Emperor Wende accepted the advice of his court officials and decided to offer sacrifices to heaven.
The Imperial Astronomical Observatory set an auspicious day and time, and Emperor Wende bathed and fasted for three days before ascending the altar to offer sacrifices to heaven.
The eldest prince Liu Zhao was not in the capital, so Liu Yu, as Liu Zhao's eldest son, represented his father in the sacrifice to heaven.
The little child looked particularly small standing among a group of adults.
He looked up at Emperor Wende, his mood like a deep pool, unusually calm and profound.
Emperor Wende, wearing a twelve-chapter robe, walked towards the altar step by step under the guidance of officials from the Ministry of Rites.
How many people are dazzled by it.
How many people are excited about it.
How many fathers and sons have killed each other, and how many brothers have turned against each other because of this.
It’s all for that set of twelve-chapter imperial robes and the supreme power that the robes represent.
An old minister fell to the ground and cried, saying that his life was not in vain.
Some young officials were excited and said that their lives were worthwhile.
All the princes, even the little princes, had serious expressions on their faces.
Only Liu Yu had a calm and clear gaze.
He had a huge question in his heart: Can God really have any response?
Good time has arrived!
The ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven officially began.
Strict and complicated procedures, solemn and dignified scenes.
The officials of the Imperial Observatory worked very hard.
If the occasion hadn't restricted him, Liu Yu would have walked up the stairs and asked, "Is it useful?"
Will it really rain after the sacrifice to heaven?
Yes.
The emperor offered sacrifices to heaven to pray for rain.
The drought continues.
As long as the natural disasters are not alleviated, the rebellion will not be completely suppressed.
Next year will be even more difficult than this year, and food prices will rise to an unimaginable level.
By then, the flames of war will spread all over the Great Zhou.
There has never been a moment when everyone's desire for rain was so strong.
Rumble!
Thunder roared, and the ministers cheered, knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, shouting "Long live the emperor".
This is a miracle!
As soon as the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven ended, heaven sent down a sweet rain. What could be a greater manifestation of miracles and imperial power than this?
This was a great victory for imperial power.
The heavy rain fell, no one dodged, no one avoided it.
Instead, they danced and cheered in the rain.
It’s raining, it’s finally raining!
On the high platform, Emperor Wende and the youngest Shaoqing in the history of the Imperial Observatory smiled at each other.
Both the king and his minister looked relieved.
It was not in vain that the emperor and his minister overcame all objections and chose today to offer sacrifices to heaven.
…
"There's an expert in the Imperial Observatory!"
In the mountains, Gu Jiu placed a piece on the chessboard.
The battle on the chessboard is in full swing, and both sides are playing with fierce styles.
Su Zheng pondered for a moment, placed his white piece, and said, "After this incident, Your Majesty's authority has soared, effectively countering the rumors that the late emperor and Your Majesty's positions were illegitimate. From now on, no matter how many tactics the rebels employ, they will only be self-defeating! Heaven has answered Your Majesty. You are the rightfully chosen one. Nothing can compare to Heaven's will."
Gu Jiu smiled and sighed again, "There are masters in the Imperial Observatory!"
Anyone who can accurately predict when and when it will rain is an expert, no matter what year it is.
Gu Jiu didn't believe in the will of God.
"I really want to invite this expert to Shanhe Academy and teach a course on astronomy."
“Is yin and yang natural?”
"Observing the night sky is inevitably connected to the study of yin and yang, but it also differs. The research focuses on different subjects. It's like Confucianism: there's the Guliang School, which emphasizes protecting one's relatives, and the Gongyang School, which advocates revenge over ten generations."
Su Zheng smiled and said, "This Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory, who was personally promoted by His Majesty, has a very unclear background. I only learned that Minister Lu personally recommended him to His Majesty. His Majesty spoke with him for two hours before appointing him Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory."
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Minister Lu is your Majesty's true trusted advisor, loyal and devoted. He is also a low-key person who never seeks the limelight, leaving it all to the Minister of the Central Secretariat, Lord Li, to lead the charge. People only know Lord Li as a steady and prudent advisor to the state, but they don't know that Minister Lu is the true hidden talent.
This new Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory certainly didn't appear out of nowhere. It's likely that Minister Lu has been keeping this person around until the crucial moment, when he recommended him to Your Majesty.
Su Zheng nodded, "Minister Lu is the real master."
Gu Jiu laughed. "Lu Shizhong is a master, and so is the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory. It's just that their strengths are different. Lu Shizhong is good at strategy and has great patience. The Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Observatory has unique insights into celestial phenomena and is incredibly talented. It's a pity that such talents cannot be recruited."
"From the tone of my cousin's voice, does it seem that she agrees more with this Young Supervisor Ren?"
Gu Jiu nodded and did not deny it. "People like Minister Lu are easy to find, but people like Junior Supervisor Ren are hard to come by. Which one do you think is more precious?"
Su Zheng couldn't help but smile when he heard this, "I'm afraid Minister Lu will be heartbroken after hearing this."
"Even if he is heartbroken, His Majesty will be there to comfort him. If Young Master Ren were heartbroken, it would be a great loss to the entire world."
Just think about it, someone who could accurately calculate when it would rain, allowing Emperor Wende to publicly stage a grand show of being the chosen one. Such a person would be a great figure who must be worshipped in any dynasty.
Even in modern society, it is a treasure.
Gu Jiu now has a new hobby, which is collecting talented people.
At present, Sanyuan Gong Yang Yuanqing is considered a great man.
Yang Ji and Chen Zhuangshi still need time to be tempered and cannot be considered as great people at the moment.
In this way, the only person under Gu Jiu's name who can be considered a real talent is Sanyuan Gong.
It's really heartbreaking.
