"Troubled times," Dong Wencong said.
Fang Yundao said, "Do you still remember the punishment from the Punishment Hall?"
"Yes, you went against the Punishment Hall for the People. The Punishment Hall punished you to go to an ancient land to expand the human race's territory before you become a Great Scholar. Other than that, the other punishments were insignificant. Could it be … "Dong Wencong looked at Fang Yun in shock.
"The head of the Yan Family, Yan Ningshan, sent me a letter saying that the changes in the Ten Frost Ancient Land could be a sign of the ancient land's destruction. You also know that the Ten Frigid Ancient Land will undergo a change every three hundred years or so. The ancient land will be destroyed and reborn again. This is known as the Ten Frigid Birth and Death. When the Ten Frost Birth and Destruction occurs, the Ten Frost Ancient Land will compete for the Ten Frost Sovereign King and obtain the Ice Emperor's Magnificent Power. The Yan Family hopes that I will go to the Ten Frost Ancient Land and fight for the Ten Frost Sovereign King for the human race. I don't need to be ranked too high, as long as I can fight for the tenth Frost Sovereign. "
Dong Wencong was surprised. "The Yan Family has controlled the ninth Frost Sovereign for so long, but you don't have confidence in the next Ten Frost Sovereign King?"
Fang Yun's eyes flashed, and he said, "The Yan Family originally had two candidates for the position of Grand Scholar. They were both Great Scholars, but for the Ten Frost Sovereign King, they suppressed their realms for many years and remained at the peak of Grand Scholar level. With these two people, the Yan Family would be safe. But … in recent years, the Literati Star kept changing, causing the two of them to be unable to suppress the pull of the Magnificent Power and become Great Scholars. The Yan Family originally placed their hopes on Yan Yukong, but now that the ancient land is changing, it will be destroyed in a short time. There is no time for Yan Yukong to grow. "
"Then the Yan Family can look for … No, the Yan Family can't look for the Half-saint aristocratic families. The Half-saint aristocratic families are either not strong enough or not close to the Yan Family. The Yan Family is also a secondary saint aristocratic family, so it is not easy to look for other secondary saint aristocratic families. It seems like the Yan Family can only look for you or the Kong Family now, "Dong Wencong said.
Fang Yun shook his head gently and said, "You don't know that the Kong Family has a rule that they can't fight for the Ten Frost Ancient Land with the secondary saint aristocratic families. They can do things there, but they can't fight for the Ten Frost Sovereign King. It can even be said that the Kong Clan doesn't care which human clan becomes the Ten Frost Monarch, as long as there is one. "
Dong Wencong said, "Then I understand. The Yan Family knows that it will be very difficult for them to obtain the Ten Frost Sovereign King again, but they have enormous power and secrets, so they want to find a partner. You have the strength to fight for the title of King of Ten Frost, but you don't have the power and foundation to control a Cold City. Furthermore, your reputation has always been good, and you have never committed any crimes. As long as we reach an agreement with you, you will definitely fulfill it. Most importantly, you and Yan Yukong are very close. "
"Something like that," Fang Yundao said.
"I don't know much about the creation and destruction of ancient lands, but I've heard that it takes a long time, at least a few months or even a year. If you're not in Xiang Prefecture, who's going to preside over the overall situation? "Dong Wencong fretted.
"That's why before I leave, I want to stabilize Elephant Province and eliminate all unstable factors," Fang Yundao said.
"Then your first step is …" Dong Wencong asked tentatively.
"Clean up the governance of the officials," Fang Yundao said.
Dong Wencong nodded and said, "No wonder you captured all the officials of Xiang Prefecture during the Yueyang Pavilion's meeting. That way, the governance of the officials will be half complete. However … the halfway point is ninety. I'm afraid that the next step will be difficult. "
"You're right, but you're also wrong," Fang Yundao said.
Dong Wencong immediately said respectfully, "Please enlighten me, sir."
