Fengtian Hall, Hongdu, Wei Kingdom.
At this time, the Wei Kingdom's court was holding a morning assembly.
Almost all the important officials in Hongdu, Wei Kingdom, were gathered here.
Today's court session was a bit different from the usual; foreign envoys were to be received and their credentials formally accepted.
"Announce the envoy of Zhao Kingdom!"
Lord Pingyuan, Zhao Sheng, entered the Wei Kingdom's court with solemn dignity and said loudly, "This humble minister, Zhao Sheng, pays his respects to His Majesty."
After all, the Wei Kingdom's ruler had already been conferred the honorary title of Emperor. Even though Zhao Sheng was somewhat displeased, he had to address him by this title.
However, Zhao Sheng still referred to himself as an external minister, clearly not considering the Zhao Kingdom as a vassal of Wei. This was inevitable. The Wei Kingdom's ruler and ministers knew this would be the outcome and would not dwell on it.
"Rise," said Feng Qing Shu.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager."
The young emperor was still too young, so all rituals were handled by the Empress Dowager.
"...The Kingdoms of Zhao and Wei have been friendly nations since ancient times, maintaining good relations throughout the generations. I am now specially dispatched by my King to serve as an envoy to Wei and to forge an eternal bond of friendship with Wei..."
Zhao Sheng eloquently read his credentials.
This had been predetermined, and there were no errors in Zhao's document. It contained no specific matters, mostly consisting of empty, ceremonial content.
The credentials were written with excellent prose, but no one was paying much attention to them. Everyone feigned attentive listening, but in reality, their minds were wandering.
After a long wait, Zhao Sheng finally finished reading his credentials.
A eunuch from the inner court then stepped forward to present the credentials to the Empress Dowager.
Feng Qing Shu said to Zhao Sheng, "The Kingdoms of Zhao and Wei have indeed been friendly throughout history. King Zhao intends to foster goodwill with our Great Wei, and I am very pleased..."
After this, Zhao Sheng retreated to the side, saying no more.
After Zhao Sheng withdrew, the eunuch in the hall continued to announce loudly:
"Announce the envoy of Yue Kingdom!"
The envoy of Yue Kingdom followed the same procedure as Zhao Sheng.
The content was no different, mostly speaking of the friendship between the two countries and their desire to forge an eternal bond. Although these words had been spoken for thousands of years without any two nations truly achieving it, it was necessary to say them for appearances.
After completing these procedures, the envoys of Zhao and Yue were escorted out of Fengtian Hall.
After all, Fengtian Hall was where the Wei Kingdom's ruler and ministers discussed state affairs. Although it was not a place for discussing confidential matters like Chuigu Hall, foreign envoys could not be allowed to listen here.
Following this, the Wei Kingdom's officials began to present their respective matters.
In truth, the court assembly's procedure was rather tedious.
After all, a court session usually lasted one to two hours, and many important matters had to be confirmed during the assembly before they could be implemented.
However, the court's affairs involved all aspects, and many were trivial matters, making them very troublesome to discuss. Therefore, listening during court sessions could sometimes make one drowsy.
After debating a few matters, the Minister of Justice, Lu Chengqing, stepped forward and said, "Your humble minister has a memorial to present."
"I have been ordered by His Majesty to investigate the case of Chen Jifu, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. The investigation is now concluded. It has been found that Chen Jifu did not forcibly abduct a civilian woman into his residence; it was all the work of malicious slanderers."
"Furthermore, there are rumors that someone in the court has been reselling military grain and armor, leading to the defeat of the army at the front lines. This has caused a great uproar in the capital."
"The common people are discussing this matter widely. Your humble minister implores His Majesty to list all these matters as public cases and assign them to the Ministry of Justice for handling."
Lu Chengqing's words caused another buzzing discussion in Fengtian Hall.
Chen Jifu's case had been dragging on for quite some time, and it was appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to now make a disposition.
As for the verdict that Chen Jifu was not guilty and was slandered, the officials were well aware of it. After all, the judgment outside the Wumen Gate had been a hot topic in the capital for a long time before the discussions gradually subsided.
After that trial involving the three judicial authorities, many had already known that Chen Jifu was in the clear.
Subsequently, Chen Jifu returned to work at the Ministry of War as usual, completely unaffected.
Instead, the subsequent matter of reselling military grain and armor had garnered public attention in the capital and caught the eye of many in the court.
There were many intelligent individuals in the court, and many directly guessed that this was the Regent King's counterattack against the Left Prime Minister.
In reality, a vast court could not be without corruption. The Wei Kingdom's Censorate uncovered a large number of vermin every year.
The Wei Kingdom's court dealt with such corruption without mercy, generally imposing heavy penalties. However, even so, some still took the risk.
However, this matter was now much more complicated.
The resale of military grain and armor was clearly different from ordinary embezzlement of treasury silver.
If such a crime were to be proven in Wei, many might face the extermination of their three clans.
Therefore, many who saw this news remained silent, waiting for the Left Prime Minister's response.
Upon hearing the Minister of Justice's words, Empress Dowager Feng Qing Shu hesitated for a moment and then said, "Minister Lu's words are reasonable. Let this case be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for handling."
This matter had been brought into the open. Even if Empress Dowager Feng Qing Shu knew some of the circumstances, she could not show too much favoritism to either side.
She had no choice but to follow the Minister of Justice's suggestion and hand the case over to the Ministry of Justice for handling.
In fact, Lu Chengqing was also quite troubled at this moment. He was not particularly eager to get involved in this matter because the people and affairs involved were very sensitive.
However, the censors of the Censorate had already started making noise, and he was the Minister of Personnel. If this matter stirred up public opinion, it would be difficult for him to handle.
Lu Chengqing did not want to sacrifice himself to be a shield for the Left Prime Minister. Therefore, he had to bring this matter up first to avoid any further complications.
After the Ministry of Justice's affairs were concluded, the other government departments presented their matters in turn.
Finally, the Left Prime Minister, Feng Qinghong, stepped forward and said to Empress Dowager Feng Qing Shu, "I have a memorial to present to the Empress Dowager."
"Your humble minister has inspected the Imperial Guards in recent times and found that their combat effectiveness has been declining year after year, and their conduct is corrupt, which is detrimental to the dignity of our Great Wei and makes them incapable of shouldering the important responsibility of guarding the capital."
"Therefore, your humble minister submits this petition requesting that His Majesty order the elite troops of the Shuofang Army to be incorporated into the Imperial Guards to strengthen their capabilities and thus protect His Majesty."
When Feng Qinghong's words echoed in Fengtian Hall, the hundreds of officials present fell silent.
This matter was not simple; it directly involved Wei Kingdom's most sensitive issue—military power.
After the late emperor's death, the Wei Kingdom's military power had remained largely unchanged, maintaining a relatively stable structure. However, at this moment, the Left Prime Minister proposed drawing elite troops from the Shuofang Army to incorporate into the Imperial Guards.
Everyone held their breath and looked towards Lin Fan, standing at the front.
They wondered how Lin Fan would respond.