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

Chapter 213 A new person has arrived in the cabinet! (4k)

As dawn breaks, a gentle breeze stirs the air.

Jiang Mansion.

On the ebony table, there were goji berry tea, flatbread, white porridge, rice noodles, fried meat, jujube cake, and clear mutton soup, served in six small bowls.

Jiang Zhao, Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Heng, Jiang Xun, Sheng Hualan, and Sheng Shulan, a total of six people, held chopsticks and spoons.

"call."

Jiang Zhao blew on the specially brewed goji berry tea and took a small sip.

After several days of this ordeal, I'm really feeling a bit weak.

Goji berry tea and mutton soup are good ways to nourish yourself.

After taking a few sips, Jiang Zhao couldn't help but glance at Sheng Hualan and Sheng Shulan.

Yin prevails over Yang, and Yang prevails over Yin; Yin and Yang are mutually generative.

If someone feels weak, someone else will definitely need nourishment.

Despite being tormented for several days, Sheng Hualan and Sheng Shulan showed no signs of weakness. On the contrary, their complexions were rosy and radiant, as if they had received a "great tonic".

Every glance, every smile, made her even more beautiful.

Jiang Zhao took a big gulp of goji berry tea and sighed inwardly.

In just a few days, he was hurt by women and felt so empty.

From this day forward, I will abstain from it!
Perhaps sensing their husbands' gaze, Sheng Hualan and Sheng Shulan both lowered their heads, not daring to meet each other's eyes.

It is really not in line with the dignified demeanor of a woman from a "distinguished family" or "scholarly family" to have two women serving her husband together.

Thinking about it now still makes me feel ashamed.

Little did they know that this coy refusal only made them more endearing.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it and then looked away.

How can one resist the allure of keeping a mistress in a golden house, surrounded by soft, fragrant flesh?

Don't quit!

Do you think I don't know whether female beauty is harmful or not?

"Huaijin, how are your studies at the Imperial Academy?" Jiang Zhao asked his eldest son, sipping his goji berry tea.

Officials of the third rank or above could allow their sons to study at the Imperial Academy, a practice known as "hereditary enrollment."

As Jiang Zhao's eldest son, Jiang Huaijin naturally entered the Imperial Academy to study.

"Of the more than two hundred students, my son ranked seventy-seventh," Jiang Huaijin replied.

Seventy-seven?
Jiang Zhao nodded in satisfaction.

The students of the Imperial Academy included not only the sons of high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, but also some who had failed the imperial examinations.

For a ten-year-old child to achieve a mid-to-high level in the Imperial College entrance exam is already quite remarkable.

"Where is Heng'er?" Jiang Zhao asked, looking at his second son.

"I recognize over seven hundred characters," Jiang Heng quickly replied.

He was just over five years old and still in the early stages of his education.

Jiang Zhao nodded and slowly sipped his tea.

If the father is a top scholar, the son can't be too bad.

If even a few of his children could inherit 30% of his abilities, studying for the imperial examinations and becoming officials would not be a problem at all.

"Father, what about me?" Jiang Xun glanced around a few times, and seeing that no one was asking him, he quickly waved to make his presence known.

Jiang Zhao couldn't help but smile.

The three-year-old is quite clever.

"Where is Xun'er?" Jiang Zhao asked.

Jiang Xun stood up straight and said loudly, "A few dozen characters."

"Impressive," Jiang Zhao said with a smile.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a cup of goji berry tea is finished.

One cup is finished, then another is poured.

After drinking two cups of goji berry tea, Jiang Zhao put down his teacup and slowly stood up.

Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Heng, and Jiang Xun all put down their bamboo chopsticks.

"I have to go to the yamen now, so please eat slowly," Jiang Zhaoping said gently.

It has been twelve years since I entered officialdom.

The much-praised "Young Grand Secretary" finally dropped the "Young" part and officially entered the cabinet as prime minister.

Today, he will go to the cabinet to take up his post and try out the life of a cabinet minister.

"Officer."

Sheng Hualan moved with light steps, her long dress swaying slightly. She held an invitation in her hand and said softly, "Yesterday, there was a small gathering of powerful officials and their families. Many people asked me when I would host a banquet to celebrate my entry into the cabinet."

