Chapter 224 Fighting for an Official Position
[The King of Xiang was originally under house arrest, but he also followed in the hunting trip this time. It seems that Qiu Shi is alive? 】
Su Qianqian knows what King Xiang is thinking and he wants to protect the heroine everywhere, so whenever the heroine appears, King Xiang will definitely show up. But King Xiang should not be able to guess that the supporting actress was hit in the face with fruit drink splashed on her because it was the heroine's plan, right?
Su Qianqian turned to look at King Xiang, only to see that his eyes were following Xue Wanning's back until she disappeared at the palace gate.
[Qiu Shi survived, but for some unknown reason he could not speak. The one who really helped King Xiang was Xue Zhiqing.
She found out the person who had attacked King Xiang that day and sent him to the emperor. That person was a new servant in the palace. He admitted that he was the one who framed King Xiang, just because he had a grudge against Prime Minister Xue in the past, and he used King Xiang's matter to implicate Prime Minister Xue.
This person had indeed worked in the Prime Minister's residence in the past, so how could Prime Minister Xue remember that a servant held a grudge against him? Therefore, the matter was settled by executing the servant, but Prime Minister Xue was temporarily unable to implement the new policy. 】
[How could the aristocratic families allow their own interests to be damaged? They will definitely obstruct it. Prime Minister Xue was just trapped in the game by an excuse, and Xue Zhiqing is also a pawn in the game...]
Su Qianqian discussed with the system in her mind so as not to prevent her from enjoying the food and eating melons at the same time.
But the emperor's face was terrifyingly calm.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
A low and sorrowful voice rang out in the somewhat silent hall. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Duke Xu kneeling in the middle of the hall, prostrating himself on the ground.
"Why do you say that, Duke Xu? Stand up and speak!" Emperor Gan De asked calmly.
“Your Majesty, I am ashamed to face you. Today, the Imperial Guard Captain Lu Min failed in his duty and almost injured the wife of Marquis Wuning. Fortunately, Madam Su was smart and brave, so she was able to escape danger.
When I learned that it was Lu Min's subordinates who did it, I felt extremely ashamed. Now is the critical moment for the escort guard, and the imperial guards have lost their commander and are unable to dispatch them effectively. It is because I did not educate my children well that this mistake occurred. I beg Your Majesty to punish me! ”
Duke Xu's old face turned red, and he looked extremely ashamed. The ministers who were on good terms with him couldn't help but be moved.
"Duke Xu has always been cautious and never overstepped his bounds. After the battle many years ago, although he made great contributions, he did not take credit for himself, but quietly served Your Majesty. His heart is clear to see. Today's incident has nothing to do with him, but he is willing to take the blame on his son's behalf. This is truly admirable!"
"That's right. Although Duke Xu has no real official position, whenever there is something that needs to be done in the court, the Duke has never stayed out of it. It can be said that he does not seek any contribution but devotes all his energy to it!"
…
"Stand up, this matter has nothing to do with you, I will make the final decision." Emperor Gan De gestured with his hand for Duke Xu to stand up.
"Your Majesty, the position of the Imperial Guard Captain is vacant. Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince leads the Imperial Guard himself, he cannot be in the Imperial Guard camp all the time. Why not let Duke Xu take over the position temporarily? After all, he has also led troops in the Northern Frontier... This can be considered as a way to atone for Captain Lu Min's crime."
At this time, Censor He stood up and said.
"No!" The eldest princess objected coldly.
"Your Majesty, the position of the Imperial Guard Captain is extremely important. How can you appoint him casually? The son-in-law cannot lead an actual position in the army. This is the rule passed down by our ancestors. How can you change it without permission?"
"Your Highness the Princess is right. I really shouldn't take on this position..." Duke Xu hastily declined.
"In an emergency, we should make decisions based on our discretion. We should not avoid relatives when selecting talented people. I heard that Master Su recommended his son-in-law to lead the army, and the Marquis of Wuning returned with a great victory. As for the rules... we should not be rigid about everything. Why should we miss out on such a talented person?"
