The prince is more stable

Chapter 875 Strong Signal
Inside the Hall of State Affairs, everyone was shocked and in an uproar, staring dumbfounded at Zhen Qing's smiling face.

A Vice Chancellor and a Left Vice Minister, arrested and questioned without a second thought?

This is the Vice Chancellor of the State Council! How could the Emperor make such an impulsive decision to take down two of them at once?
Could it be that only a dog like Zhen Qing would dare to forge an imperial edict?
It doesn't seem like it, though, since Han Zhongyan and Lü Huiqing are still standing straight behind Zhen Qing.

If Zhen Qingruo dared to forge an imperial edict in broad daylight, his whole family would be tired of living.

Zhang Dun's eyes widened in shock, his gaze filled with disbelief, and he remained silent for a long time.

Immediately, Zhang Dun angrily retorted, "Nonsense! This is the Hall of State Affairs, the heart of the government. How dare you act so recklessly? The Hall of State Affairs is filled with important officials of the court. How could His Majesty question us without cause?"

Zhen Qing still had a smile on his face, but his attitude was extremely firm: "Lord Zhang, how dare I forge an imperial edict? His Majesty has indeed issued an order, and Li Shao and Hong Tao have indeed committed crimes."

Zhang Dun subconsciously looked at Li Shao and Hong Tao. He saw that the two were pale and looked frightened, clearly lacking confidence. Considering their absent-minded behavior in the past few days, Zhang Dun's heart sank.

It seems these two really did commit a crime; you can tell from their expressions.

Zhang Dun's face immediately darkened, and his eyes, filled with anger, stared intently at the two of them.

Seeing that Zhang Dun remained silent, Li Shao and Hong Tao became even more flustered.

Li Shao immediately stepped forward, pointing at Zhen Qing with a fierce but weak expression, and said, "Your Imperial City Guard is becoming increasingly lawless by interrogating high-ranking officials without cause!"

Hong Tao also mustered his courage and said, "That's right. What crime have we committed? Arresting people without any evidence or proof is making the Imperial City Guard increasingly arrogant. Wouldn't they dare to execute the entire court of civil and military officials at will in the future?"

Zhen Qing coldly laughed and said, "You still dare to be arrogant when you're about to die. I've seen it all. Let me repeat myself, we are acting under orders, and we are not arresting you without cause. Li Shao, Hong Tao, should I remind you that Zhu Zhen, the deputy commissioner of the Salt and Iron Bureau, was arrested the other day?"

Upon hearing this, the two men grew even paler, their bodies trembling slightly, their faces filled with despair.

Zhang Dun immediately understood upon hearing this.

Zhu Zhen, the deputy commissioner of the Salt and Iron Bureau, incited more than two hundred court officials to kneel at the palace gates to petition. This incident happened just the day before yesterday.

At the time, the Funing Hall and the Council of State Affairs kept the matter a secret. Of course, everyone was an old fox and naturally understood that things were not as simple as they seemed.

Zhang Dunyou recalled that he had subtly reminded his colleagues in the Political Affairs Hall to inquire about whose arm it was.

The truth has clearly come out; it was obviously Li Shao and Hong Tao who were behind it.

Zhang Dun became increasingly heartbroken.

How dare you! Do you really think the Emperor is a mild-mannered gentleman?
He came from the battlefield. Under his planning and command, he annihilated more than 100,000 Liao troops. In other words, before the emperor even ascended the throne, he had already amassed more than 100,000 lives.

How dare you scheme against such a malevolent figure and seek to bring him misfortune?

At this moment, Han Zhongyan and Lü Huiqing also stepped forward. Han Zhongyan said calmly, "I didn't expect that before the Censorate was even established, the first case I handled would be against my former colleagues from the Council of State Affairs. Li Shao and Hong Tao, arguing is pointless. The evidence in this case is conclusive and it is an ironclad case."

"If you cooperate honestly and confess truthfully, there may still be room for maneuver. If you continue to deny everything and resist stubbornly, you will truly have no way out. If the Emperor had no evidence, why would he easily take action against a high-ranking official of the Council of State?"

