Chapter 179

Chapter 179

With the new dynasty just established, a multitude of tasks awaited.

As soon as Han Zongping had been respectfully escorted to the imperial throne by the civil and military officials, various memorials were submitted to him.

Han Zongping was a military general; he could confidently lead troops into battle or even manage the northern borders of Jizhou. However, the sudden responsibility of managing the empire's affairs gave him a headache.

Thus, he first appointed two prime ministers for himself: Left Prime Minister Wei Qi and Right Prime Minister Song Lan.

Both of these men were formal imperial *jinshi* (doctoral degree holders) and had been wholeheartedly assisting Han Zongping, deserving recognition for their loyalty to the new ruler. By appointing them as prime ministers, even the noble families of Luoyang could not complain. A new emperor brings a new court; it would be unrealistic for these officials to expect the new emperor to bypass his loyal and meritorious subjects in favor of unfamiliar faces.

After dismissing the civil and military officials, Han Zongping listened to the reports of Wei Qi and Song Lan in private.

Wei Qi said, "Your Majesty need not worry. Currently, there are only three pressing matters. The rest can be addressed gradually, one by one."

Han Zongping replied, "Please, go ahead, Sir."

Wei Qi continued, "First, we need to decide on the dynasty's name and reign title to announce to the world."

Establishing the dynasty's name would make everything that follows legitimate.

"Second, we must reward the three armies and reassure the frontier generals."

The new emperor had ascended the throne through military might. The tens of thousands of soldiers outside the city were the greatest contributors. They had shed blood all the way to the capital, like wolves that had crossed mountains to reach their prey. Delaying rewards could lead to unnecessary suspicion and unrest. Additionally, generals from Liangzhou, Jinzhou, Liaozhou, Qingzhou, and even the two southern generals who defied orders and did not come to aid Imperial Uncle Dou could be considered supporters of the new emperor. They must be rewarded to ensure their allegiance.

"Third, we need to investigate the civil and military officials in Luoyang. Those guilty of serious crimes should be punished, the corrupt officials should hand over their ill-gotten wealth and may either retain their positions or be demoted or dismissed, while the honest and virtuous officials should be promoted to important positions. This will help form a new court as soon as possible."

Relying solely on the two prime ministers would not be enough to assist the new emperor in governing the empire. A relatively complete court must be formed to also reassure the officials and noble families of Luoyang. With the capital stable, the new emperor could gradually bring stability to the northern prefectures and counties.

Han Zongping frowned and said, "The people in the northern regions are suffering, and this is inseparable from the corrupt officials. I wish to execute them all. But if we allow them to keep their positions just by surrendering their wealth, what if they become corrupt again in the future?"

Song Lan replied, "Your Majesty, if we look at the northern regions, nine out of ten officials are corrupt. If you don’t give them a way out, they might resort to desperate actions. There are still rebel leaders and bandits causing havoc in the northern regions. If the corrupt officials join them in rebellion, the wars will never cease, and ultimately, it will be the common people who suffer the most."

Wei Qi added, "Exactly. At present, the emperor should prioritize stability. Once the world is at peace, if any official dares to accumulate wealth and commit evil again, Your Majesty can punish them severely at that time."

Han Zongping finally nodded in agreement.

Wei Qi took out a red paper from his sleeve and, holding it with both hands, presented it to Han Zongping, saying, "This is a list of proposed dynasty names and reign titles that I and the Right Prime Minister have drafted. Please, Your Majesty, make a selection."

Han Zongping took it and saw six proposed dynasty names and six reign titles, all carrying meanings of prosperity and upward growth. After some thought, he said, "The dynasty name will be ‘Yù.’ For decades, the national treasury has been depleted, military salaries have often been delayed, and the court has been unable to provide relief during disasters. The people of the world are impoverished. I hope that after I ascend the throne, I can make the country prosperous and the people wealthy. As for the reign title, ‘Xingping’ will do."

A prosperous nation, flourishing people, peace, and stability.

The public announcement to the world had already been drafted by the two prime ministers, and after reviewing it, Han Zongping found no issues, thus resolving the first matter.

The second matter was to reward the troops and reassure the frontier generals.

There were six frontier generals in total, and they could simply be enfeoffed as marquises and permitted to retain their commands. The soldiers outside the city could also be rewarded based on their military achievements. The more complicated issue was the leading generals, which Han Zongping had to decide personally to avoid any bias that might arise if left to the prime ministers.

