Although the emperor himself was furious about Shen Yi's assassination, it did not cause much disturbance in Jiankang City.
Because His Majesty the Emperor did not make this matter public.
Even after His Majesty the Emperor lost his temper in the palace, he seemed like a normal person the next day.
Three days passed quickly, and when it came to the day of the court meeting, His Majesty the Emperor went to court happily as if nothing had happened. At the court meeting, he also awarded several chief ministers who had contributed to combating the chaos with a smile on his face. I felt very good when I woke up.
In fact, officials of the fifth rank and above in the imperial court all know why the emperor is in a good mood. It is probably because the empress is pregnant again, which makes the emperor happy.
But officials of the third rank and above are a little trepidated in their hearts.
These people have more or less information channels in the palace, and they have more or less heard the news about His Majesty the Emperor's thunderous wrath yesterday.
In particular, the ministers and assistant ministers in Zhongshu raised their heads and looked at the emperor with worried eyes.
Halfway through a court meeting, the emperor glanced at Gao Ming next to him. Eunuch Gao immediately understood, held the imperial edict in his hand and began to read out the imperial edict.
The content of the imperial edict is very simple.
Wang Dan and other two prime ministers have submitted petitions to complain because of their old age. Last month, the emperor approved the petition. Now two more prime ministers have to be replaced by Zhong Shu to pay homage to the prime minister.
This was something that the imperial court had agreed upon during the selection process last month. The ministers in the imperial court were all well aware of the candidate for the new prime minister.
Eunuch Gao, not surprisingly, pronounced these two names.
"Because the two prime ministers have entered the official position, the important post of Zhongshu cannot be missing. Cui Yu, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, and Peng Li, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, have joined the Zhongshu to handle errands..."
The two ministers whose names were read immediately came forward and kowtowed to His Majesty the Emperor in thanksgiving.
The emperor raised his hand to signal the two of them to stand up. Then the emperor looked at Prime Minister Wang Dan standing aside and asked: "Prime Minister, will you stay in the court until the end of the year?"
Although Wang Dan and others became official officials, they had too many affairs in the Zhongshu Provincial Department, and it was impossible to just resign and get out the next day. Until now, Wang Dan was still running errands in Zhongshu and taking charge of Zhongshu affairs.
Of course, his main task now is to hand over the work.
Wang Dan lowered his head and sighed: "Your Majesty, I have become too old and faint. I really can no longer contribute to the country. After I finish my court affairs this month, I will leave my post and return to my hometown for retirement."
The emperor sighed at first, but did not continue to persuade him to stay. Instead, he said: "Returning to the hometown is the wish of many civil servants, so I will not stop it. However, the matter of Zhongshu Province still needs to be settled. Prime Minister Wang will communicate more with Prime Minister Chen this month to get things done in Zhongshu Province."
The "Chen Xiang" in the emperor's mouth, whose surname is Chen Mingjing and whose courtesy name is Pingzhi, has been in Zhongshu for five or six years. He used to serve as the last minister in Zhongshu Province, but in recent years, with the influence of Yang Jingzong, Zhang Jing, Wang Dan and others, Prime Minister Bo stepped down one after another, and he was forced to ascend to the position of the leader of the Zhongshu Province. In the future, he will be the governor of the Zhongshu Province.
Old Man Wang bowed his head respectfully and said yes.
His Majesty the Emperor looked at Prime Minister Cui Yu and Prime Minister Peng Li, who had recently become prime ministers, with a smile on his lips: "Prime Minister Cui, Prime Minister Peng, and Prime Minister Wang Chengzhiguo. Before he leaves, you should ask him for advice. Let's work together."
Finish the errands of Zhongshu."
Cui Yu originally became the prime minister early, and basically entered the Zhongshu Province along with Chen Jing. However, he was unlucky and was dismissed by the emperor once. Although he has regained his position now, his ranking in the Zhongshu Province is naturally lower.
It's about to come down.
The two newly promoted prime ministers first bowed to express their gratitude to the emperor, and then bowed their hands to Wang Dan to show their respect.
"alright…"
The emperor yawned and said lazily: "This is the end of the court affairs. If you have nothing else to do, please leave."
Wang Dan looked up at the emperor and wanted to say something. After being silent for a while, he sighed and said nothing.
