Fu Shanhe

Chapter 400: Prime Minister Resigns
Capital.

As the rebellion in Shu subsided, the atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense.

The originally most intense dispute between civil and military officials came to a temporary end because Li Mu went to Annan and the nobles suffered heavy losses.

Without a common enemy, the major factions within the civil service once again fell into mutual division.

"Impeach!"

“Impeachment again!”

"All they do all day is impeachment!"

"Don't these idiots know how to do anything else besides impeachment?"

Looking at the various impeachment memorials, Emperor Yongning could not help but curse.

In recent years, the atmosphere in Dayu's officialdom has become increasingly worse.

Impeachment should be a very serious report and supervision, but it has been turned into a tool for party struggles.

When he first ascended the throne, after seeing the impeachment memorial, Emperor Yongning sent people to investigate.

Later, I gradually discovered that the content of the impeachment was outrageous and terrifying.

Except for a very small number of charges that can be verified, 99% of impeachments are groundless.

Although the charges were fabricated, as long as the emperor sent people to investigate, the false charges could become true.

Many cases were sentenced, but were later overturned due to escalating party disputes.

In some unjust, false and wrongful cases, the parties involved were even wrongly sent to the guillotine.

The officials in charge of the case certainly need to take responsibility, but Emperor Yongning, who ordered a thorough investigation, was also very embarrassed.

For the officials handling the case, the emperor’s personal order for a thorough investigation itself represents the emperor’s position.

Everyone conducted the investigation according to the emperor's will, hiding part of the truth in order to show their loyalty to the emperor.

If they were exposed in the subsequent party struggles, the emperor should have protected them, or at least spoken up to help excuse them.

The reality was just the opposite. Emperor Yongning did not seem to realize this and instead severely punished them.

Political misunderstandings exacerbated the conflicts between the emperor and his subjects.

The emperor felt that his subordinates were not doing their job conscientiously, which led to frequent false and wrongful convictions.

All the officials felt that the emperor was ungrateful and ungrateful. It was clearly you who hinted at others to do it, but he turned around and turned against you.

So much so that when carrying out many of Emperor Yongning's orders, the first thing officials thought of was self-preservation rather than completing the mission.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

The cabinet members who were called over hurriedly began to persuade them.

Knowing that the emperor was deliberately trying to warn them, everyone could only play along.

They were also powerless to stop the factional struggles in the court.

In essence, they were pushed forward by the major factions, and it was difficult for the cabinet members to unify their positions.

Just think about it to suppress the disputes among officials and stop this verbal battle.

Anyone who dares to do so will be immediately accused of blocking freedom of speech.

Under the Confucian cultural system, the pursuit of fame by literati is almost pathological.

In order to leave their names in history, they even dared to criticize the emperor, let alone the cabinet ministers.

"Humph!"

"Prime Minister, is this how you supervise all officials?"

Emperor Yongning asked coldly.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"

Wan Junhui replied with a look of grievance.

In name, the Prime Minister does have the power to supervise all officials, but the problem is that if this is really done, the first one who can't stand it is the emperor.

The essence of imperial power is checks and balances.

If the court is united, the emperor will be sidelined.

Since we are playing a balancing act, party struggles are inevitable.

"I just ask for forgiveness every day."

"Besides apologizing, what else can you do?"

Emperor Yongning's rebuke aroused Wan Junhui's anger.

“Your Majesty, I am old and frail, and I am unable to handle the complex situation at court.

I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home!"

The sudden resignation made the atmosphere in the room even more tense.

"it is good!"

"very good!"

"Since Lord Wan wants to return home to recuperate, I will grant your permission."

Emperor Yongning said while suppressing his anger.

In fact, after he finished scolding people, he felt a little regretful.

The Prime Minister is extraordinary and the emperor must treat him with respect.

If he slaps other cabinet ministers in the face, he will not be able to manage the cabinet afterwards.

However, Wan Junhui's sudden resignation suddenly changed Emperor Yongning's mind.

He actually dared to threaten him with resignation. What's the use of having such a minister?

If he had not been concerned about the consequences, he would have immediately ordered Wan Junhui to be thrown into jail.

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I will leave now!"

After saying these words, Wan Junhui instantly looked ten years older.

Although he had intended to leave a long time ago, that was a dignified departure from the court, not the kind of humiliating exit he was getting now.

It was a great pity that the angry Emperor Yongning did not give him any respect.

"Go down!"

Emperor Yongning waved his hand unhappily.

