Chapter 5375 The Struggle for Prime Ministership

Chapter 5375 The Struggle for Prime Ministership
Given Xu Jingzong's qualifications, abilities, and age, he should have assumed important responsibilities during the Zhenguan era. However, Emperor Taizong never entrusted him with any important tasks or placed high hopes on him. Although he was not sidelined, he never held any important positions. The biggest reason for this was his character.

It wasn't until the establishment and operation of Zhenguan Academy, when Xu Jingzong was involved, that he flattered Fang Jun and even "became his disciple," thus rising rapidly in rank.

Everyone in the court and among the common people knew that Xu Jingzong was Fang Jun's "lackey" and was always respectful and obedient. If he really had the opportunity to become the Grand Secretary, Fang Jun would definitely support and manipulate him with all his might.

But now, not only has he not communicated with Fang Jun, but he is also pretending to be uninvolved, which must mean that he has switched sides and betrayed Fang Jun.

It is extremely shameful.

Fang Jun sipped his tea, unconcerned, and said, "In officialdom, who is whose person? Either they share the same ideals or their interests align. It's perfectly normal that His Majesty can grant them more benefits, and there's also a righteous cause involved."

Whether someone is a treacherous minister or a traitor, it is often due to their environment.

The saying "Wang Mang was humble before he usurped the throne" means that without the right environment and circumstances, Wang Mang might not have done such a thing.

The same applies to Xu Jingzong.

While his inherent treacherous nature will eventually surface, he may not grow into a towering tree if he doesn't have the fertile ground to act recklessly.

We can't just eliminate them all because we know they were treacherous officials in the original history, can we?
Even Li Yifu is now thriving under Wu Zetian's command...

Liu Rengui remained deeply worried: "Although Liu Ji usually opposes the Grand Commandant, it is mostly a conflict between civil and military officials, and he still considers the overall situation. But since Xu Jingzong is so shameless as to betray the Grand Commandant, he will inevitably become a sharp knife in His Majesty's hands to target the Crown Prince, posing a great threat."

Fang Jun picked up a pine cone and threw it into the red clay stove, and the flames rose again: "If there were no Xu Jingzong, there would certainly be someone else. His Majesty would not tolerate the fact that the Grand Chancellor, the head of the prime ministers, is not of one mind with him. Without the support of the Grand Chancellor, he would find it difficult to fulfill his wish of changing the heir apparent... Therefore, the root cause lies with His Majesty, not with anyone else."

Liu Rengui was puzzled: "The appointment of the Grand Secretary requires the joint recommendation of all the prime ministers in the Council of State Affairs, and at the very least, the support of the majority. Is Your Majesty so confident that the Council of State Affairs will approve the appointment of the new Grand Secretary?"

He paused, then said with some annoyance, "His Majesty insists on changing the heir apparent, disregarding public opinion. This is the root of the disaster."

"It can't all be blamed on His Majesty..."

Fang Jun smiled and said something fair: "Whether it is the Council of State Affairs or the Grand Council, they were both created to check and balance the imperial power. How can Your Majesty just stand by and watch the imperial power decline and weaken in his hands, and no longer have supreme authority? Even if Your Majesty is incompetent, he is still the son of Emperor Taizong."

From "supreme imperial power" to "constitutional monarchy" or "figurehead republic," the essence is to limit imperial power to an extremely narrow scope. It is no exaggeration to call them "puppet states." How could any monarch with ideals and ambitions be willing to sit and wait for death?
It will inevitably require a long period of social development and power struggles.

The circulation of goods, economic development, social progress, and the emergence of capitalism or the birth of state capitalism all require long-term promotion and preparation.

Once the wheels of history begin to turn, they will inevitably become an overwhelming and irreversible trend.

*****
Secrets can never be kept in the Taiji Palace. After His Majesty and his ministers finished their meeting in the Wude Hall, the details of the meeting and the conclusions reached were already known to many powerful families in Chang'an.

The Eastern Palace, separated by only a wall, received the news even faster...

Inside the Lizheng Hall, Princess Jiujiang, who was sitting at the lower end drinking tea, heard the eunuch come and quietly recount the events of the Wude Hall in detail, and she understood even more.

The family was overjoyed to have finally sent their eldest son, Zhishi Shaode, to the academy and then selected him as a member of the "Shenji Battalion." But who would have thought that he would cause someone's death by riding his horse outside the West Market today? They were extremely anxious.

But considering she's just a lonely old woman, it's enough to give her a proper burial with a little more money. She doesn't even have any family or children, so what's the big deal?

Upon hearing that Wei Renyue, one of the "hard-to-crack" officials of the Censorate, had witnessed the incident and personally detained Zhishi Shaode to file a complaint with the Chang'an County government, the entire household was understandably tense. When Chang'an County refused to accept the case and issued a document to forward it to the Dali Temple, even Zhishi Sili panicked.

The fact that a mere old woman was being tried by the Dali Temple in itself indicates that something unusual was going on.

However, when she learned that the Court of Judicial Review had also refused to accept the case and even suggested that it be forwarded to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, Zhishi Sili calmed down and even asked her to go to the Eastern Palace to see Empress Su, telling her that she should not feel guilty about her son's matter...

Now, upon hearing about the Wude Hall incident, I realize that my own Turkic-blooded brute had actually seen through the true nature of the matter long ago.

After the eunuchs withdrew, Empress Su looked at Princess Jiujiang and, as expected, her face was filled with remorse: "Your son has actually been implicated because of the matter of the Crown Prince's Palace. Now even the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs is getting involved. I am truly ashamed before my aunt."

