Chapter 168: The Rebellion Suppression
Chapter 168: The Rebellion Suppression
in the hall.
Prime Minister Yan was trembling, not knowing whether his feelings were true or false. His eyes were slightly red and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
Not far away, Old Man Yue also looked like he couldn't bear it, and he kept shaking his head and sighing.
All officials are accustomed to this.
Yan Shoufu said calmly: "Your Majesty, you should appoint people regardless of their relationship with you. I am devoted to the country, and the Yan family is willing to sacrifice their lives for it. My eldest son Yan Zhen is a man of some talent. He was a Jinshi in the third year of Daguan. He has been idle in his hometown and studied history for twenty years. He is qualified to be a lecturer in the palace of the Taoist priests."
The ministers were silent.
The lecturers in the Taoist palace were specially responsible for explaining classics, history and Taoist canon to the emperor. They had a very high rank and almost no power, and were noble. Yan Zhen was a Jinshi and had the support of an imperial concubine, so as long as the emperor was willing to listen to his lectures, this would not be difficult.
But the next step for the Palace Tutor was to become the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, officially entering the third rank, wearing red and purple clothes and leading a canopy.
There are only a few vice ministers in the six ministries, and countless people are eyeing the position. Only the position of left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites has been vacant all year round. Even if someone takes the position, he often leaves for some reason soon after.
This is Prime Minister Yan’s private land and also the Yan family’s retreat.
He decisively took all the responsibilities and left, perhaps placing his hopes on his eldest son and waiting for a comeback in the future.
Reciprocity is the norm. If the emperor just stands by and watches, he will eventually be seen as mean and ungrateful. Even if this is indeed the case, he cannot be so straightforward.
All officials knew that the position of Left Vice Minister of Rites was already in Yan Zhen's pocket. Although the Yan family was defeated, they did not lose, all thanks to Prime Minister Yan's ability to plan for his own future.
"Approved." said the emperor.
And the next moment.
Old Man Yue asked for permission again.
"Your Majesty, the capital's governor has pacified millions of refugees, and his contribution is invaluable. I recommend him to be the left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites."
Everyone shook their heads secretly. In the eyes of the emperor, pacifying the refugees, no matter how many there were, was his job. It might be possible at normal times, but now he had already made a promise to Prime Minister Yan in disguise. The mayor of the capital who had cheated countless merchants would probably be disappointed this time.
The emperor said nothing, there were no stupid people in this court.
Since Old Man Yue has spoken, it means he believes he is confident that he can convince himself.
He maintained a certain interest in this.
After all, as the emperor, his words are law, so even if the promise of the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites was not fulfilled, it was almost the same.
"Your Majesty, I quelled the rebellion in the Northern Barbarians' ancestral land of Longcheng and looted nine rare treasures that have the effect of increasing lifespan. I am offering them to you."
Old Man Yue stepped forward. This move was somewhat of a betrayal of the military group behind him, but he would never allow the Yan family to have any chance to revive.
All the officials were astonished. Although the Earl of Pingluan did not show up, his presence seemed to be everywhere in today's grand court meeting. People were discussing and communicating in low voices. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Earl of Pingluan was about to rise and become a new noble in the court. Moreover, some news had already spread throughout the world. This earl was the best in the world at only seventeen years old.
In the corner, Chu Fuqiang muttered to himself that Ping Luan Bo was probably the mastermind behind the scenes. This kind of world background usually would not appear in the mission process.
This was the first time the emperor stood up from the throne.
In the main hall of the palace, a black-robed figure suddenly appeared and reached out to hold the emperor's arm.
The eunuch in charge of the seal had his face shrouded in black mist, his hands outside his sleeves were dry, black and thin, and he followed the emperor like a shadow.
The moment the Grand Master appeared, all the officials in the room, who were protected by the fate of the country, were just awe-inspiring, but the warriors holding spears all had their hair standing on end. The Chief Seal Eunuch, like the Taoist leader, was already over a hundred years old, and it was said that he had come a long way on the road to becoming the Grand Master.
Old Man Yue presented nine bright red stones.
Rare treasures that can increase longevity are rare, and the Aphid Blood Stone has been soaked in time for a full thousand years.
"Your Majesty, March." The eunuch in charge of the seal was very frugal with his words.
These stones can extend his life by three months.
"good."
The emperor smiled faintly. Three months is a short time for ordinary people, but if used for the eunuch in charge of the seal, he can travel all over the country again. If necessary, he can kill all the governors of the four directions and still have enough time to return to the capital.
