"However, the civil administration is a complete mess." With that, Zhao Gongming boldly drafted a petition detailing the cases and decisions made by Xie's civil officials.
Everything was handed over to Wu Qiu.
Wu Qiu knew more or less about the Xie family's outrageous behavior in certain aspects, and he handed it to Xie Lanzhi with trembling hands.
When the petitions reached Xie Lanzhi, everyone in the Xie family felt their eyelids twitching.
Xie Lanzhi glanced at the clansmen and raised an eyebrow: "I, as the chief, always make decisions on important matters after careful consideration. I hope you will do the same."
The Xie family members immediately felt guilty, and some of them lowered their heads, not daring to meet their gaze.
Si Xitong had more or less guessed what was going on, and she said, "The Xie clan members have only been in the capital for a short time, so it is understandable that they are not good at handling government affairs."
The Xie family members were very grateful to their mistress for speaking up for them.
Xie Lanzhi opened the petition, which contained a total of 101 local political matters, and each one was filled with the same flavor: favoritism, abuse of power, and favoritism.
Even when someone from the Xie family stole a chicken from a commoner, a minor official from the Xie family released him as if it were a trivial matter, and even threatened the victim not to be petty.
One family in the Xie clan made their old woman wash clothes but didn't pay her. Another family deliberately released flies after eating wontons, refused to pay at restaurants, and went to brothels... and so on.
There was also a woman surnamed Xie who forcibly married a scholar, and Xie Feng, being so open-minded, even had affairs with multiple men. This drew criticism from the people of the town, and in a fit of anger, the woman beat up the village head and destroyed other people's homes.
Although they are minor cases, piling them up can easily breed public resentment. The customs of the Great Jin Dynasty are still conservative, and there are still people who bind their feet.
Unexpectedly, the chaotic handling at the grassroots level has disrupted order. Customs can be changed, and social atmosphere can be altered, but it must never veer towards a distorted direction.
The lower and middle classes of the Xie family were generally unfair, and some people who lacked the ability to stand up for themselves created a miscarriage of justice.
Xie Lanzhi immediately showed the petition to the Xie family members: "Is this all you've got?"
Xie Guang couldn't help but stand up and say, "The Xie family...the Xie family doesn't have enough scholars, so it's inevitable that some flaws will be mixed in, but they're not entirely useless."
"Send them down to cause trouble?" Xie Lanzhi said coldly, "If there aren't enough people, won't they learn how?"
Xie Guang fell silent; he could no longer take the blame for his clan. He hadn't even disciplined his own daughter properly.
No one in the Xie family dared to speak out. It was clearly the truth.
Si Xitong took a copy of the petition that had fallen from the sky, glanced at it, and found that Xie's way of handling things was indeed unfair.
She suggested, "Why not temporarily set up a government-run school, with officials from the capital in charge of educating the Xie family on how to handle political affairs?"
“Mistress… what the princess says is absolutely right,” Xie Guang and the Xie family members said in unison.
Xie Lanzhi said, "This matter will be handled by the princess."
The Xie family members all breathed a sigh of relief. The mistress was so gentle. Leaving her in their care allowed them a much-needed respite.
But they relaxed too quickly. Xie Lanzhi added, "The Xie family must learn to handle political affairs within a year and handle them properly within three years. Otherwise, no matter what merits their father and mother have made, they will no longer be employed after three years."
The three-year system caused Xie great distress, but three years was enough, and no one dared to object.
"promise!"
"This matter will be entrusted to Jiu Jinchen for supervision." Since Xie Lanzhi had decided to help the Xie family, she couldn't let them be lazy and unwilling to work.
"As for the text, we will adopt Zhao Gongming's suggestion: if Xie does not have the ability to learn how to govern a region within three years, I will not only not employ him, but will also demote him back to the Southern Region and never allow him to return to the capital."
Never to return to the capital?! The Xie family has enjoyed the riches and glory of Tianjing; how could they be willing to return to their rural hometown? Running wild there might even get them punished by their own families, and they'd be subject to patriarchal control, restricted in every way—life wouldn't be pleasant. Unlike Tianjing!
