Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Only then did Chen Zhi turn around, holding his staff, and stand face to face with the crowd, calmly saying:

"Gentlemen, Chen Zhi is only twenty-four years old and holds the position of Imperial Censor with a salary of 600 shi. He was entrusted by the Emperor to travel north with the imperial insignia and was ordered to assist in the administration of three matters."

"The Prime Minister's last wishes were to be buried at the foot of Dingjun Mountain. The Grand Master of Ceremonies, Xiang Gong, will soon arrive in Chengdu, and may be ordered to handle the Prime Minister's funeral arrangements. This is the first point. The matter of the withdrawal of the various armies will be discussed later by the Prime Minister's Office, Chief Secretary Fei, together with the generals and their subordinates, and then a memorial will be submitted to the Emperor. This is the second point. Regarding the case of Wei Wenchang's rebellion, this envoy will invite the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary, Yang Wei Gong, back to Chengdu and hand him over to His Majesty and the Court of Justice for consultation. The remaining details of the investigation can be completed by others. This is the third point."

"Now that the three matters have been settled, the rest are beyond the scope of my authority as an envoy. I will return to Chengdu from Hanzhong with my imperial credentials to report to His Majesty and the officials of the court, and return the imperial staff to reassure the people of Chengdu."

After speaking, Chen Zhi's gaze swept over everyone's faces, and then he said loudly, "However, before returning to Chengdu, Chen Zhi has a few things to say to you all!"

Fei Yi took a deep breath: "Please, Imperial Censor Chen, speak frankly."

Wu Yi, Deng Zhi, Hu Ji, and others also added their own comments.

Chen Zhi said, "There is still one person among you who has not arrived. We must wait for Protector General Jiang Boyue."

"I'll go and summon Protector Jiang!" A shout came from the back of the crowd. Dong Jue excitedly waved to Chen Zhi, then turned and ran out.

Although everyone's attitude towards Yang Yi was the same—that he had fallen, so be it—there were always some people who cared more about the matter than others.

If Fei Yi could gain further power, and Wu Yi could be promoted in rank and title, there was another group of people who would have preferred this outcome: the people of Yiyang, represented by Hu Ji and Dong Jue. They shared the same hometown as Wei Yan and had interacted frequently in the Prime Minister's office, both on official and personal matters, often referring to Wei Yan as their primary resident. After Yang Yi killed Wei Yan, the people of Yiyang within the Prime Minister's office faced considerable skepticism.

When Chen Zhi first arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, he "neglected" Yang Yi during a conversation with Dong Jue, and even publicly praised General Fu Tong, a native of Yiyang who died for his country in the Battle of Yiling, which was enough to make Dong Jue stand tall among his colleagues. Today, seeing Yang Yi arrested and the court about to try Wei Yan's treason case, he felt even more triumphant.

Sometimes, satisfying people's emotions is more likely to gain them support than providing them with benefits.

As for waiting for Jiang Wei... if they didn't wait, Jiang Wei would return on his own in a moment. Chen Zhi was merely carrying Jiang Wei's sedan chair in front of everyone to emphasize his importance. Fei Yi and Wu Yi did the same to Chen Zhi just now.

Chen Zhi's decision to have Jiang Wei kill Ma Dai himself, instead of having Liu Yin or other ordinary soldiers do it, was partly to help Jiang Wei vent his long-held grievances, and partly to have Jiang Wei shed blood again for the "royal cause."

A short while later, Jiang Wei and Dong Jue returned to the main hall and bowed to Chen Zhi.

With so many people waiting, Chen Zhi didn't delay. He immediately stood in front of the Prime Minister's memorial tablet, took a deep breath, and then leaned his staff against the Prime Minister's desk, facing alone the more than twenty veteran generals and officials of the Prime Minister's residence present.

"General Wu," Chen Zhi said, bowing to Wu Yi.

Wu Yi, bewildered, returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Imperial Censor Chen."

Chen Zhi nodded slightly, then bowed to Deng Zhi in the same manner: "General Deng."

Deng Zhi bowed slightly as he cupped his hands, and responded like Wu Yi, "Imperial Censor Chen."

