first minister

A ray of light emerged from the sky under the night, and then like a prairie fire, it quickly burned away the night, and the sky and the earth returned to a bright light.

The light of the day shone into the usually solemn main hall of the court, and tables and tables had already begun to be placed in the hall.

Feng Xiuyun trained the people in Jianninghou's mansion to a high level, which attracted a lot of praise, but the end point of her training was just to reach the level of the servants in the palace at the moment.

When these palace servants go into battle in person, the posture becomes even more extraordinary.

Because, in a sense, these people are no longer human beings.

This point could not be changed no matter whether the manipulative Emperor Chongning or the kind-hearted Concubine De was in charge of the palace, unless the system that maintained the empire disappeared or changed.

Tables and cushions are laid out in horizontal and vertical lines on the ground;
The dinner plates and wine utensils are all arranged exactly in the same way on several sides.

No matter which angle you look at it, there is a kind of symmetrical beauty.

The curtains were tied up and swayed gently with the wind carried by the chamberlain who occasionally walked by.

The silver charcoal was burning slowly in the charcoal stove, which had warmed this hall early, just like the current situation of the court, which was getting better and better.

At the end of the day, courtiers arrived in the square in front of the palace one after another, chatting in twos and threes.

"On the day of the enthronement ceremony, countless people have risen to great heights. I wonder how many more people will rise to great heights after tonight!"

"In comparison, it would be good if these state pastors who took the initiative to come to court can keep their positions. Who can tell the difference in situation!"

"Yes, this time the court situation has been shaken up twice. Many dignitaries have been knocked down. Even the girls from the Jiaofang Division and Liuyun Tianxiang Pavilion have improved a lot in appearance and talent. I don't know how many positions have been vacated."

"Master Tang, this description is quite interesting in life!"

"The Emperor in White was not able to get a title at first, but this time his name will definitely be included. What kind of reward do you think he can get?"

"They should be on par with An Guogong and Lu Guogong no matter what."

"That's not necessarily the case. I'm afraid the achievements of the white-clothed Imperial Master can't be matched, right?"

"Why can't they catch up? The white-clothed emperor's army sent out its dragon head to fight in Dingzhou City and threatened the capital. Only then did Xiao Fengshan send troops, leaving the capital empty. Then it rained in Jinling on a rainy night, forcing the Xiangyang defenders to completely lose confidence. With the great situation that followed, these two hands are extremely important in terms of their military exploits and their influence on the overall situation. Why can't they keep up with An Guogong and Lu Guogong?"

"Your analysis is correct, but don't these credits belong to Mr. Xing'an Bobai?"

"Hey! Do you really think that a young man like him has such abilities? Without the imperial master in white to strategize, what achievements can he achieve?"

"You can't say that, then Marquis Jianning is young too!"

"Jianning Hou Tianzong is a genius, no one can compare with him!"

"Hey, Wanxiang is here!"

Someone with sharp eyes called out softly, and everyone turned their heads, and saw Wan Xiang getting out of the carriage with the help of his followers, and then walking towards this end.

"Wanxiang!"

"I've seen everything!"

Everyone came forward to greet them one after another. Wan Wenbi enjoyed this situation of stars circling the moon, nodding and smiling, with a polite and virtuous look on his face.

Before he could get too drunk, several more carriages arrived behind him.

On the carriage, figures one after another stepped off.

Mr. Su, Mr. Zhao, Mr. Bai Yunbian, Ye Hongluan, Su Yuanshang, Xia Yunfei, and Xia Jingyun, who is currently the core of this sect, are naturally indispensable.

Many people saw this old husband for the first time after he "resurrected from the dead". After being stunned for a short time, they stepped forward one after another.

"Meet the Master!"

"Meet Duke An Guo!"

"Old husband, you are actually alive, the sky has eyes, the sky has eyes!"

Different titles come from different identities and different friendships, and this honor is the prestige accumulated by Mr. Su after decades of ups and downs in the officialdom.

Wan Wenbi, who was suddenly left out unintentionally, saw this, narrowed his eyes slightly, then returned to normal, and took the initiative to step forward, "Boyuan Gong, it's been a long time!"