"It's very difficult to clean up the officials, but as long as a few problems are solved, the road ahead will be smooth. The first is to have enough power, and there won't be anyone who opposes me. I don't lack this. More than half of the past chancellors who cleaned up the officials were because they didn't have enough power. There was even a joke that government decrees didn't leave the cabinet. "
Dong Wencong nodded lightly. A Left Prime Minister like that had appeared in Jingguo a hundred years ago. After the government decrees left the cabinet, no one obeyed them. Although there were various reasons, it also showed that the Left Prime Minister wasn't suitable to govern the country.
Fang Yundao continued, "The second point is to cut off all ties related to personal interests. It can be said that ninety percent of the chancellors were unable to complete their political reforms because they couldn't cut off their personal interests. Think about it, if a certain chancellor's butt wasn't clean, how could he act swiftly and decisively? If he was too selfish, for example, if he colluded with some high-ranking officials and had other motives, how could he convince the people? Therefore, most of the reforms ended up being factional struggles and internal strife. "
"You're right, sir," Dong Wencong said.
"The third point is to have control over the lower-level officials. There are many cases in history where the ruler of a country loses control over the lower-level officials. No matter how powerful the ruler is, if he can't control the officials who are in contact with the people, cleaning up the officials is just empty talk. Other than that, there are many other factors, such as timing, internal and external troubles, specific methods used to govern the officials, the people's hearts, and so on. "
Dong Wencong said, "After the Yueyang Pavilion's Literary Conference, your popularity in Xiang Province has already … to say something disrespectful, it has already surpassed that of the ruler of a country. Therefore, your power isn't a problem. You're from another country and have nothing to do with the local powers in Xiang Province. Moreover, you're wholeheartedly serving the human race. Even if you have your own selfish motives, it won't affect the cleaning up of the officials. What you lack is control over the lower-level officials. "
Fang Yun sighed softly, "Since ancient times, no one has been able to completely control the lower-level officials. Even when the Saints were officials, it was the same. All I can do is listen to them as best I can. "
Dong Wencong looked at Fang Yun and said with a smile, "Then this humble official can rest assured."
Behind the writing desk, Fang Yun placed his brush on the brush stand and looked at Dong Wencong with a smile.
Dong Wencong explained, "Back then, you shone brilliantly in Ning An County and were known as the first county magistrate of the human race. You don't have to be humble about this. Even when Confucius was the Chancellor of the Central Capital, he was far inferior to you, not to mention others. With such an impressive record, I had thought that after you were promoted to governor of the two provinces, you would think that Xiang Province would be as easy to control as Ning An County. Not only were you not blindly arrogant, not only did you recognize the importance of the lower-level officials, you even understood very clearly that no one could solve this ancient problem. You'll definitely become a qualified governor, so this humble official can rest assured. "
"What should I do when I meet a subordinate like you who thinks I'm useless?" Fang Yun said half-jokingly.
Dong Wencong said seriously, "You can't carry Mount Tai to surpass the Northern Sea. It'll be easy for you to carry a speck of dust to surpass the Northern Sea, but if you carry all the dust in Xiang Province to surpass the Northern Sea, it'll be the same as carrying Mount Tai to surpass the Northern Sea. It'll be impossible. You understand very well how difficult it is to govern the officials, which also means that you won't be devoured by the lower-level officials. This humble official will definitely assist you to the best of my ability. "
Fang Yun nodded lightly and said, "The first step in cleaning up the governance of the officials, let's start with the corruption that the people hate the most. I want you, together with the Judicial Division and Judicial Division, to gather evidence of corruption of seventh-rank and above officials as quickly as possible. Then, one after another, publish it to the public without the slightest mistake.
"Please rest assured, milord. This humble official will definitely do my best. If I fail, I'll bring my head to you!" Dong Wencong's expression was resolute and his eyes were spirited.
"Very good. Remember to report the details every day." Fang Yun was very satisfied with Dong Wencong's attitude. It was very clear that Dong Wencong understood how important the first step in the cleansing of the officials was.
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