Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 428 Combination Boxing

"Oh? Show it to me."

The eunuch hurried forward and took the letter from Prince Jin.

How could Zhao Que catch his brother off guard?

Zhao Qu had already shown Yang Yuan's "Analysis of the Jin People's Southward Migration" to Zhao Yuan.

After Zhao Yuan read it, the two brothers discussed it again before deciding to make an "open petition" at the court meeting today.

Zhao Yuan took the memorial, pretended to glance over it, nodded and said, "Call the candidate Yang Yuan to the palace."

All the Jinshi candidates waiting to be selected as officials can be called "xuanren".

However, the "selection of people" is mainly to serve as local officials. According to convention, the top three in the first class must stay in Beijing to serve, and they are Beijing officials.

But conventions are not laws after all, so the first-class Jinshi are also called "selected people" before they are officially appointed as officials.

Yang Yuan, wearing the robe given to him by the emperor when he passed the imperial examination, walked slowly into the hall and bowed to Zhao Yuan: "Your Highness, I am Yang Yuan. I pay my respects to you, Your Highness."

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "Recently there have been rumors that the Jin people are heading south, causing shock to the government and the people.

Your letter "Analyzing the Jin People's Migration to the South" contains quite unique insights.

Today happens to be a court meeting, so you can tell all the ministers what you want to say.

I will discuss this with all the ministers so that we can make a decision as soon as possible and reassure the people of the world."

Yang Yuan saluted and said, "I obey your order. The key points of my "Analysis of the Jin People's Southward Movement" are only two paragraphs, concise and clear.

First, whether the Jin people would move south;

Second, how should the Song State respond? "

Yang Yuan stood up and started talking: "Let's talk about the first paragraph first.

I think that the Jin people's display of force in Caizhou is nothing more than empty threats and political blackmail. There is no way they will march south just like that! "

As soon as these words were spoken, they really attracted attention.

All the civil and military officials in the court focused their attention on Yang Yuan.

This newly crowned number one scholar probably has a certain eye-catching physique and often voices against the mainstream, which attracts special attention.

Then, Yang Yuan began to analyze the reasons why the Jin people were only making threats and not actually sending troops based on the Jin people’s domestic and international situation, and their motives, purposes, preparations, and appearances for moving south.

Yang Cunzhong and Zhang Jun couldn't help but look at each other.

Zhang Jun showed a puzzled look on his face. He first glanced at Yang Yuan, then looked at Yang Cunzhong inquiringly.

He had just returned to Beijing a few days ago and didn't know much about the new top scholar.

In his opinion, it was not difficult for the veteran generals in the army and the old ministers in the court to judge that the Jin people had no intention of moving south this time.

However, many middle and low-level civil servants and generals are unlikely to have such insight due to their positions, patterns and vision.

Moreover, even if they had some guesses about this, they would not dare to express it in such an assertive tone.

Yang Yuan has not yet entered the officialdom, let alone being a censor who can speak irresponsibly.

If he made a mistake in judgment, especially in such a major event, and if that mistake in judgment caused the Song court to lose the initiative in responding, it would result in heavy losses.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a criminal of the country at that time, but his future would be ruined.

Is this top scholar so reckless?
Wanqi Xie was also a little surprised. He had no doubt that some of the veteran generals and ministers in the court could see that the Jin people were acting hastily just to put pressure on the Song people.

Because the last emperor of the Song Dynasty passed away in such a hurry, the Jin Kingdom had no time to prepare and could not start a war at will.

However, it is not surprising for a newly-minted Jinshi to have a thorough understanding of the sages' writings.

His experience in governing the political, economic, cultural and educational fields is still shallow and immature, not to mention making irresponsible remarks on issues concerning the war between the two countries.

It's not just a war itself.

This not only involves the consideration of various aspects of the two countries' politics, economy and military, but also requires a thorough understanding of the positions and tendencies of the enemy's monarch and ministers...

That's right! Yang Yuan had been hiding in the Jin Kingdom for ten years, so he certainly knew a lot about the Jin Kingdom.

