Chapter 160 Strategies
"Hahaha, this guy made it up on the spot. This Ma Aiqing is very interesting!"
Sure enough, as Li Shizhong expected, Emperor Sheng not only did not get angry when he heard Ma Quan's shameless lies, but actually found it amusing.
"Your Majesty, when the old slave asked, Ma Quan was frightened! He swore to heaven that he just blurted out out of righteous indignation when he saw those guys causing trouble for the Holy One. He just wanted to shame them, and he would never deceive the King. It means. He kowtowed on the ground and asked the old slave to explain to His Majesty and ask for His Majesty's forgiveness." Li Shizhong laughed along with him and added exaggeratedly, imitating Ma Quan's embarrassment. Eunuch Li has stayed in the palace for so long and is very familiar with all kinds of dangers. Take this matter as an example. Don't look at the fact that the Holy Emperor is so happy right now. If you don't keep it together, if the Holy Family is lost, the Holy Emperor will not like everything about Xiao Ma. If you bring up this matter again, your godson will be finished! Therefore, we must let the Holy Emperor come to a conclusion personally when he is in a good mood - as the saying goes, you have no joke, the Holy Emperor has a golden tongue, and there are officials in the harem who will always record his every word and deed, so he must be able to accurately believe this matter. It takes only a little while to get over it.
"Hahaha, no guilt! Ma Aiqing vented my anger for me, no guilt for meritorious service!" Just as Eunuch Li expected, the cheerful Shengtianzi casually said this, and the matter came to a successful conclusion. The Shengtianzi, who was still unfinished, asked again: "Is there anything interesting outside?"
"Your Majesty. According to the people in Dongchang, those guys were beaten at the court meeting. After returning home, they stayed up most of the night and studied the origin of this sentence! They may want to do it next time. I used allusions from the same book to get back the scene, but who knows, it turned out to be nothing! Hahaha."
"Ha ha ha, don't say anything, let them search for it! I haven't been so happy for a long time!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's natural for me to save this time."
"By the way, how's the discussion between Yan Aiqing and his officials going?" The Holy Emperor thought of Yan Minwang.
"Long live your Majesty. We've discussed it...but...it's really not enough reward!" Li Shizhong respectfully handed over the memorial from the Ministry of Officials with both hands and deliberately put on a grimace and joked. He was also happy for the Holy Emperor from the bottom of his heart. , "Not to mention Li Yao is already the commander of the capital, even Commander Yan is already the third level. From the second level to the first level, to the second level to the first level, from the first level to the first level, and then to the first level, this is only the fourth level! First level! There is no precedent for Zhan to become a first-rank official. Not to mention that the cabinet will never agree. Even if it agrees, the remaining sixteen or seventeen-level officials will not be able to reward him." Li Jinzhong twirled his fingers and said with a smile.
"Hahaha. That also deserves a reward!" The Holy Emperor has not been so happy for a long time. "The old rule is to add honorary titles and then find a way from the worldly position. By the way, are Li Yao and Yan Minwang married? If not To get married, choose a suitable one from the clan, and I will marry you..."
"Long live your Majesty. This old slave has specially checked with Ji Xunsi. Li Yao's sons are all married! Although Yan Minwang is younger, his children are all over the place." Li Shizhong had already thought of this move for the Holy Emperor: from the clan Find an older leftover girl and put it in any of these two homes, and your children and grandchildren will be prosperous and wealthy! Well, from now on, you will be considered a relative of the emperor and the Holy Emperor as a family - you are already a family, why do you still have the nerve to argue with the court about how many levels of merit you are short of?
It's a pity that these two guys have real wives, so this method will not work.
