The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 69: The Current Situation in Bianjing (4k)

The new emperor ascends the throne and wins the hearts of the people.

Since ancient times, there has been no greater merit for an official than serving the emperor in his own palace and rescuing and protecting him.

In order to win over the people, bring together people with common goals, and also to not discourage the heroes who have made great contributions.

This time, the rewards were quite large.

As the eldest son of the new emperor, Zhao Ceying made considerable efforts in this matter of following the dragon, and was immediately named King Huan, and his mother Shen was named Queen.

As Chu Hong is the nephew of the new emperor, the relationship between them is so close that one can even trust his life to others.

In this mission of following the emperor to the palace, Chu Hong had the merit of delivering the imperial edict.

With just this one thing, Chu Hong has already secured his position as the leader of the dragon.

After all, the prerequisite for the new emperor to ascend the throne is the previous emperor's will.

Otherwise, the legitimate prince would be the prince of Yan who killed the prince of Yong and kidnapped the previous emperor.

Zhao Zongquan and Zhao Ceying happened to enter the capital. If there was no imperial edict, they would have been killed thousands of miles away.

In addition, Chu Hong is the only civil servant among the core members of the New Emperor Party, and a student of Han Zhang, the current head of all officials. He is too crucial.

Therefore, Chu Hong entered the cabinet.

At the age of 28, he was the youngest cabinet minister in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Counting another twenty years, at the age of forty-eight, it is almost the time when some cabinet ministers who have the potential to become prime ministers enter the cabinet.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zhao Zongquan was more anxious to join the cabinet than Chu Hong.

He needs someone who is truly his own.

A person who is always a New Emperor Party member.

Who could it be?

It’s Chu Hong!
Although Han Zhang is Chu Hong's teacher, he is also half a member of the New Emperor Party.

But he was promoted by the old emperor in the past few decades.

If it comes to matters involving the new emperor and the old emperor, what do you want Han Zhang to do?
If he sided with the New Emperor Party, Han Zhang would definitely be accused of being ungrateful, and his decades of reputation as a civil servant would be wasted.

In this situation, Han Zhang is afraid that he can only remain neutral.

But if Han Zhang remains neutral, the New Emperor Party will be in a bit of an awkward situation.

Zhao Zongquan had also thought about this situation, and naturally preferred to let his nephew join the cabinet.

No relationship is closer than that of a nephew.

No matter how friendly the Prime Minister is, he cannot be as reliable as his nephew.

Therefore, Chu Hong, who held real power of the third rank but a nominal position of the second rank, was directly promoted to the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Personnel, Right Vice Minister of Revenue, Left Vice Minister of Rites, Minister of Taichang Temple, and Grand Master of Imperial Households.

He jumped from a third-rank official to a first-rank official in one fell swoop. His actual power surpassed many cabinet ministers who had worked hard for decades, and he was ranked only below the Prime Minister Han Zhang.

The beautiful story of two elders being one master and one apprentice has already been accomplished.

Whether it is the common people or the official families, they gradually talked about the story of "one master and one apprentice, two prime ministers".

If even the story of the "two prime ministers" could be achieved, it would be truly unique in ancient and modern times, a master and disciple for all ages, and a model for all times.

Gu Tingye was also canonized as the deputy commander of the Palace Front Department, a fourth-rank official.

This time, apart from Chu Hong, he is basically the first hero in saving Emperor Zonglong.

At the beginning, when the world was in chaos, he saved the life of the current emperor.

When he became a bandit and realized everything, he went straight to Yuzhou Conglong and rescued him many times, and it can be said that he escorted Zhao Zongquan all the way to the throne.

Logically speaking, it wouldn't be strange even if he was granted a hereditary marquisate.

When he gets old, the title of Duke will not be a rare thing.

However, this time, apart from the title of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Front Department and a large amount of money and other things, he was not rewarded with any title.

The deputy commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Department was naturally because there was a commander-in-chief before him.

This commander-in-chief is the empress dowager's man, and the Palace Front Office has important responsibilities and is responsible for the emperor's safety to a certain extent.

