Chapter 709: Chapter 420: Who is the Ruler and Who is the Subject_3
The Emperor wishes to abolish the new laws and revive the old ones. The Left and Right Prime Ministers have joined forces, making the Emperor’s decree as worthless as waste paper. Recently, there have been frequent meetings with officials from famous families, and a tangible storm has already formed over Chang’an.
This year’s Great Court Meeting is bound to witness many significant events.
The key officials from various states of Daxia arrived in Chang’an no later than a few days ago.
The past year was one of rapid changes in the mainland’s situation; the Wei Country, one of the Five Great Dynasties, was completely annihilated, and two other countries are facing the crisis of extinction. Daxia seized the opportunity and leapt to become the overlord of the mainland. There should be many things to discuss at the beginning of the annual Great Court Meeting.
However, this year, the court meeting is eerily quiet.
The Minister of Justice, once favored for twenty years, fell from grace, and the Left and Right Prime Ministers openly defied the Emperor in court. It seems these issues will be resolved today. Even the Minister of Rites, who presides over the Great Court Meeting, is so oppressed by the deadly atmosphere that he can hardly breathe.
After taking a deep breath, he was the first to step forward and said solemnly, "I, Du Yuan, Minister of Rites, respectfully present to the Emperor. It is hoped that the Emperor’s sacred virtues shine brightly, governing the world with benevolence; the imperial edicts are flawless, encompassing all corners..."
After opening with a lengthy praise of the Emperor’s merits, he stepped aside and said, "Next, I invite the Secretariat to present their duties to the Emperor."
At every annual Great Court Meeting, each department must report their duties to the Emperor. This is also the longest and most tedious segment of the meeting.
After Du Yuan, Minister of Rites, finished speaking, the Xia Emperor waved his hand on top and said, "There’s no rush to report duties. How is the Secretariat handling the matter I’ve tasked you with — abolishing the new laws and reviving the old ones?"
Once he spoke, the entire hall became as silent as cicadas in cold weather.
Everyone knew that the conflict between the Left and Right Prime Ministers and the Emperor had escalated to an unresolvable point; the Secretariat completely ignored the Emperor’s orders, so how should they respond now?
Finally, the Left Prime Minister took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, the new laws benefit the world and are well-received by the people. The old laws are riddled with deep-seated issues and are heavily criticized; they should not be revived. I believe Your Majesty should reconsider..."
The Xia Emperor remained silent for a moment before casually saying, "I have reconsidered. The Secretariat should act according to the decree; this matter need not be discussed further. If the Secretariat cannot do it, I can replace you with someone who can. Where is the Capital Governor?"
The officials in the Golden Hall were terrified; although the Emperor’s tone was mild, his dissatisfaction with the Left Prime Minister was evidently irrepressible.
The position of Capital Governor is extremely special, as it governs the entire Capital region. Although the official rank is Standard Third Rank, its power far exceeds that of the Ministers of the Six Departments and the Nine Si Ministers at the same level. However, over the years, under the Emperor’s favor, the Minister of Justice’s authority became too great. The previous Capital Governor, Lin Fuzhi, even though a giant in court, was suppressed to the point of being unable to lift his head...
The current Capital Governor is Zhang Shang, who was originally a Scheeren of the Secretariat. Due to the death of the former Capital Governor Lin Fuzhi, who was involved in the case of attempting to harm the Crown Prince, he took over the position smoothly. Since then, he’s acted rather low-key in court, leaving many courtiers with little impression of him.
After the Emperor said those words, there was no response from the hall for a long time.
Many officials were puzzled; could the Capital Governor be absent from the Great Court Meeting?
Impossible. On such an occasion, even if he were too sick to get out of bed, he would still have to stand in the Golden Hall.
At the front of the hall, the officials’ gazes uniformly turned towards a figure.
The Capital Governor Zhang Shang was standing there, perfectly fine, yet had no response, as if he hadn’t heard the Emperor calling him. Could he have fallen asleep?
Someone was about to quietly remind him when a commanding voice from above echoed once more: "Where is the Capital Governor!"
Zhang Shang remained standing, still unmoved.
An awkward atmosphere began to spread throughout the hall.
Just as the Xia Emperor’s own dignity seemed on the verge of being at stake, another voice suddenly echoed within the hall.
"Lord Zhang, the Emperor is calling you."
Upon hearing this, the Capital Governor Zhang Shang finally took a step forward, holding his tablet and announcing, "I am here."
The Xia Emperor’s pupils contracted as he looked towards a figure in the hall.
The courtiers below also gazed in horror towards the person at the front of the hall.
The Capital Governor ignored the Emperor’s words until the Minister of Justice spoke, then responded to the Emperor... Is this rebellion!
On the Dragon Chair, the Xia Emperor slowly stood up and asked, "Did you not hear me just now?"
The Capital Governor raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, my hearing isn’t very good; I did not hear you just now."
The Xia Emperor stared at him intensely, remaining silent for a long while before sitting back down, saying, "The Capital Governor is a vital position in court. Since your hearing isn’t good, I will find someone else to take over. Where is the Vice Governor of the Capital?"
There are two Vice Governors of the Capital. One is Pei Zhe, the former Chang’an Prefect, who also benefited from the "Dual Kings’ Rebellion," rising two ranks from the position of Chang’an Prefect to become Vice Governor of the Capital. The other Vice Governor’s surname is Lu, with a similar background, also a beneficiary of that incident.
These two have indeed struck it lucky. Today, some may rise two ranks again.
However, as soon as the Emperor’s words fell, the hall was once again enveloped in prolonging silence.
The situation was exactly the same as before.
Ultimately, it was the Minister of Justice, Li Xuanjing, who spoke: "Lord Pei, Lord Lu, it’s time to answer the Emperor."
Only then did Pei Zhe and Lu Xun, the two Vice Governors of the Capital, step forward and bow to the Xia Emperor, saying, "We are here."
The Xia Emperor on the Dragon Chair did not speak for a long time.
The officials below were nearly scared to death.
The Emperor’s decree is ineffective, and even the officials named in the court must receive the Minister of Justice’s approval before they respond.
In front of officials from all over the world, they truly trampled the Emperor’s pride underfoot.
At this moment, they eventually felt bewildered. In this court, who is truly the ruler and who is the minister...
