My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 104 Where's My Punch!?

There are many ways to become an official in Da Qi.

The best path to becoming an official through military examination is to become a noble official of the Imperial College, which is at the top of the contempt chain in officialdom. Li Bailong took this path and was already the top scorer in a province.

Slightly inferior is the promotion based on military merit - a brave warrior on the battlefield, a man who has made contributions to the country, a great man. This path is also recognized and praised by public opinion. Feng Guozhong is one of them.

Those who are a little worse off can graduate from schools like the Imperial College and be appointed as officials after internship. Furthermore, senior officials who are successful in the civil service examination can also have the opportunity to transfer to the mainstream after some time.

In addition to these regular channels, there is also a special system called "Zhengpi".

Conscription is an ancient system, which was abolished a hundred years after the founding of the People's Republic of China and after the centralization of power was perfected. The imperial court stipulated that the appointment of officials above the ninth rank should come from the Ministry of Personnel, but powerful provincial governors and court giants still enjoyed a certain degree of privilege and could summon celebrities and select themselves as officials, which was called appointment.

Even high-ranking officials and famous ministers are like this, let alone the king.

When a king directly appoints a famous scholar as an official, it is called "Zheng". The person who summoned Li Bailong to be an official was not the current emperor, but he was a minister of state and the head of the royal family. He was ranked among the kings, equivalent to the leaders of the six major sects, only below the Emperor of Qi. Therefore, King Zhao's appointment can also be called "Zheng".

When the king recruited Li Bailong, his identity became "Zhengjun" and his status was respected.

After all, there are hundreds of military and fellow Jinshi in each session, but the king summons them very frequently, and things are precious because they are rare.

Especially King Zhao, as everyone in the world knew, his previous king had left him out twice, and he only agreed the third time.

It was also that Zheng Jun who was ordered to help King Zhao plan internal and external affairs, overcome difficulties and achieve success in times of crisis when the previous emperor passed away, Bac Ninh invaded the border, the kings fought each other, and the six major factions were unstable. He finally protected the young master's position, suppressed the kings, and expelled Bac Ninh. After the situation stabilized, he happily returned to his hometown to farm.

My younger brother back home worked diligently in the fields, and the fields were not left barren, the chickens and ducks were not afraid, the dogs and cows wagged their tails to greet me, and the half-grown children recognized me when they saw me, and laughed and called out to me, "Sir, come back home!" It was only a few years of hardships.

Since then, King Zhao had not recruited any talented people for a long time.

until today.

"It is a ladder to heaven, but it is also placed on fire."

Li Bailong sat on a rickshaw, letting the other party pull him steadily and briskly. The driver was strong and had obviously practiced martial arts. He had a good figure, but he had to use such strength.

This rickshaw uses huge iron-bound wooden wheels, which are far less shock-resistant than rubber tires. However, Huazhou is wealthy, and the city's streets and alleys are paved with cement. In addition, the rickshaw driver is experienced in martial arts, so there are not many bumps when running. Even if there are some potholes in the road, the driver will forcibly lift the vehicle to avoid them. The stability of the ride is no less than that of a horse-drawn carriage.

The secret of cement was discovered by the Cao Gang decades ago.

The Da Qi city road construction project promoted by the Ministry of Industry more than a decade ago was the result of lobbying by the Cao Gang, which made several of the top three sects affiliated with the Cao Gang earn a fortune.

——The Caobang make their living by transportation, and they are most enthusiastic about building roads in the world.

Li Bailong silently looked at the scenery along the way. Huazhou was much more prosperous than Linxian. There were many signs along the street, and the variety of store signs was not inferior to that of later generations. There were many categories of stores, including restaurants, cloth shops, pawnshops, snack shops, dried seafood... He liked to see these with a strange yet familiar freshness.

Among the many shops, you can see a familiar bookstore. There are huge signboards with various words written on them, which should be promotions. The top one reads "The new volume of Legend of Lang Huan is on sale. Miss Lang and the young master have begun to fall in love, and the vicious concubine becomes jealous and comes up with a vicious plan."

Damn, female content is good.

