The Bad Guys: Playing the Fake Li Xingyun at the Beginning

As soon as he spoke, the court, which had been full of discussions just now, suddenly became quiet. Many people turned their eyes to him, with sympathy in their eyes, as if they were caring for a mentally retarded person.

What a silly child!

Chapter 102: Someone, get out

When Prince Qi came to the court, Du Ziming made a rash report without understanding the situation, which aroused the disgust of Prince Jin. However, he had already offended the emperor before, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Prince Jin.

But what is the situation now? The person who made the memorial was the Minister of Rites Yan Suchen. He must have been instructed to do so. There is only one person in the court who dares to do so, and that is the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

The emperor stood behind Yan Suchen, and King Qi was on the same side with him, which meant that there were two big bosses standing behind him.

Any minister in the court with a little bit of vision could see that only Du Ziming, a young and foolish man, was willing to be a cannon fodder in order to foolishly seek credit.

Even Li Siyuan was shocked by this guy's behavior. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he saw such a young man in the court. He couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had kicked this guy out of the circle early and did not let him participate in other things.

Du Ziming stood in the center of the court officials, looking at Yan Suchen, whose hair and beard were all white, with a confident look on his face. Now he was on the side of etiquette and law, so who could defeat him?

He did not pay much attention to the strange looks from the court officials around him, thinking that they were angry because he had gotten there first.

Today, he will wash away his previous shame and become the most handsome guy in the court.

For a moment, the whole hall was silent.

Yan Suchen was speechless for a long while. He thought he was going to face the evil spirits under Li Siyuan, but he didn't expect such a fool to appear halfway. "Du Ziming, you should withdraw first. The court will make the final decision on this matter. It is not your turn to comment."

He felt somewhat embarrassed to be contradicted by his own subordinates in front of all the officials. He immediately reprimanded Du Ziming, hoping that he would give up and not dwell on this matter any further.

There are rules in the officialdom. Du Ziming has already committed the cardinal sin of rebellion. Opinions can be expressed in private, but openly opposing one's superior in the court will not only make his superior lose face, but will also make him a laughing stock among his colleagues and bring shame to the Ministry of Rites.

However, Du Ziming did not back down, but instead said, "Sir Yan, I respect your age and your rank is higher than mine, so I will not argue with you, but this is a discussion of government affairs in the court, and you are so arrogant and senior, which really makes me despise you."

Sitting on the dragon throne, Su Ming was speechless when he saw this scene. Why are they discussing political affairs instead of making personal attacks?

The other officials in the court were even more dumbfounded. How did this guy get into the court?

Du Ziming's colleagues all took a step back at the same time, fearing that they would be implicated if they got too close to him.

Hearing this, Yan Suchen was so angry that his nose was crooked. There were actually such ungrateful people in this world. He couldn't help but look at Li Siyuan, as if to say, where did you find such a stupid young man who doesn't even understand the rules of officialdom.

Li Siyuan also lost interest at this time, thinking to himself that it was bad luck. Who is Yan Suchen? He has been an official in the court for decades and has served in three dynasties. He has a very high prestige in the Ministry of Rites. Even if he wants to touch Yan Suchen, he will have to use some means.

Noticing Yan Suchen's gaze, even though Li Siyuan was very thick-skinned, he still felt a little embarrassed. After all, it was he who promoted this guy to this position. If it weren't for him, he would not have been qualified to appear in the court and cause such a ridiculous thing.

On the dragon throne, Su Ming saw Li Siyuan's uncertain expression, smiled silently, and waved his hand, "Du Ziming, I don't want to waste time talking to you. Come, take off his official robe and drag him out."

The guards in the hall quickly ran over, stripped off Du Ziming's green official robe, and dragged him away.

Not a single minister in the court spoke for him or pleaded for him. If a young man like this, who broke the rules and violated taboos, stayed here for a moment longer, it would be a great irony to the emotional intelligence and wisdom of all the civil servants in the court.

He didn't say anything until he saw King Jin, and he didn't even bother to look at him.

After this little episode, the serious atmosphere in the court disappeared.

After a while, Su Ming said in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, please discuss this. What do you think of Elder Yan's proposal?"

The Minister of Rites was the first to express his support. "Your Majesty, I think that Lord Yan's proposal is very suitable for the current situation of the court. Regardless of the previous dynasty, just talking about the current dynasty, Emperor Gaozong changed the reign title for more than a dozen years in a row. Whenever there was a disturbance, natural disaster or man-made disaster, the court had to change the reign title. It was too frequent."

"Using an era name not only facilitates the communication of government affairs, but also makes the people of the world admire and remember it."

"I second the proposal."

"I second the proposal."

He did not support his boss's proposal and even sang a different tune. After all, people like Du Ziming were a minority. All the officials in the Ministry of Rites expressed their support and based the matter on etiquette and law, making it more logical.

