Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 659 Entering the Cabinet
Railway construction is a top priority at present, and the new project started this year is the Longhai Railway.

The cabinet raised many objections, arguing that Jia Lian's railway plan was too biased, detrimental to the balance between the north and south, and caused many unnecessary conflicts.

This cannot be considered labeling; it was a natural choice for the cabinet to gain the support of Southern officials.

As September arrived, many officials submitted memorials criticizing the cabinet's governance, particularly the railway planning issue.

Consequently, many officials used these achievements in the cabinet to formally raise the issue of cabinet replacement.

All memorials concerning this topic were kept in the central government by Li Yuan.

Jia Lian was aware of this phenomenon, but he acted as if nothing had happened and had no time to engage in factional struggles, spending his days in busy work.

Things need to be done step by step. Even though Jia Lian is in charge of overall management, many things require his final decision.

The planning of the Longhai Railway was also attacked by many people, especially a large number of officials from the south. While attacking the cabinet, they also included Jia Lian in their attacks.

In particular, although there were quite a few people attacking the cabinet, it didn't cause much of a stir, and neither the supporters nor the opponents made much of a fuss.

However, as the attacks on the cabinet failed to yield results, things got a bit out of control, and the focus shifted from the cabinet to Jia Lian.

From the appearance of the first memorial attacking Jia Lian for being detached from the cabinet, unique, and unbecoming of a subject, the power struggle surrounding the cabinet's impending expiration evolved into a chaotic free-for-all.

The so-called "Jia faction" consisted of a group of officials who embraced practical learning and advocated for concrete action. They applied this learning in their work, genuinely developing the local economy, and reaped considerable rewards in terms of both personal achievements and reputation. When these officials discovered that people were attacking Jia Lian, they immediately reacted defensively: "Are you trying to ruin Jia Lian's future?"
Jia Dang, who had never liked to submit memorials or express his opinions, instinctively reacted when he realized he was about to be implicated.

After Jia's faction got involved, the entire court was thrown into complete chaos, with memorials flying everywhere and mutual attacks becoming rampant.

Officials are not concerned with government affairs, but only with how to defeat their opponents, leading to a sharp decline in government efficiency and even a trend towards stagnation in government affairs.

Li Yuan, who had always thought he was in a safe position, started to panic.

During the grand court assembly on September 15th, Li Yuan announced in front of the assembled officials that the existing cabinet was inherited from the late emperor. Since his ascension to the throne, the cabinet members had been diligent in royal affairs and had not been replaced. They were all in their prime and did not require adjustment.

Even after the cabinet issue was resolved, some people were still unwilling to give up. Taking advantage of Jia Lian's inspection of the Longhai Railway's progress, they impeached Jia Lian for having disloyal intentions and demanded his dismissal pending investigation.

There were quite a few people like this at the grand court assembly, making up more than half of all the officials present.

When these people were kneeling on the ground, no one stood up to speak for Jia Lian this time, not even the cabinet ministers.

Li Yuan was initially bewildered, then panicked, and finally calmed down. He was furious, especially when he saw that many of the people kneeling in front of him were from noble families.

"You, get up, Zhang Ping. I ask you, do you know how to build railways?" Li Yuanxian was referring to a relative of the emperor.

The person named is a member of the current empress's family. He performed well in the imperial examinations and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examinations). He is now a Hanlin scholar in the Hanlin Academy.

Because of his status, Zhang Ping wasn't too scared after being called out. He just didn't expect that even though he was hiding in the back row, he would still be spotted by the sharp-eyed emperor.

“Your Majesty, I may not know anything about railway construction, but that doesn’t mean I can’t impeach Jia Lian if I see him in the wrong,” Zhang Ping retorted stubbornly.

Li Yuan sneered, "I ask you, do you have any evidence that Jia Lian is disloyal?"

Zhang Ping lowered his head somewhat guiltily, but thinking of the expectations of so many people behind him, he still braced himself and answered: "Within the capital, the Research and Development Department, the Railway Bureau, the Five Cities Garrison, and so on, all obey Jia Lian's orders. Although Jia Lian has no intention of rebelling, he is suspected of being disloyal."

Li Yuandu was so angry at these remarks that he laughed. Leaning back in his chair, he looked at Zhang Ping below and said, "I thought you could come up with some brilliant ideas, but I didn't expect you to just make up baseless accusations. You're not impeaching Jia Lian, you're framing me. You're saying that I'm not even as good as Zhao Gou."

After saying this, Zhang Ping knelt down, almost collapsing.

"Your humble servant is guilty!" The assembled officials knelt and cried out in unison.

Li Yuan waved his hand dismissively: "Alright, court adjourned. I have no energy to argue with you all."

Jia Lian, far away in Xi'an, was stunned upon hearing the news. Wasn't it supposed to be that false accusations would be punished? This had nothing to do with Wu Da!
Jia Lian immediately realized that this was the art of imperial manipulation.

