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

Chapter 588 Neighbors
Pei Yuan waved his hand dismissively, "Keep it down, keep it down."

Dou Yu chuckled and quickly revealed the purpose of his visit.

"After returning last time, I immediately went to Chengqingfang to take a look, and then found craftsmen to expedite the repairs. However, some details still need to be decided by the commander himself."

"I know it's presumptuous of me to come here, but if I want to stay comfortably, I have no choice but to go through this trouble."

Pei Yuan was overjoyed to hear that it was indeed about the house.

Although Pei Yuan was becoming increasingly disillusioned with the future marriage, the illusion of gradually gaining possession of the relationship still made it difficult for him to give up.

Is it presumptuous? Not at all.

Pei Yuan immediately stood up and said excitedly, "What trouble? You've come at just the right time."

Then, remembering Yan Song, he turned back to look at the dumbfounded guy and said to him, "Let Chen Xinjian explain it to you in detail, I have other things to do."

Seeing Pei Yuan's reaction, Dou Yu knew he had flattered him successfully, and then happily stood up and said, "I've found a few good cooks, so I'll have the commander taste their cooking later. If they're satisfactory, they can stay at the mansion."

Pei Yuan was very satisfied, and then went to Chengqingfang with Dou Yu.

Chengqingfang is located in the southeast of the imperial city. Because of the presence of some princely mansions and the residences of high-ranking officials, the area has a relatively high level of prestige.

Places like this are more likely to experience commercial prosperity.

The area surrounding Chengqingfang is filled with shops catering to these high-end customers, selling goods from both the north and south, silk and porcelain, cosmetics, and exquisite trinkets.

There were also teahouses, taverns, storytelling venues, and of course, numerous brothels.

In short, the supporting facilities are very complete.

Pei Yuan looked on with satisfaction until they arrived at an alley where several neighboring houses stood side by side.

Dou Yu eagerly introduced the place, "This place on the left is the courtyard of Shi Jie, the Vice Minister of War. He lives here. This place on the right is the residence of Gu Dingchen, a lecturer in the Hanlin Academy."

"Shi Jie?" Pei Yuan's expression shifted, showing some interest.

Shi Jie was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the ninth year of the Hongzhi reign (1494), ranking among the top three.

Of course, being in the top three has its advantages.

Shi Jie first served as the magistrate of Sishui County. Because he did a good job, he was awarded the top three honors and was able to enter the fast track of officialdom, becoming a prestigious censor.

As soon as Shi Jie took office, he received a big assignment.

The Censorate ordered Shi Jie to audit Datong's military reserves...

Unexpectedly, Shi Jie skillfully completed this task that many others could only watch helplessly.

The local border towns residents enthusiastically expressed their love for Shi Qingtian, saying, "Let Shi Qingtian stay in Shanxi!"

No one can take our Shi Qingtian away!

(Jin Xianmin: Huh?)
During the Ming Dynasty, there was an unwritten rule that people who could solve problems were highly valued.

If what is being solved is not a problem, but a difficult one, then one can even hold a certain position for a long time and become a local tyrant.

For example, Yu Qian, a famous minister who was able to get along well with the Shanxi border troops, shouldered the important responsibility of governor of Shanxi and Henan for eighteen years.

The reason the imperial court grouped Shanxi and Henan together was because Henan was responsible for supplying provisions to the Shanxi border troops.

During the Battle of Tumu Fortress, the person in charge of supplying provisions was Nian Fu, the Right Provincial Governor of Henan, who was an old subordinate of Master Yu.

Although there has been criticism in later generations that Emperor Yingzong's army was hampered by food shortages, the provincial governor did not falter after the Tumu Crisis.

He was even promoted to Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Henan for his meritorious service in quickly advancing the front lines and promptly transporting grain and supplies without ever making a delay.

Although... such outstanding abilities were only revealed after the emperor was captured.

However, the Provincial Governor arrived late, hehe!

Imagine an island nation creating a game set in the Ming Dynasty.

Then, Ninpou would very likely receive titles such as "The Flying Governor" or "The Miracle Ninpou".

Pei Yuan connected Shi Jie to Old Master Yu because the guy's resume was so traceable.

After inspecting the military supplies in Datong, Shi Jie used the method of creating fake tablets to take the initiative from the field of metaphysics. Under the pretext of natural disasters, he impeached 27 people, including Zhai Xuan, the Minister of Justice!
As a seventh-rank censor, directly impeaching the seven ministers would seem quite audacious.

But don't rush, it's from Nanjing.

Moreover, in the field of metaphysics, can't you just throw mud at people with whatever you want?

In this situation, no evidence is even needed.

Disasters and anomalies are the evidence; if I say it's you, then it's you!

Thus, Shi Jie, who had won the enthusiastic support of the soldiers and civilians in the border town and had also gained reputation by using a latrine, was directly promoted from Supervising Censor to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Shanxi.

After some time, Shi Jie was transferred to the same place and served as the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shanxi Province.

