At noon, Li Ye invited Wei Jiansu and Yan Zhenqing to have dinner at Danfeng Restaurant.
Although Li Ye rejected Yan Zhenqing's petition to disband the inner guards, he also appreciated Yan Zhenqing's courage to serve the people and his subordinates, and pointed out the harm of the inner guards to himself, otherwise he would not have known that the inner guards had reached the point where people and gods were angry, and the people were resentful.
To the point of boiling.
Yan Zhenqing could tell that he was not in a good mood. He lowered his head to eat gloomily and remained silent.
Li Ye poured him a glass of wine with a smile and said: "A founding hero who has repeatedly made great achievements, but he was killed just after the founding of the country. What do the soldiers in the world think?"
Yan Zhenqing stiffened his neck and said: "But if it is a general who has a bad record and has harmed countless people, killing him can also serve as a warning to the morale of the army!"
“It’s not even a question of harming the people!”
Li Ye asked calmly: "Are the internal guards guilty of wantonly raping women and killing people?"
"That's not the case for the time being, but extortion, arresting people arbitrarily, and making the people's faces change after hearing about it. This is not an isolated phenomenon, it is already common. It is an indisputable fact that the internal guards have become the black sheep. Your Majesty, the world has been peaceful, and the internal guards have indeed
There is no need to exist anymore. The meritorious officers of the inner guard can be promoted and arranged separately, and other government functions can be strengthened. Your Majesty, the inner guard is an army, and the army is not suitable for managing a peaceful and prosperous era!"
Li Ye smiled and said: "Cui Yuan's son is selling illicit salt. If it weren't for the internal guards, who would have been able to investigate this case. In fact, I have already determined the nature of the internal guards. Catch the big ones and let go of the small ones. The internal guards only care about the big ones."
Cases, major cases that cannot be handled by the local government, such as the Salt and Iron Supervision Bureau, the Taxation Department, the Private Inspection Department, the Ministry of Household Affairs, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Dali Temple, will naturally ask for help from the internal guards. The major case of Shuofang's private coining, Thirty
Five members of the Holy Maiden Society were collectively poisoned and murdered in Suiye. These major cases can only be investigated and handled by the internal guards. Yan Shangshu said that the internal guards are useless. This is not fair."
When Yan Zhenqing was about to speak, Li Ye waved his hand to stop him, "We all know that Deyaka, which is made from afurong, is a kind of poison. Excessive use of it will make you addicted, making you look haggard and difficult to give up for life. But Deyaka
Used in small amounts, it is also a good medicine for labor pains.
Everything has two sides. The key depends on how the user uses it. A knife can be a good kitchen tool or a murder weapon. Internal defense is a sharp knife. If used well, it will benefit the country and the people. If used poorly, it will benefit the country and the people.
It is a disaster for the country and the people. Yan Shangshu cannot regard it as a savage beast just because the internal guards are not properly managed for a while, and insist on killing it quickly. This is a bit of a waste of food because of choking."
Next to him, Wei Jiansu also nodded, "Wei Chen supports your majesty's point of view. The key is that the system has not kept up. In the past few years, the internal guards have made a lot of great contributions. In the past two years, a small group of internal guards have bent the law for personal gain and corrupted the internal affairs."
Wei Chen also believes that if the system keeps up with the reputation of Wei, the internal guard can indeed make a big difference."
Although Yan Zhenqing is upright, he is not stupid. The disturbance of the inner guards to the people is not the real reason why he asked for the abolition of the inner guards. The inner guards' surveillance of the officials is. On the surface, it seems that the officials were caught for prostitution, but if you think about it carefully, it is extremely horrifying.
The internal guards are always monitoring the officials. When officials gather to have a meal, they are all monitored by the internal guards. This is the reason why Yan Zhenqing asked for the abolition of the internal guards.
At this time, Yan Zhenqing also understood what the emperor meant. It was impossible to abolish the internal guards. He could reform the system. He sighed in his heart. If he couldn't abolish it, he could only settle for the next best thing and see how to change it.
While drinking tea, Yan Zhenqing took a sip of tea and asked, "Does Your Majesty have any ideas about the reform of internal defense?"
Li Ye nodded, "Yan Shangshu's memorial was handed to me on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. I have been thinking about it throughout the New Year. I have two plans in mind. The first one is to streamline the army and streamline administration, as Yan Shangshu said
, Now that the world is at peace, the internal defense does not have so many things to do. Forty thousand people are indeed too many, and the internal treasury is burdened with a heavy burden. I plan to reduce the number by 30,000, let the soldiers go home, and leave only 10,000 elites."
