Ji Heng glanced at Hu Hai a few times, sat up slightly, and said slowly: "The changes in Tingwei Mansion are not about the appointment and dismissal of officials, but about letting unsuitable officials appear."
“You think there’s not much change, but actually it’s just the beginning.”
"Don't really listen to other people's words and think that the First Emperor wants to kick those officials out of the Tingwei Mansion. There are hundreds of officials in the Tingwei Mansion. How can it be so easy to remove them all?"
"This time it's all about screening!"
"Screening?" Hu Hai frowned.
He didn't understand where this 'screening' came from.
Ji Heng chuckled lightly, leaned to the left side of the reclining chair, and said, "It's just a screening process to reveal the officials who are good at eating vegetarian food and maintaining a good salary. You may think that just being demoted one level is of such great use? "
"In fact, there is, and it will be obvious."
"The first level of officialdom crushes people to death."
"Things handled at the junior official level will also cause more deaths."
"Because if you add layers of pressure, the original small things will become big, heavy, and important matters. And many officials who originally served in the Tingwei Mansion came from Lang Guan."
"What is a Langguan?"
"Starting from the Warring States Period, he was an official serving the monarch and responsible for the palace guards."
"Da Qin is mostly filled with young talents."
"These kind of people are basically the children of court officials. Most of them want to make themselves familiar in front of the emperor. When the time comes, they will be assigned to serve in major government offices in the court. In fact, they are not proficient in handling political affairs, so many of them are in the government. When assigned to positions, priority will be given to positions that are stable and less troublesome."
"Tingwei Mansion is the most suitable place right now."
"After Li Si, the power of the Tingwei Mansion was greatly reduced. Now it is basically planning to amend laws and regulations, and revise laws and regulations. And if this kind of thing had not been promulgated this time, the "Business Law" and "Gong Law" would have been gone for a few years. It can only be busy for a few times, so it is most suitable for some officials' children to gain experience and stay up."
"A lot of people are basically just dawdling."
"But Tingwei's Mansion is, after all, a confidential place for the imperial court. In the future, when all the old ministers retire, most of these people will be promoted. How can such an official who has nothing to lose and eat like a corpse to take on such a big job in the world?"
"So there has to be a cleanup."
"It is not suitable to be too blatant, because it will arouse strong opposition from the courtiers. Even the first emperor sometimes has to consider the attitude of the courtiers."
"The world ultimately relies on ministers to carry out government orders."
"This time it's a test."
“It was also an intentional screening.”
"Many officials in the Tingwei Mansion do not work seriously, and most of them are mediocre. Once they are demoted one level, it means that their functions in the Tingwei Mansion have changed."
"Once there is a change, variables will naturally arise."
"And this variable lies in ability!"
"If they are capable, they will naturally be able to handle the political affairs within their positions. If they are not capable and suddenly take over new political affairs, they will be in a hurry and even make various mistakes. Wouldn't this be a clear way to tell the court that they are not capable of holding this position? ?”
"At that time, it will be justified to demote him from Tingwei Mansion."
Hear the words.
Hu Hai suddenly realized.
After listening to Ji Heng's explanation, he already understood.
This time, the Tingwei Mansion is not targeting the upper-level officials, but the middle- and lower-level officials. Most of these people are the children of meritorious officials. They entered the Tingwei Mansion through family connections and usually do not deal with too many political affairs. , and it is even possible that political affairs are left to others.
But as the official position decreases, everything changes.
Because the political affairs that I took over have changed.
If we can't take over and deal with it quickly, people will definitely notice the problem, and it will be reasonable for the government to deal with it.
Hu Hai nodded repeatedly.
He was also amazed at this.
He looked at Ji Heng, but he was very curious, how did Ji Heng's head grow so long, and how could he come up with such a good idea? There was no need for the First Emperor to take action. Just such a change of official positions exposed many people's true colors and made it impossible to argue.
high!
It’s really high!
"Ji Heng, your method is really amazing." Hu Hai praised.
Ji Heng shook his head.
