Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

The so-called delivery of books was merely a way to give Fei Zhen a chance to see Chen Zhi's appearance; the process of delivering the books itself was not particularly important.

When the carriage arrived at the Fei residence, Chen Zhi and Xu You alighted and handed the book to Fei Cheng, who then passed it to a servant. After exchanging a few more pleasantries and wishing Chen Zhi a successful mission, the group parted ways, and Chen Zhi and Xu You boarded their carriage to return home.

Xu You sat in the swaying carriage and laughed, "Now that I have seen you, how can I not be happy? The Fei family's daughter must have seen my brother's face, right? But we haven't seen her."

Chen Zhi said, "Whether I see it or not, I'm going to marry the Fei family girl. In terms of marriage, this is the best arrangement for me right now. Ayou, do you want to get married?"

"Me?" Xu You smiled awkwardly, "I haven't taken up official post yet, so there's no rush..."

Meanwhile, Fei Cheng watched Chen Zhi's carriage gradually disappear into the distance before entering the mansion with the servant carrying the "Mao Shi Pu" (a book on the Book of Poetry).

Fei Zhen, who had been hiding and spying somewhere, now stood confidently and gracefully in front of Fei Cheng.

Fei Cheng sighed helplessly, pointed to the bamboo slips, and said, "This is the 'Mao Shi Pu' (毛诗谱), which Imperial Censor Chen studied when he entered university, and it's being given to me today. Little sister, did you see it clearly just now?"

Fei Zhen smiled broadly, her eyes brimming with joy. Her gaze flickered, and she gave Fei Cheng a slight bow, her voice clear and melodious:

"Thank you very much, brother. Please have these books sent to me as well. I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Fei Cheng nodded: "Okay, I'll send it over shortly."

Fei Zhen smiled faintly. Fei Cheng had already seen his sister's hands clenched tightly, her fingertips and knuckles rubbing together somewhat awkwardly... She clearly saw it clearly! And she was quite satisfied!

Fei Cheng continued, "His Majesty has sent an envoy to the Kingdom of Wu, appointing Imperial Censor Chen as the deputy envoy. He will depart tomorrow. I just inquired thoroughly, and the round trip will take approximately three months, so he should be able to return by the end of the year. In addition, Father should also be returning to Chengdu by then to welcome His Majesty to Hanzhong. The Empress Dowager has agreed to act as matchmaker for Imperial Censor Chen, so I estimate that your marriage will take place around that time."

"Three months?" Fei Zhen picked up a scroll of bamboo slips, touched the cloth bag covering it, and said softly, "These scrolls are the first gift he ever gave me. Do you think he'll bring me a gift like my father did when he returns from Wu?"

"Maybe so, but how would I know?" Fei Cheng thought about how he hadn't settled down in his life and wasn't engaged, and suddenly lost interest in talking to his sister. He gave a perfunctory reply.

……

On the morning of September 28, the delegation of 163 people, including the chief envoy Zong Yu, the Assistant General of the Han Dynasty, and the deputy envoy Chen Zhi, the Colonel of the Yue Cavalry, set off from the east gate of Chengdu to begin their mission.

This was a fairly well-established diplomatic route. Leaving Chengdu, one would head east, passing through Zizhong and Han'an to Jiangzhou. From there, the land route would be replaced by water. From Jiangzhou, one could travel by boat to Yong'an, exiting the country at Yufujiang Pass and entering the Wu Kingdom. From there, one could travel downstream by boat all the way to Jianye, the capital of Wu. The Yangtze River waterway was convenient and easy to navigate, allowing for a round trip in three months.

Just as they were saying goodbye that morning, Liu Shan and Jiang Wan received reports from Chen Zhi regarding the Hanzhong Imperial Secretariat. Jiang Wan also went to the palace to pay homage to Liu Shan in the afternoon.

"What do you think of this plan, my lord? Is it feasible?" Liu Shan asked slowly.

"I believe we should consider this carefully," Jiang Wan replied, bowing. "According to Chen Fengzong's plan, the Secretariat is divided into two parts, one in Chengdu and one in Hanzhong. The Chengdu Secretariat will be directly under my command, while the Hanzhong Secretariat will be directly under the Minister of the Secretariat, who will then report directly to Your Majesty."