Thinking of this, Wanqi Xie smiled slightly and closed his eyes again.

He originally thought that it would be veteran generals like Yang Cunzhong and Zhang Jun who would point out at the court that the Jin Kingdom was just bluffing this time, but he did not expect that it would be the newcomer Yang Yuan.

But don't panic, everything is still under control.

……

The big guys either exchanged glances or pondered secretly in private, and each had their own speculations about Yang Yuan's move.

The main reason is that many people don’t believe that a young man like Yang Yuan would take the initiative to offer opinions on such a major national event and even dominate the topic.

This is different from advocating for the rehabilitation of Yue Fei. Whether that incident was justified or not, it had no serious consequences for Yang Yuan.

However, if one misjudges the enemy's situation and misleads the king, the consequences will be serious.

So they wondered whether someone else was pushing this matter through the mouth of the newcomer Yang Yuan.

They often do this kind of thing, so they naturally made such a guess instinctively.

The other court officials were listening attentively.

Yang Yuan's analysis in this memorial is well-reasoned and convincing from all aspects.

When some ministers were emphasizing a certain point, they would insist on holding on to the word "benevolence" or "propriety" and would talk endlessly.

It seems that as long as the imperial court masters "benevolence" or "propriety", it will be invincible and can deal with all problems at home and abroad.

In fact, except for a very small number of idiots who have become stupid due to reading too much, most people who say this don’t believe it themselves.

Just grasp the greater principles and it will be difficult for you to refute his argument.

Whether his argument holds up is not so important to him.

Another thing is that he speaks with the words of saints, so it is relatively easy for him to shirk responsibility once there is a problem with his ideas.

Do you think the saint is wrong? There must be something wrong with the execution.

This is typical workplace thinking. When self-preservation is the first consideration, one will naturally do things that seem stupid to ordinary people.

Yang Yuan is an honest man who has not been contaminated by the habits of officialdom and is still a breath of fresh air.

Anyway, if he fails to become an official, the worst that can happen is that he will go home to inherit billions of assets, pursue beauties and live a wandering life.

He doesn't have such a strong desire for power, which is a bit like the saying "strength comes from lack of desire".

Yang Yuan said: "Although the Jin people's troop deployment this time was a mixture of truth and falsehood, it also made us understand one thing: the Jin people really have the ambition to march south!
The only reason why the Jin people made empty threats this time instead of actually marching south to fight was because the Jin people were still in turmoil and someone was trying to hinder the Jin emperor.

At the same time, if the Jin people wanted to launch such a large-scale war, they needed to start preparing for it one or two years in advance.

In such a hurry, they had no time to recruit soldiers, deploy carriages, raise food and fodder, and expand the army.

Therefore, the imperial court must not harbor illusions just because the Jin people are just bluffing this time, thinking that there will be no war today or in the future.

The imperial court should still unite the people and actively prepare for war. The Jin people are showing off their power, but does the Song Dynasty have no powerful crossbows or sharp weapons?

The government is brave and magnanimous, the scholar-officials are unyielding in their ambitions, and the army and people of the Song Dynasty share a common hatred of the enemy. We should take advantage of this opportunity to integrate the armed forces of the Song Dynasty, conduct military exercises and train soldiers to sharpen their edge!
The imperial court can order the three armies to guard Sichuan and Shaanxi strictly, contain the Jin people, and guard against the Xia people;

Jianghuai and Jinghu should gather troops and conduct practice drills.

If the Jin army comes to fight, the drill will become the real battle. If the Jin army does not come, it can also boost the morale of the army and improve the military preparations;

The combat power of our Song Dynasty navy is far greater than that of the Jin army. We should make use of our strengths and open up a maritime front.

We can use the excuse of clearing out smuggling pirates to cut off the Jin people's trade lines with the Song Dynasty, Japan, and Goryeo.

If the Jin people take action, we will take action too. The war will be limited to the sea and will not expand.

This move seeks a strategic victory, not a tactical victory."

As Wanqi Xie listened, his slightly closed eyes opened and widened.