"That's a reward!" The Holy Emperor was a little embarrassed, but since he expressed his position in front of all the officials, he couldn't just let it go no matter what.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have a plan. You can see if it's okay. Although the Li family took down the title of commander of the capital of Taozhou along the way, theoretically speaking, after Yongle, the position of commander of the capital was changed to a conferral. The Holy One issued a decree to attack the third generation, and then he went to the third level of merit. Yan Minwang was promoted to the first level, and was awarded the title of Commander Tongzhi of the capital. He was considered to be the first level. The title of commander can be achieved, but he can also be awarded the honorary title of Jinyiwei. Li The three generations of the Yan family were divided into Jin Yiwei commanding Qianshi, Zhenfu envoys, and Qianhu; the three generations of Yan family Yin served as Zhenfu envoys twice, with thousands of households in each generation. The rest will be figured out at the casual level. Li Yao was awarded the title of General of Hussars at the beginning, and after two In the same year, he was promoted to General Jinwu, Yan Minwang was promoted to General Zhaoyong, and two years later he was promoted to General Zhaoyi. At most, in a few years, General Longhu and General Zhaowu would be awarded. Li Yao was awarded the title of Prince Shaofu, and Yan Minwang was awarded the title of Prince Shao. My dear, please reward me with some odds and ends, wine, etc., and all the credit will be here."
"Well, okay, okay, great! Let's do it like this! Let's reward them with five hundred taels of silver from the internal funds. However, it was Yan Minwang who led the troops to attack the thieves, and most of the credit was taken by Li Yao. I It's not that Li Yao is not good. After all, he was the one who brought Yan Minwang out, and he deserves all the credit. It's just that I feel that Commander Yan is a little shortchanged." Shengtianzi felt that there were some flaws in the ointment.
"Then I will reward Commander Yan with a royal flag. What do you think? After all, he is the main leader of the troops, so it makes sense to give the deputy flag. If there is a war in the future, Commander Yan will definitely need it as the governor-general coordinates military affairs." Li Shizhong Jin Yan said.
"You are still thoughtful." Sheng Tianzi praised.
"I don't dare to take matters into my own hands." Li Shizhong hesitated, "Would you like to read the military intelligence report of Commander Yan attached to the Ministry of War?"
"Of course I want to see it, bring it over. I thought Sun Jie was the most powerful, but I didn't expect that Commander Yan is also a great general, haha." As the Holy Emperor spoke, he took Yan Minwang's report and started browsing it.
As he watched, Sheng Tianzi's smile faded and his eyebrows furrowed unconsciously - this was exactly what Li Shizhong had guessed.
After a long time, Emperor Sheng raised his head and looked at Li Shizhong: "You arranged this in advance, right?"
With a "pop", Li Shizhong knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily: "This old slave is guilty of death. Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
"Get up, you are not guilty. You have good intentions, so why are you guilty? Am I the kind of fool who can't tell right from wrong?" The Holy Emperor sighed.
"The Holy One, the Holy One." Li Shizhong got up from the ground and responded with his head bowed.
"How did you find out?" Sheng Tianzi asked.
"Go back to Your Majesty. Your Majesty knows that the old slave is not very literate. When the General Secretary forwards the report, the old slave will ask someone who is literate to give the old slave an overview. Just in case His Majesty asks about someone or something, the old slave can Make some preparations in advance. In this military intelligence report, Commander Yan mentioned that it had been raining for dozens of days in a row, and the old slave thought of the governor's petition the previous year. At that time, the Holy Spirit had left it to the old slave, so he boldly gave it to him. Please remind me."
"Yeah. That's what you meant by taking Ma Quan to the General Affairs Department, right? It's okay. I don't blame you. It's a good thing. What if I was negligent and didn't notice it?"
Li Shizhong did not dare to say anything.
"Let me take a guess. In a few days, I should receive a memorial about the rain in Gansu, right? You stand still, no need to kneel." Seeing that Li Shizhong was about to kneel down again, the Holy Emperor immediately waved his hands to stop, "Until I want to Get up, right? It’s hard for you too.”
