Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Of course, you need the authority to handle cases; otherwise, people will simply ignore you. You can't always bring out the emperor's golden token, and besides, the emperor's golden token doesn't represent real power, but rather intimidation.

The last time he investigated the Huanglong case, he was given the title of Plum Blossom Guard General, or in full, "Powerful Plum Blossom Guard General." What does "powerful" mean? It means that he was given the authority to hold this position, but it was not an official appointment.

This time, he was changed to Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and Xue Wei had the power to investigate cases as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, but he was not the real Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Once this case is closed, this authority will be gone.

Xue Wei didn't care about his own official position; he was more concerned about the positions his subordinates would hold.

As he walked out of the Qilin Pavilion, he immediately examined the document carefully. It contained two temporary transfer orders, with the names to be filled in by the applicants themselves. The order was to transfer the applicant to the position of Dali Sizhi and appoint him as Fengyilang.

He echoed his position as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

However, this small transfer order contained a lot of information. Although it was a temporary transfer order, the official positions were formal, and even the ranks were specified, all being from the sixth rank or higher.

This is actually a way of bypassing the official appointment system of the Council of State. Since a formal and certain tone cannot be used, only temporary terms can be used, but the content is formal.

These are the two subordinates officially assigned to Xue Wei by the Emperor, who have the authority to investigate cases, and they will continue to be used in the future.

In addition, the ranks of his two subordinates have already been assigned to him, from the sixth rank to the upper level, which is neither too high nor too low. In other words, Xue Wei can only find low-ranking officials. If he is promoted, others will naturally be willing to do things for him. If he finds officials above the sixth rank, they will not be willing. Who would be willing to be demoted?

More importantly, the emperor could not go too far. Appointing Xue Wei to the fifth rank was already an exception. He could not appoint another fifth-rank official, otherwise he would not be able to explain it to the court.

In fact, Xue Wei had already thought of these two assistant candidates.

Xue Wei returned to the Left Guard and went directly to Gao Yuanli's office, where he found Gao Yuanli engrossed in writing amidst a large pile of documents.

Gao Yuanli was only an eighth-rank military advisor, with low rank, low salary, few opportunities, and many responsibilities—a typical case of "three fews and one many." The Left Guard dumped all sorts of troublesome matters on him.

However, such a person is also very shrewd and adept at understanding the unspoken rules of officialdom, which is precisely Xue Wei's weakness. Therefore, Xue Wei needs such an assistant to enlighten him and help him see through certain things at crucial moments.

"Is Military Advisor Gao busy?" Xue Wei asked with a smile as he sat down.

"I just finished distributing everyone's wages, and I have a ton of things to do," Gao Yuanli sighed.

"Interested in switching jobs?"

Gao Yuanli paused, then smiled nonchalantly, "The Commandant is joking. I'm not very capable, and I've made mistakes. Who would use me now?"

"Oh? What mistake did Military Advisor Gao make?"

"You know Hou Sizhi, right? That clown official rose to power by informing on others. He was originally my servant, but overnight he became a sixth-rank official, and I became his subordinate. He was completely illiterate and didn't understand anything, so he would come to me with everything. In the end, he was purged, and I became his accomplice, was demoted two ranks, and relegated to the sidelines of the Left Guard."

"Aren't you sitting on the sidelines all the time? You have so much to do every day, I'm the one sitting on the sidelines with nothing to do."

"We all know that the position of Commandant Xue was tailor-made for you."

Gao Yuanli bluntly pointed out that you were just here to hang around and coast along.

Xue Wei wasn't angry. He smiled and said, "I just received an assignment to handle a case. Would you be interested in coming with me, Military Advisor Gao?"

Gao Yuanli was startled and immediately asked, "Uncle Xue, what is your identity under when you investigate the case?"

"The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

"Was it granted by the Council of State Affairs, or directly by the Emperor?"

"Directly bestowed by the Emperor!"

Gao Yuanli gasped. Xue Wei's image as a playboy was deeply ingrained in people's minds. He had always thought that Xue Wei got a sinecure through his mother's connections and just loafed around at Zuowei every day.

Unexpectedly, Xue Wei's influence reached the Heavenly Court, and his position was arranged by the Emperor.

"Commander Xue, may I ask why you chose to serve as Commander of the Imperial Carriage?"

