Huangji Hall.
Xiao Wenyi was discussing the suppression of the Dongshan banditry with the court officials.
The Minister of War, Zuo Li, said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Tongzhou Garrison Commander, Lu Wei, has been immersed in the art of war for years and is exceptionally brave! If he is placed in charge of one thousand elite troops from the Capital Garrison, supplemented by three thousand soldiers from the Military Preparedness Circuit, the minor Dongshan banditry will surely be easily suppressed!"
Grand Secretary Wen Zhirong said, "Your Majesty, this old subject believes that the Dongshan banditry has been suppressed repeatedly without success, which must mean there are hidden circumstances unknown to us! Suppressing bandits is one thing, but if we want to eradicate the Dongshan banditry, we must first understand why bandits have appeared in Dongshan year after year!"
"Is it the common people turning to banditry? Or are bandits from other places fleeing to Dongshan? Regardless of the reason, we should get to the root of the matter, rather than just focusing on simple suppression!"
In the imperial court, half of the officials agreed with Wen Zhirong's view, while the other half believed that suppression was just suppression and there was no need to find any root cause.
"Your Majesty, there are too many greedy people in this world; it is not strange for them to turn to banditry when life does not go their way. I believe the top priority is to suppress the bandits and protect the peace of the local people!"
Xiao Wenyi listened in silence, neither expressing an opinion nor speaking, just quietly watching the group of them argue.
Suddenly, a clear and upright voice rose above the noisy crowd: "Lord Zuo, you have been recommending Commander Lu Wei; does this have anything to do with Commander Lu's identity?"
The one speaking was the Minister of Personnel, Zhang Cheng. As soon as these words were spoken, a moment of silence fell over the court.
Zuo Li's expression turned ugly, his face suppressed with a hint of anger. "Zhang Cheng, what do you mean by that? Are you suspecting me of favoritism?"
"Whether there is favoritism or not, I do not know. I only know that Lu Wei holds a mere sinecure in the military and has never actually led troops in battle!"
"The bravery and combat skill you speak of do not seem to exist!"
Zuo Li's face turned pale, and he said coldly, "Zhang Cheng, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
"This subordinate is not spouting nonsense! I serve in the Ministry of Personnel; while I may not know everything about the officials in the capital, I have at least seventy or eighty percent understanding!"
"Lu Wei is the husband of Nanny Rong Gu, who serves the Empress, and he has close ties to the family of the Empress's maternal clan, Elder Jiang! And Lord Zuo, you happen to be a student of Elder Jiang..."
"With so many coincidences, I cannot help but suspect the true intention behind Lord Zuo's recommendation of Lu Wei!"
After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, the entire court was deathly silent. Everyone's gaze turned to the old man standing at the very front, dressed in scarlet official robes.
Elder Jiang, Jiang Yuntian, a veteran official of three reigns!
In the entire imperial court, if one were to ask who was the most untouchable, there would be no one other than Jiang Yuntian!
And this Zhang Cheng, Lord Zhang, actually dared to say such things to Elder Jiang in front of the Emperor and all the officials!
He was either tired of living, or he was tired of living!
"Presumptuous!!" Zuo Li's face turned white, fearing he had brought trouble to his teacher. "Zhang Cheng, how dare you slander Elder Jiang like this! Elder Jiang is loyal to the country and upright his entire life; how can you allow yourself to make such false accusations!!"
At this point, Xiao Wenyi finally had a reaction.
He looked at Zhang Cheng, who was full of righteousness and fearlessness, and said indifferently, "You are the newly appointed Minister of Personnel?"
Hearing the question, Zhang Cheng hurriedly stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, your humble servant is Zhang Cheng. Previously, I was a Director in the Bureau of Appointments. Thanks to Your Majesty's trust, I was promoted to the position of Minister of Personnel."
Xiao Wenyi nodded. "I heard that when you were a Director in the Bureau of Appointments, you handled your duties well, which is why Grand Secretary Wen strongly recommended you as the new Minister of Personnel."
