Chapter 198 One day the golden scales leap over the Dragon Gate and head towards the sky!

In the imperial study, the cicadas' chirping disappeared. After bestowing the rewards, Emperor Daxia picked up today's two newspapers and read them again.

Before, he thought that the Tianjing News was not doing well, but when this memorial was submitted, he immediately understood why Zhou Tieyi did this.

This newspaper is well run!

Only in this way can I see how many dark clouds there are in Tianjing!
······
The next day, Zhou Mansion.

"In the fifth month of the spring of the first year of Taihe, the Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaimed:"

"There is Zhou Tieyi, the general flag of the God-Slaying Division. He has been loyal for generations. He can relieve my worries and reassure the people. He is the editor-in-chief of the Tianjing Newspaper, which has swept away the clouds of darkness in the world and made the emperor's will known to the people. He is both virtuous and talented. I have virtue and reward good talents. I have promoted Zhou Tieyi to the position of Inspector of the God-Slaying Division and established an Inspection Office to supervise the rumors of the people. I hope you will encourage me."

Behind the incense table, Zhou Tieyi bowed respectfully, "I will not fail the Lord's grace."

After Zhou Tieyi saluted, Su Xibi, who was in charge of announcing the imperial edict, closed the edict and immediately went over to help Zhou Tieyi up.

He Qigong, who was standing by, saw this out of the corner of his eye and his pupils shrank slightly. This was the emperor's growing grace. The attitude of the eunuch announcing the decree was the emperor's attitude, and there would absolutely not be the slightest mistake!

Su Xibi smiled and said, "Inspector Zhou's burden is getting heavier day by day."

His Majesty is very satisfied with you and is going to add more responsibilities to you. It will depend on your performance to see whether you can shoulder this burden.

Zhou Tieyi said modestly, "I am responsible for reporting the news from the capital and four cities, and I dare not neglect it."

The authority of the four cities in the capital to report rumors and events is not much weaker than the authority of the Ministry of Prosecutions to supervise the forty-nine states under the empire!
······
It was past noon.

A Mohist self-propelled vehicle slowly stopped in front of the gate of the God-Slaying Division. Ada and other knights, as well as the five small flags under Zhou Tieyi, followed closely on horseback.

Today, the God-Slaying Division is no longer as lazy as before. No matter they are the sons of officials in the court or the talented people selected from the local areas, they are all dressed in brocade clothes, and some are like fine dogs, and some are like flying eagles. They are lined up in front of the gate according to the size of their official positions.

Zhou Tieyi's killing stick had already been used. Who dares to offend Zhou Tieyi at this time!

After the self-propelled vehicle stopped, Zhou Tieyi, wearing a dark red official uniform, looked particularly majestic.

The court dress of the Great Xia Dynasty is red for the fifth and fourth ranks. The fifth rank is dark red, the fourth rank is bright red, and those above the third rank are purple.

Therefore, people call them "gentlemen" and "Manchu court is full of dignitaries".

"Congratulations to Inspector Zhou!"

The uniform voices, accompanied by powerful blood energy, broke through the sky, startling the birds and beasts within a ten-mile radius into hibernation.

Zhou Tieyi nodded.

"Inspector Zhou."

Ren Youyun, the adjutant of the deputy commander Gongsun Chou, stepped forward. He was of the same rank as Zhou Tieyi, but he still bowed first and said, "The gentlemen are already waiting for you in the main hall to discuss the establishment of the Supervisory Office."

Zhou Tieyi stood there calmly, not saying a word.

Ren Youyun was very nervous for a moment, not knowing what Zhou Tieyi was going to do next.

After a while, Zhou Tieyi looked at the plaque on the door of the God-Slaying Division and said with a smile, "After many twists and turns, I, Zhou Tieyi, am back again!"

Two months ago, his path to the God-Slaying Division was interrupted by a memorial from Mei Qingchen. He went to ask the Right General Yuchi Pojun to open up this path, and stood outside the door for two hours.

Today I realize that it is better to rely on myself than to rely on others.

I, Zhou Tieyi, can take this road back by myself!
With a hearty smile, Zhou Tieyi walked like a dragon and a tiger, and entered the God-Slaying Division again. The world was completely different!
Eagles and dogs are flying on both sides, and all the beasts are lying in dormant.

The main hall of the God-Slaying Division.

The third-rank commander Wei Shaoan, the fourth-rank assistant commander Gongsun Chou, and Nan Jinsong sat on both sides.

Because of the suppression of Confucianism and the Hundred Schools of Thought, the status of Daxia's God-Slaying Department was weaker than that of the Jinyiwei of the Ming Dynasty in the previous life.

The commander-in-chief is only a third-rank official.