He thought that someone would point out that the Jin Kingdom's troop deployment in Caizhou was just a threat, but he did not expect that Yang Yuan would actually suggest stroking the Jin people's beards.

Is Yang Yuan crazy?
Wanqi Xie was about to shout a rebuke when he suddenly had an idea.

If the Song State took the initiative to send troops to clear the Jin State's sea routes, even if they did so in the name of cracking down on pirates and smugglers, once they angered the Jin people, wouldn't they send troops?

Although the Jin Kingdom did not have time to make adequate preparations for war, the same was true for the Song Kingdom.

Since both sides were not fully prepared, the powerful Jin Kingdom would still have the upper hand.

As long as the Jin Kingdom wins a small victory, perhaps he won't have to retire and wait for the opportunity.

Thinking of this, Wanqi Xie took a step forward and then quietly retracted it.

When Shen Gai heard this, he felt terrified.

This top scholar really is... really is a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger.

Since you have determined that the Jin people are not really going to march south this time, can't we, the Song Dynasty, also gather some troops on the border and make a response gesture in the name of military exercises?

Why did we send the navy to the Jin Dynasty’s waters to eliminate pirates?

What if we angered the Jin people and let them attack us without regard for the consequences? Given their bravery, wouldn't our Great Song Dynasty be plunged into a situation where the whole country is filled with war, the people flee, the common people cry in despair, and the people suffer?
Thinking of this, Shen Gai felt a surge of anger in his chest, and when he looked at Yang Yuan, a hint of cold murderous intent appeared in his eyes.

This boy was only concerned with trying to figure out the emperor's intentions. He took advantage of the fact that the emperor was young and energetic and was eager to revive the country, and he flattered and catered to the emperor, using his eloquent tongue to stir up trouble.

He ignored the fact that the country was still fundamentally weak and insisted on fighting in order to please the king.

He only accomplished his personal reputation of loyalty and righteousness, but regarded the people of the country as the stepping stone for his advancement.

His evil is ten times worse than Qin Hui! He deserves to die!"

Shen Gai could not bear it any longer, and said, "Your Majesty, I have a report. I think..."

Zhao Yuan smiled and said, "Mr. Shen, please be patient and let Yang Yuan finish his speech. If Mr. Shen has a different opinion, it will not be too late to speak up."

"Your Majesty, I obey your command!" Shen Gai agreed reluctantly and returned to the class.

He glanced sideways at Prime Ministers Wanqi Xie, Wei Liangchen, and Tang Situi.

Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi nodded to him slightly, indicating that they also wanted to make suggestions and should not allow Yang Yuan to take risks with the country.

Wanqi Xie is now in a state of mind where you can fight or not fight.

He just listened calmly, ignoring Shen Gai's gaze, with a calm smile on his face all the time.

However, his calmness soon wore off.

Because this top scholar's thinking is too jumpy.

His previous sentence was talking about defending Sichuan and Shaanxi to the death, strengthening the troops in Jianghuai, and testing their strength at sea.

The next sentence was about the "posters" that the Jin spies had posted everywhere in Lin'an City.

"The Jin people's spies lurking in our Song Dynasty posted 'exposure notices' everywhere to mislead people.

Nowadays, people are in panic and rumors are spreading. Ninety percent of the reasons are due to the spread of rumors by Jin spies.

This shows the importance of publicity, which is like a sharp knife that does not bleed.

Such a powerful weapon can be used by the Jin people, and naturally our Song Dynasty can use it as well.

I advise you to speed up the trial of the case for rehabilitating General Yue Fei, to clear General Yue Fei's grievances as soon as possible and make it known to the world!
This is the best propaganda for our Great Song Dynasty to stabilize people's hearts, eliminate rumors, and strengthen the will to fight!
At the same time, I would like to ask the emperor to clear Yuwen Xuzhong's name!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers in the court were in an uproar again.

Many people don’t even know who Yuwen Xu Zhong is.

Those who knew about it were also stunned for a moment, before they remembered that there was once a Yuwen Xu Zhong in the Song Dynasty.

When Yang Yuan said this, his eyes turned red.

