Some generals knew how to protect themselves, even knowing how to avoid suspicion from superiors, so that they could not rebel and still ensure the safety, and even prosperity, of their families.
But some generals were not so smart.
They were even rushing towards their own deaths faster and faster.
Those few who stepped forward, believing the Duke of An's merits were enough to make him a king, were clearly not very smart.
Before Ding Yun could refute, the Minister of Personnel beside her immediately stepped forward, looked at them, and sneered:
"Were Wei Qing's merits not great?
Were Huo Qubing's merits not great?
Did Su Dingfang conquer any countries?
And were any of them ever made kings?
Su Dingfang, a famous general of the former Tang Dynasty, conquered three countries, yet was only enfeoffed as the Duke of Xing. Could his merits possibly be less than those of the Duke of An who had now returned?"
As the Minister of Personnel finished speaking, many civil officials beside him chuckled, and some even sarcastically remarked:
"Does someone not know who those three are?"
"Su Dingfang conquered countries by defeating the strong with the weak, unlike the Duke of An, who used an army of 200,000 to conquer a small country that could only muster a little over 100,000 soldiers.
Success was expected.
Failure would have been a great disgrace."
In reality, it couldn't be said that those generals were too greedy, it was merely a difference in perception between civil and military officials.
For civil officials, it was customary to avoid the emergence of non-royal kings, and it was also customary for those not of royal blood not to be enfeoffed as kings. No matter how high the merits of an ordinary subject, the title of Duke was the highest. Now that it had been exceptionally upgraded to Prince, what more did they want? Did they want to be made kings?
If that wasn't greed, then what was it?
However, for many generals, they felt that the title of king was not much due to the centuries of turmoil. In the past two hundred years, there had been too many people who had declared themselves king, and even many who had declared themselves emperor. Their numbers were so rampant that they didn't think the status of a prince was particularly high.
The difference in perception between the two sides.
Naturally led to this mockery.
Inevitably, they started arguing again. Ding Yun found it headache-inducing. The Emperor, sitting on the dragon throne.
Finally, after having slept enough, he was woken up by their argument.
Then, with a confused look, he started looking for Ding Yun:
"Mother, Mother..."
Ding Yun and all the civil and military officials did not notice that he had woken up. It was the Grand Eunuch, who had been watching him, who first noticed. He began to pacify the child and quickly whispered a reminder to Ding Yun, indicating that His Majesty had woken up.
"If he's awake, bring him over."
After all, apart from the initial greetings to the Emperor on the dragon throne, no one paid any further attention to how the Emperor on the dragon throne was doing.
Moreover, Ding Yun was worried that the child might cry later.
So she quickly called out.
She then slightly rose and picked up her son, completely ignoring the arguing officials below, and began to whisper to her son, asking him if he was still sleepy.
And what he wanted to eat later.
Several minutes later, someone noticed that there was no one on the dragon throne. The Empress Dowager was talking and laughing with the Emperor behind the curtain, seemingly ignoring them all.
However, before anyone could remark on the impropriety, Ding Yun, knowing her son was hungry and not wanting to continue arguing with them, stood up and lifted the curtain:
"Enough, all of you be quiet for me.
Those who agree, stand on the left. Those who disagree, stand on the right.
Quickly settle this matter.
By the way, since no one opposed the first half of my proposal, that matter is settled. The Ministry of Personnel will promptly act according to my instructions.
The main discussion now is regarding the rewards for the Duke of An. Those who agree with my proposal stand on the left, those who disagree stand on the right. Hurry up, His Majesty is hungry and I don't have time to bicker with you all further."
After Ding Yun finished speaking.
The officials below hesitated for a moment, then finally, under the lead of some individuals, began to divide themselves to the left and right.
At this point, the situation became immediately clear.
Clearly, there were more on the left.
This was because most civil officials supported it. Although some generals did not support it, wanting the Duke of An to be made king, many of them did not want the Duke of An to surpass them in status due to his merits. Thus, after this alignment, the total number of people who truly supported the Duke of An becoming king was less than twenty.
Although the previous argument had seemed fierce and evenly matched, it was likely due to the dozen or so individuals with strong debating skills, and the majority remained silent, not speaking up.
