Do you know: I am the crown prince

Chapter 388 Reason
For the officials, they were not surprised that Zhao Xing took action against Hu Zhongyan.

Judging from Zhao Xing's performance after he ascended the throne and Hu Zhongyan's actions during this period, it was only a matter of time before Zhao Xing took action against Hu Zhongyan.

What was most difficult for them to accept was that Zhao Xing directly ordered the imperial guards to arrest people.

Moreover, the person was not taken to the prison of the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple, but was taken directly to the prison of the Imperial City.

This most likely means that Zhao Xing wants to restart the Imperial City Bureau.

This is what makes it difficult for them to accept.

If you go to the prison of the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple, there are at least rules and room for maneuver.

But once you enter the prison of the Imperial City, the outside world cannot interfere at all, and who knows what crime you will be charged with.

Therefore, the officials who went to see Han Zhang were not just from Hu Zhongyan’s faction, but included most of the officials in the court.

What Zhao Xing did this time can be said to have angered the public.

"My Lord, do you know the wizard religion?" Zhao Xing asked instead of answering.

Han Zhang was stunned when he heard this and said, "Wasn't the Wizard Cult wiped out long ago?"

"not at all!"

Zhao Xing shook his head and said, "Faced with the imperial court's suppression, the Wizard Cult has gone even deeper into hiding. I have solid evidence that Hu Zhongyan is involved with the Wizard Cult. The rebellion in Jiangzhou this time was secretly guided by the Wizard Cult.

I don't know how many officials in the court have connections with the Wizard Cult, so I held the interrogation in the Imperial City Prison."

Han Zhang was shocked when he heard this. If the rebellion in Jiangzhou was related to the Wizard Cult, then Hu Zhongyan was involved with the Wizard Cult, which meant he was involved in treason, a serious crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of his clan.

It took Han Zhang a while to come back to his senses from his shock and he realized something was wrong.

"Your Majesty, since the rebellion in Jiangzhou was led by the Wizard Cult, and Minister Hu has a connection with the Wizard Cult, why has he been advocating to send more troops to Jiangzhou?"

It’s not that he didn’t believe what Zhao Xing said before, it’s just that this point is a little hard to explain.

He even suspected that Zhao Xing had found such an excuse to take revenge on Hu Zhongyan.

If this is the case, it would be a bit too much. After all, treason will result in the execution of nine generations of the family.

Zhao Xing wants to kill them all.

At this moment, a eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Commander Yin wants to see you!"

"Let him in!"

Zhao Xing looked at Han Zhang and said, "I am also very confused about what you said, Grand Minister. But since Hu Zhongyan has been arrested, we can always find out the answer by asking him."

As he spoke, Yin Hanzhang had already walked into the hall and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

"No need to be polite!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and said, "How is the matter going?"

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Personnel Hu Zhongyan and the wizard cult member in his family have been arrested, and the rest are still being hunted down," said Yin Hanzhang.

"Did you find anything else when you came here?" Zhao Xing asked.

"Your Majesty, I discovered that the identity of the woman taught by the wizard hiding in Minister Hu's house seemed to be not simple. I specifically mentioned that woman in front of the shopkeeper of Moxiangzhai, and the shopkeeper's expression changed slightly at that time." Yin Hanzhang said.

"I heard that you are good at interrogation. Since you found something wrong, then interrogate him. Why are you telling me all this?" Zhao Xing frowned.

"It's Minister Hu who has been clamoring to see Your Majesty!" Yin Hanzhang said.

"That's great. I also have something to ask him. Let someone bring him here." Zhao Xing said.

"Yes!" Yin Hanzhang bowed and walked out.

"Come here, let the great master sit down!"

Zhao Xing looked at Han Zhang and smiled, "Sir, please come with me to see him, so that the officials in the court won't think that I am arbitrarily accusing Hu Zhongyan of a crime."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Han Zhang bowed to express his gratitude and sat down.

"Who do you think is suitable to be the Minister of Personnel, sir?" Zhao Xing asked.

