Chapter 80 Cabinet Formation
As soon as Li Chengqian said this, the imperial study fell into deathly silence. He wanted to add fuel to the fire and speed up the process of deposing the prime minister. In addition to pleasing Emperor Qing, a bigger reason was that he wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.

After the prime minister system was abolished, the position of CEO of Qingguo Company became vacant.

There will be no prime minister in the future, but a new system will be created to execute your majesty’s orders.

After all, in addition to Emperor Qing as the chairman, Qing State also needs a president to execute decisions for him.

Li Chengqian didn’t dare to think that he could become an official, but if there was a chance he would have to arrange for someone to go in.

Slowly build up your own power in the court, starting from scratch!
‘Waste, waste, waste, waste? ! ! ‘

‘Is this something you can say?’

Eunuch Hou shuddered, lowered his head, and wanted to cover his ears.
Your Highness, are you trying to get my head chopped off by what you said?

As expected, Emperor Qing snorted coldly, threw the memorial on the ground, and pretended to be angry:

“Nonsense!”

“Minister Lin is a good minister of Daqing. He has been the prime minister for decades and has solved countless troubles for me. Whether it is military or political, no one in the entire court can match Prime Minister Lin’s ability to manage affairs. What is your intention in clamoring for me to depose the prime minister?”

No?

You’re still pretending, you old bitch!

Li Chengqian was speechless. It was obvious that the one who wanted power the most and wanted to depose the prime minister the most was this old father who had a mysterious madness about monopolizing power. But now he was pretending to be angry. Was he trying to disguise himself?

But there is no one else around except Eunuch Hou, so who is he pretending to be for?

Or, are you trying to test me?
Li Chengqian suddenly had an idea and responded, “Your Majesty! I was thinking of helping my father solve his problems. When Censor Lai made his memorial, Prime Minister Lin intercepted his memorial and said that the six ministries and hundreds of officials would help your Majesty solve his problems. Such big words!”

“It’s fine to let them handle some trivial matters, but Minister Lin wants to get involved in these major matters involving corruption and bribery by royal family members. This is simply overstepping the boundaries! Besides, the person to be investigated is my second brother. What if he wants to do something to harm my second brother?”

Li Chengqian used brotherly friendship and respect as a cover to attack Prime Minister Lin skillfully without losing his demeanor.

Emperor Qing did not expect him to answer like this: “Is this why you want to depose the prime minister?”

Don’t you want to be abolished? Just pretend!

Li Chengqian nodded, then shook his head: “In order to protect my second brother, I have long disliked Prime Minister Lin, but this is only one of the reasons. In addition, Prime Minister Lin is powerful and has been in a high position for many years. The factions in the court are densely entrenched like tree roots.”

“It was still the day when Censor Lai made a report that he had ambushed a hidden man in my Eastern Palace. He fanned the flames without my knowledge and said things I didn’t ask them to say. Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lin dared to extend his hand to the Eastern Palace today. I don’t know how bold he will be in the future.”

“I, your son, dare to think that the position of prime minister has too much power and is difficult to fully control. Your Majesty, please abolish the position of prime minister and take back the power. Only with the power in hand can Your Majesty better govern Qing Kingdom and unify the world!”

Listening to these criticisms one by one, Eunuch Hou was sweating profusely.

But unexpectedly, Emperor Qing did not get angry, but laughed out loud instead.

Eunuch Hou was stunned. Wasn’t he angry just now?
Why are you laughing so happily???

The sacred heart is like an abyss.
Emperor Qing rarely got off the couch and came to the prince:

“Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian, have you forgotten? Is that old fellow Lin Ruofu Fan Xian’s relative? I haven’t said anything yet, but you’re already shouting that you want to depose the prime minister. Have you ever considered what will happen next?”

He is still exporting, he is still testing, I am really impressed by this old guy.
Li Chengqian’s back bent even more, his scalp touching the ground:
“Your Majesty, I have never thought about my own advantages and disadvantages. I have devoted myself to Your Majesty and the Kingdom of Qing. Not to mention Prime Minister Lin, even if Your Majesty asked me to break off the engagement and not marry Fan Ruoruo, I would immediately obey your order.

As long as it is for the good of Your Majesty and the good of the Qing Kingdom, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

“Hehehe”

Qingguo wandered leisurely in front of the prince.

Li Chengqian felt relieved when he saw that his attitude had softened.

But at the same time, Emperor Qing was also observing his son’s every move. He fiddled with his bow and arrow seemingly casually, and said casually: “You want me to depose Prime Minister Lin so much, is it possible that you want to share my worries? Aren’t you a little anxious?”

Li Chengqian’s pupils suddenly contracted.

All fathers in the world are open-hearted and caring to their sons.

Only Li Yunqian would be so scheming and suspicious.

Emperor Qing: “Dad is an exception”

······
Lin House.

Fan Xian didn’t have time to play with Dabao today, so he went straight to Lin Ruofu:
“Uncle, why would your people impersonate and replace the people who should have been on the list?”

“Don’t be impatient. Take your time.”

