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

Chapter 302 The Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials of the Zhaoxun Pavilion (Part 2)

Royal study room.

With a collection of thousands of books, the fragrance of books lingers in my heart.

A wooden chair stands horizontally, with the emperor and his ministers facing each other.

All those who took their seats—whether civil officials of the cabinet, military privy councilors, or relatives of the empress—exchanged glances and all wore solemn expressions.

The main event is coming!
In this reign of the emperor, who can be ranked in the top ten?
This is important!

Humans, as long as they have desires, will inevitably be greedy.

Greed can be categorized into petty greed and major greed.

Those who are petty-greedy are greedy for short-term gains.

The most greedy are those who covet fame for all eternity.

Entering the Zhaoxun Pavilion will naturally bring you fame for all time!
Whether civil officials or military officers, they all knew one fact very well—those who entered the Hall of Fame and Honor would surely be remembered for eternity!

This was destined to happen.

Throughout history, there have been three main types of large-scale commendations for meritorious service:

Firstly, he was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

This is a fairly common political benchmark.

Since the Western Zhou Dynasty, there has been a system that allowed officials to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

From then on, successive dynasties continued to follow the relevant regulations, using them as a symbol of the highest honor for a subject.

Secondly, the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai.

This is a fairly typical example of an award for meritorious service.

The twenty-eight founding heroes were enshrined in the Nangong Yuntai (a memorial hall in the Southern Palace) to highlight their merits.

Thirdly, the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion.

This is a large-scale commendation that is truly known to everyone, and it is not without political significance, nor is it without the intention of recognition.

Similarly, it was also established to commemorate the founding achievements of the nation.

Besides these, there are actually some similar awards for merit, such as the Eleven Meritorious Officials of the Qilin Pavilion, the Eighteen Riders of Shi Le, or the Twelve Generals of the Eight Pillars of State.

However, none of them are very famous.

The main reason for this is that it lacks significant commemorative value, leading to the commendation of merit being somewhat of a "self-indulgent" affair.

Being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple is a thousand-year-old ritual, carrying inherent commemorative significance.

The Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai were chosen to honor their contributions to the founding of the nation.

The twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion were also honored for their contributions to the founding of the nation.

Other honors and awards do not have much commemorative significance, which means that their political significance outweighs their merits and awards.

Isn't that just "self-indulgence"?
Even when there were occasional commendations for founding achievements, they were all for founding achievements of short-lived dynasties that were not unified, and therefore were not valued by later generations.

Conversely, setting aside the more self-congratulatory and non-unified commendations for meritorious service, the honors were limited to those enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, and the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials of Lingyan Pavilion—a mere three categories.

All three of these are figures who have left their mark on history.

Even the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, though seemingly less well-known, have achieved lasting fame, just not to the point of being universally recognized.

Today, the Zhou Dynasty has achieved unification, making this a momentous occasion.

It is not hard to foresee that all those who enter the Zhaoxun Pavilion will be remembered for eternity, the only difference being the degree of their fame.

Those who hold the highest positions in the government care about nothing more than two things:
Firstly, the family will have many descendants and prosper.

Secondly, there is the enduring fame.

And so, the six-foot-long study fell silent for a moment.

Being selected into the top ten does not guarantee entry into the Zhaoxun Pavilion.

But if you're not selected in the top ten, you definitely won't get into the Zhaoxun Pavilion!
"The Grand Chancellor is capable of governing the country with his civil skills, reforming corrupt practices, making the land abundant and the people prosperous, and ensuring smooth governance and social harmony; he is also capable of leading troops on horseback, expanding the territory by three thousand li, and making the army strong, the horses well-trained, and the supplies plentiful."

Gu Tingye raised his hand in a salute, his face serious: "In my humble opinion, the Grand Chancellor's achievements surpass even those of famous ministers throughout history, and he must be among the most deserving of a place."

"I second that proposal," Wang Shao said calmly.

"I second the proposal."

"I second the proposal."

The others echoed in unison.

The fact that the Grand Chancellor has entered the Zhaoxun Pavilion is an indisputable outcome.

In terms of sheer power of achievement and reputation, even the Three Heroes of the early Western Han Dynasty and the strategists and strategists of the early Tang Dynasty could hardly match him.

