What a lucky world!

Chapter 260: Sin yourself!
Bingchen, June of the fifth year of Chiyang.

Lu Wen, the Minister of Rites, requested that the Empress Dowager's father be posthumously honored because of the Empress Dowager's kindness and blessing. The Emperor agreed and sent the matter to the Ministry of Rites for discussion.

Censor Luo Weilun wrote a letter to impeach Ningzhou Jiedushi Dai Chuanning for secretly opening an underground market on the border, which benefited the Northern Wilderness Demon Clan.

Gao Lin, the magistrate of Zhongjing, impeached Xia Changlong, the son of Xia Fangyi, the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, for forcibly abducting a woman and causing the tragic massacre of a family of seven in Kushui Hutong.

Qi Liangcai, the Minister of Revenue, reported that a tax silver ship in Yunzhou capsized in the Yangtze River, resulting in a loss of 3.28 million taels of tax silver, and begged for a reduction in punishment.

The Imperial Astronomical Observatory reported that the Ziwei star had returned to its position, and the signs of the formation's collapse had been resolved.

Jian'an came to Lan Qiwen and presented him with "A Map of Refugees in Hanzhou", saying that due to the new law, the people were displaced and a large number of refugees poured into Zhongzhou, and requested the abolition of the new law.

……

After a day of court meetings, Emperor Chiyang dragged his tired body back to the harem.

He was not in a good mood.

Although he was young, weak, and had been in power for less than a month, Zhang Taiyue still found time to give him good guidance despite his busy schedule.

So although he was still a little naive about politics, he could still clearly see the direction of the court's affairs.

They want to abolish the new law!
It is reasonable to ask for a title for the Empress Dowager's deceased father, but such rewards are usually given on the Empress Dowager's birthday. Asking for it now is a bribe to the Empress Dowager, hoping that the Empress Dowager will stand on their side.

The Empress Dowager's father was a fourth-rank official in the imperial court during his lifetime, and was posthumously named the Prince's Grand Tutor.

After the late emperor passed away, the empress dowager took over the government and posthumously conferred him the title of Duke of Enguo.

Now he is going to be posthumously honored, I am afraid he will be posthumously honored as a king.

This is not just a title, but involves the fortune of a family.

The Empress Dowager's maiden family, the Chen family, was originally a famous family. After so many years of the Empress Dowager's grace, they also cultivated a master and advanced to the ranks of wealthy families. If they were posthumously conferred the title of king, their fortune would be close to that of an aristocratic family.

For Emperor Chiyang, having stronger relatives by marriage was a good thing. After all, he and the Queen Mother were closely connected, and since he was already ruling the country, he didn't worry about the harm caused by relatives by marriage. So even if others didn't say anything, he was prepared to support the Chen family.

But the problem is, bringing it up at this time is harboring evil intentions!
What evil intentions?
Things need to be viewed together.

First, he impeached Dai Chuan Ning for privately opening a trading market, which was beneficial to the demon clan.

Who was Dai Chuan Ning? He was a military representative single-handedly supported by Zhang Taiyue. He commanded a hundred thousand Ningzhou troops, primarily to guard the northern border and to suppress the local aristocratic families.

He opened a private trading market?

The happiest people should be the local wealthy families, as they no longer have to take the risk of smuggling.

Then, the Zhongjing magistrate impeached Xia Fangyi for allowing his son to commit murder.

Xia Fangyi took the imperial examination in the same year as Zhang Taiyue. Zhang Taiyue won the top prize, while Xia Fangyi won the third place. The two had similar ideals and became close friends.

The accuser was Xia Fangyi's son, but the target was directly Xia Fangyi.

This can be seen as the same thing as what happened later when the tax ship capsized and Qi Liangcai apologized for his crime.

Zhang Taiyue once told Emperor Chiyang that when it comes to court affairs, one only needs to focus on two things: people and money.

The key positions in these two areas are the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Revenue.

Throughout history, emperors who have been able to sit firmly on the throne have all firmly grasped these two positions.

Zhang Taiyue was able to carry out the reform thanks to the support of these two people.

Now they are targeting these two people in order to eradicate the foundation of the reformists in the court after Zhang Taiyue left the court.

The capsizing of the tax ship was also a warning to Emperor Chiyang.

The subtext is that if the tax ship can capsize now, then it can capsize in the future. Now the Yunzhou ship can capsize, and in the future it can capsize in other places as well.

As long as Qi Liangcai is still the Minister of Revenue, this kind of thing is inevitable.

It’s a natural disaster!
If you, the emperor, are really angry, you will send a few scapegoats, but things will not stop.

It was precisely because he understood this that Qi Liangcai took the blame and asked to resign!
The final proposal from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was essentially a slap in the face to the Chiyang Emperor followed by a sweet treat, telling him that as long as he could "accept all advice," the battle collapse would be over, and all officials would still support him as emperor...

These are the jargons of the court.

But what really chilled the Chiyang Emperor was that after the other party directly dismissed the two Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, there was no other voice in the court.

The more violent the quarrels in the court, the more secure the throne in the Golden Palace will be.

If everyone in the court agrees, then the throne will be a bit hot.

