Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 100 - Eliminate Luo Yuheng

The imperial court was very quiet.

Everyone was very clear that this was not a game that someone of their level could participate in.

On the Dragon Throne, a trace of a smile played on Emperor Ninghe's lips. His gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Yang Hetong.

In some respects, the imperial court was like a market. All sorts of transactions invisible to the naked eye were always being conducted here.

It's just that everyone was a smart person. If some things were said too bluntly, it would be uninteresting.

But this old fox, Yang Hetong, really had no sincerity.

Restoring Luo Yuheng's status as Grand Princess was originally an internal matter of the imperial family. Emperor Ninghe could decide it with a single word and did not need anyone else's consent at all.

Thinking this, Emperor Ninghe nodded:

"What the Grand Tutor says is reasonable. Although Yuheng and I are not on good terms, that is just a private matter of the royal family. This time, in resisting the Wokou's attack, for Yuheng to be able to lead from the front and personally behead one hundred and seventy-six Wokou is truly a model for the imperial clan and she should be rewarded."

As soon as these words were spoken, the corners of many people's mouths twitched slightly.

One hundred and seventy-six people, it's a wonder you can even say it.

Emperor Ninghe nodded slightly: "Since that is the case, then We shall issue an edict to restore Luo Yuheng's status as Grand Princess, bestowing upon her the title of Princess Anning (Peace and Tranquility), with Ningping as her fief."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Alright, the matter of rewards is temporarily concluded. Let's now discuss the problem of Yang Siye. If I remember correctly, Yang Siye did not come from the imperial examinations, but was made a County Magistrate through the recommendation system, correct?"

Saying this, Emperor Ninghe's gaze fell upon a middle-aged man. The man only felt his body tremble and instantly tense up, and a layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Yang Jingshuo, Vice Minister of Revenue.

To be able to reach the position of Vice Minister was already enough to be considered high-ranking and powerful.

What's more, it was in a place like the Ministry of Revenue, which was in charge of the empire's money and grain.

In the Ning Kingdom, there were three main ways to become an official. First is by inheritance.

For families with a noble title, their descendants can enter the court as officials directly without going through the imperial examinations.

Of course, these people's official positions were often not too high. After all, under the rule that noble titles are not granted without military merit, the titled nobility were almost all from military backgrounds. These people were masters at marching and fighting, but if you were to talk about governing the people and the state, it was really a bit difficult for them…

Just like the Duke of Yi, who had followed Taizu in conquering the world more than a hundred years ago. In his life, he was the first to storm the walls thirteen times, beheaded generals eight times, and captured banners four times. All sorts of glories were added to his name, but on the day he was granted his title, he didn't even recognize the character 'Yi' in 'Duke of Yi'.

His temper was also explosive. To expect such a person to be able to raise his descendants to be well-versed in etiquette and highly learned was obviously also impossible.

Therefore, the imperial court would often grant them an unimportant sinecure, as a show of favor.

Although there were no great prospects, a lifetime of comfort was not a problem.

The second is the recommendation system, where local officials recommend talented and virtuous people from under their jurisdiction to enter the court as officials.

It is further divided into 'Filial and Incorrupt' and 'Forthright Admonition'.

'Filial and Incorrupt' means to be filial to one's parents and incorrupt in public service. And because the Central Plains has always revered filial piety, the 'filial' character in 'Filial and Incorrupt' became more and more important, while 'incorrupt' was gradually ignored.

The court's original intention was probably good, but it clearly underestimated how great the temptation of an official post was to the common people.

The initial 'filial sons' were still relatively normal, but who knows when, people began to engage in an arms race.

Ordinary filial piety was no longer enough to meet the requirements for entering the court. Only with sufficiently exaggerated deeds could one stand out from the many filial sons and become famous overnight.

For this, many extremely outrageous filial sons were born, with stories like 'a carp leaping from a spring,' 'crying at bamboo to make shoots grow,' and 'lying on ice to seek carp.'

As for 'Forthright Admonition,' to put it simply, it was all about criticizing.

One could enter the court as an official by criticizing the various decrees issued by the court, pointing out their flaws, and putting forward one's own views.

But as time went on, 'Forthright Admonition' inevitably became distorted, just like 'Filial and Incorrupt.' The current 'Forthright Admonition' is purely for the sake of criticizing. Even if a natural disaster occurs somewhere and the court reduces taxes, these people can still viciously criticize it, as if only by doing so can they show how different they are.

When the Ning Kingdom was first established, the recommendation system had a certain positive significance.

