Sheng Fu

Chapter 1138 Political Discussion (Part 2)

A cabinet was established to investigate and punish corrupt officials and to restore order to the court.

Upon hearing this, the officials began to discuss it among themselves, and even Ji Jian and Yang Yu's expressions changed.

In terms of profound and powerful swordsmanship, Bai Xiaowei is inferior to Pu Weiqing, but in terms of sharpness alone, Bai Xiaowei surpasses Pu Weiqing.

Heavy gazes fell on Shen Jun and Gu Yue. This was the first time the two had attended the morning court session. Some people had heard of Shen Jun and seen him, but no one had ever seen Gu Yue before.

The Emperor pretended to be deep in thought, but his eyes began to dart between Bai Xiaowei, Shen Jun, and Gu Yue.

Suddenly, Li Chunyu, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward, kowtowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable."

The Emperor was somewhat surprised, not expecting this old fellow to be the first to jump out. It was understandable, after all, the Ministry of Revenue controlled the country's purse strings, and there were too many things that were unclear and unspeakable.

"How do you know?" the Emperor asked, lowering his voice slightly and speaking in a deliberately gentle tone.

The veins on Li Chunyu's forehead and neck gradually bulged as he loudly proclaimed, "The North has just experienced a work-for-relief program, and order has only just been restored. Now that autumn is approaching, war may break out."

"The establishment of a cabinet at this time will inevitably lead to the collapse of the various internal political orders of the entire human race, resulting in a lack of unified government orders."

"If war breaks out, there will undoubtedly be many obstacles from both above and below, which will affect not only the war situation at the front but also its own internal affairs."

"The establishment of the cabinet will inevitably have far-reaching consequences. Your Majesty, please consider this carefully."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yu, Wang Heng, and others were the first to nod in agreement.

"Yes, the turmoil surrounding the new policies has not yet subsided, and now a cabinet is to be established. Both domestic and foreign affairs will be shaken." An old minister nodded, feigning concern.

Bai Xiaowei's brows furrowed with a sharp disdain as he stared at Li Chunyu and asked, "So, is the Minister of Revenue worried that my cabinet is failing to handle matters properly and is unable to consider the overall situation?"

Li Chunyu quickly replied, "That's not true at all, it's just that the timing wasn't right."

“A cabinet can be established at any time, but it must not be established now. Establishing a cabinet means changes in government personnel, a change of power, and the formation of factional struggles.”

"When the time comes, they will fight each other, and even if you have the cultivation of the Limitless Realm, it will be in vain."

Bai Xiaowei said with great disdain, "May I ask, sir, why is there factional infighting? Who exactly has the cabinet been affected? I am ignorant and hope that you will enlighten me, sir."

Li Chunyu replied with a ferocious expression, "It doesn't specifically affect any one official, but rather the change in power will disrupt the original order of officialdom. Such a reform would be difficult to implement in less than three to five years. But do we have that kind of time now?"

"At present, domestic affairs should be mainly used to assist foreign affairs. If reforms are carried out rashly, it will inevitably lead to difficulties in managing both ends and affect the morale of the troops at the front."

Bai Xiaowei's anger gradually rose, and he asked in a deep voice, "May I ask what the original order of officialdom was like? Was corruption rampant? Or was there collusion among officials?"

"Or perhaps it's because scions of powerful families are closely connected and monopolize official positions?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chunyu glared at him angrily and shouted, "Sir, you have seen corrupt officials, so you think all officials are corrupt?"

"The cabinet has not yet been established, yet Your Excellency utters such hurtful words. Wouldn't this chill the hearts of all the officials in the land?"

The two men's voices, like a gradually surging tide, echoed throughout the entire hall.

Bai Xiaowei was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. He hadn't expected this old fellow to be so sharp-tongued; he truly was a seasoned veteran in officialdom.

Immediately, Bai Xiaowei changed the subject, saying, "If there were three Limitless Realm experts in the Cabinet, how would you, sir, deal with it?"

"When the Southern King and I entered the Limitless Realm one after another, the morale of the human race surged."

