The Supervisory Council is mostly composed of upright people, and there are often people of strong character. The current Chief Censor was the pioneer in the rebellion against Liu Shan back then, and therefore he was promoted from Left Censor-in-Chief to Chief Censor.
Almost all the censors present had defended Fang Yun and fought against Liu Shan in the court.
They never thought that Fang Yun could become the next Liu Shan.
In addition to the independent Qingliu censors, there were also many censors who were in various parties and represented the will of various forces.
In fact, those upright censors did not dislike Fang Yun until now, because Fang Yun had served as the left prime minister for more than half a month and had previously served as the governor-general of Liangjiang, but he had never sent anyone to the Supervisory Yuan.
Unlike the royal family and Yang Xuwen, who immediately arranged for their own people to serve as censors in the Supervisory Council as soon as they came to power. Although the other censors did not resist, they did not like their "eating style".
In the eyes of many imperial censors, no matter what, Fang Yun’s eating habits were at least not ugly.
This is also one of the reasons why several upright censors did not criticize Fang Yun in the court today.
Therefore, as long as Fang Yun does not forcibly interfere with the Supervisory Council and does not commit serious crimes, most of the censors will never dislike Fang Yun. As for Fang Yun's desire to seize power, a more powerful virtual saint will not destroy the Jing Kingdom. Besides, Fang Yun's contributions are so great that they can make up for any of his mistakes.
The censors had different reactions to Fang Yun's decree.
The new Zuodu Yushi, who firmly supported the royal family, reacted most strongly.
"I think that Fang Yun and the Cabinet are suppressing our Supervisory Council, which is against the rules of the country for many years. As the left prime minister, he should not interfere with the operation of the Supervisory Council. Moreover, he actually included the daily ritual of the Supervisory Council in the evaluation. This means that although he does not directly control our Supervisory Council, he uses his control over the Ministry of Personnel to indirectly control the Supervisory Council, which is almost a threat to us. We must be on guard against this matter."
"Yes, the Supervisory Council is the Supervisory Council of Jing State, not the Supervisory Council of Fang Yun alone. Since the Queen Mother and the King are in trouble, our Supervisory Council should start the struggle before the imperial edict is issued!"
Some censors nodded. The reason why the Ministry of Personnel was the head of all ministries was because it was in charge of official evaluation and influenced the appointment of officials, while the cabinet and the monarch basically decided the promotion or demotion of officials through evaluation.
Soon, voices of opposition emerged.
"My colleagues, even if Fang Xusheng did not include the inspection of the daily ritual in the evaluation, can't the Ministry of Personnel use this matter to influence our evaluation? Obviously, they can. Fang Xusheng said this not because he was cruel, but because he was open and honest, using upright means to tell us that we should take the inspection of the daily ritual seriously."
"That's right. Moreover, the head of the court also said that it is our duty to monitor the words and deeds of officials. Minister Fang did not threaten us, but just asked us to focus on monitoring whether the officials respect the ethics in the future. Is there any problem with this? In my opinion, this is Minister Fang strengthening the power of our Supervisory Council."
"Speaking of the powers of the Supervisory Council, have you noticed a detail? Since Fang Xiang took office as the Left Prime Minister, all officials impeached by the Supervisory Council, even if their crimes are minor, will be re-evaluated by the Ministry of Rites' Examination and Reward Department and become the focus of observation by the Ministry of Personnel. I have inquired about it. When Fang Yun inspected the Examination and Reward Department, he clearly stated that the opinions and suggestions of the Supervisory Council should be respected. The complaints of the Supervisory Council should be one of the most important factors, even if it is not the most important factor in evaluating an official."
"I have heard this before, and it is indeed true."
"That Liu Shan often instigated his followers to cause chaos in the Supervisory Council and influence the censors to make reports. In comparison, Fang Xusheng's appointment as the Left Prime Minister is a huge step forward for the supervisory independence of our Supervisory Council."
