Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

Sima Guang looked up at the sky.

This time, he really went too far.

The stifling feeling of not being promoted for eleven years led him to make an irrational decision.

Ultimately, it leads to utter ruin.

Jiang Zhao's "whistleblower letter" made him calm down a lot.

After a long pause, Sima Guang made a decision.

The next day, noon.

Transport Commissioner's Office.

In the main seat, Jiang Zhao calmly reviewed the documents in his hand.

The allegations made by more than 30 officials have been verified by subordinates.

If nothing unexpected happens, Sima Guang will likely never have a chance to recover.

“My lord, Vice Envoy Sima said that a banquet will be held at Xinfeng Tower, and he would like to invite you to come and have a chat,” Zhang Zai stepped forward and said.

The thirteen successful candidates in the imperial examinations had different duties.

Zhang Zaixing's duties were consistent with "handling official business," similar to those of a secretary.

"Having a banquet?"

Jiang Zhao was startled.

Zhang Zai nodded: "The Vice Envoy Sima just sent someone over, saying that a banquet will be held at Xinfeng Tower."

As he spoke, Zhang Zai looked surprised: "Vice Envoy Sima, is this a deliberate confession?"

"Confess?" Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then go!"

"Speaking of which, Xiang Yu held the Feast at Hongmen in Xianyang in ancient times, which is now the Jingzhao Prefecture."

Jiang Zhao shook his head and smiled: "Unfortunately, the one who hosted the banquet is the loser!"

After saying this, Jiang Zhao stood up and strode out.

……

Xinfenglou.

This is one of the best restaurants in Jingzhao Prefecture.

Jiang Zhao arrived by carriage, lifted the curtain and dismounted, strolling leisurely with an air of elegance.

Following them were several more carriages carrying thirteen scholars, including Zhang Zai, Cheng Hao, Wang Shao, and Jiang Zhiqi.

The group of fifteen attracted a lot of attention.

"My lord, please." At the entrance of Xinfeng Tower, Sima Guang straightened his clothes and bowed.

It was almost visibly that he adopted a very humble posture, a stark contrast to Jiang Zhao's demonstration when he first arrived in Shaanxi.

"Junshi, please." Jiang Zhao smiled gently and extended his hand.

Sima Guang smiled with an extremely humble demeanor, falling a full step behind.

Accord.

As the host, Sima Guang did not take the seat of honor, but instead invited Jiang Zhao to sit down.

After the group took their seats, Sima Guang raised his cup and stepped forward, straightening his posture: "My lord, I have offended you in the past, and I hope you will forgive me."

After speaking, Sima Guang drank the wine in one gulp, and a servant presented him with a stack of envelopes.

Jiang Zhao raised his eyebrows slightly.

That's quite a humble posture.

However, if we had known this would happen, why did we do it in the first place?

Jiang Zhao did not return the wine.

He still dared not drink Sima Guang's wine for the time being.

Logically speaking, Sima Guang certainly wouldn't dare to poison him.

However, a wealthy man shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof; what if something happens?

He only has one life, and he dared not gamble with it.

Jiang Zhao calmly took the envelope from the servant and began to read it.

At a glance, most of the evidence consisted of Sima Guang's own writings.

It was either embezzlement or bribery; it was almost always a transaction of power for money.

The only thing not mentioned was taxation.

The remaining evidence consisted of crimes committed by more than thirty officials in the Transport Commissioner's Office, all of which, to varying degrees, were sufficient to lead to demotion or even dismissal.

After reading it only a few times, Jiang Zhao understood Sima Guang's meaning.

He voluntarily confessed his crimes and betrayed more than thirty officials of the Transport Bureau, hoping that Jiang Zhao would show leniency and not mention the matter of "taxes," thereby protecting the Sima family.

Sima Guang chickened out!

From the moment Liu Ping was promoted and Jiang Zhao had officials write their own letters of denunciation, the officials on Sima Guang's side lost all trust in each other.

Sima Guang was the same; he no longer dared to trust the officials under his command.

Rather than being sold out, it's better to sell out your subordinates sooner rather than later.

At least, it won't implicate the family.

This is his last chance to repent.

If he really manages to hold out until the end of July, then there will be no room for retreat.

Jiang Zhao sighed.

If you had been this sensible earlier, there would have been no need for political infighting.

"Does Junshi think the taxes from those three prefectures can still be collected?" Jiang Zhao asked calmly.

"can."

Sima Guang answered very decisively.

"Then, Junshi, where do you think would be a suitable place for you to continue serving as an official?" Jiang Zhao asked again.

Theoretically speaking, with evidence of Sima Guang's crimes, he could have taken Sima Guang under his command and made him work for him.

This is, after all, a figure who has left his mark on history.