On the other hand, the King of Jin kept silent and did not express any opposition.

Afterwards, the matter was settled.

Su Ming glanced at the ministers and said in a deep voice, "Since no one objects, this matter is settled. This year is the first year of Hongwu. I will not change the reign title while I am in power. After a hundred years, the successor monarch will follow the old rules and not change the reign title easily."

"I obey your command!" Your Highness, the court officials bowed down one after another.

This was the first time Su Ming set a rule, and after a little trial, nothing unexpected happened.

"Your Majesty, I think you can ask the officials of each government office to prepare for the selection of candidates. The rules for this matter have been set years ago."

Su Ming, sitting on the dragon throne, looked normal. He said in a deep voice, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites can start planning for this matter, but they must remember not to disturb the people and cause any illegal activities."

Li Siyuan was shocked and looked at the emperor on the dragon throne in surprise. It was not like him to agree so easily.

As expected, the next moment, Prince Qi reported, "Your Majesty, the purpose of the selection is to marry a queen, enrich the harem, and expand the bloodline of the Li Tang Dynasty. I think that the selection should be done with caution and a strict system should be formulated to prevent the officials below from not understanding the intention of the emperor and acting recklessly, disturbing the people, or even causing a tragedy."

Li Siyuan had long anticipated that the talent show would not be so easy to get away with, and sure enough, Prince Qi directly supported it.

In this case, he could not let him get what he wanted. Immediately, Li Siyuan also followed up and said, "Your Majesty, the matter of selecting concubines has an old precedent in our dynasty. Why bother to make a big fuss and waste time to establish a system? The top priority is to continue the bloodline of the Tang Dynasty. The rest are just details."

"I think this matter should be carried out on a grand scale to demonstrate the spirit of the new dynasty."

As expected of Li Siyuan, his words were flawless and directly blocked Su Ming's idea of ​​narrowing the scope of the draft.

He could even imagine how much resentment there would be in the local areas once the imperial decree was issued, and how his accumulated reputation would be ruined. How could an emperor hold a beauty contest to enrich his harem in the first year of his reign?

Isn't this a typical lecherous and tyrant monarch?

Chapter 103 Victory at Your Doorstep

The selection of beauties is not simply about picking beauties to fill the harem. First of all, it is about evaluating the families from all sides and measuring their background, strength and foundation. Li Siyuan mainly wants to make a fuss about this aspect.

Try to lower the status of Su Ming's marriage partner, prevent him from marrying with powerful and influential forces, and weaken his power. In this era, finding a good marriage partner is no less important than winning a war.

Not to mention the distant Emperor Wu of Han, let’s just talk about the recent period, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, how could Gao Huan rise to power? It was because he married Lou Zhaojun and became her gigolo. With the help of Lou Zhaojun’s influence, he opened up ways for others, and then expanded his power and took off directly.

Although Su Ming, the emperor, is a little weak now and has no soldiers, he has Yuan Tiangang and the entire Bad People organization "standing" behind him, and King Qi is under his command. He is much stronger than a puppet, and he holds the Longquan Treasure Box and the Longquan Sword in his hands. It can be said that the Longquan treasure is in his hands.

With such power, he is definitely not a puppet emperor, and the value of the marriage is not low.

Although he knew that Yuan Tiangang and the Bad People would not only not be his helpers, but would even become obstacles in the future, others did not know that with Yuan Tiangang's endorsement, he, the emperor, was genuine. Unless the real Li Xingyun was released now, he would be the true heir of the Tang Dynasty.

If Su Ming marries a powerful local family, then this family can become his support. Although the family will not help him with all their strength, what he wants is not the family's money and food, but the family's talents.

In this era, having money and grain is useless if no one uses them. One cannot expect the emperor to do everything personally. The imperial examination can only select a part of the officials, which takes a long time to accumulate and cannot be of help in a short period of time.

This is not the recruitment in the game, where you will be given talents and counselors directly.

To establish a relationship with one aristocratic family is equivalent to establishing a relationship with a group of aristocratic families. These aristocratic families are intertwined, intermarry with each other, and maintain each other's interests.

These noble families suffered heavy losses in the war that lasted for a hundred years, especially in the Huang Chao Rebellion, where countless casualties occurred. Although they are no longer as powerful as they once were, they are still an important force in the world.

Of course, Su Ming only uses people from aristocratic families, but it does not mean that he has to rely on or even trust people from aristocratic families. These people can be used but not trusted, and cannot become his real reliance.

However, since Li Siyuan insisted on holding a grand event, Su Ming could not refuse. There was no point in arguing in the court.

Even if Li Siyuan wanted to argue, Su Ming was too lazy to get entangled with him. After the selection was over, he would hold the imperial examination to win the hearts of scholars all over the world. He had no time to waste on internal affairs in the court.

