There were only some finishing touches left for the selection of concubines and the military parade. Zheng Yi did not intervene, but instead handled some miscellaneous matters.

September 11, the 14th year of the Shoei era.

Zheng Yi personally went to Lu's house to visit the Prime Minister Lu Xiangqing.

More than one hundred people from the Lu family went out to welcome them, led by Lu Xiangqing's eldest son Lu Jiye.

After some greetings, Zheng Yi met Lu Xiangqing who was paralyzed in bed.

“Mmmmm, mmmm…”

Lu Xiangqing, who was originally lying on the bed, struggled to sit up and salute after seeing Zheng Yi.

Lu Jiye who was standing by hurried over to help him up, but unfortunately Lu Xiangqing was unable to speak clearly due to the stroke and kept making "woohoo" sounds.

"Ugh……"

Looking at Lu Xiangqing's miserable condition, Zheng Yi also shook his head.

In the entire court, although Lu Xiangqing was from a noble family, everyone supported Zheng Yi because his granddaughter Lu Lin'er was the queen.

Even in his seventies, he was still the chief minister of the cabinet, assisting Zheng Yi in managing the court.

Although he was suspected of forming a clique for personal gain and engaging in factional strife, his contributions cannot be erased.

Now he has suffered a stroke and is paralyzed.

I have to say, things in this world are really unpredictable.

Zheng Yi also offered words of comfort, and after a visit, he directly called in Lu Xiangqing's descendants who were still in the Lu Mansion.

"Your Majesty, I am honored to see you. May your Majesty live long and long!"

More than twenty direct relatives of Lu Xiangqing, including sons, daughters, and grandsons, knelt on the ground with a look of despair.

"Mr. Lu has made great contributions to Dayu, but now he is seriously ill. I am grateful to him."

Zheng Yi said: "From today on, all matters concerning Lu Qing's medical treatment and recovery will be handled by the Imperial Hospital to ensure that Lu Qing can recover as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Paralysis caused by a stroke is extremely difficult to recover from, especially when it happens to a man in his seventies.

From a modern perspective, all you can do is eat as much as you want and enjoy your old age.

"Lu Qing holds an important position and has more responsibilities. He cannot be dismissed at will."

"But considering that Lord Lu is now seriously ill and unable to move, let's temporarily leave the affairs of the court to the cabinet."

Zheng Yi looked at the people with different expressions and continued, "Of course, I am not an unkind person. I will reward Lu Qing."

"You guys, just wait for the imperial edict."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After returning to the palace, Zheng Yi immediately summoned important cabinet officials.

"I have met your Majesty!"

In Baiyujing, there are five cabinet ministers: Xu Mujun, Zheng Xuanyue, Li Changfeng, Wang Anshi and Zheng Zongbing.

There were also Yuan Qichang, Cai Dashi and others who served in the cabinet.

"My dear ministers, please stand up and take your seats."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After everyone was seated, Zheng Yi spoke directly: "Now that Lu Qing is seriously ill and unable to take care of state affairs, I want to remove him from the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet and appoint a new one."

"But Mr. Lu has made great contributions to the country. Now he has to retire due to illness. You can discuss a way to reward him."

When several people heard this, they were moved. Lu Xiangqing was indeed not suitable to be the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. It was not easy for Zheng Yi to dismiss him directly. He must give him a reward to appease the minds of Lu Xiangqing and his party.

Zheng Xuanyue immediately said, "Your Majesty, Lord Lu is loyal to the country and deserves a reward."

"I propose that Lord Lu be granted a title to demonstrate your majesty's generosity and kindness."

"Title..."

Zheng Yi glanced at Xu Mujun. Among the few people now, only Xu Mujun was a marquis.

If Lu Xiangqing were to be granted a title, his rank could not be lower than Xu Mujun's, otherwise it would also cause criticism in the court.

"What's Zheng Qing's idea?"

Zheng Xuanyue said: "You can confer the title of Third Rank Cheng'en Duke on Lord Lu, the title of Duke!"

