Chapter 1714: Of the Six Ministries, he controls three; he cannot have fewer!

Sun Daoning drank half a bowl of tea, his mood slightly heavy.

He stared at Chen Guanlou, "You hit the nail on the head. Among the nine members of the Secretariat, if the Emperor wants to seize power, getting rid of me is the most convenient and easiest thing to do. My current situation is precarious; I could be kicked out of the Secretariat at any moment. Once I leave the Secretariat, I can only retire and spend my old age. The Minister of Justice must enter the Secretariat; that is the rule!"

Chen Guanlou nodded; the Great Ming has its own set of well-functioning systems.

The Minister of Personnel does not enter the Secretariat, and everyone understands the reason.

The other five Ministers must enter the Secretariat.

In the past, the Ministry of Works was the weakest, and the Ministry of Rites was the most powerful.

Now, the Ministry of Justice is the weakest, being beaten by the wealthy Ministry of Works.

One can only blame the fact that the Ministry of Justice is like a foot-washing maid, and with other judicial offices holding it back, the dignified Ministry of Justice cannot become the sole power in the judicial field.

If one cannot be the sole power, one cannot avoid being beaten.

Furthermore, Sun Daoning is not a strong person, so it is understandable that the Ministry of Justice has been marginalized. Sun Daoning's own situation in the Secretariat is also like the Ministry of Justice's situation among the Six Ministries—marginalized.

It's normal for a marginalized Secretariat minister to be gotten rid of, right?

Emperor Yuanding has exactly this line of thinking: he must get rid of Sun Daoning and replace him with his own people. If there is an opportunity, he will even replace the officials of the Ministry of Justice.

If it weren't for Xie Changling wanting to challenge Emperor Yuanding, Sun Daoning would have already slunk away and gone home to fend for himself by now.

"What do you think of the Prince Shuncheng case?" Sun Daoning suddenly changed the subject.

Chen Guanlou was stunned, "I sit and watch! Does it have anything to do with your situation?"

"It does!" Sun Daoning lowered his voice and whispered, "I have found out through various channels that Prince Shuncheng was framed, and everyone around him was bought off. The Emperor's way of eating is too ugly; he isn't even pretending. I questioned the Emperor to his face before, which angered him, and he dislikes me even more now!"

"Why did you question him?" Chen Guanlou didn't understand, "The imperial brothers are killing each other; why would you, an outsider, question it?"

Sun Daoning felt awkward and was embarrassed to explain.

Under Chen Guanlou's piercing gaze, he finally said, "I was just hot-headed at the time and wanted to give it a try."

Chen Guanlou chuckled twice upon hearing this.

"Did you get any results from that struggle?"

"There really were!" Sun Daoning became excited when talking about this, "I thought I was dead for sure, but because of that struggle, Minister Xie has been intentionally or unintentionally trying to protect me during this time, not letting the Emperor succeed."

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow, half-believing.

"The more I ponder, the clearer my mind becomes. In the past, I was narrow-minded, blindly seeking stability, which is certainly reassuring. However, in the current life-and-death situation, appropriate radicalism is still very necessary."

Chen Guanlou said "Oh," indicating he understood.

"Is this what you call enlightenment?"

"For me, this is already a huge improvement, comparable to enlightenment. Moreover, I have also prepared for failure. If Minister Xie cannot protect me, no matter the final result, I can accept it calmly."

Having said this, Sun Daoning sighed, followed by a self-deprecating smile.

Chen Guanlou observed his brows and eyes and found no signs of distress; it was indeed a sign that he had thought things through.

"It is best that you can see through it! However, you might not lose!"

"What do you mean by that?" Sun Daoning wasn't excited; he was convinced the other party was just comforting him.

The Emperor is coming aggressively and vows not to stop.

The Secretariat will definitely change, and the court structure will change accordingly. It is not something Xie Changling can stop.

