gnovel Chapter 34 Shen Ce's First Regular Court Audience
Chapter 34 Shen Ce's First Regular Court Audience
July 1st
Every time Shen Liushi went to court, she would think it was a matter of great importance, believing that her eldest son would definitely be able to see the emperor. So, before dawn, Shen Ce was woken up surrounded by his whole family.
Changing clothes and applying makeup were things every official had to do before going to court.
Only after the guard at Chengtian Gate struck the first drum would the gates of the various wards open one after another. This was at 3:50 AM Chang'an time...
If any of the six ministers were too old to use the detour gate and wanted to open a side gate for themselves, this was not allowed, because their rank was not high enough; only the prime minister had this authority.
Shen Ce had no such extravagant hope. He obediently rode his horse along the main street. At this time, there were no sedan chairs. All officials rode horses, but clerks could only ride donkeys.
This made their identities easy to identify and greatly satisfied the vanity of the officials. All the years of hard study and bloody battles were for this.
Since it was the first day of the month, there were many officials attending the morning court session. Apart from those in purple and red robes, Shen Ce roughly counted no fewer than two hundred people in green robes alone.
Passing through the Wangxian Gate, the main hall of the imperial city came into view. The grand hall, raised several meters high, seemed like a mountain pressing down on the hearts of the many officials.
As Shen Ce watched those high-profile figures ascend to the top step by step in the dim light of the sunrise, he felt quite envious, thinking that perhaps one day he could be like them.
Power seems to have a magical power; when it is embodied in something, officials begin to pursue it, or have long forgotten their original purpose for becoming officials.
He was a bit far from the Crown Prince, about thirty feet outside the palace, but that wasn't actually that far, as the people behind him were still thirty feet away.
The crown prince had not yet appeared, making it an opportune time for everyone to socialize.
People who knew each other introduced him to each other. This gentleman was the head of the Ministry of Personnel. Everyone stepped forward and bowed. This was the person in charge of official hats. They had to get to know him.
This fellow was Liu, the clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, who was in charge of important tasks such as checking and verifying documents in the Six Ministries. The crowd swarmed around him again, and some even claimed with certainty that he had several beautiful concubines at home and asked him to come to his house another day. Liu, the clerk, was a man who had seen a lot of big occasions. He was not intimidated at all and pointed at the crowd and said, "After I go to your house, I will go to your house. We will go one by one."
After receiving the promise, the group left with smiles, continuing their search for their next prey.
When a young man with a classic square face appeared before everyone, they scattered as if avoiding a plague, not even wanting to mention his name.
This person was none other than Wen Wuyin.
Some time ago, due to the case of Qian Yanxiu and Zhang Huaisu's embezzlement, this young censor arrested more than ten low-ranking officials based on their confessions, and his reputation soared. Other officials turned away when they saw him, but Wen Wuyin didn't care. He was born into a top noble family and was well-versed in the ways of officialdom. At this time, he could not be a nice guy, so he had to show his ruthless face and honestly present himself as a loyal minister.
Shen Ce hurriedly went up to him and congratulated him, saying, "Imperial Censor Wen, the case is not yet closed, but you have already been promoted one rank. This is truly a cause for celebration."
Upon hearing the congratulatory voices, Wen Wuyin, who had been all alone, quickly looked for the source of the sound. Turning around, he immediately dropped his aloof demeanor and smiled, saying, "This is all thanks to Registrar Shen."
Seeing that everyone else had walked away, Shen Ce whispered, "What tricks did you use to get them to confess so quickly?"
Wen Wuyin also lowered his voice and said, "Of course, we should reason with each other."
"to be honest."
"Once I told them about my family background, they confessed everything..."
At this time, Wen Wuyin had been promoted from the eighth rank to the seventh rank, with an official rank equivalent to Shen Ce's. However, his duties remained unchanged; he was still the Imperial Inspector of the Eastern Palace.
The two of them, one in front of the other, slowly moved forward.
"After the incident, has anyone caused you any trouble?" Wen Wuyin acted like a righteous gentleman, as if he could stand up for Shen Ce who had been wronged.
