Chapter 974: Thick thighs, smoking ancestral graves
In his previous life, Jiang Qingzhi liked to read novels online for a while.
Seeing those time travelers recruiting followers in ancient times as easily and naturally as drinking water, I can’t help but feel fascinated.
What a pleasure it is to have those historical celebrities and powerful people as your followers or as your disciples.
But when he was brought to Ming Dynasty by Mr. Ding, he found that things were not that simple.
For example, the first powerful man he met, Xia Yan, even though he was down and out, was saved by Jiang Qingzhi, but Xia Yan never bowed down and called him "Lord".
Xia Yan finally decided to stay in Xin'an Lane after much consideration. It was not because he wanted to seek refuge, but because he was reluctant to leave the capital and his power. But after spending a long time together, he and Jiang Qingzhi developed a relationship that was almost like family, so he was willing to stay in the Bo's Mansion to take charge of the overall situation.
Other celebrities, such as Zhang Juzheng, were not only famous, but also powerful. Jiang Qingzhi racked his brains and secretly made some moves to force Zhang Juzheng to the Mohist side.
But this is not surrender.
Zhang Juzheng’s entry into the Mohist school was more like a businessman entering an e-commerce platform.
I'm using your platform to sell goods, that's all.
Therefore, Jiang Qingzhi also gave up the idea of collecting celebrity photos.
Compared with Zhang Juzheng's great reputation in history, Chen Lian was naturally nothing and not worth mentioning. But Jiang Qingzhi dared to bet that if Zhang Juzheng was sent to work in Songjiang Prefecture, he would definitely not be able to strike a balance between Xu Prefecture and his own responsibilities.
In other words, at this moment, Zhang Juzheng's ability was far inferior to Chen Lian's.
Of course, Chen Lian was a veteran in the political arena, while Zhang Juzheng was a newcomer. But there were so many talented people in the world, and those who could stand out were not talented, but just had opportunities.
"You have talent." Jiang Qingzhi said, "What you lack is an opportunity to display your talent. Besides, why don't you find a backer?"
If he had a backer, Chen Lian wouldn't have to dance on a few eggs.
Chen Lian sighed, "I thought so too, but to be a prefect, the backer must be at least the governor. I tried to curry favor with him and offered bribes, but the amount was too small."
Official administration is the foundation of a country. If official administration collapses, the country’s demise is not far away.
This is the case in every dynasty. When a country is founded, its governance is good, but then it goes downhill. There are almost no exceptions.
This huge Central Empire had never been destroyed by foreigners. As the saying goes, a fortress always begins to collapse from within.
Emperors, generals, and peddlers and porters form a delicate chain, in which the most important link is the officials. When this link is broken, the emperors, generals, and porters are completely cut off from the peddlers and porters.
The Former Qin broke this link, and Chen Sheng and Wu Guang made a call from a high place.
The Western Han Dynasty broke this link, and the Yellow Turban Army swept across the country.
The Ming Dynasty broke this link, and the postman took advantage of the situation and destroyed the last feudal dynasty of the Han people.
One of the most obvious phenomena of the collapse of officialdom is that talented people cannot make a name for themselves, while those who are greedy and despicable are flooding the temples and local governments.
The only way for an official to realize his ambition is to bribe. This is the absurdity of the current officialdom.
A huge crack has appeared in the most important link of the empire chain. If it is ignored, it will break completely in no time.
"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sir." Chen Lian felt that Jiang Qingzhi could not understand such things.
This is how Hu Zongxian rose to power in history... Jiang Qingzhi said: "If you want to do things, you must first be a good person. But in the current officialdom, it is not easy to be a good person. You have to be able to observe the words and expressions, and be aware of the preferences of your superiors, and then further cater to their preferences. As for how the people under your rule are, that is not important.
It doesn’t matter if your superior says you are good or bad. If you do not act in accordance with your superior’s wishes, even if the people under your rule shout “Blue Heaven”, you are still bad. ”
Xu Wei also sighed, "The quality of the evaluation is determined by a word from the superior."
The Nanjing Ministry of Personnel was responsible for examining officials in the south, and the final results had to be reported to the Beijing Ministry of Personnel for approval.
Southern Ministry of Personnel... Jiang Qingzhi thought of some of the situations he learned in Nanjing City.
"The relationships in the southern officialdom are complicated, and everyone has a network behind them. The Nanjing Ministry of Personnel does not want to offend anyone. As long as you give some benefits, have someone behind you, or say a few good words to your superiors, you can get the best in the evaluation..."
Chen Lian said these chilling words to Jiang Qingzhi and Xu Wei. Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, he could not help but smile bitterly, "The Ministry of Personnel in the capital said that it was approved, but they are far away from the south, how can they know the specific matters? Therefore, most of them maintain the status quo. Therefore, the status of officials in the south is not based on their political achievements, but on their relationships."
This is the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty.
In such an environment, officials who really want to do things cannot come to the fore, but instead those officials who are servile and good at building relationships shine.
By the middle and late periods, most of the officials, from the prime minister to the local officials, were unusable.
"There is a big problem in the Ming Dynasty." Jiang Qingzhi thought of what Xiong Jia once said: once the official atmosphere is formed, it is almost impossible to reverse it.
——Unless there is an earth-shaking change!
What Dao Ye and Jiang Qingzhi were preparing for was an earth-shaking change.
"This Ming Dynasty will die if it doesn't change!"
Chen Lian agreed with Jiang Qingzhi's words, "I have been an official in the local government for many years. To be honest, the most difficult thing about being an official in the local government is not these things, but how to deal with the local gentry.
