novelSusiti Chapter 4: Ministers Force the Emperor to Abdicate, Young Master Conceals a Clever Plan
Chapter 4: Ministers Force the Emperor to Abdicate, Young Master Conceals a Clever Plan
The atmosphere at the court meeting instantly plummeted to freezing point.
Qiao Zhou held the memorial in his hand, bowed deeply, and spoke with an unyielding force that left no room for argument. His words struck the blue bricks of the hall with a resounding force, making everyone's heart clench.
"Your Majesty, the gentry of Yizhou are the foundation of Shu. Burying talented individuals will surely alienate the people! We implore Your Majesty to issue an edict immediately to promote the sons of Yizhou and balance the court; otherwise, the foundation of Shu will be in jeopardy!"
Before he could finish speaking, he stepped forward and slammed the memorial heavily on the table, his voice suddenly rising: "If Your Majesty does not grant this request, the gentry of Yizhou will likely be disheartened. We are willing to die to remonstrate with you!"
Several aristocratic officials from Yizhou bowed in unison behind him, their voices resounding and carrying the weight of the court and the people: "Your Majesty, please grant our request!"
The candlelight crackled inside the hall, illuminating the tense faces of the officials, and even the eunuchs were too frightened to breathe.
Li Yan stood to one side, his hands hanging by his sides tightening slightly, his smugness almost impossible to hide, and he secretly gave Qiao Zhou a confirming look.
He deliberately took a half step forward, bowed, and added, his gaze sweeping defiantly over Zhuge Liang: "Your Majesty, what Lord Qiao said is absolutely right. The gentry of Yizhou are loyal to the Han Dynasty. If they can be given important positions, they will surely be able to share Your Majesty's burdens. I am willing to recommend talented individuals from Yizhou to fill vacancies in the prefectures and counties and consolidate the foundation of Shu."
The implication was crystal clear—the entire gentry of Yizhou were on his side, and even though Zhuge Liang held immense power, he dared not openly defy him.
Zhuge Liang frowned, tapping his feather fan lightly in his palm, his expression grave. He looked up at Qiao Zhou and the others, his tone calm yet carrying immense weight.
"Lord Qiao, Lord Li, you are mistaken."
"The former troops of Jingzhou followed the late emperor through countless hardships, defeated Cao Cao and pacified Shu, and made outstanding contributions. They are all loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty. If we divide them by region, favoring Yizhou and neglecting our former troops, wouldn't that chill the hearts of all loyal ministers across the land?"
He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials: "In my opinion, officials should be selected and appointed based on merit, without distinction between those from Jing and Yi provinces. Only by promoting the talented can the court be kept in balance. Blindly pandering to the aristocratic families will only encourage factionalism and lead to disaster!"
The smile on Li Yan's lips faded, and his tone carried a hint of threat: "If the Prime Minister insists on favoring his old subordinates, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win over the hearts of the gentry of Yizhou."
Both sides held their own version of events, and tensions were high. The officials either lowered their heads and remained silent or secretly took sides, all eyes fixed on Liu Shan on the dragon throne.
A single sentence from this new emperor was enough to determine the course of this conflict.
Liu Shan sat on the dragon throne, his body trembling slightly, as if startled by the noise. He subconsciously gripped the eunuch's sleeve. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling, and stammered, "This... what should we do? What both gentlemen say makes sense, I... I really can't make up my mind."
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes obscuring the expression in them. His fingertips seemed to frantically caress the armrest of the dragon throne, but a barely perceptible cold light flashed in his eyes—his fingertips inadvertently traced the dark patterns on the armrest, a signal he had agreed upon with the Shadow Guards, which had already been secretly sent to Mo Chen to keep a close eye on Li Yan's movements.
Even more coincidentally, just as Li Yan finished speaking, a dark figure flashed past outside the hall, and Mo Chen's secret message had quietly reached Liu Shan's ears—a Wei-Wu spy had been seen in Li Yan's residence this morning.
Liu Shan raised a hand to wipe the corner of his eye, seemingly driven to desperation by the conflict, his tone tinged with pleading: "I have just ascended the throne, and my father has just passed away. I am in a state of turmoil and know nothing of factional balance."
