Zheng Rong glanced at Qiu Yi and said, "Why? You still want to keep Lin Shuhan by your side and don't want to give him to me? Lin Shuhan is very talented and I think highly of him. Look at your Master Zhongli, he is already so old. There are so many things going on in the court. How many years can he last? Let Lin Shuhan help him and learn government affairs. In a few years, Master Zhongli will step down and let Lin Shuhan become the prime minister. It is not a fantasy."
It turns out that the emperor not only wants Lin Shuhan to serve as an official in the court, but also plans to make him the next prime minister. Such a favor is not something that everyone can have. Even Qiu Yizi, who has always known Lin Shuhan's character, thinks this is a great opportunity. Faced with such a good opportunity, Lin Shuhan may not be unmoved.
So Qiu Yizhi bowed and said, "Your Majesty is not restricted by any rules in selecting talented people. Even the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were no more than this. This is a blessing for the scholars of the world, for the country, and for the people!"
Zheng Rong knew that Qiu Yizi had always been arrogant and would never flatter or say nice things. If she spoke, it must be from the heart, so she raised a smile with obvious pride on her face: "My unconventional attitude is not limited to this. After pacifying the Lingnan Palace, Lingnan Dao will re-select virtuous people to serve as officials. Guess who I chose?"
Lingnan has always been a barbaric place that is extremely difficult to govern. The imperial court has always been difficult to control, and sometimes even the governor in charge cannot be selected. It is precisely because of this that the decision was made to send the prince and the emperor's younger brother to garrison Lingnan, and that Zheng Gui, the famous King of Lingnan, came into being, and that today's rebellion in the Lingnan Palace occurred.
Therefore, the candidate for the governor of Lingnan must not only be reliable enough, but also have to be talented enough and have a certain prestige. Otherwise, how can he subdue the unruly Lingnan
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi pondered for a long time, but could not think of anyone else in the court who could take on this important task, so he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is extremely intelligent, how could I have foreseen that? Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
"Yang Shangzhang." Zheng Rong said lightly.
When Qiu Yizhi heard the name, he was startled and asked, "Yang Shangzhang? Isn't he the son of the old Prime Minister Yang Yuanzhi?"
Zheng Rong nodded again, his face showing a half-smile, seemingly unfathomable expression.
It turns out that Yang Shangzhang's father, Yang Yuanzhi, was a veteran minister of four dynasties and a prime minister of three dynasties. The previous emperor, Emperor Muzong, was lazy in government affairs, and he was the only one who managed the court. He had a very high prestige both inside and outside the court. Yang Yuanzhi was originally friendly with Zheng Rong, but was forced by the false emperor Zheng Yao to frame Zheng Rong, who was then the King of Youyan, for rebellion, which indirectly led to the occurrence of the "Anti-Rebellion Campaign". Until Zheng Rong entered the imperial city and ascended the throne to become emperor, Yang Yuanzhi knew that he had violated the taboo of the emperor and would be punished, so he simply took poison and committed suicide.
This matter was not very decent, so the court declared that Yang Yuanzhi just happened to die of old age and did not enjoy the emperor's grace, and he received all the posthumous honors he deserved.
The number of people alive in the world who know the whole story can be counted on one hand, but Qiu Yizi was the one who witnessed it firsthand. No wonder he stuttered when answering: "This... this... this is not appropriate, right? Remember that Prime Minister Yang was..."
"It is because of Yang Yuanzhi's relationship that I will use Yang Shangzhang." Zheng Rong said, "If he makes any unusual moves or neglects government affairs, I can punish him at any time with the crime of his father and make him fall into eternal damnation!"
Zheng Rong's tone was so harsh that even Zhong Likuang, who had been silent for a long time, found it hard to listen. He coughed twice and said, "In fact, Yang Shangzhang is a good candidate. Before the Lingnan King rebelled, he was an official sent to Lingnan by the court. Not only did he not join the rebellion, but he was the first to escape from Lingnan and report the news. Such loyalty is rare. Moreover, Yang Shangzhang is talented and has good character. He is also famous. He is also familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Lingnan. Appointing him is the most reasonable candidate at the moment."
Zhongli Kuang's words finally eased the tense and cold atmosphere, but Zheng Rong interrupted again, "I heard that Yang Shangzhang's son Yang Jin is very smart, so I have taken him to the Imperial College and assigned someone to help him study. If he passes the imperial examination in the future, he can ensure the prosperity of the Yang family for three generations. With such a favor, Yang Shangzhang must be moved, right?"
Qiu Yizi knew the "Yang Jin" mentioned by the emperor. He had met him several times in the residence of the old prime minister Yang Yuanzhi. He knew that the child was indeed extremely smart. It was a pity that he was only in his early teens, but had become a hostage of the emperor to hold his father back. This was too sad.
Qiu Yi didn't know how to respond for a moment, but Zheng Rong was talking with great interest. He sat up from the bed, then got down from the bed, sat on the chair beside the table, and said, "However, the military and political power of Lingnan Road cannot be given to one person. I have to select another person to lead the troops in Lingnan. The barbarians in Lingnan Road are rampant, and the remnants of the Lingnan Palace have not been eliminated. The selection of this military position must be more cautious."
Lingnan is a remote place with enemies everywhere. Anyone sent to Lingnan as a military officer must be accompanied by a large number of elite troops. He is absolutely different from the so-called Jiedushi in other inland regions who lead a group of cowards. He must be a general with high power.
So Qiu Yizhi said: "This person must be absolutely reliable. But the emperor has many people who can lead troops to fight. I think the three princes can all take on the important task."
