"Your Majesty! This matter must not be!"
In the Great Hall, after Ye Ze'an had just proposed his suggestion, an elder minister imdiately stood up.
This person was a cabinet minister from the Internal Affairs Pavilion.
Previously, there had always been a saying with sinister implications: When Ye Ze'an spoke in the Cabinet, it carried more weight than the Emperor!
Although the truth might not be as such, it was enough to show Ye Ze'an's influence over the Cabinet.
Among the Six Ministries, his control over the Internal Affairs Pavilion was the strongest.
Yet now, the first to jump out and oppose him was soone from the Internal Affairs Pavilion.
This indicated how unpopular his proposal was!
"Your Majesty, during the previous dynasty, Emperor Xuan Jing centralized power in the Central Governnt, established the Qingtian Prefecture, and dispatched Qinyi Guards to oversee the realm, capturing ministers and citizens. This ultimately brought disaster nationwide, causing turmoil in the court, and leaving the people destitute! With such a historical precedent, how can we repeat the sa mistake?"
The cabinet minister from the Internal Affairs Pavilion spoke solemnly and loudly.
Li Fei, upon hearing this, was moved inwardly.
He had studied history and knew about the Qingtian Prefecture and Qinyi Guards from the previous dynasty, which were similar to the Eastern Factory and Jinyi Guard of his past life.
Both were special agencies, with duties of surveillance, investigation, apprehension, and interrogation.
'The agents were sent everywhere, causing unrest throughout the land' described such special agencies.
Similar to the outcos caused by the Eastern Factory and Jinyi Guard, after Emperor Xuan Jing of the previous dynasty established the Qingtian Prefecture, there was rampant injustice, persecution of dissidents, extortion, and the oppression of commoners!
This is also the reason Ye Ze'an's proposal faced strong opposition.
If it were rely about changing various systems of the Monitoring Pavilion, the resistance wouldn't be too significant.
But Ye Ze'an wanted to establish a new inspection agency, completely independent of the Cabinet, which was too significant a change.
"Your Majesty, I also find the Grand Secretary's proposal inappropriate!"
Another cabinet minister stood up to oppose, expressing his viewpoint.
Then ca the third, the fourth...
Soon, nearly one-third of the officials in the Great Hall stood to voice their opposition!
Ye Ze'an had been serving as the Grand Secretary for forty-eight years, and in the past, his decrees were never without opposition, but to be opposed by so many at once,
this was the first ti!
Beneath the Red Steps, Ye Ze'an remained calm as usual.
On the Dragon Chair, the Emperor looked at the calm Grand Secretary and slowly spoke:
"Grand Secretary, do you have anything to say?"
"I have heard the concerns of all, and I too am aware of the historical lesson of the Qingtian Prefecture from the previous dynasty. But I do not intend to establish a new Qingtian Prefecture."
Ye Ze'an spoke thus:
"The root of the three major cases lies in the oversight issues at the local level, but these problems are not solely the responsibility of local officials, as martial sects, aristocratic families, and local powerful figures are also involved.
I believe that regularly transferring inspection officers across provinces can solve the problems of local officials, but it cannot address all the issues.
I wish to establish a separate institution specifically for monitoring martial sects and local powerful figures across different regions."
After he finished speaking, the Great Hall quickly quieted down.
The ministers who had stood up against him exchanged glances.
Not overseeing officials and the populace, but the martial sects and regional powers?
This ant shifting the focus from officialdom to the World.
This line of thinking was completely unexpected.
"Grand Secretary, wouldn't monitoring the martial sects and local powers be the responsibility of the respective Zhi Ge Courts?"
On the Dragon Chair, the Emperor asked.
Whether it was martial sects or local powers, those in control were often Martial Artists, hence subject to the Zhi Ge Court's jurisdiction.
These forces were not without oversight.
Ye Ze'an calmly responded: "Although the Zhi Ge Courts have the authority to supervise, the Martial Artists within are almost all from the local area, leading to inevitable connections between the Zhi Ge Courts and local forces, thus affecting impartiality.
By establishing a separate institution within the Central Governnt and regularly dispatching people to inspect the regions, alongside the dual oversight of the Zhi Ge Court, we can prevent the calamities like the three major cases of today."
Li Fei, upon hearing this, imdiately thought of the past incident in Xing City.
The Chief of Xing City's Zhi Ge Court was colluding with the Tiger Saber Gang, and many Martial Artists within the court were from the Tiger Saber Gang, making it impossible for the Zhi Ge Court to control the Tiger Saber Gang under such circumstances.
Even though the Inspection Bureau at that ti was controlled by the Chief, the Inspection Bureau could only oversee officials and couldn't directly deal with Martial Artists bypassing the Zhi Ge Court.
This was why the Tiger Saber Gang could be so rampant.
Similar situations have occurred in many places.
Local powers, martial sects, and aristocratic families collude with the Governnt, yet are scarcely subject to regulation from the Governnt, thus gradually growing in strength and acting recklessly.
"Grand Secretary, why not propose as you did before, letting the Martial Artists of each Zhi Ge Court also be periodically transferred across provinces?"
A cabinet minister suddenly suggested.
Compared to establishing a new institution, people were more willing to make changes within the 'system'.
Ye Ze'an shook his head: "The Martial Artists of the Zhi Ge Court, though influenced by local forces, can equally exert influence on local forces, facilitating the resolution of conflicts. This matter has both pros and cons; we cannot only see the cons and choose a one-size-fits-all solution."
The responsibilities of the Zhi Ge Court, after all, differ from those of the Inspection Bureau.
The Inspection Bureau only needs to act by the rules, identifying and dealing with all violating officials.
But the Zhi Ge Court cannot operate this way.
Many grievances and conflicts, the disputes arising between major forces of the World, have no absolute right or wrong.
To properly handle these World matters and quell disputes, one must genuinely understand the local situation and ideally have so influence locally.
Under such circumstances, periodically transferring people from the Zhi Ge Court is no longer suitable.
The Saint once said: The village hypocrite is the thief of virtue.
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