pdf-ebookys Chapter 116 Gunsmoke
Chapter 116 Gunsmoke
Chapter 116 Gunsmoke
In this round of reduction of redundant officials, the ones that suffered the most were not the Nine Ministers, but the Three Dukes' Offices.
The Three Dukes' Mansion, which was split from the Prime Minister's Mansion, had been in name only for many years. Most of its powers and positions were usurped by the Nine Ministers and the Secretariat. Even the Three Dukes had become nominal positions, which showed how their subordinates were.
There are more than 500 officials, both big and small, directly and indirectly in the Three Dukes' Offices!
When the Three Dukes' Offices were abolished, their officials, both big and small, were successively assigned to various offices and temples such as the Nine Ministers' Office, the Secretariat, and the Censorate under various names.
But in Wang Yun's plan, they were 'completely redundant' and were designated for layoffs.
Sili Xiaowei, Tangfu.
Tang Mao has been unhappy recently. The court's stagnation in the reform of Sili has been putting pressure on him, but he is being hindered from all sides, making it difficult for him to move forward and overwhelmed.
In the backyard, there were three people standing in front of him, all of whom were historians under the Inspector of the Imperial Guards.
One of them carefully held up a piece of jade and handed it over, smiling flatteringly, "Lord Tang, this is said to have belonged to the former Dou Taifu. I don't know much about it, so please take a look at it."
Tang Mao was startled and quickly took it with both hands, put it in front of his eyes and looked at it carefully.
It is warm, delicate, and transparent in color, and it is obviously good jade at first glance!
Tang Mao was so excited that he could hardly control his expression. He looked at it for a long while, coughed, and cast his eyes on the jade. He said, "Well, it's a good piece of jade. You have to keep it well. It's good enough to be a family heirloom."
The man hurriedly said, "How can I afford to keep such a precious thing? How about this, Lord Tang, help me keep it for a while?"
Tang Mao glanced at him and pretended to be thoughtful and said, "It's not impossible, but I have to give you something as collateral, and you can use it to exchange it in the future."
The man immediately said, "Oh, I don't trust anyone, but I can trust Lord Tang. Please bear with me and support him."
Tang Mao then smiled and said, "Since you said so, then let's do it this way. By the way, are you here on business today?"
The three of them looked at each other, and another one raised his hand cautiously and said, "Lord Tang, I heard that the court is going to lay off historians?"
Tang Mao had guessed it a long time ago, so he nodded and said, "There are 16 historians and 25 assistants. The court thinks that there are too many, the responsibilities are unclear, and there are too many redundant officials. Ten people need to be cut."
The man who sent the jade flattered, "The court is right to worry about this. That's right, my colleagues are in a panic and can't do anything, so the three of us came to ask, here, whether there is a list..."
Tang Mao's face darkened and he said, "Nonsense! You can't just ask about the court's important affairs!"
The three of them were startled and their faces froze.
Soon, Tang Mao said calmly: "The three of you are not on the list, go back and do your work well."
The three of them were overjoyed and said, "Yes, yes. Thank you, Mr. Tang. Thank you, Mr. Tang. I'll take my leave."
Tang Mao looked at the three people who left with a smile on their faces, as if they had been pardoned. He then turned his gaze to the jade in his hand and said to himself eagerly, "Does it really belong to Master Dou?"
No matter it is or not, once it is in his hands, it will be priceless!
At the same time, in Dong Zhuo's mansion.
After returning to the capital, Dong Zhuo continued to play the role of a loyal minister and a capable general. He was taciturn in the court and always spoke of "good strategies".
At this moment, he was watching the singing and dancing in his mansion with great interest. His eyes were on the young woman leading the dance. He stretched his head with shining eyes, as if he would drool at the next moment.
Niu Fu and Jia Xu were sitting on the side. Niu Fu was eating with voracious appetite, not paying any attention to the beauty at all.
Jia Xu squinted his eyes and looked at the beauty, his eyes occasionally glancing at Dong Zhuo.
He had a clear premonition that Dong Zhuo would not last long!
