Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

While Han Kuang and the Donglin Party members were discussing the matter, a group of ministers were also discussing the leadership transition at Yang Jingchen's residence.

As the second-in-command of the cabinet and the leader of the remnants of the eunuch faction in the court, Yang Jingchen had many ministers on his side.

With Wen Tiren in the cabinet, who rose to power by stepping over Qian Qianyi, he was undoubtedly an enemy of the Donglin Party.

Even though Qian Qianyi has now separated from the Donglin Party, his stance remains unchanged given his hostility towards the party.

His most prominent label in the imperial court was that of an opponent of the Donglin Party.

The emperor kept him in the cabinet to check the Donglin Party members.

Wen Tiren understood the emperor's thoughts and performed his duties admirably. The reason Han Kuang was unable to fully control the cabinet was because of Wen Tiren and Yang Jingchen.

However, the Donglin Party's influence was considerable. Although Wen Tiren was not a remnant of the eunuch faction, he had no choice but to join forces with Yang Jingchen under pressure from the Donglin Party.

Guo Yunhou, Minister of Personnel; Xue Fengxiang, Minister of War; and Yang Suoxiu, Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, also belonged to this group.

In addition to Vice Censors-in-Chief Xu Zongli and Zhou Yanru, as well as Huang Lijie, who continued to serve in the Court of Colonial Affairs after his retirement... there were quite a few remnants of the eunuch faction, making them a force that could rival the Donglin Party in the court.

Of course, they do not consider themselves to belong to the eunuch faction now; they consider themselves loyal ministers of the emperor and to be part of the imperial faction.

By pandering to the emperor, they gained his protection, were not defeated by the Donglin Party, and stubbornly persisted in the court, forming a cohesive group.

The core of this group today is undoubtedly Yang Jingchen.

This Grand Secretary, who emulated Zhang Fujing, was undoubtedly eyeing the position of Grand Secretary.

However, after understanding the emperor's attitude, he could only sigh and say:

"The Emperor retained Yuan, the Privy Councilor, precisely to ensure stability."

"There is unlikely to be any major changes in the cabinet. This time, the focus of the court reshuffle is on the positions of the Nine Ministers."

His gaze fell upon Guo Yunhou, prompting him to speak. This was arguably his most important supporter; Yang Jingchen relied on him to maintain his influence over the Ministry of Personnel.

Guo Yunhou also needed Yang Jingchen to secure his position as Minister of Personnel under the protection of this second-ranking official. Among Yang Jingchen's faction, he was undoubtedly the second most important.

However, before Guo Yunhou could speak, Wen Tiren preemptively said:
"Although it is difficult to obtain a formal Grand Secretary position, one can hope to become a Associate Grand Secretary."

"It's impossible for both of the Assistant Grand Secretaries to be from the Donglin Party."

Yang Jingchen valued this ally highly, staring at him as he said:

"what do you mean?"

"Are we going to nominate one of our own people?"

Wen Tiren pointed at Zhou Yanru and addressed the crowd:
"Everyone knows Censor Zhou, and the Emperor values ​​him highly, considering him to be a prime minister."

"He was in charge of the Anti-Corruption Bureau in the Censorate. After Yang Xueshi became the Vice Grand Secretary, he would inevitably take charge of the Standing Committee and focus his energy on the daily affairs of the Cabinet."

“The affairs of the Anti-Corruption and Judicial Committee can be shared by Censor Zhou.”

This statement caused Yang Jingchen to fall silent for a moment, then he nodded in agreement:

“Censor Zhou is already a member of the Anti-Corruption and Judicial Committee. If he can be promoted to the position of Minister this time, becoming the deputy director will be no problem.”

"It seems a bit difficult to be promoted from Vice Censor-in-Chief to Associate Grand Secretary."

The Vice Censor-in-Chief wielded considerable power and was one of the most important officials in the imperial court.

