Seeing Concubine Pan questioning his decision, the emperor was a little unhappy and said:
"I have already promoted your father to a noble title, are you still not satisfied? The Song Dynasty has not yet had a minister who is in charge of both the privy council and political affairs."
In the Great Song Dynasty of this world, titles have been simplified a lot. There are not many levels, but they are not overwhelming either. The weight and treatment have also become much heavier.
The title of Duke of Qi in a big country is already the highest title for ministers with foreign surnames, but it has nothing to do with actual power.
The demotion that Pan Guifei mentioned was that the emperor deprived Pan Renmei of his power to govern as Shangshu Zuocheng.
When the Privy Councilor serves as an actual official, he only has a higher reputation. In fact, there is no difference between his power and his knowledge of the affairs of the Privy Council.
In principle, the Song Dynasty implemented the separation of finance, government, and military powers, and all three ministers could be called prime ministers.
As the privy envoy, Pan Renmei controlled the country's military. His status was only half a level lower than the ruling prime minister and equal to the deputy prime minister. In fact, his power was not small.
But this is no wonder the emperor is cautious.
It is true that the heir is too young. It will take at least ten or twenty years for him to take charge. It is too long.
He was not only worried about the monopoly power of his relatives, but also worried that his successor would not have reliable confidants and would be easily dethroned by foreign ministers, so he was so careful.
"Okay, please step aside for now, I have my own arrangements."
Concubine Pan is not a stupid person, and she has read some history books. She just felt a little arrogant after giving birth to the prince.
Seeing the emperor's unhappy expression at this time, he immediately reacted and said nervously:
"My concubine has violated the law. Your Majesty, please forgive me."
She suddenly remembered a story about "Hooking up Mrs. Who", fearing that the emperor would suddenly kill the mother and leave the son.
In fact, the meticulous decentralization system of the Song Dynasty made the court much safer than previous dynasties. In addition, the emperor himself was not a particularly ruthless person, so he did not have such thoughts.
Looking at Concubine Pan's back, the emperor rubbed his brows tiredly, and was about to continue drafting the imperial edict when he suddenly pondered for a moment and ordered the eunuch:
"Ask the Imperial City Secretary to bring me the news that I heard in the last three months."
When the commander of the Imperial City Department arrived, the emperor said directly:
"Read me all the information you think is important."
The commander quickly found a book and read:
"On the first day of October, King Duan had a secret meeting with Cai Jing, and it took him half a day to get out."
"On the second day of October, Cai Jing had a secret meeting with King Yong. Three days later, King Yong's son fell from his horse..."
The emperor's eyes were cold and he said:
"Cao Bin is indeed right. Cai Jing is the mastermind behind King Duan."
Afterwards, the commander read the intelligence of Wang Yanling, Kou Zhun and others.
The content about them is the most detailed, and on several occasions, I even remember their conversations clearly.
After listening, the emperor commented directly:
"The public spirit is commendable, but the loyalty is lacking."
When the commander heard this, he couldn't help but sweat for Wang Yanling and others.
In the eyes of the emperor, no matter how devoted they were to the Song Dynasty, as long as they were not wholeheartedly devoted to the emperor himself, they were not loyal enough.
Then, the commander picked up the Yang family's information again. He was only halfway through reading when he was stopped by the emperor:
"Forget it, I don't want to hear that old lady's stupid things. Let's talk about Cao Bin."
Even without the need for a report from the Imperial City Secretary, the emperor could consciously guess the general situation of the Yang family. Although it was easy to use, the things he did could never satisfy him.
After hearing the emperor's order, the commander did not hesitate and directly picked up Cao Bin's information.
When he heard that Sister Yang had escaped from marriage and had a private meeting with Cao Bin, the emperor almost lost his nerve and asked quickly:
"Is this possible? Does Mrs. She know about this?"
The commander quickly apologized and said:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. We have limited manpower and did not find out the details of Mingzhou. We only know that Aunt Yang rushed over the next day."
