The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 746 This gentleman rose to prominence by flattery

At Ma Xuanliang's reminder, Quan Wanji bathed, changed his clothes, tidied his hair and beard, put on an extremely ordinary robe, got on an inconspicuous carriage, and after locking the keys at the palace gate, he entered the Taiji Palace from the side door.

Quan Wanji knew that from now on, he would basically be active at night. During the day, ministers were coming and going in the Taiji Palace, and it was not convenient for the emperor to meet with him. In the future, when he reported things, most of them would be at night. This was inseparable from the nature of his job.

The chief palace official of the Hundred Cavalry Division has a token that allows him to enter the palace at any time. The palace walls that were once as strong as a solid wall will now be open to him.

He would also cross numerous barriers and place his eyes and ears in the homes of ministers, generals, and princes who posed a threat to the emperor, monitoring their every move and preventing them from doing anything detrimental to the emperor.

Li Shimin took time out to meet with Quan Wanji alone. The emperor and his minister talked in Chengqing Hall all night. Ma Xuanliang waited outside the door. Quan Wanji did not come out of Chengqing Hall until almost midnight.

Ma Xuanliang took advantage of the night, passed through the heavy guards of Taiji Palace, and escorted Quan Wanji all the way out of the palace.

Looking at the token and imperial edict in Quan Wanji's hands, Ma Xuanliang's mentality was very entangled and complicated. He felt a sense of relief and relaxation from the bottom of his heart, but also accompanied by a sense of reluctance and worry.

Finally, he smiled and said, "Congratulations, Lord Quan. From now on, you are the Chief of the Hundred Cavalry Division!"

"No, Master Ma is still Wanji's boss. I'll need your care in the future." Quan Wanji said politely.

"Speaking of caring, there are actually some things that I don't need to tell you, but you already know them. However, I still want to remind you."

"Please enlighten me, sir."

Ma Xuanliang said seriously, "You have been in the archives for three months, so you must be very clear about the rules of the Hundred Cavalry Division. As a member of the Hundred Cavalry Division, including you and me, no information about the Hundred Cavalry Division can be disclosed to anyone except the staff within the Hundred Cavalry Division."

"This includes your family and colleagues in the court. Once the information is leaked, the Hundred Cavalry Division will carry out the task of clearing it out. Even the leaker will be subject to strict military discipline. I hope you will always keep this in mind."

Quan Wanji also said seriously: "General, rest assured, Quan Wanji knows the seriousness of the matter. No matter who I tell, I will actually harm that person. Wanji will never break the rules."

"Um"

Ma Xuanliang nodded, looked up at the starry sky, and said in a daze: "In fact, I also know that I am just a warrior and not suitable to lead the Hundred Cavalry Division. Since the emperor took the Hundred Cavalry Division from Zhangsun Wuji and handed it over to me, the development of the Hundred Cavalry Division has been very slow."

"In the last assassination of the King of Shu, many details were not found out, so the emperor made up his mind and asked you to replace me. Now you have just arrived and are not fully competent. When you are fully capable of taking charge of the Hundred Cavalry Division, the position of General of the Central Army will definitely be yours."

"After knowing so many secrets, I know exactly what will happen to me. Maybe one day, I will suddenly disappear!"

Quan Wanji had read many files and knew that the Hundred Cavalry Division had always been led by Zhangsun Wuji before the emperor ascended the throne.

The second General of the Central Army was Ma Xuanliang.

"Have you read all the files of the Hundred Cavalry Division?"

Ma Xuanliang was stunned, then shook his head: "I have hardly seen it."

Well.
Quan Wanji was immediately surprised. Ma Xuanliang smiled bitterly and said, "My job is to guard the emperor. Every day, I have to take a rest and serve him. I don't have time to read it. Besides, I can't read many words, so I can't understand a lot of things in it."

"The emperor entrusted the Hundred Cavalry Division to me because he valued my loyalty, not because of my ability. In fact, I just played the role of a messenger, passing the emperor's orders to the Hundred Cavalry Division, and then feeding back the results of the Hundred Cavalry Division's investigation to the emperor."

"In that case, General, don't worry. The Emperor won't do anything to you."

"How come I know so many secrets?"

Ma Xuanliang was stunned and asked, "And, do you know? The day before you went to the Baiqi Division, the Baiqi Division had a chief historian, a middle-aged scholar named Zhou, but he was dealt with by the emperor's decree and made room for you."

Quan Wanji nodded. These were all recorded in the files.

"The former Zhonglang Jiang, Zhangsun Wuji, is alive and well, and is also the Minister of Personnel. After returning to Chang'an from his inspection tour in the south of the Yangtze River, he was appointed as the Right Prime Minister. If he can escape unscathed, why can't the general do the same?"

Ma Xuanliang was doubtful and seemed to want to find an answer from Quan Wanji: "How can I be compared with Lord Changsun? He is the Queen's brother and a meritorious official of the Emperor. He is indispensable in assisting the Emperor in the court. What about me? I am just a guard."

"General, don't belittle yourself!" Quan Wanji explained, "General, you once blocked an arrow for the emperor and saved his life during the Turkic invasion in the ninth year of Wude. That's why you were promoted to be by the emperor's side. Moreover, you are upright and loyal to the emperor. The emperor still needs your protection."

