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

Chapter 85: Bestowing Favors

At this moment, a rare debate, similar to that that would only occur during the Yan Ying Memorial Meeting, appeared in the imperial court.

The officials in the hall were discussing the matter animatedly, as they were somewhat caught off guard.

It should be noted that although the morning court session was nominally for handling government affairs, it was more of a means of communication between higher and lower levels.

Minor matters are generally handled directly by the Council of State Affairs, while major matters are discussed on a small scale by Yeon Yeong-soo.

Such situations are rare unless they involve important political affairs for most officials.

Upon seeing this, Li Ang couldn't help but smile.

As the emperor, he naturally had to be wary of the Shence Army, but he couldn't possibly entrust all affairs to the Secretariat-Chancellery.

Yang Qinyi was very clever in this respect.

Unlike Liu Hongyi, whose opposition stemmed more from his own stance, he astutely raised a question in his words.

That is, the Shence Army, as the Imperial Guard, should be directly under the Emperor's command.

It is necessary to exercise some restraint and supervision over the Shence Army, but Li Ang does not want to see its judicial power completely transferred to the Council of State Affairs.

Therefore, after a brief argument, he quickly made a decision and said.

"The Shence Military Command was originally established to control the Shence Army and facilitate communication. It should be in close contact with the Secretariat and the Chancellery. All important military matters should be reported to His Majesty before Yan Ying can be summoned for a meeting. Lieutenant Liu is right about this."

"These cases will be tried by the Jingzhao Prefecture first. After the Shence Military Governor's Office is established after the New Year, they will all be sent to the Shence Military Governor's Office for signature and approval before being dealt with."

After he finished speaking, the ministers present had different expressions, but none of them said anything more.

Thus, the morning court session came to a temporary end.

After the court session, Li Ang returned to the inner palace.

As usual, Liu Hongyi and his companion directed the servants to bring out breakfast and waited on them.

However, today, Li Ang did not touch his chopsticks. Instead, after thinking for a moment, he looked up and said.

"From this day forward, you will no longer need to serve before the Emperor..."

Upon hearing this, the two men were taken aback at first, then immediately knelt down and said.

"Please calm down, everyone. This old servant knows his crime."

Seeing this, Li Ang smiled slightly and asked, "What crime do you know?"

So Liu Hongyi raised his head slightly and hesitated, saying, "This old servant should not have argued with you gentlemen during the morning court session."

"What crime is this? Rise..." Li Ang shook his head, raised his hand, and helped the two up.

Then, he looked at the two of them and said, "I have no intention of blaming you. Now that the Shence Military Governor's Office has been established, you two are the first governors. Like the prime ministers, you are all ministers in the court. It is normal for you to have different political views and argue with each other."

From the very first day he transmigrated, Li Ang held a simple belief: any seeds of distrust must be nipped in the bud.

The Shence Military Governor's Office was a new thing, so its status and the extent of its power were still a question mark for both the inner palace and the outer court.

Especially for those who already hold power, such as Liu Hongyi, they need Li Ang to reassure them.

"When I said I didn't want you to serve me, it wasn't because I wanted to distance myself from you. It's just that your status has changed, and you should naturally have the proper decorum. In a few days, the Shence Military Governor's Office should be almost finished with renovations. I will issue an edict to formally appoint you as Left and Right Military Governors. At that time, you will only need to sit in the office of the Military Governor."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two people opposite him were stunned for a moment, and then a look of joy appeared on their faces.

After all, no matter how good something is, it's never secure until it's in your own pocket.

With Li Ang's promise, at least their positions were now secure.

Thank you everyone.

The two men clasped their hands and bowed again.

Seeing this, Li Ang said, "Now that you have entered the court as officials, you no longer need to refer to yourselves as the palace eunuchs. You can refer to yourselves as subjects along with the court officials."

This……

The two exchanged a glance, and then Liu Hongyi said, "We are deeply grateful for your kindness, but whether we are in the outer court or in the palace, we are still servants of the royal family and dare not overstep our bounds."

"If you are worried that we will be looked down upon by the outer court, then we will refer to ourselves as officials in the court, but in the inner palace, please allow us to refer to ourselves as before."

Whether they are sincere or not, at least for now, the two of them are putting on quite a show.

Seeing this, Li Ang nodded and said.

"It's good that you have this intention. Since that's the case, I won't force you."

"The Shence Military Governor's Office has just been established, and there are many things that need to be discussed with the Council of State Affairs. There will be no shortage of debates like today in the future."

"Therefore, starting tomorrow, after the morning court session each day, I will have all the prime ministers stay behind, and you will also go together to hold the Shence Conference to jointly decide on the various matters concerning the reform of the Shence system."

If the previous promise of investiture was considered a fulfillment of that promise, then Li Ang's current actions are a complete expression of his trust.

The convening of the Shence Conference, allowing the two men to discuss reforms with the prime ministers in their capacity as Shence Commanders, implies that they are permitted, within limited limits, to fight for the power that belongs to the newly established Shence Commander's Office.

These words truly meant that they would have the same status as the ministers of the Council of State Affairs.

Upon hearing this, the two were initially surprised, but then became extremely excited and quickly bowed again, saying...

"We, your humble servants, thank you all for your kindness."

Li Ang nodded in satisfaction and said, "Hmm, you may leave now. The affairs ahead will be much more demanding than before. You should all return to your residences for the next two days to rest and recuperate. Things won't be so easy after this."

He said this half-jokingly, and the two immediately bowed again to express their gratitude. Then, urged by Li Ang, they took a few steps back and left the inner hall.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Li Ang finally began to eat his breakfast.

However, while he was having breakfast, his mind kept wandering.

The establishment of the Shence Military Governor's Office was the most impactful reform measure on the court since his transmigration.

Before this, killing Qiu Shiliang or capturing Xue Jiling were merely temporary solutions.

Li Ang always adhered to the principle of planning before acting.

After all, only by having enough information and a true understanding of this era can we act with purpose.

Strictly speaking, this so-called Shence Military Governor's Office was actually more similar to the Privy Council of the Song Dynasty, except it was an enhanced version without the constraints of the Three Military Offices.

From this perspective, the ancients were actually the wisest.

Even a modern person like Li Ang, who is well-versed in history, would find it difficult not to make the same choice in the same situation.

Although the Song Dynasty was poor and weak, its structure of two prefectures and three departments was indeed the most effective at restraining each other.

Although the Tang Dynasty has not experienced the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the trend of prioritizing military strength remains unchanged.

This is the reason why Li Ang attempted to establish the Shence Military Governor's Office.

He not only wanted to strip power from the eunuchs, but also hoped to further curb this trend of disorder and the supremacy of force.

The establishment of the Shence Military Governor's Office was only the first step. The Political Affairs Hall was able to restrain the Shence Army to some extent, but the hidden dangers still remained.

Only by separating the power to command troops from the power to deploy troops can the problem be fundamentally and thoroughly solved.

However, achieving this right now is still too difficult.

You have to eat one bite at a time...

Li Ang picked up the bowl of white porridge and put it in his mouth, his mind racing with thoughts.

Just then, Qi Baozhen stepped forward and said.

"Everyone, the Empress Dowager has sent someone to invite you to Xingqing Palace."