Chapter 843
When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.
"Old Prime Minister, what brings you here?"
When Hu Weiyong saw Sixi, he did not get up on his own initiative. His attitude was still very humble. In terms of the hierarchy of Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher, Sixi could be considered half a teacher to Hu Weiyong. When Hu Weiyong first came to Huangzhou Prefecture, Sixi was the Prime Minister of Huangzhou Prefecture and the head of the civil officials.
Later, Hu Weiyong demonstrated his talent, and Sixi saw his abilities and felt that he was a promising young man. So he took the initiative to step down and gave the position of prime minister to Hu Weiyong. If Sixi had not yielded the position, Hu Weiyong would not have had the opportunity to sit in the prime minister's seat so easily today.
Some say that Hu Weiyong was able to become prime minister because of his outstanding abilities, which allowed him to advance further. But in terms of ability, weren't Li Shanchang and Liu Bowen both better than him?
He got to his current position because of his seniority, and speaking of seniority, Sixi's seniority goes back a long way. He was one of the earliest and most trusted advisors of Chen Jie.
Si Xi then saw Hu Weiyong and laughed, "Weiyong is increasingly resembling a prime minister."
Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong quickly smiled and said, "Isn't it because the old prime minister hasn't come out of seclusion yet? Now that the old prime minister has come out of seclusion, I think you should take the position of prime minister. I'll just be your assistant."
Si Xi said, “No, no, do you know your own limitations? In terms of administrative ability, you are far superior to me. Our Han Prince’s Mansion only appoints people based on their talents and never appoints people based on nepotism.”
"Furthermore, your position as prime minister was personally bestowed by His Majesty. You still want to refuse? The prime minister of a country is a vital instrument of the court. How can you and I keep passing it around? Does the prime minister position mean that it can be given away privately like a gift? Weiyong, are you out of your mind?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Weiyong glanced at Sixi and immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Excellency is right. I was too self-righteous."
As he said this, everyone looked at Chen Jie, who said, "Alright, does anyone have any ideas about the position of Minister of Personnel? If not, then let Sixi take the position."
Upon hearing this, none of the officials had anything to say. Si Xi was indeed a senior and loyal official, and the officials could trust him to lead and evaluate them.
At this moment, everyone remained silent, but Chen Jie continued, "Then let's arrange the next position."
"Minister of Rites!"
At this point in his explanation, Chen glanced at Chen Chun, who then spoke up: "The Ministry of Rites is responsible for national sacrifices and manages the national imperial examinations, among other things. This position requires a person of high moral character and prestige."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jie asked, "Do any of you have someone you would recommend?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the court fell silent, unsure of who to choose for the position. At this moment, Chen Jie said, "This position is crucial for selecting talent for the country. If none of you have any good recommendations, then I will appoint someone."
Then Chen Jie spoke up, "Liu Bowen, what do you all think?"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was taken aback, and then nodded in unison: "This is a good choice. After all, there are really not many cultured people in Huangzhou Prefecture under Chen Jie, and Liu Bowen is extremely learned. He even passed the imperial examination in Mulan as a Han Chinese. Such a person is a man of great talent."
"Moreover, this person is fair and honest, and the Ministry of Rites is a place where it is easy to win over talented people. Using this person is a brilliant move."
Thinking this way, everyone agreed. Liu Bowen was also very excited to see that Chen Jie had entrusted him with the important position of Minister of Rites, which was responsible for selecting talents for the country. He stood up and bowed to Chen Jie, saying, "Thank you, King of Han."
As everyone was thinking this, Chen Jie said, "Alright, there's also the Ministry of Revenue."
When Chen uttered the words "Ministry of Revenue," everyone was stunned, as this department was in charge of the nation's finances.
Thinking this, Chen Jie looked at Chen Chun, who said, "Gentlemen, money and grain are the foundation of the country. His Majesty feels that the previous dynasty's system was flawed and that the duties of the Ministry of Revenue were too general. Therefore, His Majesty is preparing to split the duties of the Ministry of Revenue into two parts."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned. Was the Ministry of Revenue to be split up?
Everyone looked at each other, not understanding how to break it down.
At this point, Chen Chun continued, "The Ministry of Revenue used to be in charge of national tax revenue and expense reimbursement for various departments. This position was indeed very important. However, within our Prince Han's Mansion, there is another important position, which is commerce and the banking system pioneered by the Prince."
"Everyone should know about banks, right? They have already spread to several provinces and will spread all over the country in the future. Therefore, there must be a corresponding department to manage them. Hence, the King of Han split the Ministry of Revenue into the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Commerce."
