Chapter 484 (1): Nothing is Strange on the Northern Complete Reed Continent
It seemed like the empress dowager had finally recalled that her son was with her, and she smiled as she introduced, "Young Master Chen, this is my son, Song He. This is your first time meeting each other, and I hope that this will be the first of many correspondences between the two of you.
“You are a prodigy who is endowed with the martial fortune of our Great Li Empire, and martial fortune is the foundation of our Great Li Empire, you will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the future of our empire."
Song He leaned forward slightly with a smile as he greeted, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Chen."
Despite his lofty status as emperor, he was carrying himself in a very humble manner.
Song He had a stellar reputation in the officialdom, partially attributable to the role that his mother had played in his upbringing, but in addition to that, he had also done very well for himself.
"I'll be sure to visit the capital if the opportunity arises in the future," Chen Ping'an replied with a nod.
The empress dowager smiled as she said, "Right now, the imperial court is considering elevating the Dragon Spring Prefecture into a province. Wu Yuan will become the provincial governor, and as a result, the position of prefectural overseer will become vacant. Is there anyone that you think would be fit for that role?"
Chen Ping'an smiled as he replied, "Is it not simply a matter of picking one between County Magistrate Yuan and Kiln Supervision Official Cao? Both of them have done extremely well in their respective roles, and I'm sure the citizens of the Dragon Spring Prefecture would be happy regardless of which one receives the promotion."
Song He took a subtle glance at Chen Ping'an.
Is he playing dumb or is he actually dumb?
The Cao and Yuan Clans had been constantly at each other's throats for generations, both in the officialdom and in the military. Promoting either of the two aforementioned men would be shunning the other. The rank of prefectural overseer wasn't very significant, but the consequences of offending one of the pillar generals is much more significant.
Even the leaders of the Cao and Yuan Clans didn't take offense to whatever decision was made, what would their students and descendants think? One side would be triumphant, while the other would be indignant, and that was certainly not an outcome that the imperial court wanted to see.