Chapter 196: Reform of the Nine-Rank Official System

“Otherworldly Celestial Demon?”

These words suddenly surfaced in Li Shun’s mind.

He had once relied on the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth to personally travel to other worlds as an Otherworldly Celestial Demon.

Therefore, if someone from another world had secretly infiltrated Great Qian, Li Shun would not find it surprising in the slightest.

“If the mastermind behind this is connected to the Otherworldly Celestial Demons, then things have become interesting.”

“Party struggles can at most result in one faction replacing another. But if outsiders from beyond the world are involved, there is a very real possibility that the entire realm could be overturned!”

“Even so, the Qian Emperor has shown no reaction whatsoever?”

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through Li Shun’s mind, yet not the slightest trace of them appeared on his face.

He merely said to Kong Zhao, “It seems this matter is far more serious than we thought. We should leave it to those esteemed officials in the imperial court to worry about. As for you and me, it is best to protect ourselves and stay out of trouble.”

Thinking of his cousin whose corpse had been obliterated without a trace, Kong Zhao shuddered again. He nodded deeply in agreement.

From that day onward, the Great Qian court’s response to the matter instead fell into an eerie silence.

The forged document that the Kong Family had sent to the Sacred Capital sank like a stone into the sea, never to receive any further response.

The strict investigation of officials, both high and low, throughout the Sacred Capital likewise yielded no results.

This earth-shattering case seemed destined to end without any resolution.

Instead, another matter gradually captured the attention of everyone under heaven.

One day, Li Shun noticed that Kong Zhao looked solemn and deeply troubled.

Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked what had happened.

Kong Zhao let out a long sigh and pointed toward the sky above his head.

“The court’s system for evaluating and examining officials has already been announced. Although it was not entirely unexpected, it is truly giving me a headache.”

Li Shun smiled.

“I never imagined even Senior Brother Kong would have times when he could not help but worry. What exactly is so profound about this official evaluation system? Could it be the same thing you mentioned before, eight parts determined by Heaven and two parts by man?”

Kong Zhao cast an almost imperceptible glance toward the heavens before pointing toward the study.

Li Shun immediately understood.

He followed him inside.

For some time now, whenever the two discussed sensitive matters concerning the imperial court, they would retreat into the study and use spells to isolate the interior from the outside world.

But this time, Kong Zhao was even more cautious.

His fingers moved rapidly as he formed a series of hand seals. A section of the blue brick floor in the study suddenly faded from view, revealing a hidden passage leading downward.

“I have come here so many times, yet I never knew there was something else hidden beneath this place.”

Li Shun joked.

Kong Zhao gave a bitter smile but did not respond.

The two followed the dimly lit staircase downward into an underground chamber. Once the passage closed behind them, Kong Zhao finally let out a relieved breath.

“This place is…”

Li Shun looked around.

The secret chamber was not particularly large, measuring only three zhang on each side. It had been divided into several smaller rooms.

There was a study, a bedroom, and everything else one would expect.

Rather than a secret chamber, it looked more like a hidden refuge.

Not only that, Li Shun vaguely sensed something unusual.

This refuge did not seem to have been constructed merely by digging underground. The flow of its aura was more reminiscent of an independent space.

The sensation was very similar to what Li Shun had experienced in the Martial Dao World and the Kong Clan’s Grotto Heaven.

“Could this be an independent Grotto Heaven?”

Li Shun could not help asking.

Kong Zhao nodded.

“Junior Brother’s intuition is truly sharp. When my Kong Family originally opened our cultivation Grotto Heaven, we also opened several refuge Grotto Heavens. They cannot withstand the imperial court’s full-scale search, but they are quite effective for avoiding prying eyes and isolating all forms of surveillance.”

Ever since Li Shun had saved Kong Zhao’s life that time, Kong Zhao had come to regard him as a true confidant, someone with whom he could discuss almost anything. Thus, bringing him into one of the clan’s secret refuge Grotto Heavens was only natural.

“So when you said that eight parts are determined by Heaven, does that mean the method of evaluating officials is related to the Great Qian Heavenly Dao?”

Seeing how cautious Kong Zhao was being, Li Shun naturally guessed part of the truth.

