SFS Chapter 488 Choosing a Candidate!
Chapter 488 Choosing a Candidate!
Mu Xin Nuan kept her word. The next day, she actually made Lingzhi chicken soup by hand and then personally delivered it to Chun Hui Pavilion.
When Duanmu Chuze saw her coming, he didn't avoid her. After finishing his meal quickly, he let her sit down next to him. Fortunately, there were no outsiders in the room. Everyone knew Mu Xin Nuan and knew what kind of person she was, so there was no awkwardness. Everyone continued to express their opinions.
"Your Highness, what do you think of the person in charge of the Censorate?"
“Let’s call him the Censor-in-Chief.” Duanmu Chuze lightly wiped the corner of his lips with a handkerchief and continued, “The Censor-in-Chief’s duties are solely to investigate and impeach officials, clear the names of the guilty, and oversee all provinces. The Censor-in-Chief has the right to impeach any minister who is treacherous, any villain who forms cliques, or any one who abuses his power and disrupts the government.”
Liu Yi nodded. "Your Highness's meaning is clear to me. In other words, as the Censor-in-Chief, I have the right to impeach all officials who are despicable, corrupt, or who violate official discipline; all those who engage in academic misconduct, submit memorials that disrupt established rules, or attempt to gain promotion; and so on. Furthermore, major cases and serious prisoners will be tried in the outer court, with fair judgments from other departments. This official is essentially acting on imperial orders to pacify the inner regions and appease the outer areas, each acting solely according to imperial decree."
“Indeed! What you say is quite right, sir. Furthermore, since it has real power, the Censorate cannot simply be an empty shell. If it were just a matter of assigning a few civil officials, wouldn’t it be chaotic and disorganized?” Xu Hai understood the general idea.
"This requires everyone's collective wisdom and effort." Duanmu Chuze smiled faintly, resting his hand on the table. "Wanting yamen runners is not a problem. I have plenty of elite soldiers under my command! The problem is, who is most suitable to fill the position of Censor-in-Chief? Also, there are people to fill the positions of the censors below."
Liu Yi frowned slightly. "Your Highness, isn't this an imitation of the Censorate in the capital? Won't it displease the Emperor again?"
"I have already submitted the memorial, and I expect to receive a reply in the next couple of days. I know my father's temperament; he has always hated corrupt officials, so this method will surely work."
Everyone nodded and exchanged a few more words of advice in hushed tones. Liu Yi then said, "Your Highness, I have carefully reviewed the draft you prepared earlier. It establishes eight more supervisory censors, which complements the eight prefectures under its jurisdiction. But what about the yamen in Huayang County?"
Mu Xin Nuan smiled. It seemed that they hadn't fully grasped Duanmu Chu Ze's thoughts either. In that case, she wasn't too stupid after all! Thinking this way, Mu Xin Nuan felt a little more at peace.
"Let's start with a pilot program in Huayang County. The other seven circuits of censors will not be established for the time being. This one can be implemented first. In addition, the functions of the Censorate will not be restricted. As long as it involves violations of the law, it can be investigated and dealt with. Of course, the focus will be on officials. For example, if there are grievances among the people caused by corrupt officials, the Censorate can also intervene in such matters."
"Then, Your Highness, in your opinion, what about the position of the Censor-in-Chief?" Liu Yi's eyes darkened slightly. Clearly, the Censorate was an extremely strict supervisory agency, which was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for officials of all ranks in Yan!
"We can discuss this further. There is only one point: the person appointed as the Censor-in-Chief must be upright, outspoken, and prudent in his actions. He cannot be swayed by rumors; such a person is unsuitable. Not only will he fail to bring order to the government, but he will also cause unrest among the officials in Yan."
"Yes, Your Highness." Liu Yi understood that the prince's actions were not aimed at controlling the officials in Yan, but rather at providing Yan with a transparent political environment. Therefore, he had to give the prince a high compliment.
"Your Highness, what about Huayang County?"
Duanmu Chuze's gaze swept over the group before he finally whispered, "What do you all think of Lu Shaofeng?"
Liu Yixian frowned. "Your Highness, although Lu Shaofeng is quite talented, he is ultimately just a weak scholar who has not experienced the complexities of the world. I'm afraid he lacks experience. Entrusting him with such an important task is probably not appropriate."
"No! It's precisely because his life has been so smooth that he needs to go out and suffer some setbacks, isn't it? I really want to know just how much ability Lu Shaofeng still has after leaving the Lu family of Yanzhou."
If no one understood what Duanmu Chuze said, then all that time spent here would have been for nothing.
Liu Yi was slightly taken aback, but then smiled. It seemed that his son-in-law was indeed a fine horse that had met a discerning eye. It was truly his good fortune to be appreciated by the prince!
Xu Hai frowned and thought for a moment. “Your Highness, since Huayang County is to be established for the first time, I have no objection to sending Lu Shaofeng there. However, considering the specific situation there, shouldn’t we send another person? I’m worried that Lu Shaofeng alone cannot handle it. If he is used by someone with ulterior motives, it would be a loss for us.”
Liu Yi nodded. "Lord Xu is absolutely right. Please, Your Highness, appoint another person to accompany us. Only then can we be at ease."
Duanmu Chuze reached out and tapped the table a few times. After a while, his eyes lit up. "Hasn't Young Master Zhao returned to Huayang County? I will issue an edict that he and Lu Shaofeng stay in the Censorate in Huayang County."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
It wasn't until dusk that Duanmu Chuze, holding Mu Xin Nuan's hand, finally returned to Yijing Garden slowly.
"Tomorrow is the Flower Festival, isn't it? Ah Nuan, you'll be having your coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow. I've been so busy these days that I haven't had time for you. I'm sorry you've had to go through all this trouble."
"No, it's nothing. It's just a small matter concerning me, why would it bother you?"
"What's this about a little girl? My Anuan's matter is a big deal, no matter how small! Compared to your joy and smile, other big things are nothing!"
Mu Xin Nuan chuckled and gave him a reproachful look. "You sure know how to talk! But if I hadn't brought you chicken soup today, I'm afraid you would have stayed up until who knows how late tonight? You're a grown man, how can you not take care of your body? Or do you really think you're made of iron and can't be worn out?"
Duanmu Chuze's eyebrows twitched slightly, and his laughter was clear and melodious.
"Don't worry, Nuan, even if I'm exhausted, I'll make sure you're too tired to get out of bed first. Otherwise, wouldn't I, as your husband, lose face?"
Mu Xin Nuan glared at him, her face flushed, her shy and charming appearance leaving Duanmu Chu Ze completely stunned.