The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 300 - 141 The Emperor’s Thoughts (Please Subscribe)

Chapter 300: Chapter 141 The Emperor’s Thoughts (Please Subscribe)

"Alright."

The Grand Secretary seemed to have no reaction to Xie Quan’s bold statement.

Xie Quan was not surprised by this at all and slowly stood up. This is how he was, straightforward and blunt. If he did not recommend Xu Qing to the Grand Secretary and spoke of Xu Qing’s merits, it would not be in his style. Conversely, it might give the Grand Secretary a reason to question him about Xu Qing’s affairs.

His approach would naturally make the Grand Secretary skim over the matter.

The people of the world, no matter how smart they are, will have traces of fixed patterns in what they do for a long time.

This is true for the Grand Secretary, and so is it for the Emperor.

Even Xu Qing’s thoughts are quite predictable. He likes to focus on the core essence of the problem, selecting the aspects that are beneficial to himself, and also seem beneficial to others, like controlling water, adept at riding the momentum.

Or to say, people like Xu Qing are like water themselves.

When they encounter mountains, they go around; when they face great rivers, they find ways to join in, always following a gentle and persistent approach, thus cultivating an overwhelming and unstoppable momentum.

The Grand Secretary is different; he is like a towering, tenacious mountain, wielding the indomitable Taia Divine Sword.

This is also the difference in status between the two.

Xie Quan’s thoughts flashed quickly, and he took out two petitions from Feng Xun’an.

One was to impeach the officials of South Zhili from top to bottom.

The other was to volunteer to stabilize the situation in Southeast for the Court.

The Grand Secretary read both petitions very carefully, and after a long time, he said, "Feng Xifeng could not have done this. It must be Xu Gongming’s handiwork."

Xie Quan nodded, "Grandpa Taia sees clearly without fault."

The words he had said to Feng Xifeng earlier were naturally an intentional joke; in reality, this style could easily be guessed as Xu Qing’s handiwork.

The Grand Secretary said, "I am aware of the matter now. You should focus on preparing for the Imperial Examination and limit your outings."

"Understood." Xie Quan breathed a sigh of relief, knowing in his heart that this matter was settled.

...

Xie Quan had rushed over all the way, arriving only one day later than the urgent eight-hundred-li express received by the Court.

Yesterday, a group of senior officials knelt outside the Longevity Palace all night.

The Emperor was very angry, not only smashing many things but also confessing in front of Grand Ancestor Emperor’s spirit tablet for a full hour, crying with great sorrow.

He cried for an hour, and the group of senior officials followed suit by crying all night.

The Grand Secretary did not go; he was busy all night.

He did not rest during the day either, continuing to deal with official duties.

Xie Quan’s arrival was timely.

The Grand Secretary, clasping the two petitions from Feng Xun’an, went to the Longevity Palace.

Seeing the Grand Secretary appearing, the group of senior officials looked at him as if they had seen a savior.

The Grand Secretary glanced at the nobles, then said to the eunuch guarding the door, "Eunuch Zhao, please announce my arrival."

The eunuch responded immediately and entered the hall.

Soon after, a heavy sound of the sacred bell rang from within the hall.

The messenger eunuch came out, "Mr. Zhang, His Majesty allows everyone to enter."

The officials felt as if they were granted amnesty and followed the Grand Secretary into the palace in succession.

"Having witnessed Our anger for a day, you all must be tired," said the Emperor, his voice drifting to the officials’ ears.

"Your subjects deserve death."

The Emperor waved his sleeve impatiently and said, "Throughout this day, you should have been pondering this matter, and I too have been thinking over it. Since we have all thought for so long, you tell me, what exactly should be done about this?"

The senior officials all looked towards the Grand Secretary.

The Grand Secretary said, "Your servant believes that this matter targets the ’land survey’."

The officials bowed their heads.

The Emperor sneered, "The Court has just started the ’land survey’, and before its implementation, they dare to create unrest in the Southeast. If We decide to have the officials and gentry serve and pay grain as one, are they going to fight their way here?"

The officials busily kowtowed like pounding garlic, not daring to reply.

The Emperor glanced at them and slowly said, "Stop kowtowing; it’s annoying to look at. Speak, how should this be handled? Wang Gong, you are the Minister of the Ministry of Justice and also from South Zhili; tell Us, how should this matter be addressed?"

Wang Gong hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, your servant believes that a thorough investigation is necessary, and severe punishment must be meted out to those behind the scenes."

The rest of the officials, seeing Wang Gong, a leading figure from the South Zhili faction, making such a statement, naturally felt relieved and hastened to agree.

"Mr. Zhang, now that we have decided to conduct a thorough investigation, who should we send?"

The Grand Secretary said, "Your Majesty, while the investigation must be thorough, the unrest in the Southeast cannot linger for too long, for there lies the risk of destabilizing the state. Your servant suggests that first we should appoint an imperial envoy to preside over the Southeast, quell the rebellion, and then conduct a thorough investigation of the masterminds behind it."

The Emperor asked, "Who in the Court is suitable?"

The Grand Secretary said, "If we were to send an imperial envoy from Central, the procession and pomp will take too long, and first, it may provoke widespread controversy; second, if the bandits’ audacity knows no bounds and they attack the envoy. Therefore, it is best to directly appoint an imperial envoy in South Zhili."

"Wise words from the experienced Mr. Zhang. Mr. Liang is still in South Zhili and has not returned; perhaps we can ask him to step in," Wang Gong suggested.

The Grand Secretary shook his head, "I have already received the news of Mr. Liang’s return journey, and he is taking the sea route. Commanding his return now is firstly difficult to coordinate, and secondly, the return journey carries risks. Apart from that, once Mr. Liang returns to the capital, it would be ideal for His Majesty to consult with him about South Zhili affairs. The most important point is that Mr. Liang’s status is too high; as an imperial envoy, it may drive the people behind to desperation, to the point of acting rashly in their panic. Therefore, the choice of imperial envoy should not be someone with too high a position, nor should they be too involved with the gentry and nobles of South Zhili."

The Emperor then asked, "Mr. Zhang, are you suggesting you already have someone in mind?"

The Grand Secretary then took out Feng Xun’an’s petition, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the petition from the Imperial Censor Feng Xifeng, impeaching the officials of South Zhili."

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