Chapter 38 Seizing Power

[Mu Xiaoqi: I joined the cabinet! ! ! 】

Mu Qi typed the biggest news of the past few days in a rapid succession, and did not forget to add two or three exclamation marks at the end to express his uncontrollable horror.

Apparently, he was not the only one who was surprised. There was silence on the other side of the screen for a moment before words flashed:

[…Seventh Brother, this is not funny.] 】

[Mu Xiaoqi: I am telling the truth! 】

[The seal took my spear: You should check your brain... Really, the heavy metals in the elixir may have too much stimulation to the nerves, and the strange and depressing environment also has a significant impact on the mind. I have such an example here. Li Miao did not do his job as an official properly and slandered his father all day long. It was obvious that he was mentally ill and suffered from paranoia or bipolar disorder. Those who write letters to express their opinions are not guilty, but if there is something wrong with their brains, they still need treatment. This is our Han Dynasty’s consistent welfare policy... So I have asked a doctor to check his brain. I hope he can recover soon. 】

He actually compared himself with Li Miao. The harsh and sarcastic words really broke Mu Qi's defense. He spent points to exchange for the permission to transmit pictures, and angrily passed the imperial edict written by Lao Deng. To be honest, although he himself was immersed in great shock and confusion, Liu Li's straightforward expression of disbelief still greatly hurt his self-esteem.

Faced with such irrefutable evidence, even someone as stubborn as Liu Li had to admit the facts. This time he was silent for a longer time before slowly typing the following line:

[To be honest, with such a poor way of employing people, I can't help but worry about Daan's future and fate...]

Mu Qi:? ! !

What do you mean?

Well, although Mu Qi could not hide his surprise when he received the imperial edict, and even the eunuch who delivered the edict checked it twice to confirm that he had not read it wrong; although Mu Qi was not without fear of being unable to shoulder such a heavy responsibility, and even vaguely doubted Lao Deng's mental state. But, but - even if it's the truth, you can't just talk about it everywhere!

He typed furiously:

[I am not necessarily any worse than you!] 】

You can sit on the emperor's throne and issue orders, but I am just in the cabinet doing odd jobs and discussing government affairs. How much can I do to the country?

Besides, is it my turn to mess up this country? You really don't take Master Feixuan, Master Wanshou, and Master Qingmiao seriously!

[The seal took my spear: If I were the only one in charge, the Han Dynasty would have risen to prominence long ago. I know I am not good at this, so I never ask about the specific government affairs. At most, I will make two suggestions from the perspective of future generations and ask you to consider their implementation... As long as it is what I say, the Prime Minister will seriously consider it, and after consideration, everything that can be implemented will be implemented. So I can rest assured and study happily; what about you, Old Seven? I'm not saying anything harsh, but even if you join the cabinet, can you get your opinions passed in the cabinet? Can you accomplish anything? 】

Liu Li’s words hit the nail on the head – for inexperienced outsiders, the greatest and most valuable wealth is all the information from later generations, the most accurate judgments about history, and macro-strategic commands, rather than specific and trivial matters. The person in charge of Ji Han now is Liu Li, who is not his biological father but is better than his biological father. No matter how absurd Liu Li's judgment is, people are willing to listen and consider it, and implement it in a practical manner. When both parties trust and cooperate with each other, they can achieve results far greater than the sum of their parts.

When the ruler and his subjects are of one mind, they can cut through metal… On the other hand, how much trust can there be between Mu Qi and the cabinet, or even between the cabinet and Lao Deng?

Without the most basic political trust, any opinions are empty talk. At such a turbulent time, the sudden entry of Prince Mu into the cabinet would not only fail to achieve any expectations, but might also drain all political energy in internal strife and even ruin the maritime trade that had just begun to pick up.

Apart from the regent who monopolized power, didn't all the reforms carried out by Da'an over the hundreds of years since its founding end up like this?

Lies cannot hurt people, only the truth is the sharpest knife. Mu Qi was silent for a moment, then typed the following line:

[I know my limits and will do my best to do what I can]

[The seal took my spear: Alright, alright, as long as you have confidence, I can’t say much... My father-in-law will go on a northern expedition in the fall, do you want to come and see? The deposed emperor has been very busy playing mahjong recently. It is said that the people who stayed in Bianliang have been making a lot of trouble and frequently making things difficult for her. It is estimated that she is going to do something drastic. I don't know if she can make it. 】

[The seal took a stab from me: Of course, it’s very cold in autumn. Please pick out some of the best tiger skins and send them to me so I can make some coats for my father-in-law.]

