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

Chapter 299 Carbuncles and Serious Illness!

The third day of the seventh month in the sixth year of the Xifeng reign.

Around noon, the cicadas chirped incessantly.

The Secretariat, the Hall of State Affairs.

On a wooden table about ten feet tall, dozens of documents were laid out one by one.

Jiang Zhao would occasionally pick up one of the dishes and pretend to be deep in thought.

Below him, on the left and right, stand chairs, with five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, each holding onto the armrests, sitting solemnly upright.

After about ten breaths, Jiang Zhao looked up.

"Recently, there have been five relatively important documents."

With a wave of his hand, a document was passed down.

"Firstly, the late Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, Tang Jie, passed away due to a serious illness."

Jiang Zhaoping said, "The Ministry of Rites has submitted a document concerning the drafting of his posthumous title, posthumous honors, funeral arrangements, and hereditary privileges."

Tang Jie is gone!

On June 30th, his son, Tang Yiwen, reported the tragic news.

The primary cause of death was gangrene and the series of symptoms it caused.

Loss of appetite, high fever and discomfort, localized swelling and pain, skin suppuration...

Step by step, its resistance to disease gets worse and worse.

When the illness becomes severe, even minor ailments can cause unbearable pain and lead to a bitter death.

This is an incurable disease; even the imperial physicians were helpless against it.

The document was not lengthy, and it was circulated among the five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

Regarding posthumous titles, the Ministry of Rites tentatively proposed three:
Wen Su, Wen Ding, Zhong Xian!
Regarding the posthumous conferment, the Ministry of Rites tentatively decided to posthumously confer upon him the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince and Duke of Han, with a fief of 2,700 households.

Regarding the funeral arrangements, the Ministry of Rites tentatively approved the allocation of ten qing of land as a burial site, the construction of a memorial hall for worship, and the commission of Hanlin scholars to inscribe the epitaph to demonstrate the importance attached to the funeral.

Regarding hereditary titles, Tang Jie had five sons, two of whom had already passed the imperial examinations and achieved the rank of Jinshi. One of them was even a Shujishi, having already risen to the rank of fourth grade official, truly embodying the saying "like father, like son."

Therefore, the Ministry of Rites tentatively decided to bestow the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) upon the remaining three sons, in order to continue their glory.

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

“Let’s offer it up,” Wang Gui said, sitting upright with his armrests up.

Wen Su, Wen Ding, Zhong Xian!
He possessed both literary talent and integrity, and was upright and serious; this is Wen Su.

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

Loyalty to the ruler and virtue to assist the country are also known as loyalty and dedication.

Of the three posthumous titles, Wensu was considered upper-middle, Wending was upper-middle, and Zhongxian was upper-middle.

Wang Gui's words clearly indicated a bias towards proposing a superior posthumous title.

Several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet turned their attention to the past.

The posthumous title of Zhongxian is no small matter. It not only implies loyalty and integrity, but also subtly suggests that the person was instrumental in stabilizing the country and made outstanding contributions.

In terms of its value, it is almost second only to Wen Zheng.

The most famous recipient of this posthumous title is Zhao Pu, the King of Zhending, who was known for governing the world with half of the Analects.

Tang Jie served in the cabinet for five years throughout his life, which can be considered quite remarkable.

However, from a fair perspective, Tang Jie's political achievements and influence alone are not enough to support him in reaching the threshold of loyalty and dedication.

"Let's go with Wen Su," suggested Yuan Jiang, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, after some thought.

Wang Gui's choice was not surprising at all.

The main point is that Tang Jie and Wang Gui are from the same lineage.

Tang Jie submitted his resignation, retiring a year early. Wang Gui naturally took office a year earlier, essentially receiving the favor of Tang Jie's early retirement.

Regardless of whether Wang Gui genuinely believed that Tang Jie was qualified to be posthumously honored as Zhongxian, he still had to express an attitude of "receiving his favor," that is, to elevate the posthumous title.

This is not surprising.

"Hmm." Han Jiang nodded in agreement and said calmly, "Let's go with Wen Su."

