Chapter 152 Wei Shuyu Officially Attends Court

thump thump thump...

As the drum tower sounded, Wei Shuyu, who had been feigning sleep, opened his eyes and followed the assembled officials into the palace.

After a series of complicated procedures, Wei Shuyu was arranged to go outside the palace.

The censors had the right to attend court, but that was limited to offering advice during impeachment proceedings.

Normally, he would be positioned outside the main hall.

There are many national affairs to attend to today.

In particular, the submission of Songtsen Gampo to the Tang Dynasty was a very grand affair.

This one ceremony alone will take about half a day.

Then comes handling state affairs.

The process of holding a meeting in the imperial court consists of four steps...

First, the court assembly: This refers to the officials offering their advice and suggestions.

Second, the opening remarks: The emperor speaks, emphasizing the principles of governance and elaborating on the court's policies.

Third, memorials to the emperor: the ministers took turns submitting memorials to the emperor, reporting on matters under their jurisdiction.

Fourth, deliberation: Based on the memorials submitted by the officials, discussions were held.

After all this is over, the emperor will usually ask if any of the officials have anything else to say. If not, the court may adjourn.

This is roughly the time for impeachment.

As for remonstrating officials like Wei Shuyu, if there were any impeachments to be made, they needed to inform the eunuchs in advance. The eunuchs would then lead them into the main hall at the end of the session, but they would still stand at the very back.

"Do any of you gentlemen have anything else to report?"

Li Shimin, sitting on the dragon throne, naturally saw Wei Shuyu.

"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

The officials couldn't help but look back, and saw Wei Shuyu holding a tablet, bowing to Li Shimin.

"It's Uncle Yu."

Li Shimin smiled kindly: "This is your first time officially attending court, is it? Are you nervous?"

Upon hearing this, the courtiers couldn't help but roll their eyes inwardly.

Wei Shuyu has caused a scene in the Taiji Hall several times already, so why are you so nervous?

We should be the ones who are nervous.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am adapting well," Wei Shuyu replied.

"Come up to the front of the hall. I can't hear you very well if you stand at the back," Li Shimin said with a smile.

Can't hear me?

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, the assembled officials tensed up.

When presenting memorials before the emperor, nothing is more important than a major event or a significant achievement...

Is it possible they're going to target someone again?

"promise."

Wei Shuyu accepted the order, then walked with his head held high and chest out, passing by the officials with a composed gait, and walked to the very front of the main hall.

"Shuyu, tell me..." Li Shimin asked in a deliberately casual tone.

"His Majesty……"

However, just as Wei Shuyu was about to speak, Changsun Wuji launched the first attack.

“Your Majesty, only officials of the fifth rank and above are allowed to hold ivory tablets. Wei Shuyu, a mere eighth-rank censor, is already setting a bad example by holding an ivory tablet.”

As Changsun Wuji finished speaking, the assembled officials finally noticed the ivory tablet in Wei Shuyu's hand.

Those who could enter the Taiji Hall during court assemblies were basically all ivory tablet holders.

If Changsun Wuji hadn't mentioned it, they really wouldn't have noticed this detail.

“Minister Changsun, this ivory tablet in my hand belongs to my father. I am merely borrowing it for a moment.”

Wei Shuyu responded calmly.

"borrow?"

Changsun Wuji sneered: "Ever since the Emperor Emeritus decreed that only officials of the fifth rank and above could hold ivory tablets, there has been a clear distinction. How can there be any talk of borrowing them?"

"If you can borrow a ceremonial tablet today, will you be able to borrow official robes and official positions tomorrow?"

"This is the imperial court, not children playing house."

Changsun Wuji's words were powerful and resounding, drawing nods of agreement from all the officials.

Changsun Wuji was also full of confidence.

Now let's see what you have to say.

Is it that serious?

Wei Shuyu glanced at the tablet in his hand, and under the incredulous gazes of the crowd, bowed deeply to Li Shimin: "Your Majesty, I impeach Gao Shilian, the Minister of Personnel, for dereliction of duty and malfeasance!"

The courtiers were dumbfounded.

What's going on?

When you talk about the issue of your official tablet, why are you bringing up Gao Shilian?

Although he is Changsun Wuji's uncle, this is no way to impeach him.

"Wei Shuyu, stop making trouble. What does your matter concerning your official tablet have to do with the Ministry of Personnel?" Changsun Wuji questioned angrily.

Wei Shuyu straightened up: "Isn't granting official titles the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel? They only gave me the documents and official robes, but not the official tablet."

