[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-101":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1558267,2024,"Chapter 101: Rumors (Part 1)","shao-song-chapter-101",101,"\u003Cp>For the councilors who had received the official directives, these few days in late March were neither a cause for joy nor sorrow, because His Majesty the Emperor had been out of the city for a full three days and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imperial Guard's Central Army numbered twelve thousand men, comprising the units of Wang De, Fu Qing, Hu Yantong, Qiao Zhongfu, Zhang Jing, Xin Xingzong, and Xin Yongzong. Zhao Jiu made the rounds to each one. Besides issuing back pay, he also took the opportunity to inspect for vacancies, draft rough rosters, promote some junior officers, and then, as a side, watched over a dozen sumo matches and two football games, witnessed countless bizarre tattoos... Finally, he personally wrote a rough military medical code—things like no drinking unboiled water, spreading quicklime on the ground, and boiling bandages in water—before he was satisfied and turned back to the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, no sooner had he returned to the city and before he could even enter the temporary palace, His Majesty encountered Yan Xiaozhong, the acting Prefect of Nanyang, on the main street outside the palace. The two had only parted two days prior, and from Vice Prefect Yan, he learned of an absurd matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... what does this mean?\" The weather was somewhat overcast, but there were quite a few pedestrians and officials on the main street of Nanyang who hurriedly dismounted and bowed in salute. Though they had not yet raised their heads, they were all pricking up their ears to listen. His Majesty's face was flushed red, and he was stunned for a long time, unable to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your subject means,\" Yan Xiaozhong said solemnly, cupping his hands, \"that Your Majesty has only just arrived in Nanyang, and the scholars and commoners of Nanyang are seeing Your Majesty for the first time. Naturally, the city is curious, and everyone, high and low, is watching Your Majesty's every move. At such a time, I beg Your Majesty to be extremely careful in your actions, lest rumors spread from falsehoods.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not what I meant,\" Zhao Jiu said, coming back to his senses. He looked around at the dense sea of heads and felt utterly helpless. \"What I meant was, I absolutely did not order anyone to seek out famous beauties of Nanyang! You, Yan Xiaozhong, were with me just a few days ago outside the city distributing military pay—how could you not know? As for betrothing all the women of Nanyang to the imperial troops... I did indeed issue an edict for the councilors to arrange marriages for the soldiers to set their minds at ease, but can you believe such a rumor?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your subject naturally knows,\" Yan Xiaozhong said, stamping his foot in front of the horse and speaking loudly. \"And naturally does not believe it! I suspect that when the story first started spreading, those who passed it on only said it as a joke. But as it was repeated many times, 'three men make a tiger,' and naturally, common folk began to believe it! Furthermore, in your subject's view, this matter may not have been triggered by the usual business of arranging marriages for soldiers. There must be some twists and turns that caught people's attention... Your Majesty, the reason your subject came here to wait is because there is a rumor that over a dozen famous beauties, along with a hundred or so newly selected palace women, are already waiting in the palace!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Jiu was dumbfounded, then looked to Yang Yizhong and Feng Yi, who were accompanying him at his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latter two understood and immediately went ahead to the temporary palace. In just a short while, they hurried back and spoke quietly to His Majesty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did His Majesty understand. He issued an edict on the spot, ordering all these beauties and palace women to be summoned out of the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, after waiting a full half-hour, everyone watched as seven or eight small curtained carriages, each surrounded by a dozen or so maidservants, drove out from the palace. His Majesty shook his head repeatedly, then reined in his horse and stepped forward to speak personally to the group of carriages:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young ladies, it is not that I do not appreciate your beauty, nor that I do not wish to enjoy gentle comforts. But the nation is in peril; the Jin army may come at any time... I am not saying that 'until the Xiongnu are destroyed, there can be no home,' but rather that in the future, I may often have to be away on military affairs like these past few days, and not reside in the palace... And if I am not here, you who have stayed in this temporary palace for a few days should have seen how cold and desolate it is, how few things there are. It is probably not even as good as an ordinary wealthy household. So why should so many of you waste your prime years in a place like this for no reason? You should know that even my own consorts are all settled in Yangzhou with the Empress Dowager and have not come here. Therefore, I will make the decision for you today. Those who wish to return home may do so; those who do not wish to, I will arrange a good marriage for you! What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief pause, aside from laughter coming from two of the carriages, there was no other reaction. Even the many trusted close ministers behind him stood with eyes downcast, not uttering a sound. Such matters were not something a minister should meddle in, and the only good opportunity for a minister to meddle had already been seized by Yan Xiaozhong, so they could only pretend not to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, His Majesty stepped forward and, pointing with his hand, assigned the eight carriages in turn to Han Shizhong, Yuwen Xuzhong, Lu Benzhong (eldest son of Lü Haowen, newly appointed Secretariat Drafter), Zhang Jun, Hu Yin, Lin Jingmo, Yan Xiaozhong, and Liu Ziyu... Except for Han Shizhong, these were all ministers, renowned scholars, and close officials who did not have many family members accompanying them. The intention was that these men, being civil officials, would be more particular and treat these women better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Liu