Chapter 1546: Dismissing Two Meritorious Aristocrats

"What are these people trying to do? They come to me over every trivial, petty piece of business—do they think I have nothing better to do?" Inside Chongzheng Hall, Emperor Liu, his face flushed with anger, swept the two stacks of memorials piled on the imperial desk to the floor. He had shoved them with such force that some even fell to the ground, their white inner pages densely covered with writing.

These memorials had all been organized by Lü Yin before being submitted for Emperor Liu's review, and from these documents coming from the various ministries and bureaus, one could see just how busy Emperor Liu had been lately, and what direction the wind was blowing in the court.

Seeing Emperor Liu's visible irritability, Lü Yin kept his head slightly lowered and said nothing, merely bending down himself to pick up the memorials scattered on the floor. Yan Tuo, standing nearby, saw this and stepped forward to help as well.

After tidying up and restoring the memorials to their original arrangement, Lü Yin unhurriedly clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, though state affairs may be tedious, how can any of them be called trivial? Every single memorial is a matter of great importance to the court, bearing on the nation's welfare and the people's livelihood. I beg Your Majesty to consider this!"

Hearing this, Emperor Liu immediately wanted to snap back, but noticing Lü Yin's composed and unyielding demeanor, he forcibly restrained himself.

How to put it—Lü Yin's current position as Grand Academician of the Inner Cabinet was not a favor bestowed by Emperor Liu, but rather someone he had actively recruited. Originally, by Lü Yin's own thinking, he had not intended to accept the appointment, and had even planned to resign from the post of Governor of Kaifeng.

Not out of fear of suspicion or anything of the sort, but because he felt himself advanced in years and failing in health. It was only because Emperor Liu insisted, repeatedly summoning him for talks, that Lü Yin had reluctantly agreed to take over from Li Fang.

As the saying goes, those without desires are fearless. Under such circumstances, whether speaking or acting, Lü Yin naturally adhered to his own principles and followed the court's established regulations.

Emperor Liu understood this as well, and naturally could not vent this groundless anger on Lü Yin, lest the old fellow throw up his hands and quit. Though Emperor Liu could never be constrained by a mere minister, even a powerful one, he still had to show some respect to a righteous and capable official like Lü Yin—and of course, to avoid some unnecessary trouble.

Calming his mood, Emperor Liu pointed at the memorials on the imperial desk and said, "It's not that I look down on or neglect these state affairs, but I cannot help but ponder the intentions behind these ministers' memorials!

If everything is submitted to my desk, then what are Zhao Pu and the others doing? Is the Hall of State Affairs just for show? And how are the chancellors supposed to feel? Behind all this eager memorializing, how many people's minds are truly on these matters!"

Lü Yin was no ordinary man, and of course understood what Emperor Liu was getting at. However, he did not feel it appropriate to rashly offer his own views on the matter. Having spent many years serving in the provinces, he had no deep understanding of the struggles at the court's center, but even the mere rumors he had heard were enough to make him adopt a cautious attitude.

On one side was the scholar-official faction represented by Zhao Pu; on the other, the meritorious aristocrats who occupied numerous key positions in military and political affairs. Though this was only a rough division of the court's internal factions, the infighting had indeed long revolved around the collision between these two sides.

And recently, it was clearly the meritorious aristocrats who had begun to make their move, and their target was unquestionably Zhao Pu. As for Emperor Liu's "diligence in governance," that was merely a pretext.

Casually picking up a memorial from the top, Emperor Liu flipped through it for a moment, then shook it in his hand and tossed it back onto the desk, saying, "What is this Pan Mei doing, joining in the commotion? Soldiers' pay distribution and autumn uniform replacement—he needs to ask me about this too? He's been Minister of War for so long, and can't even handle such a small matter without a special request?

Why hasn't he been this proactive in past years? Is Zhao Pu not approving it? Is the Finance Commission not releasing funds? Or has he lost the ability to command the staff of the Ministry of War?"

No one could answer this string of nearly devastating questions from Emperor Liu, but it was clear that he was deeply dissatisfied with the undercurrents and abnormal atmosphere that had been stirring in the court lately.

His gaze indifferent, Emperor Liu shifted his eyes from the memorials to Lü Yin and raised a finger in instruction: "You personally draft an edict—remove Pan Mei from the post of Minister of War and transfer him to serve as Patrol Inspector of Yunqian."

Hearing this edict, Lü Yin felt a start of surprise. He truly had not expected that over such a "trivial, petty" matter, Emperor Liu would actually entertain the notion of replacing Pan Mei.

Who was Pan Mei? Duke of Fanyang, Minister of War—a meritorious aristocrat of real power who ranked among the top in the court. His current position had been earned through blood and steel, and more importantly, he had always enjoyed Emperor Liu's deep trust in the past.

In past years, among the many young generals and commanders of the Great Han, in terms of imperial favor, perhaps only Yang Ye could surpass Pan Mei. Yet even so, Emperor Liu was stripping him of his post at a word—the moment the thought arose, he had Lü Yin draft the edict.

At this, while Lü Yin's heart was shaken, he could not help but speculate: was this an emotional decision made in a fit of imperial rage, or something long planned?

If the former, then the current emperor was far too capricious, and Pan Mei terribly unlucky to have happened to provoke the emperor's wrath. If the latter, then it was not without reason—Pan Mei had indeed served in the post of Minister of War for quite a long time, and a reassignment would be normal. However, being suddenly dispatched to the southwest all at once would be no small blow to Pan Mei.

