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Ten days later.

The memorial from Princess Nanyang Jiang Shaohua was presented to the desk of Emperor Taihe.

Prime Minister Wang said nothing.

The Minister of Personnel, Zhang Shangshu, was furious and angrily said, "Your Majesty, Lu Cong is a criminal. It was the King of Nanyang who tried his best to save his life that saved him from death and he was dismissed and sent back to his hometown. According to Daliang law, criminals who have committed serious crimes will never be employed by the court again."

"Lu is a relative of the Nanyang Prince's Palace. Lu Cong went to Nanyang Princess and was employed by her. This matter was not reported to the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Personnel did not have any official documents. In other words, Lu Cong had no official position, but was just working in the Prince's Palace. This matter is actually against the rules. For the sake of the Princess's face, the court can ignore it."

"But now, it is only natural for Princess Nanyang to recommend Dr. Sun and his son for merit, so how can she recommend Lu Cong as the governor of Pingzhou?"

"This is really ridiculous!"

The Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the promotion of all officials. Officials above the third rank were appointed by the emperor. The promotion of officials below the third rank was within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel. When Lu Cong was the prefect, he was only a fourth rank official. The document of dismissal was stamped with the official seal of Zhang Shangshu himself.

Now Jiang Shaohua wanted to recommend such a criminal as the governor on the grounds of his meritorious service in governing Pingzhou, and Shangshu Zhang was the first to disagree.

Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Works and Minister Dai of the Ministry of Justice also echoed the sentiment with indignation on their faces.

A prime minister, three ministers, a number of low- and middle-ranking civil servants, and the left general guarding the border. This is the core force of the prime minister's party.

In comparison, the Queen Mother's Party was much more shabby. Apart from the Empress Dowager Zheng in the harem, the people who fought in the court were the Minister of War, Duke Anguo, and Minister Ji of the Ministry of Revenue and Minister Li of the Ministry of Rites, who were loyal to the emperor on the throne. Occasionally, when the two parties were arguing fiercely, Minister Ji and Minister Li would lean slightly towards the Queen Mother's Party, just a little bit. They would agree and go along when the wind was favorable, but basically keep silent when the wind was unfavorable.

Duke Anguo himself also felt that Jiang Shaohua's handling of this matter was unreasonable. However, Jiang Shaohua is now a die-hard supporter of the Queen Mother. Last night, the Queen Mother Zheng sent someone to pass him a message, asking him to fully support Jiang Shaohua in the court today.

So, Duke Anguo stepped forward and spoke directly to Prime Minister Wang: "Prime Minister Wang insisted on giving up Pingzhou that day. There were more than 20 people in Pingzhou, and more than 100,000 died, leaving only 50,000 to 60,000 poor people. It was Princess Nanyang who sent imperial doctors to treat the plague, sent people to appease the people and govern Pingzhou, and sent medicine and grain. Otherwise, the people of Pingzhou would either die of illness or starve to death."

"It's a pleasant surprise that Pingzhou is now stable. The credit belongs to Princess Nanyang. Now the court wants to send someone to be the governor of Pingzhou. Isn't that too thick-skinned? Since Princess Nanyang has recommended a suitable candidate, why can't she appoint him?"

Prime Minister Wang snorted coldly: "Minister Zheng, please be careful with your words. Pingzhou is part of Daliang, and Princess Nanyang has made contributions to the Daliang court. This Prime Minister will not deny it. However, Pingzhou belongs to Daliang, not Princess Nanyang."

Duke Anguo sneered and counterattacked: "Prime Minister Wang's words are so nice, why don't you go to Pingzhou in person and ask the surviving people in Pingzhou, whose people are they?"

This is so heartbreaking to hear.

In fact, Pingzhou no longer recognized the rule of the Liang Dynasty since the rebels occupied the territory and rebelled a few years ago. All the civil officials in Pingzhou were killed.

Emperor Taihe, who was sitting on the dragon throne, also looked a little uncomfortable. Prime Minister Wang looked grim and said coldly, "Pingzhou was in rebellion, and the court has been sending troops to suppress it. General Wei was not effective in suppressing the bandits before, and he was executed. General Fan led the troops to suppress the bandits and has gained the upper hand. If it weren't for the plague, the court would have recaptured Pingzhou long ago."

"It's better not to talk about such assumptions." Duke Anguo was unyielding: "The fact now is that Princess Nanyang sent people to stabilize Pingzhou and recaptured Pingzhou. If you want Pingzhou to be stable, you have to use the Princess's people to govern Pingzhou. Otherwise, Pingzhou will not accept the court's governance and will cause chaos again."

"The imperial court has been at war for several years, and the treasury has been emptied. Prime Minister Wang would not want to cause rebellion in Pingzhou and continue the war!"

"You can't use a criminal minister!" Prime Minister Wang's eyes flashed with anger: "Where will this put the dignity of the court!"

At this time, Dong Shilang of the Ministry of Rites suddenly stood up and bowed to Emperor Taihe, saying, "Your Majesty, what Minister Zheng said makes sense. I also think that the person recommended by the princess should be appointed as the governor of Pingzhou. As for Prime Minister Wang's concerns, they are not difficult to resolve."

"Your Majesty, please issue a direct decree to pardon Lu Cong's status as a criminal, and appoint him as the governor of Pingzhou for his merits in governing Pingzhou and pacifying the people."

"This way, it can not only demonstrate the emperor's broad-mindedness in employing talents in an unconventional way, but also give an explanation to the court and the outside world."

Prime Minister Wang frowned and glanced at Minister Dong who was talking eloquently.

Minister Dong has always had close contacts with the Nanyang Palace and often speaks for Princess Nanyang in the court.

Then, Yang Shilang of the Ministry of Justice also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think what Shilang Dong said makes a lot of sense."

"In the case of Lu Cong, it was really bad luck. There was a flood in his jurisdiction, and the mobs attacked the county governor's office. Lu Cong's wife and daughter were killed by the mobs. To be honest, Lu Cong himself did nothing wrong as an official."

"The plague in Pingzhou is under control now, but Pingzhou is a barren land with all industries ruined. It will take years to restore its vitality. There are still remnants of the Pingzhou rebel army hiding in Pingzhou. Who knows when they will start a rebellion again."

"To put it bluntly, among all the officials in the court, who has the courage to go to Pingzhou to be the governor?"

After these words were spoken, all the ministers in the court fell silent.

Minister Yang's words were direct and sharp. They were living a comfortable and wealthy life in the capital, fighting for power and quarreling, but who would want to go to Pingzhou, thousands of miles away, and risk their lives?
Prime Minister Wang frowned and glanced at Minister Yang and Minister Dong.

In the past few years, Nanyang Princess Jiang Shaohua has firmly held Empress Dowager Zheng and the emperor, and has spared no effort to win over the court officials. Minister Yang and Minister Dong are both under 50, and are in the prime of their court careers. Minister Dong has long been regarded as the best candidate for the next Minister of Rites. Minister Yang is slightly inferior in qualifications. With Jiang Shaohua's support now, when the Minister of Punishment retires, he will be able to compete for the position of Minister of Punishment.

They were all willing to be used by Princess Nanyang, which shows how capable Jiang Shaohua is.

In another five, eight, or ten years, when he gets old and retires, will the court become Jiang Shaohua's world?
"I have listened to what you said, my dear ministers." Emperor Taihe broke the silence: "I will think about this carefully for a few days." (End of this chapter)