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

Chapter 177 Imperial Examination and Rewards!
Bianjing, the Imperial Study.

Apart from the eunuchs and palace maids, only the emperor and his minister remained.

"The Emperor who embodies the laws of Heaven, possesses supreme virtue and far-reaching power, is wise, sagacious, and filial?" Zhao Ceying nodded, holding the document.

This posthumous title is very fitting.

Compared to the qualitative evaluation of temple names, posthumous titles tend to be purely eulogies.

The difference lies in the fact that some posthumous titles are meaningful and can summarize the achievements of a monarch's life; while others are purely empty words, praising the monarch in a way that makes one feel ashamed.

Virtue, might, holiness, martial prowess, benevolence, and filial piety.

It not only accurately reflects Emperor Gaozong's achievements in expanding the territory, but also serves as a supplement.

After all, the late emperor had been recuperating for forty years, and such an achievement could not be summarized by the temple name "Gaozong". Adding the words "Renxiao" to his posthumous title further emphasized the merit of his recuperation.

“Excellent.” Zhao Ceying agreed, “This posthumous title will undoubtedly be approved by all officials in court.”

Jiang Zhaoping nodded.

Choosing a temple name is much easier than choosing a posthumous name.

The main difference is that temple names are only one character, while posthumous titles are extremely long, sometimes as many as ten or twenty characters, which can contain a great deal of information.

If you want to add certain achievements, just add two words; there's no need to delete or argue about them.

"In addition to the posthumous title, the new reign title was also drafted by the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy, and several names were selected."

As he spoke, Jiang Zhao took out a document from his sleeve and passed it over.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ceying immediately became interested.

Recently, he has been preoccupied with the arrangements for the late emperor's funeral.

The selection of the reign title is definitely a rare matter concerning him.

"Xi Ning".

"Xi Feng".

"Longxing".

Zhao Ceying began to read attentively.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, an auspicious reign title is undoubtedly very important.

"Xi—"

In just a moment, Zhao Ceying made his decision, looking at the two reign titles containing the character "Xi".

His experiences in Xihe meant that he subconsciously leaned more towards the reign titles of Xining and Xifeng.

“Xi Ning,” Jiang Zhao explained, “Xi means prosperity and Ning means stability, so it means peace and prosperity.”

"Xi Feng, Xi means brightness and Feng means abundance, meaning to enrich the country and strengthen the army."

The method of choosing reign titles is different from that of choosing posthumous titles and temple names.

The selection of posthumous titles and temple names is based on the level of the previous user, for fear that the previous user's level was not high enough, thus lowering the value of the posthumous title and temple name.

The reign title is subject to taboos such as repetition and homonyms, in order to avoid being seen as a "shoddy imitation".

Just like "Yongxi", which means a long and prosperous reign, it has an auspicious meaning and is also suitable for Zhao Ceying.

However, the previous user of "Yongxi" was Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, Yuan Hong, who was almost a legendary emperor throughout history.

Such a reign title would be criticized as "imitating others poorly" if used by anyone, so it was naturally not an option.

Almost all reign titles must be original.

After a few words of explanation, Zhao Ceying nodded repeatedly.

These are all auspicious reign titles.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Ceying got up and paced back and forth.

After about an incense stick's time, his gaze swept over "Xi Ning" and finally settled on the "Xi Feng" reign title.

Peace and prosperity are certainly desirable, but for him, a strong and prosperous nation is the best choice.

“Xi Feng has an excellent meaning.” Zhao Ceying sat down, patted his knee, and said, “Let’s go with Xi Feng.”

Jiang Zhao nodded and bowed respectfully: "In that case, I will submit it to the Cabinet."

Even though the emperor has made a decision, the necessary procedures still need to be followed.

The decision on the reign title was often made jointly by the cabinet and the emperor.

If the Grand Secretaries think "Xifeng" is not good, then there is no other way but to give up.

Of course, this possibility is not high.

All three proposed reign titles were, without exception, excellent works.

Zhao Ceying nodded in satisfaction.

The initial ascension to the throne involved so many matters that it was impossible to keep up.

Fortunately, with the help of a wise minister like Jiang Zhao, everything was managed to proceed in an orderly manner.

Jiang Zichuan is getting better and better with use!
If the late emperor could achieve a high level of achievement, there's no reason why he could be worse.

After all, the late emperor only enjoyed Jiang Qing's company for less than ten years. He and Jiang Qing are not much different in age, so he should enjoy it for at least several decades.
Shouldn't we have an emperor like Sejong?
With the document in his sleeve, Jiang Zhao noticed that Zhao Ceying seemed a bit dazed. Thinking that nothing was wrong, he prepared to take his leave.

"Not urgent."

Zhao Ceying quickly waved and took out a folded piece of Xuan paper from the corner of the wooden table.

"Zichuan, please give me your opinion on this reward," Zhao Ceying asked.

As the new emperor, he was somewhat unsure about the appropriate level of reward. He needed to consult with his trusted senior officials before deciding on the specifics of the bestowal.

