novelhk Chapter 351 From 3 Provinces to the Cabinet
Chapter 351 From 3 Provinces to the Cabinet
Li Yuanke glanced at him lightly, "Naturally, among all the court officials, the one who is least willing to abolish the Three Departments is Prime Minister Cui, and I can understand that."
However, for the sake of the country and its people, someone must always make a sacrifice; I believe none of you would stoop to doing something that harms the interests of the court and the people for your own selfish gain.
Shen Shixi only had the energy to deal with Prime Minister Cui at this time. "There are a total of five Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet. The First Grand Secretary is granted the title of Grand Secretary of the Taiji Hall and is the Chief Grand Secretary. I intend to appoint Prime Minister Cui as the Grand Secretary."
The second regent was granted the title of Grand Secretary of the Hanyuan Hall, the third Grand Secretary of the Linde Hall, the fourth Grand Secretary of the Hongwen Pavilion, and the last Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion. The remaining four were all appointed by the court.
Previously, the path to becoming a minister in the Six Ministries was to become the head of one of the Three Provinces. There were three positions, and everyone was scrambling to get them. Even if you got one, you would still be ostracized by the other two provinces. You could only integrate into the system if you found an opportunity.
There are now five positions in total. Once you enter the cabinet and climb to the position of Grand Secretary, that would be a great honor.
Of all those in the hall, Cui Fangli was the one who was most distressed.
There were supposed to be two more allies, but one rebelled and died, and the other was so exhausted by his beautiful wife that he's now bedridden and unable to move.
He was left to fight alone.
Everyone's watching him right now!
He either accepts the position of Grand Secretary, or he stands up to the Empress alone.
If Cui Fangli had any backbone, he would have confronted her head-on by now, but he didn't. He didn't know what other tricks the Empress had up her sleeve, and he was a little afraid.
Prime Minister Pei was a cautionary tale, having suffered a major setback with Han Xiao. He was thinking that it was best to be cautious in everything he did. He agreed for now, and after court, he would go to his allies to discuss how to retaliate.
He didn't speak.
Shen Shixi was too lazy to pay attention. "Once the direction is set, we will make minor adjustments to the organizational structure, establish a General Affairs Office, headed by a third-rank official, and the Ministry of Personnel will prepare candidates for the imperial recommendation."
The office locations for the Six Supervising Secretaries were determined by the Ministry of Works, and the Censorate selected the candidates. They had to be graduates of the Imperial Academy and be impartial and incorruptible. If there were not enough people, they would be selected from the Hanlin Academy.
The Office of Transmission also had the responsibility of perfecting the postal system; the Emperor's and the Empress's will, memorials from various regions, local sentiments, and the people's opinions must be transmitted smoothly and unimpeded to the court and presented to the Emperor, without any obstruction.
There's an extra third-rank official now, and many people are eyeing this position.
Meanwhile, the officials of the Six Ministries also set their sights on the four positions in the Cabinet. Everyone knew that although Prime Minister Cui was the chief minister, the weight of this position was diminished because he was not favored by the Empress and would eventually be dismissed.
The first Grand Secretary in history is bound to be remembered in history, and everyone wants to make their mark.
The hall was in complete chaos, so Shen Shixi handed the matter over to Song Piyang, the Minister of Personnel. In just a few years, Song Piyang's hair had turned mostly white. Although he was only in his fifties, he looked much older than he had ever been.
Over the years, he has devoted himself to reforming officialdom, and his efforts have been quite effective.
He was also ruined by his wife and daughter.
Fortunately, with the birth of the crown prince, the emperor granted a general amnesty, and his exiled son was released. He has been feeling much better lately.
Another concubine in the household gave birth to a son for him, which gave him hope.
As soon as Shen Shixi left, Li Yuanke sat for a short while, leaving behind the court officials who were discussing the matter heatedly, and then left the court session.
Back at Qianyuan Palace, he was too lazy to attend to anything else and went to see the two children.
Shen Shixi was still diligently reading the memorials when he came over to Yu and said, "Madam Du has brought in a token, saying she wants to see the Empress."
It was already the end of March, and Du Hanyun's due date was in May. Shen Shixi was startled. "Hurry up and let her in. Oh, and go to the door to greet her. Prepare a sedan chair for her, and be careful."
"This servant obeys the decree!"
Du Hanyun was helped in, and Shen Shixi quickly offered her a seat. "What are you doing in the palace at this time? If you have something to say, just have someone pass it in. I was worried sick about you coming all this way."
"What's there to be worried about? This isn't my first pregnancy, I'm fine, what's there to be afraid of?" Du Hanyun took a sip of water. "The thing you told me about last time, the one where someone spread rumors, sigh, you don't know how lively the Du family is right now. I originally wanted to come to the palace to tell you earlier, but since you're still in your postpartum period, I didn't want to bother you."
You have no idea, the Du family is in complete chaos right now!
Shen Shixi hurriedly said, "Tell me quickly!"
Du Hanyun said, "My sister-in-law is really hilarious. I sent someone back to tell my older brother and my father that she spread rumors. At first, she didn't admit it, but later there were witnesses who confirmed it was her. She can't deny it now, can she?"
She brought her younger sister over, and the two sisters plotted to get into my older brother's bed. Once she got pregnant, she clung to him, claiming he was bullying her and that he couldn't divorce her. My brother was completely manipulated by her sister; you have no idea! I'm absolutely furious.
Du Hanyun's mother was finally controlled by Madam Shen. She forced her to drink a bowl of safflower, which caused her cousin's sister-in-law to miscarry. Both sisters were sent back home, and her cousin was also exiled back to his hometown.
Shen Shixi was dumbfounded. "How could my cousin be like this?"
Du Hanyun said, "Oh dear, you don't know, even my older brother didn't know that she brought her younger sister here. When she was taking a bath, her younger sister took off all her clothes and went into the bathtub."
Later, the bed, which used to be for two, became three people in the middle of the night. Who could handle that? Besides, you know what kind of good-for-nothing my older brother is. My mother, well, she dotes on my older brother, but she's got him completely under her thumb.”
Shen Shixi wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead. "Why is my mother getting involved in this?"
"Thank goodness for my aunt! My aunt was furious when she heard about her spreading rumors, so she went to the Du family and made a scene. Otherwise, I don't know how this matter would have ended."
Shen Shixi said, "Forget it, everyone's been chased away. The Du family will be much quieter from now on."
"Yes! My mother came to see me a couple of days ago, hugged me and cried. She said that she was the one who disagreed with me going back home. What can I say? They abandoned me when I was going through the most difficult time, and now they're bringing it up again. Sigh, I really don't know how to deal with this."
Shen Shixi said, "If you feel uncomfortable, then keep your distance. If you want to get close to them, you can. It's all up to your heart. No matter what, the principle is not to wrong yourself."
Du Hanyun took a deep breath, holding back her tears. "Then I'll just keep my distance from them! I know they gave me life and raised me, but hurting me is hurting me. I still can't bear to think about what I would have done without you and the Shen family."
Shen Shixi understood and held her hand, "Alright, you're pregnant now, don't be sad, or Han Xiao will blame me!"
As he spoke, Han Xiao followed the emperor. Seeing his wife in tears, he glared fiercely at Shen Shixi, then came over and helped Du Hanyun up, asking, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Who bullied you? Don't be afraid, I'm here!"
Shen Shixi was furious. He was being sarcastic and indirect, as if everyone understood. "So what if it's me? Are you planning to rebel with your Southern Palace Guards, or force the Emperor to divorce me?"