Chapter 268 Major Moves and Farewell
Within days of the Mengshan Villa incident, nearly a third of the officials in the Southern Xiao government were replaced.
Xiao Qing acted swiftly. Although the secret guards had not yet reported that Wang Xiang had been found, almost all those involved in the Wang, Sun, and Li families' risky actions had been eliminated.
As the saying goes, "When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down." Now that the affairs of the three families have been exposed, Zheng Fangxiu felt that a lot of evidence that he hadn't even expected was easily presented to him.
He still needs to sort things out and make selections.
He knew that the more problems were uncovered, the more people would be implicated, and the more people would suffer.
Moreover, at this time, there is bound to be some evidence that is difficult to distinguish between true and false, and most of it is just pure factional attacks.
At first, he was worried that dealing with too many people might lead to a shortage of available personnel, which would affect the transmission and timely implementation of government orders and could cause public panic.
After all, Wang Xiang has not been found, and the former prime minister, as the head of the civil officials in the southern region, wields immense influence. However, His Majesty has not yet made a decision on how to characterize Wang Xiang's disappearance.
The implications of this... Zheng Fangxiu patted her head, deciding not to think about it anymore.
However, as it turned out, the situation was much better than he had anticipated, thanks to this swift response.
First, Yu Zaiting managed to stabilize a large portion of the Wang faction's supporters. These people were mostly upright civil officials who, while admiring the Prime Minister's talent and acknowledging his influence, also looked down on the corrupt practices of the powerful aristocratic families. Although they wouldn't side with the Wang family, they wouldn't easily agree to punish the Prime Minister.
Secondly, with the Grand Tutor in charge of civil affairs and Zhao Ziyuan temporarily acting as the Imperial Guard in military matters, along with some troops from Yingzhou to assist, and with the tacit understanding among the northern officials, especially the military group, His Majesty's control over the court is stronger than imagined.
Thirdly, although Nanxiao has been implementing lenient and people-friendly policies for the past three years, the powerful families are bloated and deeply entrenched. As a result, the policies are not implemented at the local level. In some places, some prefectures even privately impose additional taxes and fees, which has caused dissatisfaction among the people. However, the powerful families ignore this and continue to maintain their extravagant lifestyle by exploiting the people at each level and deceiving their superiors.
When the Southern Dynasty made this move, those who knew the situation applauded and cheered, exclaiming that it was a great relief to them.
What's even more remarkable is that during the three years of recuperation and development, Nanxiao unknowingly cultivated a considerable number of new talents. Not only in Dingzhou, but also in Yingzhou, Yuzhou, and Jiangzhou to the north, many talented individuals have emerged, which are now proving invaluable.
The most prominent was the Prefectural Magistrate of Yuzhou.
After all, the Imperial Tutor's family is now in Yuzhou. They are good at teaching and educating people, and they even have a clear understanding of what kind of talents and officials the court needs.
Although the newcomers are young and not as capable as the veterans, their youth gives them plenty of energy and a greater sense of anticipation and enthusiasm for the future.
Zheng Fangxiu recalled how Zhao Ziyuan of Yingzhou, in his roguish manner, tapped a scholar on the head while arresting him, his expression fierce and contemptuous as he repeatedly said, "A bunch of weaklings dare to cause trouble?" She found herself both amused and exasperated.
It's true that His Majesty and the Grand Tutor are wise men. If it weren't for the loyalty of the military generals, such a widespread upheaval in the officialdom would have led to chaos indefinitely.
But look at us now, everything's fine.
His Majesty is indeed resourceful, and he seized the opportunity to accomplish several major tasks.
First, the Privy Council was abolished, and its original administration was transferred to the Ministry of War. After all, Sun Jinyi had already been dismissed. Yu Zaiting returned to the Ministry of War as Minister of War.
Secondly, a cabinet was established, and the Grand Tutor, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Chief Censor of the Censorate were ordered to enter the cabinet to discuss matters directly with the emperor.
Third, he summoned Chu Lianzhou, a woman from the Chu family, to the palace to serve as a female official in the inner court and to manage the affairs of the Inner Attendants Bureau.
The former dynasty and the harem were thus completely renewed.
While Zheng Fangxiu was still busy complaining, Zhao Youchen was already packing his bags and preparing to leave.
Xiao Qing, dressed in plain clothes, escorted Zhao Youchen out of the city with Ma Hong and Fu Mingyi. She remembered to disguise the three of them before leaving.
But no matter how far you send someone off, there will always be a time for parting.
Zhao Youchen had already made up his mind about this trip, but now he couldn't say a single word of what he originally wanted to say.
Fortunately, he had left his uncle in the palace, so he figured the Imperial Guards wouldn't cause any trouble while he was away. This put his mind at ease.
He simply said nothing, clasped his hands in farewell, and prepared to leave.
Xiao Qing, who had been hesitant to speak the whole way, couldn't hold back any longer.
"Whatever's there, come back if things don't go well."
After three years of going through thick and thin together, Xiao Qing was actually quite reluctant for him to go to Yingzhou and take the risk.
Zhao Youchen smiled. He nodded, but in his heart he thought: whatever is there, he must get it! There's no reason for him to go through all that trouble only to come back empty-handed.
Moreover, he had a premonition that this trip might bring about a major change in his life.
"Your Majesty, Grand Tutor, please wait. Even after a thousand miles of escorting you, we must part ways. I will depart now and return as soon as possible. Your Majesty, please take care. Grand Tutor, please take care."
The three men bowed to each other. Zhao Youchen then quickly turned around, spurred his horse and rode away, never looking back.
Nobody knows where Number Twenty-Two is hiding, but he's not going to get lost. See you in Yingzhou!
Xiao Qing sighed, thinking of the founding lions, tigers, wolves, and jade heads, thinking of Yingzhou, thinking of the Mengshan incident, thinking of her frequent big moves these past few days, but Wang Xiang was nowhere to be found, and those rats hiding in the shadows had not made even the slightest ripple. The sorrow of parting that Zhao Youchen had stirred up in her heart was now even more troubled.
Fu Mingyi understood Xiao Qing. He guessed that the young emperor was not in a good mood at the moment, so he suggested that they take a walk in the city, firstly to see the lives of the people of Nanding, and secondly to relax.
Xiao Qing naturally had no objections. So the two of them walked slowly down the main street into the city.
They didn't have any particular destination; they just observed the people walking on the street and the shops along the way. Occasionally, the Grand Tutor would stop to inquire about prices or pick up a trinket or two from a stall to look at.
Xiao Qing found it strange, thinking to himself that the Grand Tutor seemed to have quite the leisure and refined taste in this situation.
Although the imperial court was embroiled in bloodshed, the people of Nanding seemed largely unaffected. They continued to set up their stalls and stroll through the streets as usual. The commercial district further along was even quite lively.
Xiao Qing rarely saw such a lively scene, so she couldn't help but want to join in.
As he got closer, he was gradually drawn to the street vendors and other such figures.
At this moment, Fu Mingyi began to silently protect her from the sidelines, his facial features becoming slightly serious.
A window in an inconspicuous two-story teahouse by the roadside was half-open, and the person sitting by the window was squinting as he looked down, his profile thin and pale.
"Well, so this is the young emperor who caused such a stir; he's quite close to the Grand Tutor." Another person chimed in.
The only response he received was a silent smirk from the other person, who gently touched his wrist.
jingle.
Xiao Qing suddenly looked up and then at her wrist, wondering if she was hallucinating.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