Even Xie Guang was startled. He couldn't return to the capital. As a great general, how could he be kicked back to Tianjing and humiliated? It seems he will have to supervise his two daughters' studies more closely from now on.
Zhao Gongming shouted loudly, "The Marshal is wise!!"
Startled by Xie Lanzhi, Xie Shi had no interest in paying attention to Zhao Gongming's text and was preoccupied with finding a good official in the capital to handle her official duties.
Among the officials in the capital, Li Ling stepped forward and asked, "Marshal, what is your opinion on the content of Lord Zhao's text?"
"The allocation of civil affairs in various parts of Jin will be entrusted to Princess Fengning," Xie Lanzhi said. "She will decide on the officials for each region."
Upon hearing this, the Xie family members could hardly believe it.
Zhao Gongming simply straightened his posture, as if this was how it should be.
Some in the Xie family were aware that while they were not skilled in civil affairs, they held considerable military and public order control throughout the Nine Provinces. In a balance between civil and military matters, the Xie family still held a 50/50 advantage.
Si Xitong accepted the assignment and immediately said, "I will appoint Lord Wu, Lord Li, Lord Zhao, and Marquis Yong'an as the chief ministers of the Nine Jin Military Council. All matters in various regions can be screened by the Military Council and handled accordingly."
"General Xie Guang is the Assistant Minister of the Army, General Xie Ji is the Assistant Minister of the Army, and General Xie Xia is the Assistant Minister of the Left, in charge of the security situation in various places."
"A separate cabinet was established under the Military Council, with Lieutenant General Xie and Junior General Xie, along with fourth-rank officials from the capital, to coordinate important affairs in various cities." This can be considered the first instance of the integration of civil and military officials.
The allocation was reasonable.
With the big fish in place, the small fry could be placed according to their positions, and their direct superiors were all General Xie. The separation of civil and military affairs also limited General Xie's interference in internal matters. Civil officials and military officers each held a separate half of the cabinet, occupying equal positions.
Xie Lanzhi was in the Military Council Pavilion.
It was truly a situation of one side suppressing the other, with both sides checking and balancing each other. Zhao Gongming of the Ministry of Personnel acted impartially, and any civil officials from the Xie family would be appointed, dismissed, or assigned under his jurisdiction. Meanwhile, the Xie family's domineering nature prevented them from tolerating other military generals.
To a certain extent, Xie is unaware that a soft knife is hanging over his head.
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:18:00 on December 11, 2021 and 11:06:53 on December 12, 2021!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: Asi (2 grenades);
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Mequaren, Asi (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: FatTuTu (52 bottles); HuChiJun (30 bottles); Azusa, DiCha, and MeiKuaRen (10 bottles each); AHe (9 bottles); XinXin (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 65 Regent Si Xitong's Skillful Administration
Once the upper echelons of the Nine Promotions have been allocated their resources, the lower echelons will automatically adjust accordingly.
Si Xitong got to work on government affairs on her first day. During the lunch break, she took the initiative to share half of the inspection work, making her even busier than Xie Lanzhi.
Xie Lanzhi would occasionally take a sip of tea, but she didn't even have time to drink tea.
After reviewing most of the document, Si Xitong checked it repeatedly, just like a student who had finished an exam, and handed it to the teacher only after confirming that there were no errors.
Xie Lanzhi, the teacher, took the memorial. Actually, she didn't know much about politics at first. If she hadn't been familiar with some historical events, and if it weren't for the fact that the malpractices of feudal dynasties were generally the same, she wouldn't have been able to get started so quickly.
She carefully examined the folded document and discovered that Little Phoenix would circle certain words and phrases.
Water conservancy, farmland, various taxes, salt tax, and in red, the words "commercial tax" were added.
The state of Jin has a commercial tax, but it's basically a formality, chaotic and disorganized. Travel expenses, however, are collected frequently and are also classified as a commercial tax. Now, Si Xitong seems to be heavily relying on and expanding upon this.
