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

"When Jiang, the Pacification Commissioner, presented the secret method, the Emperor specially selected six members of the imperial clan, and Father was one of them. Now that Zhao Yunchu has passed away, Father is one of the five!"

"The secret method of establishing an heir, entrusting the young emperor with the foundation of the dynasty. Whether one has connections or a reputation, it doesn't affect the overall situation!"

Zhao Ceying argued her case based on reason.

Once you inherit the throne, you become the emperor!

He desperately wanted to help his elderly father ascend the throne!

Zhao Zongquan shook his head repeatedly: "How can someone of the Taizu lineage be qualified to inherit the throne? The Emperor specifically summoned me to the capital, probably to ease the tension between the Taizu and Taizong lineages. Ceying, the lives of over a hundred people in Yuzhou rest on our shoulders, so please don't be foolish!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ceying was taken aback.

Yes!

The bloodline of the founding emperor!

Even the father himself didn't think there was a chance to compete.

Zhao Ceying's eyes lit up, and he said, "In that case, I should perform even better."

"Hmm?" Zhao Zongquan looked surprised.

If they don't keep quiet, what are they trying to prove?

"Why?" Zhao Zongquan couldn't help but ask.

“Even my father believed that the bloodline of the founding emperor was not destined for the throne, so the other members of the imperial clan must have thought so too.”

Zhao Ceying waved his hand, his spirit soaring: "Since Father is not destined to inherit the family business, whether I try my best or not will not affect the overall situation."

No one cares about the bloodline of the founding emperor.

Almost everyone believes that this person was specially chosen by the emperor to ease the relationship between the two lineages of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong.

In this way, Zhao Ceying can naturally give it her all.

Anyway, he is a descendant of the founding emperor!

This excuse always works.

Zhao Zongquan was taken aback.

Can this be done?

Chapter 106 Territorial Expansion: Not a One-Generation Achievement

Pang Mansion.

The sound of pine trees accompanies my recitation, and the shadows of bamboo illuminate my books.

Grand Secretary Pang Ji held a scroll and read silently.

Beside him stood a scholar in his fifties, holding a cup of tea, his demeanor calm and composed.

"Uncle Hui, what do you think?" Pang Ji asked, his book scroll slightly closed, looking at the Confucian scholar.

In the officialdom, one experiences ups and downs, and it is important to be able to rise in rank and fall in rank.

As one of the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, regardless of how much controversy he has.

In any case, he was one of the six most powerful civil officials.

Once you've reached the summit, you naturally need to pay attention to the path down the mountain.

In order to plan the route down the mountain, Pang Ji recommended many people.

Sima Guang, for example, was an official who had been recommended by him.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky and remained unpromoted for eleven years. When he finally broke out, he encountered the wrong person.

The deputy transport commissioner's attempt to sideline the transport commissioner was inherently dangerous, especially since the transport commissioner was none other than the junior Grand Secretary Jiang Zhao.

Once the political struggle began, Sima Guang was almost completely and utterly defeated.

Now, he is an official in Danzhou, and his record is riddled with scandals.

In fact, given Pang Ji's abilities, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to reinstate Sima Guang if he had insisted on doing so.

It's just not worth it.

Jiang Zichuan possessed countless dirt on Sima Guang.

Even if it recovers, it will be difficult for it to truly develop.

Fortunately, Sima Guang's downfall did not mean that all those he recommended had also fallen from grace.

Lü Gongzhu!

The third son of the famous prime minister Lü Yijian, he was originally a fifth-rank official in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, concurrently serving as a scholar-official in the Tianzhang Pavilion.

Now, thanks to his recommendation to the government, he has become a fourth-rank scholar of the Longtu Pavilion.

Lu Gongzhu paused, holding his teacup, and pondered, "Jiang Zhao, a top scholar in the imperial examinations, became famous throughout the officialdom for his political maneuvering in the congratulatory memorial. Afterwards, he not only resolved the issue of the emperor's succession but also expanded the territory of Xihe by two thousand li."

"The Seven Scholars of Jiayou, led by this man, were all renowned figures. The two Sus, the two Zhangs, and the two Zengs, except for Zeng Gong, were all at least from the Shujishi (a junior official in the Hanlin Academy). The opening of the Xihe border was due to the discovery of talents such as Wang Shao and Gu Tingye."

Lu Gongzhu slowly shook his head and sighed, "The younger generation of the Korean faction is truly extraordinary!"

"It's not surprising that such a person would receive the Emperor's favor," Lü Gongzhu concluded.

It is only natural that the emperor would value the abilities of the imperial grandsons.

However, someone definitely needs to carry out the actual work and report the results.

As a disciple of Han Da Xiang Gong, Jiang Zhao sat calmly on the fishing platform, having no need to take sides.

In addition, he also enjoys the Emperor's trust.

This task is one that no one else can accomplish.

"Different road non-phase plan."

Pang Ji sighed: "Since Han Zhang became the Grand Secretary, Zhao Gai, a descendant of Fu Da Xiang Gong, entered the cabinet to fill the vacancy, and Ouyang Xiu, the Minister of Justice, is also a promising candidate to enter the cabinet."