Subsequently, the imperial court directly entrusted Shi Jie with the affairs related to Datong.

Soon after, the imperial court felt that he was very capable in dealing with Datong Town, so he transferred him to the position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and Governor of Datong.

The governors of border towns like Datong and Xuanfu, because they were involved in military power, were often given the additional title of Vice Minister of War for ease of command.

Shi Jie, naturally, did not fall either.

During the Ming Dynasty, there were many special unspoken rules. The Left Vice Minister of the Six Ministries in Beijing was generally an administrative official, while the Right Vice Minister was generally a dispatching official.

For example, previously, Li Hao served as the Left Vice Minister of War, assisting Minister of War He Jian in handling official business within the Ministry of War. Meanwhile, Lu Wan and Shi Jie, the Right Vice Ministers of War, were dispatched to various posts outside the Ministry.

Yang Tan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, assisted Sun Jiao, the Minister of Revenue, in managing supplies for suppressing the rebellion. Wang Qiong, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was responsible for providing relief in various localities. Cong Lan, another Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was out on the front lines.

Jungle Queen Cong Lan went absolutely on a killing spree!

The reason for emphasizing the Six Ministries in Beijing is that, according to general practice, the Six Ministries in Nanjing only had a Right Vice Minister, not a Left Vice Minister.

Only under special circumstances would the Left Vice Minister be appointed among the six ministries in Nanjing.

This can be considered a small tacit understanding between the two capital cities.

Therefore, by leveraging his position as the governor of a border town, Shi Jie directly obtained the additional title of Vice Minister of War.

At this point, Shi Jie had essentially completed the path that Old Master Yu had taken before Tumu Fortress.

Unfortunately, it was at this time that the future Old Master Shi faltered.

In the fifth year of the Zhengde reign, the nomadic barbarians invaded Datong and attacked the fortified positions in places like Huangtupo.

The Dun army fought a bitter battle but could not hold out. The Datong troops launched an attack, but failed to defend effectively and suffered heavy losses.

Eventually, the truth came out.

The imperial court confiscated three months' salary from Vice-Generals Song Wen and Liu Ji, and ordered the eunuchs Wei Zhong and Ma Shun to commit murder while under orders to atone for their crimes. Commander Liu Yu and others were arrested and interrogated. The garrison eunuch Liang Yu, the commander-in-chief Liu Chun, and the governor-general Shi Jie…

I'll give you face for now (I'll forgive you).

However, Shi Jie was clearly unlucky. Before he could even get a chance to regain his face, a mutiny broke out in Datong Town.

General Liu Chun hurriedly suppressed the mutiny.

Unfortunately, this time I lost face.

Liu Chun was dismissed, and Shi Jie slunk back to the capital.

Logically speaking, Shi Jie's official career should have ended there.

But when Shi Jie arrived in the capital, he was surprised to find that he had come at just the right time!
At this time, Minister of War He Jian was ousted by Pei Yuan in advance, and Vice Minister of the Left Li Hao was forced to resign for cooperating with Xiao Jing in mobilizing troops in Xuanfu.

After a series of strategic maneuvers, Lu Wan, the Right Vice Minister, was successfully promoted to Minister of War.

Right now, the Ministry of War doesn't even have a Vice Minister.

So Shi Jie, who held the titles of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, Right Vice Minister of War (nominal), and Governor of Datong (already dismissed), actually had the opportunity to fill a vacancy and be promoted to a minor official position.

Where the hell can you reason with this? Hehe.

So these days, Shi Jie has been busy trying to get an official position.

Pei Yuan paid attention to Shi Jie, and suddenly remembered that Yun Buxian had double-crossed the Shanxi border troops, and even the Datong guerrillas had been mobilized. It seemed that this matter was not easy to resolve.

If things really escalate to an unbearable point, with Shi Jie acting as a mediator, there might still be room for reconciliation.

Thinking about this, Pei Yuan felt even more that this house was really nice.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was distracted, Dou Yu did not urge him.

He even noticed that Pei Yuan seemed thoughtful when he heard the names of the two neighbors, and was quietly talking about some trivial matters between the two families.

Once Pei Yuan started walking into the courtyard, Dou Yu wisely stopped talking and followed him inside.

This house is a standard three-courtyard house, and the main hall inside is a standard five-room, seven-bay structure.

This rank corresponds to the third to fifth grade, which perfectly matches the status of Pei Yuan and Commander Han.

Although Liang Dong's painting was done according to the prescribed earthen yellow color, there were occasional splashes of blue-green in inconspicuous places, putting it on the edge of exceeding the regulations and complying with the rules.

Further inside, the houses were also beautifully renovated.

When Pei Yuan arrived, he saw craftsmen carving reliefs inside. He asked Dou Yu and learned that the reliefs originally depicted peacocks, a design reserved for civil officials of the fourth rank or above. Military officials like Pei Yuan should have used reliefs of weapons, warhorses, and wild animals.

