Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 257 Cai the dog thief and Wang the chicken thief! (3k ha)
Zhao Xu is in trouble!

He boasted to Sun Sigong that Emperor Wu of Han could make the 17 or 18-year-old Huo Qubing a marquis, so why would he not dare? But as soon as he said this, great achievements came immediately.

Of course, it’s okay to ignore it. After all, Sun Sigong is an eunuch and will not leak these words easily.

But he did not reward his merits, and they were great merits known to everyone in the world. If he did not reward him, wouldn't it confirm Zhao Xu's reputation of being wary of his subjects?
But as for rewards, there are already many people gossiping, saying that Su Yun is too young, but already holds a high position. If he continues like this, he will eventually have no more titles to be given and no more rewards to be given, and by then he will be so meritorious that he will surpass his master.

Zhao Xu felt embarrassed, but he had been emperor for many years and naturally knew how to deal with such matters.

If things are difficult, let the ministers worry about it.

Zhao Xu sent the matter to the three provinces and asked them to discuss a suitable reward plan.

The matter was first reported to the Secretariat. Cai Que took a look and then forwarded it to the Ministry of Personnel. The Ministry of Personnel immediately responded by saying, "The Ministry of Personnel is only responsible for review. The decision on how to make it is still up to the Secretariat."

Cai Que then sent him to the Shangshu Province. Wang Gui, the left servant of the Shangshu Province, sneered again and sent him back, saying, "The Shangshu Province is responsible for execution. How to make decisions is none of our business."

So Cai Que pushed him to the Ministry of Personnel.

The Ministry of Personnel is in charge of the promotion of officials, so it is indeed their responsibility to do so.

But the Ministry of Personnel immediately pushed it to the Ministry of War, because this was a military achievement. After verification by the Ministry of War, it came to request merit according to convention. At that time, the Ministry of Personnel would give rewards according to the merit level given by the Ministry of War. Is there any problem?
The Ministry of War also had something to say, saying that Su Yun was a scholar after all, and the military merit rewards were all about low-level military officers and soldiers, and there was no reward for military merits by scholars. Therefore, the Ministry of War had no precedent to follow, so it sent it back to the Ministry of Personnel.

When the Ministry of Personnel saw that something was wrong, they quickly returned it to the Secretariat.

Cai Que felt that his head was about to explode.

The three provinces and six ministries don’t want to take care of this matter, but we can’t just throw it back to the government, right?

Of course not.

Therefore, Cai Que convened a meeting of all the ministers and invited the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of War as well.

Cai Que smiled and said, "Gentlemen, the matter of Su Yun's reward has been delayed for quite a long time. Why don't we discuss it together today and settle it."

Zhang Xu laughed and said, "Instead of rewarding him every other day, it would be better to make him a prime minister right now."

Zhang Dun nodded and said, "Oh, Secretary, please make a note. Zhang Canzheng proposed that Su Yun be appointed as the Prime Minister. Zhang Canzheng, is he the Privy Councilor or the Minister of State Affairs?"

Zhang Xu was annoyed when he heard this: "What a mess! How can Su Yun be qualified to be the Privy Councilor!"

Zhang Dun said in a deep voice, "That's what Zhang Canzheng said. The ministers were discussing matters, but Zhang Canzheng was talking nonsense. Is it because there is no Palace Censor to enforce discipline that he is so rampant?"

Zhang Xu glared at Zhang Dun, but said nothing.

Cai Que took a look at Wang Gui and knew that Wang Gui and Zhang Xu were the biggest obstacles.

Cai Que smiled and said, "Prime Minister Wang, how do you think Su Yun should be rewarded?"

Wang Gui raised his eyes and snorted in his heart. If possible, he wanted to say that Su Yun would not be rewarded, but he couldn't say this. If he said it, the clerk would record it here. If it got out, it would mean that he, Wang Gui, was jealous of talented people and did not reward those who had made great contributions.

Therefore, this statement could not be spoken, but Wang Gui took a negative attitude and said, "The Secretariat can make the rules for this matter, and after the Ministry of Personnel reviews it, the Ministry of Shangshu will naturally implement it."

That's what they say, but when the time comes, there will naturally be all kinds of ways to fight back, such as saying that the qualifications are not enough, the talents are not up to par, the moral character is lacking, etc. As long as you want to find fault, you can always find it, and it will be the kind that others have nothing to say.

Cai Que naturally knew about this situation, which was why he didn't just ask the Secretariat for a decision and then go through the process. This was because it had happened many times before. Wang Gui only controlled the two ministries of Menxia and Shangshu, and was unwilling to just obey his orders, so he always got entangled in some things.

Therefore, even if he worked out a suitable reward plan, he would still send them back. If this happened too many times, the authority of the Secretariat would be completely lost. This was the reason why Cai Que summoned everyone to discuss the matter together.

Of course, there are indeed many sensitive aspects in rewarding Su Yun. Even the emperor feels that this is a headache, and Cai Que naturally feels the same way. The problem now is that it is definitely not okay not to reward him. If he has made contributions but does not reward him, it means suppressing meritorious officials. The emperor may have to bear the stain of taking care of his ministers, but they, the prime ministers, may be regarded as treacherous ministers who suppress meritorious officials!

