My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 217 also counts as having a title.
The 23rd day of the fourth month of the first year of Jianyi.

After everything was settled, Yuan Ziyou and Erzhu Rong returned to the Luoyang Imperial Palace.

The court machinery, which had come to a standstill after Erzhu Rong raised his butcher's knife and massacred officials and nobles, began to rumble back into operation.

It's able to get running so quickly.

This proves that most of the people in the imperial court are indeed incompetent incompetents who occupy positions, and a group of people can be chosen to replace them at any time.

The first thing to do was to change the era name.

Yuan Xu was the ninth emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, while Yuan Ziyou was the twelfth emperor.

Both Yuan Xu's youngest daughter and Yuan Zhao went through the legal succession process. Fortunately, Yuan Xu's youngest daughter only reigned as emperor for two days before Empress Dowager Hu replaced her.

However, Yuan Zhao actually reigned as emperor for more than a month before changing the era name to Wutai.

Era names usually carry auspicious meanings.

For example, Wu Tai hoped to restore the country to a state of peace and stability through valiant military force.

Yuan Ziyou, however, defied public opinion and named his first reign title after ascending the throne "Jianyi".

This reign title is easy to understand.

It was a veiled accusation that Erzhu Rong's actions in Heyin had caused unrest among the people, moral decay, and the collapse of social order. It implied that after Yuan Ziyou ascended the throne, he hoped to restore the social atmosphere to its former state.

of course.

Yuan Ziyou certainly wouldn't say that openly; the reason he gave was very high-sounding.

The reason why the Great Wei Dynasty has been in turmoil since the Six Garrisons Rebellion is that treacherous officials in the court have caused moral decay throughout the country, so he hopes to reverse the social atmosphere.

Even if Erzhu Rong knew that Yuan Ziyou was subtly using the reign title to disgust him, he had to grit his teeth and admit it.

The change of reign title was often accompanied by a general amnesty.

However, this is not a particularly important matter for the Great Wei at present. The open and covert struggle between Erzhu Rong and Yuan Ziyou has already begun to target positions in the court.

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Yuan Ziyou sat high on the emperor's throne, while Erzhu Rong and the "officials" stood in the hall. Yuan Ziyou had already promoted Erzhu Rong when he hastily ascended the throne in Heyang.

Erzhu Rong is currently...

The Prince of Taiyuan held the titles of Imperial Envoy, Chancellor, Attendant-in-Ordinary, and General of the Army.

He was the head of all officials.

However, after Erzhu Rong staged that performance outside Luoyang, he became much more respectful to Yuan Ziyou. After paying his respects to the emperor like the others behind him, he turned around to look at the ministers in the hall.

"Your Majesty! I have something to report!"

Erzhu Rong stepped forward and bowed.

"What business does the Prime Minister have?"

Yuan Ziyou pretended to be stupid, but the purpose of today's court meeting was to define the nature of the incident at Heyin outside Luoyang and to appease the people.

Erzhu Rong, however, did not respond to his question, but instead spoke with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, my family has been blessed with imperial favor for generations. Now, seeing the Empress Dowager's licentiousness and the late Emperor's sudden and violent death, I led a righteous army south. However, Your Majesty is just ascending the throne, and the people's hearts are not yet settled. Therefore, when the army gathered, the scene was chaotic and difficult to control, which is why many princes, dukes, ministers and officials died violent deaths."

Is this what politics is?

It seems that the first principle of playing politics is to be shameless, to lie through one's teeth, and to lie with a straight face!
It was clearly Erzhu Rong who personally ordered his elite Qihu cavalry to charge at the court officials when they were in Heyin. At that time, the princes and ministers either stayed on the bank and were killed, or they jumped into the Yellow River.

But now?
Erzhu Rong refused to acknowledge the massacre of officials, instead intending to officially label it an 'accident' within the Taiji Hall.

Gao Yu stood near the palace gate, head down, but kept peeking out of the corner of his eye, trying to see how the emperor and his minister were fighting.

Erzhu Rong paused for a moment and then continued.

"All the mistakes are mine. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I cannot atone for the dereliction of duty I have committed. I failed to discipline my subordinates. I am now a deceased man from Heyin. I beg for a posthumous title."

"Honor the 'Supreme King' as Emperor."

The Supreme King was Yuan Ziyou's older brother and Yuan Xie's eldest son, Yuan Shao.

In fact, Erzhu Rong's killing of Yuan Shao was a way of indirectly helping Yuan Ziyou. After all, Yuan Shao was the eldest son, and even if someone from Yuan Xie's lineage had to be chosen as emperor, Yuan Shao was more qualified to be emperor than Yuan Ziyou in terms of legitimacy.

Yuan Ziyou was initially furious about his brother's death because he felt that Erzhu Rong was going to kill him as well.

When Yuan Ziyou realized that Erzhu Rong had no intention of replacing him as emperor, he remained calm and unperturbed, thinking that death was just death.