If General Yue was wronged, then Yuwen Xu Zhong was miserable. It was really too miserable!

In the 16th year of Shaoxing, more than a hundred members of the Song Dynasty spy Yuwen Xuzhong's family were burned to death on the same day in the Jin Kingdom!

More than a hundred people were burned to death in the fire, and the thick smoke blocked out the sky!
You can't think about that scene too much. As soon as you put yourself in the situation and think about it carefully, Yang Yuan will tremble all over.

What is particularly hateful is that Yuwen Xuzhong’s family of more than a hundred people did not have to die.

They were sent to the Jin Kingdom by the Song Dynasty.

Yuwen Xuzhong was initially detained when he was on a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Jin. The Jin people admired his outstanding literary talent and allowed him to stay in the Kingdom to serve.

Yuwen Xuzhong did not adopt the approach advocated by the literati of "rather break than bend" to express his will through death.

This... was also the reason why he was later criticized by some conservative people.

He agreed, and soon became friends with the Jin nobles, and eventually became a figure like a national teacher.

During this period, he secretly gathered loyal and righteous people in the north, established an intelligence network, took the initiative to contact the Song Dynasty's spy agencies, and passed on confidential intelligence of the Jin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty.

The Song State had long been aware of the Jin Army's several important military operations, so they were able to launch precise strikes.

This made the Jin Kingdom suspicious of Yuwen Xu Zhong.

But Yuwen Xuzhong had made friends with many powerful people in the Jin Dynasty at that time, so without solid evidence, he could not be punished.

Therefore, the Jin Kingdom used a method to ask the Song Kingdom for Yuwen Xuzhong's family.

After hearing the news, Yuwen Xuzhong's family wrote a letter to the court and refused to move north.

However, Qin Hui was afraid that this would displease the Jin people and affect the peace between the two countries, so he forcibly sent Yuwen Xuzhong's family of more than 100 people to the Jin Kingdom. Three years later, Yuwen Xuzhong's family of more than 100 people were burned to death.

Yang Yuan's angry voice echoed in the hall: "Yuwen Xuzhong's clan was executed, which made the loyal and righteous people in the Central Plains extremely sad and angry.

I am so loyal that I dare not send my loyalty to the court anymore. I ask the government to restore Yuwen Xuzhong's reputation, commend his loyalty and win back the hearts of the righteous men in the Northeast! "

Although Zhao Yuan had seen the memorial before, he was still moved when he heard it.

He said in a deep voice: "I have also heard about Yuwen Xuzhong's death. But the rumors about his cause of death vary.

Could it be that he is really a spy from the Song Dynasty?"

Yang Yuan said: "That's right! The Jia calendar is now stored in the Chanzi Room of the Privy Council.

It was just that Qin Hui was in power and only wanted to please the Kingdom of Jin. He did not want the court to clear his name, so he suppressed the matter and did not make it public. "

Zhao Yuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "As you said, our Song Dynasty is sorry to Yuwen Xuzhong."

For a moment, the Golden Palace was silent.

After a long silence, Zhao Yuan slowly said: "Since the Jia calendar is in place and the evidence is irrefutable, the court should clear Yuwen Xuzhong's name.

I wish to posthumously confer the title of Zhong Shao Bao on Yuwenxu, and give him the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi, and give him the posthumous title of Sumin. I also authorize the construction of a temple for him to receive incense from the people.

Also, we should look for his descendants in Song State, adopt them as descendants of Yuwen Xuzhong, and allow them to have blood offerings for sacrifice. What do you think?"

Although Yuwen Xuzhong had achieved a position higher than that of a national teacher in the Jin Kingdom, he still had his heart set on the Song Dynasty and took the initiative to contact the country and deliver intelligence.

As a result, what did the Song Dynasty do?

In this case, who would object?

Therefore, all the civil and military officials in the court bowed their heads and said: "Your Majesty is wise! The court should restore Yuwen Xuzhong's reputation."

Zhao Yuan's face darkened and he said, "In Yang Qing's memorial, it was mentioned that Yuwen Xuzhong's family of more than 100 people were sent to Jin by our Song State.

