manynovel Chapter 1143: The Title of Honor
Chapter 1143: The Title of Honor
Chapter 1143: The Title of Honor
After the court was dismissed that day, Zhang Yue and Wang Gui led all the officials to the outside of the palace gate.
Dozens of officials surrounded Zhang Yue, Wang Gui and Feng Jing like stars surrounding the moon.
Zhang Yue said to Wang Gui, Feng Jing and other officials beside him in a seemingly casual tone: "Now that the government is in good order and the people are in harmony, it is time to discuss a title for Your Majesty."
After hearing Zhang Yue's words, Feng Jing's expression changed.
Feng Jing saw Wang Gui's expression and knew that Zhang Yue had already informed the other party, so he became angry and stopped talking.
Zhang Yue deliberately said to Wang Gui: "When the Xihe Road was established and Qingtang was pacified, the ministers were given honorific titles twice, but both were rejected by Your Majesty. All emperors of this dynasty have been given honorific titles, but Your Majesty has never been given an honorific title."
"This is the fault of our prime ministers."
Wang Gui nodded and said to Feng Jing, "Yes, the title of the emperor was given by the prime minister. If Your Majesty refuses to give you the title, it means that we, the prime ministers, have failed in our duty. How should we address you from now on?"
After hearing Wang Gui's statement, the officials below all agreed.
Feng Jing cursed Wang Gui and Zhang Yue in his heart for fawning on the emperor, but he had to uphold the integrity and bottom line of the literati in the court, so he objected: "I have never heard of Yao and Shun having a title."
"Before the First Emperor, he was only called Huang or Emperor. After Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, he changed his title to Huangdi. The emperor was already the most supreme. Your Majesty does not want to add another honorific title, which is also because he understands the hardships of the people in the world, who have not yet recovered from their wounds and have not yet recovered."
"Besides, the ceremony of adding a title to the rank is very grand, there is really no need to waste manpower and money on it."
Feng Jing almost brought up the failure of the two previous expeditions against the Dangxiang.
Nowadays, because of the reform, there is a lot of criticism for conquering the Dangxiang. You, Wang Gui and Zhang Yue, do not advise the emperor, but instead give him the title of emperor. Do you have the nerve to do this?
It's really shameless and he has no dignity at all.
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty has a benevolent act, but how can we, the Prime Minister, be blind? Your Majesty's merits and virtues are so great that no saintly emperor in history could match them. It is only right that you respectfully honor your Majesty."
Feng Jing cursed in his heart, but smiled and said, "Since you have been given the title of emperor, you should also be enthroned on Mount Tai from now on?"
Many officials were speechless after hearing this. When Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty performed Fengshan at Mount Tai, it became a laughing stock among the literati.
It should be noted that there were nine emperors in five generations who performed Fengshan at Mount Tai, starting with Qin Shihuang, followed by Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Guangwu of Han, Emperor Wen of Sui, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
By the time of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, he was the ninth.
However, in another time and space in history, after Emperor Zhenzong of Song Dynasty performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, there was no tenth emperor who performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.
Why?
Fengshan was originally a grand event, but after you, Emperor Zhenzong, messed it up, later emperors were ashamed to be associated with you.
Song Zhenzong signed the Treaty of Chanyuan and then performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.
He was afraid that Prime Minister Wang Dan would oppose him, so he bribed him privately.
The more you lack something, the more you flaunt it.
Zhang Yue, when Wang Gui said this, Feng Jing was furious.
Before Zhang Yue could speak, Cai Que said, "That is still unknown."
From what Cai Que said, it seems that the emperor's Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai is also on the agenda.
After Cai Que finished speaking, he looked around and other officials did not dare to say a word.
Zhang Yue saw that all the officials were silent. This scene could be summed up in one word: people were dissatisfied.
But regardless of all that, the officials in the Council of State Affairs discussed and decided on a title.
Cheng Hao, co-director of Taichang Liyuan, was present.
Cheng Hao said: "The system of honorific titles is actually like a minister discussing the monarch. Since it is a minister discussing the monarch, it is not good if it is not honored."