If we were to say what purpose officials' wives and noblewomen could serve by gathering together, passing on messages might be one of them.

This is especially true when it involves someone in a lower position passing a message to someone in a higher position.

Now that Jiang Zhao has been appointed Prime Minister, many officials from the Han faction are surely curious about when a banquet will be held to celebrate.

But they dared not ask.

Given the intimidating presence of Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet, who would dare to challenge a fourth or fifth-rank official for questioning a first-rank official?

At this time, the women became the messengers for delivering messages.

"Celebrating his entry into the cabinet?"

Jiang Zhao frowned slightly.

Entering the cabinet and becoming prime minister is truly a joyous occasion.

A banquet must be held.

On the one hand, it serves as a celebration.

In one's life, there is really no greater joy than becoming a cabinet minister.

This represents the peak of one's career.

On the other hand, under the guise of celebrating his entry into the cabinet, he could also gather his former protégés and subordinates.

Setting up a celebratory banquet, limited to officials from Han's faction, would undoubtedly strengthen the cohesion among party officials.

This move will benefit the students and former officials who will take over the position of the teacher in the future, and pass on the connections of the head of all officials.

"March?" Sheng Hualan suggested.

“March won’t work.” Jiang Zhao shook his head decisively.

March is destined to be busy.

The imperial examination will be held on March 11th.

As the chief examiner, I will preside over the imperial examinations after March 11th.

I didn't have time before March 11th.

Generally speaking, the imperial examinations, from the provincial examination to the palace examination, lasted about fifty days in total.

The imperial examinations will be held on the eleventh day of the third month, which means they will continue until the beginning of May.

If Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu were to voluntarily claim illness and not leave their posts, wouldn't that allow them to retire peacefully?
In other words, before Ouyang Xiu and Lü Gongzhu could pull any tricks, a political struggle had to be waged to completely destroy them.

Therefore, there will definitely be no free time in March.

That will have to wait until after May.

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "Let's do it at the end of May."

In May, Zhang Heng, Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and some of his former students and officials had presumably already entered the capital to take up their posts.

It's not too late to celebrate together.

“There’s another invitation.” Sheng Hualan said softly, her lips slightly red.

As he spoke, he handed over the invitation.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it twice.

Wang Shao's memorial mainly concerned the celebration of being granted a noble title.

The specific date is the eighth day of the third lunar month.

"Alright," Jiang Zhao nodded in agreement.

Hereditary succession, sharing the fate of the nation, is indeed something to be very happy about.

Since the expansion of the border began, five or six years have passed, and Wang Shao can be considered one of the core commanders under his command.

Everyone carries the sedan chair.

If I have enough time then, I'll go and have some fun.

If there isn't enough time, then just showing up and having a couple of drinks is enough to save face.

Sheng Hualan nodded repeatedly.

The Secretariat, the Hall of State Affairs.

Centered on the Hall of State Affairs, there are six buildings on all sides.

Zhaowen Hall, Jixian Hall, Wenhua Hall, Zizheng Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion, and East Pavilion.

The names of the six buildings correspond to the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

Among them, Zhaowen Hall is an east-facing hall, and traditionally, the east is considered the most honorable direction. The Grand Secretary of Zhaowen Hall was usually the prime minister.

The position of Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall is usually held by senior cabinet ministers, or second-highest rank.

The Grand Secretaries of the Wenhua Hall usually served as lecturers at the Emperor's lectures, and were second only to the Grand Secretaries.

The Zizheng Hall is symmetrical to the Wenhua Hall, and is the next best.

The Wenyuan Pavilion was used to store books and memorials to the emperor, which was secondary. The East Pavilion was used to store classical texts, which was secondary.

Theoretically, the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are ranked as follows: Grand Secretary of Zhaowen Hall, Grand Secretary of Jixian Hall, Grand Secretary of Wenhua Hall, Grand Secretary of Zizheng Hall, Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion, and Grand Secretary of Dongge Pavilion.

Of course, this is only a theoretical ranking.

In reality, the main duties of the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were to draft memorials, draft imperial edicts, assist the monarch in decision-making, and oversee the Three Departments.

