Naturally, factions would also form around the two of them in the imperial court.
However, for an Emperor to control the people in the imperial court, he must decide whether to force them to choose a side or allow them to remain neutral.
Zhu Ci held a freshly made jar of orange preserves, scooping some up and chewing loudly as he spoke, "Being an emperor is just too difficult; I feel like I'm not quite up to it."
Your Majesty!" Fu said helplessly. "Even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were not perfect beings. Your Majesty is still so young; why must you lose heart now?
Zhu Ci tilted his head back and drank the sweet liquid in the can in one hearty gulp before saying, "I'm not discouraged, it's just that this territory is so small, yet it already brings so many troubles."
Fu Qingsheng said nonchalantly, "There isn't much difference in this regard whether the land area is large or small."
Zhu Ci smacked his lips and said, "Hey, why aren't you eating? Don't you like sweets? If you don't like them, there's also canned meat here."
Fu..
Weren't they just discussing state affairs a moment ago? How did they suddenly turn to eating?
I have to say, the things the Little Emperor comes up with are indeed quite good.
The oranges, which had been incredibly sour before, were made into canned goods; they now possessed the fresh fragrance of oranges and a delicious sweet and sour flavor.
Fu simply changed the subject and said, "Since there is no issue with the formula, I shall send someone to establish the factory."
Zhu Ci said, "Fine, do as you see fit. I have no time to deal with this now; these people cause trouble every single day. Oh, right, I have looked over the candidates for the Grand Secretariat, but these people look a bit unfamiliar. You should tell me about them."
As he spoke, he had Wu Xia bring the list over; the two people at the very top were He Tengjiao and Huang Daozhou.
Although Zhu Ci had some impression of some supporting characters in the book, he only remembered those who appeared in major events; he had no impression of these two people.
However, if Fu selected them, they must have some talent.
Fu felt somewhat helpless; the resumes of these two people were written right there, yet the Little Emperor merely glanced at the names before setting the list aside to continue struggling with his two cans.
He even wanted to ask if the Shanggong Bureau was skimming off the Emperor's meals!
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Sweets can soothe your mood, don't you understand! A kitty working hard to stick its head into a tin can. jpg
Next update at 12:00 PM
Chapter 149
However, he still said patiently, "Huang Daozhou was a Top Scholar of the second year of Tianqi. During the Chongzhen era, he served as a Junior Grand Heir in the Grand Heir's Office, during the Hongguang era, he served as Vice Minister of War. He was famous for being upright and outspoken, during the Chongzhen era, he was stripped of his posts and exiled multiple times for impeaching powerful officials and striving to save loyal ministers."
Zhu Ci couldn't help but frown upon hearing the words "Hongguang Era."
There was nothing he could do; he had a bit of a stress response to any official appointed by Zhu Yousong.
However, he said nothing, but instead signaled Fu to continue speaking.
Fu continued his introduction, saying, "He Tengjiao, a Juren in the first year of Tianqi, served successively as the Instructor of Yuci in Shanxi, during the Chongzhen era, he was promoted through the ranks to become the Right Assistant Censor and the Governor of Huguang. He also served as the Commander-in-Chief of the military affairs of Huguang, Chuan, Dian, Gui, during the Hongguang era, he served as Vice Censor, responsible for coordinating Zuo Liangyu's forces. He was renowned for his efficiency in administration."
After hearing this, Zhu Ci did not immediately state his position, but instead chewed and thought at the same time.
The two people Fu found were both very interesting; they had both risen to prominence during the Tianqi era, had been heavily relied upon during the Chongzhen era, held significant status even by the Hongguang era.
It was just that during the Hongguang Era, Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu were truly "dazzling," which made those two men seem not quite as prominent.
Zhu Ci suddenly asked curiously, "Huang Daozhou is so upright and uncompromising; did he not impeach Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu back then?"
How could he not have?" Fu said. "It was precisely because he criticized those two that he was later dismissed from his post.
Otherwise, given how Fu was determined to destroy Zhu Yousong's entire family at the time, these two probably wouldn't have fared much better.
Didn't both Ma Shiying and Gao Hongtu end up in Dingyuan?
Zhu Ci nodded and asked again, "Did this He Tengjiao once have a good relationship with Zuo Liangyu?"
Fu shook his head and said, "He is only responsible for coordination, their relationship isn't particularly good, but one advantage he has is that he is quite smooth."
One of these two is upright while the other is slick, making them quite complementary.
He looked at Fu and asked, "Both of these men have served as Censors; why not place them in the Censorate?"
Aside from other things, wouldn't the upright and uncompromising Huang Daozhou be even more suited to the Censorate?
Fu explained very patiently, "The more such a person is, the less suitable they are for the Censorate. Those who are too upright have intense temperaments; they do not know how to compromise or find balance, over time, even His Majesty will grow weary of them. On the other hand, those who are too slick lack perseverance and compromise too easily, which is also not good."
Zhu Ci slowly savored the words, knowing that the Grand Secretary's little lecture was about to begin again.
What Fu said indeed made sense, but after thinking for a long time, he said, "So, what Huaizhang means is that he wants to find someone who holds their own views but isn't stubborn, who is flexible in thought."
After he finished speaking, he smiled and said, "Where in this world could one find such a perfect person?"
To reach this level, one needs knowledge, vision, talent; such a person would truly be a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Fu said, "So the Censors of the Censorate don't actually need to be incredibly capable. Didn't His Majesty do the same thing before?"