It provided an opportunity for all social classes to enter officialdom, allowing some people from humble backgrounds to become officials, giving ordinary commoners an upward channel. It greatly eased social conflicts, and at the same time, it also helped to advocate for good morals and stabilize the social order.

But as time went by, the recommendation system was basically monopolized by the great aristocratic families. They used their advantages in politics, economy, and culture to manipulate the recommendation process, completely turning it into a channel for their own clan's children to become officials.

The third is the imperial examinations.

Born to counter the recommendation system.

Yang Jingshuo was Yang Siye's recommender.

According to the laws of the Ning Kingdom, if the recommended official violates the law, the recommender will also be implicated.

This time, it involved one thousand nine hundred and seventy-two lives. That was a great crime worthy of exterminating the nine relations. If investigated closely, I'm afraid Yang Jingshuo would also have to pay with his life.

A Vice Minister of Revenue, a high-ranking court official with great power, plus dozens or nearly a hundred grassroots officials.

We'll just have to see what the Yang family is prepared to trade for them. If they are unwilling to trade, that's fine too. Directly purging all these people would also be a great gain.

Yang Hetong frowned and said no more.

That Fang De, however, glanced sideways at Yang Hetong and shook his head slightly.

Yang Hetong is a smart person. If he weren't smart and only had his family background, he wouldn't be able to sit in his current position. But in the end, he is a bit too greedy.

He seems to think that the Yang family's power is large enough that Emperor Ninghe wouldn't dare to have a complete falling out with them. But he doesn't know that the current His Majesty is a man of great courage. If the conditions offered by the Yang family do not satisfy Emperor Ninghe, Emperor Ninghe would truly dare to directly order the eunuchs to drag Yang Jingshuo out and behead him right outside the hall.

To cut through the Gordian knot, directly cutting off a few of the Yang family's fingers. By the time you react, what can you do? Could you commit regicide in the middle of the court?

If that were the case, the court of the Ning Kingdom would truly be in chaos.

Ai.

Fang De let out a faint sigh and finally stood out: "Your Majesty, Ningping is by the sea and often suffers from Wokou attacks. Your subject suggests that Princess Anning be specially permitted to recruit five thousand soldiers as a Wokou defense force."

Rumble.

As soon as these words were spoken, the vast imperial court was instantly in an uproar.

Who knows how many people's faces changed. Even that wrinkled old face of Yang Hetong's became exceptionally grim, his eyes narrowing to a slit, a cold glint faintly visible.

A Grand Princess who holds five thousand elite soldiers in her hands, and a Grand Princess who only has a venerable title—that is a world of difference.

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable! Since the time of Taizu, Great Ning has never had a precedent of a woman commanding the army. This action violates the ancestral system.”

"That's right. Although Great Ning enfeoffs princes and princesses, they are not real fiefs. Your Majesty cannot set this precedent."

"A woman in command of soldiers, how disgraceful!"

"My Great Ning has a million armored soldiers. We can completely transfer troops from other places. Mere Wokou can be extinguished with a flick of the finger."

In an instant, all sorts of voices rose one after another. The originally quiet imperial court for a moment became like a vegetable market. Some were even more outrageous, already weeping, saying: "A woman in command of soldiers, Great Ning is doomed."

Fang De's old face grew darker and darker. After a long while, he gave a low shout:

"Silence."

"This is the imperial court."

Don't be fooled by the fact that Fang De was just a short old man. But his words were full of pressure. The various officials looked at me, and I looked at you, and in the end, did not dare to say more.

After all, this was an elder statesman who had served three reigns.

"Director Liu." Fang De turned to look at the one who had been clamoring the loudest before: "You just spoke of the ancestral system?"

That Director Liu's body trembled. Although he was just an old man, the pressure he gave off was like that of a fierce, hungry wolf, making him inexplicably scared. His throat moved and he said in a deep voice:

"That's right. The Ning Kingdom has no precedent for a woman commanding soldiers. If this isn't violating the ancestral system, what is?"

"Good. Then let's talk about the ancestral system. During the Taizu era, a rule was set down: for anyone guilty of corruption and bribery exceeding six hundred taels of silver, they are to be flayed and stuffed with straw, and their bodies abandoned in the marketplace. This ancestral system, would Director Liu like to restore it?"

"General Huo, you just said that Great Ning has a million armored soldiers and that we should transfer troops from elsewhere. Then you tell me, the north must guard against the northern barbarians, the east must resist the Chu Kingdom, the south must defend against the Zhao Kingdom, and the imperial guards must protect the capital. From where are these troops to be transferred?"

"Censor Lin, you were the one who just said that if a woman commands soldiers, Great Ning is doomed. Then do you know that the one who led the Chu army to attack our Great Ning this time was a woman."

