ushernet Chapter 117 Declaration of War
Chapter 117 Declaration of War
Chapter 117 Declaration of War
While Liu Bian was inspecting the imperial guards camp, the bustle in Luoyang City was becoming more and more intense.
The entire Dongdu seemed to be alarmed, with countless people running for official positions. The pressure was surging up layer by layer and reached the Censorate.
A few days later, Liu Bian was still in the Imperial Guards camp and had not returned to the palace. Instead, the atmosphere in the Secretariat began to become weird.
Yang Biao, Wang Yun and Xun You were sitting in the small conference room, discussing the issue of cutting redundant officials.
Xun You looked at Wang Yun and said, "My Lord, I support the reduction of redundant officials. However, the Shangshutai's 'new system' has already been planned, so please approve it."
Wang Yun said expressionlessly, "I have no objection. But we have to wait until the reduction of redundant officials is completed. How can the government and the public be convinced if I reduce the number of redundant officials and you increase the number of officials?"
Xun You glanced at Yang Biao, who remained expressionless, and said, "Then, if we transfer some of the Nine Ministers and the Three Dukes to the Shangshutai, can we remove them from the layoff list?"
Wang Yun looked at him and asked, "Are you talking about those people from Yingchuan?"
Xun You suddenly became alert. He had previously suspected that the nearly 30% reduction in staff was related to him. Now it seemed that Wang Yun was deliberately cutting the number of people he recommended!
Xun You sat up straight and said solemnly, "My Lord, those people are not my relatives or friends. They are all upright and capable people. There is absolutely no clique in Yingchuan. Please understand my Lord."
Wang Yun then raised his hand to Yang Biao and said, "Prime Minister, may I ask if there are anyone else who needs to be removed?"
Yang Biao's fat face showed dignity and said, "No."
He indeed didn't. Although the Yang family had three officials in four generations and many of them were former officials of the Yang family in the court, their relationship was not as close as that of the Yuan family.
In addition, Yang Biao deliberately distanced himself from others, so there was no one who needed Yang Biao to protect specifically.
Wang Yun put down his hand and said, "Does the Prime Minister have any objection to my list of layoffs? If so, I will draw up a new one."
Yang Biao blinked and secretly complained in his heart that Wang Yun kicked the ball to him.
Xun You looked over immediately, and his face was filled with the words "Please veto, Prime Minister" written all over it.
Yang Biao's face twitched and he said, "No objection."
You guys can fight it out, I won’t get involved!
Xun You was very disappointed with Yang Biao. He took a deep breath and raised his hand to Wang Yun, saying with a firm face, "My Lord, I am the Minister of Personnel. The reduction of officials, mergers of power and duties, transfers and appointments, all require my consent."
Wang Yun's eyes flashed fiercely, and he looked straight at Xun You and asked, "What do you want?"
Xun You was more serious than ever before, and said, "If the prince insists on targeting me, I will definitely not obey."
Wang Yun's expression was sharp, and he asked, "Are you going to disobey my order?"
Xun You remained calm and said, "The 'new system' is also the will of your majesty."
Wang Yun was extremely angry, but he found that he had no way to deal with Xun You. He glanced at Yang Biao and felt even more angry.
If Yang Biao supported him, he could push it through forcefully and would not allow Xun You to act recklessly. However, Yang Biao was an incompetent waste who only knew how to shirk responsibility and dodge!
Suddenly, there were urgent footsteps outside, and a eunuch appeared at the door and said directly to Wang Yun: "My Lord, the Queen Mother invites you."
Without waiting for Wang Yun's reaction, Yang Biao raised his head and looked towards the roof beam, the smile in his eyes could not be concealed.
Xun You was still confused at first, but when he saw Yang Biao's expression out of the corner of his eye, his heart suddenly moved.
Wang Yun didn't notice Yang Biao's Dong Zhuo, and suppressed his anger, saying: "The Queen wants to see me? What's the matter?"
The eunuch said, "I don't know, the person who delivered the message didn't have a good tone, please be careful with your words and actions, Your Excellency."
Although Empress Dowager He did not like government affairs very much and almost never interfered in them, she was the empress dowager after all. If she insisted on doing something, no one in the court could stop her.