He sighed softly: "Don't be too optimistic. As the saying goes, there are policies from above and countermeasures from below. It is unrealistic to use this method to eliminate the incompetent officials in Tingwei Mansion."
"Ah?" Hu Hai was stunned and asked in surprise: "Why is this?"
Ji Heng glanced at Hu Hai and said helplessly: "Because it just can't be done. Tingwei's Mansion needs to operate, and officials are needed to operate it. If officials are required to do it, it is doomed to not be perfect. This time the imperial court is facing troubles." In addition to being demoted, the Wei Mansion also demoted some of them from 'true' to 'false'."
"You understand now."
"These 'fake' officials, that is, acting officials, are reserved exclusively for the children of meritorious officials. These people still stay in their original posts and handle past political affairs as usual. The impact on them is actually not great."
"Even if some people are demoted, if their father is very powerful in the court, do you think there won't be officials to help him deal with it?"
"There will probably be this kind of thing."
"So this time the rectification of Tingwei's Mansion is mainly to clean up people who do not have strong connections and rich backgrounds, and who occupy the toilet and do nothing. Most of these people can enter Tingwei's Mansion through connections and connections. Yes, the number is usually not small, and there will basically be no one to protect them this time."
"Most of the cleaning is of this type."
"In general."
"This rectification of Tingwei Mansion will be effective."
"It just can't be that clean, but at least it can free up some places for people who are really capable."
"What's more, this time we have to plan "Business Law" and "Gong Law". This requires talking to merchants and craftsmen, and also doing things on the ground. This is also a kind of exercise. After this, Tingwei Mansion The capabilities of officials will at least be significantly improved."
"The First Emperor will also have a preliminary judgment on the abilities of those heroes' children."
"When I am appointed to a new position in the future, I will be more or less aware of it, and I won't be completely in the dark."
Hu Hai looked solemn.
After listening to Ji Heng's explanation, he realized that there were so many ways. If he had done it, he would never have imagined that there were so many, let alone that they were so deep. If someone was playing tricks on him, he would just send someone to chop them down.
This saves a lot of trouble.
Ji Heng himself didn't know what Hu Hai was thinking.
If one knew what Hu Hai was thinking, he would probably roll his eyes.
It's fun to kill people.
But it doesn't solve any problems.
If the court wants to function, it must rely on its ministers to do things. If all the ministers are offended, the court will basically stop functioning.
How can there be no chaos in the world?
The art of governance essentially focuses on games, the games between local governments and the imperial court, the games between kings and ministers, the games between generals and prime ministers, etc., which have been throughout almost the entire history.
No one can stay out of it.
It's just that some people are clever and can kill two peaches and three people with just a few words, while some people make plans and lose everything. This is not the fun of those in high positions.
power.
It is always the most difficult thing to refuse in the world.
This was true for the ancients, and it is true for today's people as well.
Hu Hai looked up at the sky, his eyes full of desolation.
He felt that he was not suitable to be the emperor. There were too many ways in it that he could not detect or realize at all. In the past, he thought of leaving everything to Zhao Gao, but after Ji Heng said this, he There is also full of doubts about Zhao Gao's ability.
He rested his head on his hands, his mind gradually drifting away.
Ji Heng also looked up at the sky.
In his eyes.
The clouds above are so white.
A quiet house in the east of the city became lively after a long absence.
Feng Zhen and others were released by the government today.
Back home.
Feng Wen and others couldn't help crying.
What he had experienced for more than a month really made him unable to bear to think about it.
So miserable.
Feng Zhen's body is very thin. His cheeks were originally fleshy, but now there is only a layer of skin left. He is so thin that he is almost out of shape.
Hearing that Feng Zhen and others were back, Feng Dong also came over in a hurry.
Seeing Feng Dong, Feng Zhen said quickly: "The child is unfilial and makes his father worried."
Seeing Feng Zhen's miserable appearance, Feng Dong couldn't help bursting into tears, but he still smiled and said: "It's good to come back, it's good to come back."
