Early the next morning, the court bell in front of Fengtian Hall rang. Zhu Houzhao and Fengtian Hall opened the court in the early morning.
This was the first early morning court in several months. After the civil unrest in Hebei subsided, the courtiers were able to participate in the morning court with peace of mind for the first time. The officials all put on brand-new official uniforms, put on the accessories at the bottom of the box, and dressed up.
Going to court in a decent manner is a celebration.
Zhu Houzhao arrived at the main hall in glory and ascended to the throne amidst the shouts of long live by the ministers.
"My lords, I have three matters to attend to today. The first one is to reward the officials who have contributed to quelling the chaos in Hebei. The first thing to discuss is the contribution of Zhang Yanling, the Marquis of Jianchang. The Marquis of Jianchang was appointed at the critical moment, and he calmed down the chaos within a few months.
, I have made great contributions. I have asked all the ministers for their opinions before. I should not treat those who have protected the Ming Dynasty unfairly. Therefore, I plan to confer Zhang Yanling with the title of Lord Protector. What do you think?"
As soon as Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth, all the officials in the palace were stunned. He actually wanted to confer the title of Duke to Zhang Yanling. What an honor it was.
"Do you have any opinions? If not, I will issue an order." Zhu Houzhao said in a deep voice.
The ministers were silent. At this time, Zhang Yanling was at the peak of his power, and he returned with the power of suppressing the rebellion and made great achievements. Anyone who opposes at this time will be a big disgrace and will offend Zhang Yanling and the noble group behind him.
At this time, who is willing to speak out against it?
"Your Majesty, there seems to be something wrong with this matter. Your Majesty, please think again." A minister came out and said in a deep voice.
Everyone looked at this person with all their eyes. At this time, someone actually came out to object. I wonder who is so brave.
What is surprising is that the person who came out to oppose was not Liu Jin, Jiao Fang, Zhang Cai and others. It was actually Yang Tinghe, the chief minister of the cabinet.
"Oh? Yang Tinghe, what's wrong? Do you think Zhang Yanling's credit for suppressing the rebellion is not enough?" Zhu Houzhao frowned.
Yang Tinghe raised his voice and said: "Your Majesty, the title of the Duke of the Ming Dynasty is extremely noble. It is a hereditary title and will be passed down to future generations. Since the Chenghua period, the previous emperors have not awarded the title of Duke again. The imperial courts of all dynasties have no civil rule.
A famous official with martial arts skills, because the title of Duke is the honor of the country and should not be taken lightly. The Marquis of Jianchang was defeated several times
Rebellion, outstanding meritorious service. The emperor can give generous rewards, but you need to be cautious when adding a title to the country. Apart from anything else, compared with the British Duke Chengguo Gongding Guogong Dingguo Gongbao Guogong and other important ministers of the country, among other things, the rest
Who is not a mature person who plans for the country? The qualifications of the Marquis of Jianchang are still young and he is too young, so he may not be able to inherit this honor."
What Yang Tinghe meant was that the title of Duke was no longer conferred on ministers since Cheng Hua Nian, and Zhang Yanling's qualifications and reputation were not enough to be conferred a title.
Zhu Houzhao frowned and said: "Qualifications and prestige? I don't think he is enough. Yang Tinghe, when you entered the cabinet, didn't some people say that about you? But First Assistant Li Dongyang went against all opinions and said that talent does not depend on age, but on promoting talent.
Don’t avoid relatives. So what can you say?”
Yang Tinghe was stunned and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, those are two different things. The cabinet is an auxiliary minister, but an official position. The Duke is also the most important noble of the country, and belongs to the same first-grade title as the prince. Jianchang Hou is awarded the Duke, which may not be able to convince the public.
.The rewards given by the Duke of the country at that time were all for those who followed the dragon to conquer the world and fought for the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty.
Those who have laid the foundation and made extraordinary achievements with blood and sweat. Just suppressing the rebellion does not seem to be enough to convince people. This is not a good thing for Jianchanghou. It will make him incur the hatred of others. I am not specifically obstructing it, but for the sake of Jianchanghou.
The emperor is very kind to his heroes, so he doesn't want them to be hated by others."
The ministers thought: What happened to Yang Tinghe? Why did he jump out to obstruct it? This reason is really far-fetched.