Such a person is clearly someone who elevates the prestige of the Zhaoxun Pavilion.

If he is included in the cabinet, then the list will be fair.

If he does not enter the cabinet, the so-called Zhaoxun Pavilion will be nothing more than a ridiculous joke that does not live up to its name.

"It's natural."

Zhao Ceying picked up the vermilion pen and nodded repeatedly.

About two breaths later, the two characters "Jiang Zhao" were clearly written on the paper.

Indeed, the character "昭" in "昭勋阁" means to illustrious or to commend.

The so-called Zhaoxun Pavilion is a pavilion that commemorates meritorious deeds.

However, if it is even remotely related, it might very well be the character "昭" from Jiang Zhao's name.

This matter can be considered a coincidence, or it can not be considered a coincidence!

"The Duke of Yue"

"On behalf of the Duke."

Jiang Zhao sat upright, supporting himself with his arms, and spoke slowly.

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao are also certain to be admitted to the Zhaoxun Pavilion, and there is no controversy about it.

Both sides were involved to the maximum extent in the process of unification.

In any major campaign, without exception, two people are involved, and both are undefeated and far ahead of the competition.

When later historians compile histories, especially those concerning unification, these two figures are absolutely indispensable.

In particular, its characteristic of "winning every battle" is destined to be written about extensively.

As things stand, neither of them seems to have reached an unimaginably high level of fame.

But time magnifies everything.

Jiang Zhao estimated that, given their legendary experiences, they might even be able to be singled out and written into a masterpiece similar to "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties".

After all, the two of them are just too much of a topic of discussion.

Gu Tingye, a playboy, suddenly becomes famous.

This alone is enough to support a storyteller in creating hundreds of different stories.

It can serve as a template for a "useless protagonist," a "return of the dragon king," or even a "domineering duke."

Wang Shao, a third-class Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), also made a name for himself.

Even when a scholar becomes a military general, there is still plenty of room for storytelling.

Stories of overnight success and underdog triumphs have always been quite popular.

"can."

"Ah."

The others nodded in agreement.

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao are undoubtedly also figures who have elevated the prestige of Zhaoxun Pavilion.

Of course, in terms of the degree of elevation, it is definitely far inferior to that of the eldest son.

Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao!
The three of them made a decision.

The others exchanged glances and fell silent, some more than others.

It's a tough choice!
It's only been seven years since the fourth year of the self-governing period.

The emperor's reign lasted only seven years.

In just seven short years, how many Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and how many Deputy Privy Councilors were there?

rare!

Since the emperor ascended the throne, the political situation has gradually stabilized, and only one Grand Secretary of the Cabinet has truly been eliminated by political infighting.

Ouyang Xiu!
There was no one else besides him.

Few people are ousted by political struggles, which means that most retire normally, resulting in a low turnover rate for cabinet members.

To this day, there have been only two major changes.

The first year of the Xifeng reign, the fourth year of the Xifeng reign!
From the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Ziping to the first year of the reign of Emperor Xifeng, there were six Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet: Han Zhang, Zhang Sheng, Wu Chong, Zeng Gongliang, Ouyang Xiu, and Wang Yaochen.

From the first year of the Xifeng reign to the fourth year, there were six Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet: Han Zhang, Jiang Zhao, Wu Chong, Wen Yanbo, Han Jiang, and Tang Jie.

Since the fourth year of the Xifeng reign, there have been seven cabinet members: Jiang Zhao, Han Jiang, Yuan Jiang, Zhang Fangping, Tang Jie, Yu Jing, and Wang Gui.

Tang Jie died of illness, and Wang Gui was his replacement.

In other words, in seven years, there were only fourteen Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet.

Excluding the six individuals counted as belonging to the previous emperor's reign—Han Zhang, Zhang Sheng, Wu Chong, Zeng Gongliang, Ouyang Xiu, Wang Yaochen, and Wen Yanbo—there are actually only seven people in total.

this.
In the study, nearly ten people looked at each other, bewildered.

We can't have everyone in the top ten, can we?

Admittedly, making it into the top ten is certainly something to be happy about.

But the problem is, isn't it a bit inappropriate to include everyone like this?

Several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet had their own dilemmas, more or less.

With just a quick glance, Jiang Zhao understood the situation.