"Two ministerial positions of the second rank will be established. The Minister of Revenue will be in charge of national tax revenue but will not be in charge of commercial planning, while the Minister of Commerce will be in charge of national commercial planning but will not be in charge of tax revenue. In addition, the Minister of Commerce will also serve as the Minister of Banking and will temporarily act as the agent of the bank in handling its affairs."
This is a strategic move by Chen Jie. The bank is still in its infancy and doesn't have much power yet, so it can be put under the management of the Ministry of Commerce. This way, the bank's money can be quickly incorporated into the Ministry of Commerce's strategic plan, allowing for rapid development.
However, as the bank grows larger in the future, Chen Jie will further split it up, perhaps by establishing a banking department, or by adding dedicated personnel to change everything.
In short, we are now in the pioneering stage, and in the pioneering stage, we should be more inclusive.
We should allow things to grow wildly before we regulate them.
Thinking this, Chen Jie looked down and said, "Li Shanchang will serve as the Minister of Revenue, and Shen Wansan will serve as the Minister of Commerce."
Upon hearing this, the two immediately stood up to express their gratitude.
The officials were not surprised. Li Shanchang, Zhu Chongba's former chief steward, was a master of logistics management. Zhu Chongba once praised him as his Xiao He, which shows his ability in internal affairs. If there were a rating scale, his ability in internal affairs would be 99.
As for Minister of Commerce Shen Wansan, there is absolutely no doubt about him. His business acumen is undeniable, and with Chen Jie's support, his business skills have been greatly developed.
It can be said that Huangzhou Prefecture has maintained a leading economic level over the years, mainly thanks to Shen Wansan. His appointment as Minister of Commerce felt well-deserved, so no one had any objections. Moreover, now that Shen Wansan is gone, not many people can manage this situation.
Chen Jie looked at the two of them and said, "My two dear ministers, you will have to work hard from now on."
Upon hearing this, Li Shanchang and Shen Wansan both exclaimed excitedly, "We will dedicate ourselves to this cause until our dying breath." At this moment, the two were both excited and grateful. Let's talk about Li Shanchang first. As a defeated general and a surrendered official, the best treatment a surrendered official could usually get was a minor official position. Moreover, the Han army was full of talented people, so it was not really necessary to give him a high-ranking official position.
However, Chen Jie did not adhere to conventional standards in recruiting talent and directly promoted him to a high-ranking official of the second rank. This position was already within the core decision-making level of the country. For a surrendered official, this was already an act of imperial grace. How could he not be excited? At this point, he had already included Chen Jie among the ranks of wise rulers.
Next was Shen Wansan. Shen Wansan was also very excited at this time. He knew his background very well. He came from a merchant family in Suzhou. Although he had made a fortune with his business acumen, there was no reason for a merchant to become a high-ranking official.
Aside from Lü Buwei of the Qin Dynasty, who else has served as a high-ranking official in the inner circle of the court? Shen Wansan did. The wise and virtuous ruler of the time recognized the importance of commerce, and Shen Wansan would never forget the kindness shown to him!
Thinking that the two were truly convinced of his superiority, Chen Jie smiled and continued to arrange official positions. As the saying goes, when one person ascends to heaven, even his chickens and dogs rise to the same sky. Now that he has become emperor, what all the civil and military officials want is to be promoted and given higher ranks.
Therefore, everyone was extremely excited and wanted to see how Chen Jie would arrange official positions next.
At this point, Chen Jie continued, "Next is the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice is in charge of apprehending major criminals nationwide. According to the old system, the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review were in charge of interrogation and review, respectively. I have also rearranged these two positions, dividing them into two ministries, and establishing two ministers for each.
"One is the Patrol Department, which is in charge of patrolling the country. In the past, the patrolmen were hired by the county magistrates themselves, and they were mostly unemployed people or bad elements. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty called them 'bad people'."
"However, such a drawback is too great. If the county magistrate pays money to hire someone, he will be responsible to the county magistrate. This will lead to the county magistrate becoming a local emperor or a local tyrant. This must be prevented. Politics and violence must be separated."
"Therefore, the Patrol Department was established to directly manage all the patrols in the country. The monthly salaries of the patrols were directly issued by the Patrol Department and had nothing to do with the county magistrate. Local officials were no longer allowed to interfere in the appointment and removal of local personnel privately."
"At this point, Chen Jie continued, "The Patrol Department is in charge of local patrols nationwide, and also oversees armed patrols. The selection criteria are mainly based on the military, with regular personnel numbering eight thousand in each province and a Patrol Division established there. In each prefecture, six hundred to one thousand people are assigned to patrol offices."
