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

Chapter 48 The Young Grand Secretary?
Fanlou.

Vermilion railings and embroidered curtains, flower flags fluttering in the breeze.

On the pear wood tea table, which is about ten feet long, are two pots of clear wine and several dishes of seasonal side dishes.

Su Shi, dressed in a plain-colored robe, holds a chopstick in one hand and taps it lightly, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, with a unique charm and rhythm.

Zhang Heng calmly sipped a few mouthfuls of wine from his celadon cup, glancing outside every now and then.

Su Zhe and Zeng Bu, on the other hand, were discussing matters of state.

Each of them had a wine cup in front of them, but the small dishes on the tea table remained untouched, as if they were waiting for someone.

A moment later, a person walked in.

"Excuse me for being a little late."

Jiang Zhao, dressed in a white brocade robe, looked apologetic.

"Yo!"

"The young Grand Secretary has arrived!"

Su Shi laughed loudly, twirled his chopsticks lightly, and picked up a bite of food.

"what?"

Jiang Zhao sat down, momentarily stunned, and asked in confusion, "What Junior Grand Secretary?"

He's been incredibly busy these days.

Since the emperor began celebrating his birthday, imperial edicts have been issued continuously throughout the land, and he has to write a dozen or twenty edicts and decrees every day.

This is almost twice the usual workload.

That’s all.

Who would have thought that the matter of the congratulatory memorial would involve the struggle between the two kings and the political battle between Han and Liu?

As a result, he was inadvertently drawn into a high-stakes situation, and had to live in constant fear and make plans at all times.

Therefore, he was involved in both political struggles and the drafting of imperial edicts and decrees.

Even their daily routines were disrupted.

After June 26th, the struggle between the two kings and the political battle between Han and Liu came to an end, and the Emperor's birthday celebrations also came to a close.

As a result, after only a few days of recuperation, his teacher Han Zhang was appointed as Vice Chancellor and Grand Academician of the Zizheng Hall, thus entering the ranks of the imperial court and governing the country.

When Han Zhang joined the cabinet, many officials came to offer their congratulations.

They might give calligraphy and paintings, jade ornaments, ancient books, or poems, and so on.

In any case, the gift is neither too expensive nor too cheap; it expresses a sentiment and an attitude.

These officials were further divided into those with higher and lower ranks.

Those high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, dressed in purple robes, would certainly be personally entertained by Han Zhang, but those officials of the fourth or fifth rank below the third rank would also need someone to be responsible for entertaining them.

As Han Zhang's only disciple, this task fell to Jiang Zhao.

Therefore, he really didn't have much time to pay attention to other things.

but
Young Grand Secretary?
Jiang Zhao raised an eyebrow and looked at the group.

This title?

"Zichuan is busy with government affairs and probably has no time to focus on other matters."

Seeing Jiang Zhao's confusion, Zhang Heng clapped his hands and smiled, explaining, "The struggles in the imperial court concern the fate of the nation and the change of power. Naturally, there is no shortage of people who care about it and spread the word. In no time, it can spread throughout Bianjing."

"These days, your fierce debates in the court, where you argued vehemently against the Right Vice Minister of the Censorate and the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, have already spread far and wide."

Jiang Zhao nodded.

This is not surprising.

The powerful and wealthy families of Bianjing (Kaifeng) were most sensitive to the power struggles and shifts in power.

Once the details of a political struggle between officials are revealed, they can quickly spread among powerful officials and their families, eventually reaching the entire capital city of Bianjing.

"Then, Young Grand Secretary?" Jiang Zhao asked in confusion.

Zhang Heng clapped his hands and said, "Some busybodies called you 'Little Grand Secretary,' and the name gradually spread and gained popularity and recognition."

"How could I, a mere sixth-rank official, possibly be qualified for this?" Jiang Zhao exclaimed in surprise.

He truly never expected that he would become a "young Grand Secretary"!
“Zichuan’s talent is unmatched in a hundred years, how can he not be compared to him?” Su Shi praised.

Jiang Zhao smiled helplessly.

Ever since he became the top scholar in the imperial examination and gathered seven friends including the two Su brothers, the two Zhang brothers, and the two Zeng brothers, Su Shi developed a habit of frequently boasting about his small group.

He would sometimes boast about Zhang Heng and Zhang Dun, sometimes about Zeng Bu and Zeng Gong, and occasionally give his younger brother Su Zhe a warning.

Among them, Jiang Zhao's reputation is renowned throughout the world, so he is naturally the most heavily touted area.

"My official rank is too low and my reputation too shallow; I am truly unworthy of such an honor!" Jiang Zhao shook his head, feeling much more at ease.

