In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 1014 Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince, Second Rank, Great Perfection

The autumn sun was shining brightly in the courtyard, casting dappled light and shadow on the blue brick ground through the branches and leaves of the ancient locust trees on both sides.

Several eunuchs carrying imperial edicts were already standing in the courtyard.

The leader was Cao Yang, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
He wore a scarlet robe with bright yellow python patterns on the collar and cuffs, and held a scroll of bright yellow imperial edict in his hands.

The eunuchs behind him stood with their hands at their sides, their expressions solemn, and they even breathed very softly.

Upon seeing Lu Yunyi arrive,
Cao Yang's previously tense face immediately relaxed, and he greeted him with a smile:
"Lord Lu, His Majesty has issued a special imperial edict. Please accept the edict."

Lu Yunyi led the group out quickly, stopped in the center of the courtyard, lifted his robes, and bowed deeply.
"Your subject Lu Yunyi respectfully receives the imperial edict. Long live the Emperor!"

The officials and clerks behind him all knelt down, not daring to raise their heads.

The once sweltering courtyard instantly fell silent, with only the soft rustling of locust leaves in the wind.

Cao Yang stepped forward, his voice low but clear, carrying the composure unique to the imperial court:
"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

Lu Yunyi, Commander of the Northern Expeditionary Command and Director of the Market and Commerce Bureau
He possesses profound knowledge and exceptional talent.

In the past, it defended against the Yuan invaders in the north, guarding the border and securing the frontier.

They repeatedly thwarted the enemy's advance, achieving countless victories and silencing the dust in the southern desert.
In recent years, there have been changes in the capital region; to protect the state and safeguard the emperor,

He remained calm in the face of danger and made skillful arrangements, ensuring the safety of the palace.

His achievements are remarkable, and his virtues are commendable.

By special favor, I hereby appoint you as Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, grant you the title of General of the Dragon and Tiger, and the rank of Second Grade.
He was relieved of his post as Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, so that he could concentrate on his duties.
He was also appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of the essentials of finance and grain.

You shall diligently perform your duties, assist the Crown Prince, reorganize military and political affairs, and clarify military finances.
Do not betray my trust, and do not tarnish your reputation.

Admire this. "

After the imperial edict was read, the courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Cai Qirui was the first to react.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The Junior Guardian of the Crown Prince is a high-ranking official in the Eastern Palace, in charge of the Crown Prince's ceremonial guard and martial arts instruction. The Dragon and Tiger General is the highest-ranking military officer of the second rank.

In addition to Lu Yunyi's original positions as Commander of the Northern Pacification Command and Director of the Market and Commerce Bureau,

Four officials holding the rank of second grade!
Throughout this dynasty, no one has ever been able to achieve such a perfect position as a second-rank official.

That's absolutely perfect!
Lu Yunyi raised his head slightly, somewhat surprised, as this was the shortest imperial edict he had received in recent years.

But he also breathed a sigh of relief; just as General Lan Yu had said,

The newly added positions are mostly honorary titles, with no excessively heavy substantive duties.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, raised his hands above his head, and spoke in a steady and powerful voice:
"Your subject Lu Yunyi thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness! I will repay Your Majesty's favor with my life!"

Cao Yang stepped forward and handed the imperial edict to Lu Yunyi, his tone slightly gentler than before:

"Lord Lu is young and promising, a pillar of the nation."

Now that you hold multiple positions, your responsibilities are even heavier. I hope you will take good care of yourself and not overwork yourself.

"Thank you for your concern, Father-in-law."

Lu Yunyi smiled and waved his hand gently.

The guard beside him quickly came over with a heavy purse and stuffed it into Cao Yang's hands.

Cao Yang was taken aback, then smiled.

In the past, only those who went outside the palace to deliver imperial edicts received a stipend for their service, and officials in various departments of the imperial city generally followed the rules.
I never expected Lord Lu to be so unconventional.

He gently twirled his fingers, feeling the heavy weight inside the purse.

His smile deepened, but he still declined.

"Lord Lu, this is unacceptable."

"My family serves in the palace, and there are palace rules that forbid us from accepting gifts from officials outside the palace."

As he spoke, he glanced subtly at Cai Qirui beside him, his expression subtle.

