RNP Chapter 239 The Emperor Is Provoking a Battle
Chapter 239 The Emperor Is Provoking a Battle
When Prime Minister Pei learned that Chen Bingzheng was going to leave his post, he was extremely shocked.
Upon inquiry, it turned out that Chen Bingzheng's weakness was actually given to him by the Empress.
Even without any evidence against the Empress, Chen Yuxi's entry into the palace was facilitated by the Empress, and her demotion to the Cold Palace was protected by the Empress. Now that Chen Yuxi has taken action out of the blue, who else could be behind this but the Empress?
Pei Xunli was not in the capital, so the people Pei Xiang could consult with were those who had always followed him. Several core members were sitting in the study.
"Prime Minister Pei, the Minister of Personnel has clearly distanced himself from us. The evaluation system he implemented has allowed him to remove many of our people from their positions. Now that the position of Grand Secretary is vacant, we should find a way to promote someone to the position," said the Vice Minister of Revenue.
Minister of Revenue Yao Hancong stroked his beard and nodded.
Of the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War are all under the Emperor's control, the Ministry of Rites is neutral, and only the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue are still under Prime Minister Pei's control.
The Ministry of Revenue recently established a Commerce and Trade Department, whose finances are not under the jurisdiction of the Department of Revenue. A special commercial zone has been established in Bingzhou and Youzhou. Although they are just starting out, anyone with eyes can see how prosperous these two places will become in the future and what changes they will bring to the Great Zhou.
In just a few days, the Trade and Commerce Bureau was flooded with people applying for licenses, and Bingzhou and Youzhou were also bustling with activity, with foreign merchants queuing up to apply for licenses.
The Commerce and Trade Department is thriving, and many people want to be transferred there to handle official business.
This is equivalent to half of the Ministry of Revenue falling into the hands of the Emperor.
Pushing someone up is tantamount to pushing Yao Hancong. No one is more suitable or more competitive than him. It can be said that, in the eyes of the entire court, Yao Hancong is the most likely candidate.
But Pei Xiangbin was not sure; he had guessed the emperor's intentions.
After Chen Bingzheng and the emperor finished their three resignations and three retentions, the position of Grand Secretary became vacant. The emperor did not rush to have the Ministry of Personnel organize a court recommendation, but instead named the five Attendant Scholars' organization the Grand Council, a think tank dedicated to providing advice and consultation to the emperor.
A military affairs office was set up inside Wuying Gate.
These five people were given different positions, and although they seemed to be working in the military intelligence room without any rank or salary, the sudden appearance of these five people was an abnormal act.
The name "Military Affairs Office" was actually suggested by Shen Shixi. Li Yuanke was terrible at naming things; you could tell just by looking at how he casually named the eldest prince Li Cheng'an.
Shen Shixi was terrible at naming things, but fortunately, Emperor Yongzheng was much better at it.
Prime Minister Pei was already feeling the tension. The Emperor's seemingly random punches, one here and one there, were actually designed to throw him off balance.
Now, aside from routine government affairs, he has no room to participate in many important initiatives.
The imperial concubine conferment ceremony that the Ministry of Rites is preparing has already revealed the emperor's intentions.
The emperor is challenging us to a duel!
Militarily, the emperor's inspection tour strengthened the northwest border defenses and deterred the border generals, Beisha, and Xiling. Even if internal strife broke out, it would not shake the rule of the Great Zhou for a while.
The Pei family is facing a life-or-death crisis.
Unfortunately, Pei Xunli was transferred to the north to work with Shen Xianzhang in Bingzhou.
The Shen family was loyal to the emperor, and because of Shen Shixi, their interests were closely tied to the emperor's. Most importantly, they were all a bunch of simpletons with no ambition whatsoever. The emperor trusted them and they were even willing to act as the emperor's spies.
If anyone showed the slightest disloyalty to the emperor, they would impeach them relentlessly.
Pei Xunli is no longer a reliable option.
Pei Gaoshi was also making efforts.
The position of Princess Jin is vacant. Her daughter is dead, and her niece was also killed by Shen Shixi. Pei Gaoshi has her eye on Wang Linyao from the Taiyuan Wang family and hopes to secure the position of Princess Jin before the end of the year, but she needs the imperial decree.
This is something the Empress Dowager should have been concerned about.