When Lin Ruofu learned of this, he was somewhat surprised, but it seemed that nothing unexpected happened. He invited Fan Xian to a more private place, where there were only the two of them, plus a counselor whom Prime Minister Lin trusted very much, Yuan Hongdao:

“I said I didn’t know anything about it, do you believe me?”

“This”

Fan Xian was somewhat puzzled by his father-in-law’s denial, but for a moment he could not understand why this situation had occurred. Logically, he had already rejected Prime Minister Lin’s note, and coupled with the commotion between him and the prince, he should not have been able to get involved.

Could it be.
“Uncle, is there anyone trying to frame you?”

Lin Ruofu took a deep breath and shook his head: “I don’t know, after all, this kind of thing is difficult to deal with.
Fan Xian was terrified when he thought about it. He had thought that only the Prime Minister Lin Ruofu could secretly communicate and manipulate privately to send his own people up after everything was settled. Could it be that even he couldn’t do it? Was there someone with greater power behind the scenes who was planning all this?
Yuan Hongdao listened quietly and asked Lin Xiang:
“Sir, the weather is nice today, shall we go out for a walk?”

“No more.”

Lin Ruofu didn’t even look up and didn’t see the actual weather outside: “It’s going to rain, so I’ll just stay at home.”

sky?
Fan Xian subconsciously raised his head and looked into the distance. The sun was shining brightly.

He suddenly understood that there was only one person who had more power than the prime minister from beginning to end!
“Uncle, could it be…”

“shut up!”

Fan Xian hadn’t finished speaking yet.

Lin Ruofu did not let him continue and shook his head helplessly:

“Let it be, let it be. All this happened too suddenly. I don’t understand it!”

Yuan Hongdao sighed, knowing that Lin Ruofu had been scheming against His Majesty for so many years. Every time, Prime Minister Lin was very excited and stimulated, and was even more happy to engage in power struggles in the court. However, this was the first time he had seen him look so decadent:

All this has exceeded the expectations of Yuan Hongdao:

“Could it be that someone is fanning the flames?”

·······
In the power struggles among the upper class, those who are often affected and hurt are the little people at the bottom. Emperor Qing only wanted to make use of the Spring Examination to make a fuss and take the opportunity to change the prime minister, but it made countless students nervous, and several of them fainted due to worry and sorrow.

The Spring Examination Hall has been sealed off by Deng Ziyue and his men from the Supervisory Yuan.

The candidates who were waiting not far from the examination room for the results to be announced were waiting anxiously.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites, led by Guo Zheng, were furious: “You, the Supervisory Council, are really rampant. You have repeatedly humiliated the dignity of our Ministry of Rites. Today, when the results are announced, you dare to block us. Do you want to ruin the Spring Examination?”

Deng Ziyue sneered and put the accusation on him.

In the past, he would never have been unhappy with these court officials.

But now Deng Ziyue has a backer and is confident, so his voice is much louder:

“We are important officials of the Supervisory Council, responsible for supervising all officials. You have tampered with the list, which is suspected of cheating in the Spring Examination. We are ordered by Master Fan Xian to seal off the examination room. If anyone tries to stop us, arrest us!”

Clang!
Led by Deng Ziyue, the black-clad men of the Supervisory Council drew their swords and the light was cold and sharp!
Guo Zheng and a group of officials from the Ministry of Rites, these civil servants had lived in the capital for a long time in peacetime. Seeing the flashing of swords and sabers, they were very cautious. They all stepped back and did not dare to stop Deng Ziyue from taking the lead in sealing the examination room:
“You, you, you dare to use a knife on our Ministry of Rites officials, then prepare to be beheaded!”

The two sides were at a stalemate. After Fan Xian left the Lin Residence, he rushed to the examination room.

Li Chengqian also arrived in a sedan chair. The prince had come, so the amount was different from usual:

“What? I am following His Majesty’s order to crack down on cheating in the Spring Examination and close the examination hall. Is there a problem with that?”

The arrogance of the officials from the Ministry of Rites was instantly extinguished after a bucket of cold water was poured on them.

Guo Zheng bowed tactfully and said, “No, no, no, Your Highness, you misunderstood. We will make way.”

Afterwards, Guo Zheng left quickly, and the officials from the Ministry of Rites also fled and left the examination room.

Following Fan Xian’s orders, Deng Ziyue immediately closed the examination room and asked the people to applaud and cheer.

Li Chengqian pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to listen to him first: “There is something wrong with the list of the Spring Examination. Please give us some time. As the crown prince of Daqing, I, Li Chengqian, will give the scholars of the world a fair, just and open treatment!”

The students then breathed a sigh of relief, feeling grateful towards the prince.

Fan Xian approached him worriedly and asked, “Your Highness, what about Prime Minister Lin?”

Li Chengqian spoke first: “His Majesty said that we should follow the rules, even if it is inhumane!”

Just now.

Li Chengqian passed the test of Emperor Qing and received his divine will, which made everything much easier for him: getting rid of the position of prime minister was not only what Emperor Qing wanted, but also beneficial to Li Chengqian. He wanted to seize the opportunity to build up his power.