Gao Yuanli suffered ten years of bad luck after following the wrong person last time; he can't afford to make the same mistake again this time.

Xue Wei took out the Emperor's gold token. "I work for the Emperor personally. The position of Commandant of the Imperial Carriage is just a cover. Whenever the Emperor needs me for a case, I have to get on the job immediately. I just came back from the Emperor's place and received a case, but I need two assistants. I think Military Advisor Gao is quite good. Are you interested in working for me?"

Are you looking for temporary help?

Xue Wei shook his head and handed him the blank transfer order. "The Emperor has given me two spots. If you're interested, one of them is yours."

Gao Yuanli almost fainted when he saw this blank transfer order. This was something that only appeared when official positions were sold. It was a sixth-rank official position, Dali Sizhi, and the title of Fengyilang. There was no probation, no acting authority, no power, no concurrent post, no inspection, nothing in front of it. This was a real official position!

But what does "temporary transfer order" mean? This is not a formal official title. Gao Yuanli understood after a moment's thought. It was a direct appointment by the emperor, bypassing the prime minister and the Ministry of Personnel.

Gao Yuanli's heart pounded wildly; this was the opportunity he had waited ten years for!

"What case does Commander Xue intend to handle?"

Xue Wei smiled faintly, "Gao Canjun has been promoted from the eighth rank to the sixth rank, a full six-level promotion. How can he not take any risks? I'll give Gao Canjun a day to consider it. If it doesn't work out, I'll find someone else."

"No need to think about it, I agree right now!" Gao Yuanli agreed without hesitation.

"No regrets?" Xue Wei asked again.

"I will never regret it!"

The Dali Temple is a lucrative department, much more so than his own quiet one. This might be his last chance in his life, so how could he let it go?

"I don't quite understand how to resign and take up a new position here. Does Senior Military Advisor know?"

"I understand! I understand! Just fill in my name and send it directly to the Ministry of Personnel. Then the Ministry of Personnel will send letters to the Left Guard and the Court of Judicial Review. I'll handle the handover here, then report to the Court of Judicial Review, and the Court of Judicial Review will directly assign me to Commandant Xue."

Gao Yuanli suddenly understood that this Commandant Xue was tired of the complicated procedures and affairs of officialdom, so he needed Gao Yuanli, a seasoned official, to do these trivial things for him.

This is similar to Hou Sizhi before, but this Commandant Xue is the emperor's grandson and Princess Taiping's eldest son, making him a relative of the emperor's family. He is completely different from Hou Sizhi.

Xue Wei immediately picked up his pen and filled in the first name: Gao Yuanli.

"And this too, take care of it at the same time."

Xue Wei tossed him a handwritten edict from the emperor.

"Imperial edict: Three thousand strings of cash are to be allocated from the Imperial Treasury and given to Xue Wei, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, for urgent use in handling a case. No further reply is required. Written by the Emperor."

It had direct approval from the emperor and bore his seal.

Gao Yuanli almost fainted. Their Left Guard, with over a hundred men, only had an allowance of eighty guan per month, while this batch cost three thousand guan.

This isn't a dream; I've really latched onto a powerful figure.

...........

The second person Xue Wei found was Yuan Mao. Yuan Mao was still immersed in the sweetness of love when Xue Wei conscripted him.

Like Gao Yuanli, Yuan Mao agreed without hesitation.

Yuan Mao's position as a Qianniu Beishen was a sixth-rank lower-level official, which was nominally one rank higher than that of the Dali Temple Sizhi.

But in reality, they were completely different things. Qianniu Beishen was a bodyguard, while Dali Sisi was a civil official. If a nobleman's son wanted to become an official, he would first become a bodyguard and then find connections and ways to get the position.

That's how Li Linfu did it, rising step by step from a mere Imperial Guard to become the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty.

But there was only one Li Linfu. In reality, it was very difficult to become an official from a bodyguard. Most of them went to local prefectures to become military officers. It was almost impossible for them to become officials in the capital.

But now it is the era of Wu Zetian, where there are many who rise to the top in one step. It depends on luck, but more importantly, you have to find a powerful patron. Yuan Mao did not hesitate to cling to the powerful patron of this prospective brother-in-law.