readytorunbook Chapter 122: I have done nothing wrong, it’s just that the Prime Minister is too naive!
Chapter 122: I have done nothing wrong, it’s just that the Prime Minister is too naive!
After dealing with Jin Lehuang, the journey was smooth and we soon arrived at the gate of the capital.
Palace eunuchs were already waiting at the door.
Looking at the towering capital, Gu Jingzhi sighed slightly. After many twists and turns along the way, he was finally home!
"Sir, everything will be fine once we get to the capital!"
Chang An also said this with a happy face.
Gu Jingzhi glanced sideways slightly.
Is everything okay?
I'm afraid not necessarily!
But everything is indeed fine for him. After all, Chang An will have nothing to do next!
He looked at Chang An and said, "When you return to the camp, take good care of the brothers' ashes. I will go to the court to report to His Majesty. When the reward money and the brothers' pensions are in place, you can arrange for someone to deliver them to their families!"
When Chang An heard about his brothers who had died in battle, his face turned grim and he said, "Yes!"
"The deceased is gone, there's no need to grieve too much. Feel free to come to my house for a drink when you have time!"
Gu Jingzhi patted Chang An on the shoulder, then whispered a few words to him, and then the two went their separate ways.
Gu Jingzhi followed the palace eunuchs all the way to the imperial city.
The eunuch bowed slightly towards Gu Jingzhi and said, "Sir Gu, please wait for a moment. I will go and report to His Majesty first!"
Gu Jingzhi nodded slightly, then adjusted his robe and official hat.
Soon, a voice summoning him to an audience came from the hall, and Gu Jingzhi immediately stepped through the hall door.
At this time, all the ministers looked at him sideways, and even Emperor Xia looked at Gu Jingzhi with a smile. Gu Jingzhi walked steadily in the hall, took a few steps forward and then paid his respects.
"Your Majesty, I, Gu Jingzhi, pay my respects to you!"
"Following the orders of Your Majesty, I led an envoy to the North. We have fulfilled our mission and recovered the territories of Yunzhou, Lingzhou, Daizhou, Huangzhou, and Xuanzhou! Thanks to Your Majesty's divine power, we have also gained the entire territory of Yuzhou..."
"I now present to you the household registration, land, and geomancy of the six northern states..."
"I thank Your Majesty again for his grace!"
As he spoke, Gu Jingzhi raised high the map of the six northern states and other items.
"it is good!"
Emperor Xia shouted, then stood up and spoke passionately, "Gu Qing was sent to the north. With his status as a civil official, he overcame the powerful generals of Beili, recovered the territory, enhanced our national prestige, and lived up to our country's reputation. He has made great contributions to the country and is truly a loyal minister! I am deeply pleased!"
"Come! Draft an imperial decree. Gu Qing has been rewarded for his meritorious service on his mission. He will be promoted to the rank of Fourth Rank Dali Temple Junior Official, and promoted to Imperial Court Official. He will also be granted one hundred acres of fertile land, an imperial farm, and gold and silver..."
Gu Jingzhi looked at the excited Emperor Xia and felt completely dazed.
Oh my god.
He has been an official in the court for less than a year, and he has already been promoted to a fourth-rank official?
The key point is that not only was he granted the actual position of Shaoqing of Dali Temple, which was equivalent to the vice president of the Supreme Court in later generations, but he was also given the title of a fourth-rank civil official... In less than a year, he reached a height that others could never reach in their lifetime.
"His Majesty……"
Gu Jingzhi wanted to postpone it immediately.
He still understands the truth that anything beautiful in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
If the position of Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple... is only a fifth-rank official, he would be qualified for it, but this is a fourth-rank official...
At most, he is only twenty years old. It is not a good thing to be promoted too quickly!
There's no telling when the emperor might feel it's too difficult to promote him and demote him to a county magistrate in a remote area, and then he'd have to start all over again.
Just as he dared to shout, Song Pu, the head of all officials, stood up.
"Your Majesty, Lord Gu Jingzhi has made great contributions to the country. Logically, he should be rewarded. However, Lord Gu has been in the court for less than a year, and his promotion to a fourth-rank official is inconsistent with the court system..."
