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

The master and apprentice duo are both highly popular, making them perfect for a "standing in the snow at one's own door" scenario.

Therefore, after a series of improvements, Jiang Zhao proposed the action plan of "Han Men Li Xue 2.0" to Han Zhang.

That's a combination of "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage" and "Standing in the Snow at Cheng's Door," and it incorporates the proverb "Once, twice, but not a third time" and the story of "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage," adding to the contradictions.

The three attempts to become an apprentice, two of which ended in failure, increased the level of discussion surrounding the event and served as a warm-up for the third attempt.

Once, twice, but not a third time. One should give up after two failures, but he was determined to seek a master a third time. It may seem shameless and violates the rule of "once, twice, but not a third time", but in fact, it adds a bit of courage and sincerity. It is a case of praising by first criticizing.

As for Han Zhang, the teacher, his refusal to accept apprentices due to his demotion and fear of implicating his students highlights the integrity and ethics of a teacher.

Han Zhang was perfectly comfortable with this script and cooperated fully.

After two failed attempts to become an apprentice, some time was spent spreading the word and laying the groundwork.

By this time, which was the third time he had become an apprentice, the level of interest had already reached an astonishing level.

It was the twelfth lunar month, and out-of-town merchants were preparing for business and returning home, a time when good stories could be told.

After the New Year, the triennial Spring Imperial Examination will begin, attracting scholars from all over the country. They will chat idly and spread the news.

After the imperial examinations are over, scholars will return home and will surely recount their encounters on the journey, including strange and wonderful stories, which will then be passed down.

The timing was perfect, a stroke of luck; Yangzhou had many ports, providing a convenient resting place for ship merchants, a favorable location; and the scholars spread the word, a stroke of luck.

It has the right timing, the right location, and the right people.

Literati and scholars, those who feign refinement, love to join in the fun and are all witnesses.

How could something I witnessed with my own eyes be false?

Some poems, paintings, and articles have already begun to praise it.

At that time, people will be sent to spread the word, and a reputation for "sincerely seeking knowledge and respecting teachers" will be firmly established.

In this era of flourishing literary culture, [Han Men Li Xue] possesses the three labels of "prodigy", "respect for teachers and the way", and "sincere pursuit of knowledge", and is destined to fully benefit from the version's advantages.

High investment, high requirements, high returns.

A legendary tale of officialdom that will be famous throughout the world is already destined!

Chapter 5 Fu Bi Becomes Prime Minister!

Desk.

Han Zhang picked up his pen and wrote a letter, reading it aloud in a low voice: "The books of sages are suitable for reading. But when it comes to doing practical work, they are utterly useless?"

After a moment, he smiled and said, "Not bad."

Throughout the world, fewer than one in a hundred scholars possess this understanding.

The teachings of Confucius and Mencius are something that people below believe in, but none of those above truly believe in them.

Jiang Zhao held up the book and brought over a cup of hot tea: "It's all thanks to my teacher's excellent teaching."

In recent years, perhaps due to setbacks in his official career, once he has some real skills, he really teaches Han Zhang!

Even Jiang Zhao, who has lived through the era of big data, is constantly having his understanding refreshed.

"A good teacher is essential, but so is a good student." Han Zhang took a sip of his hot tea and beckoned, "Zhao'er."

Jiang Zhao moved a little closer.

Han Zhang's eyes flickered slightly, gesturing for his beloved disciple to look at the letter he had just written.

Jiang Zhao nodded and picked up the letter from the desk.

He only glanced at it a few times and already knew 90% of the contents of the letter.

This was a letter sent directly to the emperor, but it did not discuss politics. Instead, the entire letter focused on the emperor and his ministers reminiscing about the past, with the subtext being a hope that the emperor would reinstate the old ministers.

Han Zhang, with a serious expression, stroked his beard and said, "A few days ago, Grand Chancellor Xia Song suddenly passed away from a serious illness. He was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Tutor and the posthumous name Wenzhuang. The Emperor ordered that Fu Bi, the Prefect of Bingzhou, be promoted to Minister of Personnel and Commissioner of the Southern Court of Xuanhui, rising from the fifth rank to the second rank. Zhao'er, do you know what this means?"

"The Emperor intends to appoint Fu Daren as Grand Chancellor to suppress all civil and military officials."

Teacher Han Zhang had a habit of testing Jiang Zhao on current affairs, and Jiang Zhao had already developed a remarkable level of political insight, so answering the questions was not difficult for her.

