"Itâs necessary for the elder to cooperate with me. Iâll stall, and naturally, no one dares to easily offend you. Sometimes, as long as we achieve our goals, we donât need to publish all the bad news."
"As long as we can benefit the people, let the involved party express their grievances, and make lawbreakers pay the price, whether itâs published in the newspaper is secondary."
"Good lad, youâre even calculating against me now." Elder Zhong had understood his meaning.
Chu Heng alone doesnât have such great power to stop all the officials, after all, there are quite a few whose status is higher than his.
But Elder Zhong is different. He is the head of the cabinet and a seasoned official of two reigns. Emperor Xuanming does not neglect him and has given him considerable power.
Moreover, Elder Zhong has countless disciples.
Though in the past, most of them stayed in some leisurely yamen.
Therefore, most of the disciples are concerned about the nation and its people.
Even Minister Qi and others have to give him some face.
Even Grand Tutor Deng does not want to confront Elder Zhong.
Although he is a Grand Tutor, itâs actually a nominal position without much real power, let alone disciples.
Even though he acts with some abandon, he doesnât want to make it widely known.
Moreover, offending Elder Zhong means offending a group of scholars. Though these scholars donât have much substantial influence on him, his reputation would suffer, and for officials, whatâs important is nothing but fame and fortune.
Endless troubles could give his political enemies an edge, leading to consequences beyond his control.
Therefore, only when Elder Zhong steps in.
So, if we truly encounter any issues in the future,
The official newspaper can gain the upper hand.
Whether itâs published in the official newspaper or not, what the offender has done will surely be known to Emperor Xuanming, and the young personâs prospects could thus be cut short.
On the contrary, it can make some young people pay more attention to their words and actions.
Elder Zhong quickly understood Chu Hengâs intention, stroking his beard, "Alright, letâs proceed with this."
"Letâs go, go inside first." Chu Heng took the lead and went inside.
Several officials, hearing this, had a bit of excitement in their eyes, after all, with Chu Heng and Elder Zhong genuinely supporting the official newspaper, it is bound to develop well in the future.
"Everyone, just proceed with your tasks today, and be more cautious. There are quite a few officials in the capital who may already be dissatisfied with our official newspaper and wonât hesitate to cause us trouble. You not only have to pay attention to your own safety but also assess the truthfulness of some cases."
"For any case involving a life, remember to report it to the Ministry of Punishment. Gathering information doesnât necessarily have to be under the guise of the official newspaperâs identity. Be flexible, use the identity of the Ministry of Punishmentâs bailiffs. The goal is to stay safe while gathering true news." Chu Heng didnât shy away from giving these tips.
This is still, after all, the strictly hierarchical ancient times.
Encountering some assassins, setting traps could cost lives.
"Once a person is gone, everything truly vanishes. Donât dwell on righteousness. Only by staying alive can someone fight for the peopleâs justice. If you die in duty, the benefits might not necessarily fall on you, and in the end, itâs Elder Zhong and I who would gain. Even if we say thank you, you wonât hear it."
Yan Zhenmingâs lips twitched slightly, thinking, âLord Chu, are you sure saying the truth like this wonât offend anyone?â
Initially, the other officials had strange expressions on their faces.
After realizing it, they understood that Chu Heng was reminding them, moreover, protecting them.