Therefore, when the battle report of his eldest son Zheng Xin was delivered to him, Zheng Rong just read it from beginning to end, breathed a sigh of relief, and handed the battle report to Qiu Yizi who was standing beside him, and said to him: "Well, we finally captured Zheng Yu. Now peace is just around the corner, which is a blessing for all people!"
Qiu Yizi only glanced through the battle report from beginning to end. He saw that the emotions of joy were revealed in every stroke of the pen. However, most of them were clichés of reporting victory and boasting of merit. There was nothing worth reading carefully, so he handed it to his master Zhongli Kuang.
Zheng Xin's battle report was first sent to Zhongli Kuang, who then handed it over to the emperor. He had already read the contents in advance and said, "Zheng Xin knows how to cherish his life and kill carefully even when he has won a great victory. This is rare."
Zheng Rong sneered, as if he was not sure about it. He changed the subject and said, "We have won, but we should announce it to the world. I mean, we should hold a captive surrender ceremony, but don't make it too big. We don't need to go back to Luoyang to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. We can just place it in Jinling. What do you think, Mr. Zhongli?"
Zheng Rong had expressed this idea several times, more or less. However, the rebellion in the Lingnan Palace had not yet been completely suppressed at that time, and it was a bit too hasty to put forward such an idea, so he did not formally propose it until today.
Zhongli Kuang met with the emperor all day long, so he was of course aware of the emperor's thoughts, but he did not express his opinion to him. He turned around and asked Qiu Yizhi, "Yizhi, what do you think?"
In Qiu Yi's mind, whether to hold the captive surrender ceremony was a trivial matter, and she was originally noncommittal. But when she heard Zhong Li Kuang's question, she answered truthfully: "This... Now that the Lingnan Army has been annihilated, the news has spread all over the world. Not to mention, even the night watchmen, waiters, and merchants in Jinling City are spreading the news with joy. There is certainly no harm in holding the ceremony to announce it to the world; if we don't hold it, we can save a few taels of silver... In the end, whether to hold it or not is entirely up to the emperor."
Zheng Rong nodded and said, "The rebellion of the King of Lingnan cost the national treasury more than 20 million taels of silver. The silver that I have accumulated over the years of hard work has almost been wiped out. The silver seized from the Lingnan Palace - I estimated with Mr. Zhongli - is at most four or five million, and it has to be kept for rewarding meritorious personnel, and cannot be squandered. However, in my opinion, the ceremony of surrendering prisoners will not cost more than a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, but it can let the subjects all over the world know what the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty is, and this little money is worth spending." Gradually, the emperor changed the so-called "ceremony" of surrendering prisoners into a "ceremony" of surrendering prisoners.
Qiu Yizhi listened and nodded, but in his heart he was thinking: "Now in the Han Dynasty, there is no one left to compete with the emperor for the throne in the Golden Palace. Why spend tens of thousands of silver to show off? This money is wasted and not worth it at all."
But the emperor had actually expressed his intention to hold this "prisoner submission ceremony" twice. Qiu Yizi thought that no matter how grand the ceremony was, it was just a small matter compared to other major events in the world. There was no reason to continue to insist on his own opinion and offend the emperor, so he did not tell the emperor what was in his mind.
Emperor Zheng Rong thought he had convinced Qiu Yizi, and his mood suddenly improved. He said, "In fact, this 'Prisoner Surrender Ceremony' is just the icing on the cake. After annihilating the Lingnan Palace, there are still a lot of follow-up matters to do." As he spoke, Zheng Rong glanced at Qiu Yizi.
Qiu Yizi shrank back at his cold glare, and suddenly remembered that the emperor had once mentioned that he wanted her to lead troops in Lingnan. Fearing that the emperor would bring up the old matter again today, she quickly lowered her head and dared not speak.
Unexpectedly, the emperor did not mention this matter, but asked: "Remember I told you that I wanted to incorporate Li Shengjie's fleet into the imperial navy. I wonder what Li Shengjie thinks?"
This question was no easier than asking Qiu Yizhi to lead the army in Lingnan. Cold sweat broke out on his head. He said, "I have asked Li Shengjie about this matter. Li Shengjie thinks that if the fleet is in his hands and then works for the court, it seems to be slightly better than being directly commanded by the court. He cannot make the decision on this matter alone. He has to send someone back to consult the old ship owner Li Zhi before he can make a decision..."
When Qiu Yizhi was speaking, he looked up and saw that the emperor looked a little unhappy, so he quickly added: "But Li Shengjie felt that it was not good for the Han Dynasty to not have a navy. Therefore, he was willing to offer several of his warships for the court to imitate and build. As for the artillery, he could also act as a liaison and help the court buy it from foreigners. When the time comes, the emperor can also send skilled craftsmen to imitate it, so that the court can build a fleet that will shock the world."
Qiu Yizi's words made perfect sense, and even he himself felt that they were quite appropriate. He felt relieved immediately, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Unexpectedly, the emperor said coldly: "After all, isn't it that Li Shengjie doesn't want to be recruited by the court?"
Qiu Yizhi really couldn't understand why Emperor Zheng Rong was so obsessed with keeping Li Shengjie's fleet in his hands, so he explained, "In my humble opinion, the Li family has great prestige in the East and can indeed help the court do something. Moreover, Japan has always coveted our Han Dynasty. Now it is better to let the Li family restrain it in their own name than for the court to come forward directly."
