Advancement Brings Power, Retreat Spreads the Way!

The title of Privy Council Chief Secretary; it is an official position within the Privy Council.

The political structure of the Great Rui was quite well-organized in terms of court administration, with the Two Offices being the most crucial part.

These Two Offices refer to the Council of State Affairs and the Privy Council. In the early days of the Great Rui, the Two Offices were in charge of civil affairs and military affairs, respectively. After several reforms, their powers changed slightly, but the Privy Council's control over military and political affairs gradually increased.

The Privy Council, also known as the Privy Office or the "Pardon Office," was directly led by the emperor. The Privy Council was in charge of military and state affairs, military defense, border defense, and military policies. Its highest official was the Privy Councilor, who was called "the one in charge of the Privy Council's affairs" and assisted the emperor in military matters.

The current Privy Councilor is Wang Jing, and there is also a Deputy Privy Councilor, also known as the "Co-Privy Council," who is the Privy Councilor's deputy, but in terms of power, they are not much different. The current Deputy Privy Councilor is Geng Chi, a military man, which is quite an anomaly.

Although the Privy Council was in charge of military and political affairs, it had always been headed by civil officials, and very few military men could sit in such a position. This was because, in the eyes of the important officials of the court, although the Privy Council was in contact with the military, it was not only about leading troops into battle, but also about many institutional constructions. In their view, a rough military man was not up to the task.

After all, these two envoys of the Privy Council were essentially prime ministers, military men who rose to the position of prime minister, a position that had been heavily criticized after the warlord era of the previous dynasty.

However, Geng Chi was a man of both literary and military talent. In his early years, he was even tattooed and exiled, but he still rose to prominence and became a famous general. He was highly regarded by the late emperor and was promoted several times, eventually reaching this position.

I won't go into details about these.

Below the Deputy Privy Councilor were other officials such as the Signatory Privy Council and the Co-Signatory Privy Council, each with their own authority.

In addition, the Privy Council also has Secretariat Office, headed by the Chief Privy Council Chief Secretary, which is the position Qiu Yan currently holds.

The function of the Secretariat Office was to convey the emperor's orders and manage the internal affairs of the Privy Council. It was staffed with officials such as the Inspector, the Advisor, the Compiler, and the Detailed Reviewer. It was in charge of five departments: War, Personnel, Revenue, Rites, and Justice. It could consult with the Six Ministries and also had Hexi Office to handle border defense affairs. In addition, it had many other matters to attend to, even the affairs of vassal states and foreign tribes.

Judging from this configuration, it is not difficult to see the power of this department. It is the administrative body of the Privy Council.

After all, the Privy Council itself holds a higher position than the Six Ministries, and its head is the Grand Councilor. It is not surprising that its subordinate departments have such abilities.

The position of Privy Council Chief Secretary alone has the power to examine the merits and demerits of officials below the Privy Council Director and their promotions, which is equivalent to controlling the promotion and evaluation of officials in the Privy Council!

It directly relates to their career prospects!

If Qiu Yan were to accept this position, his status would immediately change.

If being Hanlin Academician merely granted him influence within the court and the imperial family, then the Privy Council Chief Secretary directly bestowed upon him power, enabling him to transform influence into authority!

At least from the military's perspective, Qiu Yan's views will greatly influence military affairs in the future.

It is worth mentioning that the Privy Council Chief Secretary, in terms of rank, is only Subordinate Fifth Rank official, which is one rank lower than the Principal Fifth Rank Hanlin Academician, but in terms of real power, they are worlds apart.

Once Qiu Yan takes this position, in the eyes of others, he will not be just a Hanlin Academician, but Privy Council Chief Secretary! This position cannot be described by mere rank; even high-ranking officials of the third or fourth rank would not dare to underestimate him.

Therefore, once the order was issued, the thoughts of all the officials in the hall, both civil and military, changed. The civil officials felt that this appointment was a bit too much, while the military generals didn't really know what to feel. Some generals were even secretly pleased, as they had long regarded Qiu Yan as a successor of Military School.

At the forefront of the court, Wang Fu, Ma Yang, Zhang Lian, Xu Jin, and Yan Dongting, who was recovering from a serious illness, were all deep in thought. They would occasionally glance at the two chief ministers of the Privy Council of State Affairs, Wang Jing and Geng Chi, wondering if the emperor had already informed them.

Upon closer inspection, they noticed surprise on the faces of the two men, and Wang Jing even revealed a hint of suppressed shock and anger.

In fact, the position of Privy Council Chief Secretary has been vacant for some time. There have been some changes in the network of personnel surrounding this position. Wang Jing, for example, naturally wanted to place his own confidant in the position, but he did not expect that Qiu Yan would be parachuted in.

"Could it be that the emperor is truly acting unilaterally?"

Noticing Wang Jing's expression, Zhang Lian recalled the things the other party had discussed with him a few days ago and began to speculate.

"Perhaps the emperor wanted to use Qiu Yan to promote his military reforms, which is why he offered him this position. However, if all of Qiu Yan's merits are taken into account, it wouldn't be unreasonable to give him the position of Privy Council Chief Secretary. But to grant him military and political power solely based on his contributions to classical literature is a bit overstepping his bounds, even if those classics are about Military School..."

Many officials share similar sentiments, feeling that this appointment is an excessive promotion.

It is only right that officials should be rewarded for their merits. The reason why Qiu Yan's matter was taken so seriously, even brought to the Golden Hall and in front of all the officials, was actually to boost morale for the war and to unite the troops for the national war effort. However, the focus of the reward was not on military achievements, but on humanistic contributions. Yet, he was immediately granted a substantive position in the Privy Council, which inevitably attracted attention.

