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

Chapter 272 Temporarily Managing State Affairs!

The seventh day of the first month of the fifth year of the Xifeng era.

The Secretariat, the Hall of State Affairs.

A small wooden table, about ten feet long, was set with documents, an inkstone, a writing brush, black paper, and tea.

Jiang Zhao would occasionally pick up the documents and glance at them.

Below him, the other five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet sat solemnly.

“Recently, there are five documents that are of particular importance.”

Jiang Zhao watched intently as he passed down one of the dishes.

"Firstly, Ouyang Xiu, the inspector of Yingzhou, unfortunately died of illness."

Jiang Zhaoping said, "The Ministry of Rites has submitted relevant documents, mainly concerning the proposed posthumous honors and titles for Ouyang Xiu."

Ouyang Xiu is dead!
Since being demoted to Huangzhou Inspector in the first year of the Xifeng era, Ouyang Xiu was almost constantly being demoted and taking up new posts every day.

He was demoted to Huangzhou, and just as he was about to take up his post, the Ministry of Personnel hurriedly issued a document demoting him to Qingzhou.

Just as he was about to take up his post in Qingzhou, the Ministry of Personnel quickly demoted him to Jizhou.

Just as he was about to take up his post in Jizhou, the Ministry of Personnel hastily demoted him to Tianzhou.
Thus, the journey continued endlessly, with people constantly on the move. The road to taking office was extremely difficult, and the journey was filled with constant bumps and jolts.

How could a man in his sixties possibly withstand years of such hardship?
As a result, Ouyang Xiu fell ill.

He fell seriously ill in August of the fourth year of the Xifeng reign (1755), and remained ill for 150 days. He was unable to withstand the disease and unfortunately passed away at the age of 63.

"Ugh!"

Jiang Zhao was a little sad and could only sigh silently.

The document was passed down and circulated among several people.

Regarding the posthumous conferment, the Ministry of Rites proposed that the title be Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and that ten qing of land be allocated as a burial site, where a shrine could be built for worship.

Such a posthumous gift is not considered "thin".

Of course, it wasn't too heavy; it was basically the average level of a Grand Secretary in the Cabinet.

As for posthumous titles, the Ministry of Rites proposed three types:

Wending, Wengong, Wencheng!
Upholding righteousness and having a firm foundation, governing with integrity and diligence, is also known as Wen Ding.

Respectful and courteous, with modest and gentle manners, also known as Wen Gong.

Literary talent is evident, but the achievement is still shallow; that is, literary accomplishment.

Of the three posthumous titles, Wen Ding was considered above average, Wen Gong was considered average, and Wen Cheng was considered the lowest rank.

About a hundred breaths later, the document was returned to Jiang Zhao.

The five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet all turned their attention to the past.

Ouyang Xiu was one of the Grand Chancellor's political enemies, a fact that is beyond doubt and known to everyone.

Regarding the posthumous conferment of honors upon Ouyang Xiu and the proposed posthumous title, we must primarily consider the opinion of the Grand Chancellor.

"The amount of the additional gift is still a bit too low."

With that one sentence, Jiang Zhao set the tone. He lowered his hands and slowly said, "How about we bestow upon him the title of Grand Tutor and posthumously grant him the title of Duke of Kang?"

"As for the posthumous title, all three are too low and would be an insult to a literary leader of his generation. In my opinion, let's go with the title 'Wen Duan'."

"How is it?" Jiang Zhao asked, looking over.

A person who is steady in governance and of upright character is also known as Wen Duan.

This is a superior posthumous title, second only to Wenzheng, Wenzhen, and Wenzhong among two-character posthumous titles that begin with "Wen".

Jiang Zhao did not intend to suppress Ouyang Xiu through posthumous titles or honors.

Not judging someone by their intentions or criticizing their private conduct is a tacit political understanding in posthumously honoring the deceased.

After all, if someone has the authority to decide on posthumous honors for their political enemies and bestow posthumous titles upon them, it already means that this person is the victor in the political struggle.

The victor should have the magnanimity and attitude of a victor!
Suppressing the dead is the act of an incompetent and narrow-minded person.

Denigrating political enemies is essentially denigrating oneself; it offers no benefit other than demonstrating that one is playing an easy game.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao not only did not suppress him, but showed signs of re-granting him a title.

