The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 97: The Old Minister

Chapter 97: The Old Minister

“He slipped and fell at noon, and just like that, he was gone.”

The county magistrate refused to give up. He took up his brush and drafted a memorial, requesting that a section of the public gazette be reserved for public use, where people could publish content for a fee.

When Xu Ying received the memorial, she studied it carefully and thought it resembled an advertisement space for rent. After a moment’s consideration, she decided that ordinary folks would likely be reluctant to spend money on a few words, but there was no harm in trying.

Wu Zhaoyan and Song Jinzhu were suddenly summoned, feeling perplexed and privately speculating that there might be an issue with the gazette. The pressure weighed heavily on them, their hearts pounding like rapid drumbeats in their chests, filled with anxiety and fear.

The two entered Azure Wave Study nervously, paid their respects, and dared not look up to steal a glance at Xu Ying’s expression.

Xu Ying produced the memorial and said, “Today I received a proposal regarding the public gazette. I was thinking of opening two sections: one to be sold to merchants for promoting their goods at a high fee, and another for ordinary people to publish life events such as weddings or missing person notices, charged by the word. What do you think?”

The two, who had been tensely awaiting Xu Ying’s wrath, were slightly taken aback. Song Jinzhu reacted first. With her business experience, she immediately clasped her hands and said, “This is an excellent idea, Great Master. But how should the fees be set specifically?”

“For commercial advertisements, there are two methods: one is charging by position, ten strings of cash; the other is charging by the word, one string per word. Whichever yields the higher fee will apply.” Xu Ying then pondered the pricing for civilian use, considering how to set it high enough to deter frivolous use. After a moment, she said, “For ordinary folks’ life content, charge one copper coin per word.”

If the text were lengthy, the cost could amount to a bushel of rice. Surely no one would be willing to be such a fool.

Song Jinzhu was astonished upon hearing this. This was a gazette distributed nationwide, yet the Great Master’s pricing was so affordable.

Merchants weren’t short on money, and paying this fee would bring them greater returns, making it entirely worthwhile.

As for ordinary people, they wouldn’t normally think to publish anything in the gazette unless for occasions like wedding banquets, which required widespread announcement. Such events already incurred significant expenses, not to mention that for just a few coins, they could share their wedding news with the world.

Seeing the surprise on Song Jinzhu’s face, Xu Ying assumed it was due to the high pricing and that she didn’t understand her intention. Satisfied, Xu Ying nodded to herself, reflecting that she might have been too harsh, and conceded, “For missing person notices, given their importance, we’ll publish them for free.”

Song Jinzhu’s jaw dropped in even greater astonishment. She turned to meet Wu Zhaoyan’s gaze and saw the admiration in her eyes. Song Jinzhu herself was deeply moved and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: No wonder the people rushed into the palace to rescue the Great Master when they heard she was in danger. With a ruler like this, one would willingly sacrifice life and limb without hesitation!

Wu Zhaoyan felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She understood now what it meant that “the ruler is the boat, the people are the water.” In her past studies, she had often read about how water could capsize the boat, but now she was witnessing firsthand how the people’s water carried the ruler’s boat. How could she not be stirred?

She suddenly felt grateful to be born in this era, able to follow the Great Master in ushering in a prosperous age.

Xu Ying noticed the strange look in their eyes and had a sinking feelingperhaps the pricing was too low, and they were letting their imaginations run wild again.

But just as Xu Ying opened her mouth to suggest raising the prices, Wu Zhaoyan and Song Jinzhu responded in unison, their voices brimming with unconcealed joy.

Oh no, it really was too low!

But at this point, she couldn’t change it anymore and could only patch things up with Wu Zhaoyan: “This is a public report for the entire nation to see. You must control the content carefully; anything inappropriate cannot be published.”

Wu Zhaoyan instantly understood. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will strictly review it and ensure no subversive remarks from rebellious factions appear in the report.”

Xu Ying’s attempt at communication had failed, and she reluctantly gave up.

After sending Xu Zhen, Du Huai, and Deng Zhuojun to their posts, Xu Ying focused on adjusting the public report. Those in need could register at the government offices, which would compile the content and report it to the capital. Wu Zhaoyan would then select and publish the list, after which fees would be collected. If any errors occurred during the process, people could report them to the inspectors or write to Wu Zhaoyan’s residence in Youzhou, as she checked the correspondence daily.

After the adjustments to the public report, merchants rushed to the government offices, some even offering bribes to officials in exchange for advertising space. Many of these officials were caught by inspectors and arrested for bribery, vacating numerous positions. Scholars who had passed the Spring Examination in previous years and were awaiting appointments were then assigned to fill these vacancies.

Some people caught on and were so furious they stomped their feet, cursing, “This is a trap set by the emperor, using bait to catch fishutterly shameless!”

The members of the Hall of Gathered Talents held Xu Ying in even higher esteem. This move was brilliantnot only did it ensnare corrupt officials and rid the localities of parasites, but it also provided opportunities for Spring Examination scholars.

Moreover, everyone noticed that Xu Ying was forcing herself to attend court despite exhaustion. Upon inquiring with the palace attendants, they learned she often handled state affairs until midnight, only to rise early the next morning for court and continue reviewing memorials.

If even the emperor was this diligent, how could they dare to slack off?

After returning home from their duties, officials would lie down, only to think of Xu Ying still laboring over memorials. Suddenly feeling ashamed of how easily they could sleep, they would rise and resume their work.