But Jia Xu had not yet decided where to go. As he was an aide to Niu Fu and Dong Zhuo, not many people dared to take him in.
At the same time, he also looks down on ordinary people.
Two people came in quietly, saw that Dong Zhuo was in high spirits, and stood not far away without moving.
Jia Xu glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and pretended not to notice.
One was a clerk in the Taiwei Mansion, and the other was a Lingshi.
Dong Zhuo discovered it, but he ignored it and kept shouting "Okay, okay, okay".
After a while, the music and dance ended. Dong Zhuo took a sip of wine with a smile, saying, "As expected of Dongdu. This kind of dance is not seen in Xiliang."
"What the commander said is true,"
The clerk, one of the two who came in, stepped forward and said with a flattering smile, "These are famous singers from Luoyang. It took me a long time to invite them here."
Dong Zhuo smiled broadly and said, "Very good, very good."
The clerk glanced at the people present, handed over a land deed, and said with a cautious and charming smile: "I heard that the general is not used to living here. I just bought a house in the east of the city. When is the general free to go and take a look?"
Dong Zhuo said, "You are thoughtful."
But he didn't answer.
The clerk observed Dong Zhuo, and stepped forward as if he understood something, saying, "General, we have already bought those singing girls and would like to give them to you to entertain you in your spare time. Please do not despise them."
Dong Zhuo immediately smiled and said, "Since the clerk said so, I would be disrespectful to refuse it."
When the clerk saw him, he said, "I hope the commander is happy. We would like to follow him and serve him as much as possible."
Dong Zhuo knew what they meant. He was stunned for a moment, and then he seemed to react. He said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I'm here, nothing will happen."
Upon hearing this, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief and quickly raised their hands and said, "Thank you, General, for your mercy."
Dong Zhuo smiled and said, "Sit down."
The two men thanked them and sat opposite Niu Fu and Jia Xu.
Jia Xu frowned slightly but said nothing.
……
At the Supreme Court, Zhong Yao left the office with a headache and went straight to the palace.
Xun You in the palace had no easier job than him. Perhaps it was because he recommended too many people, but among those who were laid off this time, especially the middle and upper-level officials, nearly 30% were more or less related to him!
If you are going to be laid off, you will naturally not surrender without a fight, and using connections is the most normal thing to do.
Xun You avoided many people, but there were also many people he could not avoid.
After Zhong Yao entered the Secretariat, the two sat down in the side room and looked at each other, both feeling helpless.
Wang Yun's layoff list was not arbitrary and unreasonable. The reasons he gave for layoffs here and mergers there were well-founded and plausible, making it difficult for them to speak.
Zhong Yao sat for a while, and still suppressed his solemn expression and said: "Reducing redundant officials can not only save money and grain, but also save money for the court and the prefectures. The most important thing is to promote your majesty's "new system". I think the princes don't seem to understand the meaning of this."
The reform of the imperial court was basically in place, and the rest just needed time to refine it. As for the local areas, the reform had just begun under the Sili Xiaowei.
Cutting down on redundant officials is not only about saving money and grain, but also about making room for local reforms.
Xun You took a sip of tea and suddenly said, "I feel that this reduction of redundant officials does not seem to be the work of the prince. It seems that someone is advising him."
Zhong Yao glanced at him and said nothing.
Everyone in the court knew that the Minister of Justice Li Ru was Wang Yun's man.
Xun You felt that this sentence was redundant, so he went straight to the point and said, "I think I should visit the Prime Minister tonight."
Zhong Yao shook his head and said, "The Shangshutai, the Yushitai, even if there are people everywhere in the palace asking for mercy, the Prime Minister is now avoiding everyone. Even if he sees you, what do you expect him to say or do?"
Xun You glanced outside the door in his mind and whispered, "I heard that someone sent gifts to the Grand Chamberlain."
Zhong Yao's expression suddenly changed. He leaned closer and asked solemnly, "Did you take it?"
'Eunuchs interfering in politics' is extremely sensitive at this time. Not long ago, the general led his troops into the Forbidden Palace. If eunuchs interfere in politics again, the outer court civil servants will surely rise up and attack!
