Chapter 254: Rewards and Punishments, the Gentleman Acts with Righteousness

Time seemed to pass both quickly and slowly.

Everything advanced steadily, much like the weather in the capital, which grew colder by the day.

In the blink of an eye, the five-day training course came to an end.

Naturally, everyone passed the training examination smoothly; no one was dismissed.

Today, they would attend the grand court assembly, which had gradually become a custom held only once a month.

At first, some had advised His Majesty to hold court more often, citing the Tianqi era when grand assemblies were held at least four times a month.

But gradually, no one submitted such memorials anymore...

Once a month it is, then. Holding too many grand assemblies was, in truth, not so good either...

Before the hour of Mao, the hundred officials already stood outside the Meridian Gate, the cold wind making their official robes snap and flutter.

They all wore ear-warmers over their ears, each head looking furry, like so many rabbits.

Yet when the assembly ended over two hours later and the crowd filed out, many carried in their hearts a faint, elusive sense of... surprise.

This was not to say that today's assembly had been empty of substance.

In fact, the grand assemblies now were nothing like the old ones, which were rehearsed in advance and merely gone through the motions.

Moreover, with the new policies gradually rolling out, today's assembly was far richer in content and denser in information than the previous three grand assemblies.

First, the various ministries and courts took turns stepping forward to report on the progress of the new policies.

Xue Guoguan, Governor of Shuntian Prefecture, reported that the paving of the capital's main thoroughfares with stone slabs would finally be completed within the twelfth month, after which work would shift to the secondary streets; though these would not be paved with stone, illegal structures would be demolished and the dirt roads would be put in order.

Huo Weihua, Minister of War, reported that the reorganization of the Capital Camps was complete. Of the ten thousand elite troops originally planned for selection, only seven thousand two hundred and eighty-six men were ultimately chosen. These had now been divided into three battalions, their encampments moved near the Valiant Guard Camp to conduct joint drills with it.

Qiao Yunsheng, Minister of Justice, reported that the former Military Commissioner of Liaodong, Yang Hao, and the former Governor of Liaodong, Wang Huazhen, having been jointly tried by the Three Judicial Offices, had been sentenced to immediate execution by beheading. However, in consideration of their past minor merits, His Majesty had posthumously restored their official ranks and made up the full hereditary privileges, to show that beyond the law of the land, there is still the grace of Heaven.

As for the rest, the Ministry of Rites reported that the "Survey of the Realm's Livelihood" had been issued to all prefectures, subprefectures, and counties for compilation to begin; the newly appointed Grand Secretary Zheng Sanjun reported that the first draft of the old-policy performance evaluation plan had been completed and was now gathering opinions, and so on.

Every single item was a major matter bearing on the direction of the dynasty.

Every county magistrate listened with rapt attention, not daring to miss a single word even of matters that had nothing to do with them.

In officialdom, personal connections come first, and information comes second.

For a local official to obtain information from the capital, there were only a few avenues.

One could rely on correspondence with old classmates and former colleagues, but such letters could never cover everything; one could only aim for quality, not quantity. At a critical moment, a single letter arriving was worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Or one could send a family retainer to reside permanently in the capital to copy the Capital Gazette and cultivate connections, but living in the capital was no easy matter; only high territorial officials with deep pockets could afford this. Another way was to associate with the local gentry and use their networks of personal ties to obtain intelligence from the capital.

The lowest sort simply sat idly in the local yamen, quietly waiting for the regularly delivered "Great Ming Times" and the Office of Transmission's "Capital Gazette." This was why, for a grand assembly like today's that genuinely discussed matters and revealed the political winds, no degree of attention was excessive.

When the many reports were finished, the assembly entered the routine rewards and punishments segment.

First came the public announcement of the new-policy quotas.

A total of twenty-nine lucky individuals, at the very last moment before the new-policy door closed, had made a desperate leap and become members of the new-policy cohort.

Next came the awarding of this month's red-stripe commendations.

All the way down the list, it went without saying that the highest was Ma Shilong, but the second-place recipient turned out to be someone no one expected: Qi Xinxiao of the Northern Zhili New Policy Task Force. For his merit in preparing the new policies, Qi Xinxiao was awarded five red stripes, while his subordinates each received anywhere from 0.1 to 2 stripes.

