NFBE Chapter 166: Setting up an inner court in imitation of Emperor Wu of Han
Chapter 166: Setting up an inner court in imitation of Emperor Wu of Han
Chapter 166: Setting up an inner court in imitation of Emperor Wu of Han
Xun You, Zhong Yao and others looked at Xun Yu's receding back with different expressions.
He Yong suddenly asked, "Should I suggest to Your Majesty that the enthronement ceremony should be more grand?"
Xun You nodded and shook his head, saying, "We still don't know if he is a prince, it's not good to be too conspicuous."
Zhong Yao said with a serious face, "However, since His Majesty told us, I think there must be other intentions."
Xun You nodded again, and then said: "Let's go back to the Shangshutai first."
As they were talking, they turned to the Shangshu Terrace. As soon as they entered, they heard a loud noise coming from the duty room of Prime Minister Yang Biao. Many people were stretching their heads to watch the show.
Xun You listened for a moment, then turned cold and shouted, "Are you all free?"
Everyone fell silent and ran away.
Xun You, Zhong Yao, and He Yong stepped forward and arrived at Yang Biao's duty room, where they saw Wang Yun standing in front of Yang Biao, loudly accusing him.
"Dong Zhuo's betrayal is an unprecedented event! As the prime minister, you said nothing and just sat there doing nothing. Do you think you are worthy of the title of prime minister?"
Yang Biao was obviously scolded for quite some time. His face was red and his neck was thick. He glared at Wang Yun and said, "I am the prime minister. Do you know the hierarchy? Is this how you, as a subordinate, should talk to the prime minister?"
"When the king makes mistakes, the ministers can still give direct advice, so why can't the prime minister? Dong Zhuo has 50,000 elite soldiers, killing, wounding and looting in Pei State. As the prime minister, can you say anything?"
Wang Yun had his back to the three people, so his expression couldn't be seen clearly, but one could hear his anger from his voice.
The three of them looked at each other, hesitating whether to go in.
They hesitated, but Wang Yun did not hesitate. He waved his hand and said, "Xun Yu is Xun You's nephew. Looking at the government and the public, more than half of them are followers of Yingchuan. Can't you see that? Why didn't he say a word of advice in the Jiade Hall?"
Yang Biao was obviously very angry. He pulled his collar and shouted, "As the assistant prime minister, do you only know how to give advice? I don't care about Dong Zhuo at all. As long as you can raise money and food, I will personally lead the troops to destroy him!"
Xun You, Zhong Yao and He Yong saw that Yang Biao was so angry that he started talking nonsense, so they looked at each other, did not go in, and turned away.
Yang Biao and Wang Yun were still arguing. The two men, who had always disliked each other, had obviously touched the fuse and the conflict became public.
Jingfu Hall, inside the study.
Liu Bian poured tea for Xun Yu sitting opposite him, looked at him calmly, and said with a smile: "You said in the Jiade Hall before that my national politics are 'complex, patchwork, and set up according to circumstances, without a general outline or long-term plan'. Can you elaborate on this?"
Xun Yu was also observing the young emperor. He had received the imperial edict last year, but was unable to come to the capital for various reasons. This might be for his own purpose of examining the court.
The view that the Han Dynasty was in decline and that the "Han Dynasty was about to fall" had been circulated for more than a decade.
In recent years, the signs of the Han Dynasty's demise have become increasingly obvious!
Xun Yu retracted his gaze, bowed slightly, and said: "I oppose almost all the policies currently implemented by the court."
Liu Bian's teacup was at his lips. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows, stared at him, and said with a smile, "Go on, sir."
Xun Yu clearly felt that Liu Bian's gaze had become sharper, and there was no abnormality on his slightly aged face. He said, "I think that the court must now strengthen its foundation, but the policies implemented by the court are just the opposite. They have all caused huge waves, and people's hearts are floating, rebellious and ups and downs, which have seriously damaged the foundation of the country. It will only cause the court to continue to consume, and our Han Dynasty will decline further..."
