klisemfg Chapter 446 The New Emperor Establishes His Authority, Starting with the Censorate! (1)
Chapter 446 The New Emperor Establishes His Authority, Starting with the Censorate! (1)
In Qingcheng Mountain, everything remains the same.
Zhao Yuzhen was punished and forced into seclusion, but Wang Yixing still brought peaches to keep him company every day during his free time.
The sect leader, Lü Suzhen, did not stop them, since the only person in the mountains who could truly confide in Zhao Yuzhen was her senior brother, Wang Yixing.
Zhao Yuzhen found himself with plenty of free time, spending his days practicing the Wuliang Sword Technique that Lü Suzhen had taught him some time ago in the back mountains. However, he also incorporated his own understanding of Taoist classics into the sword moves.
Strangely enough, Zhao Yuzhen clearly felt that her cultivation had improved considerably in just one or two days since she went into seclusion.
Wang Yixing was also greatly shocked when he watched his junior brother study sword moves. Although he had known for a long time that his junior brother was exceptionally talented, he was surprised to see that although his Boundless Sword Technique was not quite up to par with the sect leader, its power was growing stronger every day!
Leaving that aside, the scene shifts to Tianqi, the capital city in the north.
……
On May 12th, it was late at night, and only one lamp was lit in the Zichen Palace.
Xiao Ruojin, dressed in a bright yellow nightgown, sat behind her desk, holding a volume of the "Great Li Law" in her hand, but her gaze was fixed on the stack of newly presented memorials on the desk.
These were all daily reports from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers since his ascension to the throne. They were trivial and lengthy, and apart from a few memorials accusing officials from other provinces and prefectures of embezzlement and dereliction of duty, most of them were not very informative.
Xiao Ruojin was already aware of the problems within the Northern Li officialdom, but what he was more eager to do now was to establish his authority in the court.
When a new emperor ascends the throne, very few people truly support him.
The one who won people's hearts the most was still her younger brother, Xiao Ruofeng. Xiao Ruojin could not accept that she had become the emperor and was constantly criticized by others.
Just then, Xiao Ruojin opened the 45th volume of the "Great Ming Code," concerning the Ministry of Personnel, when a very light footstep sounded outside the hall...
Jin Xuan bowed as she entered the hall, her purple robe gleaming faintly in the dim light.
He stopped five steps in front of the imperial desk, knelt down and bowed: "This old servant, Jinxuan, pays respects to Your Majesty."
"Get up." Xiao Ruojin put down her book. "There are no outsiders here, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Jinxuan stood up and stood at her sides.
The candlelight cast a dim light on his pale, thin face, and his long, narrow eyes were lowered, yet he was constantly watching the emperor's every subtle expression.
Xiao Ruojin remained silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "Jinxuan, how long have you been with me?"
"Your Majesty, I entered the palace at the age of seven and was assigned to serve in the Jingyu Prince's residence. It has been nineteen years since then."
Jinxuan's voice was soft and gentle, with the high-pitched quality characteristic of eunuchs.
"Nineteen years..." Xiao Ruojin sighed softly, "In these nineteen years, you have witnessed too many people rise and fall. Now that I sit in this position, tell me, where should we begin?"
Jin Xuan's heart skipped a beat; these were the words he had been waiting for.
“Your Majesty,” he stepped forward, lowering his voice, “the court is like a game of chess, and the Six Ministries, the Nine Ministers, and the Three Judicial Offices are the pieces on the board. Some pieces may be on the board, but they may not obey the player who moves the board.”
Xiao Ruojin became interested upon hearing this and raised her eyes to ask, "Oh? Tell me, which pieces are not listening?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Jinxuan bowed. "This servant dares to presume to say something—during the seventeen years of the late Emperor's reign, many of the important officials in the court were promoted by him."
They are indeed loyal to the Great Li, but their loyalty to Your Majesty... is not necessarily complete. Moreover, most of them hold the Prince of Langya in high regard; if this continues unchecked, it may hinder Your Majesty's control of the court..."
These words were extremely dangerous, yet they struck a chord with Xiao Ruojin.
Xiao Ruojin tapped her fingers lightly on the table: "Continue!"
"Among the six ministries, Gao Shuyi of the Ministry of Revenue was in charge of money and grain, and Zhang Taiyue of the Ministry of War was in charge of military affairs. These two were the late emperor's confidants and had deep roots."
Although Tang Xianda of the Ministry of Rites and Tan Li of the Ministry of Works held no real power, their protégés and former associates were spread throughout the country.
Jin Xuan paused for a moment, then continued, "As for the three judicial departments—the Ministry of Justice, led by Wang Youzhi, is ruthless; the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate are also independent entities. If His Majesty wishes to make a move against these places, it will be very difficult!"
Xiao Ruojin's eyes darkened: "Oh? Then in your opinion, which government offices are still under my control?"
Jinxuan immediately straightened up, leaned down and whispered, "Censorate!"
