Jiuxi

Chapter 699: 697 [Your Heart is Towards the Bright Moon]

Ruyin City has a vast area, and the four cities in the east, west, south and north form a neat and symmetrical pattern.

The Governor's Office is located in the north city, while the Provincial Governor's Office is located in the south city which spans the entire central axis.

Inside the main hall, Xu Zuo, the governor of Dingzhou, stood facing south. Opposite him stood a dusty young eunuch holding an imperial edict.

"…Xu Zuo, the governor of Dingzhou, has been virtuous and benevolent, and has been loyal and loyal. He has governed the country in a proper way and brought peace to the country. I highly commend him. I hereby appoint you as the Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall, and your eldest son Xu Zhenglun as Tongzhilang. I respect you."

The eunuch's name is He Ji. He is a close confidant of Yuan Yuji, the Junior Eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and also an old acquaintance of the current emperor during his time in the palace.

He stepped forward, handed the imperial edict to Xu Zuo, and said with a smile: "Congratulations, Grand Secretary Xu."

According to the official system of the Great Qi Dynasty, the Governor of Dingzhou was of the second rank, and the Grand Secretary of Guanwen Hall was of the first rank, which were usually honors and honorary titles given to the prime minister of the dynasty and retired high-ranking officials.

At present, there are only two prime ministers in the court who hold the honorary title of Grand Secretary, and Xu Zuo is the third one in office. From this, we can see the importance the emperor attaches to him in this imperial edict.

However, there was no obvious joy on Xu Zuo's face. He weighed the imperial edict in his hand, as if he was feeling its weight.

Huang Gongfu, the chief secretary of the governor's office, who was standing at the side and behind, lowered his head and coughed lightly.

When He Ji saw that Xu Zuo didn't respond, the smile on his face froze.

"I thank your Majesty for his grace."

Xu Zuo finally accepted the order and thanked him, then said to He Ji: "Angel, please sit down and have some tea."

He Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Zuo asked Huang Gongfu to collect the imperial edict, and after sitting down, he said: "I dare not refuse the grace bestowed by the king, but I am very worried to receive the gift without any merit. I hope the angel can explain it to me."

He Ji, of course, knew the glorious history of the frontier official in front of him, and was prepared for his straightforward style, so he humbly said: "Grand Secretary Xu, why should you be so modest? After you took office in Dingzhou, you have managed this place in an orderly manner, the people live and work in peace and contentment, and the officials are honest and upright. This is a well-known achievement, and Your Majesty knows it clearly even though you are in Jiangnan. You are the current Xiantai, and you are willing to go to the border for the Great Qi. Such responsibility is admirable. Who in the court and the people does not admire the character of the Grand Secretary?"

For the eunuchs who were used to serving the nobles in the palace, such polite words of praise could be easily used.

Xu Zuo was silent for a moment. He Ji's words were of no value at all.

If what he said is true, as long as one does his job well, he can be promoted to Grand Secretary, how can the six ministers in the court be convinced?
After a moment, Xu Zuo emphasized his tone and said, "May I ask the angel, what does Your Majesty think of the secret memorial I presented earlier?"

He Ji was a little nervous subconsciously, and said carefully: "Your Majesty asked me to tell Grand Secretary Xu that the Northern Expedition is inevitable now that the time, place and people are all right. Grand Secretary Xu is dedicated to the country and his advice is reasonable. Your Majesty is deeply moved and hopes that the Grand Secretary can be consistent and not hesitate to give honest advice. Your Majesty cannot accept Grand Secretary Xu's advice this time because for Da Qi, if we don't seize this God-given opportunity, it will be a long way to recover our homeland. I hope the Grand Secretary will understand."

To be fair, the emperor's attitude can be described as being humble and respectful to others.

Faced with Xu Zuo's sharp and scathing remonstrance, he not only did not take it as a surprise, but instead promoted Xu Zuo to a higher position as a token of his favor, and asked He Ji to convey such sincere commendation. Most ordinary officials would have been moved to tears and praised him endlessly at this time.