“Throughout his life, Zifang was upright and honest, and he had served as an official in the imperial court, where he spoke frankly and without reservation. The name Wensu is quite fitting,” Zhang Fangping said slowly.

Loyalty and virtue do not match the position, and civility favors civilized governance.

In comparison, Wen Su is more suitable.

“That makes sense.” Yu Jing nodded.

Giving the prize to Wensu instead of Zhongxian does not mean that Tang Jie is being belittled.

However, everything must be done in moderation.

When it comes to defining a person's life, fairness should be the priority; otherwise, it may end up like the "True Emperor's Fengshan Ceremony," which is neither fish nor fowl and invites ridicule.

"Row."

Jiang Zhao picked up the vermilion brush and applied the red ink.

Secondly, it was for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Before he could finish speaking, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were all startled and immediately turned their attention to him.

This is the main event!

Whether or not the Fengshan ceremony was performed, it was destined to have significant political implications.

On the one hand, the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai carries a certain political significance.

On the other hand, since the emperor was a successor from the lineage of Emperor Taizu to Emperor Taizong, whether or not he performed the Fengshan ceremony also carried certain political significance.

"Regarding the Fengshan ceremony, Jiang and the Emperor discussed it in detail for half a day."

Jiang Zhao looked down and slowly said, "The Emperor has decided that the procession will proceed without the sacrifice!"

"Touring without offering sacrifices?"

"What does this mean?" Yuan Jiang asked, startled.

At the age of fifty-four, Yuan Jiang had already become a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. His political energy and experience were at their peak, and his political participation was naturally quite active.

"They climbed Mount Tai with sacrificial rites, but only climbed the mountain without offering sacrifices."

Jiang Zhao explained calmly, "Emperor Zhenzong has already offered sacrifices at Mount Tai. Your Majesty inherits the empire from the previous emperor and must not overstep the rules set by your ancestors."

"this--"

"Hi~!"

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet exchanged glances, all taken aback.

They were all fox spirits who had been around for a thousand years, and with just a single sentence of hints, they had all grasped the essence of the matter.

Even so, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were still somewhat surprised.

To tour without offering sacrifices!
That really is a bit of a "trick".

Of course, it really works.

They could try to save Mount Tai, or they could have great scholars debate the classics, thus avoiding damage to the official's reputation.

"Let's set the date for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai in the fifth month of the seventh year."

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then said, "We will set off in May and return to the capital in June."

Throughout history, there have been essentially two criteria for judging whether a regime can be considered large:

One is whether or not to achieve unification.

The second factor is the length of the dynasty's reign.

Whether or not there is unification, the core criteria for judgment are quite clear.

Whether a nation lasts a long time is measured in centuries; a regime that lasts for more than a century is considered to have a long lifespan.

Based on this calculation, there are only six truly large-scale regimes:
Qin, Han, Western Jin, Sui, Tang, and Zhou!
From this perspective, the overlap between unified regimes and regimes with long reigns is quite high.

Among these six regimes, the Great Zhou was actually the most suitable for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai!
There's no other reason than one word—proximity!

From Bianjing to Mount Tai, it's only a mere four hundred li.

In the first year of the Yuanfeng era, Emperor Wu of Han performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, but the journey took a full thousand li, and the march alone took nearly a hundred days.

In other words, although both involved the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, the journey and expenses of the Great Zhou Dynasty were probably only about one-third of those of other regimes.

Fewer trips mean less expense, which naturally avoids wasting resources and manpower.

Of course, theory is one thing, and practice is another.

Perhaps it was fate's cruel joke that the Great Zhou Dynasty, which was most suitable for the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, lacked sufficient martial virtue and had only truly qualified for the ceremony a few dozen days ago.

“As you say, Grand Chancellor,” Yuan Jiang pondered, then echoed, “In the past, when Emperor Zhenzong performed the Fengshan ceremony, it took about eleven months.”

"From July to May of the following year, there is about ten months of preparation time, which is quite appropriate."

"Ah."

"can."

The others all nodded.

Jiang Zhao nodded, and while writing in red ink, he instructed, "In that case, let the people below submit their remonstrances."

The Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai!

This is a topic that those in power can discuss openly and officially, and officials can also appropriately express their opinions.

However, when it comes to actually getting things done, it is still necessary for civil and military officials to offer their advice.

This also demonstrates the official's "forced" performance of the Fengshan ceremony, reflecting his self-awareness of his lack of virtue.

Thirdly.

Jiang Zhao picked up a document and passed it on.

"The will of the nation can be represented by a flag; the voice of the nation can be expressed by a song; the spirit of the people can be celebrated, which is the National Day."

"The national flag, national anthem, and national day can unite the strength of a nation and should not be neglected."

Jiang Zhaoping said, "Therefore, it might be possible to add three separate items: the national flag, the national anthem, and the National Day, and incorporate them into the ceremonial system."

"how?"

National flag, national anthem, National Day?
The five people read the documents in turn.

This is a document written by Jiang Zhao.

The records on it are not complicated; they mainly describe the great significance and immense benefits of the national flag, national anthem, and National Day.

In less than a hundred breaths, the document was sent back.

Several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, to varying degrees, seemed to have realized something.

In fact, the national flag, national anthem, and National Day all have certain prototypes.

The banner of the Northern Expeditionary Army bore the character "Zhou," which could essentially be considered a simplified national flag.

However, the production of these flags was rather scattered and not standardized.

The Northern Expeditionary Army would occasionally sing songs and lyrics to cheer themselves up and boost morale, which could be considered, to some extent, a national anthem.

Of course, the same situation applies.

These songs are rather scattered and lack uniformity.

Therefore, its morale-boosting effect is certainly not comparable to that of the national anthem.

As for National Day, it is also taking shape.

Generally speaking, the birthday of an official is regarded as National Day.

Of course, the same problem remains. Since the monarch's birthday varies, the dates of celebrations often change.

Therefore, the national flag, national anthem, and national day are not standardized and there is no fixed number.

This makes it impossible for the Chinese people to have a true sense of unity.

Commonly known as national identity!

Conversely, if it is truly spread to the point that even illiterate farmers can recognize it, then genuine national identity and patriotism can be cultivated.

Gradually, an army with will and faith can be cultivated!
"Your Excellency is a divine being!" Yuan Jiang was utterly impressed and couldn't help but sigh.

National flags, national anthems, and flags are actually hidden in everyday life.

However, apart from Jiang Zhao, no one else could discover its ingenious use, let alone deliberately unify it.

"It's not difficult to decide on the National Day."

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "On May 11th, Liao and Zhou made peace, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were restored, achieving great unification. Perhaps this can be considered National Day. Next year, this can be used as a grand celebration, and all civil and military officials, scholars and commoners can take three days off to celebrate the National Day."

"As for the national anthem and national flag."

Jiang Zhao slowly said, "Let's spread the word about the national anthem and have some well-known lyricists write it. Whoever writes the best one will be chosen as the national anthem."

"Let the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy decide on the national flag."

"can."

"can."

Several people agreed.

Fourthly, it was about governing Yan and Yun.

Jiang Zhao continued, "Originally, in the sixth year of the Xifeng reign, a considerable number of officials should have been dismissed in order to clean up the bureaucracy and maintain stability in the country."

"However, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have recently been restored, and the territory of the sixteen prefectures can accommodate a considerable number of officials."

"Let's end the massive purges by the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate here."

"Even if each of the sixteen prefectures consists of three counties, that's still nearly fifty counties. Each county has six ministries, censors, and minor officials, so if you add them all up, there would probably be one or two hundred people. Fifty counties would mean over ten thousand people."

"Perhaps we can transfer all those who fail the assessment to that location."

"how?"

"can."

"can."

Several people nodded.

Not drastically reducing the number of officials is naturally a very good thing.

Not long after the restoration of Yanyun, someone needed to "reclaim the wasteland," so sending those who failed the assessment was a way of making use of their resources.

"In addition, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun can be classified as a separate circuit, namely Yan and Yun Circuit."

"How is it?" Jiang Zhao looked down and continued to ask.

