Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 59 Public Opinion
The hall was completely silent, with only the angry shouts of His Royal Highness the Regent resounding through the hall.

"I have been disrespectful, Your Highness, please punish me."

The ministers suddenly came to their senses after hearing the young man's angry shout. Led by Ding Kuichu, they all bowed and saluted, saying they were guilty.

All the ministers bowed their heads. After an unknown amount of time, a cold shout finally came from above.
"Get up"

The ministers felt relieved after hearing this and returned to their respective trains.
Only Li Yongmao and Wang Kun were left in the hall, standing there with red and green faces.

The young Regent glanced at the two people below and spoke in a cold voice

"Lord Li, Eunuch Wang, please return to the court first. You two are not allowed to argue with each other today."

"Yes"

The two bowed and responded, then walked back to the court.
When the two returned to their positions, the young man above spoke again.

"Since there is a dispute over this matter, let's discuss it today."

"Mr. Ding, you are the Prime Minister of the court, what do you think?" The young Regent said coldly.

"Yes, today's incident was caused by whether Liu Xiangke should attend the imperial lecture. I have been stationed in Guangdong Province for a long time, and I have never met this Censor Liu before. As for commenting on his wisdom and stupidity, I have no idea whether Liu Xiangke should attend the lecture."

"It's just because of this Liu Xiangke. Today, two ministers in the court are arguing with each other. If I attend the imperial lecture again, I'm afraid it will cause criticism."

"Of course, if this person is truly a virtuous and upright minister, then I have no objection to him attending the imperial lecture. This matter is entirely up to Your Highness to decide, and I have absolutely no objection," Ding Kuichu said respectfully.

When the ministers heard what Ding Kuichu said, they nodded secretly in their hearts. Because of this Liu Xiangke, today, the first dispute among important ministers since the establishment of the new dynasty was triggered. Regardless of whether this person is loyal or treacherous, he is indeed not suitable to enter the imperial lecture.

Li Yongmao looked at Ding Kuichu, who had a serious face, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. Although Ding Kuichu did not seem to express his opinion, his words clearly showed that he still wanted to expel Liu Xiangke from the lecture.
Ding Kuichu can deceive His Highness, but how can he deceive them? Ding Kuichu and Wang Kun are clearly in the same group. The two of them are in collusion and are trying to control the government. Everyone in the court knows this.
But Ding Kuichu was extremely cunning. He was clearly on Wang Kun's side, but at the end he said that he had no objection to Liu Xiangke attending the imperial lecture, and that it was all up to Your Highness to decide. He looked selfless, and Li Yongmao didn't know how to refute him for a moment.
Ding Kuichu returned to the train after he finished speaking, and then the young Regent spoke again, and this time it was Qu Shisi's turn.

"What is your opinion, Lord Qu?"

All the ministers were staring at the only two assistants who could influence His Highness's decision. Qu Shisi ignored their gazes, thought for a moment, then stepped out and spoke in a deep voice.

"I am not acquainted with Liu Xiangke, and I have no idea whether he attended the imperial lecture."

Li Yongmao was even more upset when he heard that Qu Shisi was unwilling to express his opinion. If Qu Shisi did not support them, they would be left alone to fight against Ding Kui, Chu Wangkun and others.
"I will follow your Highness's decision on the matter of the lecturer of the imperial lecture. However, there is one thing that I cannot help but worry about. The memorial submitted by Lord Li is a matter of state affairs. If there is anything inappropriate, it should be submitted to the court for public discussion. How can the Imperial Household Department approve the memorial and decide state affairs privately?"

"I ask Your Highness to clarify the authority and responsibilities of the Imperial Household Department and enforce strict discipline to prevent today's incident from happening again."

The officials looked at Qu Shisi with a serious expression, and were stunned at first, and then they all felt a chill in their hearts. This was indeed something that deserved more attention.

The duty of the eunuchs in the inner court should be to assist His Highness in handling state affairs, not to handle state affairs themselves. If the Imperial Household Department can arbitrarily change the memorials of the ministers, wouldn't that be Wei Zhongxian again?

Feeling the hidden hostility of the officials, Wang Kun's expression darkened, and he stared coldly at Qu Shisi below.

Li Yongmao just wanted to get someone into the imperial lecture, but Qu Shisi wanted to destroy his power. He really deserved to be killed.
"What Lord Qu said makes sense. I second the proposal. Your Highness, please strictly enforce the laws of the Imperial Household Department." Before His Highness the Regent above could speak, Chen Zizhuang below had already looked serious and came out to make a report.

