Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Three days later, the two methods Lu Huan had suggested proved effective!
The Third Department was already short-staffed, so they were naturally eager to have officials streamlined as used for the affairs of the second division. Moreover, the Third Department was also thinking of kicking someone when they were down, believing that the Second Department would be overwhelmed and make things even more chaotic by taking over the affairs.
But to everyone’s surprise, the Second Department hired grooms to manage the horses.
They also had someone mediate between them, implying that the grooms and civilians should cooperate, as this was a secure job.
The grooms were well-trained. Although the monthly salary they received from the Second Department was not much, the grooms thought they were eating the state’s food, so they didn’t care that their salary was a little less. On the contrary, they were very happy!
In this way, the two departments not only perfectly resolved the matter, but in the long run, they would also reduce a lot of financial expenditures.
The issue of weapons was also resolved quickly and smoothly.
After the news from the Second Department was released, many wealthy freight merchants in the capital began to get restless.
Lu Huan instructed his Chiefs to hype up the cooperation, making the wealthy merchants think it would be a lucrative opportunity, so that they would secretly compete with each other.
When wealthy merchants had gone to great lengths and were scrambling to get the job, the profit margin given to them would be appropriately reduced or cut.
In this way, the matter was successfully resolved, and the burden of manpower, material resources and financial resources of the two departments were greatly reduced.
These two matters had always been a major headache for the Ministry of War. Every year when recruiting soldiers, these two matters required several officials to handle.
Some visited the people in the capital to appease them, while others frantically tried to track down the weapons. In short, everyone was in a chaotic state.
However, after the new official took office, he quickly resolved the two problems in the second department, which could be described as swift and efficient, and his performance was commendable.
After this incident, the people in charge of the second department had some subtle changes in their feelings towards Lu Huan.
….
They had initially assumed the young man had entered their government office through his connections with Grand Commandant Yun and the Ning Wang’s household, but now it seemed he was indeed resourceful and decisive, possessing exceptional qualities. Even without comparing him to them, he was undoubtedly a rare and outstanding talent among the scions of prominent families in the capital.
Seeing that his headache was finally resolved, the Second Department Leader breathed a deep sigh of relief, and finally felt a bit more favorably disposed towards his newly appointed young adjutant. He thought that if this young man stayed with him as a deputy, would he still have to worry about the Second Department’s annual performance bonus? Would he still have to worry about not getting promoted? He had previously considered getting rid of him and placing his own son in the position, but now he realized that doing so would be a case of penny-wise and pound-foolish.
The Second Department Leader suddenly became friendly and even specially ordered several officials to place more potted plants, more charcoal, and more water on the desk behind Lu Huan’s screen.
The officials, observing the attitude of the fifth-rank physician, naturally changed their attitude towards Lu Huan as well…
….
When Su Xi logged back in the next day, only three days had passed in the game, but her eyes widened as she felt that the Second Department of the Ministry of War, where her son was located, had undergone a complete transformation—
The child was sitting behind a table behind a screen, reading a book. Every now and then, he would pick up a pen, dip it in ink, and make some annotations.
The ink had just run out, and the little one was about to get up to go to the storeroom to get some.
Suddenly, a junior official rushed in from outside and said enthusiastically, “Sir, please have a seat. I happen to have nothing to do, so I’ve come to grind the ink for you!”
Without waiting for the child’s reaction, he excitedly rolled up his sleeves and stayed by the child’s desk, diligently grinding ink for the child.
Above the baby’s head: …
Su Xi: …
There was also the person in charge, C, whose obsequious attitude was very obvious.
A light drizzle was falling outside. As the cub opened his oil-paper umbrella, intending to return to his official residence, a young servant quickly walked over with his short legs, opened his umbrella next to the cub, and said in a friendly manner, “Sir, why don’t we go back together?”
This person even spoke up for the cub while the other officials were discussing the matter, thus protecting the cub.
This was Ding, the person in charge, whose attitude of respect was very obvious.
After the cub swiftly and decisively resolved the troublesome matter in the second department, most of the leaders changed their opinion of the cub and their attitudes towards him changed as well.
However, there was still a group of people who still thought sarcastically that the young man had only stolen some governance methods from the Imperial Academy and was now showing off his skills in the Ministry of War. They still believed he was not very capable. This incident had been resolved, but it did not mean that the young man could solve all the problems in the Ministry of War in the future.
These unconvinced individuals still centered their attention around the two leaders, A and B, occasionally snorting at the cub and deliberately feigning illness to avoid attending meetings, thus causing trouble for the cub.
