Dugu Qun, He Wanli, and Ouyang Ji entered with a stack of official documents and memorials, only to find Liang Xiao and Wang Canghai already present, creating an awkward atmosphere.
“My three esteemed officials, why not discuss matters of state with Scholar Liang and Prime Minister Wang?” Xiao Qing smiled.
The three Grand Secretaries demurred, adopting a submissive posture. They retrieved their respective documents and submitted them to Xiao Qing for review.
As Liang Xiao held the position of Secretary of the Imperial Court and Wang Canghai was Prime Minister, both theoretically held authority over the six ministries, thus qualifying them to intervene in the affairs of the ministries.
Xiao Qing invited Liang Xiao and Wang Canghai to join the review. Upon inspection, the documents pertained to ordinary personnel transfers, military arrangements, and other trivial matters of governance.
Liang Xiao wore a gentle smile.
These three Grand Secretaries seemed to have undergone a transformation, becoming remarkably obedient. Even these documents and memorials aligned with Xiao Qing’s intentions.
The three Grand Secretaries remained by the side, silent, occasionally glancing at Liang Xiao and Wang Canghai with resentment in their hearts.
This elder and youth had subjected them to severe restrictions and immense hardship!
Now, they could only present themselves as patriots dedicated to the nation and loyal to the emperor, daring not to exhibit their usual arrogance.
Once upon a time, their ancestors could berate Emperor Zhao directly, spitting in his face, yet he could only quietly wipe his face and continue to listen, a monarch suffering such humiliation.
Because the nation lacked funds, the emperor sometimes felt embarrassed to constantly ask the Marquis of Dingguo for money, resorting to humbly "requesting" these ministers to make donations. These donations were then lauded as achievements, promising promotions for their family’s descendants.
The convenience and benefits reaped from their official positions far surpassed these donations.
But now, things were different!
For over eight months, Xiao Qing had not asked them for a single cent, a stark contrast to her subservient demeanor upon ascending the throne!
The only few donations they had made were forced by Liang Xiao, leaving them with no choice!
Now, the three great aristocratic families had hidden their fangs, even adopting the stance of a shrinking turtle, fearing that a single misstep might give Xiao Qing an excuse to confiscate their entire households.
The Gongyang and Dugu families narrowly escaped total annihilation after members of their clans colluded with the Huichun Sect. They each donated four million and three million taels of silver respectively, expelled the rebels from their family registries, and thus narrowly averted disaster.
“Your Majesty, Minister Dugu is so busy. It would be better for several officials in the Ministry of War from the Dugu family to assist Minister Dugu rather than get involved in the conscription matters,” Liang Xiao suddenly interjected.
Dugu Qun gnashed his teeth secretly, quickly regaining his composure, and smiled, “Marquis Anguo jokes. When has a member of the Ministry of War not handled military affairs?”
He knew it was futile to prevent the conscription. Thus, he went with the flow, assigning several officials from the Ministry of War belonging to the Dugu family as chief administrators for conscription in certain regions.
Liang Xiao scoffed, “Then transfer them to other departments.”
What kind of logic was this?
Dugu Qun suppressed the urge to lunge forward and slap Liang Xiao.
Xiao Qing smiled, “Scholar Liang speaks wisely. The court’s officials must not be negligent. It is best for them to remain in the capital. As for the chief administrators for conscription in various regions, I have my own arrangements. With the supervision of the Shadow Guards and the Imperial Forest Army, nothing untoward will happen!”
Dugu Qun had no choice but to comply. While Liang Xiao and the other two were not paying attention, he cast a venomous glance at Liang Xiao, suppressing his anger.
Xiao Qing took out several documents and memorials from Wang Canghai and continued, “Minister He, please review this. If there are no major issues with these personnel changes, then so be it.”
He Wanli took the stack of documents and felt his scalp tingle as he browsed through them.
The talents selected by Liang Xiao in the Jiangnan region were about to replace almost all the officials from the Gongyang clan!
Moreover, dozens of minor officials who were being replaced were from their three families!
“Your Majesty, this personnel adjustment is rather significant…” He Wanli feigned a difficult expression.
