Chapter 253 (Recycling the Document)
The reborn officials looked at each other in bewilderment: "..."
They would follow whichever faction's leader, Grand Secretary Mu, sang the song of. Sometimes, some of them would agree, others would disagree, and still others would waver, so as not to make it seem as if they had completely coerced and controlled the court.
Which situation do we fall into now?
This is too sudden, give me a hint, Elder Mu.
Officials nearby kept stealing glances at Grand Secretary Mu, but Grand Secretary Mu, who stepped forward to present his report, kept his head bowed respectfully, making no unnecessary movements and offering no opinion whatsoever. He only insisted on deposing the late Empress.
This was Wang Chuandao, who disagreed but also couldn't understand and was deep in thought: "..."
This is the Minister of Rites, struggling with whether or not to change his attitude: "..."
There were also many reborn officials whose attitudes were wavering. Now that they had no one to command them, they could only act on their own. Some kept silent according to their own feelings, some were still hesitating and weighing their options, and some blindly followed Grand Secretary Mu's attitude and changed their tune to submit a memorial: "This humble official seconds the motion!"
"So, you all think the late Empress should be deposed?" Qi Chengming asked again, sitting on the dragon throne.
Grand Scholar Mu stood silently, cold sweat trickling down his temples. He couldn't see the new emperor's expression, but based on his understanding of him, this nonchalant attitude was what was brewing. The others beside him were still waiting for his signal, but Grand Scholar Mu, though old, was sharp of hearing and sight, and he had no intention of paying them any attention, not daring to give even the slightest hint.
It's terrifying to think about.
Such a major event—Grand Scholar Mu just misjudged it, thinking that the new emperor had suddenly acted in a moment of madness, wasn't it because they hadn't received any prior warning?
If a new emperor wants to accomplish something significant in court, he wouldn't leave his trusted followers without giving them a single hint.
But this time, the new emperor made his own plans and didn't mention a single word to them.
……Why?
Did they sense something amiss? Or were they testing them?
Or perhaps... she came to test him?
Grand Scholar Mu knew that the new emperor, as a ruler, was not one to be overly suspicious. But even if he wasn't overly suspicious, he probably couldn't tolerate his courtiers controlling the entire court and undermining the emperor's authority. Grand Scholar Mu recalled their past actions and dared not send a single glance to the newly appointed ministers.
He had long anticipated that once the new emperor ascended the throne and rewards were distributed, the alliance would crumble so easily that everyone would begin to employ their own fair and impartial methods. The task of Grand Secretary Mu and other veteran officials was to prevent these courtiers from using their knowledge of the future to hinder the new emperor, cause trouble, or create major chaos…
But who would have thought that the new emperor now seems to have some keen awareness?
...This has nothing to do with whether or not the late empress should be deposed!
This is a crisis that all the reborn ministers are facing!
Scholar Mu prayed silently that everyone should seek good fortune.
...
The moment Qi Chengming uttered his question, the court erupted into a heated argument, like a pot of boiling oil.
"No……"
"Your Majesty, do not listen to their wicked words!"
Many officials still opposed the move, including resurrected ministers, former neutral ministers, unsuspecting individuals, and those who had pledged allegiance to the new emperor before his ascension. Grand Scholar Mu knew that their opposition stemmed from their belief that the move violated etiquette, a serious matter in a dynasty where scholars were taught Confucian principles from childhood.
but……
This is not a simple matter of etiquette. At least the reborn ministers cannot think so superficially.
Grand Scholar Mu's heart sank slowly.
He quickly estimated in his mind—those who supported the new emperor currently outnumbered him, but did not yet have an overwhelming advantage. The people among them were a mixed group, including those who had been reborn and those who had not, those who had sided with the crown prince and those who had opposed him, civil and military officials, relatives and noblewomen, and officials of all kinds.
...Only at the coronation ceremony could they all be present.
From the perspective of the reborn officials, the fact that the identities of the two factions are so mixed is actually a good thing.
...
The argument raged on in the court for a while longer. The people on both sides argued until their faces were red and their necks were thick, but they could not reach a consensus for a long time. They could not convince each other, and gradually they got tired of arguing and their voices faded away.
The seventh prince knelt on the ground, his face turning red and white in turns, a mixture of humiliation and anger.
His scheme failed, and now that he's been exposed and punished, he accepts it.
but……
Can you please stop leaving him hanging like this? We're already halfway through the purge, can't you just say whether to kill him or torture him?! Leaving him here in this awkward position is just too frustrating!
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi's legs were getting sore from standing behind the dragon throne. They couldn't figure out what His Highness was waiting for, so they just kept up their intimidating postures and stared wide-eyed, openly watching—what a spectacular show! The court was more chaotic than a marketplace in Liuzhou!
Qi Chengming appeared to be resting his chin on his hand, listening to the heated argument.
In reality, he was openly lost in thought under the cover of his crown and court beads, writing and drawing on the newly upgraded infrastructure system page.
The few days since his ascension to the throne were too short for Qi Chengming to carefully study the many new changes in the infrastructure system. He only stayed on the [Talent List] page.
—This feature has been upgraded again.
Since ascending the throne, the entire nation has been considered his subjects and talents. Therefore, the "Talent List" has become a nationwide database, containing countless names. It remains categorized by region and can be searched using search engines.
Among them, the names of those who deeply trusted him, such as Song Gu and Xiao Dezi Liu Nai Niang, turned green. The more loyal a person was to him, the greener their name became. Most of the court officials had green in varying shades.
