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

Chapter 19: The Summons

Three days have passed.

The morning court session ended as usual, but the officials did not immediately disperse. Instead, they stood outside the hall in small groups, gazing expectantly into the hall.

Even the chief ministers and ministers looked somewhat anxious.

Finally, after a short while, there was movement inside the hall. A eunuch came out and came to the ministers, saying...

"Gentlemen, His Majesty has decreed that all the prime ministers of the State Council, the left and right secretaries of the Ministry of Personnel, the Commissioner of Revenue, the Commissioner of Salt and Iron Transport, the Prefect of the Capital, and other officials be summoned to the Yan Ying Hall for a meeting."

Upon hearing this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It should be noted that since the Qiu Shiliang incident, although the emperor still appeared in public every day, he never gave a response regarding the nature of the coup and the aftermath.

Most matters in the court were also put on hold.

Although the presence of the various prime ministers under the Secretariat-Chancellery meant that the emperor did not need to personally participate in many basic government affairs, it still affected the normal operation of the court.

Moreover, although the matter has been left unresolved for a long time, things have not been quiet in the palace and in Chang'an City these days.

Squads of Shence Army soldiers appeared and disappeared mysteriously in the streets and alleys, raiding the residences of the so-called Qiu and Yu gang members, and punishing those who wanted to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble.

Although the current impact is limited to eunuchs and military generals, this arbitrary arrest has created a sense of unease throughout the court and the country.

Fortunately, the emperor finally summoned his ministers to present their reports.

Everyone bowed deeply to the prime ministers, who returned the bows with nods.

After briefly calming everyone down, the summoned ministers followed the eunuch who had come to deliver the message into the inner palace.

Yanying Hall is located on the west side of the inner palace and is a side hall used for deliberation of state affairs.

Unlike the Zichen Hall, which was usually used for holding morning court sessions, the Yanying Hall audience was more like an expanded meeting of the Political Affairs Hall with the emperor's participation, and its style was more inclined to a discussion and deliberation between the emperor and his subjects on a relatively equal footing.

Generally speaking, it was quite common for the prime minister and the emperor to disagree during audiences at the Yanying Hall.

Even when the two sides quarrel, it is not considered disrespectful or impolite, but rather a model of harmonious relationship between ruler and subject.

From this perspective, the audience at Yanying Hall was essentially the highest-level military council meeting of the Tang Dynasty.

Compared to the Council of State Affairs, its biggest advantage is that the emperor is also present. Therefore, when necessary, the emperor can personally make decisions, and after the discussion of government affairs has reached a conclusion, an imperial edict can be drafted more quickly, thus improving administrative efficiency.

When the group arrived at Yanying Hall, Li Ang was already sitting on the throne.

Beside him stood Xue Jiling, the Shence Lieutenant, and Yang Qinyi, the Xuanhui Envoy, but Liu Hongyi, another Shence Lieutenant, was not present.

"Minister of Works, Wang Ya, concurrently Chancellor; Vice Minister of the Secretariat, Jia Su, concurrently Chancellor; Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Linghu Chu, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zheng Tan, Minister of the Imperial Academy..."

"Shu Yuanyu, Vice Minister of the Censorate and concurrently Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and concurrently Chancellor; Li Xun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and concurrently Chancellor..."

"Wang Shi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and Minister of Finance; Luo Liyan, Grand Censor and Vice Prefect of the Capital Prefecture..."

After a long list of official titles were presented and everyone kowtowed in order of rank, Li Ang finally said, "Rise," and ordered someone to bring stools for everyone to sit down.

"I'm sure you all have some idea why I've summoned you all here today. Qiu Shiliang and his accomplices committed treason and have been executed on the spot."

"In the past few days, I have ordered the Shence Army to capture more than 20 remaining members of the faction inside and outside the palace. Most of them are eunuchs, but there are also some military officers."

"The two lieutenants have already submitted their confessions. Considering that they were merely associates and not accomplices, I do not wish to implicate them. Instead, I have demoted them out of the capital as a form of punishment."

Li Ang clearly had no intention of discussing this matter with everyone present. He simply waved his hand, had someone deliver the pre-determined list to everyone, and considered it a mere notification before concluding the matter.

Everyone glanced at the list but said nothing more.

They each had their own judgment about the truth of the coup that day, and anyone with a bit of political experience knew that they should try to calm things down as soon as possible and avoid further turmoil.

Moreover, most of the people on this list were eunuchs, and they didn't have much of a vested interest in the matter, so naturally no one said much about it.

Only after Prime Minister Wang Ya finished reading did he step forward, cup his hands, and say...

"Your Majesty, rest assured, after we return, we will order someone to draft the edict."

Thus, this issue was put to rest.

The anxiety that had been hanging over everyone was finally put to rest.

It is important to know that as the power of eunuchs grew after the mid-Tang Dynasty, the relationship between the inner court and the outer court became extremely complicated.

Simply put, many ministers in the court today have intricate connections with the eunuchs in the palace.

Some of them even entered the inner circle through the help of eunuchs.

The scope of pursuing accomplices can be broad or narrow.

If the emperor intended to use this opportunity to stir up trouble, then at least half of those present would likely be demoted.

The release of this list indicates that the emperor's only aim was to eliminate eunuchs like Qiu Shiliang, and he did not intend to exterminate other eunuchs in the palace.

Naturally, it's impossible for them to be implicated.

However, it is precisely at times like these that discordant voices are more likely to emerge.

Just after Wang Ya finished speaking, Prime Minister Li Xun, who was standing to the side, suddenly stood up, bowed, and said.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Generally speaking, the audience at the Yanying Hall is relatively free, and participants can speak at any time, but that is all during the discussion process, and usually cannot be done by interrupting others.

At this moment, Wang Ya, as the highest-ranking official present, had just received his orders and had not yet left his post when Li Xun spoke up, his behavior carrying a somewhat provocative tone.

As a result, many of the ministers present frowned.

However, Li Ang did not seem to find anything wrong with it, and raised his hand to say.

"Speak."

Li Xun then stood up and said, "Your Majesty, since the reign of Emperor Dezong, there has been collusion between officials and commoners, with factions causing chaos and leading to much of the country's instability."

"Thanks to Your Majesty's sagacity, the two traitors, Qiu and Yu, have been brought to justice, much to the delight of all the people. However, if the inner court is pacified but the outer court remains unsettled, the nation will ultimately find it difficult to maintain peace."

"Therefore, I request Your Majesty to investigate those who have privately befriended palace eunuchs and those who rose through the ranks of eunuchs in recent years, in order to rectify the court and stabilize the nation."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

It really is true that what you say comes true.

This time, even another prime minister, Shu Yuanyu, who was also a follower of Li Xun, showed a somewhat unpleasant expression.

To their surprise, even though the emperor had already decided to let the matter rest, Li Xun suddenly jumped up again, intending to make a big fuss about it.

"If I remember correctly, it was Wang Shouchang, the military inspector, who introduced Lord Li to the Emperor back then?"

"If we are to investigate those who associate with eunuchs, wouldn't Minister Li be the first to be punished?"

At this moment, a slightly aged voice rang out.

Li Ang looked up and found that the person speaking was not the prime minister, but Linghu Chu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.