He left his second son here to play with his toys, then he had to go back and continue working with his eldest son.
The crown prince already had a memorial in his hand, waiting for him to return and review it.
"Father, Lin Shiqi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has submitted a memorial requesting to retire."
(For the sake of the later plot, please note: The Ministry of Revenue in this book is set up according to the Ming Dynasty—the Minister of Revenue is a second-rank official, equivalent to our current Minister of Finance; the Left Vice Minister and Right Vice Minister of Revenue are both third-rank officials, equivalent to the Deputy Minister of Finance; the Director of Revenue is a fifth-rank official; the Assistant Director of Revenue is a fifth-rank official; and the Principal Clerk of Revenue is a sixth-rank official.)
Zhao Changheng said with delight, “Hehe, I just asked the Minister of Personnel, Qu Yunxian, to give him a hint a few days ago. I didn’t expect him to submit a memorial so quickly. He’s not senile after all.”
Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi asked in confusion, "Father, Lin Shiqi is only sixty years old, far from the age of retirement. Why does Father want him to retire so soon?"
“This man has been in office for many years, good at maintaining the status quo but lacking in vigor,” Zhao Changheng said. “Moreover, Lin Shiqi has failed in his duty to raise his son, who is arrogant and unruly, riding his horse wildly in the streets and trampling several civilians. Every day at the morning court, officials criticize him for this. Even if I don’t have someone persuade him to resign, I’m afraid he won’t be able to stay.”
The Crown Prince then remembered something else: "Father, in his memorial to the throne, Lin Shiqi not only applied for retirement, but also made another request."
"Oh? What are the requirements?"
He said he had lived in the capital for decades and had no relatives or close friends in his ancestral home. He was used to life in the capital and was afraid he would not be able to adapt to going back to his hometown. He asked if you could grant him permission to stay in the capital to retire after his official career?
Zhao Changheng snorted coldly.
"Since the founding of our dynasty, we have prohibited retired officials from remaining in the capital and ordered them to return to their hometowns. This is to prevent them from forming factions and cliques in the capital, thus disrupting the political situation. How could Lin Shiqi, a veteran minister of decades, not know this? Is he taking advantage of my recent ascension to the throne and thinking I am easy to control and talk to?"
"Father, how should we respond?"
"Retirement, approved. Staying in the capital, no way. Doesn't want to return to his hometown? Then let him go somewhere else. Tell them that Jiangnan is very beautiful, and let him buy a house there to retire."
Lin Shiqi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, had just retired when the imperial court issued an edict appointing him.
After his audience with the emperor, Xie Zhihong, the prefect of Jizhou, felt dejected and melancholy in his lodgings.
Suddenly, someone from the Ministry of Personnel arrived and performed a kneeling ceremony for him.
After he got up, two burly men, one on each side, cheerfully grabbed him and stuffed him into the carriage.
Xie Zhihong panicked a little: "What's going on?"
One said, "Minister of Personnel, Lord Qu, requests that you come to the Ministry of Personnel immediately."
Another said, "Don't panic, sir, this is good news, this is good news."
September of the second year of Zhengguang, late autumn.
Xie Zhihong, the prefect of Jizhou, was highly praised by the people for his outstanding political achievements. He was promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official, and was granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace.
(As mentioned earlier, when Xie Zhihong served as prefect, he held the rank of Zhongxian Dafu. Both Zhongxian Dafu and Jiayi Dafu were official ranks. Officials had nine grades, eighteen levels, and forty-two minor ranks.)
From the fourth rank to the third rank.
Xie Zhihong has been promoted two ranks in a row, skipping the first rank in between to become a third-rank official.
Even he himself never expected to have this kind of luck.
After accepting the imperial decree with utmost respect and gratitude, he also expressed his thanks to Minister Qu of the Ministry of Personnel.
He was promoted as soon as the results of the pilgrimage assessment were released; it must be because the Minister of Personnel gave him an excellent rating.
If the Ministry of Personnel had said anything bad about him, it would have reached the Emperor's ears, and he would never have had this opportunity.
"Lord Qu, I am deeply grateful for your promotion."
Lord Qu was very modest and patted Xiao Xie on the shoulder in a very friendly manner.
"No need to thank me. It's all thanks to your diligence and achievements in your post. I reported your merits to His Majesty, who was greatly pleased and granted you an exceptional promotion. This is your good fortune, and it's also a future you earned yourself."
Xie Zhihong asked curiously, "I wonder which matters you reported to His Majesty?"
"First, your swift action prevented the insect plague from spreading in Jizhou, reducing the losses for the people. Second, your land reclamation efforts benefited the country and its people. In particular, your idea of leasing oxen for plowing was truly remarkable. With your youthful talent, ability, and willingness to think and act, how could you not be given an important position?"
After listening, Xie Zhihong thought about it and realized that both of these things were started because of Han Niangzi.
Thinking of this, a sweet smile immediately appeared on her face.
She really brought me good fortune.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
