Liu Gui has a very upright face, the kind of look that makes people fall in love with him at first sight, but there is a faint feminine temperament on his fair face. Of course, this is normal. After all, Liu Gui is a eunuch, and he is also the only eunuch among so many young masters. This uniqueness shows that he is extraordinary.
Liu Gui was the second generation eunuch of Gen Hongmiaozheng. His adoptive father, Liu Yandao, was a senior eunuch in the Kaifeng court. He was more senior than Wang Jien and Yantuo to a certain extent, and he was quite famous. He had served as a tea and wine envoy and a flying dragon. Envoys and palace envoys are "virtuous officials" who have both ability and political integrity.
Under Liu Yandao's words and deeds, Liu Gui's abilities and qualities were extremely strong. Not to mention the eunuchs in the palace, he was considered outstanding among the ministers of the imperial court.
Emperor Liu once said that it was his status as a eunuch that limited Liu Gui, otherwise his achievements would be limitless. Of course, also because of his status as a eunuch, Liu Gui was less constrained in the process of doing errands.
Liu Gui really came into Emperor Liu's sight after the currency reform was carried out that year. As time went by, new problems gradually came to light. The old weights and measures were complex and backward, seriously unrealistic, unable to meet market needs, and even caused a certain amount of confusion.
When the Financial Secretary was urgently discussing and preparing to issue a new weighing method and re-standardize it, Liu Gui stepped forward at the right time and submitted a "Two Terms Law" to Emperor Liu.
In that first edition of the "Two Terms of Law", Liu Gui drew on the weighing legal systems of previous dynasties, combined with the national conditions of the Han Dynasty, summarized and improved it, and formulated a set of very precise and detailed weighing rules. Especially when it comes to measuring the value of gold and silver, it can be measured in millimeters.
Emperor Liu sent the "Two Names Method" to the Financial Secretary for discussion. The Financial Secretary gave a very high evaluation and said that the person who developed this method was a genius in algorithm and could implement a new weighing system based on it.
Later, I learned that this weighing method, which they rated highly, was actually written by a eunuch, probably to save his respect. Later, the Financial Secretary made certain deletions and changes to Liu Gui's "Two Names Method". , and then implemented it, gradually replacing the old law and promulgating it all over the country.
But no matter how it is modified, its core gist has not changed. Liu Gui's contribution to it cannot be erased by anyone. Liu Gui, who was less than thirty years old at that time, became famous and began to gain the attention of Emperor Liu.
In the later understanding, Emperor Liu discovered that in addition to his talent in weights and measures, Liu Gui was also good at management. He was methodical and unhurried in everything he did. He was also a good reader and had a very good literary accomplishment.
Emperor Liu was naturally happy to see such a character among the eunuchs who had grown up in the palace and had an innocent background. At that time, the suspicious Emperor Liu did not think much about the disaster that a talented eunuch might bring to the court.
With the appreciation from Emperor Liu, Liu Gui's official career was naturally smooth, and even out of control. He served successively as the second envoy of the Palace Garden and the Palace Palace, and was finally placed in the position of Shaofu Supervisor by Emperor Liu.
You must know that this young eunuch is a high-ranking official of the third rank, with practical duties and great authority. After all, he manages the royal family's property. This has aroused a lot of criticism. In many old concepts, Emperor Liu raised the status of eunuchs in this way, which is clearly following the old path. Eunuchs are involved in politics, and they have learned lessons for thousands of years!
Therefore, it was inevitable that a group of Qing gossip officials came forward to dissuade Emperor Liu by citing the incidents of eunuchs from the Qin, Han and Tang dynasties interfering in politics and causing harm to the country and the people.
However, how could Emperor Liu listen to this? During the thirty or forty years he had been in power, had eunuchs ever interfered in politics? The fundamental reason for such a situation is that the emperor is incompetent and the imperial power is declining. And if it reaches that point, the harm of eunuchs to the royal family may not be as serious as that of bureaucrats and ministers.
On the other hand, Emperor Liu would consider that the encouraging reaction of these ministers just proved that he felt threatened. Emperor Liu would naturally do things that could make the bureaucrats feel threatened.
At the same time, Emperor Liu also believed that those bureaucrats who acted as if they were loyal to the country were more likely to want to make a fuss about this matter, and their fundamental purpose was to limit the imperial power.
With these considerations in mind, Emperor Liu naturally strengthened his determination and gave some examples of "good officials" to implement Liu Gui's post of Shaofu Supervisor.