Zhao Zongquan had no choice. If the chief and deputy commanders of the Palace Front Division were both the empress dowager's men, he would not dare to sleep.

In this case, Gu Tingye had no choice but to be appointed as the deputy commander-in-chief, and the position of commander-in-chief was sidelined by relying on Gu Tingye's ability and the prestige of the Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion.

As for the title, he hoped that Gu Tingye would inherit the title of Marquis Ningyuan.

His brother is in poor health and won't last long.

The former Ningyuan Marquis Gu Yankai was a capable man, and Ningyuan Marquis was also one of the most powerful figures in the city of Bianliang.

To this day, it has been only one year since Gu Yankai's death. Although the influence of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion has declined, its influence still remains.

Now, Gu Tingye has returned as a king. If he inherits the title of Marquis Ningyuan, it will be a great joy to the new emperor's party.

When Gu Tingye inherits the title, a large number of titles will be issued at once, and Gu Tingye will also make a big jump like Chu Hong and step into the forefront of Bianliang's military generals.

In addition, the king's uncle Shen Congxing was conferred the title of General Weibei and Marquis Weibei, which was hereditary.

The little palace maid who risked her life to deliver the letter was named Princess of Yuancheng County and soon married the grandson of a duke.

Sheng Minglan was given a phoenix hairpin by the empress, as well as an imperial decree and money to reward her for saving the emperor.

As for the imperial edict, it can only be processed after she gets married.

Yangxindian

Zhao Zongquan, Zhao Ceying, Chu Hong, Gu Tingye and others gathered together. At a glance, they were all Yuzhou's fierce generals and the new emperor's confidants.

The reason why the core members of the New Emperor Party gathered together was naturally because of the Queen Mother's matter.

Empress Dowager Cao was not a particular person.

When the late emperor passed away, he said that the two supreme pillars of the country, Duke Yingguo, the chief military commander, and Duke Han, the chief official, would assist in the administration to maintain stability and govern the people. But who would have thought that the empress dowager would secretly hold on to the imperial seal and come out to rule the country from behind the scenes?
If the emperor was just a child, there would be nothing wrong with the empress dowager ruling the country from behind the curtain. However, the new emperor is already in his forties or fifties. Who can be willing to let the empress dowager rule the country from behind the curtain?
The most important thing is that the Queen Mother obviously likes the children left by Prince Yan and Prince Yong. Who knows if she will secretly train one or two to replace them?
Who wouldn’t be confused or panicked after seeing the Queen Mother’s actions?

In addition to feeling nervous, the new emperor's current position is also extremely embarrassing.

Compared with Prince Yan and Prince Yong, the new emperor ascended the throne in a hurry and by chance.

Having come to power by chance, his influence is naturally limited. Not to mention the common people, even the local officials have probably never heard of the name of this new official.

Now, with the Empress Dowager ruling the country from behind the scenes, the new emperor's position is inevitably somewhat awkward.

If you want to say that the new emperor is a puppet, then the new emperor's nephew is the only heir to the current Korean family, and the nephew's teacher is the current prime minister.

On the civil service side, the Han faction is the strongest force in the civil service group. Ever since the new emperor and Lord Chu were uncle and nephew, the Han faction has been able to be used by the new emperor.

On the military side, when the Duke of Ying remained silent and Gu Tingye, the second legitimate son of the Ningyuan Marquisate, secretly followed the emperor, the power of some noble families was also controlled by the new emperor.

Being a puppet obviously does not fit the role of the new emperor.

But you want to say that the new emperor is not a puppet?
He is already fifty years old. He was specially trained in the palace and is considered capable.

In this situation, the Queen Mother will rule the country from behind the scenes?

If she is not a puppet, can the Queen Mother rule the country from behind the scenes?
From ancient times to the present, which emperor who was in his fifties and was still ruled by a dictatorship was not a puppet?
Moreover, the new emperor ascended the throne by accident, and his influence was not great for a while, and most officials had never even heard of his name.

awkward!

