“This matter has already been handed over to the Court of Judicial Review. If it’s true, then those who should be arrested will be arrested, those who should be imprisoned will be imprisoned, and those who should be executed will be executed! Everything will be handled according to the Great Zhou’s laws,” Bai Qingyan said to Dong Shi. “We must give the people justice and let those wealthy and powerful families know that the current Great Zhou is different from the former Jin Dynasty… It’s not a place where you can do whatever you want just because you have power and money.”
“I think that precisely because they are imperial relatives, they should be severely punished!” Second Madam Liu Shi said.
“Just follow the law. Being too harsh would make people think our Bai family is putting on a show for the common people, there’s no need for that…” Fifth Madam Qi Shi said with a smile.
“That’s exactly what I think, and… the clan leader has already returned to begin preparing to revise the clan laws and regulations. When dealing with outsiders, we should use the Great Zhou’s laws, but the clan laws can be stricter.”
While Bai Qingyan was talking with her mother and several aunts, Wei Zhong received a report from a young eunuch saying that Minister of Works Shen Tianzhi had arrived.
Wei Zhong walked in with small steps, stood outside the landscape painting screen, and said in a low voice: “Your Majesty… Minister Shen of the Ministry of Works has arrived.”
Bai Qingyan, who had just lifted a small silver spoon of cheese soup to her lips, acknowledged with a sound. She quickly finished the cheese soup, set down the silver cup, kissed her two children, then rose to go to the study.
On the way, Bai Qingyan thought for a moment and had Wei Zhong send someone to summon Dong Changyuan and Li Mingrui as well.
When Bai Qingyan arrived at the study, she saw Shen Tianzhi in his official robes waiting at the door under the blazing sun, wiping sweat with a handkerchief from his sleeve. She quickened her steps and said with a smile, “Minister Shen arrived so quickly!”
“This subject pays respects to Your Majesty!” Shen Tianzhi put away the handkerchief in his hand, smiled, and bowed to Bai Qingyan. “Your Majesty summoned me, fearing there was some urgent matter, so this subject ran all the way here.”
“Please come inside, Minister!” Bai Qingyan stepped through the main entrance of the study first.
Shen Tianzhi followed and knelt behind the low table to Bai Qingyan’s right. When he heard Bai Qingyan mention wanting his eldest son, Shen Yan’an, to return to Shouyang to replace Bai Qingping, Shen Tianzhi was quite agreeable.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for thinking of this official’s son…”
“Minister Shen is truly good at educating children. Though the children are young, they are all very capable!” Bai Qingyan picked up her teacup. “Shen Yancong in Han City has performed excellently. Whether it was Gao Yijun before or the current Qin Lang, Lu Yuanqing, and Chen Zhaolu in Han City, they have all mentioned Shen Yancong in their memorials, saying that for ensuring the smooth implementation of new policies, Shen Yancong has been of great assistance to them.”
Shen Tianzhi’s face was full of smiles as he hurriedly said, “In our vast Great Zhou nation, there are talented people everywhere. It’s only because Your Majesty promoted Yancong that he had the opportunity to distinguish himself. This subject thanks Your Majesty here!”
Bai Qingyan was amused by Shen Tianzhi: “Minister Shen, my father regarded you as a close friend. When we were in Shouyang before, I never saw Minister Shen being so polite. How is it that Minister Shen now sounds just like Magistrate Zhou?”
Ever since Shen Tianzhi was transferred away, Shouyang’s prefect had been replaced by Lord Zhou, who should now be called Prefect Zhou, but Bai Qingyan was still accustomed to calling him Magistrate Zhou, since that magistrate had left quite a deep impression on her back then.
Shen Tianzhi couldn’t help but laugh once, and seeing that Bai Qingyan was still the same as before, he dropped that manner of imitating Lord Zhou and said with a smile: “I originally thought that since Your Majesty has now ascended the throne as emperor, naturally you would be different from the former Princess Zhenguo. I didn’t expect Your Majesty to still have the same temperament. But speaking of Lord Zhou…”
Bai Qingyan became interested, looking up at Shen Tianzhi as if waiting for him to continue.
“This Lord Zhou is quite well-informed and very perceptive. Just a few days after the palace examination results were posted and the test papers were displayed, this Lord Zhou came to find this official, asking whether future promotions and demotions of officials would all be evaluated according to the ‘Great Zhou Official Assessment Guidelines’ written by Chuanlu Dong Tingzhen.” Shen Tianzhi said with a smile.
After Bai Qingyan had her mother Dong Shi appoint her cousin Dong Tingzhen as Chuanlu, Shen Tianzhi had this feeling. Later, when the Empress Dowager had all the palace examination papers posted, Shen Tianzhi suddenly understood what Bai Qingyan’s next moves would be.
He also understood that there would likely be major changes in the court during the next assessment.
When Lord Zhou was previously in Shouyang, he liked to discuss whatever matters came up with his superior, Shen Tianzhi. This time, after getting hold of these papers, he felt an ominous premonition in his heart and quietly rushed to the capital to see Shen Tianzhi.
Shen Tianzhi didn’t give a direct answer, only speaking ambiguously about some unimportant matters. Considering that this Lord Zhou, aside from his fondness for maneuvering, was not an official who treated the people like grass, he advised Lord Zhou to be sure to follow the righteous path.
He also advised that since Lord Zhou previously liked to cater to Princess Zhenguo when in Shouyang, now he should cater to His Majesty’s thoughts and strategies, and absolutely not oppose His Majesty, otherwise he would be the next one to suffer.
Lord Zhou was suddenly enlightened, bowed to Shen Tianzhi, and hurried back to Shouyang, planning to accomplish several outstanding political achievements there. He absolutely couldn’t maintain the same attitude of just getting by as before in the prefect position, otherwise he might not even be able to keep the prefect position.
Hearing Shen Tianzhi say this, Bai Qingyan lightly rubbed the tea cup in her hands, then looked up at Shen Tianzhi and asked: “What does Minister Shen think of Lord Zhou as a person?”
“Lord Zhou has some ability. He’s good at maneuvering and enjoys maneuvering, and he’s very good at reading the situation. It all depends on how the person above uses him. If the person above uses him well, he can be useful! If the person above is crooked… then Lord Zhou, as the lower beam, will certainly be crooked too.” Shen Tianzhi spoke very fairly.
“Then Minister Shen should pay more attention to this Lord Zhou. When the year-end assessment comes, if he can be used… he could be promoted.”
Hearing Bai Qingyan say this, Shen Tianzhi smiled broadly and spoke candidly: “Your Majesty can rest assured. Just for the sake of the old friendship, when this Lord Zhou once welcomed Your Majesty together with this official outside Shouyang city, if he can be promoted, this official will promote him!”
Being spoken to this way by Shen Tianzhi, Bai Qingyan seemed to return to when she was Princess Zhenguo. Back then, every time she returned to Shouyang or left Shouyang, Minister Shen and Lord Zhou would go to welcome and send her off…
However, at that time Lord Zhou did it for his own future prospects, while Minister Shen was more observing her, seeing what kind of person Bai Qishan’s eldest daughter really was, and whether she was worth him becoming the Bai family’s backup plan!
Shen Tianzhi was someone Father had his eye on, so his abilities went without saying. Having Shen Tianzhi in the position of Minister of Works was already exceptional promotion, but someday in the future, Shen Tianzhi would certainly become an important minister in Great Zhou’s court.