Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 119 Jiang Zhao Enters the Capital!

Bianjing (Kaifeng)

East Water Gate.

As a water gate on the lower reaches of the Bian River, it was frequently used by ships, serving as a vital link in the Bian River's navigation.

The Imperial Guards stood solemnly, guns at their sides.

A dozen paces away from the Imperial Guards, there were special officials responsible for verifying the travel permits and household registrations of the people on board the boats.

Bustling crowds come and go, an endless stream.

"How are you two doing?"

A lean-faced general in armor, carrying two cups of tea, slowly walked toward two officials in green robes who occasionally glanced around.

"Thank you."

The two officials in green robes bowed and took the tea.

One of them was thin and looked to be around fifty years old.

The other one had a beard about a foot long on his chin and was around forty years old.

"We haven't spotted Lord Jiang's ships yet." The long-bearded official stroked his beard and shook his head. "Judging from the date of the report, it should be within the next day or two. In that case, we have no choice but to keep watch."

General Zhuojia nodded slowly: "In that case, if the two officials need anything, whether it's to relieve themselves or to relieve themselves, or if they are thirsty, just let me know and I will have someone come and take their place."

The two officials in blue robes quickly expressed their gratitude.

The so-called "memorial official" was an official in charge of transmitting, supervising, and coordinating government affairs, and was responsible for maintaining stability between the imperial court and local areas.

The officials appointed as Jinzouguan were mostly county officials of the eighth or ninth rank who had entered the capital. They were subordinate to the Jinzouyuan and under the jurisdiction of the fourth-rank officials of the Menxia Province.

Its main responsibilities are threefold: document delivery, information communication, and government affairs processing.

Official document transmission refers to the process by which government orders concerning local affairs are collected by the reporting official and transmitted to the local area.

Information communication, which means keeping the imperial court informed of local conditions and vice versa, often involves the interaction between the local government and the imperial court.

Government affairs processing, which concerns the submission of taxes along the route, requires notification to the imperial court.

Of course, the Jinzouin could also be given a more appropriate name.

Beijing Liaison Office!
The official in charge of reporting to the emperor was also known as the official stationed in the capital.

Generally speaking, the Jinzou-in (进奏院) has its own dedicated Jinzou-officer.

That is, a certain official in charge of reporting to the emperor is solely responsible for matters concerning a particular route.

For example, the officials in charge of reporting to the emperor in Xihe Road, Hedong Road, and Hexi Road were all separate positions, held by different people.

The matter of high-ranking officials entering the capital involves the issue of "interaction between local authorities and the imperial court".

Moreover, it carries a significant political weight.

When a high-ranking official from a remote region enters the capital, it inevitably involves a dispute over his official duties.

The intimate talks between the emperor and his ministers naturally carried a high political significance.

Among them, the official in charge of receiving and entertaining high-ranking officials was mainly responsible for receiving and entertaining regional governors.

Some high-ranking officials may not have been to the capital for several years and are not very clear about the situation in the capital.

Thus, the clothing, food, housing, and transportation of high-ranking officials had to be coordinated and arranged by the Imperial Secretariat, and no mistakes could be made.

After all, this was a person who held great power in a certain region, a high-ranking official of the second rank.

It should be noted that the official in charge of the memorial officials was only a fourth-rank official.

If you are not treated well and accidentally offend a high-ranking official, you might even lose your boss.

Therefore, whenever a high-ranking official from a remote region entered the capital, everyone in the Imperial Secretariat had to coordinate and cooperate, living in constant fear.

Now, the matter of Jiang Zhao, the Deputy Pacification Commissioner and Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Road, wanting to enter the capital has already been reported by Xihe Road.

Thus, the two officials serving as envoys to Xihe Road naturally had to be on guard at all times, ready to receive the guests.

The armored general gave a greeting and then began his inspection.

The arrival of a high-ranking official in the capital is indeed a matter that deserves attention.

Even the general guarding the gate became inexplicably more serious.

If a high-ranking official visiting the capital were to think that the city gates were poorly guarded, and the emperor were to inadvertently mention it, the commander might have to be reassigned.

There have been precedents for this before.

Time passed second by second, and a full half hour had gone by.

"Hoo~!"

