Just as Minister of War Li Jingyu had predicted, the imperial edict appointing Lu Jiang, the vanguard general of the southern expeditionary army, as the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery of the new dynasty was bound to cause a great uproar when it was proclaimed to the world.
The first to react were the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, led by Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning.
After Chen Huai'an proclaimed himself emperor in Jinling, the Prince of Wuning's Mansion in Changshan County became a gathering place for former officials of the previous dynasty, and Liu Xinwu naturally became the backbone of this group.
The last time that civil and military officials from the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun gathered at the Prince of Wuning's Mansion was to discuss the matter of Emperor Chen Huai'an appointing Princess Shujun as the new empress.
This time, with the imperial edict appointing Lu Jiang as the vanguard general of the southern expeditionary army, the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun were once again stirred up.
Even Liu Ziyu, the adopted son of Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, who was supposed to be training soldiers in the army as the deputy general of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army, specially asked for leave to return to his hometown and went to Prince Wu Ning's mansion to complain.
Inside the study of the Prince's Mansion, Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, Liu Ziyu, deputy general of the Longcheng Southern Expeditionary Army, and several civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, all of whom were seated as host and guest, respectively.
The shrewd and calculating Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, was slowly and happily savoring the finest West Lake Longjing tea.
He always has that smiling expression; you can never tell what he's really thinking.
As a representative of the second generation of generals of the previous dynasty in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, the deputy general Liu Ziyu, who was in his early thirties, seemed much more impatient.
He said angrily, "Father, you have already seen the imperial edict conferring the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery upon Lu Jiang, a surrendered general of the Liangjiang New Army, right?"
"How did Lu Jiang, a mere fourth-rank military officer, become the first general in the new dynasty to be ennobled? Just because he killed the Nanzhao emperor Murong Fu in Pyu Kingdom?"
Liu Ziyu said indignantly, "Father, I feel it is really unfair for you. Whether it is based on seniority or merit, you should be the first person in the new dynasty to be ennobled and appointed as prime minister. Why should an unknown nobody like Lu Jiang be given the top spot?"
"In terms of merit, the Emperor was able to defeat Zhao Gan at Tumu Fortress, and my father made great contributions. Is such an achievement not as great as Lu Jiang's killing of the Prince of Pingxi who declared himself emperor in Pyu?"
After a pause, Liu Ziyu continued, "Furthermore, the Emperor has been hesitant to express his opinion on the matter of establishing a new Empress, completely ignoring the petitions and advice from the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Is the Emperor planning to burn bridges after crossing the river?"
"Father..."
Liu Ziyu, a military general, was outspoken and openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the new emperor Chen Huai'an in front of Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, and a group of civil and military officials from the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
With Liu Ziyu leading the way, others immediately chimed in, "General Liu is absolutely right. In terms of seniority and military achievements, besides princes, General Liu is the one most deserving of an imperial decree."
"If the general hadn't cleared a path for him at Wuzhou City, the Emperor wouldn't have been able to easily lead his surprise attack a thousand miles away, ambushing and defeating Emperor Jian'an, Zhao Gan, at Tumu Fortress."
"After that, General Liu personally led a large army to capture Kaifeng, making great contributions to the Emperor's recovery of the territory north of the Yangtze River. No matter what, he should be on the first list of those to be enfeoffed as marquises!"
Someone else said, "It's not just about the conferment of titles; there's also the matter of the Emperor rebuilding the Six Ministries. All the officials in these six ministries are former officials of the previous dynasty, and they're all from the south. There isn't a single northerner from our Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun in the entire Six Ministries."
"But when the Emperor was conquering the land, our Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun contributed the most, providing manpower and funds as needed."
Then, they steered the conversation to Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning, saying, "Your Highness, we all know that you are a man of noble character and indifferent to fame and fortune—"
"But Your Highness, you must show a clear path for the descendants of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun!"
"If it weren't for the Prince's support for the younger generation of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun in the new dynasty, the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun would probably have no say in the new dynasty's court within ten years!"
"Your Highness—"
Gradually, the core content of the conversations among these civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, who were "united as one," shifted from criticizing Lu Jiang for being granted the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery to expressing their dissatisfaction with the new emperor, Chen Huai'an.
Even more so, they directly hoped that Prince Wuning could represent the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun in government affairs, so that the descendants of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun could have a certain voice in the court of the new dynasty.
Clearly, after the last petition from the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, requesting that the new emperor Chen Huai'an appoint Princess Shujun as the empress of the new dynasty, was left unresolved, these civil and military officials left over from the previous dynasty were not giving up.
They also wanted to use Chen Huai'an's imperial decree conferring the title of Marquis of Lujiang Zhongyong to continue putting pressure on the new emperor in order to gain more say for the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun in the new dynasty's court.
Under the feudal dynasty system, it was not uncommon for interest groups or powerful families to band together for mutual support. The most prominent example is the Li family in the Guanzhong region.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang, the Hongwu Emperor who started with "just a bowl," faced pressure from the Huaixi nobles after ascending the throne.
At this time, the new emperor Chen Huai'an will still face the same situation when governing the country.
This is why Chen Huai'an wanted to promote the reform of the imperial examination system. What he wanted to do was to break the monopoly of powerful clans on recommending officials to the court and make local officials in charge of a region serve the imperial power instead of powerful clans.
The only difference is that Chen Huai'an has 800,000 absolutely loyal private troops, enough to make any interest group that wants to "coerce him by force" wary.
However, these powerful clans and aristocratic families, numbering in the hundreds or thousands, were naturally unwilling to be manipulated by the new emperor, Chen Huai'an.
If martial arts won't work, then let's try literature!
Therefore, the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun once again prepared to write to Chen Huai'an on the occasion of the new emperor's conferment of titles, in order to seek more say in the new dynasty.
Regarding this matter, Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, who was the representative of the interest group of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, was also in a wavering and ambiguous state of mind.
On the one hand, Liu Xinwu, who is already over sixty years old this year, no longer has the same desire for fame and fortune as before;
On the other hand, he was worried about his only daughter, Princess Shujun. If he passed away, his daughter Shujun would have to rely on the support of her uncles and brothers to gain a foothold in the harem of the new dynasty.
Even further ahead, the consideration was the future establishment of a crown prince for the new dynasty.
Without the support of a powerful interest group, the daughter's life in the palace might not be easy.
In that case, even in the afterlife, I wouldn't be able to rest in peace!
Cough cough cough!
Finally, Prince Liu Xinwu of Wuning, who was in the main seat, put down his teacup, coughed a few times, and the once noisy study in the prince's mansion immediately fell silent.
Led by Vice General Liu Ziyu, all the civil and military officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun looked at their leader, Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, with expectant eyes.
Liu Xinwu said calmly, "Gentlemen, His Majesty has his reasons for bestowing the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery upon General Lu Jiang. This is a done deal, so why should you dwell on it?"
"Furthermore, although His Majesty has reorganized the Six Ministries, the new dynasty has not yet established a national title, nor has His Majesty held an enthronement ceremony or a Fengshan ceremony to worship Heaven. Everything in the new dynasty's court is still uncertain. Why are you all in such a hurry?"
"but--"
Then, Liu Xinwu abruptly changed the subject, saying sternly, "Since you've all laid your cards on the table today, then I will take your intentions to Jinling City."
"In a way, I'm presenting the people's will to His Majesty!"
"Finally, I must advise you all: when it comes to matters concerning the new dynasty's court and any decisions made by the Emperor, you must refrain from making any rash comments. Doing your duty and serving as good officials in charge of the region is more important than anything else!"
"Alright, that's enough about this. Let's all go!"
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