People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1770 Secretariat, Small Cabinet (2/2)

In the Taiji Hall, the ministers did not come for fear of suspicion, and only a few imperial censors were walking back and forth to monitor.

Li Xuan calmly walked past Han Su and then walked towards the next Jinshi.

Only behind Lu Xiangxian did Li Xuan stop for a little longer than Han Su.

Lu Xiangxian's articles tend to focus more on macro policies, while Han Su is completely different. He is better at describing the impact of policy implementation on local areas from a detailed perspective.

This may be related to their different family backgrounds.

Lu Xiangxian's father Lu Yuanfang was the prime minister of the time, while Han Su's father Han Rentai was the chief officer of Caozhou.

It can be seen that the two were deeply influenced by their father.

Han Rentai, Li Xuan wrote down the name and walked forward.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xuan flipped through the three policy papers in his hand, looked up at the prime ministers and said, "Let's do this. The results will be announced tomorrow. The top scorer will be Lu Xiangxian, the second place will be Han Su, and the third place will be Cui Shi. These three will be appointed as proofreaders in the Secretariat and will be in charge of compiling the Han Shu in the Eastern Palace. Let them participate and see how capable they are!"

"Here!" The officials held their hands in awe.

Everyone had been prepared for Lu Xiangxian to be the top scholar. Cui Shi was a descendant of the Cui family of Boling. His father, Cui Yi, was the governor of Fenzhou and one of the few remaining third-rank officials in the entire Cui family.

Only Han Su was not well understood by the others, but after hearing the introduction, they did not care too much.

Han Su, a member of the Changli Han family, had a father who was the Sima of Caozhou, a grandfather who was the governor of Yazhou, a great-grandfather who was a general of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and a great-grandfather who was the General of the Southern Expedition and the Prince's Junior Tutor Han Mao.

Even his distant ancestor was Han Leng, Sikong of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Although the family's status gradually declined, it was still an aristocratic family.

"In addition, from today on, the Imperial Censor Wang Jishan will resign from his post and be appointed as the Yellow Gate Assistant Minister, the third rank of the Secretariat. The Minister of Rites Wei Xuantong will be appointed as the Imperial Censor and be granted the title of Jinzi Guanglu Doctor. Now that the position of Minister of Rites is vacant, you all should go back and think about who can replace him." Li Xuan waved his hand lightly, and the ministers bowed in surprise and then retreated.

Wang Jishan was appointed as the Yellow Gate Minister, the third rank official of the Secretariat, and began to perform the duties of the Secretariat.

Although he was the prime minister, he was still the last one in the Council of State.

This is not important. What is really important is the position of Minister of Rites that became vacant after Wei Xuantong was transferred to the position of Grand Censor.

In fact, Li Xuan can make the decision on this matter with just one word, as long as he can convince everyone else.

But now, he did not make a final decision. People like Lu Yuanfang had already realized that the person Li Xuan was going to mention was not so easy to convince the ministers.

That's why he asked all the ministers to nominate their own candidates, and then everyone would fight with each other and compare with each other. It would be enough if the candidate proposed by Li Xuan could be the strongest among them.

The world does not belong to the emperor alone.

Even the emperor had to negotiate and compromise with the prime minister. This was true for Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Taizong.

Even someone as tough as Empress Wu had to compromise with the aristocratic families in the very beginning.

In the past hundred years, the only one who did not compromise was Yang Guang.

……

Han Su stood at the bottom of the jade steps, looking up at the countless Jinwu Guards and the magnificent Taiji Hall.

Standing in front of Han Su was Lu Xiangxian, and standing behind Han Su was Cui Shi.

Han Su still feels a little dizzy.

During the civil service examination, he ranked eleventh. After the palace examination, he ranked second.

Although Han Su was somewhat unwilling to be ranked eleventh, he was indeed somewhat shocked by the second place.

He, the runner-up.

He, Han Su, was the runner-up.

Han Su never thought that he had the ability to be the runner-up. Being the first in the second class was enough for him.