Xun You said: "I don't know, I just heard it from the eunuch."
Zhong Yao sat back with a serious look on his face, wondering what they should do if a eunuch really interfered in government affairs.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard footsteps outside the door. A clerk came quickly and walked behind Xun You, whispering, "Shangshu, Liu Zhongcheng has gone to the palace to see the Queen Mother."
Xun You showed a strange look on his face, waved his hand, looked at Zhong Yao and said, "Is the Censorate going to take action?"
Zhong Yao seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "This time, the most people were cut from the Censorate."
The Censorate was on par with the Chancellery, had great powers and responsibilities, and had the privilege of supervising all officials. Its status in the court was very special.
Xun You glanced outside the door again and said, "I heard that the prince has been frequently entering Jingfu Palace recently, and his relationship with Your Majesty has become increasingly close. Do you think this is Your Majesty's intention?"
Liu Bian's reforms of the Han Dynasty court, from the "Outer Palace" to the "Shangshu Palace", among the "Three Palaces", only the Censorate remained unchanged.
Zhong Yao's heart was slightly moved, thinking of Liu Biao's sudden appointment, and asked, "Is His Majesty in the palace?"
Xun You shook his head and said, "I left the palace early in the morning. Shall we go see the prince?"
Zhong Yao hesitated and said, "Wait a little longer. When I entered the palace, I saw the carriage of the Inspector General of the Imperial Guards. Lord Tang should be going to see the prince."
Xun You was startled, then frowned.
The reform of the Sili Xiaowei was now half-hearted and mostly stagnant. Many of their ideas could not be implemented, and Tang Mao was making excuses for the reform, as if he had other ideas.
This person's identity was too special, which restricted their actions and prevented them from intervening too much.
The current situation is that, on the one hand, they want to appoint officials from the Six Departments in each county to increase manpower; on the other hand, Wang Yun wants to cut redundant officials. These two seem unrelated, but in fact they have come into conflict with each other.
Wang Yun’s duty room.
Tang Mao sat opposite Wang Yun, drinking tea leisurely with a smile.
Wang Yun looked at him, secretly alert.
The status of the Inspector of the Capital Region was very special. He, together with the Chief Censor and the Minister of the Chancellery, had separate seats in the court meetings, known as the 'Three Solitary Seats'. Although his rank was below the Nine Ministers, his actual status was almost equal to that of the Three Dukes.
In addition, he was the father-in-law of the Emperor, and everyone was watching, expecting that Tang Mao would soon enter the Shangshu Tai and become the new generation of foreign relative - the general.
Tang Mao put down his teacup and said calmly, "Your Excellency also knows that the court is implementing the 'new system' for the Si Li Xiao Wei. The officials under the Si Li Xiao Wei are simply not enough and need to be mobilized. Now your Excellency wants to reduce them, and this humble official is really in a difficult position."
Wang Yun looked indifferent and said, "Lord Tang, there are too many redundant officials in the Sili Xiaowei, and they have been stagnant for many years. They should be reduced."
Seeing that Wang Yun was not buying it, Tang Mao became angry and smiled less. He said, "Then, Your Excellency, you should cut down on the number of troops, and I will recruit more on my own?"
Wang Yun raised his head and said in an even more indifferent tone, "Lord Tang, it is your majesty's intention to cut down on redundant officials."
Tang Mao's smile disappeared, and he said, "Since the prince said so, I will go to the prime minister to plead my case."
Having said that, Tang Mao stood up directly, not giving Wang Yun a chance to say more.
Wang Yun looked at his back, his expression unchanged, but he was cursing in his heart: traitor!
Li Ru came in and passed by Tang Mao. Just as he was about to raise his hand to greet him, Tang Mao snorted coldly, waved his hand and walked away.
Li Ru's expression changed slightly, and he hurried in. Seeing Wang Yun's face showing a look of repressed anger, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Wang Yun's expression slowly recovered, and he continued to look at the document in front of him, and asked calmly, "What's the matter?"