In the Xuanzheng Hall, all the officials gathered here, kowtowed and saluted, and shouted long live the mountain.
Xiao Chengwei had not changed his armor, holding the Raging Dragon Sword on his waist, and walked into the palace with a dragon's stride. He flicked his cloak, sat down on the dragon chair with great strides, raised his head and said:
"My lords, please forgive me and please be free!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" All the officials shouted in unison before standing up.
Xiao Cheng glanced at the officials who were bowing their heads in the palace and said:
"This time, all the ministers in the court and the generals in the army should take credit for their merits, and the rewards need to be approved as soon as possible. Ma Qing needs to come up with a charter as soon as possible!"
When Ma Minwen heard this, his eyes moved slightly, he quickly stepped out of the queue and held his hands, and said cautiously:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! I am old and frail, and exhausted from dealing with the government affairs at hand. I am really unable to take on this important task. Your Majesty, please select another person to take charge of this matter!"
Ma Minwen was cautious and sensible, otherwise he would not have been able to serve as the governor of Li Neishi under Wang Xiao for many years as a non-confidant of Wang Xiao.
The Ma family, the Qu family and the Tao family, because several of Yang Xuanyan's daughters have become in-laws, their influence in the court is spread throughout the civil and military classes, and their power is astonishing.
Your Majesty, when you first came to the throne, pretended to be stupid and acted like a stupid puppet emperor for a long time. After such an experience, it is inevitable that you will feel uncomfortable in the heart of a minister who is extremely powerful.
Previously, Xiao Cheng's prestige was not enough and the general trend had not been achieved. They were the only ones he could trust, so naturally he turned a blind eye.
But now, Xiao Cheng's prestige is not what it used to be, and it is enough to convince the officials who were wavering in the court before. If he, Ma Minwen, is not wise enough at this time, he may be in serious trouble in the future.
Xiao Chengduo glanced at Ma Minwen and saw that he was so knowledgeable. He was very satisfied and nodded:
"I was negligent! In that case, does Ma Qing have a suitable candidate?"
"Zhang Zhao, the left prime minister on behalf of the Chancellor, is loyal to the state affairs. During this period, he has helped his ministers to maintain the operation of the court. He has made outstanding achievements. He can be sent to appraise the merits of the civil and military ministers." Ma Minwen said respectfully.
Zhang Zhao had said before that he was so bold as to ask Xiao Cheng to make him the crown prince.
As a result, not only was he not punished, but he was also transferred to the Chancellor's Desk to serve. Xiao Cheng had specifically told Ma Minwen that Zhang Zhao was a trustworthy person.
In Ma Minwen's eyes, Zhang Zhao is a talent that Xiao Cheng values. After getting in touch with him during this time, he learned about his outstanding abilities and upright temperament.
It is quite appropriate to entrust a person like him with the task of appraising the merits of civil and military officials, which is both easy to offend and easy to benevolent to others.
Xiao Cheng's eyes moved, and the golden finger panel opened.
[Zhang Zhao...Loyalty: 86...]
Well, it seems to have dropped by two points compared to before. It should be the negative effect of the previous emperor card.
However, loyalty is something that, with Xiao Cheng's current status as emperor, it is still very easy to gain it as long as he doesn't do anything that would cause anger and loss of prestige.
"Yes!" Xiao Cheng nodded.
"Master Zuo Cheng, where is Zhang Zhao?" Xiao Cheng said in a deep voice.
Zhang Zhao, who was among the hundreds of officials, moved his eyes, took a deep breath, stood up immediately, bowed down and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, Zhang Zhao, pays homage to your Majesty!"
"You have been diligent in doing things during this period and have made great contributions. Now, I will officially appoint you as Zuocheng of Shangshutai to take charge of this matter!"
Zhang Zhao was excited, his voice trembled slightly, and he said loudly:
"I will live up to your majesty's great trust!"
Xiao Cheng nodded and signaled Zhang Zhao to retreat.
He glanced at the officials in the palace again, his eyes slightly darkened, and he said slowly and authentically in a voice that could not tell the emotion:
"I will not hesitate to reward those who have meritorious service. However, among the hundreds of officials in the dynasty, there are also people who are greedy for power and have evil intentions. Even though the country is in crisis, they still continue to act secretly. Such people, you think, should be
How to deal with it?"
When all the officials in the palace heard this, their hearts skipped a beat.
None of the officials were blind or deaf, and they were naturally well aware of the series of things that happened in the capital during this period. When Xiao Cheng said these words at this time, they knew that he wanted to settle accounts with the queen.
