Chapter 25: Taking Charge of the Censorate (Bonus Chapter for the Alliance Leader Wind)

Li Longji was multi-talented, not only well-versed in the rhythm of music but also possessing profound attainments in calligraphy. The *Compendium of Ancient and Modern Calligraphy* once praised Li Longji's calligraphy, saying, "Emperor Xuanzong of Tang excels at the clerical and *zhangcao* scripts, with a style that is lush, robust, and extraordinary."

The four large characters meaning "Peerless Under Heaven" were written using the clerical script technique.

Pei Min himself possessed no mean skill in calligraphy and could easily discern that Li Longji's clerical script deeply captured the spiritual essence of traditional clerkship, imbuing it with an archaic and lingering charm.

"What a magnificent script! Only..." Pei Min praised profusely, then shook his head as he said, "The four characters 'Peerless Under Heaven' are too grand; this subject is unworthy of them at present." He still possessed a clear self-awareness. Regarding his swordsmanship, relying on the extraordinary talent inherited from the original Sword Saint Pei Min combined with advanced twenty-first-century martial arts theories, his swordsmanship and martial prowess were currently superior to those of the historical Pei Min of the same era, yet he had not yet reached the realm of a grandmaster. Among his peers, he was undoubtedly sweeping through the field, and there were very few of the older generation who could match him. However, when facing renowned martial arts masters who had established their reputations for three or four decades and possessed vast practical experience, he could not guarantee absolute victory. If he were to encounter martial arts grandmasters of the caliber of Qiu Ran Ke or Zhang Sanfeng, his chances of winning would not be high. After all, their age, worldly wisdom, experiential knowledge, and profound comprehension were there, whereas he was, after all, not yet twenty years old.

Li Longji caught the implied meaning behind his words and smiled. "Unworthy of them at present implies that you will be worthy of them in the future?"

Pei Min answered affirmatively, "Most certainly!" What the historical Pei Min could achieve, what reason did he have not to accomplish?

Li Longji laughed heartily. "Your sword helped Me secure the grand outcome, and the impact of that sword cannot be compared to the mortal blades wielded by those brutes in the jianghu. I deem you worthy of it, so you are worthy of it... Since it was bestowed upon you, accept it."

Pei Min closed the calligraphy scroll and said, "Then this subject will accept it without declining. By the way, regarding that sword, I didn't pay attention yesterday and brought it straight back to my mansion..."

"Enough!" Li Longji directly interrupted him, feigning displeasure as he said, "I still have a multitude of state affairs to attend to and have no leisure time to discuss these matters with you. Withdraw for now; once I finish what is at hand, I shall find a time to discuss the military system with you." He directly issued an order for his dismissal.

Gao Lishi stepped forward and said, "His Majesty has spoken: once a gift is bestowed, how can there be any reason to take it back? With that sword in the hands of the Auxiliary Imperial Censor, you can slay a few more treacherous ministers and greedy officials!"

Pei Min had no choice but to bow in gratitude once more and withdraw.

Gao Lishi escorted him out of the Taiji Palace and returned the Qin Emperor Sword to him.

Pei Min stroked the Qin Emperor Sword, genuinely fond of this divine weapon, and departed the palace in high spirits.

Gao Lishi placed a cup of peppermint water on the desk and said softly, "His Majesty has not closed his eyes for a day and a night; drink some peppermint water to refresh your mind." He understood Li Longji well, knowing that urging him to sleep at this moment would only provoke his aversion.

Li Longji drank the peppermint water in a single gulp without a second word. Feeling the unique, cooling refreshment stimulating his brain and stomach, his spirits cleared considerably, and he said, "You are still the one who understands Me best! Have you escorted Pei Min out of the palace?"

Gao Lishi smiled and replied, "Yes, the Auxiliary Imperial Censor was very pleased. This humble servant could tell that he is extremely fond of that sword, the Qin Emperor Sword."

Li Longji wore a smile and said, "As long as he is pleased, that is all that matters. Even I felt a pang of reluctance; if he weren't happy, wouldn't the bestowal have been in vain? The abilities and potential he has demonstrated thus far truly render him worthy of that sword. What do you think of him?"

