bookcurios Chapter 111 The Ministers Are Crazy
Chapter 111 The Ministers Are Crazy
The next day, the ministers who were attending the morning court came to the court. When they saw the little prince sitting on the dragon throne, their eyes widened with disbelief on their faces!
There was a commotion below, and everyone was talking about what had happened. Of course, some people had received the news in advance and knew that Emperor Xuanyuan was ill, so he let the crown prince govern the country.
The young prince Xuanyuan Ruize was sitting on the dragon chair, feeling very irritated. He felt that this dragon chair was a torture place. If he really sat here for a few hours, his waist would probably be scrapped. In comparison, his own recliner was more comfortable.
When most of the ministers had arrived, the young prince gave a look to the eunuch Xiao Yuanzi beside him. Xiao Yuanzi understood and immediately stepped forward and announced the decree loudly:
"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: I have not been feeling well recently, and I have appointed the Crown Prince as regent. I hope that you will assist the Crown Prince with all your heart and manage the affairs of state. I decree this."
"We obey your order!" The ministers below knelt on the ground to receive the order and dared not to discuss it casually anymore.
Looking at the group of people kneeling on the ground, the prince still felt a little refreshed. After all, he had never experienced this feeling of being high above and in control of everything.
"My dear ministers, please stand up!" the prince said calmly, with a hint of majesty in his voice.
"If you have something to report, then leave the court." Xiao Yuanzi, who had been beside Emperor Xuanyuan, shouted loudly.
Then you look at me, I look at you, and no one knows whether to step forward or not.
Finally, it was the Prime Minister who stepped forward. He thought to himself that this was a good opportunity to please the new emperor, so he quickly walked to the center of the court, bowed respectfully to the prince, and said, "Your Highness, I have something important to report."
The prince nodded slightly, signaling the prime minister to continue.
The Prime Minister cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness, the country is in a turbulent time right now. The northern border is often invaded by enemy troops, and the south is hit by drought. The people are living in hardship. I think the most urgent task is to strengthen the armaments to resist foreign enemies, while actively providing disaster relief and calming the people. What do you think, Your Highness?"
With the prime minister's opening remarks, other ministers came forward one after another and began to tell about their preparations to report to Emperor Xuanyuan. However, these so-called important matters were actually just trivial matters, and some even required Emperor Xuanyuan to make a decision. Now, this responsibility fell on the young prince.
"My fellow ministers, you should know that I have just started to serve as regent and I am just a child. You don't want me to disturb my father's rest, right?" Xuanyuan Ruize said slowly.
Hearing this, the ministers were speechless for a moment, but some things did need to be dealt with in a timely manner.
After observing everyone's reactions, the young prince continued, "How about this! Everyone, please think about the problem you just raised, come up with the most appropriate solution, and then write it up as a memorial and submit it to me. It would be best if you could come up with several solutions for me to choose from."
When the ministers heard this, they panicked. All along, they only needed to wait for Emperor Xuanyuan to solve the problem, and never had to use their brains. When was it their turn to think about it?
If Emperor Xuanyuan knew what they were thinking, he would definitely scold them: "You don't want to bother with the work, so just throw it all to me, right? You two are eating my salary, but you want to throw the most tiring and brain-consuming work to me. You are such a shameless bunch."
The incident by the young crown prince Xuanyuan Ruize really gave the people below a headache. However, they could only obey the order. After the morning court session, most of the ministers stayed in their own study rooms, thinking hard about how to solve the problem.
Everyone in the government office thought that something bad had happened to them. If these ministers knew what the people in the government office were thinking, they would definitely say, "Indeed, your master has indeed run into a big trouble. If things go wrong, I might even resign from my post."
Finally, everyone managed to write the memorial and handed it in.
Xuanyuan Ruize looked at the mountain of memorials and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "How do these ministers do their work on a daily basis?" He carefully read through each memorial and found that although there were some good suggestions, most of them still lacked practical feasibility.
"Xiao Dezi, we can't go on like this!" Xuanyuan Ruize sat on the dragon throne, frowning as he looked at the mountain of memorials.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt unbalanced: Why should he be the only one to handle all these tedious matters? If this continued, he would collapse from exhaustion in this Qinzheng Palace.
What on earth do those ministers do for a living? They are paid by the court, so shouldn't they help me share some of the worries and work? Thinking of this, Xuanyuan Ruize suddenly felt angry.
Therefore, he made up his mind to summon several capable ministers to review these memorials with them. This way, he could not only reduce his burden, but also let the ministers better understand the state affairs and work together for the country. Having made up his mind, Xuanyuan Ruize immediately ordered Xiao Dezi to summon several important ministers.
Soon, several ministers hurried to the Qinzheng Palace. Among them were Prime Minister Zhong, Stuart Leighton and others. They were all important officials in the court, with rich political experience and outstanding talents. After seeing Xuanyuan Ruize, everyone knelt down and saluted.
"Stand up," Xuanyuan Ruize said calmly, and then signaled Xiao Dezi to give the ministers seats. After everyone was seated, Stuart Leighton was the first to speak: "Prime Minister Zhong, do you know why His Highness summoned us today?" Prime Minister Zhong shook his head, indicating that he didn't know. He was also very curious about this summons, but he didn't dare to ask rashly.
Xuanyuan Ruize walked into the hall slowly, and then ordered people to move a thick stack of memorials into the hall. Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but feel puzzled. Xuanyuan Ruize waved his hand and motioned everyone to come forward.
"My dear ministers, let's take a look together." Xuanyuan Ruize said with a smile.
"We dare not!" All the ministers said in unison. The memorials were confidential, how could they be read casually? Since ancient times, only the emperor was qualified to review the memorials. If anyone dared to take a peek, they would probably be dragged out and severely punished, and might even be suspected of having evil intentions.
Therefore, facing Xuanyuan Ruize's request, everyone hesitated for a moment and did not dare to step forward easily.
"Why not?" Xuanyuan Ruize smiled, "I called you here today to review these memorials with me. My power is limited after all, and I still need to rely on the wisdom of you, my dear ministers."
The ministers looked at each other, still with doubts in their hearts.
“Your Highness, this…” Prime Minister Zhong hesitated to speak.
"Why? Does the Prime Minister think that I am not worthy of working with you?" Xuanyuan Ruize frowned.
"I dare not!" Prime Minister Zhong kowtowed hurriedly, "But this matter concerns state affairs, Your Highness, please think twice!"
"I have made up my mind." Xuanyuan Ruize waved his hand, "Come here, bring some tables and chairs over for you, my dear ministers. Today, we will deal with these memorials in this Qinzheng Hall."
Soon, the guards brought in tables and chairs. The ministers had no choice but to sit down. Xuanyuan Ruize distributed the memorials, and everyone began to read them carefully.