"can."

"can."

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were all immediately impressed.

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were classified as a separate circuit, which meant that a circuit was established.

All the official positions, from top to bottom, are like "slices of soup" that can be divided up!

"The Yan-Yun region is a strategically important area, involving military matters."

Jiang Zhao squinted and suggested, "In the past, Hedong Road was a frontier, and its pacification commissioner, Li Qingchen, was quite knowledgeable in military and political affairs."

"How about we transfer him there?"

Li Qingchen was born in the first year of the Qianxing era (1022), and is only fifty-one years old now.

Quite young!

In terms of age, he was only three years older than Zhang Heng.

Of course, in terms of promotion speed, he is far inferior to Zhang Heng.

The reason why the two are only one level apart and seem to be similar is mainly because Li Qingchen was a child prodigy and entered officialdom at a relatively early age.

A Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) at the age of twenty-two!
At the age of twenty-eight, a junior official was sent to a post outside the capital!
In contrast, Zhang Heng passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty-three, but was not appointed to a post outside the capital until he was thirty-six.

The age difference between the two when they passed the imperial examination meant that although they were only three years apart in age, Li Qingchen had been in power for twenty-three years, while Zhang Heng had only been in power for twelve years, almost half the age difference.

Even so, if we really consider it, Li Qingchen was definitely someone who had the opportunity to enter the cabinet and become prime minister.

Therefore, Jiang Zhao naturally intended to cultivate some of them.

Previously, appointing Li Qingchen as the top official in a key border town may have been intended to accumulate political achievements and cultivate his former protégés and subordinates.

Now that the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have been restored, the Hedong Road is no longer the "northern gateway".

The newly built Yanyun Road is still brand new, which is just the right time for Li Qingchen to manage it and cultivate his disciples and former officials.

As for Zhang Heng, he followed the path of the Ministry of Rites' spring imperial examinations, which made him much more efficient at cultivating students.

Next year will be the year of the big test.

If Zhang Fangping were to step down, then Zhang Heng would only serve in the Ministry of Rites for one year, training one batch of students before entering the cabinet.

If Zhang Fangping continues to serve for another three years, then Zhang Heng will serve in the Ministry of Rites for four years, during which time he can cultivate two generations of protégés and former officials, demonstrating his exceptional background.

"can."

"can."

After a moment of contemplation, the group nodded in agreement.

Given Jiang Zhao's background and experience, it's only natural that he would want the top position.

Not to mention, Jiang Da Xiang Gong did not completely block the way.

Li Qingchen was transferred to the position of Pacification Commissioner of Yanyun Road, leaving a vacancy in Hedong Road, and the Grand Chancellor had not yet decided on a replacement.

In other words, this is a seat that has been vacated.

With this attitude, who wouldn't say that the Grand Master is benevolent and righteous?
“Chen Zheng, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is skilled in governance and may be appointed as the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Yanyun Circuit,” suggested Wang Gui, a Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall.

Since Li Qingchen was transferred to the position of Pacification Commissioner of Hedong Circuit, the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue became vacant, and Chen Zheng, the Right Vice Minister, filled the vacancy and became the Left Vice Minister.

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet exchanged glances but did not rush to agree.

“Xu Zhi, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, might be suitable to serve as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong Circuit,” Yuan Jiang recommended.

Han Jiang looked over, squinted slightly, and slowly said, "The Hanlin Academician Tao Jin may be appointed as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong Circuit."

Right!
"Liu Ping, the Left Grand Counselor, might be suitable for the position of Transport Commissioner of Yanyun Circuit." Zhang Fangping stroked his beard and smiled, appearing neither competitive nor eager to take the position.

"I have candidates to recommend for the positions of Education Commissioner and Supervisor of the Ever-Normal Granary."

With a single sentence, the positions of the fourth-rank educational administrator and the fifth-rank supervisor of public affairs were decided, and Yu Jing, the Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, remained uncompetitive and unambitious.

Yuan Jiang and Han Jiang exchanged a glance and remained silent.

After about ten breaths, Han Jiang came up with a plan.

"My lord."