This is also one of the reasons why Zhao Zongquan was eager to let his nephew jump into the cabinet.

The greater the influence of his nephew, the greater the influence of the new emperor's party, and the greater his influence as emperor.

It's impossible that during the political struggle, the empress dowager, who was the referee, didn't get out, while the emperor, who was also the referee, also got out, right?
Whoever leaves first has already lost half the battle. Now, the new emperor's party has gathered together, naturally to remove the curtain behind the throne.

As long as the curtain remains behind the throne, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager are bound to fight, and there will never be true peace in this world.

It's really an eyesore!

"I am now in a very difficult situation, treading on thin ice! What do you think I should do next?"

Zhao Zongquan took a sip of tea and looked at the group of people.

Of course, to say that it is like walking on thin ice is actually an exaggeration.

Wen had his nephew who entered the cabinet and the prime minister of the time, Han Zhang.

Gu Tingye, the manor of Ningyuan Marquis, who has been prestigious for many years.

Life wasn't that difficult, at least his words still had an effect in the court.

Speaking is effective and can represent so many things.

At least, it is enough for an emperor who came to the throne in a hurry!

The brave generals of Yuzhou looked at each other. When it came to fighting and killing enemies, they were really not afraid, but when it came to government affairs, they were completely clueless.

It’s not like I don’t understand it at all, but it’s almost the same.

After all, who would have thought that they would have the opportunity to enter the court and get into high-level positions?
Gu Tingye picked up the tea and took a sip while looking at Chu Hong. He was also a Jinshi candidate in his time and had already had some ideas in mind.

However, now that Chu Hong is slowly taking charge of the core and will remain in charge for decades to come, there is naturally no need for him to show off his three tricks.

Chu Hong saw that he was the popular choice, so he did not refuse and stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, the new king has ascended the throne."

"Hong'er, don't be so reserved in private, call me uncle!"

Zhao Zongquan interrupted with a smile. He only had this one nephew and they had been close over the years. How could he become estranged just because he ascended the throne?
Chu Hong smiled and followed Zhao Zongquan's words, "My uncle has now gathered together talented civil and military officials. The officials in the court have all just experienced palace coups and do not like factional struggles.

You are the emperor, and you occupy a "greater righteousness" position; the empress dowager is the wife of the late emperor, and you occupy a "elder" position.

But the "king" comes before the "kin". The righteousness of the country cannot be bound by the elders.

As long as you slowly develop your power, win over neutral factions, and expand your influence, it will only be a matter of time before the Queen Mother's Party is defeated."

Chu Hong didn't say anything nonsense.

Since ancient times, when the empress dowager and the emperor competed, in terms of fairness, the balance has always been on the emperor's side.

Of course, if you read through the history books, you will naturally see that there are many powerful empress dowagers who served as regents.

But if we look at it from the other side, those dynasties without a queen dowager as regent were the ones where "king" prevailed over "filial piety" in most cases.

Nowadays, Uncle Zhao Zongquan’s advantages are far from comparable to those in the original script, so there is naturally no need to do anything crooked.

The right way is to crush the general trend and keep accumulating!
Zhao Zongquan also nodded in agreement. Although he came to the throne in a hurry, his situation was much better than those emperors who came to the throne in a hurry in history books.

In fact, his current power is considered to be above average according to history books.

The Queen Mother is powerful, but she has her nephew to rely on, so they are evenly matched.

In this case, there is naturally no need to take an unconventional approach.

Chu Hong groaned for a few breaths, and then continued, "My uncle has now ascended the throne, and the Queen Mother is taking advantage of my uncle's unstable foundation to rule the country from behind the curtain. This is really shocking.

In my opinion, the three most important things today are:
The first is to eliminate the remaining forces of the Yanwang and Yongwang parties, the second is to find a way to get the imperial seal back from the Queen Mother, and the third is to win over civil officials and military generals and open a new special examination to train students for the emperor. "

Look, this is called professional!

Zhao Zongquan took a deep breath and his tense heart relaxed a lot.

