Chapter 61: The Path to the Regency

Su Ze returned to the Zhang Residence once again, and surprisingly, Zhang Yaozuo had returned from the Drum Appeal Office very early today.

Ever since the commotion at the Bureau of Military Affairs, Zhang Yaozuo’s conduct had been nothing short of exemplary. He arrived at the Drum Appeal Office early every morning and sometimes even stayed overnight on duty within the official quarters.

As soon as Su Ze arrived home, Zhang Yaozuo summoned him to the study.

Dismissing the attendants on both sides, Zhang Yaozuo said, "The incident at the Bureau of Military Affairs has escalated again."

"The eminent monks of the GreatXiangguo Temple and the Daoist priests of the Dongxiao Palace conducted a day of Daoist and Buddhist rites, but on the second night, the supernatural disturbance happened again, and it even frightened a young monk of the GreatXiangguo Temple to the point of fainting."

"And then?"

"His Majesty has ordered stricter palace guards. On one hand, he is calling upon high-level Daoist masters skilled in the Way to capture the demon; on the other hand, he has ordered the Kaifeng Prefecture to investigate the matter."

Su Ze nodded slightly. It seemed Renzong had not been frightened out of his wits by the haunting and still knew to approach the matter from the dual perspectives of superstition and criminal investigation.

Zhang Yaozuo continued, "Guo Zhen, the acting Prefect of Kaifeng, submitted a memorial to His Majesty deflecting responsibility on the grounds that Kaifeng Prefecture has no jurisdiction to enter the Southern Office to investigate. His Majesty has appointed Bao Zheng from the Censorate to assist. Guo Zhen is practically sitting on a bed of hot coals right now."

Su Ze looked at Zhang Yaozuo, who was gloating over others' misfortune. Even at a time like this, they were only capable of undermining each other. Truly, they were officials of the Great Song.

No matter that Zhang Yaozuo had the connection of Consort Zhang, it was no wonder his official career remained bumpy.

Zhang Yaozuo had constantly been plotting for the position of Inspector of the Metropolitan Prefecture Affairs. This position was the second-in-command of Kaifeng Prefecture. The reason Zhang Yaozuo could not secure this post, aside from the Emperor's aversion to rumors in the outer court regarding his excessive favor toward imperial relatives, was precisely the opposition from the acting Prefect of Kaifeng, Guo Zhen.

Since Guo Zhen could attain the lofty position of acting Prefect of Kaifeng, he naturally belonged to a faction. He was part of Lü Yijian’s conservative faction and politically supported Empress Cao in adopting the son of Prince Anyi of Pu, intending to establish the heir apparent at an early date.

This stood in natural opposition to Zhang Yaozuo, who was an imperial relative through Consort Zhang.

The reason the position of Inspector of the Metropolitan Prefecture Affairs was so crucial was that officials in the Great Song also had their own promotion tracks, and this position was extremely pivotal.

Generally speaking, there were only two paths to rising to the rank of chief councilor.

One was to be promoted from the scholarly officials of the Hanlin Academy and the Bureau of History, because these two bodies were closest to the emperor and responsible for drafting imperial edicts, making their positions extremely critical.

However, these scholarly officials had to be intellectually agile and erudite Confucian scholars, and they also had to pass specific literary examinations.

Zhang Yaozuo possessed no literary talent. No matter how much Renzong favored Consort Zhang, he would not brave universal condemnation to elevate him to the Hanlin Academy.

The other path was to rise through the ranks of civilian-facing officials.

The promotion path progressed from counties and prefectures to the imperial court, and both "Inspector of the Metropolitan Prefecture Affairs" and "acting Prefect of Kaifeng" were mandatory stepping stones.

Only by achieving notable results in these two premier civilian-facing positions in the realm was there a possibility of promotion to Minister of Finance—the head of the Three Financial Departments—and subsequently entering the two府 as a chief councilor.

For instance, the aforementioned Bao Zheng, in the history prior to Su Ze's time-travel, had first served as acting Prefect of Kaifeng, then been promoted to Minister of Finance, and finally conferred as Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs.

Naturally, Zhang Yaozuo longed to become a chief councilor, which made him desperately eager for the post of Inspector of the Metropolitan Prefecture Affairs.

After gloating for a while, Zhang Yaozuo turned to Su Ze and said, "Keep a low profile in the city these days and do not get entangled in any more incidents. Also, regarding the Bureau of Shops and Residences, you will need to report to the Court of the Imperial Stud in a short while. Supervisor Zhang is urging quite eagerly."