Mu Qi's expression changed slightly, and he finally typed out a reply angrily:

【knew! 】

·

Perhaps in order to show the court's willingness to recruit talents fairly and justly, and also to reassure people's hearts and give everyone a share of the pie, the final list of cabinet members was as high as 16 people, including civil and military officials as well as meritorious officials and old ministers. Because there were too many people, they had to be divided into batches and take turns to do miscellaneous work in the cabinet.

Such a strange shift system certainly intensified the desire for power struggle. Ambitious new figures like Gao Suqing, the attending scholar of Prince Yu's Palace, began to plan carefully and calculate their own path to progress step by step as soon as they received the news. After the duty roster was released, Gao Suqing was overjoyed and extremely excited - the person walking on duty with him turned out to be the Prince of Duke Mu!

If it really were some ambitious and skilled competitor, he might have to fight tooth and nail to barely stand out; but now he is working with the Prince of Duke Mu, so wouldn't he just be able to kill people at will? !

No way, no way, no one really thinks that a madman like Prince Mu knows anything about politics, right?

With such excitement, Gao Suqing got up early and rushed to the cabinet duty room at the beginning of the morning. He lit the lamp, ground ink, sorted books, and tidied everything up. He was determined to leave a good impression on the important ministers in charge. When Zhao Juqing, the Minister of Justice on duty today, came in, he served tea and water to the Grand Sikou, showing great hospitality.

Of course, Gao Suqing is a man of high character and talent, and he would never rely on a little attentiveness to become famous. Long before Minister Zhao entered the room, he had already sorted out today's official documents into categories, marked the important documents, and pasted white paper behind them, writing down the minutes of the contents for his superiors' reference.

As long as the important officials on duty appreciate the minutes, Gao Suqing can subtly influence them and insert his own opinions into the contents of the minutes; as long as his opinions can be gradually accepted, it will take more than ten years of hard work to get the qualification to propose votes and participate in politics. From small to big, from the outside to the inside, this is roughly the path for a master to reach the pinnacle of power.

Today's start is pretty good. Minister Zhao had been tormented by messy official documents for days, and now he could read such a clear and concise record, which was really refreshing and impressive; not to mention, the other person on shift, Prince Mu, came late and punched in on time, not even a minute early. The comparison between the two was particularly strong.

The prince of Duke Mu did not notice the traitorous behavior of Master Gao. He helped to move books and copy information, doing his work quietly and honestly without saying a word. But when sorting out the official documents sent by the Ministry of Rites, the prince suddenly frowned.

A dozen days ago, he had discussed with Yan Xiaoge Lao and planned to let the censors collectively write an appreciation of Qingci, which would be used as a sample after the official release and royalties would be collected as subsidies. The young cabinet minister was very efficient and quickly had someone write a memorial and submit it, intending to make some money from the envoys from Goryeo and Japan while they were still there. However, I didn't expect that the memorial was still piled up in the cabinet's papers after so many days.

He flipped through the pages again. Not only the memorial requesting the writing of the Qingci Appreciation, but also several earlier proposals for reforming the tribute trade were buried among the insignificant requests and impeachment documents, now covered in dust.

There is no doubt that their memorials were deliberately blocked!

When a memorial was submitted, it had to be screened by the Ministry of Public Security, drafted and commented on by the Cabinet, approved and reviewed by the Ministry of Ceremonies, and most importantly, it had to be reviewed by the Emperor. If there was a problem in any link, the entire process would be stuck. When important officials at the central government want to boycott government affairs, they often start with the process. Whenever they encountered a difficult and embarrassing memorial, they would often neither approve nor refute it, but would throw it aside and ignore it; this would drag on for a month, two months, or even a year and a half, and when the enthusiasm of the people below had worn out, the matter would naturally come to nothing.

There were no problems with the process and the attitude was impeccable, but even though the people below were so anxious that they were throwing tantrums, they could do nothing about the cabinet.

This kind of insidious and harsh "drag" tactic is usually used to deal with troublemakers who are disliked by important officials. The upright members of the Yan party are able to use it freely and are well versed in playing power games. I never expected that the situation would change and today it is the turn of the young minister and the prince to have a taste of this!

...But this is not surprising. Now that Lord Yan is under house arrest in the palace, the Yan Party's momentum has greatly declined. Although a soft-spoken fence-sitter like Minister Zhao dare not openly defect and take action, he can still use the government affairs handled by the young Lord as a raft. If it is delayed for a few more days, not only will these memorials be buried silently, but even the trade agreement that was previously negotiated with so much effort will be changed.

