Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 893 The Change of the World

On this day, many people were arrested in Lin'an City.

It wasn't the three judicial departments that arrested people, but the army.

The generals leading these soldiers included Wu Ting, Xin Qiji, Yang Ze, Jia Rui, Deng Xun, Li Juncheng, An Haotian, Zhao Jinzhu, Liu Shangqiu...

Besides Liu Shangqiu, Mo Long, Luo Kedi, and Wu Ting, they are all from the Shandong faction.

Liu Shangqiu was in charge of only one case, namely Huang Xu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Huang Xu became the source of all evil. Although some officials also had other crimes, in this incident, there was only one case that connected everyone: the restoration case!
Many officials colluded to depose the current emperor and restore the deposed Emperor Zhao Qi to the throne.

Confined within high walls, Zhao Qi knew nothing, yet he possessed a large group of "loyal and devoted restoration ministers."

However, since the arrest warrant was signed by the Empress Dowager, the current emperor, and the Right Chancellor Yang Yuan, the arrest procedure was impeccable.

The government building was completely surrounded, with Mo Long leading his troops to surround it.

Standing at the door of his signing room in the Hall of State Affairs, Chen Kangbo glanced at the Imperial Guards standing outside, their armor gleaming and spears in hand, and sighed deeply, "Gentlemen, what will become of our Great Song Dynasty in the future?"

None of the ministers could answer.

The Prince of Jin's residence was surrounded.

The moment the Prince of Jin's residence was surrounded, the servants inside quickly reported the news.

When Zhao Qu learned that the one leading the troops to surround the Prince of Jin's residence was Li Juncheng, a fierce general whom Xin Qiji had brought back from the north, he realized something.

Li Juncheng dismounted and bowed to Zhao Qu on the wall, claiming that he was ordered by Prime Minister Yang to protect the safety of the Prince of Jin's residence.

Zhao Qu climbed the ladder to the top of the wall and looked around. He then instructed the servants in his residence: "Be patient and wait for news."

It wasn't until evening that one person arrived.

The visitor was a palace eunuch who announced to him, expressionlessly, that the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Right Chancellor had solved a major restoration case involving many officials.

Zhao Qu, of course, did not believe it. Zhao Qi had only been emperor for a short time and had not yet established his own foundation. How could so many old ministers be willing to risk their lives to help him restore the throne?

However, after the imperial decree was delivered, Li Juncheng led his men away.

The people from the Prince of Jin's residence tested the waters and confirmed that they could indeed come and go freely without being stopped or questioned.

It was at this moment that Zhao Qu remembered that Li Juncheng, who had brought the troops, had told him that he was acting on the orders of the Prime Minister.

The difference between "丞相" (chéngxiāng) and "宰相" (zǎixiāng) is only one character, but their meanings are quite different.

Although he didn't know exactly what had happened in the court, Zhao Qu had already vaguely guessed the outcome.

Only then did he understand why Yang Yuan hadn't come to see him in person.

In this situation, the two of them can only look at each other in silence.
Three days later, the situation finally became completely clear.

All the officials involved in the restoration case were sentenced to death by hanging, including some high-ranking officials and ministers and vice ministers from the Six Ministries.

The emperor issued an edict appointing the two princes, Zhao Kai and Yang Yuan, as regents and chancellors, and appointed Yang Yuan as chancellor.

Yang Yuan was no longer just the sole prime minister, but the prime minister.

A prime minister can also have several prime minister positions, but all of them are vacant, with only one prime minister in office.

Now, Yang Yuan is the prime minister, a prime minister who is second only to the emperor and above all others.

For example, Chen Weiqing, Ma Chongyuan, and Qiao Zhen, all of whom were prime ministers, were appointed as ministers in substantive positions.

There was no position of Vice Chancellor, nor was a second Chancellor appointed.

The highest power structure consisted of the emperor, Prince Qing, and the prime minister.

Below that are the Six Ministries, which report directly to the Prime Minister.

