Heaven Has Eyes

Luo Pei smiled faintly. "You served as the chief official in Shunan Prefecture too, even if only as an acting one."

"What do you think of office assemblies?"

"Office assemblies?" This was a classic case of making a temple inside a snail shell—every month, officials great and small, assistants and subordinates alike, had to attend.

Seeing Su Ziji pondering, Luo Pei instructed him, "Discuss matters when there are matters to discuss; drink tea when there are none. Do you think that is a waste of time?"

"I thought the same when I was young."

The smile vanished from Luo Pei's face, replaced by solemnity. Cupping his hands, he said, "The Founding Ancestor raised a three-foot sword and won the realm through a hundred battles. That was indeed the foundation of the dynasty. Later generations of imperial descendants, and officials great and small within and beyond the capital, all looked up to his sacred virtue. Yet rites and institutions are equally paramount. They establish rank and status, shaping people in silence. Whether there is business to discuss is unimportant. What matters is that institutions and ritual must not slacken in the slightest."

"When the realm had just been pacified, palaces had to be built; without grandeur, authority could not be made weighty."

"Is such ceremony not also a palace built within people's hearts?"

"Xu Nanqian was a good official, an incorruptible official, but his understanding was somewhat shallow. His traveling incognito among the countryside damaged official dignity, though that was merely a catalyst. The true cause was that he memorialized the throne, asking for ritual institutions to be cut back. The Emperor rebuked him for it; being demoted three ranks was already merciful. It does not matter if you cannot fully understand it for now. You are a clever man. Think