The Legend of Rebirth of the Demon Empress

Chapter 17 State affairs
First there were rogues who invaded Zhuangzi, and then Jin Yiwei went around hunting down the rogues who slipped through the net. It was almost Haishi when all the dust settled.

Everyone in Zhuangzi was still in shock, regardless of the color of the sky, they all urged to return to the city as soon as possible.

Jin Yiwei escorted a group of people to the west gate of the capital, and a quarter of an hour had passed.

The fact that Princess Yong'an's Zhuangzi was besieged by bandits has already spread among the high-ranking households in the city. Today, some of the children followed Princess Yong'an to go out in the mansion, and everyone is uneasy. They have arranged people to guard the west gate to wait for the news. .

Lin Yuanzhi heard from the yamen that a pair of children had suffered an accident, so he hurriedly asked his superiors for leave, and took Bi's family to wait at the west gate at [-]:[-] a.m. until now.

Seeing the safe return of the children in the carriage, Mrs. Bi was overjoyed at first, and then cried loudly. Lin Zisu had no choice but to get out of the carriage and comfort her softly.

There are not a few families like Bi's who are both happy and sad, and the west city gate has become a scene for confessing relatives. Amid the noise, Bi's crying is not ear-piercing.

Leaving aside how the brothers and sisters of the Lin family will settle down after returning home, the Princess Yong'an went straight to the palace to meet the emperor without going back home.

The emperor has been anxiously waiting for Jin Yiwei's return in the Jiyi Hall. There are his two princes, his sister, and more than a dozen children of Beijing officials in the Zhuangzi. If they all fall into the hands of the rogues.
Thinking of this, the emperor was both angry and worried. These officials below usually eat vegetarian meals in the corpses, but they let the bandits do their best, they really deserve to die!

However, how to deal with these local officials is something to be discussed later. Without any news from outside the city for a while, the emperor will be restless after all.

Just when the emperor was flustered, a servant came to report that Princess Yong'an was asking to see her. The emperor was surprised and delighted, and hurriedly announced that Princess Yong'an had entered the Jiyi Hall.

Princess Yong'an finished her ceremony, and without waiting for the emperor to ask questions, she told the emperor all kinds of dangers that happened in Zhuangzi with embellishments.

At the end, she gritted her teeth and said, "My Royal Brother, it's obviously not a day or two for so many bandits to make trouble. The local officials below should be hacked to pieces!"

The emperor also had the same thoughts just now, but after hearing Princess Yong'an finished talking about Zhuangzi's affair, he felt that the matter was of great importance, at least not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

He sent his sister back with a few casual words, and ordered the cabinet and Marquis Fang Luan of Weiyuan to come to discuss matters urgently.

The emperor was not idle while waiting, and called Xie Yao, Xie Xi, and He Changmao in to ask the details.

Everyone in the cabinet arrived outside the Jiyi Hall, just as Xie Xi and He Changmao retreated from the study, they all bowed to Xie Xi.

Xie Xi stopped, and said with a smirk: "Everyone can't understand me, Xie Xi, just to put it bluntly, why bother to get a bunch of thieves and put me to death?"

The cabinet ministers who said these few words looked at each other in blank dismay. This fourth prince, who is famous for his absurdity, had not dealt with them a few times on weekdays. The outside world said that King Dun was frivolous and mischievous. The account of today's rogues was assigned to the cabinet.

The chief assistant of the cabinet, Liu Qingyuan, cleared his throat, and was about to explain something to Xie Xi, but when he looked up, he saw that Xie Xi had gone away.

Embarrassment suddenly appeared on Liu Qingyuan's face, Zhang Ruogu, the new servant of the Ministry of Officials, immediately understood the meaning, and hurriedly said: "Old Liu Ge, let's go in, don't make the emperor wait too long."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and entered the study to salute the emperor. When they looked up, they saw Fang Luan standing under the desk, discussing military plans with the emperor.

The chief pen-holding eunuch Huang Sheng stood at the lower right head of the emperor, and the one standing at the lower left head of the emperor was the second prince Xie Yao. This was the first time since the emperor ascended the throne that a prince had participated in the cabinet discussions.

All the ministers in the cabinet had a thought, and the matter of establishing the crown prince, could it be that the Sacred Heart has already decided?

The emperor waved Fang Luan back into the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "Your lords have heard about the rogue bandits in the west of the city today, what do you think?"

Lu Zhiyuan, Minister of the Household Department, was usually taciturn, but at this time he took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, and I can't express it quickly. My ancestral home is Luyuan. A few days ago, I received a letter from my hometown saying that there was a severe drought in Luyuan last year. The disaster relief money allocated by the imperial court was exploited layer by layer, and there was very little left in the hands of the common people, so that in Luyuan and the province, refugees were everywhere, and countless people sold their children and daughters. The people had no choice but to beg for a living."

