The council hall was dead silent.
Xiao Ming's angry words had been spoken, and the officials exchanged glances. The reformists, led by Pang Yukun, naturally felt deeply ashamed.
Just as Xiao Ming thought his words would awaken these officials, he saw a dozen officials from behind Fei Ji simultaneously kneel.
"Your Imperial Majesty, such decrees are unheard of by your subjects. If implemented, they will surely cause dissatisfaction among all scholars under heaven. We hope Your Imperial Majesty will reconsider and withdraw your command," Yu Ming said urgently.
"Please, Your Imperial Majesty, withdraw your command!" other ministers echoed in unison.
Xiao Ming, seeing this, suddenly chuckled in anger. He never expected to witness a scene he often saw in TV dramas now appearing before him.
These ministers were attempting to coerce him by kneeling indefinitely?
"What if I insist on implementing it?" Xiao Ming said coldly.
Yu Ming said, "If Your Imperial Majesty does not withdraw your command, your subjects will continue to kneel."
Xiao Ming then glanced at Fei Ji. This Yu Ming and Chao Jun were both people he had once recommended to himself, because these two had always enjoyed a reputation for virtue and integrity among the Chang'an officials.
At that time, these two officials were indeed useful to him. After all, they were rare incorruptible officials. But now the problem arose: often, the Great Yu Empire's formerly virtuous officials opposed his decrees even more fiercely.
Xiao Ming understood this problem after a moment of thought. In his opinion, these people were like "three-good students" of contemporary times: they revered their teachers and respected the Dao too much, to the point of being pedantic.
So, in their eyes, some of Xiao Ming's decrees were heretical. If Xiao Ming were not the emperor, their saliva would probably drown Xiao Ming.
For such a long time, it was the first time Xiao Ming and the officials had such a fierce confrontation. At this moment, Xiao Ming understood that this was actually a struggle between imperial power and the bureaucracy.
If he were to lose this time, these officials would escalate their efforts to restrict his power, and they would do everything in their power to obstruct anything they disliked.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ming became even more resolute. He said to Yu Ming, "Since you like to kneel, then keep kneeling."
With that, he walked straight out of the council hall, ignoring these officials.
Qian Dafu, seeing Xiao Ming leave, immediately shouted, "Dismiss the court!" As he passed Yu Ming, he let out a sarcastic "humph."
The officials watched Xiao Ming's figure disappear. At this point, Pang Yukun said to Yu Ming, "Minister Yu, stop kneeling. I think His Imperial Majesty is determined this time. Even if you kneel to death, it will be useless."
Fei Ji sighed. He said to Pang Yukun, "Chief Grand Secretary Pang, was His Imperial Majesty always this temperamental?"
Pang Yukun recalled for a moment and said, "His Imperial Majesty's temper is much better now. In the past, no one would have dared to defy his decrees."
Fei Ji nodded. Ever since Xiao Ming adopted his suggestions regarding the powerful families and marrying Cui Xue'er, he suddenly felt as if he had returned to the days of interacting with Xiao Wenxuan.
At that time, Xiao Wenxuan would generally listen to his suggestions, and this familiar feeling made him think that Xiao Ming and Xiao Wenxuan still had common ground.
However, the events of this morning's court session finally showed him another side of Xiao Ming. Unlike the usually amiable Xiao Ming, he had just seen the imposing authority of an emperor in Xiao Ming.
"Minister Yu, please stop kneeling. Get up, His Imperial Majesty has already left." Fei Ji also advised. Although he also opposed Xiao Ming's decree, his instinct to mediate prevented him from cornering himself.
Yu Ming in Chang'an had always been known for giving no one face. He feared neither treacherous nor virtuous ministers, only acting according to his original intentions.
"If His Imperial Majesty does not withdraw his command, I will continue to kneel in this council hall," Yu Ming looked determined to stick to his guns.
Fei Ji and Pang Yukun exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat helpless. He said, "What's the point of this? We can just slowly wear down His Imperial Majesty. Perhaps His Imperial Majesty is just acting on a whim and will change his mind in a few days."
Yu Ming shook his head, still ignoring them. He said, "His Imperial Majesty's decrees are likely to sow discontent among the common people. If there are no scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, who will study to become officials? Who will toil in farming? Why not all become peddlers and porters?"
Pang Yukun said, "Minister Yu's words have some truth, but under His Imperial Majesty's reprimand, I suddenly felt that His Imperial Majesty also has his own reasons. Before this, the state's decrees were all formulated by His Imperial Majesty, and only now has the state become strong. If not for this, there would probably be no Qingzhou, and no council hall."
"Chief Grand Secretary Pang is mistaken. In the past, His Imperial Majesty was merely Prince Qi, so his concerns naturally only extended to Qi. But now His Imperial Majesty is the ruler of the Great Yu Empire, and he must consider the common people of other places. What works in Qingzhou may not work elsewhere," Fei Ji said.
Pang Yukun said, "Could it have worked in Qi before? It's all about human effort."
With that, he shook his head and left the council hall.
The reason for his opposition this time was that these two policies would lower the status of civil officials in the court. Not to mention his opposition, probably all civil officials felt uncomfortable in their hearts.
However, putting that aside, these two policies were extremely beneficial to the Great Yu Empire. In court, he had simply been momentarily carried away.
Thinking of this, he felt even more ashamed, for he realized that at some point, he had begun to consider his own interests, something he had not done before.
Gritting his teeth, he sighed, feeling that he needed to go back and reflect.
While the officials were still making a fuss in the council hall, Xiao Ming had already returned to the traveling palace under the protection of his guards.
"Dafu, you keep an eye on the council hall for me. Tell me if anything happens," Xiao Ming ordered.
Qian Dafu nodded, "This Yu Ming is stubborn. He might really just keep kneeling."
Xiao Ming felt a headache coming on. He needed some upright officials, but upright officials could sometimes be a double-edged sword.
"If he likes to kneel, let him kneel for a few days. I will absolutely not compromise on this matter," Xiao Ming snorted coldly.
Qian Dafu nodded, "Your Imperial Majesty is absolutely right. These officials are simply rebellious! If Your Imperial Majesty listens to them this time, who knows how many more troubles there will be in the future? I will immediately send someone to keep an eye on them."
After speaking, Qian Dafu turned and left.
Watching Qian Dafu leave, Xiao Ming frowned. He was not afraid of these civil officials, because the truth from later generations told him that political power grew out of the barrel of a gun. Therefore, his focus had always been on the military.
Thinking of this, he wondered if Niu Ben had captured Qingzhou, and if he had already followed his instructions to comfort the troops.
While he was thinking about these things, Niu Ben and a group of generals were discussing an impending battle.
Lu Fei, who was about to go find courtesans to comfort the troops, suddenly received a secret message. This message told them that Prince Zhao's forces were advancing towards Juyong Pass.
Having observed silently for so long, Prince Zhao finally stepped onto the stage.