At this point, Chen Jie looked at Zhou Chu and said, "Zhou Chu, you should take on the position of Minister of Police."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu immediately stepped forward and bowed. He was so excited that he could hardly express it. He knew his background all too well. Back when he was in the fishing guild in Mianshui County, he was just an incompetent son-in-law at home. But since he followed his master, his status has risen steadily, and now he is a high-ranking official of the second rank.
Now that he's home, his wife is as obedient as a sparrow, and no one in the family would disrespect him. Thinking about the changes today, Zhou Chu is extremely excited. This is fate! If he hadn't met his lord back then, what would he be like now?
Thinking of this, Zhou Chu felt a mix of emotions. He took a deep breath and then clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
In short, we're all old brothers, so there's no need for further explanation. Zhou Chu was thrilled.
At this point, Chen Jie continued, "Also, let me mention that the patrol department is only responsible for arresting wanted criminals and can interrogate them, but cannot convict them. Conviction must be made by the Dali Temple."
Chen explained, “The Dali Temple is promoted to a high-ranking official position, and the Temple Chief is promoted to a Minister. In addition, the Dali Temple needs to establish a Senior Dali Temple at the provincial level, a Mid-level Dali Temple at the prefectural level, and a Junior Dali Temple at the county level. The Dali Temple in the capital is the highest Dali Temple, which holds the final right of litigation.”
"In the future, when ordinary people file lawsuits, they can appeal through the proper channels, up to the highest level of the Supreme Court of Justice. If there is a truly outrageous injustice, they can directly petition the Supreme Court of Justice. The Supreme Court of Justice should set up a special channel for cases of injustice. Those with genuine grievances can go directly through this special channel. I hope that the Supreme Court of Justice will become the upright and just official Bao Zheng that the people talk about in the future!"
After explaining this, Chen thought for a moment and said, "Let Jin Yanzi take on the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
Chen Jie mentioned a name, and everyone was stunned upon hearing it. Many people looked at Jin Yanzi. Jin Yanzi then stood up and said, "Everyone, with the founding of the nation imminent, it is already inconvenient for me, a woman, to serve in the army. Moreover, I am exhausted from fighting these years. Therefore, I requested His Majesty to give me a different position. I did not expect His Majesty to give me this important position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. From now on, please take good care of me."
As Jin Yanzi spoke, she admitted that she had indeed grown somewhat weary of her military career, which was why she had this idea.
Chen Jie understood, so he prepared this position for Jin Yanzi.
Upon hearing this, the military personnel felt a pang of emotion, realizing that Marshal Jin's journey had been far from easy.
With that in mind, everyone cast their blessings at Jin Shuai.
At this moment, Chen Jie continued, "Alright, let's continue. The next one is the Minister of War. The Minister of War is in charge of important tasks such as the supply of money and food in the army, so we must have a mature and prudent person. Therefore, my proposed candidate is Xu Da."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned, not expecting that this position would be given to Xu Da.
Xu Da was also taken aback, not expecting it to be him. He knew that managing the army's money and supplies was a very lucrative position, and it was a second-rank official post.
With that thought in mind, everyone looked at Xu Da and asked, "Commander Xu, what do you think?"
Xu Da nodded and said, "If His Majesty trusts me, I will do it. If His Majesty does not trust me, he should just say so. I will never be lazy."
"it is good!"
The main reason for choosing Xu Da for this position is that he is upright and knowledgeable in military affairs and knows how to allocate logistics. In addition, the position of Minister of War, which seems very important, is actually a double-edged sword. There are various military commanders in charge of the troops, and he cannot directly interfere in military affairs. Therefore, the position of Minister of War is more of a symbolic one.
Giving it to Xu Da can appease the people who surrendered on Zhu Chongba's side.
Having done all this, Chen Jie looked at everyone present and said, "Alright, let's continue with the Minister of Works. This position is also very important. He is in charge of national engineering projects, water conservancy, and related affairs. In addition, the Academy of Science and Technology is about to develop a train. The construction of railways will be of paramount importance in the future. Therefore, I have issued an order to appoint Bai Mosheng, who assists overseas figures such as 'Sea Dragon King' Fang Guozhen, as Minister of Works immediately, in charge of national engineering affairs."
Does anyone have any comments?
When Bai Mosheng was mentioned, everyone nodded in agreement. He was a veteran who had fought alongside Chen Jie to conquer the country. Later, he was sent overseas, and when he came to serve as the Minister of Works, no one had any objections.
Chen Jie then said, "And the Ministry of Supervision!" (End of Chapter)