Li Shimin's eyes were still looking at the scroll, and he said in a low voice: "Zhang Daxiang, you are the eldest son of Zhang Gongjin, the Duke of Zou Guo, and you will inherit the position of the Duke of Guo in the future. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Daxiang and Zhang Dasu responded in unison.

In the end, it was Xu Jingzong's turn, Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, "Xu Jingzong, you were also the eighteenth bachelor of the Qin Palace, I have always wanted to arrange it for you, but I didn't want you to go to the Ministry of Rites, and I also agreed to be recommended by Li Xiaogong. ”

Xu Jingzong lowered his head and swallowed a mouthful of saliva, the condition given by His Majesty is very good, if he agrees, he will leave the Ministry of Rites and go to Zhongshu Province.

The Ministry of Rites has been working hard for the past five years, and I don't want to give up on anything.

He bowed down and said, "The minister knows that his talent is not enough, and he hopes that His Majesty will think twice." ”

This time Li Shimin finally raised his head, "A few days ago, at the banquet in the middle of the court, I asked Chongyi, he said that Zhang Yang is not in the Ministry of Rites, and you are arranging everything up and down the Ministry of Rites, you work hard and complain, I also see it in my eyes, Zhang Yang has many positions in the court, and he has to supervise the construction of the Taiye Pool. ”

"The minister is terrified." Xu Jingzong bent down and said.

Li Shimin said with a smile: "When you were in the Qin Palace, you were not so humble and so frightened. ”

"The appointment of ministers in the court is all subject to His Majesty's arrangement, this is a resolution obtained by the Ministry of Rites after Zhang Shangshu's consultation, and His Majesty is invited to take a look." Xu Jingzong handed over the recital.

The little eunuch took the piece and put it in front of His Majesty.

Xu Jingzong also said: "The power of the Protectorate will be returned to the DPRK, and in the future, the Ministry of Rites will only deal with diplomatic matters, and will not involve the military power of the Protectorate." ”

Li Shimin looked at the song and nodded, "What about Liaodong?" ”

Xu Jingzong also said: "Zhang Shangshu recommended Zhang Da'an to enter the Ministry of Rites as a waiter of the Ministry of Rites, and to lead the Liaodong affairs to send the letter of state to Goguryeo, so as to order the King of Goguryeo to come to the Tang Dynasty in person. ”

"Very good." Li Shimin closed this recital, "Di Zhixun has also been effective in the construction of the Hexi Corridor, and he has also appointed a waiter from the Ministry of Rites, I have already allowed Li Baiyao to resign, he is old, I have named him the Duke of Anping County, you are in charge of the diplomatic affairs of various countries, and it doesn't hurt to have a few more waiters, what do you think?" ”

Xu Jingzong saluted and said, "Your Majesty Shengming." ”

With a sound of Shengmingdao, the Ministry of Rites exchanged benefits with His Majesty, and at this point, the authority of the Imperial Protectorate left the Ministry of Rites and went to His Majesty's hands.

Li Shimin watched the three of them leave, and slowly put down the music in his hand, his expression could not be said to be sad or happy, and the current servants of the Ministry of Rites have Xu Jingzong, Zhang Daxiang, Zhang Dasu, Li Chongyi, Zhang Da'an, and Di Zhixun, a total of six people.

Of the six departments of the DPRK and the Central Committee, there has never been one with so many squires.

It is enough to show that His Majesty attaches great importance to the current Ministry of Rites.

And the two waiters sealed today, Zhang Da'an and Di Zhixun, are not in Chang'an City.

There are also Pei Xingjian, Xue Rengui, and Wang Xuance, who are far away in Persia, not to mention that they don't know what the situation of the Persian war is at the moment, the government and the opposition are waiting for news from Persia.

Just look at the work of these three people to pacify the Tianshan Mountains, and it is not small to want to be rewarded.

The Ministry of Rites has more and more people, and it is getting bigger and bigger, and it is in charge of diplomatic powers, but fortunately, it is all external and not internal, and some people even think that the Ministry of Rites in the future may be able to compete with the Zhongshu Province.