"If there's a chance, this lady will definitely meet this Junior Supervisor Ren."
Su Zheng reminded Gu Jiu, "Shaojian Ren is now a prominent figure in the capital, and everyone in and outside the court is watching him. It's not appropriate for my cousin to show up and interact with him at this time."
"Thank you, cousin Su, for reminding me. I know everything. Minister Lu is patient, and so am I."
After a pause, she asked Su Zheng, "Cousin Su, what are your plans for the future?"
Su Zheng was a genuine Jinshi who passed the imperial examinations twice, and his ranking was quite good.
He studied in the Hanlin Academy for the first three years.
Now he is gaining experience in the Ministry of Personnel.
Under normal circumstances, Su Zheng should seek to be transferred to another position in one or two years.
If you work as a local official for ten years and make some achievements, you will be transferred to the capital smoothly if nothing unexpected happens.
If he continues to plan for ten years as a Beijing official, he will almost be able to become a high-ranking official in the ministry.
With careful planning, you will soon become a first or second rank official.
This is the normal way to get promoted.
The premise is that everything goes smoothly.
There needs to be someone in the court to support him.
Su Zheng thought about it and said, "I talked to the teacher, and he wants me to go to Jiangnan."
"Jiangnan is a good place, but it's not easy to achieve political achievements." Gu Jiu said with a smile.
Su Zheng nodded. "Teacher, what I meant is that you want me to gain more experience in Jiangnan for a few years, and it would be best if I could enter the Jiangnan Governor's Office to gain some experience."
Gu Jiu laughed. "Master, your ideas are very unique. I also have a suggestion here. Would you like to hear it, Cousin Su?"
"Cousin, please speak."
Gu Jiu pondered for a moment, "Jiangling Prefecture is under the jurisdiction of the county magistrate. He can set off for Jiangling Prefecture at the beginning of next year. Or he can be the county magistrate of Xinmin County."
Bang!
The chess piece falls to the ground.
Su Zheng looked at Gu Jiu in surprise. "Gu Yu has always been the magistrate of Xinmin County. Is my cousin planning to replace him?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "It's not that I want to replace him, but the time has come when it has to be replaced. Gu Yu has been re-elected as the Xinmin County Magistrate for three consecutive terms, which has already broken the court's rules. By the time he reaches the fourth term, even if the Ministry of Personnel doesn't object, His Majesty will personally replace him. Rather than waiting until then for His Majesty to appoint a candidate, I prefer my cousin to succeed Gu Yu."
Su Zheng frowned slightly, "Why me? Gu Cheng is also a Jinshi in the two imperial examinations. He is also qualified to be the magistrate of Xinmin County."
"Gu Cheng is not qualified to be the Xinmin County Magistrate because his last name is Gu. The Xinmin County Magistrate position cannot always be controlled by the Xinmin County Magistrate! Cousin Su should be very clear about this."
Su Zheng nodded.
He naturally understood.
The fact that Gu Yu was allowed to serve three consecutive terms as the Xinmin County Magistrate was a special favor due to Princess Huyang's favor. No one else would have received this treatment.
Gu Yu resigned and Gu Yan took over. What a joke! No one in the imperial court, including His Majesty, would agree.
This is a challenge to the laws and authority of the court.
This is equivalent to officially announcing that Xinmin County belongs to Gu Jiu, is Gu Jiu's fiefdom, and is a country within a country.
Even in name only, the imperial court would not allow this to happen.
Gu Jiu also didn't want to give people the illusion that she regarded Xinmin County as her own fiefdom.
This is dangerous!
What Gu Jiu needs least is danger.
What she wants is stability, peace and development.
The best policy is to comply with the court's laws, find a suitable person to replace Gu Yu, and live in peace with the court.
Su Zheng is the most suitable candidate at the moment.
In fact, Gu Jiu wanted to push the students of Shanhe Academy to the top. The students of Shanhe Academy have a deeper affection for Xinmin County.
However, Shanhe Academy had only been established for a few years, and the students' qualifications were seriously insufficient.
What can I do?
Gu Jiu continued, "If cousin Su doesn't want to serve as the magistrate of Xinmin County, I suggest that cousin Su give up Jiangnan and choose Jiangling. Jiangling is where cousin Su can show his strengths. Going to Jiangnan will only make him a puppet. What's the point?"
Su Zheng hesitated.
Gu Jiu continued, "The aristocratic families of Jiangnan have complex connections with the government, and their influence in the local area is even stronger than that of the government. If you, Cousin Su, go to Jiangnan, I dare say that within two years you will achieve nothing and be unable to use any means.
Jiangling was different. Rebellion had broken out in Jiangling, and the local noble families had suffered heavy losses. While they hadn't been completely wiped out, their strength was reduced to less than a tenth of what it once was. Going to Jiangling now would be a great opportunity.
Give Cousin Su a county, and he can completely shape it according to his will. Three years later, when his term is up, your achievements will surely be excellent. If nothing unexpected happens, you will surely be promoted to the position of prefect. Going to Jiangnan with achievements will be different from going there with a blank slate. What do you think, Cousin Su?"
Su Zheng was having trouble making up his mind. "Thank you, cousin, for thinking of me. I need to think about this matter again. I also need to explain it to the teacher."
Gu Jiu nodded with a smile, "I'll wait for good news from cousin Su. Also, I think Jiangling Prefecture is a better choice than Xinmin County."
Su Zheng nodded and said he would seriously consider this matter.
As he was leaving, he suddenly asked, "Gu Yu has resigned as the magistrate of Xinmin County. Where will he go next?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Didn't my cousin already know about this?"
Su Zheng suddenly understood.
Jiangling Prefecture!
Gu Yu’s next stop will be Jiangling Prefecture!
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