The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 401 The person who came up with such a despicable idea is truly not a human being.

Most people treated the notice issued by the Zhengbenqingyuan Division as a piece of waste paper!
I wouldn't even want to use it to wipe my butt; it's too hard. It lets in drafts when used to plaster windows. It's utterly useless!
What does this have to do with me!

Anyway, my name isn't written on it!
I'm not going to work, what can the Bureau of Investigation and Rectification do to me? I'm asking you, am I a crab or not!
However, those seventy-odd people who were "on the list" were feeling quite uneasy.

After all, anyone with a brain can see that the Zhengben Qingyuan Division is here specifically for this "mass absenteeism".

Now that their names have been publicly displayed, if they continue to resist and refuse to serve their duties, will they be invited for a chat by the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics? Perhaps the tea will be extremely hot to the touch?

This is very likely!

But if I back down and go on duty, what will my fellow members who aren't going on duty think of me?
Wouldn't that make me a traitor?

Chu Qiujian took a swig of wine, and the spiciness made him stick out his tongue.

This isn't wine; it's more like drinking to drown your sorrows only makes them worse!
Despite drinking a lot of alcohol, Chu Qiujian felt no signs of intoxication. He staggered home.

His companions were still urging him to rush to the next event, but he had lost all interest.

"Brother Chu, are you going to work tomorrow or not?"

"Screw that! Since we've chosen to fight head-on, we'll fight to the bitter end, even if it means kneeling!" Chu Qiujian said with a strong voice, but his heart was pounding.

He knew that he was now the "vanguard of the strike," and if he softened even slightly, his image would collapse, and he would be disliked by both sides.

Upon hearing Chu Qiujian's words, his companion chuckled and flattered him, saying, "Brother Chu, don't worry, the imperial court can't remain inactive forever!"

"Let's persevere a little longer, victory is just around the corner! When that time comes, Brother Chu will surely rise through the ranks and achieve great success!"

Chu Qiujian responded with a fist and palm salute, his face radiating righteousness:
"I hadn't thought that much about it. The reason I participated in this operation was because of my passion."

"This world cannot be allowed to be messed up!"

Although he spoke with great enthusiasm, once he got home, he felt like he had swallowed twenty-five little mice—his heart was itching with anxiety.

Others can say it so easily because it wasn't reported in the official gazette.

But I was honored to be on the list!
It feels like winning a "buy one get one free" prize, but the bottle contains arsenic.

What will the Bureau of Justice do to me?
Will they make things difficult for me? Will they send me to the frontier to count stars? Chu Qiujian tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well.

However, Chu Qiujian still did not go to work the next day.

On the one hand, it's because they've already made a big promise, so they can't go back on their word, can they?
On the other hand, several "friends from the same age" came to visit him.

These people claimed they came to "discuss academic matters" with him.

But Chu Qiujian knew all too well that they were watching him closely, just by looking at their eyes. They were afraid he would sneak off to work.

He sneered inwardly, "Do you think I'm that kind of person? I say I'm not going, and I mean it!"

However, on the surface, they still greeted him with great enthusiasm: "Come, come, let's drink, let's drink until we're completely drunk!"

The group was drinking themselves into a stupor, but Chu Qiujian was distracted, glancing towards the door every now and then—

Why hasn't the official gazette from the Zhengben Qingyuan Division arrived yet today?
The more anxious he became, the more the official gazette seemed like a woman with bound feet, always arriving late!

Finally, someone rushed in carrying a government gazette:
"The Bureau of Rectification and Purification has issued a new announcement!"

Normally, Chu Qiujian would pretend to be modest, but this time he didn't care about manners and snatched it away.

The official gazette begins with a bunch of nonsense about inspections, and ends with a blacklist of those who don't comply with the regulations.

The name Chu Qiujian was prominently listed!
Chu Qiujian was stunned for a moment, then looked up at his classmates and found that they were also nervously searching for his name.

Some people were visibly relieved that they hadn't been found.

What's there to be so relieved about!
Shouldn't you be disappointed that you didn't make the list? You have absolutely no sense of collective honor!
Chu Qiujian muttered to himself as he carefully checked the list.

A total of 84 people made the list this time.

Of these, 53 people are required to submit written self-criticisms!

In other words, this is the second time these 53 people have been found to have failed to report for duty.

Of those who were first reported, more than twenty have not reappeared.

"How is this going?"

Where did those twenty-odd people go?

"Could it be... that they secretly went to their posts? Those traitors!"

Just as he was lost in thought, a classmate suddenly said, "Huh? Why isn't Brother Ji Li's name mentioned?"

"He didn't work yesterday and was reported, so he didn't go today either!"

Chu Qiu immediately pressed, "Are you sure he wasn't on duty?"

Upon hearing this question, the student hesitated for a moment and said, "Uh... I'm not sure about that, but I saw him at his house today."

He said he wouldn't be going to work today.

Chu Qiujian snorted coldly and said quietly, "You can't see into someone's heart. Who knows what's going on? Maybe they just went to check in secretly and then came back secretly."

Just as everyone was talking at once, the person who brought the official gazette dropped another bombshell: "Gentlemen, I heard that the Ministry of Personnel issued a new official document today."