She said, "The words you painted are exactly the new policies that the State of Jin needs to implement immediately."
Si Xitong nodded and said, "Salt tax is of paramount importance, and water conservancy expenditures are always more than necessary, so I must pay attention to these two items."
Both of these are among the largest sources of revenue and expenditure.
Xie Lanzhi continued her examination and found that most things were fine, except for one thing: the imperial examination system. A memorial from the Xie family expressed their desire to incorporate the imperial examination system into the capital, which was a good thing, but Little Phoenix did not approve it.
"Can you tell me why the imperial examination system wasn't incorporated into Tianjing?"
Si Xitong arranged the remaining memorials, and the clerk beside him wanted to help but couldn't get a hand out, so he could only watch anxiously as his master did his job.
She said, "The Xie family's scholars were ultimately too few to support the entire imperial examination system, but it was different in the border town, where the literary atmosphere was very strong. If the Xie family only wanted the policies to be dependent on them, then the implementation would ultimately be ineffective."
“Good governance that is corrupt is unfair, loses favor with the people, and freezes the system.”
Although the Xie family was able to be nurtured, it ultimately only provided opportunities for the Xie family, without giving any opportunities to people from Tianjing or anyone outside of Tianjing.
The Xie family cannot represent all people.
Xie Lanzhi did not stop her.
Si Xitong put down the folded document. Seeing that the person was silent, she began to feel uneasy.
"Lanzhi, do you have any other opinions?"
Xie Lanzhi deliberately put on a stern face: "How should I put it?"
Si Xitong said, "I speak frankly."
“Then there’s nothing more to say.” Xie Lanzhi suddenly smiled: “Following the mainstream is the way of the times.”
Si Xitong was relieved.
Xie Lanzhi thought of Si Qinian, who had been growing for almost two months, and said, "Now that you are in charge of the Golden Palace, Qinian should also be given an identity so that he can have a proper identity in Tianjing."
Si Xitong seemed to have a plan in mind. She said, "Lord Shi'an."
“Actually, bestowing the title of a minor prince would also be acceptable.” Xie Lanzhi was quite surprised. Little Phoenix was indeed strict with her younger brother. Giving him only the title of Marquis would be awkward, as he was a legitimate son of the royal family, and even Si Lei was a prince. It would be embarrassing for her own brother to only have the title of Marquis in Tianjing.
Also, Little Phoenix's behavior was more forceful than usual. She couldn't help but look at Si Xitong. Shouldn't she still be the little girl who would obediently snuggle in her arms every night? How could she change so quickly during the day?
Si Xitong said, "I am his biological sister. Lanzhi has no doubt."
Xie Lanzhi withdrew her gaze and coughed lightly: "Being granted the title of prince makes no difference."
Si Xitong's eyes were serious. She emphasized, "If Lanzhi continues, Qinian may not even deserve to be a marquis."
Xie Lanzhi immediately shut her mouth. If she interfered again, her brother-in-law might remain a commoner for the rest of his life.
She's not going to get involved in this anymore.
Ultimately, Si Xitong bestowed upon Si Xinian the title of Marquis of Shi'an, a decision she could make herself, without any interference from the Xie family's authority.
The news that Si Xinian had been granted the title of Marquis of Shi'an spread throughout Tianjing.
The people of Tianjing were discussing it on the streets and alleys.
"He's the fourth prince, so why was he only granted the title of marquis?"
"I heard it was personally bestowed by His Highness Feng Ning."
"If it's Marshal Xie, he definitely has more than one marquis. Is this still his own sister?"
"No way, we still need more masters. It's good that we don't have a spoiled prince. If you ask us, Prince Feng Ning did a good job."
The Xie family arranged to drink at a restaurant with Jingchen. Upon hearing that the Fourth Prince had been appointed Marquis of Shi'an, they began to discuss the matter.
"The mistress is too strict with her younger brother; she doesn't dote on him as much as the marshal does."
"The Fourth Prince is a real headache. No matter what, he shouldn't have only been given the title of Marquis. How embarrassing would it be if he came back after planting the sweet potatoes?"