"In order to whitewash the peace, Gu Shi, the governor of Luyuan, colluded with Wang Jian, the commander of the Luzhou Guards, to drive the refugees out of the country. This caused the refugees to flee everywhere and become bandits, and the disaster approached the three provinces. I think that what happened today is precisely because of Luyuan. From now on, I ask the emperor to thoroughly investigate the source of the bandits, eliminate corruption, and reassure the hearts of the world!"

Lu Zhiyuan was born in the Lu family, a century-old prominent family in Guannei. He was ranked second in high school during the scientific examination, and worked his way from the Imperial Academy to the position of Minister of Rites. No matter his qualifications or family background, he is a first-class existence in the cabinet.

However, Lu Zhiyuan didn't speak much on weekdays, and everyone in the court respected him a bit, but he didn't expect him to answer such a thrilling answer at this juncture.

What he said was impassioned, the emperor's face became darker the more he heard it, and when Lu Zhiyuan finished speaking, he said in a cold voice: "Old Liu Ge, what happened to Lu Yuan disaster relief that Lu Shangshu mentioned just now?"

Fang Luan was a little annoyed by Lu Zhiyuan's sudden attack, and Liu Qingyuan was even more caught off guard.

Hearing the emperor's question, Liu Qingyuan hurriedly replied: "Back to the emperor, I still received a memorial from Lu Yuan after the year, saying that all the food funds allocated by the imperial court have been distributed. It has only been three months. ...I really don't know that there is such a big disaster in Luyuan!"

The emperor snorted coldly, obviously dissatisfied with Liu Qingyuan's answer, and asked, "If I remember correctly, the cabinet received a memorial from Weizhou a few days ago? Weizhou is the only way for Luyuan to enter Beijing. Did the cabinet really not know what happened to Luyuan?”

Shen Changde, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Liu Qingyuan had a good relationship on weekdays. Seeing the emperor's unfriendly expression, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Commander of the State Guard Wang Jian has not reported to the Ministry of War in recent months, so I will join the five-army governor's office tomorrow." Eight hundred miles to expedite the writing, and ordered Wang Jian to report on the matter of sending troops without authorization."

"What I'm asking is that Wang Jian sent troops without authorization?"

The emperor couldn't bear it anymore, the veins on his forehead popped up, and he roared angrily: "The rogues are about to flee to the capital to make trouble, and I just found out. Let me ask you, Luyuan is thousands of miles away from the capital, how did these rogues get from Luyuan to the capital?" To the capital? Jingzhao Mansion’s request to appease the refugees, why not the cabinet’s report? From Luyuan to the capital, there are at least nine guards’ borders on the way. Are the commanders of these guards full of money?”

Everyone who the emperor asked these series of questions was speechless, and the Jiyi Hall was silent, and everyone dared not speak out.

Dayan was supposed to win the world immediately, and collusion between civil and military forces has always been taboo. Disaster relief is related to the support of the people and the stability of the society. It has been an extremely sensitive matter in all dynasties.

Now that there is such a big mess in Luyuan, it cannot be covered up with a few words. If it is verified, dozens of people will be killed on the road from the pass to the capital.

Fang Luan stole a glance at the emperor, and seeing the emperor's angry eyebrows, he swallowed back what he wanted to say.

After a long time, Ye Quan, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. If Master Lu said just now, the current situation in Luyuan is already in dire straits. For the current plan, one is to dispatch Jinyiwei as soon as possible and order He Changmao to investigate the situation in the west of the city today. The cause of the chaos, knowing the experience of the bandits along the way, can also find a countermeasure; the second is to choose another capable official to go to Luyuan to preside over the overall situation, inspect and respond to everything, and appease the hearts of the people; , to prevent large-scale civil uprisings."

The emperor nodded slightly after listening to Ye Quan's words.

Zhang Ruogu saw that the emperor's face was slightly calmer, and hurriedly said: "Master Ye's words are quite reasonable. The so-called 'sage governs officials but not the people'. The emperor's holy name needs to be safeguarded by officials from all over the world. Now the people in Luyuan are full of resentment. The original governor Gu Shi and the officials below acted against the law, if there is no thorough investigation, it will be difficult to appease the hearts of the people."

The emperor's eyes were watery, he looked up at his courtiers, and finally his eyes stayed on Ye Quan, Ye Quan was his grand tutor when he was in the East Palace, and he was also one of the people he trusted the most.

The emperor looked at Ye Quan, but he was speaking to everyone: "What did you think the Taifu just said?"

Tan Taisong, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, sighed inwardly when he heard Zhang Ruogu's righteous and strict speech.

Zhang Ruogu's remarks seemed to be echoing his boss Ye Quan, but in fact he was making use of the topic to deliberately refer today's bandits to the administration of officials, hoping that the emperor would thoroughly investigate the officials in Luyuan.