This was not to say that the work of the other ministers was unimportant.

It was simply that for each matter, submitting a proposal did not count as completion; one still had to see the results of actual implementation.

If one were to look at full potential, the ones to watch were still Xue Guoguan, Governor of Shuntian, and Huo Weihua, Minister of War.

Following that, over a dozen officials who had still not reined themselves in after the "Tassel-Severing Banquet" were publicly named; the highest-ranking among them was Guo Xingzhi, Director of the Court of the Imperial Stud.

At this, the crowd was not particularly surprised.

They had gradually grasped the thread of Grand Secretary Li Guopu's approach to anti-corruption.

First, go after the big, then the small; first, go after the typical cases, then the widespread ones.

As long as you had the confidence and the nerve, you could still skirt along that blurry line between major and minor corruption.

But you had to be careful: when everyone else was retreating, if you did not retreat, that was advancing — that was provocation!

When everyone else gradually stopped their hands and you still maintained your past "income level," you naturally became the most conspicuous one. Without being a veteran of officialdom or a seasoned old clerk, it was truly difficult to grasp the subtleties. One careless move, and you would stumble, be stripped of office, given ten green stripes, and banned from future employment.

Further on, the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which had escaped unscathed last time, this time each surprisingly produced over a dozen men to be dealt with as well.

The highest-ranking was Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zheng Shiyi, whose crime was wreaking havoc in the localities and sabotaging the new policies.

The sentence was expulsion from the Guard register, confiscation of property, and penal exile to Yongping.

This punishment could not be called light. But considering the Emperor's purge and heavy reliance on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it seemed to count for little.

What truly shook everyone was the lowest-ranking man on the Embroidered Uniform Guard's punishment list this time.

Because this man was merely a radio courier of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

A so-called radio courier was an Embroidered Uniform Guard agent stationed outside the capital to oversee the radio watchmen in various locations.

Generally divided roughly by subprefecture or county, one courier managed the radio watchmen along his line and handled local intelligence-gathering work.

At this point, it truly made one's hair stand on end.

Because that courier's crime was nothing more than embezzling the monthly wages of the watchmen under his command.

From the time he took office until now, he had deducted a customary two mace of silver per person from each radio watchman under his management.

He managed seven radio stations, with twenty-one watchmen, over a total of two months, amounting to... eight taels and four mace.

The outcome: expulsion from the Guard register and penal exile to Miyun.

Above the verdict, the statement was terse and brief, just ten characters — Sabotaging the new policies, ruining the Embroidered Guard's reputation!

Eight taels and four mace... how could it come to this!

Some, like Lu Zhenfei, who valued power and influence far above money and even planned to emulate Hai Rui upon taking office by reforming customary fees to win a reputation as "Incorruptible Lu," naturally thought nothing of this.

But many more county magistrates were not necessarily willing to part with the customary income that exceeded a thousand taels a year.

Some among them still thought of testing that blurry line, figuring that as long as the new policies did not explicitly declare customary fees illegal, they could collect them one day at a time. After all, judging from everyone's assessment of this new sovereign, though he acted urgently, he also did not act urgently.

Matters like customary fees implicated so many and were a great dynastic abuse; he might not move to rectify them so quickly.

But once this matter was tossed out, everyone was instantly thrown into extreme mental torment.

They simply could not judge whether this matter of "customary fees" fell inside the line, or outside it.

After all, in the Embroidered Uniform Guard radio messenger case, you could explain it as "customary fees" violating the law, but you could also understand it as His Majesty strictly rectifying the Embroidered Uniform Guard's culture.

How to view it would depend on each man's courage, and his methods.

In short, each person listened in on the grand court assembly along the way, each with his own thoughts.

Some were lost in contemplation, some were worried, some were stirred.

Yet no matter how turbulent the hearts of the crowd below the hall, that young Son of Heaven seated high upon the dragon throne remained, from beginning to end, like a clay bodhisattva.

Throughout the entire court assembly, the words that came from his mouth were only a scant few: "Yes," "Report," "Approved," "Reward."

No speech, no rallying cry, not even the announcement of a new grand policy direction.

It was as if the impassioned man of the previous three assemblies was not him at all.