"And those who are in charge of the cabinet are all powerful experts whom His Majesty trusts. How could they possibly affect the overall situation?"

"Or does Your Excellency believe that the cultivation level, wisdom, and comprehension of the Limitless Realm experts are insufficient?"

After Bai Xiaowei finished speaking, Gu Yue and Shen Jun successively released their boundless auras, overwhelming the court. For a moment, the ministers were greatly shocked, and even the most timid people dared not look directly at the two of them.

Even Li Chunyu was momentarily dazed at that moment.

Seeing this, the Emperor seized the opportunity and said, "The three of you are at the Limitless Realm and belong to the Cabinet. Your prestige is immense, enough to restrain the rampant chaos and restore order. I intend to establish a Cabinet. Do any of you ministers have any objections?"

His Majesty had already agreed, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials like a raging sea.

At that moment, Qi Yunliang, the Minister of Personnel, stepped forward, appearing neither humble nor arrogant, and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the establishment of the cabinet is a plan that benefits the country and its people."

"Apart from Lord Bai Xiaowei, the other two are not well-known."

"Especially Shen Jun, who was once a key figure in the Purple Gold Alliance. Although the rise of the three of them is impressive, it is inevitable that human officials will have many grievances."

"For example, the life stories of Shen Jun and Gu Yue."

"For example, the extent of their talents and the breadth of their vision."

"In my opinion, a cabinet can be established, but it can be delayed for a while. Shen Jun and Gu Yue should first gain experience in the lower-level officialdom. After they are familiar with government affairs, they can be recalled to the court to establish a cabinet."

"In this way, we can silence the public opinion and conform to the overall situation."

After Qi Yunliang finished speaking, the court was completely silent.

The Emperor even closed his eyes slightly, thinking that even if he wanted to obstruct the formation of the cabinet, he should at least prepare his words before speaking.

Upon seeing this, Yuwen Jun, without saying a word, delivered a high sweeping kick that struck Qi Yunliang's right cheek with a thud. Before the highly respected Minister of Personnel could react, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Yuwen Jun exclaimed, "My God! There are actually people in the world who doubt the integrity and talent of a Wuji expert, and the person who said this is none other than the dignified Minister of Personnel."

They openly took action right there in the main hall!
Yang Yu, Ji Jian, Wang Heng, and the others immediately frowned.

Soon, the Minister of Rites stepped forward, pointed at Yuwen Jun's nose, and shouted, "Yuwen Jun, this is the Imperial Palace! How dare you lay a hand on me? There are many discussions and debates on matters of state; do you intend to monopolize power?!" "And the person you struck is none other than the Minister of Personnel!"

The old minister looked extremely grief-stricken and indignant, wishing he could punch Yuwen Jun to death.

A solemn and imposing aura permeated the entire hall.

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes and said weakly, "Move it a little further away."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Jun slapped the old minister across the face in an instant. A tremendous force sent the old minister flying to the square, a hundred feet away from the main hall.

Immediately afterwards, Yuwen Jun kicked Qi Yunliang, who was lying on the ground, flying away.

Yuwen Jun looked at his ministers and said in a deep voice, "I've seen fools before, but I've never seen such a shameless fool!"

Bai Xiaowei looked at Yuwen Jun with a mixture of gratitude and disdain in his eyes. He had wanted to teach these two a lesson, but Yuwen Jun had beaten him to it.

Just when everyone thought the decision was about to be finalized, Wang Heng stepped forward again and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject has something to say."

Seeing this, the Emperor forced himself to calm down and said gently, "Speak freely."

Wang Heng said, "Shen Jun is a former official of the Purple Gold Alliance and has grudges against many officials of our human race. If he were to take office rashly, it might trigger factional strife and cause widespread panic."

"Since Gu Yue's resume is not available, he needs a reason to convince the public."

"Although Wuji is powerful, most ordinary people have not embarked on the path of cultivation and do not know what it means to be a Wuji expert."

The Emperor sighed inwardly, thinking that Wang Heng's rhetoric was quite skillful, knowing how to exploit the ignorance of the people to obstruct the establishment of a cabinet.

