He Youyou was surprised.
"Your Excellency the Prefect?"
She never expected to run into Xie Zhihong in Beijing.
Xie Zhihong was dressed in casual clothes at the time.
In late autumn, as the weather turned cool, a fur cloak was draped over the long robe.
He ran a few steps toward He Youyou, then stopped abruptly two or three steps away from her.
His facial expression was somewhat complicated.
There was joy, and also some sentimentality.
He happened to visit the He residence, only to be told that the owner had taken his young master to the capital and was going to accompany him to the imperial examinations.
The servants left behind at the He residence were unaware of He Youyou's whereabouts in the capital.
Xie Zhihong felt quite lost for a while after losing contact with her.
Unexpectedly, we bumped into each other on the street during this trip to Beijing.
How could he not be overjoyed?
He Youyou asked with a smile, "Why has the Prefect come to the capital?"
Xie Zhihong quickly composed himself and adjusted his facial expression.
He calmly said, "This year is the year for officials from other regions to pay homage to the emperor. According to the regulations for officials of major positions, officials from other regions must pay homage to the emperor once every three years and must come to the capital to be examined by the Ministry of Personnel."
He Youyou suddenly realized that it was time for the major civil servant assessment.
She was rather curious about this: "Lord Xie, how is the evaluation of high-ranking officials conducted? What happens if one fails the evaluation?"
Xie Zhihong was delighted to see that she was interested.
He quickly replied, "That's a long story. Why don't we go to the teahouse up ahead and have a chat? I'll treat you, Madam Han."
He Youyou thought it was acceptable after hearing it.
They followed Xie Zhihong to the teahouse in front and found a quiet and secluded spot to sit.
After the two sat down, they ordered a pot of tea and several plates of snacks.
He Youyou's mind wasn't on the tea; she was waiting for him to talk about the Hajj.
Xie Zhihong saw her clear, bright gaze fixed on him, as if expecting something, and his face immediately felt hot.
He quickly lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and calmed himself down.
Then he raised his head again and began to tell her.
"To ensure that local officials obey orders and fear the law, I established a system of 'official audiences and assessments' during the reign of Emperor Taizu. Officials in the capital are assessed every five years, while local officials are assessed every three years. This year marks the three-year period, and three to four thousand local officials have all come to the capital for an audience, where the Ministry of Personnel will assess them. After the assessment results are released, rewards and punishments will be given based on the results. Those who are competent will be promoted, those who are average will be reinstated, those who are incompetent will be demoted, those who are corrupt will be punished by the judicial authorities, and those who are lazy and incompetent will be dismissed and reduced to commoners."
He Youyou asked, "What is a '阘茸'?"
“阘茸 means dull and stupid. A person who is too stupid is not worth using.”
He Youyou expressed her understanding.
"So, what is the content of the investigation?"
"First, officials must fill out their own work performance records and compile them into a 'Notice to the Ministry of Personnel.' Second, the Ministry of Personnel must verify whether the officials have completed the 'Six Duties of Their Responsibilities' in their respective jurisdictions. Third, they must check whether the officials fall under the 'Eight Regulations for Inspection,' which are greed, cruelty, impetuosity, inadequacy, old age, illness, dismissal, and negligence."
What are the 'six essential things'?
"The 'Six Duties' are the six basic responsibilities of local officials: examinations, land management, population control, taxes and corvée labor, litigation and prisons, and theft."
The two were having a great time chatting, unaware that several other people in a private room by the window in the teahouse were watching them.
One of the men was a young man in his early thirties, while the other was about fifty years old.
Several servants followed behind the two.
The elderly man in his fifties said respectfully to the young man, “Your Majesty, the man sitting over there is Xie Zhihong, the prefect of Jizhou. He passed the imperial examination during the reign of the late emperor and has been serving in various posts for almost ten years.”
The young man was none other than Zhao Changheng, who had left the palace incognito.
This was the first time since he ascended the throne that a year of Hajj had been observed.
He took this very seriously.
He deliberately went out incognito to stroll around the inns and guesthouses where officials were staying, to observe their demeanor and daily behavior.
He listened to the old man's explanation and nodded.
He just took office last year.
When he was the crown prince, he followed the late emperor and often saw officials in the capital, especially high-ranking officials of the third rank or above.
However, he was not familiar with local officials outside the capital.
He had only heard of Xie Zhihong, the prefect, by name.
In the past, after going to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, the late emperor would, as was customary, host a banquet for all the officials. However, as the crown prince, he did not participate in such occasions.
The crown prince has his own staff, but it is not advisable for him to have too much interaction with officials.
To put it bluntly, it's about avoiding suspicion, specifically the suspicion of "forming cliques."
While the emperor is still alive, the crown prince cannot have a powerful political group and must know how to avoid it.
Zhao Changheng put more effort into this than any previous crown prince.
This point was often praised by the late emperor and his court officials.
The late emperor once praised the Crown Prince in front of his senior officials, saying, "The Crown Prince knows how to advance and retreat; this is truly commendable!"
Zhao Changheng was suffering.
Why is he so cautious in his role as crown prince?
Isn't it all just to secure her position so she can get her younger brother back?!
So, what happened after they were retrieved?
They didn't even appreciate it...
They still insist on going back!
He even developed feelings for that woman named He Youyou!
Just thinking about it makes me grit my teeth with hatred.
He finally managed to find his younger brother and reunite with him, only to find that his brother's heart had already wandered to someone else...
He wished he could banish that woman far away so that his fourth brother would never be able to find her again.
The old man sitting next to him noticed the emperor's expression suddenly turn fierce and began to have some doubts.
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