Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 101: Getting rid of Luo Yuheng (2)

The court was very quiet.

Everyone knows that this kind of game is not something that people at their level can participate in.

Sitting on the dragon throne, Emperor Ning He had a smile on his face and his eyes swept over Yang Hetong imperceptibly. In some ways, the court was like a market, where all kinds of transactions invisible to the naked eye were always taking place.

It’s just that we are all smart people, and some things would be boring if we said them too bluntly.

However, this old fox Yang Hetong really has no sincerity.

Restoring Luo Yuheng's status as the eldest princess was an internal matter of the royal family. Emperor Ning He could make the decision on his own without the need for anyone else's consent.

Thinking of this, Emperor Ninghe nodded and said, "Grandmaster, what you said makes sense. Although I have a disagreement with Yuheng, it is a private matter of the royal family. This time, Yuheng led the charge to resist the invasion of the Japanese pirates and personally killed 176 of them. He is truly a role model for the royal family and should be rewarded."

When these words were spoken, many people's mouths twitched slightly.

One hundred and seventy-six people, how can you even say that?

Emperor Ninghe nodded slightly. "Since that's the case, then I will issue an imperial decree to restore Luo Yuheng's status as the eldest princess, and confer the title of Princess An Ning on her, granting her the fief of Ningping."

"Your Majesty is holy."

"Alright, let's put the reward issue aside for now. Let's discuss Yang Siye's situation. If I remember correctly, Yang Siye wasn't a member of the imperial examination system, but was promoted to county magistrate through imperial examination, right?"

As he spoke, Emperor Ning He's gaze fell on a middle-aged man. The man felt his body tremble and tense up instantly, and a layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Yang Jingshuo, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Being able to reach the position of Minister is already enough to be considered a high position of power.

What's more, it is the Ministry of Revenue, which is in charge of the world's money and grain.

There are three main ways to become an official in Ningguo. The first is to be recommended by someone.

Descendants of families with noble titles can directly enter the court to serve as officials without having to take the imperial examination.

Of course, the official positions of these people are often not too high. After all, under the rule of nomination without military merit, the nobles are almost all from the military. These people are good at marching and fighting, but it is really difficult for them to pacify the people and govern the country... Just like the Duke of Yi who followed Taizu to conquer the world more than a hundred years ago. In his life, he was the first to climb the ladder thirteen times, killed generals eight times, and captured flags four times. He was honored with all kinds of honors, but on the day of being awarded the title, he could not even recognize the word "Yi" in Duke of Yi.

He has a very hot temper. It is obviously impossible to expect such a person to raise his descendants to be well-educated and knowledgeable.

Therefore, the imperial court would often give an unimportant and idle position as a sign of favor.

Although there is no future, it is not a problem to have enough food and clothing for the rest of your life.

The second is the system of recommendation, in which local officials recommend talented and virtuous people under their jurisdiction to serve as officials in the court.

It is further divided into filial piety and integrity and extreme remonstration.

Filial piety and integrity mean being filial to parents and serving the public with integrity. Since the Central Plains has always advocated filial piety, the word "filial piety" in "filial piety and integrity" has become more and more important, while integrity has been gradually neglected.

The court's original intention may have been good, but it obviously underestimated how tempting official positions were to the people. The filial sons at the beginning were still normal, but at some point people began to get excited. Ordinary filial piety no longer met the requirements for becoming an official in the court. Only deeds that were exaggerated enough could make one stand out from the many filial sons and make a name for themselves.

For this reason, many extremely outrageous filial sons were born, such as the carp leaping from the spring, the bamboo shoots growing when he cried, and the carp lying on the ice to beg for carp.

As for extreme remonstration, to put it simply, just criticize and that's it.

If you criticize the current problems, point out the loopholes and put forward your own opinions on the various decrees issued by the court, you can also become an official in the court.

However, with the development of the times, extreme remonstration has inevitably become distorted like filial piety and integrity. Nowadays, extreme remonstration is simply for the sake of criticizing. Even if a natural disaster occurs in a certain place or the court reduces or exempts taxes, these people will criticize it harshly, as if only in this way can they show their uniqueness.

When Ningguo was first established, the system of recommendation had certain positive significance.

