Sun Ce knew that Shangshutai was fighting openly and secretly, and could at least be divided into three factions: a faction of the children of aristocratic clans such as Wang Can and Pei Qian, a faction of the Chenliu people such as Ruan Yu and Lu Cui, and a faction of the children of Jiangdong, Lu Ji, Xie Cheng, Gu Shao. The subdivision is even more complicated, and the differences within each faction are quite different, and the only difference is the severity.

For example, although Ruan Yu was a native of Chenliu and was both a disciple of Cai Yong, Ruan Yu was not very close to Luci.

As a representative of the royal family, Sun Quan should have been close to the Jiangdong faction. However, because of his previous affairs with Xie Xianying, he was not close to the Jiangdong faction and was considered a solitary minister. He pointed out the way and concealed it. He should have nothing to do with the faction, and there is no such thing as slander and false accusation.

He didn't have this need, and Luci was not worth it.

After listening to Sun Quan's analysis carefully, Sun Ce did not care about Lu Cui's own affairs. He would be clear about this small matter tomorrow when he sent someone to the Privy Council to ask. With Lu Cui's character, no one would help him cover it. Lu recruited a general who commanded the first battalion, and his influence on the Privy Council was almost zero.

"I just came back from my mother." Sun Ce said. "My mother feels sorry for you, so I'll give you a few days off and rest."

Sun Quan blinked his eyes, feeling helpless. "My brother knew she would say that she would not dare to visit him these days."

"You are really too tired, it's time to take a rest. The rest you have accumulated has been one month, right?"

"almost."

"Please take a half month off. If it's not enough, just one month. Do whatever you want. Relax and combine work and rest to work better. But you have to pay attention to safety, bring more people, and don't be hurt by beasts, otherwise I can't explain to my mother."

Sun Quan touched his head awkwardly. He liked hunting and hunting beasts, which was no secret.

"Your Majesty has an edict, but I dare not refuse to obey. The Secretary of State will report to Your Majesty for other matters, so I will not say much. But this front-line military expenditure matter needs to be investigated. According to my speculation, the number will not be large, but it is a bad sign. This is a bottomless pit. If it cannot be dealt with in time, once it spreads into a wind, the impact will be very bad."

Sun Ce nodded. If the army becomes corruption, it will not only be a problem of losing some money and food, but will have a very bad impact on the morale of the army, but may also cause the problem of privatization of the army. This is something he has always been very vigilant. He will investigate it thoroughly without Sun Quan's reminder.

Although Sun Ce's mood was still affected even though he did not immediately mobilize his troops to investigate. After returning to the harem, he finished washing up and sat in front of the desk and read the book as usual, but he could not calm down.

Mr. Bu Lian saw that Sun Ce had something to do, but he didn't dare to ask too much, but just served him carefully.

Sun Ce suddenly asked, "Can you have a letter coming from Zishan recently?"

"I asked you to see it last month."

"What's the best letter to home?" Sun Ce waved his hand and signaled Bu Lianshi not to be busy. "Are he still used to being a Bohai Governor?"

Bu Lianshi smiled. "Thanks to His Majesty's original arrangement, he took over as the Bohai Navy smoothly. Most of the soldiers were former subordinates, not to mention later. Although there were some rebellious people, there were not many, so they could calm them down with some small means."

Sun Ce's heart moved, but his face remained unchanged. "What kind of small means, kindness or power?"

"Everyone is. Seeking profit and avoiding harm. The nature of human beings is no exception in the army, and it is even better."

Sun Ce did not ask again and picked up the book again.

Bu Lian is intelligent and has been in the center for many years. He is not unfamiliar with politics and is also clear about Sun Ce's nature. When Sun Ce asked about this, he immediately realized that his bad mood was related to military affairs. But Sun Ce did not mention it, she did not ask.

Sun Ce did not take over power, but the only military power was the exception.

——

The next evening, before getting off work, Sun Ce summoned the Shangshu Ling Wang Can to inquire about related matters.

Wang Can was on duty yesterday. He rested for half a day this morning and came to work in the afternoon. Seeing that Sun Quan was empty, he realized that Sun Quan was on vacation, and it might take a long time. All the matters at hand were handed over to him. He did not dare to be careless and immediately learned about all the matters Sun Quan was responsible for, so that he knew what the emperor was doing so at any time.

Sun Ce first asked about Shangshutai’s recent situation, then asked about the contacts with various departments, and finally asked about the process of cooperating with the Privy Council.

Wang Can explained one by one, and when he mentioned his cooperation with the Privy Council, he was a little excited.

"Your Majesty, I forgive you for being rude. The Privy Council will not be defeated. I will issue an edict to blame you."

Sun Ce knew that Wang Can was impatient, but after all, he was a child of a noble family and knew how to speak. Such harsh accusations were rare. It seems that the Shangshutai had an objection to the Privy Council for a long time.

"Don't be anxious, just say it slowly." Sun Ce brought up the teapot on the case and poured a cup of tea for Wang Can.

Wang Can was encouraged and had a slightly excited red face. He picked up the teacup with both hands, took a sip, and tasted it again. He took this opportunity to adjust his emotions and made himself look less excited. However, his slightly trembling hands were out of control, which had long exposed his heart.