However, Xu Zuo just sat there in silence, his thick eyebrows like knife blades gradually twisted.

Huang Gongfu knew something was wrong, so he quickly interrupted with a smile: "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and it is a blessing for the Great Qi."

Xu Zuo was well aware of the concerns of this trusted aide, and asked him not to speak frankly about the emperor's right and wrong in front of the eunuch. Who knows if this person is a sinister villain? If the other party holds a grudge and exaggerates after returning to the capital, it will inevitably cause complications.

Even so, Xu Zuo still asked: "Since Your Majesty has decided to march north, who will be the commander-in-chief?"

He Ji hesitated a bit, facing the other party's solemn gaze, and finally could only answer honestly: "Your Majesty originally intended that the Duke of Shanyang County lead the army, but the Duke of Shanyang County had many concerns about the Northern Expedition, so after discussing with the adults in the Military Academy, Your Majesty decided to let the Marquis of Yongyi and the Governor Liu of Jingzhou lead the army together. Your Majesty knew that Grand Secretary Xu was concerned about this matter, so he specifically told me before I left to inform Grand Secretary Xu about this matter."

Xu Zuo was so perceptive that he immediately understood the profound meaning of the emperor's action.

The emperor knew that neither he nor Lu Chen agreed with the Northern Expedition. In that case, he simply left them aside and chose to advance from the western front. The Dingzhou army mainly played a role of containment and deterrence.

In this way, even if Xu Zuo wanted to object, he would be powerless because the imperial edict would not be passed on to Dingzhou. As the Imperial Censor and Governor of Dingzhou, he would have no chance even if he wanted to refute it.

He Ji was afraid that the provincial governor in front of him would get stuck in a rut, so he followed the emperor's instructions and briefly recounted the court's discussions on the Northern Expedition and various factors involved.

"Your Majesty has indeed thought it through."

Xu Zuo said something that puzzled He Ji, and then he said to Huang Gongfu: "Bring the imperial edict here."

Huang Gongfu was stunned and said: "The governor——"

Xu Zuo said seriously: "Bring it here!"

Huang Gongfu didn't dare to resist, so he could only sigh secretly, then got up and went to the back hall.

He Ji stared at the scene in a daze, with a bad premonition in his heart.

Soon, Huang Gongfu brought the bright yellow imperial edict. Xu Zuo took it from him and stood up to He Ji, who also stood up. Xu Zuo held the imperial edict in both hands and said in a deep voice: "Please ask the angel to present it to Your Majesty. I was just fulfilling my duties in Dingzhou and have no merit. I don't deserve such a generous reward from Your Majesty. I am ashamed to accept the honor of being a Grand Secretary. I beg Your Majesty to withdraw the order, otherwise I will not be able to calm the voices of the court and the people."

"This this……"

He Ji was almost at a loss. He knew that most of the noble civil officials were reserved and would not easily accept the emperor's rewards, but that was mostly done by officials in the capital.

Because the local officials were far away from the capital, it was impossible for them to repeatedly refuse and then accept the offer. Moreover, they would be worried that the emperor would be angry about it.

He Ji did not expect Xu Zuo to be so determined. At this moment he could not help but worry about his life. If he returned to the capital in such a disgrace, who knows how the emperor would react in anger. Wouldn't he have to bear the consequences then?

Xu Zuo seemed to see through his thoughts and directly pressed the imperial edict into his hands, saying firmly: "Please ask the angel to present it to Your Majesty. This matter is something I firmly refuse to accept and has nothing to do with the angel."

He Ji forced a smile that was uglier than crying, and said with difficulty: "Grand Scholar Xu, His Majesty admires your integrity and loyalty, why do you have to..."

Xu Zuo shook his head and said, "Angel, there is no need to say more. I have the right not to accept it. Please go back!"

He Ji looked at Huang Gongfu standing beside him, who gave him a helpless look.

"Ugh."