Immediately after a moment's thought, he suggested, "Since Your Majesty took office, both civil and military officials have achieved outstanding results, and there are many who are worthy of being called great ministers. They are too numerous to count on one hand."

"If all else fails, there's no need to limit yourself to the top ten; just list them all."

"At that time, they can be included among the famous ministers of the Five Dynasties, and the number can be reduced to twenty-four, which will have the same effect."

Jiang Zhao's words were half true and half false.

The problem is that they all resemble famous ministers.

Every renowned minister must have achieved a certain level of political achievements, prestige, and influence.

The other Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet lacked prestige and influence.

The truth is, they all have truly outstanding political achievements.

Perhaps the senior ministers felt that they hadn't done anything particularly significant or outstanding.

In reality, as a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet during the reform period, he not only did not hinder the reform, but also took the initiative to promote the reform. This alone is already a remarkable achievement.

Some of the chief ministers and high-ranking officials during the reigns of Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Zhenzong, and the late Emperor, in terms of political achievements, may not have been able to match those of some of them.

"I have the same idea."

Zhao Ceying nodded in agreement.

In any case, apart from a handful of people, all the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet will have to be eliminated!
"Wang Anshi," Jiang Zhao said, taking the initiative to speak.

"Yu Jing".

"Yuan Jiang".

“Zhong E”.

Several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet recommended each other.

Soon, the list of the top fourteen people was compiled.

Jiang Zhao, Han Jiang, Yuan Jiang, Zhang Fangping, Tang Jie, Yu Jing, Wang Gui, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Wang Anshi, Zhang Heng, Zhang Ding, Zhong E, and Shen Kuo.

Compared to the reigns of Emperor Taizu, Emperor Taizong, Emperor Zhenzong, and the previous emperor, a rather unique phenomenon emerged during the reign of Emperor Guanzhong—some ministers who had not yet entered the cabinet were also listed as candidates for the Zhaoxun Pavilion!
The reason for this is simply that the time was too short.

The emperor reigned for only seven years.

If we start counting from the official start of the reform and opening up, it has only been four years.

Four years is too short!

Military officers were alright; they could easily advance beyond their rank based on military merit, just like Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and Zhang Ding, who were able to rise to high positions through their military achievements. Civil officials, however, were different!

Even if a civil official has military achievements, he still needs to accumulate seniority.

On the one hand, it is mainly to hone political experience and governance skills.

On the other hand, it was also for the purpose of cultivating protégés and former subordinates.

Without disciples and former subordinates, even if one truly succeeds in gaining power, it is nothing but a false prosperity, and no one will listen to what one says.

Cultivating disciples and former subordinates takes a real amount of time.

Even a powerful figure like Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao, who presided over the imperial examinations twice and expanded the territory several times, took the opportunity to cultivate his protégés and former officials, and even recruited the team of Grand Tutor Wang You, still took twelve years to enter the cabinet and take power.

This was because someone voluntarily gave up their seat.

If no one gives up their seat, Jiang Zhao might have to wait for it.

Therefore, in just four years, it was still not enough to support some civil officials with great achievements to enter the cabinet.

This has resulted in a significant number of people having "high merit but low official rank."

Wang Anshi and Zhang Heng are typical examples.

Based on their achievements and political accomplishments, even several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet might not be able to match them.

However, neither of them has joined the cabinet yet!
"All right."

Zhao Ceying picked up the vermilion pen and wrote down the names one by one.

With a wave of his hand, an official came forward to copy the name.

About half an incense stick's time.

Fifty-four names were already listed one by one on the curtain, which was about ten feet long.

"Zichuan, do you have a good plan?" Zhao Ceying asked calmly, leaning on his chair.

"It is better to have nothing than to have something less than enough."

"Let's first select some people whose inclusion in the cabinet is uncontroversial."

Jiang Zhaoping said, "For the remaining spots, we will lower the standards little by little and compare them one by one to make a decision."

Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Okay."

Jiang Zhao's line of thinking was obvious.

Start with the highest standard and gradually lower the standards.

Each time the standards are lowered, it will certainly be enough to support several people to enter the cabinet.

Some less capable officials might not meet the criteria the first time or the second time, but they might be selected on the third time.

In this way, by gradually adding more spots, there will naturally be no case of overlooking a gem.