So who did this?"

Yang Yuan immediately said: "It is the traitor Qin Hui!"

Zhao Yuan called out calmly, "Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice, Censorate!"

The Dali Temple Minister Wu Shu, the Ministry of Justice Minister Zhang Fangxun, and the Imperial Censor Sui Xiaofeng all came out of the ranks, bowed and said, "I am here."

Zhao Yuan asked, "In order to redress Yue Fei's injustice, the three judicial departments have jointly tried the case. Have you reached a conclusion yet?"

After hearing this, Wu Shu couldn't help but complain in his heart, "We submitted the verdict to the palace three days ago, and now you are asking again."

Official, have you really not seen the case that you care so much about?
Wu Shu then bowed and said, "Your subjects have already investigated thoroughly, and the judgment has been submitted to the palace. I think it has not yet been presented to the emperor."

Zhao Yu suppressed a yawn and said with tears in his eyes: "Just tell me the result!"

"Yes!"

Wu Shu paused and said solemnly: "In the case of Yue Fei, there is no real evidence for any of the charges listed. Yue Fei died unjustly!"

The Golden Palace suddenly fell silent again.

Suddenly, Zhao Yu asked, "Yue Fei was executed in the Dali Temple, right?"

Wu Shu said in a deep voice: "Yes! But... at that time, the three judicial departments tried this case, and the leader was the Censorate!"

At that time, several chief judges of the Dali Temple repeatedly interrogated the case and found that there was no solid evidence at all. They would rather be demoted than sentence him to death as Qin Hui instructed.

In the end, it was the Censorate that took over and made the final decision on the case.

Zhao Yuan asked in a deep voice: "Who was the Chief Censor at that time?"

The Dali Temple Minister Wu Shu and the Chief Censor Sui Xiaofeng were both speechless and dared not speak.

Wanqi Xie's lips curled up slightly in a sarcastic smile.

Who is the Chief Censor?

Of course it’s me!
But so what?
Could I have sentenced him without Qin Hui's instruction?
Can I kill him without Zhao Gou's nod?

Now, I have to bear all the sins?
Wanqi Xie slowly walked to the imperial steps, took off his black hat, revealing his gray hair, and slowly knelt down: "Your Highness Wanqi Xie, the then-Central Censor."

Zhao Yuan said coldly: "Wanqi Xie is suspended pending investigation, please step down!"

Wanqi Xie still had a look that seemed to mock himself and others at the same time. He bowed his head silently, stood up, and with his sleeves hanging down, he slowly retreated out of the hall from between the civil and military officials.

The black gauze hat was left behind under the imperial throne, getting further and further away from him.

I will be back!
I will definitely be back!
Wanqi Xie thought secretly, retreated to the door of the hall, flicked his sleeves, and turned away.

……

Shen Gai cleared his throat and went out of class again.

Wanqi Xie has been impeached and is awaiting investigation, and now he is the only prime minister.

He had to assume the responsibility of prime minister and must not allow Yang Yuan to act recklessly and instigate the government to make serious mistakes.

There is no harm in deploying troops in Sichuan and Shaanxi for defense.

There is nothing wrong with the military exercises in Jianghuai.

However, although the navy was dispatched in the name of suppressing bandits, once it encountered the Jin navy, it was too easy for friction to arise between the two sides, and then a fight would break out.

Once the situation develops to that point, it will be out of control.

But just as he took a step, Zhao Yuan behind the imperial desk let out a long sigh.

"When the censors are in office, if you encounter a traitor in power, you should write to criticize him without fear of personal suspicion. When Yue Fei was wronged, did my censors do that?"

Well, the government still has something to say...

Shen Gai stood back in the classroom silently.

Zhao Yuan raised his voice a little more: "Those who stand between the steps of the palace and argue with the emperor about right and wrong are censors!
When the Song Dynasty sent more than a hundred relatives of Yuwen Xuzhong to the Jin Kingdom, where were the censors? "

Zhao Yuan sneered and said sarcastically, "Recently, the Jin army has been showing off its power in Caizhou, while the imperial court has been clearing Yue Fei's name.