The others exchanged glances.

"Your Excellency is truly a man of great magnanimity," Han Jiang, a Grand Academician of the Zizheng Hall, readily agreed.

Han Jiang and Ouyang Xiu were from the same lineage.

Following in the footsteps of Grand Chancellor Fu Bi, Zhao Gai, Ouyang Xiu, and Han Jiang were all members of the same faction.

Given this connection, even though Han Jiang and Ouyang Xiu were not close friends, Han Jiang still hoped to see Ouyang Xiu "treated well".

The others echoed, "The Grand Master is very magnanimous."

"Secondly, the issue of newspaper propaganda."

Jiang Zhaoping said, "Everything requires a just cause, and the military is no exception."

"Newspapers are related to public opinion. Zeng Bu, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, submitted a memorial requesting that some newspapers be printed free of charge and distributed among the troops to boost morale and inspire the people."

"can."

"That's fine too."

Several people echoed this sentiment.

As a powerful tool for influencing public opinion, newspapers can play their due role when the emperor personally leads an expedition.

As for it being free, that's not a big problem at all.

A newspaper costs only thirty coins to produce, which may be expensive for ordinary people, but it is no burden at all for the imperial court.

Thirdly, Zhang Heng, the acting prefect of Kaifeng, submitted a memorial requesting that the capital city crack down on and eliminate local ruffians and hooligans...

……

Royal study room.

On a small wooden table about ten feet tall, with paper laid out, Zhao Ceying held a vermilion brush, deep in thought.

On it, three names had already been written.

Jiang Zhao, Zhao Shen, Zhang Ding!
"Hmm~!"

A satisfied groan drew Zhao Ceying's attention.

Right at his feet, a small stool was placed across the ground. King Jing Zhao stretched out his little hands, scooped up some honey water, shook his little head back and forth, and sipped it happily.

"Slow down, don't choke."

"Mmm." Zhao Shen sipped the honey water and nodded repeatedly.

Zhao Ceying shook his head, stretched out his hand, and lightly placed the vermilion brush down.

Grand Empress Dowager, Lady Xiang!
The two names were written, but the vermilion pen did not fall. Instead, it hovered over the two names from time to time, as if it wanted to cross out one of them.

Zhao Ceying pondered, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, becoming unusually indecisive.

Given Zhao Ceying's personality, anything that could make him hesitate is certainly not simple.

In fact, this was a consideration of who would "temporarily manage state affairs"!
The so-called temporary administration of state affairs mainly has three dimensions:

Firstly, it is the nominal leader.

Secondly, those who actually hold power.

Thirdly, they serve as specialized support personnel.

Among them, the one who actually holds power, that is, the central core, is responsible for maintaining political stability, coordinating all aspects, and governing the country. Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao is definitely the only choice.

Specialized assistants were military officers who commanded the soldiers in the capital and were responsible for defending the capital region.

This responsibility had to be held by a trusted minister of the monarch, and the selected person had to have considerable prestige and a certain degree of military foundation.

As things stand, the choice will definitely be made from among Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and Zhang Ding.

Zhao Ceying proposed that Zhang Ding, the Duke of Yingguo, remain in Beijing to guard the city.

After all, Gu and Wang are both typical commanders, and it would be a waste of their talents to leave them in the capital to guard the city.

Therefore, it is not difficult to find candidates for the two major responsibilities: the actual power holder and the special assistant.

The only thing that made Zhao Ceying hesitate was the nominal leader.

To be precise, they are the "guardians" of the nominal leader.

The so-called nominal leader is actually the "symbol of imperial power".

Generally speaking, the symbol of imperial power is chosen from three candidates: the crown prince, princes, and senior officials of the imperial clan.

Its main function was to preside over ceremonial ceremonies on behalf of the monarch.

Occasionally, some of the more powerful nominal leaders may also be the actual decision-makers.

Of course, if the young crown prince or princes are used as symbols of imperial power, it is inevitable to introduce people such as the empress dowager, empress dowager, and empress as "guardians".

As a monarch who was adopted from the lineage of Emperor Taizu, in order to appease the lineage of Emperor Taizong, the two princes of the Imperial Clan Court were both from the lineage of Emperor Taizong.

Zhao Ceying had no close relatives or high-ranking officials in the imperial family!

