Li Qitian was cautious in his actions, so he naturally would not easily believe anyone. However, the timing of this report was too coincidental. Even though Li Qitian did not want to believe that the Lu family would sell an official position, he still had doubts in his heart.
Other people did not know, but when Lu Tingzhong went to the south, he used the name of inspecting the people to monitor Pang Xiao. In private, Li Qitian had also arranged other things for him to do.
If Lu Tingzhong bought an official position to become an imperial envoy, then it was too scary when one thought about it carefully.
Li Qitian was full of gloominess. With a wave of his pen, he rejected the Ministry of Personnel's report.
Who would have thought that after this report was rejected once, it was submitted again not long after.
Li Qitian rejected it again, and the Ministry of Personnel continued to submit it. They actually submitted three reports in a row for this matter.
At this time, Li Qitian's face was already dark. He viciously marked down the Lu family in his heart.
What a good Lu Heng, daring to play with me!
After the Qingming festival, Pang Xiao's health finally improved with each passing day. After returning to the capital to rest for a month, Prince Zhongshun finally attended the court assembly.
When Li Qitian saw Pang Xiao attending court and standing among the civil officials, he felt a bit angry in his heart. He suppressed his anger and said a few words of concern.
The rumors outside about him "harshly treating a meritorious official" had just subsided. Li Qitian really did not want to cause any more trouble. Therefore, regarding Pang Xiao's position after returning to the capital, he needed to carefully consider it.
Li Qitian absent-mindedly listened to the officials discuss the matter. He had not yet thought about where to place Pang Xiao when Duke Chang stood up again.
"Your Majesty, this official wants to report Prince Zhongshun …"
Duke Chang's report of impeaching Pang Xiao was old news. During this period of time, it would be impeached every few days. Each time, Li Qitian would only say "pending investigation."
However, today, Duke Chang and the officials seemed to have made an agreement. Not only did they talk about the previous reports in rapid succession, it was as if they had made an agreement. Someone even shouted:
"Prince Zhongshun appears to be a loyal subject, but in fact, he is a scoundrel. He is disrespectful to Your Majesty and deliberately created rumors and slanders among the people to slander Your Majesty. He really deserves to be punished!"
"Prince Zhongshun was ordered to guard the South. During this period of time, there was no chaos in the South. He was just doing his duty. Even so, he still dares to claim credit and even incite people to claim credit for himself. He is just trying to force Your Majesty to give him a higher position."
"For the sake of his career, this person is simply unscrupulous! In terms of court affairs, he did not have any achievements. In terms of character, he was truly despicable and hateful. How could such a person be worthy of staying in the capital? We need to let him reflect on himself before we can use him. "
As soon as he said this, the hall fell silent.
Many people's eyes were focused on Pang Xiao.
In the past, Pang Xiao claimed that he was sick and did not attend court. If there were any reports, he could only let them do as they wished. Now that Pang Xiao was present, those who agreed with Pang Xiao were anxious in their hearts. They were thinking about how Pang Xiao would explain himself. These officials who supported Pang Xiao knew that Pang Xiao was not a soft persimmon that could be easily squashed. Since he was framed, he naturally had to defend himself. They could finally vent their anger.
However, unexpectedly, Pang Xiao kept his mouth shut and lowered his head respectfully as if he was admitting his guilt.
This surprised everyone, including Li Qitian.
It also made the officials even more excited. They all came up with ideas on how to punish Pang Xiao.
It was as if Duke Chang had been injected with chicken blood. He spoke as if he had pushed a cart of walnuts. He did not even pant in the middle.
"I agree. I think that Prince Zhongshun's actions are not worthy of the word 'loyal'. He has betrayed Your Majesty's grace. Why don't we let Prince Zhongshun reflect on himself? Now that the world is stable, Huichuan County should start construction. We lack a premier to supervise the construction. I think that Prince Zhongshun is qualified for this position. Let Prince Zhongshun supervise the construction of the Imperial Mausoleum to atone for his sins. He can also have time to reflect on his sins. "
The eyes of the officials lit up and they all agreed.
On the other hand, the officials who supported Pang Xiao were cursing Duke Chang in their hearts. This old man was really vicious. The imperial envoys who supervised the construction of the Imperial Mausoleum in the past did not have a good ending. Duke Chang was pushing Pang Xiao to his death!
Some people could not help but stand up to refute.
"Prince Zhongshun is a meritorious official and has outstanding talent. Your Majesty will definitely put him in an important position.
Let Prince Zhongshun do the construction of the Imperial Mausoleum. Isn't it overkill? "
Naturally, the officials were not convinced.
The scene became chaotic. The officials argued until they could not stop. Only Pang Xiao, the person involved, remained silent.
At this time, Li Qitian's thoughts were turning.
Actually, he also had a headache about participating in Pang Xiao. It was all because he wanted to see a joke in the beginning. That was why he allowed Duke Chang to lead people to mess around. He did not stop Pang Xiao the first time. Later, he did not clear Pang Xiao's name. In the future, he did not have a chance to offend Pang Xiao. Not to mention, Li Qitian still felt uncomfortable.
Li Qitian had been worried about Pang Xiao's appointment. His original intention was to not give him a chance to take power. However, the public opinion outside was very strong. If he did not give him a position, it would confirm the rumor that he mistreated his loyal officials.
In such a dilemma, Duke Chang proposed to have Pang Xiao be the imperial envoy supervising the construction of the Imperial Mausoleum. This made Li Qitian's eyes light up.
