You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 148 When the water is clear, there will be no fish
With the emperor's decree issued, a climate of extreme anxiety and fear gripped the court and the public.

The officials were all doing their best to clean up their own past, fearing that the Eastern Depot would find out about them.

However, these officials did not know that no matter how much they cleaned up their past, if the Eastern Depot wanted to investigate, none of them could escape its methods.

The Ministry of Revenue's Office.

Cao Zhengchun led the Imperial Guards into the Ministry of Revenue's residence, arrested everyone there, and ransacked the entire Ministry of Revenue.

"Reporting to the Grand Eunuch, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue have all been arrested."

"However, Fan Shaohe, who entered the Minister of Revenue's residence last night, was not among them."

A guard from the factory came over and reported to Cao Zhengchun.

Uh?
Ran?

Cao Zhengchun raised an eyebrow.

Last night, Cao Zhengchun discovered that the stranger who entered the Ministry of Revenue's residence was Fan Shaohe, the young master of the Fan family in Jiexiu.

Fan Shaohe is not among those who have been arrested.

Needless to say, Fan Shaohe has probably run away.

"Send out the imperial guards to investigate and find him. We can't let him escape."

Cao Zhengchun said in a feminine tone.

It takes some skill to escape from the factory guards' surveillance.

However, the monk may run away, but the temple cannot.

Escaping Luoyang City will not be so easy.

Besides, even the Fan family of Jiexiu is about to be wiped out, so where can Young Master Fan and a young master of the Fan family run to?

"Yes, Master Chang."

……

Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager also learned of what had happened in the court.

The Empress Dowager looked at Prince Zhou Zhi of Shu, who had come to pay his respects early in the morning; "Zhi'er, you saw it, didn't you!"

"That's why I gave you such serious advice yesterday. Things in the court are unpredictable."

"None of those ministers were easy to deal with."

"How dare they curse His Majesty in the imperial court and even attempt to assassinate him."

"That's incredibly audacious."

"Zhi'er, while you're back, remember what I told you yesterday, so you don't get involved in anything."

The Empress Dowager looked at Zhou Zhi and gave him another reminder.

Zhou Zhi smiled and nodded; "Your Majesty, rest assured, I know what is important and will not get involved in matters of the court."

Zhou Zhi appeared calm on the surface, but inside he was already anxious and restless.

Zhou Zhi never expected that less than a day after his return, Fan Yongdou, the Minister of Revenue, would run into trouble, and the Fan family of Jiexiu would be exterminated by imperial decree.

This is going to be a bit troublesome.

You should know that he has already made a secret plot with the three major families.

If Minister of Revenue Fan Yongdou were to expose this matter, even the Prince of Shu would be in deep trouble.

With a restless heart, Zhou Zhi chatted with the Empress Dowager for a few more minutes before getting up and leaving Cining Palace.

After leaving the palace, King Zhou Zhi of Shu walked towards the Shu Prince's Mansion with a solemn expression.

On the way, when he saw the Imperial Guards arresting some officials, a look of worry flashed across Zhou Zhi's face.

No sooner had he returned to Luoyang than the Minister of Revenue, Fan Yongdou, and the Fan family of Jiexiu were ordered by his elder brother, the Emperor, to have their property confiscated and their clans exterminated.

This made Zhou Zhi worry whether his imperial brother had discovered their plans.
Although it is said that Minister of Revenue Fan Yongdou was removed from office due to corruption, the Fan family of Jiexiu was also exterminated by imperial decree because the Minister of Revenue attempted to assassinate the emperor in court.

All of this seems perfectly reasonable, and there seems to be no problem.

But Zhou Zhi always felt that this matter was not so simple.

It's impossible that just after he made his plans with the three great families and returned to Luoyang, Fan Yongdou and the Fan family of Jiexiu were ordered to be executed by his elder brother, the emperor.

This seems too much of a coincidence.

With heavy thoughts in his mind, Zhou Zhi returned to the Shu King's Mansion.

Sitting in the study.

After pondering for half an hour, Zhou Zhi summoned his steward, Sande.

"San De, go and contact them immediately, be careful of the Imperial Guards."

"At the same time, immediately send someone to tell Ji Wusheng about the changes in the Fan family. Ji Wusheng knows what to do."

Zhou Zhi looked at San De with a serious expression and said.

The matter involving Fan Yongdou and the Fan family caught Zhou Zhi completely off guard.

Zhou Zhi had no choice but to immediately contact the other two companies to see how to deal with the situation.