After hearing this, Zheng Rong covered his mouth and laughed, "I finally dealt with the King of Lingnan. Do I have to establish another King of Lingnan and leave it for future generations to deal with?"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi immediately realized that he had said something wrong, and hurriedly stood up and said, "This is because I was not thoughtful and spoke nonsense. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Zheng Rong waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "There are only three of us here, including me and your master. We are all family members. There is nothing that cannot be discussed. Even the words 'the speaker is not guilty' do not need to be mentioned. If you have any other candidates, just mention them."
Qiu Yizhi nodded, thought for a moment and said, "How about Zhang Long? He seems to have made great achievements in military training..."
Before Qiu Yi finished speaking, Zheng Rong interrupted and said, "No, Zhang Long is only capable of running errands and managing things. He cannot be given great power."
"If Zhang Long is not good enough, then Liu Qing is even worse. How about General Wei Hu?" Qiu Yizi asked.
Zheng Rong thought for a moment and said, "Wei Hu is talented and has a high reputation... But he is the only one left of the two generals who dominated Youyan Dao back then. I can't bear to send him to a foreign land. It's better for him to stay by my side and assist me in military affairs at any time."
When Qiu Yizhi heard Zheng Rong say this, he suddenly thought of Dai Luanxiang, who was known as the "first famous general in the country" - this Marshal Dai was originally an unparalleled general on par with Zheng Rong, and there was nothing wrong with his talent, integrity, or popularity. However, the emperor was quite afraid of this famous general, and if he made such a suggestion in person, it would definitely not be accepted by the emperor, which was equivalent to asking for trouble.
So Qiu Yizhi shook his head and said, "It seems that it is really difficult to choose such a candidate. I have no idea. Let's leave it to the emperor to decide."
Zheng Rong suddenly laughed out loud and said, "I didn't expect that there are ideas in this world that you, Qiu Yizi, can't come up with. I think the most suitable candidate is right in front of us, and that's you, Qiu Yizi."
Qiu Yizi was stunned when he heard this, and was about to decline, but he found that the emperor's "most appropriate" evaluation was quite pertinent - firstly, although his ability to lead troops in battle was not as good as that of the emperor, Dai Luanxiang, the King of Lingnan and others, he was already a leader among his peers; secondly, although he was nominally an outsider, he and the emperor were like father and son, and he was someone the emperor could absolutely trust; thirdly, he had been in and out of Lingnan Road, and had a close relationship with Yang Shangzhang, who was going to be appointed as the governor of Lingnan Road - there was probably no other candidate in the world who could meet these three conditions at the same time.
But in Qiu Yizi's own heart, he just wanted to help the emperor completely suppress the rebellion of the Lingnan Army, and then retire to the mountains and forests, living a carefree life as a wild crane. He didn't want to hang around in this big dye vat of the imperial court anymore.
He also knew that the emperor had raised him, and if he agreed, he would have to go to Lingnan to take up the post, where he would be in a high position with great power and would never be able to escape from the sea of suffering.
Therefore, Qiu Yizi hurriedly stood up, straightened his clothes, and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, I have said this many times. I really don't want to serve as an official. The Lingnan Palace will soon be destroyed, and there will be no more major events in the world. Your Majesty is a wise ruler, and he has so many good generals and famous ministers to assist him. It only takes a flick of his hand to create a prosperous era. I only wish to bathe in the vast grace of heaven, which is the blessing I have cultivated for several lifetimes."
After hearing what Qiu Yizhi said, Zheng Rong's face obviously turned ugly. He said, "There is a saying that goes 'All under heaven is the king's land; all the people in the world are the king's subjects'. I have asked you to serve the country many times, but you, Qiu Yizhi, have refused several times. Do you want to be like Boyi and Shuqi who refused to eat Zhou's grain?"
Boyi and Shuqi were a pair of brothers. After the fall of the previous dynasty, they decided not to eat the food of the new dynasty and eventually starved to death in the mountains.
Although Boyi and Shuqi were of high moral integrity, they were also people who refused to obey the imperial court. When Zheng Rong compared these two ancient people to him, Qiu Yizhi was terrified. He quickly pushed aside, knelt on the ground, and said, "Your Majesty has raised me. Even if Your Majesty is not the Supreme Lord, I would never be able to repay your kindness of giving me a bowl of porridge and a meal..."
"So you have decided to obey the order?" Zheng Rong did not ask Qiu Yizi to stand up, but asked coldly.
Qiu Yizi still refused to give in: "Your Majesty, I have no intention of separating myself from Your Majesty, I just don't want to be an official in the court anymore. I never ask for anything from Your Majesty, I just ask for Your Majesty's approval on this matter."
"Nonsense!" Zheng Rong scolded, "You disobeyed my order and have already separated yourself from me. You have disobeyed my order several times, acted on your own, and made friends with evil villains. Do you think I don't know these things? I just didn't pursue it because you grew up by my side. But don't think that I can tolerate everything. If I get angry, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it, right?"
These words were extremely heavy, and coming from the mouth of such an almighty person as the emperor, the huge potential energy brought by the supreme authority instantly made Qiu Yizi dizzy, and he couldn't even utter the words of apology for a while.
When the emperor saw Qiu Yi's confused look, he suddenly remembered that this adopted son of his who had no blood relationship with him had put himself in danger many times and not only performed outstanding achievements, but even saved his life - it was difficult to blame a minister for doing this.
Thinking of this, even Zheng Rong, the autocratic emperor, felt that his words were too harsh and began to think about how to turn the words around...