Chapter 977: The Newly Prominent

"Your Majesty!" Back at Chongzheng Hall, shortly after taking his seat, a dignified middle-aged official came before the throne, head bowed, awaiting orders.

This man was named Lü Yin, courtesy name Yuqing, born of official stock, entering service in the Later Jin years through the yin privilege. Even by the fifteenth year of Qianyou, those who had entered officialdom through the yin privilege still accounted for more than half of all officials and officers — this had long been the court's primary channel for selecting talent. The rest found opportunities amid the chaos of the age to display their abilities and gain appointment. Only then came those who entered service through summons or the imperial examinations.

Of course, as Liu Chengyou had taken the reins of government, reformed accumulated ills, and pacified the realm, the state had trended toward stability and society had recovered its order. After more than a decade of settling and fermenting, the power of examination-selected officials within the Great Han's bureaucratic system was steadily strengthening, and their influence expanding.

Wang Pu, Wang Qiwu, Wang Zhu, Li Fang, Lu Duoxun, Zhang Ji and the like all seemed to be among the foremost of these. Although these men could not be counted as a faction, they nonetheless proved from the side the weight of examination-selected officials in the Great Han. Moreover, it was easy to foresee that the examinations would still develop into the Great Han's most important channel for selecting talent, precisely because the threshold was low and the process relatively fair.

As for Lü Yin, he was among the best of the yin-privilege officials. He had served in many posts, rising step by step from grassroots positions, and had lived through the late Jin chaos, gaining broad experience and deep insight into the ills of the times. In every post he held, he enacted much good governance. An official with such solid credentials and outstanding ability could not possibly be buried even in the talent-rich early years of the Great Han.

The turning point in Lü Yin's official career came in the first year of Qianyou with the Puzhou case. At that time, Guo Rong killed Zhang Jianxiong, the Prefect of Puzhou who had defied government orders and acted on his own, and was recalled to the capital and thrown into prison pending disposition. Of course, in the end the punishment was light — Guo Rong was sent to Xuzhou to prepare for the southern campaign.

In the Puzhou case, the former Prefect Zhang Jianxiong had basically died for nothing, but Puzhou, as an important prefecture in the Yellow River basin, still needed governance. At the time, Guo Rong recommended Lü Yin to take the post. After Lü Yin was promoted, he swiftly abolished a series of Zhang Jianxiong's evil policies and implemented the new Qianyou governance. In less than two years, he brought the blessings of the Son of Heaven and the court to the gentry and commoners of Puzhou.

After that, things snowballed. He was transferred from Prefect of Puzhou to Prefect of Zhangde, then moved to Prefect of Daming, then Administrative Assistant to the Hedong Administration Commission. During the nationwide official adjustment of the twelfth to thirteenth years of Qianyou, he had originally had a chance to be promoted to Hedong Administration Commissioner, but Liu Chengyou issued an edict transferring him to the central government, where he directly assumed the post of Academician Reader-in-Chief of Chongzheng Hall. As for his brother-in-law Guo Tong, he was sent out to serve as Prefect of Cangzhou, while the former Prefect Chu Zhaofu became Hedong Administration Commissioner.

This promotion counted as yet another turning point in Lü Yin's career. Although the rank of Academician Reader-in-Chief of Chongzheng Hall was not particularly high, as a close minister of the emperor and an important post in Chongzheng Hall, there was no shortage of people inside and outside watching it.

And Lü Yin, having gone from outside to inside, and then with his Chongzheng Hall experience, would take the next step — either becoming a major regional official or heading a ministry, and his chances of eventually entering the hall and becoming chancellor greatly increased.

Serving at Chongzheng Hall, it took only half a month for Lü Yin to earn Liu Chengyou's approval. His experience in local governance was too rich; on many matters he could see to the substance, providing Liu Chengyou with perspectives he could not see himself. The affairs Liu Chengyou delegated to him were all handled properly, and his coordination with the Hall of State Affairs was mutually complementary, greatly mitigating the contradictions between Wang Pu and the various chancellors.

Indeed, back in the Eastern Capital, seated among the ministers, due to differences in political views, Wang Pu, as Grand Academician of Chongzheng Hall, had repeated conflicts with the Hall of State Affairs. They were fierce during Fan Zhi's time, and disputes continued after Wei Renpu took charge. Within all this, Lü Yin, this rising star, actually played a certain mediating role — something Liu Chengyou had not expected.

And what Liu Chengyou valued in Lü Yin was that the man was calm, composed yet not lacking decisiveness, with extremely strong executive ability. Moreover, a quality Liu Chengyou greatly appreciated was his uprightness — he did not blindly follow, was not intimidated, and spoke out for justice.

Last year, the former Pacification Commissioner Zhao Shangjiao passed away. According to established practice, a final verdict on his life warranted posthumous honors. And Zhao Shangjiao had been a figure of consequence on the historical stage of the late Jin and early Han — from welcoming the Hedong army into the Eastern Capital, to the subsequent improvement of the examination system and the propagation of imperial civilization, he had made no small contribution to the Great Han.

