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

Moreover, it carries a significant political weight.

When a high-ranking official from a remote region enters the capital, it inevitably involves a dispute over his official duties.

The intimate talks between the emperor and his ministers naturally carried a high political significance.

Among them, the official in charge of receiving and entertaining high-ranking officials was mainly responsible for receiving and entertaining regional governors.

Some high-ranking officials may not have been to the capital for several years and are not very clear about the situation in the capital.

Thus, the clothing, food, housing, and transportation of high-ranking officials had to be coordinated and arranged by the Imperial Secretariat, and no mistakes could be made.

After all, this was a person who held great power in a certain region, a high-ranking official of the second rank.

It should be noted that the official in charge of the memorial officials was only a fourth-rank official.

If you are not treated well and accidentally offend a high-ranking official, you might even lose your boss.

Therefore, whenever a high-ranking official from a remote region entered the capital, everyone in the Imperial Secretariat had to coordinate and cooperate, living in constant fear.

Now, the matter of Jiang Zhao, the Deputy Pacification Commissioner and Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Road, wanting to enter the capital has already been reported by Xihe Road.

Thus, the two officials serving as envoys to Xihe Road naturally had to be on guard at all times, ready to receive the guests.

The armored general gave a greeting and then began his inspection.

The arrival of a high-ranking official in the capital is indeed a matter that deserves attention.

Even the general guarding the gate became inexplicably more serious.

If a high-ranking official visiting the capital were to think that the city gates were poorly guarded, and the emperor were to inadvertently mention it, the commander might have to be reassigned.

There have been precedents for this before.

Time passed second by second, and a full half hour had gone by.

"Hoo~!"

"Hoo~!"

Several sounds of the ship breaking through the water rang out, followed by the faint sound of anchors being dropped.

"Wait!"

"Take it on!"

That kind of sailing sound definitely belongs to a large ship!

The two officials in green robes exchanged a glance and then quickly looked around.

A few hundred steps from the East Water Gate, several large ships were moored on the shore.

One of the ships bore the insignia of "Xihe Pacification Commissioner," with a man in a purple robe standing with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind. Several young men, dressed like noblemen, were positioned at the bow, gazing towards the capital.

Besides these two, there were two others, both with a heroic air about them, dressed in red robes of the fifth rank.

The remaining ships were manned by several hundred elite soldiers with guns, which made them look very imposing.

"quick!"

The two were startled and quickly called over the clerk, then ran over.

"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes Lord Jiang!"

"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes Lord Jiang!"

The two shouts drew Jiang Zhao's attention.

Green robe?

Jiang Zhao was startled.

Given his rank, even if someone were to go out of their way to curry favor with him, they would have to be a fifth or sixth-rank official in red robes to be considered "respectable".

Eighth or ninth grade?

That was an official dispatch, not a deliberate act of welcoming them.

Jiang Zhao asked in confusion, "Could it be an official who reports to the emperor?"

"That's right." The two nodded quickly.

"Zhonghuai, Zichun," Jiang Zhao said, looking at Gu Tingye and Wang Shao beside him. "You two should lead the soldiers to the eastern suburban camp."

On this trip to the capital, he only brought Gu Tingye, Wang Shao, and five members of the imperial family with him.

The remaining Su Zhe, Han Jiayan, and some prefects and assistant prefects may not be able to enter the capital for the time being.

Every three years, only about thirty fifth-rank officials would be sent to the capital.

We'll have to wait and see who exactly will have the opportunity to enter Beijing.

The specific number of people allowed to enter Beijing depends not only on the performance of officials but also on a lot of negotiation and bargaining.

Of course, given the strength of the Han faction and the political achievements of the officials in Xihe Road, at least ten of them should be qualified to enter Beijing.

At that time, the specific person to be identified will need to be discussed and their name will be drawn in red ink.

Gu Tingye and Wang Shao nodded in succession, disembarked, and strode towards the large ship carrying the soldiers.

Jiang Zhao looked up at the members of the imperial clan and said, "To avoid disrespect, let's enter the palace now."

Several members of the royal family nodded in unison.

Thus, led by two officials, the six of them entered the palace together.

Royal study room.

"throat!"

"throat!"

Zhao Zhen, holding a vermilion brush, coughed heavily twice.

With a wave of his hand, a palace maid presented him with medicine.

A king who is fifty-six years old is already considered to have lived a very long life.

As a monarch, one must constantly receive a constant stream of memorials that require one's approval.

Generally speaking, working six or seven hours a day is the norm.

Sitting upright for long periods of time is mentally and physically exhausting, and having to summon concubines to serve you in bed further drains your energy.

If someone can live to be fifty or sixty years old, they are already in excellent physical condition.

Coughing had long been a chronic ailment for Zhao Zhen.

In the past, when his subjects strongly requested that he be adopted into the imperial family, he would often cough for half an hour at a time when he was anxious.