This also shows how many people in and out of the government opposed Jia Lian; even the five senior cabinet members remained silent.

Do you really think I'm easy to bully? Do you think I have a good temper? Or do you think I'm incapable of political maneuvering?

After deep thought, Jia Lian returned to the capital by carriage. While still on the train, he received news that the emperor had granted Pan Jixun's request to retire.

Li Yuan refused, so Pan Jixun then claimed to have a leg ailment and stayed indoors.

Pan Jixun's leg problems stemmed from rheumatism contracted during treatment. It wasn't a big deal when he was younger, but after he turned sixty, the weather changed, and in autumn and winter, his joints would ache so badly that he couldn't walk.

Li Yuan sent the imperial physician to examine the patient, who confirmed that the disease was indeed present and could not be cured, only managed.

Then Pan Jixun submitted another memorial requesting to resign, which Li Yuan rejected again. A day later, he submitted another memorial requesting to retire, and this time Li Yuan agreed.

In other words, after returning from the day of the grand court assembly, Pan Jixun requested to retire. Five days later, after three requests and three refusals, his request was finally granted.

This has created a vacancy in the cabinet, and qualified officials are now fiercely competing for the position.

However, no matter how you look at it, the competition among these people was completely in vain, because the rules left by Emperor Chenghui established the position of cabinet minister candidate.

Previously there were two, and there was also a choice between two. After Li Yuan ascended the throne, he did not fill the vacancy for the cabinet minister, which means that Jia Lian was the only candidate.

What's the point of fighting over that?

The only controversy now is the relationship between Jia Lian and Lin Ruhai, who are father-in-law and son-in-law.

For the sake of becoming a cabinet minister, ministers with even a one percent chance will give one hundred percent effort.

This is quite normal; after all, it's extremely difficult for officials at this level to advance further.

No one wanted to miss this opportunity, so they all fired at Jia Lian's only weakness.

As for the claim that Jia Lian harbored rebellious intentions, no one brought it up again, because it was destined to backfire.

After Jia Lian returned to Beijing, he remained very quiet and went to get off work as usual.

A few days before the grand court assembly on the first day of the tenth month, the winds of change shifted again. This time, the focus of the criticism was on the relationship between Lin Ruhai and Jia Lian, who were both cabinet ministers, a precedent that had never been set before.

All I can say is that it's extremely flexible.

Li Yuan once again chose to keep all related memorials in the archives and not issue them.

Ministers who believed they had a chance to join the cabinet, as well as those who did not want Jia Lian to join, became even more frantic in the last three days.

Within three days, as many as four hundred memorials were delivered to the Office of Transmission, all emphasizing the negative consequences of having Lin and Jia in the cabinet. Judging from these memorials, it seemed that with Lin and Jia in the cabinet, the Great Zhou Dynasty was either doomed to perish or be usurped.

If it were only court officials doing this, it wouldn't be so bad. The key issue is that nobles and relatives of the emperor are also seizing the last opportunity to request an audience with the emperor.

No one knows what Li Yuan was thinking; all his memorials were kept in the central government and all requests for an audience were rejected.

No one could figure out Li Yuan's true thoughts; in fact, Li Yuan himself was in a rather delicate state.

On the one hand, he wanted to uphold the banner and legacy left by the late emperor, and on the other hand, he was indeed somewhat wary of the consequences of having Lin and Jia in the cabinet.

This also caused Li Yuan to hesitate for a long time.

Another crucial reason is Jia Lian's immense prestige within the army, especially since he spearheaded the establishment of the Royal Military Academy, and most of the newly recruited officers idolized him.

As the days passed, the cabinet members feigned ignorance, which was the most sensible course of action. Jia Lian remained silent and focused on his work, which was also the most sensible choice.

In situations like this, whoever jumps the highest is often the first to be eliminated.

They might even face retribution later, but how can you put it? People can't see back and forth. If something is right in front of them and seems within reach, they're bound to fight for it.

On the first day of the tenth month, Jia Lian arrived at the court assembly. He arrived a short time before the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After the morning roll call, he stood in a corner to avoid the autumn wind.

It was only at this point that people noticed a problem: throughout his official career, Jia Lian never competed or fought for anything.

Everything he achieved was through solid accomplishments.

If Jia Lian hadn't had a history of targeting the gentry throughout his official career, there wouldn't be so much controversy now.

Even so, Jia Lian, who was hiding in the corner, was quickly discovered by many young officials.

The younger the official, the more he respected Jia Lian. Even though Jia Lian had a poor, even disreputable, reputation among the gentry.

At that moment, a young official hesitated briefly before stepping forward decisively. He walked up to Jia Lian, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Fu Qiang greets Lord Jia!"

Jia Lian smiled and returned the greeting with clasped hands: "Greetings, Jia!"

