Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 445 Everyone Wants to Become the Leader (asking for monthly votes)

The location and name of the imperial mausoleum were determined, and a deadline for the completion of the Xuan Palace was set, which was tantamount to telling the world that this matter no longer needed to be discussed.

Huai En said, "There are also people from all over the country who come to Beijing to pay their respects and congratulate the emperor's enthronement ceremony. The Huitong Hall will make proper arrangements for them, and Zhang Luan, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites, will be fully responsible for managing them... The position vacated by Ni Yue will be temporarily replaced by Zhang Luan, after all, he is also the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Rites. As for the candidates for the cabinet, they should also be discussed early and jointly recommended by the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, and the decision will be made at the next court meeting."

As for Zhang Luan's position as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the emperor did not seem to want to create any further trouble, and directly handed the official position to Zhang Luan by imperial appointment.

This matter does not seem to be reasonable. After all, the new emperor's political proposition is that state affairs should be discussed in the court and the results should be reached in the court, and the emperor should not make arbitrary decisions on his own.

But entrusting Zhang Luan with the task was reasonable.

Originally, Zhang Luan was already the president of the Hanlin Academy, and was also appointed by the late Emperor Zhu Jianshen as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Previously, it was an honorary title used to improve one's status. Now that Ni Yue had committed a crime and resigned, it seemed much more reasonable to promote Zhang Luan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was only in a temporary position, to the position of a full-time official.

After all, Huai En also said that right now there are too many people coming to Beijing to congratulate, including envoys from foreign countries and vassal states, and they all need someone to accommodate and receive them. If a Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites is temporarily promoted at this time, how much trouble would that be?
On the other hand, it would be different if Zhang Luan was used directly.

Zhang Luan not only has rich experience as an official, but he is also the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Moreover, he will soon become the father-in-law of the emperor, and it can even be said that he is already the de facto father-in-law of the emperor. Isn't it normal for him to receive envoys from princes and vassal states from all over the country?

……

……

There are no political issues next.

It mainly involved etiquette, Zhu Jianshen's funeral, and matters such as changing uniforms in the court. The emperor did not make too many arrangements, but only roughly set a deadline and asked people from various yamen to go back and discuss, and then present the results in the court, and then make a decision after the court meeting.

The biggest beneficiary of today's court meeting can be said to be Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan was born a tribute student, and he rose to the high position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in a very short period of time, and it seems that there is potential for further advancement.

After the court meeting ended, Wan'an and Liu Ji unconsciously moved closer to Zhang Luan. While congratulating him, they expressed that they would firmly stand on Zhang Luan's side and support Zhang Luan's entry into the cabinet.

The other ministers looked at all this with envy, expectation, or contempt.

The political legacy left over from the Chenghua Dynasty is that the reputations of the top officials in the court were generally not very good. To put it bluntly, during the Chenghua Dynasty, as long as you were promoted to a high position, you would basically ruin your reputation... In other words, you cannot climb to a high position by relying solely on your ability without some skills and means of scheming.

This has also led to the fact that most of the dignitaries who can currently participate in court meetings are despised by others. In the eyes of the upright people in the court, every one of them must be dragged out and beaten to death to make way for them and make room for them.

Originally, during this court meeting, the Minister of Personnel Li Yu wanted to submit a petition to resign, but the emperor rejected his request on the grounds that he was busy with court affairs.

Then Li Yu became the most unpopular person present... Everyone else is determined to stay in their current position, but you are the only one who wants to resign. How can you appear noble and others appear shameless?
"Laizhan, what did I say?"

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Congratulations, congratulations... Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, your position is a real one, much more glorious than mine... From now on, you will basically meet the people coming to pay their respects to the emperor from all over the country, even foreign envoys. Others will admire your talent and see your ability to plan and strategize."

Zhang Luan looked embarrassed when he heard the compliment.

That embarrassing expression seemed to be saying, are you describing me like that?
There's no need to be so obvious when you're flattering someone, right?

nausea!

Li Zisheng wanted to chat with Zhang Luan for a few more words, but Wan'an happened to wave at the palace gate, so he walked over.

