gnovel Chapter 14 A Show of Force
Chapter 14 A Show of Force
Shen Ce didn't necessarily want to move his family into the city so quickly, but Li Er had given him a house, so what did he mean by not moving?
They say you're given five days off, so don't arrive early. Your ex might have some loose ends or other things to take care of, and if you go there and they ask you to do something, will you do it?
He stayed at home for five days before taking office.
In Shen Ce's eyes, the so-called recorders, chief clerks, and subordinate officials of the Six Ministries were like the lifeblood of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. They worked diligently every day, coming and going. Although they were important, any losses could be made up for at any time.
Their main duties included copying documents, running errands, organizing files, and managing miscellaneous items within the government compound.
The Eastern Palace, currently a strategic location of the Tang Dynasty, has a meticulously designed layout from top to bottom.
The Court of Imperial Sacrifices, as the "cabinet" of the Eastern Palace, oversaw all political affairs. The Left and Right Spring Palaces were similar to the Secretariat and the Chancellery, in charge of attendants, revising documents, and issuing edicts and memorials.
The Ten Commanders' Office, as the Crown Prince's top enforcers, is of paramount importance.
After arriving at the Eastern Palace, Shen Ce first visited the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Yuwen Shiji, and the Junior Grand Master of Ceremonies, Wei Zheng, and then obtained his official seal before returning to the Grand Master of Ceremonies' office.
The 21-year-old seventh-rank clerk stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking at the "three teams" in front of him. Although he did not speak, the oppressive aura emanating from his body made these clerks tremble with fear.
Everyone knew that the man before them was the captain of the Imperial Guards. He had distinguished himself in the Battle of Xuanwu Gate and had been promoted several ranks to become the registrar of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Those with keen eyes and ears had also heard other bloody stories, but they were too much to mention.
The saying goes, "Officials are like iron, clerks are like flowing water." Superiors come and go like flowers in a fleeting garden, but they remain steadfast. He understood this principle well, having completed his daily duties.
If you use force from the start, the lower-level officials have countless underhanded ways to cheat you, and you won't even realize it afterward. Instead, you'll think it's because you're not capable enough. After figuring this out, Shen Ce walked over to the crowd, his gaze sweeping over them one by one. He noticed that some of them had gray hair but were still officials in the inner palace. He then made a gesture to let everyone relax.
"I come from a military background and am a bit impatient. This is my first time taking on a civil official's assignment, so please forgive any shortcomings." After saying this, Shen Ce cupped his hands in greeting to the nine people present.
Everyone smiled ingratiatingly and said, "No, no, we wouldn't dare."
"I'm a loyal and protective man. If you're ever bullied by your subordinates, come to me. If you have merit but no reward, come to me. You can even take the blame for others. But there's one thing," Shen Ce said, raising his head to take in everyone's expressions, before changing the subject, "You're the ones doing the work. I'm just responsible for affixing the seal. If anything goes wrong, before the higher-ups punish you, I can definitely deal with you all. Do you all agree?"
Standing at the head of the table, Wan Lushi, whose beard was already quite thick, stepped forward and bowed as soon as Shen Ce finished speaking: "The trivial matters within the manor are originally our responsibility. We would never allow Lord Shen to be burdened with paperwork. Are my colleagues correct?"
The crowd behind him bowed and clasped their hands in agreement, their voices of response ringing out incessantly.
Shen Ce shook his head at everyone's submissive demeanor. If he could subdue these seasoned officials with just a few words, that would be a miracle. The corrupt officials in the Registrar's Office needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, otherwise, any mistakes in the future would be blamed on him.
"I've heard in the military that officials can't function without clerks, and clerks can't live without corruption. With a stroke of the pen, black and white are clearly distinguished; with a word, both superiors and subordinates are deceived. Is this true?" Shen Ce paused here, his eyes fixed on Wan Lushi: "How do you handle page removal, loss, rewriting, and cover-up? Please instruct me."
At this moment, Wan Lushi's pupils suddenly contracted, and he immediately knelt down on the ground: "This humble official dares not."
"That's right, they just don't dare to."
Shen Ce turned his gaze to another clerk surnamed Qian: "Forgery, suppressing documents, keeping records, delaying reporting—are you capable of these?"
Not only was Chief Qian sweating profusely, but all the officials in the courtyard were also drenched in sweat, and it was difficult for outsiders to tell whether it was due to fear or the heat.
