Chapter 258: Granted Marriage (Part 2) Granted Marriage

The reform of the civil service system was fraught with disturbances at the beginning. There were constant voices of opposition in the court, and at one point the young emperor's desk was even piled with memorials impeaching Su Fengzhang.

It’s a pity that the one who is actually handling government affairs now is Prince Cheng. This prince flipped through the books one by one, leaving only what he knew, and then piled them up there to collect dust. These adults are destined to get no feedback.

Even Su Fengzhang, who initially adopted such a cautious and step-by-step reform approach, was afraid that being too radical would lead to failure, and in the end not only would he lose his own life but also kill others.

But when the civil service reform began, some of the preparations Su Fengzhang had made before were not used. In fact, the resistance to the civil service reform this time was smaller than they expected.

After being surprised, Su Fengzhang couldn't help but secretly investigate, fearing that these accumulated forces were plotting a bigger conspiracy. As a result, after investigating for a long time, he finally came to the conclusion that there were a lot of curses behind it, but no conspiracy.

After thinking about it carefully, Su Fengzhang began to understand that although this time seemed to be going smoothly, it was actually the result of years of accumulation.

During the reign of the Empress Dowager, the imperial court underwent repeated purges, and each time a large number of officials were dismissed in a very short period of time. During this process, Prince Cheng and Prince Rong kept placing their own people in the position.

By the time the new emperor ascended the throne, most of the civil and military officials in the court were their people, so even if there were different voices, they would not have much impact.

Anyone who can serve as an official in the court is not a fool. Seeing that Prince Cheng is determined to reform the civil service system, they will not confront him head-on. Everyone's head is valuable.

What's more, the current reform direction is not that radical. Although it has infringed upon some interests, it is not unacceptable. After all, the harshness of the Taizu period is still vivid in our minds, and it is more acceptable in comparison.

There were many people who talked about right and wrong in front of Empress Dowager Yun, the young emperor, and the Yun family, but Yun Qian clearly stood on Su Fengzhang's side, which surprised everyone and made them feel fear in their hearts.

Su Fengzhang's opinion is Prince Cheng's opinion, and Prince Cheng's opinion represents the little emperor's opinion. Now that Empress Dowager Yun and the Yun family support them, do they have to rely on Empress Dowager Li?

Looking at how Empress Dowager Li followed Empress Dowager Yun closely and obeyed her every word, you know this won't work.

Some people wanted to persuade Prince Rong to come forward, but Prince □□ fell ill again after returning from the palace. He even avoided seeing his son-in-law, Prince Xi, and could not see anyone else.

The power gap between the two sides was so great that those who held opposing views had to suppress themselves temporarily and wait for an opportunity.

What they don't know is that once this transformation begins, the opportunity they are waiting for will only get further and further away, and the foreshadowing that Su Fengzhang has laid will not be revealed until a few years later.

By that time, it will be too late for them to object, and it will be like boiling a frog in warm water.

The Ten Rules on Official Administration spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty. While the court received mixed reviews, the people mostly praised it. The common people obviously did not care whether officials would be laid off or not. What was real was that they themselves benefited.

As for those who were laid off, if they did not do well, they would be lucky if they were not scolded by everyone, not to mention anything else.

Su Fengzhang did not go to extremes. Unless they had committed a crime, other people's titles and reputations would not be revoked even if they were laid off. As long as they met the assessment standards, they could still serve as officials in the court. The rules were just a little stricter.

In order to accomplish this, the secret guards under his control were spread throughout the Great Zhou, keeping a close eye on the situation at all times, to prevent the information gap between the local and central governments from leading to ultimate failure.

The civil service reform was in full swing, but the emperor's health finally gave out.

After the coronation ceremony, Imperial Physician Wang stated that the retired emperor could only live for three to five months at most. However, half a year has passed now. It can be said that the medical skills of the Imperial Hospital are so advanced that the emperor's life has been saved for so long.

A decayed body is difficult to recover, and exhausted vitality cannot be restored.

One day, the retired emperor suddenly looked rosy-cheeked, and even stood up to drink two bowls of meat porridge. However, the imperial physician Wang privately reported to the emperor, "Your Majesty is probably not feeling well."

Empress Dowager Yun nodded, turned around and summoned the little emperor, Prince Cheng and others. After thinking about it, she finally summoned the six ministers into the palace as well.

She has waited until today and doesn't want to do anything more, but instead leave something to talk about.

When he saw them appear, the emperor even smiled gently: "It's good that you are here. You can see me off for the last time."

"Your Majesty!" The one who shouted with tears in his eyes was Lord Han, the Minister of Rites. He was an old man who had experienced two dynasties. The fact that he could still stay in the position of Minister of Rites showed what kind of person he was.

At this moment, he was wiping his tears, wondering how deeply she felt about the relationship between him and the retired emperor, which was why she was so sad.

The Emperor Retired sighed and said, "You don't have to be sad after I'm gone. This day will come when we get older, and no one can escape it. Now that the Great Zhou has a successor, I won't be ashamed to face the late emperor."