Xia Jingyun and Mr. Zhao, the owner of the village, stood aside and silently looked at Mr. Su and everyone with smiles and greeted them with smiles.

As for Bai Yunbian, well, this guy seemed to have let himself go since he had discussed it with Xia Jingyun. He stood aside with disdain with an expression that said, "I can take my place."

Although Mr. Zhao has a great reputation, he is not a member of the officialdom after all. The Imperial Master in White is just an honorific title, and now he has no official status. After these officials paid a visit to Mr. Su, they had to call him Mr. Zhao and Mr. Zhao. A kind of title, a few words of greeting in a nondescript manner.

As for Xia Jingyun, that's easy to say. It was such an obvious happy event, so everyone naturally congratulated Marquis Jianning and hugged him. It's a blessing for everyone.

And when it was Bai Yun's turn, he was quietly straightening his chest when a high-pitched voice shouted from not far away, "Open the palace door!"

Everyone quickly returned to their positions, leaving Bai Yunbian stunned.

"Humph!"

With an undisguised snort and a hint of anger, Bai Yunbian walked into the team.

Not far away, Wan Xiang turned around when he heard the sound and took a deep look at Bai Yunbian who had an unhappy look on his face.

Then the team filed in. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple officials, they entered the main hall, found their own seats and sat down.

Although today is a celebration ceremony, the so-called celebration does not have others to witness and praise it. How can there be a sense of superiority that no one has and I have. Therefore, all the clan dignitaries and civil and military officials above the fifth rank of the Manchu Dynasty are present, looking at it with envy. The group sitting above.

Among those people, there are those who will always be at the forefront no matter where they are, such as Cheng Wang and Wan Xiang.
There are also people who have made great contributions during this drastic change and will soon be rewarded by the court, such as Xia Yunfei, Bai Yunbian, and the underground "emperor" of Nancheng, Lu Shouhu.

No matter what the situation is, in this officialdom, he attracts countless envious people.

The officialdom of Daxia was divided into nine grades, and each grade was further divided into upper and lower grades, for a total of eighteen grades.

Many officials may only be able to reach one or two levels in their lifetime, so how can they not be envied by everyone for this award?

Many people in the world who don’t understand often think that even if they are promoted to a higher level in three to five years, or even ten years, they will eventually reach the position of a mainstay of the fourth or fifth rank, or a high official of the second or third rank. But in fact, aside from the fact that the higher you get to the top, the less competition there is, the imperial court also has its own way of controlling officials without promoting them.

For example, if a seventh-grade county magistrate, who has no background and has not met the appreciation of noble people, keeps you as a small county magistrate for decades without moving, then naturally everyone will have opinions, but the court has its own countermeasures.

You are now the magistrate of a lower county. In three to five years, you will be promoted to a magistrate of a middle county. In another three to five years, you will be promoted to a magistrate of a higher county. After a few more years, you will be promoted to a county or prefectural city. Any official with exactly the same level as chief secretary; after a few years, he goes to a wealthy state and becomes the same official. If there is no problem, after a few years, he goes to the capital, and his official rank remains unchanged, or even It can also be transferred between official positions in the same yamen with the same grade but different weights.
After two or three decades, the official ranks have taken a step forward or even stayed the same, but the officials themselves can't say a word. After all, the court is either promoting or re-employing.

This kind of promotion road has suppressed many talented people, which seems to be in line with the comment of Emperor Chongning that the patriots were imprisoned.

It is precisely because of this that everyone is so envious and even jealous of today's people who are about to surpass the efforts of ordinary people for most of their lives.

Unfortunately, opportunities don’t come often, and you may not be able to seize them when they come.

In this scene, there were several officials who looked normal but felt very uneasy in their hearts.

They are the state pastors of the six states of Baiyang, Jiuhe, Xifeng, Yuyan, Yanyuan, and Wuwei. After the imperial court issued an edict to recruit state pastors from each state to Beijing, the heads of these six states all arrived.