These people have controlled the local areas for many years. From local officials to grain chiefs, village chiefs, and even ruffians, they are all connected with them. If local officials want to do something, they must show goodwill first and not infringe on their interests. But..."
Chen Lian sighed, and Jiang Qingzhi said, "But most of the local interests are controlled by them. If we don't affect their interests, how can we achieve anything?"
"Master!" Chen Lian felt that Jiang Qingzhi was really different from those dignitaries. "I once attended a banquet in the capital, and there were dignitaries and that young cabinet minister at the banquet. Someone mentioned the difficulties of being an official in the local government. Those dignitaries thought it was natural, and that young cabinet minister was even more dismissive.
At that time, I wondered if Yan Song and his son, who ruled the Ming Dynasty, knew nothing about the following situation, or turned a blind eye? If the latter, then this Ming Dynasty...
After returning to Songjiang Prefecture, I was in a daze for a while until now."
Everyone's change is traceable. Chen Lian revealed his own mental journey, giving Jiang Qingzhi an opportunity to peek into the psychological changes of officials. If the superior wants to control the subordinates, he must first figure out the thoughts and psychological changes of the subordinates.
This person did it on purpose...Xu Wei smiled appreciatively.
Sure enough, what the uncle said was right, the real talent is down there.
"When I heard the news that Lord Bo was heading south, I went to find Xu Fan and, after some negotiation, I found out the Xu family's position. I also used this opportunity to get close to the gentry. Otherwise, I would not have gotten the news that someone was planning to collude with the Japanese pirates."
This man seemed to be speculating and wanted to join Xu Jie, but secretly he was preparing for both situations. If Jiang Qingzhi failed, he could use his relationship with the Xu family to get promoted. If Jiang Qingzhi succeeded, he could use the information to join Jiang Qingzhi.
If it were someone else, they would certainly make the reason for joining Jiang Qingzhi more grandiose, but Chen Lian was so frank that even Jiang Qingzhi was surprised.
As a result, I couldn't help but feel a liking for him.
Xu Wei almost wanted to clap his hands in applause.
All those in a high position like their subordinates to be open and honest with them. They should tell them whatever they are thinking, whether positive or negative, good or bad.
This is a manifestation of lack of confidence.
But how many people can be absolutely confident?
Even great men like the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor were always suspicious of their subordinates.
Chen Lian's words were meant to please those in higher positions.
Look, I have nothing to hide.
Which superior person would not like such people?
Such a wonderful person... no, such a great talent, but no one takes it seriously... Xu Wei sighed: "Are those people blind?"
Sun Chonglou couldn't help himself outside the door, "Master, can I speak?"
Jiang Qingzhi said unhappily, "Speak."
After surrendering to Jiang Qingzhi, Chen Lian made a special effort to get to know the people around Jiang Qingzhi so as to make plans for the future.
Xu Wei was Jiang Qingzhi's think tank and was extremely intelligent.
Hu Zongxian is low-key, but cannot be ignored.
There is no need to mention Xia Yan.
Sun Chonglou fought a fierce battle outside the city, and the name of Ashura made the gentry in Songjiang Prefecture quite fearful.
People in the world can be divided into two categories. One category lives within various rules, where their words and actions are restricted by the rules and they dare not go beyond the boundaries.
Another type of people are not bound by rules, they do whatever they want and act recklessly.
The first type of people are not afraid of their own kind, because everyone lives within the rules, and I can at least guess most of what you are going to do.
But they are afraid of the second type of people.
A person who does not follow the rules.
This kind of person acts without any rules...it's frightening.
Sun Chonglou is the second type of person.
Chen Lian knew that Sun Chonglou was Jiang Qingzhi's servant, so although he was a little afraid of this guy, he did not take him seriously... We are partners, I am an official valued by the Lord, and you are just a servant.
But as soon as Sun Chonglou opened his mouth, Chen Lian knew he was wrong.
Such a casual, even intimate tone is not what an ordinary servant should use.
Jiang Qingzhi's attitude toward this servant was even more cordial and casual than his attitude toward himself.
Many times, the more casual you are, the closer you are.
Sun Chonglou scratched his head. "In fact, didn't Prefect Chen complain that he had no backing?"
No matter how cunning Chen Lian was, he was still embarrassed by these words.
Ashamed.
"But Lao Chen."
Sun Chonglou's words "Old Chen" made Chen Lian put aside his shame. He glanced at the new boss and saw that Jiang Qingzhi was smiling and did not scold Sun Chonglou.
I’m not old yet, and isn’t the name Lao Chen too damn intimate... What the hell is this!
Chen Lian's heart was shocked, and Sun Chonglou's status in Jiang Qingzhi's heart was refreshed again.
I’m afraid it’s even higher than Xu Wei!
"Old Chen, the young master's legs are thicker than Yan Song's. Now that you have embraced him, what are you worried about? Just go ahead and do it. If anything goes wrong, the young master will cover for you. If the young master can't cover for you, don't you still have His Majesty?"
His Majesty!
Your Majesty, are you willing to cover for Long Wilbur's subordinates?
Chen Lian glanced at Jiang Qingzhi and saw that he was smiling and did not object to what he said. He could not help but smile at Sun Chonglou and said, "Little Sun...Little Brother Sun is right."
Chen Lian only felt that there was light before his eyes.
Damn, the thigh that I, Old Chen, am holding onto is so strong?!
There’s smoke coming out of the ancestral grave!
(End of this chapter)
