A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Yang Jian went straight out to greet him, snatched the letter from the eunuch's hand, and immediately opened and read it.

After reading it, Yang Jian laughed heartily and summoned the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers to the palace for a meeting.

Upon returning to his room, Yang Jian's face immediately darkened.

His and Gao Ying's predictions came true: the Wei family refused to come to the capital because they had obtained the country illegitimately and were bullying orphans and widows.

"But this world was won by my own fists and kicks, Yang Jian!"

"Why! Why! Why?!"

"Just because their surname is Cao?"

Yang Jian picked up his sword and frantically slashed at the air in front of him. He dared not cut the tables and chairs. There were no secrets in the palace. If the news got out, the balloon that Gao Ying had blown up would be popped by his own hands, and the Sui Dynasty would be on the verge of collapse.

"A major event that benefits the country and its people?"

After venting his anger, Yang Jian sat on his brand-new dragon throne. He had replaced the previous one because he didn't want to sit on a throne that had been urinated on by a child.

"The railway doesn't even count?"

The three dukes and nine ministers arrived at the palace quickly, and they were all waiting for news from Gao Ying.

"Han Qinhu, you will personally guard the palace gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order."

"promise."

Han Qinhu personally led his guards to guard the palace entrance, ensuring that there was no one within several meters of them.

Inside the room, Yang Jian passed Gao Ying's letter to the other 11 people. Only after everyone had read it did he speak.

"Gentlemen, Gao Ying has bought us a lot of time. So, what should we do next?"

"Your Majesty, I believe that although the Prince of Yan has not come to court, since he has made a gentleman's agreement with His Highness the Crown Prince, it means that he has already acknowledged the Sui Dynasty."

"As long as the Sui Dynasty upholds the agreement, if anyone wants to rebel, they can be accused of not wanting the Prince of Yan to abide by the gentleman's agreement."

"Given the current situation, there must be forces secretly introducing a puppet regime to stage a rebellion. We must swiftly eliminate them and pin this label on them to deter others."

"The next step is to focus all our efforts on developing the country and fulfilling this commitment."

Changsun Sheng stepped forward and spoke, his voice breaking the silence in the palace.

"That's right, the first to strike wins, the last to strike suffers."

"After you return, announce to the public that the Sui Dynasty will do everything in its power to fulfill its agreement with the Prince of Yan. Anyone who tries to stop it is preventing the Prince of Yan from fulfilling his gentlemanly promise."

"But ultimately, this cannot stop everyone's ambition. Is there any other plan?"

Yang Jian looked at the others.

The others looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

After all, the reality is that the Wei family did not enter the court, no matter how much you argue.

This undeniable fact cannot be changed.

As long as the Wei family doesn't enter the court, others can use this as a pretext to rebel.

"There is one more thing, Your Majesty. We must send elite troops to protect that man from the previous dynasty. He absolutely cannot be harmed, otherwise Your Majesty will be unable to clear your name even if you jump into the Yellow River."

Su Wei, Yang Jian's second strategist, stood up and spoke.

He was already disapproved of by the Wei family for taking the throne from an orphan and a widow, and thus they allowed him to enter the court.

If the person dies again, the obstacles to inviting the Wei family to the court will at least double.

"Indeed, indeed. I will arrange for my personal guards to taste everything that passes through their mouths beforehand."

"I will personally arrange this matter!"

Yang Jian was startled; the price of the previous dynasty's last emperor's death was too high for him to bear.

Seeing that no one had any new suggestions, Yang Jian said helplessly, "Let's discuss another matter. What is a major event that would benefit the country and its people and gain the approval of the Wei family?"

"As Cheng Xinzhong has already said, the east-west and north-south railways are not included, so their contribution is insufficient."

Su Wei was the first to speak: "What the Wei family cares about is the people's livelihood."

"What is people's livelihood? It is nothing more than three things: medicine, education, and food."

"Your Majesty may have the government fund the establishment of medical academies throughout the country to train more physicians. At the same time, these academies will also assume the responsibility of pharmacies, dedicated to treating the sick and saving lives."

"Subsidies from national treasury funds will reduce the cost of medical treatment and medication for ordinary people."

"Eating is food; it's simply a matter of light taxes and levies, allowing people to rest and recuperate."

"Learning refers to education. The Wei family has always been committed to opening more schools. Your Majesty can also promote this. At the same time, thoroughly reform the system for selecting officials, recruit talents without being bound by convention, and give ordinary people more opportunities for advancement."

"However, this matter is extremely risky. The country was already in a precarious state because the Wei family did not enter the court."

"Reforming the talent selection system will inevitably provoke opposition from major families and forces. If things go wrong, the whole country will be in turmoil."

Yang Jian had been in a state of confusion until Su Wei's words, which were like a lightning bolt that cleaved through his confusion.

He is not afraid of difficulties, but he is afraid of having no direction.

Once he had a direction, he firmly believed that he could do it. After all, he was Yang Jian, the man destined to become an emperor for all ages.

"Su Qing, please accept my bow. Gao Qing is my Xiao He, and Gao Qing is my Zifang."

As Yang Jian was about to bow to Su Wei, Su Wei stopped him.

"Then we will do as Su Qing says."

"However, after so many years of use, the system of four dukes and nine ministers has become bloated and inefficient due to the continuous increase in the number of officials."

"I intend to abolish the system of four dukes and nine ministers and implement the system of four provinces and six ministries."

Yang Jian gritted his teeth and decided to start the reforms first.

He must make the court operate more efficiently so that the agreements can be fulfilled more effectively and the empire can be stabilized as soon as possible.

The four provinces were the Secretariat, the Chancellery, the Department of State Affairs, and the Department of Agriculture.

The Secretariat: Headed by two Grand Secretaries. Responsible for decision-making; imperial edicts were drafted here.

The Secretariat: Headed by two Attendants. They were responsible for reviewing and rejecting imperial edicts, and could "return" or "correct" any edicts deemed inappropriate.

The Ministry of Agriculture: Reorganized from the Grand Minister of Agriculture, with no change in specific positions. They are hoping that the Prince of Yan will enter the palace. All of them are the Prince of Yan's confidants, and he dares not dismiss the officials here.

The Ministry of Personnel (Shangshu Sheng) was headed by the Left and Right Assistant Ministers (Youpushe). They were responsible for implementing government orders.

The Ministry of Personnel was subordinate to six specific administrative agencies.

The six departments were the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works.

The Ministry of Personnel was responsible for the selection, evaluation, appointment, and removal of officials.

Ministry of Revenue: Responsible for finance, household registration, land, and taxes.

The Ministry of Rites was responsible for etiquette, sacrifices, diplomacy, and the selection of officials.

Ministry of War: Responsible for the selection of military officers, military registers, and military equipment.

Ministry of Justice: Responsible for legal, criminal, and case review matters.

Ministry of Works: Responsible for engineering construction, land reclamation, and water conservancy.

"Gao Ying was appointed Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and Su Wei was appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel."