The eunuch in charge of the seal smiled and said, "If the king disagrees, the memorial will be returned, and the prime minister who drafted it should change the vote as appropriate. If it is repeated more than three times, the king will call the four prime ministers to discuss it. If it is still undecided, the cabinet meeting will be expanded and all the cabinet members will be called to participate in the discussion. If there is still no conclusion, a court meeting will be held. In short, at the last step, both sides will eventually compromise. This process is called 'joint declaration and cooperation'."
Fang Yun nodded. A similar situation of the monarch and his subjects ruling the world together had also occurred in ancient China.
The eunuch in charge of the seal continued, "In addition to this, all the imperial edicts issued by the monarch are under the responsibility of the cabinet. When the monarch wants to issue an imperial edict, and the cabinet thinks it is inappropriate or does not mean what the monarch wants, they have the right to reject the edict, which is called a seal and rejection."
Fang Yun nodded again, because the Ten Kingdoms would occasionally have disputes, which was essentially a power struggle between the imperial power and the cabinet. Both sides had to constantly wrestle and compromise to eventually reach a balance.
Fang Yun asked: "Then your eunuch supervisor is responsible for delivering documents between the monarch and the cabinet, so your power should be considerable."
The eunuch in charge of the seal said in panic, "I dare not. In the past, some eunuchs in charge of the seal of some countries did gain the trust of the monarch and hold the power of approval that only the monarch has, but in the end, they would cause disasters. Eventually, all countries abolished the participation of officials in government affairs and reported to the Holy Court. Any eunuch who interfered in government affairs could be killed by scholars all over the world. Please don't play such a scary joke on me."
Fang Yun smiled and said, "I'll pay attention next time."
In the world of scholars, it is destined that there will never be a eunuch party that is too powerful.
The eunuch in charge of the seal hesitated for a moment and continued, "You should know that most memorials will be copied by the Secretariat to the court newspaper and distributed to senior officials. However, secret memorials, which are secret memorials submitted directly by officials to the monarch, are not included in this list. In fact, only a few officials have the right to submit secret memorials when dealing with special events, while the four ministers are different and can submit secret memorials at any time. These secret memorials will not be copied and will not be known to outsiders."
"I have heard a little about this matter."
The eunuch in charge of the seal continued, "The affairs of the cabinet are complicated, and I cannot explain them one by one. Now that you have taken the seal, the left minister and his staff will definitely help you with all their strength. In a few days, you will naturally be able to handle all the affairs."
Fang Yun nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you, eunuch. I'll slowly learn about the cabinet from now on. Please take your time."
"I'll take my leave."
Fang Yun watched the eunuch in charge of the seal leave without changing his expression. This eunuch seemed enthusiastic on the surface, but in fact, he handled all official business impartially. He didn't even explain some things clearly, and he also deliberately mentioned Liu Shan, which showed that he had ulterior motives.
Fang Yun started the Wuhou Chariot, looked at Cao De'an, and said with a smile: "Prime Minister Cao, you are a veteran of three dynasties and know the cabinet very well. Please give me some advice on what I should pay most attention to."
Cao De'an smiled and said, "Except for being a few years older than me, I have no other strengths. Since Fang Xusheng has something to ask, I will tell you everything I know."
So Fang Yun and Cao De'an entered the study of the Left Prime Minister, isolated themselves from the outside, and had a secret conversation for a long time.
They even stayed inside for lunch, and Cao De'an didn't leave until the sun went down.
Cao De'an's followers found that the right prime minister looked a little tired, but his expression was full of energy.
"Prime Minister, are you experiencing a great event?"
Cao De'an laughed and said, "There is no happy event at all. I just had a very pleasant conversation with Fang Xusheng. Fang Xusheng is a very modest person. He is obviously a saint, but he was so polite to an old man like me. He even gave me a longevity fruit before leaving. By the way, don't tell anyone about this!"
That night, all officials in the capital heard a rumor.
Fang Yun gave Cao De'an more than ten magical fruits, including three longevity fruits.
That night, many elderly officials were filled with excitement.
