I am not a deposed emperor of Han Dynasty

Chapter 434: The emperor gives out rewards and uses all Huo Guang’s money; the emperor lures the snake out and the courtiers fall into a trap!
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month of the first year of Dingxin, the Han Empire finally waited for the first small court meeting of the first year of Dingxin.

In the Greenhouse Hall, as usual, couches filled with silk cotton have been arranged in advance.

The charcoal basin and heating duct were already burning warmly early.

After entering the first month of the year, it didn't snow again in Chang'an City, and the weather was surprisingly good, much warmer than a year ago.

Therefore, the greenhouse hall is as warm as mid-spring at this moment.

In the past, all Chinese and North Korean officials had to participate in the small court meeting, but today it was a little different.

The emperor specially issued an edict, and only a few leading ministers, six ministers, six censors, and seal officials were allowed to participate in the first small court meeting.

As a result, the number of courtiers who came to the Greenhouse Hall was much smaller than before: from the previous two or thirty people, they were directly reduced to eleven or twelve.

There are four ministers, six ministers, six censors and seal officials, which add up to exactly fifteen officials.

However, there are many vacancies among these fifteen official positions, so there are even fewer courtiers coming to the Greenhouse Palace.

Although this was just a small change, it made those Chinese and North Korean officials who were suddenly excluded feel a little uneasy.

There are not only the fifteen officials above, but also many miscellaneous doctors, Shi Zhong and San Qi Lang for consultation.

They rarely get to express their opinions at Umrah meetings, and they may not be able to say a word for a whole year.

However, the Small Court Meeting was an important occasion for the Han Empire to discuss government affairs. Although these miscellaneous officials did not have the opportunity to speak, it was a blessing to be able to show their faces in front of the emperor.

Maybe one day, because of the right performance, he will be able to take up a real job.

Not being able to personally participate in it seems to be further away from the core of the court.

The Chinese and North Korean officials who were excluded from the small court meeting couldn't help but start thinking wildly. They didn't know whether this was a special case or whether a customized system would be formed.

The emperor keeps saying that he will implement the New Deal, doesn't it start from this incident?
If this is the case, then this new coup law is really a huge bad thing.

The emperor's edict is so magical. It only takes a few words to decide the fate of many people and control the thoughts of many people.

No matter how dissatisfied these Chinese and Korean officials were, they could only wait for the emperor's next edict.

……

In the greenhouse hall, Liu He was waiting quietly on the couch. Soon, the courtiers who came to attend the small court meeting came one after another.

Then, everyone took their seats one by one according to the existing order.

The closest to Liu He were Zhang Anshi, Bingji, and Wei Xian, the three ministers, followed by the six ministers and censors.

Prime Minister Cai Yi is also in charge of ministerial affairs and should have been present, but he has been ill and bedridden, so he can only take leave today.

Cai Yi may not be able to survive this spring, and he may give up his position as prime minister at some time.

Liu He thought about the vacant position of prime minister from the sick Cai Yi, and then thought of other things from the vacant position of prime minister.

The courtiers sat down one after another. Looking at them, Liu He was still a little uncomfortable. Huo Guang's mountain wall was no longer there, but there seemed to be many more hills.

After the monarch and his ministers met, Liu He immediately saw Han Zeng, whom he had not seen for a long time: the last time they met, they were in the front hall.

At that time, although Han Zeng was already a former general, he was just in charge of Jinwu and was inconspicuous. The only contact with Liu He was that day when he took people to put out the fire at Changyi Residence.

The fire was set by Liu He, and it was also the first chess piece he made in Chang'an.

Unexpectedly, Han Zeng, who was still "unknown" at the time, has now become the number one hero of the Han Dynasty.

After Han Zeng entered the palace, Liu He observed his behavior. When he saw that Han Zeng was sitting at the bottom in a low-key manner without any arrogance, he was very satisfied.

It is not easy to achieve great achievements without any arrogance. It is not easy to do this.

This Han Zeng, or this Han family, is worthy of reuse.

"Han Qing, I haven't seen you for a long time. When did you return to Chang'an City?" Liu He passed all the courtiers and asked Han Zeng first.

Naturally, everyone's eyes followed the emperor to look at Han Zeng, and many people had a hint of envy in their eyes.

All the credit is not as solid as the military merit.

Han Zeng obviously did not expect that the emperor would be the first to ask him, so he quickly stood up in a panic, stood far away from the door and bowed respectfully.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, I am sorry that I returned to Chang'an on the seventh day of the first lunar month. It has been nine days since I returned today."

"Look, I was negligent. I remembered it and it was indeed written in the memorial book. It's a pity. If it had been a few days earlier, we would have seen the firecrackers in Beique Square."

Han Zeng didn't dare to answer the question, so he just said, "I'm sorry for the Emperor's concern," and then bowed a little deeper in a polite manner.Today, Han Zeng is a hussar general, with a higher status than Zhao Chongguo's general Wei, but he knows that he must be more careful at this time to avoid arousing the emperor's suspicion and the jealousy of his peers.