Lu Yunyi looked enlightened, understanding his concerns, and then spoke frankly:
"The Market and Trade Bureau manages all the merchants in the country, and it is inherently a wealthy and powerful government office."

His Highness the Crown Prince also said that the Market Transaction Bureau should appropriately demonstrate its strength to deter those who seek to harm others.

This is not a gift, but merely a token of courtesy; please accept it without worry, Father-in-law.

He stepped forward, grasped Cao Yang's hand tightly, and patted it gently, his attitude earnest.

Seeing this, Cao Yang stopped refusing and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha:

"Then we thank Lord Lu very much."

"Father-in-law, would you like to come inside and have some herbal tea before you leave?"

"No, I have important matters to attend to at the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs. I must hurry back to report."

"Then I will respectfully see you off, Your Excellency!"

"Lord Lu, please wait. I'll take my leave."

Cao Yang led a group of eunuchs away, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Once the procession carrying the imperial decree had left, the courtyard suddenly became lively.

Liu Sili stepped forward, looked Lu Yunyi up and down, and sighed:
"Yunyi, such an honor is rare in history. You must do your job well and not let His Majesty down."

Cai Qirui also joined in, his face beaming:

"Lord Lu, you will be concurrently serving as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue from now on. I hope you will take good care of me!"

This was half a joke and half a serious statement.

The collection of grain and fodder from imperial estates and the calculation of wages for tenants were all inextricably linked to the Ministry of Revenue.

Although Lu Yunyi's position as Vice Minister was mostly nominal,
However, the ability to easily access Ministry of Revenue documents is also a significant benefit to the imperial estates.

Deng Jin and Wang Chen also gathered around and offered their congratulations.

Deng Jin's face was full of excitement, and her voice trembled slightly:

"My lord, you are now the Dragon and Tiger General!"

The next rank is Grand Master of the Palace, which is close to the position of Governor-General!

He came from a family of military officers, and his father and brothers had fought in the army for many years, but none of them had received this honor.

Lu Yunyi has obtained this position at such a young age.
How could he not be envious?
If it weren't for his family's arrangement, he would have preferred to fight and make merit in the army rather than deal with account books all day long.

Wang Chen was also delighted and quickly asked:
"My lord, now that you've also taken on the role of Vice Minister of Revenue, wouldn't that allow you to expedite the process of issuing paper money?"

Lu Yunyi raised his hand and gestured for everyone to be quiet.

He glanced at the imperial edict in his hand, then swept his gaze over the crowd before him, and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty's grace must be remembered by your subjects."

The more honors one receives and the higher one's rank, the greater one's responsibilities become.

As for the position of Vice Minister of Revenue, in my experience, at most one can legitimately look at the Ministry's documents.

"That's enough!" Wang Chen clenched his fist.
"If we could see the accounts of the Treasury of Paper Money, we could formulate a more accurate plan."

Liu Sili nodded repeatedly:

"That's true."

Before he could finish speaking, a minor official rushed into the courtyard and shouted at Liu Sili:

"Lord Liu! Eunuch Zhou from the palace has arrived."
They said there was an imperial edict to announce, and they'd been waiting at the yamen gate for ages!

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Why another imperial edict?
Cai Qirui's whisk froze in mid-air, his eyes filled with astonishment:
"Zhou Qian? He's here to deliver an imperial decree to Manager Liu?"

Deng Jin also stopped smiling and scratched his head:

"Does Lord Liu also have an imperial decree?"

Liu Sili was stunned, then a surge of joy welled up inside him. Could it be...?
"Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll go take a look."

"Let's go together!"

As soon as everyone reached the courtyard gate,

Then a eunuch in a scarlet robe stood there; it was Zhou Qian, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

He held a scroll of bright yellow imperial edict in his hands, followed by two eunuchs. Seeing Liu Sili emerge, Zhou Qian quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with a smile:
"Lord Liu, we've been waiting for you!"

Liu Sili quickly bowed in greeting:

"You're too kind, Eunuch Zhou. I didn't know you'd come today."

Zhou Qian waved the imperial edict in his hand, his tone instantly becoming solemn:
"His Majesty has decreed that Liu Sili, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, be summoned to receive the decree."

