Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 650: Chapter 319 Dragon Guards_3

The Emperor had already anticipated their actions and quickly uncovered those who were not properly doing their duties in the civil service examinations. Most of these people were affiliated with the Crown Prince, with Prince Dai, and also with Prince Chen, who was far away in his fiefdom.

Of course, all these people were executed.

During this morning’s court session, the Emperor mercilessly scolded the Crown Prince and Prince Dai, berating them harshly. He even mentioned that if the Crown Prince did not want to remain the Crown Prince, he could immediately depose him, and if Prince Dai did not wish to be a prince, he could demote him to a commoner.

The Crown Prince and Prince Dai were shocked by the Emperor’s anger, fearing that he might actually dethrone them. In the past, although the Emperor got angry, he had never publicly spoken of deposing them in the court.

Duke Zhen and Marquis Xuanping were also scolded by the Emperor. When the Emperor rebuked them, he showed them no mercy, and they were so ashamed they wished they could find a hole to crawl into.

Seeing the Emperor rebuke the Crown Prince and Duke Zhen so bluntly, none of the other ministers dared to voice any objections to the matter.

The ministers had actually known from the beginning that the Emperor was serious about the civil service exams, but they hadn’t anticipated such a strong stance from him. In recent years, the Emperor had seldom become angry or beheaded officials, leading the ministers to forget that the Emperor could be ruthless.

In the previous dynasty, the aristocratic ministers held significant power, and the Emperor would not have dared to immediately punish them, let alone easily behead them. The Emperor of Great Zhou does not suffer the threat from the aristocratic ministers as the previous dynasty’s Emperor did.

The Emperor long wished to purge a group of officials, and they conveniently handed him the opportunity, which he would not miss, thus dealing with them all at once.

The aristocratic families would not give up that easily. They planned to sabotage the civil service exams at local levels.

The Emperor could control the capital, but he could not manage the far-flung regions. In remote areas where imperial influence is weak, local government offices could engage in some deceptive practices without the Emperor knowing.

The aristocrats’ intention to undermine the civil service exams locally was also accounted for by the Emperor. Therefore, once the exam questions were prepared, the Emperor would dispatch imperial envoys to various regions for supervision. Besides the envoys, other court officials would also go to oversee the exams, invigilate, and grade the papers. Moreover, the exam papers would be escorted by soldiers to ensure their safe arrival at all locations, and these soldiers would remain locally to maintain order and patrol.

Before the court’s assembly for discussion, the Emperor and Prime Minister He not only deliberated on the content of the exams but also strategized on countering the aristocrats’ schemes.

They had long foreseen that once the civil service exams were implemented, they would face various objections from the aristocrats. To ensure the smooth execution of this year’s exams, they prepared thoroughly.

In addition, the Emperor also dispatched the Dragon Guards to various places to monitor the local governments’ activities closely.

The existence of the Dragon Guards was known only to the Emperor. Not even trusted ministers like Prime Minister He were aware of them. Prime Minister He and others assumed the Dragon Guards were like the Hidden Guards by the Emperor’s side, merely responsible for protecting the Emperor, without undertaking other tasks. In reality, the Dragon Guards were involved in much more. Their primary duty was to protect the Emperor, but they also gathered intelligence.

The fact that the Emperor was well-informed about many matters was largely because the Dragon Guards could gather a multitude of undisclosed information.

The Dragon Guards existed even before the current Emperor ascended the throne. Initially, they were formed by Prince Yi Yong. During the tumultuous times of the founding of the empire, the Zhao family, unlike the aristocrats, lacked their sources of information. The aristocrats had their spies, but the Zhao family had none.

For the Zhao family to triumph in the chaotic times, they needed their spies. Hence, Prince Yi Yong decided to establish an intelligence unit for the Zhao family.

Before the establishment of Great Zhou, these spies outwardly appeared to be like scouts, raising no suspicion among others. Once Great Zhou was founded, the Emperor reorganized this intelligence team into the covert Dragon Guards.

Hearing the name "Dragon Guards" alone indicates that their only duty is to guard the Emperor. They belong to no department, follow no one’s orders but the Emperor’s.

Each member of the Dragon Guards possesses exceptional skills unknown to outsiders. The Hidden Guards sent to protect Zhao Yao were also from the Dragon Guards. They were the elite of the Dragon Guards, and even without the covert protection from Prince Chu and Prince Wei’s side, these four Hidden Guards alone could ensure Zhao Yao’s absolute safety.