bookcurios Chapter 134
Chapter 134
As soon as Emperor Xinglong said this, the eyes of all the civil and military officials in the court fell on the front row.
However, none of them looked at the Deputy Minister Liu Weitong. Instead, they all looked at the Chief Minister Fang Congzhe. Their eyes varied: some sighed, some were secretly delighted, some were puzzled, and some were worried...
Fang Congzhe's heart skipped a beat.
As early as yesterday when he returned from the imperial court, he had already anticipated that he would be disliked by the emperor.
But I haven't submitted my resignation yet.
The emperor has already asked the second assistant for his opinion in person. This is an extremely obvious political signal!
Even without looking back, Fang Congzhe could feel the strange looks from the officials behind him.
When Liu Weitong heard Emperor Xinglong's question, he also looked conflicted.
He was the emperor's man, and Emperor Xinglong naturally knew it.
But the court asked for his opinion first. What does this mean?
In the past, only the prime minister had this honor.
How could Liu Weitong, who was well versed in political strategies, not understand what Emperor Xinglong meant?
However, on the one hand, he was the emperor's man, and political vacillation was a taboo.
But on the other hand, it is the position of Prime Minister that every scholar dreams of.
For a moment, Liu Weitong was extremely conflicted and unable to make up his mind.
At this moment, Fang Congzhe had already stood out from the court.
"Your Majesty, I have a report!"
Emperor Xinglong raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? Elder Fang also made a request? Correct!"
These plain words made Fang Congzhe's face look extremely unnatural.
But he still stood up and bowed to Emperor Xinglong.
Then he took out a memorial from his arms and held it up with both hands.
"I have great hopes from Your Majesty, but I am old and frail, and can no longer serve you. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the court became quiet, and all the officials began to discuss in low voices.
Liu Weitong also looked at Fang Congzhe with some surprise.
Emperor Xinglong on the dragon throne narrowed his eyes slightly.
He turned around and gave Dai Quan a look.
Dai Quan understood and hurriedly stood in front of the emperor, holding a whisk in his left hand.
A shrill voice like a drake's voice rang out.
"quiet!"
Only then did all the civil and military officials calm down.
Emperor Xinglong frowned as he looked at Fang Congzhe who was kneeling on the ground holding up his resignation letter, and winked at Dai Quan who was standing beside him.
Dai Quan bowed slightly and waved to the young eunuch beside him.
A young eunuch immediately stepped forward, took the memorial from Fang Congzhe's hand, and handed it to Dai Quan with a bow.
Dai Quan carefully presented the memorial to Emperor Xinglong.
But after Emperor Xinglong took it, he didn't even look at it, and said to all the officials in a deep voice,
"Lord Fang has made great contributions and the court is in need of talent right now, so..."
As he spoke, Emperor Xinglong looked down at Fang Congzhe who was kneeling on the ground.
"I do not approve of Lord Fang's resignation!"
Fang Congzhe was kneeling on the ground, with cold sweat on his forehead, and he closed his eyes in pain.
"Old minister, obey your order!"
After Fang Congzhe returned to work,
Emperor Xinglong looked directly at Liu Weitong.
After Liu Weitong noticed it, he lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then stood up and walked out of the court.
He bowed to Emperor Xinglong and said,
"Your Majesty, I believe that what the two Ministers have said is reasonable."
"However, matters have their priorities, and it depends on the court's situation."
Emperor Xinglong raised an intriguing smile and asked curiously,
"Oh? What are the priorities?"
Liu Weitong bowed again.
"The northern barbarians are about to attack. If we are unable to effectively resist them, the grassland people's cavalry will reach the Divine Capital overnight!"
"Therefore, preparing for war in the north is the top priority! Strengthening the north's defenses is urgent!"
After these words were spoken, even Emperor Xinglong nodded slightly.
But he obviously didn't achieve his goal, so he asked in a deep voice,
"What Elder Liu said makes sense, but the bandit problem in Yangzhou is rampant and cannot be delayed any longer!"
Liu Weitong pondered for a moment, then bowed and said,
"Your Majesty, may you send an order to Nanjing to dispatch troops to Yangzhou to suppress the bandits!"