According to the Tang Dynasty system, the top scorer in the imperial examination was awarded the upper ninth rank, the second and third place winners were awarded the lower ninth rank, the second place winners were awarded the upper ninth rank, and even the third place winners were awarded the lower ninth rank.

And the further you go in the future, the smaller the possibility of being appointed to an official position immediately.

Many people even spent many years trying to pass the imperial examination, and finally got a doctorate in four subjects in the Imperial Academy, which was a ninth-rank degree.

Now that he has won the second place in the imperial examination, he will hold an official position below the ninth rank, which means he can at least be a county magistrate or a county lieutenant in Jingzhao/Henan/Taiyuan prefecture, such as the county lieutenant of Wugong next to him.

"Announcement, the new scholars enter the palace." A loud voice came from above.

Lu Xiangxian then walked forward with Han Su, Cui Shi and others into the Taiji Hall step by step, and then bowed heavily to the ground: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live forever."

Li Xuan sat on the imperial couch, looking calmly at the forty-nine Jinshi candidates and nodded slightly.

In this imperial examination, thirty people were children of aristocratic families, ten were from minor families, and there were only nine people from truly poor families, but these nine people generally ranked high in the palace examination.

This is the result of Li Xuan's anonymous examination.

Li Xuan was not dissatisfied with the result.

In the first imperial examination after he ascended the throne, the noble families in the world were able to send their outstanding sons, and basically the emperor respected them and gave them the same official positions.

Anyway, these officials were all taken from these aristocratic families.

Li Xuan raised his hand slightly and said, "My dear ministers, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The scholars then stood up.

Li Xuan looked to the left calmly, and Ouyang Tong immediately stepped forward, holding the imperial edict and saying: "On the tenth day of March, the second year of Kaiyuan.

If the emperor said:

Oh, drama!

Since I have been on the throne of the world for half a year, I have dreamed of talented people and have been searching for wise men and women in remote areas. I hope that people who live up to their reputation and have both artistic and literary talents can be appointed to the court so that they can contribute to the governance of the country.

Today there are forty-nine Jinshi (Jinshi) who are well-versed in classics and ancient texts, eloquent in education, and have been selected into the category of virtuous and talented people and selected into the category of outstanding talents.

Special appointment: Lu Xiangxian, the first place winner of the Bingxu imperial examination, is appointed as the proofreader of the Secretariat, Han Su, the second place winner, is appointed as the secretary of the Secretariat, and Cui Shi, the third place winner, is appointed as the secretary of the Secretariat..."

As Ouyang Tong called out names one by one, all the Jinshi knelt down in the hall.

Until a familiar name appeared in everyone's ears.

"The tenth place, Zhao Qi is the lieutenant of Wugong County..." The eyes of the ministers couldn't help but fall on Zhao Qi, who was only 19 years old.

Zhao Qi was not only Li Xuan's cousin, but also his brother-in-law. He was said to have good literary talent. During the Ministry of Rites test, he was ranked tenth. Unexpectedly, Zhao Qi's name was not even ranked ahead in the top ten selected by the emperor himself.

However, compared to other places, even if the official position was in Gyeonggi Province, it was still some distance away from Chang'an, unlike Wugong County, where it took only half an hour to get back.

Li Xuan did not pay too much attention to Zhao Qi. Although Zhao Qi had some knowledge, he was not outstanding among the crowd.

This is normal. For example, Lu Xiangxian was born with extraordinary talent. Han Su took the fifth exam and had previously worked with his father in local areas.

As for Zhao Qi, Zhao Gong and Li Xuan did not let him participate in too much training, so how could he have such amazing knowledge?

He was even placed in Wugong County because Li Xuan and Zhao Gong could look after him from time to time.

Wugong County Magistrate Cheng Xingmou was a steady man. Dou Xiao, the Minister of Sinong Temple, was the previous magistrate of Wugong County. Later, he served as the magistrate of Chang'an County and was transferred to the position of Shaoqing of Sinong Temple.

