Chang'an is good

Chapter 661 Go My Own Way
Among these two people, one is Xiao Min, who also serves as the governor of Lingnan and Qianzhong.

The other one was She Cai, whom Li Suining appointed as the governor of Jiannan Road and sent to Yizhou.

She Cai's military achievements are beyond doubt. She has already gained prestige in the army. She is courageous, decisive, responsible, rough but meticulous, and has military talent. Li Suining needs to pacify the western border to deter Tubo and eliminate the remaining forces of Li Yin. She is relieved to let She Cai go.

Yao Ran selected more than 20 officials to accompany She Cai. All of them were scholars picked from hundreds of miles away. They were either from Jiangdu's counselors, or selected from the Cui family, the Changsun family, and the Chu family.

Hao Huan also followed She Cai, and they also brought with them a few girls adopted from the Jiangdu Charity Hall. As for Jiaozi, he was already of age, so She Cai kicked him away to study at the Imperial College.

Before shepherd's purse and Xiao Min set off, they went to the palace together to bid farewell to His Majesty the Emperor. Shepherd's purse patted his chest and assured: "Your Majesty, don't worry. General Xiao and I will take care of the southwest in less than three years!"

Xiao Min, who was always calm and conservative, felt a little embarrassed when he heard this - how could three years be enough? This elder sister was really bold! Moreover, the elder sister was in charge of Jiannan Road, while he had to take care of Qianzhong and Lingnan. Lingnan was so big and so difficult... The elder sister was generous and didn't care about his life or death.

But His Majesty the Emperor nodded with satisfaction.

"..." Xiao Min was a little unsteady on his feet. He felt that he had to hurry and leave, as time was very tight and the task was very heavy.

After She Cai and Xiao Min left Beijing, the appointment edicts of the provincial governors were issued one after another from the Ministry of Personnel, but the new emperor never mentioned the appointment of the other military governors.

Li Suining did not want to appoint another military governor, so she appointed She Cai and Xiao Min because she needed to take over the southwestern territory.

After that, when the situation everywhere is stabilized, she will formally abolish the Jiedushi official system.

As a new emperor who rose to power with military power, Li Suining knew better than anyone the fatal drawbacks of the Jiedushi system, which was that it was too powerful to be controlled. She would not repeat the mistakes of her predecessors and become a puppet monarch controlled by local military power.

Now that the general situation has been determined, no mistakes can be allowed on the border. The southwest is guarded by Xiao Min and She Cai, the east has Kang Cong and Shi Man, and the north has the Shuofang Army and the Longyou Army - as well as the Anbei Protectorate mentioned by Li Suining when he negotiated peace with the Northern Di.

Li Suining wants to change the Anbei Protectorate into the Grand Protectorate, and also establish three protectorates in Beidi, which will be under the jurisdiction of the Grand Protectorate. Bai Hong has volunteered to go to Beidi to supervise this matter.

Tang Xing had made contributions in the war against the Northern Di and should have been rewarded, but he was not used to being confined to one position for a long time in a boring way, so Li Suining gave him the title of Censor-in-Chief and asked him to inspect the country on behalf of the emperor.

Later, when there was an envoy mission to a foreign country, Li Suining also planned to give it to him, which would be a good match and make the best use of his talents.

In addition to the rewards for the above meritorious persons, the rest are posthumous honors for those who died for their country.

Military generals such as He Wuhu were all posthumously honored, and ordinary soldiers who died in battle were all given generous compensation and relief if they had families or descendants.

He Wuhu had no family, so the rewards were received by Qihu on his behalf. Qihu thought about it and gave the rewards to Shecai.

Shepherd's Purse took out half and distributed it to Qihu and other brothers who had accompanied He Wuhu through thick and thin. The rest was used to provide relief to the families of those who died in battle under He Wuhu's command. Shepherd's Purse did not keep a penny for herself - He Wuhu left the courtyard in Jiangdu to her, and that was already very precious in terms of the thoughtfulness.

Shecai will use the two adjacent courtyards in Jiangdu City to adopt more children.

Luo Guanlin was posthumously named the Prince's Tutor, and given the posthumous title "Zhenxin". He was included in the Confucian Temple and the Shrine of Local Worthies in his hometown prefecture, and was given the title of Duke of Qi, which was inherited by his descendants.

His daughter Luoxi joined the Ministry of Works for study and experience.

His son Luo Ze followed Song Xian, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, and temporarily served as the chief clerk.

Granny Jin couldn't sit still either. She wanted to ask to go back to the Jiangdu workshop. When Yao Ran learned about this, he told her that the workshop would not be built only in Jiangdu, and sites in Luoyang and other places had also been selected, and she would have a place to use her skills in the future.

Only then did Granny Jin readily agree and stay with peace of mind.

Speaking of workshops and manufacturing, Shen Sanmao had previously declined to serve as an official in Beijing, and had casually suggested in a letter that in a few years, he could let A Che join the Ministry of Works for training. The child is still young and has more moral principles than he does, so he is a promising talent.