"..."

The courtiers remained silent.

You impeached someone over such a trivial matter.

"You bastard!"

Changsun Wuji was furious: "Do you even understand the rules of officialdom? The Ministry of Personnel will naturally prepare an ivory tablet, but you, a lowly eighth-rank official, can only use a bamboo tablet. Do you even know what a bamboo tablet is? It's made of bamboo."

"Why don't you just chop some bamboo yourself and make it yourself?"

Wei Shuyu suddenly realized.

"You mean, you made all the bamboo tablets yourself?" Wei Shuyu asked.

"Your Majesty, Wei Shuyu has lost his composure before the Emperor..."

Ignoring Wei Shuyu, Changsun Wuji bowed to Li Shimin.

"Changsun Sikong, please wait."

Wei Shuyu smiled and stopped him, saying, "You say it's wrong for me to hold my father's scepter, but what crime would that be?"

"To be so disrespectful before Your Majesty is an act of disrespect!" Changsun Wuji replied without hesitation.

"Oh, really?"

Wei Shuyu smiled and said, "Was this also decided by the Emperor Emeritus?"

"this……"

Changsun Wuji is a Muggle.

At the time, Li Yuan only mentioned that officials of the fifth rank and above should hold ivory tablets, without specifying any crimes.

The ivory tablet was just an office supply used for recording things; who would be so bored as to make such a thing and break the rules?

Once you reach the required official rank, the Ministry of Personnel will naturally make arrangements for you.

"Since the Emperor Emeritus did not specify any crime, how can there be any talk of misconduct?"

Wei Shuyu narrowed his eyes: "Or perhaps, we should invite the Emperor Emeritus here and see how he decides to convict him?"

Changsun Wuji was speechless once again.

Now everyone in the court knows that you and the retired emperor are in cahoots.

The wholesale of seals was incredibly smooth.

The ministers shook their heads upon seeing this.

Well, Changsun Wuji has lost again.

He's a stubborn guy, always fighting and failing, but never giving up.

He has never won against the Wei family.

"Alright."

Li Shimin finally spoke up to stop him: "Don't make a fuss over such a small matter. It's Shuyu's first time attending court, so it's understandable."

Then Li Shimin looked at Wei Shuyu and said, "Considering this is your first offense, I will let it go. Just don't make such a small mistake again."

"promise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two bowed in unison.

"It's getting late, Shuyu, if you have anything to report, please do so quickly," Li Shimin said again.

Wei Shuyu's expression finally turned serious. He slowly bowed, placed the imperial tablet in front of him, covered his face, looked at the tablet, and began to read... (covering his face to show respect to the emperor, and incidentally to look at his cheat sheet)

"Your Majesty, I believe that although the world is currently in a prosperous state, it is still in dire need of resources. Although the people are not starving, they are still poor. The court has followed the ancient ways of governance and has done everything, but it has been unable to fundamentally solve the problem of the people's suffering."

"In my opinion, if we talk about a golden age, it's more accurate to say it's a false golden age!"

"Just like this natural disaster, in just two places, a large amount of national treasury reserves have been depleted. What if there are one or two more?"

"Can the imperial court still allocate disaster relief supplies?"

"What if foreign powers launch another attack on the Tang Dynasty at this time?"

"Does the imperial court still have the funds to pay the soldiers and their troops?"

"In my opinion, although the Tang Dynasty is strong, it is only on the surface and cannot withstand multiple blows in reality..."

As Wei Shuyu finished speaking, many officials also felt that his words made sense.

Putting aside everything else, these two natural disasters alone are the best examples.

It was only through the unity of all the officials that they managed to get through this difficult time; it was truly not easy.

If Wei Shuyu could come up with a solution without affecting their interests, they would naturally give his full support.

"oh?"

Li Shimin nodded in agreement: "According to your suggestion, what changes should the Tang Dynasty make?"

Wei Shuyu took a deep breath, his eyes gradually hardening, and he solemnly bowed to Li Shimin.

The steady yet powerful voice uttered each word like a bomb exploding in the Taiji Hall, startling all the officials into changing color...

"When the people are prosperous, the country is strong; when the people are well-off, the country is wealthy."

"Your Majesty, I earnestly request that you value commerce, elevate the status of merchants, and implement a commercial tax policy to increase the national treasury's revenue!"

(The Tang Dynasty had no commercial tax, only a market tax. "Guan" refers to the fee paid when passing through a checkpoint. "Shi" refers to the fee paid when trading in a market.)