Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1256 Court Discussion
The memorial submitted by Prince Zhu Mincheng of Song was quickly forwarded to the cabinet through various channels. At first glance, the cabinet thought it was just an ordinary matter, but after reading its contents, all the cabinet members except for the second grand secretary Wang Jinwu looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Since the King of Song has proposed that the court establish prefectures in his country, then let us do as the King of Song requests.” Grand Secretary Kong Zhenyun said. As a descendant of the sage and a standard civil official, Kong Zhenyun always acted impartially and in accordance with the rules in the cabinet. In his view, this matter was very simple. As the saying goes, all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are subjects of the king.

Although the Song Kingdom is located overseas, it is a fiefdom granted to a prince of the Ming Dynasty, and therefore part of the Ming territory. The court did not establish prefectures or counties in the Song Kingdom before because the actual situation did not allow it. However, after more than three years of development, the Song Kingdom has taken shape and has tens of thousands of immigrants. From the perspective of the Ming Dynasty's mainland, even without prefectures, establishing states and counties is absolutely feasible.

Furthermore, the fact that Prince Zhu Mincheng of Song took the initiative to petition the court was naturally a good thing. In Kong Zhenyun's view, Prince Song's move was excellent, and such an action was the work of a wise prince. The court should not only grant the request but also commend Prince Song.

“Brother Kong, this matter is not so easy.” Fan Fucui shook his head: “If it were in the mainland, even in the vicinity of the Ming Dynasty, setting up a prefecture would not be difficult. But Brother Kong, the Song Kingdom is thousands of miles away! Setting up a prefecture in such a wild and uncivilized place, let alone whether the court has the need for it, even if it were done, who would be willing to go?”

"The imperial court has assigned the task; why ask anyone?" Kong Zhenyun said matter-of-factly, twitching his mustache.

“Brother Kong, Brother Kong! The court may assign you such a task, but when it actually falls on your own shoulders, who would be willing to do it? At that time, I'm afraid there will be many who will resign due to illness or try to find ways to scheme and curry favor. After ten years of hard study, you finally passed the imperial examination and obtained this official position, but now you have to go to risk your life thousands of miles away. Perhaps you will never know whether you will live or die, and you will never have the chance to return to your homeland.”

“Once this is done, countless officials across the land will be filled with anxiety. Even if one or two are willing to go, what use will they be? Brother Kong probably knows better than I how many officials a prefecture needs and how many government offices it requires. As such, this is really not easy to do, let alone to promote.”

"This..." Kong Zhenyun was stunned and speechless for a moment. He, Kong Zhenyun, was not an otherworldly person. Although he was a member of the Kong family, he had also studied and passed the imperial examinations and had served as a local official. He was naturally aware of some things about officialdom.

After careful consideration, he admitted that Fan Fucui was right. On the surface, the matter seemed easy to resolve, but in reality, it was fraught with difficulties, especially given the unpredictable consequences. The problem was that the Prince of Song had already sent the memorial to the capital, and the Emperor had read it. Now the memorial was being forwarded to the Grand Secretariat for their opinion, and the Grand Secretariat needed to provide a response.

Thinking of this, Kong Zhenyun was at a loss for what to do. He looked at the other Grand Secretaries, as if he wanted to ask for their opinions. But when he saw them, Kong Zhenyun almost cursed. Grand Secretary Hong Chengchou had his eyes closed, and it was unclear whether he was asleep or dozing off. He seemed not to have heard his conversation with Fan Fucui at all.

Second Grand Secretary Wang Jinwu was originally a meritorious military general. Although he held a high position in the cabinet, he generally did not actively express his opinions on ordinary political affairs, except for military matters.

Next up is Qian Qianyi, who ranks third. This old fellow held the teacup in his hand and gently turned it around, his eyes fixed on the teacup as if he were studying the patterns and characters on it, with an air of detachment.

Yang Sichang was no better than Qian Qianyi, his eyes fixed on the table as if a flower had been carved into the ordinary tabletop.

"A bunch of old foxes!" Kong Zhen was so angry he wanted to curse. They were supposed to be discussing things together, but they all stood aside and didn't say a word. Instead, he and Fan Fucui were talking back and forth like clowns. It turned out that Fan Fucui had already seen through the problem and was deliberately keeping quiet to avoid trouble.

Since you all think this way, why should I be the one to stick my neck out? If word gets out that it's because I insisted on setting up a prefecture in the New World and sending officials there, wouldn't I become the one sticking my neck out once this matter is settled?
I have been diligent and cautious in my official duties all my life, and I finally made it into the cabinet. Moreover, judging from my term, I won't be a cabinet member for long; when my time is up, I will resign and retire to my hometown. Why invite this trouble now? If that happens, my lifelong reputation will be ruined. Why bother? Why suffer such a fate?
Thinking of this, Kong Zhenyun gave Fan Fucui a look, and the two of them tacitly fell silent. They sat there, eyes downcast, like clay statues of bodhisattvas.

And just like that, the office fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After an unknown amount of time, Hong Chengchou, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them, his gaze sweeping over everyone before him, and asked, "Has anyone made a decision on this matter?"

With the Grand Secretary asking the question, no one could ignore it any longer. Seeing that Wang Jinwu remained silent, Qian Qianyi knew Wang Jinwu's special status meant he wouldn't express his opinion on such matters, and according to the ranking, he had to answer first. "I believe this matter deserves further consideration. Logically, according to the rules of our Great Ming, establishing prefectures in the New World is only natural, and the Prince of Song has also come here to petition the court. However, I also believe that the New World is far too far from our homeland, and this matter should be handled with caution. Even if the court establishes prefectures, it will be difficult to directly govern them. Furthermore, it is a wild and undeveloped land, making it inconvenient to send officials and administer it. Therefore, this matter remains uncertain."

