Chapter 33: The Eunuch Faction

The affairs of the Battalion Commander's office were settled, and the results of the handling of the corrupt officials were made public.

Aside from a few unlucky individuals who were specifically targeted and sent to remote locations, the outcomes for most were quite lenient; the nearest place of exile was only a hundred miles from the capital.

Some corrupt officials were even exiled to locations right at their own doorsteps.

In any case, using the capital as a coordinate, they were indeed exiled several hundred to over a thousand miles away.

Originally, this should have been a result that pleased everyone, but the Eunuch Faction refused to act like human beings and implicated a large number of the corrupt officials' family members.

Exiling the entire family was the standard procedure; most direct blood relatives within three generations were also on the list, and there were even cases of entire clans being exiled.

With this operation, the number of exiled people reached as high as tens of thousands.

The extent of the implication was rare even in the history of the Great Great Dayu.

If it weren't for the fact that there was no mass slaughter, it could have made it into the top ten cases of the Great Great Dayu.

Naturally, the corrupt officials could not bear such a result.

Especially those whose entire clans were exiled; the spittle of their clansmen could drown them, which was simply more unbearable than killing them.

The civil official group also collectively exploded; playing like this was truly too lethal.

Mixing in officialdom, everyone has times when they run into bad luck.

In the past, exile only applied to the corrupt official themselves; how could there be such targeting of family members? It was clearly intentional torment.

If they didn't step in to help now, what if they ran into bad luck in the future? Wouldn't they have to enjoy the same treatment?

The imperial court was arguing incessantly. Facing the pressure from the gathered officials, the eunuch group produced a large amount of evidence, holding high the "Great Great Dayu Law" as a weapon.

The legal basis was too sufficient, and all of it was a lenient punishment.

If this were the early years of the founding, these people wouldn't even be qualified for exile; they would have been dragged out and 'Crack!' executed immediately.

The civil officials, who had always been known for their output, never expected that one day they would also be sprayed to the point of being unable to lift their heads.

Some things could not be brought to the table. Just because everyone didn't take the law seriously in ordinary times didn't mean the "Great Great Dayu Law" had lost its effect.

To deny the "Great Great Dayu Law" was to deny the legitimacy of the imperial court.

Involving political correctness, no one dared to openly attack the law.

If they wanted to modify the handling results, there was only one other operation—amending the law.

The Reformist Faction was supportive; amending the law itself was part of the reform.

Once the law was amended, the ancestral system would be broken.

"The laws of the ancestors cannot be broken" became a false proposition. The Conservative Faction could no longer use the laws of the ancestors to make a point, which was equivalent to clearing the legal obstacles for reform.

Involving core interests, the Conservative officials naturally would not let the Reformists have their way.

Then, an interesting scene appeared in the imperial court: first, the civil official group collectively sprayed the eunuchs, and then the Reformists and Conservatives tore into each other.

Standing in the back of the crowd, watching everyone spray each other, Li Mu became a happy melon-eating spectator.

The entire process was handled by the high-level civil officials.

According to the Great Great Dayu Law, only officials of Rank Four and above were qualified to speak; others, unless permitted by the Emperor, just listened from the side.

They didn't even have the qualification to open their mouths; the scene of Rank Six or Seven small censors spraying the Emperor naturally could not appear.

Basically, every imperial assembly was civil officials tearing into each other.

Unless it involved the parts they were responsible for, military generals generally did not speak.

The eunuchs also suffered losses in this regard; they often saw Zuo Zuo Guangen forced into a tongue-war against the scholars, and then sprayed into autism.

No wonder the Eunuch Faction was so active when it came to dealing with civil officials. Just the grievances suffered in the imperial court alone would make anyone want to retaliate.

"Court dismissed!"

The eunuch's voice rang out, and Li Mu knew it was another day without a result.

The imperial court hadn't argued out a result yet, but the corrupt officials had already taken the first step on the road to exile.

Dissatisfaction was useless; with the Embroidered Uniform Guard personally escorting them, they, who had just come out of the imperial prison, dared not act out.