When there is a major event at home, the censors are not there. When there is a major event outside, the censors are not there either. Do you know what my censors are doing?"

Zhao Yuan slammed the imperial desk and said loudly: "These censors who are supposed to be responsible for the affairs of the world are impeaching Yang Yuan for fighting with his colleagues because of a woman, and impeaching Yang Yuan for having close contact with a pair of godmothers and adopted daughters!"

The Vice Emperor sneered and said, "Some people talk about morality and justice but never about the people of the world!
But he can't see anything except what's in other people's crotches!
This kind of hypocritical person who says one thing and thinks another must be disloyal to his lord, unfilial to his parents, untrustworthy to his friends, and disrespectful to his duties!"

Yang Yuan immediately said, "Your Majesty, I would like to inform you that the system of censors in our dynasty was initially able to achieve the goal of living by speaking out rather than dying in silence.

The corruption of the censorate system began with Wang Jiefu.

Wang Xianggong was eager to achieve success in his reforms, so he appointed his brother Wang Anguo's uncle Xie Jingwen as the chief of the Imperial Censorate, and personally recommended others to be censors and imperial censors...

From then on, all the censors were under the tutelage of Prime Minister Wang, and the censorship system collapsed. The censors who corrected the mistakes of the emperor and prime minister became a knife in the hands of factionalists. "

As Shen Gai listened, his mind began to lag behind.

No, can't we discuss whether or not to send the navy to the Jin Kingdom's waters to suppress the bandits?
Why are we talking about Wang Anshi and the censor system again?

Wouldn't it be better to solve them one by one?
Zhao Yuan said in a deep voice: "The corruption of the censorship began when Wang Jiefu interfered with the censorship. From this we can see that the censorship cannot follow the prime minister's orders."

Shen Gai finally couldn't bear it anymore, and immediately came out to report: "In my opinion, if the censors can't follow the prime minister's orders, they can't follow the emperor's orders either."

Zhao Yuan immediately said, "Mr. Shen, what you said is very good. The censors must be independent of the administration. The emperor and the prime minister should not interfere. Only then can they be free from scruples and be fair when criticizing others!"

Ok?
Shen Gai was stunned for a moment. He just realized that the emperor wanted to bring the censors under the emperor's control, so he hurried out to oppose it and give the emperor a trick.

How come...

Goose King Zhao Yu said: "The censors are responsible for both supervision and admonition. Supervision and admonition should be integrated. When you are supervising, you can also admonish. When you are admonishing, it is of course because you have discovered the mistakes of the supervisor.

Therefore, in my opinion, the censors should not only be independent of the emperor and the prime minister, but also be integrated with the censors, with the two having the same power. "

Shen Gai was stunned again when he heard this. It would be a good thing if the officials and censors joined forces.

The censors also came from scholar-official backgrounds. The integration of the censors could greatly enhance the scholar-officials' power to supervise and admonish the emperor.

The issue is……

The censors are not controlled by the prime minister...

Shen Gai immediately said, "Your Highness, Prince of Jin, the censors and censors have joined forces, and their power is even greater.

If it is not restrained, then wouldn't the story before the Yuanfeng reform be repeated?

Whenever a government decree is issued, it will be opposed by the censors, causing government affairs to be delayed and unable to be implemented? "

Yang Yuan said: "So, the censorship is to restrain the power of the emperor and the prime minister, and the censors should also be restrained."

The Goose King asked, "In your opinion, how should we restrain the censors?"

Yang Yuan said: "The censors have low positions but great power;
The candidates for the censorate must be recommended by the ministers of the prime minister and selected by the emperor himself.

However, the censors must avoid the relatives, subordinates and students of the ministers. And once they take office as censors, they are not allowed to have any contact with the ministers.

Furthermore, the censors are always there, but the censors cannot always be there.

The prefectural governor was replaced every three years. However, the censors often stayed in office until they retired, which was also a major drawback.

Another point is the power of the censors to "report matters upon hearing rumors."