Even if it's mostly about enduring hardship, the fact that he managed to rise to the top through perseverance proves that he's quite capable.

However, Jiang Zhao did not have such intentions.

Firstly, Sima Guang was too conservative, and the two had different governing philosophies.

Such people who sell out their subordinates will inevitably cause controversy when they take them under their command, affecting the trust and unity of their subordinates.

Secondly, he has no shortage of talented people around him.

Whether it was the friends of the Seven Sons of Jiayou, or Wang Shao, Jiang Zhiqi, and others, they were all capable of being ranked as ministers of the Six Ministries.

Compared to Sima Guang, these people only lacked an opportunity.

There's no shortage of talent, so there's no need to recruit them.

Sima Guang understood Jiang Zhao's meaning and couldn't help but laugh bitterly: "Guangnan West Road?"

He had studied the matter and found that several of Jiang Zhao's political enemies had been demoted to Guangnan West Circuit.

To be precise, he was demoted to Danzhou.

However, the prefect of Danzhou was Chen Ting, the former Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was a high-ranking official of the third rank.

He's only a fifth-rank official; even if he went, he'd probably only get a county magistrate position.

Jiang Zhao hesitated for a moment before replying, "Perhaps he could serve as the magistrate of Changhua County in Danzhou."

"It's entirely up to you, sir," Sima Guang sighed.

"Hahaha!"

Jiang Zhao smiled, then waved his hand and said, "Let's eat!"

One meal can erase all grudges.

Chapter 82 "Pingrong Policy"

After the banquet at Xinfenglou, all the accusations that Sima Guang and his subordinates made against each other fell into Jiang Zhao's hands.

Even Confucius, a sage, committed the heinous act of executing Shaozheng Mao.

In the turbulent world of officialdom, who dares to claim complete innocence?

As the disciple of the head of all officials, the moment the charges fell into Jiang Zhao's hands, it meant that the political struggle was coming to an end.

The scattered charges were sent to the Ministry of Personnel, and the punishments that followed were naturally announced.

Sima Guang, the deputy envoy, was demoted to magistrate of Changhua County in Danzhou.

Liu Ping, the transport judge, was promoted to the rank of fifth-grade militia commander.

Chen Xin, the transport official, was demoted to the position of county magistrate.

The remaining officials, without exception, were either transferred to nominal positions or demoted.

The entire transportation company was completely replaced.

Less than two months after the new official took office, all the officials in the Transport Bureau were demoted or dismissed, causing quite a stir.

At some point, perhaps due to the excitement of his promotion, Liu Ping, the transport judge, got drunk and said some things he shouldn't have.

In particular, his remarks about Sima Guang's decision to sideline him and his plans to resist taxes attracted a lot of attention.

Upon hearing this, many people suddenly realized that the young Grand Secretary was a man of great taste.

After all, if Jiang Zhao were to actually provide evidence of tax resistance, Guang Prefecture, Ji Prefecture, and Tong Prefecture would likely all face military suppression.

The outcome of the political struggle was about to be revealed. Sima Guang had just come out to beg for mercy, and the young Grand Secretary was magnanimous enough not to hold it against him. That's what a person of principle he was.

At least, they didn't resort to wiping out entire families at the drop of a hat!

Anyone who knows the inside story would surely say that the young Grand Secretary is kind-hearted.

As word spread, the name of the "Young Grand Secretary" became increasingly well-known.

On the transport department's side, the thirteen Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who were specially transferred were all promoted, skipping ranks and reaching the eighth-rank official position.

Of course, skipping grades should be done appropriately and not excessively.

Due to the issue of official rank, the position of Transport Judge, a sixth-rank official, was destined to be out of reach for the thirteen people.

Therefore, through Jiang Zhao's selection and recommendation, two candidates for judges were chosen.

One of them was named Shen Kuo, courtesy name Mengxi. He entered officialdom through his father's hereditary privilege and had been an official for quite some time. He was skilled in farmland irrigation and advocated reform.

One man named Xue Xiang entered officialdom through his father's hereditary privilege. He was skilled at allocating resources and accumulating wealth.

In addition to Shen Kuo, Xue Xiang, and thirteen other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), Jiang Zhao also appropriately selected more than twenty people, bringing the total to more than thirty, and reorganized the official team of the Transport Commission.

With everyone united, Jiang Zhao completely took control of the Transport Department.

Time flies, and a year has passed.

Transport Office, Transport Commissioner's Office.

Jiang Zhao held a memorial in his hand and began to consider it.

The memorial was titled: "Pacifying the Barbarians."

This is the memorial he is about to submit to the emperor.

Things haven't been peaceful in Shaanxi lately.

Shaanxi is a border region, adjacent to the Western Xia and Tubo.