Emperor Liu's trust in Liu Gui also aroused good response among the huge group of eunuchs. Eunuchs are an extremely closed group with strict hierarchies, and the competition among them is even more fierce. Every step forward, the competition is no less difficult than those of the bureaucrats in foreign dynasties who rise to the top, and the cruelty is even greater.
After all, there is a rotation system for bureaucracy. People come and go, which is normal. However, the mobility of eunuch positions is extremely poor and is seriously solidified. Just by looking at Yantuo, you can see that he has served as the leader of the line for thirty years and has both the name and reality of being a general manager. Within the palace, there are many supervisors, various temple bureaus, and many people who have been in charge of a department for more than ten or twenty years.
In such an environment, Liu Gui's rise was completely an exceptional promotion, breaking many rules and regulations. Of course, the so-called unspoken rules could not withstand a word from the emperor. Liu Gui can be regarded as a model for the eunuchs of the middle and lower classes. How to please the officials has become a matter that many eunuchs have devoted themselves to studying. However, after so many years, there has been only one case like Liu Gui, and the luck in it is indeed extraordinary.
As for Liu Gui's fate, the two chief eunuchs, Wang Jien and Yan Tuo, were filled with envy, jealousy, hatred, and all sorts of emotions.
You must know that these two people spent decades working as cows and horses, weathering the wind and rain. Relying on their qualifications and merits, they broke through the eunuch grade restrictions and were awarded the third grade title.
However, Liu Gui, because of the favor of the official family, rose to the top in one fell swoop, came late and came late, and reached the status of "equal" with them. How can they balance their hearts.
Of course, these grievances cannot be directed at the officials. Officials are naturally "official" in employing people. It's just Liu Gui who confuses the officials by being opportunistic.
Ascension by leaps and bounds often means that the foundation is unstable. If a tree is weak in the forest, the wind will destroy it. It is logical that Liu Gui, who served as the Shaofu, suffered double suppression from Yantuo and Wang Jien.
Especially Wang Jien, the spy of the Imperial City Division was staring at Liu Gui's every move, intending to find mistakes in him.
But the appointment of Liu Gui once again proved Emperor Liu's vision of people. Although there was some controversy, Liu Gui's performance in office was once again unexpected. He took care of everything in the Shaofu in an orderly manner, without any omissions, and was good at calculation. Liu Gui also made changes and innovations in the management system, greatly improving administrative efficiency and making great progress in "refined management".
Liu Gui is naturally an extremely smart person. He is high-profile and effective in his work, but he is very low-key, humble and reserved.
Of course, some performances may just be out of necessity. Liu Gui was keenly aware of the risks behind the glory, and the cold arrows hidden in the dark were always aimed at him. Liu Gui, who grew up in the palace, had seen and heard too much about these.
Faced with some dangerous situations, Liu Gui naturally had ways to deal with them. He adopted the strategy of turning enemies into friends and leveraging his strength.
First, he moved closer to Yantuo, gave gifts, showed loyalty, and actively obtained his forgiveness. Faced with such a knowledgeable junior, Yantuo was finally "influenced" and accepted Liu Gui.
Of course, the deeper reason is that Yantuo saw that Liu Gui's take-off was unstoppable and could not be easily defeated by some small moves. His initiative to move closer to him made him feel more gratified, at least not Turn to that old dog Wang Jien.
After gaining Yantuo's approval, Liu Gui's Shaofu supervisor was naturally as stable as a mountain. First, he had the trust of Emperor Liu, secondly, he had Yantuo's protection, and thirdly, he had sufficient quality and ability.
The only hidden danger is that he stands on the opposite side of Wang Jien, but Wang Jien is not the one who can cover the sky with one hand in the Han court. And Wang Jien also realized in the subsequent development that Liu Gui cannot be underestimated or eliminated. With the trust of the officials, some small losses cannot be shaken at all, but big problems are not so easy to find.
After thinking about it, Wang Jien decided to temporarily put aside his prejudices, and even took the initiative to throw an olive branch to him. After all, he could not let the powerful and responsible Shaofu Supervisor completely surrender to the hostile Yan Tuo. Don't do it.
In this way, taking advantage of the conflict between Yan and Wang, the two great eunuchs of the Han Palace, Liu Gui moved around with ease, gradually gained a foothold, and even established a faction of his own eunuchs...
(End of chapter)