Zhang Ruogu was born in the Zhang family in the south of the Yangtze River, so it is said that he doesn't need to act according to anyone's face, but he has a smooth and sophisticated personality, and he would never be so clear-cut on weekdays. Could it be that this Zhang Ruogu wants to benefit the Zhang family?
Yes, interests, Luyuan is connected to the northern border, which is the barrier of the capital.In recent decades, there has been a cross-border trade, which is extremely important to the imperial court. The entire Luyuan officialdom is mobilized, and there are always hundreds of vacancies.

What moved Tantai Song's mind was a little clear, but also a little confused. It is true that new officials must be selected by the Ministry of Officials, but Zhang Ruogu is just the left servant of the Ministry of Officials who has just joined the cabinet. Quan, not to mention the entire cabinet watching over him all the time, even with the resources of the Zhang family, how many hands and feet can he move?

Tantai's family is an official family in Beijing. Since the founding of Dayan, there have been one elder and three ministers. The family is distinguished, and they don't have much favor for the foreign families like Lu and Zhang.

Tan Taisong has been in the court for many years, knowing Ye Quan's importance in the emperor's heart, so he said through Zhang Ruogu's words: "I think what Ye Taifu just said is right, 'The people's chaos lies in the officials, and the country's security lies in the government' , The current plan should be to remove Gu Shi from the position of governor of Luyuan first. Xu Ling, the governor of Jiannan, has been in office for eight years and has made many achievements. I suggest that Xu Ling be promoted as governor of Luyuan, and he will definitely live up to the expectations of the Holy Majesty."

Qian Minzhong, the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, has been silent all the time, just as Tantaisong finished speaking, Qian Minzhong said: "Lord Tantai has always been selfless, and I admire him very much. I heard that Xu Ling is a friend of Lord Tantai, Is Master Tantai going to make an exception for Xu Ling today?"

Qian Minzhong and himself have always had political disagreements, Tantaisong also knew it well, and wanted to distinguish, the emperor frowned, and asked first: "Oh? Tantaisong and Xu Ling still have such a relationship?"

Tantai Song responded: "Master Qian is right, I and Xu Ling are indeed in the same year."

The emperor pretended to ponder for a moment, and said: "In ancient times, there was a saying that a virtuous person did not avoid relatives. Since Tan Taisong recommended Xu Ling, I think he is somewhat sure, Tai Tuo! Tomorrow you will discuss with the cabinet about the candidate for governor of Luyuan. If Xu Ling If it is available, then it can't bury his talent, if you think it is not available, then find someone more talented than him."

Ye Quan bowed to accept the order, the emperor paused, and said sharply: "No matter what caused the chaos in Luyuan, Gu Shi couldn't get rid of it. Huang Sheng, send Jin Yiwei to Yunzhou to escort the governor of Luyuan, Gu Shi. When I go to Beijing, I want to see what he has to say!"

Huang Sheng is the chief eunuch of Bingbi. According to the regulations of the imperial court, he also leads the errand of the admiral of Dongchang.

He has been serving the emperor since he was ten years old, and he can be regarded as watching the emperor grow up. The emperor who has always said that he is benevolent and righteous has always been happy and angry. It's only today that the minister's face is full of anger.

Huang Sheng looked terrified, and bowed in response: "Your servant takes orders."

Seeing that the emperor and even the Jin Yiwei were mobilized, the cabinet seemed to have made up their minds, and there was nothing to argue about, so they retreated after praising the saints one by one.

After all the officials dispersed, the emperor stopped Fang Luan and said, "Your Majesty Weiyuan, just now you have a lot of chatter and it's inconvenient to speak. I want to hear your opinion."

The emperor's tone was cold, unable to hear any emotion, Fang Luan replied bravely: "A gang of mobs gathered together to form a bandit is nothing to be afraid of, but local officials go their own way, which leads to a catastrophe. My Dayan has Millions of troops, these rogues are nothing but idle, please rest assured, Your Majesty."

The emperor nodded and said: "I am very relieved that Wei Yuanhou has such a plan. However, the military governor's office of the five armies is in charge of the military aircraft, and this is the most important thing. If the people in a province are all self-assertive like him, what can we do even if we have a million troops?"

The emperor paused, with an unpredictable expression on his face, and said, "I remember, Wang Jian was recommended by you, right?"

That Wang Jian is a cousin of the Fang family, and he was originally a fourth-rank commander of the Jingjiao Guard Station. According to the Dayan military system, he was not qualified to serve as a foreign guard commander. He was recommended by Fang Luan in front of the emperor. The seat of the commander of the state guard.

The emperor spoke plainly, but there was a hint of wit hidden in his words. Fang Luan scolded Wang Jian bloody in his heart, and replied with a very submissive face: "What the emperor said is that Wang Jian, as the commander of the state guard, Disregarding the law and discipline of the country and the French army, I thought that he could no longer lead the army. The Jinlan Pass guarded by the guards of Jinzhou, inside the Xilian Pass, and the Northern Royal Court is an important place. I ask the emperor to choose another suitable candidate."

(End of this chapter)