If Boss Chen dared to promote the royal book outside the bookstore, he would be charged with a crime against public morals in no time.

There were even newsboys hawking their wares on the streets, shouting out what to read in the newspapers.

First there were some interesting stories from the time, then some anecdotes from the court, and gossip from Beining.

These were routine basic operations, but soon...

"I hate that Madam Jinchai and Nun Puxiang are starting another verbal war! I call the latter a man-loving slut!"

"Shocked! This literary heroine exposed plagiarism, and the person accused was actually her!"

"This month's popularity list is out, check out where your favorite book ranks!"

Li Bailong felt dazed as if in a dream.

very scary!
They actually put people in the newspaper to quarrel with each other and to criticize their colleagues!
If Chen Baitang and his friends come here, will they be beaten directly by their female counterparts in Jimei?

Will "Legend of Imperial War" win?

Will Long Batian be hung up and cyber-bullied?

I don’t want that kind of thing!

Seeing the flourishing atmosphere of the Huazhou women's channel, Li Bailong felt horrified.

If there is a guy like Long Aotian who can absorb these female power...

Shit, that's horrible!

Long Aotian is just a bitch who feeds on the power of the cool and domineering Aotian. Who knows what kind of demon lord is the one who can eat these!
Li Bailong shuddered, but the driver was unaware and kept pulling him along at a trot. Aozi in his mind also realized how serious this was and kept saying, "What should I do? What should I do? Although I haven't read those female-oriented novels, I feel like you're going to be beaten to death!"

"fart!"

Li Bailong said angrily: "I am still the referee! What can these lousy coders use to fight me! Once I get the power of the Tongwen Bureau, everything will be fine!"

"You lose when you try to use an off-the-board trick!"

Long Aotian actually ignited a sense of confrontation: "Female-oriented books are so popular, it's simply against the Tian Gang, it's so unreasonable! You have to use our Aotian refreshing novels to beat them upright, so as to show who is the righteous one! Can these mere natives of the alien world, a bunch of women, be better than you who came from Earth!"

Just as Li Bailong was about to answer, he suddenly heard the rickshaw driver humming a tune.

The singing voice is lingering and low, with a hint of sadness.

It tells the story of a rich young lady whose family fell into poverty and encountered drastic changes. She was as loyal and brave as an orchid. She stood up among a group of weak women, protected her mother, aunt, grandmother and younger sister, held up the doorpost instead of the displaced men, and sheltered her family from wind and rain.

She sacrificed a lot for this, forced herself to be strong, and paid a heavy price.

She parted ways with her childhood sweetheart, with whom she had been engaged, and the maid who had been like a sister to her since childhood died in her arms. She became cruel and ruthless in the treacherous business wars, and her heart, which was once as bright as an orchid, slowly succumbed to the darkness that she had to endure.

The conflict of ideas broke the heart of the young censor who had always admired and helped her, and he decided to leave. The silent boy who had always been serious and had been grateful to her for feeding him and saving his life when he was a child, struggled to close the iron gate to cover her escape in a failed conspiracy, trapping himself and the enemy behind the door, leaving her with only a brilliant smile she had never seen before... She only saw the scarlet gun tips piercing the gate.

In her life, she met many people who were good to her, but eventually missed them one by one. She also had people she loved, but they eventually left her. She never married, and the family she protected all her life feared her more than they were grateful to her, and respected her more than they were close to her.

That day she lay on a lounge chair among flowers, watching her grandchildren chasing and playing with a smile. She was old and virtuous, and her former wisdom and charm had now turned into awe and legend of the world. Looking back on her life, she no longer knew whether her unregretful determination in her youth was worth it.

She just smiled slowly as the children played, recalling the figures of old friends in her mind, those handsome young men, like orchids, pines and cypresses, and bamboos. Her life was like stars across the sky, intersecting with them and shining in the night sky, but she missed them forever.

What a shame.

She slowly closed her eyes and felt her soul gradually flying up to the clouds.

When she opened her eyes again, she found her mother in a panic, her sister crying, and her grandmother pursing her lips and trying to stay calm with the help of a cane... She had actually returned to the day when her family fell into poverty.

