Chapter 882 - 888: Geng Faction and Cabinet Formation

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo furrowed his brows and spoke in a deep voice, "He is so stubborn; even with the army at the border, he still refuses to let go."

"What do you plan to do?" asked Yue Ruyan, sitting forcibly on Chen Mo’s lap with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I’ve already dispatched the army. Naturally, there’s no reason to withdraw it. Since he is so persistent, blood must be shed."

A cold gleam flashed in Chen Mo’s eyes. Although Yang Xian was Yang Qingqing’s biological father, Chen Mo had given him many chances. If he didn’t cherish them, then he couldn’t be blamed.

Yue Ruyan’s eyes flickered. She suddenly noticed a plan on the desk and curiously picked it up to ask, "What is this?"

Chen Mo gently pinched Yue Ruyan’s chin and moved closer to her soft lips, giving a light bite. He said, "I plan to abolish the Secretariat and Prime Minister, and establish a Cabinet to lighten my load. Otherwise, I’d be busy to death every day and have no time to cultivate with Ru Yan."

His hand, embracing Yue Ruyan’s waist, reached into her military uniform, making skin-to-skin contact, and gently stroked the beautiful mermaid line on her abdomen.

"Abolish the Prime Minister?"

Yue Ruyan was startled, then lightly hummed with a hint of red flushing on her warm brown countenance, saying, "Did Geng Songfu commit a grave mistake?"

Chen Mo suddenly mentioned abolishing the Prime Minister, which Yue Ruyan felt wasn’t merely for reducing burdens, but implied more. She suspected Geng Songfu had surely made a serious error, prompting Chen Mo to remove him, hence the proposal to establish the Cabinet. Otherwise, how could the Prime Minister, the head of all officials, be moved so easily?

Chen Mo was taken aback, "Ru Yan, why do you think this way?"

"Is it wrong for me to think so? You are now no longer a minister but the Monarch of Great Wei, a model for the ministers. What may seem trivial to you might not be to those below. They will speculate about your intentions, think Geng Songfu must have made a grave mistake, or lost favor in your eyes, and follow your lead, adding insult to injury.

If you handle it poorly, it will make the court and the people restless." Yue Ruyan analyzed for Chen Mo. Having governed Longyou for many years, she understood the way.

Chen Mo’s expression slightly tightened. Indeed, he had simplified things, but fortunately, Ru Yan reminded him that the formation of the Cabinet must be cautiously handled.

"Ru Yan, just as well, you help me review and see if any improvements are needed. Also, help me think about the first batch of Cabinet members."

Chen Mo withdrew his hand from the military uniform and patted Yue Ruyan on the back.

Yue Ruyan was initially stunned, but seeing Chen Mo’s gaze, she understood his intention. She gently glared at him, then got up and leaned on the desk, her vibrant athletic hips raised high, and started looking through the plan.

Chen Mo hugged her from behind, wrapping his arms around her belly, asking her opinion, even involving the desk.

...

Five days later.

A great upheaval occurred in the court.

During the morning assembly, Your Majesty announced the abolition of the Secretariat and Prime Minister, establishing the Cabinet.

The first batch of Cabinet members included only five people: Geng Songfu was appointed as the Cabinet Scholar, and Sun City, the top scorer of the recent imperial exam, was also included.

Then Diwu Fusheng, Chen Jin, Liu Ji.

Once this news spread, all of Tianchuan City was in an uproar, with all the scholars discussing it.

During the morning assembly, Your Majesty declared that the duties of Cabinet ministers begin henceforth, but at that time, those entering the Cabinet were all officials in charge of compiling, verifying, and lecturing; without a dedicated office, and not allowed to monopolize any department’s affairs. Departments submitting reports must also not involve the Cabinet.

This means the Cabinet established by Your Majesty was not a power institution, but Your Majesty’s "Private Secretary."

Sun City, Liu Ji, Chen Jin, and even Diwu Fusheng — it was well said because their original power was not significant.

But Geng Songfu, who was the Prime Minister, the head of officials holding significant power, had overnight turned into a Cabinet Scholar. In outsiders’ eyes, wasn’t he just Your Majesty’s powerless chief aide?

This caused quite the stir, with many scholars and officials in the capital feeling unsettled.

The so-called court has no factions; it is endlessly varied.

As Geng Songfu rose to Prime Minister, naturally a large group of officials chose to side with him, forming the so-called "Geng Faction."

And it expanded rapidly within a short time.

Of course, this wasn’t Geng Renfu’s intention, but rather people’s "assumption."

For instance, among those who passed the last imperial examination, there was a scholar from Gaozhou, conveniently serving as an official in the capital. This person indeed had capability and was praised by Geng Songfu for his genuine talent and practical work, leading Geng Songfu to recommend him at a court meeting.

Although afterwards, this scholar from Gaozhou chose not to capitalize on this to wholly cozy up to Geng Songfu, and Geng Songfu avoided drawing him in to avoid suspicion.

But in outsiders’ eyes, this scholar from Gaozhou was seen as Geng Songfu’s man.

Besides the "Geng Faction," there is also the so-called "Zuo Faction," which is aligned with Zuo Lianglun’s power, as well as the "Jiangdong Faction" and the "Jiangnan Faction."

