To say the Old Ancestor has no sense of shame would be a stretch—he didn’t strike Yin Zhuangtu down with a single blow, merely demoting him six ranks. Yet to say he has a sense of shame is equally difficult; he openly published the exploits of a petty official who bought his way to promotion in the imperial gazette for all the world to see. Such a move is something even his grandfather—who boasted of being the emperor of a thousand generations—would never have stooped to.
What is the true nature of the Crime Redemption Silver? Every official knows. With these two contrasting, real-life examples "laid out" in the gazette, what is the signal being sent? Isn't it practically grabbing officials by the ears and asking, "Do you know what to do now? What? You don't? If you don't know, look at Zhao Youlu in the gazette! Still don't get it? The headline story is about Yin Zhuangtu!" This is no longer a test of reading comprehension; it is a simple multiple-choice question.
I truly wonder if this was the Old Ancestor’s own idea, or instructions given to the "press" by Grand Secretary Heshen. Zhao An felt a strange mix of amusement and despair, realizing that from today on, his name would be known to every official in the land. There are certainly benefits; at the very least, this "news report" serves as his amulet until the Old Ancestor kicks the bucket. Anyone who wants to move against him must consider the consequences of striking down a role model personally established by the Old…
Chapter 94