The First Criminal Judge of the Zhenguan Era

Chapter 135 The first recommendation of the new official: Cui Lin's shock, is it me?

Liu Shuyi was promoted on the spot by Li Shimin. His rank was directly changed from the sixth-rank Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice to the fifth-rank Director of the Ministry of Justice. The fifth rank was qualified to participate in the court assembly.

So even though Liu Shuyi had finished recounting the Ma Qingfeng family massacre and his mission was complete, Li Shimin did not let him leave the hall. In this way, in a special way that no one had ever done before, he arrived as a sixth-rank official and left as a fifth-rank official, participating in the entire court assembly for the first time in his life.

This experience was undeniably novel.

This was also an unprecedented experience for the other officials.

And so, the court assembly lasted for a full hour, finally ending after Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, and others argued back and forth, and Wei Zheng berated so many officials that they couldn't even lift their heads.

"Retreat—"

The eunuch's shrill voice pierced Liu Shuyi's ears, and he immediately bowed to the civil and military officials.

Only after Li Shimin got up and left did they straighten up.

"it is finally over."

Liu Shuyi hadn't slept all night, and after standing outside the palace for half an hour, he had stood here for more than an hour. He was now feeling dizzy.

Although his first experience attending court was somewhat novel, he couldn't withstand the physical and mental exhaustion.

Fortunately, the court session finally ended.

He let out a soft breath and was about to go find Du Ruhui when he felt the light around him suddenly dim.

Then I heard a constant stream of celebratory sounds.

"Congratulations, Dr. Liu!"

"His Majesty personally announced the promotion during the court assembly. This honor is unique to His Majesty since his ascension to the throne, which shows His Majesty's great affection for Physician Liu."

"In just one day, Physician Liu solved the case of Physician Ma's family massacre. Physician Liu's ability to solve cases has truly broadened my horizons."

"Does Physician Liu have any plans after he finishes his shift tonight? If not, I would like to host a banquet to celebrate Physician Liu's promotion."

The civil and military officials who would never have given Liu Shuyi a second glance in the past now surrounded him in layers, offering endless congratulations. Regardless of whether they truly cared for and congratulated Liu Shuyi, their expressions were as sincere as could be.

They all knew very well how terrifying Li Shimin was. Usually, Li Shimin appeared calm and collected, and no one could guess what he was thinking.

But today, when facing Liu Shuyi, Li Shimin changed his usual style and praised Liu Shuyi highly. He didn't even want to wait a moment longer and announced Liu Shuyi's promotion on the spot... You should know that Liu Shuyi was only promoted from the sixth rank to the fifth rank.

Even at the fifth rank, it was still the lowest official position among all the officials present.

Why would the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty be so eager to grant such an official position?
All these unusual events can only prove one thing... that is, Li Shimin values ​​and appreciates Liu Shuyi immensely! He is especially pleased that Liu Shuyi has cleared his name!

Under these circumstances, it is foreseeable that becoming a fifth-rank physician will not be Liu Shuyi's end point, but rather his starting point.

In the future, it is possible to achieve the fourth rank, or even the third rank.

Therefore, given Liu Shuyi's foreseeable future, how could they not try to befriend him before he fully rose to power? If they waited until Liu Shuyi was promoted to the fourth rank, they might not even have the right to curry favor with him anymore.

Therefore, these fifth-rank officials were eager to lay bare their hearts and let Liu Shuyi know how sincere they were, so as to quickly forge a good relationship with him.

Even some fourth-rank officials were somewhat tempted.

However, their rank and status made it difficult for them to compete with fifth-rank officials.

Only high-ranking officials like Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, who were of the third rank or above, could calmly watch this truly spectacular scene unfold as if it were a play.

Changsun Wuji exclaimed to Du Ruhui, "Truly, he remains silent until he makes a name for himself! From today onwards, the name of Physician Liu will surely sweep across the entire Tang Dynasty at an extremely rapid pace. Everyone will know that the Tang court has produced a new nobleman with outstanding abilities who is highly valued by His Majesty."

"When I heard that Minister Du had fallen out with Minister Pei over a minor official position, I was puzzled. I didn't understand why Minister Du would go to such lengths for such a minor official position. Now I understand."

Looking at Liu Shuyi, who was surrounded by numerous officials like a star being the moon, he said, "Minister Du has exceptional insight! He saw Liu's potential when he was at his lowest point and carefully nurtured him, and now he has finally reaped the rewards."