Only when they were now explicitly asked to take a stand.
Did it reveal that they were in the minority.
"You see, the situation is now very clear.
The minority obeys the majority. I believe there should be no problem with this point. Then this matter is settled. As for me, from now on, if there are any disputes,
We will proceed like this.
This will prevent the court from becoming as noisy as a marketplace.
His Majesty's decree will be issued shortly. Minister of Personnel, prepare yourself. Now, you may all disperse!"
Ding Yun knew very well that the best solution now was to quickly cut the Gordian knot and settle the matter. Therefore, she gave the officials below no chance to react or object, hurriedly settled the matter, and dismissed the court.
After speaking, she left with the young Emperor.
Taking her son to have breakfast.
And the officials could only disperse one by one.
At the same time, the entire Ministry of Personnel became busy.
...
After finishing breakfast and leaving her son to the care of the palace maids, Ding Yun immediately summoned the Grand Eunuch and asked him to explain in detail about all the civil and military officials.
Most importantly, to tell her their names.
And their family situations.
That's right, Ding Yun had addressed the Minister of Personnel as "Minister of Personnel" throughout the court, never using titles like "Esteemed Minister" or "Lord." This was mainly because the original body had no idea what the Minister of Personnel's surname was, much like how many students would not know their Chinese teacher's surname after a semester of classes.
Not knowing the person's surname.
Naturally, she could only address them by their official title.
However, her son was still young. If she and her son had not been poisoned to death, she would have had to regent for at least another decade. It wouldn't do to always not know people's names, so the urgent matter was to find someone to learn from.
The Grand Eunuch, who was older and held a higher position.
Was undoubtedly the best candidate.
What followed was Ding Yun's question-and-answer learning session.
After a morning of inquiries, Ding Yun finally gained a general understanding of all the civil and military officials, and also had some insight into the current domestic situation and power struggles.
On the side of the generals and nobles, there were four Dukes. Among them, the Duke of An had the greatest influence, controlling half of the border army. Second was the Duke of Ding, also a formidable figure controlling 100,000 troops. The Duke of Zhenguo had passed away two years ago, and his son had succeeded him. The former Emperor had seized this opportunity to strip him of his military power.
He might still have some private soldiers or hidden forces.
But they should not be a cause for concern.
As for the Duke of Wei, his situation was even more tragic. He had favored his concubines over his wife, and his original wife, in her anger, had poisoned him, his illegitimate sons, and his concubines.
Then she committed suicide.
Now, only his legitimate son remained, a six-year-old who had inherited the title of Duke. Currently, let alone any influence, there was no one in his household who could even attend court. He was not a threat.
On the side of the civil officials, the power was mainly held by the Left and Right Prime Ministers.
One controlled the positions in the Ministries of Revenue, Rites, and Works, while the other controlled the Ministries of Personnel, Justice, and War. Although there were many disputes between them and their factions were considerable, because they lacked military power, their influence was relatively limited, and the possibility of rebellion was lower.
Therefore, in the current situation, the main threat still came from the generals and nobles. However, with some barbarians coveting the land and two or three small countries not yet eliminated, it was not easy to deal with them.
Even if they committed some arrogant or unlawful acts.
They could only be dealt with leniently.
In addition, another reason that made the original body feel very uneasy was that the power of the imperial clan was too weak. The original body's husband, the late Emperor.
He was the sixth generation of single heirs!
If he had many brothers, and many cousins and distant relatives, then the imperial clan would naturally be strong. Although there might be some threats, they could at least help balance the power with those generals and nobles.
But with six generations of single heirs, how many close relatives could there be?
The closest relatives were more than five generations removed.
Moreover, years ago, those distant relatives had tried to seize their family's inheritance. Therefore, the original body's husband had never considered acknowledging those distant relatives. As a result, the number of members of the imperial clan was naturally very small, so small that they could not contend with any faction.
He believed he could control the situation.
He didn't need the help of those relatives.
At worst, he would have more sons later.
Alas, not only did he only have one son, but he also died early, leaving a mess for a widowed mother and orphaned child.