Who could have imagined that a mere garrison would know the ins and outs of their line of work? They were just officials with no hope of getting a promotion, so they naturally had some thoughts of making money on a regular basis, since living in Chang'an was not easy.
Shen Ceqian chuckled twice, helped up the terrified Wan Shuling, and reassured him, "Most of you have been following His Highness the Crown Prince since the uprising in Jinyang. It's been eight or nine years. You are all veterans of the household. I believe none of you are."
Everyone said they didn't deserve it.
Shen Ce suddenly changed the subject, his tone stern, and said, "But things are different now. Your Highness has now entered the Eastern Palace, and the Emperor has issued an edict ordering the Crown Prince to oversee the country and make all decisions on state affairs. From now on, there will be no more family matters in the palace, only state affairs."
Shen Ce's voice was extremely loud, not only penetrating the high walls, but also clearly heard by Yuwen Shi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, and Wei Zheng, the Junior Grand Master of Ceremonies, who were only a hundred paces away.
Yuwen Shiji sipped the tea on the table and said to Wei Zheng, "Your Highness, what is your intention in summoning this fellow who killed Han people to my Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"
After pondering for a moment, Wei Zheng said to Yuwen Shiji, "Have you heard of the corruption case involving Zhao Chuo, a former clerk of the Sui Dynasty?"
"In these extraordinary times, you want to use military law to govern them?"
Indeed.
Yuwen Shiji downed the tea in his cup in one gulp, looked at the empty table, and said angrily, "It's not much higher than the position of a turtle in the Wei River. It's none of our business."
"Prefect Su, tell Registrar Shen to stop his nonsense and hurry up and review the memorials before submitting them. Do you expect me and the Junior Chamberlain to just sit here waiting for them?"
Su Shan was not in a hurry. As Shen Ce's direct superior, he naturally had to consider his feelings. He took a porcelain pot, filled Yuwen Shiji's teacup, and pushed it in front of him: "Registrar Shen, today is your first day on duty. Please give us some time. We can wait here for a while. I have been busy with official duties these past few days and rarely have any free time. I have some questions that I would like to discuss with you two superiors."
Shen Ce was unaware of the situation at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Standing in the main hall, he frowned as he looked at the mountain of memorials before him.
"These, and these, are all the memorials that need to be processed this morning?" The voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.
"So that Your Excellency may know, these memorials were all unsealed and sorted by Prefect Su this morning before being sent here."
"The official documents issued by the Secretariat after review require immediate processing. Place them in the center of your desk. The documents from within the Eastern Palace are not urgent and should be placed on the desk to your left."
"I've done all the work, what do I need you for?" Shen Ce interrupted angrily. "If an official has to do manual labor, what's the point of being an official?"
Wan Lushi hurriedly said, "We still need to read out each item in turn. Your Excellency must personally write the time of issuance on the cover as a basis for future auditing."
He was afraid that Shen Ce wouldn't understand, so he explained it very carefully, checking the header signature, the official seal, and the seal and seam.
"Someone, bring this table to the two clerks," Shen Ce said leisurely, crossing his legs, completely ignoring their astonishment.
"You two, one of you read the document aloud, and the other you mark it. Then, as usual, you will jointly check for any missing items."
"Sir, this might be inappropriate. According to custom, you should mark it yourself," Liu the Registrar hurriedly said.
"To be honest, even by custom, I wouldn't qualify as the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Household Department. Does the Crown Prince not know the level of this mere warrior?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall exchanged bewildered glances.
Shen Ce ignored everything else, drinking the inferior tea soup while listening to Wan Lushi sing.
The official documents sent to the higher authorities were nothing more than matters concerning the weapons and provisions of the Ten Garrisons. The task was simply to verify the quantities, allocate the provisions, and follow the established procedures.
Only when the Secretariat issues a document can he have two people present it to him, explain it to him in detail, make his judgment, and then have the two people approve it before he signs it.
As for checking the writing format, there's no need to worry. He came to work today with a knife, and it's currently stuck in his desk.
It was agreed before the approval process began that if any mistakes were made, regardless of which of the two people was checking, each person would be held responsible.
The superior will consider their contributions and not punish them severely, but the superior will not consider their hard work.
The effect was excellent. Not only did the two check their own records, but to avoid being stabbed, they also insisted on checking each other's records. There was no way around it; a higher rank could crush a lower one, let alone a five-rank higher one.