Feng Ce couldn't believe it when he saw Feng Zhen's miserable appearance.
This was completely different from the elder brother he remembered.
Too thin.
Not like a person at all.
If the voices hadn't changed and the skeletons were somewhat similar, he might not have dared to recognize them.
Feng Ce asked: "Brother, what did you go through in prison? Why did you end up like this?"
Feng Zhen gave a bitter smile, looked around, and said: "Second brother, don't worry too much. The government did not force confessions by words or deeds. It's just that we are in prison after all. Da Qin has always been strict with prisoners, so we won't waste more time." The food rations are with us, so we usually have to do the work ourselves."
He looked at the tattered clothes on his body and said with a sad smile: "For more than a month, the government arranged to serve in corvee for more than a month. The same goes for Wen'er, Wu'er and others."
Feng Ce said: "If brother is short of money, why don't you sue the family?"
Feng Zhen dodged his eyes, shook his head and said: "Such a change has happened in our family, and Qin Ting is trying his best to collect evidence of my Feng family's crime. How dare I lead my clan into the fire again?"
Seeing Feng Zhen's evasive eyes, Feng Dong seemed to have guessed something, and stopped Feng Ce from continuing to speak. He just said: "I just came back, let Li Chen boil some hot water to get rid of bad luck."
Finished.
Feng Dong went to the lobby.
It didn't take long.
Feng Zhen had already washed up and put on a new set of clean and tidy clothes. Although his figure was still thin, his energy was much better than before.
Feng Dong said: "You have returned from prison, there are some things I should tell you."
"I, Mrs. Feng, have compromised with the government."
One word fell.
Feng Zhen's eyes were filled with disbelief.
He stared straight at Feng Dong, as if he was doubting his ears. After a long time, he finally smiled and said: "Father, what you just said..."
Feng Dong nodded.
"Why?" Feng Zhen's voice suddenly rose.
Feng Dong sighed and said: "I know that you suffered a lot in prison and are full of resentment towards Qin Ting. You even want to crush Qin Ting to ashes, but the truth is what you heard."
"I, Mrs. Feng, have bowed to the government."
“And it’s lower than you think.”
"All the salt and iron that we conspired to hide were taken away by the government and used to help the people in Guanzhong. Our major merchants did not take any money."
"In addition, for more than a month, my Feng's salt shop has not been opened. It has been watched by the government for various safety inspections. It was only a few days ago that the government let it go."
"Father, why?" Feng Zhen's eyes were red. He couldn't believe it. Didn't the Feng family just want to force the government to retreat? Why did the Feng family suffer so much loss when the government did not retreat in the end?
He said nothing in prison.
He has suffered so much grievance and endured so much torture, and this is the result?
He couldn't accept it.
Can't accept it no matter what.
Feng Dong looked at the collapsed Feng Zhen, and his heart was also full of sentimentality. How could he want to be like this? But do they have a choice?
Did the government give them a choice?
No!
Never.
The government has always given them only one way out.
If you don’t obey, you will die!
"Father, why did you agree?" Feng Zhen's eyes were full of grief and anger.
Feng Dong slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again, and said in a deep voice: "You want to know the reason, I'll tell you the reason, because the government's methods are more ruthless than you think, and you think you won't be recruited in prison, Is there nothing the government can do against me, Feng?"
"Qin's law is determined by the government."
"The eldest son convicts us, do we really have to follow Qin law?"
"As long as they want to convict someone, they can just write a random sentence. Meng Yi, the chief officer of Tingwei Mansion, is there. Even if they just write a casual sentence, it will be the law!"
"Just to convict us."
"That means it can kill our entire clan!"
"This is Qin Fa!!!"
Feng Dong's eyes showed a fierce light, and his whole person suddenly became fierce. He said coldly: "You think I want to agree? Do I dare not to agree?"
"The lives of hundreds of Feng family members are in my hands."
"If I dare to say no, you won't be able to see me at all, and you will die in prison!"
"Do you remember the Cao Bing family and the Deng family?"
