Zhuque Imperial Street runs through the north and south of the capital, and is more than ten miles long. It starts from the imperial palace in the south and ends at the Qin Ancestral Temple in the north. As a special passage for the King of Qin in the pre-Qin period, it shouldered the important task of connecting the imperial family and the imperial temple. Civil and military officials and ordinary merchants have always been prohibited from using it.
Go up the road.
It was not until Yingzhao succeeded to the throne that it was stipulated that pedestrians were only prohibited from passing during the royal worship season.
But this did not prevent it from becoming the most prosperous street in the entire capital. Especially after the other five departments were placed in the south of the city, except for the punishment department, which was placed separately at Taipingmen, the number of pedestrians coming and going increased, and the flow of people continued.
The Empress Yingzhao opened the Suzaku Imperial Street out of this consideration. This move made the passage of five documents upwards to the palace smoother and faster!
A carriage with simple decorations turned from Zhuqueyu Street to Hubu Street. After a few steps, it was stopped by the patrolling guard.
The people in the carriage were none other than Wu Zhongxian, Haitang, and Chen Pi, who was panting after just walking a few steps.
Wu Zhongxian knew in his heart that Chen Pi didn't trust him yet, so he didn't say anything more to him. Trust is never just about words.
Wu Zhongchao sat in the carriage with his eyes closed and concentrated. He went to the Ministry of Revenue in person for two purposes. One was to ask for an explanation for the salary owed by the Ministry of Revenue to Jianghu Division for many years.
The second step is to find out who has been suppressing Jianghu Division in recent years.
The carriage slowly stopped in front, and a magnificent building appeared in front of us. The high pavilion and jade tower disappeared into the clouds. It was indeed the economic lifeline of the empire and the household department in charge of the six departments of gold, silver, money and food.
"The front is the important area of the Yamen, and it is forbidden for other people to pass. Please retreat quickly!" The guard holding Changshuo shouted sharply.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the tangerine peel shaking full of fat, with a flattering smile on his face, holding up the Jianghu Division's token in his hand and shouting: "Jianghu Division is here to handle official business, please let Zuo Xiaowei's brother go."
Zuo Xiaowei held the token handed over by Chen Pi in his hand and looked at it repeatedly, and said with a somewhat abnormal expression: "You only have one and a half people in the Jianghu Department, do you need to come to the Household Department?"
"Hehehehe, brother, you don't know something!" Chen Pi smiled as kindly as ever, and then nodded toward the carriage behind him and said:
"Isn't it true that the superiors have assigned a director to our Jianghu Division? The new director has taken office and wants to check the Jianghu Division's accounts, hehehe."
"You guys from the Jianghu Department have nothing to investigate. They are all the masters who can starve rats to death in the warehouse." Zuo Xiaowei looked at the simplified carriage behind Chen Pi with disdain, and then said: "According to the law, entering the Household Department
All government vehicles must be dismounted for inspection!”
"Brother, you..." Chen Pi wanted Zuo Xiaowei to be accommodating. It's not like he didn't come to the transfer department. Qin Law does have this rule, but it's all based on the old almanac. How many people can abide by it now?
Rules are dead, but people are alive.
How many people dared to stop the carriages of those important officials in the court? Just seeing that the carriage Wu Zhongxian was riding was simple and plain without any markings, these Zuo Xiaowei instinctively thought that Wu Zhongxian had no background in the court.
Besides, what if anyone with some background could be dispatched by the officials to the insignificant Jianghu Department?
"Chen Pi, our Jianghu Division is all about rules. In this case, we must act according to the rules." Wu Zhongxian slowly stepped out of the carriage, wearing a black official uniform that rustled in the wind. His unfathomable eyes swept around the left and right sides.
Xiaowei.
Zuo Xiaowei, who was still full of arrogance before, also subconsciously took a few steps back, his arrogance invisibly weakened a bit.
"Do you have the appointment documents? If you don't have the documents, please come back!" Zuo Xiaowei swallowed, still holding his neck and taking a step forward to stop him.
"Oh?" Wu Zhongxian lowered his gaze, and his aura of a second-grade peak cultivation was immediately revealed!
In an instant, dust was flying everywhere. Except for Haitang who was standing behind Wu Zhongxian, everyone present was staggered by the overwhelming aura.
"You...you! What are you doing! Do you want to force your way into the imperial palace?!" Zuo Xiaowei looked horrified!
"My rule, Wu Jingxian, has always been that I will not offend others unless they offend me. You all have to see the Jianghu Division's token to verify its authenticity." Wu Zhongxian said expressionlessly.
"You, Zuo Xiaowei, are so brave for intercepting imperial officials on official roads without authorization."
Wu Zhongxian walked towards the Hubu Yamen as he spoke. He didn't look at Zuo Xiaowei again during the whole process. He glanced at Chen Pi who was stunned on the spot and said softly: "Follow me."
"Hey hey hey, my dear!" Chen Pi suddenly beamed, his big mouth almost reaching his ears. He hurriedly twisted his plump body to follow Wu Zhongxian closely, and whispered:
"My lord, you are mighty! Every one of those Zuo Xiaowei guys is a master who looks down on others! You are used to being arrogant in eating and playing cards on weekdays. If you were to come here as a kid, you might be deceived. Hehehehe,
Your Majesty is still so powerful! Look at the expressions of those losers, it’s really a relief!”
"Whose supervision is Zuo Xiaowei under now?" Wu Zhongxian asked calmly, ignoring Chen Pi's flattery.
Chen Pi thought for a moment and said in an uncertain tone: "Except for the left and right military guards, the twelve guards in the capital are all under the unified command of the imperial court. It is not clear which department manages them."
"What do you mean by that?" Wu Zhongxian asked with some curiosity. Although the Twelve Guards Stations in the capital are the basis for guarding the capital, all the large and small guard stations throughout the Qin Dynasty are under the control of the Ministry of War.
And even if the Twelve Guards Stations in the capital are not under the control of the Ministry of War, logically speaking, such an important unit should be under the direct management of the Empress.
"Sir, you don't know something. The Twelve Guards Stations in the capital were originally classified as part of the Royal Palace's Forbidden Army. However, for some unknown reason, they were gradually separated from the Forbidden Army system and placed under the management of the imperial court alone. Personnel transfer, food, salary, and supplies were prepared by the Ministry of War.
, the appointment of military attachés is made by the Ministry of Civil Service."
Wu Zhongxian nodded. If it is true as Chen Pi said, then there must be a lot of talent among the twelve guards. They must rely on the twelve guards to guard the major arteries of the capital and the city defenses of large and small gates.
Chen Pi's statement that it is not under the control of any department can actually be understood to mean that the Twelve Guards are jointly managed by hundreds of officials in the capital. Anyone can get involved, and any official with a powerful background can mix his or her cronies into it.
No wonder Ying Zhao would say that nowadays, in the civil and military affairs of the entire dynasty, there is no one else you can trust except Wu Zhongxian.
Even the troops guarding the capital are not in his hands.
Based on what Zuo Xiaowei did before, it was obvious that someone behind the scenes had instructed him to stop Wu Zhongxian here, and that person concluded that he would definitely go to the Ministry of Household Affairs in person today.
Show off your power?
This was a show of authority given by the civil and military officials above the Qin Dynasty.
Is it because he is a popular person next to the empress?
Wu Zhongxian couldn't help but smile lightly. In this case, he no longer needed to take into account the feelings of his colleagues in the court.
Faces are always mutual. Since I gave them three points of face, the other party didn't care at all.