The Heavens: From Knowing Whether You Rule the World

Chapter 92: Please, my lord, accept my greeting!
Qionglin Garden

The country is stable and the foundation of the country is forever.

Since Prince Yan rebelled and forced the emperor to abdicate, the new emperor Zhao Zongquan was made the crown prince by the imperial edict of the previous emperor Zhao Zhen.

It is no exaggeration to say that since then, the people of the New Emperor Party have never had a peaceful life.

From top to bottom, from the emperor to the ministers, there has never been peace.

Zhao Zongquan was made the crown prince, and things seemed to be peaceful for a while, but in fact, undercurrents were surging.

The dispute between the bloodline of Taizu and the bloodline of Taizong has never been simple since the candlelight and axe shadow of Emperor Taizong.

When Zhao Zongquan ascended the throne, the dispute arose between the new emperor's party and the empress dowager's party.

After finally convincing the Queen Mother to retreat, he had to inspect the salt and other areas of the country to stabilize his regime.

There were quarrels and fights every day in the court, and peak competitions occurred from time to time.

With his ministers so busy, Emperor Zhao Zongquan was not much better off.

When he was the crown prince, the previous emperor Zhao Zhen was critically ill. In order to secure the crown prince's position and to show his filial piety, he was on call twelve hours a day and served humbly at all times.

After becoming the emperor, he had to fight against the Queen Mother's party, and as a referee, he had to stay sober at all times.

While Prince Huan and Chu Hong were inspecting the salt industry and the country, Zhao Zongquan also had to deal with internal affairs and reassure the Queen Mother and her followers.

Now that everything is over, I finally have some free time.

So, taking advantage of his free time, the emperor held a banquet to reward his civil and military officials.

It’s also because... Prime Minister Han Zhang is about to retire!

"My dear nobles, enjoy your feast."

Zhao Zongquan sat on the throne and raised his glass to signal everyone not to be too restrained.

"Your Majesty, please!"

Chu Hong smiled, changed the teacup to a wine glass, and toasted with a glass of wine.

The wine of the Great Zhou Dynasty is somewhat similar to rice wine, slightly yellowish, sweet and slightly spicy, with a grain wine aroma.

If you calculate the alcohol content, it's about the same as beer.

Chu Hong likes to drink tea and keep healthy in order to live a long life.

However, this does not mean that he does not drink, he just drinks less.

After nearly thirty years of keeping fit, his lifespan has now reached its upper limit. [Lifespan]: 29/70
This is also the reason why Chu Hong is interested in health preservation. This thing can really help prolong your life!
This thing is visual, and the motivation for health preservation is really infinitely elevated.

When Zhao Zongquan saw his nephew toasting him, he immediately laughed and drank the whole glass.

Chu Hong smiled, slowly drank his tea, and looked at the seats.

third!

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the left is respected. Now the left-hand man is naturally King Huan Zhao Ceying, and the right-hand man is the Prime Minister Han Zhang.

If we rank them according to the order of civil and military affairs, then the Duke of Yingguo, the chief military general, should be in the second position on the left.

In fact, this is not the case. The second person on the left is Chu Hong.

In other words, at least in terms of rank, Chu Hong's status is higher than that of the Duke of Yingguo, who is the chief military general.

Counting from here on, the fifth is the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, the sixth is Ningyuan Marquis Gu Tingye, the seventh, eighth and ninth are civil cabinet grand secretaries again, and the tenth is the powerful Duke.

The top ten are: King Huan, Prime Minister, five civil officials and cabinet ministers, and three military generals and nobles.

If King Huan is not counted, the ratio of civil officials to military generals is six to three.

The members of the civil cabinet are all ranked in the top ten and are relatively high in rank. The military Privy Council seems to be full of bigwigs, but in fact there are only three people ranked in the top ten.

Six to three may seem extremely low, but it is relatively high in recent years.

In the past, the Prime Minister was always ranked first, the Duke of England was ranked second, and the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh were all cabinet ministers.

When his military fortune was prosperous and he was not much suppressed, the eighth, ninth and tenth places were two nobles and a civil official, the Shangshu.

If his military luck is average, then the eighth, ninth and tenth positions will be a noble and two chancellors.

That is, the ratio is seven to three or eight to two.

Six to three, even the number six figure Gu Tingye is ranked above the three cabinet ministers, which is already a great achievement of saving the emperor and rising against the sky.

With such a ratio, we naturally have to mention one thing - the power contained in the position.

