Jiuxi

Chapter 780 [Family Affairs, National Affairs, and World Affairs]

Right Prime Minister Zhong Cheng was born into a poor family in Luzhou, Jiangnan. He served successively as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a lecturer, the prefect of Huzhou and Guangnan, a Hanlin scholar, the Minister of Personnel, and the Right Prime Minister.

Apart from the short two years he was exiled to Guangnan Prefecture, Lord Zhong has been following the most noble path of a civil official. He has been working in the Hanlin Academy, which is responsible for training potential prime ministers, and accompanying the emperor to await his orders and provide advice, a treatment that countless civil officials envy.

But there is also a problem. Before gaining real power, it is difficult for Zhong Cheng to cultivate confidants in the court.

If the late emperor had not passed away so soon, Zhong Cheng could have continued to serve as the Minister of Personnel for a few more years, and by then he could have been promoted to the Right Prime Minister and his steps would have been more stable.

In short, although the left prime minister Xue Nanting had offended many people because of his upright temper, he was still far better than Zhong Cheng in terms of court background.

Through Li Liangyu's narration, Lu Chen had a clearer understanding of Zhong Cheng's situation.

Starting about a year ago, when Lu Chen took office as governor of Dingzhou and carried out various drastic reforms, some censors in the court liked to find fault with Zhong Cheng. However, at that time, they were just minor incidents that occurred occasionally, and Zhong Cheng himself did not take them too seriously.

After all, even Li Daoyan and Xue Nanting were often impeached by the censors, which was almost commonplace in the court.

As the prime minister, of course he would not argue with those censors. As long as the other party did not slander him groundlessly, the prime minister would still be tolerant.

However, after the emperor changed the reign title to Dingzheng, the wind direction in the court gradually changed. There were more and more criticisms against Zhong Cheng, and the scope of criticism became wider and wider.

This is obviously not normal.

Xue Nanting had a sharp intuition. At a grand court meeting in March this year, he denounced this kind of fanning the flames of evil in front of the emperor and all the civil and military officials, and finally made those people keep quiet for a while.

But he is not Li Daoyan. Even though he can suppress some scoundrels, he cannot stop others from impeaching Zhong Cheng with trivial matters but with real evidence.

By June, when the situation in Jiangbei was reversed, the government's opposition to Zhong Cheng resurfaced and became more and more fierce. This time, even Xue Nanting could not suppress it.

The most important thing is that the emperor’s attitude is ambiguous.

He kept most of the memorials impeaching Zhong Cheng and did not send them out.

Zhong Cheng was no rookie in the officialdom, so he had no choice but to submit a memorial to defend himself and plead guilty. However, the emperor did not order a punishment. Instead, he continued to comfort him with kind words and did not allow him to return home to reflect on himself.

"Prime Minister Zhong's situation became increasingly difficult. His Majesty seemed to be treating him well, but it attracted even more crazy attacks from those people. He was unable to escape the vortex and was constantly being questioned by all sides. The Right Prime Minister became increasingly depressed. Prime Minister Xue went to the palace several times and begged His Majesty to stop this farce. It is said that His Majesty repeatedly expressed his trust in Prime Minister Zhong, but also said that those impeachments were well-founded and that he could not ignore the facts and punish those officials, as that would definitely block the court's voice."

Li Liangyu sighed and said, "Prime Minister Zhong is over fifty years old and his body is not very strong. He fell seriously ill in early September and later did not attend the court in the name of recuperation. I just crossed the river and arrived in Guangling when I received news from my father that Prime Minister Zhong submitted nine petitions in five days to ask for his remains to be buried."

Lu Chen put the teacup back to its original place. Actually, he was not unaware of what was going on in the Jiangnan court, but his knowledge was certainly not as detailed and accurate as what Li Liangyu had seen with his own eyes.

He sneered twice and said calmly, "I guess the emperor didn't approve Prime Minister Zhong's request?"

Li Liangyu nodded and said, "Yes. In terms of governing ability, Prime Minister Zhong is indeed slightly inferior to Prime Minister Xue, but he has a calm and steady temperament, and is a perfect complement to Prime Minister Xue. In the past two years, especially after Prime Minister Li returned home, Prime Minister Zhong has been able to help Prime Minister Xue in many cases, and the two of them have become more and more in tune with each other."

"This is the combination of ministers that the late emperor prepared for the present emperor. Prime Minister Xue is determined and courageous, and Prime Minister Zhong is mature and prudent. With them controlling the overall situation in the court, the internal affairs of Da Qi will not go astray."

Lu Chen's expression was a little complicated, and he said slowly: "These people dare not provoke Xue Xiang, and all their firepower is aimed at Zhong Xiang. It is obvious that they want to pave the way for someone. The court struggle seems chaotic and complicated, but it is just like that. The emperor seems reluctant, but in fact, Zhong Xiang's departure is a foregone conclusion. Who will replace him in the future? Li Shizhi, the Minister of Personnel?"

"It should be. Speaking of this Minister Li, he is really remarkable. When the previous emperor was alive, he was only the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Later, he was transferred to the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Not long after, he was promoted to the Minister of Rites. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he was appointed as the Minister of Personnel and a Hanlin scholar. In the past, the old Prime Minister Li was in charge of the government, and Minister Li did not show off. Although he had a good reputation, he was always overshadowed by the old Prime Minister."

Li Liangyu paused for a moment and continued with emotion, "In just three years, he went from being a minister of the Ministry of Justice with little real power to an important official in the court who could compete with the two prime ministers. This man is cunning and skilled, and he has never made any mistakes in the tasks assigned to him by the emperor. The Ministry of Personnel, the Hanlin Academy, and even dozens of government offices, big and small, have gradually improved their atmosphere because of his organization. Even my father sighed in the mansion that this man is worthy of being the successor that Prime Minister Li has been training for more than 20 years."