This is because the commander can only be a third-rank practitioner. For the sake of superficial decency, Confucianism has to recognize this official position, otherwise Confucianism may not even be willing to give it a third-rank position.

After the third rank, there are the fourth rank commanders, eight in total, usually two of them work in Beijing, and six of them patrol the 49 states throughout the country.

Under the command of the assistant minister, there are pacification envoys for various places. Although they are only of the fourth rank, they are in charge of the God-killing Department of each state. They are not restricted by the officials of Tianjing. In addition, there are endless evil gods in various states, so they really look like officials.

Even many capable officials of the God-Slaying Division would rather serve as pacification envoys in provincial capitals than as assistant commanders in Tianjing.

Under the Pacification Commissioner were the chief officials of various departments of the Zhushen Division, such as the Dianxing Court, which was in charge of the prisons of the Zhushen Division, and the Warehouse Court, which was in charge of the logistics of the Zhushen Division.

Being able to establish a court is equivalent to having one's own "small court" within the God-Slaying Division. After reporting to the higher authorities, one can appoint and dismiss officials within one's own territory.

The greatest power of Zhou Tieyi, a fifth-rank inspector, is the ability to establish an inspection office, although the entire inspection office is currently only under the emperor's edict.

Striding into the main hall, Zhou Tieyi looked at Wei Shaoan who was sitting in front of the Tomorrow's Sea Chart and said with a bow, "This officer greets Commander Wei."

Just this one sentence reflects a lot of content.

I am the official, not the subordinate!
First, although I, Zhou Tieyi, am only a fifth-rank official, I am an Inspector!

What is an inspector? It is a censor!
Since ancient times, censors have been the most noble and honorable officials, reporting to the three ministries and examining minor officials. Any official would give way to a censor when meeting him.

Of course, the premise is not to be as stupid as the Sima family, unable to see the right time.

The only thing the censors need to worry about is the emperor's will.

No matter how harsh the words the censors cursed, no official could kill them, because that was called blocking the way for speech. Only the emperor could kill the censors, and that was called the emperor's dictatorship.

Second, my Zhou family is not like the Sima family. I, Zhou Tieyi, now have a pen and soldiers at home. Even if you, Wei Shaoan, are a third-rank military practitioner, you are just on par with me.

Of course there is no need to be servile, as this will only ruin the reputation of the censors!

Gongsun Chou sighed in his heart, thinking about more than a month ago, when Zhou Tieyi came to see him, although he did not call himself a subordinate, he still used the words "Greetings".

At that time, I only thought that Zhou Tieyi was a useful sword, but when I saw it again today, this sword was already faintly pointing to the entire Zhushen Division.

Even when meeting the commander of the guards, just address yourself as "this officer".

The emperor asked Zhou Tieyi to set up the Supervisory Office. The meaning was of course very clear. The emperor wanted to complete the unfinished work and then restructure the God-Slaying Department!
The three of them were all very shrewd people, so instead of being angry, they had smiles on their faces. Wei Shaoan looked to be around 40 years old, but in fact he was already 80 years old, with white hair on his temples, which was a characteristic left by injuries in his early years.

"No need to be polite, Inspector Zhou. Please take a seat!"

A force of Taoism, centered on Wei Shaoan, connected the entire Zhushen Division and pressed towards Zhou Tieyi.

Even though I know what Zhou Tieyi's back represents.

But Wei Shaoan had to give Zhou Tieyi a warning.

Because the entire God-Slaying Division is his lineage!

Zhou Tieyi, who restructured the God-Slaying Division, was born to be his 'enemy' until he came up with a plan that satisfied him.

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "The commander of the guards has more energy than the right general."

This sentence made Wei Shaoan sigh in his heart. It turned out that the power of Taoism alone could not suppress Zhou Tieyi, although he didn't know how Zhou Tieyi managed to resist the power of Taoism.

But if it's just about resisting the power, there are many secret treasures that can do it, such as the calligraphy bestowed by the emperor.

"Please take a seat."

Wei Shaoan spoke again.

Only then did Zhou Tieyi sit down with a smile.

Seeing Zhou Tieyi sitting down, this round of testing was over. At least on the surface, everyone was a family.

Wei Shaoan glanced at Gongsun Chou, who understood, "Lord Zhou."

Gongsun Chou changed his words and no longer used the unfamiliar address "Inspector Zhou". Instead, he used the three words "Sir Zhou", which means he is of the same rank.

"Master Gongsun, please speak."

Zhou Tieyi replied with a smile.

He wanted to reform the entire Zhushen Division, and it was inevitable that he would form alliances. This was not like when he killed people with a knife. He only needed to break the situation and did not need to clean up the mess. After revealing his identity and strength to the three people, he had to be kinder and let the three people understand that I, Zhou Tieyi, am not afraid of you in any way, but I am also easy to talk to!