Liu Bian remained expressionless and gently put the teacup into his mouth.
Xun Yu’s words were actually correct. The imperial court should avoid unrest as much as possible and accumulate strength to deal with a major chaos.
What Xun Yu failed to see was that the enemy of the Han court was not the Yellow Turban Army, but land annexation and the aristocratic families who stood on the top of land annexation.
If it were a prosperous era, Liu Bian could use many means to divide and attack the aristocratic families without harming the country's foundation and curb land annexation.
But now is the end of the dynasty, and the aristocratic families have already taken shape. What really threatens the Han Dynasty's destiny, will cause the Han Dynasty to fall apart, and will lead to the downfall of China, is precisely the excessive greed of the aristocratic families!
Historically, the fall of the Han Dynasty was attributed to Dong Zhuo's chaotic rule. In fact, Dong Zhuo was just a knife sharpened by the aristocratic families. It's just that the ambition of this knife was greater than that of the aristocratic families, and it backfired on them!
"Without destruction, there is no construction..."
Liu Bian whispered in his heart, still smiling, and said: "What do you think is the top priority of the current national affairs?"
Xun Yu could not detect anything from Liu Bian's tone. He pondered for a moment and said, "I think the first thing is to sort out the national affairs, formulate a general strategy, and put the people's safety first, supplemented by taxation, strengthening the army, governing officials, reclaiming wasteland, and cultivating land... formulate detailed goals and policies, gather together and support each other, rather than each acting independently, being alone and even conflicting with each other..."
Liu Bian listened, narrowed his eyes slightly, and nodded continuously in his heart.
The various policies he implemented, including abolishing the three dukes' offices, reinstating the prime minister, surveying land, conducting a household census, etc., were actually all forced forward under his "one-sided wish". In addition, the people in the Secretariat were not united, and the various policies were relatively chaotic, so he needed to give them a blow in order to move forward.
Liu Bian no longer doubted Xun Yu's ability. The fact that he was able to point this out showed that Xun Yu had studied the political situation in depth.
'You can't judge ability by age.'
Liu Bian secretly warned himself and suddenly asked, "What do you think of Yuan Shu's rebellion and Dong Zhuo's suppression of the rebellion?"
Just as Xun Yu was about to speak, a eunuch hurried to the door and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has summoned Cai Taichang and Cai Xiaoniang to the palace."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows. So fast?
He waved his hand and smiled to Xun Yu, "Please continue."
Xun Yu thought for a moment and said, "I believe that Your Majesty has a way to control Dong Zhuo and defeat Yuan Shu. Your Majesty also has the confidence."
Liu Bian looked at Xun Yu and smiled more, saying, "From now on, the Shizhonglu will hold meetings every three days, and the ministers, the officials, the ministers of the Ministry of Personnel, the ministers of the Ministry of Revenue, and the Minister of Rites will be seated."
Xun Yu raised his hand and said, "I accept your order."
There was no movement on his slightly old face, but he knew in his heart that he had passed the test.
Liu Bian looked at him again, said nothing more, and got up to go to Yongle Palace.
……
At the same time, the news of Cai Wenji's pregnancy quietly spread among some important figures inside and outside the palace.
Amid the huge uproar caused by the "last will of the late emperor", the news that Liu Bian had an heir was undoubtedly crucial and the most effective in stabilizing people's hearts.
Because no matter what, when Liu Bian had no heirs, Liu Xie was the first heir, and many people were still eyeing Liu Xie.
But if Liu Bian has children, Liu Xie will no longer be important.
Some people even secretly hoped that Liu Xie would die of illness as soon as possible.
Shou'an Hall.
When Liu Xie heard the news, he looked in the direction of Jingfu Palace. His precocious ten-year-old face was tense and slightly pale, with a hint of fear in his eyes.