Wei Qi placed the comprehensive record of the generals' military achievements on the imperial desk, and Song Lan placed the list of assets confiscated from the homes of Imperial Uncle Dou and other treacherous ministers next to it.

The confiscation process was far from complete, but the portion already gathered was more than sufficient to reward the soldiers.

Han Zongping rubbed his temples and pointed to the names of Feng Ji, Lu Gong, and Xiao Mu, saying, "These three will be enfeoffed as Dukes of Zhen, Cheng, and Wei. What do you think?"

The two prime ministers agreed.

The leading generals would be enfeoffed as dukes, while the deputy generals could be enfeoffed as marquises. Han Zongping continued, "Fan Zhao will be the Duke of Wuying, Luo Xiao the Duke of Jining, Qi Heng the Duke of Zhongyong, and Xiao Zhen, let’s make him the Duke of Yong’an."

Song Lan looked up, saying hesitantly, "Lord Xiao has already been enfeoffed as a Duke. If Xiao Zhen is also enfeoffed as a Marquis, wouldn't the imperial favor be too generous?"

Han Zongping said, "The two of them have earned great merits. I cannot treat one unjustly just because they are from the same family. Besides, I have already done some injustice to Xiao Zhen. Given his military accomplishments, he could have been enfeoffed as a Duke. I only made him a Marquis because of his young age and out of consideration for Lord Xiao."

Song Lan looked at Wei Qi.

Wei Qi thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty's rewards and punishments are clear, and we are truly convinced and compliant. However, while Your Majesty favors the Xiao family and is willing to bestow abundant grace upon them, we fear that the Xiao family might stand tall in the forest, which might invite envy. I believe it would be wise for Your Majesty to choose either Lord Xiao or Xiao Zhen to have their title changed to an ordinary hereditary one."

The previously decided titles were all hereditary without change, meaning that no matter how many generations the title passed through, it would remain a dukedom or marquisate.

An ordinary hereditary title, however, would be reduced by one rank with each generation. For example, a duke would pass down to his son as a marquis, to his grandson as a count, and after that, the title would end.

Han Zongping thought of the white-haired Xiao Mu and the vibrant Xiao Zhen.

With Xiao Zhen already made a marquis, the dukedom would naturally pass to the second branch of the Xiao family. Although Xiao Shouyi and his sons were also formidable generals, how could they be mentioned in the same breath as Xiao Zhen? Moreover, Xiao Zhen's wife, Tong Sui, also had significant military achievements. Their descendants should rightfully have higher titles than the second branch.

Even the titles of Feng Ji and Lu Gong were hereditary without change, but Xiao Mu's was to be ordinary hereditary, which seemed to be doing a disservice to the old man.

However, Han Zongping believed that if the old man had a choice, he would also leave the perpetual hereditary title to Xiao Zhen's line.

"Change Lord Xiao's title to an ordinary hereditary one. Additionally, Tong Sui's wisdom and bravery are worthy of the title of hero among women. I will grant her the title of Supreme First-Rank Anguo Lady, with the same stipend as Xiao Zhen. In the event of war, if she wishes, she can be appointed a general and lead troops."

Wei Qi and Song Lan were surprised.

According to the traditions of the Great Zhou Dynasty, inner court ladies such as imperial consorts, princesses, and princesses of commanderies had salaries. Wives of dukes and marquises, as well as wives of high-ranking officials, were referred to as outer court ladies.

The titles of outer court ladies were typically derived from their husbands. The wife of a first-rank prime minister was a first-rank designated lady, the wife of a duke was a second-rank designated lady, and the wife of a marquis was a third-rank designated lady. These designated ladies only received a lump sum of silver at the time of their investiture and did not have a regular salary, though they might receive different levels of rewards during festivals depending on how much their husbands were valued.

After the Emperor established the Great Yu Dynasty, he continued to follow many of the previous dynasty's regulations for at least a few years. It was surprising that the Emperor would grant such an exceptional reward to Tong Sui.

Surprised as they were, given Tong Sui's military achievements, especially their joint effort in taking Longxing Pass, she truly deserved this great honor.

After granting the dukes and marquises their titles, Han Zongping then bestowed a few counts.

The titles and the distribution of gold, silver, jewels, silk, and land were just a matter of speaking, but the estates required more thought from Han Zongping.

Wei Qi took out a map of the Luoyang city districts he had specially drawn for this investiture, indicating many vacant houses, most of which were confiscated properties.

The areas closest to the imperial city were naturally the best.

