Yu Shu moved into the Taixi Building. This was the official residence of the Great Supervisor of the Celestial Commissioner's Nine Palaces. It occupied the Kan position, and the Imperial Household faced the east. The independent courtyard was surrounded by a bamboo forest, and the environment was quiet. There was a pool of running water in the garden, and the building was located in the middle of the lake. Only a nine-turn bridge could reach the other side.
After Zhu Muzhao stepped down from his position, he moved all of his personal belongings out of the building. Yu Shudu walked into the slightly empty hall and looked around the place with a different mood than before. Her gaze fell on the treasured chair in the middle of the carved railings and jade steps. For the past fifteen years, Zhu Muzhao had sat in that position and issued orders, looking down on all the civil and military officials of the court. He was truly below one and above tens of thousands.
She had just received the imperial edict yesterday, and the Secretariat was rushing to make her court dress and official robes. At this time, she was still wearing the third-rank Right Commander's silver gauze gown, with the Big Dipper Palace embroidered on her shoulder. Originally, there was another pattern on the patch for female officials. This third-rank Right Commander should be the orchid in the empty valley, but the Secretariat was in a hurry and used the wrong pattern. She did not correct it because she already knew at that time that in the near future, she would sit in this position and wear the pattern that only stayed on Empress Ningzhen's shoulder for the past 300 years — — the Flower of the Other Shore.
The Flower of the Other Shore, also known as the Red Spider Lily, was taken from Sanskrit. It was not a spiritual plant that appeared in the Taoist classics. There was a saying, "The Flower of the Other Shore, blooms on the other shore. One can only see the flower, not the leaves." It meant that the Red Spider Lily bloomed by the River of Forgetfulness in the underworld, and it implied reincarnation and rebirth. However, it was a symbol chosen by Empress Ningzhen herself, and it represented the woman who stood at the highest position in the court.
Xin Ya came in with a writing official. When she saw Yu Shu sitting on the throne, her eyes twinkled slightly. She smiled and came forward to greet her, and then explained the purpose of her visit.
"In the future, you will be staying here for a long time. You must not feel uncomfortable. Please take a look at what is lacking in this building and what needs to be added. Mention it so that I can remember it and redecorate it as soon as possible."
The Comptroller's Office was in charge of property. Just the amount of tax collected from the Great Exchange Hall across the country was already an astronomical figure. It could be said that they were extremely rich. Xin Ya was indeed a shrewd person and knew how to adapt to the circumstances. Yu Shu had just taken up the position and it was still unclear how capable he was. A group of people were watching quietly from below, but he was the first to take the initiative to please her.
Yu Shu smiled faintly and said, "This place is a little deserted, I don't like it, you clean it up." Finished speaking, she no longer cared about him and picked up the dossier that Zong Zheng Si had sent yesterday and flipped through it. She did not treat Xin Ya as an elder just because of her relationship with Xin Liu. Sitting here, she only needed to remember that Xin Ya was the Celestial Commissioner.
"Replace all the screens here as well. Use glass shelves. Note it down."
"Add six more mahogany lanterns with cranes on a turtle's back, two black beast-head incense burners, a pair of celestial glazed fish amphorae …"
"It's going to be winter soon. Four sets of bedding, soft pillows, and don't forget to write down the armrests of the chairs."
He ran back and forth, almost changing the inside and outside of Taixi Brothel from inside out. Only then did he leave with his people satisfied. Not long after he left, Junior Eunuch Ren brought a few officials from the Comptroller's Office to pay a visit. Now that Yu Shu was the chief of the Comptroller's Office, Ren Qiming naturally became her assistant. He was a talent trained by Zhu Muzhao. He was pragmatic, capable, and loyal. Originally, he was the most promising person to inherit Zhu Muzhao's mantle, but unfortunately, she came out of nowhere.
Not to mention that there was still some animosity between Ren Qiming and Yu Shu. Previously, he had lynched her and twisted off one of her little fingers. In addition, his wife, Ren Rui shi, had gossiped about her behind her back. Although it couldn't be considered a grudge, it was still a grudge.
Yu Shu had long understood the authority of the Comptroller's Office. It could be said that the power of the Celestial Commissioner was concentrated in this department — the big ones included presiding over the Imperial Sacrifice, writing the genealogy of the Emperor, managing the register of the clan, and rewarding and punishing members of the Imperial Clan. The small ones included recording the children of the Imperial Clan, inheriting the title of nobility, drawing up titles, and so on.
Taking Ning Wang as an example, when he was supervising the country, it was his most glorious time. Kong Qi had accused him of murdering the Tenth Princess. At that time, the previous Emperor was recuperating in Huazhen Garden and didn't care about court affairs. The Supreme Court didn't dare to take this case, so the Comptroller dared to take it all on his own. If they said that Ning Wang was guilty, then he was guilty. If they said that he was imprisoned, then he was imprisoned.
There was no ambiguity at all. Ren Qiming brought people to report the recent affairs of the Comptroller to Yu Shu. He was very methodical and well-behaved. Yu Shu could see that he wasn't satisfied with her sitting in this position. But because this was Zhu Muzhao's decision, he would obey. So after they finished discussing official matters, she left him behind and let the others leave.
"What other instructions does the Comptroller have?" Ren Qiming didn't respectfully call her "Tai". In his eyes, she wasn't worthy of this title.