These words contained a sense of感慨 (gǎn kǎi, deep emotion), 羡羡 (xiàn xiàn, envy), and even a hint of 妒醋 (dù cùn, jealousy).

Now that they've reached their current positions, their perspective on things is completely different from that of other officials.

They had already reached the pinnacle of their positions and had no hope of rising any higher. Therefore, what they were thinking about now was how to maintain their current status, continue the family's glory, and ensure that their descendants would safeguard the family business.

They have reached their current position by offending countless people, and once they die, these enemies will surely seek revenge on their descendants.

Therefore, it is too difficult to rely solely on one's own cultivated successors to resist these open and covert attacks.

One wrong move and the family business you've painstakingly built could be destroyed in an instant.

Therefore, they not only need to cultivate successors, but also need to find allies that their family can trust and rely on.

But such alliances are not so easy to find.

They need to be trustworthy, have a future status that rivals theirs, and ideally be relatively young, so as not to die alongside these old guys.

This is no less difficult than finding a phoenix in a chicken coop.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, Changsun Wuji began to consider the future of the Changsun family and started looking for people who had the potential to become Changsun Chong's future allies. However, two years passed and no one caught his eye.

He even considered lowering the standards, and if that didn't work, he would try taking on a few students himself and training them personally.

And then... Liu Shuyi appeared!
The more he interacted with Liu Shuyi, the more he felt that Liu Shuyi was the perfect ally.

Young enough, capable, of good character, and favored by His Majesty... this is exactly the kind of person I've always dreamed of finding.

However, he was a step too slow; Liu Shuyi had already been chosen by Du Ruhui.

Given Liu Shuyi's character, he would never easily switch allegiances, and Du Ruhui, having invested so much effort in Liu Shuyi, would never allow anyone else to take him away.

Therefore, the more outstanding Liu Shuyi was, the more Changsun Wuji envied Du Ruhui. He even had an impulse to directly ask the Emperor to bestow a marriage between Liu Shuyi and his daughter, and to forcibly bring Liu Shuyi to the Changsun family by despicable means.

But that would mean a complete falling out with Du Ruhui. Changsun Wuji's relationship with Du Ruhui wasn't bad, and he didn't want to be so ruthless.

He wanted Liu Shuyi, but he didn't want to break off relations with Du Ruhui. For the first time in many years, Changsun Wuji felt so conflicted that his true emotions were revealed when he reminisced about Liu Shuyi.

Du Ruhui was incredibly perceptive; even when Changsun Wuji inadvertently revealed a trace of emotion, he still managed to catch it.

He glanced at Changsun Wuji with his deep eyes, then looked around at the others and saw that Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling were both staring intently at Liu Shuyi.

This set off alarm bells in Du Ruhui's mind.

He felt that his son-in-law was like a fat sheep being stared at by countless hungry wolves.

"no!"

His original plan was to let Liu Shuyi and his daughter gradually develop feelings for each other, and then naturally get married.

But Liu Shuyi's rise to prominence was so rapid that he has now become a shining star, and everyone has seen his extraordinary potential and future. Under these circumstances, countless people are considering becoming Liu Shuyi's father-in-law.

I can't wait any longer.

If they wait any longer, the son-in-law they've painstakingly nurtured will become someone else's son-in-law.

"Let them get engaged in a few days," Du Ruhui decided.

…………

A quarter of an hour later.

Liu Shuyi spoke until his throat was dry, making everyone feel valued and satisfied before leaving, finally finding relief.

If it weren't for his eloquence and skill in handling interpersonal relationships, he might have been trapped for much longer, or unknowingly offended someone by making them feel ignored or slighted.

"I never imagined that the first hurdle to getting promoted would be dealing with other people's congratulations..."

Fortunately, this is my forte.

Liu Shuyi let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He didn't sweat when he first met Li Shimin, nor did he sweat when he was misunderstood and targeted by the civil and military officials. Unexpectedly, he was sweating profusely when faced with congratulations from others, and he really had nowhere to reason with them.

He shook his head helplessly and turned to look at the main hall.

Then he saw that all the civil and military officials had left the grand hall, and only Du Ruhui was still standing there, looking at him with a smile.

Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, realizing that Du Ruhui had been waiting for him.

He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in apology, and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Master Du."

Du Ruhui smiled and shook his head, asking, "How does it feel to be promoted?"

Liu Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "It feels like the world is so full of kindness, as if we've entered a different world."

Du Ruhui understood Liu Shuyi's meaning. His deep gaze looked through the palace gate to the azure sky, and he said, "When you are weak, everyone thinks you are easy to bully, so everyone bullies you. You will feel as if the whole world is against you."