"What do you know?" Zheng Rong scolded, "According to your explanation, Yuchi Lianghong should not be assigned to the Ministry of Justice. Wouldn't it be better for him to continue to be the leader of the martial arts world? Your subordinates Zhao Chengxiao and his gang should not be recruited. Wouldn't it be better for them to live in Funiu Mountain? 'If the name is not right, the words will not flow; if the words are not flowing, the affairs will not be accomplished; if the affairs are not accomplished, the rituals and music will not flourish; if the rituals and music are not flourishing, the punishments will not be appropriate; if the punishments are not appropriate, the people will be at a loss'. These few quotations from the sages, your master Zhongli has taught you so many times, go back and read them carefully."
The situations of Yuchi Lianghong, Zhao Chengxiao and others are different from that of Li Shengjie, so naturally they cannot be generalized.
Although Qiu Yizi knew the reason behind this, he also understood that arguing with the supreme emperor in person was not a debate about who was right or wrong, but a desire to die.
Qiu Yizi was not the kind of pedantic scholar who would risk his life for the correctness of a sentence or a word. After hearing the emperor's serious reprimand, he quickly apologized and said, "This is because I didn't think it through. I will talk to Li Shengjie when I get back. But this matter cannot be forced, otherwise Li Shengjie will be distracted and unable to work for the court with peace of mind. If I can't persuade Li Shengjie, the emperor can send someone else."
Zheng Rong seemed a little dissatisfied with this answer. He just nodded and asked again, "Li Shengjie is your sworn brother, and you can't convince him. What about Lin Shuhan, who I want to embrace? I'm afraid he will be even harder to convince, right?"
"We were discussing the aftermath of the Lingnan Palace rebellion, but why are we talking about Li Shengjie and Lin Shuhan?" Qiu Yizi was a little suspicious, but this was not the first time that the emperor had been moody towards her since he went south.
Therefore, Qiu Yizhi could only answer tremblingly: "I have also discussed this matter with Lin Shuhan. He said that I am a person of idleness and unemployed, and I am not worthy of being appointed, so I don't want to serve as an official in the court."
"What do you mean?" Zheng Rong asked coldly.
Qiu Yi subconsciously waved her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and replied: "Lin Shuhan is indeed a man of great talent, and it is a pity that such a talent is hidden in the dust. What is your opinion... If you force him to serve the court, it is not impossible. But it seems to be inconsistent with the court system. Remember that the next imperial examination will be next year, and Lin Shuhan still has the title of Juren, so why not let him take the imperial examination, and then be selected by the emperor as the champion, so that he can be appointed legitimately at that time."
This approach was considered quite appropriate, but Zheng Rong unexpectedly asked, "Is this Lin Shuhan really the most talented scholar in the world? Is the top scholar position firmly his? Even if it is true, if this Lin Shuhan deliberately wrote some nonsense in the imperial examination paper, do I still have to select him as the top scholar? The top scholar's paper will be announced to the world. If I lose face, it will be a small matter. If scholars all over the world say that the court does not know how to write good essays, who will be willing to take the exam in the future?"
"This... this... Lin Shuhan is probably not the kind of person who doesn't understand the general situation, right?" Qiu Yizi was asked a little anxiously, and quickly glanced at his master Zhong Likuang beside him. He saw that his eyes were as calm as a bottomless pool of water, but he didn't know what he was thinking in his heart.
But then Emperor Zheng Rong said, "Yizhi, are you wondering why the old emperor is holding on to Li Shengjie and Lin Shuhan today? Is he deliberately making things difficult for you?"
These two sentences really touched Qiu Yizhi's heart, and tears burst out of his eyes, but he still lied: "I dare not... I dare not..."
The emperor did not respond to Qiu Yizhi's words, and continued: "Whether it is a battle on the battlefield or governing a country, the most important thing is talent. Zheng Gui lost because there is a lack of talent in Lingnan Province. That's why I want to recruit talents on a large scale. The three people you mentioned before, Xu Rong, Zheng Tinghang, and Huang Wangang, I issued an imperial decree a few days ago to appoint them to important positions. You all know about this, right?"
Although Qiu Yizi had not seen the emperor for a long time before today, he had many acquaintances in the court and was well-informed. He had heard of these two edicts.
Zheng Rong added: "Look, I used the two people you recommended without hesitation. Why couldn't you win over Li Shengjie and Lin Shuhan for me?"
This was even more bizarre. What was the connection between promoting Xu Rong, Zheng Tinghang, and Huang Wangang and winning over Li Shengjie and Lin Shuhan? If Li Shengjie and Lin Shuhan were not used, would Xu Rong and the others not be promoted? Although these three were recommended by me, they were the ones being employed by the court. Was it really that closely related to me
Qiu Yizi was puzzled and could only say, "Any talented person in the world usually has a strange and eccentric temper. Li Shengjie is still an arrogant young man, and Lin Shuhan is even more arrogant. It is indeed not easy to persuade such people to come out and work, but as long as they are willing to serve the court, they must be talents who can stand on their own."
"Having a weird and eccentric temper? I don't think so. Last month, you invited Liu Qing, Li Shengjie, Lin Shuhan, Zhao Chengxiao, Yuchi Lianghong, and the man named He under Zhou Cijing to have dinner at Yuanwailou. The meal lasted from noon to night, and everyone enjoyed it very much. How come you can't tell that he has a weird and eccentric temper? What did you discuss in the restaurant for such a long time? Can you tell me?" Zheng Rong said.