Chenshi is the time when there are the most people on the streets. Although they have lived in Chang'an for a long time, ordinary people rarely see the emperor. This time the emperor made an exception and left the palace, so the people in the city had no choice but to gather and watch. Wherever the emperor's guard of honor went, people knelt on the ground and worshiped. .
Everyone knew that the emperor left the palace this time to welcome the heroic prince who returned in triumph. Since Chang Sheng did not appear in public very often, not many people in the city knew him. When they saw this with their own eyes, they all marveled and sighed. Heaven succeeds and ambition rises, heroes emerge from youth.
Chang'an occupies a large area, and it took half an hour to walk from Mingde Gate to the palace. During this period, although the emperor turned around many times, Chang Sheng did not come forward to speak to the emperor. You must know that there is a difference between monarch and minister. If he talks to the emperor in full view of the public, The emperor's chatter and laughter undoubtedly undermined the emperor's supreme majesty.
The only people who followed the emperor to the outside of the city to greet him were officials of the fifth rank and above. In order to highlight the importance they attached to Chang Sheng and others, all the officials of the seventh rank and above rushed outside the palace to wait. The square outside the palace was filled with people kneeling in darkness. .
When he arrived outside the palace, the emperor stepped down from the dragon chariot and raised his hand to the eunuch who was delivering the edict. Upon seeing this, the latter hurriedly picked up the imperial edict that had been prepared from the wooden tray that the young eunuch had been holding, chanted it loudly, and stated The merits of everyone come first, and the commendations and edicts follow. There are two rewards for longevity. One is to change the king's title from bravery to loyalty, and the other is to be added to the title of Minister of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment. The reward for Datou and others is to be given the title of Crown Prince and Taibao.
The eunuch announced the imperial edict, and the five men thanked the emperor and accepted the edict.
By this time, most of the welcoming process has been completed, and then there will be a banquet in the main hall, accompanied by officials of third grade or above.
The emperor held Chang Sheng's hand and walked in front, followed by the general of the imperial guards and Datou and others, followed by the civil and military officials attending the banquet.
Although he was held by the emperor's hand, Changsheng was still half a body behind the emperor. There is an idiom that his merit is so high that he surpasses his master. He knew very well that he had already surpassed his master by his merit. This was a taboo for ministers. The more the emperor's favor, the more prosperous he was. , the more you must abide by etiquette, otherwise the emperor's heart will easily become unbalanced.
Regarding the emperor's praise and praise, Changsheng was extremely humble and never took credit. He only said that whether it was annihilating the Japanese pirates or persuading the rebels to surrender, including raising food in the Western Regions, it was all thanks to the great blessings of the emperor Ziwei and the protection of Mingjun Tianwei.
It was already the time, and the weather was hot. Seeing that Datou and others were still wearing the cloaks he had given them back then, the emperor turned back and said casually to Datou and others, "Generals, you have been working hard, and those cloaks are quite valuable." It’s thick, so I might as well untie it, and it needs to be a little cooler.”
Since Chang Sheng had already warned him, upon hearing the emperor's words, Da Tou and others immediately responded loudly, and then each took off their cloaks.
The emperor smiled and turned around, pulling Changsheng forward.
Although Chang Sheng looks normal, he is very dangerous in secret. What a monarch hates most is when the people below use the power given by him to form gangs. As a minister, you must always stay awake and remember who gave you the power. Datou Although the others are his confidants, they are also the emperor's ministers. The emperor's move is to test whether Datou and others will obey him. If Datou and others do not immediately follow the emperor's order, they will look to him and ask for his opinion. , then it’s completely over.
Fortunately, Datou and others immediately obeyed, so the emperor would think that he must have taught Datou and others a lot on weekdays. While obeying his orders, they should always remember that the emperor is the greatest and has the highest power.
Although Changsheng never talked about business with the emperor, he already knew what the emperor was thinking. The emperor changed his royal title from brave to loyal. It seemed that there was just one missing word, but in fact there was a huge difference, because only the royal family Only those who are blood relatives can be given the title of one-character king. Just like Li Bao, the king's title only has one character for auspiciousness. Although he was also a prince before, he was a two-character prince. The difference from the blood relatives of the royal family is very obvious. Anyone with a discerning eye will know that he is a prince at a glance. The prince was promoted due to his meritorious service and received an exceptional reward. The emperor naming himself the loyal king this time is equivalent to telling the world to regard him as a blood brother, and the word "loyalty" is a great recognition of himself. You must know that loyalty is the emperor's highest evaluation of his ministers, and there is only one word higher than loyalty. , but the text will only be used for the posthumous titles of deceased ministers, not for living people.