There was no way, after seeing the fate of Xiao Fengshan, Lu Rusong and the prince, everyone understood two things:
It cannot be defeated by fighting, the imperial court is in a state of affairs;
The imperial court really dared to kill people. A state pastor would not make the imperial court afraid.

What's more, now that the world is in chaos and they have to put down the rebellion anyway, they have lost the qualifications to let the imperial court use rat weapons.

So, they led the guards to the capital without stopping, hoping to keep this rare wealth.

As for Wu Qili and Lan Tingwang, the state pastors of Sixiang and Langya who arrived first, the old gods were present at this moment.

Their future has been decided. Forget about their original position as state shepherds, the imperial court also gave them new placements. One became the minister of Zhongshu, and the other became Taichang Qing. They were both appointed as Doctor Jin Ziguanglu. In the case of establishment, the central committee praised them for setting an example and gave them a head start.

After all, there are only so many good seats in the imperial court in Beijing, and they will be gone if you are late.

The two prefectures are currently under military control, with the governor of the prefecture, Shi, in charge of government affairs, and the commander-in-chief of the counter-rebellion army re-dispatched by the imperial court to oversee all military affairs.

Presumably the final candidate for the state pastor will be determined today.

While he was thinking about it, a chime sounded softly, and the court fell silent. The empress dowager, who was extremely dignified and elegant, dressed in gorgeous clothes, walked out slowly, holding the little emperor in hand.

Everyone stood up and saluted, "Greetings to the Queen Mother, and greetings to Your Majesty." Concubine De still said with a gentle and elegant smile: "Your Majesty's level."

"Thank you, Empress."

After everyone sat down, Concubine De shook Dongfang Bai's hand, looked at him with encouraging eyes and nodded slightly.

Dongfang Bai took a deep breath, straightened his face, and said: "The rebels caused chaos, and the late emperor was in trouble. Fortunately, people with lofty ideals gathered to help. I am loyal, filial, and righteous, inherit the great treasure, and bring order to the chaos. Now that the rebels have been executed, the chaos has been settled, and I will I should reward all of you with kindness, so as to clarify the difference between right and wrong. Tonight, I will reward you with great rewards, and celebrate with all of you who love me!"

"I wait and thank Your Majesty Long En!"

Amidst the roar of the mountains, the celebration ceremony officially kicked off.

At this kind of banquet, eating and drinking are all decorations, but the highlight is the reward.

After Dongfang Bai opened his mouth, Jin Zhong stood up, spread out the imperial edict, and read it in a high voice.

"The emperor is entrusted with the destiny of heaven, and the edict says: I have heard that the world is governed by literature, and chaos is suppressed by force. The Holy Emperor relies on virtuous ministers to govern the world. Now there are ministers who may be loyal and unyielding; some may be wise and resourceful, and help people in trouble; He is brave and courageous for the country. Today, he is awarded the following special rewards."

Everyone held their breath and listened quietly.

For example, Xia Jingyun, Mr. Su and others have been awarded titles before. This time, they are not the focus of the rewards. But as the saying goes, they have come, and we cannot let such great heroes return empty-handed, so they awarded some Jade, treasures, elixirs, etc. are all used as comfort, and no one thinks there is anything wrong with them.

Then came the rewards and seals for small figures such as Cao Gang leader Ye Wenhe, Zhuang Dexiang, Xiong Baoquan and other small figures.

Anything smaller would not be enough to be written on the imperial edict and read out on this table.

"Lu Yi of Zhongjing City was granted the title of Zhongbo, and was given the title of Zhenwei Xiaowei. He was given two imperial villas."

After talking about the rewards given to a few little people, this reward suddenly made many people understand how the Queen Mother and Her Majesty escaped the difficulties that the Black Ice Platform and the Jingzhao Mansion joined forces to seize the capital.