Before Li Suining had time to think about this matter, A Che had already been abducted by Meng Lie to Dengtai Tower.

When he was in Jiangdu before, A Che had always been working beside Meng Lie, and somehow he caught Meng Lie's eye.

A Che is down-to-earth and hardworking. More importantly, he has no relatives or friends, but was once saved by Your Majesty and is loyal to Your Majesty... In this respect, he is very similar to Meng Lie back then.

Meng Lie admits that he is getting old, but the secret intelligence network in his hands cannot be abandoned just because His Majesty ascends the throne. On the contrary, he should manage it more carefully.

Meng Lie needed to find someone who could take over and train him carefully, and Ache was the person he chose.

A Che followed Meng Lie and learned how to manage the affairs of the building. One day, A Che learned to summarize the recent news in the capital to Meng Lie, including a lot of rumors about the loyal and brave Marquis and the eldest princess Li Rong. Meng Lie was speechless and simply said, "...Skip the news about these two people."

Now, almost everyone in the capital knows that Chang Sui'an is the daughter of Princess Xuan'an. It is an open secret.

After learning about this relationship, some people secretly speculated about the bet - could Marquis Zhongyong hope to gain status and become the oldest royal consort since Pangu created the world?

When Chang Kuo heard about this, he was so angry that he didn't go out for several days.

He didn't go out, but Princess Xuan'an came to look for him, of course, under the pretext of "coming to see her son."

Chang Sui'an was very busy after returning to Beijing. Whenever he stayed in the city, he always had to run back and forth between the Marquis's Mansion and the Grand Princess's Mansion, fetching water until he was sweating profusely and doubted his life.

Fortunately, after he was granted the title of General Guide, he spent most of his time handling military affairs in the Xuan Ce military camp outside the city and could not return for three to five days.

Chang Sui'an is not in the city today, but that does not prevent Drunkard Li Rong from coming to look for him.

……

It was getting dark. Cui Lang, who was waiting outside the imperial city, saw the familiar figure in medical robes coming out and hurriedly went to greet him: "Mianmian!"

Qiao Yumian is now a medical officer in the Imperial Medical Bureau in the palace.

Qiao Yumian originally wanted to bring her encumbered master along, but Doctor Sun didn't dare to enter the palace no matter what.

Finally, Doctor Sun agreed to follow Old Tutor Chu to live in a villa outside the capital, where there was beautiful scenery and it was quiet and comfortable. The Tutor's health needed a doctor to take care of him, and it was also convenient for Qiao Yunian to ask her master for medical advice at any time.

At this time, Qiao Yumian glanced at the officials who were looking at him and asked Cui Lang in a low voice: "What are you waiting for here?"

"My mother came to visit today..." Cui Lang imitated her and lowered his voice: "Yihu came in the afternoon and sent a message, saying that they had a very pleasant conversation! Madam Wang even invited my mother to have dinner with him, hehe."

Qiao Yumian blushed slightly, and did not hide the joy in her eyes. She nodded and said, "My father also praised you the other day."

Cui Lang hurriedly asked what he was praising. Qiao Yumian walked forward and said, "I thought it was a bad bamboo shoot, but I didn't expect that after peeling off the skin layer by layer, it actually grew into such a straight and good bamboo."

"..." Cui Lang gave a thumbs up: "Father-in-law has a sharp eye!"

As he spoke, he straightened his back, patted his chest, and said confidently: "I will definitely work hard to grow straighter in the future!"

Qiao Yumian blushed even more. She glanced behind her and said angrily, "Stop yelling..."

Cui Lang then realized that he had just shouted out his true feelings, and hurriedly slapped his mouth as a punishment.

The two of them walked forward together while talking, and Cui Lang asked again: "Regarding the matter of selecting an imperial husband... has His Majesty given any instructions?"

Qiao Yumian shook her head: "I haven't heard any rumors yet, so I can't ask Ningning about it."

After thinking for a while, he said, "However, you should know that the old tutor was summoned to the palace yesterday? Yao Tingwei also followed him into the palace. I don't know if it was for this matter... But did Madam Lu ask you to find out?"

"That's right." Cui Lang said, "I'm not worried... Your Majesty has rewarded all those who have made contributions, but has not yet rewarded my eldest brother. Doesn't this mean that he has other plans?"

In terms of military achievements, no one can surpass his elder brother except His Majesty himself.

After such a great contribution, there is no mention of reward. If not waiting for the position of husband of the emperor, then what else could it be?
There were many people who shared the same idea as Cui Lang, and many officials were very anxious about this. They tried to persuade the emperor to reconsider, but the emperor did not mention this matter directly; they wanted to find out something from the general, but Cui Jing did not like to socialize with others, and he still kept to himself as before, leaving them at a loss.

Wei Shuyi saw the helplessness of the officials, but he had to admit that Cui Ling'an was indeed the best candidate.

In the golden autumn of August, envoys from various states arrived in Kyoto one after another to present tribute to the new emperor of the ancestral country.

