Chapter 4992: Counterattack
Liu Ji felt that he might have been hearing hallucinations, so he asked Pei Huaijie again to confirm: "What did you pushe just say?"
Pei Huaijie looked indifferent, but said firmly: "No!"
Liu Jie: "..."
Seeing him standing there with a stunned look on his face, Cui Dunli said: "Three to three, half in favor and half against. This matter should be written by the servant and written to your Majesty, please make your decision."
Ma Zhou nodded: "It's my duty."
……
Until everyone dispersed, Liu Jie still didn't come back to his senses. Pei Huaijie had always been under his control, why did he suddenly rebel?
As for the appointment and dismissal of Guangzhou Shipping Department personnel, he would rather lose the vote than lead to a three-on-three stalemate and end up in front of His Majesty. To suppress the military, we must start with the Navy. The best opportunity to suppress the Navy is the Ship Division. Although this matter was authorized by His Majesty, it is difficult to involve His Majesty in it. Once His Majesty directly confronts Fang Jun, it means that the imperial power In a tit-for-tat confrontation with military power, His Majesty has no room for change.
But now we are in trouble. Ma Zhou has written about this matter and submitted it to the emperor. His Majesty can't hide even if he wants to, so he will definitely be angry with him.
After all, when was Pei Huaijie bribed by Fang Jun and betrayed him at the critical moment?
The most terrible thing is that once Pei Huaijie completely stands against him, he will lose control of the political hall and become a prime minister in name only...
Fang Jun is not the prime minister, and he will not even appear in the political hall, but he firmly controls the decision-making power of the political hall. How can this make him, the head of the prime minister, feel embarrassed?
After calming down, he quickly stood up and walked out of the Political Affairs Hall, heading straight for the Wude Hall.
Ma Zhou had already submitted a letter to the emperor at this time. He must go and take over the matter and give His Majesty an excuse to change things, so as to extinguish His Majesty's anger a little...
……
When Ma Zhou arrived at the imperial study, Li Chengqian allowed him to sit down, and asked the waiter to serve tea. He asked with a smile: "It is the first time for all the prime ministers to gather in the political hall to participate in the formulation of national policies and the handling of government affairs. They have no experience before, how do they get along?"< br>
The six prime ministers jointly handle government affairs, each with their own positions and different interests. This indeed greatly disperses the power of the prime ministers, which is of great benefit to the stability of imperial power. However, this also means that the prime ministers can't argue for their own interests, and they may become quarrelsome and quarrelsome. Fight...
Ma Zhou took a sip of tea, stood up, put the documents and memorials he had brought on the imperial case, and said respectfully: "As a minister, it is truly an honor for me to be able to solve problems for His Majesty and assist His Majesty in handling state affairs. Let's gather together." The strengths and weaknesses of each area complement each other, and all are based on His Majesty’s holy will, creating harmony and harmony.”
"These are matters that have been decided in the political hall. Please review them and send them to the provinces for implementation after your Majesty's approval. This memorial is a matter that has not yet been decided. I sincerely request your Majesty's decision."
"Oh?"
Li Chengqian put down his tea cup, picked up the memorial, and asked curiously: "What can trouble the prime ministers and require my judgment?"
The rule of the political hall is that the minority obeys the majority, and most government affairs can be decided by the prime ministers. The reason why the number of prime ministers is an even number is to prevent some military and national affairs from requiring the emperor to make a decision under the checks and balances of the interests of all parties, so as to improve the situation. The imperial authority is strict...but such things are rare, and when they occur, it must be a big deal.
Seeing that His Majesty was already reading the memorial, Ma Zhou narrated the situation at that time and said: "The Guangzhou Shipping Department has just begun to operate. The first batch of commercial taxes has not yet been paid and delivered to Beijing. All colleagues suggested to the Secretary-General that he should be replaced. There were different opinions on the appointment and dismissal of officials, and they had to vote in the end. However, the six prime ministers each had their own differences and were at loggerheads, so they could only ask His Majesty for a ruling."
Li Chengqian paused slightly while holding the memorial, and the smile on his face was a little stiff, but he returned to normal in an instant and said softly: "It is indeed difficult to make a decision."
I was already very dissatisfied.
The Political Affairs Hall was where the imperial government made decisions, so it naturally could not be Liu Ji's say. However, in order to suppress the military on policy, he personally summoned Tang Jian to give hints and persuade Tang Jian to cooperate with Liu Ji on certain matters. , in order to control the political affairs hall.
But now Liu Jie has lost control of the political hall without being able to personally help him?
This is simply unreasonable.
He turned to the end of the memorial and carefully looked at the opinions of the prime ministers on the display. At a glance, the "No" after Pei Huaijie's name was very eye-catching...
"Okay, this is a big matter. Since even the prime ministers can't make a decision, I have to think about the pros and cons. Let's leave it here for the time being. I will implement it after I make a decision."
"Here. There are still matters in the government office that need to be dealt with urgently, so I will retire for the time being."
Ma Zhou did not emphasize the pros and cons of this matter. He was not Wei Zheng, and the emperor had to act according to his wishes in everything. He was just a firm executor. As long as the court formulated a policy, he would unswervingly follow it.
As for the rest, I don't care at all.
……
Ma Zhou left, and soon Liu Ji entered.
"I have betrayed your Majesty's respect. Please punish me."