The most pathetic ones were those scholars; they got hot-headed for a moment and shouted a few times, only to have their academic honors revoked and be added to the ranks of the exiled.

With the departure of a large number of corrupt officials' family members, the originally crowded prison cells became leisurely again.

The Battalion Commander's office had sufficient funds, so Li Mu directly ordered the construction of a row of prison cells, his intuition telling him they would definitely come in handy in the future.

"My lord, a scholar has arrived outside, claiming to be the private secretary you hired."

Clerk Yan reported in a low voice, a trace of envy revealing itself between his brows.

Serving in the same yamen, clerks still had official Great Great Dayu establishment status, but their actual status was far inferior to a private secretary.

When Li Mu's private secretary position was vacant, he, this clerk, did some of the secretary's work, and his status in the yamen rose in a straight line.

Even officials who had entered the ranks were polite when they saw him.

Now that the main person had arrived, he feared that such good days would come to an end from now on.

"Bring him in!"

Li Mu said calmly.

For this long-overdue private secretary, he no longer had his initial expectations.

Shaoxing was over a thousand kilometers away from the capital; if taking the land route, it would indeed take a long time, but there was a Grand Canal in the middle.

He had greeted his uncle; as long as the person reached the pier, whether it was an official boat or a civilian merchant boat, they would be given a ride.

If they had the heart, the person should have arrived in the capital a month ago.

At that time, the factional struggle was at its most intense state, and officials were often arrested and imprisoned.

Dragging it out until the dust settled before coming over, most likely they were observing the situation.

Weighing pros and cons is human nature.

If it were Li Mu himself, in a situation where he was completely in the dark, he would also choose to observe first.

People still had to be used, but they had to be tested.

It had nothing to do with loyalty; an employment relationship is inherently a transaction, and one cannot expect too much.

The test was mainly aimed at political vision.

Mixing in the Great Great Dayu officialdom, political vision is more important than personal ability.

Because of information gaps, political misjudgments are understandable.

If one's political vision is poor to begin with, then no matter how strong their ability is, they can only be a staff member, not a strategist.

In the blink of an eye, Clerk Yan led a middle-aged scholar dressed in green round-collar clothing inside.

"Student Lan Lan Linjie pays respects to the Battalion Commander!"

Before Lan Lan Linjie could finish his salute, Li Mu hurriedly reached out to support him, responding with a chuckle:

"Mr. Lan, you have kept me waiting.

Before Mr. Master Ouyang left the capital, he recommended you to me repeatedly, saying that you are highly talented and have the ambition to reach the clouds!"

The Mr. Master Ouyang in Li Mu's mouth was his uncle's private secretary.

He was also a provincial graduate from Shaoxing, but he was a cycle older than Lan Lan Linjie, and after failing the imperial examinations multiple times, he had lost his ambition.

Recently, there were many vacancies due to the adjustment of imperial officials.

Thus, he accepted the recommendation of the Marquis of Zhenyuan and entered officialdom directly as a provincial graduate, being sent to serve as a county magistrate somewhere under Tongzhou.

It was not easy to be a county magistrate in the Great Great Dayu Dynasty; it was not strange for a provincial graduate to serve as a county magistrate, but most were in remote prefectures.

Places with good conditions were prioritized for metropolitan graduates.

Being able to serve as a county magistrate under Tongzhou clearly meant the Marquis's mansion had exerted effort.

"Brother Master Ouyang has entered officialdom!"

After the surprise, Lan Lan Linjie quickly regained his composure.

Failing the examinations repeatedly and being unable to bear the hardship of the imperial examinations, choosing to enter officialdom was not uncommon.

Theoretically, there was no age limit for taking the metropolitan examinations, but the age at which one became a metropolitan graduate would directly affect future career development.

That kind of elderly metropolitan graduate in their sixties or seventies might even be older than their teacher, making meetings awkward.

Even if the imperial court was willing to cultivate them, they had to worry about whether these people's bodies could handle it.

If they were sent out to serve and died suddenly on the road, the Ministry of Personnel would also have to bear the responsibility.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====