At this time, Zhao Shangshu of the Ministry of Revenue silently stepped forward. He raised his head and looked at the emperor. Just as he was about to speak, the emperor frowned slightly and interrupted Zhao Shangshu's speech.
"By the way, Zhao Qing, I happen to have something to ask you. Don't leave after the court is over. Come see me at Ganlu Hall."
After saying this, the emperor stood up and stretched out: "That's all for today's court meeting. Let's disperse."
After saying this, the emperor put his hands behind his back and left.
Zhao Shangshu stood there, silent for a while, and then set off to the Ganlu Hall.
After arriving at the Ganlu Hall, the Hubu Shangshu held a ceremonial wat in his hand and bowed to the emperor: "I, Zhao Zhi, Hubu, pay homage to your Majesty."
After the emperor saw Zhao Changping, he immediately asked the eunuch next to him to give Zhao Shangshu a seat. After Zhao Shangshu sat down, the emperor smiled: "The last time Yang Xiang and Zhang Xiang became official, many ministers in the court followed me.
They say that Zhao Qing is so talented that he can serve as a prime minister, but until this time, Zhao Qing has not been promoted to Zhongshu. Is Zhao Qing feeling a little uncomfortable?"
Zhao Changping immediately stood up, bowed his head respectfully and said: "The position of the Zhongshu is all determined by His Majesty, I have absolutely no idea..."
The emperor stood up from the chair and sighed slightly: "Actually, this time, I am considering promoting Zhao Qing to Zhongshu. It's just that the court has been troubled in the past few years, and money is everywhere. Zhao Qing is here
I have been in the household department for many years. I am worried about replacing someone to take charge of the treasury."
The emperor's face was full of smiles: "Don't worry, Qing Zhao, when the state affairs become more stable in the future..."
Having said this, His Majesty the Emperor narrowed his eyes and said softly: "There will always be a chance."
Zhao Changping looked serious and continued to lower his head and said: "Your Majesty, I have never thought about this matter. What I want to say is that the director of the Ministry of War, Shen..."
"alright…"
The smile on the emperor's face finally faded.
He looked at the young and very capable Minister of the Ministry of Finance in front of him, frowned slightly, and said slowly: "I already know about Shen Yi's matter, and I have sent someone to investigate."
"Besides, this matter has nothing to do with the Ministry of Revenue."
The emperor took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "Personal friendship is a personal relationship, the imperial court is the imperial court, you are colleagues working together in the imperial court, not some sect in the jungle!"
Seeing the emperor say this, Zhao Changping was silent for a while and did not ask any more questions.
He lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, I have never had any factional thoughts. This time I am not because of Shen Yi. I have been close friends with Shen Yi's father-in-law for many years, so..."
"alright."
The emperor said calmly: "His father-in-law is not in Jiankang."
"Zhao Qing will not ask anything about this matter."
"As for Shen Yi's family..."
His Majesty the Emperor said calmly: "Zhao Qing told them that the imperial court has sent people to protect Shen Yi, and Shen Yi will definitely return to Jiankang intact."
Zhao Changping bowed his head respectfully: "I... obey your will."
The emperor walked up to Zhao Changping and suddenly asked: "Cui Yu has returned to the prime minister. What does Zhao Qing think in his heart?"
Zhao Changping lowered his head again: "Your majesty, I have no idea."
The emperor chuckled: "It's fine if you don't have any ideas."
At this point, the emperor seemed to suddenly remember something, and said with a smile: "By the way, God of Wealth, there have been a lot of things in the palace recently, and my internal treasury has reached the bottom. Can God of Wealth help a little?"
Zhao Changping looked serious, shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has no money either..."
The emperor's face darkened, and then he laughed and cursed.
"mean!"
…………
While Jiankang and his ministers were bargaining over the price, a group of nearly a hundred riders had arrived near Yueqing.
All of these horsemen are in plain clothes, but the horses are all very good, and there are basically no thin or weak horses. At first glance, they are not easy to offend.
When everyone was approaching Yueqing City, a man bowed his head respectfully to the leader, a middle-aged man.
"Boss, Yueqing is ahead."
"Um…"
The middle-aged man looked to be in his thirties and nodded when he heard the words.
"Rest where you are for half an hour, and then prepare to enter the city."