Liu Jie did not defend himself. He bowed his arms to the ground and frankly admitted his fault.
Li Chengqian frowned and was noncommittal. He pondered for a while and asked, "What happened?"
Liu Jie did not dare to hide anything, so he briefly described the words of everyone in the political hall. At the end, his face was both ashamed and angry: "I failed to predict that Pei Huaijie would betray him before the battle, resulting in a failure of his achievements, and also involving his majesty. I really deserve it." Ten thousand deaths.”
This matter needs to be decided by Li Chengqian. Whether it is approved or rejected, it is very inappropriate.
If the ruling is passed, it means that he, the emperor, is directly confronting the military, and there is no room for change between him and Fang Jun and Li Ji. The direct collision between imperial power and military power will produce countless unpredictable consequences, including political turmoil and social instability. The consequences are endless.
If the ruling is rejected, it will cause Liu Jie's prestige in the political hall to be lost. He does not have the absolute authority to take charge of Bai Kui, and it will be even more difficult in the future. You can't always need the emperor's support for everything, right?
Therefore, Liu Ji would rather be dismissed on the spot in the political hall than bring the matter to His Majesty...
The expected thunderous fury did not appear. Li Chengqian frowned and asked in confusion: "What happened to Pei Huaijie?"
Liu Jie was ashamed: "I... don't know."
Regardless of whether you are a minister or a subordinate, it is common for you to make mistakes, but the most disappointing thing is not how you make a mistake, but not knowing where the mistake is...
Li Chengqian looked gloomy and said to Wang De, who was standing at the door: "It is said that Li Junxian has come to see you."
"Here."
Wang De left quickly.
Li Chengqian then waved his hand to Liu Ji and said warmly: "People make mistakes and horses make mistakes. It is inevitable to make mistakes. It is good to be able to recognize your mistakes and correct them."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty!"
Liu Jie burst into tears of gratitude before taking his seat again.
Li Chengqian put the memorial aside, picked up the government affairs that Ma Zhou had just delivered, and reviewed them one by one. During this period, he kept asking Liu Ji for his opinions. The atmosphere was very harmonious, and it felt like a monarch and his ministers got along well with each other.
Soon, Li Junxian came in to see him.
Li Chengqian was at his desk reviewing the memorials, and asked seemingly casually: "Can the Duke of Yue be in the mansion today?"
Li Junxian said respectfully: "I am not in the mansion. After returning to the city from Zhaoling, I went to stay at the residence of Queen Seondeok in Furong Garden."
Today, in addition to being responsible for the security of the king's entry and exit from the palace, the "Hundred Cavalry Division" has intensified its efforts to monitor hundreds of officials in the court and public opinion in the capital, especially for some ministers who His Majesty pays special attention to. It is to know its whereabouts thoroughly.
But it has already deviated from the original intention of Emperor Taizong to create the "Baiqisi"...
"Oh, the Duke of Yue is a romantic seed. I heard that Queen Shande slept with her as a virgin, and now she has become pregnant?"
Liu Jie said with a smile.
Li Junxian glanced at him and said calmly: "This is the private matter of the Duke of Yue and will never be known to the general public."
He did obey His Majesty's orders to supervise the officials, but he did not dare to have a bottom line. He never inquired into the private affairs of ministers, not to mention that even if he knew, he would never tell anyone.
Li Chengqian put down his brush, rubbed his wrist, ignored Liu Ji, and asked: "Has the Duke of Yue been in contact with Pei Huaijie in the past two days?"
Li Junxian thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I never found it."
I wonder in my heart that those two people had a bad fight in Luoyang, which directly led to the dismissal of Henan Yin, who had been running Pei Huaijie for many years, and had to return to Chang'an in despair. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are enemies, so how can they communicate with each other?
"Pay more attention to Pei Huaijie from now on, and step aside first."
"Here."
When Li Junxian left, Li Chengqian stood up, put his hands behind his hands and walked out, standing in front of the window and looking at the withered flowers and trees in the courtyard: "Could it be that Pei Huaijie made his own decision and used this as a sign of surrender? ”
Liu Jie did not dare to conclude: "How could he act so recklessly without the permission of the Duke of Yue? If he failed to take refuge, wouldn't he be stealing chickens and losing rice, cutting off his own retreat? Besides, even if he took refuge there, he would not be able to do so. You must shop around to see which one offers more benefits.”
Li Chengqian was a little speechless: "What's the point of comparing? He returned to Chang'an and directly joined you. Even though he has a high position, he can bow down and be humble. However, you let him work as a commission worker and didn't give you any benefits. You can't blame him for waiting for a price. Switch camps.”
Liu Ji smiled awkwardly and whispered: "I don't know whether he is loyal or not. After all, he colluded with aristocratic families in Henan to undermine His Majesty's national policies. It is unknown what his intentions are. Now it seems that he may have already been secretly with him. The Duke of Yue reached a tacit understanding and deliberately joined his subordinates, waiting for a counterattack at the critical moment. ”
As he said this, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed possible.
How could he recommend Pei Huaijie to His Majesty if he had not directly joined him after returning to Beijing? Not to mention that he could not go straight into the political hall and be sent to become prime minister by "Tong Zhongshu's Ping Zhangshi". There was no merit at all, so Qingyun went straight into the center. I'm afraid it was a counter-intuitive move...