At this, the men of the old administration breathed a sigh of relief, but those of the new administration, truth be told, still felt some regret in their hearts.

Once the court assembly concluded, the hundred officials dispersed in succession.

Lu Zhenfei walked along, brow furrowed in thought.

No matter how openly and sincerely a grand court assembly was conducted, it would ultimately only speak of matters on the surface; of the many matters yet to be decided beneath the water, not half a word would be mentioned. For instance, of the two newly appointed Grand Secretaries, one, Zheng Sanjun, had taken on the weighty matter of performance evaluations for the old administration — could the task taken on by the other Grand Secretary, Li Banghua, possibly be a small one?

The policy group he led, though no concrete news of it emerged during this court assembly,

there were already faint rumors circulating in the capital that this policy group was to select certain prefectures and counties from among the hundred counties of Northern Zhili to serve as "the new administration within the new administration."

What did "the new administration within the new administration" mean?

And what were the criteria for selecting these prefectures and counties — would it be based on the people, or on the circumstances?

If selected, would there be additional incentives in the performance evaluations?

This was the critical information that they, these hundred-odd County Magistrates, desperately wanted to know.

Regrettably, those with the connections to find out were, in the end, a minority.

And those who did know would only guard the secret desperately, never breathing an extra word.

There are information gaps among the landed gentry and local strongmen, and how could it be any different here in officialdom?

These past few days, aside from coping with the training, Lu Zhenfei had spent most of his time trying to probe for information; it was a pity that his network was ultimately too thin, and he had gained nothing.

Perhaps... once he reached Leting County, he could ask Brother Yuanhui?

After Li Liye returned from Leting, had he not said that Wu Kongjia still maintained correspondence with Ni Yuanlu and Zhang Zhiji?

A man with such connections to the heavens would, after all, have broader channels of information than an ordinary jinshi like himself.

With matters weighing on his mind, Lu Zhenfei's steps slowed.

By the time he had ambled to the Meridian Gate, the people around him were already few and far between. Yet, as he stepped over the threshold of the Meridian Gate and casually raised his head, he instantly froze.

Before the duty rooms of the Six Offices of Scrutiny not far away, a great dark mass of officials was packed tightly, layer upon layer, with a faint clamor carrying over. Lu Zhenfei reacted almost at once!

That was it! That His Majesty must have come up with some new trick again!

I knew it! Today was the day the new administration preparations concluded and the hundred-odd county officials were about to depart for their posts — how could the grand court assembly possibly be so bland!

This is not His Majesty's style!

In an instant, Li Banghua, the new administration within the new administration — all of it was cast to the back of his mind.

He hitched up the hem of his official robe, and with no regard for decorum, broke into a run and charged over.

"Let me through, let me through!"

He first threw himself into a fierce shove, but the crowd was too dense and did not budge an inch.

Lu Zhenfei looked left and right, saw that everyone's attention was fixed on the center and no one was watching him, and simply steeled his resolve.

I'll jump!

Only after jumping several times did he vaguely make out what seemed to be a stone stele standing at the center of the crowd.

A stone stele!?

Goosebumps erupted all over Lu Zhenfei's skin with a shiver.

This spot by the duty rooms of the Six Offices of Scrutiny, with the Altar of Earth and Grain to the left and the Imperial Ancestral Temple to the right — what was the Emperor erecting a stele here for?

Could it be the Meritorious Officials Stele of Lingyan Pavilion, modeled after Emperor Taizong of Tang, mentioned in a previous court assembly?!

But that couldn't be; the new administration had only just begun — who could be rated a meritorious official?!

Just as his mind was racing, a man stumbled out from the crowd, shoved aside — it was none other than his fellow townsman, Zhong Xiyan, an Instructor at the Imperial Academy.

Lu Zhenfei hurried forward and grabbed him at once.

"Brother Xinzhuo! What exactly is inside, that so many people are gathered here!"

Zhong Xiyan straightened his official cap, which had been knocked askew in the jostling, and looked up to see it was Lu Zhenfei. His expression instantly turned exceedingly complicated.

He was silent for a moment, then spoke with a tone tinged by a jealousy he himself did not notice: "Brother Jianbai, you have truly... seized an enormous oppor—" The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his lapse, and the way of officialdom instantly gained the upper hand again.