"Liu Deyuan, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was appointed as the prefect of Yunmeng Prefecture and the doctor of Guanglu. Wen Jianchen, the prefect of Baiyang Prefecture, was appointed as the prefect of Sixiang Prefecture and the doctor of Qingguanglu of Jiayin. The prefect of Yunmeng Prefecture was appointed as Hanshan, and he was appointed as Baiyang Prefecture. Zhou Jiwen, Zhou Jiwen, the prefect of Xifeng Prefecture, served as minister of the Ministry of Industry, and became the doctor of Ziguanglu. Duan Shanlin, the prefect of Wuwei Prefecture, served as the prefect of Guangling Prefecture, and became the doctor of Ziguanglu. Governor Yunmeng Shi Baifengyang was appointed as the prefect of Longshou Prefecture and became the doctor of Yinqingguanglu."

The following reward was the first time that everyone could not suppress the discussion.

The court's decision was also expected. For these state pastors who are not guilty at the moment but are worried that they will continue to stay in their old nest and support their troops at this juncture because they are too heavy to lose, mutual transfer is the most appropriate solution. After all, they all stay. There are so many positions in the court.

But the arrangement of the central government is indeed very artistic. Almost everyone's official position has been promoted, either from a poor state to a rich state, or from a border state to a state closer to the capital with better environment. The official rank has also been promoted.

Among these major transfers, Yunmeng Governor Shi Baifengyang was particularly eye-catching.

Not only because he is the only one among them as a long history, but also because he is Xing'an Bo Baiyunbian's father.

Unknowingly, Bai Yunbian, once known as the son of Yunmeng Governor Shi, had quietly turned his father into the father of Xing'an Bo Bai Yunbian.

I don’t know how much emotion the father and son would have if they were face to face.

Xia Jingyun didn't know what these people were thinking. If he knew, he would definitely snort. What else could they be thinking?

[Old man, look, will everything that can’t kill me make me stronger? 】

[30 years in Hedong, 30 years in Hexi, I told you not to bully young people into poverty, do you accept it? 】

He could even think of the sullen look on Bai Yunbian's face and Master Bai's mouth and beard that were so angry that it was for Master Bai's physical and mental health and safety, otherwise why didn't he invite people over.

While thinking wildly here, Jin Zhong continued to read.

"Su Yuanshang, the former prefect of Qingshan County in Yunmeng Prefecture, was appointed as Jing Zhaoyin and became a doctor of Jin Ziguanglu."

With a bang, the discussion in the court resounded.

Jing Zhaoyin, who had been hanging around for several days, attracted the jealousy of countless people in the court and worked secretly, actually ended up falling for this person?
The gap between the prefect of a county and Jingzhao Yin is like a natural chasm. It is a gap that countless people have difficulty crossing in their entire lives. How can they be given up like this?
Who is this Su Yuanshang?Even the favored Su family cannot do this!
A group of officials turned their attention to the people in the center one after another, as if asking, don't you know how to stop me?

All the central officials looked at each other, either bowing their heads or smiling bitterly.

During the meeting that day, when the Queen Mother announced the reward, their first reaction was to stop it.

With a Grand Master and a Duke of Jingzhao, they both have great fame and power, and their legitimate daughter is married to the famous Marquis Jianning, so the power of the Su family in the court is too great.

However, when the Queen Mother explained the original situation, they were speechless.

It turns out that during the most difficult days of the Crown Prince's rebellion, Su Yuanshang coordinated and arranged all the forces under the Queen Mother's command. Without this person, perhaps they would not have been able to support Xia Jingyun's return to Beijing. With such credit , the Queen Mother did not grant a title or add a title of meritorious official, she was already very restrained.

There is no way, this kind of power of following the dragon is the most unreasonable, who can say anything!

Jin Zhong didn't care about the discussion in the court, he just paused slightly, moistened his saliva to calm down, and then continued to read.

"Xia Yunfei, the commander-in-chief of the Wudang Army, was granted the title of Anbo, made general Xuanwei, and appointed the lieutenant general of the Yulin Guard, and was specially awarded to the hero of Wu Yiyun."

This time, there was not much reaction from the crowd. The ministers in the palace quietly looked at each other and exchanged expressions as expected.

