allendalepharm Chapter 754: Tooth for tooth, "4-Ku Quan Shu"
Chapter 754: Tooth for tooth, "4-Ku Quan Shu"
Everyone was stunned, even the emperor was very surprised. Jiang Youzhen screened the people present, could it be Qian Songyun? But Qian Songyun was only a fifth-rank official.
The rest of the academicians who served as readers and lecturers were only of the fifth rank, which made them even less qualified.
As for the six ministers, forget it. How could a second-rank official be demoted to a fourth-rank official without committing a heinous crime? How serious a crime would that be?
"My dear Minister Wei, don't keep us in suspense. Who is it?" The emperor was really curious. He glanced at everyone present, but still couldn't figure it out.
"It's Jiang Youzhen, the Imperial Academy's Attendant Reader!"
Everyone was shocked. Prime Minister Lin Juhui turned his head to look at Jiang Youzhen, only to see that Jiang Youzhen also had his mouth half open with a look of shock, and a dark light flashed in his eyes.
"Lord Jiang?" The emperor's tone rose. "But Lord Jiang has just been promoted to the Imperial Academy as a reader. He is currently a sixth-rank official. Is he a fourth-rank official as a prefect? Isn't that too much?"
"Yes! Even if Jiang Shidu does have some abilities, his promotion so quickly will set a precedent, which will cause chaos. No!" The Minister of War Sui Yuanchao was the first to disagree. Isn't this chaos?
"I second the motion! This is no joke. There is no precedent for this. We cannot create a precedent and convince the public."
The Minister of Personnel Zuo Mingyang also shook his head. He had only been in office for more than three months, but he had already become a fourth-rank official. What about those of them who had endured for decades?
"We second the motion!" everyone said in unison.
Jiang Youzhen immediately breathed a sigh of relief. You guys act as if I really want to be the prefect, why don’t you ask for my opinion?
It's not that she was self-deprecating, but she didn't want to go to the countryside. If she left the capital, the power center, even if she made great achievements, her achievements would be weakened by reporting them to higher authorities.
Who knows, in the end, all her superiors might have been promoted, but she would still be sitting on the position of prefect!
But what is Wei Dong's purpose? Is she so close to the Third Prince's party? Could it be that they want to transfer her away from the capital?
"Your Majesty, I am not talking about the position of prefect of Yunzhong Prefecture, but the prefect of Suzhou." Wei Donglai stroked his beard and said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, you often say that we should not stick to any rules when recruiting talented people. Attendant Jiang is indeed a man of great talent, so why should we bury such a talent just because of the constraints of rules? It doesn't matter if he is promoted a little faster."
When everyone heard this, they fell silent and started to think about something.
Jiang Youzhen wanted to roll his eyes when he heard this. Good old Six, you were waiting for me here!
From being a prefect of the fifth rank, she is now a fifth rank official, just one level higher.
The situation in Suzhou is very complicated. It is adjacent to the barbarians and is controlled by the Beiling Pass in the south. The terrain is steep, the forces there are very fierce, the local people are also very fierce, and the separatist forces are very serious.
Are you going to send her there? You, Old Six, how did I offend you? Why do you hate me so much?
If you really go there, you will either die a violent death or become mediocre and corrupt. If you want to achieve political achievements, you have to work hard.
Isn't this a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality? Even if he was given the title of fifth rank, it would depend on whether he could return to the capital to report on his work.
There was surprise in everyone's eyes, but they all remained silent.
"My dear Jiang, what do you say?" the emperor suddenly said.
Jiang Youzhen stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I have just entered the Imperial Academy. How can I take on such an important task? It is against the law to promote me twice. Besides, I am not familiar with Suzhou. I am afraid that I will disappoint everyone. Please choose someone else who is more capable than me."
"The laws of this dynasty do not say that you cannot be promoted twice in a row. Jiang Shidu, don't be modest. We all know that Jiang Shidu is ambitious. How can the court bury such a talent? There have been frequent civil strife in Suzhou in recent years. If the court fails to select a virtuous person to go there, I am afraid that Jingzhou will be lost!
How important is Suzhou? After passing two checkpoints, there are barbarians. What if we are careless and are invaded by barbarians? Therefore, the post of governor must be given to a trustworthy person. Jiang Shidu is loyal to the court and dedicated to his duties. I believe that sharing the worries of the emperor must be the top priority! "
Wei Donglai bowed to the emperor again and said, "Your Majesty, I think Jiang Shidu can take on this important task!"
This is not understanding human language! Jiang Youzhen's eyes flashed with coldness, so don't blame her for retaliating!
"Your Majesty, I think that to resist the invasion of barbarians, guarding the border is the most important thing. I heard that Wei Zengxu, the son of Wei Shangshu, has been practicing martial arts since he was a child and has a natural talent. He is now the deputy commander of the North City Military Department and his martial arts are amazing."
Jiang Youzhen said seriously: "I have heard that Commander Wei was very strong when he was a child. I thought that since Commander Wei is so talented, how could he be buried?
The court is currently in need of brave and skilled military commanders. Commander Wei is young and strong, and it is time for him to make great achievements. I am just a weak scholar. If I go there first, I will inevitably have worries. It is better to ask Commander Wei to go first and make the final decision!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Donglai was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at Jiang Youzhen fiercely, "Could it be that Jiang Shidu is afraid, so he wants my son to take the lead?"
Jiang Youzhen said innocently, "Why lead the charge? Isn't this the time to make achievements? This is to relieve the emperor's worries. Isn't the Minister unwilling?"
Why don't you go yourself? If you want me to go, fine! Just let your son go first.
Wei Donglai had a legitimate son who was neither good at literature nor martial arts, a playboy. He was just strong and was better at swordplay than literature, so he entered the military department through favoritism.
Everyone knew that he would just idle away his time and wait for promotion after entering the palace. But Jiang Youzhen pulled him out today and put a high hat on him just to get revenge on Wei Donglai.
"You..." Wei Donglai was very angry. How could he say that his legitimate son was just a lazy person and not a military general?
The emperor's eyes flashed with a smile. This kid is sharp-tongued. But this time he was given a good warning. Don't think he can always indulge him.
Being too smooth sailing is never a good thing, Jiang Youzhen still needs to hone his skills.
"Your Majesty! I think the key is to select talents in the court, so I am preparing to compile the Siku Quanshu, which may be helpful for the imperial examination. If Your Majesty wants to send me to Jin Province, I am willing to share Your Majesty's worries and take up the post generously.
But the compilation of the Siku Quanshu has to be put on hold. I will come back to it when I return to Beijing!"
Jiang Youzhen glanced at Qian Songyun and other Hanlin Academy officials, "I'm sorry! I didn't want to drag you into this, but who asked you to be here?"
She couldn't guarantee that the emperor would not let her go to Jin Province. How could she stay in the capital if she didn't show some ability?
The emperor immediately became interested and asked, "What is the Siku Quanshu?"
"The Siku Quanshu is temporarily divided into four parts: classics, history, philosophy, and anthology, hence the name Siku. The classics part includes thirteen classics, such as the Book of Changes, the Book of History, the Book of Songs, and other Confucian classics."