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

“General Gu is no stranger to leading troops and is an excellent candidate,” Su Zhe said, stepping forward and bowing.

Many officials glanced at Jiang Zhao, who remained motionless.

Su Zhe echoed, guessing that this was what the young Grand Secretary meant.

"Let's choose General Gu," Wang Yaochen, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, chimed in.

As he spoke, he looked at the other senior ministers.

If Su Zhe's agreement represented Jiang Zhao's meaning, then Wang Yaochen's agreement represented the Han faction's meaning.

As the head of all officials, he held a tripartite position and wielded immense power.

From the moment Wang Yaochen entered the cabinet, Han Zhang had already established himself among the powerful ministers.

The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet exchanged glances and slowly nodded.

Compared to other military generals, Gu Tingye was undoubtedly the best choice to quell the rebellion.

After all, this was a military general promoted by civil officials.

“Alright.” Zhao Zhen nodded.

"By order, Gu Tingye, the commander of the cavalry and infantry, shall be appointed as the commander of the western route of Guangnan, and shall enter the eastern suburban camp with 10,000 troops to quell the rebellion."

"Sir, obey the order."

Gu Tingye was secretly pleased and quickly bowed and withdrew.

"Is there any further memorial to be submitted?" Zhao Zhen asked slowly.

As he spoke, he glanced at the five members of the royal family at the end of the procession, as if he were about to say something.

This action caused many officials to look back.

The issue of the imperial family, concerning the selection of an heir, is extremely sensitive.

Jiang Zhao's heart stirred slightly, and he glanced discreetly at the dragon throne.

Could it be?

"Cough cough!"

On the steps of the imperial palace, Zhao Zhen patted his chest, his face flushed from the persistent coughing.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "Recently, I have been unwell and have ordered five members of the imperial clan, Zhao Ceying, Zhao Shiyi, Zhao Shiqian, Zhao Zhong, and Zhao Shicheng, to enter the palace to study."

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were stunned.

Entering the palace to study was not simply about reading.

Generally speaking, it also involves the teaching of military and political skills, as well as the art of imperial rule.

This is a privilege reserved for princes, and even the crown prince.

It should be noted that even the five members of the imperial clan who were expected to be made crown princes—Zhao Yunqi, Zhao Yunyuan, Zhao Zongquan, Zhao Zonge, and Zhao Congshi—were not summoned to the palace to study.

How did the younger generation of the imperial family end up studying in the palace?

Jiang Zhao remained calm, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Given the old emperor's health, he can only last a year or two at most.

When a younger generation of "crown princes" ascends the throne, they still need to possess a certain level of real power to keep their subordinates in check.

In particular, the secret succession law meant that the six Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet and several powerful military generals would remain seated in the background, and if the new emperor wanted to seize power, he would have to transfer power from his ministers.

Without any means, progress is destined to be difficult.

To put it bluntly, given the new emperor's situation, if the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet truly intended to usurp his power, even if the emperor had been in his prime thirty years ago, he might not have been able to smoothly transition power.

This can be considered one of the drawbacks of the secret succession law.

Of course, this is a drawback for the emperor; for the ministers, the process of entrusting the young emperor with a responsibility ensures the continuation of power, which is a great thing.

It is not surprising that the old emperor would make a point of setting aside time to cultivate a successor and impart the ways of the emperor.

The officials were stunned, but Zhao Zhen made no attempt to explain.

Grand Chancellor Han Zhang closed his eyes and remained silent.

The remaining five Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet all frowned.

What is the purpose of the government's move?

If it were said that the emperor made this decision arbitrarily, who would believe it?

"The Grand Tutor Han Zhang is hereby appointed."

"Jiang Zhao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, concurrently served as the Grand Master of the Palace."

"Wang Anshi, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, concurrently served as Chancellor of the Imperial Academy."

"The British Duke, an old general, regularly visits the palace to impart military strategies."

"That's fine then," Zhao Zhen waved his hand.

A few words caused a huge uproar.

This configuration is too high-end!

The position of Grand Tutor needs no further explanation; he is one of the Three Dukes and the Crown Prince's nominal supreme tutor.

The Grand Master of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was the chief official of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, holding the rank of third grade. He was in charge of the education and political instruction of the princes, including but not limited to classics, history, and current affairs analysis.

The specific gold content varies.

Those with higher qualifications would be tutors to the crown prince and could become the core members of the new emperor's team.

The lower-level positions are simply sinecures, with neither high nor low influence.

The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was the highest-ranking official in the academy, and occasionally served as a lecturer to the princes, imparting the ideology of "benevolent rule."

Han Zhang, Jiang Zhao, and Wang Anshi, Duke of Ying!

The Grand Master and the Duke of England were absolutely the standard pairing for teaching the Crown Prince.

Jiang Zhao and Wang Anshi also had significant problems.

Both of these men are young and promising, with the potential to join the cabinet.

Jiang Zhao, in particular, with his achievements in expanding territories, shows signs of becoming a permanent member of the imperial court.

