Chapter 156: Asking the Emperor for a Decree
In Cheng'en Hall.

Sima Dong Xingshu and You Jiangjun Yuchi Pojun asked for leave and were both rather silent today.

The two of them didn't speak, so Si Lu Qingkong Gui naturally didn't speak either.

The sandalwood incense burned quietly in the brass tripod, and major events in the world were recorded silently one after another.

Suddenly, Yuchi Pojun saw a memorial and felt his temples throbbing.

He looked at the question again.

The minister, Chang Sun Dan, reported to the emperor that Zhou Tieyi, the general flag-general of the God-Slaying Division, had written a letter to propose countermeasures.

Zhou Tieyi was only a seventh-rank official, and his memorial needed to be submitted by a higher-level official. Logically, it should have been Gongsun Chou, the assistant commander of the God-Slaying Division.

But Zhou Tieyi actually asked Chang Sundan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, to report it.

This has two meanings.

Firstly, the matter he reported was most likely unrelated to the God-Slaying Division and would be very troublesome, so the commander-in-chief Gongsun Chou might suppress it and not report it.

On the second level, if Zhou Tieyi asked the head disciple of his Zhou family in the court to contribute, the matter would become a big deal, and the three courts would not be able to suppress a memorial from the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, and it must be submitted to the emperor for review.

Yuchi Pojun pressed his temple and continued reading.

"Please ask for the emperor's decree to issue a policy."

A policy essay is a proposal written by a minister to the emperor, usually offering advice and suggestions.

The first paragraph is just an ordinary, eulogistic act.

"Today, there are 800 million people in the world, which is more than the Holy Emperor. The world is rich in wealth, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is the result of the Holy Emperor's extensive moral cultivation. It is a symbol of the prosperity of our great Xia. Although I am in a low position, every time I think of this, I shed tears."

"But the ancient sage Laozi said that the Tao can be taught, but it is not a permanent Tao. If you want to govern the people, you must keep pace with the times. I, a minister, risk my life to advise you and present it to you, Your Majesty."

The second paragraph begins with the main point.

"If the merit of governing the world is nothing more than the upper leading by example, the people should follow suit. The virtue of the emperor is like the sun and the moon, shining on the people. The people will get the glory of the sun and the moon, work when the sun rises and rest when the moon rises. Then the world will be at peace. However, although the light of the emperor is as great as the sun and the moon, there is still the worry of dark clouds covering the sun."

Dark clouds cover the sun!

Yuchi Pojun pressed his temple again. Wasn't this just pointing at and scolding the three officials?

Yuchi Pojun's strange behavior has attracted the attention of the other two. They put down the memorials in their hands and looked at Yuchi Pojun.

Yuchi Pojun didn't say anything, but watched what the boy said first.

"I would like to offer you good advice and hold the sword for your majesty to sweep away the dark clouds in the world, so that your majesty's glory can be passed on to the people without any obstacles."

"Since the beginning of the Holy Dynasty, Taizu established a report to record the words of the Holy Emperor, and passed them on to the officials in various departments, so that the lower officials could know the emperor's intentions. It was like being illuminated by the sun and the moon, and they were trembling with fear and did not dare to neglect it."

"Today, the population is more than four times that of the founding of the country. I think the policy of reporting to the emperor is a good solution. It should be promoted widely, not limited to officials, but also among the people. If so, the people can also hear the emperor's will and don't worry about the dark clouds covering the sun."

"Although I am stupid, I may get a good idea after thinking a thousand times. Now I have a good idea, and I dare not keep it. I will not care about my personal honor and safety, and risk my life to present it to Your Majesty, asking Your Majesty to establish the Tianjing Newspaper to teach the people. If I can get this, I will be happy even if I die. Please understand Your Majesty."

After reading the policy paper in one breath, Yuchi Pojun slammed the memorial on the table.

"What's wrong? Whose memorial is it?"

Dong Xingshu asked calmly.

Yuchi Pojun handed the memorial in his hand to Dong Xingshu.

