Chapter 192: The layout is launched! The confrontation at the court!
Guan Peng left the General Administration Department and walked north along Tianjie. However, he did not go directly to meet the saint, but walked halfway back to the Hubu Yamen.
After a while, Guan Peng came out again with a memorial and headed towards the palace...
In the Ziwei Palace, Li Qian looked at the memorial on the table and was a little distracted.
Guan Peng is a very important person, and Li Qian has a reason to meet him.
However, in Li Qian's plan, it was not a good thing to have contact with people from the Sixth Department now, and he still had some concerns in his heart.
That's why Li Qian didn't ask the old eunuch to go directly to Guan Peng, but asked the two servants to help him pass the message.
But Li Qian didn't expect that he would come so quickly.
"Your Majesty, Guan Peng, the left minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is here."
Li Qian raised his head from the pile of memorials: "Invite him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The old eunuch went out and quickly brought Guan Peng in.
"Your Majesty, Guan Peng, is here to see you."
Guan Peng also held a memorial in his hand, which the old eunuch handed to Li Qian: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Li Qian took the memorial, read it in general, and frowned slightly: "Dachao meeting?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Guan Peng cupped his hands and said: "The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Household Affairs have discussed the Zhengdan Dynasty many times, and many envoys from other countries have already arrived in the capital."
Li Qian frowned and stared at the memorial in his hand: "But there is not enough money in the treasury?"
A flash of embarrassment flashed across Guan Peng's face: "Yes, Your Majesty."
"This year's canal is blocked, 300,000 forbidden troops are dispatched, and the Northeast is provocative..."
"Then let's make it simple." Li Qian waved his hand, as if he didn't care much about it: "Just discuss it with Zhongshu, the disciples, and the Ministry of Rites. Don't spend too much money."
"Your Majesty?" Guan Peng was startled, raised his head, and looked at Li Qian with some confusion.
"This is His Majesty's first major court meeting since he ascended the throne. If Your Majesty wants to organize a grand event, you can also use internal funds..."
He had originally prepared a lot of rhetoric and wanted to take advantage of today's opportunity to convince His Majesty the Emperor, but he didn't expect that he didn't need to waste any more words at all.
Li Qian shook his head, not wanting to talk more about this topic: "There is no money left in the internal funds."
He had almost spent all the money in his internal funds.
In fact, I could have taken this opportunity to ask Li Yuan to help with the money, and at the same time try to regain the ownership of the internal funds.
But yesterday Li Qian learned some things about Tang Guogong's mansion, and secretly changed his mind.
You can't alarm him yet, lest you alert the enemy.
Moreover, Da Qian’s current strength is simply not enough to support any grand imperial gathering.
Even if you empty your family fortune and barely create a grand scene like that of all nations coming to court, it is just a whitewash, and it will be ridiculed by others.
Li Qian felt that even if he really wanted to hold that kind of court meeting, he would have to wait until he had recovered the seriously ill Da Qian, and then have a real court meeting again...
After recovering from the many chaotic thoughts, Li Qian looked at Guan Peng below: "Shilang Guan, do you have any thoughts about the deputy examiner for the general examination?"
Guan Peng was shocked. He had been fully prepared before coming, but he didn't expect that His Majesty the Emperor would ask so straightforwardly.
"Your Majesty, I have already served as deputy examiner twice, and I no longer dare to ask for more. It is better to give the opportunity to other colleagues and ask them to serve the imperial court."
Li Qian nodded thoughtfully: "That's it..."
"But in my opinion, your household department has a high chance of winning the position of deputy examiner."
Guan Peng was stunned when he heard this and raised his head in confusion. What does this mean?
Just now Ding Rukui and Wan Cai also said that His Majesty the Emperor supports Zhongshu Sheng and Menxia Sheng to win the position of deputy examiner.
But why now...
Wait, Tobe!
Guan Peng had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought of something.
He had already said that he no longer wanted to compete for deputy examiner position, but His Majesty still mentioned the Ministry of Revenue.
A figure suddenly appeared in Guan Peng's mind: Han Mulu!
What puzzles him is why does Your Majesty think so highly of Han Mulu? He doesn't have much advantage!
With doubts in his heart, Guan Peng tried a sentence: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue is actually not very sure."
"No?"
Li Qian was a little noncommittal: "I'm just making random guesses. I can't make it true."
"What happens in the end depends on what the Ministry of Rites thinks."
Guan Peng's words were blocked, and the curiosity in his heart gradually grew.
However, Li Qian didn't want to satisfy him, but shook his head and said: "If there is nothing wrong with Shi Lang Guan, go and prepare for the great court meeting. I won't keep you any longer."
Guan Peng is different from the first two groups, and Li Qian cannot talk to him for too long.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Guan Peng could only reply in a muffled voice.