"After listening to what you said, I thought about it carefully. At least so far, Fang Xiang really has not done anything beyond his authority. He is only responsible for the affairs under his jurisdiction. As for this self-discipline and restoration of rituals, he also informed all officials in advance. Moreover, as the head of all officials and a Confucian disciple, he is justified in promoting rituals and it is not considered as exceeding his authority."
"I don't know much about this matter, but I know one thing. Fang Xusheng did not seize the power of our Overwatch Council. Secondly, he asked the president of the Council for his opinion before issuing an order. He then worked with the cabinet to obtain the monarch's approval before issuing an order. Unlike that thief Liu, he often gave orders to us as the left prime minister. It was really abominable."
All the officials spoke up, and the arguments became clearer and clearer. All the censors realized that no matter what Fang Yun was like, at least for the Supervisory Council, he was a very good candidate for the Left Prime Minister. If the Supervisory Council opposed Fang Yun, it would be like shooting itself in the foot.
Soon, the Chief Censor He Mingxiang made a decision to support the cabinet's resolution.
He did not say that he supported Fang Yun, which gave the censors who opposed Fang Yun a little comfort and they stopped fighting.
On the second day, before all officials left the office at five o'clock in the afternoon, the eunuchs of the imperial palace delivered two imperial edicts stamped with the imperial seal to the Left Prime Minister's Pavilion.
A day later, Fang Yun announced two edicts on behalf of the cabinet.
Afterwards, Fang Yun announced that in view of the fact that Jing State had experienced a great war and needed to recuperate, and was also facing an imminent invasion from the demon world, all officials must be frugal in order to prepare for future wars.
Therefore, today's ceremony is implemented according to the "Book of Rites* Shaoyi". From today on, officials of Jing State are not allowed to buy and use overly exquisite tableware, and the average value of each set of bowls, plates and chopsticks shall not exceed 500 silver coins. At the same time, it is stated that only officials of the current dynasty shall abide by this ceremony, and scholars or wealthy people without official status do not need to care.
If the tableware used was too expensive, it should either be put away and stored, or handed over to the court or sold at a unified price, with the proceeds going into the national treasury.
In Jingguo, a plate, a bowl, and a pair of chopsticks, even the more exquisite porcelain and wooden chopsticks, are worth only about two hundred coins thanks to the development of craftsmanship. As for pottery, it is even cheaper.
When all the officials learned about this daily ritual, they all felt relieved. Many officials not only did not oppose it, but supported it instead.
In fact, some officials did not want to buy overly expensive tableware, but the atmosphere of comparison in the officialdom was too strong. If officials of the same rank bought it, their family and colleagues would definitely mention it if they did not. Now, they can save a lot of money.
Those non-officials also praised Fang Yun for his wisdom, because Fang Yun only banned officials and did not affect other people. Otherwise, it would be tantamount to a blow to the porcelain industry, affecting the income of workshops and workers, and the final gains and losses would be difficult to measure.
As for handing over the tableware to the court, many officials resisted at first, but after careful consideration, many officials asked their servants to pack up the valuable bowls, plates and other tableware that night and prepare to hand them over to the court the next day.
Only a fool would not do such a good thing to gain a good reputation.
As a result, the next day, a long queue formed in front of the Ministry of Personnel, which was responsible for receiving the porcelain, and some family members of officials who opposed Fang Yun also handed in precious porcelain.
On the discussion list, Fang Yun’s first etiquette also received unanimous praise. Restricting officials without hurting the people is a true benevolent policy and a true etiquette. Such officials will surely win the hearts of the people.
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A solemn reminder: everything in the article takes place in Shengyuan Continent and has nothing to do with reality. All readers are requested not to relate it to any real-life examples. If you find any inappropriate words or actions in the book review area, please report it or notify the administrator of the book, and ask them to contact me as soon as possible.
I will be careful and know when to stop. I will never be stupid enough to cross the red line and seek death. Please don't make too many associations and misinterpret the original meaning of the book.
Thanks, Lao Huo!