The tenth year of Jingming, spring!
Lord Li Bingming, the Grand Marshal of the Northwest Marshal's Office, died of a sudden illness in the Marshal's Office.
Northwest shock!
The court was shocked!
The world is shocked!
As soon as Li Bingming died, the Li family was busy preparing for the funeral.
The court officials are in turmoil. Who will be the next Grand Commander?
Collaboration, recommendation of candidates, various private transactions...
All efforts are made to push one of their own people to the position of Grand Commander of the Northwest.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Liu Zhao ignored the opposition and promoted Chen Zhuangshi to a higher level, appointing him as the Grand Commander of the Northwest.
This appointment was opposed by all court officials.
The Secretariat directly rejected the appointment letter, and the Ministry of War also refused to cooperate.
How old is Chen Zhuangshi? What qualifications and abilities does he have to be appointed as the Grand Commander of the Northwest?
Yes, he made some contribution.
But Chen Zhuangshi was not the only one who made military achievements.
Among so many sons of noble families and so many meritorious officials, who is not more awesome than Chen Zhuangshi?
Just because he is the Queen's man, he should be promoted above his level.
Why?
Not convinced!
Firmly refuse!
Oppose to the end!
A scholar with no background, who had made some minor contributions, wanted to become the governor of the Northwest at a young age and control all the troops along the Northwest.
dream!
The public outcry was overwhelming and there were many criticisms.
This issue was discussed every day at the small court meetings and the large court meetings held every two weeks.
Liu Zhao insisted on his own way and had to rely on Chen Zhuangshi.
The three provinces and six ministries also had a firm attitude, firmly opposed the emperor's decision, and refused to sign or seal the appointment letter.
Without the seals of the Secretariat, the Chancellery, the Ministry of Palace Affairs, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel, this letter of appointment is invalid and has no power.
Even if this letter of appointment without a seal was delivered to Chen Zhuangshi, Chen Zhuangshi would not be able to take the position of the Grand Commander of the Northwest.
The two sides were deadlocked for more than a month, and neither side gave in.
Fortunately, there is no war in the northwest, so this matter has been delayed for so long.
Lord Lu persuaded Emperor Liu Zhao.
"Your Majesty, dragging this on is not a solution! It's not that I refuse to support Your Majesty, but Chen Zhuangshi is truly unqualified to be the Grand Commander of the Northwest. Your Majesty's insistence on having your own way will only chill the hearts of our meritorious officials!"
Liu Zhao remained silent, as if he had heard it.
So, at the grand court meeting a few days later, Emperor Liu Zhao suddenly announced the appointment of Gu Rui, the prince of Pingnan Marquisate, as the Grand Commander of the Northwest.
As soon as these words were spoken, one could hear a pin drop in the Golden Throne Hall.
The quick-witted courtiers came to their senses instantly.
I was fooled!
Routine! It’s all a routine!
Your Majesty is so treacherous!
The Emperor and Empress were indeed of one mind. His Majesty had gone to great lengths to get Gu Rui appointed as the Grand Commander of the Northwest.
Your Majesty must be aware that directly appointing Gu Rui as the Grand Commander of the Northwest will definitely be opposed.
So an appointment that no one would agree to was proposed first, and Chen Zhuangshi was the appointment that no one agreed to.
good!
The court officials opposed Chen Zhuangshi.
Now I have compromised in the face of your opposition.
If we change to someone else, Gu Rui, he has noble status, military merits, and age, and he meets all the requirements. What reasons do you have to object?
Anyone who dares to oppose me will be turned against me!
Don't forget, I have already compromised.
My dear ministers, you also have to compromise.
Both parties must compromise on this matter, I cannot compromise alone.
In the Golden Palace, all the court officials had bitter faces.
Your Majesty's tricks are too deep.
What to do now?
Should I turn against the emperor and continue to oppose him?
Some shook their heads, some nodded, but no one spoke.
Gu Rui is qualified to be the Grand Commander of Northwest China. He made great achievements in the battle against Beirong and Xiliang.
He served as vice president of the Military Academy and made considerable achievements.
He was also a scholar. If his family had not stopped him from taking the imperial examination, there would have been another civil official of noble birth in the court.
Compromise?
Compromise!
After a few glances back and forth, the court officials already had the answer.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
This was the attitude of the court officials, who agreed to Gu Rui's appointment as the Grand Commander of the Northwest.
When the news reached the Marquis of Pingnan's Mansion, the whole family was shocked.
Before this, the Queen Mother had not revealed any information to them.
Only Gu Rui had received the news in advance. He knew that His Majesty would promote him, and had quietly begun handing over his duties at the Military Academy a few days ago, preparing to go to the northwest.
Gu Rui went to the palace to express his gratitude.
Emperor Liu Zhao encouraged him.
Finally, I teased him that only by marrying a good wife can life become smoother.
Marrying an unsuitable woman, I wasted years of tossing and turning. Spending all day with romantic affairs almost ruined me.
Gu Rui looked ashamed.
What can he say?
All I can say is that everyone has times when they are young and impulsive, doing things based on their feelings and losing their rationality.
Lost in the quagmire of love and unable to extricate myself, I wasted several years and almost ruined my future. Do you regret it?
There is no way to answer this question.
Because he once really loved Jia.
He couldn't deny that he had given his heart.
What he needs to do is learn from his mistakes, face up to his shortcomings, work hard, love his wife and children, and protect them from wind and rain.
