Chapter 115 Wasn't he also weighing the pros and cons?
After the eunuch delivering the imperial decree left, Marquis Chengen emerged from behind the screen. Seeing Ruan Heng still kneeling on the ground, he went over, bent down, and helped him up.
"Brother Ruan has made a mistake this time," Marquis Chengen sighed.
Ruan Heng dusted off imaginary dirt from his clothes and said, "I don't want to get involved in this, so I forgot about it..."
The unspoken words were "Emperor," which Marquis Chengen naturally understood. He walked to a chair and sat down. "This is also why the Emperor wants to weaken the power of the major aristocratic families."
More than two hundred years have passed since the founding of the Great Han Dynasty. During these two centuries, the power of the old aristocratic families has become even more entrenched, while many new aristocratic families have also emerged. As these new and old families continue to grow stronger, the imperial court's control over them is becoming weaker and weaker, which is something no emperor wants to see.
“It was indeed my mistake this time,” Ruan Heng sighed. “I will go to the Imperial Study to apologize.”
Marquis Chengen nodded, “Brother Ruan, you may apologize, but please do not request to oversee Jiang Yu’s investigation.”
Ruan Heng thought for a moment, then thanked the Marquis of Chengen for his reminder. From the Emperor's perspective, did he want Jiang Yu to enter the court? Probably not.
After all, opening the door for women to enter the court brought many hidden dangers. However, given the Duke of Chu's favor to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's intercession, the Emperor's agreement to test Jiang Yu was probably out of necessity.
Now, some people don't want Jiang Yu to enter the court, which suits the Emperor's wishes perfectly, and the Emperor probably wants to go with the flow. As for him, since he has already angered the Emperor, there's no need for him to offend the Duke of Chu further. Besides, who knows how deep the waters are behind this matter?
He got up and walked towards the palace. At the gate, he met the eldest son of the Ruan family who was returning. He heard him say, "That eunuch said that the emperor was very angry with my father this time."
Ruan Heng nodded heavily, thinking to himself how to make amends for his mistake. Upon reaching the Imperial Study, he didn't dare have the eunuch announce his arrival; instead, he knelt outside and cried out, "Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
The emperor in the imperial study seemed not to hear the voice. Ruan Heng knelt until night fell, but the emperor did not summon him. Of course, Ruan Heng did not dare to get up.
It wasn't until the second watch of the night that the emperor finished reading the memorials and said to the chief eunuch Zhao Fuquan, "Let Ruan Heng go back and rest well."
Zhao Fuquan left the imperial study and walked to Ruan Heng, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said, "Lord Ruan, His Majesty said that you should go back and rest well."
The words "take good care of yourself" sent a shiver down Ruan Heng's spine. If he were to recuperate for a year or two, would he still hold the position of Minister of Personnel?
"Your Majesty, I am guilty, I am guilty!" Ruan Heng kowtowed repeatedly until blood appeared on his forehead before he heard the Emperor's voice from inside, "Get in here!"
Ruan Heng felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He quickly got up, bowed, and entered the imperial study. Then he knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Your Majesty, I am guilty. Please forgive me."
The emperor stood behind the desk, his gaze fixed intently on him. "What crime have you committed?"
Ruan Heng knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, and said, "As a subject, I cannot relieve the Emperor's worries."
"Smack!"
A teacup was smashed in front of Ruan Heng. "Your crime is that you can't relieve my worries? My second-rank official, the Minister of Personnel, the head of the six ministries, was frightened sick by a petty thief. If I and Daqian face a life-or-death situation in the future, won't you be scared to death!"
"I am guilty!"
Ruan Heng continued to kowtow repeatedly. The emperor walked up to him, looked down at him, and said in an icy voice, "With your mind full of scheming and weighing pros and cons, what use do I have for an official like you?"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty is guilty!" Ruan Heng's voice was trembling with sobs, but the emperor said, "You are guilty, your crime is grave."
"Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me," Ruan Heng said, kowtowing once more.
The emperor saw the blood on his forehead, flowing down his nose and almost into his mouth, and his anger subsided somewhat. He asked, "Tell me, how should I punish you?"
Ruan Heng naturally dared not speak for himself, kneeling there trembling in silence, while the emperor also looked at him without saying a word. After a while, Ruan Heng understood that the emperor really wanted him to say how he would be punished.
His mind began to race, and finally he remembered the 300,000 taels of silver that the Xie family had handed over. He said, "I know my sins are grave, and I am willing to contribute 80,000 taels of silver to improve the river."
The emperor snorted heavily, "I'll spare you this time, because you still care about the people."
Ruan Heng quickly kowtowed, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Majesty."
"Get out." Ruan Heng quickly kowtowed three more times respectfully, then withdrew. After he left, the emperor sighed heavily.
Did he not want to deal with Ruan Heng immediately? Of course he did, but putting aside Ruan Heng's influence in the court, even if Ruan Heng were removed from office, finding someone to fill the vacancy of Minister of Personnel would be a problem. The power structures in the capital were deeply entrenched, and Ruan Heng had to be extremely cautious and weigh the pros and cons. Wasn't he also weighing the pros and cons?
.........
So much happened in one day that almost none of the powerful figures in the capital slept. Many people didn't expect that Jiang Yu had already stirred up such a storm before even being assessed. If Jiang Yu were to enter the court, who knows what kind of storm he would cause?
Meanwhile, things were far from peaceful at the Qingshan Marquis's residence. The wedding of Qi Yuanhong and Su Yuezhen was in two days, but Su Yuezhen had suddenly started causing trouble again. The reason was that Qi Yuanhong's mother and siblings had come to the capital, and Su Yuezhen didn't want to live with them, demanding that Qi Yuanhong send his family away. Qi Yuanhong refused, so Su Yuezhen declared she wouldn't marry him.
"Can't you be a little more sensible?" Uncle Qingshan pointed at Su Yuezhen and said, "One thing after another is happening outside. How can I have the mind to care about your affairs? Go and talk to your grandmother."
Su Yuezhen knelt before Uncle Qingshan, tears streaming down her face. "You all used to say I was a lucky star, that I could do whatever I wanted. Now you're telling me I can't do this or that. I've already developed this kind of personality, what am I supposed to do now?"
Uncle Qingshan looked impatient. "Do you know that your aunt has been confined to her quarters again? Jiang Yu is going to serve as an official in the court, and you're still crying and making a fuss here?"
"What?" Qi Yuanhong, standing to the side, looked shocked. He thought he was hallucinating and asked, "How could Jiang Yu, a woman, become an official in the imperial court?"
Uncle Qingshan gave him a disdainful look and said, "The laws of the Great Gan state that women can serve as officials in the court."
"But Jiang Yu didn't participate in the imperial examinations, so how can he become an official?" Qi Yuanhong asked again.
Uncle Qingshan said disdainfully again, "Both the Duke of Chu and Jiang Yu's maternal grandfather, Marquis Anyuan, are qualified to recommend officials. Moreover, Jiang Yu's grandmother, the Duchess of Chu, was a close friend of the Empress Dowager. Even though the Duchess of Chu has been gone for many years, the Empress Dowager still cherishes their friendship."
He then gave a heavy snort, "Otherwise, why would the Emperor value that old fellow Jiang Jinglan so much? Just wait and see, if Jiang Yu really enters the court as an official, he will definitely go straight into the Six Ministries."
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