Duke!

Zheng Yi's heart moved and he looked Zheng Xuanyue up and down.

Duke Cheng'en was called a duke, but he was only a third-class duke.

Generally speaking, the position is held by the queen's father or someone like that, provided that he has made great contributions.

But now in the entire court, there is no title of Duke Cheng'en.

If this title were given to Lu Xiangqing, it would also be very suitable.

The most important thing is that compared with Xu Mujun’s first-class loyal and brave marquis, although he is a duke, he is still a little bit short.

"What do you think, sir?"

Xu Mujun said succinctly: "I second the motion!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"it is good!"

Zheng Yi made the final decision and said, "In that case, then I will grant Lu Qing the title of the third-class Duke of Cheng'en, a noble title."

"According to the order!"

The so-called floating title is a title that only applies to the individual.

Once the person dies, the title will be cancelled. This is the most common type of title inheritance.

However, Xu Mujun's title of first-class loyal and brave marquis is hereditary.

As long as Dayu still exists, the descendants of Xu Mujun will inherit the throne and be extremely honorable unless they commit any acts such as rebellion.

"One more thing."

Zheng Yi said: "Mr. Lu is unable to serve as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. Let's discuss a new Prime Minister of the Cabinet today."

As soon as the words fell, the expressions of several people changed slightly.

Zheng Xuanyue was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, the position of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet will of course be held by General Xu."

"First, the general was the first prime minister of the cabinet. It is only natural for him to take on the position of prime minister now."

"Secondly, General Xu has made great contributions, and the court has not yet rewarded him. The position of the cabinet must belong to General Xu."

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

Wang Anshi and others spoke up one after another.

Seeing this, Zheng Yi also looked at Xu Mujun.

Originally according to his idea, the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet was reserved for Wang Anshi.

Unfortunately, Wang Anshi is not as good as Xu Mujun in terms of age, qualifications, etc.

The original plan was to let Lu Xiangqing work for a few more years so that Wang Anshi could gain more experience.

Unexpectedly... Lu Xiangqing was the first to retire.

It seems that Xu Mujun has to take over now.

Xu Mujun turned sideways and said, "Your Majesty, please choose someone else for the position of Prime Minister of the Cabinet."

"Oh? Why?"

Zheng Yi was a little surprised. This was the position of the prime minister of the cabinet, second only to the emperor.

Did Xu Mujun give up so easily?

Xu Mujun said: "Your Majesty, I am only good at military affairs, and I don't know much about political affairs."

"Now that the rebellion in the south has been quelled and the Wu Kingdom in the north has also stopped fighting, it is time to let the horses go to the south mountain and practice benevolence and righteousness."

"It would not be appropriate for me to continue serving as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet."

"Let the horses go to the south mountain? To practice benevolence and righteousness?"

Zheng Yi murmured something but did not comment.

How can there be lasting peace between countries?

The matter of letting the horse go to the Nanshan Mountain will last for a long time!

However, if Xu Mujun does not want to serve as the prime minister of the cabinet, he cannot force him.

unless……

Zheng Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly thought of something, and said to Xu Mujun: "Xu Qing, I once established a military academy several years ago, but unfortunately it was shelved due to the rebellion later on, and it only existed in name."

"My dear minister, you are the principal of the military academy, so you should take the responsibility of establishing the military academy."

Xu Mujun asked curiously: "Your Majesty, what do you mean..."

"Now that the military parade is imminent, after the parade is over, you can select suitable candidates from the soldiers in this parade to serve as instructors and students in the military academy, and train military talents for Dayu. What do you think?"

"Let the horses go to the southern mountains? Practice benevolence and righteousness? We, the Great Yu, have been established for more than 300 years. How can we have the intention of stopping the war?"

"In my opinion, the military strength of Dayu should be maintained at a certain level every year, not just the imperial guards and border troops, to deal with all possible accidents." Zheng Yi said: "I intend to make the military academy a talent training base comparable to the Imperial College. Can Xu Qing do it?"