The Emperor's expression hardened, and he said loudly, "Gu Yue and Shen Jun are spies that I personally planted in the Purple Gold Alliance. Otherwise, how could the Purple Gold Alliance have collapsed so quickly?"

"Otherwise, how could we obtain the treasures of the Purple Gold Alliance?"

"Does anyone else have something to say?"

Wang Heng was speechless and slowly retreated, not daring to test the limits any further.

The Emperor roared, "Bai Xiaowei, Shen Jun, Gu Yue, listen to my decree!"

"Bai Xiaowei is the head of the cabinet, with Shen Jun and Gu Yue as his assistants. The three of them jointly govern the officials to achieve overall success."

Upon hearing this, the three men immediately stepped forward, kowtowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, we thank you for your divine grace!"

Upon seeing this, the ministers remained silent, their eyes filled with worry and solemnity.

His Majesty's swift and decisive establishment of the cabinet also means that the cabinet will face the officials with the same swift and decisive force.

Yuwen Jun looked around and said again in a firm voice, "The cabinet is now in place and is sufficient to support the implementation of the new policies. I hope Your Majesty will follow the will of the people and approve the new policies."

Ji Jian coughed and said, "The new policy is good, but it has many drawbacks. The cabinet can take care of the overall situation with the extraordinary wisdom of the three lords, but the new policy involves the entire human race and there are too many things that are difficult to coordinate. Does Your Highness not understand?"

The Emperor frowned again. Ji Jian's words were true; once the new policies were implemented, they would indeed trigger factional strife.

Although there are backup plans, it is essential to persuade the majority of ministers on the basis of reason.

Leaving aside the civil officials, the key lies with the military generals.

Most military officers come from aristocratic families; those from humble backgrounds are almost negligible.

For those from humble backgrounds who wish to rise above others, the only path is through education. However, the path of self-cultivation is utterly impossible without the guidance of a prestigious family or sect.

Moreover, Yuwen Jun could not directly state that a large number of officials would need to be replaced after the new policies were implemented.

Yang Yu stepped forward, kowtowed, and said with an extremely solemn expression, "Your Majesty, there are many wars in the north, and countless young men have died on the battlefield. If the new policies are implemented, I fear it will chill the hearts of the widows."

"It will further shake the morale of the troops, making the soldiers at the front feel a sense of emptiness behind them."

"It is true that the new policies benefit the people, but they are not good for the descendants of meritorious officials. In this era of great strife, I dare not say more about which is more important. I have said all I have to say."

The Emperor closed his eyes slightly; it had indeed come to this.

At that moment, Pu Weiqing stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty implement the new policy. Most of the outstanding students of Bailu Academy support the new policy."

"The new policy is a powerful force, and everyone has a chance."

"This spirit is vigorous and upward, and it is a great plan that benefits the country and the people. After the new policy is implemented, in at most thirty to fifty years, a group of outstanding people will surely emerge in our human race. At that time, the country will be prosperous and all things will flourish."

"These are letters from students of Bailu Academy. Your Majesty, please take a look."

As he spoke, Pu Weiqing took out a thick stack of letters from his chest. Upon seeing this, the Imperial Preceptor Li Hongshan quickly stepped forward, took the letters, and strode to His Majesty, presenting them slowly.

Pu Weiqing earnestly said, "Bailu Academy is the orthodox school of the human race, and its spirit is enough to influence the fate of the nation."

At this moment, Ji Jian's eyebrows twitched incessantly. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to begin. There was no way around it; the word "orthodox" had always belonged to Bailu Academy since ancient times.

The Emperor finally got a moment's strategic respite. He opened the journal, carefully reviewed it, and commented, "I didn't expect that this group of academy students would have so many outstanding talents."

"This is truly a blessing for the nation!"

Pu Weiqing replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty is wise!"

After a long while, the Emperor put aside the letters from the students of Bailu Academy, looking quite troubled: "There are indeed many obstacles to implementing the new policies at present, but I must not let down the people's will."

"Is there any way to relieve this worry?"