"We're preparing to implement the 'Pillars of the Nation Cultivation Program.' The plan is to send promising young people, whom the court believes have the potential to become pillars of the nation, to various prefectures and counties...to gain experience!"

"After you go there, you will serve as an assistant officer for three years. If the evaluation is good, you will be further trained."

"I've heard many people say that this is a path that could lead to great success and even a position as prime minister!"

Everyone present had their eyes light up—who wouldn't want to one day ride the spring breeze and gallop swiftly on horseback, seeing all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day?

But then someone decided to spoil the mood and said in a chilling tone, "Don't get too excited! This might not necessarily be a good thing."

"For those with connections or those favored by high-ranking officials, it's about nurturing and gilding their resumes. By 'getting down to earth,' they 'strengthen their confidence.' After all, seedlings need to be nurtured to grow strong!"

"However, for those who are disliked by the powerful figures in the court, this is clearly a disguised form of exile."

"They'll just throw you into some remote, impoverished area as a junior official, basically making you the deputy to those county magistrates. You won't be able to do anything right, and you might even have to put up with their mistreatment."

"If they don't let us come back in three years, then we'll be in real trouble!"

The crowd, who had just been daydreaming, instantly changed their expressions, and someone wailed:
This program to cultivate pillars of the nation is truly killing two birds with one stone!

It can cultivate its own people and also silently get rid of those it dislikes.

However, this throwing out was not "exile," but rather euphemistically called "re-employment"!

"To come up with such a despicable idea, the Ministry of Personnel is truly inhuman and utterly depraved!" Chu Qiujian couldn't help but curse.

He had a bad feeling: he had been on the list twice in a row, and he might be included in the national pillar training program and become a pillar of the nation!

Thinking of the consequences, he couldn't help but think of his more than twenty nameless companions.

Why don't they have names?
Did they already hear the news and secretly go to their posts?

What happened to the promise to fight to the end? Chu Qiujian felt a little uneasy.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Xingshi was saying to a young man in his thirties, "Brother Chengwang, we've known each other for many years, how could you..."

Brother Chengwang looked completely innocent and said, "Brother Shen, I stayed at home all day and really didn't go to work."

"My family can vouch for me!"

Shen Xingshi said with some doubt, "Brother Chengwang, how could I not believe you?"

"But how could the list in this announcement be... like this?"

"I don't know either. Why don't you... ask Zhen Yan?"

That was clearly a bit impolite.

Shen Xingshi's face darkened. Zhen Yan and I are mortal enemies. How can I ask that?
While Shen Xingshi and the others were having a headache, Shen Ye was looking at the list sent by Zhen Yan in Yuqing Palace.

He smiled and said, "Lord Zhen, after tomorrow's inspection, we'll remove a dozen or so of the people who were reported on the first day. When it comes to demotion, we'll only need to punish twenty or thirty people."

"As for dismissal, let's proceed at the same pace."

Zhen Yan naturally dared not object to Shen Ye's arrangement. He agreed first, and then asked with a puzzled look, "Your Highness, none of these people are on duty."

"Why don't we deal with them together? Wouldn't it be more satisfying to make an example of them?"

Shen Ye shook his head and said with a smile, "Zhen Yan, you don't understand! People aren't afraid of being poor, they're afraid of unfairness!"

"We were all on duty the same way, so why am I the only one being punished while everyone else is getting away with it?"

"When these people find that others can skip their shifts without any problems, but they are criticized time and time again, they will feel unbalanced and their will to resist will waver."

"Those who are supposed to be on duty will secretly go and do it."

"You need to keep a good grasp of the rhythm of this official gazette. Just treat it like a storyteller's gavel—every day there are new characters entering the stage and old ones leaving the stage!"

"As for those who repeatedly fail to correct their ways, there's no need to be polite. Bind their names and the four official gazettes together, attach a memorial, and send it to the Southern Study. They will be dismissed immediately."

"People who disregard the imperial court for their own petty gains are better off not being used. Why keep them around to make dumplings for the New Year?"

Zhen Yan felt a chill run down his spine. The Crown Prince wanted him to be a professional villain!
But he was now in a difficult position and could only bite the bullet and say:
"The minister obeys the order."

Shen Ye smiled and added, "By the way, write down all those who are making the biggest fuss, and those who are stirring up trouble behind the scenes without ever showing their faces."

"This time, we'll send them to a place where they can get proper training as part of the national pillars training program."

"The cultivation of pillars of the nation should take place in challenging environments."

"Remember to tell Zou Yunjin that he is not allowed to go to the water towns of Jiangnan or the prosperous Central Plains!"

"Send them all to those impoverished prefectures and counties, let them experience the hardships of ordinary people, and truly understand the difficulties faced by the imperial court."

As Zhen Yan agreed, she imagined the scene of these young officials being sent to remote and impoverished areas, and she was actually a little excited.

"What if...they don't go?"

Shen Ye's lips curled up, his smile so gentle it sent chills down one's spine: "Not going? That means you're unwilling to serve the imperial court!"

"Anyone who doesn't even have this basic awareness of being willing to go through fire and water for the imperial court shall be stripped of their official rank and never be employed again!"

　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone! I'm asking for recommendations and votes!
　　

(End of this chapter)