It involves the diplomatic relations between the Tang Dynasty and other countries, and everyone knows that the Foreign Affairs Yuan has made a lot of contributions in the past two years, just to build the Anxi Protectorate, recover the four towns of Anxi, and pacify the world.

When the decree is issued, after the arrangements of the various ministries of the DPRK and the Central Committee, it will take three to five days.

And the Ministry of Rites can be self-sufficient, which is really rare.

Who let this secretary of the Ministry of Rites, with a huge family business, be able to give money to the Ministry of Rites.

In this winter, Li Baiyao closed the door of the Ministry of Rites with his bags on his back, and this year the Ministry finally approved his farewell to the elderly.

Li Baiyao, who was nearly seventy years old, left slowly.

His beard and hair were all white, and he walked out of the Suzaku Gate in plain clothes, and walked all the way from Suzaku Street to the gate of Chang'an City, where his family was already waiting.

He said in a low voice: "When I go to Lishan, the old man is going to see Zhang Shangshu, so he must be suspicious of his resignation." ”

The family members are all speechless, Li Baiyao has been an official all his life, and he has been high and low since the past.

His son Li Anqi said in a low voice: "Xu Shilang has agreed to let his son serve in the Ministry of Rites as the host and guest. ”

The host and guest are mainly to do things for the waiters of the Ministry of Rites, and they also have to meet with the envoys of various countries and communicate with the envoys of various countries.

Li Baiyao nodded slightly, got into the carriage and said, "Let's go to Lishan." ”

Li Anqi waved his horsewhip, and the horse headed towards Lishan.

Li Baiyao has struggled for half his life, and his official position has risen and fallen, and it is enough for him to laugh at his mediocre qualifications but live arbitrarily.

When the carriage arrived outside Lishan Village, Li Baiyao explained his intention to the guards here.

After a while, Zhang Yang came, and he smiled: "Brother Baiyao, I haven't seen you for a long time." ”

Li Baiyao saluted and said: "Zhang Shangshu, the official Jieyue acted more and more, and handed over the resignation to the Ministry of Officials without telling Shangshu, and I hope Shangshu will forgive me." ”

Hearing this, Zhang Yang was silent for a while.

Li Baiyao still bowed.

Li Anqi hurriedly said: "My father was afraid that Zhang Shangshu would not agree to resign because he was afraid of his old relationship, so he privately handed over the resignation to the ministry. ”

Zhang Yang bowed his head and lifted Li Baiyao with both hands, "Brother Baiyao, are you leaving Chang'an City this time?" ”

Li Baiyao nodded, "I'm going to return to my hometown, this is the old man's child's peace period, he will still serve in the Ministry of Rites in the future, this child has no ability, and he is also down-to-earth, and I hope Zhang Shangshu will take care of it." ”

"yes, I see." Zhang Yang glanced at Li Anji, who was already middle-aged.

When he first arrived at the Ministry of Rites, a lot of things happened with Li Baiyao, Zhang Yang invited them to sit down in front of the village, poured wine and said with a smile: "What happened to us at the beginning, now I think back on it is very ridiculous. ”

Li Baiyao took a sip of wine and asked, "It's a bit ridiculous for the old man to think about it. ”

The age difference between the two is very large, but they can talk very well.

Zhang Yang said again: "When you came to the Ministry of Rites, Xu Jingzong and I always thought that you were a spy of the Gao Shilian faction, maybe Xu Jingzong still thinks so." ”

Li Baiyao smiled and didn't say anything, but talked about the past and missed it very much.

Regarding the original matters of the Ministry of Rites, they can be handed over to Li Chongyi to do.

The handover between Shangguan and his subordinates was thus completed, and when he sent Li Baiyao away, Zhang Yang was not happy to think about it.

Li Baiyao was going to Anping County to retire, and the old man finally left.

In the blink of an eye, the old man in the middle left another one.

The rest are all young people, and they are all backbones.