"The Censorate?" Xiao Ruojin frowned. "That old bastard Xu Wei dared to speak frankly and remonstrate even in front of the late emperor. Who in the court didn't respect him? If I were to touch him, would I want to be condemned as a tyrant by the world?"
“Your Majesty, Xu Wei cannot be touched, but the Censorate has more than just Xu Wei.”
Jin Xuan's voice was even lower: "The seven censors of the Censorate seem to be a united front, but in reality, each of them has their own agenda. Xu Wei is a tough nut to crack, but the others... may not be so hard to deal with."
Xiao Ruojin nodded slightly: "Be more specific."
"Among the seven censors, Hu Bufei has the least seniority, yet he is the most flamboyant. He loves to drink and often makes mistakes due to drunkenness, so he is already unpopular within the Censorate. More importantly—"
Jin Xuan looked up, the candlelight flickering in his eyes: "His father, Hu Cheng, had a past relationship with Baili Luochen. When Hu Cheng was alive, he wrote to the emperor several times to speak on behalf of the Marquis of Zhenxi's mansion."
Xiao Ruojin's pupils contracted slightly, and she immediately made a decision in her mind.
This is an extremely secretive line. After Hu Cheng's death, Hu Bufei inherited his father's position in the Censorate. Over the years, he has been very cautious, and almost no one has mentioned this old story again.
But if it were to be unearthed...
“Your Majesty,” Jin Xuan’s voice was like a viper’s hiss, “the new dynasty has just been established, and it is most necessary to establish authority. To establish authority, there must be a target. Hu Bufei is indeed a drunkard and derelict in his duties, and it is also true that he has a past relationship with the traitor.”
Making an example of him would be both legitimate and a warning to others—letting the Censorate know that the court has been transformed.
Xiao Ruojin remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding: "Very well, I had already thought of this. In that case, you can arrange the morning court session tomorrow!"
"The servant understands."
Jin Xuan was secretly delighted. Although Jin Xuan was Zhuo Qing's top disciple and was the most valued by Zhuo Qing.
But with each new emperor comes a new set of officials. Zhuo Qing has already been demoted by Xiao Ruojin to guard the imperial tomb of Xiao Chongjing, and has no more foundation in the court. At this time, the most important thing is to quickly gain the trust of the new emperor, Xiao Ruojin!
The lights in Zichen Palace remained on. After Jinxuan left, Xiao Ruojin also threw down "The Great Li Law," pressing one hand firmly against the scroll.
"The law of the king? What is the law of the king? It is the law of the imperial family..."
The next day at 3:45 AM, at Pingqing Palace.
The officials entered in a line and stood in their positions according to their rank.
On the imperial steps, Xiao Ruojin sat upright on the dragon throne, dressed in a bright yellow court robe and wearing a twelve-tassel crown. His face was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.
After the routine report, Xiao Ruojin suddenly spoke: "Minister Xu."
Xu Wei, the head of the Censorate, stepped forward and said, "This old minister is here!"
"At the morning court session today, all the other officials from the Censorate were present, so why was Censor Hu Bufei not seen?"
I recall that he held the rank of fourth grade official and was long qualified to have an audience with the Emperor.
Xiao Ruojin spoke in a gentle tone, seemingly asking the question casually.
Xu Wei's heart skipped a beat. Hu Bufei had indeed taken leave today, saying he had caught a cold.
But this cannot be said—according to the rules of the Censorate, one cannot request leave unless seriously ill, let alone when the new emperor has only recently ascended the throne.
Thinking of this, Xu Wei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Censor Hu is on duty at the Censorate today, dealing with backlogged cases, so he did not attend court."
"Oh?" Xiao Ruojin raised an eyebrow. "On duty at the Censorate?"
"Yes……"
Xu Wei felt a little guilty.
Xiao Ruojin didn't press further, but instead said:
"With war looming in the southwest, I am deeply concerned about the administration of officials in various regions. The Jiangnan East Circuit and the Shannan East and West Circuits are important tax-collecting areas and require capable people to be sent to inspect them. Minister Xu, do you think Imperial Censor Hu is up to the task?"
Cold sweat beaded on Xu Wei's forehead. Sending imperial censors on inspection tours was common practice, but for the new emperor to be in such a hurry to send people out only half a month after his ascension to the throne... what was his intention?
As he was carefully considering his words, a man suddenly stepped forward from the ranks of civil officials and knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty! Your subject has a memorial to present!"
All eyes in the hall turned to Yu Heng, the head of the Ministry of Personnel's Bureau of Personnel Management, a minor official of the fifth rank, whose voice was rarely heard in court.
Xiao Ruojin frowned: "What is it, Minister Yu?"
Yu Heng prostrated himself on the ground, his voice booming: "Your subject demands an impeachment of Censor Hu Bufei! Impeach him for his reckless behavior, negligence in his duties, failure to live up to the Emperor's grace, and disgrace to the Censorate!"
……