The struggle for the throne has always been like this.

Yuan Ziyou nodded slightly, indicating his agreement.

Erzhu Rong continued.

"The rest of the victims in Heyin."

“Princes were posthumously granted the title of Minister of the Three Departments, officials of the third rank were posthumously granted the title of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat or Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, officials of the fifth rank were posthumously granted the title of Governor, officials of the seventh rank and below and commoners were posthumously granted the title of Prefect or Garrison Commander, and those who died without children could choose another successor and receive a title from the court.”

Although Yuan Ziyou was extremely dissatisfied, he had no choice but to agree.

You can't just openly say that Erzhu Rong was the executioner and that he ordered the killings.

If this new emperor still relies so heavily on Erzhu Rong, the executioner who slaughtered princes and officials, what kind of emperor is he?
"The Prime Minister's intentions are exactly what I want to hear, just as the Prime Minister said."

Gao Yu also realized that Erzhu Rong's political skills were indeed more formidable than he had imagined.

According to normal human logic, if someone is killed, then the truth is being distorted.

These people should all be labeled as remnants of "Empress Dowager Hu's" faction; they are all people who deserve to die.

After all, Empress Dowager Hu's act of making a young girl emperor and Yuan Xu's sudden death were enough to definitively define Empress Dowager Hu as a wicked woman who brought disaster to the country and the people, and to justify and legitimize the killing of her accomplices.

But this will inevitably cause unease in the hearts of others.

Empress Dowager Hu held power for many years, and strictly speaking, the vast majority of ministers in the court could be classified as part of her faction.

Those who remained in Luoyang died, but what about the officials sent out to serve in the provinces?
To stabilize public sentiment, we must not resort to distorting the truth, nor can we mindlessly label the dead as having been killed because they were Empress Dowager Hu's henchmen. If we say that anyone is Empress Dowager Hu's remnant, it will only cause panic among everyone, as no one knows whether they will be labeled as the Empress Dowager's henchman.

That was the method Erzhu Rong used.

Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle.

There were no treacherous officials, only loyal ones.

It was not wrong for him to lead his righteous army south, nor was it wrong for his ministers to leave the city to pay homage to His Majesty.

The reason why so many people died later was because they were not familiar with each other, which caused chaos and led to accidents. Everything was an accident!
People cannot die in vain. They should all be given exceptionally high political status, and the world should be made aware of their names. They should all be loyal subjects of the Great Wei.

"It seems His Majesty is no match for Tianbao. Tianbao's methods are truly worthy of his years of cultivating his influence in the Luoyang officialdom..."

After the morning assembly adjourned.

Erzhu Rong immediately issued an edict in the name of the emperor, announcing it to the world.

Those who were still looking out of the city and hadn't rushed back to Luoyang felt at ease, and more and more people began to return to Luoyang one after another.

After all, that's why they fled in such a panic.

The main reason was that too many people died in Heyin, and Erzhu Rong was carrying out indiscriminate slaughter, so everyone ran away to save their lives.

Now Erzhu Rong is announcing to the world that he is clearing the names of the dead, which is also a way of telling everyone that he will no longer kill indiscriminately.

Then we came back, didn't we? We saw that Luoyang was gradually becoming populated.

Two days later.

Everyone gathered again inside the Taiji Hall.

On the way here, Gao Huan and Gao Yu discussed that today should be the highlight.

Although everyone is now able to enter the Taiji Hall, none of them have been granted official positions or titles by imperial decree. This should be the moment of reckoning for the victory of this campaign to Luoyang!

Erzhu Rong was undoubtedly the MVP of this southward journey to Luoyang.

Gao Yu...

Do you think you're just a passive winner?
He didn't do any of the dirty or hard work, but he still reaped a lot of benefits. However, he figured he wouldn't have much to do for himself today.

In terms of merit and reward, he did not make any significant contributions.

After the court officials paid homage to the emperor, Prime Minister Erzhu Rong spoke again.

"Your Majesty! After discussing with my relatives and ministers these past few days, I have drafted a list. I urge Your Majesty to review it. At present, people's hearts are in turmoil, and we need to restore the operation of the various departments of the court as soon as possible."

The attendant handed Erzhu Rong's official document to Yuan Ziyou.

Yuan Ziyou picked it up and glanced at it.

First and foremost are the nominally 'highest' official positions such as Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Minister of Works.

Jiangyang Prince Yuan Ji was appointed Grand Tutor and Governor of Sizhou; Beihai Prince Yuan Hao was appointed Grand Preceptor; Guanglu Grand Master Li Yanshi was appointed Grand Protector and posthumously granted the title of Prince of Puyang; Bingzhou Governor Yuan Tianmu was appointed Grand Commandant and posthumously granted the title of Prince of Shangdang; Attendant-in-Ordinary Yang Chun was appointed Minister of Works; General of Chariots and Cavalry Mu Shao was appointed Minister of Works and concurrently Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and posthumously granted the title of Prince of Dunqiu; Yongzhou Governor Changsun Zhi was appointed General of the Cavalry and posthumously granted the title of Prince of Fengyi…

A very standard way of dividing the cake.