Admittedly, given Zhao Shiyi and Zhao Shiqian's incompetence and lack of ability, they were unlikely to cause any trouble. However, just in case, Zhao Ceying still did not intend to let them take power.

Given this, it was only natural that Prince Zhao Shen would serve as the symbol of imperial power. However, the question of who would be the "guardian" caused Zhao Ceying some hesitation.

This is mainly because there is a certain difference in qualifications between the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

The Empress Dowager, as the emperor's grandmother, could intervene in state affairs and rule from behind a screen.

The empress was merely the head of the central palace and the emperor's wife; she could not interfere in state affairs or rule from behind a screen.

The difference in qualifications between the two inevitably leads to a significant gap in the influence of the "guardians".

The Empress Dowager could intervene in all government affairs, while the Empress could only manage the inner palace.

This has led to the fact that, throughout history, monarchs who personally led military campaigns have generally had the Empress Dowager or the Empress Dowager as the "guardians" of their young princes, who served to supervise and check the power of the prime minister and temporarily exercise imperial power.

After all, without the presence of imperial relatives and high-ranking officials, and without the regency behind the curtain, it meant that the head of all officials was left without anyone above him, becoming a figure akin to a "powerful minister."

Once the head of all officials becomes a powerful minister, who knows if he will harbor ulterior motives?
This is absolutely not allowed!
"Hi~!"

Zhao Ceying frowned, his vermilion brush hovering uncertainly in his hand.

The reason is simple: Zhao Ceying doesn't really want the Empress Dowager to act as "guardian," but rather prefers to let Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao take power!
There are four main reasons for this:
Firstly, Zhao Ceying did not trust the Empress Dowager.

In the fourth year of the Zhiping era, the late emperor passed away, and the Empress Dowager ruled from behind a screen for a period of time, refusing to remove the curtain.

Given this precedent, even though the grandfather and grandson were "kind to each other and filial to each other," Zhao Ceying was still reluctant to let the Empress Dowager rule from behind the curtain.

Secondly, if the reforms are to be maintained, the Grand Chancellor must be given power.

Since the second year of the Xifeng reign, the central government has issued reform decrees for three consecutive years.

Now, even if the emperor personally leads the army, the pace of reform must not be slowed down.

As the core figure of the reform, the Grand Chancellor objectively had a need to seize power.

Thirdly, Zhao Ceying trusted Jiang Zhao.

Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao could never have any disloyal intentions!
Even setting aside the fact that the ruler and his minister shared the same ambitions, even from a purely interest-based and humanistic perspective, Jiang Zhao would absolutely not have acted recklessly.

On the one hand, if Jiang Zhao acts recklessly, his reputation will be completely ruined.

Such behavior is enough to cause him to plummet from a potential prime minister to someone despised by all.

On the other hand, as a "favored minister" and "the chosen one," Jiang Zhao had no reason to act recklessly.

In terms of return on investment, the possibility of Jiang Zhao acting recklessly is almost zero, and there is no possibility of the civil officials usurping power.

Fourthly, the bureaucratic system itself has a checks and balances effect.

Since the establishment of the cabinet system, the Grand Secretaries of the cabinet have been a spontaneous check on the power of the prime minister.

Whether or not an empress dowager ruled from behind the curtain had little impact.

Moreover, one should trust those one employs and not employ those one distrusts.
After a moment of contemplation, Zhao Ceying picked up the vermilion brush and prepared to make a stroke.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Chancellor requests an audience." The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies approached, bowed, announced the arrival, and then withdrew.

This was a special instruction given by Zhao Ceying: whenever Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao entered the palace, a notification should be given, and he could be led inside.

About ten breaths.

Jiang Zhao approached, bowed, and said, "Your humble servant Jiang Zhao greets Your Majesty."

"Sit down." Zhao Ceying waved his sleeve.

Jiang Zhao nodded and sat down solemnly.

"My lord."

With a soft call, Zhao Shen carried a small stool, ran to Jiang Zhao's feet, and sat down with a grin on his face.

Jiang Zhao nodded.

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he passed over a cabinet document.

Zhao Ceying picked it up and stared at it for a moment.

This is a document concerning the allocation of grain and provisions in the border region.