Xu Mujun immediately said: "Your Majesty, I obey your order!"

Zheng Yi let out a long sigh and said, "Since Xu Qing is unwilling to be the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, then the position of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet..."

The ears of everyone present subconsciously pricked up.

Especially Zheng Xuanyue, Zheng Zongbing and Li Changfeng.

Zheng Yi hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "Zheng Xuanyue, Zheng Aiqing is the chief minister of the cabinet!"

Today, several people in the cabinet have their own interest groups behind them.

Xu Mujun represented the military, and Li Changfeng was the Minister of War, so they could also be considered as a party.

Zheng Zongbing was the clan leader, representing the royal family and the meritorious party.

Zheng Xuanyue is a clean person with the most people behind him.

Wang Anshi was born into a clean family, but now he is a member of the imperial party.

The original Lu Xiangqing represented the interests of the aristocratic family.

Although most of the aristocratic families have been destroyed today, the strength and talents behind them cannot be underestimated.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiangqing has retired due to a serious illness, and the power of the aristocratic family in the court has greatly declined.

Although he had already entered the realm of cultivation, he did not need many people to take care of these mundane affairs.

But Dayu is his base after all, and he cannot mess up.

So, we can only maintain a balance.

Only after the Imperial Party has fully grown up can he rest assured.

Zheng Xuanyue's heart skipped a beat, and he knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "I accept your order and thank you for your grace. I will serve your majesty like a dog or a horse, and I will do my best until my death!"

"With your words, I feel relieved."

Zheng Yi continued, "Since Xu Qing doesn't like government affairs, but the cabinet still needs Xu Qing to be in charge, if that's the case... continue to add the position of assistant minister in the cabinet."

Several people's expressions changed: "Your Majesty, please give us instructions."

"Cai Dashi and Yuan Qichang have made great contributions and are qualified for the important task, so they have been promoted to assistant ministers of the cabinet."

Cai Dashi and Yuan Qichang immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, we kneel to thank you for your grace!"

Cai Dashi, in particular, was so excited that his eyes were filled with tears.

He was born in the small country of Wei and was always looked down upon.

Now, under the promotion of Zheng Yi, he has become an assistant minister of the cabinet. He is considered to be the highest-ranking foreigner in Dayu. He can't help but be excited.

"besides……"

"His Majesty!"

Cai Dashi suddenly said excitedly: "I have something important to report!"

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"I received a letter from my family that the King of Wei passed away, and his third son used his family's power to persecute the Crown Prince of Wei. Now the Crown Prince of Wei has escaped back to Dayu with the help of loyal and brave men. Your Majesty, please send troops to rescue the Crown Prince of Wei!"

"Oh? King Wei passed away? When did it happen?"

"Two months ago..."

Cai Dashi continued, "The mother's family of Wei Zifeng, the third son of Prince Wei, is a powerful family in the Wei State and controls the court. The Prince of Wei is the heir appointed by Prince Wei, but he was persecuted by the third son of Prince Wei..."

"Defending the country, defending the country..."

Zheng Yi tapped the table, looked at everyone and asked, "What good ideas do you have?"

Xu Mujun said: "Wei State is a vassal state of Dayu. When the King of Wei passed away, the Crown Prince of Wei should succeed to the throne as the new King of Wei!"

"Where's Zheng Qing?"

Zheng Xuanyue glanced at Zheng Yi cautiously and whispered, "The Wei Kingdom submitted a letter to our Dayu a month ago, and the third son of King Wei, Wei Zifeng, will succeed as King Wei..."

"Ok?"

Seeing Zheng Yi's displeasure, Zheng Xuanyue quickly changed his words and said, "However, the letter from the Wei Kingdom has been withheld by us and has not been issued. The actions of Wei Zifeng, the third son of the King of Wei, are indeed treason, and we, Dayu, should not let it go."

"I beg Your Majesty to send a large army to Wei to protect the crown prince of Wei and to take over as the new king of Wei!"