After he left, the old eunuch came forward and reported to Li Qian that Ding Rukui and Wan Cai had just gone to the General Affairs Department.
"I know." Li Qian was not surprised by this.
Moreover, his hint to Guan Peng about Han Mulu was also related to this.
Li Qian put down the pen in his hand and stretched out: "Let's go to the Sixth Palace."
So far, the preliminary preparations have been completed, and the rest will be discussed with Cai Jing at tomorrow's court meeting.
~~
Early the next morning, Feishui Pavilion.
Since the beginning of winter, the days are short and the nights are long, and it’s extremely cold outside. Li Qian’s difficulty in getting up has skyrocketed.
Fortunately, the Sixth Palace where the concubines lived had floor heating and flues, so even indoors it was as warm as spring.
Changsun Wugou seemed to know the importance of today's court meeting with Li Qian. He woke up early when the stars were shining outside, and stretched out his two snow-white pink arms outside the brocade quilt, wanting to get down quietly.
"Sleep a little longer..." This small movement startled Li Qian, who muttered in a daze.
Changsun Wugou pursed his red lips, retracted his slender arms, stared at Li Qian's face in the darkness with his big black eyes, then leaned forward and squeezed into Li Qian's arms.
Li Qian often goes to court early in the morning, and Li Qian's biological clock has gradually shifted towards morning.
At this time, he was almost asleep.
Feeling the warmth in his arms, Li Qian gradually woke up and stretched out a hand to wrap around Changsun Wugu's warm back.
Both of them closed their eyes quietly without speaking, feeling the warmth and pounding heartbeats brought by each other.
However, this kind of beauty did not last long, and was interrupted by a burst of footsteps outside the door.
"Your Majesty, the morning court is about to begin." The eunuch's voice came from outside the door.
Changsun Wugou opened his eyes and struggled to sit up, but was hugged back by Li Qian.
She rested her head on Li Qian's shoulder, feeling the gentle warmth. The reluctance in her beautiful eyes was much stronger than that of Li Qian, but even so, Changsun Wugou still gritted his teeth and said: "Your Majesty, It’s time to get up.”
"Um……"
Li Qian responded casually, but showed no intention of moving.
After half a year, Li Qian had completely figured out the morning meeting.
The court meeting will be held at 4:00 in the morning.
After winter comes, the eunuchs will call Li Qian at Yin hour, half an hour in advance.
In Li Qian's view, this time is undoubtedly very advanced, very wasteful, and very shameful.
It only takes him five minutes to get up, get dressed and wash himself, and it takes about three minutes to walk from his bedroom to the entrance of the Hall of Eternal Life.
Then he got on the shoulder carriage. As long as the eunuchs carrying the carriage walked faster and started running, it would only take a little more than sixteen minutes to go from the Changsheng Palace to the Qianyuan Palace. Then they turned a corner and entered the Qianyang Palace. Qianyang Hall, add thirteen minutes, and the process will take a total of thirty-seven minutes.
The difference is a full twenty-three minutes.
In other words, if Li Qian waited another twenty-three minutes to get up after the eunuchs came, he would be in time to go to the Qianyang Palace to attend the court meeting.
Of course, now that he lives in the Sixth Palace, this time will be shorter by a few minutes.
However, even if Li Qian wanted to do something big at the court meeting today and challenge Cai Jing, he was not at all anxious or panicked.
"Lie down a little longer..."
Li Qian automatically filtered out the eunuch-like repeater voice outside, retracted his arms, and hugged the soft and warm body in his arms tighter.
Changsun Wugou did not struggle hard, but gently stretched out a pair of jade arms and hugged Li Qian's neck.
After a moment, she said softly: "Didn't His Majesty say last night that the meeting would be held longer today? Why don't you get up early and eat something?"
"Last night, I asked people to cook porridge and snacks in the middle of the night. They should be ready by now."
When Li Qian heard that he had to cook, he reluctantly opened his eyes.
"Alas~" He sighed longly, as if he wanted to breathe out all the fatigue from the night: "Then get up and drink something."
Li Qian stood up, his black hair hanging loosely on the back of his head, and in front of his forehead, he was in a daze for a while.
Changsun Wugou had already put on his middle coat and got out of bed. The maids outside also lined up and walked into the room carrying washbasins, bath beans and other things.
After washing up, drinking a bowl of porridge, and eating something, Li Qian walked out of Zhongcui Hall and headed toward Qianyang Hall in a sedan chair, figuring it was almost time.
Almost as soon as the ministers were almost impatient with waiting, His Majesty the Emperor appeared in the palace.
There were still stars outside. The vermilion door of Qianyang Palace was closed tightly to block the cold wind in the early morning. The charcoal pot was burning, and the red candle decorated with golden dragon patterns gave off a bright red light. The ministers all bowed and said hello to His Majesty the Emperor: " See my emperor."
