Chapter 431 New Year Court Meeting (Special thanks to book friend Cong★zai for his 4 monthly tickets!)

After greeting and sitting down in the hall, Fu Zhenzhen said:
"Your Majesty left the palace incognito last night. I heard that he stayed at the Baoen Temple and did not return all night. I and your concubines were worried all night.

Your Majesty is the ruler of our Great Zhou. The people and the country depend on you. I, the concubines in the harem, and all the princes and princesses cannot do without Your Majesty!

Your Majesty must not act arbitrarily and disregard safety."

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
"My two queens, my beloved concubine, our Great Zhou is now peaceful and prosperous. What danger can there be for me to stay in Baoen Temple for one night?
You don’t have to worry too much.”

Diwu Zhaolu hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but said:

"Your Majesty, please do not blame me and others. It is just that this Mo Zang Liuyun came from an unjust place and is behind the enemy. Your Majesty must be on guard.

If this woman has ulterior motives, where will Your Majesty put the country, my concubines, and children in the harem?"

Chai Zongxun knew that staying overnight at the "Bao'en Temple" was indeed too risky. No wonder the two queens and Concubine Jialuo came together to "raise an army to hold them accountable."

There were many kings in history who indulged in beauty and ruined their country. There were also some who died at the hands of their concubines, such as Emperor Xiaowu of Jin, Sima Yao.

Sima Yao’s biological mother, Empress Dowager Xiaowu Li Lingrong, was the legendary “Kunlun Slave” queen in Chinese history.

In the 396st year of Taiyuan ( AD), Sima Yao joked with his favorite concubine, Concubine Zhang, after drinking. Sima Yao said that Concubine Zhang was over years old and her beauty had faded, so he wanted to select another beauty from the people to enter the harem.

Concubine Zhang was furious. After Sima Yao fell asleep, she and her personal maid suffocated him with a quilt, claiming that he died suddenly from "suffocation in his sleep due to fright."

At that time, Crown Prince Sima Dezong was ignorant and cowardly, and Kuaiji Prince Sima Daozi was also incompetent and licentious, but they were not investigated.

Chai Zongxun nodded and said:

“The two queens and my beloved concubine are right!
I will pay more attention in the future."

Princess Jialuo had thousands of words in her heart, but when she spoke, they condensed into one sentence:

"Even if your majesty is traveling incognito, you cannot stay overnight outside the palace!

This makes me and others in the palace extremely worried. How can we sleep well? "

Chai Zongxun was moved and said:
“My beloved is right.

I promise you that I will never stay outside the palace again."

Chai Zongxun comforted the three girls for a long time until they felt relieved after chatting. When it was almost noon, they went to Baoci Hall together to have lunch with Empress Dowager Fu and others.

On the 17th day of the first month of the 32nd year of Kaixi, there was an early morning court session.

As soon as the court began, the chief eunuch Tang Qi read out to all the ministers the emperor's intention to implement the "term system" and the "retirement system".

The factions of Zhang Qixian, the chief minister of the Central Plains, and Li Hang, the second chief minister, had received instructions from Emperor Chai Zong before New Year's Eve.

As for the other court officials, most of them supported the maximum ten-year term for each official position. After all, this system greatly increased the mobility of officials and prevented high-ranking positions from being monopolized by one person for a long time.

However, there are many objections to the "retirement system" at the age of 60, and many people have put forward suggestions.

Minister of Revenue Wang Dan came out and said:
“Your Majesty, I believe that the implementation of the “term system” and “retirement system” in the court can ensure smooth channels for officials to be promoted and demoted, and that officials who are beneficial to the country will not be buried, and that our Great Zhou will not have aristocratic families that monopolize the government for generations like in the Han, Wei and Jin dynasties. This is the policy of a sage.

However, I think that the "retirement system" that stipulates that officials should retire and return to their hometowns at the age of 60 does not seem to be prudent enough.