Theoretically speaking, the Privy Council of military generals is naturally on an equal footing with the Cabinet of civil officials.

In fact, this is not the case. There is an interesting folk proverb that says: Bing Lu Zi is in charge of the soldiers, and the cabinet is in charge of everything.

Guess a word: Culture and morality flourish!
The Privy Council is said to be on the same level as the Cabinet, but in fact it is heavily controlled by the Cabinet.

When a general goes to war, he needs money, right? He needs food, right?
Civil servants are in charge!
It costs money to maintain the daily military and military pay, right?
If you need to allocate money, the Ministry of Revenue will be in charge!
When a general wins a battle, he should reward his soldiers or promote some of them, right?
The Ministry of Personnel is in charge!
All these things really prove the saying: The Privy Council is in charge of the military.

Only officers and soldiers can be in charge.

Compared with the Privy Council, the civil servants' positions undoubtedly carry much more power, and the Deputy Privy Councilor of the Privy Council is more like a symbol of status among nobles.

The cabinet is powerful, so the military generals are naturally inferior to them.

The upper limit of the general is level two.

Civil servants are noble!
At least, that was the case during the Zhou Dynasty.

Based on the actual weight and the distinction between civil and military affairs, the rankings are naturally determined.

However, the distinction between civil and military is not that important, and the actual weight accounts for the majority.

For example, the Duke of Qi, who was stripped of his real power not long ago and no longer had any real official position.

With Chu Hong's excellent vision, he couldn't even see the position of the Duke of Qi.

For example, Ningyuan Marquis Gu Tingye, even though he was only a marquis, was ranked above many dukes and was clearly developing towards the position of Duke of England.

Chu Hong looked at the hall full of dukes, ministers and secretaries, and couldn't help but feel a little proud.

Do you know me? I’m 29 this year and the second in command of the Civil Service Group. Thank you for the invitation!

"Master Zhong, drink!"

A childish voice came from the left. Chu Hong looked closely and found that it was Zhao Mao, the eldest son of King Huan.

King Huan Zhao Ceying also raised his cup and smiled gently.

Chu Hong laughed and poured wine into the glass.

The two looked at each other and drank together.

After taking a sip, Chu Hong looked at Zhao Mao.

He was holding a small wine glass. The wine in the glass was a little lighter in color, apparently because some water had been added.

Chu Hong smiled and carried Zhao Mao to sit next to him, picked up the teacup and motioned Zhao Mao to clink it with his.

Zhao Mao already knew how to do this, so he extended his cup forward and gently touched it, "Father Zhong, drink, drink!" "Drink!"

Chu Hong smiled and drank the tea in the cup.

On the left, Zhao Ceying looked at this scene and smiled slightly inadvertently.

This gentle clink of glasses really attracted quite a few people to look at each other.

This...if we count Emperor Renzong, a veteran minister of four dynasties, an evergreen?

Incredible!

Sitting on the throne, Zhao Zongquan just smiled with relief as he watched this scene.

He knew that his eldest son was increasing his leverage...

However, he is already in his fifties and doesn't have too many ideas.

Naturally, the throne will belong to the eldest son Ceying sooner or later.

……

In the Qionglin Garden, the civil and military officials were feasting and drinking, how lively and joyful it was!

The lively scene lasted about half an hour. Han Zhang put down the cup and slowly stood up.

Seeing this scene, the officials who were about to toast and talk to others sat back in their seats.

"Your Majesty, I am now in my seventies and the cabinet is overwhelmed with affairs. I cannot take care of everything. Under such circumstances, I will delay state affairs and cause disaster to the people. I would like to retire and return to my hometown to enjoy my remaining years."

As soon as Han Zhang finished speaking, many people didn't dare to make a sound and just stared at him with sharp eyes.

The last prime minister who retired is still vivid in my mind!
Nine years seemed like a flash!

However, that person was forgotten by everyone after he left.

This one is destined to be a hot topic when he leaves!

It is natural that a prime minister would retire without discussing it with the emperor.

Therefore, Zhao Zongquan did not look much surprised.

Looking at Han Zhang with gray hair on his temples, Zhao Zongquan stood up from the throne and slowly walked down the steps.

He walked up to Han Zhang, took Han Zhang's hand, and said sincerely, "My Lord, you have been a strong minister for two dynasties and have stabilized the foundation of the country.

Today, at the age of over seventy, I am still worried about the affairs of the family and the country. During this period of time, I have deeply felt the contributions of my Excellency and have become more and more dependent on you.