Don't say that Su Yun is young and shouldn't be promoted so quickly. Do you think people will believe you?

The common people usually have a simple idea that - the Song Dynasty finally has a young man who can fight, but you insist on taking advantage of your seniority to suppress him. Isn't this the behavior of a treacherous minister?
God have pity on him. General Su, the general, went through life and death in the northwest. Not only did his 800 cavalrymen destroy the Dangxiang army camp, but he also attacked the Xixia capital, Yinzhou City, which scared Empress Dowager Liang so much that she fled overnight.

What's that called?
That is the night when the geese fly high in the dark, and the Chanyu escapes at night!

General Su has already conquered the country, and you still want to suppress him. If you are not a traitor, what are you?
Ah, what General Su destroyed was not the central army camp, Yinzhou City was not the capital of Western Xia, and Queen Mother Liang was not in Yinzhou City. There was no such thing as Queen Mother Liang escaping overnight, and this kind of attack was far from being called Fenglangjuxu... So what?
You just say whether the meritorious service rendered by Minister Su is a great merit, right? If so, why is he not rewarded?
Haha, and you still say you are not treacherous ministers!
Wang Gui naturally did not want to bear such a crime, but did Cai Que really want to bear such a crime?

Therefore, it would be best if Su Yun could be rewarded. If he is stopped, that would also be easy to deal with. Just put the blame on Wang Gui and Zhang Xu. Hehe, these two people have always had conflicts with Su Yun. Wouldn't it be perfect to push them out?

Thinking of this, Cai Que nodded and said, "Okay, then let's follow Prime Minister Wang's idea. We will draw up a plan and then ask the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Shangshu to make the final decision."

Wang Gui was puzzled to see that Cai Que had finally gathered everyone together and they listened to his advice so easily. But when he saw a slight smile on Cai Que's face, he was suddenly shocked: This thief Cai wants to put me in an unjust position!

Wang Gui's mind worked very quickly and he soon figured out the ins and outs of it. He immediately broke out in a cold sweat. If this news were to get out, his reputation would be completely ruined!

Does Sanzhi Xianggong have a bad reputation?

In fact, it was just that some people mocked him for being obedient, which did not give him a particularly bad reputation. However, if he was tainted with the reputation of a traitor, his reputation would be ruined.

Although the New Party was criticized by the Old Party as a group of villains, the people also knew that it was normal to fight against each other during the reform.

But to have the reputation of being a hero in persecuting foreign wars would mean being a national sinner, and such a reputation is absolutely unacceptable.

Wang Gui's mind raced, and he thought to himself, "I must not get this reputation. If I get this reputation, my old age may be miserable.

No matter what I say, I am the prime minister of the current dynasty. Su Yun was suppressed. Many people must not understand why and think that I had conflicts with Su Yun. Since I am the prime minister, I must have suppressed him and I must have taken the blame.

If the emperor wants to clear himself, he will certainly use me as an excuse, and I will be speechless at that time!"

We must never give them this opportunity!
Yes, that fellow Su Che has recently been informed of the Censorate. If I dare to interfere in this matter, this fellow will be the first to make trouble. Haha, that fellow is probably thinking about making trouble for me every day. I can't give him this handle!

Wang Gui's nickname was Sanzhi Xianggong, but he was just docile to Zhao Xu, which did not mean he was indecisive. Thinking of this, he said decisively: "Su Jinglüe is proficient in military affairs, and Lu Jinglüe has made this assignment irreversible. Let's keep him in this assignment, but I suggest that his salary rank be raised to a higher level, to Chao San Da Fu, and his assignment to Jiujiu Lang will be changed to Zhongshu Sheren!"

Everyone present was shocked.

It is not a big deal to raise the official rank by one level, which is also expected. Letting Su Yun stay behind as the governor of Lu is neither good nor bad (in their eyes), but the post of Zhongshu Sheren is not that simple.

There were some positions in the Song Dynasty that were more symbolic, such as library officials (scholars, etc.), the four top officials (Chief Censor, Governor of Kaifeng Prefecture, Hanlin Academician, and Envoy of the Three Departments), as well as the positions of Attendant of the Imperial Secretariat and Attendant of the Secretariat.

A librarian position means a noble status, a fourth rank means one will soon become the highest official, and the positions of Qijisheren and Zhongshusheren respectively mean one is close to the center of power and has real power in the center of power!
Especially after the Yuanfeng reform, the Zhongshu Sheren regained the power to draft, revise and convey the emperor's orders and documents. Their work was directly related to the court's decision-making and the operation of government affairs, and they could even seal the three ministries and officials' heads.

It can be roughly understood this way: once a civil servant becomes the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, it means that he has taken a solid step towards the position of prime minister!
Because many Hanlin scholars were promoted from the position of Zhongshu Sheren.

The Hanlin Bachelor and the Zhongshu Sheren only differ in rank, but their duties are actually similar. Therefore, the two positions are collectively called the "Two-System Officials", the Hanlin Bachelor being the external system official and the Zhongshu Sheren being the internal system official.

In other words, although Su Yun was still a road governor, he had been assigned by the Secretariat. Although Su Yun was away, he had great power. Calling him an important official of the court was definitely not a compliment, but a true statement!

Cai Que looked at Wang Gui with an uncertain expression.

This guy is such a thief!

(End of this chapter)