Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 584 Refined Self-Interest
However, due to the circumstances, Yan Song could not refuse, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "This is not something I should listen to."

“This…” Pei Yuan hesitated as expected.

He then said, "Very well, this matter also involves the Left Censor-in-Chief, the Minister of Personnel, the two successive Ministers of War, and several major cases that have stirred up the political landscape."

“While I, Pei Yuan, can certainly trust Brother Weizhong, there are many things I must keep secret for the other parties involved.”

Yan Song was a little numb. No, how did we get to this?

Can't we just have a pleasant chat anymore?

Moreover, what's the difference between Pei Yuan's half-hearted words and his complete revelation?
The initiator of this special imperial examination was Li Shishi, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Li Shishi had this idea because at the time, both the court and the public believed that Lu Wan, as a remnant of Liu Jin, had too much merit to be rewarded, and that Lu Wan had to be allowed to personally purge those remaining followers as a pledge of loyalty to the regime.

Therefore, Li Shishi had to give Lu Wanteng a position.

According to some rumors at the time, the high-ranking officials in the court arranged for Li Shishi to serve as Minister of Rites.

Li Shishi was very interested in going to the Ministry of Rites, and his achievement there was proposing this special imperial examination.

If we follow this line of thought further, later, Li Shishi's transfer to the Ministry of Rites encountered an unexpected turn of events, and the court urgently needed to make room for Lu Wan.

So, besides the Left Censor-in-Chief, the most suitable position for Lu Wan would naturally be Minister of War.

This confirms what Pei Yuan just mentioned about the two successive Ministers of War.

Yan Song, a native of Jiangxi who was affected by Liu Jin's corrupt rule, had been paying close attention to the court's reckoning with Liu Jin's misdeeds and his faction.

Therefore, he paid close attention to the changes in the court at that time.

As the Minister of War, He Jian, even without the merit of personally leading a large army like Lu Wan, must have made a great contribution in planning and strategizing.

Besides, there's no reason to fire your boss just to promote a subordinate.

Yan Song recalled that at that time, in order to resolve this dilemma, the court seemed to have once planned to recommend one of Li Shishi and He Jian to enter the cabinet, thereby making room for Lu Wan.

But the outcome was quite unexpected. Faced with the temptation of joining the cabinet, He Jian actually resigned, showing great integrity by giving up the position of Minister of War.

If you only look at these things, you'd probably be confused about the political changes that have occurred during this period.

However, Pei Yuan's words just now revealed more information, namely that he also mentioned a major case that stirred up the political turmoil in the court.

The major cases that stirred up the court at the time, and which were related to the aforementioned personnel changes, were undoubtedly the "Bian Xian and Xiao Chong Case" and the "Ma Zhongxi Case".

The blade of the "Bian Xian and Xiao Chong case" was aimed at He Jian, who had massacred local officials during the suppression of the rebellion.

The blade of the "Ma Zhongxi case" was aimed at Yang Yiqing, who failed to recognize talent.

He Jian's retirement must have been due to the repeated revelations of the "Bian Xian and Xiao Chong case".

What about the "Ma Zhongxi case"?

What was the meaning of Pei Yuan's unnecessary mention of the Minister of Personnel?
Yan Song vaguely felt that this crucial gap, which could not be deduced logically, concealed the secret of the recent changes in the court.

This secret was casually tossed into Yan Song's ears by Pei Yuan.

Yan Song was momentarily apprehensive.

What makes him think he knows these things?
How dare Pei Yuan say this to me?
Yan Song had no answer to the first of these two great questions.

However, after pondering for a moment, Yan Song gained some insight into the second question.

—Isn't it all because they want to strengthen the friendship between the two sides by keeping a shared secret?

The result was good.

Damn it, Pei Yuan has given me an even bigger secret to keep together.

Damn it!
Yan Song felt a surge of urgency, wishing he could chop off his own hand.

What the hell are you talking about?

It would have been better if I hadn't come today.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan didn't seem to realize the problem. He sighed for a while and said, "Ah, it's all in the past now, it's nothing."

After speaking, Pei Yuan turned his gaze to Yan Song.

Yan Song shuddered involuntarily.

Then, as if realizing something, he glanced at Ouyang Bijin beside him.

No wonder my lively, cheerful, and chubby brother-in-law sometimes reacts like this when facing Pei Yuan.

Yan Song had previously thought it was because of the psychological trauma left by Ouyang Bijin when he was in Southern Zhili. Now, seeing this, he realized that his brother-in-law was indeed a man who could take the top spot in the examinations in Jiangxi.

He probably already knew how dangerous this guy was.