"I believe that a man of Lord Gu's talent should be given more training so that he can shoulder greater responsibilities in the future. Your Majesty, please consider this carefully!"
"Song Qing..."
Emperor Xia looked at Song Pu with unusual calmness. "If he were a military commander, Gu Jingzhi's achievements would be enough to earn him a title of Duke. Do you think a fourth-rank position is too high?"
"Your Majesty, civil officials are different from military commanders. Experience is very important in governing. Although Lord Gu is talented, he is still too young. It would be harmful if he rashly ascended to a high position!"
"Oh?"
Emperor Xia said lightly, "Why not take up a real position and make him a marquis?"
Song Pu: "..."
The ministers: "..."
Damn it, he was made a marquis just for a disagreement, how the hell is that acceptable?
All the ministers were silent. Compared to being granted a title of nobility, they would rather Gu Jingzhi accept this fourth-rank title.
Gu Jingzhi glanced at Song Pu and cursed him inwardly as an old man.
Although he himself felt that such a promotion was inappropriate, but was there any need to say whether the words from this old man Song Pu really cared about him or simply disgusted him?
After being interrupted by him, I felt it difficult to speak again.
Dali Temple Shaoqing...
I guess it's just to make it easier for him to do his next work.
He thought for a moment, then suddenly added, "Your Majesty, I was ordered to supervise the border guard rotation. On my way back to the capital, I was escorting Zhao Zhongli and other criminals. We were attacked in Beichuan Prefecture, and hundreds of our guards were killed!"
"Your Majesty, they are all meritorious officials on this mission. I implore Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation and bring justice to the soldiers!"
"Your Majesty, I believe this matter should be thoroughly investigated!"
As soon as Gu Jingzhi finished speaking, Duke Li Ye of England took over and said, "The envoy's guards consisted of only 2,000 men, yet they dared to forge into a dangerous place, burning the food supplies of the Beili army of 150,000 men. This helped us recapture another prefecture for Great Xia, and they performed a great service to the imperial court!"
"But these soldiers didn't die on the battlefield. Instead, they died within the territory controlled by Great Xia. If we don't conduct a thorough investigation, I'm afraid the soldiers in the army will be dissatisfied!"
"His Majesty!"
Song Pu gave Li Ye a sinister look and said, "Zhao Zhongli has served in Beili for twenty years and is familiar with the border defenses. I believe this attack must have been carried out by Beili. They must be worried about the defenses of our dynasty or the various states of Beili, so they led their troops south to surprise the delegation!"
"You fart!"
Li Ye immediately started cursing, "What evidence do you have to prove that the people who attacked the delegation were from Beili?"
"Duke of England, does this require any evidence?"
Song Pu said with a smile: "Lord Gu forced Beili to give up six prefectures, so it's possible that Beili holds a grudge. Secondly, Zhao Zhongli holds Beili's military secrets, so it's normal that Beili doesn't want him alive!"
"Your Majesty, please issue an order to transfer Zhao Zhongli and the others to the Ministry of Justice. Firstly, this matter will be thoroughly investigated. Secondly, we can also ask them for some of Beili's military secrets, which may be useful in the future!"
Song Pu spoke eloquently and glanced at Li Ye at the end!
"you……"
Li Ye's tone paused.
The reason why he jumped out to refute was simply for Li Sheng.
Song Pu defined those people as Beili people in one sentence. Although his words made sense, his target was Li Sheng.
If he is really confirmed to be the one who attacked the delegation from Beili, what would that mean?
This shows that Li Sheng, the border commander, is useless. The people of Beili have broken into the heart of Daxia, but he was completely unaware of it, and instead the delegation was attacked.
Gu Jingzhi watched the generals and ministers quarreling, and thinking of Li Sheng's care for him at the border, he couldn't help but ask with a smile, "I'm very curious. Is it that the Prime Minister is too naive, or are all the people of Beili fools in the eyes of the Prime Minister?"
Song Pu turned around.
"???"