Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 466: Court Storm (Special thanks to the book friend Bu Aa Cha Cha for his 2 monthly tickets!)

After Zha Lan left the hall, Chai Zongxun pondered for a moment and asked:

"Little Six, the Yang family hasn't come to the South Gate of the Imperial City to make trouble anymore, right?

"Does Yang Ye still have any dissatisfaction with me? Is your body still able to bear it?"

He Yao, the chief eunuch standing behind Chai Zongxun in front of the palace, said:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, I went to the South Gate yesterday at noon and scolded Zhe Saihua and her children back!

This woman was really unreasonable. She cried so loudly that Yang Ye felt like he had been greatly wronged.

When I was about to go to the battlefield, I told Yang Ye about the second impeachment by the civil officials. He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat!
He immediately thanked His Majesty for his grace in protecting him and deeply regretted not keeping his mouth shut.

In my opinion, Yang Ye is a skilled martial artist and as strong as an ox, so he won’t have any problem kneeling for a few more days.”

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said:

"What actions have the civil officials taken?"

He Yao said:
"Your Majesty, according to the monitoring of the Military and Moral Department over the past two days, the civil officials have visited the residences of the First Assistant Li Hang and the Second Assistant Wang Dan every afternoon, hoping to discuss a long-term way to limit the power of the military commanders."

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Then let Li Hang and the others discuss it first.

Yang Ye is old after all, Xiao Liuzi, you will personally send him back home tomorrow afternoon."

The next day, on the morning of November 7, the 33rd year of Kaixi, the emperor and his ministers discussed the gains and losses of the administration in the newly acquired territories of Central and West Asia over the past six months.

The Prime Minister and Minister of Personnel Li Hang came out and said:

“Your Majesty, since the establishment of our Great Zhou government in the newly acquired territories in Central and West Asia, the new policies have been immediately promoted.

As the burden on local people of all ethnic groups was greatly reduced, their enthusiasm for production increased greatly, and they were all willing to accept the rule of our Great Zhou.

Your Majesty's national policy of "freedom of religious belief" is truly a sage's policy. It will ensure that the people of all ethnic groups and religious beliefs newly incorporated into the country will have no conflicts with the rule of our Great Zhou. Once the new policy is implemented for a few years, the living standards of the local people will be greatly improved, and their loyalty to Your Majesty and the Great Zhou will surely increase day by day."

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said:

“As the saying goes, ‘food is the first necessity of the people’. Life on earth is only a short 100 years, and what the people pursue is nothing more than a stable society, a well-fed family, and the establishment of a career.

No matter what religion or doctrine is used to mobilize the people, if it cannot make the people worry-free and improve their living conditions, it is all a trick to deceive people!
It is a lie of the devil to deceive the people into paying and sacrificing first, and then they can reach a happy world of harmony!

Good things are always connected with benefits. With my new policies, in a few years, the people in these newly acquired territories will surely gradually become wealthy. "

The ministers eulogized the Emperor Chai Zongxun with great praise.

The Minister of Justice Xiang Minzhong came out of the class and said:

"Your Majesty, our Great Zhou is about to conquer the world of the Star Sect, and the domestic economy is booming, industry and commerce are flourishing, technology is changing with each passing day, and the judiciary is fair. It is an unprecedented prosperous scene!

Tens of millions of people in the Taishan area have signed a petition, begging Your Majesty to perform the Fengshan ceremony on Taishan Mountain, so that the heaven and earth will remember Your Majesty's great achievements!"

All the ministers in Chuigong Hall came out and saluted in unison, saying:

"I implore Your Majesty to go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods, so as to demonstrate Your Majesty's virtue as a holy monarch between heaven and earth!"

After Chai Zongxun pondered for a moment, he said decisively:

"Okay! Since all of you hold this view, I have decided to bring the imperial family and the court officials to Mount Tai next year to offer sacrifices to the gods!
Now that the greatest foreign enemy of our Great Zhou is about to be pacified, I will offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai, which will greatly increase the prestige of the imperial family and the court among the people. I pray to the heavens to grant our Great Zhou good weather and a stable society for thousands of years! "All the ministers said:

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

The matter of Fengshan at Mount Tai was thus decided, and the cabinet would be in charge of planning and preparation in the coming months.

Seeing that Emperor Chai Zongxun was very pleased, after a while, the Deputy Minister and Minister of Revenue Wang Dan came out and said:

"Your Majesty, we have gathered our minds and discussed the matter over the past two days and have drawn up a plan to deal with Yang Ye and to restrict the military commanders. I hope Your Majesty will make your decision."

Chai Zongxun thought:
"I'm coming!

These civil servants are quite clever and tactful. They first flattered me and begged me to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai in order to win my favor.

Then he proposed ways to deal with Yang Ye and restrict the power of military generals.

If I didn't know that Yang Ye was a loyal minister to the country, and if I didn't know that Yang Ye was a surrendered general and complained about my decision on his way back to the country, I'm afraid I would really listen to the words of the civil officials and punish Yang Ye. Even if I didn't confiscate his property, I would at least execute him!"

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"Since you have considered it carefully, please tell me what you think."

Wang Dan and Li Hang looked at each other and said:
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Yang Ye has been complaining and defying Your Majesty. He cannot escape his guilt. According to the law, he should be dismissed from his post, stripped of his title, and demoted to a commoner!"

For a moment, everything in the Chuigong Hall was silent, and all the ministers were waiting for the decision of Emperor Chai Zongxun.

Since Qin Shi Huang unified the world and created the "emperor", China's political system has evolved from a feudal system of "kings" with limited power to an autocratic system of "emperors" with unrestricted power.

Among the political forces in the imperial courts of Chinese dynasties, the greatest and most supreme power is of course the imperial power. The second most powerful force that can compete with the imperial power is the civil service group.

In addition to these two, there are also the forces of nobles, military generals and eunuchs.

Soon after Chai Zongxun ascended the throne, in addition to the five major political forces, he introduced the political power of the people - the power to supervise government officials, the "Local Worthies Bureau".

At present, except for the military generals, which have no institutional design, the other five major political forces have all taken shape.

Due to the current power structure of the court, the largest authority under the imperial power is the cabinet. However, if the de facto founding emperor Chai Zongxun was not extremely powerful, if the future emperors were not wise rulers and were a little lazy and negligent in their administration, the internal affairs and military power would all be controlled by the "Tianjichu" of the Imperial Household Department, which represents the emperor in exercising royal power, and the cabinet, which is currently controlled by civil servants.

Playing political games has always been the strong point of civil officials. Without institutional guarantees, the empire's internal affairs and military power will gradually fall into the hands of civil officials. The civil service group may even collude with the eunuchs in the Tianji Office to seize all power, and not even the emperor can do anything about them.

A typical example is Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty.

The clever and resourceful Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty used surprising tactics and did not play by the rules over the course of a few years, and gradually seized military power into his own hands.

While fishing in the palace pond, Zhu Houzhao's boat "accidentally" capsized and he fell into the pond. He was rescued, but he became seriously ill and died at the age of 31.

If it is said that none of the eunuchs conspired with the civil service group to murder Zhu Houzhao, it would be an accident, and the many eunuchs around him were simply wastes.

Chai Zongxun thought:
"Li Hang and other civil servants are extremely smart!

Seeing my expression yesterday, he knew it would be difficult to take Yang Ye's life, so he retreated to the strategy that would be easiest for me to agree to, which was to remove Yang Ye from his official position and title!"

Chai Zongxun did not comment, and said:
"Then what are the measures to restrict military commanders?"

(End of this chapter)