continued, "During the reign of Emperor Taizu, officials were guided by the principle of simplicity, but over the years, redundant personnel have become increasingly numerous. Those who work diligently should naturally be rewarded, but those who try to take advantage of the situation should not be tolerated. Otherwise, wouldn't that frustrate honest officials?"

"They don't help the court, but instead oppress the people. Why should the court still spend money to support them?"

Su Fengzhang glanced at the officials present and asked, "Or do you all think that these people are more important than the people of the world?"

"But but..." Lord Leng always felt that something was wrong. It took him a moment to realize that Su Fengzhang had just entered the Ministry of Personnel and had started a major personnel change. By then, wouldn't everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty become his people?

Just as he was about to retort, Su Fengzhang continued, "This matter is not something I could do alone. Why not ask the Emperor to take charge and select officials and conduct assessments every three years? If there are no faults, they can be promoted and given a salary increase as an encouragement. If there are faults, they can be dismissed or given a salary increase as a warning."

In fact, this system is very similar to the current official promotion system of the Great Zhou Dynasty. However, during the reign of the retired emperor, the promotion and demotion of officials were very arbitrary, so that the system of the Taizu period became loose and rampant.

Su Fengzhang's Ten Rules of Official Administration may seem cruel, but in fact they were derived from the official administration rules of Emperor Taizu and have been improved and optimized.

Su Fengzhang really wanted to come up with an advanced civil service plan, but it was too radical. Even though he had the support of Prince Cheng and Yun Qian and Empress Dowager Yun also expressed their support, the reality was that it would not be possible to proceed smoothly.

This is determined by the level of social development and scientific and technological level. Su Fengzhang is very clear about this, so he is not in a hurry.

This is only the first step in reforming the civil service system. Only after this step can he begin to implement his subsequent plans.

Lord Leng's face turned pale, and he snorted angrily, "Alright, let's not talk about cutting redundant staff for now. If you want to reform the civil service, then reform it. Why do you also want to abolish etiquette?"

"Our great country is a nation of etiquette. We have always treated people with courtesy and governed the country with propriety. How can a country be successful without courtesy?"

Su Fengzhang said, "Master Leng, you misunderstood me again."

"What I want to abolish is the red tape and unnecessary formalities, not the etiquette of governing a country or a family."

"Among the Ten Principles of Official Administration, those in power should be kind and forgiving, and those below them should be treated with courtesy. This is exactly what is said."

"I want to abolish these red tapes. Ultimately, it's all about streamlining the bureaucracy. The Great Zhou dynasty has been established for a long time now, and officials are becoming increasingly lacking in initiative. They only know how to follow the rules and regulations."

"That's fine, but if one only thinks about flattery and fawning, relying on so-called etiquette to rise to power, without even thinking about the country and the people, a lot of problems will accumulate."

"Only by letting officials know that relying on red tape will not lead to advancement and is useless will they learn to think and take action. Only in this way can the Great Zhou prosper in the long run. Lord Leng, don't you agree?"

"Or, sir, are you reluctant to let your subordinates visit you every year and give you holiday gifts?"

This was not only disrespectful, but also short of tearing down Lord Leng's face and crushing it under his feet.

Lord Leng's fingers were trembling, but he couldn't refute.

Su Fengzhang added, "Actually, this also has its advantages. With fewer redundant staff, the Ministry of Revenue will have less expenditure on this area, which will free up some money for rewards. Those who work diligently will not be ignored."

He said both good and bad things, giving a slap in the face and a sweet date in return. After thinking about it, the adults who had originally joined in the opposition suddenly felt that the Ten Rules of Official Administration did not seem so unfeasible.

Thinking back, before the retired emperor ascended the throne, the court's administration was almost the same as what Su Fengzhang proposed. Although there were some slight differences, it did not seem that difficult to accept.

After a few exchanges, Lord Leng's momentum had been completely suppressed, so much so that he covered his heart and could no longer utter a word of objection. He took one last look at the others and suddenly asked, "Lord Yun, do you also agree with this?"

Yun Qian coughed. His complexion had always been that pale and bloodless. He said calmly, "I've heard that and I think it makes sense. Why don't we try it and see how it works?"

Lord Leng choked. He had forgotten that Yun Qian hated corrupt officials and was now on the same page with Su Fengzhang. Now it seemed possible that they had already communicated with each other.

Lord Leng sneered and said, "In that case, I have nothing to say."

After a pause, he continued, "Master Su, you were born in Qingzhou and have always been on good terms with southern scholars. I only hope that you can do what you say and not show any partiality towards the southerners."

Su Fengzhang smiled and replied, "Don't worry, Lord Leng. No matter where you were born, you are all citizens of the Great Zhou. It is natural. I will treat everyone equally. How could I be biased?"

"You'd better do it, I will keep an eye on you!" Lord Leng said coldly.

"Then please watch carefully, Lord Leng. I will never let you down." Su Fengzhang continued with a smile.

Lord Leng felt so frustrated that he wanted to vomit blood. He glanced at the old masters from the northern lineage and felt even more desolate in his heart.

At the beginning, the eldest prince forced the emperor to abdicate and rebelled, which resulted in heavy losses for officials from their northern lineage. What was even worse was that Grand Tutor Zhang died of illness, leaving the northern faction leaderless and scattered, and now they can only be manipulated by others.

Today he had witnessed the eloquence of Su Fengzhang. No wonder both Grand Tutor Zhang and Minister Xu were so cautious with him.

In the past, Su Fengzhang always had a smiling and good-tempered appearance, which made him forget that he had single-handedly risen to his current position from the son of a minor official, and it was not just because Prince Cheng liked him.

No wonder there have been constant rumors about Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng over the years, but no one dares to underestimate him.

Lord Leng narrowed his eyes, secretly hoping that Su Fengzhang would be unfair when cutting redundant staff and be biased towards the north and the south. That way, they would attack him together and leave him powerless to resist.

By then, even if Prince Cheng is there, he won’t be able to protect him!

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Maybe I can change my name to Qinqinchu? ?

Look at this new article, does it look like mooncakes worth eating?

Still following the imperial examination route, if you don't study, you will die [Imperial Examination]

cell phone:

Click on the author's name - If life begins - Click If you don't study, you will die [Imperial Examination] - Click to collect it~~~ Love you