novelSusiti Chapter 50: Wang Ya
Chapter 50: Wang Ya
He ordered someone to help the weak Ximen Jixuan away, but Li Ang left Liu Hongyi behind to serve him.
Then he turned to the prime ministers standing to the side and said.
"The Eastern Depot is newly established, and its actions are inevitably arrogant. Ximen Jixuan dared to trespass into the Hall of State Affairs, which is far too much of a transgression. I have already severely punished him. Are you, my ministers, satisfied?"
He said it with a smile, but the content seemed to contain a hint of dissatisfaction.
The crowd exchanged glances, and Wang Ya stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, the Eastern Depot was established without any ancestral precedent. We dare not deceive Your Majesty. Even now, we are still unaware of the purpose and regulations of this so-called Eastern Depot. Therefore, we humbly request Your Majesty to inquire why this Eastern Depot was established and how it should be managed."
This issue was not only on the minds of the prime ministers, but also a concern for the entire court and the public during this period.
It should be noted that before this, the eunuchs in the palace were already very powerful. The two lieutenants in charge of the Divine Strategy were almost on par with the chief ministers, and there was also the Privy Councilor who was involved in court affairs, showing signs of usurping the power of the Council of State Affairs.
Regardless, these so-called four nobles still maintained a basic level of dignity.
As a result, out of nowhere, a so-called Eastern Depot appeared and, in broad daylight, led a group of people into the Secretariat and, right in front of the Prime Minister, arrested and imprisoned the imperial military governor.
Such arrogant behavior is truly terrifying and unsettling.
Upon hearing this, Li Ang did not try to hide anything. After all, for most people, the unknown is the most terrifying thing.
"Ximen Jixuan should have mentioned to you all before that the Eastern Depot was established to handle some major cases. The reason for setting up this agency is that some time ago, when I was thoroughly investigating Qiu Shiliang's faction, a eunuch confessed the truth about Song Shenxi back then in order to protect himself."
"Because this case is a major treason case and involves palace eunuchs, I cannot entrust it to the Inner Palace Secretariat. Therefore, I have established a special agency to investigate this case. The Eastern Depot is led by the Chief Eunuch, who is directly under the Emperor's command. This can minimize the possibility of information being leaked or other factors affecting the investigation process."
"Unexpectedly, Ximen Jixuan is young and impetuous, and his actions are too arrogant, which has frightened the ministers of the Council of State."
These words immediately created a somewhat subtle atmosphere in the Yanying Hall.
The ministers present were all astute individuals; how could they not understand the emperor's implied meaning?
Although the emperor's words seemed to be a reprimand for Ximen Jixuan's lack of caution, a closer listen reveals that the emperor was only pointing out the wrong way of doing things, not that the Eastern Depot was wrong.
This differed somewhat from what the ministers were thinking.
They exchanged a glance, and Wang Ya stepped forward again, saying, "Your Majesty, the establishment of the Eastern Depot is unprecedented. Now, there has been an unauthorized intrusion into the Hall of State Affairs, causing widespread fear and unease throughout the court and the country, with much discussion."
"We believe that we should consider abolishing the case. As for the retrial of Song Shenxi's case, the court has the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice. If that is not possible, the Council of State Affairs can also preside over the retrial. We are sure that the truth can be found out."
Having spent many years navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, I've learned that intuition is often more important than political maneuvering.
Although the Eastern Depot has not yet truly revealed its fangs, the ministers in the court have clearly noticed certain signs and want to nip it in the bud.
Unfortunately, this was the Tang Dynasty, not the Song Dynasty.
Li Ang smiled at Wang Ya's suggestion, his tone very casual.
"Since the reigns of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, our Great Tang Dynasty has always been known for its pioneering spirit. Before the Sui Dynasty, there was no imperial examination for scholars, and before Empress Wu Zetian, there was no palace examination. Before Emperor Xuanzong, the Shence Army was merely a garrison in the northwest. Now it is the imperial guard. So the fact that there is no precedent to follow is not a big deal."