After a few more days of peace, the Ministry of Rites handed over the authority of the Imperial Protectorate, and now the authority of the Imperial Protectorate is in the hands of His Majesty, and it depends on who His Majesty wants to give this authority.

Some people say that it will be handed over to Zhao Guogong, but some people think that Zhao Guogong is a relative of His Majesty, and His Majesty has always been very careful about his relatives' interference in politics, how can the military power be handed over to Zhao Guogong.

The government and the opposition are still talking, and all the ministries of the DPRK and the central government are making preparations, including the Wei Fu.

Li Shimin sat back and watched this dispute intensify.

Approaching this year's Great Dynasty Meeting, the royal princesses and princes are going to Lishan to study again.

The little son was in the arms of the queen mother, reluctant to give up, "The queen mother, my father also went to Lishan, and my daughter also wanted to go." ”

Empress Eldest Sun smiled: "You are still young, wait a few years." ”

The little son pursed his lips, with a lot of hope in his eyes.

When the emperor arrived at Lishan, Zhang Yang was still busy at home, Li Shimin walked up the mountain with the children, and the couple stood by the Huaqing Pond to greet them.

"Yue'er is pregnant, so there is no need to be polite."

Li Yue still bowed and saluted, "Thank you, Father." ”

Looking around, Li Shimin sat down at the stone table, and his aunt brought tea, "Your Majesty, please use tea." ”

Li Shimin bowed his head and said: "Zhangyang, the Anxi Protectorate has also been built, and I have also discussed it with several people in Zhongshu Province, so you should have a reward." ”

The Ministry of Rites handed over the authority of the Imperial Protectorate and handed over the achievements of the Ministry of Rites to the emperor, and Li Shimin gave a reward.

If you don't see a rabbit, you don't scatter an eagle, and if you don't give benefits, you don't give promises.

It is foreseeable that it will become more and more difficult to deal with His Majesty in the future.

People will grow, Li Shimin's emperor career has been ten years, and now he is at the peak of his career, this emperor is becoming more and more sophisticated, and it is more and more difficult to speak.

"I read that you are still young, if it is not appropriate to seal too much, there will be criticism from the DPRK and China." Li Shimin took a sip of tea and said: "Since Wen Yanbo is seriously ill and cannot lead the position of servant, and Shangshu Province is temporarily idle, you can also lead the Shangshu Provincial Waiter, and in addition to being the Waiter of Zhongshu Province, you can also be appointed as the Secretary of Taifu, and you can better manage all the affairs of Taifu Temple as a Shangshu Waiter." ”

"Taifu Temple is in charge of money and grain, and is also in charge of agriculture and farming, do you think you have to continue to worry about me, such as Zhenguan vegetables and salted duck eggs, it shouldn't just be in Lishan."

The original Duzhilang was like an official position forcibly, with an awkward position and many constraints on his actions.

Zhang Yang nodded yes.

Li Shimin took another sip of tea, "The tea you have here is good, it's winter, the tea is well preserved, and the taste hasn't changed." ”

Zhang Yang explained: "It's all old tea, and it may be better than the tea in the palace, but the minister just puts the tea in a jar of sealing wax, isolating it from the air, and then puts it in something that can absorb moisture and moisture, and puts it in a cool place." ”

"This is just to keep the color and aroma of the tea as much as possible, but it is still not as good as the new tea, if the palace wants to keep the tea flavor, it is best to put the fried new tea into the ice cellar."

Li Shimin nodded slightly.

The sound of children frolicking was heard in their ears, and Xiao Wu and Xiao Hui were jumping rope with their younger siblings to play.

Li Yue looked at her husband and father talking in a low voice.

Just after Chinese New Year's Eve, the father and the emperor and the husband turned their faces and quarreled in front of the emperor and grandfather, and now they are calm and can sit down to discuss, which is really rare.

Li Shimin said again: "I have seen it, Xu Jingzong is a very good person, in the future, you will still be ranked in the Zhongshu Province, and the position of the Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites should always be given to others." ”

"Is Your Majesty asking me what I mean?"