Shen Ce smiled and said, "If it's true, I'll definitely tell you and have you come down to investigate him."
Hahaha
Their cheerful conversation drew an angry glare from the Imperial Censor, who approached with his official tablet in hand: "Unjustified disturbance, three months' salary deducted. What rank do you hold?"
Wen Wuyin didn't care; he was fine even if he didn't receive a salary. Shen Ce, on the other hand, looked as bitter as a bitter gourd.
Suddenly, at the gesture of the Imperial Censor, the numerous officials in Danxi Square instantly returned to their positions, with both civil and military officials standing in two neat rows. The reason was simple: Li Yuan had begun his court session.
The interpreter shouted, "All assemble!"
Sing again, "Silence!"
Repeat: "The emperor ascends the throne, and all the officials bow in respect."
The final verse: "The officials shall proceed with their reports in turn."
The court's seating arrangement at this time was quite strange. Li Yuan sat on the dragon throne, silent, seemingly in silent resistance, while Li Er also had a chair and sat to his east and below, beginning to issue orders.
Pei Ji, who was at the head of the eastern column, was Li Yuan's childhood friend and held the official position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He looked straight at Li Yuan and stepped forward first, saying, "Since June, the two princes have plotted against the Crown Prince, causing turmoil in the court and the country, and unrest in the capital. Now the two princes have been executed, but Jiancheng and Yuanji's cronies and subordinates have committed many misdeeds and framed loyal officials. I request Your Majesty to investigate them as appropriate in order to bring peace to the people."
Li Yuan looked at his old comrade below, his heart filled with indescribable complex emotions. In less than a month, he had already stopped favoring him and moved closer to the new crown prince. He sighed and said, "Alright."
At this moment, Li Er did not buy it. He stood up and stood in front of Li Yuan, retorting: "Lord Pei, this is not appropriate. Last month, I clearly ordered that the disaster be limited to the two princes, and the rest of the officials would not be questioned. In the past, Jiancheng and Yuanji's officials were just serving their respective masters and performing their duties. Their past disputes were not the fault of the subjects. I beg Your Majesty to forgive them."
Having said that, he turned and bowed to Li Yuan.
Li Yuan sneered and waved his hand, saying, "As the Crown Prince says."
Li Shimin turned around and said in a deep voice, "Execute the decree."
When Pei Ji saw that his expression of loyalty had been rejected by Li Er in court, his expression was uncertain. After sighing, he returned to his seat. Little did he know that Li Er would never accept Pei Ji under any circumstances.
Firstly, Pei Ji only became the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel by relying on his childhood friendship with Li Yuan, who drank and played with him. Li Er looked down on him.
Secondly, because of the Liu Wenjing incident, Li Er's most relied-upon strategist was framed and killed by Pei Ji.
With these two points in mind, Li Shimin would definitely eliminate them, but not now. After some time, once Li Er had complete control of the capital region and the Sixteen Guards, he would still have to work hard to persuade Li Yuan to abdicate.
For now, maintaining a public facade of friendship is sufficient.
Standing behind Pei Ji, Xiao Yu secretly rejoiced at Pei Ji's humiliation. He cleared his throat, stepped forward, and said, "Your Majesty and the Crown Prince, the Prince of Lujiang, Li?, previously plotted a rebellion and detained the envoy Cui Dunli. He has now been captured and strangled by Wang Junkuo. More than half of the prefectures in Shandong are former subordinates of the Crown Prince, and everyone is filled with fear. The situation is extremely precarious and must be investigated. I hope that an envoy will be sent to Shandong immediately to reassure them."
Li Er breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the King of Lujiang had been captured and killed.
Previously, Wei Zheng advised Li Jiancheng to personally lead an expedition to Hebei. In Shandong, he made many friends among the heroes, spread his benevolence widely, and placed his trusted confidants in positions of power. He had previously shown a magnanimous attitude to avoid making the prefectures of Shandong too tense. Now that the rebellion has been quelled and the people yearn for stability, it is time to make a firm decision and send someone to take him there.