Qi Shan had a real knack for cutting people down. The official's face turned purple as he swallowed his retort, thinking, Why can't Chancellor Qi tell right from wrong? "That may be true, but Chancellor Qi's actions will inevitably invite unfavorable rumors among the common folk and damage the reputation of the officials of the royal court..."
Everyone knew Qi Shan came from a wealthy family and had raised cats for years without spending a single coin of the people's money. In all his years as an official, even the Censorate, which pounced on the slightest hint of wrongdoing, had never found any concrete evidence against him. He had only one daughter, and his sole hobby was raising cats. He was a paragon of integrity among the officials. But "a good reputation" was not the same as "a clear conscience," and it couldn't be maintained simply by being "open and honorable."
A good reputation did not make a good official.
How many corrupt officials of the previous dynasty had enjoyed excellent reputations right up until they were thrown in jail? Reputation had to be cultivated, and Chancellor Qi was smashing his own pot. What mattered was not what he did, but what the common folk thought.
There was no reasoning with them.
Qi Shan said, "Do you think I care about that?"
He was only raising cats, not keeping three wives and four concubines.
Instead of keeping an eye on men with courtyards full of wives and concubines, they were targeting him, a lonely man who liked raising cats? That was simply Qi Shan's nature. He could do without things for himself, but he would never shortchange his cats. As long as the money he spent on them came from clean sources, who cared how he raised them?
The officials