Starting in the latter half of the fourth year of the Xifeng reign, the Ministry of War had already begun preparations for the emperor's personal expedition, transporting large quantities of grain and fodder.

The documents, however, record the allocation of grain and fodder.

but……

Holding the document in his hand, Zhao Ceying couldn't help but be surprised and looked at it with some doubt.

Such a document is hardly enough to trouble the Grand Master to make a special trip, is it?

"Besides presenting documents, I have another matter to discuss with you," Jiang Zhao said with a serious expression.

"What else?" Zhao Ceying raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious.

"Following the example of the Three Laws, I would like to offer three pieces of advice," Jiang Zhao said solemnly, his hands clasped at his sides.

“Three pieces of advice?” Zhao Ceying was taken aback, but then became interested: “Zichuan, you may speak.”

"First, I hope Your Majesty will not charge into battle."

"Secondly, Your Majesty should pay attention to your diet and take precautions against insects."

"Third, I hope that you will stay and guard Guangnan West Road as much as possible, and let your generals advance step by step. Do not be too eager for quick success and instant benefits."

Jiang Zhao looked serious.

Zhao Ceying wanted to unify the country, and Jiang Zhao wanted the same thing.
Emperor Zhao wanted to become a great emperor for all time, and Prime Minister Jiang also wanted to be a famous prime minister for all time.
The emperor personally leading the expedition is no small matter.

If something were to happen to Zhao Ceying, the path to unification would have to be put on hold for some time.

However, Zhao Ceying was determined, so Jiang Zhao could only offer a few words of advice to prevent any problems from arising with the emperor.

The advice against charging into battle was primarily to protect the dragon's body.

The advice to prevent insect infestation was primarily to prevent miasma.

The advice to stay and guard Guangnan West Road as much as possible was also for the sake of protecting the emperor's health.

Three chapters like this?

"Okay!" Zhao Ceying felt a warmth in her heart and nodded emphatically.

Does he think he doesn't know whether the eldest son has ulterior motives?!
……

The next day, a message came from the palace.

The Emperor intends to lead an army of 100,000 to personally conquer Jiaozhi. He plans to appoint the young Prince Zhao Shen as regent, Empress Xiang to raise the young emperor, and Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao to govern on his behalf!

For those who are all officials, the implications of such news are obvious to everyone.

It contains not only the king's trust but also boundless power.

For a time, all the civil and military officials were shocked!

……

January 13th, Xuande Gate.

The vermilion-lacquered bronze gate was guarded by imperial guards standing at attention, one every five steps, creating an extremely solemn atmosphere.

Inside the bronze gate, civil and military officials, led by Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao, stood in orderly rows.

Outside the bronze gate, military generals and high-ranking officials stood solemnly, clad in armor and armed with weapons.

Its music resounded, and it was as famous as bells and chimes.

"Alright, that's enough for now."

Zhao Ceying held the battle-axe in his hand and waved his hand.

His black robe and golden armor, with a mocking helmet and red tassels, phoenix wings protecting his ears and gilded arm guards, exuded an indescribable aura of majesty and solemnity.

Jiang Zhao, holding the young prince Zhao Shen's hand, stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty is personally leading the expedition. We will certainly guard the rear and look forward to Your Majesty's early triumphant return!"

"We hope Father will return in triumph soon," Zhao Shen nodded in agreement.

"Your Majesty, we eagerly await your triumphant return!" All the civil and military officials bowed in unison, creating a magnificent spectacle.

"it is good!"

Zhao Ceying nodded emphatically.

He was quite confident about personally leading the expedition and achieving a great victory.

In fact, one could say they were determined to win.

After all, with an army of 100,000 and a large number of bombs, winning wouldn't be difficult at all.

"The safety of the nation rests entirely in your hands. I await my return, and together we shall drink to celebrate our victory!"

Zhao Ceying shouted loudly, grabbed his axe, strode away in his carriage.

But then the imperial guards' banners blotted out the sun, and the officials bowed deeply, unable to rise. The yellow dust gradually faded into the distance, leaving only the sounds of bells and chimes echoing for a long time.

quite a while.

The figure vanished completely.

Jiang Zhao sighed, took the little prince's hand, and slowly began to walk.

As the sun rises, their shadows grow longer and longer!

……

(End of this chapter)