This is a blatant slap in the face!
The newly appointed Vice Minister of War, Zhang Kai, took office after the emperor's purge, but he himself admitted to the crime of corruption.
Doesn't this imply that the emperor is blind to appointing the wrong people?
The most outrageous thing was that they directly marked their own logo in the lower left corner, deliberately telling the emperor that it was done by our Yinyuan Society.
We can make one of your officers commit suicide at any time!
You'd better stop messing with our people among the common people!
This is just the beginning. You can figure out what comes next!
Liu Yanzong's palms began to sweat; he sensed a volcano about to erupt within the emperor's heart.
Zhao Huan frowned, suddenly stood up, and overturned the imperial desk, smashing the incense burner, jade cup, and writing implements onto the ground, scattering them everywhere.
Zhao Huan walked to his desk, drew the precious sword lying across it, and cleaved the desk in two with a single stroke, roaring, "Outrageous! How dare you challenge me!"
Liu Yanzong said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! I have already discovered a clue!"
"explain!"
"The Yinyuan Society may be related to the noble families of the former Tang Dynasty."
Zhao Huan's heart stirred, and he raised his eyebrows, looking at Liu Yanzong: "Continue."
"I will risk my life to offer my advice."
"Say whatever you want, and I will forgive you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I once interrogated a remnant of the Yin Yuan Society. Before he died, he said this: 'A dynasty lasting a hundred years and a family lasting a thousand years, the Zhao family's fate is sealed. This is all because our dynasty has opened up the imperial examination system, resulting in a serious problem of redundant officials. Ordinary people and laborers have risen to high positions in the court, causing chaos in the government. If we want to revive China, we must establish noble families!'"
"Your Majesty has investigated carefully and found that this person is originally from Qingzhou and his surname is Cui."
Zhao Huan's pupils suddenly contracted sharply. His surname was Cui!
A dynasty that lasted a hundred years, a family that lasted a thousand!
Five prominent families and seven noble clans of the Former Tang Dynasty!
Zhao Huan keenly noticed this.
The Cui family of Qinghe is a prominent family with a long history. Legend has it that they are descendants of Emperor Yan. Generation after generation, they have held prominent positions in various dynasties throughout China, and their family has spread throughout the Central Plains.
After the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Sui Dynasty unified the country and introduced the imperial examination system in order to reshape the source of talent for the court and break the monopoly of aristocratic families on officialdom.
However, the powerful clans of the Sui and Tang dynasties remained strong. The five surnames and seven prominent families of the Sui and Tang dynasties were another peak of the clans' resurgence!
Just how powerful were the Five Surnames and Seven Clans?
Emperor Taizong of Tang could not tolerate the arrogance of these aristocratic families, and once ordered his senior officials to revise the "Clan Records".
In the initial draft, the editors disregarded the imperial family and ranked the Cui clan of Boling, a prominent Shandong aristocratic family, as "number one in the world."
Later, with the intervention of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the "Clan Records" elevated the imperial family and suppressed the Shandong gentry, but it did not achieve any real effect.
During the reign of Emperor Wenzong of Tang, the emperor asked the prime minister Zheng Tan for a marriage proposal, hoping that Zheng Tan would marry his granddaughter to the crown prince.
Ultimately, Zheng Tan disregarded the imperial decree and married his granddaughter to Cui, a ninth-rank official.
Although the emperor was furious, he was powerless to do anything about it.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the "Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families" did not have any advantage in the court.
The intimidation of the Guanlong military clique in the imperial court, coupled with the emperor's deliberate suppression and the hostility of the commoner officials selected through the imperial examination system, left them with no opportunity to use their talents.
In the mid-to-late Tang Dynasty, after the An Lushan Rebellion, the political center of the Tang Dynasty was rebuilt.
The "Five Clans and Seven Noble Families" regained their prominence through the imperial examination system. After gaining control of the examination system and adapting to it, more and more members of these aristocratic families served as important officials and prime ministers.
The Huang Chao Rebellion in the late Tang Dynasty killed many aristocratic families and nobles, leading to the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
By the early Song Dynasty, the aristocratic families had almost collapsed.
In order to further curb the resurgence of powerful families, the Song Dynasty greatly expanded the number of candidates for the imperial examinations.
How extreme was the expansion of the imperial examination system during the Song Dynasty?
During the Tang Dynasty, the imperial examinations were held once every three years, with an average of only twenty-eight people being admitted each time.
During the Song Dynasty, the population skyrocketed!
First, it expanded the power of civil officials to suppress military generals; second, it prevented a resurgence of powerful clans, as seen in the Tang Dynasty, that threatened imperial power.
The imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty did indeed produce many prime ministers and officials from commoner backgrounds, and it also effectively suppressed powerful families.
Zhao Huan never expected that such a deformed person would emerge from this pressure.
Yinyuan Society, "Yin" means hidden in darkness, "Yuan" means the beginning of the world, and "She" naturally means an organization.
Hidden in the darkness, reshaping a new world?
What a boastful tone!
My dream is to reshape a new world in the Song Dynasty!
I never imagined that someone else shared the same dream as me.
It truly is one world, one dream!
Zhao Huan said menacingly, "Liu Yanzong, Xie Dahai, you two will investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Liu Yanzong said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the purge of Dongjing City should be postponed for now. I will send men to secretly investigate all the strongholds of the Yinyuan Society, follow the clues to find their headquarters, and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"
Xie Dahai also said, "I agree with what Imperial Censor Liu said."
Zhao Huan said, "Find their strongholds and headquarters as soon as possible, and bring their heads before me!"
"yes!"
The Hidden Origin Society's choice to eliminate a Ministry of War official at this time as a show of force clearly demonstrates their excellent timing.
At present, Zhao Huan is waging war in the southwest. The Ministry of War is responsible for the collection of food and military supplies, which is equivalent to the logistics hub of the vanguard. Even a slight disturbance could affect military affairs.
This strike hit Zhao Huan's weak spot.
Zhao Huan said, "Go and investigate how many ministers in the court are connected with the Yin Yuan Society!"
Previously, Zhao Huan only thought about purging Zhao Ji's old officials, but he did not expect that there was still the venomous snake Yin Yuan Society lying by his side.
The emperor appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he became extremely anxious.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Liu Yanzong and Xie Dahai left, Wang Kuian came in and reported something to Zhao Huan.
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