At this time, Xu Qiong, the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, came over, looked around, and whispered to Zhang Luan, "Laizhan, many people are concerned about your joining the cabinet. Let me ask you... did you really mean it when you submitted your resignation to His Majesty and intended to reject the cabinet candidate?"

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "It is indeed sincere. I have no intention of joining the cabinet."

Xu Qiong looked at Li Zisheng who was talking to Wan An at the palace gate, turned around and asked quietly: "You are not going to join the cabinet, so do you plan to continue working in the Ministry of Rites?"

Zhang Luan sighed, "With my background, being able to become a minister of the Ministry of Rites is already a rare achievement. I dare not hope to go further. Anyway, it's already pretty good if I can get by in this position for a few years, so that I can brag about it in front of others when I'm old."

Xu Qiong frowned when he heard this.

I wonder what kind of mentality you have?
Do you become an official just to brag about it in front of others when you are old?
"Who are you going to support?"

Xu Qiong asked in a tentative tone, "I heard it was Xu Pu?"

"Yes."

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "However, I don't have much friendship with this person, and I don't even have the opportunity to meet him. But I heard that he is both virtuous and talented, and he is the best choice to join the cabinet."

Xu Qiong shook his head and said, "This person is not good."

Zhang Luan looked at Xu Qiong curiously.

Meaning, who I support is none of your business. Do you want to support the same person as me? Or do you have a better candidate?
"Laizhan, think about it carefully when you go back and see if there is a more suitable candidate."

Xu Qiong said mysteriously, "You know, the vote in your hand is extremely crucial... Even if you don't join the cabinet, as long as you lean towards someone, it will be of great help to that person. At this critical juncture, even the Empress Dowager will ask about it, so you have to seize the opportunity... Don't miss the opportunity!"

"Seize the opportunity?"

Zhang Luan was very confused for a moment and didn't understand Xu Qiong's intention at all.

……

……

After leaving the palace, Zhang Luan was exhausted.

Normally, he should have reported to the Ministry of Rites first, familiarized himself with the people there, and taken over Ni Yue's job.

But because he didn't sleep well last night, and he had no experience of working in the government office before, this time he chose to go home without hesitation and get some sleep.

Because he was afraid of a conflict with his wife and not being able to rest, he did not return to his old house, but went directly to his new home near Chang'an Zuomen.

Last night was nearly a night of debauchery. Although he had to wait until nightfall to make up for the unfinished regrets, but in his own home, it was natural to have a drink, listen to some music, and then go to rest. However, when he returned to the house with great expectations, he found Zhang Yanling sitting in the main room writing something.

"Why are you here?"

Zhang Luan looked at his son curiously.

Zhang Yanling asked back: "Can't I come?" Zhang Yanling sighed: "A few days ago, I asked you to wait for news here. It's okay for you to come often, but now..."

"Dad, Mom asked me yesterday if I knew you were fooling around outside. How do you want me to answer? Should I tell her that there is actually such a yard under her nose, and let her, the mistress, come and take it over and see how our family's financial situation is now?"

Zhang Yanling asked with a smile.

Zhang Luan shouted, "How dare you!"

Zhang Yanling shrugged, as if to say, let me see if I dare or not.

Zhang Luan instantly became timid and pleaded, "Son, although you are young, you should understand some things. I am not betraying your mother by doing this. On the contrary, it is because I respect her."

"what?"

Zhang Yanling seemed very surprised.

Zhang Luan said, "If I really did something wrong, I could just take him home. Why would I leave him here?"

"I've heard that a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover," said Zhang Yanling.

"How do you know everything?"

Zhang Luan said, "Okay, okay, you can come whenever you want in the future. After all, you are the young master here, I will let them all curry favor with you, is that okay now?

"My son, I've been really busy lately. Look at me, I'm so overworked that I can hardly open my eyes... Can you see if my eyes are red?"

"It's a little red."

Zhang Yanling nodded.

"I haven't slept well these days." Zhang Luan began to complain.