Gao Lishi paused and said, "This humble servant is dull-witted and dares not presume to make arbitrary evaluations. However, when this humble servant went to summon him earlier, the Auxiliary Imperial Censor mingled effortlessly with his colleagues in the Ministry of War, completely unaffected by his promotion in rank and bestowal of nobility. This humble servant truly admires him for that. This humble servant has been favored by His Majesty, and being promoted to Palace Attendant of Equal Rank is already an immense blessing, not to mention being exceptionally elevated to the rank of Grand Master for Closing Court Consultations. While filled with apprehension, I cannot help but feel a touch of complacency."

Li Longji nodded and said, "To never forget one's original intention is truly rare. I desire to establish the great achievements of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong; being able to obtain such talent to assist Me is indeed a great blessing."

**********

Pei Min put away the "Peerless Under Heaven" scroll gifted to him by Li Longji and first reported for duty at the Censorate.

The administrative system of the Tang Dynasty was universally recognized as the Three Departments and Six Ministries system. The Censorate, also known as the Constitutional Desk, held a special status as a specially established central supervisory agency and was also one of the central judicial organs. It was responsible for inspecting and impeaching officials as well as rectifying laws and discipline. Before the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, the Censorate merely submitted memorials based on hearsay and possessed no judicial authority. During the Zhenguan era, the Censorate established its own prison, granting it the power to handle special litigation cases, which greatly augmented its authority.

Because of the Censorate's special institutional status, all official posts within it—ranging from the Censor-in-Chief down to the Investigating Censors—were characterized by low official ranks yet immense authority, and they had always been a powerful office that no one dared to offend. Because of this, even Wang Maozhong, who had become arrogant and overbearing upon gaining power for a time, did not dare to act too presumptuously before Pei Min.

The Censorate was located right in the middle of Chengtianmen Street, along the second street leaning against the Vermilion Sparrow Gate, with the Court of Imperial Clan to its left and the Directorate of Astronomy to its right.

The current Censor-in-Chief was named Cheng Xingzhan, an upright, honest, and incorruptible man who placed extreme importance on legal culture, and for this reason, he had won the deep trust of the late Emperor Ruizong and the current Emperor Xuanzong.

Cheng Xingzhan expressed a warm welcome toward Pei Min's arrival, putting on no bureaucratic airs. Instead, he enthusiastically introduced him to the Vice Censor-in-Chief Yang Maoqian. Logically speaking, there should have been two Vice Censors-in-Chief, but one of them belonged to the Taiping Princess faction and had already been executed, with no newcomer yet to succeed him. Currently, all major authority within the Censorate rested in the hands of Cheng Xingzhan and Yang Maoqian.

Pei Min held the rank of Auxiliary Imperial Censor and also bore the title of a state duke, placing his status within the Censorate second only to these two men.

Cheng Xingzhan personally led Pei Min on a tour of the Censorate and explained its functions to him: "The people of the world all fear our Censorate like a tiger. While there are reasons for this, as a member of the Censorate, I hope the Auxiliary Imperial Censor will keep one thing in mind. The true authority and responsibility of the Censorate are not the cruel punishments perceived by the world; an imperial censor is not a harsh, cruel official. The significance of our existence is to use the supervisory system to prevent officials from becoming corrupt and derelict..."

The censorate system of the Tang Dynasty differed from that of preceding dynasties. Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, attached great importance to the incorruptibility of officials when he launched the Zhenguan reforms. He repeatedly dispatched imperial censors to inspect the whole country, examine governance, and record the merits and demerits of local officials on screens within the palace as the basis for promotions, demotions, rewards, and punishments. Furthermore, he stipulated that capital officials of the fifth rank and above should take turns on duty residing overnight in the Secretariat so that they could be summoned at any time to inquire about the hardships of the common people and the gains and losses of governance. The emperor set a personal example, officials dedicated themselves entirely to the public good, and functionaries each kept to their proper duties, causing the phenomena of abuse of power, corruption, and dereliction of duty to drop drastically. Consequently, during the Zhenguan era, officials throughout the country were mostly upright and honest—an atmosphere extremely rare throughout a thousand years of history. However, during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, to consolidate her own power, she employed cruel officials like Lai Junchen to persecute civil and military officials using the power of the Censorate. Thus, the Censorate became a notorious hell feared by everyone.

