"See your Majesty!"

Whether it is true or false, the ministers' etiquette cannot be faulted. The first move of the morning court every day must be to salute the emperor respectfully.

This is called ceremonial etiquette, which represents a kind of respect. Even if you don’t respect it in your heart, you must do your best on the surface.

This has been the case since ancient times.

After the ceremony, two squads were arranged, civil officials stood on the left, and military generals stood on the right, and then according to their respective official positions, they found the position they should stand.

At this point, the morning dynasty officially began.

In the past, during the morning court, most of the emperors were the first to speak. The routine was to ask, do you have any memorials?

The emperor was the first to speak, which seemed to be a conventional rule. The same is true today, but what the emperor said was a little different.

No question is there any review!

Instead, he looked directly at Zhang Jiuling and said, "Jackie Zhang just questioned in front of the hall gate. I wanted to know what kind of person Guo Ziyi is. I heard this wrongly, right?"

Zhang Jiuling walked out of the court and bowed and said, "Report to Your Majesty, this is the case for the old minister."

The emperor nodded and said, "You ask him if he is very treacherous and loyal, or is he born open and honest, right?"

Zhang Jiuling said without hesitation: "Report to Your Majesty, that's exactly what it is."

As he said that, he looked up at the emperor, his face looked extremely solemn, and he said solemnly: "I have been an official in the court for many years and have worked diligently throughout my life. Your Majesty should know my nature and what I am most worried about in my life..."

"In my life, my most worrying thing is that the vassal states are in trouble with the country, and those who have self-respecting their own troops have been rebellious since ancient times. Once a military force is launched, it will inevitably be rampant. What is suffering is the people of the world and the people of the world are also harmed."

"In the past, there were nine major vassal states in the Tang Dynasty, plus a Lingnan Military Commander, which was like ten poisonous sores, which were always damaging the family and country..."

"However, the old minister tried hard to persuade him every year, and His Majesty always let him go, so that the power of the vassal states grew stronger and stronger, and gradually there were signs of disrespect for the imperial power."

"In desperation, the old minister could only raise his strength, strive to maintain the dignity of the court, try his best to gather the strength of the ministers, barely compete with the vassal states, and intimidate them not to move."

"Manpower is sometimes poor, and Lao Chen and others are already extremely tired. Fortunately, they have gained something after their efforts. The temporary fashion can help the vassal states restrain themselves..."

"There is only one reason, that is, the court gathers all its power, which can be just as equal to the local vassal states. In addition, it can occupy the righteousness, so it can intimidate the vassal states and dare not act rashly."

"But I am very worried now that this balance is about to break."

When Zhang Jiuling said this, he suddenly pointed at Guo Ziyi. Although the old prime minister was already very old, his voice was extremely high at this moment, and he shouted: "This Guo Ziyi is the one who breaks the balance..."

All the civil and military officials in the court instantly looked at Guo Ziyi.

Zhang Jiuling said loudly: "Since the 20th year of Kaiyuan, the Tang Dynasty has only had ten local forces, and it has not increased or decreased. Our court officials gathered all their strength to barely compete with the vassal states... If the power of each other has been so even, the Tang Dynasty may still be able to continue the original situation."

"However, I didn't expect that Your Majesty seemed to have made the mistake of the past again. You actually reused the warrior again and allowed him to rise in just two years."

"In just two years, Guo Ziyi has already held heavy troops. Among them, two thousand of them are Xuan Armored Iron Cavalry."

"Although the old minister is a civil servant, he is not a bad martial arts strategy. I know how powerful the 10,000 army is, and what force does 10,000 army mean."

"The old saying goes: More than 10,000 soldiers are boundless and boundless. Even ten thousand ordinary infantrymen can rage one side if they initiate a rebellion."

"The First Minister of the Ming Dynasty"

"Besides, Guo Ziyi's soldiers are not ordinary infantrymen, and all his soldiers are the most elite cavalry."

"Your Majesty, there are ten thousand cavalry."

"When the battle of the Yellow River, he used 10,000 cavalry to fight against 50,000 border troops.

The battle actually swept through, and the situation decided instantly."

"The whole world was in an uproar, and the old minister's heart was trembling."

"The world only sees a peerless general rising in the Tang Dynasty, but the old minister realizes that this is another force like a vassal state..."

"Isn't this a vassal-level force that can fight against the old vassal states?"

"So I began to worry, and I became unable to sleep at night."

"I am afraid that another vassal state will appear in the Tang Dynasty, and I am afraid that there will be a sudden disruptor in the world. If this disruptor suddenly enters the game, the situation that I have worked hard to maintain for many years will inevitably be broken."

"In fact, it's broken!"

"Now anyone can see that local forces have surpassed the court. In the past, we were able to fight with the vassal states, but now there is an additional Guo Ziyi from Shandong..."

"If the army of 10,000 cavalry under his command and the five palaces on the south Shandong Road that he controls, who will stop him?"

"So I have to ask him."

"I must know what kind of person he is."