"..."

Li Bailong's hair stood on end when he heard this: "...What are you singing?"

"Ah? Did I bother you, sir?" The driver was a little flustered. After being comforted, he smiled embarrassedly and said, "It's a book I read recently. I had only heard Li Xiaoyu from afar... Oh, it was sung by an Oiran. The sound lingered in my ears and I couldn't forget it. I bought the libretto and studied it carefully. Then I went to watch the opera. Later, I bought the book to read..."

He introduced the book like a treasure: "The book is called "A Thousand Sails", and the ending is the end of the first part. When the author said in the postscript that he was going to write the second part, the whole Huazhou city went crazy..."

"..."

Li Bailong remained silent.

The driver said carefully as he drove: "Don't you like to hear it, my guest?"

"It's okay, it's okay." Long Batian, a writer for the vulgar male channel, forced a smile, "It's quite interesting." "That's right, this book is well-known in Huazhou. It is the best masterpiece in the past two years. It's unparalleled. It was only this year that the sudden rise of "Langhuan Zhuan" stole some of its limelight..."

...Are there any fucking experts out there?

Li Bailong heard Wen Gong wavering, and Long Aotian also shut his mouth.

After a while, he whispered, "Brother, please go faster and I will give you more money."

"Okay, please sit down, guests. This is the Tongwen Bureau, right? We'll be there soon!"

——As expected, it’s better to use a heavy punch!
Li Bailong was sent to the administrative district with mixed feelings. The driver sat down steadily and said, "Sir, we can only send you here. Look, that's the Tongwen Bureau's office."

When Li Bailong looked up, he was surprised.

He had previously heard his uncle talk about the embarrassing situation of the Education Bureau and had prepared himself mentally, thinking that the Tongwen Bureau had become a deserted, dilapidated, and neglected place.

Unexpectedly, the facade was so grand and imposing that it was not inferior to the prefectural yamen not far away. With people coming in and out, it did not look deserted at all, and there was even a faint sound of unbridled laughter coming from inside.

He took out the money and asked in confusion, "Is this really the Tongwen Bureau?"

"Yes," the driver replied simply, "Look at this plaque, it is definitely this place."

"Oh, I'm so tired."

"No, no, thank you for the reward, sir."

The emperor's uncle's letter of appointment stated that he would take office on June 1st, which was still a few days away from the official transfer of power. However, the head of the Tongwen Bureau should have received the news and sealed it for the successor.

Li Bailong thought about it and listened carefully. There was a lot of noise in the Tongwen Bureau, which was fine, but there was also the sound of stringed instruments and soft music, which obviously seemed to be amiss.

After thinking for a while, he slowly walked towards the gate of Tongwen Bureau. The guard at the gate stopped him and asked, "What can I do for you?"

Li Bailong did not want to publicize his identity, so he took out his military certificate iron plate, pinched his name on it, and waved it in front of the other party. He updated his identity information before coming to Huazhou.

Considering his age, the fifth-grade cultivation certification made the officer's pupils tremble.

There is no need for a visiting card, this is the best proof.

"I want to see Mr. Xu, the governor of the Tongwen Bureau. Please pass the message on to him." Li Bailong handed over a piece of silver and said calmly, "Please tell Mr. Xu that an old friend from the capital is here to visit."

"Yes Yes Yes."

The doorman didn't dare to take the money and hurriedly ran in. After a while, a round-faced official with three long tufts of beard and a wealthy and festive look ran out from the corner door and shook Li Bailong's hand directly: "Ah! It's my dear brother! This is not the place to talk, come with me!"

He took Li Bailong's hand and pulled him to the corner gate.

Li Bailong pointed at the main gate, but the other party had a sad and pleading look on his face. Seeing this, the next Director Li frowned and followed him in through the corner gate, along a corridor that led directly to the back yamen.

The head of the Tongwen Bureau, Lord Xu, invited Li Bailong into the back hall, closed the door, and immediately showed tears of gratitude, and even knelt down and said: "I have been waiting for Lord Li to come!"

