Zhurou

Chapter 240 Return

After everyone had been blackmailed, the atmosphere in the hall became a little solemn.

Zhao Mingzhi turned a deaf ear to it and asked the eunuch to copy it. Then he asked all the officials to sign for confirmation one by one. If the signature was not too ugly, he would have even wanted to take out red clay on the spot and ask them to leave their fingerprints one by one.

  You know, it is not only the emperors in the past who agree to something, but then think about it again and again and then go back on their word. Isn't that what they do?

Once the signing was completed, no one mentioned the empty treasury anymore, for fear that the princess behind the screen might do something out of her imagination and cause trouble again.

Zhao Hong took the stack of documents regarding the loan of gold, silver, silk, wine, grain, etc. claimed by the ministers, flipped through them again and again, and silently calculated the cumulative figures in his mind. He felt that these people in the hall had never been so pleasing to the eye.

However, he knew that he couldn't push things too much, so he put the things in front of him aside and wanted to speak, but after hesitating for a moment, he turned to look at Zhao Mingzhi. After getting the other party's nod, he said, "The rewards for the three armies should be increased. Mr. Zhang, this time the generals of the north are only evaluating their merits like this, isn't it too lenient?"

He singled out Zhang Yi, but Zhang Yi was waiting for the emperor to ask, so he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this time the merit evaluation was carefully considered by the Privy Council, and all aspects had to be balanced. Recovering the land is of course a great achievement, but we can't just look at the surface, we have to look at the inside. Although we won the victory on the north front by chance, is it only the merit of the three armies? It was the emperor's trust in us, his decentralization, and his benevolence that made the soldiers work hard, the people united, and the court properly supplied and transported. Otherwise, how could we win?"

He paused, and then continued, "As for Pei Yong, he was young and inexperienced, but he was promoted to the Privy Council this time because of his outstanding contributions. Otherwise, based on his past behavior, this time he was actually making up for his crime, and Your Majesty is extremely lenient by not pursuing his past crimes."

After talking about Pei Yong, he mentioned the whereabouts of several Western Army generals. According to the arrangements of the two governments, although they were promoted, they were assigned to various positions in different places: "Jingzhao Prefecture was originally a threat to the court, and it was difficult to intervene in the past. After all, the king leads the people, how can he form his own faction? Moreover, officials have a practice of transfer after their term of office, in order to prevent collusion between officials, can everyone else abide by it, but Jingzhao Prefecture cannot do it?"

What Zhang Yi said seemed to make sense at first glance.

The relocation of officials is a system. If they stay in one place for too long, it is very easy for them to become too big to be removed.

The appointment and dismissal of officials in Jingzhao Prefecture was entirely up to the court, and it was difficult for the court to intervene. For this reason, after the deputy envoy of transport, Qian Gang, was killed, it was difficult to investigate the real reason and there was no way to punish him, so in the end they had to lift him up high and let him go lightly.

Now the Privy Council wants to take advantage of the great victory in the north to transfer Pei Yong to the capital, and also transfer him to be the general of the Western Army, so as to break up the Jingzhao Prefecture lineage, which is actually the right thing to do.

Zhao Hong was not an unreasonable person. After hearing what Zhang Yi said, he couldn't help but lower his head to think, but he always felt that something was wrong.

Zhang Yi said for a moment: "If you say Jian is poor, in addition to the gold and silver rewards, they also specially conferred a title and promoted Li Yan, and transferred him to the capital - with such a high promotion, aren't you satisfied?"

"If the Western Army returns to the northwest and has made great achievements, how will the court manage it in the future? Pei Yong is already powerful and has a good geographical location. If we don't make plans early, how will we deal with it in the future?"

It would have been fine if Zhang Yiruo had mentioned other things, but as soon as he mentioned Li Yan, Zhao Hong noticed something was wrong. He flipped open a page in a book beside him, checked it carefully twice, and then frowned and asked, "During the third year of Chongning, was Zhang Qing also in the Privy Council?"

Zhang Yi was stunned for a moment and nodded in agreement.

"When Yan Dejing opened up the border in Hehuang, the two governments did not reward him in this way. At that time, in addition to gold and silver, Yan Dejing was given land and a title. His parents and wife were also rewarded, and even his three grandchildren were given subsidies. As for posthumous titles for his ancestors, it goes without saying that he was also allowed to enter the Privy Council and serve as a Privy Envoy..."

Seeing that Zhao Hong was actually bringing up old accounts so skillfully, not only Zhang Yi, but also the other ministers in the palace felt quite uncomfortable.

Zhang Yi said: "Your Highness is right, but it is a different time. In the third year of Chongning, there was a bumper harvest in the south of the Yangtze River, and there was no annual tribute. Meanwhile, Hehuang had gained countless fertile lands..."