Mu Qi remained calm, picked up the memorial, and strode to Minister Zhao:

"Grand Minister of Justice, why didn't you approve this memorial?"

The shocking words caused the duty room to fall into silence. Even Gao Suqing, who was looking through some documents, raised his head and looked at the prince in astonishment.

Minister Zhao was stunned for a moment, then became very unhappy:

"The cabinet has its own rules for deliberations, so there is no need for you to ask any more questions!"

How dare a young man like him interfere in the affairs of the cabinet? Even if he is the prince of a noble family, he would not be so arrogant! Didn’t you see Mr. Gao who was working diligently and without complaint next to you? After many years of being a daughter-in-law, she finally becomes a mother-in-law. If she wants to change her career, she needs to gain several decades of experience first!

But the prince obviously couldn't read the air, he spoke directly, ignoring Minister Zhao's cold eyes:

"I think this memorial should be drafted and approved as soon as possible without any further delay."

As soon as these words were spoken, Gao Suqing, who was watching cautiously, was no longer just shocked, his eyes were almost popping out - the power to draft bills was granted solely by the emperor, even the Imperial Household Department might not dare to interfere; for a lowly noble like you to come and give orders, that was not just arrogance, it was directly a power grab and rebellion!

Damn it, Wang Zhen, Liu Jin, and Cao Jixiang, the notorious eunuch party back then, were not so domineering as to seize power by force as soon as they came to power! What are corrupt eunuchs? When people in the future compile the "Biographies of Treacherous Ministers", you, the Prince of Mu, should be the first one to be listed!

——To be honest, who doesn’t want the right to draft bills? But everyone is playing tricks and overt schemes, using all means possible, but in the end they are just playing chess honestly according to the rules of the chessboard. Why is this young man so unsportsmanlike that he picks up the chessboard and hits it on the head?

Don’t you look at your own small body? Can you lift this chessboard?

Minister Zhao was stunned for a long time, and when he realized what was happening, he became furious. He is not a weak and weak person like Li Jurong, and he will never tolerate such behavior of jumping into the face and trying to seize power. What happened to Prince Mu? Even Prince Mu cannot be so arrogant! Anyway, I have the emperor's favor, so why should I be afraid that you will bite off my balls!

He spoke coldly, in a sarcastic tone:

"Could it be that all the important ministers in the cabinet have retired? I didn't know that the cabinet is already headed by the prince! If the prince wants to write a bill, he has to wait until he sits in my chair."

Considering the understanding level of Prince Mu, this sentence was very straightforward, basically a curse right in his face. But as a famous madman in the capital, the prince's psychological quality is much stronger. He remained indifferent and continued to speak:

"I am not doing this for myself, but for the cabinet. I am afraid that the cabinet will be criticized by thousands of people and will be condemned by everyone."

"Oh? You mean, if the cabinet doesn't listen to you, it will be inhuman? Tell me, who dares to criticize the cabinet?"

Mu Qi finally swallowed the words "It's hard to say" and said, "Of course it was the censor who heard the rumor and reported it."

Minister Zhao became more and more angry: "Why would the censors impeach the cabinet for no reason?"

The prince was very frank and blurted out: "Of course I won't impeach you for no reason, but now I am in the cabinet!"

Minister Zhao: …………

Mr. Gao: …………

Sincerity is the biggest killer, and it immediately silenced the two ministers. And after a moment's silence, Minister Zhao was unable to refute this statement - the Cabinet was above the six ministries, and its prominence and dignity were incomparable; even if it was just doing odd jobs, it would definitely not tolerate someone like the Prince of Duke Mu who was unlearned and behaved like a madman. The censors usually scratch their faces and pull their hair, but when it comes to issues concerning the dignity of the court, they are extremely resolute and refuse to give in. They will use memorials to criticize all the people involved and make them look like peach blossoms on their faces!

The first to be criticized will definitely be the Duke Mu's Mansion when the power is abused by the wrong people. But is Prince Muguo a person who would care about the pressure of public opinion and the public opinion of scholars? No matter how you quote from classics and speak in a sarcastic manner and curse your ancestors, as long as people don't understand you, it doesn't hurt them. As the saying goes, as long as one's thoughts are willing to decline, there are always more solutions than problems. The Duke's son just lies down and starts to act. What can the censors do?

Insulting someone also requires emotional value. It is meaningless to insult such a stubborn person, and most censors are too lazy to argue with him. Therefore, when the war of words gets to the end, the focus of public criticism will definitely be those important officials who "hold office but do nothing" and "fawn on the powerful" and who were unable to prevent the Crown Prince from joining the cabinet - such as the ministers who are currently on duty.