"Master Yang, I'm afraid you are the only one who is jealous, right? When the chaos first broke out, I didn't see you coming up with any good ideas. Now that the Marquis of Jianchang has returned in triumph and is discussing merits and declaring rewards, you jump out and say such things. The Marquis of Jianchang turned the tide and made great achievements. He was granted the title of Duke, and he was welcomed by everyone. Who is jealous? We are not jealous, we can only envy and congratulate you. All the civil and military officials are here, who is jealous and stands up to say it? "Cheng Guogong. Zhu Lin, the young master of the mansion, said loudly.
Yang Tinghe's face was pale and he said in a deep voice: "What did Mr. Zhu Xiaogong say? As the chief minister of the imperial cabinet, how can I not express my opinion on this matter? Tinghe is just for the purpose of balancing the rewards. Like the Marquis of Jianchang. An ordinary person will still have important responsibilities on his shoulders in the future. If I am granted the title of Duke this time, will I have to be granted the title of King in the future? Your Majesty, I believe that in order to establish the title of Marquis of Changchang, it is better to reward him for his merits. It is natural and should not be so abrupt."
What he said is reasonable. The chief minister of the cabinet has the right to make suggestions. Moreover, the reward for being granted the title of Duke this time is indeed too heavy. Although Zhang Yanling has outstanding abilities and outstanding achievements, the title of Duke is still too important for him. .
"The old minister believes that what the chief assistant said is very pertinent. It needs to be forged to be strong, but real gold is not afraid of fire. It is really far-fetched to arbitrarily grant the title of Duke to the common people. The veteran also believes that in the future, if he performs great merits and makes the Duke, he should be more careful. It's appropriate." Liang Chu said in a deep voice.
Zhu Houzhao scratched his head. Unexpectedly, he wanted to give Zhang Yanling a big reward, but he was opposed by two important ministers in the cabinet. His uncle helped him out and cooperated with him in his acting. Zhu Houzhao always wanted to express something. Zhu Houzhao thought , it was a matter of course to grant the title of Duke. Unexpectedly, some people objected.
Liu Jin sneered and said nothing. He originally wanted to object, but when Yang Tinghe came forward, he was relieved. The matter was obvious. Yang Tinghe felt that Zhang Yanling had become stronger after successfully countering the rebellion this time. Yang Tinghe A ladle of cold water should be poured on to maintain the balance between the power of the ruling and opposition parties.
In the past, Zhang Yanling and Waiting teamed up to fight against him, but now Yang Tinghe is afraid that he will cooperate with him to suppress Zhang Yanling.
The court fell into silence. After yesterday's scene where the emperor led Zhang Yanling's horse, the courtiers actually had some opinions about Zhang Yanling. If the title of Duke of Guangdong failed this time, they would feel more balanced. Zhang Yanling made mistakes before and was not held accountable. If it's too much, he can't take away all the good things.
"Hahaha, don't argue about this matter. Don't be embarrassed, Your Majesty. In fact, I also think that I don't dare to ask for the dukedom of the vassal state." Zhang Yanling broke the silence with a smile.
"Oh?" Everyone looked at Zhang Yanling in surprise. They thought he would get angry and confront Yang Tinghe tit for tat, but it turned out that he himself felt inappropriate. It was a big surprise.
"Why did the Marquis of Jianchang say this? Do you also feel that you are not qualified enough and that your credit is not enough?" Zhu Houzhao said.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "It is not up to me to decide whether I have enough merit. I have no merit. All the credit belongs to the court and the soldiers. I don't need to mention my humble merits. Such things as qualifications are even more illusory. Gan Luo Shi The third prime minister, the champion, ran into the desert at the age of seventeen and captured the leader of the Huns. Some things cannot be measured by age and seniority. Even the emperor, who ascended the throne at the age of fifteen, does it mean that he is too young to be useful? That is not the case. talk."
Everyone rolled their eyes. Zhang Yanling's words were obviously evasive and used the emperor as a shield. Who dares to say that the emperor is not qualified? He is too young to be qualified for the position of emperor?
But what’s even more outrageous is yet to come.
"Then why do you say it's not appropriate to be granted the title of Duke?" Zhu Houzhao said.