It's like being accompanied by a tiger; even a casual yawn from the tiger can send shivers down your spine and make your heart race.

Just as Yan Song was lost in thought, Pei Yuan asked him kindly, "By the way, I heard Brother Bo'an mention before that you also returned to your hometown on the pretext of illness because Liu Jin was targeting the people of Jiangxi."

"The court is now restoring order, why doesn't you, Brother Zhong, step forward and do something, so as not to waste your talents?"

If it weren't for all those previous incidents, Yan Song might have chatted with Pei Yuan for a bit and perhaps even shown off his abilities.

After all, Pei Yuan, as a military officer, must have had a powerful background to have managed to secure so many spots in this treacherous imperial examination.

Perhaps this would allow Yan Song to avoid the fierce power struggle between Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing.

But at this moment, Yan Song dared not cause any trouble.

He quickly replied, "I have no interest in an official career; I only wish to stay home and study. The reason I came to the capital this time is because my brother-in-law is taking the imperial examination for the first time, and I was worried about him, so I came with him."

After listening, Pei Yuan nodded calmly, "I see. That's a pity."

After saying that, he laughed and said, "I can understand why you think that way. For example, Jin Xianmin, the Shandong Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, was in a similar situation to you. He was also reinstated because of the purge of Liu Jin."

"Yang Yiqing wanted to use him this time and planned to recall him to serve as the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief. He didn't really want to return to the capital, and I ended up helping to resolve the matter."

Yan Song, who was pondering an excuse to take his leave, paused slightly upon hearing this.

He suddenly realized that Pei Yuan in front of him was a sensible person.

This time, Yan Song only chatted with Pei Yuan for a few minutes before and after his visit.

Before Yan Song could even mention seeking connections, Pei Yuan brought up Jin Xianmin.

Jin Xianmin's situation was not much different from Yan Song's.

Jin Xianmin was also dismissed during Liu Jin's period of tyranny, and was exonerated through the purge of Liu Jin. He also disapproved of Yang Yiqing, but was unable to distance himself from Yang Yiqing, who had made the greatest contribution to suppressing Liu Jin, due to moral pressure.

Pei Yuan didn't mention anyone else, but instead used Jin Xianmin as an example, which was clearly a subtle way of pointing out the reason for his own hesitation.

Yan Song was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the eighteenth year of the Hongzhi reign. He was subsequently selected as a Shujishi (a probationary official) and appointed as a compiler in the Hanlin Academy.

That is, the Hanlin Academy graduate who achieved success in his youth, middle age, and old age, and who started as a vice minister after accumulating enough seniority.

Unfortunately, not long after he entered the Hanlin Academy, the Hongzhi Emperor died.

Then a new emperor ascended the throne, and the alliance between Liu Jin and Jiao Fang made a strong debut.

Jiao Fang: I don't like people from Jiangxi.

Liu Jin: Me too.

As a result, Yan Song, who was in the Hanlin Academy, was in trouble. In order to avoid being framed for a bunch of crimes and being removed from office, Yan Song simply claimed to be ill and returned to his hometown.

Therefore, although Yan Song came from the most prestigious government office in the court, he had few connections in the court because of his shallow background.

Even when I occasionally corresponded with people my age, all I got were some common, unremarkable pieces of information.

Yan Song's trip north this time was largely motivated by a desire to personally assess the state of affairs in the court.

Then they decide on their future development.

Although Pei Yuan is a huge destabilizing factor, judging from his ability to manipulate the imperial examination results and the inside stories he just mentioned, he is undoubtedly a person with great influence and connections.

The real information and inside stories are often in the hands of these kinds of people.

After thinking about it, Yan Song was suddenly tempted again.

Even if he didn't expect Pei Yuan to give him a hand, the connections and intelligence he possessed were enough to warrant his attention.

Thinking of this, Yan Song gritted his teeth.

Well, rather than treading on thin ice as I enter this turbulent court, I'd better find out the details first.

At worst, I'll just help Commander Pei keep more secrets...

So Yan Song hesitated for a moment and asked, "There are some things I know I shouldn't ask, since we're not very close. But after thinking it over, I'm afraid I can only get the answer from Commander Pei."

Pei Yuan laughed heartily upon hearing this, then feigned anger.

“Ouyang Bijin and I are sworn brothers, with a bond that transcends life and death. But in my heart, Brother Weizhong is like my own brother-in-law. How can you speak so intimately with someone I barely know?”

"Besides, if there's anything I can do to help my brother-in-law, I, Pei Yuan, would be happy to see it happen."