Cheng Xingmou will follow the same path in the future, from the Ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Rites, and then to a local governor. If he does a good job, he will be transferred back to the Ministry of Revenue. If he does not do a good job, he will stay in the local area forever.

"…You are already high-ranking officials, and you are entrusted with a heavy responsibility. You are in charge of selecting talents. If you fail to do so, you will be in vain and bring trouble upon yourself. If you fail to be selected, you will be awarded three pieces of silk. I decree this!"

Ouyang Tong put away the imperial edict, and the forty-nine scholars kowtowed in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Li Xuan leaned forward slightly and said calmly, "The Eastern Palace will begin compiling the Han Shu in three days. Lu Qing, Han Qing, Cui Qing, since you have arrived at the Secretariat, you will be helping the Eastern Palace in three days."

"We obey your order." Lu Xiangxian, Han Su and Cui Shi all bowed.

"Tomorrow there will be a Qujiang Banquet. The Crown Prince should go and watch it. It happens to be a day off tomorrow, so all the ministers should go and watch it. That's all for today. We are dismissed." Li Xuan waved his hand, and all the ministers bowed and said, "Farewell, Your Majesty."

Li Xuan stood up from the imperial couch, and the sound of bells and chimes rang out from under a door on one side until Li Xuan left.

……

On March 11, an imperial boat was sailing slowly on the Jinshui River in Taiji Palace.

From the East Sea Pool to the North Sea Pool, and then to the South Sea Pool.

There was constant singing and laughter along the way.

Li Xuan lay on the recliner, closed his eyes and took a rest. Xia'er kept running around him, not afraid of falling into the water at all.

As an emperor, he certainly couldn't go shopping on the long streets, but in the palace, there were many things that ordinary people couldn't even think of, and they were enjoyed exclusively by Li Xuan.

A light sound of footsteps sounded beside her, and Xia'er immediately rushed over with a smile: "Mother."

Li Xuan gently opened her eyes. Liu Jinyu was standing beside her holding Xia'er. Looking at the green willows on both sides of the river, she felt relaxed and happy for a moment.

"We're going to Luoyang next month." Li Xuan said, "When we get to Luoyang, we can cruise on the Luo River as we please without worrying about disturbing others."

"Hmm!" Liu Jinyu sat down on one side, then looked at Li Xuan and said, "The poems and essays written by the scholars at the Qujiang Banquet just now have been delivered. Among them, Cui Shi's essay is the best. The others, such as Lu Xiangxian and Han Su, are a little worse."

Li Xuan nodded and said, "That's how it should be. Otherwise, why would he be the third place winner?"

The position of Tanhua is originally held by a person of literary talent, and he must be the one with the best literary talent among all the Jinshi. Otherwise, how could he be able to write the imperial edicts so beautifully in the future?

Liu Jinyu asked curiously, "Husband, in your eyes, what is the future of these three people?"

Li Xuan has now secured his throne, and his perspective is completely different from before. After a brief pause, Li Xuan said, "For now, the three of them are proofreaders in the Ministry of Personnel, participating in the compilation of the Han Shu. Next year, they will be transferred to the position of Supervisory Censor, and then they will be the county magistrate of the capital county, the assistant censor, the chief historian of the local area, the secretary of the Secretariat, the junior minister of the nine temples, and the local governor..."

At this point, Li Xuan suddenly paused, and Liu Jinyu turned sideways and asked, "What's wrong? What's next?"

"The next ones are nothing more than the nine temple ministers, local governors, six ministers, and even the prime ministers of the three provinces." Li Xuan shook his head slightly and said, "But these are the most ideal situations. The most likely possibility is that they will be hindered by various things in the middle of the process, such as mourning, impeachment, or their own mistakes..."

Liu Jinyu nodded. The areas Li Xuan mentioned were the most ideal. Who knows when someone will go astray.

"Speaking of which, Lu Xiangxian is most likely to be the Minister of the Secretariat, Han Su may be the Minister of the Chancellery, and Cui Shi is probably the Palace Attendant." Li Xuan shook his head slightly. After all, Cui Shi was from the Cui family, so Li Xuan would naturally be on guard against him. If he could not achieve greater merits, the third rank of the Secretariat might be his ceiling.

