The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 107: The Pledge of Allegiance

Several days later, in the waiting room.

As usual, Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi stepped into the courtyard together, preparing to attend court.

However, the difference was that almost as soon as he entered, he felt the involuntary gazes of many officials around him.

Subconsciously, he frowned, thinking that some fools were trying to provoke him again, just like last time.

But to his surprise, this time, the officials looked at him with a strange increase in respect.

Yes, it is respect, not fear!

Many officials even stepped forward to bow to him as he passed by, their faces no longer showing the disdain they had previously held for eunuchs.

"The two commanders have arrived..."

Just as they were wondering what was going on, Linghu Chu, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, came out of the room with a smile on his face and led the two of them into the room.

This made them even more confused.

You know, just a short while ago, this Minister Linghu was still clamoring with Du Cong to impeach them in the palace. How come he's all smiles now, just a few days later?

As they sat down in the communal room, looking at each other and wondering whether they should say something, Linghu Chu spoke first.

"Are you two wondering why the officials in the courtyard today treat you differently than usual?"

Liu Hongyi didn't expect the other party to say it so directly.

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and said, "These days, I've gotten used to you foreign officials treating me with disdain. Today, your sudden change of attitude is a bit hard to get used to."

These words carried a hint of a joke, but they were undoubtedly alluding to the incident that happened outside the waiting room a few days ago.

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chu slowly suppressed his smile and said, "I know that the matter of those censors a few days ago has displeased you two. However, this matter was not what Governor Niu and I intended. As for who it was, I think you two can guess without me saying."

Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi exchanged a glance but did not speak.

Although they are currently serving in the outer court, some of their communication channels have not disappeared.

Moreover, it's rather unusual for someone of Du Cong's status to have been claiming illness and refusing to attend court these past few days, and even refusing to see any visitors.

Furthermore, Du Cong's whereabouts in the palace that day were not some difficult secret to ascertain, making it easy to conclude that he might have been punished for something.

As the consort of Princess Qiyang, if even his status couldn't protect him from such a mistake, he could only secretly plot and interfere in the affairs of the court.

"But judging from Linghu Pu She's expression that day, he didn't seem to be deceived, did he?"

This statement was made by Yang Qinyi.

His relationship with Linghu Chu and others wasn't good to begin with, and lately he'd been so busy dealing with Guo Zhongwen's affairs that he naturally didn't bother to hide anything in his speech.

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chu paused in his smile and said, "The past is the past. We are all colleagues, dedicated to the cause of the Tang Dynasty. We should help each other in the future, shouldn't we?"

These words seemed to have a different meaning, causing Liu Hongyi to narrow his eyes.

After carefully recalling the officials who had saluted them in the courtyard, it seemed that the vast majority of them were members of the Niu faction.

So if that's the case...

"If you have anything to say, please speak frankly!"

Liu Hongyi didn't bother with any pleasantries and asked directly.

However, Linghu Chu shook his head and said, "I heard that a few days ago, a group of corrupt officials who were privately lending money were discovered in the army. Many of them were found by the two governors themselves, saving the Jingzhao Prefecture a lot of trouble. Such selfless acts should be admired by the court and the public."

That sounded nice, but Liu Hongyi was somewhat skeptical.

"Is that all?"

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chu glanced at Yang Qinyi beside him and then said, "Of course, but besides this, I do have something else I would like to discuss with you two."

Liu Hongyi wore an expression that said, "I knew it," and said, "Your Excellency, just speak your mind. Why go to all this trouble?"

However, this time Linghu Chu did not rush to speak, but instead seemed to be waiting for something.

The next moment, an aged voice rang out: "Governor Liu, please don't be offended. Actually, I have something I'd like to discuss with you two."

As soon as he finished speaking, both Liu Hongyi and Linghu Chu were startled and quickly stood up.

Then, Sikong Wangya lifted the thick curtain and strode in.

"Greetings, Master Sikong..."

The three bowed in greeting, and Wang Ya, not presuming to be important, bowed to each of them before speaking.

"These days, the two governors have cooperated with the Jingzhao Prefecture to thoroughly investigate the case of private lending in the army, which is a great blessing for the country. However, the problems that have been exposed are equally shocking."

"Therefore, I discussed this with Minister Linghu, and we want to take advantage of the newly established Shence Army Commandery to take stock of the Shence Army's military register and reorganize its structure, in order to further enhance the Shence Army's combat strength. What do you two commanders think?"

Without wasting words, the old official got straight to the point and stated his purpose.

This surprised Liu Hongyi and his companion. After a moment of digestion, Liu Hongyi hesitated and asked.

"Minister Sikong, this matter is of great importance. Should we wait until after we ascend the throne to report to His Majesty and request an audience at the Yan Ying Palace for a detailed discussion?"

Checking military personnel records may seem like just a routine, ordinary procedure.

However, for the existing Shence Army, this is a major upheaval comparable to the crackdown on private lending.

As commanders of the Shence Army, no one understood the problems within the Shence Army better than them.

If private lending is a malignant tumor on the surface, then military service deficits are a chronic disease rooted in the roots.

Putting aside everything else, if we were to really investigate the tens of thousands of Shence Army soldiers in the capital, we could easily find tens of thousands of vacancies.

At this moment, Linghu Chu also spoke up: "We should certainly invite Yan Ying to the audience, but such an important matter should be discussed beforehand. The two commanders are in charge of the Shence Army and hold key positions with the Central Secretariat. We should ask for your opinions on this matter first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Hongyi's eyes narrowed slightly.

With Linghu Chu's statement, he finally understood the situation.

Clearly, on the matter of investigating military personnel, Wang Ya, the most senior prime minister, had reached an agreement with the Niu Party, represented by Linghu Chu.

The "welcome" shown in the waiting room today is, in a sense, a form of disguised pressure.

Since these two were "selfless" and "admired" virtuous officials, they naturally had no reason to oppose measures such as investigating military records.

To put it more bluntly, Linghu Chu meant that as long as Liu Hongyi and the other man agreed to investigate the military register, they could gain complete acceptance from the outer court and truly shed their former status as inner court officials.

So, should we agree or not?

As Liu Hongyi was pondering, Yang Qinyi suddenly asked a question.

"Such a momentous matter, yet the Minister of Works and Minister Linghu discussed it privately. I wonder if Minister Li and Minister Jia are aware of this?"