Fortunately, a secret method for establishing an heir solved his problem.

With a calm mind, the cough finally subsided somewhat.

After the patient had swallowed about seven-tenths of the herbal soup, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonies slowly entered.

Zhao Zhen glanced at it and handed the medicine back to the tray held by the palace maid.

Since the eunuch made a special trip in, it's highly likely that someone wants to see him.

As expected, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial reported: "Your Majesty, the Pacification Commissioner of Xihe Road and his five sons have come to the capital to request an audience."

"Oh, they've arrived already?" Zhao Zhen's heart skipped a beat. He waved his hand and said, "Let them in."

Xihe Road was involved in the only territorial expansion, and five of his "good grandsons" lived in the border area, which has received his high attention in recent years.

Five members of the royal family wrote one letter per month.

The Pacification Commissioner Jiang Zhao sent a secret letter every three months.

Over three years, Zhao Zhen read all of the nearly two hundred letters.

The purpose, of course, was to select a "good grandson" who was expected to expand the territory.

Now, he has already developed some biases in his mind.

Chapter 120 Who is the Good Grandson?

Within ten breaths, the six people entered one after another.

"Your humble servant Jiang Zhao greets Your Majesty."

Jiang Zhao, dressed in a purple robe, bowed deeply.

"Your subject Zhao Ceying greets Your Majesty!"

Your subject, Zhao Zhong

Zhao Ceying, Zhao Zhong, Zhao Shicheng, Zhao Shiyi, and Zhao Shiqian bowed in turn.

"No need to be polite"

Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "Please take a seat."

The group took their seats.

Zhao Zhen pondered for a moment, then looked first at his several "good grandsons" and slowly asked, "What insights have you gained during your three years in the border region?"

Upon hearing this, all the members of the imperial clan except Zhao Ceying averted their eyes.

Insight?

How should I answer this?

The tests conducted by several younger members of the imperial family will influence the decision on the position of crown prince, making it imperative to exercise caution.

For a moment, no one took the initiative to speak.

"Speak up, everyone." Zhao Zhen glanced down at them one by one, finally focusing on Zhao Ceying, whose expression was calm.

In terms of the letters presented, Zhao Ceying is almost in a class of his own compared to the other four!

With the emperor's attention on him, Zhao Ceying felt a chill and quickly stood up, replying respectfully: "For the past three years, I have served under General Huaiyuan, training five hundred soldiers, implementing the policy of military farming, personally suppressing bandits, pacifying various Tibetan tribes, and clashing with the Western Xia border army several times."

In my opinion, Tibet, influenced by Lord Jiang, has pacified many pro-Zhou tribes. We should adopt a policy of integrating Tibetans and Han Chinese, so that they can gradually learn to farm and weave, and protect our territory.

The Western Xia cavalry were fierce and brave. If it weren't for Lord Jiang's expansion of the Hehuang region and the opening of the tea-horse trade, which brought in many fine horses, the border troops would have faced immense difficulties in resisting them. To subdue the Western Xia, the only way is to breed superior horses, train the cavalry, and eliminate their weaknesses.

As he spoke, Zhao Ceying's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "In my opinion, expanding territory is extremely difficult and will require several generations of rulers to govern diligently. It cannot be accomplished in one generation."

Jiang Zhao had said this several times when discussing the situation on the frontier with him, and it left a deep impression on him.

To be precise, it's not that "it can be accomplished in one generation," but rather that "it can only be accomplished by Emperor Zhao Zhen."

Zhao Zhen is too old!

Jiang Zhao entered officialdom at the age of eighteen and expanded the territory at the age of twenty-two. He was already a virtuous minister who was hard to find even in historical records.

However, Zhao Zhen was already fifty-one years old at that time.

The emperor and his minister were nearly thirty years apart in age!

With Jiang Zhao's abilities, if a wise ruler were to support him, he might actually be able to help the monarch achieve unification and become a great emperor for all time during his lifetime.

Unfortunately, Emperor Renzong (Zhao Zhen) couldn't wait!

Otherwise, if Jiang Zhao had been born thirty years earlier, both the emperor and his minister would have been in their twenties or thirties, and it might have truly been a case of "one generation achieving great things."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhen closed his eyes and sighed softly.

The saying "I was born before you were born, and you were born after I had grown old" perfectly describes this situation.

As a monarch, Zhao Zhen naturally knew that achieving unification would make him a great emperor for all time.

In recent years, Tibet has split apart, Western Xia has been in turmoil, and the Great Zhou has even produced a capable minister who has expanded its territory!

The right timing and the right people are both in place!

Unfortunately, that was the opportune time for the Great Zhou Dynasty, not for him.

He is old!

Zhao Zhen opened his eyes and calmly waved his hand.

Zhao Ceying's words were insightful and hit the nail on the head regarding current issues.

Ce Ying, full of heroic spirit and possessing martial virtue, the character "Ying" is truly fitting.