This "Supervisor Zhang" was Zhang Fangping, who currently administered the Court of the Imperial Stud. Although politically aligned with Lü Yijian’s faction, his personal integrity was relatively unblemished, and he was an able administrator in the current court.

The Bureau of Shops and Residences was an institution under the Court of the Imperial Stud. Currently, all three principal and deputy positions at the Bureau of Shops and Residences were vacant, rendering its operations nearly paralyzed. Naturally, Zhang Fangping was urging Su Ze to take up his post promptly.

Su Ze nodded. He intended to conduct a few more visits to clarify the situation at the Bureau of Shops and Residences before assuming office at the Court of the Imperial Stud.

Having finished discussing official business, Zhang Yaozuo added, "Tomorrow is a day off for ritual bathing, and your prospective father-in-law is coming to the residence as a guest. Do not go out tomorrow."

Su Ze consented. At that moment, Zhang Yaozuo’s personal attendant brought in sliced raw fish. Zhang Yaozuo invited Su Ze to partake in the delicacy together, only to be flatly refused once more.

Zhang Yaozuo could only sigh that Su Ze lacked an appreciation for fine cuisine, and told him to return to his quarters.

Back in his room, Su Ze picked up a book from the bookshelf, chanted silently, and entered the Peach Blossom Spring.

Next to A-Zhi's printing workshop, the [Rustic Blacksmith Shop] (Blue) had been completed, but a group of spiritual sprites were hovering around it, and the furnace fires inside the blacksmith shop had not even been lit.

Su Ze walked over and inquired A-Tie, the artisan sprite in charge of the [Rustic Blacksmith Shop]. It turned out the reason the blacksmith shop had not started operating was that the [Rustic Blacksmith Shop] lacked fuel and iron ore.

He had been too careless; he had completely forgotten about this. How could one forge iron without raw materials?

"A-Tie, what do you need?"

A-Tie shook its radish-like leaves and said, "For fuel, charcoal is best. Charcoal is easy; we just need to build a charcoal kiln to burn it. The lumber sprite can chop down trees and we can burn them into charcoal."

"Stone coal is also acceptable, but ironware forged with stone coal is not durable. There should be stone coal in the mountains of Peach Blossom Spring; you just need to recruit a mining sprite to go up the mountain and search for it."

"Iron ore is the same. You just need to recruit a mining sprite to go up the mountain to search for it."

This Peach Blossom Spring truly was a treasure trove. Hidden behind the clouds and mist in the mountains were both iron and coal mines.

A thought occurred to Su Ze, and he asked, "Are there gold and silver mines on that mountain?"

A-Tie shook its head. Su Ze felt somewhat disappointed; it seemed not everything was available there.

Indeed, if there were gold and silver mines, why would he bother developing Peach Blossom Spring at all? Or even if they had existed, they would have been completely mined out by the previous master of the Peach Blossom Spring.

"I will recruit them for you right now."

Unwilling to spend any more Qi of Literary Veins to build a charcoal kiln, Su Ze directly recruited a mining sprite, instructing it to go up the mountain to gather some iron and coal ore.

This time, Su Ze's luck followed the law of European-African conservation, recruiting only a green-quality mining sprite with no special skills. Su Ze simply dispatched it up the mountain to mine.

Just as he finished dealing with the matters of the [Rustic Blacksmith Shop], the culinary sprite Chef God from the [Neighborhood Shop] sought out Su Ze.

"Master of Peach Blossom Spring, there isn't even any salt! I cannot cook without it!"

Only then did Su Ze remember that the Chef God possessed a [Fussy] skill, which required using ingredients produced within Peach Blossom Spring to cook.

Naturally, these ingredients also included seasonings, which naturally encompassed edible salt.

You've got to be kidding me, I even have to produce my own salt?

Su Ze spread his hands and said, "How am I supposed to get you salt?"

The Chef God brandished a soup ladle and said, "It's simple. There is brine well water in the back mountain. If you, Master of Peach Blossom Spring, build a [Salt Well], the mining sprite will be able to bring the salt back."

Su Ze quickly unfolded the long scroll. Fortunately, the [Salt Well] was a green-tier building, requiring only 10 points of the Qi of Literary Veins.

The mere thought that as soon as he entered, he had to spend fifteen points of the Qi of Literary Veins made Su Ze's heart ache terribly.

Fortunately, the Chef God's next sentence cheered Su Ze right up.