"If a traitor seems loyal, then his cunning will be the best in the world, and everyone in the world is deceived by him, thinking that he is a straightforward and reckless man."

"If it were such a person, he would never hide for too long. Once the time was right, he would definitely reveal his heroic intention."

"At that time, he was the villain who led all the people in the world to the point of being in trouble."

"But if he is really straightforward and does not have any greed and desire in his heart, then he will be Optimus Prime of the Tang Dynasty and will become a knife to shock other people who are ill-behaved. If any force wants to rebel, he must first think about whether he can move his roadblock..."

"So Guo Ziyi is too strong."

"The intentions hidden in his heart are so important!"

"In order to succeed the country and the world, the old minister had to carefully identify him. Whether he was a treacherous person or a natural openness? He must ask clearly and must not let him go."

Perhaps because of the long and loud voice, the old prime minister even gasped for a long time.

He is too old, but he is forced to keep the old man from giving up his responsibilities.

Since ancient times, he has always been loyal to the country, and it seems that he is such an old man.

...

But no one expected that the emperor didn't seem to listen to a word.

When Zhang Jiuling finally finished all the words, all the civil and military officials in the court thought that the emperor would definitely give an answer, they suddenly saw the emperor yawning to the sky, and his face showed a very impatient expression.

"I have heard everything Zhang Aiqing said just now."

"Since you have finished speaking, you can return to the court."

Zhang Jiuling was stunned!

Many civil and military people in the court were also stunned.

After a long time, Zhang Jiuling subconsciously shouted and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you are going to answer the old minister just now..."

"presumptuous!"

The emperor suddenly shouted loudly, and the thunder on his equally old face was furious, glaring at Zhang Jiuling and said, "Do you know your identity? How dare you shout loudly to me?"

Suddenly the emperor stood up from the dragon throne, looked down at Zhang Jiuling below, and said coldly: "Since you want to answer, I will give you an answer. Regarding Guo Ziyi's nature, I have only one answer..."

The emperor stopped slightly, and then his voice was as if he was shaking, saying, "What kind of mind and nature should be determined by his parents. Whether he will rebel is something that the emperor is worried about. And you, Zhang Jiuling, do you really think that you are the only loyal ministers in the civil and military affairs of the court?"

"If you are a loyal minister, you will not gather your disciples and old officials."

"Isn't the so-called painstaking efforts to maintain the dignity of the court an excuse for you to cover up your faction?"

"The vassal states hold troops on the border, and you criticize them for harming the country and the people in the future. So I want to ask, will the faction formed by you officials not harm the country and the people?"

The emperor seemed to be getting more and more angry as he spoke, and he actually directly revealed the unspoken rules in the court since ancient times.

"If a low-level official wants to be promoted, he must first go through your assessment. If he is unwilling to enter the school, he will inevitably be suppressed by you."

"For example, in the 29th year of Kaiyuan, a county magistrate in Huainan was promoted. The county magistrate had been a small official for twenty years and had been working hard for the people all his life. The place where he was located was admired by all the people, but because his ideas were not in harmony with you, you suppressed his promotion."

"For twenty years, he was the magistrate of a small county for twenty years."

"Zhang Jiuling, how do you explain this to me?"

"Is it in your heart that this county magistrate is also a person like a vassal state? Because you are worried that he may be in trouble in the future, you will suppress him in advance and not use it?"

"You are so good at saying these people."

"You always use the ancients' words to seize the truth with the ancients' remarks. So today I might as well use the ancients' words. I'll ask you how you explain the sentence "The word "official is open and the word ""..."

"This sentence should be a sentence passed down by the ancients, right? And it is also a widely circulated saying by the ancients and the common people."

"Even in today's world, I'm afraid the people often say it."

"Then, Zhang Jiuling, please explain to me what this sentence means."

When the emperor said this, his eyes were bright and he looked at Zhang Jiuling, almost word by word, and said extremely coldly: "What does it mean to have two words on the word "official"!"

The entire court hall is almost ready to hear needles.

Zhang Jiuling's old face turned pale.

On the contrary, the emperor's expression was as usual, and his tone slowly spoke again: "It seems that you are unwilling to explain, so I will explain it for you... The so-called official word is open, and the common people mock you officials, black ones say white ones, loyal ones say evil ones. As long as it is not in line with your interests, then in your eyes it is a guilty."

"I established the Jiedushi back then because the territory of the Tang Dynasty was too vast, like the border of the Western Regions, which was five thousand miles away from Chang'an. At such a long distance, even if the fast horse galloped, it would take ten days and ten nights. And it was a messenger who would often exhaust himself from sending messages."

"A messenger will have to run for ten days and ten nights, and will be exhausted from sending the letter. However, even if the letter is delivered, it will be ten days later."

"So if there is war on the border, how long will it take for the army I sent to arrive? Even after it arrives, how long has the battle been delayed?"

"In this case, how can I not set up a border vassal state?"

"Although the position of Jiedu is my first, is the abandonment of the border vassal states really my first?"
To be continued...