Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 863 One Imperial Edict Per Day

Yang Yuan was unaware that those old prime ministers were deeply concerned about the future of the Song Dynasty.

They served as officials in the Song Dynasty their entire lives, and some of them were even Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) during the Northern Song Dynasty.

They're already on their deathbeds; it's impossible to change their mindset.

However, Yang Yuan didn't know this, but even if he did, he wouldn't care.

He knew very well that when he made up his mind to do something, the values ​​of the ancients could not restrain him.

When those moral codes can no longer restrain him, he will become like those great generals of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Political power can only emerge from the hilt of his sword.

Those things that are present or absent are merely embellishments, simply providing a fig leaf for the scholar-officials.

Yes, that would be good.

No, it doesn't matter.

Furthermore, Li Shishi was still considered a great Confucian scholar... a grandmaster...

No! The current identity of Mr. Mu Yi, who is now clearly a semi-saint, is being used to build momentum for him.

Is there a great scholar who can debate for me?

No, no, no, what if the debate doesn't suit my taste?
I will be a great Confucian scholar and I will debate for myself!

What's more, what Yang Yuan didn't remember was that these elderly people were all quite old.

In the original history, they should have passed away one after another within those two years.

Even if Yang Yuan really wanted to take things a step further, he would need time to build a stronger team, cultivate his reputation, and create momentum.

All of this takes time.

This period of time alone is enough to wear these elderly people down.

Yang Yuan returned home, having just changed into a Taoist robe, and was about to discuss the marriage alliance with the Qian family with Lu Xi.

Suddenly, Dazhuang ran in to report that four officials had come to visit.

Upon hearing the names of the four people, Yang Yuan instructed Da Zhuang to take them to the study.

These four people are Xiao Yiran, Lu Chengze, Fan Chengda, and Yu Yunwen.

Living environment influences one's temperament, and upbringing influences one's physical condition.

These four individuals now possess a completely different demeanor than before.

Xiao Yiran and Lu Chengze were powerful officials in the Ministry of Personnel. For all civil officials below the fourth rank, the Ministry of Personnel had the final say.

Officials of the fourth rank and above also had significant advisory power within the Ministry of Personnel.

Fan Chengda served as an advisor and office secretary to two emperors, Zhao Qu and Zhao Qi.

He's almost a veteran of three dynasties, even though he's not old.

Yu Yunwen was the Deputy Chief of the Privy Council and the Military Commissioner of the Privy Council, equivalent to the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ministry of National Defense.

The fact that these four came together is certainly intriguing.

Yesterday, Yang Yuan returned, and the moment he appeared, he threw out a bombshell, causing chaos in Zongyang Palace.

This morning, Yang Yuan was busy with all sorts of things, both inside and outside the home, and hadn't had time to visit these old friends yet.

Upon meeting again, the four were genuinely delighted.

They asked Yang Yuan about his experiences in the Jin Kingdom, and even though the incident was over, they were still shocked when they heard about his perilous return.

When Yang Yuan mentioned the death of Wang Shilong and his entire family, the four of them fell silent again.

This wasn't the first time the Song Dynasty had done something like this.

Yuwen Xuzhong's entire family of over a hundred people died in the internal strife of the Song Dynasty.

Yue Fei was one of them.

In fact, in the original history, he later did something like kill his own prime minister in order to please the Jin people, and sent his head to the Jin state.

These are just three relatively well-known figures. There are many other heroes who were not famous, but were wholeheartedly devoted to serving the Song Dynasty, and were ultimately betrayed by the Song Dynasty.

Normally, these people would have been furious and slammed their fists on the table in anger.

However… given that Yang Yuan’s “purging of the emperor’s inner circle” incident just happened, further criticism… seems to lack power.

Yu Yunwen was the oldest of the four, so he was the one who asked Yang Yuan about his plans for the future of the court.

Scholars speak differently than military generals.

Among military generals, there were many with extremely high literary skills, such as Xin Qiji.

However, being a military general, his personality prevented him from using the same tactful and subtle language as a civil official to probe the other party's thoughts.

Although Yu Yunwen holds a position in the Privy Council, he is still, to this day, a civilian official who moves between "government agencies," so his conversational skills are much more sophisticated.

Yang Yuan immediately understood what Yu Yunwen meant.

But he didn't understand these four people's attitude towards him, or their stance towards the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, he couldn't predict what the future held.

The fate of the Goose King is still uncertain, so it remains to be seen who will be made emperor.

He couldn't give these old friends a proper answer.

Because he is in charge, he is unsure of the future. What if he makes a promise now and then goes back on it later?
So, since Yu Yunwen was practicing Tai Chi, Yang Yuan also started practicing Tai Chi.

Yang Yuan spoke of the country, the nation, the common people, and the domestic and international situation, but he never mentioned his own future plans.

The people present were all graduates of the imperial examinations, each skilled in writing elegant prose and adept at interpreting texts.

To others, it's all just a bunch of high-sounding nonsense, but to them, it's a profound interpretation.

They understood, and wisely refrained from asking any further questions.

However, the four people's attitude towards Yang Yuan did not change.

Thus, Yang Yuan understood some things simply by observing people's expressions.

The following day was another day full of topics of conversation for the people of Lin'an. On New Year's Eve, the Prince of Yan purged his corrupt advisors, and the city of Lin'an was filled with the sounds of war.

On January 1st, hundreds of ruffians who took advantage of the chaos were publicly executed at various crossroads.

The imperial edict issued by Yang Yuan in the name of the emperor to Lin'an Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, the Censorate, and the Imperial City Guard was as follows:

If it's something that can be arrested or not, then arrest it.

