gnovel Chapter 43: Cruel Politics, a Major Reshuffle in the Court!!!
Chapter 43: Cruel Politics, a Major Reshuffle in the Court!!!
Midday in autumn should be the hottest time of the day.
In the Xuan Shi Hall of Weiyang Palace, the assembled officials felt as if they were in the freezing depths of the underworld, trembling with fear and shuddering.
Crown Prince Liu Ju didn't care about this at all. Politics is never a dinner party; it's a life-or-death struggle.
Moreover, Wang Wenshu was not only a cruel official but also a corrupt one. He used cruelty to justify his greed and to cover it up. In the presence of the powerless, he was like a tiger or a wolf, extremely cruel and ruthless. But in the presence of the powerful, Wang Wenshu changed his tune, and that was his 'flattery'.
In Quang Phu, in Hanoi, and in the capital, he killed tens of thousands of people, but notably not the high-ranking nobles.
Allowing such people to remain in high positions would be cruel to the Han Empire and heartless to the people.
"Prime Minister!"
While everyone was still reeling from the horror of the purge of the Imperial Household Department, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, spoke up.
"His Majesty!"
A sense of foreboding arose in Prime Minister Shi Qing's heart, and he quickly stood up.
"You are my right-hand man, in charge of all officials, assisting me in governing the country, and you have authority over everything."
"Now that the Minister of the Imperial Household has failed in his duty, do you have anything to say about it?"
"I have failed in my duty!"
Shi Qing was shocked and knelt down on both knees, bowing his head to confess his guilt.
*Whoosh!*
Gongsun He and the others all turned their heads in shock.
Crown Prince Liu Ju looked up at Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, on the steps of the palace. Their eyes met for a moment, both cold and ruthless. The confrontation between the father and son continued, from the Minister of the Imperial Household Department to the Chancellor, and even affected the entire court. It was bound to end badly.
"Issue an imperial edict."
Liu Che said indifferently, "The Prime Minister has failed in his duty. He is stripped of his title of Marquis of Muqiu and demoted to a commoner."
"There are many affairs of state, and it is difficult for the prime minister to attend to them all."
"I have heard that during the Former Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor established the positions of Left and Right Chancellors, and I wish to emulate that."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Senior officials such as Sang Hongyang, Er Kuan, Du Zhou, and Yin Qi expressed their agreement.
Only the Grand Master Gongsun He glanced at Shi Qing. Shi Qing was not only the Prime Minister, but also a staunch member of the Crown Prince's faction. His demotion indicated that the Crown Prince's power in the court was further weakened, leaving him alone to struggle. How bitter!
"Liu Quli, son of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, and Prefect of Zhuojun."
"He was known for his virtue and outstanding talent. He was promoted to Left Chancellor, enfeoffed as Marquis of Peng, and granted a fief of 2,200 households."
"The Imperial Censor Er Kuan was promoted to Right Chancellor, and the Imperial Censor Bao Shengzhi, who was directly appointed to the Imperial Censorate, was promoted to Imperial Censor."
"The area surrounding the capital was governed by the Inner Historian appointed by Qin."
"When the Emperor was alive, the Inner Historian was divided into the Left and Right Inner Historians, who were jointly governed by the Chief Commandant. Any cases in the Three Auxiliary Regions that did not comply with the law were reported to the Chancellor and the Censor."
"The central government of the empire must be carefully considered. I intend to change the Left and Right Inner Historians and the Chief Commandant of the Imperial Guards to the Prefect of Jingzhao, the Left Fengyi, and the Right Fufeng, with a rank of two thousand shi."
"Xian Xuan, the Vice Censor-in-Chief, was appointed Prefect of Jingzhao, and Mang Tong, the Vice Minister, was appointed Vice Censor-in-Chief."
"Tian Ren, the Commandant of the Capital Garrison, was transferred to Zuo Fengyi; Ji Ren, the Commandant of the Imperial Guards, was transferred to You Fufeng."
"Li Xi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, was promoted to Minister of the Imperial Clan; Fan Kun, the Grand Master of the Palace, was promoted to Grand Master of Ceremonies; and Zhang De, the Commandant of the Waterways, was promoted to Minister of the Imperial Treasury."
"Effective immediately, the four palace guards are abolished, and the supervisors of Jianzhang Palace, Changle Palace, Weiyang Palace, and Ganquan Palace are appointed to oversee all matters related to the protection of the four palaces."
"He was transferred to the position of Imperial Censor in Shangqiu and became the Commandant of the Guards."
Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, issued several edicts in succession, leaving the assembled officials no time to react.
"promise."
Er Kuan, Xian Xuan, and Li Xi responded in unison, their expressions varying.