"But when you become powerful, everyone will respect and fear you. In order to gain your favor, they will only show you their best side. Therefore, you will feel that everyone you meet is full of goodwill towards you, and the world is so wonderful."

"But the world is still the same world, and the people are still the same people, so if you want to continue to experience the beauty of the world, you can't fall down. Once you fall..."

He withdrew his gaze, looked intently at Liu Shuyi, and said, "You will find that the beautiful world is even more cruel than the cruel world of the past."

Liu Shuyi felt a chill run down his spine and immediately understood Du Ruhui's warning to him.

He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your reminder, Lord Du. I will guard against arrogance and impetuosity, work steadily and surely to secure my position as a physician, and be extremely vigilant towards my colleagues, not easily believing anyone's promises."

Seeing that Liu Shuyi understood immediately, Du Ruhui was even more satisfied.

Liu Shuyi's promotion was too fast and too smooth. Even Du Ruhui was alarmed by the speed of his promotion. With so many ministers flattering him, Du Ruhui worried that Liu Shuyi would become arrogant due to his youth and arrogance, thinking that he was invincible and then making mistakes in his recklessness.

History is replete with examples of young talents who died young, serving as cautionary tales.

So he subtly hinted to Liu Shuyi, wanting to see if Liu Shuyi could remain calm and wise at such a moment, and the result made him very satisfied.

What a person's future holds depends not only on how they handle difficulties, but also on how they perform when they succeed.

In Du Ruhui's mind, Liu Shuyi's answer today was a perfect score.

Du Ruhui smiled again and said, "Let's go, we can talk as we walk."

The two left the main hall and walked out of the palace.

Du Ruhui said, "From this moment on, you are the Director of the Ministry of Justice. Do you have any thoughts on the personnel arrangements for the Ministry of Justice?"

Liu Shuyi's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Is Master Du asking me whether we should deal with Qian Wenqing?"

Du Ruhui put his hands behind his back and said slowly, "What do you mean by 'deal with'? We are all colleagues, colleagues who work together to uphold the justice of the Tang Dynasty. Don't talk nonsense. This is a normal job change."

Liu Shuyi's eyelids twitched. Although he was quite familiar with workplace rhetoric, he was still very green compared to an old fox like Du Ruhui.

He nodded quickly and said, "Master Du is right, it's a normal job change." "However..."

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I think there is no need to change his position."

"Oh?" Du Ruhui raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"

Liu Shuyi said, "Qian Yuanwailang has served as Yuanwailang for many years and is very experienced. He is very efficient in handling affairs. With him assisting me in the Ministry of Justice, I can reduce a lot of pressure."

Upon hearing Liu Shuyi's earnest words, Du Ruhui paused for a moment.

He silently turned his head and glanced at Liu Shuyi, saying in a low voice, "Although I am teaching you how to speak, you don't need to answer me like this."

Liu Shuyi almost burst out laughing when he saw Du Ruhui's speechless expression.

At this point, they encountered some eunuchs and palace maids. Liu Shuyi immediately stopped talking to Du Ruhui, and the two remained silent until they left the palace and entered the carriage. Only then did Liu Shuyi say, "This time, my promotion to Physician is equivalent to directly slapping Pei Ji in the face. While Pei Ji hates me even more, he will also be more wary of me as I get closer to him."

“Under these circumstances, Pei Ji will never agree to transfer Qian Wenqing, so who knows what kind of bloody storm will ensue.”

"Even if we do get rid of Qian Wenqing, someone will definitely fill the vacancy. Whose person will that person be?"

"I have offended too many forces. Whether it is Pei Ji, Fushenglou, or the forces behind Miaoyin'er, they all have the ability to place their own people by my side. Therefore, I dare not completely trust the new official."

“In that case, it’s better to let Qian Wenqing stay here. I know Qian Wenqing well enough that I’m not afraid of him doing anything behind my back. Moreover, if there’s an opportunity, I might even be able to use him to scheme against Pei Ji.”

"Moreover, I just took office and kicked out Qian Wenqing, with whom I had a previous conflict. What will others think of me? Will they think I am using my power to eliminate dissidents? Will they think I am intolerant? If Pei Ji takes this opportunity to attack me, it will definitely be a blow to my reputation."

"Therefore all these reasons..."

Liu Shuyi looked at Du Ruhui and said, "I think the benefits of keeping Qian Wenqing are greater than the benefits of kicking him out."

