Chapter 735: The dog that bites does not bark (seeking the moon)
To discuss the military merits of civil servants and the enfeoffment of nobility, we must start with the system. Of course, all the systems of the Ming Dynasty originated from Emperor Taizu Gao.
At the beginning, Taizu only set three rules on the issue of ennobling civil servants. First, civil servants could not be ennobled unless they had made great contributions to the country;
Secondly, civil servants are not allowed to be granted the title of duke or duke during their lifetime, and can only be granted the title of earl at most;
Thirdly, if he was a general or a prime minister during his lifetime, he was able to eliminate serious troubles and serve the country with loyalty, he can be regarded as one of the founding meritorious deeds of the country and can be given the posthumous title of Duke.
However, these three articles are not a complete institutional system. They are all in general terms without detailed provisions and are very lacking in enforceability.
For example, what level of merit is considered a great merit? Another example is that the Ming Dynasty had a system of separation of civil and military families. Who can be both prime minister and general, general and prime minister?
Later, in the actual implementation, the issue of ennobling civil servants was just like the gift of prisoners. It was very casual and there were no certain rules.
Moreover, there are too few examples of civil servants being granted titles in the Ming Dynasty. Everyone knows that the three major examples of being granted titles due to military merit are Jingyuan Prince Wang Ji, Weining Prince Yue, and Xinjian Prince Yangming.
Everyone's situation is different, there is no typicality or representativeness at all, and there is no so-called "set of rules" to follow.
Therefore, Qin Dewei's military exploits can still only be discussed separately, and cannot be applied by any precedent template.
But the matter involving Qin Dewei is also a sensitive reward issue, but no one dares to talk nonsense at this moment.
After Qin Dewei's victory in the war, even the chief assistant Xia Yan and the bachelor Yan Song were disgraced. Who else dared to speak casually?
Even if he "kindly" helps to make suggestions, who knows whether Qin Dewei himself is satisfied or not?
Therefore, it is better to do less than to do more. Some people even shouted: "Zhang Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites can make a decision with just one word!"
Anyway, you, Zhang Chao, are Qin Dewei's double master. No matter what Qin Dewei thinks about the reward method you have drawn up, he doesn't dare to openly express his dissatisfaction, so why let others express their opinions?
The elders of the two powerful cabinets were silent and did not want to get involved in this matter. However, Zhai Luan, a real parallel import scholar who said he was ill at home every day, took the lead in speaking out.
Everyone is a little surprised. You, Zhai Luan, are just a "dying man", just a punching bag left by the emperor to Qin Dewei!
When Master Qin Dewei returns to the court, he will immediately let you Zhai Luan know what the sun is shining on. Why do you dare to speak out?
Seeing that the countdown to his political life had begun, Kang, a scholar from Zhai University, said passionately: "The commander Qin Dewei went out to the fortress and beheaded 3,200 people. This is in line with the great meritorious service mentioned by Emperor Gao, and he deserves to be knighted!"
This is my opinion, no one dares to oppose me!"
Everyone: ""
There are so many flaws that I can’t even mention them.
Immediately afterwards, someone still shouted: "I object!" Everyone followed the sound and looked, and it turned out to be Wang Tingxiang again.
Wang Tingxiang looked around and said: "Although Qin Dewei's achievements are great, they did not destroy the country, did not severely injure the main force, and did not relieve the people's hangover, which means they beheaded more people!"
As far as I know, his number of beheadings is also opportunistic!
Bailian rebelled and built a city on Fengzhoutan, but Qin Dewei made a surprise attack, blocked the city gate and set fire to it. The people in the city could only escape through the city gate and then be beheaded. Of course, there were more heads.
Among his predecessors, they either suppressed the Xirong army for a long time and quelled countless rebellions, or severely damaged the headquarters of the little prince of the Northern Barbarians, or quelled large-scale clan rebellions. Compared with them, Qin Dewei was almost unworthy.
All in all, I don’t think Qin Dewei can live up to the great meritorious service mentioned by his ancestors, so it would be too much to be knighted this time!”