Then, Chancellor Yang Yuan wrote to the emperor, pleading for the lives of the restoration officials who had been sentenced to hanging.

The emperor issued another pardon, changing the sentence of hanging for Chen Kangbo, Zhang Jun, Zhao Mi, Chen Junqing, and some ministers and vice ministers to dismissal from their posts and reduced to commoners.

The emperor resolutely refused to pardon the chief culprit, Vice Minister Huang, and still sentenced him to hanging.

Those who were dismissed from their posts and reduced to commoners still held high prestige and status in their localities.

However, the treatment was naturally incomparable to that of retiring to one's hometown.

They could no longer wield such influence locally.

By this point, all the old ministers from Zhao Gou's reign, especially those who had passed the imperial examinations during the Northern Song Dynasty, had been swept away from the court.

The massive reshuffling of the entire bureaucratic system from top to bottom will continue.

It will probably take at least a year or two for things to completely settle down.

Meanwhile, the bureaucracy in the central government has become more diverse and younger.

In particular, the status of military officials has been visibly elevated.

A tremendous change was completed, yet almost without bloodshed, resulting in the transformation and rebirth of the new from the old.

Many former officials were pardoned, dismissed from their posts, and sent back to their ancestral homes to live out their days in comfort.

This also highlights Yang Yuan's ability to control the court and his strong self-confidence.

He wasn't worried at all about the threat these veteran officials would pose to him once they were scattered in the provinces.

The upheaval in Lin'an shocked the world.

The common people were abuzz with discussion.

However, thanks to Yang Yuan's excellent reputation among the people, coupled with the support of Empress Dowager Wu and Emperor Zhao Dun, and especially with the entry of the Second Prince Zhao Kai into the center of power...

All of these factors contributed to Yang Yuan's increased prestige among the people, and almost no one regarded him as a traitor.

Only among scholars and officials was there a group of civil servants lamenting their plight.

However, even the local military commanders who had never dealt with Yang Yuan before and had little contact with him wholeheartedly supported this change.

This ensured that Yang Yuan could sleep peacefully every day, without worrying about them causing any trouble.

Meanwhile, Master Muyi, a grandmaster of the Shilin Academy, has been giving lectures at Wushan Academy more frequently than before.

Qian Jiaxing, the young lady, would still occasionally change into men's clothing and go to listen to lectures. However, unlike before, she would often look at Mr. Mu Yi, who sat upright on the stage wearing a veil, and smile sweetly with her eyes.

Yang Yuan plans to have Mr. Mu Yi and the current prime minister reunite at the tide-watching ceremony on the 18th of August next year.

The wind on the river was strong and accidentally blew down Mr. Muyi's curtain.

Thus, the "truth" that Grandmaster Muyi was the current prime minister was witnessed by all the civil and military officials, imperial relatives, and even the millions of ordinary people in Lin'an...

Quite reasonable, right?

A large number of officials either stepped down or came to power, and those who had made contributions were promoted and given titles, which goes without saying.

Subsequently, Yang Yuan, in his capacity as prime minister, issued a proclamation.

"I have been appointed Prime Minister by imperial decree, to oversee all officials, assist the Emperor, govern the state, and have complete authority over all matters."

His governance consisted of nothing more than cleaning up officialdom, following laws and regulations, building post roads, repairing water conservancy projects, managing military farms, establishing schools, promoting culture and education, and boosting industry and commerce.

"Now that the four directions are in turmoil, all the garrison officers, generals, gentry, and local officials should each bear their own responsibilities..."

This is equivalent to a public proclamation, signifying that the great upheaval has ended, and although its aftershocks are still lingering, they will no longer affect many aspects of society.

People's hearts quickly settled down.

After all, the country is still the same country, and the emperor is still the same emperor. Changes in central officials have limited impact on such a large country.

However, Yang Yuan, who had just been appointed prime minister and held absolute power, was not in high spirits or riding high.

Because a tremendous challenge has arrived.

First, there was great news: the rebellion in Liangshan Prefecture was indeed quelled with a single proclamation.

