Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 19 One person smokes one cigarette

Since the good stuff was given to the Grand Tutor, he naturally had to give some to his maternal family as well. He had only left the army because of Cheng Zhijie's recommendation. If he were to turn his back on Cheng Zhijie, he believed that Cheng Zhijie would definitely have the ability to transfer him back.

After the major incident was resolved, the military officers settled down. Elegance is not exclusive to scholars. When Cheng Zhijie saw Shen Ce and Han Xin's method of commanding troops, he was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. He held Shen Ce's head and examined it repeatedly. Could falling off a horse really make one's brain smarter?

There's not much to say. All eight tea sets were kept. They were all made of clay and weren't worth much. No one would say anything if they came.

Cheng Zhijie picked up the bowl, drank the grape wine in one gulp, and seeing Shen Ce's envy, rewarded him with a bowl as well.

"Young man, well done. It was worth recommending you to join the Xuanwu Sect."

Shen Ce didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and then let out a long sigh of relief.

Not daring to be arrogant in front of Cheng Zhijie, he adopted a very humble posture, cupped his hands in salute again, and said, "This humble servant is also fortunate, and relies entirely on the general's support."

Cheng Zhijie shook his head and laughed, "Don't talk about gratitude. Back then, you took a knife for me, and I didn't even thank you."

Upon waking and searching through his memories, he recalled that in the third year of the Wude era, outside Hulao Pass, he had taken a fatal blow for Cheng Zhijie. However, gratitude is something that should be kept in one's heart, but never spoken aloud. As time passed, gratitude turned into resentment.

Shen Ce chuckled but didn't respond, scratching his head as he said, "You strongly recommended me for the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies. May I ask if you have any special requirements?"

Cheng Zhijie raised his eyelids and glared at him: "Keep your gloomy thoughts to yourself. I'm just appreciating your talent."

............

After leaving the Right Commander's residence, Shen Ce was in an exceptionally good mood. He hummed a little tune all the way, and when he passed by the locust tree, he couldn't resist plucking off a lot of branches and buds. He kept walking towards his chief clerk's hall.

Some officials, after staying in one place for a long time, will think that it belongs to them, just like those long-term renters in later generations who, when their houses are to be demolished, actually ask their landlords for demolition compensation—they are beyond redemption.

Even low-ranking officials dare to peek at the contents of documents, and then brag about it to others without a care in the world. They really don't know how to write anything properly.

Upon entering, he saw that the two clerks were quite well-behaved, one reading aloud and the other annotating, busy as bees. He chuckled and did not disturb them. He then summoned Qian Yanxiu, the chief clerk of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and asked him to summon the chief clerks of the Six Ministries, saying that he had important matters to discuss.

He then put his hands behind his back and admired the eight dishes hanging around the hall.

The long scroll was tied with a thin thread and hung vertically from the top of the beam. Shen Ce casually flipped through it, and the first page was pulled out.

The inscription reads: Roll the scroll, place the page to be pulled out in the sun to dry. Over time, the paste will lose moisture, the hemp paper will curl at the edges, and the outer part will be flipped up. Peel off a single sheet of hemp paper, rewrite it with thick ink, and then add pine soot to create an aged effect. Finally, repair any insect damage or mold spots...

After reading it, Shen Ce tapped the scroll lightly with his fingers, and without turning his head, asked, "Recorder Wan, who wrote this scroll?"

Upon hearing this, Wan the Registrar's hand trembled violently, and ink unknowingly slipped from the tip of his pen. With a forced smile, he said, "I will investigate after I finish my official duties." After replying, he seemed uneasy and then asked, "Is there anything amiss?"

Shen Ce turned around and stared at him, chuckling lightly, "Hemp paper is thin and light. If you use thick ink, it will seep through the back of the paper and into the stiff paper on the back, making it impossible to match the original ink mark. Is what I said correct, Wan Lushi?"