One wrong move and you could lose everything.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

San De dared not delay, nodded, and immediately left the study.

……

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

After Zhou Chen returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation from court, his face was gloomy.

Fan Yongdou's actions in the court just now greatly exceeded Zhou Chen's expectations.

Zhou Chen never expected that Fan Yongdou would dare to curse him as a tyrant in court and even try to assassinate him. He was really courting death.

What made Zhou Chen most gloomy was that Fan Yongdou's outburst had completely disrupted Zhou Chen's plans.

Zhou Chen originally intended to use the pretext of investigating the Ministry of Revenue to gradually purge the officials in the court before taking action against the three great families.

But now, after Fan Yongdou's outburst in the court, Zhou Chen had no choice but to issue an edict to exterminate the Fan family of Jiexiu.

If Zhou Chen could tolerate Fan Yongdou's treasonous behavior in court and not punish his entire clan, then Zhou Chen would not be the emperor of the Great Zhou.
"Plans really do always go awry."

Zhou Chen sighed inwardly.

Now Zhou Chen has issued an order to exterminate the Fan family of Jiexiu, based on the power of the Fan family of Jiexiu.

Zhou Chen knew that the Fan family would receive this news soon.

It won't be so easy for the imperial court to deal with the Fan family in the same way it dealt with the Cui family of Boling.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Rites requests an audience."

At this moment, a palace eunuch entered and reported.

"Let him in."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The eunuch and guards turned and left.

In a short while, Du Ruhui entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your subject, Du Ruhui, greets Your Majesty." After entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Du Ruhui respectfully bowed to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen looked up at Du Ruhui who had walked in and said, "Keming, there's no need for such formalities."

"What brings Kemin to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to see me?" Zhou Chen asked.

"Your Majesty, this is the list of officials I have compiled overnight that can be retained."

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Du Ruhui took out a list and handed it to Zhou Chen.

"Oh!"

"How can it be so fast!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Chen's eyes.

Last night, Zhou Chen summoned Du Ruhui and Liu Ye to discuss these matters, and Du Ruhui compiled the relevant information this morning.

It's clear that Du Ruhui probably didn't sleep all night.

No wonder Du Ruhui died of illness in history. With that kind of efficiency in handling political affairs all night long, it would have been difficult for him not to die of illness.

Zhou Chen thought to himself, took the list, opened it, and started reading.

This was a suggestion that Du Ruhui and Liu Ye gave Zhou Chen when he summoned them last night.

That is, the three powerful families have a considerable number of officials in the court. If they were all purged, not to mention the upheaval it would cause, it would be a problem whether these positions could be filled in a short period of time.

Therefore, Du Ruhui and Liu Ye suggested that these officials be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Use what can be used, keep what can be kept, and clean up what needs to be cleaned up.

You can't just cut them all off with one stroke.

That's not the way to solve the problem.

Zhou Chen did not object to Du Ruhui and Liu Ye's suggestion.

Zhou Chen knew that there weren't that many honest and upright officials in the world, nor was there such a clear distinction between right and wrong; there was always more benefit than harm.

As long as these officials are capable and can be used by Emperor Zhou Chen, then even if they embezzle some silver or do some shady things, Zhou Chen can tolerate them.

As an emperor, one must be tolerant to achieve great things.

If the water is clear, there will be no fish.

Zhou Chen understood this principle.

Of course, if they cannot be used by Emperor Zhou Chen, then no matter how capable they are, there is only one outcome.

After reading the list presented by Du Ruhui, Zhou Chen pondered for a moment, then picked up a pen and crossed out several names on the list.

Then, Zhou Chen returned the list to Du Ruhui; "Keming, I know you are an honest and upright official who looks down on those corrupt people."

"But, if the water is too clear, there will be no fish. You should understand that."

“Every official has his strengths. As long as he can be of use to me and bring more benefits than harm to the Great Zhou, then he is the kind of official that my Great Zhou needs.”

"On the contrary, if he cannot be used by me, it will do more harm than good to the Great Zhou. No matter how talented he is, he will be nothing more than a useless person to me and the Great Zhou."

After returning the list to Du Ruhui, Zhou Chen said to Du Ruhui.

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui's eyes flickered, and he immediately understood Zhou Chen's meaning; "Your Majesty's words, I will keep in mind."

"After I return, I will immediately reorganize the list of these officials."

Du Ruhui bowed and said.

Zhou Chen nodded.

He could understand the thoughts of loyal ministers like Du Ruhui.

