Seeing the embarrassed look on his face, Zhao Huan was also filled with indignation. This fellow was truly useless!
When others served as prime ministers, they were all powerful and imposing.
Even someone like Cai Jing could practically cover the sky with one hand if the emperor wasn't careful.
But with this old fellow in power, it had only been a few days, and he was already being dominated by his subordinates!
If it weren't for the emperor helping him from the sidelines, he would have been sent home to his grandchildren by Li Gang by now!
"Let all the esteemed ministers see this as well!"
Angry as he was, Zhao Huan understood that the situation had reached a point where he could no longer handle it alone.
Without these people helping him, he, the emperor, would likely be sidelined by strong prime ministers like Li Gang and Li Ruoshui.
"Yes!"
Hearing his words, Shun Xi quickly took the memorial with both hands, then turned and handed it to Zhang Bangchang.
After receiving the memorial and reading its contents, Zhang Bangchang's gaze towards Sun Fu was entirely different.
This guy was truly incompetent!
Logically speaking, the positions of prime minister and privy councilor were completely separate.
The privy council was responsible for military affairs; all military matters fell under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council.
The prime minister was in charge of overseeing national affairs. Simply put, everything except military and financial matters was the prime minister's responsibility.
But now, the Privy Council had no intelligence on the Taiyuan situation, and Li Gang was the one who first brought it up.
This was blatant overreach!
Of course, Sun Fu soon realized this problem himself, but he lacked the courage to confront Li Gang.
Facing Zhang Bangchang's murderous glare, he could only lower his head guiltily.
Seeing his uninspiring demeanor, Zhang Bangchang felt a sense of disappointment.
If not for the emperor being present, he would have loved to slap this kid!
"Prime Minister Li, is this news true? And, this seems to be a matter for the Privy Council, does it not?"
Since Sun Fu was incompetent, Zhang Bangchang had no choice but to step forward himself.
"Prime Minister Zhang, are you accusing me of overstepping my authority?"
Li Gang said this while looking directly at Zhang Bangchang.
"This..."
Hearing his words, Zhang Bangchang's face became instantly awkward.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just thought it would be smoother for the Privy Council to handle these matters!"
Pressured by Li Gang's gaze, Zhang Bangchang immediately became more docile.
"I didn't want to meddle in these affairs, but these documents have been at the Privy Council for three days, and Prime Minister Sun and your colleagues have been silent. What else could I do?"
Damn it!
Hearing Li Gang's words, Sun Fu wanted to curse.
He was truly caught in the crossfire!
He had almost shrunk his head into his crotch, yet Li Gang still wouldn't let him go.
"This is my fault. There have been too many official documents from various regions lately! I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Despite his inner frustration, Sun Fu could only grit his teeth and take the blame.
"It's alright!"
Seeing their subservient appearance, Zhao Huan became even more dejected.
Along with his dejection, he began to regret his decision. With them like this, how could they possibly defend Bianliang city?
"This news was sent by Zhang Xiaochun via carrier pigeon. I believe Master Yuanmiao should know the detailed process better!"
Since his objective had been achieved, Li Gang did not dwell on the issue any further.
A document from a frontier official being suppressed at the Privy Council for three days, only the emperor knew how disappointed he must have been.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Master Yuanmiao has arrived!"
"Please invite the Master in!"
Half an hour later, Lin Lingsu finally arrived at the imperial palace again.
Looking at the familiar architecture before him, Lin Lingsu felt quite emotional.
Although their Shenxiao sect had invested a significant portion of their resources this time, thinking of the bright future ahead, he was smiling in his dreams.
"This humble Taoist Lin Lingsu, greets Your Majesty!"
Having not left his residence for several months, Lin Lingsu had acquired an air of detachment.
Even Zhao Huan had to admit that compared to his most triumphant moments, Lin Lingsu now seemed more like an immortal.
"Master, is this news true?"
Zhao Huan was more eager to know about the 'Protector Array' than anything else.
"Your Majesty is referring to the matter of those supplies?"
As soon as Zhao Huan finished speaking, Lin Lingsu guessed the reason for his summons.
"Indeed, does this Protector Array truly have such an effect?"
Seeing his calm demeanor, Zhao Huan became even more anxious to know the outcome.
"Your Majesty is joking. Although this old Taoist possesses some magical abilities, such great power is beyond my current capabilities. Those supplies were merely preparations I made earlier!"
To everyone's surprise, Lin Lingsu did not attribute this to spirits or deities this time.
"Master, you mean these supplies were prepared by you in advance?"
As soon as Lin Lingsu finished speaking, Zhang Bangchang stepped forward directly.
Judging from Li Gang's attitude earlier, he was almost certain that Li Gang was involved in this matter.
Therefore, he unhesitatingly dug a pit for Lin Lingsu.
"Yes, Prime Minister is correct! I had a premonition and sacrificed ten years of my lifespan to foresee a change in the northwest, which is why I proposed the Protector Array to Your Majesty."
"However, the foundation of the Protector Array was incomplete at the time, and I was unsure of its effectiveness. Therefore, I quietly instructed my disciples to prepare some supplies in Taiyuan City!"
Even though he knew that Zhang Bangchang was deliberately looking for trouble, Lin Lingsu still replied calmly and without subservience.
After he finished speaking, even Li Ruoshui looked at him with a complex gaze.
"So, these supplies were secretly prepared by you, Master?"
Regardless of Zhao Huan's previous impression of Lin Lingsu, after hearing his words, even the emperor found no fault with them.
Seeing the emperor's gaze soften, Lin Lingsu took the opportunity to confess again:
"This matter was too intangible, and I did not dare to bear the crime of cursing the state. I could only make private preparations. I beg Your Majesty to understand!"