Moreover, Su Ming had expected him to say this, "Marrying a concubine is the first major event of the court since the beginning of the year. Prince Jin is right. We must indeed make a big fuss about it."

Hearing Su Ming's words, Li Siyuan was stunned, thinking that he had heard it wrong?

The emperor actually agreed with him. What does that mean?

Suddenly, he became extremely alert and was on high alert.

Su Ming glanced at Li Siyuan and said in a deep voice, "In this case, the selection should not be limited to the Central Plains, but should be held throughout the country and held in a grand manner to show the spirit of the new dynasty. The noble families and vassal states from all over the country can participate. With the participation of these people, the selection will definitely have a good result. As for ordinary civilians, there is no need to disturb them. What do you think, my dear ministers?"

Oops, I fell into a trap!

It was not until now that Li Siyuan realized that the plan to establish a talent show system was fake and the real plan was to lure him into the trap.

The purpose of letting King Qi make this proposal deliberately was to make him think that the emperor wanted to narrow the scope of the draft by formulating draft rules and target those people.

But in fact, he did not want to narrow the scope of the draft, but to expand it. He not only had his eyes on the aristocratic families in the Central Plains, but also on the princes and vassal states in the south.

If he was not careful in this move, he might very likely invite a wolf into the house and burn himself. However, whether he married into an aristocratic family or into a feudal lord, he could get a strong help from one side to deal with this powerful minister.

At this moment, Li Siyuan felt extremely annoyed. He was impulsive just now and should not have followed King Qi's words to refute. Otherwise, why would he be so passive now.

It was he who proposed to hold the talent show on a grand scale. Not only did the emperor agree, but he also did as he said and held it on a grand scale, raising the standards to a higher level.

Can he say no? Can he?

No, this was in the court, in front of all the officials. It was impossible for Li Siyuan to go back on his word and take back what he had said. After all, he was a king, and although his words were not final, at least they had to count.

It's impossible to go back on your word in front of so many people.

At this time, the Three Departments' envoy Ren Yuan stepped forward to help. "Your Majesty, according to the Three Departments' budget, if the court were to select beauties in the Central Plains, the national treasury could still support it. However, if the selection is expanded to the north and south, the money spent will far exceed the estimate. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider it."

The Privy Councilor An Zhonghui also made a timely report, "Your Majesty, the court and the southern princes are still in a hostile relationship. If we allow the south to offer women for the selection at this time, it is very likely to anger the princes and cause war. I hope Your Majesty will consider it carefully."

Think twice? Think carefully?

Su Ming showed a playful smile on his face and stared at Li Siyuan. These two people were smart enough to intervene at this time and gave two lame excuses to let Li Siyuan save face.

But their idea was doomed to fail.

"Humph!"

A cold snort was heard, and King Qi glared at the two men with cold eyebrows, "Master An, Master Ren, the selection is not only to select women to fill the harem, but also to select virtuous women for your majesty to marry as queen and concubine."

"The emperor's wedding is such a solemn event. If we don't make a big show of it and let the people of the world see the prestige of our Tang Dynasty, how can we convince the people? Only by selecting a woman who is good enough can we perfectly inherit the bloodline of the Li Tang Dynasty and stabilize the country."

"This is such an important event, even the Emperor and the King of Jin have personally agreed to it, but you are talking about other things and raising some inappropriate questions to hinder the selection. What is your intention?"

Just a few words, but they are thought-provoking and powerful!

Su Ming nodded secretly in his heart. The empress was really powerful. She stood on the righteous side and accused the two people in the name of herself and Li Siyuan. No one could find fault with her.

There was deathly silence in the hall.

Li Siyuan closed his eyes in despair, not wanting to look anymore. This time, he lost again!

It would have been fine if he had lost somewhere else, but the hateful thing was that this time he was the one who gave himself the opportunity, allowing King Qi to seize the opportunity and lose the argument.

Now, no matter how many reasons Ren Huan and An Zhonghui had, how could they bear the consequences of facing such accusations?

The Emperor, the King of Jin, and the King of Qi all agree to this matter. How dare you disagree!

Chapter 104 The Limits of the Draft

Even if the officials under Li Siyuan wanted to explain themselves, it would be of no avail. The emperor's move of retreating to advance and going with the flow left Li Siyuan helpless, unless he abandoned his political credibility, swallowed his pride and refused to admit what he had said.

But sacrificing one's political credibility just for this little thing is too costly and simply not worth it.

That's it!

Soon, Li Siyuan calmed down. "Since Your Majesty is willing to make a big fuss about it and show the power of our Tang Dynasty, I will naturally support it. However, the issues raised by the Three Commissioners and the Privy Councilor are not empty words. Please consider it carefully."

Since we cannot object, we can only accept it and throw the problem to the emperor and let him solve it himself.