The emperor sighed and said:
"One day? He is with Bao Zheng again, so nothing should happen to him."
The commander quietly wiped his hands with cold sweat. He always felt that the emperor was a little disappointed that Cao Bin did not sleep with Sister Yang.
Could it be that the emperor didn't want to see the Cao and Yang families getting along?
The commander made a random guess and quickly continued:
"In mid-October, Pang Ji rushed to Hangzhou and had a secret meeting with Cao Bin."
"The spy was personally trained by Wei Chen and has recorded all their conversations."
After finishing the first half of the sentence, the commander couldn't help but point out the origin of the spy.
The emperor nodded with satisfaction and said:
"Well done."
Then he frowned and said:
"That old fox in Pangji is the most cunning. What did they discuss?"
The emperor became increasingly displeased when he heard that Pang Ji analyzed the situation for Cao Bin and advised him to please King Duan.
However, he was not surprised. In the situation where the overall situation was about to be decided, if he wanted to preserve his power and position, joining King Duan was indeed the best choice.
I just don’t know how Cao Bin could resist Pang Ji’s persuasion.
When he heard Cao Bin's impassioned speech, "A scholar will die for his confidant," the emperor was so moved that he became confused.
"No one as sincere and loyal as Juncai has ever existed before! He is truly my most trusted minister..."
When the commander heard this, he quickly took out a letter and said:
"Your Majesty, we have intercepted a letter, which was written by Master Pan to Marquis Zhongjing. It seems to have promised some conditions."
The emperor looked at it and said indifferently:
"Often things."
After listening to some more information, the emperor sent the Imperial City Commander away.
Immediately afterwards, the emperor sent a message from Zhongshushe:
"Continue to draft the decree."
"Zhongjing Marquis Cao Bin has made meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion. He was given the title of Crown Prince and Young Master. He was assigned to do miscellaneous duties in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and to serve in front of the palace. He was promoted to deputy envoy of the third department and was in charge of the province."
Hearing this appointment, the scholar in Zhongshushe was immediately shocked and hurriedly knelt down and remonstrated:
"Your Majesty, how can a military minister who is loyal to you keep trying to hold an important position?"
"Besides, Zhongjinghou, who is young and suddenly rose to a high position through divine grace, may be detrimental to the country and the atmosphere of the officialdom."
The Deputy Envoy of the Third Division, when there is no Envoy of the Third Division, is the actual person in charge of the Third Division and is in charge of all national finances and taxes.
Its level is almost no lower than that of participating in political affairs, and can be called a false appearance.
The emperor coughed a few times and said:
"Although Cao Bin was a martial artist, he served as an official to appease Shandong."
"Then he governed Xiangzhou and took charge of the finances of Zhejiang and Zhejiang. He was both civil and military. Isn't Grand Master Pan the same?"
As he spoke, he waved his hand and said:
"Okay, Cao Bin has made many meritorious deeds and is worthy of this important task. Just prepare the decree. The ministers will not object..."
At this moment, he quite wanted to ask Cao Bin to assist the young emperor and shoulder the heavy responsibility of entrusting him.
After Wang Yanling was re-appointed as prime minister, the emperor called Concubine Pan in and handed him an imperial edict:
"Just take a look."
Concubine Pan unfolded the imperial edict. Before she could take a closer look, she had a look of horror on her face and said in panic:
"Guan Jia, this...is this true?"
I saw the imperial edict saying:
"Zhongjinghou Cao Bin was favored by the emperor in his life, but he was wild and rebellious. He used qi training and sorcery to deceive the Lord and assassinate the king..."
The emperor ignored her shock, but said in a faint tone:
"Of course it's fake!"
"I want to entrust Cao Bin with a heavy responsibility, but he is too young. It is still unclear what his intentions will be in the future."
"I will seal this decree in a secret box and give it to you for safekeeping. Unless the important officials are gathered together, it will be invalid..."