However, its ranking among ministers is relatively low; the head of the Privy Council and the vice ministers of the Six Ministries are ranked ahead of it.

It would have been almost impossible for someone of that status to be promoted to Associate Grand Secretary.

Even the Vice Minister of Rites had a very slim chance of being directly promoted to Grand Secretary.

Wen Tiren was aware of this, so he added:
"The position of Vice Censor-in-Chief is rather low, so what about the head of the Supreme Court?"

"This is one of the Nine Ministers, who is in charge of an entire academy."

This made Yang Jingchen realize that Wen Tiren had his eye on the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Given Zhou Yanru's resume—after his anti-corruption campaign, he was indeed well-suited to lead the anti-corruption and judicial committee.

The death of Cui Jingrong, the head of the Supreme Court, last November also gave him this opportunity.

If we put in the effort now, it's possible that the decision can be made before the leadership transition.

Yang Jingchen didn't value this position highly, but he couldn't easily give it to Wen Tiren, lest the man's appetite grow and he demand more positions.

He said to Wen Tiren:

"The head of the Supreme Court is ranked as a first-rank official."

"Although there are no first-rank officials currently holding this position, it is not suitable for him to be promoted from the fourth-rank Vice Censor-in-Chief."

"If only Censor Zhou were to become the Vice Censor-in-Chief, he could be promoted to head of the academy."

The implication in his words was clearly one of disagreement.

Wen Tiren was not annoyed by this and continued:
"In your opinion, Scholar Yang, which positions would Censor Zhou be suitable for?"

"If Commissioner Yang is promoted, will he be able to go to the Ministry of Justice?"

The implication was that he was asking for a position among the Nine Ministers.

Yang Suoxiu's previous promotion from Vice Censor-in-Chief to Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review was a successful example.

Yang Jingchen fell silent, knowing that this was Wen Tiren's condition.

If Zhou Yanru is not allowed to head the Supreme Court, then we must find a way to arrange another one of the Nine Ministers' positions for him.

Even Wen Tiren, who claimed to be loyal to the Party and without any faction, needed to take care of his subordinates.

Unsure if Yang Suoxiu could be promoted to a more important position, Yang Jingchen hesitated to agree. After some thought, he said:

"Qian Xiangkun is the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. As long as he doesn't retire in the next term, he will definitely be promoted to the position of Minister."

"Does Scholar Wen think he should strive to become the Assistant Grand Secretary, or should he now strive to become the President of the Supreme Court?"

This question made Wen Tiren hesitate.

Although Qian Xiangkun and he were not very close, they were a true teacher and student, and Qian Xiangkun respected his authority in daily life.

To outsiders, this person is clearly part of Wen Tiren's faction, and Wen Tiren would never distance himself from them in front of outsiders.

After considering it, he could only say:

"That depends on what Hongzai thinks."

“If he wants to become a Grand Secretary, I will naturally help him.”

"If we play it safe and try to become the head of the Supreme Court, then we can secure our position as one of the Nine Ministers."

Compared to the fierce competition for the position of Assistant Grand Secretary, the position of Grand Secretary was indeed a marginal one.

Even if it were upgraded to a separate hospital, its current status would still be relegated to the bottom.

Yang Jingchen had no intention of placing his own people in this position; he wanted to put his supporters in more important roles.

Therefore, he directly promised that if Qian Xiangkun wanted to become the head of the Supreme Court, he would provide support.

Qian Xiangkun will also have a position on the Integrity and Justice Committee.

Wen Tiren was basically satisfied after receiving this promise.

He knew that given the relationship between Yang Jingchen and Lin Yuji, Yang Jingchen would definitely support Lin Yuji in the competition for the position of Assistant Grand Secretary.

The chances of them taking on the role of the other Grand Secretary are slim. If Qian Xiangkun seeks stability, he will certainly seek the position of Grand Secretary.

He was already plotting how to persuade Qian Xiangkun to first secure a position among the Nine Ministers. (End of Chapter)