Chapter 107.1
The Grand General and the Prime Minister looked at each other wordlessly, falling into silence.
Now you know why I relieved you of your official positions?
Lin Beifan said while drinking his wine. Its because the two of you are too loyal! Your intentions are good, but they contradict my thoughts!
One of you is the courts Grand General, and the other is the current Prime Minister. In the court, you would only shackle me and hinder my performance!
So, I relieved you of your duties, once and for all!
The Prime Minister and the Grand General exchanged another glance, and the Prime Minister said with a bitter smile, So thats the reason! Your Majesty, does this mean that we no longer have the opportunity to return to the court?
No, there is still a chance!
Lin Beifan laughed and said, I relieved you of your offices to let you properly see how I will develop and strengthen Great Xia step by step through my own methods! Although my approaches are aggressive and often misunderstood, they are very effective! Now, you have seen for yourselves, havent you? How are the results?
The Prime Minister exclaimed in amazement, This effect it can be described as inconceivable!
The Grand General also marveled, Indeed, in just one years time, to develop a small kingdom into a great kingdom is a rarity in the world! If elder brother knew from beyond the grave, he would surely be very comforted!
Thats right!
Lin Beifan clapped his hands and declared, What you two need to know is no one wishes for Great Xias prosperity more than I do!
The two elders nodded in deep agreement.
My uncles.
Lin Beifan continued, Now you understand my painstaking efforts. Its time for you to come back!
The eyes of the two elders lit up: Really?
Of course, I am ready to establish a cabinet!
The two elders were puzzled: What is a cabinet?
The so-called cabinet is
Then, Lin Beifan explained the cabinet system one by one.
The so-called cabinet is actually an office that handles government affairs on behalf of Lin Beifan.
This office is composed of a group of elites who assist the Emperor in drafting and responding to the memorials from ministers. The head of this office is also known as the Chief Minister.
However, compared to the six ministries and nine high-ranking officials, this cabinet does not have substantial power.
Because their submitted memorials still required Lin Beifans approval before implementation.
My two uncles, you are people whom I trust immensely, and at the same time, you have governed with great capability for many years. Therefore, I entrust the position of Chief Minister of the Cabinet to you! You may select some candidates and form a cabinet to share my worries!
Your Majesty, what benefits does this bring?
Lin Beifan coughed and said, The greatest benefit of this arrangement is that from now on, I can withdraw from the burdensome governmental affairs. I can even dispense with the morning court sessions and truly enjoy life! Heheh!
His primary purpose in establishing the cabinet was to shirk his duties.
Nowadays, as the country grew larger and the population increased, the state affairs he had to deal with also multiplied, causing him endless annoyance.
To be honest, many state affairs were unnecessary for him to do it by himself.
Because whenever there was an issue with the country, he could just pull up the Empire Sandbox and know everything at a glance.
Crystal clearplain and simple.
Therefore, he really didnt want to waste his energy on these matters.
Forming a cabinet was very necessary, as it could at least filter out 90% of the tasks.
The Prime Minister and the Grand General exchanged looks; it turned out that His Majesty was forming a cabinet just to be lazy.
If it were in the past, they would certainly have offered some encouragement, urging him to be diligent and to be a hardworking and benevolent Emperor.
However, over the past year, Lin Beifan has made many unconventional and seemingly foolish decisions in the eyes of others, but in the end, they all turned out to be remarkably effective, leading the country to greater prosperity.
Therefore, they refrained from contradicting him to avoid hindering the Emperors important affairs due to their own limited insight.
Moreover, they were now very eager to return to court. Becoming the Chief Minister of the Cabinet and directly participating in the nations major affairs to serve as the Emperors advisor was considered a good outcome for them.
Both elders spoke in unison: Your Majesty, rest assured, we will definitely find suitable candidates to form the Cabinet and alleviate Your Majestys concerns!
Lin Beifan was very pleased: Good! Lets continue drinking!
Everyone left the family banquet feeling greatly rewarded.
Having taken a year off, the Grand General and Prime Minister were now brimming with eagerness as they had the opportunity to return to officialdom. Without taking any rest, they got busy, beginning to scout for candidates to form the cabinet.
The news gradually spread.
Have you heard? His Majesty is preparing to establish a cabinet!
What is a cabinet?