This naturally greatly enhanced Yang Yuan's prestige.

However, bad news followed.

First, General Liu Qi, who was known as the Grand Protector of Longyou, died.

General Liu did not die in battle against the Western Xia rebels.

In fact, after the rebels occupied the Hetao Plain, they did not attempt to attack the Hexi Corridor, and seemed to be observing something.

General Liu died of illness.

Having learned from the lesson of General Wu Lin's death from illness on the front lines, Liu Qi hastily made arrangements while he was seriously ill.

After a series of troop deployments, multiple defensive lines were set up in the Hexi Corridor.

Even though he was gone, the imperial court did not send a new general to command the troops in time. The garrison in Hexi simply held their ground and did not venture out, so they would not be easily taken advantage of.

However, when the news reached the imperial court, it was like a thunderbolt.

If the Western Xia rebels were still cautiously probing before, who can be sure whether Liu Qi's death will embolden them?

Even Yang Yuan wasn't sure if their ambitions wouldn't grow.

Changes in the times will cause changes in people; they will push you forward.

Just like Yang Yuan, when was he ever so ambitious and thoughtful?
Therefore, Yang Yuan must be guarded against.

The imperial court posthumously conferred upon Liu Qi the title of King of Wu and granted him the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and made grand arrangements for his funeral. At the same time, it selected military generals to go to Hexi.

Yang Yuan made a decision on the spot, sending Li Xianzong, the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army in Huaidong, to Hexi to take over the position of General Liu Qi.

Li Xianzong came from a military family and was originally a general in the Western Army.

Later, he served in the Jin and Western Xia dynasties respectively. His transfer to Hexi was sufficient to take over Liu Qi's important responsibilities.

He then handed over the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard in Huaidong to Wu Ting.

This can be considered a return of kindness.

Previously, Wu Ting had been confined to the capital. Even after Yang Yuan took power and appointed him as the commander of the Infantry Division, he was still under considerable constraints.

Although Yang Yuan did not allow him to return to the Northwest and instead gave him and his cousin Wu Gong each command a large army, he did give him the position of commander of the Huaidong Army, which can be considered a true return to the sea.

Subsequently, Yang Yuan issued a secret order to his father-in-law, Qian Duanli, who was stationed in Sichuan, instructing local strongmen to independently suppress bandits and outlaws within their jurisdictions.

This is a risky move. If the central government is unstable and internal strife is frequent, it is very easy to play with fire and get burned.

However, as long as the central government is strong and has absolute control, it is a brilliant move.

The unrest in the four routes of Sichuan and the Three Gorges can be resolved quickly with minimal cost and maximum efficiency.

At the same time, Yang Yuan also sent letters to his family.

Kim Tae-hee, Fujiwara Himeka, Ermeisa, Oh Meijin, Dao Feifei, and others who had been sent out earlier were all recalled to Lin'an.

Because Yang Yuan now has absolute control over Lin'an, there is no need to worry about any changes happening.

Yang Yuanye has already given the order to relocate the research and development base, which was located deep in the mountains of Xuzhou, to Ezhou (Wuhan).

The Wu family's iron smelting business in Pengzhou also resumed full-scale production.

Yang Yuan also sent a letter to Li Dao, the commander of the army in Ezhou, inviting him to Lin'an.

He's been sleeping with someone else's precious daughter for a long time; he has to give them an explanation.

Our Prime Minister Yang is a man of great taste.

However, only two days after the letter was sent out, Yang Yuan urgently sent another letter, requesting that Li Dao postpone his trip to the capital.

Because Wanyan Liang led his army south.

Wanyan Liang was quite decisive.

Upon learning of the rebellion in Liangshan Prefecture, the financial crisis in Sichuan and the Western Xia rebellion, he immediately realized that this was a golden opportunity for him.

Whether the Jin Kingdom can change its current predicament depends on this one move.

Therefore, Wanyan Liang resolutely decided that the entire northern front should be placed on a defensive posture.

He then personally led his troops southward in a grand campaign.

(End of this chapter)