Hesitating slightly, Lü Yin still took the initiative to speak: "Your Majesty, is this transfer not too hasty? Minister Pan is after all a meritorious servant of the state and a weighty minister of the court. To replace him so abruptly, the impact..."

Glancing at Lü Yin, Emperor Liu no longer bothered with courtesy and shot back: "What, in the court of today, can I not even make the decision to replace a minister of a ministry?"

"This old minister means nothing of the sort!" Facing Emperor Liu's gaze, Lü Yin was startled and quickly expressed.

Emperor Liu continued: "Tell Pan Mei that the southwest region has been unstable lately. Since he can't handle the affairs of the Ministry of War well, let him go pacify the borderlands! It's not as if even his ability to command troops has deteriorated, has it?"

"Yes!" Lü Yin sighed inwardly.

Emperor Liu was not done, continuing his instructions: "Also, draft another edict—transfer Shi Shouxin to the northwest to replace Guo Jin and suppress the region.

These years, he's had it far too comfortable as Commissioner of Military Affairs. Everything has been Cao Bin doing the worrying and the labor, without proper title or justification. It's only right to put him in the proper position.

As for Shi Shouxin—young as he is, how can he idle away in the capital like a retiree? Send him out to lead troops for me!"

Another major move—another Commandery Duke of the court, a general of illustrious merit, and the position in question was Shi Shouxin's, who oversaw the military affairs of the Bureau of Military Affairs. With Pan Mei as precedent, Lü Yin raised no further objection, and at the same time confirmed in his heart that such adjustments were by no means a decision made on imperial whim, but something long planned.

Yet to strip the real power of two Commandery Dukes at once, removing them from the center of power—such a move was already enough to shake the court. In an environment where Dukes were gradually dying out or retreating behind the scenes, Commandery Dukes had become the pillars of the meritorious aristocrats in the court.

Though Pan Mei and Shi Shouxin could not fully represent the meritorious aristocrat faction, in terms of identity and class, many people would instinctively categorize them as such.

And Emperor Liu's act of dismissing both, without question, sent a message to the outside world: Emperor Liu was dissatisfied with the recent maneuvers of the meritorious aristocrats.

As for what impact this matter would have on the court, Lü Yin could not yet know or predict, but one thing he was certain of: the recent rumors that Zhao Pu's position as chancellor was unstable were merely rumors—Zhao Pu's career as chancellor would continue.

And Emperor Liu's next words seemed to corroborate this. Pointing at the pile of memorials on the imperial desk, he instructed: "Transfer these memorials to the Hall of State Affairs and let Zhao Pu handle them! Also, regarding the selection of the new Minister of War, have him consult with the Crown Prince and the various chancellors!"

"Yes!"

To say that Emperor Liu harbored no suspicion of Zhao Pu whatsoever would obviously be impossible. Over the past years, faced with all sorts of criticism directed at Zhao Pu, he had been influenced to some degree.

In particular, the accusations that Zhao Pu monopolized power, accumulated authority, and cultivated a private faction—these had caught Emperor Liu's attention, and he had at one point intended to suppress Zhao Pu's influence.

Among all the successive Chief Chancellors, Zhao Pu wielded the greatest real power. This was partly due to Zhao Pu's governing ability, but mainly it stemmed from Emperor Liu's delegation of authority.

However, though Emperor Liu had delegated power, the challenges Zhao Pu faced were by no means small. In the Hall of State Affairs, there was the Crown Prince overseeing the state and participating in governance; in the various ministries and bureaus, there were several Princes and imperial relatives; and among the senior officials, there was Song Qi before and Wang Qiwu after—all of these served as checks on him.

As for the restrictions on the meritorious aristocrats, whether stemming from his own governing policies or driven and guided by Emperor Liu, they had caused Zhao Pu to lose the support of the vast majority of the nobility.

Taking all these factors together, Zhao Pu's position as chancellor could by no means be called stable. If Emperor Liu merely hinted at his displeasure, there would be no shortage of people eager to pounce and topple him.

In terms of real power, Zhao Pu indeed had no small amount, but to say he monopolized all authority would clearly be doing him an injustice. There were too many constraints from above and below—he simply had little room to overstep.

Originally, Emperor Liu had felt that after all these years, combined with the restrictions and crackdowns on the meritorious aristocrats following the Huazhou riverworks corruption case, the influence and strength of the aristocrat faction had already contracted, and the bureaucrat faction led by Zhao Pu had been able to suppress them.

But judging by the waves stirred up by Emperor Liu's sudden intervention in court affairs this time, it was clear that the influence of the Great Han's meritorious aristocrats over the court was not so easily eliminated. In the past, they had merely been lying low; at the slightest hint of opportunity, they could rise with the wind.

In light of this, Zhao Pu would have to continue serving as chancellor.

As for dismissing Pan Mei and Shi Shouxin, that was merely a statement of political attitude. Once these two were sent out, how many meritorious aristocrats with real power would remain within the court?

The middle ranks went without saying—among the sons of meritorious aristocrats, they were countless. But at the upper levels, especially positions close to the center of power, one could count them on one's fingers. And most, like Yang Ye, Gao Huaide, Wang Quanbin, Murong Chengtai, Zhao Yanjin, and An Shouzhong, though their influence was considerable, were mostly confined to the military, and their backgrounds were also complex.

Those who truly still held real power and exerted influence in court affairs were, by and large, only Cao Bin, who had been properly installed in his position, and Zhao Kuangzan, who oversaw the Court of Border Affairs.