Among them, the "Jiangdong Faction" is even larger than the "Geng Faction," led by Wu Yanqing and Wu Changlin.

Therefore, the abolition of the Prime Minister was seen by some officials and scholars as the collapse of the "Geng Faction."

As a member of the "Geng Faction," naturally they would feel indignant for Geng Songfu.

Believing Geng Songfu’s loyalty to Your Majesty was unwavering, yet he received such unfair treatment.

There were even words of defiance.

Saying things like "When the cunning hare dies, the hunting dog is cooked," and "When the birds are gone, the bow is put away."

Suggesting that Your Majesty will begin to kill the meritorious officials.

At this moment, outside the Geng Residence east of Tianchuan City, crowds gathered, those who considered themselves members of the "Geng Faction" wanted to see Geng Songfu to discuss strategies.

But since Geng Songfu returned from the palace, he had begun to close his doors to visitors, seeing no one.

In the study, Geng Songfu was unconcerned about the outside world’s pessimistic view of him, instead diligently handling current matters at hand.

His mood was very calm; regarding today’s events, several days ago Your Majesty had already discussed them with him and had a long, heartfelt talk with him at night.

Later, the Communication Department would gather all the proposals, even the suggestions from the people to Your Majesty. They were reported by the Ritual Department for Your Majesty to review and then passed to the Cabinet, which was responsible for drafting handling opinions. Afterward, the Ritual Department presented the opinions to Your Majesty for approval, and finally, the Six Ministries would prepare them for issuance.

This move not only increased the duties of the Cabinet but also improved the governance process.

Geng Songfu greatly appreciated this system of the Cabinet.

"Master." At that moment, a gentle female voice came from outside the study.

"Enter," Geng Songfu said without lifting his head.

As the study door opened, before a person appeared, a fragrant breeze wafted in. Geng Songfu looked up to see a beautiful woman carrying a tray, walking in.

"Master, I made your favorite white fungus and lotus seed soup for you; please try it while it’s hot." The beautiful woman placed the tray on the desk, then lifted the jade bowl from the tray, scooped a spoonful of the soup, gently blew on it, and brought it to Geng Songfu’s mouth.

"Nanhua, just leave it there; I’ll drink it later when I’m free. If there’s anything you need to say, speak up," Geng Songfu paused his actions, raised his gray-haired head, turning to look at the beautiful woman.

Chen Mo, seeing that Geng Songfu was old and alone, even without someone to see him off in death, gifted him a beauty to prevent him from spending his old age in solitude.

The beautiful woman was the beauty that Chen Mo gifted him.

Of course, when Chen Mo gifted her to him, the beautiful woman was still a pure "overage maiden," and it was Geng Songfu who made her a woman.

When Geng Songfu approached her, it was partly to ease Chen Mo’s mind.

The beautiful woman Nanhua walked behind Geng Songfu and gently massaged his shoulders. After a slight change in expression, she said, "Master, there are so many officials waiting outside to see you. Aren’t you going to see them?"

"What’s the point of seeing them? If they see me, it would be nothing more than making me come up with a solution, yet they don’t realize that what Your Majesty proposed at court today, I knew about it days ago and agreed to it," Geng Songfu said.

Nanhua was stunned, hesitating for a moment before tentatively saying, "Now there are rumors spreading in the capital that You’re about to fall, but I know it’s all falsehoods. Given how much Your Majesty values you, he wouldn’t do such a thing to discard grinding stones after using them."

But I also feel that if these rumors are left to spread, falsehoods will become truths, and that’s not good for you. How about seeing them to ease their worries? After all, they’re your people, and even if you won’t be Prime Minister, you could still use them in the Cabinet. But if you keep avoiding them, they’ll disperse."

Upon hearing this, Geng Songfu’s eyes narrowed and he turned to look at Nanhua, saying, "This doesn’t sound like something you could say."

Nanhua’s expression changed, even her shoulder-massaging actions paused.

"You see, you can’t even control your heart," Geng Songfu said, "Did your brother teach you this?"

Nanhua’s expression grew more panicked.

"Previously, there were rumors in the court saying that I have a Geng Faction, but I didn’t mind, as I haven’t done anything guilty, there’s no fear of ghosts knocking at the door. But now it seems that among them, your brother is indeed stirring things up, isn’t he?" Geng Songfu looked into Nanhua’s eyes, seemingly able to see through her.

Nanhua remained silent, biting her lip, but from her body’s trembling, it seemed Geng Songfu had hit the mark.

Yet Geng Songfu did not get angry, instead breathing a sigh of relief, saying, "To be honest, I should thank Your Majesty. If things continued like this, this so-called Geng Faction would eventually harm us both."

ps: A rough summary of the upcoming plot: The issue with the Shu Residence can be settled in about one to two Chapters, with just a few words. Then it’s Jin Xia, which won’t be lengthy and is more of a sweeping victory. After that, using the Nangong Family to lead to Immortal Island, followed by events involving the Fairy, the orange cat already has thoughts and will strive to write with novelty.

Additionally, the orange cat is considering whether to write about some women dying of old age and illness, reducing some attachments before heading to the map behind the Fairy.