A look of obvious surprise appeared on Zhang Cheng's face; he seemed unaware that he had been recommended by Wen Zhirong.
Seeing this, Xiao Wenyi continued to ask, "Then how do you think the Dongshan banditry should be handled? If we are to suppress the bandits, who should go?"
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After the court session, Cheng Fang walked beside Xiao Wenyi and smiled slightly, "Your Majesty seems to like that Lord Zhang very much!"
The smile on the corner of Xiao Wenyi's mouth never faded. He nodded and said, "This Zhang Cheng is not bad! He has a kind of honest, tiger-like spirit; he is a rare, fresh talent in this court."
Thinking of Jiang Yuntian's stiff old face, Xiao Wenyi couldn't help but want to laugh. "I'm afraid that in all his years as an official, Elder Jiang has never been pointed at and scolded like that before!"
Cheng Fang replied in a low voice, "Indeed, he has great courage!"
Most of the officials in the court were terrified by him! Yet he himself was completely oblivious!
Xiao Wenyi chuckled, seemingly agreeing with the statement.
Seeing this, Cheng Fang's lowered eyes flickered, and he hesitated before saying, "It's just that Lord Zhang has no filter on his mouth... I fear he will suffer in the future."
Xiao Wenyi stopped in his tracks and stared at him.
Cheng Fang hurriedly lowered his head and bowed, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant spoke out of turn!"
Xiao Wenyi withdrew his gaze, continued walking, and said, "You didn't speak out of turn; you reminded me!"
"Go, tell Zhang Cheng to see me in the Imperial Study this afternoon."
Cheng Fang hurriedly responded, "Yes!"
After walking out of the Taiji Gate, Cheng Qi hurried over and knelt down, "Your Majesty, something has happened with Consort Zhang!!"
When Xiao Wenyi heard the words "Consort Zhang," his expression turned noticeably colder.
He was already dissatisfied with Zhang Wanrou for the mistake he had made last night, and hearing this now, he only felt an indescribable irritation in his heart.
"Something happened again? None of the other imperial concubines have issues, why is it that she has one thing after another?"
Cheng Fang noticed the change in Xiao Wenyi's mood and quickly gave Cheng Qi a look, signaling him not to say anything more.
Cheng Qi received the order; although he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, he had to obey his godfather's command.
Xiao Wenyi returned to the Imperial Study, wrote an Imperial Edict, and after stamping it with the imperial seal, set it aside.
Afterward, he looked at other memorials.
Some were about the prosperity of the golden age, while others were crying poverty, claiming that certain places had suffered natural disasters and requesting the imperial court to allocate funds for disaster relief.
Every day it was the same thing; he was truly tired of reading them!
He tossed the memorial aside and happened to see Sanxi pacing anxiously at the entrance of the Imperial Study.
He sighed helplessly and said, "Let Sanxi come in!"
He was making people dizzy!
As soon as Sanxi received the order, he hurried in and knelt down, "Reporting to Your Majesty, news has come from the Harem that the Empress has punished Consort Zhang by making her kneel for an hour and a half for the crime of 'bewitching the monarch'!"
"Consort Zhang's body couldn't take it, and she fainted!"
When Xiao Wenyi heard this, his tea-drinking motion paused slightly. A flash of worry crossed his eyes, but he quickly forced it down.
"That yatou, it is time for the Empress to teach her some rules! It's just kneeling, it's no big deal!"
If she hadn't provoked him yesterday, how could he have lost control and done such a foolish thing?
Sanxi hurriedly added, "Your Majesty, after Consort Zhang fainted, someone from the Empress Dowager's palace came and, and they have taken Consort Zhang to the punishment bench to be given thirty great boards!"
Xiao Wenyi continued to drink his tea, but he was so shocked by Sanxi's words that he stood up directly. "What?!"
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