As for the relationship between himself and Yan Qing as a monarch and his subject.
The other party also said that the Yan family is willing to sacrifice their lives.
The emperor returned to the throne, and the eunuch in charge of the seal disappeared with the rare treasures.
Old Man Yue stepped back into the ranks. The next step for the capital city governor was the assistant minister. He had discussed this matter with the uncle. The vacancy in the Ministry of Rites could be filled. The assistant minister was already a third-rank official. Without sufficient preparation, even the emperor would not dismiss him at will and make room for others. Yan Shoufu closed his eyes.
"Yan Zhen Jue Dao Palace Lecturer."
"The left assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites of the capital city Yin Jin."
"For suppressing the rebellion, the baron was granted the title of marquis, a fief of 1,200 households, and was appointed deputy governor of the Anbei Governor's Office. He was given 1,000 jin of gold, ten carriages, and a Zhendi Pavilion was built in the palace to honor his achievements."
The final conclusion.
Yan Zhen obtained the position of lecturer in the Taoist Palace, but his promotion path was blocked by Old Man Yue and Ping Luanbo.
The Taoist Palace Lecturer was only noble but had no real power, and was completely unable to protect the Yan family from leaving the political arena safely.
The so-called friendship between the monarch and his subjects seems worthless in front of the emperor compared to the stability of his own imperial power.
"If you have something to report, please come forward. If not, please dismiss the court." The red-robed eunuch sang.
In full view of everyone, Chief Minister Yan covered his face with his sleeves and then fell to the ground as if he had fainted.
There were very few people who supported him, and after Old Man Yue took the initiative to approach him, all the officials rushed forward.
"Quickly call the imperial physician!" Old Man Yue realized something was wrong and shouted quickly.
The emperor sat alone for a while, and finally stood up and left on a carriage.
In the corner, Chu Fuqiang felt how quickly the situation was changing. The Prime Minister's suicide by taking poison caught everyone off guard and might have an impact on his subsequent task of competing for the throne among his sons.
……
In the sixth year of Xuanhe, winter.
The six ministries announced that Prime Minister Yan, who had held sway over the government for thirty years, had fainted in the court.
The next morning, he died of illness in his bed at home.
Changes occurred suddenly.
The Grand Secretary of the Dao Palace entered the cabinet, the Minister of War exercised the power of drafting documents, and Jiang Wuhai, the best in the world, was granted the title of marquis for his military merits.
Just when the Yizhou nobles were trying to divide up the Yan family's land, news came from the palace that the emperor mentioned that he might marry the princess off after a banquet.
As soon as the news came out, the noble families stopped their actions.
But just wait and see.
At the same time, due to the loss of his ancestral land Longcheng and the death of Zuoxian King Longcheng in battle, the Great Chanyu encountered joint opposition from tribal leaders. Two voices emerged within the royal court. The opinions on quickly returning to the north for support and continuing the attack to the south could not be reached.
The army was stuck outside the inky Great Wall, in a dilemma.
……
Late at night, in the Northern Barbarian camp.
Du Chang, the captain of ten thousand men, sat in the military tent with a gloomy look on his face.
He believed the lies of County Magistrate Zhu and defected from the Anbei Governor's Office overnight to join his uncle. However, it turned out that he implicated the other party instead. His trusted generals betrayed him, and his crime was unforgivable. Fortunately, the victory in the mountain city outside the Great Wall prevented the situation from collapsing instantly.
After he defected to the Northern Barbarians, the royal court spent a huge sum of money to buy horse bones for him and granted him the position of a captain of ten thousand men. However, the main force of his troops all came from King Zuo Guli, the one that Bo Ye defeated.
This made him feel very uneasy. He had only 300 direct guards by his side, which were in name only. If the Northern Barbarians were defeated, they would be in battle as soon as the war was over.
As the night deepened, Du Chang had no desire to sleep.
A falcon landed on the table in front of him and said in a serious tone, "I am Wuhe, the second envoy of the Marquis of Suppressing Rebellion. From now on, your hard work is over. Next, you need to cooperate with me and mark the positions of all the military tents of the commanders."
Deputy General Du Chang looked suspicious, "Master?"
"After we parted at the North City Governor's Mansion, he said he would do his best, so we are here to rescue you now."
Deputy General Du Chang thought about it carefully and realized that this was indeed the case, but his "please take good care of me" at that time was more of a polite remark.
"But I have harmed the Lord..."
"You are just stupid, not unfaithful." Falcon patted the other's shoulder, "There is no time to lose."
(End of this chapter)