"As a minister of the state, I must speak frankly with Your Majesty. If this policy is adopted, all affairs of the court will be decided by the Secretariat, and the power and responsibility of the Nine Ministers will also fall into the Secretariat. My current position as Minister of the Secretariat will become even more important, and my talent and virtue are far inferior to those of the Prime Minister. I fear that this will arouse suspicion both inside and outside the court. I am willing to plan for Your Majesty to re-establish the Secretariat."

"These are the words of a loyal minister, my lord." Liu Shan sighed deeply. "Fengzong quoted the Doctrine of the Mean in his writing: 'When the person is alive, the government is effective; when the person dies, the government ceases!' I have carefully considered this principle. The affairs of governance, regardless of the system, ultimately depend on the people. Previously, when I employed the Chancellor, the Chancellor exercised the power of the emperor, and all military and political power in the court was decided by the Chancellor's office. Today, I employ you, my lord, to serve as Xiao He in the rear. There must be no doubt between the emperor and his minister."

"I believe Fengzong is right. Given the current state of the court, merely surviving in the Bashu region, with only one prefecture and a mere 100,000 troops, we should centralize power. Where would we find the resources to implement any checks and balances? Fengzong's plan essentially retains the position of Prime Minister. I will personally lead the Hanzhong Prime Minister's Office, while Your Highness will manage the Chengdu Prime Minister's Office. This is how it will be done. It is my decision; do not refuse!"

"Your subject obeys the decree." Jiang Wan no longer refused and bowed.

The late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period was a time of great change and upheaval, and Liu Bei's group underwent several structural changes. Once the monarch and his ministers reached a consensus, there was little resistance to institutional changes.

The institutional reforms proposed by Chen Zhi can be divided into three aspects.

Firstly, the six departments of the Later Han Dynasty—the Three Dukes, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Personnel with a salary of 2,000 shi (a unit of grain), and the Ministry of Central Capital Officials—were replaced by the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works. Six ministers, six assistant ministers, and six vice ministers were appointed to these departments, with dedicated personnel for their respective duties. This further clarified the structure of the Secretariat and defined the functions of each department and department.

Secondly, redundant powers were eliminated. The powers of the Nine Ministers—Taichang, Guanglu Xun, Weiwei, Taipu, Tingwei, Zongzheng, Dahonglu, Dasinong, and Shaofu—were centralized in the Ministry of Personnel. The Nine Ministers retained their titles and ranks, and each concurrently held positions within the Ministry of Personnel, similar to how court officials previously served as subordinates of the Prime Minister's Office. Offices previously directly under the Prime Minister's Office and not under the Ministry of Personnel or local governments, such as the Directorate of Works and the Salt and Iron Commissioner, were also consolidated under the Ministry of Personnel, just like the Nine Ministers.

Thirdly, the Secretariat was divided into the Chengdu Secretariat and the Hanzhong Administrative Secretariat. The ministers of the four ministries—Personnel, Civil Affairs, Rites, and Justice—were permanently stationed in Chengdu, while their respective vice ministers were permanently stationed in Hanzhong. The Ministry of War was in charge of military affairs, and the Ministry of Works was responsible for logistics; the ministers of both ministries were permanently stationed in Hanzhong, and their respective vice ministers were permanently stationed in Chengdu.

The essence of this arrangement was actually to transform private into public, using an expanded version of the Ministry of Personnel to completely absorb the system of the Prime Minister's residence.

Of course, Chen only proposed the framework, without specifying any officials or positions.

For Liu Shan, this meant centralizing and unifying the power of the court in one person, thus improving efficiency.

For Jiang Wan, the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat greatly increased his power and responsibilities, making him practically a half-Prime Minister with the authority to command the Nine Ministers. Therefore, he had no reason to refuse.

As for the various important official positions... Chen Zhi didn't really need to mention them, and mentioning them wouldn't have made any difference.

Jiang Wan will definitely remain as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Fei Yi will certainly be promoted to Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, taking full responsibility for the affairs of the Hanzhong Administrative Secretariat. The other military advisors and officials in Hanzhong will also be distributed among the six ministries of the Administrative Secretariat, each wielding significant power.

In conclusion, Chen Zhi was not the only intelligent person in the court. Achieving this result was already a significant step forward for the Shu Han court.

With the events in Chengdu gradually receding into the past, Chen Zhi looked eastward, his anticipation for this mission growing stronger.