Zhai Luan reminded: "Did you overlook Wang Junchuan? Qin Dewei also pacified the town in Datong and suppressed the rebellion that colluded with the clan and the White Lotus Demon Sect and collaborated with the enemy."
Wang Tingxiang argued: "That is another matter that needs to be discussed separately. It cannot be confused with military achievements!"
Zhai Luan was a little angry, pointed at Wang Tingxiang and scolded: "You are so unreasonable! Beheading 3,200 people is not a great achievement, so what is a great achievement?"
What's more, since the founding of the Hua Dynasty, the court has had unwritten laws. Civil servants are awarded titles based on military merit. There are two kinds of military merit, one is a big merit, and the other is a small merit.
Uncle Jing Yuan achieved this through small efforts, Uncle Wei Ning achieved both, and Uncle Xin Xin achieved great success by putting down the rebellion of King Ning!
Even if you don’t think Qin Dewei’s contribution is a big one this time, Qin Dewei can still be knighted based on his small merits!
The first is to quell the Liaodong mutiny, the second is to plan the pacification of Annan, the third is to quell the rebellion of the Datong clan, and the fourth is to achieve a great victory this time!"
Wang Tingxiang immediately retorted: "But Qin Dewei has already been rewarded for his previous contributions, how can he be rewarded again?"
Everyone just felt like they were watching the scenery. Weird things happen every year, especially today!
The person who almost brought Qin Dewei to the light of day is now desperately touting Qin Dewei's achievements and wants to give Qin Dewei a knighthood.
The Minister of the Ministry of War, who just pointed at the chief minister's nose and stood upright for Qin Dewei's sake, was now desperately belittling Qin Dewei's achievements.
Probably only in temples can you see such magical scenery.
The situation is actually very obvious. Zhai Luan wants to give Qin Dewei a title, but Wang Tingxiang does not want the super clean Qin Dewei to be dyed with a noble color, so as not to affect his official career.
After all, civil servants and nobility are two completely different groups, and Qin Dewei has a bright future as a civil servant, so it would be a pity to become a nobility official.
Moreover, there was an example twenty years ago. After Wang Yangming was rumored to be knighted, he was ostracized by a certain chief minister and refused to allow Wang Yangming to enter the capital. Of course, these are just rumors and may not be true.
But Wang Tingxiang's nonsense finally angered Zhai Luan completely, and he couldn't help but shouted:
"Under the ancestral system, the titles of dukes, princes, and uncles are determined based on merit! Because there are no officials to reward you for your merits before and after, then you will be given a title!
I dare to ask Wang Dashima, if he does not add a title, then for the merit of beheading 3,200 people, what other officials can Qin Dewei reward?"
This question really stumped Wang Tingxiang, and Wang Dashima couldn't really answer it.
A twenty-two-year-old man has already entered Zhiwenyuan Pavilion, is the third-in-command of the Hanlin Academy, and is the second-in-command of Zhanshifu of the East Palace. How can he be promoted to another official position?
The key is that Qin Dewei's achievements are said to be great. He actually beheaded 3,200 people and captured important figures.
If he was only promoted to one rank, it would be like sending a beggar away. But if he was promoted to two or three ranks, it would be the end of the civil service system. Is it possible that Qin Dewei could be given a living grand master?
As everyone listened to Zhai Luan and Wang Tingxiang's heated debate, they felt as if the truth was getting clearer with each passing day.
After considering various conditions, it seems that Qin Dewei can only be knighted.
Zhai Luan concluded eloquently: "Therefore, it is imperative to ennoble Qin Dewei. Not ennobling him is not enough to reward his merits. Who else objects?"
Everyone had nothing to say. Their speech preparations were not as complete as Wang Tingxiang's. Even Wang Tingxiang had never defended Zhai Luan, let alone others.
Unknowingly, Zhai Luan, a real parallel import scholar, seemed to have replaced Zhang Chao, the Minister of Rites, and began to preside over Qin Dewei's merit review.