"In putting down the rebellion of Beidi County Fan Mingyou and others, you and General Zhao Chongguo should be credited with the first merit. There is no need to be so formal."

After Liu He said these words, before Han Zeng could stand up, Zhao Chongguo, who was sitting aside, immediately stood up and bowed down.

"Your Majesty made good arrangements, the officers and men were responsible for their lives, and the courtiers were united. We are just greedy for God's merit." Zhao Chongguo's expression was also very cautious.

"Two generals, please get up quickly. You have stayed in the bitter cold land for several months. You have both merit and hard work. Kneeling on the ground like this, Zhang Qing and the others may be restless."

Liu He's words made Zhao Chongguo and Han Zeng even more flattered, but they did not dare to refuse any more. They quickly stood up from the ground and returned to their respective couches to sit down.

After the pleasantries, it was time to get down to business. As the emperor, Liu He had to "draw bricks to attract jade," or "lead the snake out of its hole."

Liu He could understand a lot of things outside Weiyang Palace through Xiuyiwei, but he still had to pretend not to know at this moment, otherwise how could he be caught off guard?
"Now, all the Huo gang members have been sentenced by Tingwei Temple, and they will be dealt with one after another after the first month."

"Since the guilty have been punished, then the meritorious ones should naturally be rewarded."

"Today is the first small court meeting of the first year of Dingxin. I want to settle the matter of merit and rewards first. What do you think, dear friends?"

Liu He was smiling like a spring breeze just like a few months ago. It seemed that the vicious strategies he used to deal with Huo Guang were all thought up by others.

However, the important officials present in the court were not as kind as the emperor but showed the slightest contempt. They praised the emperor one after another for his clear distinction between rewards and punishments.

"The soldiers and generals who participated in the counter-rebellion were not only promoted to knights one by one according to their military merits, but also received an additional three months of money and food. The amount was doubled for the injured and tripled for the dead."

The reward given by Liu He can be said to be generous, and it will consume a lot of money and food.But he didn't take it to heart at all, because he didn't need to pay for the money.

All the wives of the seventy criminals involved in corruption cases were confiscated. The total amount is hundreds of millions of dollars. It is definitely more than enough to reward them.

What's more, there is Huo Guang's family. This "windfall" is [-] million yuan, so much so that there is a saying among the people that "Huo Guang falls, the emperor is full."

After conferring awards to ordinary soldiers and military academies, courtiers and generals who have made great contributions must also be conferred.

Then, Liu He called the names of a group of courtiers and rewarded them with varying amounts of money and food: naturally including the princes present.

The amount of money and food was a huge amount for ordinary people, but it was not too heavy for the courtiers: what they wanted was not money and food.

"Besides, it's a matter of becoming a marquis..." The emperor mentioned this, and the courtiers present finally looked a little excited.

Being granted a title is completely different from being rewarded with money and food. It can benefit a wealthy family for generations to come, and it is definitely a huge reward.

After the emperor ascended the throne, he should have immediately granted marquisships to a group of courtiers who had contributed to the establishment, but this matter has never been followed up.

At first, because Huo Guang controlled the government, Liu He's title of Marquis inevitably aroused suspicion; then, Huo's rebellion was in full swing, and he had no time to take care of it.

Now Liu He finally seriously mentioned the matter of becoming a marquis, which naturally aroused everyone's attention: although many people present were already marquises, it was also a favor to increase their food estates.

However, what Zhang Anshi and others did not expect was that Liu He just made a false shot. He smiled and then said: "The matter of becoming a marquis is of great importance. I will have to think about it for a few more days."

"In a few days, there will be a great court meeting. I will announce the appointment of a marquis at the great court meeting. This will also let the whole court know the merits of the meritorious ministers."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" everyone said in unison.

In fact, Liu He had already thought about which people he wanted to ennoble, and he could have announced it immediately today, but Liu He heard some news from the Xiuyi Guardian, and there seemed to be some undercurrents surging.

Therefore, he wanted to suppress the matter of ennobling him first and see what Zhang Anshi and others were going to do today: maybe the matter of ennobling him had other uses.

"That's all I have to say today..."

"After all, I have just taken charge of the government and am not familiar with many affairs of the court, so I would like to ask you all, dear friends, what will be the most difficult thing in the court in the next year?" Liu He asked quite humbly.

Zhang Anshi glanced at Liu De and Bingji unconsciously, knowing that it was his turn to appear.

Without any hesitation, the current Great Sima General Zhang Anshi stood up decisively.

"Your Majesty, I have something to play."

"Zhang Qing just said that you don't have to be polite today. You can just play on the couch."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhang Anshi said, took out the list prepared in advance from his arms, and presented it to the emperor through Fan Ke.

Liu He took it, opened it and took a quick look at it.

Soon, he couldn't help but frown, feeling a little displeased.

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(End of this chapter)