Feng Bao, who was standing next to Xiao Cheng, saw this and waved slightly to the little eunuch next to him.
The little eunuch immediately accepted the order and ran out of the Xuanzheng Hall at a trot.
After a while, a group of forbidden troops escorted Lian Xingye and Marquis Jian into the palace. Also walking in was Guo Xie, who was wearing a black official robe and full of evil spirits.
Without saying a word, Guo Xie knelt on his knees and kowtowed:
"Guo Xie, please pay homage to Your Majesty! Your Majesty's incompetence caused the death of Yin Honganyi in Beijing due to random arrows. Please punish me."
Hong Anyi had been feeling uneasy before, always feeling that something was wrong. But she was still lucky, thinking that if everything came true, she would be in big trouble if she ran away directly, so she went to the Chancellor's Desk to confirm it in person.
He never thought that because of this decision, he died directly under the arrows of the Forbidden Army.
"It's okay. Such a treasonous person with evil intentions will die as soon as he dies! Do I still want to punish the sins of the meritorious officials for him?" Xiao Cheng waved his hand and said.
He didn't care about the life or death of these people. After all, even if all the people involved were dead, even if he was making up the story, he would still have to make up evidence to bring Ganye Temple down.
Guo Xie took a deep breath in his heart and kowtowed:
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Cheng pointed at the two people kneeling in the hall and said coldly:
"Everyone, please take a look at these two people! These two people, as well as the dead Jingzhao Yin Hong Anyi, colluded with the dead soldiers to secretly sneak into the capital, control the chancellery, and then deceive me out of the army as a hostage.
What an evil idea there is!"
The officials in the palace were stunned when they heard this.
Most of them only knew that during this period, Guo Xie led Shang Yu's backup office, also known as Sticking Office, to implement extremely cruel methods against officials who had disloyal intentions.
Xiao Cheng said before that they thought they were going to pursue these matters. But they never thought that there would be someone so bold as to come up with such a plan.
The next moment, an official who reacted quickly walked out of the queue and said loudly:
"Your Majesty, we must not let such a bold traitor go by just yet. Please, Your Majesty, investigate this matter thoroughly!"
The remaining officials also hurriedly spoke up and said:
"Your Majesty, please investigate this matter strictly!"
"Such traitors have no king, no father, no family, and no country. They are really hateful. Your Majesty is kind and kind, but this matter must be severely punished with thunderous means to serve as a warning to others!"
"I am willing to investigate this matter thoroughly on behalf of Your Majesty!"
Xiao Cheng glanced at the officials in the palace who were trying their best to clear away his suspicions, and a sneer could not help but appear on his lips.
"Wen Tiren!" Xiao Cheng said coldly.
Wen Tiren, who had been hiding in the queue of officials, felt his heart skip a beat. He did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly walked out, cupping his hands and saying:
"I'm here!"
"You hold the position of Tingwei, so entrusting this matter to you is in compliance with the law. Do you have the confidence to take over this matter?"
After Xiao Cheng finished speaking, before Wen Tiren could agree, he spoke again and said:
"I will delegate authority to you. No matter what position the people involved in this case hold, as long as the situation is urgent, they do not need to report to the police and can be interrogated first. If there are any obstacles, they will be punished as well!"
Anyone who is an official knows that official position, authority, and authority are the most important.
The promise given by Xiao Cheng was like giving Wen Tiren a Shangfang sword, which would enable Wen Tiren to run rampant in the capital and become the most authoritative person.
For someone like him who pursues power, this should be something he can only dream of.
But at this moment, Wen Tiren felt a chill in his heart, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Wen Tiren is a smart man, and he can see through the key to many things at a glance.
This absurd farce has been seen by His Majesty from the beginning to the end, from planning to execution. What else is there to investigate?
And Xiao Cheng wants to investigate this case, he knows it with his toes. This is just an excuse, an excuse to clean up the court!
An excuse that would not affect Xiao Cheng's previous promise not to hold officials accountable for their crimes, but to completely eliminate the chief helmsman who originally persuaded him to abdicate!
Wen Tiren knew that this job was destined to offend his superiors and ruin his entire reputation. If he had a choice, Wen Tiren would never take it.
However, although Xiao Cheng asked Wen Tiren if he was willing to take over the matter, he clearly did not give Wen Tiren any choice.
There was no way he could refuse this!
However, this matter may not be all bad for him, Wen Tiren.