The cabinet is an institution that assists His Majesty in handling state affairs! Simply put, from now on, the cabinet will review most memorials, and all His Majesty has to do is give the final nod!
I heard that after the cabinet is formed, the morning court sessions will be canceled! From now on, except for Mondays or other important days, civil and military officials wont need to attend the morning court!
Has this foolish emperor lost his mind? The country is just starting to improve, and hes already thinking about slacking off! No morning court sessions and even memorials are to be reviewed by the cabinet; what do we need him for as the Emperor?
Let him cook; Great Xia will sooner or later perish by his hands!
The Spring Festival holiday passed by quickly.
Everyone started to return to work, clearing fields for farming, mining and building houses, constructing the imperial palace, weaving and making cloth
The court once again began to operate at high speed.
At this time, the cabinet had already been formed, starting to assist Lin Beifan in alleviating his worries, allowing him to step back from the burdensome state affairs and truly enjoy life.
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Heshen, ordered the formation of an inspection team to recruit shipbuilding experts from other countries.
At the same time, tens of thousands of workers were organized to begin the construction of cement roads.
Starting from the capital city, the roads were built to connect to various other cities.
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Li Linfu, was also busy organizing the imperial examination to select talents for the nation.
At this point, Great Xia was no longer the small kingdom it once was.
In just one year, it had transformed from a small kingdom, constantly at risk, into a great kingdom with a territory of over 800,000 square miles and a population nearing ten million, demonstrating extraordinary potential.
Many scholars were eager to try their luck, traveling thousands of miles to Great Xia to take the examinations and showcase their learning.
At this moment, General of the Nation An Lushan had already returned.
Elder brother, how did it go? Shi Siming asked curiously.
An Lushan, with joy written all over his face, said, His Majesty still favors me! Not only was I not punished for returning without permission, but I was also invited to the Banquet of Ultimate Bliss, where I was honored with drumming and dancing!
Shi Siming clenched his fists tightly, excitedly saying, Thats great! With this, our great undertaking can be expected!
An Lushan happily exclaimed, Exactly! His Majesty is unguarded against us. Once we raise our army, we will surely be able to sweep through to the capital city like a breaking bamboo, change the dynasty, and don the yellow robe!
Then congratulations to General An, your ascension to the throne is within reach! the people of the noble family congratulated.
An Lushan burst into hearty laughter, his spirits soaring high.
After the laughter, he asked with concern, We are ready on our end, how are your preparations coming along?
Were almost set too! Great Yue has already dispatched 500,000 troops, and they should arrive in the northern deserts in about 5 days to join forces with you, General An! By then, with a million valiant soldiers assembled, we will surely be able to strike directly at the heart of the enemy!
The number of troops is sufficient, but what about the Innate experts?
An Lushan continued, The current Great Xia has Chai Yulang and his daughter, Liu the Eunuch, the Wine Sword Immortal, the Empty Hand Master, Ouyezi, and a female assassin named Bai Zhutotaling seven Innate experts. They are not what they used to be!
Moreover, they have the support of a swordsmanship master who might have already reached the Imperial Qi level! If we dont deal with those people, even if we reach the capital city, it would be in vain!
The one An Lushan feared the most was that mysterious swordsmanship master.
Without showing his face, he had slain five Innate experts, a thought that still sends shivers down his spine.
If he didnt deal with this person, his imperial ambitions would be unattainable.
We have considered all these issues you mentioned!
One of the individuals from a noble family said with a smile, Our three great noble families, each will dispatch two Innate experts and Great Yue dispatch three innate, which adds up to nine! Plus the two of you generals, that makes a total of eleven Innates!
Furthermore, we have paid a hefty price to enlist a powerful individual! His strength has already reached the pinnacle of Imperial Qi, just one step away from Grandmaster, incredibly powerful!
With him taking action, the sword master behind Great Xia will also meet his demise on the spot!
Everyone exchanged glances and began to laugh with pride.
An Lushan, brimming with confidence, declared, Excellent! Then lets wish our success!
That very day, An Lushan sprang into action, reporting to the imperial court that, according to the scouts intelligence, the Great Yue Kingdom had already dispatched an army of 500,000 soldiers, which would reach the northern deserts in five days. A major battle between the two nations seemed inevitable.
***
TLN: Thank you Sici for the tips!
8/16 > 8/17
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