Volume 1 Chapter 43 Prepare for a Rainy Day
However, the ministers in power this time were all Xiang Yun’s own people who were promoted by him. At least in the short term, they would not go against him.
This approach has both advantages and disadvantages, and Xiang Yun is helpless.
If the imperial power is not handed over, firstly, he will be exhausted by the daily government affairs and have no time to do other things. Secondly, all the ministers in the court will try every means to deal with him as the emperor.
Xiang Yun is not a god, so he may be able to deal with it once or twice, but over time, even he will find it difficult to cope with it, so he can only give up his power.
One prime minister has too much power, and two prime ministers will easily lead to an imbalance.
Xiang Yun came up with the idea of establishing three prime ministers, the left, the center, and the right, to jointly govern the country. As the saying goes, a triangle has stability, and he imitated the system of three prime ministers in the cabinet of the Ming Dynasty. This is the most secure way.
From now on, all civil and military officials will only obey the emperor and fight the three prime ministers privately, and he only needs to be a keen bystander, and the throne will never be threatened!
Even if someone wanted to assassinate him in the future, they would target the three prime ministers instead of him as the emperor.
However, Xiang Yun would not hand over any military power, but would hold it firmly in his hands. This was the bottom line guarantee for his throne.
Xiang Yun thought of this, smiled with relief, and said: "You will take office immediately, and you must stabilize the situation in the court for me. I don't want any chaos to appear in any place. Can you do it?"
All the ministers were silent after hearing this, and it was Liu Yiyi who spoke first: "Your Majesty, we can definitely stabilize the situation for a while, but we are not familiar with our own government affairs yet. I am afraid that over time, some minor mistakes will inevitably occur. I hope Your Majesty will give us time to adapt."
Xiang Yun frowned when he heard this. Yes, no matter how talented these people are, when it comes to dealing with specific matters, the old hands are definitely more experienced.
Xiang Yun thought for a moment and said, "I allow you to enter the Heavenly Prison to ask your predecessors for advice on governance. If they are willing to teach us everything they know, you can ensure the continuation of your lineage."
Liu Yiyi said hurriedly: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. This way, there will be no problem for us."
"Well, I'll give you three days to adapt!"
Xiang Yun then picked up the memorial from the Minister of Personnel Zhao Sanqi and said, "We can't leave the people who passed the provincial examination this time alone. After all, they are knowledgeable. Apart from those who have been implicated this time, the Ministry of Personnel should consider the rest and arrange them to vacant positions!"
"The most important thing for you three to do after taking office is to screen talents from all over the world and fill the vacancies in the court. Do you understand?"
Zhu Qiyu, Wang Shu and Liu Yiyi quickly responded: "Your Majesty, I accept your order."
"Well, if you have something to say, please report it. If not, please leave the court."
The court was over. Some people in the Golden Palace were happy while others were worried. When all the officials had left, Liu Xingjian was the only one left, dumbfounded and at a loss.
Your Majesty didn't mention him at all before and after he left. Could it be that he forgot about him?
At this time, Zhao Yuanxi, the Minister of War, looked into the Golden Palace, walked over quietly, and said with a wry smile: "Minister Liu, are you still planning to stay in this Golden Palace?"
Liu Xingjian waved his hands and said, "Oh, Minister Zhao, please stop mocking me. I am no longer a minister now. I am just a commoner."
Zhao Yuanxi asked in surprise, "Did His Majesty just issue an order to dismiss you from your post and take off your official hat?"
"That... isn't the case..." Liu Xingjian was a little confused. He obviously didn't understand what Zhao Yuanxi meant by saying this.
Zhao Yuanxi pointed at the black gauze hat in his arms and laughed angrily: "This hat was given to you by the emperor. How can you take it off whenever you want? Where is the emperor's authority?"
Liu Xingjian finally reacted and said in fear: "Hiss~ Are you saying...?"
"That's right, Old Liu, you should just put on your official hat peacefully, do what you should do, and continue to be the Minister of Rites.
How could the emperor, who is so meticulous, forget you? The fact that he ignored you just now after the court session is the best sign. If you don't know what's good for you, next time, it won't be your official hat that will be taken away!"
Zhao Yuanxi smiled and shook his head and said, "Although our emperor may be young, he is very capable!
Now, there are only you and me, two old ministers in the court. The emperor has already killed all the people with his sword. As long as you and I behave ourselves, nothing will happen again. "
Liu Xingjian nodded upon hearing this, and quickly put his black gauze hat back on. He stepped forward and held Zhao Yuanxi's arm, saying in a deep voice: "Minister Zhao, let's go to my house and have a drink together!"
Good fellow, they are calling each other brothers now. Zhao Yuanxi was complaining in his heart, but he still had nothing to say since there was a dinner party. He shouted, "I won't go if there is no good wine!"
"Forty-year-old juniper has an absolutely authentic taste!" Liu Xingjian said without hesitation.
In fact, Zhao Yuanxi was so frightened in the court today that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat and were sticky all over.
The emperor was so decisive and courageous that Zhao Yuanxi was afraid that he would be implicated. After all, the higher the position, the more he valued his life. He didn't want to die too early as he was at the age to enjoy life.
This time he was safe, but his heartbeat never slowed down and he was still frightened. He really needed to find someone to talk to and have a drink with to calm down!
In the imperial study, Sun Shang was kneeling outside and Xiang Yun did not call him.