Qingkong Gui couldn't help himself. The last time this happened was when Mei Qingchen wrote a petition for forgiveness. He turned his head slightly. Dong Xingshu spread out the petition, put it on the table, and read it with Qingkong Gui.

The memorial was not long, and the two of them read through the entire memorial at a glance.

Dark clouds cover the sun!

There are only three people in Tianjing who dare to curse the Three Officials like this.

Your Majesty, Queen of Heaven, Zhou Tieyi!
After a long silence, Dong Xingshu finally spoke, "This memorial makes sense and must be submitted."

If this memorial is not submitted and Zhou Tieyi makes a fuss, wouldn't that prove that there is a cloud of trouble within their three ministries?

Qingkong Gui naturally knew this, and he did not appear angry, but asked, "How do I bet?"

Dong Xingshu wrote, "This is a serious matter, and it is indeed a good plan, but Zhou Tieyi is only seventeen years old, and I am afraid he cannot take on this important task. I would like to submit it to the Ministry of Public Affairs for discussion, and choose a minister to carry it out."

Qingkong Gui smiled knowingly, but he did not write "seconding the motion" this time. If he had written it like that, wouldn't it be obvious that the three divisions were now in cahoots with each other?
He wrote, "The country cannot do without laws. Although this policy is good, it needs to be discussed by the Legislative Yuan and a steady minister should be selected to implement it."

In this way, it seems that the three departments will also compete for power in this regard.

Pretty much the same actually.

Although Qingkong Gui has not yet fully figured out how much change the "Tianjing News" can bring, since Zhou Tieyi dares to offend the three courts and is determined to implement this policy, it will definitely be more beneficial than harmful. It would also be a good thing if their Legalists could get the "Tianjing News" in their hands.

The memorial was handed to Yuchi Pojun again. Seeing that the two people before him had started writing, Yuchi Pojun also wanted to start writing.

However, after thinking for a long time, he seemed unable to put pen to paper. The "Tianjing News" was obviously a topic concerning people's livelihood and openness to free speech. How could the Ministry of War under his control be in charge of it?
So he smiled awkwardly, put down his pen, and decided that it would be ok to just have these two people write the annotations, so as to avoid appearing that the three departments were in cahoots with each other.

The boy from the Zhou family is such a bastard, he just makes me angry!

······
In the imperial study room.

Today, His Majesty arrived much later. He came out of the Xuanfa Hall at the end of the hour of Wei, and looked obviously tired.

When I entered the imperial study and saw the huge pile of memorials, even if I forced myself to be alert, I probably wouldn't be able to read many of them carefully.

The Queen Mother knew that His Majesty of Daxia had just started practicing Taoism and was now exhausted. She smiled and said, "There is only one urgent matter today. Your Majesty, please take a look at it. The rest can be put aside and approved tomorrow."

His Majesty the Great Xia walked to the desk and sat down. He took a sip of tea before asking cautiously, "Is it urgent?"

His first thought was that the Confucians were causing trouble, and they must be trying to use the lightning strike on the Hall of Supreme Harmony as an excuse.

But the queen said this with a smile, which was strange.

The Queen Mother spread out the memorial. The three officials had originally put this memorial at the end, but the Queen Mother said it was an urgent matter, so it was put first.

"Requesting the Holy Spirit to Issue a Policy"

His Majesty the Great Xia frowned when he read the title, but his expression relaxed when he saw that the author was Zhou Tieyi.

After reading the first paragraph, I felt better.

After reading the whole article, he pondered for a while, then looked at the three officials' notes, and said to the Queen Mother with a smile, "It seems that my three officials do not want to do this matter. Now they are still thinking about fighting for power?"

The Queen did not say anything bad about the three officials, but said, "The three officials are in charge of different things, and it is normal for them to have different ideas."

After saying something nice, she changed the subject, "However, the three departments are increasingly overworked, and it is indeed difficult for them to take care of more affairs, so as not to be too busy. It is better to follow the previous system."

(End of this chapter)