bookbashuk Chapter 193 Li Yuanke really liked this tacit understanding.
Chapter 193 Li Yuanke really liked this tacit understanding.
The emperor then announced that Shen Xianzhang would serve as the Provincial Administration Commissioner, responsible for civil administration. The Provincial Administration Commissioner was a third-rank official, which was determined based on Shen Xianzhang's current rank. Naturally, the Provincial Administration Commissioner had more work and heavier responsibilities than the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, so it was understandable that he was ranked higher.
The establishment of the military and political governorship was to distinguish it from the current military governorship, which combined military, political, and civil power.
The position of Commander-in-Chief was held by Xu Wanyi, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Changning.
Upon hearing this name, Prime Minister Pei's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, have the Prince Xu's men been found?"
The Emperor said, "There is no news yet. Before the Crown Prince Xu takes office, military affairs will be temporarily handled by Minister Shen. If it is confirmed that he is gone, we will discuss the replacement."
This is where a gap was left, employing a three-sided encirclement strategy with a feigned escape route.
This gives the officials in the court who haven't yet realized what's going on some room to maneuver. Every position in the court is highly coveted, and a balance must be reached after a period of back-and-forth before someone can be placed in that position.
The benefits cannot be monopolized by the emperor alone. There are three positions: Shen Xianzhang is the emperor's man, Pei Xunli is a member of the Pei family, and one position is left for the court officials to compete for.
The Duke of Ying stepped forward again, "Your Majesty, are you trying to change the ancestral family rules?"
The cake has been divided, and he won't get a single bite. He won't complain about Shen Shixi's father running the academy before, but now that he has real power again, he's not happy about it.
The emperor said, “How did I change the ancestral laws? The military governors initially only controlled local military affairs. Later, due to a shortage of manpower, the court officials were unwilling to serve as local officials, so they gradually took on additional positions such as inspector, agricultural commissioner, and financial commissioner.”
Now, the military, the people, and the law are all in the hands of one person. Haven't you all seen the drawbacks of this? Since I ascended the throne, how much silver has been paid in taxes from Bingzhou? Prime Minister Pei, tell me, how many households are there in Bingzhou now? What is the population?
Cao Ruiyuan has made such a huge blunder that Prime Minister Pei's face has been slapped so hard he can't even lift his head in embarrassment. "Your Majesty is absolutely right."
The main point is that what the emperor said was true.
The emperor questioned, "Is my empire more important, or the laws of our ancestors? Zhangzhou is in turmoil just because I sent the Marquis of Changning there. The truth of the matter is still unclear. And now Bingzhou is in the same state, with one family dominating and government orders not reaching the prefectures. Is this still my Bingzhou? It has become Cao's Bingzhou!"
The Duke of Ying knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, I am foolish and deserve to die! Please forgive me!"
The Emperor asked, "Regarding the matter of the charitable hall, do any of you ministers have anything else to say?"
The plaintiff is Cao Ruiyuan, who has already gotten himself involved. What else can the other officials say?
Shen Xianzhang, the newly appointed Provincial Treasurer, stepped forward and said, "By the grace of His Majesty, I have been appointed Provincial Treasurer. The Benevolent Hall of Bingzhou will fall under my jurisdiction. I am willing to work with Lord Pei to investigate the matter of the Benevolent Hall's collusion with the enemy, and then submit it to His Majesty for a decision!"
Pei Xunli was clearly not very skilled in his work, but thanks to Shen Xianzhang's guidance, he quickly said, "What Lord Shen says is very true. I will do my best to find out the truth."
He had known all along that Cao Ruiyuan was the one who had framed the charitable organization for colluding with the enemy, but times had changed. Now that he himself had gained a great advantage and was in a different position, he naturally had to handle the matter impartially.
It's a new official, after all!
The emperor was very pleased and praised the two men. His gaze fell on Xu Xiang, "Minister Shen, if Ruoshantang is innocent, I think this young man is capable. He is familiar with Bingzhou and can assist you."
Shen Shixi was completely stunned.
[Li Yuanke has gone too far! This is my man! Li Yuanke is trying to steal him away right in front of me! I'm furious!]
She glared at Li Yuanke, but when Xu Xiang asked her with his eyes, she nodded and asked Xu Xiang to find a doctor for the father and daughter, promising to pay for the medical expenses herself.
