Chapter 102 Bridal Chamber Flowers and Candles As the wedding day was getting closer, some famous scholars, under the guise of Guan Ning and Zhang Zhao, rushed to Liaodong with curiosity or expectation. Some of them also had the idea of traveling and exploring. After all, the world was in turmoil right now, and there were very few places where one could escape from the chaos and find a moment of peace. Only Liaodong and the south could be considered places worth going. If Liaodong is really good, perhaps living in seclusion here for a while would be a good choice. However, when they finally arrived in Liaodong after traveling all the way, they were shocked by the splendor of Liaodong. The difference between Liaodong and the Central Plains can be clearly felt with just a cursory glance. The people's mental state and facial expressions were obviously very different. The eyes of the people of Liaodong were filled with shining hope, which deeply touched the hearts of these scholars. Dong Zhao carefully built the stage to recruit talents, and Tian Ze would naturally not let his hard work go to waste. During this period of time, he kept gathering information everywhere. After ascertaining the character of these people and their views on the court, he prepared to visit them in person with sincerity. Since these people were known by Dong Zhao, their reputation among the scholars was naturally not low. Tian Ze personally invited them, which not only did not lose his status at all, but was also regarded as a good story circulated among the scholars.
Of course, before visiting in person, Tian Ze would carefully arrange for Zhang Zhao to test the waters. Because of Zhang Zhao's reputation and ability, these people would be in awe of him. Even if they wanted to reject Tian Ze's invitation, they would choose their words carefully and express themselves in a more tactful and implicit way when facing Zhang Zhao. Tian Ze is not worried about running into trouble. Now he has learned to hide his emotions deep in his heart. His character has improved through the years, and his skills in the art of thick black have also improved. He was so cautious mainly to prevent the other party from making a firm statement without any preparation and leaving no room for maneuver. Even if the other party changed his mind and wanted to surrender in the future, he would not be able to do so. You know, these are all "clear stream" people who are upright and would rather break than bend. These people are natural anti-corruption fighters and educators. For Liaodong, which is in urgent need of officials, it is good to recruit one more. Although their eccentric and stubborn tempers can be quite troublesome at times, they are also very respectable. Tian Ze lacked capable and honest ministers under his rule. There are many people with extraordinary abilities among these people. Perhaps they are not as capable as Zhang Zhao, but they also have a very solid foundation. With a little training, they will be able to take on management positions in the middle and upper levels of Liaodong and fill the vacancies of insufficient staff in various departments. A small number of people with average abilities but high moral character are also the most suitable candidates for disciplinary officials. The corruption problem of this era is so serious that it has formed a helpless tacit consensus. It is no exaggeration to say that all officials are corrupt. One of the reasons why Emperor Ling sold official positions and titles was that he knew that much of the wealth in the world could not be collected by the court or his own treasury. The court could not collect much tax, and most of it was pocketed by local officials. You know, except for Liaodong, officials from other places often go there alone when they take up their posts, and they need to find ways to deal with the minor clerks and yamen runners around them themselves. How could one afford to hire all these people if one is not greedy? Could one rely on the county governor or magistrate alone to collect taxes and perform duties? If ordinary officials are not greedy, even basic management operations will be difficult to maintain. Even if there are very few honest officials who are truly spotless, they rely on the support of powerful families behind them. The money of these families is also obtained by plundering the people. Because Emperor Lingdi saw through all this, he chose to go all out and openly divided the spoils, stipulating that officials who had served as officials for one year would be given a one-time payment to buy an official position, so that he could collect the money. High salaries do not necessarily lead to integrity, but low salaries will inevitably lead to greater levels of corruption. Just think about Hai Rui, he reached that position but couldn't even eat meat. Except for a saint, who else could maintain this balance?