Yan Zhenqing bowed and said: "Your Majesty, you are wise!"
Li Ye continued with a smile: "The second step is to reform the system and transform the internal guards from the army to the government. I am planning to set up a Zhuque Hall in the internal guards. The function is exactly the same as the White Tiger Hall in the imperial court. All cases of the internal guards will be dealt with."
It must be allocated by the Suzaku Hall. If you get involved in the case without Suzaku's approval, it will be a serious violation. It can range from a demerit to dismissal and interrogation. If serious consequences are caused, you will be beheaded in public. In this way, what can the internal guards do?
, whatever you cannot do will be decided by Suzaku Hall."
Wei Jiansu gave a thumbs up and praised: "Your Majesty's Zhuque Hall is just like the White Tiger Hall, it's really a stroke of genius!"
Yan Zhenqing also nodded, "If this system is strictly followed, then Wei Chen will have no objection."
Wei Jiansu thought about it and asked, "Will the internal guards accept civil cases?"
Li Ye shook his head, "I have already set rules for the inner guards, catch the big ones and let them go, but the inner guards did not strictly implement them. The reason is due to various special circumstances. Once there is a loophole, everything will be regarded as a special situation, so in the end
The best way is to apply it across the board. Even if people come to ask for help in the middle of the night, it is still a matter of the Jinwu Guards who are on duty at night and has nothing to do with the internal guards. The internal guards will not accept direct reports from the people, but only accept reports from the county government and other government agencies. In this way,
The situations that Yan Shangshu reacted to will never happen."
After dinner, Li Ye went back to his imperial study, while Wei Jiansu and Yan Zhenqing walked back to the official room of Zhengshi Hall.
"Actually, I understand Yan Shangshu's mood. The surveillance of officials by the inner guards is indeed criticized, but we must also understand the interests of the emperor. The inner guards have always been a weapon used by the emperor to consolidate the throne, so it is not acceptable for the emperor to give up the inner guards.
It is possible that both parties can only find a balance point that is acceptable to both sides. Since the emperor is willing to give in, Shangshu Yan should no longer insist on the proposal to abolish the internal guards."
Yan Zhenqing sighed and said: "Does the Prime Minister think that the internal guards will still monitor the ministers?"
"Of course there will be surveillance!"
Wei Jiansu smiled slightly and said: "But it is different from the current general surveillance. It is a surveillance case. For example, at the request of the Yushitai, a case is filed to monitor a certain minister. Another example is at the request of the emperor, a case is filed to monitor someone. This
It’s called filing a case for surveillance.”
Yan Zhenqing nodded, "It's normal to open a case for surveillance. As long as they are not generally monitoring officials in restaurants, workshops, and dance halls."
"The practice of monitoring officials is often done because the person in power is not in the right position, or is seriously unconfident, just like the eunuchs used to monitor hundreds of officials in the past, but our emperor does not have this idea. This is actually a kind of underworld.
Due to a misunderstanding, the inner guards were carrying out the emperor's order not to allow officials to engage in prostitution, but the emperor did not allow them to do so.
Once the Zhuquetang system is established, such surveillance requests are usually made by the Yushitai, but the requests made by the Yushitai must be submitted to the emperor by the Political Affairs Hall. If we think it is inappropriate, we can directly submit it to the emperor and ask the emperor to veto it.
, the request cannot reach the hands of the inner guard."
"I understand that I am not actually opposed to the surveillance of officials per se, but I am opposed to the expansion of criminal cases. They should be monitored. It is inappropriate to monitor a large number of innocent officials."
"Don't worry, after the internal security reform plan is drafted, the emperor will give it to us for review."
The two of them talked and walked back to their respective official rooms. As soon as Wei Jiansu sat down, someone reported: "To the Prime Minister, Luo Hao, the Minister of Rites, wants to see you!"
Wei Jiansu nodded. He had asked the Minister of Rites and Prince Shi to contact him early in the morning. There should be news now.
"Invite him in!"
Not long after, Luo Hao hurriedly walked in, bowed and said: "See the Prime Minister!"
"How's it going? Have you talked to that Prince of Shiguo?"
"Bi Zhi talked to him this morning. He said a lot. In fact, I just wanted to say one thing over and over again. The fall of Suiye had nothing to do with them!"