"That old fox!" Hong Chengchou cursed inwardly. He'd been told everything, good and bad, but not the outcome. Qian Qianyi's attitude was clear: he didn't want to take on this potentially offensive matter. Left with no other option, Hong Chengchou turned his attention to Yang Sichang, asking for his opinion.

Yang Sichang was also cursing Qian Qianyi in his heart. In fact, his thoughts were the same as Qian Qianyi's. This was not a good thing but a troublesome matter. Whether they did it or not, they would not get any benefit. The best way to deal with it was to push the matter away and not get involved.

But Qian Qianyi had already said those words, so Yang Sichang couldn't just parrot them and express the same opinion, could he? Besides, Yang Sichang and Qian Qianyi had always had a bad relationship and had fought each other a lot. These two rivals had been at odds for many years. Yang Sichang would absolutely not be willing to express the same opinion as Qian Qianyi.

Yang Sichang pondered this in his heart, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "This is no small matter, especially since it involves matters concerning foreign vassals. I'm afraid the cabinet cannot make a decision on this."

“Oh, Ziwei means…?” Hong Chengchou asked, raising an eyebrow.

Yang Sichang said, “I think it would be more appropriate to involve other ministries in the discussion of such an important matter. Whether they agree with or reject the Prince of Song’s request, at least the Ministry of Personnel, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Zongli Yamen will have a say. In addition, the Ministry of Rites should also consider the issue of etiquette and try to be as cautious as possible. What do you think, Grand Secretary?”

As he spoke, Yang Sichang glanced at Qian Qianyi. Qian Qianyi cursed inwardly, "What does this have to do with the Ministry of Rites? You, Yang Sichang, are forcibly dragging the Ministry of Rites into this matter. You're clearly trying to poison my mind!" But the problem was that Yang Sichang not only mentioned the Ministry of Rites, but also the Ministry of Personnel, the Imperial Clan Court, and the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry).

Once prefectures are established in the New World and officials are to be appointed, that falls to the Ministry of Personnel—without a doubt. As for matters concerning the enfeoffment of imperial relatives, the Imperial Clan Court naturally bears the responsibility. As for the Zongli Yamen (Foreign Ministry), many affairs concerning the outer vassal states are now handled by the Zongli Yamen, so their stance is also important. From the Ministry of Rites' perspective, this means determining whether the matter is in accordance with propriety. That despicable Yang Sichang actually devised such a vicious scheme, putting himself in such a predicament—it's truly outrageous!
"Lord Yang is right, but I think the Ministry of Revenue should also get involved. Once prefectures are established, taxes and expenditures will be related to the Ministry of Revenue. So since it's a discussion among various ministries, the Ministry of Revenue naturally cannot be absent." Qian Qianyi quickly came up with a reason. Since Yang Sichang wanted to drag him into this mess, he wasn't going to take it lying down. He would drag the Ministry of Revenue into it too. Then everyone would be in the same boat, and no one could escape.

The two were locked in a fierce battle of wits; if one wanted to drag the other down, the other would drag the other down too, and neither could escape. Hong Chengchou understood their ulterior motives, and while cursing them inwardly, he could only ask Wang Jinwu for his opinion.

"Second Minister, what is your opinion on this matter?"

"Grand Secretary, you've asked the wrong person. I can say a thing or two about military matters, but this matter involves the establishment of prefectures and also concerns the imperial clan and their vassal states. I'm afraid it's inconvenient for me to express my opinion." Wang Jinwu wasn't stupid. Although he understood the Emperor and the Prince of Song's plans, there were some things he couldn't say, and he certainly wouldn't make a clear statement in the cabinet. The best way now was to stay away and avoid getting involved in this trouble, letting the other cabinet members decide on this matter.

“As the second-in-command, although this matter does not involve military affairs, it is still a matter of national importance. Moreover, it is a cabinet meeting, so you must say something about it. Otherwise, it will be difficult to answer His Majesty if he asks about it later. What do you think?” How could Hong Chengchou let Wang Jinwu get away with it? More importantly, although he was the first-in-command, Wang Jinwu was far more important to the emperor than him. Wang Jinwu was the emperor’s cousin, a rising star, and a very important figure in the army, commanding the new army. No matter what, he had to force him to express his opinion. As long as Wang Jinwu spoke, Hong Chengchou would have room to maneuver.

Faced with Hong Chengchou's persistent questioning, Wang Jinwu was also helpless. Knowing that he had to say something today, he thought carefully and then said, "I have understood what the Grand Secretaries said earlier. I am not familiar with political affairs and do not usually deal with them, but in my opinion, the ideas of the Grand Secretaries all make some sense. Moreover, Lord Qian and Lord Yang have both suggested that the various departments consult with each other, and after consideration, I feel that this approach is more prudent."

"However, in my opinion, it might be a bit one-sided to only consult with the various ministries. Since this matter concerns important matters of the outer vassal states and was entrusted by His Majesty, as the saying goes, 'two heads are better than one.' Since the various ministries are consulting, why not report to His Majesty and have a court discussion? In this way, we can also hear the suggestions of the court officials. What does the Grand Secretary think?"

(End of this chapter)