Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 15 Secretary Lang

Daxing Palace, Ganlu Hall,
After the court meeting, Yang Jian lay on the imperial couch, his head resting on his hands, eyes closed to rest. Before the couch, the Imperial Eunuch Chen Dexin held the memorial in his hands, head slightly lowered, and read softly. The gentle sound of his recitation echoed throughout the palace.

The emperor listened quietly to the memorials submitted by the three provinces and six ministries, his face expressionless. The eunuch Chen Dexin, standing by, would pause briefly after reading each memorial. Only after confirming that the emperor had no intention of asking further questions would he pick up the next memorial and continue reading.

"His Majesty,"

After reading dozens of memorials in succession, until the eunuch Chen Dexin read a memorial submitted by the Censorate, Emperor Yang Jian suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing this, the eunuch trembled and immediately prostrated himself on the ground, holding up the memorial with both hands.

At this moment, there seemed to be a murderous light flashing in Yang Jian's eyes. After he stood up, he didn't even look at the eunuch Chen Dexin who was already frightened and silent. He snatched the memorial and flipped through it randomly. After reading the memorial again, he finally laughed angrily.

"Great, that's great. I really didn't expect that there would be such a loyal minister in the Censorate who had the courage to submit such a memorial. It's really... really bold!" Yang Jian sneered and tore the memorial to pieces. The broken pieces of paper scattered all over the floor.

"Your Majesty, please calm down." Li Gongfu, the secretary of the Central Secretariat who was serving in Ganlu Palace, saw the emperor was furious and hurried forward and knelt down to kowtow.

"Calm down?"

Yang Jian pursed his lips and said, "How can I calm down? How dare a mere Imperial Censor, a lowly seventh-rank official, submit such a memorial? He actually dared to impeach Wang Yi, the Duke of Ying, for harboring rebellious intentions. He didn't even know who Wang Yi was? He even submitted a memorial accusing Wang Yi of harboring resentment for a long time!"

"What does he want to do? What is the job of the Imperial Censorate's Assistant Censor? How did he review the Imperial Censorate's memorials? He actually allowed such a memorial to come before me. If even Wang Yi has rebellious intentions, then who else can I trust besides my uncle, the King of Backer?"

It's no wonder Yang Jian was furious. Li Ziqi, the Imperial Censor, had impeached Wang Yi, the Duke of Ying, for harboring rebellious intentions, and this was done just after the death of his son-in-law, Wang Fengxiao. This made the sensitive and suspicious Yang Jian believe that someone was behind Li Ziqi's actions.

How could Yang Jian not be furious when he thought about how the Censorate had been used by others and turned into a tool for factional strife? He had also been a prime minister, so he naturally knew that a small assistant censor would have no chance of getting past the rank of assistant censor without support from behind.

The fact that this memorial could be presented to him says it all.

However, the Censorate was a lowly but powerful institution. Censors were independent of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries, reporting directly to the Emperor. The highest official, the Grand Censor, was a third-rank official. If the Censorate were truly involved in factional strife, even Yang Jian wouldn't know how it would end.

Li Gongfu, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please calm down your wrath and listen to what I have to say."

Yang Jianqiang suppressed his anger and said, "Go ahead."

Yang Jian had great respect for this Zhongshu Sheren. Li Gongfu was intelligent and knowledgeable since childhood, and had already gained widespread fame during the Northern Qi Dynasty. After surrendering to the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian appointed him as Zhongshu Sheren, allowing him to serve as an attendant, draft imperial edicts, and participate in the confidential affairs of the court.

Li Gongfu, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, said directly, "Your Majesty, the head of the Censorate, the Imperial Censor Yang Su, is cautious by nature and cunning at heart. If you say that Yang Su was the driving force behind this incident, I do not believe it!"

Hearing this, Yang Jian looked at Li Gongfu deeply, and his anger subsided a little. He said slowly: "I don't believe it either."

Although the memorial impeaching Wang Yi came from the Censorate, and Yang Su, as the head of the Censorate, was indeed highly suspected of being the mastermind behind the incident, Yang Jian knew Yang Su well. A man like Yang Su would either remain silent or decisively kill his opponent, leaving them no chance to counterattack.

Moreover, Yang Su knew the friendship between Yang Jian and Wang Yi, and was even more aware that impeaching Wang Yi for "dissenting intentions" after the recent death of his son-in-law Wang Fengxiao would only bring humiliation to himself, and would surely result in a rebuke from the emperor. Yang Su was not the kind of person who would do something knowing it was wrong.

Li Gongfu, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, whispered, "Then we need to dig deeper into the person behind Li Ziqi. Anyone attempting to frame a founding hero must have ulterior motives. If we don't dig them out soon and let them hide behind the scenes, they will be a great threat to the country."

"Yes, it is indeed a great threat to the country," Yang Jian's expression gradually eased, but the murderous intent in his heart grew heavier. This was not only directed at Li Ziqi's backers, but also quite a bit of it was directed at Wang Yi. He was far from being as confident in this childhood friend as he said.

To seize the throne, Yang Jian had even gone so far as to arrange a marriage between the seven-year-old Princess Lanling and the Duke of Ying. If Wang Yi had truly been close to Yang Jian, this marriage would have been impossible. After his reign was stabilized, Wang Yi, though he held the title of Grand Tutor, lost his real power.

During the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Wang Yi was the Duke of Yang, the Grand Secretary, and the Governor of Xiangzhou. He served in the same palace with Yang Jian. Now, Wang Yi only has the title of Duke of Ying and the Grand Tutor. His influence is far less than that during the Northern Zhou Dynasty. How could Wang Yi not feel resentful?