"They were exterminated a few days after you were captured!"
"If I hadn't agreed, it would be me, Feng, who would be exterminated. Do you think I want to hand over those salt and iron? That's the hard work I, Feng, have saved. When you told the black government about the hidden address, my Isn't my heart bleeding? For us, taking someone's money is tantamount to harming their parents."
"But what about parental hatred?"
"Is life important?"
"You are my eldest son and the head of the Feng family. You must understand that nothing can be solved by your will. In front of the government, I, Feng, am an ant on the ground. I can be trampled to death at will. The only thing you can do is to avoid the government from time to time. feet!"
"I'll just tell you."
"After you were arrested, five or six of our families confessed all the officials who had been working in the government over the years. Now these officials have been arrested, killed, and sentenced, and none of them has escaped."
Hearing Feng Dong's words, Feng Zhen trembled.
His eyes were full of fear.
He never imagined that while he was in prison, so many things were happening outside, and yet their Feng family would fall so quickly and so hard.
Feng Dong snorted coldly, punched the bamboo stick hard, and continued: "Are you afraid now?"
"What does this mean?"
“How many waves can we merchants create?”
"This matter is not worth mentioning in the government."
"The government will do it even more harshly!"
"During the time you were in prison, the government posted several notices one after another. All the officials involved were convicted. Except for those who were beheaded or cut in half, nearly hundreds of people were exiled. This is just scratching the surface. The entire The entire Tingwei Mansion was brought to trial."
"The Tingwei Meng Yi was even dismissed from his post, and he is still staying at home."
"There are also related salt and iron officials, all of whom have been dismissed. Now you know why I have to bow my head, and I dare not not bow my head, right?"
"Do I dare not to bow my head?"
"Even officials like Meng Yi are dealt with as Qin Ting says. The entire Tingwei Mansion has been demoted. What does our Feng family count? In Qin Ting's eyes, he is not even as big as an ant."
"Are you still trying to bargain with the imperial court?"
"Do you have this qualification?"
Feng Dong frowned coldly.
Feng Zhen was shocked and speechless.
The anger in front of him was all replaced by fear, and his already skinny body couldn't help but tremble.
He was really frightened.
He thought that this time things would be just like that, but it turned out that everything was involved in the Tingwei Mansion.
What kind of official office is Tingwei Mansion? That was the real power official office of the Qin Dynasty. Even Tingwei was dismissed from his post because of this. What did their Feng family's experience mean? Not being exterminated can be considered a blessing.
The momentum of Feng Dong's body gradually dissipated.
He said in a deep voice: "I, the Feng family, have been living too smoothly these past few years. Everyone in the clan thinks highly of themselves. They take themselves too seriously and are too self-righteous."
"I, Mrs. Feng, am just a businessman, but am I so bold as to try to threaten the government? Being shown mercy by the government this time is a great blessing among misfortunes. I should take this as a warning."
"Businessmen cannot shake this day."
"People must be self-aware."
Feng Zhen has completely calmed down now.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Feng Dong looked at it for a few times, his face softened slightly, and he said: "It's good if you can understand. Under the current government rule, I, the Feng family, are not qualified to engage in small tricks. Mr. Zhong has a very deep conspiracy against my businessman. If Next time, I'm afraid even survival will be a luxury."
"Besides, now that you're back, it's time to understand the reality."
"Now we merchants need to rely on the imperial court, rather than the imperial court needing to use our business channels. Da Qin's "Business Code" will be announced in less than two months. Once it is announced, we will be spared in this incident. The six families in trouble are destined to become the target of public criticism."
"Only by completely turning to the government can we, the Feng family, survive."
"This is reality!"
"I, Mrs. Feng, have no chance to turn around."
"Don't be delusional anymore."
"As long as we dare to act rashly, our secret acquisition of land, loans, etc. will become evidence for the government to demand our lives. Only if we act as 'official businessmen' honestly will the government choose to turn a blind eye to these things. One eye."
"I, Mrs. Feng, have no choice!"
