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

After the Qionglin Banquet, these children of noble families got together and held this banquet. All the children of noble families who passed the imperial examinations and the imperial examinations gathered here.

An imperial examination allowed these children from noble families to display their talents and enter the court.

Children of aristocratic families will naturally stick together for warmth. They are of the same age, from the same hometown, and even from the same clan, and have very close ties.

During the banquet, a man sat alone at the head of the table. He held up a glass of wine and said with a smile, "As expected, as long as we express our goodwill first, His Majesty will not treat us unfairly. Now it seems that although His Majesty is not very old, he is wise and decisive, has a broad mind and is very generous."

"Yes, I also met with His Majesty in the palace. He was a man of vigor and power. I saw the shadow of His Majesty Taizong in him."

"Indeed, your majesty's appearance is rare in the world, almost comparable to Wei Jie, Song Yu and others."

"With this holy leader here, the Tang Dynasty has hope for revival."

……

Amidst the praises, someone finally poured cold water on the praises.

"It's too early to say that now. Luoyang is a weak land and no longer as fertile as it used to be. If the emperor wants to revitalize the Tang Dynasty, he'll have to rely on efforts from our aristocratic families." Wei Dao, the runner-up in the Jinshi exam, looked at everyone and said half-jokingly.

Chapter 135 Let’s play music and dance!

In the empty courtyard, the dancers are covered with gauze. As they dance, their slender figures are clearly visible, and the mountains and valleys can be vaguely seen.

As soon as Wei Dao finished speaking, someone took up the topic and praised him, "Brother Shi, what you said makes sense. The world is in constant war and suffering. Who else but us can help the world and revive the Tang Dynasty? Those warriors only know how to wield guns and swords, and do not work. They have no king or father, and are lawless. They cannot be relied on."

"The incident of Emperor Zhaozong of the previous dynasty is a lesson not far away. If Your Majesty wants to revive the Tang Dynasty, you must take it step by step and make use of us!"

A member of the Pei clan retorted, "Brother, what you said is wrong. There are still the King of Qi and the King of Jin in the court. They are both princes with heavy troops and pillars of the court. Your Majesty is not Emperor Zhaozong. How could you dislike them because of us? In my opinion, we should still act cautiously in the court in the future. Now is different from the past."

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere suddenly became cold. Today was a gathering for the members of their family to bond and form an alliance. It was undoubtedly inappropriate to say such words on such an occasion.

But a mere descendant of the Pei family was nothing, but his words represented the Pei family's opinion. The top scorer in the imperial examination was Pei Xingzhi, not Wei Dao.

A ranking means nothing, but the meaning contained in it is extraordinary. People from aristocratic families have always been at odds with each other, uniting on one hand and fighting among themselves on the other.

Su Ming chose the children of the Pei and Wei families as the top and second place in the imperial examinations in order to divide them internally. The level of their talents was not important. What was important was that the two families had an old grudge and their official power was almost the same.

If the people he chooses are not of equal family background, it will easily lead to annexation. The stronger party can use its power to suppress the others and easily integrate the new scholars to become a strong political force.

Even though this political force is still very weak and cannot be seen in the light, the influence exerted by all the families uniting together cannot be underestimated.

The vitality of the aristocratic families was very tenacious. Even a rotten boat can still be repaired with three pounds of nails, not to mention the aristocratic families that occupied the local areas. It was not until the Khitans ran to the Central Plains to plunder and completely destroyed the order of the world that the aristocratic families were truly swept into the garbage dump.

Only destruction by external force is the most thorough and effective.

Then, someone stood up from his seat to smooth things over, "It's a rare occasion for us to get together today, so let's not talk about these things. Come, have a drink!"

"Keep playing music, keep dancing!"

The stagnant atmosphere eased and everyone subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. The Pei and Wei children at the banquet looked at each other and drank the contents of the cup tacitly.

Who doesn’t want the right to command the aristocratic families?

Most of those present here are young people, full of vigor and ambition. They are all Jinshi, just with different ranks. Their family backgrounds are similar. Who would be willing to be inferior to others?

These thoughts were not concealed by everyone present. Even those from small families who had long been attached to the big clans secretly had ambitions in their hearts.

There was singing and dancing in the courtyard, and drinking and chatting. Jinshis mingled with each other, and Jurens gathered together. Everyone naturally divided into different circles, wearing luxurious silk clothes and chatting and laughing.

The banquet lasted until late at night, and the host arranged for the guests to go to bed.

……

Soon, Su Ming in the deep palace also received the secret report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Everything that the children of noble families said at the banquet was recorded word for word in a book and sent to him. Except for the bad guys and those close to him, no one knew that he had the Embroidered Uniform Guards under his command.

Su Ming leaned on the dragon couch and flipped through the booklet brought by the Jinyiwei. Gradually, a sneer appeared on the corners of his mouth, especially when he saw what the runner-up Wei Dao said. He couldn't help but sneer, "These children of aristocratic families really don't learn their lessons."