However, a group led by Chancellor Tao Gu — mainly Tao Gu — submitted a memorial that Zhao Shangjiao was a guilty man and should not be treated generously. At just this moment, Liu Chengyou happened to consult Lü Yin on the matter. Lü Yin only said very calmly: "Duke Zhao was demoted for failing to judge men rightly; his past faults have already been punished. Why add more? The dead are gone — weighing his life's deeds, which is heavier, merit or fault?"

Thereupon, Liu Chengyou issued a gracious decree, adding a posthumous title, conferring the honorary rank of Minister of Rites, and simultaneously enfeoffing him as a marquis, with his grandson inheriting the title. Of course, the generous treatment of Zhao Shangjiao was not because of Lü Yin's remonstrance. Besides giving Zhao Shangjiao a fair verdict, it was also because Liu Chengyou thought of Zhao Yan — that promising young man who died early, the close minister he had once favored most. The one inheriting the title was Zhao Yan's son.

As for Tao Gu, he once again incurred the emperor's displeasure, because Liu Chengyou knew that Tao Gu's targeting of Zhao Shangjiao was revenge born of old grudges. Tao Gu was skilled at divining the imperial will, and in his years as chancellor, many of the things he did did suit Liu Chengyou's wishes. But the man had an incurable flaw — despite his considerable age, he was always getting carried away with himself. And the reason Liu Chengyou did not remove Tao Gu was both that he was genuinely useful and that he did not want to casually break the newly established balance at court.

It could be said that at the emperor's side, Lü Yin displayed extraordinary political talent, outstanding administrative ability, and sound personal integrity. And as Wang Pu's illness worsened, Lü Yin became the de facto person in charge at Chongzheng Hall.

At this moment, looking at Lü Yin standing steadily before him, Liu Chengyou asked calmly: "What is it?"

"Zhao Yanjin, Army Supervisor of the Jianghuai forces, has arrived in the capital and requests an audience!" Lü Yin replied.

Nodding, Liu Chengyou asked again: "What about Pan Mei, Cao Bin, and Guo Tingwei?"

"Still on the road! Estimating their pace, they should arrive within a day or two!" Lü Yin said.

"Good!" Liu Chengyou immediately instructed: "Then I'll see Zhao Yanjin first. Send word down — let him rest a while, and come to the palace at mealtime to dine with me!"

"Yes!"

Liu Chengyou summoning generals like Zhao Yanjin, Pan Mei, Cao Bin, and Guo Tingwei to the capital was clearly not merely to hear reports from frontier commanders. The most important purpose was preparation for the pacification of the south. Apart from Guo Tingwei, the other three were all on the front line of the southern campaign. This move also formally announced that the emperor had made his psychological preparations for war.

"Additionally, Lu Duoxun, the Northwestern Pacification Commissioner, has submitted a memorial that Li Guangrui of the Dingnan Army is showing signs of movement, seemingly secretly contacting the Khitan, and recommends that the court strengthen military defenses!" Lü Yin added.

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou's brow immediately furrowed, a cold glint flashing through his eyes. He said: "It seems this Li Guangrui is just like his father — not a man to stay put. If he privately allies with the Khitan, the northwest will surely see chaos!"

"Your Majesty speaks truly!" Lü Yin said: "Within Xia and Sui, there is endless turmoil; without, they are pressed by the court. The more straitened their position, the more Li Guangrui will seek a way out through external forces. The Gansu Uyghurs and the Mobei Khitan are both targets for his alliance. Comparatively, the Khitan are stronger and pose a greater threat to the Great Han!"

After a brief deliberation, Liu Chengyou instructed: "Have Lu Duoxun strengthen surveillance of the Dingnan Army, and order the Bureau of Military Affairs to issue a directive — the forces of Ling, Yan, Feng, and Yan prefectures are to heighten vigilance and strengthen defenses!"

"Yes!"

Suppressing the slight negative emotions, a smile forming on his face, Liu Chengyou looked at Lü Yin and said: "This spring examination, there are quite many candidates. I hear your younger brother Lü Duan has also come to the capital to sit for it?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, that is so!" Lü Yin answered with some surprise. Toward this younger brother of his, Lü Yin had an indescribable feeling — he could have taken office long ago, yet was in no hurry to enter service; he did not need the examinations, yet after wasting several years, he came to the capital. Still, Lü Yin could sense his younger brother's extraordinary nature, only he dared not boast before the emperor.

Liu Chengyou smiled: "Then I wish him success in this session!"

"Your servant thanks Your Majesty on behalf of my younger brother!" Lü Yin said hurriedly.

After a moment's hesitation, Lü Yin took the initiative to ask: "May I ask Your Majesty, how is Lord Wenbo's health? Has there been any improvement?"

At the question, Liu Chengyou glanced at him, sighed softly: "Not encouraging! Nearly at the end of his strength. Having labored for the state all these years, seeing him withered to this state, my heart fills with grief, and I cannot bear it. The only thing I can do now is try to let him see the Great Han unify the realm within his lifetime!"

The sigh ceased, Liu Chengyou's emotions reined in, and he said to Lü Yin again: "If you have leisure, you may go to the prince's residence and visit him on my behalf!"

"Yes!" Lü Yin genuinely admired Wang Pu. Now, with the emperor's permission, he could set aside certain misgivings in his heart and go pay a visit.