Your Majesty, although the literary culture of our Great Zhou is flourishing nowadays, and except for the remote areas, almost all children from every family can go to school to study, the competition for the imperial examination is fierce, and only a very small number of people can pass the examination at a young age.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Rites over the years, the average age of talented people who have passed the imperial examinations is around 35 years old.

It takes at least ten to twenty years from entering the civil service to gradually maturing as an official.

In order to show their personal talents and become the ministers who are the leaders of all the ministers, many officials are already in their fifties or even sixties. As a result, the officials of our Great Zhou have fewer opportunities to fulfill their loyalty to the emperor and serve the country.

Only Your Majesty knows it clearly. "

Minister of Rites Kou Zhun came out and said:
"Your Majesty, I second Minister Wang's proposal.

Your Majesty has created the unprecedented prosperous era of Wencheng and Wude in our Great Zhou. All people with lofty ideals want to make a career for the country and the nation, and hope to have the opportunity to leave their names in history.

There are still many scholars who spend their entire lives on the imperial examinations, and many of them pass the examinations and become Jinshi, and there are also quite a few who are already in their forties or fifties.

It is indeed a pity that he retired at the age of 60. "

Chai Zongxun's mind moved slightly, and he turned to look at Li Hang, who was at the top of the list of civil officials.

Li Hang understood and said:

"Your Majesty, now that our Great Zhou is under your rule, the country is prosperous and the people are well off, and we also have a welfare system of free consultation fees in the National Hospital.

The life expectancy of the people has been greatly extended compared to the four dynasties at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Fifty and sixty years old are the time when many people can display their talents.

I also think that the age of the "retirement system" may be discussed."

Chai Zongxun nodded slightly and said:

“Since many ministers agree with this proposal and what they say makes sense, I have decided to change the retirement age to 70.

These two systems will be implemented immediately.”

After several days of discussion between the emperor and his ministers, more than twenty official positions in the court were adjusted because the officials had served for ten years.

Five officials who were already seventy years old retired.

Zhang Qixian retired from the position of chief minister of the cabinet and was promoted to Grand Tutor, one of the "Three Dukes"; Li Hang was promoted to chief minister and served for ten years.

The cabinet appointed Kou Zhun as a member to fill the vacancy left by Zhang Qixian. Li Fang was promoted to the Minister of War, and the cabinet still had seven members.

After more than ten days of busy work, the "term system" and "retirement system" were fully implemented in the Zhou court.

On the second day of February in the thirty-second year of Kaixi, the Wudesi team escorted the spoils seized by the Samanid Dynasty back to Bianliang, carrying with them more than 12 million taels of silver, more than 5,000 rare treasures, and more than 3,000 beauties from the harem.

For a while, it became a grand event that the people of Bianjing flocked to watch along the streets.

"I finally got to see the beauties from the harem of the Star Cult! It was worth it that I came here early to grab a spot.

You know what, although the clothes of these beauties from the Samanid dynasty are very different from those in China and their faces are covered with black veils, so we can’t see their appearance, but their figures are outstanding!”

"It's great! Today, Your Majesty destroyed the Samanid Dynasty, the leader of the Star Religion. This is the final revenge for the defeat of the "Talas" during the Tang Dynasty of China and the loss of Central Asia and the Western Regions!"

……

“Do you think His Majesty will issue an order to emigrate from the country to the Samanid Empire this time?

I wonder what kind of grace Your Majesty will give to us for this immigration?"

"With your majesty's benevolence, justice and wisdom, as long as you mobilize our people to immigrate to Central Asia, this favor will definitely not be a small one.

I heard that our Great Zhou's Longxiang Army attacked the Samanid Dynasty for more than five years and annihilated the Xingxing Sect coalition forces totaling nearly three million people!

The Samanids suffered heavy casualties among their soldiers, and the number of men in the country has greatly decreased. They should immigrate there. There they will have more choices for wives and concubines, and the bride price required will be lower."

(End of this chapter)

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