The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Chapter 1070 The Beginning of Chaos (Part 1)

Nobody wanted to leave; everyone wanted to see how the leader would act first. Nobody wanted to be the one to take the lead, so nobody stepped forward.

Within a month, the Ministry of War issued three urgent transfer orders.

Unable to find a solution, these people discussed the matter and decided to adopt a delaying tactic. Many boldly claimed to be ill and unable to leave their posts, and others followed suit, all claiming illness and refusing to take office.

Zhou Puyuan was in the capital and was furious when he found out. Anyone with eyes could see that this was all a pretense; in reality, he was disobeying the imperial decree and refusing to be transferred.

During the morning court session, he specifically brought up this issue, but apart from the Cui family, all the court officials kept their eyes down and pretended to be mute. Not a single person offered any advice, and no one was willing to step forward and take on the task.

It's not that there wasn't a single person in the entire court willing to help the government, but rather that most of them had been given advance notice by other powerful families.

They were of low status and had little influence. They feared the power of aristocratic families and were afraid of being caught in a lose-lose situation, which is why they dared not stand out in the court, ultimately leading to this situation.

After the court session, Zhou Pu summoned Cui Rong to discuss countermeasures. Cui Rong wasn't too surprised when she heard the news; she had known all along that since that incident, her men wouldn't be so obedient anymore.

After thinking for a moment, she suggested, "Since no one is willing to step forward and take on this task to help the court, why not let my younger brother, Cui He, do it?"

“Him? I’m afraid he can’t do it. He’s too young and doesn’t have much experience. He definitely can’t control those old soldiers.” Zhou Pu knew what this young imperial brother-in-law was capable of.

"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious," Cui Rong said gently, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Cui He is indeed still young and needs more experience. He certainly can't handle this task alone. So, I have already found capable people to help him. If this task is handled well, Your Majesty can also promote newcomers and silence the gossips of those old guys. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

"Help? Who is it?" Zhou Pu asked, frowning.

"It's Su Zheng, the newly appointed third-ranked scholar last year. He's currently working at the Hanlin Academy and occasionally goes to the Eastern Palace to lecture the Crown Prince. I've observed him carefully. He's a neutral figure in the court, hasn't yet pledged allegiance to any powerful family, and is quick-witted, exceptionally intelligent, and very steady. If he were to assist Cui He in his duties, it would surely be twice as effective."

Most importantly, Your Majesty has given him this opportunity. From now on, he will be one of Your Majesty's men and will definitely stand firmly on Your Majesty's side. The reason we are currently controlled by these court officials is mainly because we lack capable people. In my opinion, Su Zheng is a promising talent and will definitely be able to help us.”

This wasn't something Cui Rong said casually. She had indeed carefully screened all the civil and military officials, including their backgrounds, kinship ties, character, and daily behavior, before finally deciding on this candidate.

She had encountered this man a few times when she visited the Crown Prince at the Eastern Palace, and found him to be very knowledgeable and reasonable in his speech and actions.

Moreover, her family background was simple and clean, which was exactly the kind of "newly rich" that she and Zhou Pu were eager to find to counterbalance the powerful families.

Zhou Pu had no recollection of this person at all. Whether he was the third-ranked scholar or the top-ranked scholar, it made no difference to him. He rarely went to the Eastern Palace, so naturally he couldn't have seen this person.

After hearing Cui Rong's suggestion, he became interested. "Since he was recommended by the Empress, he must have some ability. I will meet him first before making a decision."

"Of course, everything is up to Your Majesty to decide," Cui Rong said with a smile.

Su Zheng happened to be free to lecture at the Eastern Palace today. He was helping organize books at the Hanlin Academy when he suddenly heard that someone from the palace had come to summon him to the palace to meet the emperor. He was a little puzzled.

He doesn't need to attend the morning court session yet because he's not qualified, so he doesn't know the details of the morning court session. He only heard a brief mention from his superior when he returned.

However, these were all too far removed from his life, so he didn't take them to heart.

With the palace messengers urgently urging them on, there was no time to think much. After quickly tidying their clothes, they followed the eunuch into the palace.

This was the fourth time he had seen the current emperor in person, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. After calming himself down and bowing, Su Zheng stood quietly to the side, waiting for instructions from above.

After scanning the man up and down, Zhou Pu was somewhat disappointed. He felt that this man was no different from an ordinary civil official. He looked quite ordinary, except that he was a bit more handsome than the average civil official. He really couldn't understand why Cui Rong would take a liking to such a person and even want him to handle such an important task.

Cui Rong knew Zhou Pu well and could tell at a glance that Zhou Pu hadn't taken a liking to him, so she took the initiative to say, "Your Majesty, why don't you test Lord Su first, and then make a decision?"

This implies giving the other person another chance, and not condemning them too easily.

Zhou Pu thought about it and agreed. Since the person had already come, they couldn't just be sent back. So he went straight to the point and asked, "I heard from the Empress that Lord Su is exceptionally talented. What is your interpretation of the phrase 'Royal decrees are not obeyed throughout the land'?"

The phrase "royal decrees are not obeyed throughout the land" has a simple and clear meaning; it mainly refers to the decline of imperial power and was originally used to describe the situation of the Zhou emperor.

Upon hearing this, Su Zheng immediately understood. Recalling the situation his superior had mentioned during the morning court session, he knew that His Majesty was testing him, which also meant that his opportunity had arrived.

So he calmed down and, after thinking for a moment, replied: "Your Majesty, this phrase was originally used to describe the Zhou emperor, but the core contradiction between centralization and checks and balances has always existed throughout history. Different situations require different solutions; it is not static. Ultimately, it is still a matter of unequal strength. Transferring generals is only addressing the symptoms, not the root cause, and is not the best solution."

"So, is there any good solution?" Zhou Pu interrupted impatiently.