Wang Yun glanced at Xun You again with a cold expression, then stood up and left the Secretariat and headed for Yongle Palace.
As soon as Wang Yun left, Xun You raised his hand to Yang Biao and said, "Prime Minister, this matter has become a hot topic. The people in the court are unsettled and it is difficult to do anything. Please make a decision and get it resolved as soon as possible."
Yang Biao nodded, then suddenly stood up and left.
Xun You looked at his back, frowning again and again.
At this moment, Wang Yun arrived at Yongle Palace.
"Your Highness Wang Yun greets the Queen Mother." Wang Yun raised his hand in greeting.
Empress Dowager He was talking to Concubine Tang, and no one knew what they were talking about. They were laughing non-stop and did not hear what Wang Yun said.
Wang Yun looked at Empress Dowager He, his face hardened a little, and he let out a light breath, trying to let out the anger in his heart.
Tang Ji observed Wang Yun out of the corner of her eye, pursed her lips, said nothing, and chatted and laughed with Empress Dowager He.
Wang Yun didn't know who had asked Empress Dowager He to intercede for him. He was thinking of a countermeasure in his mind and waiting with an unchanged expression.
After a long while, Empress Dowager He stopped smiling, glanced at Wang Yun, picked up the teacup, and said calmly, "Wang Pushe, what are you doing here?"
Wang Yun raised his hand and said, "I have come here in compliance with the imperial decree to listen to the Queen Mother's instructions."
Empress Dowager He said expressionlessly, "I heard that you had an argument with the Inspector General of the Imperial Guards, Lord Tang?"
Wang Yun glanced at Tang Ji, lowered his head and said, "The Queen Mother misunderstood. It was not a quarrel, but just some disagreements on government affairs."
Empress Dowager He did not drink her tea. She leaned sideways, glared at him, and said, "I also heard that you not only want to lay off the people in the General's Mansion, but also the General's Mansion. Take a look at my Yongle Palace and see if there are any people who need to be laid off. Let's lay off all of them."
The so-called General's Mansion and General of Chariots and Cavalry's Mansion refer to He Jin and He Miao. These two people had retired long ago, and these two mansions did not exist at all. The fundamental reason is that the officials who once belonged to these two mansions are still there.
Wang Yun's eyes darkened slightly, and he said, "I dare not."
Empress Dowager He took a sip of tea and said, "It's good that you know you don't dare. I don't need to tell you what to do, right?"
Wang Yun said: "Queen Mother, this is the order of His Majesty..."
"I don't need you to tell me,"
Empress Dowager He snorted coldly and said, "Are you saying that you want me to go and talk to your Majesty about this little matter?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yun's face tensed and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.
He knew very well in his heart that arguing with Empress Dowager He would do no good and would only backfire.
But 'cutting down redundant officials' is the most important thing he is doing now, and it is where he establishes himself in the court and where he looks to the world!
No one can make him back down!
When Empress Dowager He saw that Wang Yun refused to speak, her face turned ugly and she said, "Speak!"
Wang Yun was silent for a moment, then said, "Queen Dowager, cutting down redundant officials is a major issue of state policy, and I cannot agree to it."
When Empress Dowager He heard this, her facial features were distorted with anger. It had been a long time since anyone dared to talk to her like this!
When Tang Ji saw this, she quickly whispered to comfort him, "Your Majesty, calm down."
Empress Dowager He was not able to calm down, but Wang Yun was an important official, so she could not do anything to him. She had no place to vent her anger, which made her even angrier. She yelled, "Get out!"
Wang Yun felt heavy-hearted and raised his hand, saying, "I'll take my leave!"
Before Wang Yun could turn around, Empress Dowager He had already pulled Tang Ji and said, "Send someone to call Bian'er back to the palace."
Wang Yun listened to "Bian'er" and frowned secretly. Even if you are the empress dowager of the dynasty and the biological mother of the emperor, you can't address her casually like before.
But he didn't say anything and left Yongle Palace.
Coming out of the door and looking at the dim sky, Wang Yun remained silent, with a trace of melancholy on his face.
