The prince is more stable

Chapter 896 Warning Against Crossing Boundaries
Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian established the Censorate to exert direct pressure on his officials using imperial power.

It is undeniable that, in fact, many officials still do not take the Control Yuan seriously.

On the surface, this was an institution that monitored all officials in the country, and in theory, it should have a great deterrent effect. However, in reality, similar powers used to belong to the Censorate.

But what were the results of the Censorate's investigations of officials from the very beginning of the Song Dynasty?

"The law does not apply to officials and scholars"—this ironclad rule has remained unbroken since the founding of the Song Dynasty.

The Censorate was not derelict in its duties; in fact, it did monitor all officials, including the emperor.

However, the Censorate did not expand its operations to such a large scale, and no emperor in the past had the courage to make a firm decision to rectify official corruption. Thus, the so-called "supervision of all officials" eventually became a series of favors and obligations.

The biggest problem with the Censorate is that it is subordinate to the Council of State Affairs, which is very important.

Being subordinate to another department means that it cannot achieve judicial independence, and it often ends up becoming a weapon in court factional struggles to deal with political enemies.

How does the newly established Censorate differ from the previous Censorate?

The only difference is that it has a different name.

This is probably the impression that all officials in the world have of the Censorate: arrogant, disdainful, and betting that you have no bullets in your gun.

Meanwhile, officials throughout the land were quietly observing, waiting to see what kind of report the Censorate would give to the Emperor and the court.

Today, the Control Yuan has finally submitted its report.

The entire officialdom of Chenzhou was wiped out, from the prefect to the lowest runners, including the sub-prefects, judges, and county magistrates—not a single one was spared.

In this entire state, the administrative system has been almost completely paralyzed; all the officials have been arrested, and no one is doing any work.

Regardless of whether this answer was right or wrong, it can only be said that the Censorate gave officials across the country a tremendous shock, tantamount to detonating a nuclear bomb in the crowd.

The news that the Censorate had escorted all the officials from Chenzhou back to the capital spread throughout the Bianjing court in just half an hour.

The courtiers were shocked and astonished, unable to believe it.

Some people jumped up and down, cursing the Censorate, Han Zhongyan, and the Imperial City Guard.

Inside the Hall of State Affairs, there was a deathly silence. Zhang Dun's face was ashen, and he leaned back in his chair, his whole body trembling slightly.

He didn't care how many officials the Censorate had arrested in Chenzhou; at this moment, Zhang Dun had only one thought in his mind.

The power of oversight was separated from the Council of State Affairs; the separation was too thorough.

From the departure of officials from the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard from the capital to the escort of officials from Chenzhou back to the capital, the entire process of handling the case, including the list of officials to be questioned and the depth of the investigation, bypassed the Council of State Affairs, and not a single word was leaked.

This is what troubled Zhang Dun. At the same time, it was the first time Zhang Dun had deeply felt that the Song Dynasty had established a new order and structure. The change from "two prefectures and three departments" to "three prefectures and three departments" was so great.

Sitting in the Hall of State Affairs, Zhang Dun sent someone to invite Zhen Qing.

Half an hour later, Zhen Qing rushed over and entered the Hall of State Affairs, where he humbly bowed to the ministers.

Zhang Dun sat at the head of the table, looking at the smiling Zhen Qing with a complicated expression.

The Council of State Affairs and the Imperial City Guard rarely interacted.

Under normal circumstances, the Council of State Affairs is unwilling to deal with the Imperial City Guard.

Not only did the Imperial City Guard have a bad reputation, being called "lackeys" by both the court and the public, but more importantly, the civil official group, represented by the Council of State Affairs, had always looked down on these military men of the Imperial City Guard who had only strength but no integrity.

At this moment, Zhen Qing stood smiling in front of Zhang Dun, but Zhang Dun knew very well what was going on.

Times have changed; the Imperial City Guard is no longer just the emperor's henchmen.

After the establishment of the Censorate, the Imperial City Guard had two additional powers: first, to cooperate with the Censorate in investigating and interrogating officials who had committed crimes; and second, to supervise the Censorate.

It sounds a bit convoluted. Simply put, the Censorate decides the fate of all officials in the country, but the Censorate is not all-powerful; it is also under the supervision of the Imperial City Guard.

The Imperial City Guard was directly under the emperor.

If officials of the Censorate are found to be embezzling public funds and colluding with officials in the court and local areas, then unfortunately, they will fall into the hands of the Imperial City Guard.

This is the new look after the government separated the power of supervision.

No organization can cover everything; they are all subject to oversight. Even departments that specifically monitor others are also being monitored themselves.

So who will oversee the Imperial City Guard?

First, the emperor personally supervised the operation. Second, the Imperial City Guard was divided into two departments, one overt and one covert. The overt department was headed by Zhen Qing, while the covert department was headed by Zhao Xi. The covert department usually did not appear in people's sight and seemed to be invisible on ordinary days, so no one could detect their existence.

But they exist.

Besides helping the emperor solve thorny problems, the hidden department also had a hidden power: to monitor the officials of the Imperial City Guard who were in the public eye.

Each step was interconnected; this was the foundation for governing the country that Zhao Xiaoqian laid for himself and for his descendants.

These were just the initial changes Zhao Xiaoqian made after ascending the throne. Given time, the Censorate and the Imperial City Guard would further subdivide their powers; for example, while supervising civil officials, the military would also be subject to supervision. At this moment, Zhen Qing stood before Zhang Dun, his expression humble. He showed no nervousness in front of the current prime minister, and ignored the angry snorts and disdainful looks from the other prime ministers in the Hall of State Affairs, his smile remaining bright.