"Since you call me aunt, then we're family. Why say such things?"

Princess Jiujiang, not yet forty and well-maintained, appeared graceful and elegant, her expression slightly reproachful: "The Crown Prince is the legitimate ruler of the land, and it is an unparalleled honor for my son to serve as the Crown Prince's guard. If the Crown Prince were in danger, it would be only right for him to fight to the death, let alone now. To be honest, being implicated by the Crown Prince is not a sin, but rather a great honor for us, the Zhishi family!"

These words comforted Empress Su, who smiled and said, "Aunt is kind and approachable, and Duke Anguo is even more righteous. The Crown Prince is extremely fortunate to have such elders who are close to and support him."

Regardless of the circumstances, since the matter of the Crown Prince has implicated someone else's child, we must express our stance.

He then worriedly added, "Although the deceased was just a lonely old woman, and it seems your son didn't do it intentionally, it still involves a power struggle. Could the charges be aggravated?"

Princess Jiujiang smiled kindly, seemingly unconcerned: "Empress, there's no need for this. Serving the Crown Prince is our family's duty and honor. What's a little grievance now? As long as it's good for the Eastern Palace and the Crown Prince, let them decide how to punish us."

Empress Su said with emotion, "I will definitely teach the Crown Prince to always remember the loyalty and support of the Duke of Anguo's family, and never forget it!"

Whether it was out of genuine support for the Crown Prince or a strategic move to capitalize on the situation, the attitude of the Duke of Anguo's family deeply moved her.

Besides, that boy Zhishi Shaode is quite promising. I won't say more words of thanks today; in the future, I'll have the Crown Prince cultivate and promote him greatly...

As the two were talking, a palace attendant rushed in: "Reporting to the Empress, the Grand Commandant requests an audience."

Empress Su asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you went home after leaving the Wude Hall? Why are you entering the palace at this time... Summon me immediately."

"Here."

The eunuch withdrew.

Princess Jiujiang quickly rose to take her leave: "I won't stay any longer. I'll come back another day when I have some free time to chat with the Empress."

Empress Su said, "It's almost time for dinner. Why don't you have dinner before you leave?"

Princess Jiujiang, despite the Empress's enthusiasm, still politely declined: "The Grand Commandant must have important matters to discuss with the Empress; it is not appropriate for me to be present..."

As he spoke, he looked slightly embarrassed.

Empress Su's eyes flickered, and she instantly understood Princess Jiujiang's thoughts. She couldn't help but smile, her face radiant. Holding Princess Jiujiang's hand, she whispered, "Aunt, are you perhaps worried about the Grand Commandant's reputation?"

Princess Jiujiang blushed, feeling quite embarrassed: "Although I am an old woman in my forties and have no such worries, the reputation of our great-grandmother princess has been ruined by that slut Fangling, so it is best to avoid suspicion."

She thought she should also remind the Empress that it would be best to arrange several people around when meeting Fang Jun at this time, in order to prevent any bad rumors from spreading. However, considering that the rumors about the two of them had already been circulating in the market, she kept quiet.

It's no longer necessary...

Empress Su personally escorted Princess Jiujiang to the door, just as Fang Jun stepped inside.

"Your Highness, this humble subject greets you."

Fang Jun stopped, turned slightly to the side, and bowed in greeting.

Princess Jiujiang appeared slightly nervous and quickly returned the greeting: "Grand Commandant, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

When Fang Jun stood up, looking at his handsome, refined, and spirited face, her heart skipped a beat for no reason. She forced a smile and said, "I was just about to take my leave. Please come in, Grand Commandant."

Fang Jun nodded, then smiled and said, "I just went to the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to make arrangements. The punishment for Zhi Shi Shaode will not be too severe. Everything will be done in accordance with the law. However, some procedures must be completed, which will take a few days. Please do not worry, Your Highness."

"really?"

Princess Jiujiang was overjoyed: "Then thank you very much, Grand Commandant. I will definitely inform my Duke when I get back and ask him to invite the Grand Commandant to a feast to express his gratitude!"

With Fang Jun's power and status having already spoken on his behalf, and the Imperial Clan Court being controlled by Prince Li Yuanjia of Han, there would certainly be no further setbacks in this matter, and he could finally put his mind at ease.

Fang Jun smiled and said, "Let's skip the drinking; I'm sure Duke Anguo will refuse."

Princess Jiujiang was taken aback: "Why is that?"

Fang Jun laughed loudly: "He's no match for me. Last time I got him drunk, and the Duke of Anguo swore to the heavens that he would never drink with me again, hahaha!"

Princess Jiujiang retorted angrily, "Bah! What are the vows you men make at the dinner table? I'll talk to him when we get back. I can let other things go, but he can't back down when it comes to drinking!"

"Your Highness is a heroine among women, her spirit is no less than that of any man!"

"It's just drinking. If he can't handle it, then I'll go. As long as we don't die from drinking, we'll drink until we drop!"

"Okay, okay, then I'll be waiting!"

"Eh……"

Perhaps feeling that their conversation had become too familiar, Princess Jiujiang, remembering Fang Jun's reputation, blushed slightly and quickly took her leave.

Fang Jun respectfully saw her off. As he turned around, he saw Empress Su staring at him with bright, sparkling eyes and a half-smile on her pretty face.

Fang Jun: "..."

Your Majesty, have you misunderstood?
Even if I were a "good princess," I wouldn't go so far as to harm Princess Jiujiang!