My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 55 Suffering for the People and Soldiers of Six Towns

Prince Yuan Yi of Qinghe was the son of Emperor Xiaowen. He was intelligent and handsome from a young age and had a good relationship with his older brother, Yuan Ke.

After Emperor Xiaowen died, Yuan Ke succeeded to the throne, and Yuan Yi was appointed as a Chamberlain and head of the Secretariat.

After Yuan Ke's death, his youngest son Yuan Xu succeeded him.

Since ancient times, a country is in turmoil when its ruler is young.

As a member of the imperial clan with high seniority and great ability, Yuan Yi naturally became a reliable figure for Empress Dowager Hu, a widow and orphan, in the court.

Yuan Yi was able to rise to the point of wielding immense power in the court.

It relies on 1% effort and 9% talent. As for the other 90%, what does it rely on?
He was handsome, and Empress Dowager Hu was always delighted whenever she saw him!
As Yuan Yi emerged from the Taiji Hall, he was discussing with Li Shao, the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Revenue, and others the specific details of bestowing titles and rewards upon the Six Garrisons.

"As for rewards, just be careful to strike a balance; the imperial court isn't exactly wealthy."

"But... the imperial court has generously rewarded the central army and commended those who made meritorious contributions. If the soldiers and civilians of the six garrisons are not given sufficient rewards, it may incite resentment."

"Doesn't this set a good example for the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons? The court will reward those who have made meritorious contributions. Next time we launch a northern expedition against the Rouran, the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons will surely fight bravely. We all know that the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons are suffering, but the court needs to spend money on many things. Let the people of the Six Garrisons suffer first. I will bear the blame."

At this moment, a palace maid walked over quickly.

Yuan Yi and the others immediately recognized her as the maid who served Empress Dowager Hu.

Li Shao and the other officials said no more. Instead, they all bowed respectfully to Yuan Yi and said they would go to handle official business.

Yuan Yi then turned and followed the maid to Xianyang Palace.

When they reached the palace gate, the maidservants stopped following. Yuan Yi went in and saw that only Empress Dowager Hu was sitting at the table. Emperor Yuan Xu was not there, and there were no other maidservants beside Empress Dowager Hu.

He was visibly taken aback for a moment.

Are you going all out today?

But seeing that Empress Dowager Hu's expression didn't seem to be seeking his 'pleasure,' he immediately asked, "Empress Dowager, what important matter is it?"

"There's no one else here, so come over. Why be so reserved?"

Yuan Yi then stepped forward, and Empress Dowager Hu handed him the secret memorial.

Yuan Yi took the memorial and glanced at it briefly. Just like Empress Dowager Hu before him, he showed a look of shock.

The core of the memorial was "to request a different selection criteria for officials, to exclude military personnel, and to prevent them from being promoted to civil officials."

The reason why Empress Dowager Hu and Yuan Yi were both shocked was that this was tantamount to cutting off the roots of the military people in the court, especially the Central Army. This was to completely sever the upward mobility of the Central Army.

"This must be the intention of the General Who Conquers the West. Since he is unwell, his son submitted a secret report to him."

General Zhang Yi, who was in charge of the westward expedition, came from the Zhang family of Qinghe. He was a veteran of three reigns and was highly regarded in his youth for his involvement in Emperor Xiaowen's relocation of the capital. However, during the reign of Emperor Xuanwu, he offended Gao Zhao, who was the brother of Empress Xiaowen and Emperor Xuanwu's mother, by vying for the title of Princess Chenliu. As a result, Gao Zhao was dismissed from his post.

During Gao Zhao's reign, Zhang Yi suffered a stroke and became paralyzed. After Empress Dowager Hu, together with General Yu Zhong, eliminated Gao Zhao and others and regained power, she reinstated Zhang Yi and appointed him as General Who Conquers the West. His son was also given important positions.

His eldest son, Zhang Shijun, was a court official, and his second son, Zhang Zhongyu, was a censor. These were highly coveted positions, which were the very positions he requested in his memorial to prohibit military personnel from being promoted.