Now that Hu Zhongyan has been arrested, the position of Minister of Personnel has become vacant. Zhao Xing wants to take the position of Minister of Personnel, but there is no suitable candidate.

This is also the situation faced by emperors of all dynasties.

It is said that a new emperor has his own ministers, but before the new emperor ascends the throne, it is not advisable for him to have too much contact with the court officials.

Most of the confidants around him are difficult to directly support to serve as high-ranking officials due to their seniority and age.

We also have to employ some veteran officials.

"I can't think of anyone suitable at the moment!" Han Zhang shook his head.

He can recommend candidates for the Privy Councilor, after all, there are not many people who can take over this position.

Moreover, although the Privy Council has the power to mobilize troops, it does not have the right to mobilize troops directly.

To mobilize troops, one needs a military token or an imperial edict, and the military token is in the hands of the emperor.

Ultimately it all depends on what Zhao Xing means.

Therefore, there is nothing wrong in recommending Zeng Gongliang to be the Privy Councilor.

However, the Minister of Personnel not only controls the appointment of officials, but also serves as a minister who participates in the discussion of state affairs.

Zhao Xing definitely wants to take the power of personnel appointment into his own hands.

"What do you think of Master Hai, sir?" Zhao Xing asked.

After much thought, Zhao Xing decided that the only person who could serve as the Minister of Personnel and whom he could trust was Hai Wenyou.

Before he ascended the throne, Hai Wenyou had been in charge of land measurement in Jiangnan, and his official position had remained unchanged.

Now that the land inventory has come to an end, the rest can be handed over to Sheng Changbai, and Hai Wenyou can be summoned back to serve as the Minister of Personnel.

The only problem is that Hai Wenyou’s current official position is Hanlin Bachelor, which is only the fifth rank.

Of course, there is a big difference between him as a Hanlin Bachelor and Wang Anshi as a Hanlin Bachelor.

Not long after Wang Anshi became a Hanlin scholar, Zhao Xing was reluctant to promote him directly to the position of vice prime minister.

Hai Wenyou has served as a Hanlin Bachelor for many years. The position of Hanlin Bachelor is special. Many Hanlin Bachelors in history were able to enter the central government very quickly after being transferred from the Hanlin Academy.

However, for Hai Wenyou to be appointed as the Minister of Personnel, he still needs Han Zhang's support.

Han Zhang also understood what Zhao Xing meant after hearing this. He pondered for a while and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I also think that Master Hai is very suitable."

Zhao Xing smiled slightly when he heard this, and did not continue the topic, but instead talked about some government affairs.

After about an incense stick of time, the eunuch came to report that Hu Zhongyan had been brought here.

Zhao Xing ended the chat and had Hu Zhongyan brought in.

After a while, Hu Zhongyan walked in with a hunched back.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" Hu Zhongyan glanced at Han Zhang who was sitting next to him and bowed.

Zhao Xing looked at Hu Zhongyan, who looked much older and had no energy at all, and said calmly, "Minister Hu, I am a little curious. With your position, it is not an exaggeration to say that you are in a high position with great power. Why did you get involved with the Wizard Cult?"

Hu Zhongyan smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, this is a misfortune for our family. My younger brother was implicated by the Wizard Cult when he was working in Jinling. I did not have the heart to kill my own brother for the sake of justice."

Zhao Xing nodded in sudden realization when he heard this. He had always been puzzled by this.

Hu Zhongyan was a man who did things so flawlessly that even Yin Hanzhang couldn't find any evidence against him.

Zhao Xing did not move him, firstly because he did not want to cause too much turmoil, and secondly because he did not have a good excuse.

In theory, even if Zhao Xing affected his interests, he would always make things difficult for Zhao Xing, and there was no need for him to get involved with the Wizard Cult.

After all, the Wizarding Cult can't help Hu Zhongyan at all, and it will also bring great hidden dangers to Hu Zhongyan.

(End of this chapter)