It provided opportunities for people from all walks of life to enter the government, allowing some people of humble origins to serve as officials in the court, giving ordinary civilians a channel for advancement, greatly alleviating social contradictions, and also helping to promote good morals and stabilize social order.

But as time went on, the system of recommendation was basically monopolized by aristocratic families. They used their political, economic and cultural advantages to manipulate the recommendation process, turning the system into a way for clan members to enter officialdom.

The third is the imperial examination.

Born to fight against the imperial examination system.

Yang Jingshuo was the recommender of Yang Siye.

According to Ningguo law, if the recommended official violates the law or discipline, the recommender will also be implicated.

This time, 1,972 lives were involved. It was a serious crime that would implicate nine generations of the family. If we look into it carefully, I'm afraid Yang Jingshuo would also lose his life.

A Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a powerful official of the imperial court, plus dozens or even a hundred grassroots officials.

It depends on what your Yang family is prepared to exchange for. If you are not willing to exchange, that’s fine too. Just getting rid of all these people will also be a big gain.

Yang Hetong frowned and said nothing more.

However, Fang De glanced at Yang Hetong and shook his head slightly.

Yang Hetong is a smart man. If he were not smart enough, he would not be able to sit in his current position just by having a good family background. However, he is a little too greedy after all.

He seemed to think that the Yang family was powerful enough that Emperor Ninghe would not dare to break with them. However, he did not know that the current emperor was a man of great courage. If the conditions offered by the Yang family did not satisfy Emperor Ninghe, Emperor Ninghe would dare to directly order the eunuchs to drag Yang Jingshuo out and behead him outside the palace.

Cut the Gordian knot and cut off a few fingers of your Yang family. Even if you react, what can you do? Can you still kill the king in the palace?

If this is the case, the court of Ningguo will probably be in chaos.

Eh.

Fang De sighed deeply and finally stood up: "Your Majesty, Ningping is located on the coast and is often attacked by Japanese pirates. I suggest that Princess An Ning be allowed to recruit 5,000 soldiers to prepare for the Japanese invasion."

hum.

As soon as these words were spoken, the vast court erupted in an uproar. Countless people's expressions changed, and even Yang Hetong's wrinkled face became unusually gloomy, his eyes narrowed into slits, a cold glint flickering in them.

There is a world of difference between a princess who commands 5,000 elite soldiers and a princess who only has a title.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. Since the time of Taizu, there has never been a precedent of a woman commanding the army in Daning. This is against ancestral rules."

"Yes, although Daning has granted titles of prince and princess, they are not actual titles. Your Majesty should not set such a precedent."

"How can a woman be in charge of an army?"

"I, Daning, have a million soldiers under my command. We can easily mobilize troops from other places and destroy the Japanese pirates in a snap."

Suddenly, all sorts of noises rose and fell, and the once quiet court suddenly became like a market. Even more outrageous, some people were already weeping profusely, saying, "If a woman takes command of the army, the Great Ning will perish."

Fang De's old face became more and more gloomy. After a long time, he shouted in a low voice: "Silence."

"This is the court."

Don’t look at Fang De as he is just a short old man, but his words are full of oppression. Many officials look at each other, but in the end they dare not say much.

After all, he is a veteran of three dynasties.

"Doctor Liu." Fang De turned and looked at the person who had been shouting the loudest before: "Did you just say ancestral rules?"

Doctor Liu shuddered. Although he was just an old man, the oppressive feeling he felt was like that of a ferocious wolf. He felt inexplicably frightened. His throat moved and he said in a deep voice, "That's right. There is no precedent for women commanding troops in Ningguo. Isn't this a violation of ancestral rules?"

"Okay, then let's talk about our ancestral rules. Taizu established a rule that anyone who embezzled or accepted bribes exceeding six hundred taels of silver would be skinned and stuffed with straw, then thrown into the marketplace. Doctor Liu, would you like to reinstate this rule?"

"General Huo, you just said that Daning has a million soldiers and that they need to be transferred from other places. Then tell me, we need to defend against the northern barbarians in the north, resist the Chu in the east, and defend against the Zhao in the south. The imperial guards also need to protect the capital. Where will these troops be transferred from?"

"Imperial Censor Lin, you just said that if a woman took charge of the army, Daning would be destroyed. Did you know that it was a woman who led the Chu army to attack Daning this time?"