In the imperial study, Xiang Yun asked, "Is what Sun Shang said in the court true? Is this man loyal or evil?"
Tang Shui reported: "All of them are true. Moreover, since Sun Shang took office, he has never had any private relationship with the court officials, nor has he accepted any bribes. He is honest and upright, and has devoted himself to government affairs. In recent days, he has dealt with many corrupt officials in the court.
However, his subordinates thought that this person was too ruthless, emotionless, and somewhat inhuman.
But this man is absolutely a loyal minister and a good man.”
"Good man, where do you get this from?" Xiang Yun asked in confusion.
Tang Shui replied: "In the court, Sun Shang was reluctant to mention a prostitute. That woman is now Sun Shang's wife, but she was previously a slave of Ai Ye, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. She was redeemed from Tianxiang Tower. It is not an exaggeration to say that her red lips have been tasted by thousands of people.
Because Sun Shang had collected a lot of evidence of their crimes, but Ai Ye couldn't do anything to Sun Shang, one day Ai Ye asked Sun Shang to marry this woman, otherwise he would beat the woman to death in front of Sun Shang!
The woman begged desperately, and Lord Sun was too kindhearted to agree to this unreasonable request, but many people laughed at him;
After Sun Shang married this woman and brought her home, he treated her with respect and honor, treating her like his wife, and did not treat her any differently because she was a firecracker. Even his subordinates admired this very much.
That is why I say that Lord Sun is a kind person."
Xiang Yun nodded upon hearing this, and thought to himself: "This Sun Shang has a good character, but is also ruthless and cruel. He is a good hand at being a cruel official!"
Xiang Yun thought about it and did not mention the matter again. Instead, he ordered: "Pay attention to whether there are any rebellions in the dynasty in the next few days. Keep a close eye on the Mahayana Kingdom as well. If there are any abnormalities, report them immediately. Leave!"
"Yes!" Tang Shui agreed and then disappeared.
Soon, Sun Shang was brought into the imperial study by Xiao Guazi.
The first thing Sun Shang did was to kneel down and salute: "I, a humble commoner, pay my respects to Your Majesty."
Xiang Yun stared at him and said expressionlessly: "I ordered people to take off your official robes and your black hat. Do you have any complaints?"
Sun Shang did not hesitate at all and immediately replied: "I have no complaints."
"You have suffered such a great injustice, it is impossible that you don't have any. Just tell me, I don't blame you." Xiang Yun said casually.
Sun Shang still replied: "I have no complaints!"
Xiang Yun was a little angry, so he said, "Since there is nothing, then just keep kneeling!"
After Xiang Yun finished speaking, he began to look through the memorials on the jade table. In the blink of an eye, it was three quarters past noon and time for lunch.
Xiang Yun then put down the memorial and looked at Sun Shang. He saw that Sun Shang was still kneeling there, his face pale and his body trembling slightly. It was obvious that he was having a hard time holding on.
Xiang Yun then asked, "Do you have any complaints now?"
"I have no complaints!" Sun Shang still gave the same answer.
"Hmph!" Xiang Yun slammed the table in anger, wanting to curse but unable to find the words, he angrily said: "Then obey the decree, appoint Sun Shang as the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Metropolitan Censorate, and take office today."
Sun Shang's expression finally improved after hearing this, and he immediately bowed down: "I obey your command. Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"
Xiang Yun kept frowning, and after thinking for a while, he said, "You should find a good family to marry and become your legal wife these days. You don't have any dignity, but the court still has dignity. This is simply outrageous!"
Xiang Yun left the imperial study cursing. After having lunch with Zhen Rou in Kunning Palace, Xiang Yun ordered people to invite the best craftsmen in the capital to the palace, and also asked people to bring sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal.
The Great Sun Dynasty is now at war with the Sand Barbarians. If the Mahayana Kingdom also gets involved, the Great Sun Dynasty will definitely not be able to cope with it.
Therefore, Xiang Yun must now prepare for a rainy day as soon as possible. Originally, he did not want to create something in this world that surpasses the current civilization, but now he has no choice for the sake of survival.
Xiang Yun planned to make gunpowder first, and then let the craftsmen make simple guns and cannons.
Xiang Yun understood the general structure of guns and cannons, but the craftsmen needed to study the details themselves.
As long as we have these things, no matter how powerful the Mahayana Kingdom is, it will be of no avail. Swords, guns, sticks and clubs can never be more powerful than bullets and artillery shells!
But once this technology is developed, it will pose a huge threat to him as an emperor.
There are pros and cons to this matter, and Xiang Yun needs to consider it carefully.
Not long after, a sturdy man who looked to be in his fifties was brought to the imperial study by Xiao Guazi.
When the man saw Xiang Yun, he immediately knelt down and bowed, "I am Peng Ying, your humble servant, and I am honored to see His Majesty."
Xiang Yun looked at him and asked, "Are you the best craftsman in the capital?"
Peng Ying quickly replied: "They are all empty names. People in our profession are just the lowest class who cannot be put on the stage."
Xiang Yun smiled when he heard this and said, "Come here, I'll show you something. If you can make it for me, I'll not only reward you with a thousand taels of gold, but also give you an official position and make you a high-ranking official!"
When Peng Ying heard this, he felt excited. What in the world could he not make? This was a sign of great luck, so he quickly went over to take a look.
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