Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 616: Awakening before Parting
The Minister of Justice Du Mingrong retired.

At the court meeting that day, his resignation memorial was formally approved.

The emperor had originally tried to persuade Du Ming to stay verbally, but seeing his repeated insistence he finally gave in and expressed his appreciation on the spot for his past achievements in adjudicating cases.

In order to express his reluctance to part with an old minister who was about to retire, the emperor specially summoned Du Ming to the Qianqing Palace for a chat after the court meeting, and kept him in the palace for lunch at noon, and did not go home until the afternoon.

Then two days later, Du Ming left the capital and set off back to his hometown in Jintang, Sichuan.

When he left, it was such a grand occasion. Many officials in the court spontaneously organized to see him off, and even a large number of scholars went to see him off, as if they regarded Du Ming as a leader in the literary world and the court, showing the deep reluctance of the gentry in the capital to let Du Ming go.

Du Ming was really unexpected.

A few days ago, he was arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guards and taken to the Northern Pacification Office for questioning. How come this old treacherous minister, who almost lost his reputation in his later years, became a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty in the blink of an eye?

The genuine feelings on everyone's face... of course, they only looked genuine. Even Du Ming himself couldn't agree with the outrageous behavior of this group of people.

Many colleagues came to see him off, including the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice He Qiaoxin and the Right Vice Minister Cheng Zong.

Du Ming looked down on Cheng Zong and sent him aside after a brief greeting. He then called He Qiaoxin to his side and said with emotion, "I never thought that I, Du, could retire and return home smoothly. From now on, the affairs of the court and the prison will be handed over to you."

He Qiaoxin had a self-deprecating look on his face and shook his head, saying, "You shouldn't say that to me. I'm over sixty years old and I'm no longer strong enough. Maybe I should find a less busy government office to work for, or just go with you."

Du Ming was very angry after hearing this and rebuked: "With a treacherous person like Liu Ji in power, the court will definitely be in chaos in the future. How can you retreat so easily? You, He Tingxiu, don't have to care whether Liu Ji appreciates you or not. The future of the court will definitely not be shouldered by such a sinister villain."

Obviously Du Ming was very clear that He Qiaoxin, whom he favored the most, would most likely be the next Minister of Justice, but he would probably not be liked by Liu Ji.

In the past, Du Ming had to flatter Liu Ji and even follow Liu Ji's orders.

But now he has successfully retired and no longer has to act according to Liu Ji's mood, so his criticism of Liu Ji seems straightforward.

He Qiaoxin smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Du, you have already retired, so don't think about those things, it's not worth it!"

"How can I not think about it?"

Du Ming said helplessly, "I used to think that we should follow the way of civil officials, not act independently, and abide by our duties."

He Qiaoxin looked over with a puzzled look, as if asking, don't you think you should not do your duty now?
Have you just retired and are planning to let yourself go mentally?

"Tingxiu, there is actually something I have always wanted to tell you." Du Ming said.

"please say."

He Qiaoxin was very curious. You are about to leave, do you still want to tell me some secret?
Du Ming shook his head and sighed, "Before Wan'an retired, when the new emperor had just ascended the throne, he had tried to transfer you to Nanjing to serve, but someone later stopped him from doing so."

He Qiaoxin smiled bitterly and said, "Whether staying in the capital or being transferred to Nanjing, it is the same to serve the court. Tingxiu dare not complain."

"How can it be the same?" Du Ming shook his head. "If you want to achieve something, you should stay in the capital. Do you know who indirectly helped you back then?"

"who?"

He Qiaoxin was also very curious, his face full of anticipation.

"It's the father-in-law Zhang Luan." Du Ming said.

"he?"

He Qiaoxin looked confused and obviously didn't understand.

I was going to be transferred to Nanjing by Wan An and his team, but it was Zhang Guozhang who helped me? What ability did he have to help me?
Du Ming sighed, "When His Majesty asked about the appointment of people, Wei Tai, who was the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, and Wan An, the Prime Minister, both wanted you to be the Shangshu of a certain department in Nanjing. In fact, they didn't want you to stay in the court. Wan An also came to me at that time, apparently asking for my opinion, but in fact he just wanted to inform me.

“This transfer order had originally been approved by the Ministry of Personnel, but at the time someone thought that I, Du, would soon retire from the court, and that the position of Minister of the Ministry of Justice should be left to someone with relevant qualifications. That’s why you were forcibly kept in the capital, preventing Wan’an’s conspiracy from succeeding.

"Later, Wan'an was expelled from the court, and even Wei Tai was put on idleness, and no one mentioned this matter again."

He Qiaoxin asked: "What does this have to do with the father-in-law Zhang Luan?"

Du Ming said: "Your Majesty summoned Zhang Guozhang alone to inquire about the appointment of officials in the court, especially the six ministers to the vice ministers, who is qualified and who is not. When your name was mentioned, Zhang Guozhang praised you very much, and then Your Majesty asked Eunuch Huai En to suppress your transfer order."

"This……"

He Qiaoxin frowned when he heard this.

I thought to myself, how do you know so much detail?

Du Ming sighed, "Wan An told me this in person... At that time, Wan An wanted to curry favor with Zhang Guozhang, so he didn't insist on this matter. If it were someone else's opinion, even if it was reported to the higher-ups, Wan An probably wouldn't let it go and would definitely find a way to transfer you away!"

He Qiaoxin asked in surprise, "In other words, it is because that Zhang Guozhang spoke for me at that time that I have the honor of being here today... to see you off?"

"Ugh!"

