Chương 505: Concluding the investiture ceremony

Zhen Yao and Zhen Yan exchanged a glance, seeing surprise and pressure in each other's eyes.

They were members of the Zhen family, who used to help manage government affairs in Youzhou. They never expected that they would become vice ministers of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of the nation's finances.

The two brothers secretly vowed: They must not bring shame to the Zhen family!

The Ministry of Revenue was the head of all ministries, in charge of the nation's finances; this was no small responsibility.

Remembering that Shen Wansan, the God of Wealth, was their boss, Zhen Yao whispered to his younger brother, "We two brothers have to work hard and not disgrace the Zhen family."

Zhen Yan nodded: "Don't worry, our plan isn't for nothing."

Shen Wansan, standing in front, turned around and smiled when he heard Zhen Yao's words: "You two do a good job. From now on, we'll manage the Ministry of Revenue's accounts together. The three of us will work together: one in charge of revenue, one in charge of expenditure, and one in charge of auditing. No one will be able to embezzle."

Tian Chou and Tian Yu nodded to each other. They were both former officials of Youzhou who had followed Liu Ce all the way from Zhuo County. Now that they had been entrusted with the important task of the Ministry of Agriculture, they naturally had to work even harder.

Tian Chou said, "The affairs of the Ministry of Agriculture are related to the food supply of the people. We must manage every inch of land and every grain of rice well."

Tian Yu nodded and said, "That's right, especially when it comes to grain reserves, there can be no mistakes."

Li Ji thought to himself: I used to lead troops into battle, and now I'm in charge of military organization and recruitment. Although I've changed positions, I'm still contributing to the army.

General Huangfu Song, though his beard and hair were all white, stood there with his back straight and his spirit vigorous.

He had fought in wars for most of his life, and now he had been appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, in charge of military training and discipline, which suited him perfectly.

Tian Feng and Cheng Yu huddled together and whispered, "We in the Ministry of Justice will have to cooperate well from now on."

Cheng Yu nodded and said, "That's right, you're in charge of legislation, and I'll be in charge of enforcement. The division of labor is clear."

"And with Yang Biao from the Censorate and Chen Gong from the Supreme Court, the four of us together will take down all the corrupt officials in the land!"

Cheng Yu grinned: "Okay!"

Ma Ridi stroked his beard and nodded slightly.

He was well-versed in rituals and was perfectly suited to oversee sacrificial ceremonies.

Zhu Jun accepted the order. He had previously served as the Grand Master of Works, so he was quite familiar with the task.

...

Next came the more detailed part-time assignments, with almost everyone having two or three jobs assigned to them, which was quite overwhelming.

"On the day of Renshen in the first month of the first year of the reign of Emperor Shenwu, the Emperor said:" Bai Ju was appointed as a senior staff officer in the Privy Council, in charge of strategic planning, battle analysis, and the formulation of operational plans...

Appoint Chen Gong concurrently as the Director of the Military Command of the Privy Council, in charge of transmitting military orders...

Appoint Cheng Yu as the Director of the Intelligence Department of the Privy Council, in charge of military intelligence collection and analysis...

Bai Ju was appointed concurrently as the Supervising Secretary of the Six Ministries, wielding the power to reject and revoke government orders, and to correct erroneous policies and decrees...

Bai Tianfeng was appointed as the first Censor-in-Chief of the thirteen circuits, in charge of local inspections and investigating corruption and inaction by local officials...

Xu Shu was appointed concurrently as the Chief Justice of the Criminal Court of the Supreme Court, in charge of handling major criminal cases...

Bai Tianyu was concurrently appointed as the Chief Clerk of the Civil Division of the Supreme Court, in charge of handling civil disputes...

Cheng Yu was appointed as the Chief Clerk of the Review Court of the Supreme Court, in charge of reviewing death sentence judgments...

Yang Biao was appointed concurrently as the Director of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of the imperial genealogy and the inheritance of titles and ranks...

Wang Yun was appointed concurrently as the Director of the Punishment Department of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of punishing members of the imperial family who violated the law...