After studying hard for more than ten years, and finally becoming a good official dedicated to serving the people, he still had to live a hard life all his life, even worse than ordinary people. Most people simply could not accept such a cruel reality. The reason why Hai Rui was able to leave his name in history was not only because of his integrity, but also because of his outstanding talents. If they were ordinary people, perhaps no one would pay attention to them until they died. They would just quietly maintain their integrity and have nothing else. For them, this is so unfair and helpless. Therefore, it is imperative to keep officials' salaries sufficient to maintain a decent living. But even though Tian Ze took great pains to rebuild and improve the official system and gave officials relatively generous treatment, human greed was still difficult to curb. When you reach that position, you can get wealth that ordinary people would find difficult to obtain in their lifetime with just a hint or a move. This kind of test is not so easy to withstand. What's more, there are many legitimate ways to make money. Some people will try every means to put money into your hands, even through seemingly reasonable and legal means. One may be able to resist it once or twice, but what about a thousand times? How many people can really remain unmoved? Corruption is extremely harmful, and the misconduct caused by corruption is even more harmful. Therefore, while ensuring that the salaries are reasonable so that officials have no worries, Tian Ze has spared no effort in educating officials, constantly improving the system, plugging loopholes, cracking down on corruption, and preventing the deterioration of the work style. The Discipline Inspection Commission is a sword hanging over the heads of officials. It is of vital importance, and what is most needed are these truly "clean streams". "Zi Bu, Yuan Hao, these people are treasures! You must use them well and take good care of them. You must not neglect them in the slightest, and you must not disappoint them." Tian Ze solemnly handed a list to Zhang Zhao and Tian Feng respectively, and gave them earnest advice. The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the appointment and transfer of officials, while the Ministry of Discipline was a special entity independent of the other eleven ministries. Zhang Zhao and Tian Feng were both leading figures in the so-called Qingliu faction, so it was no problem for them to control these "Qingliu". "Don't worry, lord! I will not fail in my mission!" Zhang Zhao and Tian Feng said solemnly with solemn faces. They knew very well that Tian Ze had spent a great deal of time and energy on this matter. During this period, he almost never returned home during the day and had been busy traveling to visit talented people, working tirelessly. As a local governor, they are able to humble themselves so much, show respect to the wise and humble, and be as eager to seek talents as Zhou Gong spitting out food for his guests. The weight of this list makes them feel a great responsibility. The people on the list are all capable and useful talents, and their number is even greater than the middle and upper-level officials under Tian Ze today, which is enough to alleviate the current management difficulties faced by Liaodong. The ninth of September. The autumn harvest has not yet begun, and the people in Liaodong are still enjoying a leisurely time. Every household was bustling with laughter and joy, as if it was New Year's Day. All kinds of food that were rarely seen on weekdays were brought out. Officials in every county and village celebrated with drums and gongs and held grand celebrations. People dressed in their best clothes, sang and danced, immersed in a joyful atmosphere. The whole Liaodong was filled with joy. Because their governor is getting married! Tian Ze was dressed in gorgeous clothes, riding a majestic tall horse in a heroic manner. Surrounded by the crowd, he came to the Mi family to welcome the bride. Afterwards, various rituals such as the Jiaozi Ceremony, the Washing Ceremony, the Hair-tying Ceremony and the Worship in the Hall were performed. After a series of complicated procedures, Tian Ze and Mi Zhen finally arrived at the bridal chamber, ready to perform the bed-wedding ceremony. After the waiter took off the wedding dresses of the two, Tian Ze gently lifted Mi Zhen's veil with great anticipation. Under the phoenix coronet and bridal robe, Mi Zhen’s face was as rosy as a peach, her eyes were full of affection, and her cherry lips were delicate and tempting. Her skin, as delicate as fat, exudes a warm and charming luster like mutton-fat jade. Her waterfall-like black hair is piled high and combed into an exquisite bun, adding a touch of nobility and elegance.
Even the "battle-hardened" Tian Ze couldn't help but stare blankly, she was truly a beauty with rare talent in the world. Seeing Tian Ze staring at her intently, Mi Zhen felt both shy and happy. He had heard a lot about Tian Ze's deeds from his brother, and his admiration for him had already taken root in his heart. When Mi Zhen learned that she could marry such a hero, her heart was beating like a deer. Now that I have seen Tian Ze’s heroic appearance with my own eyes, I feel so shy that I can hardly control myself. Seeing the beauty looking so cute and adorable, Tian Ze could no longer suppress the impulse in his heart and couldn't help but lean over and peck her lightly. It tasted sweet, and Mi Zhen moaned, her voice as gentle and soft as the chirping of a yellow oriole in a deep valley. Her cheeks immediately turned red, her body went limp, and she almost collapsed in Tian Ze's arms. Seeing this, Tian Ze put his arms around the slender waist and kissed her deeply. After a long time, just when Mi Zhen felt she was almost unable to breathe, Tian Ze finally let go reluctantly. "Husband, lights..." Mi Zhen's face was like a ripe red apple. She lowered her head shyly and timidly made a sound as tiny as a mosquito. Tian Ze smiled knowingly, his eyes full of pampering and tenderness, and gently blew out the candle: "It's late at night, let's rest." The bridal chamber was plunged into a hazy darkness, with only the faint moonlight from outside the window shining through the window lattice onto the ground, casting a silvery-white cast. With soft jade in the arms and warm fragrance filling the teeth, a night of dancing with fishes and dragons, it is the land of tenderness. (End of this chapter)