Efficiency in the court surged dramatically. Officials who couldn’t keep up began to fear poor performance evaluations by the Ministry of Personnel at year’s end, which could lead to demotion. Gritting their teeth, they took work home, toiling from dusk till dawn, then heading straight to court and catching naps during breaks in the day.

With the central government accelerating, local officials also felt the pressure. Matters that used to take half a year to process were now returned within days, accompanied by reprimands for delays and incompetence.

Local officials widened their eyes in disbelief. Moreover, the reviews weren’t arbitraryrevision comments were concise, clear, and logical, unlike the vague, responsibility-dodging responses of the past.

Heavens, had all the officials in the capital been replaced? How were they so fast?

With strict oversight and high efficiency from above, local officials could no longer muddle along. Everyone was kept constantly busy, their feet barely touching the ground.

Whereas claiming “busy with official duties” used to be an excuse to avoid visitors, now it was the truth. Even the yellow dog in the government office was exhausted, tongue lolling as it lay weakly on the ground, until a clerk dragged it away.

As usual, Xu Ying was reviewing memorials in the Azure Wave Study when Xu Lang hurried in, her face tense as she suppressed some emotion. The corners of her mouth twitched as if about to curl into a smile, yet weighed down as if by a heavy weight.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Ying set down her brush, thinking some major unfavorable event had occurred, yet unable to keep a hint of amusement from touching her brows.

Xu Lang said, “Your Majesty, several senior court officials have fallen ill one after another. Even Liu Xiang has succumbed and requests leave from Your Majesty.”

Xu Ying’s slightly upturned lips suddenly froze, and it took a long moment before she slowly relaxed her throat to utter a puzzled “Ah?”

Had she done anything recently that would make the old ministers throw a fit? Besides, threatening her with feigned illness to skip court sessions was useless anywaywhat kind of scheme were they pulling now?

Xu Ying was utterly baffled.

Xu Lang continued, “Today, Chancellor Cheng and Censor Huo passed away at home due to illness. Additionally, Censor Li slipped and fell at noon and didn’t survive.”

Xu Ying abruptly jumped to her feet, eyes wide. “What illness? Wasn’t Huo Daomei perfectly fine before?”

She had always known Cheng Guanzhi was frail, and she understood that elderly officials like Censor Li were especially vulnerable to falls. But Huo Daomei had always been lively and full of energy, capable of arguing with ten people at onceshe couldn’t comprehend what illness could possibly take down such a vigorous old man.

Xu Lang sighed. “They said it was a severe cold, but who would have thought he wouldn’t pull through? His servant went to assist him with washing in the morning but got no response. When they touched him, his body was already coldhe probably passed away last night.”

Xu Ying slumped into her chair, her mind in chaos. Three senior ministers dead all at once, with others claiming illness and taking leaveit all seemed far too strange and coincidental.

“How is Liu Xu’s condition? Has the imperial physician seen him?” Xu Ying asked anxiously. Liu Xu couldn’t afford to fall ill; if he were gone, who would persistently strive to overthrow her?

“Rest assured, the imperial physician has already examined him. Chancellor Liu is merely overworked and will be fine after some quiet recuperation.”

Xu Ying shook her head and sighed. “What a dedicated chancellor, striving tirelessly for the nation until his last breath!”

She had never realized Liu Xu was such a relentless figure, pushing himself to the point of collapse just to see her removed from power.

Such devotion deserved recognition. Xu Ying immediately issued a decree, expressing both concern and reward, bestowing upon him a blank plaque to convey her admiration.

When Liu Xu received Xu Ying’s commendation for his diligence in handling official duties at home, the pressure from all the documents crammed in his mind suddenly erupted. He vomited blood, collapsed, and fell unconscious.

The Liu residence descended into chaos.

Other ministers, seeing Liu Xu rewarded, grew envious. They had worked just as hard through the nightwhy should Liu Xu receive accolades while they got nothing? Resentment simmered, and the more they thought about it, the more displeased they became with Liu Xu.

With the passing of Right Chancellor Cheng Guanzhi, the chancellor’s position now lay vacant. No one was happier than Zhang Yu, who felt confident he would secure the role.

The court mourned the sudden loss of three senior ministers. Zhang Yu quietly waited for the mourning period to pass, anticipating his ascent to chancellor.

With Liu Xu on leave, all responsibilities fell to Zhang Yu. Thrilled, he worked through the nights without feeling the least bit tiredin fact, he felt more energetic than ever.

After yet another all-nighter, Zhang Yu looked up to find the sun had risen, its light streaming brightly into the room. He stretched his neck, which ached terribly.

Still, it was all worth it.

Exhaling deeply, Zhang Yu stood up. His vision briefly darkened, and his heart raced with a dull, oppressive pain.

His body had reacted this way before when he’d overexerted himself, so he paid it no mind. He washed his face, straightened his robes, had a light breakfast, and headed to court.

His chest was pounding faster and faster, the intensity growing from light taps like pebbles to heavy thuds. Zhang Yu felt breathless, his limbs weak, and a buzzing filled his ears, making him dizzy. He shook his head and struggled to maintain proper posture, fearing censure from the imperial censors, then stepped forward.

Over half the senior court officials had taken leave, leaving a noticeable gap in the assembly. Their absence wasn’t due to any grievance against Xu Yingthey were genuinely ill, bedridden and unable to rise. Worried that Xu Ying might misunderstand, they had specifically submitted Memorials to explain their situation, even requesting imperial physicians to visit their homes to verify their conditions.

Xu Ying felt both puzzled and emotional. At such an advanced age, they still hadn’t retiredit must be exhausting.