The names of ordinary people and some minor officials from other regions were white. Qi Chengming pondered that perhaps it was because the emperor was too distant for them to encounter in their daily lives, hence the color. Accompanying his cousin's army was a group with red names—these were their prisoners. Qi Chengming then understood the meaning of the red names.
Meanwhile, the current [Talent List] has a new feature: Qi Chengming can mark it on it according to his own wishes.
Qi Chengming found this new feature very useful. In the past, many people were on his talent list, but the system's judgment was just that—a system judgment—and could never replace the people's true feelings. Those people had their own reasons for joining Qi Chengming, and they were all categorized as trustworthy in such a general way, without any distinction.
So now...
Qi Chengming raised his eyelids and once again surveyed the officials below who were arguing heatedly, his gaze sweeping over Grand Secretary Mu and the officials who later changed their tune, marking their names above the [Talent List].
'That's it, all sorted out now,' he thought to himself.
Looking around, everyone in the grand hall attending the coronation ceremony had, to varying degrees, expressed their opinions. Among them, those who unhesitatingly supported Qi Chengming's order to depose the empress were marked with solid stars by Qi Chengming. Ranked by seniority from top to bottom, Grand Tutor Wu and Grand Secretary Cao were at the head.
Those who later changed their minds, like Grand Scholar Mu, or those who hesitated and struggled before finally agreeing, had their names marked with hollow stars by him.
Qi Chengming circled the group that opposed him, not to indicate hostility or a desire to replace them. Whether they held firm to their own beliefs, knew the emperor was determined to oppose him anyway, or were testing the newly enthroned emperor, remained to be seen. In any case, the court couldn't do without them. Today, Qi Chengming wasn't targeting them.
As for the remaining officials, relatives, and nobles who remained silent and did not express any opinions, Qi Chengming stared at the Minister of Rites and Wang Chuandao for a long time, almost making the Minister of Rites sweat, before he looked away and made no mark on the list of talents.
Wang Chuandao had always held firm to his principles and ideas, and was wholeheartedly devoted to the people, which Qi Chengming understood. He was also one of Qi Chengming's four tutors, and the only one among them who hadn't yet expressed his approval. Qi Chengming was now confident; a minister like Wang Chuandao was highly capable and more suitable to be sent out to do practical work. Whether he was blindly loyal or not was unimportant.
but……
The Minister of Rites has a much bigger problem.
In the matter of Qi Chengming's desire to abolish the late empress, the Minister of Rites, who was originally loyal to him, dared not speak out. Silence was an attitude, and compared to his son Chu Hong, who spoke out without hesitation, the difference in their stance was immediately apparent.
Qi Chengming had already made plans for the future of Chu Hong and his son.
"Alright, let's put this aside for now. Seventh Brother, do you have anything else to say?" Qi Chengming stopped the court officials' argument with his words. His approach was exactly the same as before, ending the discussion about deposing the late empress and shifting the topic to the handling of the Seventh Prince's wrongdoing.
At this moment, the test that Qi Chengming wanted to conduct upon ascending the throne today has been completely resolved.
Yes.
Among those who harmed him and the original owner of this body, and the original owner's mother, the real culprit was Consort Rong, the mother of the Third Prince, who should have already drunk poisoned wine. The Empress's involvement always fueled the flames and allowed the situation to escalate; she could be punished, but it's not necessary to depose her from her position as Empress.
But Qi Chengming insisted on this point; he had to probe through this deceptive list of talents to find out who his true, real confidants were.
...It's really strange!
Those court officials who pledged allegiance to Qi Chengming always seemed to harbor some secret ambitions, yet they smiled at him with boundless enthusiasm. Every task Qi Chengming set out to undertake was completed flawlessly, as if countless people were working together behind the scenes, without any internal strife, factional infighting, or mutual hostility.
Is this even possible?
Qi Chengming's mind was always clear. He had transmigrated to ancient times with a system, but this was the real world! Everyone here was a living, breathing, normal person with their own thoughts! He wasn't some Mary Sue, a domineering protagonist who could command a hundred followers and have his underlings bow down to him. Even if he was a prince, there should be reasonable limits.
Qi Chengming even thought his time at the vassal state would be incredibly difficult, because aside from the infrastructure system, he had no connections or support whatsoever. But what he imagined to be hell turned out to be easy!
Are these things... really reasonable? Along the way, there were all sorts of inexplicable details that had settled into Qi Chengming's doubts.
If you want to take something, you must first give something.
But Qi Chengming never investigated these matters in detail; he would believe any plausible excuse he could get away with. It wasn't that he hadn't discovered them, but simply because he hadn't ascended the throne. Everyone was there to assist him in his quest for the throne; they were his supporters, and that was enough.
Until now.
Ascending the throne is just the beginning.
Qi Chengming needed to know how many people within his faction truly obeyed his orders, and directly followed them. How many... harbored ulterior motives, posing a constant threat?
Now we'll see the result.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Mini-Theater:
The court officials who remained silent cried out: "Your Honor, we have been wronged!!"
Qi Chengming: I didn't wrong you. No matter who you are, haven't I already tested which people I can trust and use?
[Reborn officials are in danger!]
Yes, in Qi Chengming's eyes, who is currently unaware that all his ministers are reborn, even his confidants are suspicious... This is quite terrifying!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com