Why do they think they are easier to talk to than Zhu Wen?

Zhu Wen was able to cause the White Horse Post disaster and kill them indiscriminately, but couldn't he suppress these people to death in the court officialdom? Killing people in the system is bloodless, and sometimes you are framed and you don't even know the reason.

In this world, the smartest people are all in officialdom. Young and inexperienced people like Du Ziming are very rare. If he had not been a descendant of the Jingzhao Du family, he would not have been able to sit in that position at all.

As a result, he was unworthy of his position and kept jumping around in the court, betraying his old boss Li Siyuan. He was directly defeated and should be sleeping in a field somewhere now.

Of course, Su Ming cannot act too blatantly now. It doesn't matter if he suppresses them for a short period of time, but as time goes on, they will definitely become resentful, and then resign in anger and join those military governors, which is not good.

"To conquer these aristocratic families is a long and arduous task." A sigh was heard in the hall.

……

After the craze of the imperial examination, Luoyang became visibly deserted. After all, only a few people could pass the exam, and those who failed also planned to return home in disappointment.

Thousands of lights are dimming, and all kinds of people are living in various forms.

It was still late and merchants were closing their stalls one after another. As the scholars left one after another, Luoyang was no longer as prosperous as before. Even the bustling night market was sparsely populated.

In the brothels, women in gauze skirts stood at the door, looking seductively and greeting customers. From time to time, young men of power and wealth came and went, making the place very lively.

The more chaotic the times, the more prosperous the business in places like this becomes. People live a life of drunkenness and extreme happiness, and they just drink and enjoy themselves today. That's all there is to it.

There is no curfew in Luoyang. Curfews are only imposed in places with strict management, and Luoyang obviously does not have one.

When night fell, sparse lights were lit in the market. These days, not many people were willing to use oil lamps.

Outside Luoyang city, it was pitch black, but some poor families took advantage of the remaining light to weave straw mats and straw sandals, hoping to sell them for some money.

Most people fall asleep at night.

In troubled times, all living beings are trying their best to survive and survive in their own way.

……

The next day, the imperial court held a court meeting to discuss the future and employment prospects of these new scholars.

Since the imperial examinations have been convened, the court must take care of them. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be just making wedding dresses for those military governors in vain?

Sitting on the dragon throne, Su Ming looked at the court officials who were arguing endlessly below, his eyes were calm. The entry of these new scholars into the court would impact the existing power structure of the court.

Although the imperial court has almost no power now, everyone is selfish and no one wants outsiders to appear in their own territory, let alone divide their rights.

Seeing this scene, Su Ming suddenly found it very funny.

He now seemed to understand why the small Southern Ming court in later generations was still fighting among itself even at that point. Without a leader of any importance, even a small company could be in such trouble, let alone such a large court.

Chapter 136 Argument in Court

In terms of strength, if the small Southern Ming court was united, it would be more than capable of becoming the Southern Song Dynasty, but unfortunately, their internal fighting was too fierce.

The only difference between them and the Southern Song Dynasty was that among the sons of Song Huizong, only one Wanyan Gou escaped, while the others were all killed. The imperial lineage of the Southern Ming Dynasty was scattered, and the legitimate prince failed to escape to the south, resulting in the dispersion of imperial power without a leader.

The court officials in the hall passed the buck to each other and were unwilling to accept these new scholars. However, the six ministers wanted to recruit more staff as they had a lot of government affairs to handle and did not have enough staff.

Now, in terms of official positions, there are two prime ministers in the court, namely King Qi and King Jin. Both of them were granted the title of "Tongpingzhangshi" by Su Ming.

Li Siyuan once wanted to add a prime minister and increase the power of the Political Affairs Hall, but was rejected by Su Ming. Li Siyuan and the empress were both princes, ruling a place, and were both civil and military. Their achievements and qualifications far exceeded those of others.

The two of them are unique in the court, and no one else can compare to them. But if the number of prime ministers is increased, his power will be greatly reduced.

Because most of the people in the court who were qualified to be prime ministers were Li Siyuan's people. These people had merits and qualifications. On the surface, he wanted to increase the number of prime ministers, but in fact he wanted to divide the power of the empress and promote An Zhonghui and Ren Yuan to the throne.

An Zhonghui and Ren Huan, the Three Departments and the Privy Council are under their control, and if they add the position of Prime Minister, that would be heaven's reach. Su Ming has been trying to find ways to reduce the power of the Three Departments, so how could he possibly give Ren Huan an additional position?

Li Siyuan was unable to promote his confidants to power, so he had to give up. Although they were prime ministers in the court, the court officials still called them King of Jin and King of Qi on weekdays.

Now that the heavyweights in the court are silent, everyone else can only engage in verbal battles but cannot make the final decision.

While they were arguing, Xue Wang Li Cunli took the lead and launched an attack, "Since you all don't want the new Jinshi to participate in politics, then send them out and let them serve as local officials."