"Minister Wang said that the court has the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Council of State Affairs, all of which can participate in the trial of major cases. However, even based on the current facts of the case, it already involves two military governors and may even involve the prime ministers. If I had not specially drawn personnel from the palace to investigate, who in this vast court could guarantee that they could handle such an important case?"
These words left everyone present speechless.
Indeed, the so-called ancestral laws were simply untenable in the Tang Dynasty, a dynasty renowned for its institutional innovations.
However, it was precisely after these words were spoken that the atmosphere in the hall underwent another subtle change.
Almost simultaneously, everyone noticed a certain remark the emperor had just made.
At that moment, Zheng Tan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, since the Eastern Depot was established to investigate cases, I wonder how the trial is progressing now? May we have a look?"
Then Linghu Chu also said, "Your Majesty, what Zheng Pu She said makes sense. Since the Eastern Depot has arrested two military governors, it must produce some evidence. Otherwise, it may be difficult to quell the court's opinion."
The sight of the two standing together immediately caused a strange expression on the faces of everyone present.
There's no other reason than that, as key members of the Niu and Li factions, these two were often arguing in front of the emperor two or three years ago.
It's truly a rare sight to see them working together like this.
Moreover, not only others, but even Linghu Chu himself was quite surprised by Zheng Qin's change in attitude.
Of course, now is not the time to think about that.
The two stepped forward together, their eyes filled with expectation as they looked at the emperor.
But at that very moment, Wang Ya spoke up again, as if by chance: "Your Majesty, I still think we should clarify the matter of the Eastern Depot first."
All eyes turned to them, some with doubt, some with surprise, and some with dissatisfaction. Even Li Ang's eyes held a scrutinizing gaze.
Seeing this, Wang Ya sighed silently and said, "Your Majesty, I already felt something was wrong when Zheng Zhu was arrested, but by then it was too late. Moreover, the palace issued an edict to remove Zheng Zhu from his position as military governor on the grounds that he had led his troops back to the capital without authorization, so I did not say anything more."
"But now, Wang Fan is still the military governor of Hedong. The Eastern Depot arrested and imprisoned him based solely on a written edict. Such an action is a violation of the law. I fear that if this continues, the law will be lost, the dignity of ministers will be lost, and the officials will be filled with anxiety and disloyalty. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."
After saying this, the over-seventy-year-old prime minister, unusually, performed a deep bow, his words stern and imposing, which immediately made the hall somewhat quiet.
Seeing this, Li Ang also fell silent.
During this period, he gained some concrete understanding of this era.
The political landscape of the late Tang Dynasty, or more precisely, during the reign of Emperor Wenzong, was far more complex than simply the power of eunuchs. Factional infighting and officials seeking personal gain were the most prominent characteristics of this period.
For example, among the five people in this hall, Shu Yuanyu and Jia Su, who had a close relationship with Li Xunping, wisely kept quiet to protect themselves.
Linghu Chu and Zheng Tan, representing the interests of their respective parties, were eager to overthrow Li Xun's faction and completely ignored the establishment of the Eastern Depot.
After counting them all, among these so-called important officials of the court, only Wang Ya still had some sense of public duty.
Upon realizing this, Li Ang couldn't help but sigh and turned to Liu Hongyi.
"Go and help Prime Minister Wang up."
Liu Hongyi lowered his head, then personally stepped down the imperial steps and helped Wang Ya up.
Perhaps because Li Ang had not expressed his opinion, Wang Ya hesitated for a moment when he stood up. However, since the person who came was Liu Hongyi, the lieutenant of the Shence Army, he couldn't refuse to give him face. He reluctantly stood up, but his eyes still held a complicated and unfathomable meaning when he looked at Li Ang.
Seeing this, Li Ang raised his hand and said, "I understand what you mean, Prime Minister Wang. The Eastern Depot is newly established and its system is incomplete, which is my oversight. Since you have this concern, then in the future, when the Eastern Depot takes action, it can be done like other imperial edicts. The edict should be sent to the Council of State Affairs for signature and approval, and then reported to the Ministry of Justice before it can be carried out. What do you think, Prime Minister?"