The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror

The Grand Secretary's first reaction was that this Military Affairs Office could divide the power of the Cabinet. Originally, military affairs, no matter the size, would have to be discussed by the Cabinet. Now, it is entirely possible to allocate this portion of authority to the Military Affairs Office alone, and other Elders would have nothing to say about it.

Because the biggest beneficiary of this matter is Your Majesty.

Moreover, border military situations used to go through the Cabinet for discussion, which was inefficient. Now, they can be handled by a Minister specifically responsible for military affairs, making the process naturally much more efficient.

The problem is, this matter is digging into the roots of the Cabinet's power.

As the Cabinet Chief, he could naturally be the chief Minister of Military Affairs directly, but the appointment of other Ministers of Military Affairs is not something other Cabinet Ministers could decide—it's entirely up to Your Majesty.

The separation of military governance from the Cabinet is self-evidently beneficial to Imperial Power.

There's no doubt that Your Majesty would agree to this. Even Prince Yu would vigorously support it; even if Prince Yu dislikes Xu Qing, at this moment, he would have to fully support Xu Qing's proposal.

If it were the old Cabinet, they would naturally oppose this.

The problem is, the Grand Secretary, in order to push through reforms, had already dealt with Ministers who were resistant to change...

The Grand Secretary gave Xu Qing a deep look, "When you made Feng Xifeng the Assistant Minister of War, did you already foresee this step?"

Xu Qing hurriedly swore and staunchly denied it.

The Grand Secretary wanted to sarcastically suggest that Xu Gongming swears towards the Luoshui direction, but then thought better of it.

Now, it is pointless to dwell on whether Xu Qing had premeditated plans or not.

It could be said that after the establishment of the Military Affairs Office, it was only natural for Feng Xifeng, as the Head of the Military Department among the Six Department Inspectors, to enter the Military Affairs Office and become an Assistant Minister of Military Affairs, as these were his usual responsibilities.

Moreover, if the Assistant Minister of War does not enter the Military Affairs Office in the future, wouldn't that be equivalent to wasting half of his Martial Arts?

The Grand Secretary had long wanted to abolish the Six Department Inspectors but never found a good opportunity.

Xu Qing, the youngster, was ruthless; with his arrival, half of the power of the Military Department among the Six Department Inspectors was gone.

The Grand Secretary thought about it and decided that he had to take the initiative to establish the Military Affairs Office, otherwise if someone else were to do it, it might lead others to think that the Grand Secretary has lost the Emperor's trust, which would be most fatal.

The Grand Secretary, suppressing his distaste, said: "You should explain the specifics, so I can discuss them with Your Majesty."

Xu Qing replied, "The matters of the world are all within the Grand Secretary's grasp, how could I, a youngster, dare to overstep and spout nonsense."

The Grand Secretary thought to himself, haven't you always been overstepping and meddling in things?

But he also understood that Xu Qing indeed was not as clear about the power structure of the Court as himself; it would be necessary for him to take charge personally to avoid mistakes.

He said, "It's easy to talk about this matter, but it's difficult to implement."

Xu Qing replied, "Grand Secretary, if there is anything difficult, just leave it to me, your junior."

The Grand Secretary's mouth twitched, and then said, "Actually, I do have something to instruct you; whether or not your father-in-law can enter the Military Affairs Office will depend on your performance later."

Xu Qing retorted, "Prime Minister, what you're saying really lacks significance. I might as well go to Mr. Liang."

"He wouldn't dare." The Grand Secretary's body shook with determination. He couldn't handle Xu Qing, but he could deal with Old Liang.

Xu Qing coughed, "Mr. Feng, I have nothing but good intentions, all out of public spirit. What you said makes it seem like the Court's public tool has become something privately bestowed between you and me. I stand upright and fear not the shadow leaning; I'm just worried that outsiders will mention this to you."

After a while, the Grand Secretary said, "Speak human words."

Xu Qing was silent...

An older and a younger, they then conspired awkwardly, discussing the distribution of benefits and incidentally finished the wine Xu Qing had brought.

The Grand Secretary had to admit, Xu Qing was indeed a genius.

Although the establishment of the Military Affairs Office was not beneficial to the Cabinet, it was greatly advantageous to him at the moment.

He had planned to strengthen the military, and now with the Military Affairs Office, it was convenient for him to proceed without the hindrance of other Cabinet Ministers, allowing him to flex his muscles freely.

As for the future power struggle within the Cabinet, that was none of his business.

Xu Qing, getting into high spirits from the drinking, patted the Grand Secretary's shoulder, "Today in the world of heroes, only the Grand Secretary and Gongming are worth mentioning, everyone else is insignificant."

The Grand Secretary nodded deeply at first, then with a look of disdain, tried to push Xu Qing away. He failed to move him and was instead shaken by the other's inner strength. Fortunately, he had some Kung Fu skills to avoid breaking his arms, but his hands still went numb for quite a while.

Afterward, Xu Qing took his leave in a drunken stupor.

The Grand Secretary watched him depart and, after Xu Qing left, instructed his aides, "Quickly fetch some medicinal wine."

The aides were stunned. Why drink more after he has gone?

The Grand Secretary showed his swollen hand, and the aides were shocked, quickly bringing over the medicinal wine, daring not to speak.

The Grand Secretary applied the medicinal wine and uttered a single word "disperse."

As if following a magical command, the swelling on his palm dissipated immediately.

He admired the moon for a while, noting that it was still early, and returned to continue dealing with government affairs. Early rising and late to bed, there's nothing more to it.

...

...

Xu Qing returned home with the smell of alcohol to see Mr. Feng.

Mr. Feng sniffed him, noting there was no scent of makeup, concluded the youngster was sensible, and then asked how the son-in-law's talk with the Grand Secretary went.

Xu Qing first complained that he almost vomited several times from drinking so much wine just to secure a position for Mr. Feng.

Mr. Feng expressed disbelief, "I don't believe you for a second."

Seeing that his acting skills had not fooled Mr. Feng, Xu Qing immediately reported the important matters.

Feng Xifeng remarked, "The Military Affairs Office, quite an ingenious idea you've come up with."

Xu Qing replied, "Coming up with ideas is easy, just a slap on the forehead. Now, I'm lucky to have encountered an opportunity to implement it. I'm telling you, when you get into the Military Affairs Office, don't slack off. I still need you to keep an eye on things for me."

Feng Xifeng responded, "What's this about your matters and my matters? I've always been a man of integrity and public spirit."