Kong Zhao let out a long sigh.

“All officials of Great Qian cultivate the Twelvefold Longevity Methods. The Twelvefold Longevity Methods are a means of borrowing lifespan from Heaven. This also means that every official is connected to the Great Qian Heavenly Dao in some mysterious way.”

“That is precisely the foundation of this new policy.”

“In a certain sense, every word and action of the civil and military officials is constantly under the observation of the Great Qian Heavenly Dao.”

“Following the reform of the Nine-Rank Official System, the Left and Right Chancellors drafted several thousand rules and standards governing the conduct of officials of every rank. These were then entrusted to the Directorate of Celestial Observation, which carries out the will of the Great Qian Heavenly Dao.”

“When the time comes for officials to be evaluated and examined, the Great Qian Heavenly Dao will use these established standards to judge the words, actions, and conduct of every official.”

“No human emotions or subjective judgments are involved. The Great Qian Heavenly Dao merely relies on the records accumulated through its observations over time and determines each official’s rank with absolute impartiality.”

“It is said that the evaluation is divided into nine grades, from highest to lowest: Upper-Upper, Upper-Middle, Upper-Lower, Middle-Upper, Middle-Middle, Middle-Lower, Lower-Upper, Lower-Middle, and Lower-Lower.”

“The upper three grades result in promotion and the granting of titles. The middle three barely constitute a passing grade. As for the lower three…”

“It depends on the severity of the rules they have violated. Minor offenses result in an order to reflect upon one’s mistakes, while serious offenses result in dismissal and investigation.”

Kong Zhao slowly explained the new official system.

Li Shun’s brows gradually furrowed.

“No wonder Senior Brother had to hide here before you dared speak.”

“Every matter, no matter how large or small, is subject to the Great Qian Heavenly Dao’s surveillance… Does that not mean there is absolutely no privacy whatsoever? With such a harsh policy, surely no one in the imperial court has stepped forward to oppose it?”

Kong Zhao smiled bitterly.

“There are naturally voices of opposition. However, first, the Left and Right Chancellors themselves are subject to this Heavenly Dao evaluation. And second…”

“The two Chancellors have already declared before the court that anyone unwilling to accept the supervision of the Heavenly Dao is free to hang up their official seal and resign. If they remain in office despite their unwillingness to accept it before the first evaluation, they will be regarded as having willingly bowed their heads to the system.”

“Besides…”

“Only the Heavenly Dao is truly capable of seeing through everything. We were born beneath the heavens of Great Qian, and have always lived beneath the might of Heaven. So what does absolute secrecy even mean?”

“Therefore, there are very few people willing to decisively abandon high office and great wealth merely because of these restrictions.”

“Most people are willing to take their chances. What if all they need to do is conduct themselves cautiously in their daily lives, and then they happen to receive an upper grade during the evaluation and rise steadily through the ranks?”

“And if they truly need to do something that cannot be brought into the light… everyone has their own methods.”

“They may not possess a Grotto Heaven, but if someone truly intends to use concealment techniques to deceive Heaven and conceal the truth, it is hardly impossible.”

“As for me, Kong Zhao, I have always conducted myself uprightly and have nothing to hide. However, when it comes to the specific standards used in the Heavenly Dao evaluation, the Left and Right Chancellors have been extremely tight-lipped. They refuse to reveal even a single word.”

Kong Zhao was clearly holding a bellyful of complaints.

Li Shun’s thoughts shifted, and he immediately understood the crux of the matter.

This method of evaluating Great Qian’s officials was astonishingly similar to the method he had used in the Martial Dao World, where he relied on puppets to manage and select suitable candidates for entry into the Inner World.

“In that case, what does the remaining two parts being determined by man mean?”

The moment this was mentioned, Kong Zhao’s expression immediately darkened.

“That is precisely where the absurdity of this evaluation system lies.”

“At first, all the officials believed that the remaining two parts of human discretion would be held by the Left and Right Chancellors, or perhaps the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers.”

“But no one could have imagined…”

“The final authority over those remaining two parts has actually been handed down by the imperial court to the common people of the entire realm!”