xymnovel Chapter 73: Things Should Be Done Quickly
Chapter 73: Things Should Be Done Quickly
Inside the Zichen Palace.
Long before Liu Hongyi and the others returned to the palace, the people Qi Baozhen had arranged to keep an eye on things at the Jingzhao Yin's residence had already delivered the message to Li Ang.
Although he had anticipated this, the process of taking down Xue Jiling was still smoother than Li Ang had imagined.
Unlike previous assassinations and ambushes, this was the first time that Li Ang, as emperor, had truly dismissed a Shence Lieutenant through normal procedures in a relatively peaceful manner.
This also means that his previous guess was true.
While the eunuchs held considerable power in the late Tang Dynasty, the imperial power was not necessarily weak.
If we can find the right balance, it's not impossible to change the current situation where we are constantly hampered.
Xue Jiling's dismissal was only the first step.
It's a good start, but we need to be even more vigilant about what comes next.
After handing the secret report to Qi Baozhen for filing, Li Ang immediately asked a question.
"Have all the ministers arrived?"
"Your Excellency, the Chancellors, the Revenue Commissioner, and the Left and Right Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel are already waiting outside the Yan Ying Hall for your summons."
Upon hearing this, Li Ang nodded, gripped the memorial in his hand tightly, and stood up.
"Send someone to wait outside the palace gates. After Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi return, have them go directly to Yanying Hall to report back."
…………
"Yanying Hall?"
Thus, when Liu Hongyi and his companion led the Shence Army back to their respective camps and returned to the palace gates with Xue Jiling, they received this imperial decree.
"Who else did the sage summon?"
Liu Hongyi frowned slightly, then asked.
The young eunuch who came to deliver the message naturally dared not conceal anything and quickly answered truthfully.
"Prime Minister, Director of Revenue, Left and Right Vice Ministers..."
These are all the ministers with some seniority in the capital who have come together.
Liu Hongyi suddenly felt a little uneasy. After thinking for a moment, he turned to look at Yang Qinyi beside him and asked.
"Envoy Yang, why do you think His Majesty summoned us to the Yan Ying Hall?"
However, facing his unease, Yang Qinyi remained calm and smiled, saying, "Xue Jiling is, after all, the Shence Lieutenant. It's common for the prime ministers to come to the palace to inquire about such a big incident. Perhaps the Emperor wants us to give a reply in person to reassure the ministers."
That makes sense, but for some reason, Liu Hongyi felt that something was not quite right.
But since things have come to this point, we can only find out the specifics once we get to Yanying Hall.
Then, a moment later.
"Your subject Liu Hongyi, Left Lieutenant of the Shence Army, and Yang Qinyi, Privy Councilor, pay their respects to Your Majesty."
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Led by the young eunuch, the two entered the hall and found several important court officials already seated, but their faces showed no emotion.
"Rise," Li Ang said, then quickly asked, "How's the matter I asked you to handle?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyi replied, "Your Majesty, Xue Jiling, the Right Army Lieutenant, mobilized troops without imperial decree and besieged the Jingzhao government office. We were ordered to arrest him and have already brought him back. He is currently awaiting punishment outside the palace. I have come here to report back."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other ministers in the hall exchanged glances, seemingly exchanging unspoken words.
Li Ang simply nodded and said, "Issue an order to have him brought to a side hall. I will question him later."
"Yes..." Qi Baozhen bowed and accepted the order, and quickly sent two eunuchs out to carry it out.
At the same time, just as Liu Hongyi and the others were about to return to serve the emperor, Li Ang continued, "Someone, bring two more chairs."
Then, to the astonishment of Liu Hongyi and the others, Li Ang calmly pointed to the two chairs that had just been brought over and said...
"Please sit down as well."
This action startled both of them.
It should be noted that even though the Shence Lieutenant and the Privy Councilor were known as the "Four Nobles" and their power was comparable to that of the prime minister, they were still eunuchs.
Even the Privy Councilor, who was deeply involved in politics, could only stand by the emperor's side during ordinary meetings. Unless the emperor asked a question, he was not allowed to speak or interrupt. He could not sit down and discuss politics with the emperor like the prime ministers.
Therefore, upon being offered seats by Li Ang, the two immediately bowed and respectfully greeted him.
"We dare not."
However, Li Ang shook his head and said, "The matters to be discussed today are related to you. I have asked you to sit, so please sit. Besides, look at the ministers in this hall, they haven't said anything, have they?"
Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance, then subconsciously looked down at the ministers below. To their surprise, these people, who were usually very particular about scheduling, showed no displeasure or intention to stop them.
Although they still felt uneasy, since the sage had spoken, they couldn't refuse any longer and could only carefully sit down.
Whether it was a misperception or not, Liu Hongyi felt that the moment he sat down, the ministers in the hall inexplicably had a fleeting smile on their faces.
But before he could think it through, Li Ang, who was at the head of the table, spoke again.
"Lord Li, please explain that memorial you just submitted again."
Li Deyu?
Liu Hongyi immediately became extremely alert, while Yang Qinyi's eyes flashed with a complex light.
But regardless of what the two of them thought, Li Deyu had already stood up and said.
"Just now, His Majesty has shown my memorial to everyone. Now that Lieutenant Liu and Chief Minister Yang have returned, I would like to say a few more words."
"In recent years, the Shence Army has been in chaos and its training has been lax. From the previous incidents where officers left their camps without permission and committed murder, to the current incident where Lieutenant Xue Jiling of the Right Army mobilized troops without imperial orders, it is clear that the Shence Army has long suffered from deep-seated problems and must be reformed."
"These days, after much discussion, Zheng Pu She and I jointly submitted a memorial, believing that since the Shence Army is both stationed in the palace and bears the responsibility of guarding the garrison, it is difficult to coordinate with the outer court if it is only commanded by eunuchs. Therefore, we jointly submitted a memorial, requesting Your Majesty's permission to establish a Shence Grand General's Office to manage all affairs of the Shence Army."
Li Deyu's powerful voice echoed throughout the hall, causing Liu Hongyi to instantly grip the armrests of his chair.
Although he had long anticipated that something would happen during today's audience, he never expected Li Deyu to be so bold.
His gaze swept quickly over the assembled ministers, but they all appeared indifferent, clearly having already learned of the news before his arrival.
Looking at Yang Qinyi beside him, his expression was also somewhat surprised, which finally put Liu Hongyi at ease a little.
Li Ang sat on the throne, taking in Liu Hongyi's reaction. Soon, he picked up a memorial from the table in front of him, handed it to the eunuch beside him, and said.
"This is Minister Li's memorial; you two should take a look first."
Then, the eunuch handed the memorial to Liu Hongyi and his companion.
At this moment, Liu Hongyi's thoughts were still somewhat confused, but he subconsciously took the book and read it with Yang Qinyi.
At the same time, Li Deyu paused slightly before continuing.
"The reorganized Shence Grand Commandery will have two Grand Commanders, ranked third grade, in charge of military affairs of the Left and Right Shence Armies; four Deputy Grand Commanders, ranked third grade, who will be the generals in charge of the training of the armies; and four Deputy Commanders, ranked third grade, in charge of military criminal justice..."
"The Grand Commander-in-Chief ranks after the Chancellor in the court. For all military matters, the Shence Conference is established, chaired by the Grand Commander-in-Chief. He holds key positions with the Chancellors. In case of major events, he is summoned to court for an audience, and the Secretariat and the Grand Commander-in-Chief's office discuss the matter together..."