freenovelworld Chapter 1045 The Turmoil of Entering the Cabinet
Chapter 1045 The Turmoil of Entering the Cabinet
While Lingyan Pavilion offers significant benefits, it is ultimately a long-term endeavor.
For the current political situation, Li Che has a more pressing task: filling vacancies in the cabinet.
After he ascended the throne, the Fengguo Cabinet naturally became the Daqing Cabinet.
The three-year rotation system established during the Fengtian period has been reshuffled due to the new dynasty's establishment.
The current cabinet consists of seven ministers:
The highly respected Tao Qian, the recently deceased Qian Bin, Huo Duanxiao, Li Che's left-hand man, Zhuge Zhe, Li Che's right-hand man, Wang Chongjian, who came from the "Sack Gang", the mature and prudent Du Fuji, Yi Yaxi, a representative of foreign civil officials, and Liu Ye, who was also from the "Sack Gang".
Qian Bin's sudden death not only caused Li Che to lose his mentor, but also left a vacancy in the central cabinet.
This creates problems in the cabinet decision-making process, making it easy for a three-to-three vote to be drawn.
Li Che naturally favored Xu Jiezi, who had just emerged from seclusion, for the vacant position.
Xu Jiezi was a man of profound learning, with knowledge spanning ancient and modern times, and his vision and perspective far surpassed that of ordinary court officials.
By appointing him to the cabinet to assist in state affairs, we can leverage his wisdom to advance new policies, break down existing barriers within the court, and inject new blood into the government.
However, when Li Che proposed promoting Xu Jiezi to the cabinet during the regular court session the following day, the ministers all opposed it.
The first to launch an attack were some former officials who came from Feng State.
These people were meritorious officials who fought alongside Li Che from Fengguo. They were naturally closest to the emperor emotionally, but therefore valued merit and seniority the most.
“Your Majesty! Although Master Xu Jiezi is renowned for his virtue, he is ultimately a recluse in the mountains and has never made any contribution to the court, nor does he hold any official rank or emolument.”
"The cabinet is the heart of the nation. If someone were to suddenly rise to the position of cabinet minister from humble beginnings based solely on His Majesty's favor, it would be difficult to win the hearts of the people!"
From the perspective of a former official of the state, these words do have some merit.
They fought their way up to their current position, how could they allow a hermit who just parachuted in to join the highest decision-making level?
Moreover, Xu Jiezi was not just a commoner; he didn't even have a place of origin in Daqing. Strictly speaking, he should be considered a refugee.
It's normal for them to be dissatisfied, and Li Che is confident that he can appease them.
These people were one thing, but even conservative officials with close ties to aristocratic families voiced their opinions in agreement.
Two forces that were usually at odds with each other have now joined forces to oppose Xu Jiezi's entry into the cabinet.
Li Che listened expressionlessly, but his heart was ice-cold.
He began to realize that he had been too kind.
He could understand to some extent the desire of former officials of the state to protect themselves.
But it's ridiculous that these conservatives associated with aristocratic families also joined in the commotion, and their reasons were so high-sounding.
Ordinary people may not know Xu Jiezi's abilities, but how could these court officials not know them?
Their opposition stemmed from the realization that once Xu Jiezi entered the cabinet, he would inevitably become a powerful reformer in the emperor's hands, wielding a sharp sword against the old order!
This is not a rejection of Xu Jiezi personally; it is a test of Li Che!
But how could Li Che allow them to test him?
After the opponents finished speaking, Li Che said quietly, "Have you all finished?"
All the officials remained silent.
Li Che's gaze swept over the officials who had spoken most forcefully just now.
Several of them were mid-level generals from the former Fengtian clique who were transferred to civilian positions, and three were officials from middle-class families.
Li Che immediately refuted several close former officials and then singled out several powerful family officials who had opposed him the most, sentencing them to twenty strokes of the cane in court.
The main hall immediately fell silent.
Wang Yongnian was in charge of carrying out the execution.
Wang Yongnian of today is no longer the criminal who was forced to attend court in shackles.
After Li Che pardoned and promoted him, he completely broke with the powerful clans and became the emperor's true henchman.
Wang Yongnian's expression was cold and hard as he waved his hand in acknowledgment.
Several fierce imperial guards immediately stepped forward and, without any hesitation, lifted the three limp ministers up and dragged them out of the Xuanzheng Hall like dead dogs.
Soon, a series of suppressed screams came from outside the hall.
Li Che listened expressionlessly, his face dark and uncertain.
A person is definitely not going to be killed; this was at his behest.
Li Che did not want to be a tyrant and bear the reputation of killing a minister in court, which would make it impossible for anyone to oppose him afterward.
It's not that tyrants are bad; Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were tyrants, but they were still great emperors with outstanding achievements throughout history.
But the Great Qing Dynasty doesn't need a tyrant now; it wants to be Emperor Qingwen, not Emperor Qingwu.
After the initial establishment of the empire, what is needed is to allow the people to recuperate and unite their hearts, not for the ruler and his ministers to become estranged.
He specifically instructed Wang Yongnian that the twenty strokes of the cane should be severe enough to cause them great shame, but they should not be killed or even maimed.
The twenty strokes were quickly finished, and the screams of agony gradually subsided.
Wang Yongnian returned to the palace and reported: "Your Majesty, the court beating has been completed."
"Take him away and have the imperial physician treat his injuries," Li Che ordered calmly.
His gaze swept over the assembled officials in the hall once more, and no one dared to meet his eyes again.