Zhong Xiyan immediately put on a sincere smile.

"Brother Jianbai, you do not know — the thing inside is truly extraordinary!"

"It is a stone stele, and inscribed upon it is the personnel roster of the first phase of the new administration, in the first year of the Yongchang era, totaling... four hundred and fifty-six names!" "And you, Brother Jianbai, as the new administration County Magistrate of Northern Zhili, are also listed upon it!"

At this point, he ultimately could not fully suppress the bitterness in his heart and said in a low voice: "This is carving names into stone, you know. Even if the new administration fails in the future..."

But Lu Zhenfei was already in no mood to listen to his sour grumbling.

He only felt a surge of hot blood rush up, his entire head buzzing.

A stone stele! It was actually a stone stele! They had actually erected a new administration roster stele here, at the intersection of the Altar of Earth and Grain and the Imperial Ancestral Temple!

It must have been secretly transported over and erected while they were in the grand court assembly!

His Majesty was ever so fond of toying with men's hearts like this!

Lu Zhenfei adjusted his official cap, rolled up his sleeves, and then drew a deep breath!

Again!

Push! Push! Push!

This time, he threw every ounce of his strength into it, like a maddened bull, and forced his way through the gaps in the crowd!

At last, he reached the innermost ring!

Lu Zhenfei raised his eyes and scanned the colossal stone tablet inch by inch.

At the very top of the tablet was a brief, unadorned inscription.

"We, in Our youth and meager virtue, have inherited the great succession. Yet when We gaze upon the Nine Provinces, the beacon-fires are not yet quelled; when We examine the people's condition, suffering spreads across the land. The peril of the altars is as precarious as a stack of eggs. The common people face the desperation of being hung upside down. Truly, this is a time of hardship, a moment when the nation's path is fraught with calamity."

"Fortunately, Heaven's favor has not yet waned, and able men still serve at court. We and Our ministers share a resolve to restore and deliver, willing to overcome these trials together."

"Now the New Policies have just begun, yet jade and stone remain unseparated, fragrance and stench still unmarked. Therefore We first select and raise up heroes, calling them the White Crows, to purify the civil service and order the realm." "All whose names are inscribed upon this tablet are Our comrades in purpose, the great tortoise-shell oracles of the altars. Let us join strength and unite hearts, that we may sweep away accumulated abuses, surpass the glories of antiquity, and open an era of peace for ten thousand ages." "The August Heaven and Sovereign Earth, the ancestral temples and the altars of the state, the sun and moon — let them bear witness."

"Now We engrave this dark stone, pointing to our rivers and mountains, and swear this oath before Heaven."

"As you ministers serve the state with loyal hearts, so shall We, with the whole state, reward you."

"Whoever betrays this oath, let Heaven and Earth not suffer him!" "Hereby is recorded the roster of the White Crows of the New Policies, first year of the Yongchang reign, as follows:"

The Committee: Huang Liji, Gao Shiming, Li Guopu, Li Banghua...

The Secretariat: Ni Yuanlu, Qi Xinxiao, Zhang Zhiji, Luo Yangxing...

Capital New Policies: Xue Guoguan, Zhang Zibing, Li Shiqi...

Ji-Liao New Policies: Sun Chengzong, Ma Shilong, Yuan Chonghuan...

Northern Zhili New Policies:...

Lu Zhenfei braced his back with all his might against the surging force pressing in from behind, his eyes skipping past the strings of names at the front, racing downward, searching frantically through the "Northern Zhili New Policies" list.

Mao Jiuhua, Zhang Jingxin, Qu Shisi...

He had found it at last!

Third row from the bottom, the fourth name — it was him, Lu Zhenfei!

Lu Zhenfei extended a faintly trembling finger and, lightly, as though touching a rare and priceless treasure, traced that cold yet deeply carved name upon the stone tablet.

The instant he touched that name, all the taut strength in his body drained away as if drawn out of him, vanishing without a trace in a moment. Before long, he was squeezed by the crowd behind him and, powerless to resist, ejected back out beyond the circle.

Zhong Xiyan had been waiting outside the whole time. Seeing this, he hurried over to steady him — only to find Lu Zhenfei already weeping uncontrollably, his face streaming with tears.