Seeing Li Shizhong's frightened look, the Holy Emperor said: "You don't have to have so many worries in the future. I am also a human being. Some things can be thought of, and some may not be thought of at the moment. If you can't think of it, don't make any more detours, just give me a heads up. ." As he spoke, he glanced at the other chamberlains and replied, "You are all the same. I am not saying that all officials in the outer court are bad, but everyone has his own home and his own parents. Wife and children, it is human nature to think about your own family. As long as you don’t go too far, I won’t have to worry about anything with them. But you are different. As long as you do everything out of public motives, don’t have so many scruples. I can I understand, because you are all my family." The last two words, Shengtianzi deliberately emphasized his tone.
Hula, all the inner prisoners knelt on the ground. These two words spoken by the Holy Emperor himself made these poor people who had lost everything feel grateful from the bottom of their hearts. At this moment, everyone was determined to fight for the Holy Emperor. Determination to die.
"Everyone, get up." Sheng Tianzi sighed again, "Take this matter as an example. The Ministry of War collected the military report and forwarded it to the General Affairs Department, who read it and then reported it to the cabinet. The cabinet did not give me a vote... ...I don’t believe it. After such a big circle, no one would think of Xi Junyu’s thing! It’s up to you to remind me in a roundabout way. Those officials can’t catch such honest people as Sun Shuai and General Yan. People, look at that energy, but you just turn a blind eye to this kind of thing! You have to find a way to stop this evil trend."
Emperor Sheng expressed this idea more than once, and Li Shizhong also made suggestions, but he was always worried and did not take action. Although Eunuch Li had a clear mind, all internal eunuchs were not good people in the eyes of civil servants, but if If I really put aside everything to be "loyal" to the Holy Emperor, I will immediately and forever become the mortal enemy of most civil servants, and will be infamy for thousands of years in history: the history books are all written by them, can they say good things about their mortal enemies?
However, at this moment, looking at the tired appearance of the Holy Emperor, especially the word "family" that was as heavy as a thousand words just now, Li Shizhong made up his mind and risked his life for the Holy Emperor: "Your Majesty, this matter will be handled by this old slave from now on." Bar."
"Oh? Do you have any good ideas?" Shengtianzi became energetic.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember how the great ceremony was resolved?" After Li Shizhong finished speaking, he quickly glanced at the Holy Emperor.
The Holy Emperor was startled when he heard this: "Of course I know. You mean..."
"Yes, Your Majesty. We must fight!" Li Shizhong's eyes were full of hot anger. "It's nominally for the so-called etiquette. Hundreds of people collaborated to force the ancestor to not recognize his biological parents. Is this really for that?" Is it a ritual? The old slave is not very literate, and he has never read any books about sages. But thinking about it, not only a sage, but also a country man, it cannot be said that disowning his parents is in line with that ritual, right? What's the result? You just let it go and don't do serious things, and you keep making trouble for three years! Finally, after the ban is over, who dares to make trouble anymore? No one makes trouble anymore! From the old slave's point of view, this is all just for fame and reputation! Anyway, Your Majesty If they don't show their sincerity, they will be emboldened. The more they make a fuss, the more outrageous it becomes. In the previous court, there were actually people carrying a coffin to the court! Isn't this a trick? If the late emperor really wanted to do something to him, he would have no need to make such a fuss on his own. What? However, after such a commotion, what did the people in the capital think of them? They all raised their thumbs and praised them, "What a brave and loyal minister"! Their reputation has been won, but whose reputation has been ruined? The late emperor! "Speaking of the late emperor, Li Shizhong raised his sleeves and wiped the overflowing tears, "'Loyal ministers' carried the coffin to the court, what will the ignorant people say about the late emperor? Could it be that the late emperor was, actually forced to have no loyal ministers? Are you going to survive...that kind of emperor? Did they ever really think about the late emperor? No! In order to fight for their own fame, they are cheating the late emperor!"
"Well said!" The Holy Emperor was also angry, and a flash of excited red flashed across his face, "Well said! When you said that, I also remembered one thing, 'Nangong Restoration'! The orthodox emperor is Under the control of the captives, the ministers supported Emperor Jingtai. Emperor Jingtai dethroned the Zhengtong emperor and crown prince and established his own son. All officials were silent and Zhengtong returned to the court and placed Nangong under house arrest. Long live... I finally see it clearly. They just pick out honest people to bully. No one dares to rebel against the emperor who is determined to kill and kill! This matter is left to you. You must take good care of these people who are always hanging on their righteousness. What he talks about is actually a hypocrite who is just trying to gain fame!”