Shen Xianzhang was also taken aback for a moment. After expressing his gratitude, he quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I accept the decree!"
Li Yuanke smiled, took her hand, and said, "Let's call it a day, we'll discuss it again after lunch!"
"Yes, respectfully seeing off His Majesty and Consort Chen!"
After everyone left, Pei Xiangcai suddenly realized that the scheme in Zhangzhou might have been a prelude to Bingzhou's current situation. He was filled with regret, realizing that Zhangzhou had acted too hastily.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; not to mention, an eagle is perched in the sky!
Lin Guiyou followed behind the two in a daze. Shen Shixi had already won a great victory, but she still hadn't come to her senses.
When she got back to the courtyard, she smacked her head hard, looking extremely disgusted.
Guo Meiren and Yuan Meiren had heard about the incident and rushed over to inquire. Upon seeing this, they grabbed her hand and asked, "What happened? What happened?"
Lin Guiyou looked distressed. "Tell me, we're all human, how could I be so stupid? I just didn't understand what happened."
There was nothing wrong with talking about something this big, so she recounted it.
"It's clear that Shi Xi hit that person, and they filed a complaint with His Majesty, but no one said anything bad about Shi Xi. So the matter was transferred to the charity hall; and then the people from the charity hall came."
Cao Ruiyuan has been sued and is now on a prison van, being taken to the capital. It looks like his whole family is doomed.
Was it a coincidence that I met Cao Wenlan at the teahouse?
Lin Guiyou became more and more confused the more she thought about it.
Guo Meiren and Yuan Meiren exchanged a glance, neither of them understanding.
However, Consort Guo laughed and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to worry about this. The Emperor once said that even if all the brains in the world were put together, they wouldn't be as sharp as Consort Chen's. You may not understand, but perhaps this is a scheme set up by Consort Chen."
"You mean, she runs that charity? Where did she get so much money? And does she know that people in the court are going to target her?"
Yes, she killed Madam Pei. The Pei family will definitely not let her go. Cao Ruiyuan might be one of Prime Minister Pei's men, waiting here. Ugh, my head hurts so much. I can't stand thinking about anything like this.
Consort Yuan said, "I was quite worried when I heard that, but Sister Guo said that Consort Chen should be alright, and indeed she is."
Lin Guiyou said, "Alas, it's pitiful for us frogs in a well. No wonder she never fights with the people in the harem; how could she possibly look down on people like us!"
Consort Guo laughed, "Consort Chen is not that kind of person."
Yuan Meiren smiled and said, "Yes, when Consort Chen came to the Prince's Mansion before, she always played with us."
Judging from this time, Shen Shixi's willingness to bring the two of them here might not be without the thought of their past kinship.
Lin Guiyou didn't intend to criticize Shen Shixi. She sighed, "Oh well, never mind. Anyway, if she tells me to go east, I'll never go west. I'm sticking with her!"
Both beauties laughed.
After having lunch with Shen Shixi, the emperor spent some time idly before lying down for a nap.
There was no prior plan, but after the incident, the two joined forces and won a battle together. Li Yuanke particularly liked this tacit understanding.
He chose to settle down and rest in Bingzhou for two reasons: first, to launch his campaign in Bingzhou and implement his system of decentralization of power among the three departments; and second, because it happened to be Shen Shixi's birthday, and he planned to celebrate Shen Shixi's birthday here.
Shen Shixi cooperated very well, saving him a lot of effort.
Li Yuanke placed a kiss on her forehead.
Shen Shixi was quite annoyed and pushed him away, "I'm sleepy, I want to sleep, don't make a sound!"
Li Yuanke cursed her in his heart as a "dog" and then closed his eyes.
In March, when spring drowsiness sets in, it's a good time to sleep. The two of them slept soundly for days on end.
Shen Xianzhang, despite his advanced age, had not been able to get any sleep. He had been entrusted with the responsibility of managing an entire prefecture in a time of crisis, and since it was a new beginning and he had no established procedures, he came to the Emperor for instructions.
After waiting for almost half an hour, the emperor was still sleeping.
The Emperor is leaving in a couple of days, so he has to stay. Time is running out, and he's going to be anxious to death.
Just as he was debating whether to keep waiting, Mr. Shen saw his wretched daughter yawning and sleepily emerge from the room. She looked at him with surprise, "Dad, what are you doing here in the middle of the day instead of sleeping?"