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Ningguo is currently surrounded by numerous enemies, and the coastal areas are a major source of tax revenue and grain production for Ningguo. If the Japanese pirates attack and the grain production decreases, the border defenses will be unable to sustain their food and wages. How can we resist the northern barbarians and the Chu State?"

Fang De called out their names one by one. The few people who had been shouting the loudest before did not dare to say a word. Fang De seemed to be too excited, and his face flushed unnaturally. His voice became more and more sharp:
"If the Daning Kingdom is destroyed one day, you will be the sinners."

The last sentence is even more deafening.

Those people who had shouted before were all pale. They couldn't understand why they were accused of destroying the country when they just raised a few objections?

Emperor Ning He's lips curled up, then quickly disappeared: "Ahem, Grand Tutor Fang, there's no need to be angry. There's no need to be angry. You all are worried about me, Great Ning. Why is it so?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that 5,000 soldiers are too few. After all, Ningguo has an extremely long coastline, and a mere 5,000 soldiers are simply not enough to resist the Japanese pirates. I suggest increasing the number of soldiers to 10,000 and placing them all under the command of Her Royal Highness the Princess. After all, Ningguo has been established for over a hundred years, and this is the first time it has won such a great victory against the Japanese pirates."

"I believe that if Her Royal Highness the Princess has 10,000 soldiers ready for the Japanese invasion, she will be able to completely eliminate the Japanese threat and ensure a century of peace along the coast of Daning."

Yang Hetong could no longer sit still. He was absolutely unwilling to let Luo Yuheng have the power of 5,000 troops.

A royal family without actual power is a good royal family.

But the current situation is obviously no longer under his control. He believes that if he does not express his opinion, Fang De will definitely dare to continue to raise the number.

"I second your opinion, but the Princess is a master at using troops, so five thousand is more than enough."

Fang De continued, "Since the positions of Ningping County Magistrate, County Assistant Secretary, and County Lieutenant are vacant, the county cannot be left without management. This old minister suggests that the eldest princess's son, Luo Tianshu, be temporarily appointed as Ningping County Magistrate, her second son, Luo Tianquan, as Ningping County Assistant Secretary, and her son-in-law, Song Yan, be temporarily appointed as Ningping County Lieutenant!"

Yang Hetong's expression remained unchanged, only his eyelids trembled slightly.

The Yang family naturally has access to much more information than anyone else.

Although Fang Hai only mentioned Song Yan's name casually at the very end of his memorial, Yang Hetong knew that this time the key to wiping out such a large number of Japanese pirates was Luo Yuheng's son-in-law Song Yan.

The wolf-whip weapon used to fight against the Japanese pirates was made by Song Yan.

The Mandarin Duck Formation used to fight against Japanese pirates was also created by Song Yan.

It was also because of Song Yan that the Yang family suffered heavy losses this time. Not only did they lose three grassroots officials and a legitimate daughter, but the bets they had placed on the Duke of Song's Mansion for more than 20 years were all in vain.

The family plan was met with unexpected changes.

If this person's talent had been discovered earlier, and a concubine's daughter from a branch of the Yang family had been married to him, perhaps he could have been recruited.

However, because of Yang Miaoqing, the relationship between the Yang family and Song Yan has become like fire and water, and they will not stop until one side dies.

Although there is a woman named Yang Siyao who temporarily gains Song Yan's trust in the name of rebelling against the Yang family, it is uncertain whether she can be controlled.

He is knowledgeable in medicine and has talent. If he really enters the officialdom, he may have a chance to rise to prominence.

Although, from Yu Yang and He Tong's perspective, Song Yan is now just a humble ant and not worth mentioning.

But inexplicably, Yang Hetong could sense a hint of threat from Song Yan.

A hint of coldness flashed in the slightly narrowed cloudy eyes.

Since it's a threat, then... get rid of it!

Of course, ants are just ants after all. Yang Hetong’s real target is not Song Yan. Even if he is talented, his birth as a bastard and his status as a son-in-law limit Song Yan’s prospects.

What Yang Hetong really cares about is Luo Yuheng.

This woman is the real threat.

Perhaps, it is time to activate the nail that has been planted in the Luo family for so many years.

Again, if it’s a threat, get rid of it!

(End of this chapter)