"So, my husband values ​​Han Su more." Liu Jinyu nodded in realization.

"The world will eventually be put into practice." Li Xuan smiled, and Liu Jinyu agreed: "Your Majesty is wise...oh...oh..."

Liu Jinyu suddenly vomited. In the moment of shock, Li Xuan had already grabbed her wrist, pressed on her pulse, and then his face was full of surprise.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xuan looked at Lu Yuanfang with a warm smile and said, "Let's discuss in the Political Affairs Hall who will take over as the Minister of Rites?"

Lu Yuanfang stepped forward and clasped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, there are three people in the Political Affairs Hall, Feng Yuanchang, the Minister of the Left, Lin Renji, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Li Yuangui, the Prince of Huo, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"How about the King of Han?" Li Xuan turned sideways, looked at the ministers and said, "How about the King of Han being appointed as the Minister of Rites?"

The ministers fell silent for a moment, but soon Wang Dezhen stepped forward and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, there are already many members of the royal family in the court, including Prince Huo as the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs, Prince Zheng as the Secretary General, and Prince Wuling as the Minister of Rites. If there are more, it will affect the balance of the court."

Li Xuan fell silent, then he said, "If I transfer the Prince of Wuling to be the governor of Dingzhou..."

"Your Majesty, no!" Lu Yuanfang cupped his hands and said, "This autumn, the court will mobilize troops against the Central Turks, so Dingzhou should not take any action."

Li Xuan's brows immediately furrowed. It was obvious that the number of kings in the court had reached the point where even the prime ministers were beginning to worry.

Yes, there are only a few positions in the Three Officials, Six Ministries, Nine Temples and Five Offices in the court. If one more is given to the kings, there will be one less for others.

"Feng Qing and other Shangshu Zuo Cheng positions will not be moved, and Lin's position of Taichang Temple Minister will not be moved. I have other arrangements. So Prince Huo will be transferred to be the Minister of Rites, Prince Zheng to be the Minister of Zongzheng Temple, Yu Ze will be promoted to the Secretary General, Yang Jiong and Du Shenyan to the Junior Secretary Generals, Chen Zi'ang and He Zhizhang to the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Yao Chong to be the Junior Secretary of Dali Temple, Song Jing to be the Sima of Yongzhou, and the rest of the vacancies will be filled in the Ministry of Personnel." Li Xuan waved his hand.

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed in unison.

They now realized that Li Xuan's purpose in transferring Prince Huo to be the Minister of Rites was to make room for his own people.

Yu Ze, Yang Jiong, Du Shenyan, Chen Ziang, He Zhizhang, Yao Chong, Song Jing, and Wang Bo, who was the Shaoqing of Sinong Temple, and Lu Zangyong, who was the Chief Justice of Dali Temple...

A new generation of talent has caught up.

However, the ministers did not say much. After all, these close ministers following Li Xuan had basically not made any major moves since Empress Wu was pacified, not even when Li Xuan ascended the throne. Now they have only been sent to the Secretariat and the Dali Temple, and have little influence on the court.

Not to mention, these people already have close relations with their prime ministers.

They had no idea that these people had formed an invisible circle around Li Xuan.

A circle similar to the Northern Gate Scholars, of course, they can also be called the cabinet.

Lu Yuanfang stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, now that the imperial examination is over, it's time to consider the eastern tour to Luoyang."

"Well, this time, I'm afraid I'll be the only one going. The Empress Dowager and the Queen will not go. The Crown Prince is regent and the Queen is pregnant. Only a few concubines who are not pregnant will go with me. As for the affairs of the three provinces and six ministries, let the Council of Government arrange them." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly and smiled happily.

"Your Majesty, we congratulate you." All the ministers bowed their hands together. As they lowered their heads, they couldn't help but wonder, this is the emperor's first child. Is there ten?

(End of this chapter)