Qian Si punched Lu Yan lightly on the shoulder: "You and I are in the same garrison, and you are so busy every day that we have never met."
Qian Si secretly defected to the Fourth Prince, but publicly he was still in the Beijing Guard Command Headquarters.
Zhao Qi and Ren Liu, on the other hand, worked in the Five Military Commission, which controlled all military affairs at home and abroad. The two of them were minor officials of the seventh rank. Although their positions were low, their prospects were unlimited, and their development was many times better than that in the Beijing Guard Command.
Although officials of the seventh rank were not allowed to attend the New Year's Eve palace banquet, the two had made meritorious contributions and held the rank of Zhongxian Xiaowei, so they could barely enter the palace for the banquet.
The two men were arm in arm, each holding a pot of wine, and said with a smile: "Marquis Pingyang, we brothers toast you a glass."
Lu Yan raised his glass and clinked it with them, saying with a smile, "Happy New Year. Come visit me later."
Ren Liu said with a smile: "Then you must treat them with good wine and good food, but not like when you got married."
"Get married?" Lu Yan was stunned for a moment. When he married Bai Wanyi, he invited his comrades-in-arms like Ren Liu. But when he married Wu Ziya, it was organized by the Ministry of Rites, and Lord Wu was in the Ministry of Personnel. The guests invited were mainly civil servants in the court, so he did not take the initiative to invite his comrades-in-arms to the wedding.
So what Ren Liu was talking about should be the time when he got married to Bai Wanyi. On the surface, the banquet was adjusted according to demand, but inside it was indeed divided into different levels. Especially the difference in wine and drinks was like heaven and earth.
Lu Yan apologized: "I didn't treat you well enough last time. This time I will definitely make sure everyone has a great time!"
"Then it's a deal. Let's go to your house for a drink tomorrow!" Ren Liu laughed.
Lu Yan readily agreed. At the border, apart from his personal soldiers, it was these fellow soldiers who were by his side, accompanying him through life and death.
After returning to Beijing, he was so busy with trivial matters that he didn't even have a chance to spend time with them.
Qian Si hooked his arm around Lu Yan's neck and said with a smile, "I heard that you're going to be promoted, and the Ministry of Personnel has already drafted a memorial."
Lu Yan couldn't hide the joy on his face. His father-in-law had said that he should at least be promoted to the third rank, but the Ministry of Personnel had proposed a third rank official position, which was also to give His Majesty a choice. What if he was promoted directly to the third rank?
The commander of the Beijing Guard is a third-rank official. If Your Majesty decides to promote him to the third rank, he will not be able to take the position of the current commander of the Beijing Guard, so he can only be transferred to the Five Military Commander's Office.
The highest rank in the Five Armies Commandery was a First Rank official, commanding the entire Great Zhou army. Their plan was to have him promoted directly to the Five Armies Commandery. The current Imperial Guard Commander was a trusted confidant of His Majesty, and his position could not be shaken. The only way for him to leave the Imperial Guard Commandery was to make meritorious contributions himself.
If Qin Sheng had not been suppressing him, Lu Yan should have been directly assigned to the Five Military Commandery when he returned this time. Transferring him to the Five Military Commandery could be considered as restoring order.
Therefore, this time, although the Ministry of Personnel drafted a memorial to give him a third-rank official position, it was actually a reminder to Your Majesty that with his talents, he was not being used in the Beijing Guard Command Headquarters, and it would be right to transfer him to the Five Armies Commandery.
The Fourth Prince and Lord Wu predicted that he might be transferred or promoted to serve in the Five Military Commandery.
The position of Experience Officer in the Experience Department of the Five Military Commandery has six official ranks to promote from fifth rank to third rank, and the next highest rank is second rank assistant.
Although they are all experiences, their grades are high and low, and their responsibilities are also divided into different sizes. Some experiences are very complicated.
As long as Lu Yan can get the experience of being transferred to the Five Military Commandery, the Fourth Prince can find a way to make it happen, and it will be easy for him to be promoted to the position of Assistant Minister in a year or two.
Whenever Lu Yan thought about his future, he became very happy. He would hold up his wine glass and drink happily with his former comrades, taking turns to drink.
As the banquet was coming to an end, the emperor began to reward officials who had performed effectively throughout the year.
Not everyone is worthy of being mentioned by the emperor at the New Year's Palace Banquet, but anyone who is mentioned has made great contributions.
For example, the Minister of Works, who had made great contributions to flood control, had two superiors who were doing a good job, so they didn't promote him or retire for the time being. However, the Ministry of Works still needed him, so they rewarded him with many things and gave him the title of Earl, which was passed down for three generations.
For example, the Minister of Agriculture who found a way to increase grain production was given a third-rank civil rank, a promotion to a higher rank...
After rewarding several officials in succession, the emperor paused and looked at Lu Yan.
Lu Yan suddenly became excited.
The emperor said, "Marquis Pingyang, who fought at the border for eight years and achieved countless military exploits, is now serving as a deputy commander in the Beijing Guards Command. He..."
The emperor praised Lu Yan profusely, and finally concluded, "I didn't say that. It was the Ministry of Personnel who said it. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've put into it."
As soon as the emperor said this, the whole room burst into laughter. Lu Yan didn't know whether the emperor's words were praise or dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Rites's flattery. He stood there nervously, wanting to look up at the emperor but not daring to.
The emperor said with a smile: "It would be a waste of talent for such a man to be placed in the Beijing Guard Command."
After hearing this, Lu Yan was delighted and suddenly looked up at the emperor hopefully. It’s done!
The emperor said, "Marquis Pingyang has made great contributions to the military and has excellent methods. I think there is a position in the Five Armies Commandery that would be very suitable for him. My dear ministers, would you like to appoint Marquis Pingyang to the Five Armies Commandery and serve as the Judge of the Five Armies?"
The question is a question, but when has His Majesty the Emperor ever sought other people's opinions?
As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers agreed.
Only Lord Wu was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed the crowd.
Lu Yan felt a little uncomfortable. Although the Judge of the Five Armies was in the Five Armies Commander-in-Chief's Office and was in charge of the five armies' prisons, he was far away from the core position of commanding the troops.
What's more, the Five Armies Judge is a fifth-rank official!
Lu Yan was demoted from the fourth rank to the fifth rank.
Lu Yan was very unhappy, but no matter how unhappy he was, he could only step out of the line and kowtow to express his gratitude: "Your Majesty, thank you!"
The emperor looked at Lu Yan, whose movements were stiff, and said, "Don't think I'm demoting you. The Imperial Guard Command and the Five Armies Commandery are two completely different things. The fifth rank may seem small, but it has a promising future. You should do your best."
"Yes, I obey your command!" Lu Yan responded in a deep voice despite being reluctant.
The emperor glanced at the time and said, "It's getting late, let's all go."
The emperor left first, and the empress led the concubines in the harem and followed the emperor to leave the banquet.
Bai Wanyi was the first to come out from the women's section. She ran to Lu Yan, grabbed his arm, and asked, "Brother Yan, what is the position of a judge?"
Wu Ziya quickly followed Bai Wanyi and stood on Lu Yan's other side. She understood the importance of this position and was naturally delighted. "The Judge is in charge of the prisons of the five armies. If anyone in the army commits a crime, the Judge will make the judgment. Don't look at your husband being demoted from fourth rank to fifth rank; this is a real demotion in name only and a promotion in reality."
(San rank: honorary title, no real power. Equivalent to today's military rank)
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