"During the reign of Emperor Taizu, who could have been guaranteed a place in the Zhaoxun Pavilion?" Zhao Ceying asked.

“Zhao Pu, Cao Bin,” Jiang Zhao began.

With just this one sentence, the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet looked enlightened and roughly understood the criteria for "must enter the Cabinet".

The level is almost nonexistent!
"Anything else?" Zhao Ceying looked at the others.

Nearly ten people shook their heads.

This standard is too high.

Of course, high standards also mean clear distinctions and easy identification.

"What about during the reign of Emperor Taizong?" Zhao Ceying looked down.

“Lü Duan, Xue Juzheng, and Li Hang,” Jiang Zhao said.

Lü Duan's status is self-evident.

Xue Juzheng and Li Hang were both figures who were honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

One was a prime minister during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Zhenzong, and the other was a renowned "sacred prime minister," both of whom were quite extraordinary.

Of course, in a true comparison, neither of them is at the level of being completely out of the top.

The others looked at each other and had no objections.

What about during the reign of Emperor Jinzong?

“Kou Zhun, Wang Dan,” Jiang Zhao said.

Kou Zhun was a recognized prime minister, and Wang Dan was honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"What about during the reign of the late emperor?" Zhao Ceying asked again.

Jiang Zhao remained silent.

"Fan Zhongyan".

"Master Han".

The others followed suit.

In terms of political achievements, Fan Zhongyan's achievements were not particularly outstanding.

However, his experience in presiding over the Qingli Reforms, as well as his famous stories of "dividing porridge and cutting pickled vegetables" and "being the first to worry about the world's troubles," are enough to ensure his selection.

As for Han Zhang, his qualifications, influence, and achievements are simply too high.

This is a truly exceptional level of skill.

A prime minister for over a decade, a pillar of the state for two generations, his seniority and influence are beyond question.

In fact, from a certain perspective, Grand Chancellor Jiang Zhao is also a manifestation of his influence.

In addition, he also made great achievements in expanding the territory of Yan and Yun, annihilating nearly 60,000 cavalry in one fell swoop, which can be described as extraordinary.

"can."

Zhao Ceying nodded, picked up the vermilion brush, and marked the names of Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, and Wang Shao.

"In that case, let's lower the standards and continue."

About half a day.

The selection of the twenty-four Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Academy has finally been finalized:

Emperor Taizu's generation: Zhao Pu, Cao Bin, and Pan Mei.

Emperor Taizong's generation: Lü Duan, Xue Juzheng, and Li Hang.

Emperor Zhenzong's generation: Kou Zhun, Wang Dan, and Wang Zeng.

The generation of the late emperor: Fan Zhongyan, Di Qing, Zhang Fu, Han Zhang, Bao Zheng, Ouyang Xiu, and Fu Bi.

The generation of officials: Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, Han Jiang, Wang Anshi, Zhang Heng, Shen Kuo, and Zhong E.

Thus, there were twenty-four people in total.

Among the generation of Emperor Taizu, besides Zhao Pu and Cao Bin who were certain to be selected, the only other person selected was Pan Mei.

To be fair, sometimes having a big reputation does have an advantage, making people subconsciously favor them.

Originally, there should have been one more person in Emperor Taizong's generation—Li Jilong.

This man was a key minister who assisted Emperor Taizong in ascending the throne, and his sister was Emperor Taizong's empress. She also had many merits and was quite remarkable.

Unfortunately, besides its low profile, it also has many flaws that draw criticism.

Therefore, after some discussion, it was decided to allocate Li Jilong's quota to Pan Mei to help him enter the Zhaoxun Pavilion.

During Emperor Taizong's reign, the candidates were basically those chosen by Jiang Zhao.

Lu Duan, who was clear-headed on important matters; Xue Juzheng, a prime minister of two generations; and Li Hang, the "sacred prime minister".

During Emperor Zhenzong's reign, in addition to Kou Zhun and Wang Dan, Wang Zeng was also added to the list.

He won the top three prizes in a row, which brought him a halo of prestige. He also had a good reputation as an official and his political achievements were not bad. He barely managed to get into the top three by "clinging to the threshold".

Without exception, all of the previous emperor's generation were figures of considerable renown.

Among them, Bao Zheng is a typical example of someone who rose to power because of his "reputation".