"..."

Li Bailong was startled and hurriedly helped him up: "What are you talking about, old senior! You are the current governor of the Tongwen Bureau, and I am here to take over. How can there be a relationship between a subordinate and a lord!"

Lord Xu hugged his arm, tears welling up in his eyes, "It is indeed your Lordship. That's right, I have been blessed by the Emperor's uncle and have been allowed to be promoted to the position of Tongpan of Xiangning Prefecture. It is all thanks to Lord Li who stepped forward!"

Li Bailong was a little confused when he heard this.

"Wait..." he said, "Isn't Tongpan a sixth-rank official?"

"correct."

"...Isn't the governor of the Tongwen Bureau a fourth-rank official?"

"Yes."

“Is this called Sheng?”

"That's right!" Lord Xu burst into tears. "I don't have such a deep connection as Lord Li! I thought being transferred here was like arriving at the gate of hell. After completing this term, the best outcome would be to be dismissed from office and demoted to a commoner. I didn't expect that I could actually become a sixth-rank judge! Isn't this a promotion!?"

"..."

Is it so scary?
Lord Xu cried and wiped his tears, looking pitiful: "I am incompetent! I have failed the trust of the court! The work of the Tongwen Bureau in Huazhou has ended up like this..."

Li Bailong saw that he was speaking sincerely and his body was trembling, and he was obviously worried. But this time, in order to make way for Li Bailong, he managed to escape and get ashore. It can be said that he had escaped from death and was still frightened.

Seeing the old senior like this, he also comforted him with a few words: "Senior, don't worry. Since the emperor's uncle allowed you to be sent out, it means that he doesn't blame you too much..."

This is understandable. After all, the officials in the court are confused about things on the literary and artistic front.

Moreover, Huazhou is a terrifying place where female-oriented stories are rampant. People don't even like to watch male-oriented stories, and they all run to read female-oriented stories. How can the court collect even a single bit of their will?

From this perspective, all the successive governors of the Huazhou Tongwen Bureau were quite pitiful. No matter how much they focused on cultural creation, they were just paving the way for the female frequency... How could they not be reprimanded or even punished by the court?

Fortunately, I am here!

When I launch the attack, my uncle will definitely be pleased!
"Now that things have come to this, you can move on to your future."

Li Bailong consoled him, "According to the order of the Emperor's uncle, I will take over on June 1st. In the next few days, you can take over the affairs, deal with the aftermath, and introduce me to my colleagues."

"In addition, the account books and personnel situations must also be clear. If the seniors have useful subordinates or capable men, they can be recommended."

Lord Xu nodded one by one and whispered, "When I received the order, I had already started to prepare. The accounts are clear and there are no bad debts. It's just that in terms of personnel, I am incompetent and there is filth in the bureau..."

Li Bailong was well prepared for this.

They were just insects, and all were sent to Xibingku for training.

Personnel and financial power are the foundation of the director's power and must be absolutely held in his hands. This is what is meant by the title, but for Director Li, this is not the most important thing.

"According to the laws of the imperial court, the Tongwen Bureau has great powers and responsibilities. It controls the cultural and educational affairs of a prefecture, coordinates and reviews the activities of the local opera troupes and brothels, and supervises the publishing of books and periodicals... How are these powers usually used, deployed, operated, executed, and guaranteed? I would like to ask the seniors to enlighten me and explain them clearly to me."

This is great power! This is a heavy punch!
Personnel and financial power are important, but the principles are the same and it is not difficult to master these two powers.

However, the powers of the Education Department were special, and Li Bailong did not understand how this special power operated and was implemented within the political rules of the dynasty, and it was difficult for the emperor's uncle to explain it to him clearly.

Only front-line officials know best.

Hearing this, Lord Xu trembled and looked aggrieved and sad.

Li Bailong suddenly had a bad feeling.

“…Where does this power come from?”

Lord Xu smiled bitterly: "It's almost been divided up by other government offices!"

"..."

You dog official! What are you talking about?

Fuck, I was having a writer's block...but at least I managed to write 8,000 words...

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(End of this chapter)