Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

Many officials quietly looked ahead, occasionally glancing at Zhao Zhongdan, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

I wonder if the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs is prepared to fight against the Junior Grand Secretary?

Before he turned thirty, he was already the Minister of Rites, a second-rank official.

Just hearing the name gives one an indescribable sense of oppression.

Perhaps sensing the gazes of the officials, Zhao Zhongdan unconsciously patted his back.

The majority of officials in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs were members of the Zhao family, a branch of Emperor Taizong.

These members of the Zhao family may wear green or red robes, but in terms of actual ability, they certainly do not meet the standards expected of officials.

Zhao Zongdan was the same.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was a high-ranking official of the third rank.

However, when it comes to political maneuvering skills, they are not particularly sophisticated.

It's simply a matter of the short person trying to make the tall one taller.

Zhao Zongdan closed his eyes slightly, holding his tablet and standing solemnly.

As the grandson of Zhao Yuanzuo, the Prince of Han Gongxian, and the son of Zhao Yunsheng, the Prince of Pingyang, he was undoubtedly of impeccable lineage.

But because of this, he had to fight for it.

If the emperor truly values ​​the lineage of Emperor Taizu, then he will be the one who suffers the greatest loss!

"Upon—"

Because it was a time of national mourning, there was no bell tolling; only the newly appointed Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial issued a sharp shout.

Civil and military officials filed in.

Chapter 171 You all still dare to say that you are not persecuting the Empress Dowager?

The gilded flames burned long and thin.

On the steps of the imperial palace, the new emperor Zhao Ceying wore a mourning cap, a plain white mourning robe, and hemp shoes. He placed one hand on his knee and the other on a table, straightened his body, and looked directly at the officials.

From the steps below the imperial palace, officials stood in rows on the left and right, their faces solemn and silent.

"Have any officials come to the capital recently?" Zhao Ceying asked.

Jiang Zhao, holding his tablet, stepped forward and respectfully said, "Your subject, the newly appointed Minister of Rites and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Mm." Zhao Ceying nodded.

"Your subject, Wen Yanbo, newly appointed Prefect of Kaifeng and Acting Grand Tutor, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

On the left, a rather robust old man in his sixties stepped forward and bowed.

Zhao Ceying nodded again, looking somewhat relieved.

The civil and military officials exchanged glances in secret.

Jiang Zhao!

Wen Yanbo!

With the arrival of these two in the capital, the new emperor's power increased dramatically.

Even if the foundation is unstable, or even if there is no foundation at all, it does not affect the ability to fight political battles at the top.

One is a junior Grand Secretary, and the other was a former Grand Secretary of the Cabinet; both are top-notch in their political maneuvering abilities.

"Any official in the inner or outer courts who has matters to report may do so immediately," Zhao Ceying said calmly, glancing indifferently at the people from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

"Your subject, Zhao Shizhun, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, has something to report."

A man walked out; he was thin and looked to be in his forties.

"Your Majesty, the court and the country are currently unstable, and the people are filled with anxiety. I humbly recall the old system established by Empress Dowager Zhangxian Mingsu during the Qianxing era, in which the Empress temporarily assumed the reins of power to ensure the stability of the state."

If the Empress Dowager were to rule from behind the curtain, temporarily lifting the restrictions on the inner palace, and allowing the Empress to shine, she would surely be able to pacify the four directions and stabilize the foundation of the nation.

Before a word was finished, a rebuke rang out, echoing throughout the palace.

"absurd!"

Jiang Zhao, holding a scepter, stepped forward.

All the civil and military officials watched intently.

"The Empress Dowager was the virtuous empress of the late emperor. She served as the mother of the nation for thirty years and was known for her frugality, benevolence, and compassion for the people's livelihood."

Years ago, a young palace maid offended the late emperor and should have been punished with a beating. However, the Empress Dowager advised, "Although the palace maid has made a mistake, it is not a great crime. She should be pardoned to show Your Majesty's benevolence."

The Empress Dowager's virtue and benevolence are known throughout the land. Her clothes do not drag on the ground, her curtains are unadorned; she is simple, frugal, and generous.

Jiang Zhao's face turned red with anger as she pointed her finger fiercely: "Such a virtuous Empress Dowager will surely be recorded in history books; she is truly a model of womanhood for all time."

"Now that His Majesty is nearing thirty, how can the Empress Dowager possibly rule from behind the curtain?"

Jiang Zhao angrily rebuked, "In my opinion, are you all trying to sow discord between the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, grandfather and grandson? Are you using the pretext of submitting a memorial to the throne to carry out persecution?"

"Say!"

"Yes or no?!"

Jiang Zhaoli shouted.

His angry shouts echoed throughout the hall.

The faint lingering sound sent a strange unease through people's hearts.

All the officials stood at attention.

The young Grand Secretary's tactics are still as fierce as ever!

With that kind of momentum, anyone who can't withstand the first sentence will be completely at a disadvantage.

Zhao Shizhun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, had a drastic change in expression and blushed instantly.

He was just making a routine memorial to the throne, so why did he have to fight against the young Grand Secretary?

"Minister Jiang, don't make baseless accusations!"

Zhao Shizhun, forcing himself to remain composed, retorted, "The country is currently unstable. The Empress Dowager has ruled the nation for thirty years and enjoys considerable prestige. If we allow her to rule from behind the curtain, it will surely appease the people and stabilize the country."

"How dare you quibble!"

Jiang Zhao slammed his fist on the wall and questioned, "Through a thorough review of history, there are only a handful of emperors who, even after reaching adulthood, still ruled from behind a screen!"

"Empress Ling of the Northern Wei Dynasty was described in historical records as: greedy for power and causing chaos in the government."