"Old slave, I obey the order." Li Shizhong bowed and responded.
*Gong Gu Guan: San Gong and San Gu are collectively called Gong Gu Guan.
"History of the Ming Dynasty·Zhiguanzhi" says: "The Taishi, Taifu and Taibao are the three masters, the first rank. The young master, the Shaofu and the Shaobao are the three orphans. They are the first rank. They are in charge of assisting the emperor to manage yin and yang, and promote the country. Their duties are Most important."
It's quite mysterious. In theory, the Grand Master is the Prince's literary master, the Grand Master is the Prince's martial arts master, and the Taibao is the Prince's bodyguard. Young Master, Young Master, and Young Protector are their deputy positions, one level lower. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, these were only used for part-time officials, additional officials, and gifted officials, but were not specifically established. They were all false titles. They were only used as titles for gifted officials and added titles, or as posthumous gifts to deceased heroes and important officials, and were not actual duties. To put it bluntly, these are honorary titles.
*Scattered level. Whether civil or military, there are some false titles, let's call them honorary titles. The civil servants range from the lowest rank, the ninth rank general, Shizuo Lang, to the highest rank, the special rank Ronglu doctor, and the military generals range from the sixth rank, Zhongxian Xiaowei, to the first rank special rank, Ronglu doctor (this is called different paths to the same destination). . Each level has an initial award, a promotion award, and some have an additional award. For example, in this article, Li Yao was first awarded the rank of Hussar General, and when he was promoted to the rank of General Jinwu, when he was further awarded, he was called the General of Dragon and Tiger, all of which were the second grade.
There is another kind of honor called "Hon", which is also divided into civil and military. The fifth rank of Wenxun and the tenth level range from the fifth rank of Xiezheng Shuyin to the first rank of Zuo/Right Zhuguo, and the sixth rank of Wuxun and the twelfth rank, from the sixth rank of Martial Cavalry Lieutenant to the first rank of Zuo/Youzhuguo. We often hear about the Yunqiwei, Xiaoqiwei, Qingchaoduwei, these are Wu Xun and Guanglu, the senior official. These are literary and informal officials.
*King’s Order Flag.
The collective name of the flag and the token is a certificate of rights, and the holder has the temporary right to act at his own convenience within the framework specified by the decree. Because it symbolizes a direct order from the Holy Emperor, its use requires certain rituals to be followed. In particular, the user must say: "I respectfully request the king's order." The royal flags all have a fixed shape and are uniformly produced by the Ministry of Industry and sealed by the Ministry of War. In the Ming Dynasty, the flags and cards were combined into one, but more were issued, and some were made by themselves with the tacit approval of the imperial court. As we all know, when it comes to wrangling, the Ming Dynasty bureaucrats are the champions of the universe. Sometimes the frontline is in urgent need, but the imperial court is a pot of porridge and will not give it to you. In order to boost morale or gain the power to make on-the-spot military decisions, generals who have received the emperor's orders simply make their own: For example, a second-grade general officer can kill a few small flag officers who escaped from the battle, but without going through formal procedures, you can You can't behead the third-grade generals who are delaying the opportunity to fight - just show the king's order flag. The court didn't give it, so I made a report myself: I made an emergency first. As long as the court doesn't explicitly prohibit it, that's fine. But it can only be used in your own army and will not be recognized by other places. If it was issued by the imperial court, it can be used anywhere.
In order to avoid abuse, the royal flag was accompanied by an edict, which stipulates the scope of use: Governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi Military Affairs, of course you can use this to ask the local officials of Sichuan and Shaanxi for cooperation, but you cannot use this to ask Huguang - even if it is a You can't control the county magistrate.