Li Shao and Hong Tao looked ashen-faced, their pleading eyes fixed on Zhang Dun.

At this point, their only hope was that Zhang Dun would plead their case in the palace and minimize their punishment.

Zhang Dun, however, remained indifferent, not even glancing at the two of them.

He had no intention of pleading for the two men. This matter was not as simple as instigating and inciting the officials to cause trouble. Behind it was yet another move by the Emperor against the Council of State Affairs.

It was part of the power struggle between the emperor and his ministers, and it was also the first blow the emperor had decided to strike at the Council of State Affairs. There was absolutely no room for maneuver. Pleading for them would only bring shame upon oneself.

The current situation is that the emperor is fighting alone against all the officials in the country, as well as the bureaucratic system and its chronic problems that have been in place for a hundred years in the Song Dynasty.

The crimes committed by Li Shao and Hong Tao were used by the government as a weapon to strike down officials across the land.

Given this situation and the significant stakes involved, how could the Emperor possibly let the two off so easily just because of Zhang Dun's pleas?
Zhang Dun was not so naive, nor was he in the mood to explain or plead for the two.

The matter was already settled, and the fate of the two men rested entirely on the Emperor's decision. At this moment, Zhang Dun was pondering whether or not to compromise with the Emperor and persuade the court officials to agree to the establishment of the Censorate.

Judging from the Emperor's actions in recent days, he has clearly been systematically and methodically forcing his officials to agree. First, he targeted Zhu Zhen and two hundred court officials, then he brought up old grievances and interrogated three corrupt officials, and today he has taken action against officials of the Council of State Affairs.

They pressed forward step by step, becoming more ruthless each day.

At this moment, Zhang Dun recalled what Su Zhe had said yesterday.

The fact that the Emperor has already begun to take action against the Council of State Affairs indicates that his patience is almost exhausted and he is extremely disappointed with Prime Minister Zhang Dun and the New Party. If they continue to resist the Emperor, the next person the Emperor might target is Prime Minister Zhang Dun. After all, there are many talented people in the country, and the Song Dynasty does not necessarily need Zhang Dun as its prime minister.

To put it more seriously, the emperor didn't necessarily want to implement new policies. New policies were full of flaws and loopholes, and it's really hard to say whether they were better or worse than the old laws.

If the establishment of the Censorate causes the New Party to completely break with the government, then the restoration of the Old Party in the Yuan You era could very well be repeated, and all the efforts of Zhang Dun and the New Party over the past few years would be in vain.

Thinking of this, Zhang Dun hardened his heart, turned around, and ignored the pleading looks in Li Shao and Hong Tao's eyes.

Seeing that Zhang Dun remained silent, the other officials in the Council of State naturally did not say anything more. They were not blind; they could tell from the expressions of Li Shao and Hong Tao that they had indeed committed a crime, and the Emperor and the Imperial City Guard must have irrefutable evidence.

If someone were to mindlessly stand up at this point to stop the Imperial City Guard from arresting the two men and plead for their lives, they might end up getting themselves arrested.

The room fell silent, but Zhen Qing chuckled and said, "Li Shao, Hong Tao, come with me. His Majesty has decreed that this case will be investigated by Bingjing Office and then handed over to the Court of Judicial Review and the Censorate for final judgment."

After saying this, Zhen Qing waved his hand, and several imperial guards rushed up behind him, grabbed the two men's arms, and dragged them out of the government hall.

After finishing his business, Zhen Qing bowed to Zhang Dun and the assembled officials and said with a smile, "I am truly sorry for disturbing you gentlemen in handling state affairs. Please forgive me. I will now take my leave."

After saying this, Zhen Qing tactfully withdrew from the Hall of State Affairs.

The hall remained deathly silent, but Zhang Dun's eyes were fixed on Han Zhongyan and Lü Huiqing, who met his gaze without flinching.

After a long silence, Zhang Dun gave a wry smile: "The Censorate hasn't even been established yet, but I didn't expect that you two would have already taken office."