"Jia Nanfeng of the Western Jin Dynasty was described in historical records as: vicious, jealous, and tyrannical."

"The Empress Dowager has been a model of virtue and grace for the nation for thirty years. How could she possibly emulate the poisonous empress of ancient times, forcibly ruling from behind the curtain and ruining her reputation?"

"You are all in such a hurry to submit your memorials, but what about the Empress Dowager?"

"You lot still dare to say that this is not persecution of the Empress Dowager?"

"What, you dare to do it but not admit it?!"

Same formula, but with an intimidatingly high level of intensity.

"Minister Jiang is mistaken."

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs stepped forward and interjected, "Given the current instability of the state, according to custom, what is wrong with requesting the Empress Dowager to rule from behind the curtain?"

"Stop with the sophistry!" Jiang Zhao waved his hand and snorted coldly, "When the late emperor passed away, he left a will, entrusting several Grand Secretaries and the Duke of Yingguo, the old general, to be his regents."

"The affairs of today are in the hands of Grand Chancellor Han Zhang, the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, the Duke of Ying, the old General, and all the civil and military officials."

"How can you say that the country is insecure?"

"Your repeated memorials are surely an attempt to sow discord between His Majesty and the Empress Dowager!"

Jiang Zhao shouted, "Such treacherous and wicked officials deserve to be exiled!"

"Don't jump to conclusions!" The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs' expression changed slightly, and he retorted, "Why is Minister Jiang in such a hurry to label people?"

"With the country in such a precarious state, I have repeatedly petitioned the Empress Dowager to rule from behind the curtain. Why is Minister Jiang so eager to obstruct this? Are you tantamount to watching the country descend into instability?"

"Stop with your verbal sparring." Jiang Zhao looked over sternly and shouted, "The Empress Dowager said she has no intention of ruling from behind the curtain! Your petitions to coerce her are truly those of the most wicked and treacherous people! The late Emperor has been dead for less than a month, and you are already barking wildly. Do you still remember even a fraction of the late Emperor's kindness?"

"When did the Empress Dowager ever say she had no intention of ruling from behind the curtain?" Zhao Shizhun thought Jiang Zhao was making things up and refuted it.

"As soon as I entered the capital, I requested an audience with the Empress Dowager," Jiang Zhao snorted coldly.

"At that time, His Majesty valued the bond between grandfather and grandson, so he whispered in the doorway. If there is no mistake, the daily records should have documented it!"

"Moreover," Jiang Zhao bowed respectfully to the imperial steps and said, "Your Majesty must have heard it with your own ears."

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs' expression changed drastically, realizing something was wrong.

On the imperial steps, with all the officials watching, Zhao Ceying nodded and testified, "This matter cannot be faked."

"If there are any errors, just take a look at the daily records of the emperor's activities."

In the eighth year of Xingping (983), Emperor Taizong ordered that the records of current affairs kept by the Councilor of State Affairs must first be presented to the emperor for review before being sent to the Imperial Archives, and the same applied to the daily records of the emperor.

This became a custom, breaking the tradition that "the emperor does not observe the daily records of his activities."

Of course, in general, monarchs rarely read the daily records of their emperor's life.

"What Your Majesty says is beyond question."

Jiang Zhao echoed this, then looked at the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and rebuked them: "The Empress Dowager clearly has no intention of ruling from behind the curtain, yet you repeatedly submit memorials. Are you taking advantage of the fact that the Empress Dowager has been living in the deep palace for so long and does not pay attention to state affairs?"

"Such a treacherous minister, in my opinion, should be dismissed from office and exiled!" With that, Jiang Zhao bowed again to the imperial steps.

"Demote them!" Zhao Ceying said with a kind expression, "Even if they have no merit, they have worked hard. Zhao Zongdan, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, is demoted to the position of Attendant Official in the East; Zhao Shizhun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, is demoted to the position of Attendant Official in the West."

The so-called "official in charge of offerings" was a nominal position of the eighth rank, which was just a sinecure with no real job.

Moreover, he was a government official in the capital.

This means we cannot leave Beijing!

"Zhao Shiyi, the eldest son of the Prince of Yan, and Zhao Shiqian, the eldest son of the Prince of Yong, were appointed as Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, respectively."

Zhao Ceying continued.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs were often highly respected members of the imperial clan.

Zhao Shiyi and Zhao Shiqian were both selected as five "candidate heirs", and their fathers were also quite famous figures.

Appointing a position as Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs or Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs is not considered difficult.

Furthermore, these two thieves were self-aware and timid.

Zhao Zongdan and Zhao Shizhun, their faces filled with bitterness, silently bowed and said, "Your Majesty, we thank you!"

They were set up!

The new emperor and the Minister of Rites are putting on a show together!

Originally, if the new emperor had the support of the Empress Dowager, he would have had to consider the consequences and wouldn't have dared to arbitrarily demote members of the imperial clan from Emperor Taizong's lineage.

As a result, the Minister of Rites forcibly tore the banner apart.

With just a few words, the Empress Dowager was elevated to a high status.

Instead, they became the ones who sowed discord between the grandparents and grandchildren.

At this point, even if the Empress Dowager herself were to come, she probably wouldn't dare to defend or plead for the two of them.

After all, Jiang Zichuan kept using the word "virtuous".

If one is virtuous, one will not plead for treacherous officials.

The key point is that the new Grand Master of the Imperial Clan is actually from the lineage of Emperor Taizong.

This move is truly meaningful.

The fight ended in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Jiang Zhao lowered his hands and slowly walked into the train.

In fact, the outcome was already predetermined.

From the moment the Imperial Attendant recorded the Empress Dowager's reply, "I have no intention of ruling from behind the curtain," everything was destined!