Liu Sili lifted his robe and knelt down, loudly proclaiming:

"Your subject Liu Sili respectfully welcomes the imperial edict!"

Zhou Qian glanced at the crowd of onlookers, cleared his throat, and read in a clear tone:
"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:

Liu Sili, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, possessed a dignified and composed demeanor and outstanding talents.

In the past, when the southeastern countries sent envoys to pay tribute, you were the assistant director of the Court of State Ceremonies.
To establish regulations for foreign trade and classify goods into different categories.

By setting tariff rates, trade between Chinese and foreign peoples became orderly, and the flow of merchants and travelers became unimpeded.
Last year, when Henan suffered a drought, you coordinated the distribution of grain and rice from merchants to provide relief to tens of thousands of disaster victims, which was praised by the people.

With increasing exchanges with foreign countries, the duties of the Court of State Ceremonial are extremely important.
Te Sheng Er was appointed as a guest of the Crown Prince, with the rank of third grade.
He was in charge of the affairs of the Court of State Ceremonial, tribute, and trade, and concurrently served as the head manager of the Yingtian Trading Company, so that he could focus on his duties.

You shall be respectful and cautious in your duties, maintain order in the court, and be pacify distant peoples, so as not to fail the trust I have placed in you.

Admire this. "

As the last word fell, the courtyard fell silent once more.

Cai Qirui was the first to come to his senses. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. Finally, he murmured:
"Lord Liu, the Crown Prince's Guest of Honor, a third-rank official, you've been promoted three ranks in one go!"

Between the fourth and third ranks, there is a hurdle of the third rank.
It may seem like there's only one step, but that one step is what blocked 99% of the fourth-rank officials!

Only by taking this step can one truly be considered a pillar of the imperial court.

If he achieves more merits in the future, he might be able to directly assume the position of minister, and his future will be limitless.

Zhou Qian stepped forward and handed the imperial edict to Liu Sili, speaking in a gentle tone:
"Lord Liu, His Majesty often says that foreign affairs are a matter of diplomatic relations, and only a mature and prudent person can handle them."

You handled the affairs of the Court of State Ceremonial extremely well.
His Majesty promoted you because he didn't want to distract you; this is an immense honor.
"From now on, I will need to put more effort into managing the affairs of the Court of State Ceremonial."

Liu Sili clutched the imperial edict in his hand, his fingertips trembling with excitement.

He took a deep breath and bowed deeply in the direction of the palace:
"Your subject Liu Sili thanks Your Majesty for your great favor! I will certainly do my duty diligently and live up to Your Majesty's trust!"

After bowing, he quickly had a clerk fetch a purse and handed it to Zhou Qian:

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please don't think it's too little, Father-in-law."

Zhou Qian didn't refuse, took the purse, weighed it in his hand, and a smile appeared on his face:
"Lord Liu, you're so kind! I have other business to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer. Please go ahead with your work."

Having said that, he turned and left with the little eunuch.

After Zhou Qian left, Liu Sili looked at Lu Yunyi, his face filled with emotion, and sighed deeply:

"Yunyi, after careful consideration, I realize I've benefited from your influence."

Lu Yunyi smiled, easing the tense atmosphere:
"Father-in-law, you jest. It's because you did a good job at the Court of State Ceremonial."

"You've managed the Yingtian Trading Company exceptionally well; your promotion is truly well-deserved."

When everyone returned to the meeting hall, the sun was already setting in the western sky.

The sunlight streaming through the window onto the documents on the table made the writing somewhat blurry.

Lu Yunyi sat at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over everyone:

"Having just received the imperial decree, let's not delay and determine the specific implementation steps for the paper money reform."

Time flies, and an hour passes in the blink of an eye.

Once the initial procedures were finalized, everyone gradually dispersed, leaving only Lu Yunyi and Han Yike in the conference hall.

Han Yike tidied up the documents on the table and said softly:
"My lord, we received the imperial decree today and finalized the matter of the precious paper money, so things have mostly gone smoothly."

But will the anti-government party take any action?

They certainly won't watch us advance smoothly.