The person in charge, let’s call him A, was impulsive and openly gave the kid a hard time and made things difficult for him.
While the person in charge, Yi, appeared peaceful and friendly towards the cub on the surface, he secretly provoked him with words on multiple occasions, while pretending to be uninvolved.
Looking at the two little game characters’ faces, Su Xi wished she could stretch out her fingers and shove them into the mud and beat them up for her son.
Even though the young master solved the problem last time and gained the admiration of most people, if these two continue to muddy the waters, the Second Ministry of War would still be beyond the young master’s control in the long run.
But the little one told her to calm down, and then did something.
He first had the guards he brought from the Ning Wang’s residence investigate the whereabouts of Chief A and Chief B after they left the government office every evening. They learned that Chief A often went to gambling dens, while Chief B frequented poetry clubs.
Then, on the first day, when the Chief B was passing through the market, he had his guard deliver some gold and silver jewelry to Chief A, instructing the guard to act furtively, which was just spotted by Chief B.
When the person in charge noticed this, his expression subtly changed.
The following day, when Chief A arrived at the yamen late, Chief A happened to catch him having a private conversation with Chief B behind a screen, and Chief A presented Chief B with a book of poems.
The person in charge, A, accidentally stumbled upon this incident, and his face immediately turned pale.
After doing this—
Within three days, some subtle changes actually occurred! The relationship between Chief A and Chief B became increasingly tense, while their attitude towards the cub suddenly changed from being uncooperative to trying their best to befriend the cub!
With both Chief A and Chief B cooperating, and as the saying goes, “to catch a thief, first catch the king,” how could the other Chiefs possibly cause any more trouble for the kid?!
Su Xi was initially a little confused about what the cub had the guards deliver to Chief A that day, and what he had discussed with Chief B. Why did these two suddenly start vying for the cub’s favor?
On the way back from leaving the government office that day, the cub explained to her, “Actually, on the first day, I had the guards linger at the gate of Chief A’s mansion with the gold and silver for a while, but I didn’t actually deliver the things to Chief A. And on the first day, Chief B and I were just casually talking about the weather, and we didn’t discuss any alliance.”
Su Xi tugged at his left sleeve, indicating that she was listening.
The cub looked gently to the left and said, “However, the two officials, A and B, have always been at odds, afraid that the other will get ahead. They may not mean anything by it, but onlookers may have all sorts of wild thoughts.”
“I only need to exploit their psychology, give one of them a benefit, and the other will get angry.”
“The second Chief suspects that the first Chief has been secretly bribed by me and is afraid that if the first Chief sides with me, it will make things difficult for him. The first Chief is also afraid that the second Chief will befriend me first and then kick him out of the Ministry of War and the Second Ministry of War together with me, and then he will be finished.”
“These two have harbored grudges for many years, and their long-standing hatred and rivalry are not easily resolved. They cannot join forces, so there is only one strategy they can employ: to rush to curry favor with me. In that case, wouldn’t it be much easier for me to do whatever I want in the Ministry of War?”
Su Xi, watching from outside the screen, understood. Not only did she understand, but she couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement, “How is my son so smart?!”
She understood what her son was doing; wasn’t it just the prisoner’s dilemma mentioned in game theory by the teacher?
Throughout history, the way emperors governed their ministers had always been to maintain a balance, allowing the ministers to fight amongst themselves while the emperor himself profited from the situation.
Although the boy was only fifteen years old, he had obviously mastered this skill. Although he may not have such great ambitions at the moment, his mother, watching from outside the screen, felt both gratified and moved to see him beginning to show the makings of an emperor.
Lu Huan held up the oil-paper umbrella, and people in the market thought he was walking alone on the bluestone road. He was holding an umbrella by himself, but half of his shoulder was still wet.
But only he knew that she was by his side.
Sometimes he didn’t want her to see the chaotic state of the Second Ministry of War, the people who had mocked and scorned him one day and fawned over him the next. Such people were too ugly, and if possible, he hoped not to taint her eyes.
Yet, the feeling of walking together on this long road, solving problems together, was so wonderful. So wonderful that he wished the road would never end, that it would never be finished.
The drizzle stopped at some point, and Lu Huan felt his sleeve being tugged. His expression softened, and he thought to himself— he hoped that when the rain stopped, he could find a way to make her like everyone else, with legs that could go wherever she wanted, a mouth that could taste whatever she wanted, and eyes that could see the world.
He must find a way.
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