Jiuxi

Chapter 830 828 [Right Prime Minister’s Edge]

The second year of Dingzheng, June 11th.

Thirteen days have passed since the emperor issued the imperial edict of reprimand. According to the requirements of the imperial edict, Lu Chen needs to reflect on himself for seven days.

However, what Li Zongben and the dignitaries in the capital did not expect was that Lu Chen still did not leave his house after seven days. Coupled with his letter of apology, it seemed that the young Duke finally realized his problem, or faced with the continuous impeachment of civil and military officials, he had to lower his head.

In any case, the storm was calmed down and the capital city ushered in a rare period of peace.

Li Zongben felt that it was a little abnormal for Lu Chen to be so well-behaved and docile, but at the moment he did not have too much energy to explore Lu Chen's inner world, because the position of Right Prime Minister, which had been vacant for half a year, would welcome its owner today.

Xu Zuo, the Imperial Censor and Governor of Dingzhou, returned to the capital today and went straight to the palace to meet the emperor.

Also in the imperial study were the Left Prime Minister Xue Nanting, the Minister of Personnel Li Shizhi, the Minister of Rites Hu Jingwen and the Minister of Revenue Jing Qingshan, who were the people with the highest status and the most power in the current court.

Li Zongben looked at the middle-aged official who looked exhausted but stood straight, and said kindly: "Mr. Xu, you are tired from the long journey. You can rest in the mansion for a few days and get enough energy before entering the Secretariat. In the future, you and Prime Minister Xue will jointly manage the government. I believe that with the two of you in charge, Da Qi will become stronger and stronger."

These words showed both grace and praise, and gave Xu Zuo great respect in front of other important ministers.

"I thank your majesty for his grace."

Xu Zuo bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am not tired and will go to the Secretariat to take up my duties later. I have something to report and I hope Your Majesty will approve it."

Li Zongben nodded and said, "You can go ahead and say it."

Xu Zuo looked up at him and said sincerely, "Your Majesty has appreciated and valued me and appointed me as the right prime minister. I will do my best to repay Your Majesty. I have already made arrangements with the new governor Ding. Now that I have returned to the capital, I should resign from the position of Imperial Censor."

Although the title of Grand Censor he held was not an empty title, he had been in Dingzhou for the past two years and it was impossible for him to manage the government affairs of the Censorate in the capital. It had always been managed by the two Chief Censors.

However, as he returns to the capital, the situation will naturally change.

The Great Qi State had been established for nearly 170 years, and it was not uncommon for high-ranking officials to hold multiple positions, except for the prime minister. This was because the left and right prime ministers held great power, and if they were allowed to directly take charge of other ministries, it would have a very adverse impact on the structure of the court.

Since Xu Zuo was promoted to the position of Right Prime Minister, he certainly could not continue to serve as the Chief Censor. However, the emperor and his ministers in the palace did not expect that he would take the initiative to raise the issue so frankly.

Li Zongben's expression became increasingly gentle. The resentment that had arisen in his heart when Xu Zuo and Lu Chen stood on the same side disappeared at this moment.

He pondered and said, "My dear minister, there is no need to be so anxious. The Censorate has important responsibilities and I need you to stay in charge for a while."

Xu Zuo insisted: "Your Majesty, the court rules cannot be violated. If you do not dismiss me from my position as the Imperial Censor, I cannot enter the Secretariat."

"Okay, I'll follow your words, my dear."

Li Zongben did not force it any further, and asked, "Then who do you think can lead the Imperial Censorate?"

Xu Zuo had obviously thought about this question, and he said without hesitation: "Your Majesty, I recommend Yao Chong, the former governor of Huaizhou."

Li Zongben pondered in silence.

Last spring, Yao Chong resigned as the governor of Huaizhou and was replaced by Song Wan, the left vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Li Zongben took this opportunity to promote his confidant Qu Hongyi to the position of left vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, thus placing a thorn in Li Shizhi's side.

After Yao Chong returned to Beijing, he did not have a suitable real job, so he only held the title of Palace Scholar and was ready to consult with the emperor. With his qualifications, there was no problem for him to lead the Censorate.

Li Zongben originally planned to promote Qu Hongyi to the position of Chief Censor. If he could fully control this office that supervises all officials, his control over the court would be further strengthened, just like the help Xu Zuo provided to the previous emperor. At the same time, Qu Hongyi's giving up the position of Left Vice Minister could slightly compensate for the blow Li Shizhi suffered in the Beijing Inspection Incident.

Li Shizhi has been extremely low-key during this period, and Li Zongben did not want the Minister of Personnel to suffer a setback.

But he had to respect Xu Zuo's opinion, and Yao Chong had been a provincial governor and his qualifications were far superior to Qu Hongyi.

Thinking of this, Li Zongben asked Xue Nanting, "What do you think, Prime Minister Xue?"

Xue Nanting responded simply and directly: "Your Majesty, I have no objection."

Li Zongben nodded slightly, then looked at the other important officials. Seeing that they did not speak, he said gently, "I trust the vision of Mr. Xu's family. I will appoint Yao Chong as the Imperial Censor, and the Secretariat will draft the imperial edict on his behalf."

Xue Nanting bowed and said, "I accept your order."

"Your Majesty, I have something else to report."

Xu Zuo's powerful voice sounded again.

Li Shizhi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly moved his eyes, and a bad premonition emerged in his heart.

Li Zongben said, "Tell me." Xu Zuo said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I have been far away in Dingzhou for the past two years. I wanted to make suggestions on some matters in the court, but the mountains are high and the waters are long. It is difficult to travel, and I am afraid that words cannot convey my true meaning, so I have not made any suggestions. Since Your Majesty has summoned me back to the capital, I will be loyal and speak frankly. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Li Zongben felt a little unnatural.