"Your Majesty, please don't forget that I have two brothers in the Zhang family. I am the second eldest, and my brother Changshou Ninghou is the eldest. My elder brother is the eldest son. He has not been granted the title of Duke. How can I be granted the title of Duke? There is a saying among the people.
According to custom, if the elder brother is not married, the younger brother cannot be married. This is the principle of ordering the elders and younger ones. If I want to be crowned a duke, I must first only choose my elder brother.
Otherwise, even if the emperor gives me the title, I would not dare to accept it. Will the world say that I have messed up the long order? I don’t need the title of Duke, but can you kindly ask the emperor to grant my brother the title of Duke of Shouning? It is the honor of my Zhang family.
, is my reward. Besides, the late emperor promised this when he was still alive. It’s time to honor it." Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
"..."
Everyone was silent. This person was extremely despicable. He probably knew that there was no hope of being granted the title of Duke today, so he wanted to get a life and death deal. Then this kind of fallacy was really a bit of a lie.
However, it is true that there is an order of elders and younger ones. In a house of Dukes and Marquises, the eldest son inherits the title. Just like some things, the father dies and the son succeeds, the elder brother succeeds the younger brother. This is the rule. But the title is different. Credit
The size is the key point. Zhang Yanling obviously changed the concept.
"This... makes some sense. Everyone, at the invitation of the Marquis of Jianchang, I made the Marquis of Shouning a Duke. You won't object to this, right?" Zhu Houzhao asked.
No one said anything this time. There is a difference between a duke and a duke. The duke Shouning granted by the Marquis of Shouning was the county duke, which was the third rank among the dukes. With the addition of the word "guo", he became the top duke.
Everyone knows what kind of virtue Shouning Marquis is. Giving him a dukedom only gave him more land, food, and a higher status. He did not gain any power in terms of power. He did not even have a decent official position.
.
Therefore, the right should be used as a balance, and there is no need to object.
"Since there is no objection, it has been decided. Shouning Hou Zhang Heling came forward to listen to the order." Zhu Houzhao said solemnly.
Shouning Hou was so surprised that he never expected that a good thing would happen to him. He hurriedly bowed and shouted long live.
"My cousin, the Zhang family, is loyal and courageous, and has made great contributions to the court many times. Today, Zhang Heling, the Marquis of Shouning, is granted the title of Duke of Shouning, and is given the edict of the imperial edict, which is hereditary and will not be replaced. The specifications of the food town are as per usual, and this is the purpose."
"I thank Tian'en." Shouning Hou trembled with excitement. He carried the cage and walked the bird every day, ate, drank and played, but he didn't expect to be promoted. His brother was really capable, and he took advantage of it. But he himself suffered too much. But Zhang
Having a duke in the family can make up for it.
Zhang Yanling also knelt down to express his gratitude. When he stood up, he said to Zhang Heling who was full of gratitude: "Congratulations, brother, you will be the county magistrate from now on."
"Hey, Yanling, brother won't say anything anymore. From now on, brother will listen to you in everything. It's just a loss for you." Zhang Heling sighed.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "It's not a loss. Your Majesty didn't say you won't make our country a Duke. Now that my brother has made me a Duke, I can also accept the title of Duke Protector. This way, the order of seniority will not be messed up, and no one will gossip anymore."
."
The words of the two brothers fell into the ears of everyone, and everyone looked at them blankly. It turned out that Zhang Yanling had not given up his position as Duke, and the title of Duke to Zhang Heling was not in exchange. It was just to build a platform.
"Marquis Jianchang, you mean... you still want to protect the title of Duke?" Zhu Houzhao was also shocked.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Your Majesty, it's not the minister who wants it, but the emperor who wants it. If the emperor doesn't grant it, of course I don't want it. If the emperor does grant it, I will naturally accept it. People go to higher places, and water flows to lower places. I will fight to the death to kill.
Enemy, isn't it just to gain fame and fortune by serving the country? I don't think I am unqualified. Everything is decided by the emperor."
The faces of the officials were extremely ugly, and they all thought: There are such shameless people in the world, and they are really shameless for playing such tricks in the court.
Some people also think: One family and two masters, Zhang Yanling made a good plan. If he succeeds, won't the Zhang family be in heaven?