"Son, you make a very valid point."
"Itās not wrong to say that," Ye Ziāan sighed, "but unfortunately, a personās character is not easy to assess."
"But itās not hard to evaluate either," Lele said. "I once read in the historical records of the Jiang Dynasty that there was an organization dedicated to secretly investigating all the behaviors of officials for the Emperor. It got to the point where if an official said āthe Emperor farted during the morning courtā at home, the Emperor would hear about it the next day."
"What, are you thinking of suggesting the establishment of such an organization?"
"Not exactly. I think we can take inspiration from that and form a small team to conduct background checks on everyone who passes the Advanced Scholar exam. To prevent bias in the investigation, we could organize different teams of people to conduct multiple rounds of undercover investigations. Those with good character could be placed in important positions, while those with poor character could be assigned to less important roles. Although it canāt completely eliminate bad officials, at least it can reduce their presence."
Ye Ziāan chuckled at these words.
"You really have a lot of ideas. After coming out for a while, your thinking has expanded even more," Ye Ziāan praised, "If we polish this method a bit, it might be feasible. Once weāre back in the capital, Iāll discuss it with your uncle."
Yang Chuxia was also very pleased with her sonās abilities, "Son, youāre amazing. Iāll go to the kitchen to make something delicious for you as a reward."
Lele, however, looked at her a bit hesitantly, "Mom, although your cooking is excellent, Iād rather eat Dadās. I heard his crystal dumplings are particularly delicious, but I havenāt had the chance to try them."
Ye Ziāan glanced at him, "Only your mom gets to enjoy my cooking skills."
"Dad, do you have to be so stingy? Iām your son!" Lele protested.
"Thatās how it is. Hurry and make your move, stop dawdling."
Yang Chuxia laughed, "Son, it looks like your stomach will just have to endure the disappointment."
~~~
On the other side, in Qingfeng Pavilion, a few women saw the person they wanted to meet and didnāt stay in Liao City much longer. They left Liao City the next day.
Upon reaching Liao City, Madam Song went straight home.
"Has the Old Master returned?"
"Yes, heās in the study."
Upon hearing this, Madam Song hurried toward the study, her footsteps swift as the wind, not at all resembling a woman in her forties.
"Knock knock..."
"Come in!" Upon entering, Prefectural Magistrate Song was resting with his eyes closed in a chair.
"Old Master!" A familiar female voice called out, prompting Prefectural Magistrate Song to open his eyes. Seeing it was her, he quickly sat up, "Well, did you find out anything?"
"As expected, Ye Ziāan is not truly here for personal matters," Madam Song said. "His wife asked if anyone knew any secret routes to Great Qi, probably because they suspect something about Great Qiās cavalry attack on Great Zhou last time."
"Hmph, so what if they suspect? Theyāll never find anything," Prefectural Magistrate Song said dismissively.
"Oh, I also heard that Ye Ziāanās child is currently in Great Qi," Madam Song added. "Should you send a letter over there to check on the childās whereabouts? If the child is indeed in Great Qi, perhaps we could capture them, and they might be useful in the future."
"Good idea," Prefectural Magistrate Song agreed. "Great Qi and Great Zhou are definitely going to clash again soon. Ye Ziāan and his wife have been searching for their son in Liao City, and if a battle breaks out while theyāre here, using that child to open the city gates for us would be ideal."
"Then send the letter quickly," she urged.
The couple continued their conversation, unaware that their entire exchange was overheard by someone in the tree outside the window.