It's not just these inlaid screen walls; even the wood carvings on the doors and windows, as well as some prominent brick carvings, need to be replaced.

Pei Yuan looked around and felt that Yun Buxian was simply no match for an expert like Dou Yu.

Pei Yuan silently made up his mind.

Before this house is completed, Dou Yu should stay in the capital.

During lunch, Pei Yuan took the initiative to say to Dou Yu, "What's your relationship with Shi Jie like? We'll be neighbors now, so why don't we have a drink together?"

Dou Yu said somewhat awkwardly, "Shi Jie has been scheming to become the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War these days, and has been busy preparing for the imperial recommendation. Now his eyes are constantly looking upwards, how could he possibly look up to an official like me from the Imperial Stables?"

"We could try Gu Dingchen. He's just a leisurely scholar, so he doesn't care about these things."

Pei Yuan asked with some surprise, "How could Gu Dingchen, a mere scholar who doesn't hold official rank, afford a house here?"

If Pei Yuan remembered correctly, Gu Dingchen's background wasn't very good.

His father, Gu Xun, was just a small merchant. When he was in his fifties, he took advantage of his wife's inattention to have an affair with a maid in the shop, which led to the birth of him.

As a result, Gu Dingchen was very impressive and became the top scholar in the imperial examination when he was over thirty years old.

Perhaps it was his humble origins and the bullying he suffered in his childhood that made him see a lot. Gu Dingchen lived a very worldly life. Later generations commented on him as "gentle and charming, incapable of achieving anything, merely filling a position."

During the Jiajing reign, one essential skill for rising to power was writing official documents, from which figures like Xia Yan and Yan Song benefited.

The person who created this special channel was Gu Dingchen, who was later even called the "Prime Minister of Qingci" (a type of official document).

Well, this Gu Dingchen also had a love-hate relationship with Huo Tao, the top leader of the "Renshen Seventeen Sons" under Pei Yuan.

In his "Biographies of Grand Secretaries Since the Jiajing Reign," Wang Shizhen described Huo Tao as "a thunderbolt, and Ding Chen as a gentle touch, yet both fell into the trap of imperial tactics."

Dou Yu said, “Gu Dingchen is from Kunshan, Suzhou, where there is a large Zhu family. The Zhu family has monopolized the tax collection and has been the grain chief for seven generations. Not to mention the magistrate of Kunshan, even the prefect of Suzhou can pay taxes on time and can keep his position, all of which depend on whether the Zhu family agrees.”

"Gu Dingchen was driven away by his wicked stepmother when he was a child and was adopted by a family named Zhu. Later, Gu Dingchen became the top scholar in the imperial examination, so there was no reason for him to be taken away by another family. Thus, the Zhu family happily accepted him."

"Gu Dingchen not only married the eldest daughter of the Zhu family, but even his youngest son, Gu Lufang, was engaged to his wife's niece. Now he can be said to be a complete member of the Zhu family."

"Given the immense wealth of the Zhu family in Kunshan, acquiring a large mansion in Chengqingfang would naturally be no difficult task."

"Moreover, the Zhu family is neither impatient nor urging Gu Dingchen to scheme; they are simply waiting for this top scholar to enter the cabinet in the future."

Pei Yuan felt envious. Wasn't this the epitome of a live-in son-in-law who sponges off his wife?
It's so damn enviable.

Pei Yuan pondered Dou Yu's words and suddenly thought of Zhai De'an, the prefect of Suzhou.

Isn't he just a puppet of those powerful clans?
Pei Yuan hadn't figured out how to deal with the people behind Gu Dingchen, so he immediately said, "Forget it, let's just eat together."

Pei Yuanlu tasted it briefly and praised the chef that Dou Yu had found.

Pei Yuan glanced in the direction of the next room and asked Dou Yu, "If I want to make contact with Shi Jie, what's the best way to do it?"

Dou Yu said cautiously, "Shi Jie is currently seeking the court's recommendation to become the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. If the commander can help, perhaps we can meet with him."

Pei Yuan pondered for a moment and realized that at this time, those who were qualified to be recommended by the court mainly included the six ministers, the left censor-in-chief, the commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, and nine other officials.

In addition, there were also the incredibly powerful Sixth Secretariat Censor.

One person from each of the six subjects was nominated to participate, for a total of six.

These six people have no right to participate, but they have the right to veto, which is the so-called "court recommendation for rebuttal" and "court recommendation for rejection".

Apart from Li Shishi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, who could speak on his behalf, Pei Yuan had no other good offers to offer.

Moreover, there was some exchange of interests between Shi Jie and Li Shishi.

Historically, when Hu Shining impeached Prince Ning, besides Li Shishi, Prince Ning's relative by marriage, only Shi Jie jumped out to call for Hu Shining's execution.

With the entire court remaining silent, Shi Jie stepped forward on his own.

It would be truly bizarre to say that Shi Jie and Prince Ning had no dealings whatsoever.

(End of this chapter)