In the time it took to hear those few words, he had already come to terms with them.

The title "Young Grand Secretary" is actually not bad!

If a high-ranking official of the third rank or above is addressed as "Little Grand Secretary," it is a form of flattery intended to kill, and could even be a tactic employed by political enemies.

However, given that he was merely a sixth-rank official and a member of the younger generation, the title "Young Grand Secretary" carried a different significance. A sixth-rank official, yet renowned throughout the land, a young prodigy.

Once these labels are combined, the title "Young Grand Secretary" leans towards a pure form of recognition and praise.

This is not a praising tactic to kill someone!

Of course, this is also partly due to Han Zhang's entry into the cabinet.

Han and Jiang, one a teacher and the other a student, have many similarities.

Han Zhang was the second-place scholar, and Jiang Zhao was the first-place scholar.

Han Zhang came from the Han clan of Xiangzhou, while Jiang Zhao came from the Jiang clan of Huaizuo.

Han Zhang was renowned for his wisdom from a young age, and his fame spread throughout the land after he dismissed four prime ministers with a single memorial. Jiang Zhao was known as a child prodigy from a young age, and his fame spread throughout the land after the famous story of "standing in the snow at Han's door".

Han Zhang rose to prominence in the imperial court at a young age and entered the cabinet at the age of thirty-seven; Jiang Zhao debuted at the peak of his career and was even more outstanding.

No matter how you look at it, the two are very similar as master and disciple.

Jiang Zhao is practically an enhanced version of Han Zhang.

Therefore, it's no wonder that some people hope to witness the legendary story of "two Grand Secretaries from one family" in their lifetime.

The title of "Young Grand Secretary" was naturally bestowed upon Jiang Zhao.

Since it didn't involve any scheming or backstabbing, Jiang Zhao felt much more at ease.

Just then, a voice came.

"Young Grand Secretary!" Su Shi called out emphatically.

Jiang Zhao was startled.

hiss~!

Even with Jiang Zhao's composure, he couldn't help but blush slightly and look unnatural.

"Zizhan, stop joking," Jiang Zhao said sternly.

As he spoke, he gently lifted his chopsticks to pick up some food, his face calm.

"Why is Zichuan pretending to be so ordinary?" Seeing Jiang Zhao's feigned seriousness, Su Shi slapped his thigh and couldn't help but laugh.

It would be better if he didn't smile.

With that smile, Jiang Zhao's seriousness vanished by seventy percent, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Jiang Zhao's lips unconsciously curled up; he wanted to laugh, yet he also wanted to be serious, and he managed to suppress it until his face turned red.

This made Zhang Heng, Su Zhe, Zeng Bu, and the others all smile.

The air was suddenly filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Jiang Zhao was, after all, a person who was good at controlling his expression. Before long, his face returned to normal, but his slightly flushed face still said something.

"Hemp growing among reeds will stand straight without support," Jiang Zhao sighed, glancing at the group. "White sand in mud will become black."

In short, one becomes like the company one keeps.

If you have someone to blame, blame it on how you influenced me!
"Hahaha!"

Another burst of laughter.

"Let's drink, let's drink!" Jiang Zhao raised his glass, forced to end the banter.

"Come on, come on!"

The group exchanged smiles and raised their five cups together.

Due to the special circumstances of Zhang Dun and Zeng Gong, only five of the seven-person group are currently in Beijing.

Zhang Dun was dissatisfied with his nephew Zhang Heng's better ranking, so he voluntarily gave up his Jinshi degree and intended to retake the exam, which is why he never went to the capital again.

All I can say is that talented people are just carefree.

However, Zhang Dun certainly had reason to be proud.

Although Zhang Dun is Zhang Heng's cousin, he is more than ten years younger than Zhang Heng and is only in his early twenties. He has no shortage of three years to start over.

Zeng Gong failed to become a Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy). After the imperial examinations, those who failed to become Shujishi in the second or third class of the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations) were all assigned to work outside the capital.

Zeng Gong has now been appointed as a judicial officer in Taiping Prefecture, a position of the ninth rank.

Perhaps to avoid gossip, or perhaps out of disappointment, his teacher Ouyang Xiu did not offer any assistance.

Otherwise, even a top-ranking scholar could easily start as an eighth-rank official with the backing of a powerful figure.

The five of them drank it all in one gulp.

Just then, a somewhat unexpected voice came from inside.

"Zichuan?" It was a dashing young man who happened to pass by the private room where the five of them were.

"Zhong Huai?" Jiang Zhao was taken aback, then stood up to greet him: "Please take a seat."

"Who is this?" Su Shi asked curiously.

"My name is Gu Tingye!"

(End of this chapter)