He had read a lot of books in his past and was able to analyze general trends, but he rushed to Bian Jing to succeed to the throne and had not thought about these things for many years. The main problem was that he was a little unsure of the general direction.

Now, as soon as his nephew told him the general direction, the fog in front of his eyes dissipated in an instant, and he knew what to do.

"It's not easy to get the Imperial Seal back. The Queen Mother is one generation older than me, and I came to power suddenly. If the Queen Mother holds on tightly, it will be a fierce battle to get it back."

Zhao Zongquan was not in a hurry and analyzed the situation quietly.

"Yes, the Queen Mother held on to the Imperial Seal and refused to let it go, as if she had not taken the late Emperor's will to heart. Your Majesty is the true Dragon Emperor, and you have the Grand Chancellor Han and the Duke of Ying assisting you in governing the country. Is there anything that cannot be solved?

The Queen Mother clearly wanted to continue to hold power, but it would have been fine if she was just fighting for power, but why did she have to raise the young sons left by Prince Yan and Prince Yong? Since the Queen Mother did this, a struggle was naturally inevitable. "

Gu Tingye agreed very much. Some things are done and there is no going back.

The empress dowager ruled the country from behind the curtain. The moment she lowered the curtain, one of the new emperor and the empress dowager was destined to lose power completely.

Zhao Zongquan sighed, this was really a difficult matter.

The Imperial Seal and several children in the Empress Dowager's Palace are like a sharp sword hanging in the sky. If he doesn't want to be treated like a dog, he must fight for it!

"Clearing out the remaining forces of Prince Yan and Prince Yong, this matter can be handed over to Hong'er, and there will be no mistakes. Regarding the Enke matter, who do you think is more suitable?"

Zhao Zongquan didn't quite understand these things, but he knew that there must be certain rules to follow.

He has just arrived in Bian Jing, so it would be better for him to ask for advice on things he doesn't know.

"Logically speaking, Enke should be a second-rank official and a third-rank official as the referee and vice-referee respectively.

However, this year is my uncle's first special examination, so it's best not to let people take shortcuts.

In this case, it is a high-level chief examiner. That is, the cabinet minister will be the chief examiner, and the second-rank or first-rank officials will be the deputy chief examiners. "

Chu Hong pondered for a moment and gave his opinion.

For the new emperor’s first imperial examination, fairness is of utmost importance, and he wants to win over children from poor families as much as possible.

It is possible to use connections, but they must be used by a very small number of people, so few that there are only a few people in Bian Jing who can use connections.

In this way, with a base number of hundreds of Jinshi, the impact of a few or a dozen people who have connections is actually not that big.

This is actually almost absolutely fair.

Zhao Zongquan understood what Chu Hong meant and nodded immediately.

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and a second-rank official served as the chief examiner and deputy chief examiner, and it was not easy for those who had connections to find a way in.

Even if we really look for one, there are only a few people who are qualified to be the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

Does not affect fairness!
"How is the scientific expedition schedule?"

"The Imperial Examination is run by the Ministry of Rites. Usually, the examination time is set, announced to the public, and then the Imperial Examination is held.

The imperial examination is held every three years, and it should be three years next year. A special examination can be held. However, according to the rules, a new monarch will hold a special examination early to show mercy.

There are two ways to hold the Enke exam earlier. One is to hold the Enke exam this year and then hold it again in three years, that is, to advance the Enke exam time by one year. The other is to hold the Enke exam this year and then hold it next year and then hold it again in four years, that is, to insert an extra Enke exam into the original time of the three years before.

Chu Hong explained patiently.

"If we add the special examination, then we can get two batches of emperor's disciples in two years?"

Zhao Zongquan's eyes lit up. He liked this.

"Not bad!"

"Then there will be two special examinations this year and next year! This time, Hong'er will be the chief examiner and have full responsibility. The deputy examiners and other examiners will just need to make a list and submit it when the time comes!"

"Yes."

"Han Da Xianggong, the chief civil official, is Hong'er's teacher, so he's naturally on our side. But how do we win over Ying Gong, the chief military general?"

"Father, I think..."

(End of this chapter)