Originally, a left prime minister who always advised him was a headache for him, and now a right prime minister who was known to the world as a loyal minister was transferred back. He could foresee his predicament as the emperor in the future, and even missed the time when Zhong Cheng was around. At least Zhong Cheng rarely spoke out against him and would help him to hold Xue Nanting back.

If it were not for the purpose of better checking and balancing Lu Chen, and if it were not for the fear that Xu Zuo would be deceived by Lu Chen's sweet words, Li Zongben would definitely want to promote Li Shizhi to the position of right prime minister.

At this point, he could only force a smile and say, "My dear, just speak frankly."

Xu Zuo said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the selection of scholars, honors and examinations, while the Hanlin Academy is the place where the court stores talents. Both have the responsibility of selecting talented people. In the past 170 years of our dynasty, there has never been a precedent of the Minister of Personnel serving as a Hanlin scholar. At that time, Prime Minister Li retired due to old age and frailty, and Lord Zhong was promoted to the right prime minister. The Ministry of Personnel needed a capable official to lead it. Your Majesty let Lord Li take on two positions. It was a temporary emergency measure, and there was nothing wrong with it. However, nearly a year has passed. Can this become a regular practice?"

No one expected that Xu Zuo would directly attack Li Shizhi on the first day he returned to Beijing.

They remembered very clearly that it was Li Shizhi who recommended Xu Zuo to the emperor as the right prime minister, which was at least a gesture of friendship in officialdom.

Instead of returning the favor, Xu Zuo was so ruthless that it really raised eyebrows.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Shizhi calmly said, "What Prime Minister Xu said makes sense. In fact, I asked Your Majesty to resign a month ago, but the court has been busy with affairs recently and Your Majesty has been busy with many things, so you haven't had time to deal with this matter. It's just that Prime Minister Xu brought it up, so please allow me to resign from the position of Hanlin Bachelor."

Xu Zuo looked straight ahead, and there was no trace of joy or anger on his face.

Li Zongben seemed a little hesitant.

The so-called checks and balances in the court have never been a simple competition of numbers. The reason why Li Shizhi was able to sit on an equal footing with the two prime ministers was not only because of the emperor's trust, but also because the two important government offices, the Ministry of Personnel and the Hanlin Academy, were in his hands.

Previously, Qi Weili, Pei Fangyuan and Lou Huanzhang were taken down at the same time, which made Li Zongben feel indebted to Li Shizhi. Now he was going to take away his position as Hanlin Academician. Li Zongben was worried that Li Shizhi no longer had the strength to compete with the two prime ministers.

However, Xu Zuo's proposal was reasonable, and he was the first to resign from the post of Imperial Censor, which gave him sufficient confidence. Moreover, this was the first suggestion he made after becoming the Right Prime Minister, and Li Zongben could not ignore it.

At this time, Li Shizhi looked at him and said, "Your Majesty, what Prime Minister Xu said is in line with the court regulations and is a long-term proposal. I agree with it very much. I hope Your Majesty will approve it."

At this point, Li Zongben could only nod and say, "You are a man of modest character and concise words, and you can be said to know the big picture. In this case, I agree that you will resign from the post of Imperial Academy. As for the successor, you may recommend a successor."

Li Shizhi said respectfully: "I dare to recommend Chen Chun, the former governor of Dingzhou. He is a great scholar of the time, with profound knowledge. He has served as the Minister of Rites and the governor of Dingzhou. He is well-versed in both internal and external aspects and is qualified to take on this task."

Li Zongben said without hesitation: "Okay, Chen Chun is indeed useful."

The emperor's words were golden and he finalized the matter immediately. This time he did not seek the opinions of the two prime ministers, obviously to take Li Shizhi's feelings into consideration.

Xu Zuo frowned slightly, but said nothing more in the end.

Faced with his sudden attack, Li Shizhi responded quite skillfully. He had no intention of lingering and simply let go of the Hanlin Academy in order to win the emperor's guilt, and took the opportunity to promote Chen Chun.

Who is Chen Chun?

It was with the support of the Jinlin Li family that he was able to have a successful career, and step by step he rose to the high position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. The imprint of the Li family is extremely obvious on him.

However, in the eyes of most people, Chen Chun is Li Daoyan's confidant. Even though his son Chen Wenxue is a die-hard supporter of Li Yunyi, the third son of the Li family, no one thinks that Chen Chun's position will change because of his son.

However, Xu Zuo and Xue Nanting knew very well that Ding Hui had followed Li Daoyan's lead in the past, so what about now?

Li Shizhi was Li Daoyan's eldest son, so of course he could inherit the old prime minister's political legacy, and in fact this was the case.

The Jinlin Li family's background in the court of the Great Qi Dynasty may seem inconspicuous, but in fact, too many officials have received favors from the Li father and son. If they had never interfered with military power, Lu Chen might not be the most suspicious candidate.

Li Shizhi looked calm, but he felt a little anxious and depressed inside.

Letting Chen Chun take over the Hanlin Academy was a helpless choice, as only in this way could he barely withstand Xu Zuo's fierce attack.

Although Chen Chun is trustworthy, he is ultimately no match for Li Shizhi who is in power himself. Xu Zuo's move was beyond his expectations and also made him more vigilant again.

As expected, he is still the cold, tough, upright, and unwavering Xu Yanbi.

Thinking of this, Li Shizhi's mood gradually calmed down.

After the court meeting ended, Li Shizhi walked to the square outside Hening Gate. He glanced at the two prime ministers who were left behind, turned around, bowed with a smile, and then left with steady square steps.

(End of this chapter)