Seventh-rank!
The people of Chang 'an joked that if you threw a brick at Vermilion Bird Avenue, it would hit three officials.
Seventh-grade officials were rare and common in Chang 'an City. If a Seventh-grade official tried to show off his power in Chang' an City, he would be laughed at by the people in Chang 'an City. Even small merchants and peddlers would ignore him.
"The Ministry of Personnel is going too far. They are both chancellors, but Kong Yingda is only a third-rank official, while you, Meton, are only a seventh-rank official!" Qin Huaiyu said indignantly.
"In my opinion, Old Gao is using his position to avenge a personal grudge," Cheng Chumo said angrily. Yuchi Bao Lin also nodded.
In their opinion, Gao Shilian was avenging Meton on behalf of Zhangsun Chong. Gao Shilian was the uncle of Zhangsun Wuji and Empress Zhangsun. When Zhangsun Wuji's parents died young, he was bullied by his family. It was Gao Shilian who raised him. They were very close.
Gao Shilian was Zhangsun Chong's uncle. Zhangsun Chong was defeated by Meton, so it was reasonable for Gao Shilian to stand up for Zhangsun Chong.
"Let's go. We'll plead for Brother Mo together. We'll definitely demand an explanation from Gao Shilian!" Qin Huaiyu waved his hand and prepared to lead everyone to the Ministry of Personnel.
Before the three of them stepped out of the door, they turned their heads to see Moton still sitting on the chair with a serious expression on his face, leisurely drinking tea.
"You …!" Qin Huaiyu lamented his misfortune and looked at Meton angrily.
"They are already bullying you. How can you be willing to endure the humiliation?" Cheng Chumo said in disbelief.
Yuchi Bao Lin did not say anything harsh. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves with a ferocious expression.
Meton looked at the three's eager expressions and asked, "So what if you are a seventh-rank official? Don't treat a seventh-rank official like that! Don't all scholars start from the seventh-rank? Then tell me, did you enter the army? What rank did you hold?
Qin Huaiyu and the other two immediately suffered a critical hit of 10,000 points. The three of them were stunned speechless.
Although they were the sons of High Dukes, they didn't join the army for these things. They relied on their own abilities. If they joined the army, they would only be a small soldier. At most, they would be a sergeant or a sergeant. They wouldn't even have an official rank, let alone a seventh-grade official. The only advantage was that they had a higher starting point than others.
Qin Huaiyu said embarrassedly, "We are just soldiers, but you are the Libation. Look at the Libation in Chang 'an. Which one of them is at Level Seven?"
Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chumo both nodded.
Meton chuckled and said, "So what if I'm a chancellor? So what if he was a Rank-7? The Firearms Directorate is directly under the Emperor's jurisdiction. What's the difference between a seventh-grade and a third-grade? "
Qin Huaiyu and the other two suddenly understood. Even if Meton was a nobody, his life was more relaxed and comfortable than other officials, without any interference from his superiors.
Besides, there was a seventh-grade official in front of the Prime Minister's door, but what about in front of the Emperor's door? Since he could reach the Emperor, it didn't matter whether Meton's Firearms Directorate had a rank or not. How could Meton offend Gao Shilian, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, for such a small matter?
"Besides, a real man will naturally get the scholarly honors by himself. How can I get it without any effort?" Meton said proudly.
The seventh-grade Firearms Directorate Chancellor didn't have a high official rank, but he held an important position and didn't arouse jealousy. Meton even suspected that Gao Shilian, the Duke of Xu, seemed to be secretly taking care of him.
In a pavilion in a courtyard of the Duke of Xu's Mansion, Gao Shilian, the Duke of Xu, was playing chess with Zhangsun Chong.
Gao Shilian was Empress Zhangsun's maternal uncle. It could be said that he was indebted to Empress Zhangsun. When Gao Shilian saw Li Shimin's extraordinary performance, he decided to betroth Empress Zhangsun to Li Shimin. At the same time, he was also a major contributor to Li Shimin's coup at the Xuanwu Gate.