As it happens, Jiang Zhao is the Minister of Rites, and he certainly has his own judgment on whether the bestowal of honors is in accordance with regulations.

Jiang Zhao took it and glanced at it.

Zhao Shiyi was enfeoffed as the Prince of Shun.

Zhao Shiqian was enfeoffed as the Prince of Gong.

Zhao Zhong was enfeoffed as the Duke of Jiyang.

Zhao Shicheng was granted the title of Duke of Gaomi.

Cao Yi was the military governor of Hu Army, and concurrently served as Minister of Works and Chancellor.

Two kings, two dukes, and one minister!

“The Emperor’s decision is certainly excellent,” Jiang Zhao nodded.

According to custom, the members of the royal family, whether dukes or princes, were granted titles and honors based on their bloodline.

However, because Zhao Ceying was a descendant of Emperor Taizu, none of them were related to him by blood.

Thus, the rewards were bestowed based on the individuals' original identities, their loyalty, and their importance.

Among them, Zhao Shiyi and Zhao Shiqian both had fathers who were princes, so their rewards were naturally more generous.

During the Zhou Dynasty, there were many hereditary earls, marquises, and dukes.

But when it comes to princes, there are very few who inherit the title without fail.

Even the two princes vying for the throne, the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Yong, were both princes of various ranks.

When the prince died, his descendants inherited the title by a lower rank.

In other words, if the King of Yan died, his eldest son Zhao Shiyi would inherit the title of Duke of Yan, and his grandson would inherit the title of Marquis of Yan. Each generation would be lower than the last, and eventually they would become idle members of the royal family.

That's not surprising.

Originally, the bestowal of titles and rewards relied on blood ties, and naturally, the era ended as blood ties grew distant.

Now, Zhao Shiyi and Zhao Shiqian are both the eldest sons of the prince, and they will inherit the title of duke in the future.

Furthermore, both of them had privately pledged their loyalty to Zhao Ceying several times and were appointed as Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs and Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, respectively.

Since it is an award, he should naturally be granted the title of king.

The remaining two, being of humble origins, were naturally ineligible for the title of king.

However, if one can maintain the right mindset, Feng Gong can be considered to have gained three generations of wealth for free.

As for Cao Yi, he was only given honorary titles, which was not a big problem.

Zhao Ceying, the "Fengshang Father," paused, then said, "How about bestowing upon Zhao Zongquan the title of Prince of Shu, with Yuzhou as his fief?"

“Of course it’s possible.” Jiang Zhao nodded.

Zhao Zongquan was the emperor's biological father. As long as the posthumous conferment of the title of emperor was not excessive or involved in any shady practices, the officials would almost all let it go.

After two consecutive responses, Zhao Ceying nodded slowly, having gained some understanding of the magnitude of the reward.

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Ceying slowly asked, "I have just ascended the throne and have no foundation. According to custom, how should a special imperial examination be held?"

The fact that the emperor had no one under his command made him feel very insecure.

In fact, there were quite a few officials who showed their loyalty to him.

However, accepting the late emperor's ministers is one thing, but truly trusting them is another.

At least, apart from Jiang Zhao, he rarely truly trusted any of the late emperor's ministers.

Even Wang Anshi, who was determined to reform the corrupt practices, could not truly put his mind at ease.

"The special examination will be handled by the Academy of Rites. They will set the examination time and announce it to the world."

Jiang Zhao replied, "According to custom, the imperial examination is held once every three years. The new emperor's enthronement of the new emperor to open an imperial examination as a sign of benevolence is a special favor to select officials outside of the regular examination."

According to the rule of holding the imperial examinations once every three years, there will be one next year. If the emperor holds a special examination this year, then there will be two examinations held consecutively, one this year and one next year.

"Is that so?" Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up.

"Therefore, let Zichuan serve as the chief examiner for both of these special examinations," Zhao Ceying instructed.

On the one hand, this is a favor bestowed upon trusted and important officials.

On the other hand, this also serves as a way for the new emperor to show goodwill to Grand Chancellor Han.

In addition, the deputy chief examiners of the two imperial examinations could also be used as bargaining chips to curry favor with important officials in the court.

Jiang Zhao was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject thanks you for your great kindness!"

The imperial examinations were held every three years, with the two positions of chief and deputy examiners divided among six factions.

Even some highly accomplished Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet only presided over one or two imperial examinations.

Now, he hosts two events at once.

Wouldn't this result in "disciples and former officials spread all over the world"?
Keep in mind, he's not even thirty yet!

Once he presided over the imperial examinations, he was considered to have established connections with some scholars who had no background in the imperial examinations.

For a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) without any connections, the opportunity to establish a relationship with a Minister of Rites who was not yet thirty years old would certainly be something they would do desperately to climb.

During the two scientific expeditions, Jiang Zhao couldn't even imagine how many "disciples" he could gain.

Zhao Ceying nodded with a smile.

A new emperor brings a new court; the ministers of the new era will eventually replace the old guard of the old!
(End of this chapter)