He listed Yan Dejing's achievements one after another, and finally said, "Besides, Mr. Yan served in three different places, was sent to a remote place, and then returned to the capital to serve in two government offices. Regardless of his qualifications and abilities, he is more than qualified for the position. The two cannot be compared."

"There is another thing. Both Pei Yong and Li Yan have no parents or brothers, and no family or children..."

He paused for a moment, and then continued, "Even if you want to confer a higher title, you can't -- but it's not impossible to confer a title posthumously on their parents."

It would be too obvious to refute everything, so Zhang Yi was naturally willing to go along with this kind of thing that would be of great benefit and cost-free.

Zhao Hong looked at the reactions of everyone in the hall.

Once people form prejudices, it is difficult to change them.

He was already very suspicious of what Zhang Yi had just said. After hearing his explanation, his suspicion turned into extreme disbelief. He immediately asked, "Just because their parents and brothers are not around and they have no family, can we not give them all the other things?"

Without waiting for anyone to reply, he flipped through the examples in the royal scroll in his hand. There were examples from both the current dynasty and the previous dynasty. There were many cases of similar situations, but the difference between the rewards received at that time and what he received in Jingzhao Prefecture this time was really too great.

Zhao Hong gave examples one by one. Everyone in the hall was silent. After a while, Yang Ting was the first to stand up and said slowly: "Your Majesty, Pei Yong has made great contributions in resisting the enemy and recovering the land, but Jingzhao Prefecture has always been self-contained and does not obey the orders of the court. If there is no punishment and only rewards, where is the order in the court? At present, Jiaozhi and Hehuang vassal states are ready to make trouble, and Shu has also been in chaos many times. In addition, there are refugees and bandits in Guangnan East and West, Jinghu and other two routes. There has never been a moment of peace. Once people see this, they will follow suit and each place will be divided..."

His voice was very serious. "It's a difficult time right now. It's not that we can't give a big reward, but it's not easy to give a big reward. Your Highness has always treated his subjects well, and everyone knows it. Besides, the thunder and rain are all the grace of the emperor. How can a minister find fault with it? Pei Yong had committed many crimes in the past. Your Majesty is magnanimous for not pursuing him. If this person still has a little bit of loyalty, he should be grateful for the emperor's grace. If he has evil intentions, no matter how great the grace is, it will be useless."

With Yang Ting's help, Zhang Yi was even more excited. He said solemnly, "I second your proposal! Besides, our dynasty has been at war for years, the people have been displaced, and the crops have been unseasonable. We should take this opportunity to recuperate. But if we offer a large reward, the generals will mistakenly think that martial arts is the trend of the court. In order to gain military merit, they will not hesitate to start border conflicts or provoke public opinion. How can the court tolerate such a trend? Should we?"

He paused for a moment and continued, "Just as Yang Zhongcheng said, if Pei Yong still has a loyal heart, he should not be swayed by the immediate benefits, but should understand the emperor's heart."

It was rare that the two most powerful people in the two governments, one civil and one military, sang the same tune. How could the others not sing a different tune? Naturally, everyone agreed. However, Zhao Hong felt that this was not the truth, and could not help but say angrily: "Is it because they are afraid of things that may happen in the future that the meritorious officials cannot be rewarded? If so, how will the other generals view it? In the future, when there is a war, which soldier will be willing to risk his life?!"

"Zhang Qing, didn't you also ask for merit for your subordinates when you led the troops in Daming Prefecture? Why didn't you say it like this back then?!"

He was well prepared and had ordered his men to move out a thick stack of memorials that Zhang Yi had left from the warehouse.

However, the man standing at the bottom of the stairs was not moved at all, and immediately said: "Your Majesty is wise, this is only a matter of time - besides, I have been asking for merit for the soldiers guarding the border, and I have never cared about my own small gains. I have no outstanding qualities, I just have a loyal heart..."

Zhao Hong never thought that Zhang Yi would be so stubborn and come up with such an excuse.

  This person did not ask for credit for himself, but how could one ask for credit for oneself in this world? Moreover, even if he did not say a word, the court was still under the control of Prime Minister Peng. How could he allow his disciples to not be rewarded for their merits?

He was really angry and unwilling to accept it. He just raised his head and saw that the pillar that Zhang Yi had wanted to snatch with his head last time was still there. Although there was no blood on it, it was still standing very firmly. The chaotic scene when he hit the pillar was still vivid in his mind.

Although Zhao Hong had been emperor for less than a year and was still young, he did not understand many things, but he knew that at the moment no Zong Mao or Zong Gu could die, and no Di army could be defeated. If he continued to question, and if this Prime Minister Zhang uttered "the sun is clear" again, the situation would become even uglier.

