Chapter 5383 The monarch and his ministers play against each other
Chapter 5383 The monarch and his ministers play against each other
Li Ji was taken aback and quickly declined, saying, "This humble subject is but a commoner, yet I have been selected by the late Emperor from humble beginnings to be entrusted with such an important task. I am already ashamed and anxious, unable to eat or sleep properly. The Grand Secretary is the head of the prime ministers, overseeing all affairs and assisting Your Majesty in handling state affairs. How could this humble subject dare to covet such a great responsibility? It is not that I am unwilling to share Your Majesty's burdens, but if Your Majesty consults me on military matters, I may shamelessly offer some advice. However, I am truly incapable of participating in political affairs."
Not to mention that he had no intention of getting involved in such a high-ranking and powerful position as "Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat," even if he had wanted to, why would he want to sit in such a prominent position?
The Chu brothers' impeachment of Liu Ji may have been fueled by Xu Jingzong's meddling behind the scenes, which has already violated the rules of officialdom.
As a result, Fang Jun swiftly cut off Xu Jingzong's path to the throne, demonstrating "zero tolerance" for those who place the position of prime minister under the guise of conspiracy and scheming. Furthermore, the emperor had to make concessions if he wanted to protect Xu Jingzong.
How to back down?
Of course, they reluctantly accepted the recommendation from the Secretariat, which was put on hold by the nose.
Pushing him out at this time would only make him a target for Fang Jun.
It's not a matter of who's afraid of whom; the key point is that this completely contradicts Li Ji's consistent style of doing things. Being forced to break with Fang Jun because of Li Jingye's affair was already a violation of his principles. To then compete with Fang Jun for the position of Grand Secretary and start a struggle was absolutely unacceptable.
Seeing Li Ji's resolute attitude, Li Chengqian sighed helplessly: "Liu Ji has already planned to resign, and the position of Grand Secretary will soon be vacant. At present, only Duke Ying has a high reputation and outstanding ability, and can subdue the ministers. If Duke Ying is unwilling to take over, who else can be qualified to assume this important task?"
Li Ji shook his head repeatedly: "I am only here to cheer for Your Majesty and serve you, but I am absolutely not qualified to take charge of all government affairs."
Deep down, I was also somewhat dissatisfied. Our Li family has already been tied to your war chariot and can't get off. Are we supposed to charge into battle for you and die without hesitation?
After all, if he were to lose the battle with Fang Jun, all the prestige he had built up over the decades would be lost in an instant, and even a dignified exit would be a pipe dream...
Why take the risk?
Li Chengqian was frustrated and depressed.
It was originally an extremely meticulous plan. If executed properly, it would not only completely seize control of the Council of State Affairs, but also deliver a crushing blow to the Crown Prince's faction, boost his prestige as emperor, and attract many "fence-sitters" from the court and the public to his side, greatly increasing his power.
Who would have thought that Xu Jingzong had so many scandals and that he had been caught red-handed?
Even though Xu Jingzong kept insisting that he had been framed, Li Chengqian didn't believe a word of it...
So it wasn't that my plan wasn't thorough enough, but rather that I met the wrong person.
With a sigh, he personally refilled Li Ji's water jug and humbly asked, "Since Duke Ying is unwilling to assume such a great responsibility, do you have any suggestions regarding the selection of the Grand Secretary?"
Li Ji quickly thanked them and held the teacup with both hands, but he was somewhat speechless about the question.
You also asked me what suggestions I have for the selection of the Grand Secretary?
Can you still influence the selection of the Grand Secretary?
If you dare to propose someone who is unacceptable to Fang Jun to compete for the position of Grand Secretary, Xu Jingzong will be impeached to the point of being riddled with holes by tomorrow morning, and may even lose his post and be exiled...
But these words cannot be spoken.
After a moment's thought, he said, "Since Your Majesty has asked, then I will humbly suggest that Attendant-in-Ordinary Ma Zhou is a suitable candidate."
This capable official, who was favored during the reign of Emperor Taizong, was known for his impartiality, integrity, and diligence. In fact, the successor nominated by the Council of State after Liu Ji's resignation was most likely Ma Zhou.
Throughout the imperial court, there were almost none who surpassed Ma Zhou in ability and prestige...
Li Chengqian took a sip of tea and said in a muffled voice, "But Ma Zhou is getting too close to the Crown Prince's side."
Everyone knows that Ma Zhou is fair and impartial, usually works alone and never forms cliques, but he has a very good personal relationship with Fang Jun and they share the same ideals.
Ma Zhou, as Grand Secretary, was perhaps even more disobedient than Liu Ji.
His elaborate scheme not only yielded no results, but also backfired, leaving him with nothing but losses...
Li Ji held a different opinion: "Your Majesty is mistaken! Ma Zhou is a fair and selfless man. His actions and thoughts are all based on the interests of the empire. His personal relationship with Fang Jun will never affect his personal beliefs. And now it seems that he supports the Crown Prince more, mainly because he does not want to see the country's strength wasted in internal strife. If Your Majesty can quickly resolve the chaos brought about by the change of heir and minimize the turmoil and losses, Ma Zhou will surely support Your Majesty."
Li Chengqian nodded. In the current court, perhaps only Ma Zhou's appointment as Grand Secretary was acceptable to him...
"If Ma Zhou becomes the Grand Secretary, who will succeed him as the Attendant-in-Ordinary?"
The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the Grand Secretary, and the Attendant-in-Ordinary are the core of the imperial power structure and cannot be appointed hastily under any circumstances.
Moreover, since he, as the emperor, had no choice but to relinquish the position of Grand Secretary, he had to hold onto the position of Attendant-in-Ordinary. Otherwise, the power imbalance would cause all his schemes to be in vain.
