Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 33: Transferring People Only Requires One Title

Because of the previous incident that removed one of the chief clerks, two positions of chief clerks of the six departments became vacant, but Zuo Chunfang did not notify them to fill the vacancies, which made his subordinates very anxious.

Shen Ce begged for favors from Prefect Su and the two Chamberlains, and the decision-making power for these three spots fell into his hands.

With a ninth-rank official position available, the remaining four officials in charge of the six departments became extremely competitive, working not only meticulously but also with exceptional diligence.

Wan Jigang's son had already been relieved of his duties at the yamen yesterday and had arrived at the mansion early this morning to await orders. Shen Ce sat in the hall, chatting idly with Wan Jigang. Having escaped the hardships of life, he seemed to be in a completely different spirit, speaking loudly more frequently than usual.

As they were speaking, a junior official hurried into the hall, bowed, and announced, "The Registrar, Yan Liben, a Gentleman-in-Attendance and Palace Treasury Attendant, is requesting an audience outside the gate."

Shen Ce was taken aback. There shouldn't be another Yan Liben in the Eastern Palace. This person must be the one who painted the portraits of the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials in the Lingyan Pavilion. He asked, "Did Yan Kuzhi say anything?"

The clerk closed his eyes to recall, shook his head, and said frankly, "I never said that. I only saw Yan Kuzhi holding a visiting card in his hand."

Wan Jigang, having spent a long time in the mansion, was intimately familiar with all the relationships. He immediately realized what was going on and hurriedly said, "He's holding a visiting card, so he must be here on behalf of someone else. That can only be his elder brother, Yan Lide, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Workshops."

Shen Ce pondered for a moment. He had seen the decree in the mansion a few days ago when he was approving documents. It was an order for him to oversee the repair of Chang'an City. His visit today must be related to the abacus. Otherwise, why would a fifth-rank official like himself come to him?

Thinking of this, Shen Ce quickly stood up: "Lead the way, everyone else step back."

He was quite surprised when he received the visiting card. As a superior official, he was so respectful to his subordinates, which changed his opinion of Tang Dynasty officials.

Unlike leaders in later generations, who, upon seeing others with readily available ideas and methods, openly demand them, and if refused, accuse others of disregarding the overall situation.

Even if they give it to you out of kindness, all the credit goes to the leaders after the success. At most, they'll add a small note at the end of the article saying that so-and-so provided the relevant data. How disgusting!

At noon, Shen Ce waited outside the yamen under the scorching sun. The man had sent his brother with a visiting card, which was quite a show of respect for a minor official of the seventh rank. If he didn't understand etiquette, he would have a hard time navigating the officialdom in the future.

"I've long heard of Registrar Shen's exceptional talent and good looks, and seeing him today confirms his extraordinary abilities," Yan Lide said in a deep voice, exuding a confident and dignified aura.

Shen Ce looked up and saw that the person had dark skin but a square face, long arms and large hands as big as tiger paws.

He hurriedly went to greet him. Just a month ago, he was merely a squad leader in the Prince of Qin's mansion; how could he have heard such rumors? But he didn't stop moving; he quickly stepped forward to take the wooden box, cupped his hands, and said, "If Prefect Yan has any requests, he could have simply sent a minor official to deliver the message. There was no need for him to come in person."

Shen Ce was just being polite; if he were to actually send a minor official, he would never go.

Yan Lide laughed loudly: "How can you ask for favors in such a way? My Yan family has no such tradition."

The two sat down

Shen Ce specially brought out the tea leaves he had roasted at home the day before and offered them to Yan Lide for him to taste.

He had never seen tea leaves that only required hot water before, and he found it quite novel. Upon closer tasting, he found it to be even more refreshing and clearer in color than the more complicated tea soup. So Shen Ce generously offered him another half pound of tea leaves, asserting that such fine tea was not something someone like himself, who came from a military background, could appreciate, and that only a prominent family like the Yan family could match it.

Tea is something that only the emperor drinks, so his relatives and noble families follow suit. Once the emperor and noble families drink it, then the officials follow suit. Since all the officials drink it, it must be something of the highest quality.

He couldn't give the new tea to the Crown Prince, but he could give it to powerful families and high-ranking officials.

After several rounds of tea, the two finally got to the point: "I heard that Registrar Shen recently presented the Crown Prince with a method for construction budgeting. His Highness transcribed it for me, but I didn't grasp its essence at the time, and my memorials were rejected twice in a row. It's really embarrassing."

Shen Ce understood; this was an order to get his help, but it also carried a hint of reproach. He was innocent, though; who knew Yan Lide would hand him this document from behind? Well, he was just unlucky.

But that's not how it should be said. Shen Ce filled the teacup and pushed it in front of him, smiling, "Prefect Yan, don't worry about this. I have already taught all the budgeting methods to my subordinates. If... you can send a junior official from the Imperial Workshop to learn. I guarantee I will tell you everything I know without reservation."

Yan Lide's face lit up with joy, but then he looked worried and said, "But after two consecutive rejections, the Crown Prince is not giving me much time. If I send someone to learn again, I'm afraid it will be too late."

It seems that the reason for bringing gifts today was for this matter. Knowing the purpose of his visit, Shen Ce was naturally able to deal with it calmly.

His face immediately showed a look of sudden realization, and he said with some regret, "If it were someone else to learn, I would have the authority to do so, but for my clerk to go to the Directorate of Works, I'm afraid it would require the approval of the Grand Tutor Yuwen."

Seeing that he agreed to the matter, Yan Lide didn't take it to heart, waved his hand, and then asked, "There is something that I heard was created by Registrar Shen, so I came here to ask for your guidance."

Then he had his attendant bring out the abacus, and Yan Lide gently moved the beads with his fingers, making a crisp sound: "May I ask, how do you use it?"

Seeing that Yan Lide's question was serious, Shen Ce also put away his joking thoughts, took a wooden abacus from the bookshelf next to him, placed it in front of him, and quickly fiddled with it.

Yan Lide asked urgently, "Can addition and subtraction be calculated?"

"It counts."

"What about multiplication and division?"

Shen Ce smiled and replied, "Carry over one when you reach two, carry over two when you reach four, carry over three when you reach six, carry over four when you reach eight, and add one to make five. This is the mnemonic for quotients. Prefect Yan, would you like to learn it?"

Yan Lide let out an "oh," his eyes showing surprise. He got up and paced slowly around the room, wanting to speak a few times but ultimately remaining silent.

"Does Registrar Shen have anything to request?"

Shen Ce knew they were waiting for him to name a price. When dealing with true nobles, money was the least important thing; perhaps a word from the patriarch was worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

He shook his head, pushed the abacus in front of him, and said frankly, "The abacus is free, and I won't charge for teaching people either, but knowledge requires payment."

Yan Lide laughed loudly, "Is there anyone who will set a precedent?"

Never

"Haha, someone, bring fifty strings of cash."

........

In the Tang Dynasty, transferring people across government departments was extremely difficult. Unexpectedly, Yan Lide simply stood in front of Yuwen Zhanshi, cupped his hands in greeting, and addressed him as "Uncle Yuwen".

Liu Lushu immediately received a notification from his superior that he would henceforth spend the first half of his day at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the second half at the Directorate of Works...