bestfiction Chapter 117 The New Official Takes Office
Chapter 117 The New Official Takes Office
The next day
As usual, Wen Zongji got up and practiced his health-preserving boxing a few times, washed up and ate breakfast, and then left the mansion to take a carriage to the Office of Transmission.
The Office of Transmission was located outside the Meridian Gate, adjacent to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Censorate, situated between the two.
Upon arriving at the Office of Transmission, Wen Zongji alighted from his carriage, straightened his robes, and stepped into the office.
The office of the Tongzhengshi (Commissioner of State Affairs) was very large. With the help of servants, Wen Zongji arrived at the office of Tao Zihe, the Left Tongzhengshi.
The chief official of the Office of Transmission is the Director of Transmission, who has two deputies, the Left and Right Directors of Transmission. However, there are usually not two Directors of Transmission. Nowadays, the Office of Transmission only has one Left Director of Transmission.
Wen Zongji entered the office, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your humble servant Wen Zongji greets Lord Tao."
Tao Zihe is slightly overweight, has a mustache, and narrow eyes that always look at people with a scrutinizing gaze, which can be intimidating.
As the second-in-command of the Office of Transmission, he received the news when the Crown Prince began preparing for the establishment of the Capital Gazette Office.
Upon learning that the Crown Prince was personally in charge of the Imperial Gazette Office, Tao Zihe wondered who the person in charge of the Imperial Gazette Office was, and whether he would be selected from the Office of Transmission.
It was clear that since the Crown Prince had directly brought in a group of people from outside to set up a simple framework for the Capital Gazette Office, without using a single person from the Office of Transmission, Tao Zihe knew that the head of the Capital Gazette Office would not be one of their own.
He never expected that the Crown Prince would appoint such a young upstart to manage the Imperial Gazette Office.
Tao Zihe did not show her emotions and said calmly, "The people in the Capital Gazette Bureau are waiting for you. Since the Crown Prince has entrusted the Capital Gazette Bureau to you, do not betray his trust."
"Yes, I'll take my leave."
The Left Assistant Minister's cold attitude was something Wen Zongji had anticipated.
For him, the most important thing now is to run the Beijing Daily well. As for his relationships with his colleagues and superiors, he can maintain them after he has established himself.
Thinking this, Wen Zongji called over a servant to lead the way for him.
Soon they arrived at a small courtyard.
The Office of Transmission occupied a considerable area, and it was quite normal for the Office of Imperial Records, which was of the same level as the Office of Records, to occupy a small courtyard on its own.
As soon as Wen Zongji entered the main room, the people inside, who had been talking quietly, fell silent and looked at Wen Zongji, exchanging bewildered glances.
After a moment of silence, one of the bolder ones spoke up and asked, "May I ask if you are the magistrate in charge of the manuscript?"
Wen Zongji nodded: "I am Wen Zongji."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately bowed and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Lord Wen."
Wen Zongji's gaze swept over them, and he felt a sense of gratitude towards the Crown Prince.
There were five or six people inside, all of them young, and they didn't have a smooth or sophisticated air about them; they must have just entered the officialdom.
In this way, he and Wen Zongji would be equally matched.
After the greetings were completed, a tall, thin young man stepped forward and said, "I am Yao Maofang, the humble official in charge of the Imperial Gazette Office. Please feel free to give me any instructions, sir."
The Chief of the Imperial Gazette Office was a rank of eighth grade, and he was the deputy appointed by the Crown Prince to Wen Zongji.
Wen Zongji looked at him: "You're also a Jinshi this year?"
Yao Maofang nodded: "This humble official was fortunate enough to witness your esteemed demeanor."
The two were born in the same year, and Yao Maofang was present at both the grand ceremony of announcing the results of the imperial examinations and the parade of horses through the streets.
Wen Zongji said, "Since we are from the same year, there's no need to be so polite."
There were only two people with official positions in the Beijing Gazette Office; the rest were clerks.
Wen Zongji walked over and sat in the main seat, asking, "Do you know what the Beijing Gazette Bureau does?"
Yao Maofang, representing everyone, replied, "This humble official only knows that we must obey your arrangements in everything."
Good grief, they don't know anything at all.
Wen Zongji's lips twitched as he explained, "You should all know about the Imperial Gazette. The Capital Gazette is similar to the Imperial Gazette, but it is no longer limited to the various government offices. Instead, it is aimed at all the people of the Great Chu, giving them a way to understand the court."
Yao Maofang asked, "Does Your Excellency mean that the Beijing Gazette is for the common people?"
"good."
"Is it provided to the people for free, or is there a charge?"
The official gazette is free.
Wen Zongji gave him an approving look: "That's a very good question. The Beijing Gazette should certainly be charged, but not too much. We should take into account the printing costs of the Beijing Gazette and set a suitable price while ensuring that the court does not suffer losses."
Someone else asked, "Since the Beijing Gazette can publish information about the common people, shouldn't it also refrain from publishing important court matters?"
Wen Zongji nodded: "That's right, our task is to select appropriate content that allows the people to understand the court without leaking secrets."
"At the same time, the content cannot be too boring. If the people don't even have the desire to read it, and no one is willing to buy the Beijing Daily, then our Beijing Daily Office will be nothing more than a formality."
Hearing this, everyone felt a chill.
They all got their jobs because of the Beijing Gazette Office; if the Beijing Gazette Office were to disappear, they would have to wait for a vacancy in the Ministry of Personnel.
Yao Maofang immediately pledged his loyalty: "Please give me your orders, sir, and I will do my utmost."
Others also spoke up to pledge their loyalty.
This is the advantage of using new people; you won't encounter troublemakers, and no one will take advantage of their seniority.
But the downside was also obvious: they had no experience whatsoever, and Wen Zongji had to arrange everything for them.
"Governor Yao, go to the Bureau of Revenue and ask them for all the official memorials from the past month. We need to select the ones suitable for publication in the Beijing Gazette."
Upon hearing this, Yao Maofang looked somewhat embarrassed: "Sir, we arrived a few days earlier than you and had dealings with the people from the Records Office. Although they didn't speak ill of us, they also ignored us."
Wen Zongji looked at him indifferently: "The Capital Gazette Office has the authority to review memorials from both inside and outside the court. Go ahead and ask for them. I'd like to see if the Records Office will stop you."
Yao Maofang had no choice but to agree, and led a few people to the Ministry of Personnel to receive the memorials.
Wen Zongji sat quietly in the main seat, waiting.
A more clever person would offer him tea with great courtesy: "Please have some tea, sir."
Wen Zongji nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn
Yao Maofang and the others returned, each carrying a stack of memorials.
Yao Maofang said excitedly, "My lord, although the people in the Bureau of Records didn't like us, they still gave us nearly a month's worth of memorials after learning that we were ordered by you to request them."
"However, these memorials were only allowed to be read within the yamen (official residence) and were not permitted to be taken out of the Office of Transmission."
Wen Zongji was not surprised by this.
Tao Zihe was so indifferent, she didn't do anything to Wen Zongji, let alone to a mere clerk.
They might want to see Wen Zongji make a fool of himself, to see him stumble, but they wouldn't actually trip him up.
After all, neither the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion nor the Princess of Anhe County behind Wen Zongji were pushovers.
These days, to get by in officialdom, you need connections.
Wen Zongji, who married Pei Rujing, belonged to the group of people with the most powerful backgrounds.