He had no choice but to shut his mouth in resentment, fearing that he would say something unpleasant as soon as he opened his mouth, and he could not help but look at the screen in front of him again.

Zhao Mingzhi knew his brother's temper and did not ask them to delay here. He just said: "This time the army has won the victory, we should reward them generously and not treat the meritorious officials unfairly. Please ask the Privy Council to consider it again."

Such a reward was drawn up in anticipation of bargaining with the emperor. All the ministers in the hall accepted the order and agreed without further words, and left one by one.

Zhao Hong thought he would continue to argue, but he didn't expect everyone to agree so readily. He felt confused. After everyone left, he couldn't help but ask Zhao Mingzhi: "Sister, didn't you say before that the reward this time was already very generous and couldn't be increased? Why did everything change so suddenly?"

Zhao Mingzhi said bluntly: "With such a reward, doesn't Zhang Yi know that it is too stingy? It's just a test - do you think he really wants to keep Pei Yong and Li Yan in the capital?"

"If Pei Yong really entered the Privy Council and sat on an equal footing with him, even if he had little foundation in the capital, he would be young and strong, and he would have been promoted by merit, and he would be in a high position. He also had the trust of the emperor. Wouldn't Zhang Yi have any grudges against him?"

Zhao Hong seemed to understand, but after hearing what Zhao Mingzhi said, he couldn't help but feel worried and asked, "Why did he take the initiative to let Pei Yong join the Privy Council?"

Zhao Mingzhi pointed at the document in his hand and said, "According to the arrangement submitted by the Privy Council, the generals and commanders of Jingzhao Prefecture who were promoted this time were all sent to various places from the northwest. Only Pei and Li were transferred to the capital, but their military power was explained. If you were one of them and received such a 'reward', what would you think?"

Zhao Hong suddenly thought of many stories in the history books he had read. His face turned pale and he couldn't help but ask, "Are they trying to force the Jingzhao cavalry to rebel?"

Zhao Mingzhi was stunned for a moment, and said, "It's not to this extent."

He added, "But if we give him a reward like this, he will definitely not be able to get it. He will have to make changes again and again. Wait until Pei Yong returns to the capital. He will definitely get the news in the next few days. By then, he can use this as an excuse to ask him to return to Jingzhao Prefecture and not occupy the position in the Privy Council. He can also do a favor for himself."

Zhao Hong did not speak for a long while, still holding the letter with the reward in his hand. He seemed to be looking down at it carefully, but he secretly let out a long sigh.

He only hated himself for learning too slowly and being too dull. There were many things that he could not grasp much even if his elder sister broke them into pieces and fed them to him. But he really didn't know what to do. It seemed that every time he tried very hard, it was of little use in the end.

But at this point he was no longer willing to say any self-deprecating words, because he knew it would only distract his sister from comforting him.

After being distracted for a while, Zhao Hong finally asked, "Sister, do you think Pei Yong will stay in the capital in the end?"

Zhao Mingzhi simply shook his head and said, "I don't know either."

"It would be great if he could really stay in the capital and join the Privy Council." Zhao Hong also felt that he was a little too fanciful, so he could only sigh, "I originally thought that if the Secretary of State was reluctant to give him too much reward, I would give him some money from my own family, tell him the truth, and then compensate him in the future. But now he has done such a bad thing, what's the point of giving him more money?"

He added: "Besides, I thought about it again last night - if I make up for today's achievements tomorrow, it will no longer be the same thing. People will only laugh at me, an emperor, for being stingy in my actions and behavior, and not being a monarch at all..."

Seeing his brother so anxious, Zhao Mingzhi was helpless and could only say, "Since you have such thoughts, I don't have much to give you. Why not tell him?"

She paused, looking at the surprised expression on her brother's face, and continued, "I don't have much to give you. When I went to Jingzhao Prefecture to persuade him to lead his troops north, I didn't make any promises. If he wanted to get rewards of gold and silver, or promotions and titles, why would he do such a thing? Rather than guessing here and making random promises in the future, it's better for us to talk it out clearly."

"You have nothing else but the emperor's kindness. You knew to make medicine and send medicine before, but you are just doing something random today. Just treat him as a gift."

Zhao Hong looked up for a moment, and was a little dazed. He wondered how could someone be so straightforward. However, he pondered over these words in his heart for a long time, and it seemed that there was no better way. He held the document in his hand, and did not speak for a long time, looking like a dazed person.

Not to mention what the brother and sister discussed here, and what calculations the two governments had, let alone Yang Ting, Zhang Yi and others, even Lu Xianzhang, who was in the Kyoto government office, couldn't help but secretly count the days while he was busy.

Before the Privy Council could decide on the rewards, just after the Dragon Boat Festival, news came from the direction of Huazhou that the army on the front line had already returned in response to the imperial edict and would arrive in Beijing within three to five days.