Chapter 692: Give in, Surrender
The head of the Fan family was speechless.
Feng Qiuli said calmly, "The new emperor holds the Dragon Jade Order, able to mobilize the Dragon Court Guards and the Northwest Zhen'an Army. Furthermore, he has been able to climb to where he is today step by step over the years, so he must have been secretly plotting something."
"Back then, he had the military seal in hand and was in a position of righteousness. Xie Tianyong's perverse actions had caused him to be deserted by his friends and family at court. If he had wanted to seize the throne, no one could have stopped him. But he ultimately chose not to. Instead, he remained silent for many days out of concern for the private army commanded by the deposed emperor."
"During this period, Xie Tianyong has repeatedly attacked him and framed him. Is the new emperor incapable of dealing with him? Not at all! He simply has more concerns and cares more than Xie Tianyong, so he repeatedly gives in."
"If Xie Tianyong hadn't revealed his whereabouts and allowed him to track down that private army, and if he hadn't wanted to kill Song Tangning, given the new emperor's temperament, he would probably have waited until the war in the South was over, or even until the trouble in Beiling was resolved, before he came to clear the name of the late Crown Prince."
To put it bluntly, the current situation in the court is mostly due to Xie Tianyong.
It was because he was unwilling to sit on the throne and used all means to make trouble. It was also because he touched people he shouldn't have touched that forced Xiao Yan to take action in advance.
Liang Guangyi was the first to understand Feng Qiuli's meaning. Thinking carefully about what the new emperor had done recently, and then thinking about the changes in the court after the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, he said in a deep voice, "You mean, for the sake of court stability, the new emperor won't touch us?"
"At least not for now."
Feng Qiuli said, "The succession of the throne is inherently turbulent. Xie Tianyong's crimes were certainly heinous, but the new emperor's methods of seizing the throne were not necessarily honorable. After he regained his status, he had to appease the court officials and the people, and suppress the local vassal kings. In addition, the war in the south has not yet been resolved, and the north is also unstable."
"If he attacks us again at this time, the court will definitely be in turmoil, and he won't feel good even if we fight back desperately."
Feng Qiuli glanced at everyone in the hall and softened her voice.
"The new emperor is not as selfish as Xie Tianyong. Since he is unwilling to start a war lightly, he will definitely have many concerns."
"The aristocratic families have accumulated power in the court for many years. In terms of power and connections, they are far inferior to the Qingliu faction. If we are willing to take the initiative to submit to him, help the new emperor to secure the throne and even stabilize the court, I believe the new emperor will not kill the aristocratic families."
Upon hearing this, the Fan family's Patriarch immediately said angrily, "Are you asking us to be humble and curry favor with the new emperor in exchange for a chance to survive?!"
The others also frowned.
Li Changwen said directly, "I know what you mean. It's okay to be submissive and humble for a while, but the new emperor has a grudge against us, and the former crown prince wanted to eliminate the aristocratic families, which is why the Lu family plotted against him."
"What if, after we help the new emperor stabilize his government, he still wants to eliminate the aristocratic families? What will we do then if he crosses the river and destroys the bridge?"
Feng Qiuli said calmly, "At least for now, he still needs us to help him. If we work slowly and steadily, we can eventually find a way out for our families."
Everyone felt extremely uncomfortable after hearing what Feng Qiuli said.
There was no heated argument or sarcasm, but that one powerless sentence made everyone feel distressed.
They were once the most prominent family in the court, with influence throughout the court and occupying more than half of the official positions. They were able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the royal family and even the emperor had to give way to them. Even when Emperor Taizu was alive, they could compete with him in the court.
But now he has been suppressed time and time again, like a trapped beast in a desperate situation, whimpering and begging for mercy just to exchange for a way to survive.
Feng Qiuli glanced at the others who had grim expressions, then looked up at Liang Guangyi and said:
"The new emperor is different from the previous crown prince. He may not only want the Great Wei. As long as he has lofty ambitions, he will definitely not exterminate all the aristocratic families."