Yuan Yi immediately saw the problem! The Zhang family of Qinghe, although a well-known and powerful clan, was not one of the four great families of Cui, Lu, Li, and Zheng.

The number of official positions officially held by the imperial court is limited, and each position is filled by a specific person.

The Zhang family of Qinghe is in direct competition with the "Yi," "Bing," and "Ding" surname clans within the "Dairen" group!
These Xianbei people with the surnames 'Yi', 'Bing', and 'Ding' were basically all working their way up in the central army, waiting for a promotion.

On the surface, it appears to be a contest between civil and military officials, but in reality, it is a power struggle among those below the Northern Wei court for the few remaining political resources after the four major Han families and the eight major Xianbei families had taken the lion's share.

"No! It seems that it wasn't just the General Who Conquers the West's idea; he was just in charge of initiating it."

"I've thought of that too, which is why I summoned you to discuss it."

If we delve deeper into this matter, it becomes a conflict between the Han Chinese and the Xianbei. If it escalates, it will be difficult to resolve.

Yuan Yi was also at a loss for a moment. After all, Zhang Zhongyu dared to submit this memorial, even though it was a secret memorial, he must have made preparations.

Upon further reflection, he realized that the trigger for this incident might have been the recent northern expedition against the Rouran.

After Anagui was brought back to Luoyang, the court bestowed upon him the title of "King of the Rouran." Soldiers of the central army received the lion's share of the rewards, and a large number of them were promoted, taking up too many positions.

"It would be better to summon Prince Guangping and other members of the imperial clan to the palace to discuss this matter together, as it is of great importance."

“Very well, then go and gather your clansmen.”

Yuan Yi immediately sent his trusted men to summon Prince Gaoyang Yuan Yong, Prince Guangping Yuan Ti, Prince Jiangyang Yuan Yi, and others to the palace. Most of these men were sons of Emperor Xiaowen and were in their early thirties. Only Prince Guangping Yuan Ti, whose father had died early, inherited the throne and was still a young man.

Yuan Yi dismissed his attendants and showed the secret memorial to everyone. After reading it...

Each person had a different expression on their face. Yuan Yi rolled his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. He was a member of the imperial clan and also the brother-in-law of Empress Dowager Hu. He was currently the Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the Imperial Guards in the palace, but he did not get along with Yuan Yi, so he simply kept quiet.

On the contrary, Yuan Ti, a clueless and inexperienced young man who knew nothing about government affairs, immediately offered his opinion after reading it.

“I think the memorial submitted by Zhang Zhongyu, son of the General Who Conquers the West, is reasonable. This proposal is in line with the Han dynasty system, and important positions should be held by men of noble character.”

Yuan Yong glanced at him. Yuan Ti usually liked to associate with Han gentry and was a member of the Yuan clan who had been thoroughly Sinicized. His newlywed wife was from the Zheng clan of Xingyang, one of the four Han clans. She was the daughter of Zheng Daozhao, the governor of Xiangzhou.

"This is a matter of great importance to the nation and requires caution. I believe that the ancestral laws need not be changed and the status quo should be maintained. If this proposal is agreed upon, how will we face the soldiers of the central army?"

Yuan Ti bowed and retorted, "I cannot agree with what you say, Uncle! The soldiers of the central army are becoming increasingly arrogant. Several months ago, we marched north to conquer the Rouran. I'm sure all of you uncles know who the credit really was, but the soldiers of the central army exaggerated their achievements and took credit for themselves!"

"Why do the soldiers in the central army dare to act like this? Isn't it because they are fearless and have nothing to fear? We might as well take this opportunity to teach the central army a lesson."

"Furthermore... the soldiers of the central army are generally uneducated and unfit for important positions. Promoting them to high posts would only harm the country!"

Seeing that everyone had their own opinions.

Yuan Yi was undecided for the time being and decided to keep the memorial pending for the time being.

After everyone left, Yuan Yi summoned a trusted confidant and whispered a few words of advice to him.

The next day!

The matter of Zhang Zhongyu's secret memorial is known to everyone in Luoyang!
(End of this chapter)