Is this the kind of person who teaches members of the royal family?

Something is wrong!

This is the setup for teaching the Crown Prince!

"The Court of Imperial Sacrifices, with its Junior Chamberlain, Imperial Tutor, Lecturer, and Reader, is of great importance."

Ignoring the reactions of his subordinates, Zhao Zhen looked at Jiang Zhao, who seemed slightly surprised but not astonished: "The lectures and textbooks must be properly arranged. Any incompetent officials will be demoted."

His words, though simple, carried an unyielding power.

Jiang Zhao nodded and bowed.

"His Majesty."

An official exclaimed in surprise, "The arrangement of tutoring several members of the imperial clan with the Grand Chancellor as Grand Tutor, the Duke of Yingguo as Military Strategist, the Right Vice Minister as Grand Tutor, and the Junior Minister as Chancellor is not in accordance with the prescribed etiquette!"

These individuals—the Grand Tutor (who did not teach), the Duke of Yingguo (who taught military strategy), the Junior Grand Secretary (who taught strategic thinking and political maneuvering), and Wang Anshi (who taught the philosophy of "benevolent rule")—were all top-tier, first-rate instructors.

Even the standard equipment for a crown prince couldn't surpass this.

Zhao Zhen waved his hand, offering no explanation.

Since he had deliberately brought it up, he wasn't afraid that his subjects would guess it.

After all, there are five members of the younger generation of the royal family!

"Retreat—"

With a sharp cry, all the civil and military officials retreated one after another.

However, there are still some doubts.

Today is my CET-4/CET-6 exam day, so I haven't updated much. I'll try to update more tomorrow!

Chapter 137 Preaching and Teaching!

The head of all officials was the Grand Tutor, and the head of all military generals was appointed Military Strategist.

The Junior Grand Secretary took over the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review took over the Imperial Academy.

There are powerful ministers from the older generation, and there are promising young prime ministers.

Even the best instruction for the Crown Prince could not surpass this.

However, the emperor actually had several people teach five younger members of the imperial clan.

The implications of this are enough to make one's mind wander.

The five older members of the imperial clan, in particular, felt a mix of emotions, a sense of gain and loss.

The rain poured down, and a curtain of water hung from the sky.

Jiang Mansion.

On the ebony table were tea, sesame cakes, vegetarian porridge, and clear mutton soup.

The aroma of soup filled the air as Jiang Zhao, Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Heng, Sheng Hualan, and Sheng Shulan sat facing each other, chopsticks in hand.

This is what we call a regular morning meal.

No words are spoken when eating, and no words are spoken when sleeping.

However, this does not affect the warmth between fathers and sons, or husbands and wives.

Both Sheng Hualan and Sheng Shulan were women who had experienced hardship and knew how to cherish good days.

Jiang Huaijin lived in the border region for six years and witnessed the poverty there. He was sensible from a young age.

Jiang Heng, at the age of three, was exposed to the world and began reading early, and was not a spoiled child.

Contentment brings happiness; even an ordinary meal can contain unspeakable joy.

After a while, Jiang Zhao took a sip of tea and slowly put down his chopsticks.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Huaijin and Jiang Heng immediately stopped eating.

"I'm going to the yamen now, please continue eating," Jiang Zhao waved his hand and said gently.

Jiang Huaijin and Jiang Heng nodded in agreement and continued eating.

Sheng Hualan got up, moved lightly, picked up a cloak and draped it over her husband.

Sheng Shulan presented an oiled paper umbrella and pointed with her little finger to the rain that was falling with a "pitter-patter": "Today's rain is truly rare."

Jiang Zhao adjusted his cloak, took two steps outside, opened his umbrella, and said slowly, "Timely rain is good for crops, so it's a good thing."

Sheng Hualan and Sheng Shulan bowed deeply and watched their husbands leave.

Yanyi Hall, a side hall.

Jiang Zhao entered, holding the Book of Han, and began preparing his lessons with great concentration.

Giving lectures to five members of the royal family was a significant matter, and there were specific procedures in place.

Among them, Wang Anshi explained the concept of "the Way of the King," focusing on the Five Classics, the Analects, and Mencius, and elucidating the foundation of the Way of the King.

The content explained was relatively dry and rarely changed.

Jiang Zhao, on the other hand, mainly lectured on classics, history, and current affairs.

Classics and history, namely the Five Classics and the official histories of all dynasties.

Because Wang Anshi explained the Five Classics, his explanations tended to focus on official histories of past dynasties, hoping that the imperial family would learn from history and draw lessons from the rise and fall of dynasties.

Current affairs refer to the political situation in the imperial court, encompassing a very broad range.

The British general was responsible for teaching military strategy, including horseback riding, archery, and troop command.

Besides the few people appointed by the emperor, the Left and Right Junior Chamberlains of the Spring Palace, the Junior Chamberlain of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Compilers of the Hanlin Academy, among others, were all required to perform duties.

Historically, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has always been subordinate to the Crown Prince.