The court was full of corrupt officials, mediocre officials, and treacherous and cunning people. After receiving the imperial edict this time, he thought he could let go and make some achievements, but he never expected that everyone in the Shangshutai, from Yang Biao to the six ministers, and then the nine ministers outside, the Sili Xiaowei, etc., were against him, hindering him everywhere and making him stumble.
Now, the Queen Mother has personally stepped down from the palace, what else can he do?
But in a flash, Wang Yun's expression became firm, the melancholy in his eyes disappeared, and he strode back to the Shangshu Terrace.
It was very quiet inside the Shangshu Terrace. Except for the occasional sound of footsteps, every duty room was very quiet.
Wang Yun walked in. Although he couldn't see anyone, he could feel countless eyes on him.
With an indifferent expression, he walked into the duty room, took out the "List of Redundant Officials" from the table, and flipped through it. From top to bottom, there were nearly a thousand people.
Wang Yun looked at it for a long time, then he looked at another book at hand.
This is the "list of redundant officials" outside the city of Luoyang, which is also the list of redundant officials in each state.
Wang Yun's eyes were solemn, and he was determined not to give up!
In Xun You's duty room, several assistant ministers were discussing matters.
"Minister, the vacancy in Bingzhou has been reported, but it has not been approved yet."
"We still need some money and food for the reward."
"The by-elections planned by the various Caos had already been drawn up, but they were all rejected by the princes..."
Xun You listened, but couldn't help but look towards the direction of Wang Yun's duty room.
The news about the Yongle Palace had almost spread throughout the Secretariat. Xun You wondered in his heart whether the stubborn and inflexible prince would compromise.
A clerk came in and whispered in Xun You's ear, "Minister Li has entered the prince's duty room."
Xun You shook his head and said, "Your Majesty will return to the capital tomorrow. Please give me the summary and I will report to Your Majesty."
The ministers looked at each other and said, "We obey your orders."
A few rooms away from here is the duty room for the minor officials, who are casually discussing Wang Yun's entry into the Yongle Palace.
"What do you think the prince will do with the pressure from the Queen Mother?"
"Now that the Queen Mother has come forward, can the prince still insist on cutting back?"
"I don't think so. The issue of cutting redundant officials is now a hot topic in the city. If the prince backs down easily, it would be tantamount to admitting his mistake. Can he still stay in the Shangshutai?"
"Are you still not turning back and waiting to be removed from office?"
"In my opinion, the princes will most likely bow their heads. At most, they will just lay off fewer people. On one hand, they will report to His Majesty, and on the other hand, they will make friends with so many officials, both big and small. Isn't this how they used to do it?"
All the petty officials nodded in agreement.
Although they were of low rank, they spent longer time in the Nine Ministers and the Secretariat than those bigwigs, ranging from a few years to more than ten or even dozens of years.
In the silence, Shangshutai welcomed the end of the day.
The Shangshu Tai now has a large number of staff. There are people in the duty rooms of all sizes, totaling as many as two hundred people.
After leaving the Shangshu Terrace and walking on the way out of the palace, they were clearly divided into several groups, gathered together and chatted animatedly.
Wang Yun came out of the duty room, his ears filled with all kinds of sounds, but he seemed unaware of the crowd in front and behind him, far away, and he was all alone.
Yang Biao was the last to leave. As soon as he returned to the Yang Mansion, he went straight to Wang Lang's courtyard.
Wang Lang was writing a book attentively. Yang Biao came to him, without saying a word, and started to make tea.
Wang Lang ignored him and continued writing.
After a while, Yang Biao handed him the teacup, leaned over to look at him, and said, "You are so impatient, why write books? Go into government."
Wang Lang has indeed been eager to enter the officialdom recently, but he is still hesitant and feels uneasy.
He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Something happened again?"
Yang Biao smiled, the fat on his face trembling, and said, "It's not me, it's Prince Master. He stirred up a hornet's nest by cutting redundant officials. Now both the government and the public are impeaching him. Xun Shangshu of the Ministry of Personnel directly confronted him and almost broke up with him."
Wang Lang saw Yang Biao's smug look, shook his head, and said, "Do you think it's a good thing if Master Wang Zi is kicked out of the Shangshutai?"