Li Ji thought for a moment and then asked, "What about Pei Huaijie?"
"Ok?"
Li Chengqian was taken aback at first, then delighted: "Does Duke Ying think he is capable of the job?"
Li Ji said, “Pei Huaijie served as the Governor of Henan for many years. During his tenure, he was adept at navigating the Henan clans and gradually stabilized the Central Plains. His abilities were sufficient. However, after being transferred to the central government, he remained idle and his talents could not be fully utilized. He was frustrated and unsuccessful. Although Xu Jingzong was the main contributor to the peace talks during this mission to the Abbasid Caliphate, Pei Huaijie’s contribution should not be overlooked. Most importantly, he had a deep conflict with Fang Jun when they were in Luoyang. After returning to the capital, he was suppressed and ostracized by Fang Jun in the Military System Reform Committee. If Your Majesty were to give him an important position at this time, he would surely be grateful and willing to serve you.”
Li Chengqian pondered for a moment and nodded.
As a former high-ranking official, Pei Huaijie's career in recent years has been bleak and he has been constrained at every turn. If he could gain the emperor's favor and trust during such a low point, he would naturally be extremely grateful and stand firmly on his side.
It wouldn't be unreasonable to exchange Ma Zhou's promotion to Grand Secretary for Pei Huaijie's promotion to Attendant-in-Ordinary.
After all, Pei Huaijie also held the honorary title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, which was a "high-ranking" position, enough to check and balance the Grand Secretary...
However, he was now completely on the defensive and could only wait for Liu Ji to resign and for Fang Jun to take action before he could deal with the situation, so he simply left it aside.
"Cao Huaishun and others are currently detained by the Ministry of War for investigation. What is your opinion on this matter, Lord Ying?"
Fang Jun's unbridled retaliation enraged him greatly, but after his anger subsided, he became somewhat worried. If Fang Jun were to punish Cao Huaishun and the other two without any scruples, his reputation as emperor would be completely ruined.
Li Ji had no worries about this: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although Fang Jun is sometimes arrogant and unruly, he always adheres to the bottom line. The reason for detaining Cao Huaishun and the other two is only to force Your Majesty to make concessions on the matter of the 'Shenji Camp' stationing at the Eastern Palace. As long as Your Majesty expresses that you will no longer dwell on this matter, the Ministry of War will release Cao Huaishun and the others."
If you had asked him about this beforehand, he would absolutely not have agreed with Your Majesty's approach.
Although the struggle between the imperial power and the crown prince was intense, both sides had previously exercised restraint, unwilling to make the conflict public or escalate it, and kept the struggle confined to the highest level to minimize its impact on the court and the country.
By orchestrating a murder case, the "Divine Machine Battalion" and the Crown Prince's Palace were thrust into the eye of the storm of public opinion. This directly escalated the conflict between the two sides, leaving the Crown Prince with no way out but to take more drastic counterattacks. If His Majesty failed to achieve the desired effect, he would inevitably suffer a backlash.
Now the backlash has begun.
If they do not express their stance and back down, Cao Huaishun and the other two will not be released, and may even be convicted, causing the emperor to lose face.
While making concessions may ease tensions and temporarily quell public opinion, it also diminishes morale and prestige.
Even if action is absolutely necessary, it should not be as "mild" as causing the death of a lonely old woman. Instead, a more drastic consequence should be arranged, sparing no expense to completely drive the "Shenji Battalion" out of the Eastern Palace or even abolish it.
However, since his own grandson Li Jingye was in charge of making the arrangements in secret, Li Ji could only turn a blind eye...
Li Chengqian was both angry and worried. How should an emperor express his willingness to yield to his subjects?
Li Ji picked up his teacup and drank some water, intending to cover it up; he couldn't possibly come up with this idea.
But Li Chengqian clearly had no intention of letting him go, and looked up at him.
Li Ji: "..."
Why must Your Majesty do this!
I feel frustrated, but since I can't avoid it, I might as well take the initiative.
"Your Majesty should not handle this matter. Otherwise, where will your imperial authority be? Let me speak with Fang Jun instead. Although he is a junior, he is now the Grand Commandant, which is above me. It would be alright for him to lower his head. Even if he suffers some ridicule and mockery, I will simply let it go."
Although he has never paid much attention to political affairs, it does not mean that he is unaware of the ways of officialdom: one cannot simply bow one's head and do things; it is acceptable to suffer losses, but one must make sure that one's superiors can see and hear them.
Li Chengqian was deeply moved: "It was my oversight in doing things that caused you, Lord Ying, to have to bow down to a junior. I feel truly guilty."
Li Ji hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, why do you say such a thing? It is our duty as subjects to relieve Your Majesty’s worries and difficulties, and we would gladly do so, no matter how bitter or difficult it may be. Moreover, the biggest oversight in this matter lies with Li Jingye. If he had been more meticulous, Your Majesty would not have been put in such a dilemma. It is not that I am being modest, but although Li Jingye is full of enthusiasm, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, he is still young and has not been tempered and tempered. His mind is frivolous and his thinking is shallow. He cannot be entrusted with important responsibilities!”
He dreamed of dragging Li Jingye away from the Emperor's side, then chaining him up and locking him up at home, to prevent him from being swayed by the Emperor's enthusiasm and doing something irreversible...
Li Chengqian shook his head decisively: "His dedication and pure heart make him my beloved general. He will surely become a renowned general with unparalleled bravery and meritorious service in the future. Your Excellency, there is no need to underestimate yourself!"
Li Ji: "..."
Your Majesty, the more you say that, the more flustered I become...
