There are three characteristics of a wise person: one is to persuade others to do what they do, the second is to never do anything that is contrary to the natural world, and the third is to tolerate the weaknesses of the people around them.

- Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy (one of the most outstanding writers in the history of world literature)

"Report to the Emperor of Kyoto?" Bai Feng's eyes condensed slightly, and he said with a slight coldness: "The Emperor of Kyoto's Masaki Town is just a puppet with a false name, is it necessary to report to him about our Yanhuang family's own internal affairs?"

"My lord, whether Emperor Masaki is a puppet or not, he is the object of allegance of all the daimyo and samurai of the Empire, and as long as our Yanhuang family is a member of the Yamato Empire, we must maintain due respect for him, this is our rule of survival. ”

"Nanbu-kun, as far as I know, Kyoto, where Emperor Shokin-cho is located, is now the sphere of influence of the Oda family, and if our Yanhuang family reports the matter of the division of Oshu to Emperor Masata-cho, wouldn't we be giving the Oda family autonomy in this matter?"

Seeing that his own governor said such a thing, Nanbu Shinnao immediately explained in understanding: "My lord, Mutsu is the territory of our Yanhuang family, which is well known to the world, so if we want to do something in the territory of Mutsu Country, no one will blame us." ”

"However, this kind of non-accusation does not mean that our Yanhuang family's rule over Mutsu is legitimate, on the contrary, until your lord is not granted Mutsu Omori or Mutsu Osuke by the emperor who is far away in Kyoto, our Yanhuang family's rule over Mutsu is not legal. ”

"It turns out that the emperor still has such a role, no wonder a hero like Oda Nobunaga has to keep the emperor as an ornament. Bai Feng, who had a faint smile on his face, sighed: "The matter of coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes seems to be regardless of the world!"

"Coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes?" Nanbu Nobunao and Sanada Nobuyo, who had never heard such incisive words, were stunned for a moment.

Bai Feng, who didn't intend to waste time on the topic of Oda Nobunaga, pulled the topic back and said, "Nanfang-kun, since our Yanhuang family has no legal reason to rule over the Mutsu Kingdom, why don't other families question our rule?"

"My lord, do you think that the Date family in Shimono, the Uesugi family in Echigo, the Takeda family in Kai, and the Hojo family in Kamiso, these families will be recognized by Emperor Shokincho under the control of the Oda family?"

Bai Feng, who almost didn't laugh out loud, forcibly held back his laughter and joked: "In this way, the huge Yamato Empire, except for the Oda family that controls Kyoto, there is no so-called ruling legal rationality for other families?"

"No, my lord, Oda Nobunaga, the governor of the Oda family, is not a coarse and reckless man without foresight. Nanbu Nobunao shook his head lightly and denied: "The Tokugawa family of Tokaido and the Shimazu family of Saikaido are both powerful allies of the Oda family. ”

"Long-distance inbreeding and close attack are indeed the best choice for a family to become stronger. Bai Feng first nodded slowly, and then asked Nanbu directly: "Nanfang-kun, what I'm curious about now is that the Emperor of Shokincho, who has the power of law, is really willing to be a puppet?"

"Lord, as long as there is a choice, who wants to be a puppet with no freedom at all?" Nanfang Xinzhi, who seemed to reveal a hint of excitement between his eyebrows, said in a surprising voice: "This may not be a great time for our Yanhuang family to really rise!"

"It's indeed a great time, but it may also make our Yanhuang family the target of public criticism. Bai Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and said undeniably: "Before that, I want to know what the official position of Oda Nobunaga, the head of the Oda family, is, this is a big question related to the emperor's attitude. ”

"My lord, Oda Nobunaga's current official position is that of the two right ministers under the Taisei Official. After speaking, Nanbu Shinnao added: "Although the right minister of the two is one of the highest-ranking official positions in the empire, it is not the most powerful official position. ”

"It turns out that His Majesty our Emperor has left a hand for himself!" Bai Feng, who had a playful smile on his face, leaned back on his seat slightly, and commanded Nanbu Xinzhi: "Nanfang-kun, tell me about the official system of the empire, I don't know much about this yet." ”

"Hi" Nanbu Nobu explained in detail: "The central bureaucracy of the empire is based on two officials and eight provinces, and under the emperor there are god officials who are responsible for the sacrifice of the imperial court and the imperial government officials who oversee the state affairs, and the actual administration under the imperial government is shared by the eight provinces with different functions. ”

"Among all the officials of the Empire, the high-ranking officials under the rank of one to the fourth rank are basically the ministers of the imperial family, or the governors of powerful families; ”

"The officials from the sixth to the eighth are all official officials canonized by the emperor with the official seal and official uniform, but they are also minor officials who have no right to meet the emperor. ”

"The hierarchy of officials at all levels is clear. Bai Feng smiled slightly and said, "Nanfang-kun, you go on and talk about the specific functions of officials." ”

"Hey!" Nanbu Shinnao continued, "The Imperial Governor is the highest organ in charge of the Imperial Court, and its chief officials are composed of one Imperial Minister, the Left Minister and the Right Minister of the Second Minister, the second official has the Great Confession of the Three Ministers, and the Intermediate Governor of the Three, and the Judges of the Imperial Court, and the Governor of the Imperial Court of the Imperial Court, and the Lower Ministers of the Fifth Rank. ”

"The Imperial Minister, who is the highest of all official positions, is the honorary position of the Emperor's master, and the incumbent is posthumously given the title of Principal after he leaves office, and there are many vacancies in this official position because there is no suitable person. ”

Another reason for the vacancy was the special relationship between the Emperor and the Imperial Minister, who presided over government affairs and became regent when the Emperor was young, and when the Emperor became an adult, the Imperial Minister changed his name to Sekihaku and continued to exercise some of the powers reserved for the Emperor. ”

"The left minister, the president and the imperial magistrate, are the de facto supreme responsible for all the affairs of the imperial court, and no family governor has ever held this position; the right minister, who is also the second minister, has the same authority as the left minister. ”

"When the Imperial Minister and the Left Minister are unable to go out of the court or concurrently serve as Guanbai for some reason, the Right Minister will act as the president of the Imperial Court and the ceremonies, so the left and right ministers, who have great power, are also called the Left Prime Minister's Office, the Right Prime Minister's Office, also known as the Left Mansion Palace, and the Right Mansion Palace. ”

"Since the two Cabinet Ministers are ministers outside the Imperial Cabinet Establishment, the right of permission is the same as that of the first two, and since the Imperial Ministers and the Left and Right Ministers are not permanent, the Interior Minister shall act as the President of the Imperial Government and the ceremonies of the Imperial Ministers when the first three are not established or cannot go out of the court. ”

The three Shosan, the chief and vice-ministers of the Imperial Minister, are responsible for discussing the affairs of the world with other ministers, discussing the appropriateness of the Emperor's orders, and conveying the duties of the upper and lower authorities. ”

"From the three of them, Zhong Nayan is the second official of the Taizheng Minister, and his position is basically the same as that of the Chief Deputy Minister, but he cannot act on behalf of the minister; if the other ministers are not in charge, Zhong Nayan has no right to decide any major matter, and can only wait for the return of the ministers. ”

"The senator under the four positions is an official position that consults with ministers and Nayan on political affairs, and it is an important position under Nayan, and the appointment conditions are quite strict; non-noble-born ministers or members of powerful families are not qualified to serve as senators and participate in imperial government affairs!"