"The emperor ordered the God-Slaying Department to establish an inspection office, which will be managed by Lord Zhou. How should this inspection office be established? Should we issue a charter today?"

Zhou Tieyi said nothing. He slowly picked up the tea and took a sip before he spoke, "I was lucky enough to be blessed by heaven and given an important task, but the God-Slaying Division has a lot of things to do, and I have the power to supervise. I dare not act rashly. Why don't you wait until after my court meeting before discussing it?"

To establish a Tianjing department from scratch that could monitor rumors among the people was certainly not something that could be accomplished overnight. Zhou Tieyi had never even attended a morning court session, so it made sense for him to go to the morning court session first to "see the emperor" and then discuss this matter.

Of course, the actual reason is that the restructuring of the God-Slaying Division is to continue cutting off the path of official promotion, while it is now also responsible for supervising all officials.

This matter is very big. Once it gets going, it will be no smaller than Mei Qingchen's matter. It may even spread from the Zhushen Division to the reform of the entire censor system and then spread to the entire world.

There are huge benefits, but many people will be offended.

Changes must be made. However, his elder brother and the monk Shenxiu were about to fight, and now a third-grade practitioner who was a novelist had been involved. If he acted rashly at this time, it would inevitably cause trouble.

You should solve the gambling issue first, and then change to the God-Slaying Division. This way, you will have fewer variables to consider.

Wei Shaoan and the other two were relieved to hear that Zhou Tieyi would not act rashly for the time being. They were also afraid that Zhou Tieyi would strike again without any regard for the consequences.

The emperor's decree to establish the Supervisory Office just came down today. In fact, they received the news later than Zhou Tieyi, and they have no idea how to deal with the current changes.

Now that we have a few more days for discussion, it is a good thing for everyone. At least it can ease and resolve the conflicts within the God-Slaying Division. This is much better than a few people fighting for power and making a fool of themselves in Confucianism.

"Mr. Zhou, this is a mature statement."

"Mr. Zhou is right."

The two commanding assistants spoke up to make their judgment.

Then Commander Wei Shaoan made the decision, "Then let's discuss it in five days?"

Zhou Tieyi calculated the time in his mind and said, "Yes."

······
At night, in Qilin Pavilion, Zhou Tieyi was drinking plum wine while thinking about the affairs of the Inspection Office of the God-Slaying Division.

First of all, we must consider the attitude of His Majesty.

So considering the functions of the Inspection Office, this is appropriate.

The greatest power that the Inspection Office has given itself is the power to supervise and make recommendations.

The meaning of supervisory power is to find out problems.

The emperor wanted to expose the problems of deficit replenishment, inadequate staffing and lack of supervision over officials within the Tianjing God-Slaying Division.

But he only gave himself the power of supervision, not the power of decision-making or military command.

So you only need to find problems, then organize them, list solutions, and submit them to the emperor. You cannot take haphazard actions on your own.

Thinking of this, Zhou Tieyi smiled. As expected, after the emperor fell from the throne, he became more concerned about power, and he needed to be more careful.

Cruel official?

Zhou Tieyi smiled. It seemed that the emperor already had a candidate in mind for this position and would not give it to himself.

Knowing the emperor's bottom line, Zhou Tieyi will of course need to jump back and forth on this bottom line. He is not the kind of person who is dedicated to the public.

The simplest way to jump sideways is to promote the capable small flags and general flags who come from the bottom when screening the personnel of the God-Slaying Division, and suppress the small flags and general flags who come from a patronage background.

This is what His Majesty wants to see anyway, but it will offend the Zhou family's own class and the military heroes of White Tiger City. There is a gain and a loss, and the pros and cons need to be weighed.

On one side is the grace of His Majesty and the backbone promoted by himself, and on the other side is the military honors of White Tiger City.

This seems to be a good choice, and Zhou Tieyi made the judgment easily.

In this way, he would have the opportunity to get his hands on the military power of the God-Slaying Division through others.

Suddenly, Zhou Tieyi's left hand felt hot, as if it had been hit by a blackboard ruler.

Zhou Tieyi looked at the word "righteousness" on his left hand and complained, "No wonder you, Che Wenyuan, can only teach but cannot be an official."

When you are an official, the first thing you need to do is to learn how to seize power, maintain your power, and cultivate a team. Otherwise, how can you govern?

They are all other people's people. No matter how good the policies you formulate are, they will be distorted beyond recognition when they are implemented in the grassroots.

After thinking this through, Zhou Tieyi told Bai Mei, "Go find Hu Wenlang. I have something to tell you."

Hu Wenlang is good at intelligence. As for how to screen the civilian talents in the God-Slaying Division, he needs Hu Wenlang to collect intelligence for him before he can make a decision. If all the ones selected are idiots, he will offend the military honors of White Tiger City, which will be a great loss.