From ancient times to the present, emperors have been constantly changing the representatives of the prime minister’s power to divide the power of the officials in the court. Without a prime minister, there needs to be a person or organization to replace the prime minister’s responsibilities. Otherwise, Emperor Qing will have to deal with all the big and small matters.

Wouldn’t that make him the next Zhu Yuanzhang, working around the clock and getting exhausted?

Emperor Qing is not that kind of person.

He practiced hard in secret, focusing on eliminating the grandmaster who posed a threat to him, and it was impossible for him to use all his energy to deal with government affairs.

But he was not a man like Emperor Wanli. Although he was also obsessed with power, he would not put political affairs behind him and focus on cultivation.

Emperor Qing tried his best to get people to help him with his work, but at the same time he didn’t let them have too much power.

Li Chengqian faced the last very dangerous question from Lao Bideng.

His answer: form a new organization.

Don’t give the power of prime minister to one person, but to a group of people!

and.

It would be best if this group of people had no family history or background, and they must be loyal to Your Majesty wholeheartedly. Only in this way can the power of the prime minister be further divided, and only in this way can they get things done without posing any threat to Your Majesty.

Emperor Qing did not agree, but he did not deny it either. Finally, he nodded and asked Li Chengqian to come to the examination room:

Depose him for his sake!

But Fan Xian didn’t know the inside story, so he whispered to the prince, “There’s something fishy about this impersonation.”

Li Chengqian frowned slightly: “How could I not notice it? But what we need to do now is to change the original list back. Whoever wants to commit crimes and cheat for personal gain must be severely punished.”

Fan Xian was in deep thought.

Li Chengqian continued, “Otherwise, wouldn’t everything we said in the court, everything we have done these days, and His Majesty’s order for us to be examiners and preside over this spring exam without any problems, be in vain?”

Fan Xian nodded, but still couldn’t help but speak up for his father-in-law:

“Your Highness, I just asked Minister Lin, and he said that he was not the one who impersonated me.”

“But no matter what, the most urgent task now is to restore fairness to the Spring Examination. Otherwise, our status as examiners will become a joke, right?”

“Too.”

Fan Xian lowered his head. Your Highness also had to complete His Majesty’s task.

Even if this speculation was told to the prince, he might not necessarily stand on Prime Minister Lin’s side.

What if all of this is part of Emperor Qing’s plan, and everyone is a pawn? Who would dare to resist?
“Don’t worry, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If Prime Minister Lin has never committed any fraud and is innocent, I will clear his name.” Li Chengqian used both kindness and force to make Fan Xian nod gratefully, but the logic in his words was impeccable.

Your father-in-law was not aware of this matter, so was there no cheating in the previous imperial examinations?

As long as there is, Lin Xiang’s final fate will have nothing to do with him.

No one can disobey your majesty’s order to regulate the spring examination.

Emperor Qing’s holy will is Li Chengqian’s shield.

“Your Highness, the list has been restored and is ready.” Qingzhu came to report the situation.

Li Chengqian nodded:
“The results are announced.”

In the eyes of the common people, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sitting in the examination hall and personally supervising the release of the imperial edict was more trustworthy than anything else. The students rushed to the front, excitedly looking for their names.

“Hou Hou Hou, Hou Jichang! Hey! I got it! I got it!”

Hou Jichang was so excited that his nose turned red. He hugged Shi Chanli and Yang Wanli and shouted.

In the crowd, the black-clad swordsman with a sword hidden at his waist stared blankly at the three big words on the imperial edict:

Fan is helpless.

Lost in thought for a long time.

Fan Wujiu did not shout excitedly, but despite his introverted personality, his eyes were still red, as if he had achieved what he had dreamed of since he was a child. He just clenched his fists and waved happily in the shadows where no one could see.

then.

Fan Wujiu looked up at the Crown Prince who was high up on the imperial edict. He did not dare to reveal a single flaw, but he looked at Li Chengqian sincerely, expressing his gratitude with his eyes. Then he lowered his head, hid his sword, and walked away quickly.

“Yang Wanli! It’s the Yang Wanli whose name was changed!”

“His name has reappeared on it?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince has given him some fairness!”

While everyone was waiting for the examination room to be sealed, they had already heard the news from the Supervisory Council that a candidate named Yang Wanli had originally passed the exam, but was replaced by someone else on the list, which was why the list was sealed.

Now his name appears again on the imperial list.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince really made the Spring Examination fair!

The students felt warm inside and their eyes turned red.

Yang Wanli was surrounded by the crowd and came to the front. He bowed deeply to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: “Thank you, Your Royal Highness! Give me justice! Give justice to the students of Daqing! Give justice to all the scholars in the world!”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

The sound of thanks continued to be heard.

Eunuch Hou came riding a horse.

Holding high in his hand the golden imperial edict:

“The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, declares, Crown Prince Li Chengqian, listen to my orders!”

(End of this chapter)