The royalist faction is shouting slogans outside, and their momentum is great. Moreover, they occupy the orthodoxy! This is the most critical point.

"The Emperor holds the Brocade Uniform Guard in his hand, and the Dali Temple is not very clean. I'm not wrong in saying that, right?" Chen Guanlou asked in return.

Sun Daoning nodded in agreement; the Dali Temple is indeed not very clean and is a bit of a fence-sitter. Most of the time, it leans toward the Emperor. Especially in the last two years, with the royalist faction making such a fuss, the Dali Temple's attitude has become increasingly vague.

Chen Guanlou picked up a teacup and placed it heavily on the table, emphasizing: "Judicial power must be held in one's own hands! No Prime Minister would sit by and watch the loss of judicial power. The Ministry of Justice is the most legitimate and best judicial force.

If you are replaced, it means the Minister of Justice must be replaced, and it means the entire Ministry of Justice must be reshuffled. In the current situation, Xie Changling cannot afford that.

Xie Changling wants personnel power, and the Ministry of Personnel is in his hands. He wants financial power, and the Ministry of Revenue is in his hands. He wants judicial power, and the Ministry of Justice must also be in his hands.

As for military power, he makes appropriate concessions and does not interfere; this is the safest approach. As for the Ministry of Rites, it has always been a battlefield for both sides, tearing at each other. Analyze it yourself: is Xie Changling willing to give up judicial power?

Of the Six Ministries, he controls three. If he gives up the Ministry of Justice, he only has two left; how can he fight? Without judicial power in hand, it is equivalent to entrusting one's life to others. Who wouldn't panic?"

Sun Daoning was left speechless upon hearing this.

One could analyze it from this perspective too.

He frowned and pondered, considering it carefully.

"Following your line of thinking, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Justice are things Minister Xie will definitely hold firmly in his hands and never entrust to others?"

Is that so?

He pondered what Xie Changling had done over the years, and it seemed, indeed, that he was acting according to this line of thinking. Military power can be negotiated, financial distribution can be negotiated, and even the imperial examinations can be negotiated, but when it comes to true core interests, there is no room for negotiation.

People in the court often subconsciously ignore judicial power. After all, the Ministry of Justice is weak and not valued. However, over the years, despite the disturbances, the Ministry of Justice has always been the most stable office, bar none! Other offices are alarmed three times a day, changing five, six, seven, or eight Vice Ministers and Ministers in ten years, but only in the Ministry of Justice has he, this Minister, sat firmly for over a decade without moving.

That this stability has not caused controversy shows that it must be Xie Changling's credit.

Chen Guanlou patiently explained and analyzed for Sun Daoning, "It is hard to get involved in the Ministry of War, as it easily invites the Emperor's suspicion. The Ministry of Works is the Emperor's purse, so there is no need to fight the Emperor for it. As for the Ministry of Rites, it has always been a slaughterhouse; everyone relies on their own abilities—either the east wind overwhelms the west wind, or the west wind overwhelms the east wind.

Old Sun, you just underestimate yourself too much, and you underestimate the Ministry of Justice too much. You think the Ministry of Justice is marginalized, but you don't know that the Ministry of Justice is the solid backing that truly keeps Xie Changling safe. Only by holding judicial power firmly in one's hands can one not fear the Emperor suddenly turning his face and using the law to punish people! And one doesn't fear the Brocade Uniform Guard coming out to investigate cases.

When the Brocade Uniform Guard moves, the Six Shanmen can move. When the Brocade Uniform Guard investigates a case, the Ministry of Justice investigating a case is even more legitimate! Think for yourself: among the ministers in the court, besides you, who else is suitable to serve as Minister of Justice and guard the gate for Xie Changling? Is there such a person? Even if there is, are they as reliable as you? Why would he give you up? If I were Xie Changling, I would get rid of the one surnamed Yang. Anyway, the one surnamed Yang is not of one mind with him." ===== CHAPTER 1715 =====