"I wonder what business Minister Zhang has summoned me here for? I humbly await your reprimand," Zhen Qing said with a smile.

Zhang Dun stroked his beard, his face expressionless, and said, "I heard that the Imperial City Guard has taken down all the officials in Chenzhou. Is that true?"

Zhen Qing nodded and readily replied, "Yes, all the officials in Chenzhou were arrested by the Imperial City Guard, and after being escorted to the capital, they were not sent to the Dali Temple, but were directly sent to Bingjingwu."

Zhang Dun's eyelids twitched.

Who in the imperial court doesn't know what Bingjingwu is? How could these officials who entered Bingjingwu possibly come out alive?

Zhang Dun frowned; he, who was usually unsmiling, couldn't help but show a hint of anger at this moment.

“Doesn’t Zhen Gou Dang think this is going too far? All the officials in an entire prefecture have been questioned. This is unprecedented since the founding of the Song Dynasty. I expect Zhen Gou Dang to give me an explanation.”

Zhen Qing's smile remained humble, but his tone had subtly changed.

"Well, I dared not disobey Lord Zhang's orders, but your orders have gone too far. Please forgive me for not being able to give you any explanation."

Zhang Dun was furious: "I am the current prime minister. The appointment and removal of officials throughout the country must be approved by the Council of State Affairs. Am I not allowed to interfere?"

Zhen Qing smiled, but shook his head firmly: "The Censorate and the Imperial City Guard have already obtained solid evidence to arrest people. Please forgive me, Lord Zhang. The Council of State and the Prime Minister really cannot interfere."

Zhang Dun flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "How dare you!"

The prime minister was furious, but Zhen Qing was not afraid at all. Instead, he laughed twice and said, "Prime Minister Zhang, please calm down. It's not worth getting yourself sick from anger."

"From the day the Emperor established the new Censorate, Minister Zhang should have known that the Emperor has set new rules for the people. As his subjects, we can only abide by the rules and dare not break them."

Zhang Dun's face turned ashen, but he opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.

Zhen Qing's tone was gentle, seemingly explaining to Zhang Dun, but actually containing a warning, warning Zhang Dun and the Council of State not to overstep their bounds.

The power of oversight has been separated from the Council of State Affairs, and no one may interfere with any actions of the Oversight Office.

Please, Mr. Zhang, highlight the key points; they will be on the test.

To put it more bluntly, Zhang Dun's invitation to Zhen Qing to come to the government office today to inquire about the arrest of officials in Chenzhou has crossed the line.

Translate this, what the hell is this "New Order"?!
The hall of state was silent. Apart from Zhang Dun, the faces of the other prime ministers were all grim. However, everyone had heard Zhen Qing's words and understood the warning in them.

Don't cross the line!

The emperor these days is not so tolerant. Not long ago, when more than two hundred officials knelt at the palace gate, the emperor made a huge fuss about it, even involving the Council of State Affairs, and dismissed two vice prime ministers.

Now, if Zhang Dun and the other prime ministers dare to overstep their bounds again, the consequences will be...

After a long while, Zhang Dun's tone softened, and he sighed, "I was a little agitated just now, please forgive me, Zhen Gou Dang."

"However, the Council of State still holds the power to appoint and dismiss officials throughout the land. If all the officials of a province are questioned, as the prime minister, I must ask about it. It is not an overreach of my authority."

"Before these officials are convicted, they are still officials of our Great Song Dynasty and should still be under the jurisdiction of the Council of State Affairs. Zhen Gou Dang, can you accept what I'm saying?"

Zhen Qing smiled and said, "I can accept it. Since you've said so, I'll tell you the truth..."

“The Censorate and the Imperial City Guard will not arrest officials without reason, let alone arrest all the officials in the entire prefecture. Since we dare to take action, it means that we have actual evidence.”

"If Minister Zhang wants to explain and wants to know how those corrupt officials will be dealt with, he may wait a couple of days. The Censorate will produce the official documents for the entire court to review."

"What the Council of State Affairs needs to do is to immediately select new officials to fill the vacancies in the Chenzhou government and get the Chenzhou government office running again."

Seeing Zhang Dun's stunned expression, Zhen Qing smiled and said, "Prime Minister Zhang, is this explanation satisfactory? If there is still any dissatisfaction or misunderstanding, I am of low rank and have no authority to make a decision or bear the responsibility. You might as well ask the Emperor yourself."

Zhang Dun sighed, his face ashen, and said, "I understand."

Zhen Qing didn't ask him what he had figured out. He had said what he needed to say today. If the prime ministers of the Council of State were still unwilling and dissatisfied... it didn't matter. The cold and ruthless imperial power would teach them a lesson.

“If Lord Zhang has no further instructions, then this humble official… will take his leave?” Zhen Qing said cautiously.

Zhang Dun ignored him, his attitude was very cold.

Zhen Qing smiled, completely unconcerned about his attitude.

After bowing to Zhang Dun and the other ministers in the hall, Zhen Qing was about to leave the Hall of State Affairs when he suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, "Minister Zhang, I have another question..."

“You speak,” Zhang Dun said coldly.

"The matter of questioning the officials of Chenzhou was actually led by the Censorate, with the Imperial City Guard only responsible for taking action. In principle, Lord Zhang should have asked the Censorate about this matter. Why did you summon me here to inquire?"

Zhang Dun sneered, "Han Zhongyan, Lü Huiqing, Li Qingchen... Since the supervisory power was separated, these three old bastards have been too lazy to pay any attention to me. Are you satisfied now?"

(End of this chapter)