Chapter 305 – Three Years in Langya (5)
Han Yu has that stubborn personality, always needing to hit a wall before turning back. Just a little poke from Wei Ci, and he’s ready to jump up and down.
However, this time Wei Ci didn’t continue to “pick on” Han Yu, but instead sighed and spoke up.
“The Official Master is currently indulging the eunuchs, letting them create chaos while pretending not to see them selling ranks and offices. And what about the relatives by marriage? One person rises, and the dogs and chickens follow suit. The Official Master is clearly trying to support two factions and challenge the aristocratic families. Feng Ren’s resignation has two main reasons: firstly, he’s standing up for his second son, Feng Jin, and secondly, he realizes that Dongqing is seriously ill and beyond saving.”
Cheng Jing took over, “Wen Bin’s temperament still has room for improvement. If he’s this angry now, what will happen in the future?”
Feng Ren’s resignation became a signal; if other aristocratic families had foresight, they would gradually withdraw or watch indifferently.
The vacant positions naturally became a cake for the eunuchs and relatives by marriage to fight over.
No matter who wins, the people they place in those positions are mostly self-serving, only caring about their own interests.
If there’s any hope left for the court, it would really be a miracle.
Han Yu twitched his mouth, feeling incredibly immature as he listened to the exchanges between the two.
“Shao Yin, don’t you have anything to say?” Han Yu looked to Lü Zheng for help.
Lü Zheng snorted, “I have no grand aspirations, just want to fill my stomach, have warm clothes, and a roof over my head. As long as it’s an official position, big or small, it’s all the same—just live my little life and take care of the common people below. As for anything else, I’ll leave it to those who are capable to manage.”
Han Yu was almost so angry he couldn’t breathe.
This was hardly help; it was more like having a teammate that just dragged him down.
Cheng Jing added, “Wen Bin, don’t get stuck on a single thought; do what needs to be done. Given the current situation, becoming an official isn’t a good opportunity.”
Han Yu complained, “You three—are you here to comfort me or to deliberately make me angry?”
Wei Ci mischievously winked and said, “I never said I came to comfort you.”
Han Yu: “…”
Friendship over, it’s done!
According to previous customs, scholars who excelled in evaluations would receive their appointment letters within half a month and be dispatched to various places.
Arrangements for these scholars generally consider their abilities and family background.
Although the positions aren’t high, they are still quite challenging and provide good experience.
In more remote areas, positions might be slightly higher, while in more prosperous ones, they’d be lower.
If someone in the family has connections, positions and assignments can be changed according to circumstances, giving this a lot of flexibility.
However, now, during this chaotic time in the court, many officials tacitly forgot about this matter, and the Emperor didn’t even mention it.
Yuan Jing and his companions stayed in the capital for half a month, with many students restless, fearing any changes.
Wei Ci and his fellows remained steady, spending their days either quietly studying and practicing calligraphy or engaging in a few rounds of Go with their classmates, passing the time creatively.
Lü Zheng sat to the side of the chessboard, watching Wei Ci beat Han Yu with ease, and suddenly said something out of the blue.
“It’s been half a month; if we don’t head back soon, we might just spend this year’s new year in the capital.”
Han Yu stared at the board, his head spinning, “If we don’t have the appointment letter, we can’t leave.”
Wei Ci smiled broadly as he placed a piece, pushing Han Yu into a dead end.
“Perhaps that appointment letter won’t come down after all.”
“Why do you say that?” Han Yu asked.
Wei Ci quipped, “Probably, all the vacant official positions have already been sold out.”
Selling out official positions was naturally impossible.
However, the court was busy preparing for the marriage of the Northern Border Princess, An Yina, and the Second Prince, while Dongqing still wanted to bicker with the Northern Border.
Everyone was turning green with envy, trying to snag benefits for themselves, without a care for these scholars.
Recently, the most sensational events besides Feng Ren’s resignation to return home were Liu Zhi, the governor of Hujun, also resigning.
For the former, the Emperor was happily reclaiming the position of the Secretary of State and promptly promoting his confidant.
Regarding the latter, the Emperor wanted to do the same with Liu Zhi, but Liu Zhi submitted his resignation at the grand court, and immediately someone jumped up, passionately arguing how Liu Zhi had toiled and achieved great merit. Under his governance, Hujun had transformed from a desolate area into a grain-producing powerhouse, alleviating food shortages in the nearby two states. He was a national hero, and being so young, if he resigned, it would be the biggest loss for Dongqing.
A passionate speech was made, leaving the Emperor embarrassed to accept Liu Zhi’s resignation.
“Since that’s the case, noble ministers, do you have any good suggestions?”
Although the Emperor had no shame, he didn’t want to lose face at court; he had to cover his shortcomings somehow.
Liu Zhi took the chance to repeat his intent to resign, but more officials jumped up to oppose, claiming that if the Emperor agreed, it would give the world the impression that the Emperor coveted Hujun’s resources, wanting to remove the bridge after crossing the river to seize the achievements of others.
Liu Zhi was like a brick, moving wherever needed.
Well, after some “heated” discussions, someone suddenly pointed out that Chongzhou still needed a governor.
The governor’s position is greater than that of a county governor, managing a whole state, while the latter manages merely a county.
Everyone completely forgot that Chongzhou only had Shangyu County and Changhe County, and Shangyu County had six cities, three of which were still under Northern Border control. Overall, it was the smallest area among the six states of Dongqing, with the north side bordering the Northern Border—who knows how long the next person would last?
While Hujun was just a county, its area was comparable to a state, not to mention it was rich beyond belief under Liu Zhi’s governance.
The Emperor weighed his options and decisively declared, pretending to value Liu Zhi, saying that with the turmoil in the world, if Liu Zhi resigned now, it would be a loss for Dongqing and a regret for the common people, without further ado, he appointed Liu Zhi as the governor of Chongzhou.
Liu Zhi appeared somewhat weary and unwilling on the surface but inwardly sighed.
He had god-like teammates, but all his enemies were as clueless as pigs.
The challenge was too small; it felt lacking in excitement.
With a fresh posting as the governor of Chongzhou weighing on his shoulders, Liu Zhi left the court with a cold face, ignoring everyone.
“How ungrateful, from county governor to state governor, yet he looks so serious…”
“Tsk, who doesn’t know that Hujun is currently a hot potato, a county capable of feeding two states—that’s a lot of grain! If you ask me, Liu Zhi never intended to resign; he just wanted to show off, hoping to remain in Hujun without realizing that the Official Master was moving him to Chongzhou. And Chongzhou—what a place! With three wolves lurking in the north, one can’t sleep peacefully even at night…”
“Oh? Isn’t that a huge loss?”
“Smart backfires on the smart; who told him to be foolish?”
“I wonder who will take over as the governor of Hujun…”
“Anyway, it can’t be either of us; let’s just enjoy the spectacle. Everyone wants a piece of Hujun.”
Amidst the fragmented discussions floating into Liu Zhi’s ears, he still wore a sullen face.
As he climbed onto the carriage, a faint smile broke out.
Who’s truly the fool here?
Soon, everyone will find out the answer.
The carriage came to a stop, and after getting off the steps, his confidant approached him and said a line.
“Master, the Young Master’s desired person has been found.”
Liu Zhi was startled for a moment, his expression quickly becoming serious.
“Found?”
“Yes, the resemblance is a full seventy percent!”
The confidant made a gesture showing seven with his fingers.
Liu Zhi’s heart raced wildly, as if it might leap out of his throat.
“Very good.”