Wei Qi explained, "Your Majesty, the northern part of Luoyang is higher than the southern part, with the Luo River running through the middle. During heavy rains, the southeastern area is prone to flooding. The imperial city stands at the highest elevation in the northwest, and the northeastern district is the next best residential area, with the imperial gardens to the north and the Luo River to the south, making it easy to defend in times of disorder. Additionally, placing the meritorious military officers there would enable them to better protect the imperial city."

Han Zongping nodded and, looking at the area directly south of the imperial city, said, "In this time of peace, many high-ranking officials and nobles live here. Wei Qi, you will reside in Jishan Fang, and Song Lan in Shangshan Fang, so it will be convenient for you to report to the palace."

The two prime ministers immediately knelt to express their gratitude for the Emperor’s grace.

When it came to assigning houses for the dukes and marquises, Han Zongping hesitated again, thinking of the large Xiao family. There were so many people that even a five-courtyard mansion would feel cramped.

Soon, Han Zongping found two adjacent five-courtyard mansions outside the eastern gate of the imperial city in Qinghua Fang and said with a smile, "Perfect. The one on the east for Lord Xiao, and the one on the west for Xiao Zhen. After receiving the houses, they can knock down the wall between them and be a family again."

Wei Qi joked, "Your Majesty's thoughtfulness towards the Xiao family will surely move Lord Xiao to tears again."

Song Lan also laughed.

For commanders like Sun Dian, Qi Yun, and Zhang Wengong, who already hold high positions and whose military achievements are insufficient for ennoblement, Han Zongping granted them three-courtyard mansions and further rewarded them with gold, silver, jewels, and land.

After rewarding the three armies, except for the 20,000 elite troops temporarily stationed to guard the capital, the remaining 170,000 troops were quartered in the eastern and western camps outside Luoyang. These camps had barracks that could accommodate up to 400,000 troops. In the harsh winter, the soldiers had long been looking forward to moving into the barracks and sleeping on warm kang beds.

——

Although the Xiao family received the rewarded residences, those residences required servants and maids to clean and organize them. Broken tables and chairs had to be replaced, crumbled walls repaired, and chipped pillars repainted. Since Han Zongping was rewarding meritorious officials, it would be inappropriate to reward them with houses that could not be immediately inhabited.

The generals temporarily resided in the military camp, riding horses to and from Luoyang every day. The twenty to thirty miles each way took about half an hour by horse.

The ones primarily required to serve at the palace were Xiao Mu and Xiao Zhen, whereas Xiao Yan and the other commanders remained at the camp to handle military matters.

Without any immediate battles, Tong Sui did not need to remain permanently at the camp.

On the 15th day of the 12th lunar month, Tong Sui, now with some free time, invited her cousin and took eight close guards to tour Luoyang.

Currently, only the Dingding Gate on Luoyang’s southern side was open. The Dingding Gate had three passageways. The central passageway, the widest, was reserved for officials conducting official business. The side passageways were for common people and merchants, with entry on the left and exit on the right, ensuring orderly passage.

Luoyang was now relatively peaceful. Having escaped danger, the people resumed their livelihoods, so there were quite a few people near the city gate.

The sisters’ mule carriage joined the queue on the left.

Sitting inside the carriage, they could hear the people’s conversations.

"I heard the Emperor placed several boxes of memorials and ledgers outside the Duamen Gate of the imperial city. They are all accusations against corrupt officials in the city. As long as those corrupt officials hand over their ill-gotten wealth, the Emperor will not pursue their past crimes, and they can keep their positions. If they fail to hand it over in time, the Emperor will impose severe punishment."

"At first, the Emperor gave them five days. Some officials handed over silver, properties, and estates, and the Emperor burned the memorials accusing them, allowing them to continue serving. Then, the Emperor selected two major corrupt officials, executed them, and confiscated their families’ wealth, and gave the other officials another five days. Anyone who refuses to hand over their wealth after those five days will continue to be executed."

"The corrupt officials no longer dared to hide anything. Every day, people are carrying boxes to the imperial city."

"Handing it over is just giving it to the Emperor. Why are you all so happy?"

"You don’t know yet, do you? The Emperor has already issued a notice saying that after the new year, each prefecture and county will distribute land to poor farmers, and in the spring, they will provide enough seed grains to lend to them. Where do you think the land and grains are coming from? It’s from what the corrupt officials handed over!"

The cold wind blew through the carriage curtains, bringing the vibrant energy of spring.

Tong Sui looked at her cousin, and the two sisters smiled at each other.