Zhu Ci paused, feeling that Fu might have misunderstood something.
Back then, the reason he was more lenient regarding the Censorate was because the Censorate functioned like a disciplinary committee; its primary task was to investigate and see whether the Grand Secretariat and the Emperor had lost their minds and were planning to cause trouble.
This department does not require top-tier talent; it only requires that things be handled according to the regulations.
As for the current Censorate being somewhat different from his original vision, it didn't matter much. After all, it was a legacy of history. Although he had not inherited any physical estate, many of the officials were actually remnants from the Chongzhen and Hongguang eras; everyone was used to it, so he would change it gradually.
As for the selection of Censors for the Censorate, he was somewhat more lenient, even choosing many people from the Zhiyan Society.
As for the Grand Secretariat, its positioning was much more critical; it was the place that truly handled the state's affairs. Every action taken here would have far-reaching consequences, any mistake would affect millions of commoners.
Therefore, he was even stricter toward the Grand Secretariat.
But let it be a misunderstanding then; as long as the result is the same, it doesn't matter.
Zhu Ci nodded and said, "I understand. Let it be so then."
He paused and asked again, "Did you specifically choose these two people because you were influenced by what's happening outside?"
Both of these are veteran officials of the Hongguang Era, their attitude toward the rebel Fu is likely not very good.
Fu was not the type of person to let himself be wronged, but he had chosen these two specifically. It was likely an attempt to show that the imperial court was not ruthlessly eliminating all veteran officials, that it would still employ and properly reward truly loyal subjects.
Fu thought the Little Emperor disliked it when he acted on his own initiative, so he spoke carefully, "Your Majesty need only follow your heart; the rest will naturally be handled by your subordinates."
If the Emperor has to worry about everything, what use are they?
Zhu Ci thought for a moment and said, "Whether it is right or wrong, we shall see in the future."
For now, he would not look into it; once the people's intelligence was awakened in the future, there would naturally be those who spoke well of him.
The worse Zhu Ci's reputation was among the scholars, the better his reputation was among the common people.
It was only that the voices of the common people could not reach the imperial court; as the mouthpiece of information, the literati naturally appeared to have a louder voice.
Fu looked at him: "Your Majesty is quite open-minded."
Zhu Ci blinked. "Aren't you the same?"
The same?
It's different. Although Fu Huaizhang himself doesn't care much about reputation, his situation is simply the result of having no other choice.
If he truly cared about such things, he would likely have died long ago, wouldn't have made it to this day.
The Little Emperor was truly broad-minded and did not care about such things.
Zhu Ci did not dwell on this matter, but simply asked, "Have the crimes of the two, Ma and Gao, been clarified?"
Fu said, "Chen Zilong has almost finished organizing everything. Rest assured, Your Majesty, the crimes of these two are enough to result in the extermination of three generations of their families."
Zhu Ci raised an eyebrow. "That serious? Has anyone in the imperial court been affected?"
Fu said, "Aside from Huang Chunyao, the Prefect of Suzhou is also currently being removed from office and investigated."
Hmm?
Suzhou Prefect?
Oh, Gu Rouqian.
Good heavens, I forgot he was Ma Shiying's student.
Zhu Ci asked, "Does he have any problems?"
If you're asking if there are problems, then yes, but they aren't serious. It all depends on whether we release him or arrest him.
After all, he was Ma Shiying's student; it was impossible for him to be completely innocent.
Zhu Ci said decisively, "Gu Rouqian was instrumental in helping Huaian defend the city back then, but he was never rewarded. This is the perfect opportunity to make up for his past mistakes. Tell him to hurry back and get to work."
Since Fu said it wasn't serious, then it really wasn't all that serious.
Zhu Ci was quite satisfied with Gu Rouqian. When he had deployed the troops back then, he had handed Suzhou over to Gu Rouqian, the man had worked diligently from beginning to end without changing his policies, performing his duties with great seriousness.
He was considered to be quite a capable person, Zhu Ci had a good impression of him.
Fu nodded, not bothering to remind the Emperor that letting Gu Rouqian become the official Prefect after serving as Acting Prefect was already considered a reward.
In any case, since His Majesty said so, they could not oppose him.
Moreover, with Gu Rouqian there, it would further demonstrate that the imperial court rewards and punishes fairly.
Zhu Ci felt that today's official business was mostly handled. He looked up and was just about to tell Fu to return and rest when he saw the Grand Secretary pull a piece of paper from his sleeve and say, "Your Majesty, the topic for the Palace Examination has been drafted. Please take a look."
Zhu Ci took a glance; the topic for the Palace Examination was a single sentence from the *Analects*: "If they are already prosperous, what more can be done to them?" "Make them even wealthier," the answer went.
It seems the Grand Secretariat has already begun working on policies concerning the people's livelihood.
But this was only natural; as the front lines advanced and the rear gradually stabilized, it was inevitable that they would need to recuperate and rest to support the continuous wars to come.
After all, the war against the Tartars was not something that could be accomplished overnight; if luck was poor, it might continue for several more years.
Zhu Ci nodded. "Fine, let it be so."
Fu Weiwei lowered her head and said very respectfully, "Then please, Your Majesty, write a policy essay first."
Zhu Ci??
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Wait a minute.. didn't I graduate? *A cat holding an exam paper with a look of confusion. jpg*
Next update at 6:00 PM~