The six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet have almost identical main responsibilities, which leads to the issue of overlapping duties.

This means that, apart from the Grand Secretary of the Zhaowen Hall, the specific influence and power of the remaining five Grand Secretaries mainly depended on their political acumen and political foundation.

The order of power in practice is naturally different from the order of power in theory.

Political Hall.

The six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, apart from occasionally working separately, mostly worked together in the Hall of State Affairs to handle draft proposals with differing opinions.

Grand Chancellor Han Zhang sat in the main seat, a faint smile on his face.

Below the autonomous position, they are arranged in left and right columns.

Zeng Gongliang, Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall; Wu Chong, Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall; Ouyang Xiu, Grand Secretary of the Zizheng Hall; Jiang Zhao, Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion; and Zhang Sheng, Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, were all present.

At a glance, all one could see were people in purple robes and gold belts, carrying gold talismans and fish-shaped pouches.

These six individuals were at the pinnacle of their status as ministers, both in terms of prestige and power.

Every word and action they take constantly affects the livelihoods of twelve million ordinary people.

A satisfied smile might lead to the promotion of some officials; a moment of dissatisfaction might lead to their dismissal.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them "divine beings" whose words become law.

The difference is that they don't have the longevity of immortals.

Of the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, apart from Jiang Zhao who was exceptionally young, the rest all had graying temples.

Whether kind, upright, or gentle
Without exception, they all possessed an irresistible charm that made a good first impression.

In any case, they are all good people, loyal ministers, and selfless saints.

There were six people in total, but they couldn't muster even a shred of genuine emotion.

Just like Jiang Zhao and Ouyang Xiu, both of them were well aware that a political struggle might occur between them.

They might both secretly wish they could strangle each other, but they showed no reaction on the surface.

One had a righteous expression, the other was selfless.

Anyone who saw them would think that the two were in cahoots, not political enemies.

The Grand Chancellor, Han Zhang, holding a memorial, slowly said:

"Today, the Ministry of Justice has submitted nine memorials that involve drafting edicts. These will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice."

The Tongzhengsi was a government office specifically responsible for forwarding memorials from officials and local governments.

The Cabinet would draft its opinions on the documents submitted by the Office of Transmission and then submit them to the Imperial Study on small slips of paper.

Subsequently, the emperor issued an instruction and sent it back to the cabinet.

The cabinet may transfer the task to the six ministries or to local authorities for implementation.

He took out a memorial, glanced at it, and said:
"The Ministry of Personnel has already compiled a list of candidates for promotion to the rank of third grade or above."

"Pass it around for everyone to read."

As he spoke, he passed the memorial in his hand down.

It's less about viewing and more about "verifying".

Anyone of the third rank or above, wearing a purple robe, had already entered the core ranks of the imperial court.

Ninety-nine percent of those qualified to reach this position are people associated with the six Grand Secretaries.

The main purpose of reviewing memorials was to verify whether anyone was missing or lacking.

About half an incense stick later, the memorial was in hand.

Jiang Zhao glanced at it a few times.

His people are also on this list.

Zhang Heng was the Transport Commissioner of Xihe Circuit, and later promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Zhang Fangping was appointed Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Circuit and later promoted to Minister of Rites.

Song Huai was the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Huainan East Circuit, and later promoted to Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

Wu Kui was the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and was later transferred to the position of Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Circuit.

Among them, Zhang Heng was promoted beyond his rank.

Zhang Heng was credited twice for his contributions in expanding the territory, once for opening up the borders at Xihe and again at Xifeng.

Moreover, these are all achievements primarily attributed to food.

When Xihe opened up the border, Zhang Heng was the "first civil official" besides Jiang Zhao and Wang Shao.

The same applies to Xi Feng's expansion of the borders; he was considered the "first civil official" besides Jiang Zhao and Wang Shao.

Such a resume is quite impressive.

At forty-one, one is at a very mature age.

Since they had made meritorious contributions, the new emperor, eager to bestow favors upon them, naturally promoted them beyond their rank.

The remaining promotions of Zhang Fangping, Song Huai, and Wu Kui were all normal and not surprising.

Just as Jiang Zhao was about to send away the memorial, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a special name.

Wang Shiping!
The Education Commissioner of Liangzhe Road was transferred to the Privy Council.