With this cautionary precedent before them, Cheng Xingzhan, upon taking charge of the Censorate, absolutely would not tolerate the conduct of cruel officials, which was why he offered this special reminder.

Pei Min nodded with a smile and said, "Elder Cheng, rest assured; I naturally understand this underlying logic. Extracting confessions through torture is the most base and inept method. If you want people not to know, nothing you do is secret; as long as an official is derelict in duty, their administrative performance and factual evidence will naturally come to light. Since we hold the reins of criminal law, the law must naturally come first."

Cheng Xingzhan nodded in satisfaction and then introduced the organizational structure of the Censorate to him.

The Censorate was divided into three departments: the Desk Courtyard, the Palace Courtyard, and the Investigative Courtyard. Among them, the Desk Courtyard was responsible for inspecting the hundreds of officials, impeaching the lawless, trying cases specially ordered by the emperor, and taking turns on duty in the imperial court alongside the Left-Sessional Grandee of the Chancellery and the Drafting Official of the Secretariat to accept grievances and lawsuits—thus earning the moniker of the "Minor Three Judicial Offices." It also managed the routine miscellaneous affairs of the Censorate offices, making it the most important department within the Censorate. Meanwhile, the Palace Courtyard was responsible for supervision, primarily targeting the activities of officials within the palace precincts to maintain court ritual and order. The task of the Investigative Courtyard was to inspect the hundreds of officials and patrol prefectures and counties.

Pei Min's position was Auxiliary Imperial Censor, which belonged precisely to the Desk Courtyard, the department holding the heaviest authority within the Censorate.

After familiarizing himself with his future duties in the Desk Courtyard, Pei Min discovered that the routine tasks of an Auxiliary Imperial Censor were not heavy. When there were no lawless officials breaking the law and no criminal cases, it was rather a leisure post. With great power yet plenty of leisure, Pei Min was filled with yearning for his good life in the future.

Li Longji indeed possessed grand ambitions and soaring aspirations, and he made no effort to conceal this.

He overturned Empress Wu Zetian's decrees and laws one after another. Aside from retaining the excellent administrative decrees proposed by renowned chancellors and wise ministers like Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi, he directly restored and implemented the administrative norms of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong's reigns.

As for incompetent, useless, and redundant officials, he slashed and cut them repeatedly. Within a mere ten days, he eliminated five hundred capital officials and instituted routine evaluations for remaining officeholders, using actual performance to determine whether officials possessed the ability to achieve results in their positions.

The Censorate where Pei Min worked also cooperated with Li Longji's actions, reporting several incompetent officials directly to the imperial presence, whereupon Li Longji unhesitatingly issued orders for their removal from office.

This series of major moves left all the civil and military officials in the imperial court inwardly terrified, forcing those who had wanted to idle away their time and slack off to put their utmost effort into their work. Those who truly possessed talent saw hope for the future and worked even harder.

Much like the story of the three monks, having fewer officials actually caused the administrative machinery of the entire imperial court to operate more smoothly and swiftly.

Li Longji also fulfilled his promise, continuously elevating the authority of the Censorate and strengthening its practical power. Li Longji's approach was identical to that of Li Shimin: he heavily employed the Censorate not for criminal punishment, but for deterrence and prevention.

After ten days of adaptation, Pei Min took over the work of the Desk Courtyard. He discovered that while the original intention of the Censorate was good, its rules were somewhat antiquated, showy, and devoid of substance. Having perused many cases left behind by the Censorate, he found that the vast majority of cases were dealt with only after an official's vicious nature had been fully exposed, the situation had turned severe, and harm had already been inflicted upon the common people and the imperial court.

Much like later generations, unless a matter aroused public indignation and became known to everyone, it could not be processed effectively and swiftly.

This was not because the people in the Censorate feared powerful figures, but truly because the Censorate's sources of intelligence were far too rigid. Lacking effective and reliable sources of information, until an incident occurred and blew up, the Censorate had completely no idea where to begin, leaving them acting like hindsight-driven strategists—leisurely during peaceful times, and only mobilizing to process, investigate, and arrest after an incident had already happened...