"You two adults are right. I understand. You two elders please return to class for now."

The two saw that His Royal Highness the Regent above did not want to say more, and they looked a little unwilling, but they finally retreated to the middle of the line.

After the two returned to the court, His Royal Highness the Regent spoke again.

"What about Lord Lu? What does Lord Lu think?"

"I have served in various government posts and I know this man well. Liu Xiangke is a loyal and upright minister. This is the consensus of the court and the public. I think this man can be included in the imperial lecture."

Lu Daqi didn't waste any words and directly expressed his attitude. When he asked He Wuzuo again, he got the same answer.

The officials in the court were not surprised by this. Li Yongmao and Lu Daqi came from Fujian to Guangdong together. When Li Yongmao listed the names, he must have discussed it with Lu Daqi. At this time, Lu Daqi would naturally support him, because there might be someone Lu Daqi liked on the list of candidates for the imperial lecture.
Although He Wuzuo was recruited into the court in Guangdong Province, he was also a minister of the Longwu Central Government before returning to Guangdong, and he and Lu Daqi had worked together for a long time.

Zhu Lang looked at the court officials below, with a thoughtful look in his eyes. After this test, he roughly understood the situation in the court at this time.
Ding Kuichu is powerful in Guangdong Province, and Wang Kun secretly joins him. The two of them are colluding with each other and trying to control the government. Zhu Lang has known this for a long time. The two can be called the Guangdong Party.

Lü Daqi and Li Yongmao led the Longwu officials to flee to Guangdong. He Wuzuo was also an important official of Longwu. Therefore, after entering the court, the three of them instinctively acted in a group. These three people can be called the Fujian Party.
Qu Shisi's roots are in Guangxi Province, and he is isolated and has formed his own faction in Guangdong Province. But for some reason, he seems to be very close to Chen Zizhuang at this time. It is difficult to classify these two people. Considering their styles in their previous lives, they should be regarded as the middle faction who are fair and outspoken.

In fact, Zhu Lang had already thought clearly about how to deal with the matter when Li Yongmao impeached Wang Kun. To be more precise, when Wang Kun entered the mansion that night, Zhu Lang had already decided the outcome of today's incident.

The reason why he had to go through all that trouble just now was just to see where the two newcomers, Chen Zizhuang and He Wuzuo, would go. Now that he had the answer, Zhu Lang no longer hesitated and prepared to make a decision to resolve today's matter.
"I already know what you all mean."

"Today's events all started because of the list of officials for the Imperial Lecture. I think what Elder Ding said makes sense. The Imperial Lecture is a solemn matter for the state. Since Liu Xiangke is controversial in the court, it is not appropriate for him to attend the Imperial Lecture for the time being."

"Well, since Lord Li has recommended Liu Xiangke, we will promote him to be an editor in the Hanlin Academy, but he will not be a lecturer in the imperial lectures for the time being. We will do so after he has gained experience in the Hanlin Academy..."

Wang Kun, who was below, heard what Zhu Lang said, and a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
Although he did not completely dismiss Liu Xiangke and allowed him to enter the Hanlin Academy, he still successfully prevented Liu Xiangke from attending the imperial lecture. In the end, Wang Kun won this battle.

When Li Yongmao heard that His Royal Highness the Regent did not allow Liu Xiangke to attend the imperial lecture, he became furious and could no longer bear it. Before the young man above could finish speaking, he stepped out and spoke.

"Your Highness, at this point, are you still going to listen to this eunuch's flattery?"

"Your Highness entrusted the matter of the Imperial Lecture to me, and I, with a fair mind, recommended the people of fifteen provinces to attend the Imperial Lecture, hoping to appease the people of the world and to show your kindness and modesty. This is not for personal gain. If your Highness dismisses the Xiang guest, then you are also dismissing Mao."

"The country is in such a precarious situation, yet Your Highness still follows the will of the inner circle and humiliates the ministers. Your Highness's behavior is not worthy of a decent government. If Your Highness still listens to this treacherous villain and disrupts the government, I, the old minister, will resign."

Li Yongmao's hair and beard stood up, and he said angrily

After Li Yongmao finished speaking, there was a moment of complete silence. Everyone looked at Li Yongmao in shock. The hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Happy New Year's Eve, I wish you all a happy family reunion and all the best
It's so cold today. I was asked to help out as soon as I got up in the morning. Is everyone eating the New Year's Eve dinner now? What delicious food do you have?



(End of this chapter)