Empress Dowager Dong's hair had turned gray recently. She reached out and hugged Liu Xie, her face showing hatred and pity. She said, "Don't be afraid, Xie'er. With grandma here, no one can hurt you."
Liu Xie forced a smile, turned around and tried to comfort Queen Mother Dong, saying, "Grandmother, have you forgotten? My brother said that the royal family is the most harmonious and set an example for the world. There will be no fratricide."
Empress Dowager Dong felt more and more distressed as she looked at her grandson who was so young but so sensible.
A palace maid came in and was startled at the sight of the two men. She quickly said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Court invites you to inspect."
Empress Dowager Dong hugged Liu Xie tightly and shouted, "No!"
Liu Xie was calm. He patted Empress Dowager Dong's hand, turned around, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Grandma. This was decided a month ago. It's okay."
Empress Dowager Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned and said, "I'll go tell him that from now on you won't leave Shou'an Palace without claiming to be sick. I'll see what he can do to you!"
Liu Xie smiled unchanged and said, "Grandmother, don't worry. You must trust my brother. I will be back soon."
Empress Dowager Dong looked at Liu Xie's tender little face and felt so aggrieved that she wanted to cry.
Liu Xie said a few more words of comfort, then left Shou'an Hall and, under the escort of the imperial guards, went straight out of the palace and headed for the Supreme Court.
Not long ago, an uninvited guest came to the Supreme Court.
In the back hall.
"You said that you are the general's concubine?" Chen Qun, who worked as a historian in the Supreme Court, looked at the young woman in front of him who was only sixteen or seventeen years old with some surprise.
The young woman was holding a child, kneeling on the ground, with a look of fear on her face, and said, "Yes. Please save me, Tingwei."
Zhong Yao looked serious and whispered to Chen Qun, "Go outside the door and watch. Don't let anyone get close."
Chen Qun nodded, looked at the young woman again, went out, sent everyone else away, and stood quietly at the bottom of the stairs. He couldn't help but look back at the closed door out of curiosity.
Zhong Yao's expression was more serious than ever before, his eyes flickered constantly, and he felt even more frightened than the young woman in front of him.
After a long while, he fixed his gaze and said, "You said before that someone wanted to harm you. Who was it?"
The young woman's mouth twitched, she lowered her head, hugged the child tightly and said nothing.
Zhong Yao glanced at the child and asked, "Is this the general's child?"
"Yeah." said the young woman.
Zhong Yao became more and more uneasy. He walked up to the young woman, looked down at her, stared sharply into her eyes, and said in a low voice: "Let me ask you, is there really a will from the late emperor?"
The young woman shook her head repeatedly and said, "I don't know. The master never told me."
A huge rock fell from Zhong Yao's heart and he subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
If there really was a will from the previous emperor placed in front of Zhong Yao, it would pose an unprecedented problem to him!
Fortunately not.
Zhong Yao stared at the young woman and vaguely guessed who she was. He did not want to pursue the grudges and hatreds involved. His headache now was how to accommodate the concubine of this great general.
He definitely couldn't hand it over, otherwise the mother and son would most likely die; if he didn't hand it over and hid it, if it was discovered, he would also be implicated.
Dong dong dong
Chen Qun knocked on the door gently and whispered, "Tingwei, the King of Bohai is here."
Zhong Yao's expression changed slightly, and he looked at the young woman solemnly, saying, "I will make you a servant of the Imperial Court, and you must not make any noise!"
"Thank you, Chief Justice!" The young woman excitedly kowtowed while holding the child.
Zhong Yao opened the door and said to Chen Qun, "You arrange for her to enter the mansion and keep it a secret from everyone!"
Chen Qun knew the seriousness of the matter and nodded, "Okay."
Zhong Yao took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and walked to the front hall to greet Liu Xie.
"Your Highness, please."
Zhong Yao received Liu Xie and motioned him to go inside.