Jin Chengyuan has not left yet. He plans to stay for a long time. Recently, he is taking Dongluo officials to learn about Dasheng culture. The person in charge of this matter is Cui Lang, who works in the Ministry of Rites.

After all the envoys from various states arrived, the Dasheng court held a banquet to entertain them.

But at the morning court session the next day, something happened that was beyond the expectations of all civil and military officials.

When the world was first settled, the new monarch made many changes to the military and political systems. The officials had different opinions, but Cui Jing, as the head of the military generals, firmly supported all the decisions of the new monarch.

The attitude of Minister of War Qiao Yang was not as straightforward as Cui Jing's, but his position was also obvious. He was also a supporter of the new policy, now and in the future.

Most of the officials in the Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel also held similar positions to Qiao Yang. Under such circumstances, the new monarch faced almost no resistance in implementing his new policies.

After the conservative officials clearly saw this, all they could do was to compromise and make supplementary arrangements as much as possible, in an effort to make the new policies as smooth as possible.

These political affairs that had been discussed for many days were no longer enough to stir up the emotions of the officials. What surprised them was the general's behavior.

Cui Jing took the initiative to hand over Xuan Ce's military command and asked to be appointed as the general in Xuan Ce's mansion.

The Xuan Ce Army, which had grown even stronger due to the recruitment of soldiers after the war in the northern border, was like a sword hanging over the new dynasty in the minds of many officials... This was also the biggest reason why most officials opposed Cui Jing as the emperor's match.

The word "power" is so complex and dangerous. Such great power is enough to cause turmoil in the country. Even if Cui Jing has no other intentions for the time being, he will become the best sword in the eyes of those with other intentions. The existence of such a person will inevitably breed and encourage more people with other intentions. Under this premise, if he becomes the emperor's spouse and is only second to one person, is it really a good thing for the country and the people?

Officials' concerns are by no means unfounded.

There is no such thing as a joke in the country, and danger arises from carelessness. In the face of the safety of the world, the concept of love is too illusory. This has nothing to do with the difference between men and women. This is about imperial power and court affairs. Even if the current emperor is a man, they would not dare to accept a female queen who holds such a heavy army.

They thought about removing Cui Jing's military power, but this was also too dangerous. If they were not careful, it would backfire and cause a disaster... So they were anxious and could only try to persuade the new king to choose another good wife.

But no one expected that... Cui Jing, who had never said anything, would actually voluntarily hand over his military power!

This unexpected surprise made many officials subconsciously question it, and they dared not to believe it carelessly - was he transferring the position of general to his confidant? To eliminate their vigilance? To defraud the position of the emperor's husband?

However, Cui Jing's next words once again surprised them.

Cui Jing proposed that from now on, the military command of Xuan Ce's army would be managed only by the emperor, and the position of general in Xuan Ce's mansion would be abolished. Only standing military generals would be appointed by the emperor as commanders in wartime, and the military command would be returned to the emperor after the war.

The proposal to "remove the general's post in Xuan Ce's mansion" made the Hanyuan Hall suddenly quiet.

In the hall, only the calm and composed voice of the young man in purple robe could be heard. He raised his hand to salute, and almost in a gesture of advice, he explained the drawbacks of the position of general of the Xuan Ce Army.

He said that the Xuan Ce Army was originally founded by the former Crown Prince Li Shang. It is understandable that such a powerful army is in the hands of a country's crown prince, but if it is taken over by other people, there will be a danger of shaking the country.

The existence of the Xuan Ce Army is now too large. If the position of general is continued to be established, it would be like exposing the huge amount of wealth, which will continue to attract the covetousness of those with ulterior motives and will be detrimental to the stability of the people's hearts in the country.

The sword that protects the country should not become a blade that endangers the country, otherwise the original intention of the former crown prince to establish this army would be lost.

After saying this, Cui Jing politely asked again: "Therefore, Cui Jing implores Your Majesty to remove Xuan Ce from his position as the general in the palace, and eliminate the source of danger for the country!"

As far as all the ministers could remember, this was the first time that the powerful Grand Commander Cui had publicly made suggestions in this hall.

Cui Jing was a loner with a rebellious streak. He had never followed the arrangements of the Cui clan and never participated in government and party politics in the court. He had always only trained his soldiers and fought his battles. If he had a request, he would write a memorial and submit it. If the court evaded the empress and refused, he would write another one. If she still refused, he would not insist.

But do you think he has compromised?
No, he turned around and did it himself...

Otherwise, where did those tens of thousands of cavalry suddenly appear in Bingzhou?

The imperial court, which had rejected his proposal to expand the cavalry, was completely unaware of this!
It's really just doing whatever he wants and being lawless.

The advantages of this kind of person are undeniable. He is far-sighted and capable, and he has his own opinions but he sticks to them. This kind of person will not obey discipline. It is for this reason that all officials feel greatly intimidated and oppressed.

But no one expected that such a person, when giving advice to the emperor for the first time, would actually be to hand over his military power and ask the emperor to completely remove the post of general.

Inside the hall, people's hearts were shaken.

Bad news, I haven’t finished a chapter yet!

Good news, the next chapter will be released soon~