The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror

"Your Majesty, I have something to say." A trembling old minister stepped forward, it was Minister of Personnel, Elder Peng. He was considered the most senior in the Court after Elder Fang's resignation. Due to the special position of the Minister of Personnel, there had been no case of a Minister of Personnel entering the Cabinet in decades.

In this court, the cabinet is referred to as the Inner Court, while the Six Ministries and the Nine Ministers form the Outer Court.

The head of the Inner Court is the Grand Secretary, while the head of the Outer Court is the Minister of Personnel.

Even though Minister Wang is the Minister of Revenue and has entered the Cabinet, his influence in the Outer Court cannot compare to that of the Minister of Personnel.

Seeing such a senior minister speak, even the old Emperor had to listen with a serious expression.

What Elder Peng said next was astonishing.

It turned out that Elder Peng felt he was too old to handle state affairs, so he requested to resign.

In fact, Elder Peng had already requested to resign twice before, and the Emperor had customarily dissuaded him.

This was now the third time.

According to procedure, the third request should be granted.

The ministers did not expect Elder Peng to resign at such a crucial moment.

However, Elder Peng explained rationally that after quelling the military mutiny, the disposition and arrangement of civilian officials in Yunzhou, a key border town, was extremely important.

He was old and his health was failing, and he feared making mistakes that would delay state affairs, so he requested to resign to allow the Court to appoint a more capable and energetic officer as the Minister of Personnel.

According to tradition, if the Minister of Personnel resigns, those qualified to compete for the position would be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, the Left Imperial Censor, and high-ranking officials not in the Cabinet like the Minister of Revenue and Minister of Rites.

The main competitors were the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Left Imperial Censor.

In terms of rank, the Left Imperial Censor was naturally higher, with a status equivalent to a minister.

But the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, as the default minor Heavenly Official, had a slightly higher hidden precedence.

Additionally, the Left Imperial Censor oversaw the Inspection Bureau and was the head of the Pure Stream, effectively the natural leader of the Conservative Faction.

The vacancy of the Minister of Personnel position was even more significant than the military mutiny in Yunzhou.

After all, military mutinies were not uncommon; they ultimately stemmed from demands for pay.

Currently, the Left Imperial Censor and Minister Wang of the Ministry of Revenue were in-laws.

Seeing the other's desperate signals, Elder Wang immediately understood the unspoken request. He was weighing the pros and cons, and among the candidates for Minister of Personnel, the promotion of Left Imperial Censor Huo Jing was most beneficial to him.

Moreover, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Elder Zhang, had a sworn brother, Right Vice Inspector Wu, who was Xu Qing's mentor. His relationship with Xu Qing had been strained due to matters involving Prince Yu.

Allowing Elder Huo to be promoted was indeed better than Elder Zhang.

Meanwhile, the old Emperor, after Elder Peng's insistent request, consented to his resignation. Minister Wang jumped in immediately, emphasizing that state affairs were paramount, stating his decision to drop disputes with the Minister of War and promptly have the Ministry of Revenue coordinate preparations of funds and military supplies, while recommending that the prestigious Left Imperial Censor be tasked with resolving the military mutiny in Yunzhou.

With Huo Jing achieving merit in quelling the mutiny, his ascension to Minister of Personnel upon returning was logical and expected.

Moreover, without the support of the Ministry of Revenue, there was no way to resolve the mutiny successfully.

Court struggles ultimately revolved around compromises.

Elder Wang did not oppose the establishment of the Military Affairs Office, and the Grand Secretary took a step back, relinquishing the position of Minister of Personnel, as was appropriate.

Crucially, the Ministry of Revenue still held the vital key to quelling the mutiny.

Seeing this former ally, with reform efforts just beginning, defect, although leaning towards Prince Yu was indeed the wise choice for any significant court officer, and the Ministry of Revenue still supported other reform policies as before, it left him with mixed feelings.

To achieve great things, one must consolidate power.

If the power is not on one's side, even with help from others, things remain unsettled.

Thus, the position of Minister of Personnel could not fall into the hands of the Conservative Faction.

He said slowly, "I recommend someone who is sure to quell this mutiny."

He slowly produced a memorial, and after the old Emperor agreed, it was passed among the attendees.

It was a memorial previously written by Feng Xifeng, containing alerts about the Yunzhou mutiny and corresponding solutions. Although theoretical, it had been thoroughly researched.

Upon reading, the ministers indeed confirmed Feng Xifeng's professional capabilities.

At that moment, Left Imperial Censor Huo Jing, being directly involved, found it inappropriate to express an opinion.

Minister Wang could only forcefully argue, "While Feng Xifeng may have some experience in suppressing bandits, he hasn't been in government long, his rank is not high, and his prestige is lacking. If he fails to pacify, it might be disastrous for the state."

The Grand Secretary replied, "Then let's add a title for Feng Xifeng as Assistant Minister of Military Affairs in the Military Affairs Office, and let the Military Affairs Office handle this matter as their sole responsibility."

Minister Wang persisted with his reasoning, "Prime Minister, Feng Xifeng truly lacks the prestige required, please reconsider carefully."

Suddenly, Minister Peng, who had decided to resign, started laughing.

Old Emperor: "Minister Peng, what are you laughing about?"

Minister Peng quickly stepped forward to apologize and then said, "I think Feng Xifeng's journey to Yunzhou will undoubtedly resolve the mutiny."

"Oh, why is that?" The old Emperor asked with interest.

"Because his son-in-law is Xu Qing."

Upon these words, the ministers fell silent.

Ah, Xu Qing, though merely a Top Scorer, had been involved in numerous significant court matters recently, from eliminating river bandits in South Zhili, quelling sea threats, to the military mutiny in East Mountain Province...

His actions have always been swift and decisive, with no failures.

Only Minister Feng, with the lowest rank among the ministers, felt embarrassed. If the resigning Minister of Personnel hadn't said those words, he would surely have sought someone to argue.