Liu Xie pretended to be calm and nodded, and followed Zhong Yao to inspect the duty rooms, listening to Zhong Yao's report on the reform and affairs of the Supreme Court, and then inspected the dungeon.
Zhong Yao followed behind Liu Xie and said slowly: "The court is unifying the prisons. The Supreme Court needs a temporary detention center to judge prisoners. With the special approval of the Secretariat, fifty temporary cells have been reserved..."
Liu Xie looked at the cells and felt his scalp tingling for some reason. The corners of his mouth twitched and he suddenly asked, "Zhong Tingwei, I heard that Miss Cai is pregnant?"
This is an unspoken secret among the top leaders.
Zhong Yao bowed and said, "I don't know."
Liu Xie turned around and looked at him, saying, "The Chief Justice really doesn't know?"
Zhong Yao and Liu Xie looked at each other, then waved away the people behind him. After a moment of thought, he said, "As the Minister of Justice, I would like to ask the King of Bohai whether the late emperor really left behind a will?"
Liu Xie frowned, a solemn expression appeared on his young face, and said, "I have never heard of it, nor have I seen it."
Zhong Yao remained calm and said, "Since there is no will, why should Your Highness worry?"
Liu Xie looked at Zhong Yao, hesitating to speak, and finally said: "I heard that Dong Zhuo was ineffective in suppressing the rebellion?"
As long as Yuan Shu was dissatisfied, Liu Xie would be put on the fire.
Zhong Yao said: "Your Highness should be closer to His Majesty."
Liu Xie understood the meaning of Zhong Yao's instruction, raised his hand and said, "Thank you, Minister of Justice."
Zhong Yao didn't say anything more, thinking about sending Liu Xie away as soon as possible.
at the same time.
Empress Dowager He was holding Cai Wenji's hand and talking to her passionately.
"Outside the palace, outside the palace,"
Originally, Liu Bian was worried that Empress Dowager He would not agree. Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager He directly told Cai Yong and Cai Wenji, father and daughter, "It is not easy to raise a child in the palace. Bian'er was raised outside the palace. It won't be too late for him to enter the palace in a few years. I will select some people to send to Cai's house later. You must rest assured to take care of your pregnancy and don't worry too much. Everything is decided by your mother..."
Cai Wenji glanced at Liu Bian and said softly, "I will listen to my mother."
Empress Dowager He was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth when she heard this. She said, "Okay, okay, I tell you, giving birth to a child..."
Having said this, seeing Liu Bian and Cai Yong there, he kept his mouth shut, picked up the teacup and drank tea with an expressionless face.
Liu Bian immediately understood and said to Cai Yong with a smile: "Mr. Cai, I have something to ask you. Let's go out and talk."
Cai Yong also had good eyesight and quickly stood up and said, "Yes."
"When giving birth, you must be calm and don't be afraid..."
Before Liu Bian and Cai Yong walked out, Empress Dowager He's excited laughter could be heard again.
Liu Bian shook his head. The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is a world problem and cannot be characterized by short-term harmony.
After leaving Yongle Palace, Liu Bian put his hands behind his back and said to Cai Yong: "Recently, some people say that your family's involvement in the affairs of the Shangshutai is not legitimate..."
Cai Yong's expression suddenly became nervous, and he bent more and more.
Liu Bian walked on his own without noticing, and said: "So, I am considering to appoint six more people under the left and right servants of the Shangshutai to serve as assistant ministers of state affairs, a total of nine people, in charge of the six ministries and nine temples, and manage the national affairs."
Cai Yong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Liu Bian pondered slowly in his mind and said, "Your family, the Minister of Personnel Xun You, the Minister of Revenue He Yong, and the Assistant Minister Xun Yu will be promoted to the position of Vice-Minister of State Affairs."
This is the official entry into the Shangshu Terrace!
Cai Yong was overjoyed and raised his hand hastily, saying, "I accept your order and thank you!"
Sorry, I'm in a bad state and wrote a little less.
I will update first and revise later. I will update as soon as I feel better.