Yang Jian knew this very well, but he maintained the respect of an old friend. Although he did not give Wang Yi power, he treated him with favor and gave him rewards from time to time. People in the court and the public believed that Yang Jian valued old friendship and cherished old friends. However, Wang Fengxiao's early death finally made Yang Jian want to kill Wang Yi.

If Wang Fengxiao were still alive, caring for Princess Lanling, Yang Jian might not have attacked Wang Yi. However, Wang Fengxiao was dead, and Princess Lanling was only eleven or twelve years old. It was impossible for her to live out her life alone with Wang Fengxiao. If she remarried, that would be the time Yang Jian would attack Wang Yi. "Investigate! I grant you secret orders. Mobilize the Hundred Cavalry Division. Together, we will uncover this culprit. I want to see whether he is hiding deeper than I am."

Yang Jian lowered his eyelids. He was intrigued by the identity of the man behind this. Anyone who dared to stir up trouble under his nose would have to be prepared to pay the price if he discovered them. To this end, Yang Jian even gave Li Gongfu the right to mobilize some of the Hundred Cavalry Division.

As the secret force in Yang Jian's hands, the Hundred Cavalry Division was responsible for monitoring the world. Like the Black Ice Platform in the Qin Dynasty and the Embroidered Clothes in the Han Dynasty, they were the emperor's most ferocious henchmen, and their methods were so vicious and cruel, and their style was so bad and brutal, far beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"promise,"

Li Gongfu kowtowed in response.

Yang Jian coldly watched Li Gongfu's retreating figure, and suddenly turned to the eunuch Chen Dexin beside him and said, "Dexin, who do you think is behind this?"

The eunuch Chen Dexin raised his head cautiously, secretly glancing at Yang Jian's expression. After weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he said softly, "I don't know, but I think the person behind this must be someone with great connections."

When Yang Jian heard the phrase "all-powerful," he was visibly stunned. He looked at Chen Dexin with interest and asked, "Why do you say this person must be all-powerful?"

"Your Majesty, I have long heard that the head of the Censorate, Grand Censor Yang Su, is very strong-willed. While Yang Su is in control of the Censorate, it's not impossible for anyone to interfere, but not everyone can do anything about it."

Chen Dexin carefully formulated his words and said, "To get a censor to willingly take the risk and deliver this memorial to Your Majesty is something not everyone can do. Without a significant stake in the matter, who would dare to take such a risk?"

The highest official in the Censorate was the Grand Censor, and under him were two Assistant Censors, who held the fifth rank and were the Grand Censor's deputies. Their job was to assist the Grand Censor in managing the Censorate and supervising all officials.

Li Ziqi's memorial was able to pass through the Censorate and reach Yang Jian's hands, needless to say, it was one of the two Assistant Censors who secretly helped. Otherwise, such memorials would usually be suppressed directly or forwarded to the Censor Yang Su for review before being presented to the emperor.

The fact that a person could treat a Zhishu Shiyushi as a small soldier shows how noble his status is.
Yang Jian snorted coldly, "A single accusatory memorial would have the effect of dismissing a deputy censor and a deputy censor from the Censorate. Even I wouldn't do that."

Chen Dexin hesitated to speak, as speaking any more would be a mistake. Yang Jian was a man of quick temper. When Yang Jian was furious, Chen Dexin could only crawl on the ground, trembling, not daring to approach. In his rage, Yang Jian made killing seem like child's play.

Although Yang Jian would always feel remorse and regret after his anger, it was just his natural temperament and he couldn't control it even if he wanted to.

"Could it be because of the Eastern Palace?" Yang Jian frowned, walked out of Ganlu Palace slowly, stood in front of the palace, looked in the direction of the Eastern Palace, and for some reason he began to murmur in his heart.

When appointing the crown prince in the first year of Kaihuang, Wang Yi had strongly recommended Yang Yong as the crown prince. Yang Yong was the legitimate heir and the eldest son, which was what everyone wanted at the time. So Yang Jian went with the flow and appointed his eldest son Yang Yong as the crown prince.

Now, times have changed, and Prince of Jin Yang Guang has vaguely shown signs of wanting to compete with Crown Prince Yang Yong for the throne. Although Prince of Jin has hidden it well, who is Yang Jian? He is a ruthless man who could hide his talents under the nose of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yong, and even usurp Zhou and establish Sui.

Yang Guang's tricks were all left over from Yang Jian's past. Given the cunningness of Yang Guang, the Prince of Jin, it would be difficult for him to hide his tricks from Yang Jian.

Thinking of Yang Guang, and thinking of his son's recent movements, it seems that he has the idea of ​​contacting the Duke of Qi's mansion. Yang Jian himself did not have much affection for this maternal relative, but he needed a non-threatening relative to demonstrate his kindness.

Yang Jian suddenly had an idea and asked Chen Dexin beside him, "Duke Qi's Mansion, Dexin, I remember there was a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel just now, which mentioned that my foolish cousin was asking for his son to enter the government through the family patronage, right?"

Chen Dexin said respectfully, "Your Majesty is a man of great wisdom and intelligence. He did submit a memorial to the Ministry of Personnel, which mentioned the Duke of Qi requesting that his son, Lü Shang, enter the government through a family patronage."

Yang Jian smiled and said, "I've heard that although this boy is unruly and willful, he remains loyal and kind. This is rare. Since the Duke of Qi wants to allow him to enter the government through family connections, let him become a secretary!"

A secretary was a seventh-rank official, subordinate to the Secretariat and affiliated with the Chancellery, a prestigious government office.

(End of this chapter)