The most romantic little emperor

Qin Hao smiled slightly and tapped the table lightly with his fingers, making a crisp and rhythmic sound.

He looked at Dong Sicheng with a half-smile and said calmly, "Father-in-law, apart from the ministers who impeached us, only you and I know the names of the officials on the list. I want to let you handle it. What do you think?"

Dong Sicheng's heart sank, and he instantly understood what Qin Hao meant. It was clear that he wanted him to fight against Su Zhengfang, eliminate his followers, and even attack his former students and officials.

This kind of political strategy is so brilliant that it is simply amazing!

Ever since the late emperor personally led the army to fight and unfortunately returned injured, the situation in the court has been like a wild horse that has broken free from its reins, making it difficult to control.

In the past two years, Qin Hao, as the crown prince, was even more ignorant and incompetent. He was obsessed with sensual pleasures all day long and turned a deaf ear to the affairs of state.

The entire court was almost in a state of chaos with no one managing it. Many officials in the court were like hungry wolves, devouring the wealth of the national treasury unscrupulously.

They used the power in their hands to bully the people and exploit them. No one knows how much wealth they plundered in secret, but they all became extremely rich.

If we can eradicate these extremely greedy officials, we will definitely be able to plunder huge amounts of wealth.

By then, what would a mere two million dan of grain mean?

However, what does all this have to do with Dong Sicheng?

Once you get involved in it, not only will you not be able to gain any benefit from it, but you will feel like you are stuck in a quagmire, unable to extricate yourself, and may even bring yourself into trouble and lots of unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, Dong Sicheng was not prepared to get involved in this mess and planned to give up the job.

However, just as Dong Sicheng was about to speak, Qin Hao spoke first, "Father-in-law, this matter is of great importance, you don't have to rush to answer."

"If you accept this mission, I promise that I will never interfere with the life or death of these officials. Everything depends on your decision. I just want to raise 2 million dan of grain to send away those Liao envoys."

Dong Sicheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he swallowed back the words that were about to be rejected.

He secretly speculated that His Majesty's words contained a lot of information, as he was handing over the power of life and death of these officials to himself.

If this is the case, there will be a lot of room for maneuver. Not only will there be enough money to make, but you can also leave a way out for your confidants, making them grateful to you. It is definitely the best of both worlds.

However, such a good thing fell into Dong Sicheng's hands so easily that he couldn't guess Qin Hao's thoughts for a moment and seemed a little hesitant.

Qin Hao saw that Dong Sicheng was tempted by the benefits and his attitude softened a little, and he was secretly delighted.

He continued to raise the stakes and said, "Father-in-law, I have decided to form a cabinet. I want you to be the chief minister of the cabinet, commanding all officials and helping me govern the country. Are you willing to take on this important task?"

Dong Sicheng's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard this. He looked up at Qin Hao, his heart in turmoil.

Although he was not familiar with the cabinet system, the power and status implied by the four words "Cabinet Prime Minister" were enough to make him excited.

Compared with the honorary position of Taifu, the chief minister of the cabinet is undoubtedly a more real and influential position.

Qin Hao raised a faint smile, and his words were full of unquestionable determination: "I have been planning to form a cabinet for a long time. No one can stop my determination."

"The Cabinet has more power than the six ministries and is responsible for everything. It is composed of the Chief Minister, the Second Minister, and the Group Ministers, with the number initially set at five."

"The chief minister of the cabinet is in charge of all civil and military officials. He is a first-rank official, equivalent to the prime minister, but his duties are different from those of the prime minister. His position is extremely important and requires a person of high moral character and whom I can trust."

Qin Hao turned his gaze to Dong Sicheng, and said with some sincerity: "Father-in-law, as my father-in-law, your prestige in the court is unmatched."

"After careful consideration, I feel that you are the most suitable candidate to serve as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. What do you think?"

After hearing this, Dong Sicheng had a general understanding of the cabinet system. Ripples appeared in his heart and his complexion improved a lot.

Obviously, Qin Hao's proposal was quite attractive to him.

However, this shrewd "old fox" knew that his excitement at this moment must not be revealed to the outside world.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil. He put on a calm smile and said slowly, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask, who will be the second assistant to the cabinet?"

Seeing that the fish had been hooked, Qin Hao sneered in his heart. He originally thought that Dong Sicheng was very cunning, but he didn't expect that he would succumb to the temptation so quickly.

"The second assistant minister of the cabinet will naturally be recommended by the first assistant minister, and I will make the final decision. I wonder if my father-in-law has any suitable candidate to recommend?" Qin Hao smiled at him lightly, with a hint of amusement in his voice, and asked directly.

The conversation between the two people seems ordinary, but in fact there are undercurrents.

Every word Qin Hao said was intentional, testing Dong Sicheng's ambition.

Dong Sicheng was also trying hard to maintain his composure and not reveal any flaws in front of Qin Hao.

Dong Sicheng asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, what do you think of Minister Su?"

Qin Hao shook his head lightly, a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes, and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Father-in-law, are you testing my bottom line?"

"I have always been frank and open in my actions. I will not hide anything. Su Zhengfang is a thief with evil ambitions. Father and I were almost assassinated by him before. I have not yet settled the score with him."

"Furthermore, I have already obtained some preliminary evidence, which is enough to prove that this person has secretly colluded with the Liao Kingdom and the remnants of the previous dynasty, and did not hesitate to sell out the interests of the country."

"Such a person is worthy of death. Do you think I would be willing to hand over such an important position to such an evil-minded and ambitious person?"

Dong Sicheng pretended to be surprised, with doubt and scrutiny flashing in his eyes. He asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, do you have any solid evidence of Su Zhengfang's treasonous behavior?"

Qin Hao nodded slightly and said solemnly: "This matter is very serious. Apart from you, few people know about it."

"What I am about to say is extremely confidential. I hope you can keep your mouth shut and not leak a single word."

When Dong Sicheng heard this, he immediately regretted his foolish behavior and couldn't help but shudder in his heart.

He took a deep breath, tried to calm the waves in his heart, and answered solemnly: "Your Majesty, I know the importance of this matter very well, and I will keep it a secret. I will never reveal it even if I die."