"Your Majesty!" Lord Han cried out again.

Empress Dowager Yun wiped her eyes and reminded, "Grand Emperor, Prince Rong is still on his way and will be here soon."

The Emperor was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Why bother calling him again?"

After saying this, he took the hands of Empress Yun and Empress Dowager Fang, placed their palms together, and earnestly instructed them: "Man'er, Linlang, from now on, you must work together to raise Jiu'er and teach him to become a wise ruler."

Empress Dowager Yun softly agreed, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The Emperor is also my son."

Queen Mother Fang also said: "Your Majesty, I will definitely take good care of Jiuer."

The Emperor nodded and looked at Prince Cheng behind him. The two Empress Dowagers made way for him. Prince Cheng stepped forward and half-knelt before the bed, assuring him, "Don't worry, Father. I will do my best to assist Your Majesty."

How could the retired emperor feel at ease? Every time he saw Prince Cheng, who was tall and majestic and whose aura was growing stronger day by day, the regret in his heart almost overflowed. He even felt that he should not have been soft-hearted and let Concubine De do such a pretentious thing.

But at this point, even if he regretted it, it would be useless. He could only hold his hand tightly and said, "Old Fifth, you must remember what you promised me. This is the kingdom of the Great Zhou, the kingdom of the Qin family."

Prince Cheng nodded and said, "Father, I will keep this in mind."

The more readily he agreed, the more worried the emperor became. He turned his gaze to the six ministers present, and suddenly remembered that in several palace coups, those grand tutors and grand mentors were almost all killed.

Recalling this belatedly, the Emperor said, "The Emperor is young, and I trust Prince Cheng to handle government affairs, but he will inevitably be unable to teach the Emperor. Why not let the six of you serve as Grand Tutors and take turns teaching the Emperor?"

"This..." Lord Han's expression changed slightly. He glanced at Prince Cheng before saying, "Your Majesty, there has always been only one Grand Tutor. Wouldn't it be against etiquette for the six of us to hold the position?"

The Emperor, noticing the look in his eyes just now, felt even more apprehensive about Prince Cheng. He frowned and said, "What's wrong with that? Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

Lord Han was about to say something else, but Prince Cheng interrupted and said, "Since it is the emperor's wish, please agree to it."

"From now on, the responsibility of teaching the emperor will be handed over to you gentlemen."

The six ministers looked at each other in dismay, but had no choice but to agree.

The emperor was finally satisfied, and finally, his eyes fell on Su Fengzhang.

Although he was seriously ill and in the deep palace, he was the emperor after all, and he still knew a thing or two about the affairs of the court, especially the recent ten earth-shaking officialdom incidents, which he had heard a little about in the deep palace.

The Emperor sighed and said, "My dear Su Aiqing, please come before me."

Su Fengzhang's heart skipped a beat, but he still obediently walked to the bed and obeyed the order.

The retired emperor looked at him carefully. Su Fengzhang's appearance had not changed since he was the top scorer in the high school entrance examination. He was still as handsome as ever, but his demeanor was more elegant.

He doesn't look like a cruel, ruthless, or reckless person, but unfortunately, that's all just an appearance.

He shouldn't have chosen this top scholar over Su Mu in order to suppress the crown prince. When he thought that Su Mu was nowhere to be found now while Su Fengzhang was at the peak of his career, the emperor felt even more regretful.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a slightly sinister smile. "When Lord Su proposed the Xuanwu Ceremony, it was a grand event that would go down in history. Who could have known that fate would play such a trick on me? I'm afraid I won't be able to see the ceremony completed before I die."

"Lord Su, after I die, I will ask you to take extra care and ensure that the hard work of the famous teachers is not wasted."

Su Fengzhang quickly said, "I obey your command."

The Emperor then asked, "Lord Su, you are not young anymore, why are you still unmarried?"

The expressions of the other people present became strange, and they thought to themselves that everyone knew about the affairs between Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng, so what did the emperor mean by bringing up this matter before he died?

Su Fengzhang's expression remained unchanged as he said, "Your Majesty summoned me that year with the intention of granting me a marriage, so I did not dare to arrange a marriage privately."

"You are really thoughtful. You have waited for so many years." said the emperor.

The retired emperor's eyes flickered back and forth between Prince Cheng and Su Fengzhang. The former frowned slightly with a hint of anxiety between his brows, while the latter had a calm expression without any ripples.

A thought flashed through the emperor's mind, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. He said, "Since that's the case, I will decide this matter today."

Prince Cheng's expression changed and he looked up at the retired emperor.

At this moment, the Emperor Retired was pleased with himself: "Pass on my order. Yun Hui, son of Dali Temple Yun Qian, comes from a prominent family and possesses both talent and virtue. Su Huihui, sister of Personnel Minister Su Fengzhang, is dignified and well-mannered, and well-versed in etiquette and culture. These two are a perfect match made in heaven. I decree today to grant their marriage, and have both families marry with my sincere respect. I hope they will be of one mind and will not let me down!"