He Ji sighed heavily, bowed and said, "Goodbye."

Xu Zuo turned his back to him. Huang Gongfu had no choice but to send He Ji out of the governor's mansion. On the way, he tried to comfort him with all kinds of words and stuffed a stack of tickets into his sleeve.

He didn't know whether there was any point in doing this, so he could only try his best to turn the situation around.

After seeing He Ji off and returning to the main hall, Huang Gongfu found Xu Zuo was no longer there. He then went to the study and saw Xu Zuo already at his desk handling government affairs.

He walked to a chair nearby and sat down, saying, "Sir, why do you have to do this?"

Xu Zuo remained silent, just looking at the file in his hand.

Huang Gongfu continued, "When you presented me with that secret letter, I was already worried."

Xu Zuo asked indifferently: "Why?"

Huang Gongfu sighed and said, "Your Majesty asked you to guard Dingzhou. The purpose is self-evident. It is just to supervise and check the Duke of Shanyang. Your attitude towards the Northern Expedition coincides with that of the Duke of Shanyang. It is hard to guarantee that Your Majesty will not be suspicious. Judging from the words of the eunuch He today and the imperial edict of grace, Your Majesty does not doubt your loyalty. It shows that you are broad-minded and tolerant. Why don't you go with the flow? Wouldn't everyone be happy?"

"Everyone is happy?"

Xu Zuo's eyes grew colder, and he said in a cold voice: "How can we treat national affairs as a joke?!"

"Please calm down, my lord. That is not what I meant."

Huang Gongfu had known him for many years. Although there was a difference in status between them, he was not too afraid and said frankly: "Your Excellency is well versed in the ways of being an official. You should understand that the Northern Expedition is the general trend. From what Eunuch He said just now, your Majesty has the support of a group of military ministers and the support of several Shangshu adults. In addition, there is civil unrest in Jing and help from Dai. This war is inevitable. If you force yourself to oppose your Majesty at this time, it will only cause your Majesty's disgust and will not change the overall situation."

"The way to be an official..."

Xu Zuo read out the words one by one, then slammed the file on the table and said sternly: "The court is full of treacherous people, all of whom are short-sighted and greedy. Your Majesty is not good at judging people and is greedy for glory. How can you not lose this battle!"

Huang Gongfu said nervously, "Sir, please be careful with your words."

Xu Zuo slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the few greenery in the cramped courtyard, and said slowly: "Be careful with your words? The late emperor promoted me from a humble background. I watched with my own eyes as he overcame all difficulties and rose step by step in the dark and difficult situation. Meeting such a wise ruler, I, Xu Yanbi, am willing to die and remain unwavering in my determination to wipe out the treacherous villains for the late emperor. I only regret that God was ruthless and the late emperor did not live long enough, but he did leave a stable court and a vibrant and prosperous Great Qi for his successor."

"Your Majesty, all he needs to do is follow the plan and move forward step by step along the route planned by the previous emperor, and he will surely be able to restore the prosperity of the Great Qi Dynasty. However, in just one year, people's hearts are divided, demons are rampant, the emperor and his ministers are suspicious of each other, and there are intrigues and deceptions!"

"The late emperor worked day and night for fifteen years without a moment of leisure. Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Xue, Duke of Wei, Duke of Rong, and Qin Tiju worked hard and went through hardships to make Da Qi stand firm, but in the end it became what it is now."

"Why?"

"Why!"

Veins bulged on the back of Xu Zuo's hands, and turbid tears flowed down his cheeks.

Huang Gongfu was horrified and bowed his head, saying: "Sir, His Majesty just wants to fulfill the late emperor's last wish as soon as possible. Besides, our dynasty has many advantages in this battle and may not lose--"

"No need to say any more."

Xu Zuo raised his sleeve to wipe away the tears on his face, regaining his usual stern expression, and said word by word: "Prepare the carriage, I want to go see Lu Chen."

Huang Gongfu sighed and whispered, "Yes."

(End of this chapter)