When Feng Dong said these words, he seemed to have been sucked out of his energy, and his whole person felt quite depressed.
Feng Zhen's heart was trembling.
He never imagined that after he had been imprisoned for a month or so, his clan would already be in this situation. Not only did they not dare to make any changes, but they even had to rely on the government for help.
Looking back more than half a year ago, who could have expected that Feng would end up like this?
No one dared to believe it.
"Father." Feng Zhen thought of his previous overreaction, and his heart was filled with self-blame.
Feng Dong patted Feng Zhen on the shoulder and said sincerely: "You are more capable than me, and you will care about family ties in your heart. I am old, and I will have to rely on you to take care of the affairs of the clan from now on."
"Since I, Feng, have fallen into this situation, how can I, Feng Dong, not be a sinner?"
Feng Zhen shook his head with sorrow in his eyes.
Feng Dong looked at Feng Zhen, let out a long sigh, and said: "Although the government is more desperate than us, it has not kept tightening the reins. When salt shops everywhere open in a few days, the business taxes of merchants like us will also be reduced." The tax will be reduced from the past half tax to half tax."
"Rare is a good thing."
"I, Mrs. Feng, can also rest for a while."
A bleak smile appeared on Feng Dong's face, but he no longer wanted to speak anymore. He waved his hand with great effort and told Feng Zhen to go down and rest.
Feng Zhen's eyes were full of worry.
But he didn't dare to disobey Feng Dong, so he could only bow and slowly retreat.
outside the house.
Feng Ce, Feng Wen and others stood outside the door.
Feng Zhen looked at it for a few times, let out a long sigh, and squeezed out a smile on his face. He looked at Feng Ce and said: "A lot of things happened in the clan during this period. Thanks to the second brother taking care of the clan, no more problems happened." , now my father has told me everything about the clan."
"It's nothing serious."
"It's just that the imperial court is very hostile to merchants now, and I, the Feng family, have experienced this catastrophe. It's really inappropriate and I can't make any more rash moves. During this time, the family is mainly peaceful and stable."
"in addition."
"When salt shops everywhere reopen, Feng's business tax will also be reduced."
"This is all the result of my descendants from the Feng family."
"Congratulations!"
Feng Zhen gave Feng Ce a few instructions to get some money from the treasury and buy some wine and meat. He planned to reward the clan members tonight.
Feng Ce hesitated to speak.
But he didn't dare to speak under Feng Zhen's sharp gaze.
All we can do is comply.
There was a cheerful atmosphere in the Feng clan.
In particular, the disciples such as Feng Wen and Feng Wu were even more excited. They all thought that it was because they had kept the secret that Qin Ting finally made concessions.
Looking at the joyful scene in the courtyard, Feng Zhen felt his heart filled with panic.
He didn't even know how to tell his family.
I really can’t say it.
Not long after.
Feng Ce came back with wine and meat.
At the same time, he also brought back the latest news in the city.
The army sent by the imperial court to suppress the rebellion in Qi returned. Their number was less than 20,000, but their performance was extremely impressive. They killed tens of thousands of rebels, including hundreds of Qi merchants.
The amount of money and food collected was even greater.
Hearing the news, Feng Zhen felt scared.
The status of merchants in Qi was much higher than that in other places, and their collusion with powerful local officials was more serious. As a result, they were still unable to resist the Qin army and were vulnerable to a blow, as if they were throwing an egg against a stone.
Qi Shang is like this, they are afraid it will be worse.
They had tried to force Qin Ting to make concessions before, but now they think it's ridiculous.
He is now lucky that Feng can survive.
If the Feng family is really expelled from the tribe because of this, he is afraid that he will never forgive himself until his death, and he will probably blame himself extremely before he dies.
Think of this.
Feng Zhen couldn't help but feel his heart tighten.
Just thinking about it all, I still feel dizzy.
The price they paid this time was too heavy.
So heavy that I can't breathe.
Feng Zhen sat in the room, his eyes blank for a long time.
(End of chapter)