In addition, the emperor added the title of Minister of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment to himself. In addition to his previous title of Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he now holds the title of Minister of the three departments. The title of Minister is not a false position, and he enjoys the same power as the official of the headquarters. The emperor added the title His intention to hold the title of Minister of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment is also very obvious, that is, to let him control the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishment. The title of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment is undoubtedly just a cover. The one the emperor wants to confer most on him is actually the Minister of the Ministry of War. To put it bluntly, the emperor wants him to lead the army in the future. , as for the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue who did not remove him, he also felt that removing him from office at this time was akin to killing the donkey.
The title of Crown Prince and Taibao is a fictitious position from the second rank. The emperor appointed Datou and others as Crown Prince and Taibao, which is equivalent to improving the rank and treatment of several people, but in fact they still have no real power.
After entering the main hall, Changsheng politely declined the honor of sitting on the dragon platform, and sat on the head of the general. Datou and others were from the second rank, and did not sit under Changsheng. Instead, they sat according to the official rank, and they were separated from Changsheng by a few steps. personal.
Before the banquet started, when the palace maid presented the ice water, Changsheng stood up and stepped out of the queue, resigning from the title of Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Household Affairs, on the grounds that his energy was limited and he had no time to take care of both.
Naturally, the emperor would not agree. However, Changsheng had made up his mind and persisted. The emperor had no choice but to agree.
There are few people who dislike power, and voluntarily giving up the power that has been obtained is not something ordinary people can do. After giving up the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Husbandry, he will lose the corresponding power over the Ministry of Punishment and the Ministry of Husbandry. Changsheng naturally knows this. , but he also knew very well that the greater his power, the more likely he would be criticized by civil servants and jealous of the emperor. Since he had no intention of treason, he would simply go to the extreme and give up the power of allocating food and grass and taking life and death, and completely block the power of civil servants and officials. Mouth.
After resigning from the title of Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Household Affairs, Changsheng did not return to his seat immediately. Instead, he told the emperor and the officials present about the spiritual talisman in a concise and concise manner. Naturally, he would not attribute the victory of his party to himself. Still attributed to the emperor's protection and the court's prestige.
After talking about the causes and consequences, Changsheng immediately asked to present the golden talisman, saying that the emperor is an eternal wise king, and he is willing to present the golden talisman to the emperor, so that the emperor can live forever and benefit the people forever.
In fact, before Chang Sheng and others returned, Fan Jingming had told the emperor the whole story, and the emperor had already weighed the pros and cons and made a decision. He only said that the golden talisman was given by heaven, and it should be held by selfless and loyal ministers like Chang Sheng, who would decide the future. And he quelled the civil strife and made great achievements, which will be passed down through the ages.
The emperor's attitude was also expected by Chang Sheng. Then, on the grounds that he was worried about the emperor's safety, he asked for a silver talisman, which was accepted by the emperor's designated guard and worked with Liu Tianlin to protect the emperor's safety.
Although the emperor was greatly relieved to hear Chang Sheng's words, he refused, saying that he was living deep in the palace and was not in danger. On the contrary, Chang Sheng and others were fighting in all directions. There were many dangers and they needed the magic talisman more than he did.
When the monarch and his ministers were making concessions, some civil servants came out to speak. They only said that Chang Sheng was loyal, and the emperor had better not let down Chang Sheng's heart.
Although Changsheng sincerely gave up a silver talisman, he could not help but secretly resent the words of the civil servants. These guys were invisible when they were working hard, but at the critical moment they came out to pave the way for the emperor and pretend to be good people.
After being humble, the emperor finally decided that Fan Jingming would accept the silver amulet. He had already ordered Qingyang to be handed over to Li Zhongyong and Chen Liqiu. He also knew that Changsheng was repaying the favor by offering the silver amulet.
Changsheng knew it, and so did the emperor. After Fan Jingming accepted the silver amulet, the emperor ordered someone to take out the gold medal that said "I am here in person" and awarded it to Changsheng again. Changsheng had previously voluntarily resigned from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Punishment. He was feeling Although Chang Sheng was full of loyalty, he also felt that he had been wronged by Chang Sheng.
Changsheng tried his best to refuse, but this time it was the emperor's turn to insist. Worried that the emperor's majesty would be damaged if he refused, Changsheng could only step forward to accept it.
The business came to an end, the emperor showed his face and raised his hands, and the royal banquet officially began...