Isn't it ridiculous that the censors often impeach court ministers based on hearsay?

I have searched through ancient books to find its source, and found it in Su Mian's "Hui Yao" in the Tang Dynasty:
"Tang Hui Yao" records: When the censors received impeachment statements and impeached officials, they were afraid that the accusers would be retaliated against by the impeached officials, so they omitted the names of the accusers and said that they had heard the news from hearsay.

This is the origin of the "rumor".

Its original intention was to protect the whistleblower, not the censors' impeachment of ministers, which was really groundless and hearsay!

However, at some point, the censors all became proud of "reporting matters based on hearsay", but forgot the original meaning of the so-called "rumor".

Therefore, I believe that in order to protect the accusers, the censors can conceal the origin of the charges and report them as "rumors" as usual.

However, the words of the complaint cannot be based on hearsay and the source must be clearly stated.

In addition, if the censor impeached someone, there should be an examination and accountability. If the impeachment was without any real evidence and was just nonsense, the censor would be punished.

Just like when officials are evaluated for their performance, those who perform poorly should be demoted or dismissed from office. How can censors be an exception?"

Zhao Yuan said happily: "You are right. The responsibility of advising the emperor is not light. 'The gains and losses of the court should be observed, and the benefits and problems of the country should be reported.'

If the censors are sick, how can my world not be sick?

Recorders, please quickly organize the speeches between me and the ministers.

After the court meeting, I will convene an imperial meeting and discuss with all the ministers and officials the reform of the censorate!"

The recorder was behind the curtain on the side of the Danbi, responsible for recording the responses of the emperor and the officials.

He has always acted as a ruthless recording machine.

This was the first time that the emperor summoned him in the Golden Palace. He was so panicked that he quickly stood up, respectfully replied, "I obey your order," and then sat down and began to write furiously.

Zhao Yuan glanced at the eunuch beside the imperial desk again. The eunuch stepped forward and called out, "What else do the ministers have to say?"

Poor Shen Gai is very old. He and Wei Liangchen are almost 130 years old together.

The age of the Emperor, the Prince of Jin and the No. 1 Scholar is not even half as old as the three prime ministers Shen Gai, Wei Liangchen and Tang Situi.

These two old men have been standing in the Chuigong Hall for so long that their energy is exhausted.

The emperor's topic of discussion changed frequently, and the two of them could no longer keep up.

Shen Gai glanced at Tang Situi anxiously. This prime minister was in his prime and was not even forty years old.

Tang Shitui immediately shouted: "I have a report to the emperor!"

Zhao Yuan looked at Tang Situi, who hurriedly took two steps forward, holding up the hu tablet and said:

"Your Majesty, the 'selector' Yang Yuan has just submitted a letter titled 'Analysis of the Jin People's Southward Movement', in which he mentioned that he would dispatch the navy to the Jin people's waters to pursue smugglers and pirates.

I think this move will easily make the Jin people wary, and once fighting breaks out, the two countries will surely go to war. I think this is absolutely not allowed."

Zhao Yuan nodded and said, "Prime Minister Tang, this is a wise and mature advice for the country. I approve it!"

"Master...ah?"

Tang Shitui was also confused. He had prepared a lot of arguments and was planning to present them one by one after being rejected by the government.

Has the government approved it?

Tang Sixun was at a loss when the eunuch stepped forward and said loudly, "Retreat! All the ministers and officials should stay and discuss matters in the Yanhe Palace."

The emperor stood up and dismissed the court. All the civil and military officials respectfully saw him off and then left the hall one after another.

Zhang Jun hurriedly walked over to Yang Cunzhong and said, "Old Yang, what's going on with your family?"

Yang Cunzhong smiled and said, "We are old, and the country needs a new atmosphere. Look, the new atmosphere is coming."

Yang Cunzhong patted Zhang Jun on the shoulder, and they walked out of the hall together.

Tang Shitui shook his head, walked up to Shen Gai and Wei Liangchen and was about to speak, when his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Wanqi Xie returned home to wait for his turn.

So, we are missing one person?
(End of this chapter)