He looked at Zhuge Liang, then at Li Yan: "I would like to ask the Prime Minister and Lord Li to discuss this carefully and come up with a solution that satisfies both sides. Let's stop arguing. My mind is in turmoil."
Li Yan grew increasingly smug, secretly thinking: Liu Shan was indeed an incompetent ruler; a few words of pressure threw him into disarray. In the future, all he needed to do was win over a few more members of the gentry, and he could gradually sideline Zhuge Liang.
Seeing Liu Shan's flustered and helpless appearance, Zhuge Liang's doubts deepened. He looked up at Liu Shan, lightly tapped his feather fan, and said in a calm but probing tone, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely discuss the matter thoroughly with Minister Li. However, if Your Majesty has any thoughts, you may inform me at any time."
Despite his doubts, he ultimately dared not disobey Liu Shan's "decree" and bowed, replying, "Your subject obeys."
Li Yan quickly bowed and thanked the emperor, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree and will certainly work together with the Prime Minister to share Your Majesty's burdens."
Seeing that the two had stopped arguing, Liu Shan smiled with a hint of panic and waved his hand, saying, "That's good. My dear ministers, you may all leave now. I'm tired and want to rest."
The officials bowed and took their leave. Before leaving, Qiao Zhou and the others did not forget to give Liu Shan a deep look, their eyes filled with resentment and a hint of probing.
Li Yan walked at the back, and as he passed Zhuge Liang, he deliberately lowered his voice: "Prime Minister, in today's matter, I urge you to prioritize the overall situation in Shu and not show favoritism towards your old subordinates."
Zhuge Liang glanced at him indifferently, waved his feather fan lightly, and said in an icy tone: "Lord Li, matters of the court should prioritize the interests of the Han Dynasty, not personal desires." After saying that, he turned and left.
The hall quickly emptied, leaving only Liu Shan and a few eunuchs.
The panic and timidity on Liu Shan's face vanished instantly. He slowly stood up, walked to the palace window, and looked in the direction where Li Yan and Qiao Zhou had left side by side, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"Your Majesty." A dark figure emerged silently from a corner, kneeling on one knee. It was Mo Chen. "After Li Yan and Qiao Zhou left the palace, they went straight to the western villa. During their stay, they were visited by unidentified individuals, who appeared to be spies from Wei and Wu. In addition, there have been unusual developments in the south; Yong Kai seems to harbor rebellious intentions."
Liu Shan's fingers paused slightly, and the coldness in his eyes intensified. He lowered his gaze, a subtle, unnoticed curve appearing at the corner of his lips, as he already planned his next move.
"Keep a close watch on Li Yan and Qiao Zhou's every move, as well as the whereabouts of those Wei and Wu spies. Report everything without missing a single detail," he ordered in a deep voice. "In addition, pass on my secret order to Li Hui to keep a close eye on the movements in the south and be wary of Wei and Wu's underhanded provocations."
"Your subject obeys the decree." Mo Chen bowed in agreement and quietly withdrew.
Silence returned to the hall, the candlelight flickering, illuminating Liu Shan's tall figure. He walked to the hidden compartment, took out the book "The Strategy of Imperial Balance," and traced the eight characters "Observe the situation calmly and use the opponent's strength against them" with his fingertips, a resolute glint in his eyes.
Li Yan's ambition, Zhuge Liang's suspicions, the spying of Wei and Wu, and the restlessness of the Yizhou gentry—all of this was under his control. He just hadn't expected Li Yan to be so eager, daring to secretly collude with Wei and Wu spies.
What bothered him even more was Zhuge Liang's earlier probing—the prime minister seemed to have begun to suspect him. It seemed his disguise needed to be even more convincing.
Just then, a palace attendant rushed in with a panicked expression: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Urgent news has arrived from the south: Yong Kai has launched a rebellion, colluding with Eastern Wu, and has already killed Zheng Ang, the governor of Zangke!"
Liu Shan froze, his face drained of all color, and his voice trembled with tears: "How...how could this be? The south has rebelled, what am I to do?"
But no one saw that his hand, hanging by his side, had already clenched the half of the tiger tally fragment—the rebellion in the south was both a crisis and his first opportunity to regain power!
[End of Chapter]