Du Ming said with emotion, "I know that people like us actually look down on ministers who are relatives of the emperor. I used to be like them, looking down on those ministers who were promoted by luck, and even did many wrong things. But... I was able to retire smoothly this time, all thanks to the help of Zhang Guozhang. Sometimes I feel embarrassed when I think about it."

"This……"

He Qiaoxin seemed speechless.

Your retirement may sound like an honorable retirement, but it may also be that the emperor has driven you away. As for the actions taken by the emperor, they may just be to appease you and show that he is a benevolent monarch.

How can you still be grateful to Zhang Luan who excluded you from the court?
Du Ming said with a look of dismay: "In order to leave the court smoothly, I was driven and manipulated by Liu Ji to target Zhang Luan, which almost caused a disaster. I almost went to prison." "Minister Du, how can you mention this matter in front of me?"

He Qiaoxin quickly stopped Du Ming from speaking any further.

If you didn't say it, everyone would think you were just going to the Jinyiwei for a formality. Now that you said it, didn't I know that you were almost sent to prison?

With such a grand occasion in front of you, why would you want to expose your own shortcomings?

Du Ming said helplessly: "I was helpless and could only go to beg Li Zisheng to lobby for me. Li Zisheng then went to find Zhang Guozhang, who interceded for me in front of His Majesty, and His Majesty agreed to my request to retire."

He Qiaoxin asked in confusion: "How do you know this?"

"Your Majesty's words, how could they be false?"

Du Ming said.

"what?"

This really scared He Qiaoxin.

The emperor told you personally that Zhang Luan would help you retire?

"Two days ago, I was summoned by His Majesty to the inner court and enjoyed a sumptuous imperial meal. During the meal, His Majesty confessed to me that the Jinyiwei had already discovered my crime, but Zhang Guozhang did not take it too seriously. He said with a smile that I was also bewitched and let it go lightly. This really made an old man like me feel ashamed."

Du Ming seemed to regret his decision and shook his head, saying, "After I leave, the Ministry of Justice will be handed over to you. You must stand up for yourself and the laws of the Ming Dynasty must not be disrupted."

He Qiaoxin said: "Mr. Du, the position of Minister of the Ministry of Justice will never be mine... Although I am the Left Vice Minister, according to the rules, no matter if it is the Vice Ministers of the six ministries, or the Minister and Vice Minister of Nanjing, or the old ministers who retired and had a good reputation, they may all be reinstated as the Minister, except me..."

He Qiaoxin almost said that you had Wan'an and Liu Ji as your backers before.

And me?

Who will support me to the top?

Du Ming sighed, "Nowadays, officials who were once lecturers in the Eastern Palace have gradually entered the court and have become the backbone of the court. As for you... your biggest support is actually that Zhang Guozhang."

"Are you joking?"

He Qiaoxin seemed helpless.

Du Shangshu, is this considered a U-turn on the spot?

He originally stood on the opposite side of Zhang Luan and was incompatible with him.

Now you turn around and tell me that you relied on Zhang Luan to get ashore successfully, and you want me to go to Zhang Guozhang to seek promotion?
"The people in the court are currently divided into different factions, with varying strengths. Only Zhang Guozhang's side is alone, especially in the prison area."

Du Ming expressed his own opinion, "I am not asking you to form a clique with him, nor am I asking you to obey him, but you should not go against him casually, and look at the disputes between him and other major forces with a fair attitude."

"what do you mean……"

He Qiaoxin seemed very confused.

You just told me to rely on him to get to the top.

Now he just tells me not to go against him, can this guarantee that I can successfully get the position of Minister of Justice?
There are many people who do not oppose him, and I am not his follower. Why should he help me get to the position?

Du Ming said: "There are some things that I cannot explain too clearly... Just like this time, I was clearly standing on the opposite side of him and fighting against him, but he can be said to be repaying evil with kindness. For a person like this, no matter how much prejudice I had against him before, I have to re-examine him now!"

He Qiaoxin nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Du. Regardless of whether Zhang Guozhang is respected by his colleagues, at least we are from the Ministry of Justice and we all know what is right. If he can do something for the Ming Dynasty, why should I go against him?"

"well."

Du Ming seemed to be relieved after hearing this, and nodded with satisfaction, "I was worried that you couldn't let go of your pride and escape the prejudices in your heart."

He Qiaoxin quickly said, "Mr. Du, you gave me this advice before you left. How could I not be tactful?"

Du Ming said: "Yes, the civil officials seem to be in harmony with each other, but in fact, each government office has its own network. They say that they don't form cliques for personal gain, but don't they have a scale in their hearts to judge whether each person is good or bad, and who is more capable?
"Anyway, I have recommended you to His Majesty, but I know that the appointment of the next Minister of Justice must wait until the court deliberates and recommends him. And you must be the most likely candidate."

"Mr. Du, please go back home with peace of mind. Who knows what will happen in the future?"

He Qiaoxin seemed very calm.

You are a person who has just been granted permission to return to your hometown. You have finally been freed, but you still have the mind to think about who will be your successor?

To put it bluntly, you could hardly protect yourself before, and now that you have retired safely, you should behave yourself and stop having any evil thoughts.

Du Ming said: "Now that the well-known and virtuous prince is in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, the government should be clean and honest, so you don't have to worry about the capable ministers being abandoned... Your Majesty is wise and all the ministers he appoints are virtuous. A treacherous minister like Liu Ji will not stay in the court for long."

He Qiaoxin couldn't help but feel emotional after hearing this.

How much do you hate Liu Ji?

In the beginning, you always followed Liu Ji's lead, so why are you ready to ruin everything right after dinner?

(End of this chapter)