After leaving Xingqing Palace, Gu Rui came to Chang'an Palace.
The conversations in Chang'an Palace were very homely.
Gu Jiu got straight to the point. "You can take your family to the northwest, just like the way Marquis Chengping did it. You must save face and not let anyone get hold of anything. Just use the excuse of managing the property as a pretext. Although everyone knows what's going on, this approach will always silence some people."
As the Grand Commander of the Northwest, everyone is watching you from all sides, so it's not wrong to be cautious. I helped you get to this position, and from now on, you have to take responsibility for everything. If you can't take responsibility for something, don't do it. If you do it, don't let anyone find out. Otherwise, I won't let you off easily."
Gu Rui bowed and said, "Thank you for your advice, Your Majesty. I dare not cause you to worry."
Gu Jiu hummed, then continued, "Don't worry about Chen Zhuangshi. He won't be a hindrance to you. The official document to transfer him out of the northwest is already on the way."
This time, Gu Rui was really surprised. "Your Majesty wants to transfer Chen Zhuangshi away from the Northwest?"
"You don't want to?" Gu Jiu looked at him with a smile.
Gu Rui shook his head repeatedly. "I naturally hope that no one will hinder me. Your Majesty's transfer of Chen Zhuangshi away from the northwest has actually made things easier for me. I'm just curious about how you will arrange for Chen Zhuangshi next. He is a commander who grew up on the battlefield. It's a pity for him to leave the battlefield."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about Chen Zhuangshi. I have other arrangements for him. When you go to the northwest, guard it well for His Majesty and me. Always keep an eye on what's happening in Xiliang."
"Your humble servant obeys your order!"
…
On the day Chen Zhuangshi returned to the capital, Gu Rui left the capital with his personal soldiers.
The two met outside the city gate and had a conversation, or rather a competition.
Chen Zhuangshi entered the capital and first went to the Ministry of War to report, waiting to be summoned by the palace.
That night, he invited Yan Ci and Wang Xuecheng to meet up. The three good friends, after years apart, reunited and sang and got drunk.
His words were full of nostalgia for his youthful years.
It's a pity that Yang Ji is missing from the small group of four.
"I knew from the beginning that Brother Yang would be the one who soared the highest among us, but I didn't expect him to soar so high in such a short time. His name has long been known throughout the world, both at home and abroad. His current achievements are something that 99% of the people in the world could never achieve in their entire lives. I'm so happy for him, so happy!"
Yan Ci was drunk, but surprisingly he still spoke very coherently.
He patted Chen Zhuangshi's shoulder again and said, "Brother Chen, you are at a disadvantage because you are not good at studying. You only have the title of scholar. If you were like Brother Yang, not to mention getting the third place in the imperial examination, you could get the title of Jinshi in the second round. The position of Northwest Commander would be in your pocket. There would be no place for Prince Gu."
Chen Zhuangshi laughed heartily, "I don't care whether he's a Grand Commander or not."
Yan Ci chuckled, "Brother Chen, what you said is truly hypocritical. We've been friends for many years. If you're unhappy, just say it. Don't worry, Brother Wang and I are both very tight-lipped people. We promise not to spread any nonsense outside."
Chen Zhuangshi put his arm around Yan Ci's shoulders, "Brother Yan, you really misunderstood me. I'm not being hypocritical, I really don't want that position. Do you know why? Because there haven't been any large-scale wars to fight in the northwest in the past few years. I'm so idle! I'm almost getting moldy from being idle. The position of Grand Commander is indeed quite coveted. But if there are no wars to fight, what's the point of this position, no matter how good it is.
Fighting is the foundation of my life, understand? Without fighting, I would be inferior to those noble sons in every way, so how could I make a name for myself? Your Majesty sent me back to the capital with an order, and I was actually quite excited. I was hoping Your Majesty would assign me a job that would allow me to fight, even if it meant being a cook, I would be happy.
"Hypocritical, Brother Chen, you are really hypocritical! If I really assign you the position of a cook, you should be scolded for being blind. Brother Chen, you have fought in the wars for so many years, how come you have lost the beautiful quality of sincerity?" Yan Ci asked a soul-searching question.
Wang Xuecheng joined in the fun, teasing Chen Zhuangshi along with Yan Ci, "Brother Chen treats us like his own soldiers and wants to open up to us."
"Brother Wang, what you said is really hurting me!" Chen Zhuangshi pretended to be hurt, but it didn't look real. Others didn't laugh, but he started laughing first.
He laughed heartily, and then said, "To be honest, I really envy Brother Yang. He has made great contributions to the expansion of our territory. My little contribution pales in comparison to his. I just don't know when Brother Yang will return."
"We all hope that Brother Yang can return to the capital soon. Many people say that Brother Yang will be the next Minister of the Central Secretariat. I wonder how likely that is."
"That depends on what His Majesty and the Empress do."
"When will Brother Chen enter the palace?"
Chen Zhuangshi drank and shook his head, "I don't know! I have to wait for the palace's notice. I will live in Xinmin County these days and get close to you guys."
Yan Ci raised his glass, "That would be great! I'll take a few days off and accompany Brother Chen to see the beautiful scenery of the capital. The capital has changed a lot in the years Brother Chen has been away. Let's take the double-track carriage tomorrow."
"That's a deal! When I was in the northwest, I heard people say there was a double-track carriage in the capital. I must experience it."
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