"Your Majesty is upset and ruled, and let go of all the officials. The only thing you are interested in is worship and military affairs. Even if it is a military affairs, your Majesty does not take power, but instead gives it to the Privy Council. It has the legacy of the ancient sage king, and my ministers are deeply admired. It is a pity that what the Privy Council did failed His Majesty's trust, which is really regrettable. I am your Majesty's confidant and entrusts him with important responsibilities. Even if it is not in line with the friendship of his colleagues, I have to say it."

Sun Ce pointed his head slightly and signaled Wang Can to continue, but he felt a little uneasy. Wang Can was so cautious and specially prepared an opening remark, indicating that the problem was very serious. Zhu Yan was presided over by the Privy Council, and it was always very smooth. Suddenly, so many things happened. Is it because he was too negligent and did not notice the problem of the Privy Council, or was Wang Can exaggerating the truth?

Wang Can's accusations mainly focus on two aspects:

First, the Privy Council has its own system and thinks it is the leader of all departments and does not cooperate with the work of other departments. Even if the official documents transferred by the Shangshutai are rarely responding to them. If they pursue them tightly, they say, we will report this matter directly to Your Majesty, so you don’t need to ask more questions. But as far as Wang Can knows, there are many things that the Privy Council has not reported to the emperor at all, so it handles it itself.

Second, the Privy Council’s expenditure is unknown. Many people live in luxury, which obviously exceeds their official salary income, and are obviously suspected of corruption. Military expenditure is expensive, and a large part of it is opaque. If someone tampers with it, even if they scrape a little bit of oil, the amount will be amazing. Recently, the continuous surge in military expenditure is the main factor of the fiscal deficit. Whether this money is spent on the frontline soldiers or being greedy by some people, no one can tell whether it is clear. However, the Privy Council’s extraordinary standard has caused a bad impact, and the people’s enthusiasm for supporting the army has been hurt.

Sun Ce did not comment, and then asked Lu Cui about transferring the official documents of the Privy Council.

Wang Can said that only Lu Cui himself knew whether the official documents transferred by Lu Cui were true or false. According to normal procedures, the official documents transferred to other departments of the Shangshu Desk must be recorded on the case, and there must be receipts from the corresponding departments, but the Privy Council is not the case. Some official documents will be given receipts, and some official documents will not be given receipts at all. If there is no receipt, and Lu Cui himself does not admit it, only the relevant personnel will know whether there is such a document.

Sun Ce was surprised. "The official documents you forwarded to the Privy Council have no receipt?"

"Although there are not many such situations, there are indeed some. I have experienced it myself. Someone went to the palace gate to write a letter saying that some soldiers were injured when they returned home. I happened to pass by, so I received the document and handed it over to the Privy Council. The officials of the Privy Council said that this kind of matter was too small and could be handled locally. They insisted on making trouble at the palace gate to write a letter. It was obvious that someone deliberately caused trouble and refused to give a receipt, saying that if they had to ask for a receipt, they would not accept this official document."

Sun Ce nodded. "You go back and write a detailed description and submit it tomorrow."

Wang Can bowed to the order. He had a very good memory and could never forget ordinary things for years, let alone such things.

——

After Wang Can left, Sun Ce sat alone in the hall for a long time.

If Wang Can's accusation is true, then the problem of the Privy Council will be great, and it will be too great for him to accept it.

In just a few years, the Privy Council has become corrupt?

The Privy Council was just under his nose and could do so many things. What would the departments far from his sight look like?

He dared not think about it.

Although the accusations against Wang Can were not fully accepted, Sun Ce believed that some of what Wang Can said must be true, otherwise Wang Can would have falsely accused the Privy Council and no rational person would have done this.

Delegating power will lead to adverse consequences, and Sun Ce has long been mentally prepared for this, but the adverse consequences come so quickly and so serious, which still surprised him, even disappointed and angry.

If most of what Wang Can said was true, not only did the Privy Council have problems, but the Military Information Department, which was responsible for supervision, could not refuse to blame, but the Sili School Captain who was responsible for the security of the capital was suspected of being in vain, and the censor who reported the news also became a decoration.

This consequence is too serious.

Sun Ce got up, called Guo Wu, and asked him to inform the attendants on duty that he would leave the palace and see with his own eyes how the Privy Council performed outside the palace, see if the officials of the Privy Council lived as luxurious and corrupt as Wang Can said, and see if the people dared not speak out about the soldiers in the army.

Guo Wu quickly summoned relevant personnel, and Sun Ce also changed into casual clothes and quietly left the palace.

As soon as Sun Ce left the palace, Liu Ye hurried to the side hall, holding two official documents in his hand. Seeing that the emperor was not here, he thought he was getting off work, so he turned around and went to the harem to ask for a meeting. After asking, he found out that the emperor had not returned to the harem. As for where he went, no one knew.

Liu Ye was shocked and hurried back to the Military Intelligence Office to find a military advisor to give a wine to Guo Jia. Guo Jia was also surprised to learn that the emperor was not in the palace. Under normal circumstances, such a thing would definitely be notified, and he would probably be accompanied by him. The emperor left the palace quietly, and even the Military Intelligence Office did not receive any notice. This was definitely the first time.

He thought for a long time and said to Liu Ye: "Since Your Majesty doesn't tell us, there are naturally reasons why he won't tell us. Ziyang, don't make a fuss, just wait and feel at ease, and report it tomorrow."
Chapter completed!