Han Zhongyan smiled faintly and said, "I am a servant of the emperor, and I am obliged to serve him. It is also the duty of the Censorate to investigate and supervise all officials. I apologize, Minister Zhang."

Lu Huiqing also said in a deep voice: "I'm afraid there will be more instances of me targeting my colleagues in the future, perhaps even quite a few. I'm informing you of my offense in advance, and I hope you will forgive me."

Zhang Dun felt utterly powerless and gave a few helpless, bitter laughs.

The Inspectorate, the Inspectorate...

Indeed, a new dynasty brings a new atmosphere; Zhang Dun has finally witnessed it today.

Under the complex gazes of their former colleagues from the Council of State, Han Zhongyan and Lü Huiqing bowed respectfully to the crowd and took their leave without expression.

As soon as the two left, a murmur of discussion arose in the Hall of State Affairs. Before Zhang Dun could sort out his chaotic thoughts, footsteps approached again, this time from a young eunuch.

The eunuch was very well-mannered. Standing outside the Hall of State Affairs, he did not come in, but instead raised his shrill voice and said, "Gentlemen, I apologize for disturbing you. This servant is here by imperial decree to invite Mr. Su Zhe, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, to the Funing Palace for a chat. His Majesty will be hosting a banquet tonight and wishes to have a good drink and reminisce with you."

After the eunuch finished speaking, Su Zhe, who had been silent in the crowd, slowly stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your subject Su Zhe receives the decree."

With that, Su Zhe walked out of the Hall of State Affairs and headed towards the Funing Palace under the guidance of the eunuchs.

After a moment of silence, the hall of state affairs suddenly erupted into chaos.

The courtiers in the hall were shocked. The new party officials asked each other in surprise what had happened, while a few old party officials looked delighted, their eyes filled with extreme elation.

The fact that the emperor hosted a private banquet for Su Zhe sends a very strong signal!

The Emperor wishes to "drink and reminisce" with Mr. Ziyou. What will they reminisce about, and what will they talk about? Why is Mr. Ziyou the only guest invited?
In contrast to the jubilation of the old party officials, the new party officials, who made up the majority of the political hall, looked on with surprise and doubt, all glancing at their leader, Zhang Dun.

At this moment, Zhang Dun was pale and swayed slightly, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself on the table beside him.

The emperor's decision to host a separate banquet for Su Zhe was yet another instance of his pressure on Su Zhe!
It's pointless to speculate wildly about what signal it sent. Perhaps it really was just a "reunion over drinks," or perhaps the Emperor intended to persuade the old party to agree to establish the Censorate, or perhaps... the Emperor's political stance has undergone a major change!

The last possibility is the most dangerous!
Su Zhe was an old acquaintance of the Emperor. The Emperor and the two Su brothers had always had a good personal relationship, almost like close friends despite their age difference. In recent years, the Emperor had not only saved Su Zhe but also Su Shi. Although they were decades apart in age, they joked and teased each other like old friends of the same age.

However, given the tense and strained situation between the emperor and his ministers, the emperor's unexpected invitation to Su Zhe could not possibly be as simple as a casual drinking session and reminiscing.

Don't forget that Su Zhe was not only a good friend of the emperor, but also a leader of the old party. On the matter of establishing the Censorate, Su Zhe was the most objective and clear-headed person.

Su Zhe and Zhang Dun had a brief chat yesterday, and Zhang Dun remembered every word Su Zhe said.

Now it seems that Su Zhe was right; the Emperor's patience is indeed running out.

If the establishment of the Control Yuan becomes the trigger that leads to a major change in the government's political stance, resulting in a decision to abolish the new government and restore the old one, it would be a devastating blow to the New Party.

Thinking of this, Zhang Dun's heart grew heavier. After a long while in a daze, he suddenly ran out of the Hall of State Affairs like a madman and sprinted toward the Funing Hall. The sixty-year-old man ran as fast as the wind, completely disregarding the demeanor and bearing of the prime minister.

(End of this chapter)