Just listen to Zhai Luan say to everyone: "I have drafted a title title, please listen carefully!
Since it was the Great Victory of Fengzhou Beach and the location was in ancient Fengzhou, then according to the old rules of Weiningbo and Xinjianbo, the place of meritorious service should be used as the name of the title!
Therefore, the title can be called Fengzhou Bo, and the title can be Fengtian Yiwei, push sincerity, Xuanli, and upright civil servant Fengzhou Bot, and become Guanglu doctor! Who objects?"
"Fengtian Yiwei promotes sincerity and declares strength and uprightness" is a conventional title. As long as the princes and princes have this kind of title as a title prefix, the civil and military titles are different for each.
In fact, this title is quite speechless. In the first place, "Fengtian Yiwei pushed for sincerity, declared strength and uprightness" was the title of a civil servant, and then it became the title of Fengzhou Bo, and then came the title of Dr. Guanglu, who was grafted It sounds a bit nondescript.
There was no way around it. The Ming Dynasty had always been messy about ennobling civil servants. Judging from Emperor Gao's guiding intention, he did not want to grant titles to civil servants.
Even so, others still had nothing to say. It was only then that everyone discovered that the person who was most prepared today was Zhai Luan
There is no omniscient and omnipotent person in this world, and most people may not fully understand the old practices and the rules and regulations in the piles of old papers.
Besides, this is just to give others credit, and most people are not interested in rummaging through boxes and cabinets to find chapters and sentences for others.
Therefore, Zhai Luan cited scriptures, knew the feudal system very well, and talked about the old practices. It was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort secretly.
Zhai Luan looked around and said, "Since no one objects anymore, let's ask the Ministry of Rites to present the report to the Emperor."
Everyone couldn't help but be confused. It was extremely rare for a civil servant to be knighted for military merit. Whenever it happened, it was regarded as a temporary incident.
It seems that this year, everyone can see another civil servant who is knighted alive.
For the top civil servants who could participate in this discussion, their attitude towards the title of knight was actually very contradictory.
I want it, but I don’t want it, and I don’t know whether I should want it or not. After being granted a title, will I be considered a civil servant or a noble? Or will I be regarded as neither civil nor military?
This chaotic mentality can also reflect from the side the confusion and misalignment of the enfeoffment laws of the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty.
When everyone thought it was over, Zhai Luan suddenly spoke again. Obviously, the matter was not over yet.
"If Qin Dewei is given a knighthood, it is not just a matter of adding a title. There are also a series of follow-up issues that we still need to discuss clearly before we can inform Your Majesty!"
Someone asked: "What else is there?"
Zhai Luan first raised a question: "After Qin Dewei is knighted, should he stand in the west class or the east class during the court meeting?"
Everyone was speechless. Emperor Xiyuan Qianxiu, how long has it been since he went to court? Isn't it a bit redundant to consider his position in court?
Of course, this idea is very politically incorrect, and everyone can only think about it, but not say it out loud.
At the court meeting, the class of civil servants was in the east, and the class of military officials and nobles was in the west. This is the origin of the terms East Class and West Class.
So the essence of the question is, if Qin Dewei is originally from the East Class, if he is knighted, should he go to the West Class and stand with the noble warriors?
Regarding this issue, everyone said a few different things, each with their own reasons.
Perhaps besides Zhai Luan, Wang Tingxiang, who was the second most prepared person, expressed his position: "After Wang Yue of the Chenghua Dynasty was granted the title of Wei Ningbo, he was unwilling to accept Xiban as a military official and still entered the court as the censor of Zuodu, so he followed Wang Yue's old practice. That’s it!”
Zhai Luan said without raising his eyelids: "After Wang Yue was knighted, he took charge of the former military governor's office. He wore the general's seal and was in charge of the military abroad. He was a military minister for a long time. Is it possible that Qin Dewei also followed this old practice?"
Wang Tingxiang was choked again. You asked a top scholar to serve as a military minister. You can't say it out loud!