"it is good!"

Zheng Yi nodded and said, "Then I'll follow your advice."

Zheng Xuanyue then let out a low sigh of relief. It seemed that the third son of King Wei was doomed.

As for those things he sent over... of course they won’t be returned!
I have said everything I should have said, but since Your Majesty disagrees, there is nothing I can do.

"Xu Qing, who do you think should be sent to assist the Prince of Wei?"

After a brief consideration, Xu Mujun said, "There are many mountains and forests in Wei State, and it is very inconvenient for the army to move."

"When Dayu was founded a hundred years ago, three monarchs sent large armies to conquer Wei, but unfortunately they all failed."

"If we want to assist the Crown Prince of Wei now, we must send new troops to Wei. Only by using the advantages of firearms can we be sure of victory!"

"it is good……"

Zheng Yi whispered, "Then let the commander of the Second Army of the New Army, Qu Bo, lead the Second Army to assist the Prince of Wei in entering Wei to eliminate the rebellion!"

"promise!"

Qu Bo, a member of the Imperial Party, was the former commander of the First Division of the New Army.

He rendered great service in suppressing the rebellion in the south, and for this he was made the commander of the Second Army, with more than 80,000 men under his command, all equipped with firearms.

"In addition... Cai Dashi will be the military supervisor to assist the Prince of Wei in taking over the throne."

Cai Dashi was pleasantly surprised and said, "I obey your order!"

After handling the matter, Zheng Yi continued: "Kong Xiangsi, promoted to cabinet assistant minister."

Kong Xiangsi was the Minister of Rites. He was loyal to the emperor and a considerate minister. He had always been one of the evergreens in the court of Dayu and had a great reputation. He advocated self-discipline and restoration of rituals the most and was also one of the representatives of the aristocratic families.

Now that Lu Xiangqing has retired, only Kong Xiangsi is most suitable to be the spokesperson for the aristocratic family in the court.

Unfortunately, Kong Xiangsi was a bit old. If Zheng Yi remembered correctly, he was already seventy-two years old.

He had requested to retire repeatedly before, but now he has been promoted. I wonder how many people will be surprised.

Although the people present were somewhat surprised, they still said respectfully: "We obey your order."

Xu Mujun.

Zheng Xuanyue.

Zheng Zongbing.

Li Changfeng.

Wang Anshi.

Yuan Qichang.

Cai Dashi.

Including Kong Xiangsi, a total of eight people are the list of ministers of this cabinet.

However, Xu Mujun's position is special and he does not participate in the daily affairs of the cabinet.

To be precise, there are only seven cabinet ministers, an odd number, so there will be no embarrassing situation of a tie when voting on a certain resolution.

"in addition……"

Zheng Yi continued, "Now that the country has been stabilized and the rebellion in the south has been quelled, there are many things to do after the war. You can nominate candidates for the cabinet and gather 20 people to assist you in your work."

"The list of candidates will be handed over to me in three days, and I will make the final review."

"I will obey your orders!"

"Kneel down!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After the cabinet members left, Zheng Yi called Chen Liancang.

"Mr. Chen, send the Shadow Guards to check on the situation of Prince Wei. I want a true evaluation."

"Old slave obeys!"

Chen Liancang said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I have something else to report."

"Oh, what's the matter?"

"Senior Zhao Suzhen returned to the capital two months ago, but His Majesty was still in seclusion at the time and did not request an audience."

"Zhao Suzhen? Where are the others?"

"Senior Zhao Suzhen has gone out to sea, saying that he is going to visit the overseas cultivation world."

"Go to sea?"

Zheng Yi was surprised and asked, "Why? My position as the Imperial Master is still reserved for him."

Chen Liancang smiled bitterly and said, "As far as I know, Senior Zhao Suzhen went out to sea this time entirely for the old Heavenly Master."

"Master Zhao Xizheng? What happened to him?"

"Master Zhao...is about to pass away."

"Huh?" (End of chapter)