Since Lady Gao couldn't go directly to the Empress Dowager, she sent someone to deliver a message to her daughter. The poor Empress had only been recuperating for a few days when she had to go through all this trouble again.
Their advantage lies in their youth.
Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Empress Dowager has been obsessed with watching plays every day, and she wishes she could memorize all the scripts.
Hearing that the Empress was requesting an audience, and since it was time for her lunch, they invited her to stay for the meal.
After the meal, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanged a few pleasantries, and the Empress said, "Mother, it is not my place to decide on Fourth Uncle's marriage, but the household affairs of Prince Jin's mansion have been neglected and the position of Princess Consort is vacant, which seems inappropriate."
My elder sister has passed away a year ago, and the mourning period is about to end. I wonder if Your Majesty has chosen someone to replace her?
The Empress Dowager never expected that she was simply not a worrier.
The selection of the Princess Consort of Jin is of utmost importance.
"I've thought about it, but I haven't found a suitable candidate. You've always been virtuous and capable. Do you think there's anyone suitable in the capital?"
The Prince of Jin's mansion also had a concubine, but most respectable families would never elevate a concubine to the status of mistress. Of course, such things do happen, but they are rare.
Moreover, Xie, the former concubine of the Prince of Jin, was the daughter of the late Marquis Jiaqing. The three clans of the Marquis Jiaqing had already gone to Meng Po to line up for soup. The Prince of Jin had already requested an imperial decree to revoke her imperial register. Now she was just a concubine of the Prince of Jin, locked in a dark room.
In other words, there are currently three vacant positions in the Prince of Jin's residence: the Princess Consort and two concubines.
It really doesn't look good.
There is no basis for the claim that the Prince of Jin observed mourning for his wife.
This was entirely the Empress Dowager's dereliction of duty.
"With the new year approaching, there aren't many women in the Emperor's harem who are fit to serve him in bed, which isn't very appealing. There aren't many imperial heirs either. Perhaps we could hold another imperial selection?" the Empress Dowager said.
The Empress was actually very unwilling, as she had not yet conceived a legitimate son. However, since the Empress Dowager had spoken, she had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty is very thoughtful. However, I wonder what Sister Chenyuan will think. This matter also requires the Emperor's approval."
"His Majesty has few children, so the harem needs more people; only when the lineage continues can prosperity be assured. Chenyuan has always been sensible, and besides, this is an ancestral rule!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, you're overthinking it! I will propose it to Your Majesty. If it is to be done, next spring will be an auspicious time. I also hope that two lovely girls as charming as Sister Chenyuan can be selected to come in, so that Your Majesty can have some fun."
The Empress now had a reason to go to Qian Yuan Palace.
I went there that very day, but Consort Chenyuan was not there.
As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed that the emperor was looking at her like she was an idiot. The empress's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly asked, "Your Majesty, this is also the Empress Dowager's idea. Your Majesty doesn't have many people in your harem, and the few that are left are not to your liking. It would be too much trouble for only Sister Chenyuan to serve you in bed."
The emperor said, "While the affairs of the court are not to be interfered with by the empress, how busy am I? Does the empress not see it? Do I have time to enter the empress's quarters?"
The Empress thought to herself, “It didn’t delay your trip to Zhaoyang Palace, nor did it delay Lady Shen’s overnight stay at Qianyuan Palace!”
But she didn't dare say those words.
"It was my oversight! However, no matter how busy Your Majesty is with state affairs, you must also take care of your health. Moreover, the imperial heir is also a matter of state, and Your Majesty cannot neglect one thing for another."
The Emperor did not wish to elaborate. "Empress, please return to the inner palace. I am very busy, and I have no interest in the selection of consorts for the time being. You and the Empress Dowager can arrange the selection of the Princess Consort of Jin; there is no need to inform me."
Perfect timing! He also wanted to see who else wanted to get involved with the Prince of Jin's residence.
Just as the Empress was about to leave, someone from the inner palace came to report that Su Fuying had launched an attack.
From the moment she became pregnant, her belly was larger than usual. When she was four months pregnant, the imperial physician diagnosed her with twins, which filled her with both anticipation and fear.
She both hoped for a boy and a girl, and feared that if they were twin sons who looked exactly alike, they would lose their eligibility to compete for the throne.
The Empress then asked the Emperor, "Your Majesty, Consort Su is pregnant with twins. Would you like to go and see them?"