Du Ruhui listened to Liu Shuyi's clear and comprehensive analysis and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, it seems you really haven't been blinded by the promotion. If you were to kick Qian Wenqing out directly, I would have to remind you of the inappropriateness of doing so."

Liu Shuyi smiled and said, "However, although Qian Wenqing should be kept, his power cannot be as great as before. Otherwise, what difference would there be between me being a doctor and my previous position as a junior official?"

Du Ruhui looked at him: "What do you plan to do?"

Liu Shuyi's eyes flashed: "I plan to change the rules of the Ministry of Justice. All tasks must be assigned by me."

"At the same time, I would like to recommend someone to fill the vacancy of Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice after my departure."

Du Ruhui was not surprised that Liu Shuyi would target the vacancy of the position of Assistant Minister.

After all, once Liu Shuyi became a physician, he couldn't do everything himself; he always needed a trusted confidant who could be easily instructed.

Qian Wenqing is definitely not suitable, so the only remaining position is the Yuanwailang, which became vacant after Liu Shuyi's promotion.

This is not hard to guess, and it's quite normal.

But the choice of this official is crucial.

This was Liu Shuyi's first proposal regarding personnel matters after his promotion.

If the person chosen is not of high enough rank or merit, like Zhao Feng, then it will give people grounds to say that Liu Shuyi is practicing nepotism, which is a major taboo.

The next day, the censor would likely report the matter to His Majesty, and then Pei Ji and others would seize upon this to launch a fierce attack.

Therefore, he was eager to know whether Liu Shuyi was aware of these things and who he would recommend.

Then, he heard Liu Shuyi say a name: "Cui Lin, the judicial officer of Bingzhou".

…………

Inside a restaurant in Pingkangfang.

Cui Lin, dressed in fine clothes, was drinking alone.

He wasn't wearing his official robes today, and looking at his reflection in the wine glass, he looked somewhat forlorn.

Originally, he and An Qingxi returned to Chang'an with the aim of being promoted to the sixth rank, thus directly moving from the local area to the capital and achieving a leap in social status.

But who would have thought that first Liu Shuyi would seize the position of Assistant Minister, and then An Qingxi, his superior, would turn out to be a traitor.

Even though he had no connection whatsoever with An Qingxi's rebellion, he was inevitably influenced by An Qingxi.

These days, whenever he has free time, he goes to the Ministry of Personnel to inquire about his official transfer, but the Ministry always dismisses him by saying that there are no vacancies at the moment.

Even if he told the Ministry of Personnel that he didn't want a promotion, he could simply be transferred to Chang'an.

To his surprise, even after lowering his requirements so much, the Ministry of Personnel still said there were no vacancies.

Are there really no vacancies?
As a member of the Cui family, he couldn't possibly be unaware of whether there were any vacancies in the imperial court.

Clearly, the Ministry of Personnel was worried that they might be implicated by An Qingxi if they were associated with him, so they dared not get involved with him in any way, for fear of being affected by him.

As an official stationed outside the capital, he was subject to time restrictions on his stay in Chang'an. Now that he was unable to be transferred, the time for him to leave Chang'an was fast approaching.

The thought of returning to Chang'an in high spirits, believing he would rise to the sixth rank and become a promising talent in the eyes of the family head, a leader among the younger generation... and then thinking of his imminent return to Bingzhou in disgrace, and the possibility of being implicated by Anqingxi for the rest of his life, with no hope of promotion.

His heart felt as if it were bleeding.

He was filled with hatred and resentment.

But who should one hate?
Hate Liu Shuyi?

Liu Shuyi was promoted based on his merits, without any forgery or unfair competition, so why should I hate him?
Not to mention, if An Qingxi's affair is exposed, he will inevitably be affected.

Therefore, whether or not Liu Shuyi existed, he would never have become a Yuanwailang (a minor official).

Why do you hate Anqing West?
He truly hated it! He hated it to the core.

But what's the use?

Cui Lin tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup, only to find that the wine tasted bitter.

"Hey, isn't this the famous Military Advisor Cui?"

Just then, a strange, sarcastic voice came from behind.

Cui Lin frowned subconsciously and turned around to see several people sitting at the table behind him.

I know two of them.

Qian Wenqing, Assistant Director of the Ministry of Justice, and Qin Wuyang, Registrar of the Court of Judicial Review.

He said coldly, "I'm in a bad mood, don't provoke me."