If it is done well, I will be His Majesty's dog from now on, a dog specially responsible for biting people. And being a dog means that I will not lose the power I have now, and may even go one step further!
This was a temptation that was simply irresistible to him.
Wen Tiren's lips trembled, and with a heartache, he immediately leaned to the ground and said loudly:
"I am willing to serve your Majesty with all my heart and soul, even to the point of death!"
Xiao Chenglang laughed and said:
"Okay, I hope Wen Qing won't live up to my expectations!"
At this time, two lines of small words appeared in the line of sight that only Xiao Cheng could see.
[Wen Tiren, loyalty value increases by 50 (loyalty: 91)]
[Tip: The close minister event has been triggered, and the intimacy level is less than 80, so you cannot become a close minister.]
Xiao Cheng frowned and couldn't help but look at Wen Tiren in the palace.
The original plan was to recycle the waste and let Wen Tiren clean up the court, and then find an excuse to kill him.
But I didn't expect that after this guy understood the form, his loyalty suddenly rose, and it directly triggered the close minister incident.
Really, too knowledgeable!
The role of close ministers is equivalent to that of lonely ministers and imperial party members. They are the emperor's hawks and dogs. They serve as sharp swords in the hands of the emperor in the court, doing things that ordinary ministers dare not do and cannot bear to do with face.
As long as Xiao Cheng is willing, these close ministers can become Tian Wenjing under Yongzheng at any time, charging forward for system reform. They can also be Qin Hui under Wan Yangou, shouldering the pressure of the emperor and the public and shouldering the infamy. Or He, under Qianlong,
Shen, with his hands up and down, tried his best to make money for the emperor's enjoyment.
Such people may not necessarily be good, but they must be useful to Xiao Cheng!
Xiao Cheng's eyelids twitched and he said:
"Okay, I'm waiting to see what Wen Qing does!"
Wen Tiren stood up, with a fierce look in his eyes, and said:
"Your Majesty, please rest assured!"
Although Wen Tiren may not be able to see clearly all the officials in the Xuanzheng Palace at this time, they could also feel a hint of unspeakable uneasiness in the conversation between the monarch and his ministers.
Xiao Cheng saw that most of the officials in the palace looked distracted at this time, so he simply stood up and said:
"In that case, I'm tired too, so let's retreat!"
All the restless officials hurriedly bowed and shouted in unison:
"Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
Surrounded by all the palace attendants, Xiao Cheng lifted his legs and walked out of the Xuanzheng Palace when he remembered that Wen Tiren could not become a close minister because he was not close enough.
With a thought, the golden finger panel opened.
[Wen Tiren, Ting Wei, force 9, literature 74, wisdom 80, morality 20, age 58, control 31, politics 81, charm 53, loyalty 91, intimacy 1, ambition 87]
Xiao Cheng paused, turned to Wen Tiren, and said loudly:
"Wen Qing, come with me!"
When Wen Tiren heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned, and immediately a look of surprise appeared on his face.
He was very good at figuring out what was going on. When Xiao Cheng suddenly called out to him, he immediately realized that he had made the right bet!
Wen Tiren was overjoyed, no longer caring about his manners, and trotted over, carefully waiting for Xiao Cheng to ask questions.
Xiao Cheng led a group of servants and walked straight into the palace.
I don't know whether it's because it's almost early summer, or Xiao Cheng's mood is different, but everywhere in the palace, there are birds and green trees everywhere, full of vitality.
Xiao Cheng walked to a pavilion in the imperial garden, stopped, waved away a group of young eunuchs following him, and said:
"You guys go down first, I'll rest here."
Upon hearing this, all the young eunuchs immediately bowed, turned and left, leaving only Feng Bao and Wen Tiren behind.
Xiao Cheng looked at Feng Bao and asked:
"During my absence, is there anything unusual in the palace?"
When Feng Bao heard this, he immediately understood and bowed:
"Reporting to your majesty, my servants have been keeping an eye on you. There is nothing wrong with you."
Xiao Cheng made it clear, but Feng Bao knew very well that Xiao Cheng was asking if there was anything unusual at Nan Rongshu's side.
Today is different from the past. Except for one personal palace maid, the people serving Nan Rongshu are all sent by Dongchang. Even if there is any abnormality, it will never escape Feng Bao's eyes.
Since Feng Bao said it was okay, Nan Rongshu seemed to be really honest.
Xiao Cheng nodded, then turned to look at Wen Tiren, who was standing respectfully, and said:
"Do you know why I'm looking for you?"