Lu Chen said coldly: "Ability and character cannot be generalized. Just to say that he was behind Prime Minister Zhong's back, he is far from the old Prime Minister's magnanimity."

He certainly had no conclusive evidence that the attacks on Zhong Cheng were related to Li Shizhi, but he did not need any substantial evidence.

This kind of large-scale attack against the prime minister of the dynasty first requires the tacit approval of the emperor, and secondly, there must be someone organizing it behind the scenes. Apart from Li Shizhi, who is increasingly trusted by Li Zongben and the current head of the Jinlin Li family, there is no other person in the court.

Li Liangyu sighed, "Perhaps Minister Li is more capable than Prime Minister Zhong, but I always feel that this matter is strange, so I hope you can consider it carefully. Even if you don't return to the capital, I think His Majesty will at most complain, and there won't be too much trouble."

Lu Chen looked at him calmly and asked, "If I don't return to Beijing, how will you report to the emperor?"

Li Liangyu had obviously thought about this issue a long time ago, and smiled calmly: "Although I hold the title of imperial envoy, can I still use force in front of you? It's nothing more than a crime of incompetence. At most, I will lose my official uniform. The court can't put me in jail for this, right?" "But you know I won't put you in such a situation. The emperor and those people in the court also know it."

Lu Chen picked up the teacup and took a sip, then said sincerely, "The Li family has been very kind to me."

Li Liangyu waved his hand and said, "That's too polite. I really don't want to stay in the Ministry of War any longer. Minister Ding is not worth following, and of course he has no interest in recruiting me. Every day when I go to the ministry to work, I feel depressed looking at those hypocritical smiling faces. If the court dismisses me for this, I may come to Dingzhou to seek refuge with you. At least I have the confidence to help you with logistics."

"Your ability is beyond doubt. Even Uncle Li relies on you to help raise and transport food and grass. How could I underestimate you?"

Lu Chen slowed down his tone and said carefully: "The question is, can you leave the capital? Or can you leave Uncle Li?"

Li Liangyu remained silent.

Li Tianrun became increasingly thinner, and his illness kept recurring. Even Xue Huaiyi and the imperial physicians in the palace were unable to bring him back to health.

To put it bluntly, Li Tianrun's vitality is fading away with each passing day. Under such circumstances, how could Li Liangyu stay away from the capital for a long time?

Lu Chen added: "And from the time we met until now, you have been advising me in your personal capacity, which shows that Uncle Li has a different opinion."

At this moment Li Liangyu's eyes were somewhat evasive.

Lu Chen sighed and continued, "As early as three months ago, I received a secret letter from Uncle Xiao. In the letter, he relayed Uncle Li's words. Uncle Li asked me to return to the capital after the war. The problem between Miss Li and I must be resolved as soon as possible."

Li Liangyu knew that he couldn't hide the truth from his future brother-in-law, so he simply confessed: "Before I left Beijing, my father and my younger sister had a dispute. My father thinks that you can make thorough preparations and return to Beijing to marry my younger sister, but my younger sister thinks that although the capital seems calm, it is actually fraught with danger. She doesn't want you to obey the imperial court's order and return to Beijing to avoid unexpected dangers."

"It won't be an easy journey, but it won't be too dangerous either."

Lu Chen took another sip of tea, as if to calm down, and then said: "I believe you already know what happened in the north. Although the injury of Emperor Jing triggered a series of changes, the Kingdom of Jing has not yet reached the point of disintegration. Strong enemies still exist, and my safety will not be too much of a hidden danger. Ordinary people do not have the ability to hurt me, and although the emperor has that ability, he cannot bear the consequences, unless he feels tired of sitting on the throne, or wants to put Da Qi into a crisis of national destruction."

He finally revealed some of his true identity in front of Li Liangyu, but he still hid a lot.

It's not that he doesn't trust Li Liangyu, but now he has understood the truth that "if the plan is not kept secret, harm will be done", and it has gradually become an instinct.

Li Liangyu did not doubt him. After thinking for a while, he smiled and said, "That is indeed the truth. If you encounter an accident in the capital, let alone how Jiangnan will react, the Jiangbei border troops will definitely completely betray the court."

Lu Chen smiled and said gently, "But it's already October, and the hundred-day banquet for my little ones is in November. If I rush back to Beijing at this time, the backyard will definitely not be peaceful. Besides, I still have some military affairs to implement and arrange. During the time I return to Beijing, there must be no problems on the border, so I need to spend some effort."

Li Liangyu nodded and said, "That's right."

Lu Chen said, "I will write a personal memorial. Brother Li, you can take it back and present it to the emperor. Just say that I will return to the capital after the New Year and on January 20th next year at the latest. This way, you can have an explanation and the emperor can save face."

Li Liangyu said: "Very appropriate."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "You have finally come to Dingzhou. You don't have to rush back. Stay here for a few days and meet my little couple."

Li Liangyu immediately said awkwardly: "Of course that's good, but the gift I brought is quite ordinary..."

"That's really outrageous."

Lu Chen easily changed the subject and chatted with Li Liangyu for half an hour, talking about interesting things that happened in the past, which was quite relaxing and enjoyable.

When Li Liangyu got up to say goodbye, Lu Chen personally sent him out of the mansion and asked Qin Zilong to arrange accommodation for him nearby.

After everything was settled, Lu Chen walked back to the courtyard, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at the sycamore tree in the corner.

There seemed to be a changing of circumstances in his eyes, which finally turned into a stern look.

"Since you are unwilling to give up, let's see who has the last laugh."

(End of this chapter)