Because of Liu Shuyi, he did not fall for Pei Ji's advances and instead became enemies with Pei Ji. Therefore, he knew very well that Qian Wenqing would not say anything nice.

This is the fact.

Hearing Cui Lin's cold words, Qian Wenqing sneered, "I've heard that Military Advisor Cui has repeatedly gone to the Ministry of Personnel but has been repeatedly rebuffed. It seems he's about to return to Bingzhou, isn't he?"

"Tsk tsk, just think about how Cui Canjun was supposed to be a sure thing for the position of Assistant Minister, and then think about how he was about to leave in disgrace. I feel sorry for you."

"If your colleagues in Bingzhou knew that you hadn't been promoted to Assistant Minister, or even that you had no hope of promotion in this lifetime, what would they think of you? Would they still obey your orders and admire and respect you as before?"

boom!
Cui Lin was not a good-tempered person to begin with. Hearing Qian Wenqing's sarcastic remarks, he immediately slammed his hand on the table and said coldly, "You're asking for it!"

"Military Advisor Cui, don't act rashly."

Qin Wuyang quickly acted as a peacemaker, saying, "Master Qian actually sympathizes with Cui Canjun's plight. He knows how capable Cui Canjun is, yet he ended up like this. Master Qian also feels sorry for Cui Canjun."

"So, the real reason for Qian Yuanwailang's trip was to help Cui Canjun."

Cui Lin was surprised: "Help me?"

Qian Wenqing raised his chin slightly and said, "An Qingxi has done you a terrible job, and the Ministry of Personnel doesn't dare to transfer you easily, but that doesn't mean you can't be transferred."

He stared at Cui Lin and finally revealed his purpose: "My uncle, Pei Sikong, values ​​your abilities highly. He has a vacancy under him, which is only a seventh-rank official position, but it is enough to keep you in Chang'an. Moreover, as long as he speaks up, the Ministry of Personnel will not stop you."

"So, Military Advisor Cui..."

Qian Wenqing grinned and said, "Tell me, am I here to help you? As long as you nod, you'll be an official in Chang'an, and we'll be family. How about it?"

Cui Lin frowned deeply. He pursed his lips, but after only a moment's hesitation, he shook his head and said coldly, "I have no habit of being someone's dog!"

"What did you say?"

Qian Wenqing was surprised: "You're going to refuse? Cui Lin, you need to think this through. This is your only chance to stay in Chang'an. If you miss this opportunity, you may never be able to return to Chang'an in your life!"

Cui Lin has his own pride. He does want to stay in Chang'an, but that doesn't mean he's willing to be a dog for someone he doesn't like because of this.

He shook his head and said, "My mind is made up, there's no need to say more."

"Cui Lin!"

Qian Wenqing was furious.

Pei Ji deliberately kept Cui Lin waiting for so long, intending to give Cui Lin a chance when Cui Lin was in despair, so that Cui Lin would be grateful and he could snatch Cui Lin away from Liu Shuyi.

Qian Wenqing had finally gotten this simple job and wanted to show off in front of his uncle.

But who would have thought that Cui Lin would refuse something he thought was impossible to fail at?

This infuriated Qian Wenqing: "Cui Lin, do you know what you're saying?"

"Are you really going to ruin your future for Liu Shuyi?"

"I really don't know what kind of spell Liu Shuyi has cast on you! How could you listen to him so much! What's so good about him?"

"If you follow him, can you stay in Chang'an? Can you realize your ambitions?"

"If you just lower your head, you'll immediately be a seventh-rank official in Chang'an! How could you be so foolish! Giving up all of this for Liu Shuyi, you're incredibly stupid!"

Qin Wuyang hadn't expected Cui Lin to refuse so firmly. He also advised, "I've met Liu Shuyi. He's a selfish and self-serving person. Like his brother, he's narrow-minded, treacherous, and ruthless. You have no future following him! Military Advisor Cui, believe me, choose Pei Sikong. Only by following Pei Sikong will you have a future."

"Tsk——"

Just as Qin Wuyang and Qian Wenqing were trying to win over Cui Lin's heart with their back-and-forth singing, a voice that seemed to be laughing but not laughing suddenly came from the entrance of the restaurant.

“Master Qian, Registrar Qin, isn’t it inappropriate for you to speak ill of others behind their backs?”

"Furthermore, how is it foolish to give up a minor seventh-rank official position for my sake, Liu Shuyi?"

"To reject a sixth-rank assistant director in the Ministry of Justice and instead choose a minor seventh-rank official—that would be truly foolish, wouldn't it?"

(End of this chapter)