Thus, under Li Che's strong intervention, Xu Jiezi was finally able to enter the cabinet.
. . . . . .
After the court session, we went to Yangxin Pavilion.
Li Che sat behind his desk, his expression calm.
Below, four rosewood armchairs are arranged in a row.
Xu Jiezi was dressed in a plain white robe, with a peaceful expression.
The other three are Huo Duanxiao, Zhuge Zhe, and Du Fuji.
Although Daqing had cabinet ministers, there were differences between them.
Huo, Zhuge, and Du were often jokingly referred to as the "Three Upper Pavilions" by the court and the public, as they were the emperor's advisors.
Tao Qian and others, either because they were too old or because they specialized in a particular field, participated less in major strategic planning.
Originally, Qian Bin, as the Imperial Tutor, held a transcendent position, somewhere between the two.
Now that Qian Bin has passed away and Xu Jiezi has joined, this small circle of advisors has naturally expanded.
Seeing the emperor remain silent, Zhuge Zhe spoke first: "In my humble opinion, the matter of the court assembly may not have been deliberately orchestrated by someone. It is more likely that some colleagues were bound by old customs and did not know much about Mr. Xu, so they were resistant."
"Having been reprimanded by His Majesty's swift and decisive actions, his spirits have been dampened, and he is unlikely to dare to make any further noise about this matter."
Zhuge Zhe was truly on edge today, as these former officials of Fengguo were rather ungrateful.
It should be noted that the founding teams of every monarch in the early stages of a dynasty would form a group of nobles.
This is not a good thing. As time goes by, former heroes are bound to become arrogant and complacent.
If the emperor becomes wary, it will implicate more than just one or two people.
Even though His Majesty values sentiments, he will have no choice but to take drastic measures in the end.
Xu Jiezi bowed slightly and spoke in a gentle and calm voice: "Your Majesty's wrath in court over my matter has truly unsettled me."
"Your Majesty's kindness moves me to tears, but I am but a hermit in the mountains, and my sudden rise to such a high position is bound to attract criticism."
"Your Majesty need not be in a hurry to grant me great power. You can allow me to first take up a sinecure and familiarize myself with the affairs of the court and the people."
He genuinely felt he had caused trouble for the emperor, and he also knew that as a newcomer, he needed time to adapt.
Li Che waved his hand and said in a low voice, "I am not angry that they oppose me. If it is a difference of opinion concerning national affairs, I am happy to hear it even if I do not adopt it."
"What angers me is that these powerful families have never given up their ambitions! Their influence is deeply entrenched and pervasive!"
"Did those opposing officials really know nothing about the name Yunmeng Mountain? They did!"
"It is precisely because they know what it means for the gentleman to come out of retirement that they are so determined to oppose it."
"Is this a rebellion against my new policies? They have deep ties with local powerful families; they fear that I will completely destroy their foundations!"
Li Che's tone grew colder as he spoke, his chest heaving slightly with anger.
He hates not the disagreement, but the parasitic behavior that obstructs national policies!
If it weren't for the fact that I still have too few capable people at my disposal, I would have to completely purge the court and bring in fresh blood.
Li Che took a deep breath, suppressed the surging anger in his heart, picked up a memorial from the imperial desk, and slammed it heavily on the table.
"Look at these memorials submitted by the southern provinces!"
"The provincial system reform, which delineates boundaries and establishes governance, was originally a good method for clarifying rights and responsibilities. But how has it been implemented? It has encountered obstacles at every turn, with people paying lip service while secretly resisting!"
"This county complains about unfair division, that prefecture says its historical evolution shouldn't be changed... even Jiangsu Province, right under the emperor's nose!"
He pointed to a passage in the memorial: "Several regions actually jointly submitted a memorial proposing to divide Jiangsu Province into three parts: Southern Jiangsu, Northern Jiangsu, and Central Jiangsu!"
"Saying things like regional differences, different customs, and inconvenience in governing... Humph!"
"Without the powerful local families pulling in and instigating behind the scenes, would local officials dare to so openly bargain with the central government and obstruct national policies?!"
The warm pavilion was silent. Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
No wonder His Majesty is angry; these aristocratic families are like centipedes, dying but not dying.
If so many places are already obstructing the promotion of the 'provincial system' now, what about other new policies in the future?
Du Fuji pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. As Your Majesty said, the remnants of aristocratic families are indeed causing trouble."
"However, after His Majesty's years of ruthless suppression and the implementation of the imperial examination system, the power of aristocratic families has greatly diminished."
"At present, all they can do is create obstacles in local government affairs and engage in such petty and despicable acts, but in the end, they cannot shake the fundamental situation."
He paused, glanced at the emperor's expression, and continued slowly, "Once Commander Yang returns in triumph, escorting the ringleaders of the rebellious families, and presents them to Your Majesty, Your Majesty may announce this to the world."
"At that time, everyone in the world will see the consequences of opposing the court, and those who secretly plot will surely be deterred."
"Your Majesty need not be too anxious. Take things slowly and proceed step by step."
Li Che glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Although Du Fuji had pledged allegiance, he came from a prominent family, and his stance and perspective on issues ultimately differed from Li Che's.
In Du Fuji's view, after a series of blows, the power of aristocratic families has fallen to its lowest point in thousands of years, and the threat has been greatly reduced.
The emperor need not push too hard; forcing them too far might provoke a backlash.
However, what Li Che wanted was never to weaken the aristocratic families, but to completely eliminate this class!
Du Fuji's proposal may be in line with the current need to maintain stability, but it runs counter to Li Che's ultimate goal.