Scholars promoted to military positions?
Jiang Zhao raised his eyebrows.

The lineage of Grand Tutor Wang has truly declined!
However, judging from the behavior of Wang Shiping and Old Lady Wang, it's no wonder that the Wang family lineage has declined.

In the past, when Wang Ruoyu acted recklessly and offended him, neither Old Madam Wang nor Wang Shiping showed any sign of expressing their opinions.

It should be noted that at that time, he was the only disciple of Han Zhang, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

Despite this identity alone, Old Mrs. Wang and Wang Shiping remained completely silent, not even sending a letter of apology.

With such poor judgment, it's no wonder they've fallen on hard times!

Jiang Zhao shook his head and passed the memorial in his hand away.

"The imperial examination will be held on March 11th, and the Ministry of Rites has submitted the list of examiners."

"The chief examiner and deputy chief examiner have not yet been decided. The cabinet needs to propose a few candidates and submit them to the emperor for selection."

Generally speaking, the chief examiner must be a second-rank official, and the deputy chief examiner must be a third-rank official in purple robes.

The scholars exchanged glances, none of them rushing to express their opinions.

"Grand Secretary Jiang, what did the Ministry of Rites say?" Zeng Gongliang, a Grand Secretary of the Jixian Hall, looked at Jiang Zhao and asked.

Generally speaking, the Minister of Rites is the chief examiner of the Spring Imperial Examination, with very few exceptions.

Occasionally, the deputy chief examiner would also be from the Ministry of Rites.

Now that Jiang Zhao has entered the cabinet, the position of Minister of Rites has been temporarily vacant.

Zeng Gongliang's question was mainly to find out whether the Ministry of Rites would appoint the chief examiner or the deputy chief examiner.

“Put my name on it,” Jiang Zhaoping said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the others changed slightly.

Does the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet preside over the Spring Imperial Examination?
Is this a sign of the emperor's favor?

“The Minister of Agriculture, Wang Fuzhi,” said Zhang Sheng, a Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, after a moment of contemplation.

Since Jiang Zhao specifically listed his name, he must have already decided on the chief examiner.

If they can't compete for the chief examiner position, they can only try to become the deputy chief examiner.

“Wang Anshi, Grand Master of the Palace,” said Zeng Gongliang, a Grand Academician of the Jixian Hall, in a deep voice.

Recently, Wang Anshi is about to be promoted to a higher rank; the title of Grand Master of the Palace is merely a stepping stone.

However, a nominal post of the third rank is still a third rank.

“Du Xi, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.” As he spoke, Wu Chong, a Grand Academician of the Wenhua Hall, couldn’t help but look at Jiang Zhao.

The matter of disaster relief caused a considerable grudge between the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works and Jiang Zhao.

"Chen Shengzhi, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel," said Ouyang Xiu, Grand Academician of the Zizheng Hall, at the end.

Recently, he really hasn't been in the mood to deal with government affairs.

Han Zhang pulled out the next memorial and said, "On the fifteenth of May, to celebrate the Emperor's birthday, please have the Ministry of Revenue allocate funds."

"Go ahead and dial," Jiang Zhaoping said gently.

The remaining scholars nodded in agreement.

This is the Emperor's first birthday since ascending the throne, and it must be celebrated.

"The Ministry of Revenue has submitted a memorial stating that the treasury is in dire need of funds."

Wang Anshi submitted a memorial, hoping to implement reforms to strengthen the country.

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), at Wenyuan Pavilion.

A long table, about ten feet long, with a pot of clear tea.

"Yuan Chang, what brings you to Wenyuan Pavilion?" Jiang Zhao asked, moving a cup of tea over to his brother-in-law, Cai Jing.

Cai Jing respectfully said, "Recently, I read Ouyang Xiu's 'On Factions' and gained some insights from it."

"I wonder if it is possible to use this opportunity to impeach him?"

As he spoke, he pulled out a copy of "On Factions" from his sleeve.

On the blank paper, meticulous annotations were written, each word carefully chosen.

Jiang Zhao picked it up, glanced at it a few times, a smile spreading across his face, and nodded, saying:

"good."

(End of this chapter)