The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

The following day, in the Hall of State Affairs.

As usual, after the court session ended, Li Xun had breakfast leisurely with the other prime ministers before returning to the main hall.

Generally, at this time, Li Xun would have someone brew a pot of tea, bask in the morning sunlight, and take a short nap in a makeshift soft chair.

After about half an hour, most of the documents from the government offices had arrived, and only then did they begin to handle official business.

But today was different; his eyelids were twitching violently, and he felt inexplicably irritable.

After lying on the soft chair for a while, Li Xun could no longer suppress his restlessness.

So he had to get up and pour himself a pot of tea. Then he went to the table, took out a document, and only after reading its contents did a smile return to his face.

This is the list of promotions and rewards jointly drafted by the prime ministers at the meeting of the Council of State chaired by him yesterday.

Of course, although it was said to be jointly drafted, in reality it was Li Xun's one-man show.

He not only took this opportunity to add the title of Minister to himself and Shu Yuanyu, but also placed Wang Fan, Guo Xingyu and others in key positions in the court.

In short, all officials on our side who participated in this campaign to eliminate eunuchs were either promoted or given official positions.

For key positions that are truly inconvenient to relinquish, such as the Grand General of the Imperial Guard, promotions and honors are given.

It is no exaggeration to say that this so-called Politics Hall meeting was actually a spoils-dividing conference completely orchestrated by Li Xun.

Moreover, it was personally approved by the emperor!

Recalling the old man Wang Ya's expression back then, Li Xun's agitation finally subsided somewhat, replaced by smugness.

In the current government affairs hall, Shu Yuanyu follows his lead without question, Jia Su comes from a humble background and acts with humility and caution, and only Wang Ya, a senior official with many experience, can still offer some rebuttals to him in discussions of government affairs.

But now, that situation will never return.

Although, in terms of ranking, he still couldn't hope to become the so-called prime minister, once the list was finalized, with the power and prestige in the court, even the real prime minister would have to obediently bow down before him!

After thinking for a moment, Li Xun picked up his pen and added a few more people to the list.

Generally speaking, doing so is against the rules.

However, at such times, unless it's a very important official position, the other members of the Council of State Affairs would probably not refuse him.

After blowing on the still-wet ink, Li Xun nodded in satisfaction.

As he stepped out of the hall, he was about to send a servant to deliver the list to the palace.

But then Shu Yuanyu hurried over.

"Master Li, something's happened!"

Li Xun rarely saw Shu Yuanyu like this, so he frowned and asked.

"What's making you so flustered?"

Shu Yuanyu had run over and was still panting heavily when he said, "Just now, someone from the palace came to deliver an imperial edict, saying that Zheng Zhu, the military governor of Fengxiang, had privately mobilized troops back to the capital, committing a grave offense. His Majesty was furious and has ordered the Shence Army to arrest and imprison him. He has also issued an edict to remove Zheng Zhu from his post and order him to be tried while he is atone for his crimes."

"What?!" Li Xun couldn't sit still any longer.

Zheng Zhu was one of his most staunch allies, although Li Xun had become somewhat wary of him after Wang Shoucheng's death.

However, it is undeniable that Zheng Zhu is still a great help to him at this critical juncture.

More importantly, Zheng Zhu's greatest strength lies in his extensive network of connections and his access to the latest information.

Over the years, countless officials have climbed the social ladder by associating with Li Xun through Zheng Zhu.

Not to mention the various secret plots they had previously discussed in the shadows.

If all these things were to come out, Li Xun would definitely be in deep trouble.

Immediately, he grabbed Shu Yuanyu's sleeve and asked.

"Where is the note now?"

To dismiss a military governor, it is impossible to do so without going through the Secretariat and Chancellery.

Generally speaking, the formal procedure is that the palace first issues a decree or draft edict, which is then signed by the prime minister of the State Affairs Hall and sent to the Hanlin Academy to draft the official imperial edict.

Therefore, Li Xun's first reaction upon hearing this news was to prevent the imperial edict from being issued.