When thinking of this, Zhao Juqing, the Minister of State, felt his scalp tighten!

Why was it that when Prince Mu of Duke Mu entered the cabinet, the one who was criticized was an innocent minister like himself who was inexplicably involved?

Why, after dragging others into this trouble, could this Mu still be so shameless as to openly discuss this matter in front of the victim!

Where is justice? Where is justice? Where is the shamelessness of Prince Mu?

Minister Zhao was shocked and speechless. In his decades of political career, this was the first time that he felt the grief and injustice of having no one to turn to!

But Prince Mu was still unwilling to give up and added:

"Besides, it is better to handle this memorial as soon as possible. Otherwise, if we delay it for too long, I am afraid the censors will scold us even more severely."

Minister Zhao said blankly: "...Why?

"Because I will be attending a literary gathering in five days to welcome the envoys from other clans." The prince said confidently: "The meeting requires me to write a poem and a fu, and I can't refuse!"

With the prince's level, what is the difference between reciting poems and composing essays in public to show his literary talent and admiring a monkey running up and down? ——It doesn't matter if he is embarrassed, but once his disgraceful performance at the literary meeting is made public, it will definitely make the censors nervous and angry, and once their defenses are broken, their firepower will be more than ten times stronger. When the time comes, the world will be turned upside down, thunder will roar, and saliva will pour down from the sky. Don't blame the prince for not warning you in advance.

"Of course, I personally don't mind." The prince was very magnanimous: "I'm just worried that the ministers on duty in those few days will be caught in the crossfire... By the way, who will be the minister on duty five days later?"

Minister Zhao: …………

Guess who it is?

Although there were thousands of dirty words flying through his mind, he was still an important minister after all, and he would not back down just because of a little saliva. He was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spoke:

"…The cabinet has its own rules and regulations. We can't change our course just because of some gossip from outside."

Although it was still a rejection, the tone was already very weak.

The prince was reasonable and didn't push too hard. He just sighed:

"It would be best if the cabinet could stick to it to the end. But the worry is that the censors are too venomous. There is nothing wrong with discussing the matter at hand, but when the censors get too quick to speak, they often ramble on, talking about trivial matters without stopping, which disrupts the main business..."

The speaker may not have intended it, but the listener took it to heart. When Minister Zhao heard the words "rambling", the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He originally wanted to cling to Prime Minister Xia's position, but now, in order to take advantage of the situation and trample on the weak Yan Party, he deliberately obstructed the maritime trade affairs that Yan Donglou was in charge of and pretended to delay them in every possible way. But once the past is exposed by the censors, these dirty thoughts will most likely be lost.

Moreover, Minister Zhao had a more secret and unspeakable past in his heart... When the Great Ceremony Debate happened in the past, all the officials cried and advised the emperor to abdicate outside Zuoshun Gate. Minister Zhao, who was still a Secretary at that time, also witnessed the event and knelt in the crowd once. However, he saw the opportunity quickly and slipped away in time before the Jinyiwei closed the door and cleared the place, so he was not affected by the court caning.

For many years, Minister Zhao has been low-key and introverted, and has been intent on currying favor with his superiors, and has never let True Lord Feixuan and Emperor Wanshou notice any clues. He has even been favored by the emperor to this day. But the truth will eventually come out. If even a little bit of information is leaked during the impeachment storm...

Minister Zhao remained silent.

Mu Qi said, "I am also considering the cabinet. It is impossible to control the gossip of the censors, but we can try to divert their attention. I have calculated that after the implementation of this memorial, the censors will immediately have an additional income of 15 taels of silver this year just from the royalties of Qingci appreciation. The lower officials are all suffering, and these 15 taels of silver can make up for it. It can also be regarded as the grace of the emperor and an extra bonus. Once the censors' resentment is calmed, things will be much easier to talk about!"

This statement made sense and even Minister Zhao couldn't refute it. Increasing welfare and benefits without touching the national treasury is a great thing that is welcomed by all. If someone is ignorant and tries to stop it, the consequences will be unpredictable.

The prince said modestly, "This is just my humble opinion... Grand Minister of Justice, you don't want to be criticized by the censors, do you?"

After being in a daze for a long time, Minister Zhao finally picked up his brush and hurriedly wrote down a proposal on the memorial:

【Sighting】

·

After the draft was completed, Prince Mu was very satisfied and took several memorials to the Imperial Household Department for approval. The senior scholar who was working in the office nearby watched the whole process and was so shocked that he almost couldn't even open his eyes:

Oh my God, it turns out that the power to draft bills can really be snatched away like this!