"As long as we are willing to give up some things and join the court alongside the Qingliu officials, returning the privileges that the aristocratic families have enjoyed over the years to the imperial family, we are not without talented people among us. Could it be that we are no match for the likes of Cao Dejiang and be employed by the new emperor?"
After Feng Qiuli finished speaking, she didn't say anything else.
Liang Guangyi stared at him for a while before looking at the others.
"What do you think?"
…
The Liang family’s “liveliness” did not last long. Being forced to give up the benefits they had obtained was not a pleasant thing after all.
After handing over the matter of talking with the new emperor to Liang Guangyi, the people from other families left in frustration. After everyone left, only Feng Qiuli and Liang Guangyi were left in the hall.
Liang Guangyi sent away the servants around him before looking at Feng Qiuli steadily.
"When did you join the new emperor?"
Liang Guangyi spoke directly without beating around the bush or testing the waters with words.
Feng Qiuli's face was unfazed. "You misunderstood. I've never taken refuge with anyone. What I just said was simply because the aristocratic family has no other options."
"Xiao Yan is a ruthless man, not as upright as the late Crown Prince. He now controls both the imperial court and the military. If we tactfully retreat, we might be able to save ourselves. But if we fight him head-on, we'll be doomed and have no chance of winning."
Liang Guangyi was full of sarcasm: "Didn't you just say he was kind and compassionate?"
Seeing Feng Qiuli seemed to want to say something, he simply waved his hand and said, "You don't need to explain to me."
"I don't care whether you've already defected to Xiao Yan, or whether you're now trying to lobby the noble families on his behalf because the situation isn't favorable. Since he's determined not to start a war, then offer conditions that will appease the noble families. Otherwise, without even a little bit of protection, no one will be able to rest easy."
Feng Qiuli looked at Liang Guangyi and said after a moment's silence, "Your Majesty has agreed. As long as the aristocratic families are willing to give up their privileges, eliminate redundant officials, return the power of official deployment to the Ministry of Personnel, and abolish the official recommendation system, the children of aristocratic families will be able to enter the court through the same examinations and abilities as everyone else, and they will be treated equally."
Liang Guangyi looked at him: "Is that all?"
Feng Qiuli: "Not only that, His Majesty wants you to help him stabilize the court as quickly as possible, and you will personally select and dismiss officials from the six ministries. No more than 20% of the officials are from aristocratic families. After this is done, there will no longer be a Grand Tutor position in the court. At that time, His Majesty will divide the power of the current Grand Tutor with the left and right prime ministers, and you will remain as the right prime minister."
The left was always respected in the Wei Dynasty...
Liang Guangyi said in a deep voice: "Who is the Left Prime Minister?"
Feng Qiuli: "Cao Dejiang."
Liang Guangyi had expected this and did not find it strange that the new emperor valued Cao Dejiang.
Xiao Yan did not let him retire but instead retained the position of Right Prime Minister for him. Although it was slightly inferior to Cao Dejiang, it was still a way for the aristocratic families to survive and he did not intend to kill them all. Moreover, the new emperor promised to allow the children of aristocratic families to take the imperial examinations equally with other people, which meant that he would not exclude the children of aristocratic families from serving as officials.
Liang Guangyi said in a deep voice, "If there are talented people among the children of aristocratic families who are more capable than those of the children of humble families, can the abolished official positions be reappointed?"
Feng Qiuli: "Of course, His Majesty said that everything depends on ability."
Liang Guangyi breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Feng Qiuli again: "What did the new emperor promise you?"
Feng Qiuli did not hide anything and said in a gentle voice, "Your Majesty has granted me the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat and promised that when you retire in the future, I will take over your position as Right Prime Minister and serve as a check and balance with Cao Dejiang."
Liang Guangyi suddenly realized, so that's how it is...
No wonder Feng Qiuli, a member of an aristocratic family, would defect to the new emperor. No wonder he was willing to persuade other aristocratic officials to give up their own interests on behalf of the new emperor.
only……
Liang Guangyi couldn't help but sneer, "Cao Dejiang helped Xiao Yan in every way possible, facilitating his ascension to the throne, yet he doesn't even trust him completely. Does he know that the new emperor is so wary of him?!"
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