"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The weather is gradually getting cooler, and a light drizzle is falling.
A group of officials in official robes stood guard at the gates of the Forbidden City, waiting for the palace gates to open.
Among these officials, several carriages stood out.
Some officials, shivering from the cold, looked at the carriages with envy in their eyes.
Those who could ride in carriages to attend the grand court assembly were at least officials of the first rank or higher, while the highest-ranking were the few dukes.
Apart from the two princes of different surnames, the highest-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty were these dukes. Even some princes of the imperial family might not have a higher status than them.
Especially Yang Guofu and Zhang Liang, who have Li Chang'an's backing, are now the two highest-ranking nobles. In front of their carriages, some officials are flattering them.
These two brothers now have money, power, and influence. All the nobles combined might not be able to compete with them.
Niu Baoguo lifted the curtain and, seeing this scene, gritted his teeth in jealousy.
"Those two bastards, they used to at least come over and bark, but now that they have power and influence, they won't even bother to ask how I am."
Outside the carriage, the head steward of the Duke's mansion, seeing his master's gritted teeth, comforted him, "Master, don't be angry. Duke Yang and Duke Zhang are probably not able to come right now."
"The two of them are in charge of the defense of the capital. If they contact you in private, it might arouse the suspicion of Emperor Jianyuan."
The head steward used to be the manager of the Treasure Pavilion. Because he was good at rounding down the price, he was promoted to head steward of the Duke's mansion.
Niu Baoguo glanced at him and sighed, "Of course I know, sir. They're just trying to avoid suspicion, they're just feeling uncomfortable."
"When their fathers were alive, they all called me Brother Niu. But now, the status of our Niu family has been taken over by these two younger generations."
Niu Baoguo was the oldest and held the highest position; in the past, he was the leader among the nobles.
Things are different now. Most of the nobles are now close to Zhang Liang and Yang Guofu, and the Niu family has gradually declined.
In the past, merchants and officials would try every means to give gifts and money to the Niu family. The threshold of the Niu family's house was almost worn out by people walking on it.
Now, you hardly see any officials coming all day long, not to mention the merchants. All the merchants have gone to Tai'an City to do business, because doing business in Tai'an City can get Li Chang'an's protection, and they don't have to worry about their businesses becoming too big and being manipulated by those officials.
As for those officials, they were even smarter. Some were bad, some were lazy, some were greedy, and some were lecherous, but none of them were stupid.
These people know very well who is in charge and who the real power lies with.
They are all trying to get in touch with Li Chang'an.
Unfortunately, this regent was rarely seen, and few people could establish a connection with him. So they had to settle for second best and try to get in touch with officials who were close to Li Chang'an.
Zhang Liang and Yang Guofu were the targets of these officials.
Fortunately, the palace gates opened soon after, and the officials dispersed and lined up to enter the Forbidden City according to their rank.
Upon entering the Forbidden City, we arrived at the main hall, where Emperor Jianyuan, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat.
Many officials who witnessed this scene were filled with emotion, as the last time they held a grand court assembly was a year ago.
Since the Empress became pregnant, Emperor Jianyuan has not held any grand court assemblies.
Zhang Jiadi usually handles most matters. Only when he can't handle something will he report it to Emperor Jianyuan. If Emperor Jianyuan can't handle it, he will ask Li Chang'an for advice.
If Li Chang'an can't solve it, then there's basically no point in trying to solve it.
After the officials were in position, the eunuchs around them began to play music and drums. As soon as the music stopped, the ministers all knelt down.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
"My beloved subjects, rise!"
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
The civil and military officials stood up. Zhou Chao looked at them with a look of weariness on his face and a nameless anger rising in his heart.
For more than a year, he slept until he naturally woke up every day and spent every day with his wife and children, living a happy and harmonious life.
You don't have to think about anything else each day. You only need to think about what to eat for lunch, what to eat in the afternoon, what to eat in the evening, what to eat at night, and what to eat in the early morning.
Basically, he ate and slept, then played. When he got tired of playing, he would find a concubine to sleep with. After sleeping, he would watch the palace maids dance. After the dance, he would choose a palace maid to spend the night with. After the night, he would get up to eat. After eating, he would go out to play with his wife and children.
They were living such a blissful life.
He was a little unaccustomed to suddenly having things to do. He had to get up before dawn, get dressed, and read memorials, among other things.
Attending court alone took him more than an hour, which made him, who had been lazy for more than a year, feel somewhat uncomfortable.
After all the officials had taken their positions, Cao Zhengchun cleared his throat, preparing to announce that those with matters to report should do so, and those without should dismiss the court. However, before he could finish speaking, Emperor Jianyuan interrupted him.
"Alright, stop with all this fancy stuff."
Zhou Chao took out a letter and addressed the officials: "The Regent has sent a letter saying that he wants to rectify the country, clean up the powerful families and clans in various provinces and regions, and bring them back under the control of the court. Then the court needs to send some troops to work with the army in Tai'an City to clean up those powerful families."
"Now that the Regent has spoken, the court should also make a gesture. My ministers, please tell me, who should be sent to assist the Regent?"
In the past, if Emperor Jianyuan wanted to do something, he would privately find an official to bring it up at a grand court assembly, then all the officials would discuss it, and finally, the emperor would make the final decision.
Even if his proposals are rejected by the civil and military officials, he, as the emperor, will not lose face.
This time, it was also arranged that a civil official would speak up, but Zhou Chao was too lazy to do such fancy things now. He was now following Li Chang'an's example and directly presented the problem, letting the officials discuss it.
He didn't care about saving face anymore.
After hearing Zhou Chao's words, the civil and military officials paused for a moment, and then all looked at Zhang Jiadi, Zhang Liang, and Yang Guofu.
Zhang Jiadi remained silent, also wanting to know how many of the court officials were on Li Chang'an's side.
Zhang Liang and Yang Guofu remained calm, looking up as they counted the beams inside the palace.
Seeing that no one spoke, Yin Wei gritted his teeth and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, those powerful families are intricately connected and have long been operating in the region. If the court rashly sends troops to besiege them, it may cause unnecessary turmoil. Therefore, I think the Regent's move is inappropriate. I urge you to..."
"Bullshit!"
Before he could finish speaking, Niu Baoguo kicked him away.
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