The Minister of Personnel, also known as the Minister of Personnel, is a second-rank official in charge of personnel matters.

The Envoy of the Southern Court of Xuanhui, a second-rank official, was responsible for managing the emperor's suburban sacrifices, court assemblies, and banquets, and also held the authority to command the imperial guards. He was an absolute close advisor to the emperor.

A simple promotion in official rank reveals a complex political trend.

What's not simple is the position of Xuanhui Southern Court Envoy.

The Xuanhui Academy was divided into the South and the North, but the South Xuanhui Academy Commissioner did not have any real power. The real power lay with the North Xuanhui Academy Commissioner, who was in charge of the Imperial Guards and was always a military general trusted by the emperor.

The Northern Envoy of the Xuanhui Academy in this generation was Gu Yankai, Marquis of Ningyuan, a military officer of the second rank, a rare position in the world, basically one of the pinnacles of military generals.

The main role of the Commissioner of the Southern Court of Xuanhui was to check and balance the Commissioner of the Northern Court of Xuanhui and prevent military uprisings. The position was usually held by a high-ranking official, a prime minister, and did not have much real power.

However, as the head of all officials, the Grand Chancellor's rank was far too high.

Throughout the land, apart from the three retired Grand Tutors, Grand Preceptors, and Grand Protectors, only the Grand Chancellor is a first-rank official.

Even without actual command authority, the Grand Chancellor's high rank and considerable power are enough to easily check and balance the Xuanhui Northern Court Envoy.

In other words, the position of Xuanhui Southern Court Envoy, which Fu Bi was appointed to, should have been one of the positions held by the Grand Chancellor!

Now, the position of Grand Chancellor is vacant.

The direction of the wind is undoubtedly very clear, and the Emperor intends for Fu Bi to succeed him as Grand Chancellor.

Logically speaking, given the failure of the Qingli Reforms, Fu Bi, as one of the leaders, should not have been reinstated and demoted to the right due to this stain on his record.

However, it is not entirely incomprehensible.

"The Emperor has no son, so he assumes that the equally childless Lord Fu will naturally side with him?" Jiang Zhao asked doubtfully.

He spoke of his doubts with great certainty, as if he had already reached a conclusion.

"I think so too." Han Zhang nodded, agreeing with his disciple on this point.

The official had no son, and neither did Fu Bi!

With no son, the country was unstable. Ministers, led by Grand Chancellor Xia Song, frequently petitioned the emperor to adopt a member of the imperial family as a prince to stabilize the empire.

The emperor was furious and refused to adopt a member of the imperial clan.

There is no right or wrong in this matter.

As for the emperor, the early death of one son after another caused him great grief, so he had no intention of adopting a son.

Moreover, ordinary people have a saying, "to eat the property of those who have no descendants," meaning they are unwilling to let their family property benefit their children or nephews for nothing. How much more so would an emperor, let alone the country and its people?

For the officials, the emperor's sons are dying one after another, and to this day, the country has been without an heir for several years, which is undoubtedly very worrying.

In feudal times, an emperor in his forties had no children!

This is a rather alarming hidden danger.

The country and its people were thrown into turmoil, and uprisings and unrest occurred frequently in recent years. The reason for this is undoubtedly the fact that the emperor had no son.

Adopting a member of the imperial family to stabilize the state was undoubtedly a very urgent matter.

Both sides were torn: the king was heartbroken at the loss of his son, and the ministers were worried about the fate of the nation. Neither side was willing to back down even an inch.

Even with a powerful monarch, the ministers were not necessarily weak. Officials in the cabinet, the six ministries, and the censorate were not to be trifled with and frequently submitted memorials regarding the succession and the establishment of an heir.

Power can come from the top down, and it can also come from the bottom up.

As time went by and the years passed, the emperor clearly sensed the increasing pressure from his ministers.

Therefore, the emperor selected Fu Bi, hoping that this loyal minister would sit in the position of the head of all officials, suppress the ministers, reduce the endless petitions from the ministers, and relieve the pressure on the emperor.

After all, Fu Bi, who was also childless, could certainly understand his pain!

The power of the Grand Chancellor, combined with Fu Bi's political acumen, was more than enough to support Fu Bi in suppressing civil and military officials.

What is a Grand Chancellor?

The head of all officials is the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Privy Council, and can be called the Grand Chancellor!

