The prince is more stable

Chapter 861 Decentralization and Oversight
These two proud prime ministers truly managed to keep public and private matters separate.

I may agree with you on political issues, but I still hate you on principle and wish I could kill you.

Zhao Xiaoqian thought it was a good thing; he hoped to see this situation.

Conflict is permissible, and even necessary, but it must be kept within appropriate limits.

The atmosphere and state of affairs inside the Council of State are quite good now, which is the state that Zhao Xiaoqian hopes to achieve.

"It's not just the Green Sprouts Act; the same goes for other new policies. You should have realized the advantages and disadvantages of them a long time ago, so why didn't you try to revise them?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

This was a rather pointed question, and the ministers looked at each other, some with troubled expressions and others with shame.

Why wasn't it corrected before?

There are too many reasons.

The biggest reason is the struggle for power and interests. The root of the conflict between the new and old parties is the struggle for interests between the emerging and the old elites.

The new policies have touched upon the interests of the old powerful landlord group in too many ways. These people, who hold power, are naturally unwilling to compromise easily.

This led to a fierce backlash and attack against the New Party, resulting in the New Policies being abolished and reinstated several times over the decades, a consequence of intense party strife.

Secondly, there are many other reasons, including whether the emperor's stance and attitude are firm, the ebb and flow of power between the two factions, the spontaneous and artificial public opinion trends in the court and among the people, and the struggle between the scholar-official and merchant groups for the right to speak in the court for their own interests.

The situation has become so complicated that previous emperors had a real headache. They wanted to solve it but didn't have the courage, and their personal stances were wavering between the old and new factions, which led to the current situation.

"Since Zihou and Ziyou agree, then I will raise the next question..." Zhao Xiaoqian looked around at the assembled officials and slowly said, "How do we resolve the issue of the court's oversight of local areas after the new policies are implemented?"

After finishing his sentence, Zhao Xiaoqian looked at Zhang Dun and said, "Mr. Zihou, you go first."

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Dun sighed and said, "The only thing I can think of is to make the Censorate responsible for supervising local areas, and to establish a regular system in which the Censorate sends officials to be stationed in local areas..."

Zhao Xiaoqian then asked, "But how can we prevent censors from colluding with local officials to seek personal gain and deceive the court?"

"The Censorate supervises local areas, but who will oversee and check the power of the censors?"

“If the power of supervision and reporting is expanded infinitely at the local level, the people who can make decisions in various prefectures and counties will no longer be local officials, but these censors. They will become another form of local lords, which is something the court cannot allow.”

"If the emperor and the Council of State only listen to the words of the censor, it is inevitable that they will confuse the public and distort the facts, resulting in countless wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice."

"If this continues, the Censorate in the imperial court will grow too powerful, but the implementation of new policies in the localities will only become more chaotic and disorderly. Gentlemen, I ask you, how should this problem be solved?"

After Zhao Xiaoqian finished speaking, the courtiers were surprised again.

Today, Zhao Xiaoqian spoke very frankly. Topics that were previously taboo and unspoken in the court were now being spoken out directly by Zhao Xiaoqian, the emperor.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dun and Su Zhe's eyelids twitched. They sensed that the Emperor's words were not unfounded but rather purposeful.

The emperor is very likely to make major changes to the court, and may even take direct action against the court officials.

After the Yuanfeng era, the official system of the Song Dynasty was the so-called "two prefectures and three offices".

The "two offices" refer to the Council of State Affairs and the Privy Council, one in charge of domestic affairs and the other in charge of military affairs, with military and political affairs separated and each governing its own affairs.

The "Three Offices" refer to the Salt and Iron Office, the Finance Office, and the Household Department.

The jurisdiction of the Salt and Iron Bureau is self-evident. The Department of Revenue was in charge of the court's revenue and expenditure as well as grain transport. The Department of Household Affairs was in charge of the population and household registration of the whole country, and the overall taxation, etc.

The two prefectures and three departments were the foundation of the Song Dynasty's official system. Since the Yuanfeng era, the official system had become a fixed system that no one, including the emperor, could change.

Perhaps in everyone's mind, the official system of the Song Dynasty was already very mature and there was no need to change it.

But now, as Zhao Xiaoqian pointed out the problems directly, the court officials present suddenly realized that the official system of the Song Dynasty was indeed not mature enough. The biggest drawback was that the central authority was not strict and unified enough, and the court's supervision and oversight of local areas was far from sufficient.

Zhang Dun frowned first. Whether as the leader of the New Party or as the current prime minister, he was not happy to see the existing balance of power in the court broken.

Implementing new policies was already difficult enough, with enough resistance. Now the emperor wants to take action against officials and change the current political landscape. I wonder how many people and groups' interests will be affected. Even the emperor himself probably can't withstand such pressure.
Suppressing the urge to offer advice, Zhang Dun calmly asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, is there a good solution to the problems with the court's oversight of local areas?"

Zhao Xiaoqian surveyed the assembled officials and said in a deep voice, “I have a plan: to establish another office outside of the Council of State Affairs and the Privy Council, called the ‘Supervision Office,’ and to separate the Censorate from the Imperial Censorate. The Supervision Office will be mainly composed of the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard.”

"From then on, the three ministries of the court were in charge of internal affairs, military affairs and supervision respectively. The three powers were separate and not subordinate to each other. The supervisory power was mainly held by the censors stationed in the local areas of the Censorate, but the Imperial City Guard also had the power to supervise and restrain the Censorate."

