High Martial Arts Three Kingdoms: The Incompetent Strategist

"Lord Tang!"

Tang Ke vaguely heard Li Jin calling his name. It seemed like nothing serious had happened today. He pulled the blanket tighter, turned over, and prepared to continue his rendezvous with Morpheus.

"Lord Tang! Lord Tang! Get up quickly, something important has happened."

"What big things could happen today since I don't have to attend court? Even if the sky falls, I'm still going to sleep. Don't expect me to go to work on time after I transmigrate!" Tang Ke didn't even lift his eyelids, and even pretended to snore.

Ruyan, who had been standing at the door watching Li Jin call out for a long time without success, said in a sweet voice, "Lord Li, you are too refined. You have to use some tricks on my brother-in-law. Let me do it instead?"

She slowly walked into the room and reached out to lift the blanket that Tang Ke was tightly wrapped around his body from his feet up to his knees.

"you you you……"

Li Jin, who was usually taciturn, was utterly astonished. How could a woman be so bold?

"Do not do anything improper!"

Ruyan ignored his words and instead reached her hand under the covers.

Li Jin stared in disbelief, and could no longer contain himself. He grabbed Ru Yan's hand and said, "Miss, please have some self-respect!"

"Ouch!" Tang Ke, the victim, suddenly cried out in pain. He could no longer pretend to be asleep and jumped out of bed, tears streaming down his face. He shouted with perfect clarity, "Who did this!"

"Sir, are you alright?" Li Jin scratched his head and asked in confusion.

"Nothing? Try having someone pinch your thigh and see what happens?" Tang Ke replied irritably.

Li Jin comforted him, saying, "Lord Tang, it's alright. The pain will pass quickly. Miss Ruyan meant well. Otherwise, you would have missed your time for the inner court."

"The Inner Court?" Feeling Ruyan standing in front of him, and because he was dressed too lightly, Tang Ke slipped back into bed. After thinking for a while, he finally remembered what the Inner Court was.

According to the court system of the Han Dynasty, it was divided into regular court, inner court, and grand court.

The Inner Court was the center of national policy decisions. In addition to the Three Dukes, those who could participate in the Inner Court included the Attendant-in-Ordinary, the Commandant of the Capital Region, and the Commander of the Imperial Guard.

These people were mostly favored by the emperor, mainly serving as attendants to the emperor. They did not belong to the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers system. Their main duties were to participate in discussions of politics, offer advice and suggestions, or serve as advisors to the emperor. The Commandant of the Capital Region and the Commandant of the Imperial Guards were closely related to protecting the capital region and guarding the palace to ensure the emperor's safety.

This was the first time he had been notified to attend the inner court session; something big must have happened!

He didn't care that Ruyan was still in front of him. He kicked the blanket off and looked outside. It was still pitch black, obviously not dawn yet.

After exclaiming, "Even working in ancient times was so inhumane," she began frantically searching for her clothes.

As a modern youth who throws his clothes away to sleep, finding clothes is already difficult enough. On top of that, he has to wear proper court attire to court, which is far more complicated than modern suits and trousers. Tang Ke wished he could have three heads and six arms.

"Let me do it!" Ruyan, who was standing to the side, couldn't bear to watch any longer. She came closer and stretched out her slender hand to help him put on his clothes and fasten the belt. Her movements were skilled and quick, but they made Tang Ke afraid to move. He felt his face burning and his body a little itchy.

"There are just too many court sessions lately," Tang Ke couldn't help but complain, while closing his eyes and cursing the evil feudal society in his heart. What's the point of having morning court sessions? Wouldn't noon or evening court sessions be better?

To have to attend court before dawn, which was practically inhuman for a minister whose house was located in a remote area, meant having to get up at 3:30 in the morning.

Compared to the 9-to-5 work of modern people, this is truly a beast of burden!

By the time I finished getting dressed and washing up, there was no time left for breakfast.

Fortunately, Ruyan had already baked several large pancakes for him. Tang Ke casually handed one to Li Jin, then ate it as he ran, hurrying on horseback to the palace gate.

Unlike regular court sessions, the inner court did not have a fixed location. It depended on where the emperor felt it was convenient to hold discussions and make decisions. This time, the inner court meeting was held in the Xuande Hall.

Emperor Ling of Han sat on the golden dragon throne, while the other officials attending the meeting sat in order below the nine steps. Although not as solemn and majestic as the Jiade Hall, the hierarchy was still clear.

Even within the inner court, Emperor Ling of Han maintained his aloof and superior attitude in the slightest; the allure of power is indeed intoxicating. No wonder heroes and powerful figures throughout history have relentlessly pursued and risked their lives for power!

As Tang Ke sighed inwardly, he observed the other attendees at the court assembly. Grand Commandant Yang Ci, Minister of Works Yuan Wei, Minister of Public Works Zhang Ji, Attendant-in-Ordinary He Jin, Palace Attendant Zhang Rang, and Zhao Zhong were all present.

Feng Xu and Xu Feng, who were always favored, did not appear here.

Tang Ke forced himself to stay alert and listened to their back-and-forth conversation. These people were all in high positions, and their words often had multiple layers of meaning and various metaphors. Tang Ke often didn't understand them, so he could only nod as if he understood and occasionally hum in agreement.

The court sessions in TV dramas are never this complicated. Most of the time, it's just a formality with the phrase "My beloved ministers, if you have something to report, please do so now; otherwise, the court is adjourned." Some emperors even became so engrossed in their harems that they didn't attend court.

In Tang Ke's opinion, Emperor Ling of Han, a notoriously incompetent ruler in history, should not have been very concerned with state affairs, indulging in wine and women all day long and rarely attending court meetings. However, he never missed a court meeting and always attended them very seriously, which can be described as diligence.

The topics discussed at previous court sessions were numerous, including reports of floods and breaches in dikes requiring disaster relief, reports of ineffective policy implementation, and even ministers attacking each other due to mutual dislike...

The censors and officials were divided into several factions, and every time a topic was raised, they would make a great fuss. Some fought over money, some over executive power, and some over official positions. There were also those like Tang Ke who attacked each other over major cases. Whenever interests were involved, they would inevitably argue until they were red in the face.

Today's inner court is completely different. The only topic of discussion is that there are already clear signs that the Taiping Dao followers are about to rebel! How should we deal with this?

The opinions on how to handle the incident were surprisingly unanimous: to crack down hard and suppress it forcefully.

However, a disagreement arose regarding the selection of the person in charge of this matter. Currently, the position of Grand General is vacant, and it is highly likely that the person in charge will be appointed as Grand General.

He Jin naturally coveted this position but was reluctant to recommend himself. Fortunately, the shrewd and perceptive Yang Ci stepped forward to recommend him, arguing that he was a member of the imperial family, capable, and well-liked by the people.

Appointing his brother-in-law as Grand General was clearly a good suggestion, and one that Emperor Ling of Han would be happy to see. Zhang Rang and his group recommended another formidable figure, Huangfu Song, one of the "Three Heroes of the Late Han Dynasty".

The two sides engaged in a heated debate about who was more suitable, arguing fiercely. Tang Ke, sitting at the end of the table, silently watched their verbal sparring without uttering a word.