Cai Yong was appointed concurrently as the Director of the Education Department of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of the education of the imperial family's children...

Shen Wansan was appointed concurrently as the Director of the Statistics Department of the Imperial Statistical and Auditing Bureau, in charge of national economic statistics and data accounting...

Bai Zhenyi was appointed as the Director of the Auditing Department of the Royal Statistical and Auditorate, in charge of account verification and financial auditing...

Appointed Lu Bing as the Director of the Intelligence Division of the Royal Statistical Audit Office, in charge of secret investigations of officials and the establishment of integrity files...

Bai Chengong was appointed as the confidential secretary of the General Office of the State Affairs Bureau, in charge of safeguarding the court's core secrets...

Xu Shu was appointed as the Supervising Commissioner of the General Office of the Government, in charge of supervising the implementation of government orders and ensuring timely completion...

All of the above are of the third rank. Each should be conscientious and dutiful in performing their duties.

So be it.

The officials below were dumbfounded. This wasn't how officials were supposed to be; it was like using one person as three!

Fang Xuanling whispered to Du Ruhui, "His Majesty is planning to make us work non-stop. I'm afraid we won't even have time to go home for meals anymore."

Du Ruhui smiled wryly, "The capable should do more. It's better than having nothing to do. My wife is used to it. She says it's almost the same whether I'm at home or not, since I'm always just looking at official documents anyway."

Hearing this from the side, Xun Yu adjusted his glasses and calmly said, "I've already had several dormitories built next to the government office. We'll live there from now on, so we don't have to travel back and forth."

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui exchanged a glance and sighed simultaneously. Well, this one's even more ruthless; he's practically living in his office.

...

Following that were two very special imperial edicts, specifically reserved for the two medical sages.

"Imperial Edict by Zhang Zhongjing:" You are a medical sage, proficient in internal medicine, surgery, and the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases... saving lives and healing the wounded, your merits are immeasurable.

"I hereby appoint you as the Director of the Royal Hospital, a second-rank official, directly under my command. You will oversee all medical affairs nationwide, establish a hospital system from the central government to local levels, prevent and control epidemics, and train doctors. You must diligently fulfill your duties to benefit all people. Strive to do so. This is my decree."

"Imperial Edict by Hua Tuo:" You are a surgical master, proficient in surgery, anesthesia, and acupuncture. Your medical skills are unparalleled in the world.

I hereby appoint you as Vice-Director of the Royal Hospital, a third-rank official, directly under my command. You will be responsible for court medical care, surgery, and the treatment of complex and difficult cases. You must diligently perform your duties and heal the wounded. Strive to fulfill this duty. This is my decree.

The two looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes.

They had spent their lives treating and saving lives, never expecting that Liu Ce would give them such great power, allowing them to manage the nation's healthcare system.

From now on, they can establish a hospital system nationwide, train doctors, and prevent and control epidemics—something many doctors never even dared to dream of.

Zhang Zhongjing knelt to express his gratitude, his voice firm: "Your subject Zhang Zhongjing obeys the imperial decree! I will certainly dedicate myself to saving lives and healing the wounded, so that the people of the world will suffer less illness and be able to afford medical care!"

Hua Tuo was so excited that his beard stood on end: "Your subject Hua Tuo obeys the imperial decree! I will certainly study medicine diligently and conquer all difficult and complicated diseases!"

Liu Ce said, "I have entrusted the lives of all the people in the world to your hands. Your burden is heavier than theirs."

Such trust, such a heavy responsibility—their lives have been worthwhile.

The two stood together, one a master of internal medicine, the other a divine surgeon, and from then on, they were regarded as the two pillars of Han Dynasty medicine.

...

After all the imperial edicts had been read aloud, the Grand Herald put away the scroll and announced loudly, "All officials express their gratitude!"

"Your Majesty, we obey your decree! We thank you for your great favor!"

All the officials knelt down and kowtowed in unison, their voices echoing throughout the Deyang Hall, causing dust to fall from the beams once more.