In fact, the real purpose of the Minister of Rites was to go to Wencheng. But this prince didn't even mention a word about Wencheng and other lower-level posthumous titles. Instead, he was given a posthumous title of Wen He, which was really a bit nondescript. Judging from this posthumous title, the decision of the prince who is now in charge is somewhat interesting.
This posthumous title of Wenhe does not have a high status among the posthumous titles of civil servants. Although except for Wenzheng and Wenzhen, no one has publicly ranked the other posthumous titles. But privately, almost everyone believed that the two posthumous titles of Wenzhong and Wencheng were the real ones ranked second. According to everyone's default ranking, this article is not only ranked extremely low, it can even be said to be ranked at the bottom.
In some people's ears, the posthumous title Wen He does not seem like a good posthumous title. Not only did he not make any kind comments about the old gentleman. On the contrary, it was a bit of a mockery of the old gentleman. Apart from being able to write beautiful articles, he couldn't do anything else. It is a criticism of the old man who, apart from his seniority, cannot bring peace to the country with his letters, nor can he defend his country with his arms.
Except for an article that can be read, it is nothing, and it has not made much contribution to the court. Even though the prince did not express this comment on the surface. But those officials who are smarter can definitely hear this meaning. The old man has been an official for forty years, and all the disciples have been officials in the court. Are they short of money? Do I send you this official position for your descendants?
When people reach this point, what matters more is reputation and whether they get the glory they want after death. It's a good thing to come to you. There is nothing left in a word, not even a false title. His eldest son was promoted to the first level, but he was moved from being a good person with some real power in Sinong Temple to just a fictitious title. He had basically nothing to do except flipping through piles of old books all day long.
There is not even a fixed office place, and most of the time there is no need to work. Usually, the title of direct bachelor of Jixian Academy is given to senior officials who are about to retire. The status seems to be there, and the position seems to have been promoted, but a closer look reveals that nothing is there. It was simply moved from the cesspit to the cesspit. To put it bluntly, even the prime minister of Sinong Temple was no longer allowed to sit on the bench.
As for his younger brother, he simply transferred him back to the capital from the real shortage of prefect. His elder brother Guan Long, he was assigned to take care of the livestock. No one in the entire dynasty would think that a third-grade Taipusi minister who was sitting on the bench would be better than a fourth-grade magistrate. What's more, that was the prefect of Jiangning. And what kind of place is Jiangning Mansion? It is the richest and best place in the south of the Yangtze River in the entire Daqi.
It is not only a place where water transportation gathers, but also a place where wealth in the south of the Yangtze River gathers. A little bit of residue dropped on your finger is probably a treasure trove of gold and silver. Among all the civil and military officials in the court, no one was willing to go, let alone the minister of Sinong Temple who asked him to be the third-rank official. But if he were to be the fourth-grade prefect of Jiangning, he would probably have his head broken. What's more, the prefect of Jiangning also serves as the water transport envoy of Jiangnan.
Every year, grain from the south of the Yangtze River is transported to the north, and taxes from the south of the Yangtze River are brought to Beijing, but he has everything under his control. This is a huge vacancy. It can be said that in this dynasty, it is second only to the two Huaihe Salt Patrol Envoys. From such a lucrative position to being transferred to the cold bench of Sinong Temple, to put it mildly, it means being demoted. Listening to Huang Qiong's arrangements, the ministers in the court who were smarter couldn't help but sigh that things were about to change.
The prince didn't even think about stealing his love, and directly put them both in Ding You's position. According to the system of previous dynasties, Ding You must be at least three years old. And after three years, who can guarantee what kind of situation the DPRK and China will be like? Maybe in three years, those two will not be able to keep their official positions. Judging from this man's obvious dislike, nothing good may happen in three years.
Maybe by then, even the bench won't be given to these two brothers. Thinking of Concubine De in the palace's always acting in a style and King Song's arrogance and domineering attitude, the officials thought it was this prince who was here to cause anger. Because the emperor is still alive now, let him take Concubine De and the King of Song, who have no other way. Then she vented some of her grievances on the old man who was the concubine's mother-in-law.
It's just that the ministers had different thoughts here, but they almost unanimously ignored one issue. That is, Huang Qiong ordered Qin Tianjian to find a cemetery for the old man near the capital. It was like disguising the emperor's promise to allow the old man to bury the imperial mausoleum in disguise. You must know that being able to bury an imperial mausoleum is a great honor no matter which dynasty or generation you belong to.
Huang Qiong's words completely obliterated the matter. Faced with this powerful Crown Prince, who came up with such a solution, the ministers looked at me and I looked at you, and they didn’t know what to say for a moment? Rumor has it that the old gentleman, during his few sober moments during this period, was most concerned about being buried in an imperial mausoleum after his death, and about the completion of his posthumous title.
Because whether he is given the posthumous title Wencheng or is buried in an imperial mausoleum, it represents the Heavenly Family's recognition of his achievements in this life. Although he had never expected that the imperial court would give him a posthumous title like Wenzheng, the highest rank a civil servant could achieve. However, he believed that during his tenure, he compiled a large number of documents from this dynasty and made many comments on classics and history. And those, even parts, were used as Imperial College lecture notes.
