The official rank of the second grade was already the most core position in Anguo. Bai Qingyuan never expected that the Holy Maiden Yueyao would say such a thing.
But from her perspective, it seems quite reasonable…
For a moment, Bai Qingyuan was stunned.
At this moment, he was thinking a lot. He felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Could this be a trap?
"Yes, a second-rank official!"
Chu Xia stepped forward and looked at Emperor An, saying, "Your Majesty, although An Kingdom is several times stronger than our Yueyao Kingdom, as the ruler of a country, even if our Empress does not marry into the royal family, it is not excessive for her to marry into the family of an official of the second rank or above, is it?"
Emperor An nodded: "What the Holy Maiden said makes sense. Some rules cannot be broken, and that is indeed not going too far."
He then smiled and said, "But it's absurd for a fifth-rank official to be suddenly promoted to a second-rank official."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this is absurd! Absolutely not!"
Jing Zhe quickly stepped forward, saying nervously.
Bai Qingyuan knew that Emperor An valued Jing Zhe highly and certainly did not want Jing Zhe to go to Yueyao Kingdom for a marriage alliance; otherwise, this matter would not have ended without a conclusion in the court yesterday.
Therefore, in Bai Qingyuan's eyes, Emperor An's expression clearly showed that he was glad that Jing Zhe could not be promoted to the second rank and thus could not go to Yueyao Kingdom for a marriage alliance.
But Jing Zhe isn't stupid, so why would he be afraid of being promoted to the second rank?
He definitely didn't want to go to Yueyao Kingdom for a political marriage!
At this moment, Bai Qingyuan completely forgot his previous worries and caution, and dared not delay any longer. He stepped forward with a serious expression and said, "Your Majesty, I have something else to say!"
"Grand Tutor Bai, let's not discuss Jing Zhe's official position any further. This matter requires careful consideration..."
Emperor Andi said softly.
"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
Bai Qingyuan was very excited: "Last time, President Jing defeated the third prince of Southern Qi. In the end, His Majesty rewarded President Jing with a fifth-rank official position. This is not commensurate with the merits that President Jing has made. I have noticed that the people have already complained about this matter!"
"..."
Emperor An really wanted to complain: "If you hadn't vehemently opposed it last time, would I have given him such a low-ranking official position?"
However, Emperor An was too lazy to say anything and continued to watch Bai Qingyuan's performance. He knew that as the play went on, Bai Qingyuan had become completely absorbed in it. Most importantly, Emperor An had originally planned to reward Jing Zhe with a second-rank official position, but Bai Qingyuan's actions might disrupt his plans and inadvertently promote Jing Zhe by half a rank...
"The deeds of President Jing in Jinxi and Liangzhou have already spread throughout the streets and alleys of Jingzhou through the newspapers. Who doesn't know them? If President Jing's official position cannot be significantly promoted, the people will probably not be satisfied!"
Bai Qingyuan spoke with a sincere expression, his voice filled with grief and indignation.
"..."
Emperor An and Jing Zhe were both suppressing their laughter, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
The court officials stood with their hands behind their backs, all looking at each other in bewilderment.
Chu Xia was even more puzzled. Although he didn't know the relationship between Jing Zhe and Bai Qingyuan, the fact that Murong Xi had her say this meant that they were definitely not on good terms...
But why does he keep speaking up for Jing Zhe?
At this moment, Emperor An asked again, "Grand Tutor Bai, according to you, what official position should Jing Zhe be promoted to in order to satisfy the people?"
"Your Majesty, a second-rank official!"
"Whoosh!"
Before Emperor An could even react, Bai Qingyuan's words had barely left his mouth when the entire court erupted in uproar. The fact that Liu Jinghong had been appointed General Jinghong, a second-rank official, at the young age of eighteen had already caused a sensation in the court; now Bai Qingyuan was proposing to make Jing Zhe the head of a second-rank official organization…
If this matter can really be accomplished, it will not only cause a sensation in Jingzhou, but it will probably shock the whole country!
"This... seems too high, doesn't it?"
"Yes, President Jing is excellent, but he's too young!"
"Besides, President Jing is a civil servant; we can't set this precedent!"
"..."
Immediately following was a flurry of discussion among the officials.
In fact, Jing Zhe was well-liked in the court, and most of the ministers had a good relationship with him. So, the reason they said this at this time was not to deliberately target him, but to help him.
Imagine a young man who is not yet twenty years old suddenly rises to become a high-ranking official of the second rank. How should he be promoted in the future?
A first-rank official? Or a prince of a different surname?
Besides, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. The more appreciation Jing Zhe can receive from Emperor An now, the more suspicion he may have to endure in the future. After all, his achievements overshadow the emperor, and it is unlikely that he will have a good end.
If a title has to be conferred, Bai Qingyuan's previous suggestion of starting from the third rank was quite good. Although he was promoted two ranks, at least he did not enter the core area of the second rank. He can proceed step by step in the future. Directly promoting him to the second rank would be a bit of an overstatement.
"What? President Jing has made such a great contribution, isn't a second-rank official position enough for him?"
He then pointed at Jing Zhe and said, "Since President Jing is here, why don't you tell him why he's not qualified in front of him?"
Jing Zhe turned his head and quietly looked at the assembled officials.
The atmosphere instantly became a little awkward.
Is it high? No, it's not high.
"Yes, President Jing may be young, but he's outstanding!"
"If military officers can set an example, why can't we civil officials do the same!"
"..."
After a brief silence, the ministers resumed their conversation, speaking in a completely different tone from what they had just said, truly embodying the saying "speak human language to human beings, and ghost language to ghosts."
It's understandable, though. Even though it was for Jing Zhe's own good, what if he didn't appreciate it? Besides, Jing Zhe was watching, and it wouldn't be good if he held a grudge. That's why they immediately changed their tune.
Bai Qingyuan was smug, thinking that his efforts had finally paid off. He quickly pressed his advantage: "Your Majesty, since Chief Jing's official position is independent of the court system and is only responsible to Your Majesty, promoting him to the second rank will not break the balance of the existing official system. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to bestow the second rank upon Chief Jing and not to chill the hearts of the people of Jingzhou!"
"..."
Good heavens!
Emperor An thought to himself, "Good heavens! It seems that things have escalated to the point where not granting Jing Zhe a title would dishearten all the people of Jingzhou."
It has to be said that Bai Qingyuan was not just sold out by Jing Zhe and then helped him count the money; he even bargained for the money himself!
Emperor An clenched his fists to keep himself from laughing out loud, then frowned and pondered for a moment: "What are your thoughts on Grand Tutor Bai's proposal, my esteemed ministers? Would it be inappropriate to promote President Jing to the second rank so hastily?"
"..."
This time, all the ministers lowered their heads in silence. Yu Sheng, who hadn't spoken until now, took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Bai... is right!"
Yu Sheng rarely supported Bai Qingyuan in court, and not only was he stunned, but even Bai Qingyuan was stunned after hearing it.
Something seems a little off...
"Then shall we promote the official rank of the president of the Da'an Daily to the second rank?"
Emperor An probed.
"I... second that proposal!"
"I second that proposal!"
Following the first "I second that proposal," a chorus of approvals rang out in the court.
————
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