It could keep Pang Xiao away from the center of power. It could also catch his mistakes at any time. It could also prevent him from causing trouble in front of him. If word got out, he would build the Imperial Mausoleum for him. That was an arrangement he made because he trusted Pang Xiao a lot. For Pang Xiao, it was also a kind of glory. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking of this, Pang Xiao put down a stone in his heart. His finger tapped happily on the armrest of the dragon chair.
The officials below continued to argue happily. Li Qitian looked at them like he was watching a monkey show.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Heng. Li Qitian immediately had a new idea.
Daring to play him like a monkey and buy officials and nobles to control the court. It was time for Lu Heng to teach him a lesson.
"Ahem." Li Qitian coughed lightly.
When the loyal officials heard this, they froze for a moment. They immediately shut their mouths. The court immediately returned to silence.
Li Qitian said, "Zhixi."
"Your Majesty."
Pang Xiao saluted.
"The construction of Huichuan County has been stopped for a long time. Zhen indeed needs a trustworthy person to be the imperial envoy supervising the construction. Zhen will give this task to you."
The officials in the court were so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
The generals who were arguing fiercely with the censors who impeached Pang Xiao were indignant. Someone wanted to stand up for Pang Xiao.
Who knew that Pang Xiao would be the first to salute. Without any objection, he respectfully and fearfully replied, "This official obeys Your Majesty. Thank Your Majesty for your grace. "
Li Qitian smiled and nodded. He said again, "Zhong Yibo."
Lu Heng lowered his head and thought about Li Qitian's actions today. He was stunned for a moment when he was suddenly called. He hurriedly stood up and saluted, "This official is here."
"Zhen attaches great importance to the construction of Huichuan County. Since Prince Zhongshun is the premier supervising the construction, the position of county magistrate will be given to you. You and Prince Zhongshun are both Zhen's trusted officials. Presumably, the two of you will be able to cooperate and work together to complete this matter. "
Lu Heng was shocked to the extreme.
Ever since the Lu family secretly supported Li Qitian's uprising, it had been more than ten years. The Da Zhou dynasty had been established for eight years. The Lu family had always been in power and he gradually gained Li Qitian's trust.
Lu Heng was confident that among the nobles in the court, there was no one who could win the Emperor's heart more than him.
But who would have thought that Your Majesty would suddenly let him be a small county magistrate of Huichuan County. Moreover, the task was to repair the imperial mausoleum, which was a strenuous and thankless task.
One must know that many county magistrates of Huichuan County had died consecutively.
Lu Heng's heart was uneasy and unconvinced.
But from the corner of his eye, he saw that Pang Xiao, such a domineering figure, was now as obedient as a cat. He actually agreed to be the premier supervising the construction of the imperial mausoleum without any objection. It was clear that the current situation was serious.
He knew that Your Majesty had always been afraid of Pang Xiao.
But if even someone like Pang Xiao was obedient and he stood up to refute, regardless of Your Majesty's considerations, he would only make Your Majesty even more dissatisfied.
After thinking a thousand times, Lu Heng finally knelt down and saluted, "This official thanks Your Majesty for your kindness. This official will do his best to share Your Majesty's burdens."
"Mm." Li Qitian responded with a drawn-out sound.
Because of these two people's obedience, Li Qitian was in a good mood. He was also a little afraid that his appointment today would be talked about behind his back. Therefore, Li Qitian added, "Zhixi's body has not recovered yet, so there's no rush to take up the post. It won't be too late for you to set off after you've recovered. The imperial mausoleum matters will be handed over to these two beloved officials. The two of you can discuss and set off."
"Thank you very much for Your Majesty. This official obeys Your Majesty's orders." Pang Xiao responded with a neat salute.
Li Qitian then expressed his sympathy to Lu Heng. "Zhong Yibo is a newlywed. You should also take up the post with your family."
"Yes, this official thanks Your Majesty for his grace."
Li Qitian's mood became even better after completing this matter. He was still smiling even when he returned to the imperial study after the court was dismissed.
Not to mention how Pang Xiao and Lu Heng would make arrangements for their departure when they returned home separately.
The news that Prince Zhongshun and Zhong Yibo were about to set off together to build the imperial mausoleum spread throughout the imperial court in the blink of an eye.
The commoners' discussion was one thing. After all, they were far away from power struggles and did not know much about the imperial court's matters.
However, the people who worked in the Imperial Court all saw this with their own eyes.
In the Tiger Army, who worshipped Pang Xiao, several of the main generals were filled with righteous indignation when they heard this news.
"Who would have thought that Wang Ye would risk his life to fight so many long battles for Your Majesty. In the end, he would end up going to build the imperial mausoleum."
"Damn it! What kind of official is building the imperial mausoleum? Ah? Isn't this using a butcher's knife to poke an ant? "
"Most importantly, I've seen very few officials who build the imperial mausoleum end up well. This is trying to torture Wang Ye to death!"
… …
Everyone was indignant, but …
There were also some who remained clear-headed and tried to persuade the furious people around them, "Alright, alright. Everyone, don't make a ruckus. If others hear about this, I'm afraid it will cause trouble for Wang Ye. Wang Ye is wholeheartedly loyal to Your Majesty. Naturally, he will happily accept the edict. If we say this and someone with ulterior motives hears about it, they will slander Wang Ye for being dissatisfied with Your Majesty. Then wouldn't Wang Ye be even more wronged? "
"Although that's the case, Your Majesty is too …"
"You're still talking! Why aren't you shutting up! "
Several people reminded each other, afraid that trouble would come from careless talk. However, even the one who maintained his rationality and stopped others was also furious.
Since ancient times, there was a saying that the hound was cooked after the cunning hare was served. How long had it been since the establishment of the Da Zhou Dynasty? Getting rid of the donkey after it had left the millstone was too fast!
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