I wanted to keep you here, but I couldn't bear it if you, at your age, didn't care about personal matters or enjoy your old age. Since you have made up your mind, I can't keep you here any longer.

"At the beginning, I had no foundation, and I was lucky enough to get the divine weapon. It was with the support of the Grand Master that I was able to stabilize my country. Please allow me to express my gratitude, and the Grand Master must not stop me."

At this point, Zhao Zongquan took a half step back, bowed solemnly and deeply, "Thank you very much, great lord, for your loyalty and for helping to stabilize our country."

"Thank you very much, great lord, for your loyalty and for helping to stabilize our country."

Zhao Ceying and Chu Hong looked at each other and bowed deeply.

Seeing this situation, how could everyone sit still?
They all stood up and saluted, "Thank you, great lord, for your loyalty and for helping to stabilize our country."

"Thank you very much, great lord, for your loyalty and for helping to stabilize our country."

"Thank you very much, great lord, for your loyalty and for helping to stabilize our country."

Han Zhang was a little stunned and surprised.

He looked at Zhao Zongquan, then at Zhao Ceying, and then at his beloved disciple Chu Hong.

He wanted to help the man up, but he didn't know whether he should do so.

Chu Hong smiled slightly and bowed quietly alone.

This was his doing.

The teacher is about to retire, so shouldn't he give the emperor a small suggestion so that the teacher can retire in a dignified manner?

Of course, he not only considered the teacher, but also his uncle.

There are so many benefits to the emperor doing this. At least the literati will like this emperor.

The emperor can get praise and show his love for his ministers; Han Shi can get the highest treatment among ministers in history, which is worthy of his nine years of ruling the world and his achievements in consolidating the country for two dynasties.

Lord Chu?
Well… I got an uncle who cherishes his subjects and a teacher with extraordinary achievements.

Han Zhang looked at his beloved disciple, then at the people in the court who were paying their respects, and tears immediately flowed uncontrollably, and his blood boiled uncontrollably.

He quickly helped Emperor Zhao Zongquan up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I thank you very much. I will not refuse even if I die!"

Han Zhang's heart is so warm and he is so touching.

Throughout history, how many retired ministers were qualified to be personally thanked by the emperor, or to be thanked by all the civil and military officials in the court?

Just for this gift, his life is worth it!

Zhao Zongquan simply asked someone to bring a stool and sat to the right of Han Zhang's seat.

The stool is slightly higher than Han Zhang's, but other than that there is no difference at all.

He held Han Zhang's hand, his expression sincere and genuine, "I am truly grateful to you, my Lord."

Seeing Han Zhang was about to perform the ceremony, Zhao Zongquan pulled his hand, indicating that there was no need for red tape. "In public, without you, I really can't sit firmly on the throne, and this country will be in turmoil. In private..."

Zhao Zongquan looked in the direction of Chu Hong, and Chu Hong hurriedly stood up and saluted again.

"Personally, my nephew has grown up thanks to the guidance of my great husband. My sister died young. I am far away in Yuzhou, while my sister is in the prosperous land of Jiangnan. We are thousands of miles apart. There are some things that I have no time to take care of.

Fortunately, with the guidance of the Grand Master, Hong'er was influenced by him and became a famous scholar with a great reputation all over the world. I am grateful to the Grand Master for his kindness both in public and in private.

After half a month, it will be exactly one year since I mastered the artifact. On that day, I want to hold a banquet to see you off. What do you think?"

Zhao Zongquan's gentle tone and sincere expression made Han Zhang's eyes well up with tears. He nodded repeatedly and stood up to salute, "I thank your majesty!"

Zhao Zongquan smiled, nodded with satisfaction, and did not stop the salute.

Many cabinet ministers had different expressions, some were envious and surprised.

On this special day one year after the new emperor ascended the throne, all officials saw off the prime minister.

Who among the subjects would not envy such treatment?

Even Fan Wencheng never received such treatment.

The Zhou Dynasty lasted for more than a hundred years, and there is no clear record of such treatment in history books... It seems that there is none!

Hiss... I'm so envious!
After that, Zhao Zongquan took Han Zhang aside to talk for a while, and then slowly walked up to the throne and had a feast with Han Zhang alone.

Han Zhang drank with tears in his eyes. This is what a glorious life should be like!

With such treatment, such a king, and such wise disciples, my life... is worth it!
……

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(End of this chapter)