"Zhang Sheng, a descendant of Wang Qinruo, was appointed Minister of Revenue."

"Wen Yanbo's lineage saw Zeng Gongliang appointed as Minister of Personnel, and Wang Anshi, upon entering the capital, receive considerable attention."

"In the lineage of Shen Boyuan, Wu Chong entered the capital and was appointed Minister of Works."

"The Han Zhang lineage produced Wang Yaochen, who held the official position of Minister of Rites, Zhang Fangping, Sun Yi, and others. Their lineage was characterized by high official rank and influence, and their descendants held prominent positions."

After saying that, Pang Ji fell silent.

The two exchanged a glance, both looking troubled.

In contrast, their lineage is clearly facing a generational gap and shows signs of decline.

In terms of talent alone, we are far behind.

The individuals cited by Pang Ji were all, without exception, people with outstanding resumes.

Those people had both experience in governing the prefectures and circuits and were highly respected in the officialdom.

They can all be considered as candidates for cabinet membership.

What's even more distressing is that, without exception, all of them were successors of the previous party leader; the two party leaders were of the same ilk.

The Pang system is different.

Many people harbor rebellious intentions and are not necessarily of one mind with the party leader.

This is the downside of being "the Queen's fellow townsman".

Lü Yijian and Pang Ji were from the same faction, and Lü was also the former leader of this faction. In addition, Lü Gongzhu was promoted by Pang Ji, so the two could be considered to be on the same side.

However, he was only a fourth-rank official.

It is unlikely that the party leader position can be seamlessly transferred from Pang Ji.

In comparison, this is a mess.

After a long pause, Lü Gongzhu let out a long sigh.

"The only way is to take it one step at a time and see how it goes."

Han Mansion.

study.

Han Zhang held the book in his hand, occasionally flipping through it.

Jiang Zhao held a brush in his hand and calmly practiced calligraphy.

"It's quite normal for the Emperor to want you to rush over there quickly when the border is in turmoil," Han Zhang said, putting down the book in his hand.

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, put down his brush, and sighed, "What merit or ability do I have to test the future Crown Prince?"

"It's like walking on thin ice!"

"This is a good thing." Han Zhang waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "With your abilities, dealing with a few younger members of the royal family is no problem at all. You are warm, polite, and understanding. In the future, whoever ascends the throne will have to repay your kindness."

Jiang Zhao smiled and said, "With a teacher who governs the world and has a secret method for establishing an heir, even if I don't test the future crown prince, they will still owe me a debt of gratitude."

Han Zhang nodded slowly.

This is indeed true.

The secret succession law emphasizes the characteristic of "the crown prince not being publicly identified".

In the future, whoever succeeds in taking over through the will will have to repay Jiang Zhao's kindness.

"Teacher, why do you think the Emperor specifically sent several members of the imperial family to live on the Xihe frontier?" Jiang Zhao asked rhetorically.

"A test," Han Zhang replied briefly.

Currently, none of the royal family members have a particularly outstanding candidate.

The Prince of Yan was arrogant, the Prince of Yong was immoral, Zhao Zong'e was too soft-hearted, Zhao Congshi was ambitious but incompetent in winning over court officials, and Zhao Zongquan was a descendant of Emperor Taizu but had a low profile.

Since there are no outstanding candidates, we must select one or two from other aspects.

The grandsons of the emperor are undoubtedly the ones who will be tested.

The father's strengths and weaknesses can also be appropriately reflected through his offspring.

"In my opinion, His Majesty may also want to know who possesses martial virtue and has the potential to restore order to the country."

"In the end, even if we expand our territory and gain new lands, it will take a considerable amount of time to digest them. To truly recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, or even to defeat the Western Xia and Liao dynasties, is not something that can be accomplished in one generation."

"Your Majesty, you're getting old!"

As he spoke, Jiang Zhao looked at his teacher with intense gaze.

Anyone who isn't stupid can tell that the next twenty or thirty years will be the best time to expand territory.

Firstly, after decades of recuperation and development under the rule of the government, the Great Zhou Dynasty had accumulated considerable resources.

Secondly, a group led by Jiang Zhao proved the feasibility of expanding territory.

Historically, expanding territory requires favorable timing, geographical advantages, and popular support.

The combination of Jiang Zhao, Wang Shao, Gu Tingye, and others is a perfect example of harmonious relationships.

These individuals proved that the new generation of young people are all formidable figures capable of pioneering new territories.

A prodigy who possessed both resources and strategic planning skills, excelling in both literary and martial arts.

If you miss this opportunity, you never know when the next one will come.

Unfortunately, the Emperor is already old!

Therefore, the next emperor needs to be martial and virtuous, and willing to expand the territory.

The Emperor's decision to have several members of the imperial clan live in Xihe Road may well have been intended to observe their potential in this area.

Han Zhang frowned and shook his head.

This argument is actually quite valid and makes a lot of sense.

but

"Expanding territory still requires the support of the monarch, not the crown prince," Han Zhang said in a deep voice.

Historically, being a crown prince has always been difficult.