Lu Yunyi picked up an account book, his eyes darkening:
"The rebels will definitely not let this go easily; keep a close eye on Kong Tianzong."
He dared to propose the Single Whip Law; there must be someone supporting him behind the scenes.

"Lord Han, please organize today's meeting minutes and present them to His Majesty tomorrow. Then I will consider our next steps."

"Yes!"

Han Yike responded and left with the documents in her arms.

The setting sun gradually sank into the courtyard, leaving only a few rays of its afterglow.

The wind rustled through the branches and leaves of the ancient locust tree.

Lu Yunyi sat at his desk and opened the Yingtian Trading Company's ledger.
The densely packed numbers on it gave him a headache.

The Ming Dynasty had been implementing the policy of replacing silver with paper money for nearly thirty years, but it had only begun to show results.
It's unclear how long it will take before it truly takes off.

He rubbed his temples, picked up a pen, and wrote a few lines on the paper:
"Investigate Kong Tianzong's correspondence, monitor He Zicheng's route out of Beijing, and guard against remnants of underground banks causing trouble."

Just as I finished writing, I heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.

Lu Yunyi looked up and saw a figure dressed in a flying fish robe and wearing an embroidered spring knife at his waist lift the curtain and enter. It was Du Pingping, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He was much thinner than when we first met; his former plumpness had faded, leaving only a few muscular features.

Du Pingping's face was expressionless, but sweat beaded on her forehead.
"Lord Lu! Something terrible has happened!"

Lu Yunyi's expression changed, and he quickly stood up:

"What's so urgent?"

Du Pingping straightened up, her voice still steady, but with a hint of solemnity:

"He Zicheng is dead. He died on the official road twenty miles from the capital. The capital government just received the news and has already sealed off the scene."

"what?"

Lu Yunyi's expression changed drastically, and his fists clenched tightly:

"Dead? He just left the capital this morning, how could he suddenly be dead? Who did it?"

Du Pingping shook her head and took a deep breath:

"It's not clear yet, but preliminary investigation..."

The poison he contracted was probably exactly the same as the red tide algae poison that His Highness the Crown Prince suffered from.

"Red tide algae?"

Lu Yunyi frowned deeply. "Were they silenced? Or was it the palace that did it?"

At this point, his expression suddenly changed:
"Damn it! This is a frame-up! Someone is trying to use his death to smear the palace!"

Du Pingping's face was also very pale, and she nodded slightly:

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard also held this view: the rebels killed He Zicheng and then shifted the blame to the palace."

Before long, rumors will spread that His Majesty cannot tolerate retired officials.

"When was it discovered? How was the poisoning?" Lu Yunyi pressed, his voice regaining its composure.

"At the beginning of Shenshi (3-5 PM) today, a passing yamen runner saw He Zicheng's entourage parked motionless by the roadside."
Upon closer inspection, they found He Zicheng and his daughter-in-law, Li, lying dead inside the carriage, while the coachman and his companions lay dead by the roadside.

"All dead?"

"Um"

Have you found the source of the poisoning?

"It must have happened at the previous post station. With so many people poisoned at the same time, it's highly likely that the food was the problem."
The Imperial Guards and the capital authorities have already sent men to arrest the people at the post stations.

Lu Yunyi's face was terribly gloomy.
too fast!
Starting yesterday, we just touched the mastermind behind the scenes.
The rebels acted in quick succession, catching everyone off guard.

Now they're using He Zicheng's name to submit memorials and disrupt the monetary system, and now they're killing him to silence him, which will also frame the court.

This is truly killing three birds with one stone!
"How does the Embroidered Uniform Guard plan to deal with this?" Lu Yunyi turned around, his gaze fixed on Du Pingping.

Du Pingping sighed:
"We can only try to find the real culprit as soon as possible, but once rumors spread, it will be difficult to undo the damage even if the real culprit is caught."

A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Yunyi's eyes as he took a deep breath:

"He can do his thing, I'll do mine; we can't let things get out of hand."
Have you seen His Majesty? Did His Majesty mention the confiscation of underground banks in the capital region?

"I haven't seen His Majesty yet; I'm on my way to report to the Wuying Hall."

"Then you should go see His Majesty first. We'll discuss the follow-up strategy after you return with your report."

(End of this chapter)