amaotonovel Chapter 830: Prime Minister's Power
Chapter 830: Prime Minister's Power
Lu Botang felt extremely aggrieved!
How can he speak properly!
He didn't even lick half a bite of the food at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, but Dust ate his fill.
Isn’t he the one who feels the most wronged?
But with the pressure from his elders, no matter how reluctant he was, he managed to say after a while: "I'm glad you're okay."
Shen Zheng's eyes moved slightly. It seemed that this General Lu was the one sent by the emperor to find him.
Although this trip back and forth took a lot of time, she was also a real victim as she was assassinated and fell into the water and disappeared. It was not her wish for Lu Botang to leave for Jingzhou.
Therefore, she didn't feel that she had done anything wrong to Lu Botang.
Thinking of this, Shen Zheng restrained his expression slightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, General."
Seeing that Shen Zheng was not as enthusiastic as before, General Lin paused, stepped hard on Lu Botang again, and then asked with a smile: "Xiao Shen, will you stand with me later?"
Shen Zheng didn't understand.
General Lin pointed to the front row on the right side of the hall and said, "I'm standing there. You stand beside me. I'll protect you. If anyone dares to gossip..."
A gleam of light flashed across his sharp eagle eyes, with an obvious warning, and he snorted coldly: "Don't blame me for being rude!"
Lu Botang's eyes widened and he looked to the front right.
Shen Zheng, a sixth-rank civil official, standing in front of a group of military generals?
What a joke!
But it is true that Shen Zheng’s position at this time is worth studying.
According to her official rank, she should stand at the end of the left side, which is the tail end of the entire Golden Palace, but all officials knew that the emperor summoned Shen Zheng to attend the court meeting today not only to let her sit in.
In this case, if Shen Zheng stands in the front, the people standing behind her will be dissatisfied.
If you lean back...
The officials couldn't describe the feeling. It always felt weird that there was someone standing at the back watching them.
Several eyes fell on Shen Zheng, and Shen Zheng shook her head to decline General Lin's kindness.
"General Lin, I am a sixth-rank official. It is a favor from His Majesty that I can attend the court and discuss matters with you. So I..."
She pointed to the place under her feet and said with a smile: "Just stand here. I have good ears and can hear you."
All the officials breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that she was determined, General Lin did not want to persuade her any further. After speaking a few more words to her, he went to the right front with Lu Botang.
Finally, he turned around and said to her loudly: "If anyone says something unpleasant to you, remember to call me General."
In fact, these words were not meant for Shen Zheng at all. Just as Shen Zheng was about to speak, a light laugh came from the door.
It was Yu Shizhang who came, and with him was an elderly official in a purple robe.
Yu Shizhang looked at Shen Zheng with a smile on his face, while the other man looked normal. He just nodded to Shen Zheng and walked to the front left of the hall.
The officials paused and bowed, "Greetings to Prime Minister Cui, and Earl Yongning."
It turned out that the other person was Cui Xiang.
Yu Shizhang nodded perfunctorily and walked straight towards Shen Zheng, who was secretly glancing at Cui Xiang.
Prime Minister Cui looked to be over sixty years old and eight feet tall, which made him one of the tallest men in the palace. However, he seemed to be in poor health and hunched over when he walked. He seemed to be trying hard to hide the fact that he was in poor health, and he took big but unsteady steps when he walked.
For a moment, Shen Zheng thought a lot.
The word "Prime Minister" focuses on the word "宰".
And this "宰" means slaughtering cattle, pigs and sheep with a big knife.
The Zhou dynasty attached great importance to sacrifices, as did the previous dynasties. The most important part of sacrifices was slaughtering livestock. Therefore, those who had the "right to slaughter livestock" were the "superiors" in sacrificial activities.
Besides, meat is precious at this time, and anyone who can get some meat and share it with others must be a ruthless character.
Hence the saying, “If Ping were to rule the world, would he be treated like meat?” has been circulated.
In the previous dynasty, and even when the previous emperor was alive, the position of prime minister was considered the de facto head of all officials, and almost all officials followed the prime minister's lead.
But since the current emperor came to power, the power of the prime minister has been repeatedly reduced.
Unlike the previous "three provinces shared the power of the prime minister", the current Great Zhou Dynasty has "six ministries and nine temples shared the power of the prime minister".
In addition to the six ministries and nine temples, there are also various "departments, offices, and supervision agencies" that intervene to share some minor powers, which means - if you can't eat the meat, you can always have a sip of the meaty soup, right?
This is what the emperor wants to see and what other officials expect, but it is not acceptable to the prime minister.
People also called him "Prime Minister" and the emperor also called him "the head of all officials", but the real power in his hands had actually been divided up and eaten away by various tribes.
Although Cui Xiang's real power is gradually decreasing, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and he still has the top "voice".
Therefore, as long as the imperial court does not abolish the position of "prime minister", he will still be the person at the center of power in the Great Zhou.
"He's old." Shen Zheng was thinking, Yu Shizhang followed her gaze and said quietly: "I haven't seen him for a few months, he looks much older. It seems... life in the court is not easy."
With Cui as a comparison, he could better understand what a heavenly life he had lived during those few months in Tongan County.
Yu Shizhang's tone was neutral, as if he had no relationship with Prime Minister Cui.
Shen Zheng glanced around and asked in a low voice: "Master, this Prime Minister Cui..."
"Slippery." Yu Shizhang chuckled, "Your Majesty has been opening the imperial examination for many years, but you are the first female official in our Great Zhou Dynasty. Why do you think so?"
Shen Zheng understood instantly.
It turned out that this "top guy" was trying his best to stop it.
Before she could think about it, Yu Shizhang raised his chin to her and said, "Let's go, let's stand together."
His position is at the front left.
Shen Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard this.
Why do we have to stand together again?
"I'll just stand here." Shen Zheng said without moving, "Standing at the back will allow me to recognize people."
She was curious about what the ministers of various ministries and the ministers of various temples looked like.
I thought Yu Shizhang would step forward on his own initiative, but I didn't expect that after hearing what I said, he just stayed put.
He leaned towards Shen Zheng and nodded, "Then I'll point him out to you, in case you don't recognize him."
Shen Zheng: “…”
Makes sense, but not much.
"Let's just forget it." She said hesitantly.
"Benber can stand wherever he wants."
Just as Yu Shizhang finished speaking, two more purple-robed officials came together. This time they were Ji Benchang and Yue Zhenchuan.
Ji Benchang's chest was bulging, and he saw Shen Zheng out of the corner of his eye. He came over with Yue Zhenchuan and said, "Little Master Shen, you're here so early."
Shen Zheng smiled faintly and greeted them both.
Ji Benchang's eyes turned and he asked, "Where did you stay last night in the palace? Which palace?"
"Yixiang Garden." Yu Shizhang answered for her.
"Hiss..." Ji Benchang narrowed his eyes and asked, "That bedding is not ordinary. Master Shen, how was your rest?"