He Liansheng spoke frankly, not afraid of the eldest princess's expression at all.
[As expected of you, Lord Censor. You would rather break than bend... sometimes...] Su Qianqian admired in her heart.
The Qin family was a little confused. How could there be time? Is it sometimes "bent"?
"Duke Xu is indeed capable of this task..." Emperor Gan De said calmly.
"Your Majesty, I would like to recommend myself to take on the position of the Imperial Guard Captain. Although I have been idle for many years, I should be unfamiliar with the military affairs. There is no need to embarrass Duke Xu."
Duke Zhou Ji Zhongliu stood up to ask for orders, and everyone present fell silent.
Duke Zhou has not been concerned with worldly affairs for many years. If he appeared in the court, he would be a mascot like Prince Mu, just waiting for the words "dismissal". Why is he rushing to take on the job today?
"Ji Qing, did the hunting today arouse your youthful blood? In the past, letting you take up a military position was like asking for your life."
The emperor glanced at Duke Zhou with disdain, and Duke Zhou bowed:
"I am an old minister who is ignorant of honor and indulges in pleasure and comfort. Today, I see that Madam Du is still as brave as she was in her youth. I feel deeply ashamed. I am willing to offer my remaining body to Your Majesty to use, so that future generations will not disrespect me a hundred years from now!"
[Is Duke Zhou competing with his in-laws for an official position? By the way, this official position originally belonged to his son-in-law!
Although the captain of the imperial guards takes orders from the prince, he has the right to command and mobilize part of the imperial guards. It must be a trusted person in this position. It depends on who is better! 】
Su Qianqian was discussing and watching the fun.
[Duke Zhou has refused to enter the court for many years. This time he came to grab the position of captain of the imperial guards. There must be a reason for that. 】The system said.
【nonsense! 】Su Qianqian rolled her eyes in her heart.
"I am very pleased that Mr. Ji has such an understanding. I will let Mr. Ji take over the post of the captain of the imperial guards temporarily. We will discuss the rest after we return to the capital."
Emperor Gan De looked a little more relaxed and issued an edict.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Duke Zhou bowed in thanks and stood up and returned to his seat.
Duke Xu also sat back with a relaxed demeanor, raised his head, glanced at Censor He, and nodded slightly.
Emperor Gan De didn't want to talk about these troubles anymore, and since the Crown Prince and Princess of Daliang and the princes and dukes were all present, it would be better for him to say something glorious to save his face.
"Today, the three ladies of the Wuning Marquisate hunted a wild boar, and I also hunted a rare snow fox. This is still at the edge of the hunting ground. Tomorrow, I will lead you all into the heart of the hunting ground and hunt there for five days so that we can see your abilities."
Emperor Gan De's face became more interesting. He looked at the civil officials sitting below and finally stopped at Zhuang Shizhao's face:
"Civil servants should not go, lest they sneak back and get lost, and get bruised somewhere, which would be embarrassing."
Everyone followed Emperor Gan De's gaze and saw Zhuang Shizhao covering half of his face with his hands, with bruises visible under his eye sockets.
Everyone couldn't help but snicker, they all knew that Lord Zhuang was henpecked, but this was the first time he got his face hurt, and then they looked at Madam Shen, who was chatting with the lady next to her as if nothing had happened.
The originally tense atmosphere was relaxed by the emperor's teasing. The court officials congratulated the emperor on hunting the snow fox, and there was a burst of flattery.
That night, Qin Hanzhang did not return to Su Qianqian's room. Instead, he asked Shi Yan to pass on a message to the prince to discuss something.
The five-day hunting trip was originally planned. The location and route of the hunting ground were discussed by the Crown Prince and Qin Hanzhang, and confirmed with the commanders of the Imperial Guards and the Royal City Guards.
For safety reasons, five routes and five entrances to the hunting grounds were set up. Emperor Gan De would personally select the route before setting off, so no one knew which route the emperor would take until the last moment.
On the second day, the emperor assembled his troops and set out with his generals...
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