"Because of old ties, they were made marquises and soared to the heavens in a single step. Sure enough, merit cannot rival personal bonds..."
"Among the court, there are only eighty-five marquises, and merely twelve dukes. Of those eighty-five, which one did not fight bathed in blood and narrowly escape death before earning the right to be called Lord Marquis..."
In his study, Li Tonghai could not help murmuring to himself after learning the news.
Though he was Grand Chancellor, he had only learned of it today as well, because the matter had not gone through the Grand Secretariat. Zhao Cheng had written the imperial edict directly.
Indeed, under the Grand Secretariat system, in later generations, although its role was to assist the emperor, emperors of those later eras had to consult with the Grand Secretariat on many matters and could not settle them with a single word.
Only a trailblazer like Zhao Cheng could truly do whatever he wished without having to notify the Grand Secretariat at all.
Naturally, Zhao Cheng did not act recklessly. He had his own rules, much like that old jest about enfeoffing kings—yet once he had truly seized the realm, how could kings be granted titles lightly?!
If he truly did that, where would it leave those ministers who had rendered great service?! His subordinates would inevitably grow divided in heart and virtue.
That would be digging his own grave.
"Father, is His Majesty not afraid of chilling his ministers' hearts with this move?!"
"After all, ever since Father joined the uprising, you have come all the way to this day and only barely been made a duke. Yet now two commoners, without an inch of merit to their names, have received marquisates. I fear it will be hard to convince the masses..."
At