After one person started, young officials kept coming forward to pay their respects to Jia Lian, and they even had to take turns.

In contrast, the younger officials did not seem as eager to pay their respects to the cabinet ministers.

Among the officials in the capital, there were few young officials; those under forty years old accounted for a quarter. Of these, eighty percent chose this time to approach Jia Lian and pay their respects.

It's not that the cabinet ministers are unpopular; it's just that some of the younger officials are of lower rank and can't reach them.

This makes Jia Lian appear very popular.

In modern terms, these young officials are like the "tap water" – the government's water supply system. A significant portion of them come from newly established departments such as the research and development bureau.

As the grand court assembly began, officials entered the palace one after another, lining up in the main hall. Jia Lian was still standing in the second row.

Li Yuanzhi and Lin Ruhai led the officials in performing the grand ceremony, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times before rising.

Before the assembled officials could speak, Hu Min stepped forward and announced loudly, "An imperial edict has been issued!"

The assembled officials bowed to receive the imperial decree. Hu Min held up the edict: "The Grand Secretaries hold great power and responsibility, and no vacancy is permissible. The state has established rules, and these rules must be followed. The system of appointing candidates for the Grand Secretariat, established by the late Emperor, shall be continued. So be it!"

Lin Ruhai led the way: "Your Majesty, we obey!"

Since it concerned the positions of cabinet ministers, the emperor had the power to make decisions and did not need to consult with the ministers. In addition, there was the late emperor's edict, so Li Yuan read it out in the form of an imperial decree, which was perfectly appropriate.

Thus, no matter how unwilling the ministers were, none of them dared to speak out.

With the issue of filling vacancies in the cabinet resolved, two other issues remain. Firstly, since the legitimacy of the system left by Emperor Chenghui has been acknowledged, two reserve ministers must be appointed. This must be clearly stated; otherwise, the process cannot be legitimate.

Lin Ruhai's awareness in this regard was very good. Since Li Yuan did not change the system established by the late emperor, then he should stand firm and add a brick to solidify it completely.

"Your Majesty, there is a vacancy for a candidate for cabinet minister. We request Your Majesty to issue an order in a timely manner regarding who should fill the position." This statement, on behalf of the court officials, confirmed Li Yuan's authority and legitimacy in the system of appointing cabinet ministers. In other words, from this day forward, Li Yuan was legally and firmly established on the throne, and anyone who dared to question the throne was an enemy of the people.

They are truly traitors and rebels, deserving of death by everyone.

Of course, if you succeed in your rebellion, then it's a completely different story.

After all, the victor is king and the loser is villain; this has been the way of things since ancient times.

"Regarding the addition of cabinet ministers, the cabinet should discuss and produce a shortlist of twenty people, along with their reasons, for me to review before making a decision." Li Yuan was very satisfied with Lin Ruhai's actions and couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

The reason for his pride was simple: he had finally experienced what it felt like to have real power over personnel matters.

This is the advantage of upholding the late emperor's legacy; no one dares to object. Unless Jia Lian personally refuses, and after three requests and three refusals, he still refuses to accept, then things will have to change. Either a direct imperial decree will be issued, or the emperor's refusal will be accepted.

Lin Ruhai replied, "Your humble servant obeys the decree!"

After Lin withdrew, Jia Lian stepped forward and said, "Your humble servant kowtows to express his gratitude for the Emperor's grace!"

This means that he unconditionally accepted the emperor's arrangement, was admitted to the cabinet, and ranked fifth.

This was also one of Li Yuan's proud points. After Jia Lian entered the cabinet, he was destined to rank only fifth because of Lin Ruhai's influence.

This gives Li Yuan an extra five years, allowing him to assess Jia Lian's capabilities. It's a five-year evaluation period. If everything is satisfactory, Li Yuan, having firmly grasped the reins after five years, can either appoint Jia Lian as Grand Secretary or appoint Li Qing. He truly has complete control and flexibility.

The issues that the court officials were most concerned about have been resolved, and the remaining time of this grand court assembly is not yet dull, so there are no major matters to discuss.

The grand court assembly was mostly a formality; the truly important matters were decided by the Imperial Cabinet meeting.

After the court session ended, Jia Lian returned to the Ministry of Works. As he was cleaning his office, his subordinates came to congratulate him.

After thanking everyone, Jia Lian took his personal belongings and went to the Inner Cabinet, which was the Wenhua Hall area, to work.

The first thing to do upon joining the cabinet was naturally to discuss the list of cabinet members and the candidates for Minister of Works.

It was Jia Lian's first time attending a small cabinet meeting, but he was not polite at all. After Lin Ruhai explained the agenda, Jia Lian immediately spoke up: "This humble servant believes that for this cabinet supplement, inspection teams should be sent to various places to avoid including candidates who are ill, which would tarnish Your Majesty's wisdom."

(End of this chapter)