This is not the Qin and Han dynasties anymore. Titles like Grand Commandant, Grand Protector, Minister of Works, and Minister of Agriculture have long become honorary titles with no real power.

Yuan Ji was Yuan Yi's father. After Erzhu Rong publicly wanted him to become emperor, Yuan Tianmu was also forced to turn against Yuan Ziyou. These two were the staunch supporters of Erzhu Rong's faction on the surface.

Prince Yuan Hao of Beihai and Changsun Zhi were granted titles.

It was because these two men had soldiers under their command, and both were on the front lines defending against bandits.

The reason Erzhu Rong quickly led his troops south was because he had just taken 20,000 infantry and cavalry from Luoyang, thanks to the fact that Yuan Hao, the Prince of Beihai, had just left.

As for Changsun Zhi, he was stationed in the west to guard Guanzhong, which was the last line of defense for the court against the Longxi rebels.

Therefore, it is necessary to give them high positions to appease them and prevent them from causing trouble as well.

As for Li Yanshi and Yang Chun, they were staunch supporters of the emperor.

The former was Yuan Ziyou's maternal uncle, and the latter had close ties with Yuan Ziyou... When Yuan Ziyou left Luoyang to go north, Yang Shun, the Northern General who gave Yuan Ziyou the green light all the way, was Yang Chun's younger brother.

As for the others, they were all Yuan clan members who had not been given important positions before and thus escaped this calamity by chance. Mu Shao, on the other hand, came from the Mu family, one of the eight major Xianbei clans.

In general.

It's about dividing the pie, plus winning people over, basically taking care of all aspects.

But it doesn't matter.

These are all honorary positions. The real ones are General of the Army, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Attendant-in-Ordinary... These are the core positions that Erzhu Rong and Yuan Ziyou are fighting for!

Yuan Ziyou continued reading.

The more he looked, the more gloomy his face became.

Xi Yi was promoted to General of the Central Army, Grand Master of the Palace, Minister of the Imperial Stud, and granted the title of Duke of Pingyuan County.

Erzhu Zhao was appointed General of the Central Army, Grand Master of the Palace, General of the Imperial Guard, and General of Chariots and Cavalry.

Erzhu Shilong, Erzhu Tianguang...

The sons and heirs of the Erzhu clan completely seized control of the entire Imperial Guard and Central Army system!

And those who were originally on good terms with Yuan Ziyou.

For example, Yang Shun, the General of the Northern Army, was nominally promoted and appointed as the Governor of Ji Province.

Can……

The Great Wei had long since lost control of Ji Province. This move, which appeared to be a promotion but was actually a demotion, was a way of kicking all of Yuan Ziyou's people out of the Imperial Guard system, leaving none behind.

In other words, Yuan Ziyou received no help whatsoever from the imperial palace and the area surrounding Luoyang!
Erzhu Rong turned him into a truly isolated man!

Erzhu Rong had been associated with Yuan Yi.

I know it better than anyone else.

Controlling the central army and the imperial guards meant controlling the entire city of Luoyang.

Of course.

Erzhu's sons took the lion's share.

Those who came to seek refuge from the six towns also gained some benefits.

For example, Sima Ziru, who was stationed in the rear, was granted the title of Viscount of Pingyao County. Of course, people like Hou Jing did not receive any titles.

The main benefits for Wuchuan and Huaishuo lie with their leaders.

Heba Yue was promoted to General of the Vanguard, Grand Master of the Palace, and granted the title of Baron of Fancheng Township.

Gao Huan was promoted to General of the Rear and granted the title of Earl of Tongdi.

While Erzhu Rong was acting, Gao Huan stole his lines and acted along with him.

Therefore, Gao Huan received even more rewards.

The order of nobility is: King, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron.

Gao Huan's title was clearly one rank higher than Heba Yue's.

While one can always be promoted to a higher official rank if given the opportunity, it is the most difficult to obtain a noble title.

However, Herbasheng's title was also Earl.

Yuan Ziyou looked down.

Finally, Gao Yu was found at the very bottom.

There was no promotion in official rank; Gao Yu was simply granted the title of Viscount of Cangcheng County.

Cangcheng is located in Sizhou, not far from Xiurongchuan.

See here...

Yuan Ziyou became increasingly convinced of his own ideas.

Erzhu Rong is deliberately trying to suppress Gao Yu and not give him important positions for the time being.

After all, Gao Yu was too young compared to the others under Erzhu Rong's command, only in his early twenties.

Erzhu Rong clearly did not want Gao Yu to rise too high and become arrogant right from the start, for such a situation would lead to regret.

After all, Erzhu Rong is now nominally under the leadership of Yuan Ziyou, and he does not want to give Yuan Ziyou the opportunity to win over his heroes.

(End of this chapter)