Furthermore, the censors and remonstrating officials had already prepared their speeches, ready to immediately offer their advice after the imperial edict was read aloud. Even if they couldn't persuade the emperor to retract his order, they wanted to make him understand the consequences, teach him a lesson, and show him that the affairs of the world were not something he could do as he pleased.

The scholar-officials of the Great Rui Dynasty never felt that the world belonged to one family, nor did they consider themselves the emperor's servants. On the contrary, they felt that the emperor and the scholar-officials jointly governed the world, and naturally they were unwilling to let the emperor do whatever he wanted.

Therefore, sometimes vehement remonstrance is not necessarily about making the emperor admit his mistake, but about leaving a lasting impression and making him more cautious in the future, so that similar incidents will not happen again.

However, just as the court officials were preparing their words, Prince Ding Li Duo, shattered their thoughts with his next sentence—

"Promote Qiu Yan to the title of Doctor of the Imperial Academy, and order him to transmit the words of the sages to the students, so that the Way of humanity may be revealed in Prosperity Capital!"

Upon hearing this, even Wang Fu and Ma Yang, who had maintained a calm demeanor, showed a change in expression, with a hint of surprise in their eyes!

The officials and civil servants were even more bewildered, finding today's events far too bizarre.

While it was said that Qiu Yan would be rewarded, his military achievements were first suppressed. The emperor made it seem as if he would be rewarded twice before bestowing upon him the title of Hanlin Academician, which was understandable given that Qiu Yan already held a position in the Hanlin Academy. The Privy Council Chief Secretary was already somewhat exceptional. However, considering Qiu Yan's military exploits on the Grasslands and his two Military Canon, the emperor's intentions were understandable; he simply wanted to promote a trusted confidant knowledgeable in military affairs.

However, this already crossed the line between the Hanlin Academy and the Privy Council, and now with the addition of the Imperial Academy, things have fundamentally changed!

The Imperial Academy was arguably the highest institution of learning in the Great Rui, gathering the elite scholars within the dynasty.

Some of these elites will become the backbone of the court in the future. Their thoughts, ideas, and actions will undoubtedly have a significant impact on future politics and subtly influence the social atmosphere.

One of the key measures of Wang Fu Reform was to take control of the Imperial Academy and promote the New Learning system. This approach, combined with the imperial Imperial Examinations, was the only way to cultivate talent for the New Law.

Only by cultivating a group of successors who share the same ideals and beliefs can we avoid the situation of a regime collapsing with the death of its leader. Wang Fu was well aware of this, and Ma Yang also felt it deeply.

Therefore, the New and Old Parties fought each other in the imperial court and also in the Imperial Academy. However, the struggle in the imperial court was for "power," while the struggle in the Imperial Academy was for "hearts."

The heart of a scholar.

Instilling one's own ideas and theories into the minds of students whose values are not yet fully formed is beneficial for their future actions. Sometimes, one doesn't even need to do anything; one can rely on these students who have grown up to stir up the tide.

In this situation, the emperor's decision to send someone in is quite intriguing and warrants further investigation.

The position of Doctor of the Imperial Academy is not an ordinary one. Although it is not the position of Chancellor, it still grants the qualification to teach among the students. Qiu Yan, though young, is well- Canon Attainment his own school of thought. To send him to teach students at the Imperial Academy would be like sending a tiger into a flock of sheep.

Wang Fu and Ma Yang were aware of this.

"Is the emperor trying to sow discord between Qiu Yan and the New and Old Parties, leaving him completely isolated?" Immediately, many officials, including Zhang Lian, began to speculate.

However, not everyone can keep their mouth shut.

After two unexpected incidents, His Highness Prince Ding finally finished reading the imperial edict, then stepped aside and watched Qiu Yan with great interest.

According to the procedure, Qiu Yan was supposed to express his gratitude next, but before he could speak, someone jumped out—

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

Li Kun, perched high above, looked in the direction of the voice and recognized a censor. His brow furrowed slightly, and he guessed the man's purpose. He said, "It's getting late, let's..."

The censor was quite straightforward; before the emperor could finish speaking, he interrupted him abruptly, "Your Majesty, it is too bizarre for one person to govern three regions. Given Qiu Xiuzhuan's achievements, it is actually not a problem. However, if we only talk about cultural matters and not military exploits, I fear the people of the world will not be convinced!"

Speaking of which, it's worth mentioning that many films and television shows from Qiu Yan's previous life depicted interrupting the emperor as a terrifying event. However, in reality, whether it was the Han dynasties of his previous life or the Great Rui Dynasty in which Qiu Yan is now living, if a minister interrupted the emperor for a legitimate reason, the issue was mainly about etiquette and had little to do with treason or deceiving the emperor.

There was even a minister who dared to openly berate the emperor. When the emperor couldn't bear it and tried to leave, someone grabbed his sleeve, spitting on his face, and he still had to force a smile.

Although displeased at being interrupted, Li Kun still said, "I remember that in the Comprehensive Mirror written by Minister Ma, it is mentioned that the most important affairs of the world are rewards and punishments. In the past, Gaozu of Han did not covet the titles of kings to Han Xin and Peng Yue, and thus he was able to establish his imperial career. I dare not compare myself to the sages of the past, but I am also willing to do so. Now that Minister Qiu has made outstanding contributions and has written classics to pass down, what harm is there in promoting him out of turn?"

ps:

Thanks to "Ye Luo Mo Feng" and "zzll Scorpio" for the rewards!

Thank you to "Twenty Moons", "Qingqingxiaoxiao", "bigdove", and "yuanjing" for your monthly votes!

I'm attending a friend's wedding tomorrow, so both updates will likely be in the evening.