"Hoo~!"

Several sounds of the ship breaking through the water rang out, followed by the faint sound of anchors being dropped.

"Wait!"

"Take it on!"

That kind of sailing sound definitely belongs to a large ship!

The two officials in green robes exchanged a glance and then quickly looked around.

A few hundred paces from the East Water Gate, several large ships were moored. On one of them, the title plaque of "Xihe Pacification Commissioner" was prominently displayed. A man in a purple robe stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering. Several young men, dressed like noblemen, were positioned at the bow, gazing at the capital.

Besides these two, there were two others, both with a heroic air about them, dressed in red robes of the fifth rank.

The remaining ships were manned by several hundred elite soldiers with guns, which made them look very imposing.

"quick!"

The two were startled and quickly called over the clerk, then ran over.

"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes Lord Jiang!"

"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes Lord Jiang!"

The two shouts drew Jiang Zhao's attention.

Green robe?

Jiang Zhao was startled.

Given his rank, even if someone were to go out of their way to curry favor with him, they would have to be a fifth or sixth-rank official in red robes to be considered "respectable".

Eighth or ninth grade?
That was an official dispatch, not a deliberate act of welcoming them.

Jiang Zhao asked in confusion, "Could it be an official who reports to the emperor?"

"That's right." The two nodded quickly.

"Zhonghuai, Zichun," Jiang Zhao said, looking at Gu Tingye and Wang Shao beside him. "You two should lead the soldiers to the eastern suburban camp."

On this trip to the capital, he only brought Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and five members of the imperial family with him.

The remaining Su Zhe, Han Jiayan, and some prefects and assistant prefects may not be able to enter the capital for the time being.

Every three years, only about thirty fifth-rank officials would be sent to the capital.

We'll have to wait and see who exactly will have the opportunity to enter Beijing.

The specific number of people allowed to enter Beijing depends not only on the performance of officials but also on a lot of negotiation and bargaining.

Of course, given the strength of the Han faction and the political achievements of the officials in Xihe Road, at least ten of them should be qualified to enter Beijing.

At that time, the specific person to be identified will need to be discussed and their name will be drawn in red ink.

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao nodded in succession, disembarked, and strode towards the large ship carrying the soldiers.

Jiang Zhao looked up at the members of the imperial clan and said, "To avoid disrespect, let's enter the palace now."

Several members of the royal family nodded in unison.

Thus, led by two officials, the six of them entered the palace together.

Royal study room.

"throat!"

"throat!"

Zhao Zhen, holding a vermilion brush, coughed heavily twice.

With a wave of his hand, a palace maid presented him with medicine.

A king who is fifty-six years old is already considered to have lived a very long life.

As a monarch, one must constantly receive a constant stream of memorials that require one's approval.

Generally speaking, working six or seven hours a day is the norm.

Sitting upright for long periods of time is mentally and physically exhausting, and having to summon concubines to serve you in bed further drains your energy.

If someone can live to be fifty or sixty years old, they are already in excellent physical condition.

Coughing had long been a chronic ailment for Zhao Zhen.

In the past, when his subjects strongly requested that he be adopted into the imperial family, he would often cough for half an hour at a time when he was anxious.

Fortunately, a secret method for establishing an heir solved his problem.

With a calm mind, the cough finally subsided somewhat.

After the patient had swallowed about seven-tenths of the herbal soup, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies slowly entered.

Zhao Zhen glanced at it and handed the medicine back to the tray held by the palace maid.

Since the eunuch made a special trip in, it's highly likely that someone wants to see him.

As expected, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial reported: "Your Majesty, the Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Road and his five sons have come to the capital to request an audience."

"Oh, they've arrived already?" Zhao Zhen's heart skipped a beat. He waved his hand and said, "Let them in."

Xihe Road was involved in the only territorial expansion, and five of his "good grandsons" lived in the border area, which has received his high attention in recent years.

Five members of the royal family wrote one letter per month.

The Pacification Commissioner Jiang Zhao sent a secret letter every three months.

Over three years, Zhao Zhen read all of the nearly two hundred letters.

The purpose, of course, was to select a "good grandson" who was expected to expand the territory.

Now, he has already developed some biases in his mind.

(End of this chapter)