Han Jiang looked at Jiang Zhao and pondered, "I wonder if Zhao Xie, the Pacification Commissioner of Shaanxi Circuit, would be suitable to take up a post in the Censorate?"

Jiang Zhao raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Currently, the head of the Censorate is Qi Heng, the fake vice president, while the president, Wu Kui, is on a temporary assignment and can retire at any time.

But that's the head of the Censorate. Why would the Jiang faction give up the position if there were no benefits involved?
Han Jiang breathed a sigh of relief.

If there's no rejection, then we can talk!
"Xu Yan, the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Kuizhou Circuit, may retire with honor." Han Jiang gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Perhaps the Grand Chancellor can recommend a virtuous and capable man."

Han Jiang's meaning is obvious.

Wu Kui retired on the condition that he be given the position of Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Kuizhou Circuit, a position held by the Jiang faction.

Then, Zhao Xie could take up a post in the Censorate, freeing up the position of Pacification Commissioner of Shaanxi Circuit.

"Houzhi might recommend a pacification commissioner to be transferred to Shaanxi Circuit," Han Jiang said.

The Pacification Commissioner was a high-ranking official of the second rank.

Han Jiang would never create a position for Yuan Jiang as the Pacification Commissioner of Hedong Circuit just for the sake of the latter.

The only benefit he can offer is a change of position.

Yuan Jiang sent people to Shaanxi Road, and then sent his own people to the positions vacated by Yuan Jiang's people.

Of course, both were pacification commissioners, but the pacification commissioner of Shaanxi Road was definitely much better.

After all, Shaanxi Road had expanded its territory to include several newly established prefectures.

"can."

"The Pacification Commissioner of Jinghu North Circuit may enter Shaanxi Circuit."

Yuan Jiang squinted and agreed.

His lineage already included Wang Anshi, who served as the Grand Protector of the Southwest Protectorate and reaped considerable benefits from territorial expansion.

If it really came down to a fight, he was unlikely to win against Han Jiang.

If both sides take a step back, it will be better for everyone.

"Then let's settle on this," Jiang Zhao said calmly.

After going through this whole process, he served as the Chief Censor of the Censorate and the Deputy Pacification Commissioner of Kuizhou Circuit, a rather complicated career.

However, the core issue was actually to free up the position of the Shaanxi Circuit Pacification Commissioner in exchange for it.

As for why not simply switch the positions of the Shaanxi Circuit Pacification Commissioner and the Jinghu North Circuit Pacification Commissioner?
It can only be said that those below also have emotions.

Sending Zhao Xie to the Censorate was a way of securing a powerful position in the capital, which was more of a promotion opportunity.

But if Zhao Xie were to leave Shaanxi Road for no reason and be transferred to Jinghu North Road as the Pacification Commissioner, it would be like losing a swan that was about to be eaten. It would be strange if he didn't harbor resentment!
It has to be said, even the Grand Secretary has a tough time!

Fifth, the semi-free education system is being deliberately obstructed by some.

Royal study room.

A small wooden table, about ten feet long, was set out with documents.

Zhao Ceying picked up the Book of Tang, his face full of surprise and doubt.

Carbuncles!

This is a serious illness that Emperor Taizong Wen suffered from.

Historical records state that Emperor Taizong of Tang was wounded by an arrow and suffered from carbuncles for four years. He later contracted erysipelas, which took his life in one fell swoop!

The term "carbuncle" refers to two diseases: carbuncles and boils.

In layman's terms, it means that if you get injured and the wound is not treated properly, it can lead to a series of infection problems.

At first, it may just be numbness or itching.

Over time, it can develop into suppuration and cause confusion.

Do you know Tang Jie?
He had only been dead for a few days.

He has gangrene!
Zhao Ceying stared at the Book of Tang in disbelief.

He knew there was something wrong with his injury.

But who would have thought it would be so serious?
this.
Zhao Ceying's face was deathly pale. She gritted her teeth and slowly closed her eyes.

"Ugh!"

After a long pause, a long sigh escaped his lips.

There seems to be endless regret within it.
(End of this chapter)