"The Ministry of Rites was supported by you, and many interests and powers were also fought for by you to the court."

Speaking of that year, Zhang Yang said with a smile: "Does Your Majesty think I did the right thing at that time?" ”

"Hehehe......"

Li Shimin smiled dryly: "Thinking of the appearance of you when you first arrived at the Ministry of Rites and fought with Zhao Guogong in the Taiji Palace, I wanted to slap you and let you know the sinister nature of the court." ”

Zhang Yang drank a sip of tea quietly, and sighed in his heart that he was really like a tiger.

The words didn't say a few words, Li Shimin didn't want to ask more about the Ministry of Rites, he just looked at the results, if the matter was done, the reward would be, if the matter was done badly, look at how hard the lives of the people in the Ministry of Rites were.

The two monarchs and ministers have their own suspicions in their hearts, and Zhang Yang is sitting upright, as long as His Majesty doesn't ask, he doesn't want to talk more about the arrangements of the Ministry of Rites this year.

After sending the emperor away, Zhang Yang sat down again and drank tea.

Li Yue sorted out some of the clothes that his younger brothers and sisters brought from the palace, "Father's arrangement is also very good." ”

Aunt Yang said in a low voice: "It is said that several waiters in the Ministry of Rites have been rewarded, and the Consulate General of the Ministry of Rites and Rites should be given the most rewards, but Your Majesty rewards the waiters and rewards the county marquis......"

Zhang Yang put down the teacup and sighed: "It's almost equal to nothing, right?" ”

Aunt Yang nodded silently.

Li Yue sat down and explained: "Since the shortage of money in the court, my father asked my husband to be Du Zhilang, and now it is quite effective, and Du Zhilang's position has many conflicts with the identity of my husband, according to the list of the six Shangshu, I should not give Shangshu Province a position, not to mention that Shangshu Province has been idle for many years now, and finally Wen Lao came back, but he is seriously ill, but now Shangshu Province is still only one husband. ”

The bear was finally pulled out of the firewood room by Li Zhi's bear children.

Zhang Yang glanced at it lightly, "So I'm still a light pole." ”

Hearing this, Li Yue smiled again: "The husband is going to leave the Ministry of Rites sooner or later, my father already has this idea, and he also recommended Xu Jingzong, it seems that the day is not far away, the husband is going to enter Zhongshu Province, so my father not only gave Shangshu Province Shilang, but also retained Zhongshu Shilang." ”

"Retaining the position of Shangshu Province is to hope that Fujun can directly take charge of Taifu Temple, one of the nine temples in the court, and now it doesn't seem like it was just a Duzhilang at the beginning."

"The size of the husband's official position has not changed in fact, as for the squire of Shangshu Province, it is just a fictitious title to be in charge of the Taifu Temple, just like Zheng Gong is both the prince and the servant, but he does not have to go to the East Palace to serve, which is also the meaning."

Zhang Yang is naturally still a half-ass, and he doesn't know as much about the unwritten rules of the court as his daughter-in-law.

"However, the husband must not underestimate the position of Taifu Siqing, his father still let his husband manage the use of money and grain, but Taifu Siqing has another identity since the Han Dynasty, that is, Dasi Nong, in addition to being in charge of the money valley, he also has to manage the affairs of tribute, control of millet, water, farming, taxation of salt, iron, and wine, as well as the new tariffs that the husband encouraged his father to set up."

Li Yue picked up a stack of clothes and said: "It is said that Taifu Siqing has been vacant for a long time, and it has been watched by Fang Xiang in the past, but now it is in the hands of the husband, and it can be seen that the father is very satisfied with what the husband did when he temporarily took the position of Du Zhilang, and now the husband will officially serve as the secretary of Taifu." ”

The official is getting bigger and bigger, and the real power is getting less and less, and it won't be long before the position of the only one with real power will be gone.

Zhang Yang is very satisfied, which is beneficial to his pension plan.