"In extraordinary times, one must use extraordinary measures. Right now, the Ning Kingdom is surrounded by enemies. And the coastal region is a major source of tax revenue and grain production for the Ning Kingdom. If the grain production is reduced due to Wokou harassment, and the army provisions for the border cannot be sustained, what will we use to resist the northern barbarians and the Chu Kingdom?"

One by one, they were called out by Fang De. The few who had been clamoring the loudest before all did not dare to make a sound. Perhaps because he was too agitated, an unnatural flush appeared on Fang De's face. His voice grew more and more piercing:

"If one day Great Ning is destroyed, you all will be the sinners."

This last sentence was especially deafening.

The few who had been shouting before were all pale. They couldn't understand how, just for raising a small objection, the big hat of 'destroying the nation' had been placed on their own heads.

The corners of Emperor Ninghe's mouth curled into an arc, and then quickly disappeared:

"Ahem, Grand Preceptor Fang need not be angry, need not be angry. Everyone is also worried about our Great Ning. Why has it come to this."

"Your Majesty, this old subject believes that the number of five thousand Wokou defense soldiers is really too small. After all, the Ning Kingdom's coastline is extremely long. A mere five thousand defense soldiers is fundamentally unable to resist the Wokou. This old subject suggests increasing the number of Wokou defense soldiers to ten thousand, all to be commanded by Her Highness the Grand Princess. After all, in the hundred-plus years since the founding of the Ning Kingdom, this is the first time there has been such a great victory against the Wokou."

"This old subject believes that with ten thousand Wokou defense soldiers, Her Highness the Grand Princess will surely be able to completely sweep away the Wokou scourge and protect the peace of Great Ning's coast for a hundred years."

Yang Hetong could no longer sit still. He was a hundred times unwilling to let Luo Yuheng have command of five thousand troops.

A royal family with no actual power is a good royal family.

But the current situation was clearly no longer something he could control. He believed that if he didn't state his position soon, Fang De would absolutely dare to continue raising the number.

"Your subject seconds the motion. However, the Grand Princess commands troops like a god; five thousand is enough."

Fang De spoke again: "Because the positions of Ningping County Magistrate, County Deputy, and County Commandant are vacant, a county cannot be without governance. This old subject suggests that the Grand Princess's son, Luo Tianshu, can temporarily serve as the Ningping County Magistrate; her second son, Luo Tianquan, as the Ningping County Deputy; and her son-in-law, Song Yan, can temporarily act as the Ningping County Commandant!"

Yang Hetong's expression did not change, only his eyelids trembled slightly.

The information the Yang family could grasp was naturally much more than others.

Don't be fooled by Fang Hai's memorial, which only casually mentioned Song Yan's name at the very end. But Yang Hetong knew that for the annihilation of this large group of Wokou this time, this son-in-law of Luo Yuheng, Song Yan, was the true key.

The 'wolf brush' weapon that resisted the Wokou came from Song Yan's hands.

The 'mandarin duck formation' that fought against the Wokou was also created by Song Yan.

It was also because of Song Yan that the Yang family had suffered heavy losses this time. Not only did they lose three grassroots officials and one legitimate daughter, but the bet they had placed on the Duke Song's mansion for more than twenty years had also come to nothing.

A new variable has been added to the family's plan.

If they had discovered this person's talent earlier, by marrying a side-branch illegitimate daughter of the Yang family to him, they might have been able to recruit him.

But because of the relationship with Yang Miaoqing, the relationship between the Yang family and Song Yan was already like fire and water, a fight to the death.

Although there was a side-branch woman, Yang Siyao, who had temporarily gained Song Yan's trust under the name of rebelling against the Yang family, whether she could control him was also uncertain.

The man also knows medicine and has literary talent. If he really were to enter officialdom, perhaps he would really have a chance to rise to prominence.

Although, from Yang Hetong's position, the current Song Yan was just a lowly ant, not worth mentioning.

But for some unknown reason, Yang Hetong could sense a trace of a threat from Song Yan.

In his slightly narrowed, cloudy eyes, a cold glint flashed.

Since it's a threat, then... clean it up!

Of course, an ant is ultimately just an ant. The target Yang Hetong was truly concerned about was not Song Yan. No matter how talented he was, just his background as an illegitimate son and his status as a live-in son-in-law limited Song Yan's prospects.

The one Yang Hetong truly valued was Luo Yuheng.

This woman was the real threat.

Perhaps the nail that had been planted in the Luo family for so many years, it was time to activate it. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ N0velFire.ɴet

It was still that same sentence: if it's a threat, then eliminate it!