At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

The seventh day of the twelfth month in the third year of the Zhengtong reign.

Empress Dowager Cisheng Duanyou Kangshou issued an edict: After three years of suppressing the rebellion of the rebellious princes, all those who defied the emperor have been wiped out, demonstrating the great power and prestige of the nation. In recognition of this great achievement, Han Qing is hereby promoted to Duke of the State, granted the title of Ping, and awarded the title of Pillar of the State. He is also rewarded with 100,000 taels of silver and 10,000 mu of land.

The imperial edict caused an uproar in the court and among the people as soon as it was promulgated.

Yes.

Han Qing led his army back to the capital in triumph, bringing all the rebellious vassals and officials to Yudu. However, the matter of post-war rewards is still undecided.

What to bestow as a reward and how to bestow it are matters of great importance.

As the commander-in-chief who suppressed the rebellion of the rebellious vassal states, the most difficult thing was not how to reward them, but how to reward each and every one of his subordinates.

Too many, and the imperial court cannot afford it.

If there are too few, dissatisfaction will inevitably arise.

Therefore, how Han Qing is rewarded also indirectly indicates how his subordinates will be rewarded. However, the Empress Dowager's edict, which came without any warning and was so generous, makes things difficult.

This is not the most critical.

Most importantly, Han Qing has been promoted from a first-class marquis to a duke and has also been given the title of pillar of the state. How to settle him is the most important thing. He can't just be a duke in name only, can he?

This would be a huge joke!

But the problem is that Han Qing's move will cause a lot of changes.

Why would anyone want to downplay the impact of Han Qing's triumphant return to the capital?

Isn't the purpose of controlling uncontrollable factors?

it's good now.

The biggest uncontrollable event has occurred.

The Imperial City of Da Yu.

The Secretariat.

"Han Qing declined?"

Xiao Jing flicked his sleeves, looking at the young man before him, his expression unreadable. "This edict has caused such a stir in the court and among the people, yet he has declined?"

"Yes, Left Minister."

Qin Zhibai bowed and said, "After the Empress Dowager's edict of reward was read at the Vermilion Bird Gate, Han Qing, who had just returned to his residence, immediately wrote a memorial."

"The memorial stated that the merit of suppressing the rebellion of the rebellious vassal states was not solely due to Han Qing's efforts. Without His Majesty, without the three empresses, without the central government, without the local authorities, and without the valiant soldiers of the Great Yu under his command, he would have failed the Emperor's grace and become a sinner of the Great Yu. Therefore, he is ashamed to accept such a generous reward!"

She's still the same old person.

Xiao Jing was somewhat moved after hearing this. He thought that if it were anyone else, they might not have been able to do the same in the face of such a generous reward.

Leaving aside the money and land bestowed as rewards, just the title of Duke of Pingguo, with the added honor of Pillar of State, even without considering the power it would bring to the central government, the glory of the family alone would be far greater than that of a first-class marquis!

The twelve dukes currently existing in the Great Yu Kingdom were bestowed with imperial decrees at the beginning of the kingdom's founding. No one has been granted the title of duke since then. Anyone can see how prestigious this title is.

During the Zhengtong era, the Dayu Kingdom gained another Duke.

This is not easy!

The key point is that the edict was issued by the Empress Dowager, who was recuperating in Changle Palace, which makes the situation even more complicated.

"Left Minister, the Empress Dowager's actions seem to be against etiquette."

Seeing that Xiao Jing remained silent, Qin Zhibai hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Even if we are to bestow rewards upon meritorious officials, we must wait for the relevant authorities to approve the matter, for the Secretariat to make an initial draft, and then..."

"Improperly in accordance with etiquette?"

Qin Zhibai's words were interrupted by Xiao Jing, "Then tell me, how many things in the central government or the local governments are not in accordance with the law?"

"In my opinion, the Empress Dowager did absolutely nothing wrong in this matter!"

"If it weren't for a pillar of the state like the Duke of Pingguo, who knows how chaotic our Great Yu would have become in the past. If we can't even spare such an imperial decree, how many people's hearts would be chilled?!"

Qin Zhibai was speechless for a moment.

As the chief clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, how could he not know what Xiao Jing meant?

Regarding the imperial edict of reward, Qin Zhibai did not oppose it in his heart, and even agreed with it. However, he felt that in the current political situation, it was a bit too hasty for the Empress Dowager to issue such an imperial edict of reward the day after Han Qing led his army back to the capital in triumph, especially since no one knew about it beforehand.

Such haste could lead to serious problems.

Nothing else to say.

In the past three years, several important battles involving the Northern Barbarians and the Southern Zhao were fought. After these battles ended, the central government hesitated for a long time before issuing a series of imperial edicts and rewards.

These imperial edicts and rewards led to significant changes in the structure of the central government and local areas of the Great Yu Dynasty.

On the contrary, the Empress Dowager had such an attitude in suppressing the rebellion of the rebellious princes. How could this not make people think?

Let's leave it at that for now.

Seeing Qin Zhibai's reaction, Xiao Jing picked up an official document and frowned, saying, "I think the Ministry of Revenue's proposal to increase taxes needs to be re-approved. The burden on various regions has been increased too much, especially on the lower classes. Now that the turmoil that has plagued our dynasty has subsided, we must be extremely cautious about matters involving additional taxes!"

hum.

Qin Zhibai was startled and revealed an extremely complicated expression. If this were done, the Ministry of Revenue would probably not agree, and more importantly, the Secretariat would certainly not agree.

Especially now, with the Empress Dowager issuing an edict and bestowing such a generous reward upon Han Qing, even though many people may oppose it, it will not deter some people from using this as a pretext to make a fuss.

"Left Minister, should we reconsider this matter?"

Thinking of this, Qin Zhibai whispered to Xiao Jing as he took the official letter.

Did you not hear me clearly?

Xiao Jing said indifferently.

"Your humble servant has heard clearly!"

Qin Zhibai immediately said, "This humble official will go to the Ministry of Revenue right away!"

As time went by, Xiao Jing's experiences, from his past position as a Gentleman Attendant in the Secretariat to his current position as Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, made him very powerful.

The Ministry of Personnel is different now than it used to be!

The power structure of the central government of the Great Yu Dynasty has undergone significant changes since the beginning of the emperor's reign, or even earlier, and all of this is due to the turmoil of the past three years.

After Qin Zhibai left, the hall became very quiet.

Xiao Jing sat there, not continuing his official duties, but instead falling into deep thought. There was one thing he was certain of: no matter how Han Qing declined the title of Duke of Pingguo, it would be pinned on him. This was probably not only the Empress Dowager's intention, but also that of the other person.

Thinking about all this, Xiao Jing's doubts and wariness about what happened in Yudu yesterday dissipated considerably at this moment.

Just thinking about all this, Xiao Jing knew one thing: the political situation in the court was bound to change, and how to resolve this turmoil was the most crucial thing.

Isn't Your Majesty being a little too hasty?

Xiao Jing frowned, recalling the events of the past three years. He didn't think it was wise for the Emperor to take action now. After all, some things were still unresolved, and if the Emperor were to be manipulated, he could be put in a passive position. Everyone can experience failure, but the Emperor alone cannot!