Yan Song hurriedly distanced himself, saying, "The commander is generous and magnanimous, truly an extraordinary person. I am not worthy of being called brother-in-law."

Pei Yuan smiled upon hearing this, "Then I'll still call you Brother Weizhong."

Yan Song was initially relieved.

He muttered to himself again, thinking that with Pei Yuan's intelligence, how could he not see through his intention to distance himself?

This address of "Brother Weizhong" created a safe distance for Yan Song, but also exposed his meticulously self-serving thoughts.

Yan Song felt that his cleverness had backfired and was quite embarrassed. He didn't even want to remember his stupid move anymore.

This time, it was Pei Yuan who took the initiative to ask, "I guess what Brother Weizhong wants to ask is, what is the outcome of the power struggle between Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe and Minister of Personnel Yang Yiqing?"

Yan Song thought about how Pei Yuan had just used Jin Xianmin to subtly point out his intentions, so it seemed he had already seen through his thoughts. He decided not to hide anything and asked directly, "From the perspective of a commander of a thousand, what is the chance of victory between them?"

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and did not answer directly, but instead said...

“A few days ago, the Emperor intended to appoint more capable ‘old men from the Hongzhi era’ to replace Zhang Yong and others who were closer to him. So this matter was handled by Zhang Rui, the director of the Eastern Depot, who directly removed him from his position as the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial.”

"Later, Zhang Yong was exiled to Nanjing and was killed on the way."

"Brother Weizhong must also know that the reason why Yang Yiqing was able to challenge the Grand Secretary was largely due to the support of Zhang Yong, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

Upon hearing this, Yan Song subconsciously said, "So, Commander Qian also thinks that Yang Yiqing's chances of winning are slim?"

Pei Yuan still didn't answer, but continued, "Then do you know what the first thing Lu Yin, the newly appointed Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, did after taking office was?"

Yan Song, naturally unaware of the private matters of such a powerful figure, immediately asked tactfully, "Please enlighten me, Commander."

Pei Yuan said calmly, "The first thing Lu Yin did after taking office was to visit Yang Yiqing's residence and recommend Yang Yiqing's ally Xie Qian to serve as Minister of Rites."

"Later, due to the emperor's opposition, Xie Qian's decision to leave the mountain was put on hold. After visiting Yang Yiqing, Lu Yin recommended Wang Hua, who was also the top scholar in Yuyao."

Lu Yin, the newly appointed Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, kept a low profile, and there were few rumors about him. Even the Censorate's routine impeachments failed to uncover much evidence of Lu Yin's misconduct.

At most, some people mention that when Lu Yin commanded troops, he rarely restrained his soldiers, resulting in them becoming bandits and causing havoc in many places.

Yan Song never expected that the newly appointed Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs would have such a close relationship with Yang Yiqing.

Pei Yuan then said, "So, Yang Yiqing is fine for the time being; the Emperor won't let Yang Yiqing fall too quickly. As for Yang Tinghe, the Emperor also needs someone to restrain Yang Tinghe."

"If you just wait and watch the success or failure between the two, I'm afraid you won't find a suitable opportunity even after ten or eight years."

Pei Yuan looked at Yan Song and gently advised, "Brother Wei Zhong is full of talent and in the prime of his life. Rather than growing old while waiting, it would be better to make a decisive move now."

Even if you make the wrong bet, you can be completely clear about the mistake and remain steadfast in your conviction.

"Even someone with the power of Liu Jin was eventually executed by being cut into a thousand pieces. Can Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe really be trusted?"

Yan Song was at a loss for words.

He certainly had his own thoughts.

How could this military man possibly understand the workings of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom?
From the moment he put on his official robes and took his first step into the imperial court, he had already taken on various stances, whether willingly or unwillingly.

At that time, he was no longer Yan Song, but rather a man defined by a multitude of labels.

He was a member of the Jiangxi clique, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the year Yichou of the Hongzhi reign (1495), a student of Li Dongyang, an upright man who was suppressed and forced to resign by Liu Jin, and a passive accomplice of Yang Yiqing...

He did nothing special; he was born an ordinary person; he honestly took the imperial examination; he was lucky enough to pass and become a Jinshi, and happened to be apprenticed to the person in charge of the examination; he was unlucky because of his background and was suppressed; he was lucky again because his enemies fell from power; he was unlucky again because the person who saved him was at a great disadvantage in the court.

He did nothing, yet his fate was manipulated as if it were a child's game.

He even had to feign illness and return to his hometown simply because someone disliked people from Jiangxi.

Having learned his lesson, Yan Song naturally needed to understand who he was before cautiously entering the fray and making the first politically significant statement.

(End of this chapter)