Zhang Yanling asked curiously, "You didn't sleep well. Are you sure it's because you were overworked? And not because you were partying every night and having fun?"

"you……"

Zhang Luan felt a little embarrassed.

At this moment, he also discovered that his previous method of pretending to be ignorant or acting like a grandson did not work at all on his son. After all, in his eyes, his son was a monster who could calculate things.

Under this premise, my aura is inherently weak, as if everything I do can be seen through, so I simply stop pretending.

"Since you are here, I will tell you that my father has been officially promoted to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and His Majesty has asked me to work in the Ministry of Rites." Zhang Luan said, "Before I left the palace, your uncle Xu Qiong told me not to support Xu Pu's entry into the cabinet, saying that he was not a good person... He also told me to seize the opportunity... I don't know what he meant."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Is it because he was very pleased to learn that you didn't want to join the cabinet that he said this immediately?"

"how do you know?"

Zhang Luan blurted out, and then added, "If there is anything else I don't know, just tell me."

Zhang Yanling said, "Do you need to ask this? Just think about it and you will know... Our uncle wants to join the cabinet, or to replace you in the cabinet and be your boss... After Wan'an and Liu Ji retire, he wants to be the prime minister!"

"what?"

Zhang Luan was surprised.

Zhang Yanling frowned and asked, "Why...is this so hard to guess?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "Impossible. Your uncle has been an official in Nanjing for so many years. How can a marginalized figure think that he is qualified to join the cabinet? And he wants to be the chief minister of the cabinet? There are so many people in the Hanlin Academy, when will it be his turn?"

"Dad, are you confused? What official position does Uncle Xu hold in Nanjing?" Zhang Yanling asked.

"He... the president of the Nanjing Hanlin Academy? Hey, good fellow... it seems he is the same official as me, but I am in charge of the Hanlin Academy in the north."

Zhang Luan suddenly realized and said with a smile, "So, he is also a man from the imperial court, so it seems normal for him to want to join the cabinet... Oh my goodness, there are so many twists and turns, so this is the case... Then, do you think I should support him to join the cabinet?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head: "No, we can't support him to join the cabinet!"

"what!?"

Zhang Luan asked in surprise, "Why not? If I don't join the cabinet, why not find someone who is a Jinshi and highly respected, and who can consult with me when I encounter problems in the future?"

Zhang Yanling said: "Even if Uncle Xu wants to join the cabinet, he has to wait in line behind certain people... As for the current situation, with the crown prince ascending the throne, do you think you can handle anything?"

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Luan asked blankly.

"Let me put it this way. The prince wants to replace everyone in the court with people he thinks can be entrusted with important tasks, that is, his confidants. But do you think it's possible?"

Zhang Yanling said, "Let's talk about Wan'an and Liu Ji. As the leaders of the civil officials, although they support the prince, they have served as cabinet ministers for many years, and the network of relationships woven behind them is intricate and complex. It can be said that a single move can affect the entire body.

"The various factions in the court are intertwined and entangled. You have to carefully dismantle them bit by bit. Once you make a big move, it will be easy to cut off the roots that absorb nutrients and water, causing the whole tree to die. The court is this towering tree."

Zhang Luan asked, "You mean to say that letting Xu Qiong join the cabinet would be like swinging the knife too hard, destroying one's own Great Wall, which is really unacceptable?"

"Correct."

Zhang Yanling said, "The reason why I asked you to support Xu Pu is because Xu Pu is not only supported by the Imperial Academy system in the court, but also a candidate that Wan'an and Liu Ji can accept. He can be said to have the best of both worlds.

"On the other hand, my uncle Xu Qiong has lived in Nanjing for a long time and has been away from the central government for too long. He has no foundation in the court. He wanted to join the cabinet right away, skipping over so many people and so many forces. This step is too big, and the court will inevitably be in chaos...

"If we really want to support him to take the throne, it would be better for you to take the throne yourself. At least as the father-in-law of the emperor, you have served in many government offices. Those so-called treacherous party members and sycophants will come to you and seek your protection. They can form their own party, and it will be more logical for you to take the throne."

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(End of this chapter)