Seeing Wan Junhui's miserable appearance, the resentment in his heart disappeared a lot.

However, the imperial power cannot be challenged. No matter what the reason, anyone who challenges the imperial power must pay a price.

Even the Prime Minister is no exception.

Seeing how miserable Wan Junhui was when he left, the expressions of the other three cabinet ministers also became unnatural.

It is unbelievable that the Prime Minister of the Cabinet stepped down in such a trivial way.

Because of their own interests, none of the three people begged for mercy, but deep down they couldn't help but feel sad for the victim.

Emperor Yongning is not an easy person to serve. If they are not careful, Wan Junhui's today will be their tomorrow.

"My three dear ministers, what do you think about the factional strife in the court?"

Hearing the emperor's question, the three of them looked at each other.

"Your Majesty, cliques have always been the source of trouble and must be severely punished."

Qiu Ruiyang answered in a formal manner.

No matter how they play in private, they must oppose cliques openly.

As for the issue of party strife, it is a chronic disease that cannot be cured.

Whether or not factions can be curbed depends mainly on the emperor's political means.

Politics is not a joke. When you participate in it, you are risking your life with your entire family.

If you want to increase your safety factor, you have to stick together to keep warm.

"Lonely minister" is a product that can only come into being when the situation in the court is stable.

At the very least, the emperor must be tougher and able to protect his younger brothers.

In the political ecology of the Yongning Dynasty, the only way to succeed was to stick together.

Not to mention being a lone minister, even some small factions were purged in the previous series of political struggles.

A few lucky ones managed to survive because they knew how to behave and did not hold important positions.

"Since the three of you have this understanding, then I will give this matter to you."

Emperor Yongning assigned the tasks with satisfaction.

The three people who were forced to do the job were now in tears.

How can we possibly accomplish such an inhumane task as letting them suppress their own faction?

However, the emperor believed that as long as the cabinet was willing to make an effort, the factional disputes could be eliminated.

"Your Majesty, Lord Xu is already on his way back to the capital.

He has rich political experience and was appointed by the previous emperor as a regent, so he is the most suitable person to preside over the overall situation. "

In line with the principle of "a friend's death is better than my own", Qiu Ruiyang decisively chose to recommend Lord Xu. "Your Majesty, Lord Qiu is right.

The situation in the court is complicated now, and only a man of high moral character like Lord Xu can put an end to the factional disputes."

Gu Jiaxi followed suit.

There is no such thing as a fight for the position of Prime Minister.

Xu Wenyue had a long career, high prestige, and was also an assistant minister appointed by the previous emperor. With Wan Junhui resigning, no one was qualified to compete with him.

No one wants to waste time on something that is doomed to fail.

Besides, being the Prime Minister now is not an easy job.

Being caught between the emperor and the officials, he was simply bullied by both sides.

Lord Xu returned to Beijing at this time to clean up the mess.

"Ok!"

"You two ministers have a point. Then issue an order to urge Elder Xu to do something.

It has taken more than two months to travel from Shu to the capital, so we should be there by now."

Emperor Yongning said with a frown.

Deep down, he didn't want to use Xu Wenyue.

When it comes to the regent, he begins to feel uneasy.

Because of the power struggle at the beginning of his reign, he did not have a good impression of all the ministers.

But these guys are more capable than each other, and we can’t do without them.

Xu Wenyue, who holds the title of regent, will surely be a strong and powerful prime minister once he ascends to the position of prime minister, and will be much more difficult to deal with than Wan Junhui, who is trying to smooth things over.

Although it can suppress officials, it will also conflict with imperial power.

What's worse is that he could easily send Wan Junhui back home, but he couldn't dismiss ministers like Xu Wenyue.

He suffered a great loss when fighting against the ministers a few years ago.

It seemed like a successful seizure of power, but in reality both sides suffered losses.

The label of "ungrateful, stubborn and self-righteous" still exists on his head today, and the relationship between the monarch and his subjects has become the biggest trouble of the Yongning Dynasty.

Subsequent efforts were made to repair the situation, but unfortunately, every time when success was about to be achieved, something unexpected would happen, leading to a further deterioration in the relationship between the monarch and his subjects.

……

"Master, the Baoding Prefecture is ahead.

It's getting late now, do you want to go to the city to rest today?"

The butler asked carefully.

Since coming out of Shu, Xu Wenyue has been in good condition.

They can deceive people outside, but they cannot deceive those around them.

Heart disease needs to be treated with heart medicine, so they can only take good care of it.

“No need to go into the city.”