However, Shu Yuanyu's next words sent a chill down his spine.

"It's too late. The memorial was just delivered to the Hall of State Affairs, and Minister Wang has already signed it. I'm afraid the Hanlin Academy is already drafting the decree."

Issuing orders by imperial decree is a privilege reserved for the Prime Minister.

However, usually, when faced with such important edicts, the prime minister will consult with the other prime ministers in the State Council before making a decision.

Wang Ya issued the imperial edict without even giving any notice, clearly showing that he was not giving Li Xun any face at all.

"Wang Ya!"

Li Xun gritted his teeth, his tone filled with intense resentment.

However, he was also a quick-witted person, and in a short moment, he suppressed his excitement.

After pacing back and forth in the hall twice, Li Xun made a decisive decision and said.

"Go to the palace to see His Majesty!"

Zheng Zhu was arrested; something must have happened in the palace that he was unaware of.

Regardless of whether the emperor was misled by the eunuchs or had other intentions, for Li Xun, the most urgent task was to rescue Zheng Zhu.

Li Xun knew best what the Inner Prison was like.

Especially now, the palace has issued an imperial edict stripping Zheng Zhu of his official position.

This is an extremely dangerous sign!

Without his official position, the eunuchs could torture Zheng Zhu without any restraint.

If that's the case, given Zheng Zhu's temperament, he probably wouldn't last even half a day before spilling everything he knows.

Therefore, at the very least, Zheng Zhu should be brought out of the inner prison first.

Whether it's the Ministry of Justice or the Court of Judicial Review, as long as it's outside the court, Li Xun has ways to deal with it. But the inner prison is the only place he can't get into at all.

Having made up his mind, Li Xun quickly took action.

He instructed Shu Yuanyu to summon the other prime ministers and, on the grounds that the Shence Army had no right to detain court officials without authorization, demand that they submit a joint memorial to exert pressure.

At the same time, they quickly went out and arrived at the palace.

However, Xue Jiling had been waiting for a long time outside the Shangge Gate.

"Minister Li, His Majesty is unwell today and has already given orders not to see any ministers. Please return."

Seeing Li Xun rushing over anxiously, the Shence Lieutenant stood firmly in place, looking like he was watching a good show.

It should be noted that such a trivial matter as stopping someone would not normally require Xue Jiling's personal intervention; a few trusted subordinates could easily have blocked Li Xun outside.

But Xue Jiling just wanted to come and see.

He wanted to know what kind of expression the arrogant Prime Minister Li Xun would have after learning that he had been rejected by the emperor.

As expected, upon hearing this, Li Xun's heart sank to the bottom.

Recalling the letter that had just been sent to the Council of State Affairs, a terrible suspicion arose in his mind.

Perhaps, all of this was tacitly approved by the emperor?

Otherwise, how can we explain why the Shence Army dared to act without authorization and detain a high-ranking military governor, and how can we explain why the palace would suddenly issue an edict to dismiss Zheng Zhu from his post?

Li Xun was in a state of utter confusion, with countless doubts surging in his mind, forcing him to force himself to calm down.

With Xue Jiling around, it's definitely impossible to enter the palace.

But it doesn't matter, the emperor always has to hold the morning court session. Li Xun secretly cheered himself up, thinking that as long as he could wait until the morning court session tomorrow, he would definitely have the opportunity to ask the emperor about the ins and outs of this matter.

So, forcing himself to stay alert, he gave Xue Jiling a cold glance across the way, turned and left without lingering.

Seeing his outwardly strong but inwardly weak appearance, Xue Jiling felt extremely pleased.

As he watched the other person's figure disappear under the corridor, he turned to the newly appointed Privy Councilor Song Shukang beside him and asked.

"Any news from Lieutenant Liu?"

Upon hearing this, the latter immediately replied, "Lieutenant, rest assured. Lieutenant Liu sent word earlier that His Majesty will be exempt from court for the next few days, ensuring that this Minister Li has absolutely no chance of turning the tables..."