Ziyu then knelt and stated that he was in mourning. So the carriage assigned to him was then given by His Majesty to Yang Yizhong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having dealt with this messy affair, His Majesty finally breathed a sigh of relief and led everyone outside the palace into the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside the temporary palace, His Majesty showed no intention of investigating Lan Gui and the others. Instead, he changed his clothes and hastily issued an edict, summoning the councilors, the Censor-in-Chief, along with the Imperial Guard Commander-in-Chief under the Bureau of Military Affairs, the staff officer of the Office of Military Personnel, as well as the Secretariat Drafters, Hanlin Academicians, Palace Censors, and other close officials, plus the specially designated acting Prefect of Nanyang, Yan Xiaozhong, to gather in the hall to discuss state and military affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was essentially all the core officials of this provisional capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who had originally accompanied His Majesty to the palace naturally need not be mentioned. The other councilors and key officials who hurried over also naturally learned of what had happened outside the palace on the way. However, with so many major state and military affairs before them, although everyone in the hall exchanged awkward glances, they refrained from bringing it up for the time being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Councilor Lü is the chief minister of the provisional capital; give me a summary first!\" Zhao Jiu, dressed in ordinary clothes and with a calm expression, strode quickly into the hall, as if the embarrassing incident had never happened. After he sat down on the icy imperial throne, hearing the cooing of pigeons outside the hall, he paid it no mind and directly began to discuss matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Reporting to Your Majesty,\" Lü Haowen said awkwardly as he stepped forward. He took several deep breaths to steady himself before reporting. \"Regarding the matter of land registration, Councilor Xu has taken overall charge and has already produced a rough outline. However, this matter involves a great deal, and the various central ministries, bureaus, and courts are severely understaffed. Local officials have also suffered many vacancies due to the war from last winter to this spring. Therefore, this matter can only be communicated to some stable military prefectures, letting them handle it roughly for now. To produce a proper detailed plan and handle it properly throughout the realm, we will have to wait until personnel are complete...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand this matter in my heart,\" Zhao Jiu said, still expressionless, but with a slight pause. \"On the way here, I thought it through clearly. For us to be determined to resist the Jin, the first priority is to be able to fight. And to fight, besides selecting generals and training troops at the front, we need to gather grain and funds in the rear. To properly gather grain and funds, we need to do two kinds of things: one is to increase revenue, and the other is to maintain stability... Land registration is both about increasing revenue and maintaining stability. It is a long-term plan. We will do as much as we can; it is not about succeeding in three months or being ready in five.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty is wise and enlightened.\" Whether it was because the terms 'increasing revenue' and 'maintaining stability' hit the mark, or because His Majesty's unhurried attitude was reassuring, or perhaps still due to some inner embarrassment over certain matters, Lü Haowen's attitude today was extremely good. He even used words like 'wise and enlightened.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, on this matter, I have two specific points to raise,\" Zhao Jiu said. Flattered by the praise, and having had a very enjoyable few days outside the city, His Majesty couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Recalling his high-end online novel knowledge, he added a few more words. \"First, regarding the establishment of Pacification Commissioners and Military Commissioners... in short, wherever troops are stationed, we must handle things properly. On the one hand, we must recognize their need to detain refugees in order to support and pacify their troops. On the other hand, we must uphold the greater principles and not allow them to go too far. We can't control the distant ones now, but if Han Shizhong or Zhang Jun step out of line, don't hesitate to impeach them directly to me. I will speak to them myself! You must understand, the two of them may be rogues, but they will never harbor ambitions!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment in the hall, aside from Yang Yizhong and Liu Yan, who stood like wooden posts on either side, and excluding a few eunuchs, those qualified to speak on policy were all civil officials, except for Wang Yuan, the Imperial Guard Commander-in-Chief. Hearing these words, everyone had different thoughts. Some felt that His Majesty was thoughtful and knew to guard against these military men, while others felt that His Majesty was still too trusting of Han and Zhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for a moment, aside from Lü Haowen bowing his head and saying, \"Your subject receives the edict,\" there was no other sound. They were clearly waiting for the second point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second, is the issue of clerical staff,\" Zhao Jiu said, hesitating for a moment as he looked at the hall full of civil officials before gritting his teeth and speaking. \"The separation between officials and clerks, their relationship like fire and water, is a common problem in local administration. If an official cannot control the clerks, he will be cheated by them... I don't understand local affairs, but that's about right, isn't it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Xiaozhong, Liu Ji, and other officials with local experience immediately responded in scattered voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just now, we mentioned the shortage of local officials,\" Zhao Jiu said with a sigh. \"And the day-to-day administrative work is mostly handled by clerks. In these extraordinary times, could we give them some benefits in terms of career advancement?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does Your Majesty mean?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think, in this time of national crisis, could we take the opportunity of this land registration to exceptionally allow some clerks with outstanding merit to be promoted to County Magistrate or Vice Prefect?