In fact, Bao Zheng's political achievements were not particularly "outstanding", but his reputation was quite remarkable.

Relying on this advantage, it was no surprise that they made it into the top 24.

Di Qing and Zhang Fu were both among those who barely made it into the shortlist.

The selection of twenty-four meritorious officials greatly enhances a person's reputation, and generals without outstanding achievements are destined to suffer some losses.

As for Ouyang Xiu, it was Jiang Zhao who personally selected him to be included.

Jiang Zhao never intended to belittle his political opponents, especially those who had died.

Death means that the victory was already decided, and there is no need for any slander.

Otherwise, it's actually a disguised way of discrediting oneself.

Ouyang Xiu was a rare individual who excelled in both politics and literature, and he had his own unique strengths.

Even though there had been power struggles, he was already dead, so Jiang Zhao was quite magnanimous and didn't deliberately target him.

Of course, this doesn't mean Jiang Zhao didn't target others.

Wen Yanbo is the one being targeted!

Having served in the cabinet for twenty years, Wen Yanbo can be said to have a profound background. He not only participated in the Qingli Reforms but also in the Xifeng Reforms, making him a candidate for inclusion among the twenty-four ministers.

Unfortunately, Wen Yanbo was still alive and even served as an official for a long time.

Jiang Zhao would never allow such a political enemy to be selected for the Hall of Famous Officials, thus unnecessarily enhancing his reputation.

Among the imperial family's generation, Jiang Zhao, Gu Tingye, and Wang Shao were destined to enter the cabinet.

Han Jiang is a typical veteran.

He entered the cabinet in the first year of the Xifeng reign, while the reform was implemented in the second year of the Xifeng reign.

In other words, Han Jiang participated in almost the entire Xifeng Reform.

Moreover, he was the only Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, besides Jiang Zhao, who participated in the entire reform process.

The other Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, Zhang Sheng, Zeng Gongliang, Ouyang Xiu, and Wang Yaochen, all retired in the first year of the Xifeng reign and did not participate in the implementation of the reforms.

Wu Chong and Wen Yanbo both retired in the fourth year of the Xifeng era, having served for only two years or less.

Tang Jie "retired early," entering the cabinet in the fourth year of the Xifeng reign and retiring in the sixth year, having participated in the government for less than two years.

Yuan Jiang, Zhang Fangping, and Yu Jing all entered the cabinet in the fourth year of the Xifeng reign, but only participated for about two years.

Wang Gui was a substitute, having only recently joined the cabinet.

Therefore, as a veteran figure, Han Jiang was naturally entitled to a place.

Conversely, the others only participated in less than half of the implementation of the new law, and their achievements and qualifications were far from sufficient to qualify them for the cabinet.

Thus, it was the turn of a few non-Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet who had "high merit but low official rank" to be selected for the Zhaoxun Pavilion.

Wang Anshi can be considered the "second-in-command" of the reforms, a fact beyond doubt, and he made great contributions.

Zhang Heng is also a typical veteran.

Since the beginning of the expansion of Xihe, he has been playing the role of "Xiao He", in charge of internal affairs, and has also made great contributions to the establishment of the bank, so he deserves a place.

As for Shen Kuo, he was personally selected by Jiang Zhao.

His achievements in making bombs and cannons alone are enough to ensure that Shen Kuo will be remembered for all time.

Shen Kuo may not be famous now, but in a few hundred or a thousand years, he will most likely be known as the "father of bombs" or the "ancestor of artillery," and will have a lasting reputation.

This is also a typical example of a technically skilled person.

It is perfectly acceptable to reserve a place for him.

In addition, Zhong E also joined the cabinet.

The reason for this is that he was the second "wild military general" after Wang Shao to be granted a hereditary title.

Based on this, they barely made it into the shortlist.

Of course, the reason for this was also to "make up the numbers".

The Emperor's establishment of the Zhaoxun Pavilion was certainly intended to be primarily based on the Emperor's own generation.

The late emperor's generation was full of talented people, and seven of them were shortlisted.

For the generation of officials, there must be at least eight people.

Zhong E is exactly the eighth person!

As for Zeng Bu, Su Zhe, Zhang Dun, Lü Huiqing, and the like, they have not yet matured and are therefore ineligible for selection into the Zhaoxun Pavilion.

(End of this chapter)