Hearing this, Wen Tiren lowered his head and said respectfully:
"Your Majesty has your own intentions, how can a humble minister guess it..."
Xiao Cheng sneered and said:
"Don't play this trick in front of me. When I want you to pretend to be stupid, you keep pretending to be stupid. Now when I ask you a question, just tell the truth!"
When Wen Tiren heard this, his heart trembled, his waist bent even lower, and he quickly said:
"Your Majesty, forgive me... Your Majesty summoned me, but in order to track down the traitor companions, do you need to give me some advice?"
Xiao Cheng smiled and nodded, saying:
"good."
"Your Majesty, please make it clear!"
"This case involves the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty. There must be no clue at first. Feng Bao's Dongchang is well-informed and may have the clues you are looking for." Xiao Cheng said casually.
Wen Tiren's heart suddenly changed and he understood immediately.
This was to ask him to find Feng Bao's list of officials to be purged, and he would either look for evidence or frame them to send these people in.
"Yes, Your Majesty, don't worry, I understand!"
After that, Wen Tiren bowed to Feng Bao again and said:
"In the future, please take care of me, Eunuch Feng!"
Feng Bao bowed slightly and chuckled:
"We are all doing things for His Majesty, no matter what we take care of or not!"
In the line of sight that could not be seen by others, another line of small words appeared.
[Wen Tiren, intimacy +1 (intimacy: 2)]
Xiao Cheng's eyebrows moved and he said in a deep voice:
"You need to go to the palace in person every day to report the progress of this case to me!"
Wen Tiren's heart skipped a beat, and ecstasy kept pouring out of his heart, making him unable to restrain himself. He fell to his knees with a thud and said loudly:
"Wei Chen, thank you for your trust, Your Majesty."
It was just speculation before, but now Wen Tiren is certain that he is still useful to the emperor.
Xiao Cheng waved his hand casually, signaling him to turn around and leave.
--------------------------
In a quiet room in Ganye Temple, Monk Hui Xing waited for a long time, and finally received the news that there were rebels in the city who colluded with bandits to rebel, and they were quickly put down.
After hearing the news, Monk Hui Xing was stunned for a long time. Finally he closed his eyes helplessly, clasped his hands together, chanted the Buddha's name, and sighed:
"Amitabha, I never expected that after planning for so long, I would still fall short in the end!"
In the quiet room, the remaining Buddhist elites of Ganye Temple looked sad, bowed their heads, performed a Buddhist salute, and whispered:
"Amitabha!"
Hui Chi, who was still sitting at the top, was a little restless. Finally, he couldn't help but break the silence in the quiet room and said eagerly:
"We can't stay in Ganye Temple. If we don't leave, Xiao Cheng will definitely find an excuse to wipe us out here."
One of the monks looked at the restless Hui Chi, frowned slightly, and said with disdain:
"Abbott, you are worrying too much! I, Ganye Temple, am a Buddhist leader with extremely high prestige among the people. Even if the emperors in the past dynasties continue to suppress them, no one dares to send troops to encircle and suppress them. Otherwise, the people's hearts will be unstable and the society will be turbulent. As long as the little emperor is not stupid,
You will never dare to touch us!"
Upon hearing this, Hui Chi looked at the expressions of approval on the faces of the monks and couldn't help but argue:
"No! Didn't you pay attention to what he left before he left? After three days, if the mage doesn't show up, he will change hands and say that we are the gangsters who occupied the temple, assassinated the archmage, and sent troops to encircle and suppress us!"
"It's a joke, who would believe it if this is spread! I, Ganye Temple, can be offended by bandits in the mountains? This little emperor is just deliberately scaring us and venting his bad anger!"
"That's right, Fang Zheng, don't let the little emperor scare you out of your wits!"
When Monk Hui Xing heard this, he raised his hand slightly to stop the other monks from sarcasticly criticizing Hui Chi.
He frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"The little emperor is young and energetic. Maybe he really has this idea. We must be on guard!"
When the monks saw Monk Hui Xing speaking, they were silent for a moment, and then they all spoke again:
"What are your plans, senior brother?"
"Send some of the disciples in the temple away first, just in case!" Monk Hui Xing said.
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy. The general named Di Qing has unfathomable momentum. He is at least an eighth-level master and above. He has hundreds of cavalry on his side, so he has to guard against him!"
When monk Hui Xing heard this, his face looked a little ugly. He was silent for a moment, and then just sighed softly and said:
"Let's act according to the situation. If we have to, I, Ganye Temple, will not be afraid of hundreds of cavalry!"