\" Zhao Jiu asked tentatively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall fell into a silence that was almost frightening. This silence was different from the previous one... In fact, as soon as His Majesty spoke, he realized he had been too hasty and immediately regretted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To reiterate, the bureaucracy of the Great Song Dynasty was generally conservative in nature. This had nothing to do with the New Party or the Old Party, or with advocating war or peace. It was the result of the scholar-official ethos, national policy, Confucian trends, and the political traditions formed over generations between the emperors of the Zhao Song and the scholar-official class—the entire political ecosystem they had built together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the New Party had often been in power, and emperors had acted under the banner of the New Party, many things were fundamentally considered wrong in their bones. How much more so such an excessive act as this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was openly using clerks to encroach upon the very lifeline of the scholar-officials!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Lü Haowen, who came from a yin privilege background, dared not utter a word... In fact, such officials did exist; there were so-called 'selected personnel.' In other words, His Majesty's proposal was not without precedent. However, those positions were generally found in remote military prefectures in the south and west of the Pass, and it was basically impossible for them to successfully become regular capital officials except through the civil service examinations. The military prefectures that needed land registration were either the large prefectures along the Huai River and in the western capital region, or the wealthy military prefectures in the rear. These positions were exclusively for capital officials. How were they the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, setting aside theory, the reality was only that 'once a clerk, always a clerk.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, the regular civil officials of the Great Song, the so-called capital official group, were mainly composed of those who had passed the civil service examinations and those who had obtained their positions through yin privilege, with a small number of others, such as Imperial University students. The proportion of yin privilege officials was very high, and they could reach the highest positions. But it is worth mentioning that 'scholars' were scholars, and 'scholar-officials' were scholar-officials. Those with yin privilege backgrounds could also be scholars, and Imperial University students need not be mentioned further. So the group boundaries were extremely clear. Even those with yin privilege backgrounds needed sufficient learning to be practically accepted by the scholar-official class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the present, it was one thing for scholar-officials to be squeezed by the unlearned among the yin privilege officials. Even in this time of national crisis, there was Lü Haowen, a chancellor from a yin privilege background. But wasn't that enough? What were clerks, that they could also be massively appointed as regular County Magistrates and Vice Prefects?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's only a temporary measure, a stopgap for the emergency,\" Zhao Jiu said after a pause, suddenly letting out a wry laugh. \"And it's limited to this basic national policy of land registration. Besides, weren't you all the ones complaining about the shortage of officials? And earlier, on the road, didn't we also use the Han Dynasty's system of recommendation and appointment? Would we keep using it forever? Once things settle down and the Jin threat eases, we will eventually hold civil service examinations again. How about limiting it to County Magistrates?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did everyone feel somewhat relieved... This could be considered as His Majesty granting a special yin privilege to a batch of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lü Haowen, after turning back to check the expressions of several councilors, bowed his head again and said, \"Your subject receives the edict.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the land registration matter, Lü Haowen wished to report on the case of Fan Qiong, but His Majesty set it aside and instead began with the Guanzhong region. Councilor Lü quickly presented Yuwen Xuzhong's memorial. Besides the usual strategies like 'reinforce Wuguan, advance cautiously' and 'send scouts from Hanzhong,' the memorial also contained an extremely valuable list of Western Army generals!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that Councilor Yuwen had spent several days of hard work, making extensive inquiries, and had arranged the list in order based on the likely surviving Western Army generals' qualifications, merits, and troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could only say that these councilors were not without ability. When a task was assigned to them, they could still squeeze out some results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the subsequent 'Sun Mo' case, Liu Ji proposed a compromise strategy of posthumously honoring Sun Mo while transferring Pei Dezu to a lateral post in Huaidong. His Majesty paid little attention to this, because without clear witnesses or evidence, this case could only be a Rashomon, with no truth to be found. What His Majesty wanted was for Liu Ji, as a half-'party involved,' to personally smooth things over, so as not to affect the two truly important officials, Liu Ji and Zong Ze, and the related work of filling vacancies in the western capital region.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this matter, the atmosphere in the hall inevitably became awkward, because the next item was that troublesome affair of 'military marriages.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: I'm really slow with my hands; I'm still typing, but don't wait for me. It probably won't be out until three in the morning... Actually, reading it in the morning is the most suitable... Oh, and belatedly, happy Valentine's Day to everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>",2968,"2026-06-06T07:45:46.639Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","abceb6f568bf281cfa708e32e71084be0cdb8fb0b87c37555f0aa8432a114b13","shao-song-chapter-102","shao-song-chapter-100",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]