Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 483 - 262: Who Says There Must Be a Prime Minister?_4

Chapter 483: Chapter 262: Who Says There Must Be a Prime Minister?_4

However, Zhang Jingbang evidently doesn’t have the same ability, tactics, or goals as Wen Jun, nor does he harbor any ambition to dominate the emperor.

He is by nature a sycophantic and weak person, or else he would not have become a dog for Emperor Yingzong of Qi and the Jin people.

But even a rabbit, when cornered, will bite. Seeing the new regime’s blade about to fall, he needed to leverage the power of the entire bureaucratic class and scholar-officials to carve out a path to survival for himself.

If one were to reason it out normally, Prince Yun would offer him this path to survival.

Because in the Qi Dynasty there has always been the ancestral method of sharing governance with the scholar-officials and suppressing martial power through civil means;

Because Prince Yun himself had once passed the top imperial examination, naturally close to these literati;

Because with a formidable enemy at the gates, it would be prudent to ease internal conflicts and resolve the threat of the Jin people first.

No matter how one looks at it, the one who should yield is indeed the current new ruler.

But what Zhang Jingbang miscalculated by a single point,

was that his adversary was not Prince Yun, but...

Emperor Taizu of Sheng.

Fan Cun closed the report from the Wude Bureau, looked at Emperor Taizu of Sheng: "Then according to Your Majesty’s wishes...

"Let us uproot this entire nest of them!"

...

The imperial court assembly.

In the Golden Throne Hall, all the ministers had arrived.

This newly enthroned ruler sat firmly on the imperial seat, and by his side, the position of the Supreme Emperor, Emperor Qihui, no longer existed.

From any perspective, this new ruler had only used his father as a pretext for purging the court and as a tool to seize power. After ascending to the throne, he had not shown the slightest intention of sharing power.

Although he had not placed him under house arrest as cautiously as Emperor Yingzong had, instead providing him with good food and drinks and putting on the act of filial piety, the secret surveillance and precautions were in no short supply.

At this moment, the status of this new ruler in the court was somewhat peculiar.

Commanding the Western Army, he had parachuted in to become the emperor. Though there was no question of his legitimacy, the entire court had not yet unified, and among the ministers, it was unknown how many were not in alignment with him.

And today, the emperor’s mood seemed to be rather poor.

He flipped through the memorial in his hand, speaking indifferently: "Prime Minister Zhang."

Zhang Jingbang hastily replied: "Your servant is here."

Fan Cun looked down at him: "The matter of setting up porridge sheds to distribute porridge to the common people, you and the officials have done well; there should be a reward."

Zhang Jingbang bowed deeply: "My ruler, I dare not take credit, it is all due to your sagely grace."

Fan Cun’s tone shifted: "But... I tasked you to discuss a method to abolish hereditary privileges, why has there been no conclusion so far?"

Zhang Jingbang hurriedly said: "My ruler, hereditary privileges are the methods of our ancestors, our dynasty governs together with the scholar-officials, these hereditary laws are the foundation of our state and must not be shaken!

"When Wang Wenchuan reformed the laws to change hereditary privileges, it led to people living in misery, complaints filled the roadways, and threw our dynasty into chaos, which is why the Jin people were able to invade during a period of weakness.

"You tasked your servants and colleagues to ponder over this abolition of hereditary privileges. We have reflected deeply, referred to the old affairs of past emperors, and listened to the opinions of many scholars and the people, truly finding it difficult to come upon a solution that satisfies all.

"Your decree, we dare not disobey, it’s just that this matter is of great importance, we fear we might have to... proceed cautiously."

This was clearly the consensus of Zhang Jingbang and the other officials.

Hereditary privileges are the most important privilege of the bureaucratic scholar-official class, and the ruler of the day wishes to abolish them?

If they do nothing, is this not tantamount to handing over their lifeline?

Of course, Zhang Jingbang and the others dared not openly defy the emperor, they could only delay through such means, showing an uncooperative attitude. Once the emperor runs out of options, the matter would naturally fade away.

However, just as Zhang Jingbang thought the matter had passed, he heard the emperor, high above, suddenly slap the dragon throne and rebuke loudly, "Zhang Jingbang! How dare you, scheming with the ministers to pressure me?"

Zhang Jingbang couldn’t help but be startled, and immediately knelt down: "My ruler, what do you mean? Your servant has been working wholeheartedly for you, with no second thoughts, how dare I pressure you?"

Fan Cun’s face was cold: "Then why is it that until now, not a single proposal to abolish hereditary privileges has been brought forth by you?

"If it is due to inability, then you lack the talent to serve as a chief minister of this dynasty!

"If it is reluctance, then that would be deceiving the sovereign and flagrant treachery!"

Zhang Jingbang became even more panicked, but still managed to plead: "My ruler, calm your anger! My loyalty can be proven, but the matter of abolishing hereditary privileges really involves great importance and the related statutes are extremely complicated, not something that can be straightened out in two ashort days!"

Fan Cun sneered: "Oh? Of great importance? Extremely complicated?

"Summon someone, read out to him our steps to abolish hereditary privileges and reform the imperial examinations!"

A little eunuch nodded affirmatively, immediately took out the prepared edict, and recited it in full court.

All the ministers listened intently, and it was so silent in the grand hall that one could hear a pin drop.

Zhang Jingbang knelt on the ground, feeling colder the more he listened.

What was going on?

He hadn’t taken this matter to heart to begin with.

Hereditary privileges were already a privilege of the bureaucratic and scholar-officials, how could the emperor abolish them with a mere word? It was not only him, Zhang Jingbang, who disagreed, but also hardly a few ministers in the entire court would agree!

They thought, as long as they didn’t come up with a specific plan, or kept quibbling over details of some plans, they could drag this out for months at least.

In this way, step by step, they eroded the emperor’s patience, and the matter would be delayed.

But unexpectedly, in just a short two days’ time, the emperor himself had come up with a plan for governmental reform!

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