If a judgment is optional, then a judgment should be rendered.

If you can choose to kill someone or not, then kill them!

A massive purge brought immediate peace to the countryside.

The fierce battle that began the first night subsided in just one day.

Sure enough, on the second day of January, prison carts began to transport prisoners to various major transportation routes in Lin'an City.

The reason they weren't executed in the same place, I heard, was because there were too many people and they couldn't fit them all.

Yesterday's throng of noblemen and ladies are today all dressed in white prison uniforms, with walnuts in their mouths, their arms bound behind their backs, being led to the execution ground for public execution.

Their crimes were only hastily listed by the Censorate and were not complete, but the people already felt that they deserved to die ten thousand times over.

The news that Wang Shilong, the commander of Haizhou in the Jin Dynasty, had been betrayed by his own people also appeared in the tabloids of Lin'an.

The Lin'an tabloids published an extra issue today, which, in addition to detailing how Wang Shilong was betrayed by his own people, also included an article titled "The Return of the Prince of Yan".

Through these two incidents, the numerous civil and military officials who were executed publicly without any formalities were forever nailed to the pillar of shame.

On the third day of the first month, Emperor Zhao Qi issued an edict appointing Chen Weiqing and Ma Chongyuan as officials to the ranks of the prime ministers.

That's right, it was an imperial edict issued by the young Emperor Zhao Qi.

This was the greatest role he could play before he abdicated.

Chen Weiqing and Ma Chongyuan were both veteran officials, serving under three emperors and holding positions in the Secretariat and the Chancellery.

In terms of seniority, they are certainly qualified to become prime ministers, but in terms of ability, political achievements, and reputation, they are not.

Logically speaking, these two elderly people in their early sixties could retire and return to their hometown after a while longer.

When the time comes, the emperor will bestow his favor and promote them from deputy ministers to ministers, allowing them to retire in glory. That will solve the problem.

Who would have thought that the two prime ministerial positions vacated due to the "purge of corrupt officials" would fall to them?

In the process of "purging the emperor's inner circle," they did nothing and achieved nothing.

The news caused an uproar in both the government and the public.

However, by January 4th, everyone in the court and among the people knew why they had become prime ministers.

On January 4th, Emperor Zhao Qi issued another list of appointments and dismissals, adjusting the generals of the Three Military Commands.

Since the imperial court recognized the legitimacy of "purging the emperor's inner circle" and executed so many officials, a major personnel reshuffle was necessary.

However, the appointment of officials is a very careful and serious matter.

Logically speaking, any important position is the result of repeated bargaining and weighing of various factors, let alone personnel adjustments involving so many important positions.

If the prime ministers do not agree, nod, or sign, then it cannot be officially issued as a formal appointment by the court.

Such an imperial decree is called the "central decree".

Timid officials might accept it, but if you're tough enough to refuse, you can directly confront the emperor.

Of course, whether he can win the argument is hard to say.

Empress Wu Zetian once issued an imperial edict, but Liu Weizhi, the then prime minister, rejected it.

Therefore, Wu Zetian had someone falsely accuse Liu Weizhi of accepting bribes from Sun Wanrong, the governor of Guizhou, and of having an affair with Xu Jingzong's concubine.

Liu Weizhi was inexplicably imprisoned, and then he was forced to drink a cup of poisoned wine in prison.

Emperor Shenzong of Ming also issued an imperial edict, which was rejected by the then Grand Secretary Shen Yiguan.

The rejection was rejected, and Emperor Shenzong of Ming did nothing to him.

Although both of these matters were rejected by the prime minister, it is not only the prime minister who can reject them.

An imperial edict that has not been approved by the Secretariat or the Chancellery is illegal, and any official has the right to reject it.

However, the lower the official rank, the fewer people dared to contradict the imperial edict.

Moreover, the prime minister is usually the first to know when an imperial edict is issued, so it is more common for the edict to be rejected by the prime minister.

However, there is now Chen Weiqing and Ma Chongyuan in the Prime Minister's Office.

The only mission of these two elderly men, who were about to retire and went directly from deputy ministerial level to deputy national level, was to be responsible for stamping documents.

Therefore, the list of appointments and removals issued in the name of the young Emperor Zhao Qi was not an imperial edict, but a legitimate official document of appointment and removal by the imperial court.

It is perfectly legal.

On this list of appointments and dismissals, Wu Ting was the commander of the Infantry Division, Zhao Mi was the commander of the Palace Guard Division, but Yang Ze was the deputy commander of the Palace Guard Division, and Yang Shou was the commander of the Palace Guard Division.

As for the cavalry commander, they had fought with the infantry commander in Xixi, so Commander Ma was dismissed from his post and returned to his hometown.

Before he left office, he was given the title of Junior Guardian, which was considered a glorious departure.

As for General Ma, he was replaced by Xin Qiji, the Commander-in-Chief of the Loyal and Righteous Army and the Pacification Commissioner of Shandong Road.

He's too young, he's not qualified enough?

No way, he was transferred from a high position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Loyal Army and the Pacification Commissioner of Shandong Circuit.

The young emperor Zhao Qi had previously bestowed upon Xin Qiji a prestigious and high-ranking official title, even though Xin Qiji had no means to receive any salary.

As it turned out, he actually did return to the Song Dynasty from the Jin Dynasty.

Then his official position would certainly be effective.

On January 4th, only the commanders of the three imperial guards were reassigned. Although the officials were surprised, they could barely accept it.

However, on January 5th, another imperial edict was issued, and this time, the court was in complete uproar...

(End of this chapter)