"Brother Jianbai... Brother Jianbai, are you all right?"

Lu Zhenfei raised his broad sleeve and wiped his face haphazardly, his voice choked with sobs. "I'm... I'm all right. All right."

He recalled a passage from the Analects.

The gentleman takes office in order to do what is right.

And now — rightness was here! Renown was here! Even profit was here! What more could a man ask for!

I, Lu Zhenfei, in this life and for all my days, shall surely live by this spirit, shall surely labor to accomplish this great work of restoration!

Until the New Policies cease, the fight shall not end!

I...

Lu Zhenfei was still surging with emotion, unable to contain himself, when Zhong Xiyan gently spoke to console him.

"I arrived early and read this inscription long ago. His Majesty's earnest heart is so utterly sincere — no wonder you are so deeply moved, Brother Jianbai."

"With such a sincere-hearted Son of Heaven, and with you, Brother Jianbai, now entered into this New Policies roster — this is exactly the moment when the great roc rises with the wind and soars straight up ninety thousand li!" "I recall that two months ago, at a court assembly, His Majesty spoke of the matter of the Lingyan Pavilion. I have a feeling... Brother Jianbai, in days to come, a place on the Lingyan Pavilion shall surely be reserved for you!"

Lu Zhenfei felt nothing for this flattery.

But Zhong Xiyan's interruption did remind him of one matter.

A matter he had previously considered neither here nor there, but which now had become something he absolutely had to do!

Lu Zhenfei wiped his tears again, then spoke.

"Brother Xinzhuo, of those Laoting Imperial Academy students and juren you introduced to me before, I ended up meeting only four."

"Now I leave for my post tomorrow — there truly is no time to lose."

"Why don't I play host and set a banquet tonight at the Fortunate Inn? I must trouble you, Brother Xinzhuo, to summon every Laoting Imperial Academy student and juren currently in the capital, so we may all gather together. What do you say?"

Zhong Xiyan had not expected him to compose himself so quickly — one moment weeping for the Son of Heaven's recognition, the next already laying plans for his posting. Something stirred in his heart, and he silently raised his assessment of Lu Zhenfei another notch.

But his face betrayed nothing. He clapped his hands in admiration. "Brother Jianbai devotes himself to state affairs to this degree — no wonder you caught His Majesty's discerning eye and entered this New Policies roster! The men on this tablet are indeed the gathered talents of the realm."

"Rest easy — leave this matter to me!"

"However, this afternoon His Majesty has ordered us all to the north of the city to observe a ceremony, and it is not yet certain when it will conclude. Perhaps... shall I set the gathering for three-quarters past the hour of the Monkey?"

Lu Zhenfei nodded and clasped Zhong Xiyan's hands tightly, saying with deep sincerity, "Then I entrust it to you, Brother Xinzhuo! Once the ceremony ends, we shall go to the banquet together!"

Seeing the matter settled, Zhong Xiyan took the chance to voice another question on his mind. "Does Brother Jianbai know what ceremony we are to observe this afternoon?" Lu Zhenfei shook his head blankly. "I do not know either. I only received the notice. Perhaps... it is a drill by the Valiant Guard Camp?"

He paused briefly, his mood now gradually returning to normal, and simply added more.

"After all, since the new sovereign ascended the throne, the Valiant Guard has been drilled daily without a single day of slack. Three months have now passed — perhaps they have indeed become crack troops." "And in our own training, we have also discussed the regulations for requesting Valiant Guard support should local disturbances arise."

"Perhaps His Majesty wishes us to see them in advance, to familiarize ourselves?"

Seeing that he did not know either, Zhong Xiyan changed the subject with a smile. "No matter — we shall know this afternoon."

He shifted his tone and said gravely,

"But Brother Lu, do you know what matter is most critical at this moment?"

Lu Zhenfei immediately grew solemn, thinking he had some confidential intelligence to impart. He cupped his hands at once. "Please instruct me, Brother Xinzhuo!"

Zhong Xiyan grinned mischievously, pointing with one hand at Lu Zhenfei's head and with the other at his feet.

"That would be to first retrieve your official cap and your official boots from the crowd!"