“This place is very close to the capital, and any slight movement will alert all forces in the capital.

This time when I came back from Shu, I didn't have many achievements to show off, so I can't show off too much."

Xu Wenyue said calmly.

It can be seen that his experience in Shu was a great blow to him.

He also worked hard to promote the new policy, but with little success.

When the nobles took over, the gentry in Shu surrendered instantly.

Although there were some minor incidents during this period, everyone generally cooperated.

He was devastated to find that the sage books he had studied for many years were not as useful as a butcher's knife when it came to practical application.

The mess in Shu can be left to Marquis Zhenyuan to clean up, but he will have to face the troubles in the court himself.

In recent years, the Qingliu faction has suffered heavy losses.

The title of the largest faction in the court gradually became unworthy of its name.

Although they still occupy the majority, the clean stream is not seen in more and more important positions.

If this continues, all the gains they made in the Yongning Dynasty will be lost.

Under pressure from the situation in the court, the younger brothers of the Qingliu faction tried to bring him back to Beijing to take charge of the situation.

If the situation turns out to be very good, I guess he will never be able to return to Beijing in his lifetime.

After all, if you can be the boss yourself, no one wants to have a "mother-in-law" to control you.

This is normal in politics, but it doesn't mean Xu Wenyue feels comfortable.

This attitude of "whoever gives you milk is your mother" broke his heart.

"Sir, I just received the news.

The factional struggle in the court intensified, and the Prime Minister Wan Junhui angered His Majesty and was dismissed from his position as Prime Minister. "

Master Yun hurriedly ran to the carriage and said.

Wan Junhui can resign at any time, but not now.

The incident happened at the critical moment when Xu Wenyue returned to Beijing, so it is hard not to suspect that this was his work.

There is no point in explaining. As the biggest beneficiary of this incident, he cannot clear himself of suspicion.

“Master Yun, immediately send a message to the capital in my name, telling our people not to act rashly.

All actions will be discussed after I return to Beijing."

Xu Wenyue immediately gave the order.

When faced with this kind of thing, he doesn't even have time to avoid suspicion, and he can't let his younger brother get involved.

Although Wan Junhui's performance as the Prime Minister was not outstanding, it was above the passing line.

It's too much of a joke to be caught so easily.

Unfortunately, he had been away from the capital for many years and had long lost control of the situation in the court, so he was unable to sort out the situation in a short period of time.

"My Lord, the others are easy to deal with, but Left Censor-in-Chief Lai Yaohua is very ambitious.

Now that the Prime Minister has resigned, a seat in the cabinet has become vacant. I'm afraid he won't miss this opportunity."

Master Yun spoke up to remind him.

Water flows to lower place, man goes to higher position.

When he reached the position of Left Censor-in-Chief, he was only one step away from entering the cabinet.

When opportunities come to you, you must work hard to make them happen.

But Lai Yaohua did not have the advantage. Apart from him, the Left Censor-in-Chief, the other six ministers were all strong contenders.

In addition, the heads of various departments in the capital and governors-general with high reputation in local areas are also eligible to participate in the game.

In this complicated situation, if Lai Yaohua wants to stand out, he must come up with some unexpected tricks.

"If you can't stop him, then just let him go.

Without Lai Yaohua, the sky won’t fall! "

Xu Wenyue said with a frown.

It would have been completely unimaginable a few years ago that he could not control his subordinates.

Today is different from the past.

Being separated from the central government for a long time and relying solely on correspondence to communicate with others, he lost control over his faction.

Please give him some face, he is the boss of the Qingliu faction.

If the people below don't buy it, he is an important official in the court.

Important positions such as the Left Censor-in-Chief were all recommended by the officials in the court.

The Censorate and the Imperial Censorate were relatively independent institutions and did not need to be accountable to the Cabinet.

Under the rule system, even if Xu Wenyue became the Prime Minister, he could not do anything to the Left Censor-in-Chief.

If the plan succeeds and he enters the cabinet smoothly, he won't have to worry about anyone's mood.

"Sir, it's better to try your best.

The current situation is complicated, and one more person means more strength.

The Censorate can supervise all officials. If we can control it, it will be more conducive to the master's management of the government.

If Mr. Lai is willing to cooperate, it is not a bad idea to support him to join the cabinet."

Master Yu on the side began to persuade.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes.

Master Yu and Lai Yaohua are from the same hometown, so they are naturally closer and they often contact each other privately.

No matter how much of a role it can play, at this critical moment, we must help and say a word.

(End of this chapter)