At this time, someone said: "Even if Qin Dewei has been given a title, his other official positions have not changed. In fact, he is still a civil servant. He is mainly on duty at Wenyuan Pavilion. Naturally, he must be treated as a civil servant."
Zhai Luan then said: "With the current atmosphere, no civil servant is more noble than a cabinet minister, and the most noble among cabinet ministers is the chief minister.
After Qin Dewei was ennobled, his status and rank were higher than those of the cabinet ministers. How should they be ranked? Is it possible that the chief minister should be ranked after Qin Dewei?"
In the Ming Dynasty, the rank of civil servants was generally lower than that of nobles. Even if they were the first assistant of a bachelor, they would usually be promoted to the first rank while they were still alive.
Therefore, if Qin Dewei becomes a civil servant, his rank must be higher than that of other great scholars. This seems to be a problem again.
Zhai Luan, who was in control of the situation, felt quite high-spirited, "So in my opinion, after Qin Dewei is ennobled, it is not suitable to be in the cabinet, and he can be transferred to other official positions!"
Hearing this, everyone only thought of four words, that is "the picture is poor and the dagger is seen".
There were a lot of beeps in front of Zhai Luan, but the ultimate goal was still this! Let the knighted Qin Dewei leave Wenyuan Pavilion!
As long as Qin Dewei is not in Wenyuan Pavilion, Bachelor Zhai, who was forcibly "detained" in Wenyuan Pavilion by the emperor, can sleep peacefully for the time being.
Zhai Luan glanced around and asked again: "Does anyone object?"
After being quiet for a long time, Zhang Chao, the Minister of Rites, suddenly said: "Who said that after Qin Dewei is ennobled, he must leave Wenyuan Pavilion? What kind of truth is this?"
Zhai Luan asked aggressively: "Is it reasonable for a count to take charge of affairs in Wenyuan Pavilion?"
Zhang Chao snorted coldly: "It's not like there is no precedent. Xu Youzhen, the Secretary of the Ministry of War of the Tianshun Dynasty and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, was awarded the title of martial arts uncle. After receiving the title, he still entered the Wenyuan Pavilion as a bachelor of the imperial palace!
The predecessors were able to do it, so why couldn’t Qin Dewei continue to enter Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion after he was ennobled? Can’t he just invoke the old rules?”
Zhai Luan: ""
I have worked hard to collect and analyze the cases of the three most famous civil servants who were awarded military honors in recent years. I did not expect that there are exceptions!
Countless hard work turned into powder in an instant!
The rest of the people felt confused in their hearts! Seventy or eighty years has been a long time. Fortunately, Zhang Shangshu can still remember this incident seventy or eighty years ago!
Why was Xu Youzhen awarded the title of Master of Martial Arts? It was because he made great contributions in the "Seizing the Gate Rebellion", supported the restoration of Emperor Yingzong, and then killed Yu Qian!
Of course, whether it is justice or not is another matter, but Xu Youzhen is indeed considered a civil servant and a knight.
No matter how shameless Xu Youzhen was, everyone could not deny it publicly. After all, Emperor Yingzong was still the ancestor of the present generation, and there were many people and things that they could not criticize.
So I can only be convinced by Zhang Chao, even if he can find this "precedent" and bring it out, I can't be convinced.
Some people were thinking just now that Zhang Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, as the nominal presiding officer, did nothing and just sat back and watched Zhai Luan jump up and down.
Who would have thought that a biting dog would not bark, but Zhang Shangshu would be the king of attack as soon as he took action. At the critical moment, he directly overturned the conclusion that Zhai Luan wanted to draw.
When the court encounters a rare incident, it usually likes to invoke old precedents. Since there are precedents, how to deal with them is not a problem.
Even Xu Youzhen can ride a horse, why can't Qin Dewei?
Coupled with the emperor's appreciation and favor for Qin Dewei, there is a high probability that "Uncle Fengzhou will not do any maintenance when he enters Zhiwen Yuan Pavilion" in the future.
