As the Qinglong Gate opened, the ministers filed in.
Fu Xiaoguan, dressed in casual clothes and sitting in a sedan chair, also came to the imperial study accompanied by Jia Nanxing.
This morning court system is really uncomfortable!
Fu Xiaoguan yawned, he still hadn't slept enough.
The short ten-day annual leave was gone just like that. I have been very busy in the harem these days, so I naturally got up a little late in the morning. Today, I suddenly got up at the hour of Yin - this was only four o'clock in my previous life!
Waking up at four in the morning in the middle of winter... Fu Xiaoguan felt like life was meaningless.
How comfortable it is to be a small landlord by the river!
At this time, I am still lying in the warm bed. Wouldn't it be nice to sleep until noon and get up?
Bitch!
No, I have to think of a way to hand over all the rights to the three provinces as soon as possible, and make them more proactive in their work. I have to go around - I didn't leave Guanyun City for the whole year last year, and the farthest I went was Li Luoyuan.
The Wu Dynasty is so big, I should at least inspect my territory.
It's March, the perfect time of year, but it's still too cold to go out now.
"Eunuch Jia,"
"The old slave is here."
"Let's make arrangements. We'll travel in early March in casual clothes."
Jia Nanxing was startled, "Where is your Majesty going?"
"...Go to the six states of Beixiao and take a look. Don't alarm anyone. Just have three or five people with you."
"...I obey your command."
"Let's go, the courtiers should be here soon."
Not only did the court officials arrive, they were also in an uproar!
There was an exclamation in the Xuande Hall. Zhuo Yihang, Nangong Yiyu, and Meng Changping's faces all turned green.
"What's going on?"
The exterior of the Xuande Hall, which has stood for decades, remains the same, but the interior has completely changed!
The tall dragon platform is gone!
The dragon throne that represents the highest imperial power...it's gone too!
Entering the main gate of Xuande Hall, there is the highest step. Going down, there are ten steps one by one. At the bottom is a round platform with nine tables and chairs in a circle, surrounding a table and chairs in the middle.
This is digging three feet into the ground, no, at least six feet into the ground!
Isn’t it just a ten-day rest period?
Who the hell did this!
Nangong Yiyu looked at the Minister of Works, Wei Chang, who quickly waved his hand. "Your Majesty asked me to do this last year, but I refused! This is against etiquette. I righteously told Your Majesty that if you want to do this, you must issue an imperial edict through the three ministries before I dare to obey."
So this was His Majesty's idea, but who carried it out?
This matter cannot be hidden from anyone. I will ask the City Gate Department later and we will know everything clearly.
"Your Majesty is ridiculous!" Nangong Yiyu scolded in a low voice, but received no response from Zhuo and his group.
Zhuo and his entourage looked at the brand new palace carefully. After a moment, he seemed to understand something.
"Let's go, let's go down... The six ministers will follow me."
"Is that our location?"
"Yes, three provinces and six ministries, exactly nine positions."
"Is the one in the middle your Majesty?"
"Exactly... The rest of you officials, please sit on this platform. When His Majesty arrives, I'm sure His Majesty will give you an explanation."
The ministers found a seat and sat down, and Zhuo and his nine companions also sat down on the circular platform at the bottom.
This is a bit weird.
Especially the ministers sitting on the steps. Their official positions were much lower than those of the nine people below, but at this moment they were looking down at those nine officials - in the past they had to look up at them!
Therefore, they did not dare to look at the nine adults below, as this was against the rules of hierarchy.
But I have to admit that it is very comfortable to sit like this to hold court meetings. There is a brand new mahogany table in front of me, and there is a soft cushion on the chair, so my butt won’t get cold even in such cold weather.
Your Majesty, this idea is really brilliant, but Your Majesty is sitting at the very bottom. Will people look at Your Majesty or not?
This is a very serious issue. Looking down upon His Majesty... wouldn't the Censorate charge him with the serious crime of contempt for imperial power?
But if you don't watch it... it seems like you are still disrespecting the imperial power.
What can we do?
Just when the ministers were confused, Fu Xiaoguan stepped into the Xuande Hall. He went down several steps and finally reached the center at the bottom.
The ministers looked forward to seeing their emperor coming, but were at a loss as to what to do after Fu Xiaoguan sat down.
"I say..." Fu Xiaoguan raised his head and glanced around, "Where are you all looking? Look at me! This is the rule from now on!"
With His Majesty's words, the matter was easy. All the ministers looked at Fu Xiaoguan - looking at His Majesty from above, it seemed that His Majesty was even more handsome.
Yun Xiyan and Zong Shiji were also present here. They looked at each other. Zong Shiji's gaze was quite solemn, but Yun Xiyan raised the corner of his mouth and gave Zong Shiji a smile.
When it comes to understanding His Majesty, Yun Xiyan obviously has a deeper understanding than Zong Shiji.
When Yun Xiyan entered the Xuande Hall and saw this scene, he roughly understood Fu Xiaoguan's thoughts - he was deliberately lowering the majesty of imperial power!
But what he couldn't understand was why Fu Xiaoguan did this?
Isn’t being an emperor all about power?
He had come this far, grasped that power, yet now wanted to let it go... Could it be that he truly had no desires? Did he still want to be a small landlord near the river?
Once you embark on some roads, there is no turning back.
He is the helmsman of this giant ship of the Wu Dynasty, and where this giant ship will eventually go depends entirely on his decision.
So in Yun Xiyan's opinion, everything Fu Xiaoguan did was in vain.
"This will make the meeting more comfortable. Don't make any wild guesses. This is what I mean!"
Fu Xiaoguan had a victorious smile on his face. He ignored the dissatisfied looks from all the ministers and began the theme of the court meeting.
"This year marks the second year of the First Five-Year Development Plan. I will not elaborate on the rest. I would like to propose two new requirements here."
"First, we will begin work on building new orphanages and nursing homes. We are tentatively considering setting up one in each state, and all expenses for the orphanages and nursing homes will be covered by the state treasury."
"Secondly, a special fund for rural poverty alleviation will be established to encourage people to develop animal husbandry, not just pig farming. Where will this special poverty alleviation fund be used? It will be used to purchase piglets and give them to farmers to raise. The money from the piglets will be collected after the fattened pigs are sold."
"Government at all levels should pay close attention to people's livelihoods this year and ensure that the people under their jurisdiction become prosperous. The Ministry of Commerce should focus on prices and strictly prevent the emergence of monopolistic behavior. This can be considered in accordance with the Anti-Monopoly Law..."
"...If any of the ministries have any issues, they can go directly to the three provinces. They will formulate policies or mediate. As for me, I have other things to do."
"Don't expect me to sit here and lecture you every day. The next court meeting will be handed over to the three provinces and six ministries. The memorials from all over the country will also be reviewed by the three provinces."
"That's it, you guys continue, I'm leaving!"
Fu Xiaoguan really just walked away, and all the civil and military officials in the court were left with their mouths wide open - what the hell was going on?
How can one be an emperor like this?
What a tyrant!
Only Yun Xiyan grinned again, thinking that this was the true appearance of Fu Xiaoguan.
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