Chen Zhi nodded again, and then, together with Wang Ping, Liu Ba and other generals, and Fei Yi, Jiang Wei, Hu Ji, Liu Min, Cuan Xi and other officials of the Prime Minister's Office, bowed and saluted.

At first, no one understood Chen Zhi's meaning. But as Chen Zhi greeted everyone one by one, leaving no one out, including the two chief clerks Dong Jue and Yang Yi, as well as Qiao Zhou and Huo Yi, the clever people like Fei Yi, Jiang Wei, Wu Yi, and Deng Zhi suddenly realized: Chen Zhi was perhaps using this method to declare the importance of what he was about to say, and that everyone present needed to express their opinions and pass the test!

There were only about twenty people, so greetings were quick. After Chen Zhi greeted the last person, Huo Yi, he immediately began discussing serious matters.

"The first matter!" Chen Zhi declared loudly, "In the past, Emperors Huan and Ling were corrupt, and the imperial regalia shifted. Emperor Zhaolie, a descendant of the imperial family, braved thorns and brambles to re-establish the Han dynasty. Then Your Majesty ascended the throne and continued the legacy, and twelve years have passed since then. In the past, the Prime Minister assisted in governing with utmost sincerity, establishing his own government and acting as military and political leader. Now that the Prime Minister has passed away, it is only right that the great power be returned to Your Majesty, and Your Majesty should personally govern and command the military, just as Emperor Zhaolie did, personally supervising all the armies, both inside and outside the capital!"

"Gentlemen, does anyone object?"

After Chen Zhi finished speaking, the group of people opposite him remained silent for a few moments, and then began to express their agreement in unison.

"Censor Chen is absolutely right!"

"Your Majesty should personally rule and command the army!"

"I second that!"

"Your Majesty should personally oversee all military affairs, both internal and external!"

This situation was entirely within Chen Zhi's expectations. Who would dare oppose Liu Shan's assumption of power in such a setting, before the Prime Minister's memorial tablet, and in front of so many colleagues? Upholding the emperor was, after all, the greatest political correctness in a feudal dynasty!

Moreover, almost all the generals and officials in the Prime Minister's office present were recruited, promoted and selected during Liu Bei's era. It is only natural that Liu Bei's son should take charge of the government.

This point is undoubtedly without any problem, and everyone agrees.

Chen Zhi nodded solemnly and continued, "The second matter is that since the Prime Minister moved his residence to Mianyang in the fifth year of Jianxing, he has worked tirelessly day and night for eight years. Now that he is gone, we, the court officials, must carry on his legacy, build the great cause of restoring the Han Dynasty, ensure the Northern Expedition system does not collapse, and destroy Wei to revive the Han!"

"Gentlemen, does anyone have any objections?"

Standing in the very center, General Wu Yi looked around a few times before bowing first: "We have no objections."

"We have no objection." By this time, everyone had learned their lesson and said in unison.

The second thing is even more politically correct than the first, and no one will openly oppose it.

This is Mianyang in Hanzhong Commandery. Everyone here is leading troops and serving as officials for the Northern Expedition. This is not Chengdu. Who dares to say that restoring the Han Dynasty is wrong? Who dares to say that inheriting the Prime Minister's will is wrong? Even if they have some doubts about continuing the Northern Expedition, who would say it on the spot?

In such a serious political setting, expressing agreement or not expressing opposition is tantamount to stating one's political stance. Changing one's mind later could lead to public criticism.

The key point of the second matter lies in the words "preserve the Northern Expedition system from collapse".

Even those in high positions of power, like Fei Yi, could still secure a prestigious post even after leaving the Prime Minister's residence and returning to the imperial court.

But for most of the officials under the Prime Minister's office, the positions of prefects, ministers, and nine ministers in the imperial court were already full. If the Prime Minister's office were abolished or put on hold, what would become of them? How could Yizhou, a province alone, accommodate so many officials?

Even setting aside national affairs, from the perspective of their own positions and titles, the continued existence of the Northern Expeditionary system was absolutely beneficial to them!