"Besides, the Emperor already knew that the General was not suitable to manage the Hundred Cavalry Division, and he was not interested in those secrets, so he would not do anything to the General!"

After finishing speaking, Quan Wanji silently added in his heart that if he were to leave the emperor, it would be hard to say.
"real."

Ma Xuanliang was simple-minded and did not hear the hidden meaning of Quan Wanji's words. He seemed to have unloaded a heavy stone from his heart and was obviously relieved: "Master Quan is a wise man. If you say so, then I can rest assured."

"You don't know, I couldn't eat or sleep well during this period, and I even secretly arranged my funeral, fearing that I would suddenly disappear one day?"

"Don't worry, sir. Wan Ji estimates that you will have to continue to serve as the Lieutenant General for a while."

Looking at Ma Xuanliang who was obviously delighted, Quan Wanji smiled and shook his head: "The Hundred Cavalry Division needs someone to stay in the Western Inner Courtyard for a long time to handle many affairs. It is impossible for them to stay in the palace all the time. If the emperor has dealt with the general, he still asked for someone to pass on the message."

"What's the difference between that and being a general? Isn't that redundant?"

"So, Wan Ji estimates that the general will most likely serve the emperor in the future, and I will handle any instructions from the emperor in the Hundred Cavalry Division."

"From now on, these matters will depend on the two of us working together. General, you will deal with the emperor, and I will handle it outside the palace. Together, we will try to get the Hundred Cavalry Division up and running again and live up to the emperor's trust."

Ma Xuanliang nodded silently, with a look of admiration on his face: "Your Majesty is not wrong about me. You are indeed born to do this. With you in charge, I won't have to face the emperor's anger alone in the future."

Well.
Quan Wanji was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly, thinking that he was really cut out for this line of work!

Ma Xuanliang put down the burden in his heart, looked at the document held by Quan Wanji and asked: "What is in your hand, sir? Is it the task assigned by the emperor?"

"The Emperor dismissed me from my positions as an official in the Prince's Palace of Shu County and the head of the Taicang Office, and reappointed me to the position of Fengyu in the Imperial Palace Department."

Ma Xuanliang suddenly realized that the Palace Province was the institution that managed the emperor's daily life. It contained the Imperial Food Bureau, Imperial Pharmacy Bureau, Imperial Clothing Bureau, Imperial Residence Bureau, Imperial Vehicle Bureau, and Imperial Chariot Bureau, which were responsible for the emperor's food, clothing, housing, and transportation respectively.

Among them, the Shangnian Bureau was in charge of the chariot, umbrellas and fans. It was responsible for managing the dragon chariot that the emperor rode on during court meetings or sacrificial trips, and was responsible for arranging people to hold fans and feathers during court meetings. Fengyu was an official position below the fifth rank, with an easy task. He managed a few eunuchs and servants, but could often appear beside the emperor.

In the eyes of outsiders, although Quan Wanji's promotion from the seventh-rank Taicang Office Director to the fifth-rank Palace Secretary was an improvement in rank, it was a trivial job serving the emperor, which most officials were unwilling to change.

Judging from the formula for Mayor Tian's power abuse, it was a definite promotion in name only and a demotion in reality, which was extremely unprofitable.

Of course, if he was promoted to the fourth-rank Palace Supervisor, or the third-rank Palace Supervisor, that would be a completely different situation.

But most people would never be able to get promoted in their lifetime. After all, how could they be compared with the ministers who handled court affairs when they handled trivial matters such as food, clothing, housing and transportation for the emperor?

The people in the Palace Department all rely on flattery to get promoted, which is not the right path, and most court officials look down on them.

But if it is Quan Wanji, no one will find it strange, because Quan Wanji himself is a flatterer. In the words of Secretary Dakang, this gentleman has risen to his position by flattery.

In the past, in order to please Feng Deyi, he must have done many things like crying at his grave.

Later, after Feng Deyi died, he got close to the King of Shu, and continued to flatter and curry favor with him in order to get a chance to advance his career. Now, he has no idea through whom he got the upper hand over the emperor and is fanning him. There is nothing strange about it, as he has been promoted to a higher position anyway.

However, Ma Xuanliang knew that this position was very suitable for Quan Wanji. He did not have to do errands like officials from other departments, nor did he need to stay in the yamen every day. He had faded out of the mainstream officialdom and was not noticed by others, but he could often appear beside the emperor.

Many officials of the Palace Province lived in the Ye Ting Palace and were on duty in the Taiji Palace. Officials outside seldom noticed them. Even if Quan Wanji did not show up for ten days or half a month, no one would find it strange.

In this way, Quan Wanji can stay in the Western Inner Court all day and deal with the affairs of the Hundred Cavalry Division.

Ma Xuanliang immediately laughed and said, "The positions of our Hundred Cavalry Division are unknown to outsiders, but our ranks are higher than those of the general imperial guards. The generals of the Imperial Guards are usually fourth-rank or fourth-rank, while the chief officer of our Hundred Cavalry Division is a senior general of the third-rank."

"Generally, the chief secretary of the inner court is from the sixth rank, but the chief secretary of our Hundred Cavalry Division is directly the fifth rank, and the captains and lieutenants below are all the same, which is one level higher than the general guards."

(End of this chapter)