Li Qian had been brewing on the road for more than half an hour. At this moment, he finally worked up his emotions. With a gloomy face, he strode to the dragon chair and sat down.
He looked around expressionlessly at the ministers below, and then said: "Let's all get flat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After the ministers all sat back in their seats, Li Qian said, "My lords, do you have anything to report?"
The ministers were silent for a moment, and it was Zhongshu's right minister Wan Qixi who was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, the New Year is approaching, and after the New Year will be the examination, I thought that we should consider the candidates for the examiners as soon as possible."
The civil servants had different expressions, some were heavy, some were weird, some were smiling, some were gritting their teeth...
As for the military generals, most of them had an attitude of being unconcerned with the matter. Only a few of them had eyes flickering, as if they were thinking about something.
Li Qian sat on the dragon chair, pondered for a moment, and nodded gently: "Shilang Ding's words make sense. The earlier you prepare, the better. What do you think?"
After a while, Ding Rukui, the left servant, said: "Your Majesty, I also think that we should consider this matter earlier, so as not to have any accidents and be in a hurry."
After the words fell, many ministers in the palace smelled a different smell, and gradually realized that today's court meeting was unusual.
Are Zhongshu Province and Menxia Province on the same side? For many people, this is a very dangerous signal.
In particular, many of the ministers in the Sixth Division were wary on the one hand, but secretly suspicious in their hearts on the other.
A few days ago, wasn't there a dog-eat-dog situation between these two sides, which was very vicious? How come today it's just you and me?
Seeing that people from both sides had expressed their opinions, Li Qian did not delay any longer, but directly pointed the finger at Cai Jing: "Cai Qing's family, what do you think?"
The ministers in the palace were obviously startled. Even Zhongshu and the officials from the two provinces raised their heads and looked at His Majesty the Emperor with confusion. Cai Jing, who was asked, paused for a moment.
"Your Majesty, I think it is too early for this."
Cai Jing stood up and said in a deep voice: "In previous years, arrangements were made after the new year. There has never been any mistakes. This year, it is the safest."
Although the situation was a bit sudden, Cai Jing still strengthened his attitude.
For him, the further in advance the candidates are confirmed, the better.
If people knew in advance that the deputy examiner for the general examination was Han Mulu, which minister in the Sixth Department would be willing to help Cai Jing to charge into the battle?
Li Qian had long expected that Cai Jing would be like this. He shook his head: "The Cai Qing family has never had any problems before, but it doesn't mean that we have to stick to this practice."
"If we can do it better and more safely, why not make some changes?"
Cai Jing's expression remained unchanged, and just as he was about to continue speaking, Li Qian didn't give him another chance to speak.
"What about others? What do you think of the Cai Qing family's views? Or are my words more reasonable?"
The expressions of the ministers changed one after another, and most of them looked upward in shock.
Cai Jing, however, seemed not to be worried at all and slowly sat back in his seat.
"Your Majesty is far-sighted and does not stick to conventional rules. There are some bad rules in the examination, and it is time to change them." Wang Ciweng, the left minister of Zhongshu, was the first to speak.
"I also think what your majesty said is reasonable." Yan Maoqing, the minister of Dali Temple, jumped out hurriedly...
Seeing that people from Zhongshu Sheng and Yan Dang had all switched sides to His Majesty the Emperor's camp, Cai Jing's eyes flashed with gloom, and he subconsciously thought of all the anomalies of yesterday.
On the other hand, the generals were more inexplicably shocked.
If this situation hadn't happened today, they wouldn't have realized the problem. The emperor has only been on the throne for half a year, and he can actually control the situation in the court?
What's going on?
These civil servants, who are all like crystal monkeys, are actually willing to listen to him??
Seeing that nearly half of the civil servants in the court had expressed their stance, but no one from Cai Jing spoke up, Li Qian said directly: "Since you all think that my idea is more stable, then..."
"Your Majesty, I think it is better to follow the established rules and agree that the deputy examiner of the joint examination will take precedence after the year." Song Qiaonian suddenly stood up and said: "If you discuss the candidates in advance, there is a risk of fraud."
After him, a group of people from Cai's party stood up one after another, with expressionless faces and firm eyes supporting Cai Jing.
Looking at this bustling scene, many irrelevant ministers felt chills in their hearts.
Is it possible that there will be another invisible war?
In this case, we are not afraid of a disparity in strength between the two sides, but we are afraid that the strength of both sides is almost the same and the fight will enter a stalemate!
Fortunately, this time he is the emperor, Zhongshu, and the three provinces under his sect are all in the same camp. Mr. Cai Jing and Cai are the only one on his side for the time being...
By the way, the other yamen in the six departments shouldn't support him, right?