A few of them felt a little more at peace. If Xia Yunfei was also granted the title of Marquis, and the Xia family had two marquises, it would probably not be a good thing for the court!
"Xing'an Bo Baiyunbian was granted the title of Marquis of Huai'an, with a settlement of [-] households. He was given the title of Doctor Guanglu and appointed as the Censor Zhongcheng. He was specially given the title of assistant to the minister of Xuande."

As soon as this reward came out, everyone's minds were buzzing.

Apart from a little less food and no access to the central government, this is not much worse than Xia Jingyun's reward!

Is this Lord Bai also like this?

With a simpler mind, I feel that Lord Bai is worthy of being ranked first in the top two in the past. He was only two places behind Mr. Xia in the scientific examination, but his current achievements are not much behind him!

Some scheming people are wondering whether the Queen Mother and Her Majesty also want to prevent Marquis Jianning from being more beautiful than before, so they want to support someone who can compete with his reputation?
But no matter how you think about it, quietly, in the hearts of everyone, Bai Yunbian's weight seems to be barely comparable to Xia Jingyun.

Wan Wenbi calmly looked at the people talking below and smiled lightly in his heart.

He knew something about Bai Yunbian. He had a arrogant nature. If his official position was far inferior to Xia Jingyun, it would be natural for him to be a follower, but what if the difference was not big?

All young people are arrogant and arrogant. If everyone is the same, why should you be the leader and I be the follower?
Above the court, the situation is changing. As long as you plant a seed, there will be endless things happening to make it sprout and grow.

By then, your comrades will all become your enemies, so what will happen to your reputation?
Therefore, when it was decided to give Baiyunbian a reward, he fully supported the reward and even raised the reward intentionally or unintentionally, as if he was doing his best for Xia Jingyun.

He still remembered Xia Jingyun's shocked and aggrieved face at that time, with a complicated expression that was a bit hesitant to speak, which made him couldn't help but laugh secretly in his heart.

Young people, learn a little, this is called conspiracy!
After everyone's discussion took a break, the last reward was finally announced.

"Zhao Qingsheng, the owner of Baiyi Villa, has been granted the title of First-Class Duke of Guards and Grand Tutor, and is specially awarded to those who have contributed to the cause of loyalty and cooperation."

This not-so-unexpected reward brought an unexpected end to this unexpected ceremony.

After the symbolic banquet and celebration, everyone stood up and prepared to leave with their hearts full of words.

In the evil feudal era, it was natural for the leader to go first.

Therefore, everyone stood up, but did not move forward. Instead, they let the important officials of the court go first.

After some humility, Mr. Su, Mr. Zhao, Mr. Qin, Mr. Cheng and others stepped forward;
Wan Xiang, Yang Xiang and other central officials walked behind.

When he walked to the palace gate, Wan Xiang turned to look at Bai Yun who happened to be behind him, and said with a smile: "Marquis of Huai'an, congratulations!"

Everyone around him also smiled and cupped their hands. Bai Yunbian didn't do anything wrong on this occasion. After all, he was just crazy but not stupid. Hearing this, he cupped his hands happily and said, "It's all the grace of Her Majesty the Queen Mother and the love of all the princes." .”

Wan Xiang said with a smile: "I have heard that the Marquis of Huai'an is also quite talented in poetry. Is there any poetry for such a happy event tonight?"

Everyone was confused at first. When it comes to poetry, shouldn't they ask Marquis Jianning?

But then I thought about it, the Marquis of Huai'an was considered the most proud man today, so it seemed reasonable to ask him.

Bai Yunbian was startled for a moment, then raised his head and hummed softly, "I can easily pick up the poems and essays!"

He raised his head and glanced at the starry sky above his head, and said slowly: "I want to ascend to the blue sky and conquer all living beings, climb the clouds and raise my hands to pick up the stars. Sing and scream and speak loudly, talk, laugh and drink with the immortals."

The surroundings became quiet for an instant.

Mr. Su stopped and Xia Jingyun frowned slightly.

Wan Wenbi took everything in his eyes, smiled and clapped his hands, "The Marquis of Huai'an is really talented!" (End of Chapter)