After Li Shimin succeeded to the throne, he didn't treat Gao Shilian unfairly. Not only did he respect Gao Shilian greatly, he also let Gao Shilian hold the important position of Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. It could be said that Gao Shilian held a high position with great power and status.
"Great-uncle is wise! Chong 'er is ashamed of his inferiority! "
Zhangsun Chong's chess skills were obviously no match for Gao Shilian's. It didn't take long for him to be trapped and killed by Gao Shilian. Zhangsun Chong had no choice but to surrender.
"Not bad, you've made progress. In time, Chong 'er's chess skills will surpass the Old Man's. I can only look forward to that day." Gao Shilian nodded.
Zhangsun Chong obediently refilled Gao Shilian's cup with tea and said, "Chong 'er is ashamed. How can such insignificant skills be noticed by Great-uncle?"
Gao Shilian drank the tea in one gulp and looked at Zhangsun Chong with a smile, "Since you entered the officialdom, this is the first time you've taken the initiative to visit the Old Man. You don't visit without a reason. Tell me, what are you here for today?"
Zhangsun Chong immediately put on an ashamed expression and said, "Today, Chong 'er specially came to ask for Great-uncle's forgiveness. Chong' er was defeated by others and still needs Great-uncle's help. I'm really ashamed."
Gao Shilian was stunned and immediately raised his head to look at Zhangsun Chong. He gently put down the teacup and said seriously, "Do you think that I'm seeking justice for you by making Mo Jiazi the Firearms Supervisor Chancellor a seventh-grade official?"
Zhangsun Chong was stunned and asked confusedly, "Isn't it? Then why did Great-uncle take the initiative to offend the Mo Family and make Chancellor Meton a seventh-grade official? In this way, wouldn't His Majesty be displeased?"
In each government office in Chang 'an, the highest grade of Chancellor was Chancellor Kong Yingda of the Imperial College, Secondary Class Three, while the lowest was Secondary Class Five. Even Zhangsun Chong, who had just entered the officialdom and served as the Assistant Minister of the Imperial College, was also Secondary Class Five. In this way, Meton's Firearms Supervisor Chancellor was directly under His Majesty's jurisdiction, but his official rank was Secondary Class Five.
Zhangsun Chong was not the only one who thought so. In Chang 'an, many people in the officialdom thought so and criticized. Gao Shilian must have done this because of Zhangsun Chong. As time passed, the conflict between Zhangsun Chong and Mo Jiazi was no longer a secret.
A trace of disappointment flashed across Gao Shilian's eyes. He shook his head and said, "It's not that the Old Man wants to make Mo Jiazi a seventh-grade official, but His Majesty wants to make Meton a seventh-grade official."
"His Majesty means that it's impossible. Doesn't His Majesty want to put Mo Jiazi in an important position?" Zhangsun Chong said with a face full of surprise.
The whole Chang 'an knew how much Li Shimin loved Meton. How could he deliberately make things difficult for Meton?
Gao Shilian nodded and said, "In the imperial court, as an official, the most important thing is to share His Majesty's worries. It's because His Majesty wants to put Mo Jiazi in an important position that the Ministry of Personnel wants to make Mo Jiazi a seventh-grade official."
"Granduncle, please teach me!" Zhangsun Chong asked for advice.
"Mo Jiazi achieved success at a young age. Although no one doubts his ability, he is still young after all. Suddenly rising to a high position will certainly make people jealous. Being a seventh-grade official means that he will start at the same level as the other officials. It can also be said that it will stop people from gossiping," Gao Shilian said.
"Moreover, the Firearms Supervisor is directly under His Majesty. Mo Jiazi's official position has no effect at all."
"Since Mo Jiazi's rank has no difference, why does Granduncle want to be the bad guy and make people criticize him? You should know that in the imperial court, there is a lot of criticism about this." Zhangsun Chong pointed out. Of course, most of the criticism was related to him.