As soon as this was said, everyone else stopped arguing. No one spoke for a long time, not because no one had thought of this, but because they were not important enough. If they spoke rashly, they would easily be implicated and become cannon fodder.

Li Siyuan was not in a position to refute Li Cunli, so the Privy Councilor An Zhonghui directly refuted, "Where does Prince Xue intend to put them? The affairs of the prefectures and counties are complicated. If they take up important positions when they first enter the court, it will not be good if something goes wrong."

"Lord An, this is a wise remark. The prefectures and counties are related to people's livelihood and military affairs. If we cannot handle the relationship with local officials well, it will easily lead to war disasters. By then, the court will lose face." Ren Yuan, the envoy of the Three Departments, also spoke up.

Li Cunli, wearing a bright red official robe, glanced at the two of them and asked in a neither humble nor arrogant manner, "I wonder what you two gentlemen have to say? I am all ears."

"In my opinion, these new scholars should observe government affairs in the court for a year to accumulate experience before being appointed to various ministries." Ren Yuan already had a plan and put forward his idea.

"Mr. Ren's idea is very good, but the court is in need of talents right now, and all regions are rebuilding. Time is running out. Does the court want to support them for a year in vain?"

Li Cunli sneered, "No matter how rich the Three Departments are, they can't squander like this. If the treasury had money, your Majesty's palace wouldn't have been repaired for a long time. You, Lord Ren, are in charge of the Three Departments, so you can't waste the court's money and grain in vain."

An Zhonghui was a smart man. He knew that if he continued to talk like this, it would be easy to blame the three officials. So he kicked the ball back and said, "Since Lord Li thinks that the idea of ​​the three officials is problematic, what do you think?"

Li Cunli had already discussed this with the Empress and knew Su Ming's thoughts. He immediately stopped hiding it and said in a deep voice, "The court is in need of talents now, so we should be unique and hold several examinations to select talents for the country. The new scholars should also serve the court."

"I think that the newly-appointed scholars should be assigned to various counties, starting with the sparsely populated lower counties, and gradually promoted based on their political achievements. I think we should just put them directly in the lower counties of Heluo. In this way, the court can provide a backup for them, provide timely remedies, and also hone them."

"Daozhou is a vast territory with tens of thousands of people under its jurisdiction. We should not move lightly."

In the Tang Dynasty, counties were divided into three categories: upper, middle, and lower according to the importance of their status, the size of their jurisdiction, the number of households, and the level of economic development.

Places with more than 30,000 households are called upper prefectures, places with more than 20,000 households are called middle prefectures, and places with less than 20,000 households are called lower prefectures; places with more than 5,000 households are called upper counties, places with more than 2,000 households are called middle counties, places with more than 1,000 households are called lower-middle counties, and the rest are lower counties.

This proposal surprised Li Siyuan who was standing next to him. The imperial court had spent so much effort in selecting talents through imperial examinations, so would the emperor really be willing to send these people to the lower counties?

That's where the officials work. The government affairs are complicated and it's very difficult to hone your skills and stand out.

After Li Cunli finished speaking a few words, the other people in the court were dumbfounded.

I didn't expect King Xue to be so cruel. He directly demoted these new scholars to the ranks of the muddy current. Could those children from aristocratic families bear it?

Children of aristocratic families are arrogant. Once they enter officialdom, they all hold noble positions. By doing this, Li Cunli directly dragged them into the quagmire.

Ren Yuan saw that no one objected, so he simply spoke again, "Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. The situation around Luoyang is complicated and connected to all directions. These new scholars are not familiar with government affairs and it is easy for them to disrupt the local area. The gains will not outweigh the losses."

Su Ming looked at him and chuckled, "Oh? What's your opinion, Mr. Sansi? Why don't you tell me what you think?"

"this?"

Ren Huan opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. He couldn't possibly say that these people should be allowed to hold idle positions in the court. If he dared to say so, Li Cunli would dare to involve the Three Departments.

The emperor standing behind Li Cunli has made his attitude very clear: the imperial court does not keep idle people.

Last night, they and His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin had decided to allow these new scholars to enter the court to supplement his power. He couldn't just watch the emperor recruit these people to expand his power.

He really didn't want to confront the emperor head-on, but this didn't mean that Li Siyuan had to give in everywhere. He still had to express his position when necessary. Hedong still needed people.

However, he couldn't ask for people openly in the court, so he could only muddy the waters.

Li Siyuan thought for a moment and decided to delay the battle. "Your Majesty, I think that many government offices in the court are short of staff. It would be better to let these new scholars fill the vacancies first and then make other arrangements."

Before anyone else could speak, Li Cunli directly refuted An Zhonghui's words.

He looked at Li Siyuan with sharp eyes, "Prince Jin is right. The court is indeed short of people, but as Lord An said, they have no experience in handling government affairs. The affairs of the court are complicated. If something goes wrong, who will take the responsibility?"