Yu Shu raised an eyebrow and smiled. She turned her body to change into a comfortable sitting position. One hand propped up her chin, the other rested on the white jade table. Her slender and long fingers nimbly tapped on the table. She examined him for a moment and asked unhurriedly,
"Junior Supervisor Ren, how many years have you been in the Celestial Commissioner?"
Ren Qiming lowered his head and said: "This lowly official became an official in the third year of Zhaoqing."
"Twelve years," Yu Shu sighed. "Counting it, this seat is only a fraction of your time." She had become the Celestial Commissioner in July of last year. It hadn't even been a year and three months since then.
Ren Qiming said with a wooden face: "Then you really have a meteoric rise and your career is prosperous."
This wasn't a compliment. Yu Shu chuckled and asked in a careless tone: "Then do you know how I got this position?"
Ren Qiming heard this and raised his head to look at her. His thoughts turned quickly and he said: "This lowly official doesn't dare to criticize."
Yu Shu stopped smiling and looked at him coldly. She said: "You don't dare to criticize, but it doesn't mean you don't have criticism. I think you are clear that it's because I'm the person who broke Ming that Zhu Gong saw me differently and let me take over as the Celestial Commissioner. It's because I'm the only one who has the hope to find the Mystic Maiden Liu Ren and protect the foundation of Da An. Since you are clear about this, then you should know that other than me, no one else can sit firmly in this position. I don't care what you think in your heart. I'm only warning you once and giving you this one chance. Either you win my trust, or I'll find someone to replace you. "
The meaning behind her words was: Either you obey me or get lost.
Ren Qiming's body stiffened and he clenched his teeth. He first felt ashamed and angry, but he calmed down when faced with her overbearing attitude. He was already middle-aged and had long passed the age of letting his emotions affect his decisions. If it was ten years ago, hearing someone speak to him like this, he would definitely turn around and leave. But now, he repeatedly thought over her cold words and his back was gradually drenched in sweat.
No one knew better than him how much power this young woman, Yu Shu, had in her hands. Not mentioning her reputation and ability, the previous generation's Great Advisor Zhu Muzhao had handed over the command of the Blackguard to her. She was also the only person other than Zhu Muzhao who had learned the 'Supreme Bone Deity Lesson'. Emperor Chongzhen favored her greatly and the current Empress also had a close relationship with her. Just as she said, other than her, no one else could be qualified for the position of Great Advisor.
From this, it could be seen that her threat to find someone to replace him was not just empty words. However, he knew too many secrets of the Imperial Court and every one of them was enough to be fatal. If he left the Celestial Commissioner like this, she would not let him go and the Emperor would not let him go. In the end, he would only be left with an intact corpse.
Ren Qiming had been depressed and dissatisfied for a few months. At this moment, he suddenly thought it through. He had no other choice. He could either live or seek death.
"So this lowly official was confused." He looked deeply at Yu Shu, his tightly clenched fists slowly loosening. Lifting the hem of his robe, he knelt on the ground and said respectfully, "Please forgive my sin of disrespect."
The corners of Yu Shu's mouth curled up in satisfaction. She nodded and said, "A wise man submits to circumstances. Get up, Junior Supervisor. In the future, I will need to rely on you for many things. Don't be foolish again."
She herself was a tough nut to crack. It was naturally easy for her to deal with this kind of person who was unmoved by force or persuasion. Everything about being courteous and approachable were all nonsense. Only by letting him see the reality would he obediently listen to her orders.
Only then did Ren Qiming admit defeat in front of her. Then he reported an 'interesting matter' to her.
"Last night, a few scholars from the Grand Historian Yuan came to my residence to ask for an audience. After meeting, they beat around the bush. Listening to their intentions, they were dissatisfied with you taking over the position of Celestial Commissioner. They deliberately stirred up trouble and urged me to fight for power with you."
Yu Shu asked him who they were and he mentioned them one by one. When she heard Han Wenguang's name, she couldn't help but sneer. Her eyes flashed and she thought: At the beginning of her tenure, it was inevitable that people would be unstable. Just as she was about to punish the chicken to warn the monkey, there were people who were seeking death who came to her door.
Ren Qiming was also tactful. This stab in the back was very straightforward. Not only did he disassociate himself from them, he also surrendered to her.
Yu Shu then asked him, "How do you think this matter should be handled?"
Ren Qiming's tone was stern as he said, "In this lowly official's view, the scholars' days are too leisurely. That's why they are impetuous and have ideas that they shouldn't have. If they are not punished, I'm afraid that they will be even more savage in the future."
"Junior supervisor is right," Yu Shu thought and sat up straight. She took a brush from the brush rack. Seeing this, Ren Qiming hesitated for a moment and then went forward to grind the ink for her.
Yu Shu shook the brush and mumbled, "I studied in the Grand Historian Yuan for several months and found many bad practices. For example, some scholars were too arrogant and rejected the students who were studying hard outside the door. There were also some scholars who used their positions to seek personal gain and did not focus on teaching. All these things are because the eighteen scholars do things their own way. There is one less person to manage the overall situation and the Celestial Commissioner has indulged too much, leading to today's situation. Why don't we choose a chief from among them and send a supervisor from the Celestial Commissioner to supervise the Grand Historian Yuan to correct the conduct. "
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