Wan the Registrar lifted his robe and knelt down with a thud, saying in a cold voice, "Are you really going to write down the whole truth? This... this would make everyone know how you committed crimes. Your actions might be considered incitement."

"You don't need to worry about it. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. You just need to do as I say."

After a moment of silence, Wan Lushi cupped his hands in a gesture of agreement.

In the corridor, a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a black turban and a faded old official robe with frayed edges rolled up at the cuffs, walked quickly, followed closely by the six chief officials.

One of the men, his eyes darting around as if he had made up his mind, quickly took two steps forward, and whispered behind him, "Steward Qian, did the Registrar explain why he summoned us all today?"

"I don't know," Qian Yanxiu replied without turning his head.

"Lord Shen, how does he look?"

"I don't know"

"Manager Qian, could you please give me a little time to discuss a strategy?"

Qian Yanxiu abruptly stopped, ignoring the pleading looks of his colleagues, and said calmly, "You're all courting death, but don't come after me. If any of you dare to conspire, don't blame me for currying favor with Lord Shen later."

After saying that, he ignored everyone's expressions and left.

Shen Ce sat on the crescent-shaped stool, watching from afar as everyone entered the courtyard. He then reached into his robes, took out the twig he had broken off earlier, placed it in his palm, and left only half an inch sticking out.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, he stopped the two managers who were busy working, gathered them together, and, holding up his left fist, said with a smile, "Come on, everyone, have a smoke."

The eight people present were unsure of Shen Ce's intentions, and they all looked at each other, none of them daring to reach out.

Qian Yanxiu, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned. He walked up to her, was the first to pluck a twig and hold it in his hand, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Shen Ce nodded, his face showing approval. Seeing the doubts on everyone's faces, Shen Ce began his performance.

"This morning I was summoned by the Grand Tutor Yuwen. He said that the Grand Tutor's Office has been neglecting its duties day and night, with officials being lax and clerks being undisciplined. All matters have been delayed and unresolved, and documents are scattered and disorganized."

"Listen, is there a single word of praise?"

The people below rolled their eyes, wondering who had been slacking off...

"Once the superior has set the rules, the subordinates must follow them. The superior has asked me to find out a few problematic officials to warn others. I don't have the ability to find out your mistakes in such a short time, and I'm too lazy to do so."

"Just one person, no more. Whoever draws the shortest one is guilty."

The crowd had never seen such a scene before, and had never before judged a crime by comparing length and length.

Seeing everyone remain silent, Wan Lushi gritted his teeth and spoke first: "Registrar Shen, we have been working diligently, but..."

"This method has been approved by Lord Yuwen," Shen Ce interrupted, slamming the heavy fish-shaped talisman onto the table.

Everyone hurriedly looked at the table and saw a fish-shaped tally, made of gold and belonging to Yuwen Zhanshi.

The crowd looked horrified: Shangguan's agreement to this clearly indicated that he believed they were all guilty, just to varying degrees.

They immediately knelt down, begging for leniency.

"My lord, I have followed the Crown Prince ever since the Emperor raised his army in Jinyang, and I have never dared to overstep my bounds. On the other hand, those six clerks who handle money and grain on a daily basis must have some lawless individuals among them. Please investigate thoroughly, my lord." Wan, the registrar, pointed to the six clerks beside him, tears streaming down his face.

"Nonsense! Every penny of money and grain has a source and destination, all of which can be traced. On the contrary, you clerks and managers are buying and selling information, making yourselves rich and fat." The chief clerk immediately retaliated when he saw that the clerk Wan was throwing dirty water at him without hesitation.

He had achieved his goal when he heard the officials start to expose each other's shortcomings: chopsticks that weren't tied together were just a broken piece of wood.

Before long, Shen Ce had had his fill of the commotion, so he loosened his grip on the twig and said with a smile, "Let's get on with our work first. You can argue about it after we're done."

Everyone looked closely at the ground and saw that all the branches and buds were the same length.