"Your Majesty is humble and pragmatic and has already resigned the title five times. If it is too peaceful, it will hurt Your Majesty's wisdom. Otherwise, I am worried that Your Majesty will not accept it."
Zhang Yue could see that Cheng Hao also disagreed with the title of emperor, thinking that the word "emperor" was enough, but the other party was more flexible.
Cai Que and Wang Gui, who were standing by, knew that Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi were both promoted by Zhang Yue.
Cheng Yi opposed Zhang Yue in attacking Xia, and Cheng Hao also opposed him in conferring the title of emperor, which seemed to be a case of shooting oneself in the foot.
But doesn’t this also show that Zhang Yue does not form cliques for personal gain?
Wang Gui said: "At different times, Ren Miao has been honored eight times. Although the late emperor was in office for four years, he also received the honorific title."
Cheng Hao said: "But Emperor Renzong also did not accept the title for twenty years."
Cai Que said, "Cheng Taichang, whether or not Your Majesty accepts it is Your Majesty's business, and the Taichang Liyuan will be responsible for drafting it."
Zhang Yue thought to himself that the issue of conferring the title of emperor was the only issue on which the three ministers of the Secretariat had no disagreement and were of one mind.
If Cheng Yi said no, then no, but Cheng Hao was more flexible and said, "Well, the title is only given during national events, so let's just consider that Lanzhou has already won."
Cai Que said: "The Western Xia has withdrawn from Lanzhou, so we can say that we have won the battle."
Cheng Hao immediately listed the emperor's achievements and said, "The 18-character title of Emperor Taizu and the 22-character title of Emperor Zhenzong are both difficult to remember. I think a 4-character title is just right, such as Emperor Taizong's title of 'Fa Tian Chong Dao'."
Wang Gui said, "No, it's better to follow the previous example of a twelve-character honorific title."
Cheng Hao shook his head secretly.
Three days later, Wang Gui, Zhang Yue, Cai Que and other prime ministers led all officials to the East Shanghe Gate to request the emperor to add a title of honor.
After all the officials entered the hall, the emperor looked at Zhang Yue who was standing below him. He knew that this matter was planned by Zhang Yue.
To be honest, he was not interested in the title of emperor at all. He did not manage the palace, did not go on trips, and had almost no hobbies. How could he be interested in mere empty fame?
But he also understood Zhang Yue's intention of adding a higher title.
This was one of the three strategies he and I proposed that day.
The official said, "I have heard that the emperor is a man of virtue, the emperor is a man of virtue, and the king is a man of accomplishment. They create names and use their accomplishments. Why do they need to use honorific titles to decorate themselves? Even if the honorific title is hundreds of characters long, what use is it to me?"
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, this is what all officials hope for and what people want. I beg Your Majesty to accept it."
The emperor said, "In the first year of Xining, the prime minister proposed the title of emperor. Sima Guang listed five previous emperors who refused the title and said that this was not the ritual of the previous kings, but started after Wu Tang and during the reign of Zhongzong. He advised me to refuse the title."
Zhang Yue thought that Sima Guang was repeating the same old tune. When Emperor Yingzong was in power, it was he who stood up and opposed the conferring of the title of emperor.
The emperor continued, "I also agree with this. Even a three-foot-tall child knows that the title of emperor is not detrimental to me."
After hearing this, everyone knew that the government was determined to refuse, so they just let it go.
Zhang Yue knew that the emperor was a true believer in Machiavellianism and a realist. If the title of emperor could bring him a profit of 100 guan, he would do it. If not, he would never do such a thing for the sake of fame.
The government did not follow the route he requested at all.
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, please accept our sincere wishes and do not let them down."
The official looked at Zhang Yue deeply, and Zhang Yue also raised his head.
A few days ago, Zhang Yue learned a piece of news from Shiqi Niang.
After Qian Yi arrived in Bian Jing, he lacked someone to take care of him, so Shiqi Niang assigned one of her maids to the man to take care of his daily life.
Qian Yi was a man who devoted his life to medical studies and did not care much about women. However, this maid was gentle and virtuous, and was quite liked by Qian Yi.