Gao Shilian smiled complacently and said, "If it were any other official, the Old Man's actions would be inappropriate. But if it was Mo Jiazi, it couldn't be more appropriate."
Zhangsun Chong suddenly became thoughtful.
"Mo Jiazi is only 16 years old. If he starts out in a high position, in the future, when Mo Jiazi's contributions increase and His Majesty has nothing to reward him, how will the imperial court treat him?" Gao Shilian said.
With the revival of the School of Mo, it could be foreseen that Meton's contributions in the future would increase. If Meton's official position was third or fifth level at the beginning, when Meton's contributions were too great, how would he be rewarded? Furthermore, the imperial court needed the School of Mo's ink skills.
"His Majesty needs to promote Mo Jiazi level by level, and Mo Jiazi also needs to contribute his ink skills to the imperial court to strengthen the School of Mo. Therefore, if Meton starts at seventh level, it will be beneficial to both the imperial court and Mo Jiazi. This is what Mo Jiazi said was a win-win situation. How would it offend the School of Mo and His Majesty?"
After Gao Shilian finished speaking, Zhangsun Chong finally understood what Gao Shilian meant when he said that His Majesty wanted Mo Jiazi to be seventh level. Perhaps Li Shimin did not give clear instructions, but when Gao Shilian saw the Emperor's document allowing the Ministry of Personnel to decide Meton's rank, he instantly understood Li Shimin's meaning.
"The older, the wiser!" Zhangsun Chong seemed to have been enlightened.
When he understood the cooperation between Li Shimin and Gao Shilian, he was not convinced. Not only His Majesty, but even his granduncle believed that Mo Jiazi would be like the sun in the sky in the future.
Gao Shilian was shrewd and ruthless. When he saw Zhangsun Chong's expression, he knew what he was thinking. He immediately scolded, "His Majesty is in his prime, wise and powerful. If you only want to suppress others to get to the top, you will only attract His Majesty's disgust. If you want to stand firm in the imperial court, in addition to winning the Emperor's heart, you must contribute to the imperial court and the country. Do you know the difference between you and Mo Jiazi?"
"I …" Zhangsun Chong immediately stuttered.
"You are the legitimate son of the Zhangsun family and His Majesty's nephew. You are born noble. Even if you just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor, you will be an important official in the future. Mo Jiazi, on the other hand, was born insignificant and shouldered the heavy responsibility of reviving the Mo family. His future is uncertain. Mo Jiazi saw clearly that if he wanted to revive the Mo family, the only thing he could do was to make the Mo family contribute to the imperial court and the people. This is why His Majesty laughed off all the shocking and absurd things that Meton did."
Gao Shilian's straightforward words immediately made Zhangsun Chong's face turn red.
Although he was usually proud of his family background, after Gao Shilian's bloody analysis, the veil of shame in his heart was immediately lifted. He asked himself honestly, if he wasn't born in the Zhangsun family, could he really become a Deputy Imperial Minister and a Secondary Class Fifth Rank official when he first entered the officialdom?
He had entered the officialdom for half a year and had not made any contributions. Compared to Mo Jiazi, the difference was like heaven and earth. He had always thought that Mo Jiazi relied on the Mo skill inherited from his ancestors to get to where he was today. Didn't he also rely on his family background?
Looking at Zhangsun Chong's red face, Gao Shilian sighed slightly in his heart. How could he care about the grudges of the younger generation? He used the reason that Mo Jiazi was in a high position and needed to be polished as an excuse to promote Mo Jiazi's rank to Rank Seven. But didn't Zhangsun Chong also need to be polished as a youth?
He had watched Zhangsun Chong grow up and knew how proud and arrogant Zhangsun Chong was. It was not necessarily a bad thing to have Meton suppress him.
"Grandson understands!" Zhangsun Chong said respectfully.
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