According to custom, the position of Chancellor is succeeded by the Grand Censor, and the Grand Censor is succeeded by the Vice Grand Censor. However, now, Er Kuan is only the Right Chancellor, and Xian Xuan has been exiled to be the Governor of the Capital Region. This is clearly Emperor Wu of Han expressing his dissatisfaction.
As for Li Xi, this Grand Master of Ceremonies who supported the Crown Prince was directly exiled to the Imperial Clan Court, one of the Nine Ministers with the least influence, which shows the Emperor's anger.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Everyone's here!
Liu Ju's eyes were filled with murderous intent; this reshuffle in the court was undoubtedly aimed at him.
Liu Quli, Mang Tong, Shang Qiucheng, along with Jiang Chong and Huangmen Shilang Su Wen, whom he killed, and only Li Guangli were missing. This constituted the core group of participants in the witchcraft saga. From its inception to its conclusion, both the instigator and the beneficiary appeared in the imperial court.
There were also Bao Shengzhi, Fan Kun, and Zhang De, all of whom were promoted by Emperor Wu of Han.
Of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, only the Grand Master Gongsun He could be considered one of the Crown Prince's men, making the situation completely one-sided.
"Your Highness."
Gongsun He glanced at Liu Ju out of the corner of his eye, his worry reaching its peak.
All the officials in the hall could see that in this court struggle, the Crown Prince had the upper hand at the beginning, but now the Emperor had the upper hand. Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, had not suffered any losses from beginning to end. By dealing with the Shao Fu (Minister of the Imperial Household), he eliminated Liu Ju's biggest helper in the court: Chancellor Shi Qing, and further purged the court.
"Has the Crown Prince submitted a report?"
Just then, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, looked down at Liu Ju from his high position, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
"Your subject has a report to submit!"
Liu Juqiang suppressed his emotions and solemnly declared: "Since the pre-Qin period, the system of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers has been constantly changing."
"The mistake made by the Minister of the Imperial Household today proves the drawback of the unclear powers and responsibilities of the Nine Ministers."
"Therefore, I dare to suggest that the Nine Ministers be replaced."
What?
Upon hearing this, the entire audience erupted in uproar.
Emperor Wu of Han had just replaced almost all of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, and now the Crown Prince wanted to change the Nine Ministers system. This was far too confrontational.
"continue."
Liu Che frowned, his dragon eyes flashing with an inexplicable glint.
He wanted to see if Liu Ju was truly a man of great talent and strategy, or if he was just trying to save face.
"Your subject requests the establishment of nine temples and five directorates."
Liu Ju loudly proclaimed: "The Nine Temples are: the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which is in charge of rites, music and sacrifices; the Court of Imperial Banquets, which is in charge of the palace's food; the Court of Imperial Guards, which is in charge of weapons and ceremonial guards; the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, which is in charge of the affairs of the imperial family; the Court of Imperial Studs, which is in charge of carriages, horses and livestock; the Court of Judicial Review, which is in charge of criminal trials; the Court of State Ceremonies, which is in charge of diplomatic receptions; the Court of Agriculture, which is in charge of grain storage; and the Court of Imperial Treasury, which is in charge of money, grain and goods."
"The Five Directorates are: the Imperial Academy (Guozijian) oversees the Imperial Academy; the Directorate of Imperial Household (Shaofujian) oversees the Imperial Household's handicrafts; the Directorate of Imperial Works (Jiangzuojian) oversees palace construction; the Directorate of Military Equipment (Junqijian) oversees the manufacture of weapons and armor; and the Directorate of Water Conservancy (Dushuijian) oversees water conservancy and bridges."
boom!!!
The moment those words were spoken, the entire hall was astonished.
No one expected that the Crown Prince would come up with a mechanism to completely divide the power of the Nine Ministers in such a short time.
Of the nine temples and five directorates, only the Court of Imperial Stud, the Court of State Ceremonies, the Court of Judicial Review, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices inherited the duties of the Court of Imperial Stud, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, the Court of Justice, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; the rest underwent changes.
The powers and responsibilities of the three officials—the Imperial Physician, the Imperial Guard, and the Imperial Household Department—were concentrated in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and the Court of Imperial Guards. The duties of the Grand Minister of Agriculture were divided in two, and the duties of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department were further divided into four.
"amazing!"
Sang Hongyang, the Grand Minister of Agriculture, immediately recognized the advantages of the Nine Temples and Five Directorates and praised Crown Prince Liu Ju.
While the others were still in shock, Lieutenant Yin Qi was utterly despondent, still believing that the Crown Prince was taking revenge on him.
PS: The Three Dukes during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han were: Chancellor, Grand Secretary, and Grand Commandant (or Grand Marshal).
The Nine Ministers: Grand Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Justice, Grand Master of Ceremonies, Grand Minister of Imperial Sacrifices, Minister of the Imperial Treasury, Minister of the Imperial Clan, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Minister of the Imperial Stud, and Minister of the Imperial Guard.