One day, the maid saw Qian Yi looking worried and asked him what was wrong.
Qian Yi refused to speak, and the maid asked again and again. Qian Yi said, "The emperor does not know how to save labor, and is overly worried. If he continues like this, he will only have three years to live."
Qian Yi was so responsible for treating the emperor's illness that the Imperial Hospital regarded him as a thorn in their side, and he was worried that he would be implicated in the future.
The maid was very frightened when she heard this and immediately reported it to Shiqi Niang.
Shiqi Niang asked the maid to keep the matter a secret and not to tell Qian Yiyi that he had told her. Then Shiqi Niang told Zhang Yue.
After Zhang Yue learned about this, he couldn't help but sigh that Qian Yi was truly a miracle doctor.
In fact, he knew the historical ending without Qian Yi telling him.
……
Zhang Yue was in a very complicated mood.
'Be loyal to the people who trust you', 'Devote yourself to the cause until your death', 'Repay the kindness of those who have helped me' and other thoughts flashed through my mind.
The most important thing now is to fulfill the trust entrusted to me by the government.
Zhang Yue said solemnly: "Your Majesty, the recovery of the old territory and the suppression of the border bandits in recent years are all the result of your careful planning. I dare to say that your Majesty's achievements have far surpassed those of several previous emperors, so I beg you again and again."
Not only the emperor, but also the ministers felt that Zhang Yue had gone too far today. However, Zhang Yue was the prime minister, and after repeated insistence, the emperor had to withdraw his order.
"Please allow me to think about it." The official said solemnly.
……
All the ministers left the hall, and all the officials looked at Zhang Yue in confusion.
You, Zhang Yue, were not such a flatterer in the past, it's just that you wanted to be promoted too much.
After the emperor bestows the title, he will reward the ministers who advised the emperor to ascend the throne. As the prime minister who initiated the proposal, you, Zhang Yue, will definitely be promoted.
But now you have been promoted to the position of Jixian Xiang, why are you so eager to get some other official positions, other than the Historiography Office or Zhaowen?
That is a show of loyalty, and the scale is even greater than that of Wang Gui and Cai Que.
Zhang Yue ignored all this and went back to the viewing room. He lay down on the bed in the back hall and took a nap for a while, and at this time he heard a series of small noises outside.
Zhang Yue was in a bad mood, so he didn't sleep deeply and could vaguely hear a few words.
"Is the Prime Minister still resting?"
"Yes, the good news has spread everywhere, but he is still lying in bed calmly."
"Hey, this is the style of Xie An and Kong Ming. If I disturb the prime minister's dream, it would be a great sin."
"You go, you go, how dare I disturb the Prime Minister."
Someone sighed, "The Prime Minister is so busy, it's not easy. Let's let him get some sleep."
"It's not easy for the Prime Minister."
"But all the officials are waiting outside the hall."
"What's wrong with waiting? Cheng Yi had a disciple who waited for half a day until snow fell on his body. This is actually a good story. Today, all the officials are waiting. When it gets out, it will be a good story for generations to come!"
The more Zhang listened, the more he felt that this was outrageous. However, at this moment, his eyelids felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds and he couldn't lift them up no matter what.
After a while, someone approached and called out softly, "Prime Minister!"
"Prime Minister!"
Zhang Yue suddenly woke up with a splitting headache, but he saw Cai Jing and other Zhongshu Wufang inspectors standing at the door with their bodies bent, their faces full of joy, and they couldn't help but say: "Congratulations, Prime Minister! Congratulations, Prime Minister!"
Zhang Yue calmed himself down, put on his clothes and walked outside the government hall, but saw all the officials coming back and standing in an orderly manner outside the hall, holding their tablets.
When they saw Zhang Yue step out, they all said in unison: "Greetings to Prime Minister Jixian!"
But Cai Que, who was standing by, held up a letter and said, "Reporting to Prime Minister Jixian, a great victory was won in Lanzhou, and Liang Yimai, the Prime Minister of the Dangxiang State, was killed."
"Lü Gongzhu wrote a letter, saying that the leader of the Tangut State was willing to cede the three states!"