Whether the reform should be abolished was secondary in the eyes of Emperor Chiyang, but this situation in the court triggered his instinctive fear as an emperor.

You just think that since my teacher and minister are not here, I can be easily controlled by you.

"It would be great if my teacher and I were here!" Emperor Chiyang thought to himself.

Just as the Chiyang Emperor was lost in thought, the eunuch Wang Fuan walked in. After bowing, he said, "Your Majesty, I have found the person." The Chiyang Emperor was momentarily unresponsive and asked, "Who is it?"

"Your Majesty, aren't you looking for someone who is well-versed in history books?"

Emperor Chiyang suddenly remembered that he had wanted to find a reason to reward Zhang Taiyue before, and now was the perfect time.

"Who is it? Where is he?" asked Emperor Chiyang.

Wang Fuan responded with a smile: "I am a student of the Imperial College, and my family's education is history."

"I was careful in my actions, so no one noticed."

"Right now, I have him waiting in the Imperial Garden."

Emperor Chiyang nodded, stood up and walked out of the imperial study.

……

In the Imperial Garden, Pan Yongsi stood in a pavilion, oblivious to the beautiful scenery of the Imperial Garden.

Countless history pages turned over in his mind, and those promises and threats were like a nightmare to him.

Until he noticed someone walking towards him.

He was a young man of about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a pale face and not looking very healthy, but his shining imperial attire revealed his identity.

Pan Yongsi hurried forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Student Pan Yongsi pays homage to His Majesty."

"Stand up." Emperor Chiyang waved his hand and walked straight to the pavilion and sat down.

The Imperial Study was not far from the Imperial Garden, but the journey still made him breathless. After calming down a bit, Emperor Chiyang looked at Pan Yongsi and asked directly, "Are you editing history books?"

Pan Yongsi quickly said, "Your Majesty, my ancestor was a historian in the previous dynasty, and studying history is a family tradition."

Emperor Chiyang nodded and asked, "Your Excellency has taught me for years. Now I am resigning my position and traveling to the East China Sea. I feel guilty and would like to reward you. What do the history books say about this?"

Upon hearing this, Pan Yongsi lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "In the previous dynasty, Wang Enzuo, the Minister of the Left, was implicated in imperial examination fraud and retired. The following year, Emperor Taiguang dreamed of seeing the palace walls lose their color. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau reported to the emperor that they felt ashamed of their meritorious service. Emperor Taiguang then rewarded his ministers and granted Wang Enzuo the title of Prince Taibao."

Emperor Chiyang frowned: "What if I only want to reward my teacher and minister?"

Pan Yongsi blinked and continued, "During the Wu Dynasty, Minister of Agriculture Chen Shi fell out with the emperor's relatives. Chen Shi grew up with the emperor, but the emperor favored the relatives, and Chen Shi resigned in anger. The emperor felt guilty, so he deliberately stopped by Chen Shi's old house during his tours to reminisce about his childhood with the officials. Upon returning to the palace, he bestowed upon Chen Shi the title of Minister of Works, and the officials dared not remonstrate with him."

Emperor Chiyang's eyes lit up.

He has been studying with Zhang Taiyue since he was young, so he has too many such memories.

By then, if I could get my mother to help me and bring a group of literary people who are easily sentimental, this thing would be 99% done.

"Yes, you are very good." The Red Sun Emperor was happy to have found a solution. "A reward of one hundred taels of silver will be given to you as a pair. Go away. Don't tell anyone about this matter."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward! I will remember it." Pan Yongsi bowed again and turned to leave.

Emperor Chiyang looked at Pan Yongsi's back, and suddenly thought of something, and shouted, "Wait a moment."

Pan Yongsi stopped and returned to the presence of Emperor Chiyang, saying respectfully, "Your Majesty, what else do you want me to do?"

Emperor Chiyang hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "There is one more thing I want to ask you."

"But if you can answer this question, then answer it. If you can't, just pretend I never asked. Do you understand?"

Pan Yongsi's expression became stern, and he said, "I will definitely tell you everything I know!"

"Is there any precedent in the past..." Emperor Chiyang said thoughtfully, "Can a situation like that of a teacher and minister return to the imperial court?"

Emperor Chiyang originally planned to recall Zhang Taiyue in a few years when he was older, but looking at the situation in the court today, the longer he delayed, the more difficult it would be.

As soon as these words were spoken, Pan Yongsi was stunned.

Seeing Pan Yongsi's expression, Emperor Chiyang sighed and waved his hand: "Go down."

Pan Yongsi did not move, which surprised Emperor Chiyang. He looked at Pan Yongsi and happened to meet Pan Yongsi's eyes.

"There is a way!" Pan Yongsi seemed to have made a big decision before saying these three words.

Emperor Chiyang's face lit up with joy: "What is it?"

Pan Yongsi hesitated to speak and knelt down.

Emperor Chiyang frowned and said, "Go ahead and say it. If you say this and it reaches my ears, no matter what it is, I will pardon you."

Upon hearing this, Pan Yongsi bowed his head to the ground and said:

"A confession of guilt!"

(End of this chapter)