The Zhou Dynasty had a unique official system, which included the Grand Secretariat, the Three Departments and Six Ministries, as well as the Privy Council.

Compared to the Song Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty did not have the Taizu Emperor's "releasing military power over a cup of wine" incident, nor did it suffer the loss of hundreds of thousands of troops under the Taizong Emperor. This allowed the military strength to be preserved, and the civil and military forces were thus clearly separated.

Scholars were promoted through the Grand Secretariat, which oversaw the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and the civil service examinations were the main pathway for advancement.

Military officers were appointed to the Privy Council by powerful nobles, who oversaw the advancement of military officers, with hereditary titles and killing enemies being the main channels for promotion.

Military generals and nobles formed a powerful group, with each generation having a leader who inspired fear.

To curb the power of military generals, the emperor appointed civil officials as the highest-ranking officers of the military.

That is, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who is the head of all officials, and concurrently the Chancellor of the Privy Council, was appointed as the Privy Councilor, thereby curbing the development of military generals and preventing them from having any thoughts of rebellion.

This enabled the Grand Chancellor and the Grand Preceptor to achieve a unified power, wielding immense authority over the entire country.

When it comes to military affairs, the Grand Chancellor is the Privy Council Chancellor.

When it comes to administration, the Grand Chancellor is also known as the Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery.

When it comes to political affairs, the Grand Chancellor is the chief minister of the cabinet.

The three-in-one structure evokes the demeanor of an ancient "prime minister".

When power becomes too great, it must be checked and balanced.

To prevent the Grand Chancellor from wielding excessive power, a fixed number of cabinet members were established, with one entering and one leaving each cabinet. These members could be called Vice Chancellors or Deputy Chancellors, thus achieving a system of checks and balances in administration.

To prevent the Grand Secretaries from forming factions and because no one in the Cabinet was willing to check and balance them, the rank of officials in the Censorate was raised, and the position of Censor-in-Chief was established. The Left and Right Censors-in-Chief were both of the second rank, second only to the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, so as to facilitate impeachment and clear the Emperor's eyes and ears.

To prevent the Grand Chancellor from overstepping his military authority, the head of all officials has always been a staunch supporter of the civil service and despises military generals. Naturally, the military generals will also actively monitor the Grand Chancellor's every move in the Privy Council.

The emperor, on the other hand, achieved a balance by controlling the people who entered the cabinet and dividing the cabinet officials into different factions.

Because of the difference between the cabinet and the privy council, the power of the prime ministers and grand chancellors varied greatly throughout history.

The weaker ones were at the level of the Six Ministers, like Grand Chancellor Li Di, who, according to historical records, held the position of Chancellor but had no real power.

The stronger ones can suppress all civil and military officials, just like Han Zhang, who will one day rule the world, a true leader.

This "top leader" does not refer to the top civil official, nor to the top civil and military officials, but to the top leader of the country and its people.

Even considering the emperor's power, he was still the top leader.

Especially during the period when the new emperor and the empress dowager were engaged in open and covert struggles, Han Zhang was the only person qualified to influence the overall situation.

Whoever he sides with wins!

That's how assertive we are!

Similarly, Fu Bi was also a man of real ability. Once he had the emperor's strong support, even if he did not reach the level of power that Han Zhang would achieve in the future, he could easily suppress all the civil and military officials.

If he gains power and then turns around to support the emperor, the pressure regarding the adoption of a member of the imperial family will be greatly reduced.

This is the government's scheme!

Chapter 6: The Great Confucian Scholar Gains Fame!

Jiang Zhao nodded.

He could naturally see through the official's scheme.

However, the emperor forgot one thing.

The emperor's children died young, and he still had no successor to the throne even when he was in his prime.

This is a truly terrifying situation, and even Fu Bi would find it difficult to handle.

Unless, Fu Bi didn't care about his posthumous reputation and wanted to be a loyal minister who would be "infamous for ten thousand years."

In feudal times, the hierarchy was that of ruler and subject, father and son.

Since the emperor had no sons, it was natural for his ministers to be concerned about the issue of imperial succession.

Therefore, even if it offends the emperor, it is understandable.

This is a point that later emperors were destined to support.

Later emperors were destined to support the idea that "the monarch should resolve the issue of imperial succession as soon as possible." If Fu Bi had been determined to do the opposite, he would have been destined to become a negative example, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he would be infamous for eternity.

As it turns out, what an old minister who has been childless for fifty or sixty years cares about most is his posthumous reputation.