Loyal ministers like Du Ruhui wished they could eliminate all the treacherous and corrupt officials and replace the entire court with honest and upright ministers like themselves.

But is this possible?
The most important thing in the imperial court is balance.

It cannot be all white, nor can it be all black.

The key to longevity lies in achieving a balance between Yin and Yang.

If everything is the same color, it represents a conflict between imperial power and the power of the subjects.

"Kemin, in this cleanup of the Ministry of Revenue, you have the heaviest burden on your shoulders."

"Ziyang and his team are only responsible for investigating and arresting people, while you are responsible for filling the vacancies left by these removed officials in a timely manner."

“If you cannot fill these vacancies in time, it will have a significant impact and may even paralyze the central government.”

"Therefore, filling these vacant official positions is of paramount importance. You must not allow too many vacant positions in the court."

"Otherwise, the impact would be significant."

Zhou Chen looked at Du Ruhui with a serious expression and said.

Liu Ye was in charge of investigating the Ministry of Revenue, while Du Ruhui was responsible for selecting officials to fill the vacancies left by those who had been removed from their posts.

It can be said that Du Ruhui's selection of officials was no less important than Liu Ye's investigation of the Ministry of Revenue.

If Du Ruhui cannot fill the vacant official positions in time, many government affairs will be delayed.

That would definitely cause considerable turmoil.

Upon hearing this, Du Ruhui immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand."

"Your Majesty, I have another matter to report."

"The lists of officials recommended by various localities have recently been sent to the Ministry of Personnel."

"Minister Fang is currently in one of the four northern prefectures, so the examinations for recommending officials in these various regions have not yet been finalized."

"Your Majesty, please select an examiner to conduct the examinations for these recommended officials."

Du Ruhui bowed again and said.

Is it for scientific research?

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment.

Zhou Chen knew that the selection of officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty was based on the recommendation system.

It takes place once a year, always at the end of the year.

Local officials would recommend talented and respected individuals to the Ministry of Personnel.

Then, the imperial court will conduct a final examination for all those who have made the recommendations.

This is the main reason why almost 80% of the officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty came from or had close ties with powerful and influential families.

For ordinary students from poor families or those who are just average, it is very difficult to enter officialdom without the recommendation of local officials.

Even if someone has genuine talent and learning, they still need the recommendation and approval of local officials.

Otherwise, let alone entering officialdom and embarking on a career in government, they wouldn't even be qualified to participate in the final imperial examination.

Meanwhile, scions of powerful and wealthy families could easily gain recommendations from local officials.

Once local officials recommend and recommend candidates, the final imperial examination becomes essentially just a formality.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, as long as one received a recommendation, one was basically considered to have entered the officialdom.

Zhou Chen frowned slightly as he thought about the recommendation system used by the imperial court to select officials.

In Zhou Chen's view, the selection of officials by the Great Zhou Dynasty had too many drawbacks.

Leaving aside the question of how many truly talented people were actually recommended by local authorities, the very act of recommending individuals caused the court to miss out on many truly capable people.

And this final scientific examination was originally intended to be the last check on those recommended by local officials.

But now it has become just a formality.

These are all problems.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Chen looked up at Du Ruhui and said, "Keming, the system of recommending officials in the Great Zhou Dynasty has too many drawbacks."

"Now, the imperial court is in dire need of talent."

"I intend to remove the recommendation and examination threshold for this imperial examination, allowing all talented people in the country to participate. I will not consider family background or social status, but only their true abilities and knowledge. You will be the chief examiner and will be fully responsible for this matter."

"how do you feel?"

Zhou Chen looked at Du Ruhui.

Since the recommendation system had too many drawbacks, Zhou Chen naturally could no longer use it to select officials for the court.

However, completely abolishing the recommendation system is not something that can be done overnight.

This involves the interests of powerful and influential families across the country.

Therefore, Zhou Chen decided to lower this threshold for this scientific expedition to test the reaction of powerful families and see how things went.

"Your subject obeys the decree." Du Ruhui immediately understood Zhou Chen's meaning and bowed directly.

Although Zhou Chen's words seemed like a question, he had already made a decision.

Seeing that Du Ruhui had no objection, Zhou Chen nodded; "Then I'll leave this matter to you."

"I will issue an edict appointing the Eighth Prince and the Minister of War as deputy examiners."

"With their help, things will be much easier for you."

Zhou Chen looked at Du Ruhui and said.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Du Ruhui responded and then left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

(End of this chapter)