After one's death, it is still possible to obtain a second-class posthumous title of Wencheng. As for being buried in an imperial mausoleum, that had been his lifelong wish. He believed that he had presided over many examinations and selected many talented people for the imperial court. He himself is a veteran of three dynasties, and when the current emperor regained power, he was the first to stand in line and express support. During his tenure, he always fully supported the emperor's governance.
He still has the qualifications to be buried in an imperial mausoleum. As a result, he did not expect that his two requests, which were so easy, were all rejected by the prince, and none of them were met. Thinking of this prince, when the old Lord Ouyang, the former secretary of the Xijing Palace, passed away, even though he was in Xijing, he argued with the emperor over this matter. In the end, the old lord received the highest honor as a military attache.
Why was it that when I arrived at this old gentleman’s place, I was treated differently? When you first assume a great position and have just gained authority, you should at least make a gesture to appease the ministers. You must know that the old gentleman was not only a veteran of three dynasties, but also presided over many examinations. His disciples and former officials were all over the world. Doing so would really not help appease the ministers. It’s okay for you to keep even one of the old gentleman’s two wishes.
In fact, the ministers thought that Huang Qiong's move was a disguised way of venting his anger, and they were totally wrong. Although Huang Qiong is not the kind of person who repays evil with kindness, he does not always repay his flaws. He did this simply because he was dissatisfied with the old gentleman's official character and character. On the surface, the Minister of Rites proposed Wenhe, but he left himself room for bargaining. In fact, he wanted to win Wencheng for the old gentleman.
It's not like he didn't see the idea of bargaining. But in his opinion, the old gentleman was not only unworthy of the posthumous title of Wen Cheng, he was not even worthy of the posthumous title of Wen He. That old gentleman was indeed a veteran of three dynasties. But when were these three dynasties? How many storms have you experienced during this period? The Huaiyang Incident almost caused two reshuffles of the imperial court.
During this period, he, the old man, had so many officials resigned from office, dismissed from their posts, and even beheaded, but he still remained firmly in the Diaoyutai. Whether it was during the reign of Emperor Sejong, Emperor Yeoljong, or the period when his grandfather was so powerful that he almost usurped the throne, this old gentleman never changed his position. Even every time the situation changes, he has to move up a level.
In Huang Qiong's view, this old gentleman was nothing more than a wallflower. He was like a glazed egg in the officialdom. Even though his grandfather was suspicious by nature and extremely distrustful of civil servants, this old gentleman was not only able to upgrade step by step, but he was also able to preside over the examination. It is enough to show that he has no loyalty to the court at all.
He will obey whoever is in power and who is in position. Based on his experiences in those years, it would have been nice not to pursue his party affiliation with his grandfather. However, Huang Qiong also admired the old gentleman's ability to hedge his bets. When Concubine De entered the palace, she was probably hedging her bets in addition to trying to please her grandfather. If my old man wins in that fight, he will still be the emperor's father-in-law.
If his grandfather wins, although he does not do anything publicly for his grandfather, he has done a lot for the new dynasty. Even his own daughter became a victim. Even if my grandfather didn't like him, at least he wouldn't treat him badly. What's more, judging from the treatment he received when his grandfather was in power, that old gentleman may not really be an innocent person.
Moreover, during his nearly forty years as an official, he had never made any suggestions to the court on major matters that would benefit the world, nor had he impeached any corrupt officials. He never assisted the old man to create a prosperous age. On the contrary, they have put a lot of effort into forming a party. To be honest, before he was assassinated, a considerable number of the imperial officials in the imperial court's central organization were his former officials.
Among the local officials, there are also a large number of fat vacancies. Even among the first-level officials of the prefecture in various areas in the south of the Yangtze River, when he presided over the examinations over the years, fully 60% of his students were successful. Looking back at his life as an official and doing things, apart from being quite law-abiding and stable, there is almost nothing that makes him stand out. On the contrary, in terms of being a person, it can be said that he has put in a lot of effort, so he has been able to survive three times.
In Huang Qiong's view, this person was a weak and mediocre official. Not to mention the posthumous title of Wen Cheng, in fact, even the posthumous title of Wen He, which was most suitable for his life, Huang Qiong felt that these two words were a bit wasted. Such an official would still want to be buried in an imperial mausoleum after his death. Fortunately, he dared to think so. Huang Qiong believed that for such a person, he could do this, which was the most benevolent and righteous thing he could do.
The capable are promoted and the mediocre are demoted. This is Huang Qiong's unswerving policy in employing people. He can tolerate slight moral flaws, but he is a capable and responsible person. But we must not allow a dim-witted, mediocre person who only knows how to take advantage of opportunities to occupy any high position. Not alive, not even after death. Honors during and after life are given to those who have made contributions.
He would not give any honor to a person like that old gentleman who is so dim and selfish. None of the civil and military officials in the imperial court are blind. Even for some reasons, they still want to fight for the old gentleman. He also knew very well about the old gentleman as a person and as an official. For anyone who values harmony, it would be a good idea to give him a posthumous title of Wenhe.
I just used this matter today to announce my attitude towards employment to the world. Clearly tell all the ministers and workers in the world that if you want to live a life of fishing under your own hands, it is absolutely impossible to be an official with a glass egg. If you want to be such an official, you must either hand over your official position and get out of your own initiative. Or, adjust yourself as soon as possible and change your mentality as an official.