After determining the first judgment.

Zhou Tieyi began to make a second judgment.

So how big is the "supervision power" of the God-Slaying Department?

In previous lives, the Jinyiwei's supervisory power was naturally extremely great, and could even completely replace the role of the censors.

But it was different in the Great Xia Dynasty. The Yan Department was one of the nine departments, and the Zhushen Department was the target of suppression.

In name, he had only obtained the supervisory power within the Zhushen Division and was struggling for authority over the Yan Department. So how could he gain more power?

I don’t have the ability to start with the Ministry of Public Affairs at the moment, so I can only start with the people.

Zhou Tieyi suddenly thought of Li Jianhu and the Moshi case he had arranged.

This can be connected.

He picked up a pen and paper from the side and placed them on the memorial.

"Policy on Soliciting Public Opinions".

I, Zhou Tieyi, cannot take all the supervisory power, and you, the Ministry of Justice, can’t take it all either. You should at least share some with the people!

Zhou Tieyi thought of this and looked at the word "Yi" on the back of his hand again. This time it was not hot.

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The plaque of the Twelve-story Tower on Yujing Mountain.

The glimmer of dawn had not yet appeared, and under the purple sky and the light of the stars and the moon, horse-drawn carriages and cars stopped in front of the White Jade Square like a long dragon. Then, important court officials dressed in red and purple got off the carriages one by one.

They habitually glanced at Mei Qingchen who was kneeling in front of the Noon Gate. Compared with before, Mei Qingchen looked a little thinner.

Dong Xingshu looked at the pile of papers in front of Mei Qingchen. He knew that these were the papers that Mei Juncang had sent over the past few days. If today's papers were included, there were a total of six papers...

He was silent for a long time. In the end, he did not have the courage to step forward and talk to his former favorite student, nor did he know what to say.

Mei Qingchen died kneeling in front of the Zhengwu Gate. Being a wise minister was the greatest compliment to him.

But now Mei Qingchen is not dead, and he, as a teacher, is in a dilemma.

Suddenly, a hearty voice came, as vigorous as the morning light in the sky, "You all came really early!"

Even though all the officials were mentally prepared, they still sighed and looked at Zhou Tieyi's vermilion official uniform.

In the morning, he is a farmer, and in the evening, he ascends the emperor's palace.

Nothing more than that.

Zhou Tieyi walked past the officials as if he was seeing an old acquaintance, and came to Dong Xingshu, bowing gracefully, "Si Min is really old but still strong, and he came earlier than a young man like me."

"I am responsible for governing the country, so I dare not neglect it."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "That's right, but Simin is old now, and the burden on him is so heavy, why not let us young people do more!"

As expected, he is Zhou Tieyi!

If anyone else said this today, even if it was a second-rank official, all the officials would be dumbfounded and think that the other person was crazy.

But they thought it was reasonable that Zhou Tieyi dared to directly ask Dong Xingshu to seize power during the first court meeting today.

He openly coveted the power of the Three Departments, and he truly deserved to be called the peerless jester!

"How dare you! You are just a junior, how dare you covet the power of the three divisions? I will report you to the court today!"

Naturally, there were censors around Dong Xingshu who directly attacked Zhou Tieyi.

This was like a fuse, and everyone in the speech department immediately started to criticize and denounce. For a moment, the quiet white jade square was as noisy as a forest in summer.

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "That's right, this is what it feels like to fight!"
However, he did not come here today to engage in a debate with the scholars, but just wanted to use Dong Xingshu to establish his authority!
Zhou Tieyi did not refute the censors, but pointed at the kneeling Mei Qingchen, "Simin, that person seems to be your disciple?"

Just one sentence was enough to make the censors who were quoting from classics look strange.

Then Zhou Tieyi clapped his hands and smiled, "What a coincidence, he is also the father of my apprentice. As a teacher, I should have a few words with him today."

After that, he called all the officials over, came to Mei Qingchen, bowed and asked, "Uncle Mei, how is my teaching of Jun Cang?"

Mei Qingchen looked at the newspaper in front of him and wanted to remain silent to save his teacher's face, but he finally answered, "Good teaching, better than me."

Confucianism repays evil with justice, and repays kindness with kindness!

Zhou Tieyi looked back at Dong Xingshu who was standing among the officials and shouted, "Mr. Dong, Uncle Mei said that I taught well! But I think you didn't teach well, otherwise why would your apprentice kneel here and apologize!"

Behind him, the morning bell rang and the Meridian Gate opened.

Zhou Tieyi did not wait for the officials to reply. He waved his red long sleeves, reflecting the morning sun, like a golden scale, and flew into the Dragon Gate and towards the Sky Palace!

(End of this chapter)