what does that mean?
This means that Emperor Ganwu is gradually reducing the Lin family's influence in the court. This wave of appointments and removals is like cutting off an arm of the Lin family.
Those who didn't understand the reason before, after the initial fear and trepidation subsided, could come to understand it upon careful reflection.
In fact, most of the people who were terrified were officials of low rank, below the fourth grade.
All the high-ranking officials in the court knew from the beginning the true purpose of Emperor Ganwu.
The three officials who made the most noise when Sun Jian prayed for rain at the East Gate also ended up dying the most tragically.
Who among them isn't secretly a retainer of the Lin family?
Those of low rank might not know, but how could ministers of the rank of Shangshu or Shaoqing not know?
Li Kuangyou, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel; Lin Chengdu, Principal of the Ministry of Justice; and Fang Wenyue, Director of the Ministry of Rites.
Aren't these three exactly like that?
The Ministry of Personnel was under the jurisdiction of Li Kui, the Ministry of Justice was under the jurisdiction of Li Hongyun, and the Ministry of Rites was under the jurisdiction of Lin Jingsi.
Why did the emperor specifically refuse to dismiss Mi Zhu, the Minister of Revenue, or Xing Kang, the Minister of Works?
Despite the reactions of the courtiers, Emperor Ganwu was the founding emperor of the dynasty. Although he was often hampered, he still had a certain degree of autocratic power compared to those who succeeded him.
He disregarded everything else at that moment, and with a wave of his hand, asked the assembled officials, "Do any of you have any objections to this appointment and transfer?"
Emperor Ganwu's tone was filled with immense pressure, and most of the ministers kept their mouths shut.
Under normal circumstances, no one would dare to directly challenge His Majesty's imperial might.
The emperor's edict has already been issued; what result can you achieve by opposing it?
The most important thing is to provide reasons for opposing it!
The transfer and dismissal of officials are not decisions that would affect the stability of the country.
We can't say that the emperor's decision was too sudden and that everyone was unprepared, can we?
Ultimately, this vast land belongs to the emperor; all under heaven is the emperor's land, and all within the borders are the emperor's subjects.
The emperor can't be so indecisive. Besides, the imperial edict says it's a mutual transfer, not a permanent ban on dismissal.
Putting aside those who are deliberately picking fights and courting disaster, there's simply no reason to criticize them in the current situation...
The imperial edict relegated many of the Lin family's protégés, who held important positions, to departments with no real power and were ignored by even the most insignificant officials.
Others might be paranoid and turn a deaf ear, but Lin Xuanfu cannot ignore it!
What do they rely on to gather followers and win people's hearts?
It's not just about the convenience, money, status, and security provided, but also about stepping forward to lend a helping hand in times of crisis.
If Lin Xuanfu remains silent this time, it would be tantamount to tacitly agreeing that if such a situation occurs again in the future, the officials under the Lin family will have to accept their fate.
This would put the Lin family in an even more passive position, ultimately leading to a situation where those who sought refuge with them were all insecure, while those who were observing hesitated to act.
The immediate loss of a city or a place is not a big deal, but in the long run, it will definitely have a greater impact than a large-scale reduction of Lin Jiaquan's power!
Lin Xuanfu was caught in a dilemma, his face so dark it could drip water.
He cautiously glanced at Emperor Ganwu on the high platform with a sinister look, and couldn't help but think to himself.
The emperor's move was brilliant. He not only used the locust plague as a pretext to make a fuss, but also used the deaths of Li Kuangyou and the other two as a test to see if he would reflect on his actions.
If he swallowed his anger, he would have achieved his goal.
But if he didn't swallow his anger and spoke rudely, he would only further convince the emperor that the Lin family harbored treacherous ambitions in the future...
The final result remained the same, unchangeable, but it aroused even greater suspicion!
We're stuck in a dilemma: we can neither advance nor retreat!
Lin Xuanfu frowned, as if he had thought of a better solution.
He glanced at Li Kui, the Minister of Personnel, and then gave Lin Jingsi, the Minister of Rites, and Li Hongyun, the Minister of Justice, a wink.
The three ministers were all shrewd and immediately understood.
He immediately began relaying his message to his trusted officials behind him.
Lin Xiang meant that none of them could step forward; they should find a few scapegoats to confront the Emperor.
The first scapegoat was Emperor Gang, and the second scapegoat pleaded with the first one for mercy.
As for the third scapegoat, he was terrified and reluctantly compromised...
Finally, Lin Xuanfu finished up the work one last time.
A grand spectacle was staged in front of all the officials!
There are three purposes for doing this.
Firstly, they could use three scapegoats to test the emperor's reaction, serving as a warning to others.
If the emperor gets angry, he will definitely kill the scapegoat.
This also forced out the image of the emperor as autocratic, ruthless, and indifferent to the lives of his officials.
This instilled fear in the officials, making it easier for the Lin family to win over the hearts of the people and the court officials.
If the emperor doesn't kill them, then the first scapegoat will be the one to suffer the consequences.
As for those who came out to plead and compromise at the second and third stops, that was the second one.
This step also serves as a message to everyone in the court: Lin Xuanfu will not stand idly by and watch any member of the Lin family perish.
Even if the other party is the current emperor, the Lin family will do everything in its power to protect him!
But if the report is incomplete, it's not the Lin family's fault at all. It's because our emperor is ruthless, indiscriminately killing loyal officials, and is unworthy to be a ruler.
This has absolutely nothing to do with the Lin family not protecting their retainers!
As for whether the emperor would suspect him and therefore deliberately make things difficult for him, Lin Xuanfu was not afraid at all.
He approached three high-ranking officials, who in turn each sent their own cronies.
This process involves a complex web of intrigue, and by ultimately stepping in and playing the bad cop, even if the emperor understands the situation, he can't say anything on the surface. This is a calculated strategy!
At this moment, someone stepped forward in the imperial court.
"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."
The speaker's voice was rather soft, coming from the very back of the Golden Palace, so much so that many people didn't hear it clearly.
The order of the hundreds of officials at the morning court was based on their rank; the further back in the list, the lower their rank.
Everyone turned to look, and there stood Qin Tai, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, holding a protective board.
At that moment, everyone's expression was different.
To dare to stand up at this critical juncture and even raise objections to the already issued imperial edict—isn't this person courting death?
Others might not know Qin Tai, the Assistant Director of the Ministry of Revenue, but how could Mi Zhu, the Minister of Revenue, not know him?
In the end, Qin Tai is still Mi Zhu's subordinate. What's gotten into him that he would suddenly show up like this?
Mi Zhu was both anxious and angry, but since this was in the imperial court, not in a side hall, he had no chance to change his mind.
They saw someone step forward, and it was just a nobody, a minor official.
Emperor Ganwu's face immediately darkened, and his tone was icy: "Oh, it's Minister Qin. Do you have any objections?"
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