The first day Fang Yun took office as Left Prime Minister was uneventful.
There was no court meeting the next day, but Fang Yun got up early and arrived at Wenyuan Pavilion at six in the morning, military time.
Fang Yun had never imagined that there were actually three eighth-rank Jinshi already working in Wenyuan Pavilion.
Seeing Fang Yun coming, the three of them stood up hurriedly.
"What did I say yesterday? If you are busy with work, there is no need to greet. Why did you three come so early?"
After Fang Yun finished speaking, he took the snow crystal grapes handed over by Hu Li and started eating, looking at the three people.
After Cao De'an left yesterday, Fang Yun summoned all the officials in the cabinet and memorized everyone's name and position.
The three looked embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.
"Why, I ask you, and you want to disobey me and not answer?"
The three of them looked frightened.
The bearded, square-faced man, Li Zhixiao, gritted his teeth and said, "Your Excellency, I came here early today for both public and private reasons."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Fang Yun swallowed the snow crystal grapes and looked at Li Zhixiao with a smile.
"My so-called public-spiritedness is that Wenyuan Pavilion has a lot of work to do, and you are new to the position of Prime Minister, so I am afraid there will be a lot of things to do. I will help you solve your problems. My so-called private-spiritedness is that I have no connection with Grand Secretary Liushan. I can only show my support in front of you and get your favor, so that I can clear my suspicion of being a member of Liu's party."
Fang Yun just nodded, then looked at the other Jinshi and asked, "Xu Changgeng, what about you?"
The scholar was surprised and delighted to hear Fang Yun call out his name. He hesitated for a few breaths and said decisively: "I am not as public-spirited as Brother Zhixiao. I am quite selfish. I know that the Prime Minister is in need of people. I can only be more diligent and make a name for myself."
Fang Yun nodded again and looked at the third person.
Dong Yueqian's face flushed red, and he groaned for a long time before he squeezed out a complete sentence: "This humble official... I usually come to the cabinet at this time. I have no other intentions. It's just that this humble official is stupid and far less clever than my colleagues. I can only make up for my shortcomings with hard work. If this humble official has violated your taboo, please forgive me. This humble official has parents and children. If I lose my job, my family will suffer with me."
Fang Yun was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He didn't expect to meet such an honest man like Dong Yueqian.
In front of the literary talent at the peak of the third realm, and in front of the divine consciousness of Shepherd Star Guest after his secret practice, Fang Yun could easily distinguish the truth from falsehood in the words of the three people.
Li Zhixiao looked at Dong Yueqian helplessly, then bowed and said, "Your Excellency, everything Dong Yueqian said is true. He is well-known in the cabinet for his loyalty and honesty, and he is absolutely not lying."
Dong Yueqian was stunned, and immediately broke out in sweat. He realized that he had just said the wrong thing. There was no such thing as an honest person who would complain to his family when he encountered a problem. He was even more anxious, but he didn't dare to say anything.
Xu Changgeng lowered his head and said nothing, trying to protect himself.
Fang Yun knew clearly in his mind that these officials would have a hard time these days because they were implicated by Liu Shan, and Dong Yueqian was frightened by his reputation.
Fang Yun smiled and said, "Since I have met you three, it is also a fate. I have obtained many treasures in the Burial Valley, and there are some old things that I am preparing to give away. Today, I am in a good mood, so I will give them to you three. It can also be regarded as a thank you gift from me for sending you. After nine o'clock, you will go to find Sai Zhixue, Cai He and Chen Xibi and ask them to come to see me. By the way, from now on, the cabinet will use military time. Are you used to it?"
As Fang Yun asked, he took out three ordinary-looking wooden boxes from the Tiandi Shell. They were about one foot long and one inch wide and high.
Xu Changgeng said first: "Your Excellency, several years ago, the Left Prime Minister used military time to measure time, because numbers are easier to remember than the Chinese zodiac."
Fang Yun held three wooden boxes in his hands, sighed and said, "Liu Shan is really a great talent, what a pity. Let's not talk about him, you guys continue."