"In terms of supervision, the Censorate is stationed in the local areas, while the Imperial City Guard is divided into two branches, one open and one covert, which are responsible for both overt and covert investigations. They also have the power to supervise local areas and report directly to officials and local powerful merchants for illegal activities. The Imperial City Guard is not under the control or command of any official and is directly under the Emperor."

"In this way, with the separation of powers and mutual checks and balances, and each of the three having the responsibility to impeach and supervise the others, the affairs of the world can be settled!"

Looking at the astonished court officials, Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly, "What do you all think of my idea?"

Seeing many court officials about to speak, Zhao Xiaoqian immediately said coldly, "I remind you all, before you speak, consider your initial intentions and stance as officials. Discuss the matter at hand, do not let personal grudges or factional strife interfere, and do not consider the interests of yourselves or your factions." "I urge you, gentlemen, to establish a cause for the people!"

After these words were spoken, the court officials who had been about to vehemently oppose them immediately fell silent.

The emperor had the courage and determination to change the official system, so naturally most of the court officials were against it.

Establishing another government in addition to the two existing ones would be tantamount to taking away the power held by the court officials and infringing on their interests. Who would be willing to agree to that?
But Zhao Xiaoqian's words pierced their hearts with sharp insight.

Yes, they have countless seemingly legitimate reasons to oppose, but deep down, what is the root of their opposition? It is nothing more than the power and interests of individuals and party factions.

It must be said that, despite their opposition, the courtiers were still shocked by Zhao Xiaoqian's strength and decisiveness.

This emperor genuinely wanted to be an accomplished monarch and truly wanted to bring a different atmosphere to the Song Dynasty.

Moreover, the emperor's words pinpointed the flaws in the court's official system, and unlike previous emperors, he began to value the power of oversight.

However, changing the two prefectures into three prefectures involved too many people and interests. Even though Zhao Xiaoqian pointed out the selfish thoughts of the ministers, there were still many people in the hall who wanted to oppose it.

Ideals alone cannot sustain a person; power and interests are what make individuals and families prominent.

The interests of individuals and nations are often in conflict, and that is the essence of the problem.

After a long silence in the hall, Zhang Dun finally spoke with difficulty: "Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but separating the court's supervisory power will likely face considerable resistance..."

Zhao Xiaoqian smiled and said, "Does 'resistance' also include everyone here? If you object, what are your reasons? Is it because it threatens your interests?"

The courtiers were startled once again.

Alright, today the Emperor is determined to bring all the sensitive and taboo topics to the forefront.

In the past, the imperial court's supervisory power was mostly held by the Censorate, but this power actually belonged to the Council of State Affairs.

The current proposal by the government to separate the three powers, including the supervisory power, is not only aimed at improving government policies and supervising local areas, but also at weakening the power of the prime minister and making imperial power more centralized.

Those present were all shrewd old foxes, and they were naturally very clear about Zhao Xiaoqian's intentions.

Those who could hold positions in the Council of State Affairs were basically prime ministers and vice prime ministers. Zhao Xiaoqian was essentially announcing to their faces that he wanted to weaken their power. Who would agree to that?

Zhang Dun's forehead was covered in sweat. The Emperor had clearly come prepared for today's meeting. He had obviously been planning the matter of independent supervisory power for a long time. Today, he took the opportunity of discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the Green Sprouts Law to reveal his decision.

After he spoke out, he has now begun to pressure Zhang Dun and other court officials to express their opinions.

The emperor's will is supreme and must be obeyed.

As prime minister, Zhang Dun was well aware of this.

He knew better than anyone that Zhao Xiaoqian was different from the emperors of the Song Dynasty. Perhaps it was his experience guarding the border that made him more assertive and decisive.

He regarded the factional struggles in the court, the new policies, and even the basic official structure of the entire Song Dynasty as enemies that must be defeated, and he wanted to change them with the force of a lion hunting a rabbit.

After a long silence, Zhang Dun forced himself to speak: "Even if I and my colleagues in the Council of State Affairs do not object, I am afraid that the entire court will find it difficult to agree to the separation of supervision proposed by His Majesty. This is the truth of my words."

Zhao Xiaoqian hummed in agreement and said, "I like to hear the truth, and I also have a solution..."

As he spoke, Zhao Xiaoqian took out a white jade seal, slightly larger than a thumb, from his bosom. It was the emperor's private seal, which the emperor always carried with him.

At this moment, it rests quietly on the table, representing the supreme imperial power.

Pointing to the imperial seal on the table, Zhao Xiaoqian asked, "Could we ask the ministers to agree to this?"

Zhang Dun shook his head: "If I cannot agree, the ministers will surely remonstrate with me even at the cost of their lives."

Zhao Xiaoqian was silent for a moment, then pulled something out from behind his waist—his short-barreled flintlock pistol.

Zhao Xiaoqian slammed it on the table and then asked, "Could we ask the court officials to agree to this?"

Zhang Dun's back was already soaked with cold sweat, which had drenched his clothes, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "If we don't agree, the court will be filled with bloodshed, the country will be in turmoil, and the Emperor will be condemned by everyone and bear the infamy of being a 'tyrant'."

Zhao Xiaoqian picked up the imperial seal and flintlock pistol at the same time, then slammed them down on the table. He surveyed the assembled officials with a sharp gaze and said, "With this and this, can we get the job done?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall of state was deathly silent.

Zhao Xiaoqian said coldly, "This is something I am determined to do, and no matter how strong the opposition is, my decision will not change."

"Please remember, everyone: a wise ruler can destroy not only the heart, but also the body!"

(End of this chapter)