“What if someone from the Gongyang clan colludes with the Huichun Sect again? Minister He, can you bear the responsibility?” Liang Xiao’s face darkened.
He Wanli mentally cursed Liang Xiao’s entire lineage, but outwardly smiled and shook his head, “I cannot bear it…”
At this moment, He Wanli could only blame the Gongyang clan, wondering why so many of their members were involved with the Huichun Sect.
Especially when Gongyang Long had sabotaged Gongyang He, causing Gongyang He to lose his position as Grand Tutor. There was no one left in Jiangnan to contend with Liang Xiao!
Liang Xiao reminded them, “As the three Grand Secretaries have seen, such a large personnel adjustment is a necessary measure taken by Your Majesty. After all, national stability is of utmost importance. Even if a few new officials do not perform as well as their predecessors, they are still better than predecessors who rebel or cause trouble, aren’t they?”
Dugu Qun and the other two demurred, not daring to object.
“Therefore, please admonish your respective family members and protégés well, lest you repeat the mistakes of the Gongyang clan, nor should there be another Dugu Ling. Otherwise, even if Your Majesty is inclined to protect your families, the wagging tongues of the public cannot be silenced…”
Liang Xiao spoke with a tone of earnestness, much like an elder admonishing a junior, and finally sighed.
Xiao Qing and the three auxiliary ministers suppressed their smiles, unable to help but admire him.
Originally, for such a significant personnel change, Xiao Qing would have needed a plausible excuse to “silence the wagging tongues.” However, Liang Xiao had turned the tables, making it seem as though she was forced to revamp the Jiangnan administration with just a few words!
At this point, the three Grand Secretaries, filled with unspoken grievances, could only patiently nod, sweat beading on their foreheads.
Once, they were more adept than anyone at using high-sounding pretexts to pressure the Son of Heaven. Now, Liang Xiao had turned this very tactic against them…
Ouyang Ji’s land appropriation measures for the Ministry of Revenue were also partially rejected by Xiao Qing, with only those parts deemed truly beneficial to the nation being approved.
Before the three Grand Secretaries departed, they cast meaningful glances at Liang Xiao, filled with resentment and hatred, and left the Imperial Study.
“Once the officials in the Jiangnan region are replaced, these families will have less than forty percent of their protégés and family members serving as officials nationwide,” Liang Xiao grinned.
Looking at the confident Liang Xiao, Xiao Qing smiled with a hint of amusement and nodded.
Wang Canghai reminded them, “However, the regions of Xichuan, Nanzhong, and Jiaozhou remain unstable factors. The court’s influence there is limited. Only Xichuan can be considered truly under the court’s control. The western borders are too far from the capital and difficult to manage, and we must constantly guard against the threat of the Guishuang Dynasty!”
One cannot achieve everything in a single bite. The emperor and ministers within the Imperial Study, in order to stabilize the current administration and the national situation, could only appease the warlords in these regions first and maintain a superficial harmony.
In the southern part of the Great Gan Kingdom, in the land of Jiaozhou.
The Gongyang clan left only a portion of their officials to serve as minor officials in various parts of Jiangnan. The rest of the members followed Gongyang He to this region.
Gazing at the vast desolation in the distance, Gongyang He was overcome with sorrow: “I never imagined that our Gongyang clan, with centuries of history, would be forced to relocate to such a barren land!”
King Nan, Xiao Chang, approached and patted Gongyang He on the shoulder, comforting him, “This is merely a temporary measure to avoid the storm, Grand Tutor. You need not be so grief-stricken. This king has a surprise for you.”
After speaking, Xiao Chang handed several letters to Gongyang He.
Gongyang He read the letters and stroked his beard, laughing heartily: “Excellent! First, we force Zhuo Zifang to seek death in the Great Liang Kingdom, instigating conflict between the two nations. This seems like a good plan!”
In the Western Regions, an oasis, the royal city of Qiuci.
The King of Qiuci was enjoying a song and dance performance in his palace when a minister entered in a panic.
“Your Majesty! An envoy from the Guishuang Dynasty has arrived!”