Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 651: Boneless, useless

When Huai'en and Tan Ji came out of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youtang also returned to the Kunning Palace to have lunch with his wife.

Qin Ji was full of thoughts, and at this point he could no longer hold back and asked, "Eunuch Huai, why don't you talk about that?"

"which one?"

Huai En asked as if pretending to be confused.

Qin Ji seemed very depressed and shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty is very concerned about the border generals appointed by the late emperor and has taken the initiative to inquire about them. Then Eunuch Huai should bring up the memorial of Wang Yue, who was stripped of his title and exiled to Anlu by the late emperor, requesting pardon. This man's ability is highly respected by the world and may be able to help Your Majesty..."

"Are you talking about Wang Weining?"

Huai En kept walking and turned his head to ask.

Tan Ji said: "Who else could it be if not him? During the time of the previous emperor, he was the chief of the famous officials who governed the border."

Huai En sighed, "Hou Fang, you still don't understand... Wang Weining is not suitable!"

"Ah? I wonder why this is happening?"

Qin Ji asked doubtfully, "Doesn't Eunuch Huai think that he was demoted because he was associated with the criminal Wang Zhi and others and did something wrong, which made him no longer qualified to serve the court?

"But looking at the famous officials who governed the border in modern times, apart from Yu Shaobao, who else can be praised by the people of the world like Wang Yue?"

Huai En squinted at Qin Ji and said, "Do you think that Wang Weining, with his character, can be respected by the people in the court? How many enemies has he made in the court? Moreover, given the current situation in the northwest, it is definitely not the case that Wang Weining needs to be used.

"Besides, Wang Weining is, after all, a criminal designated by the late emperor. If Your Majesty directly pardons his crimes and even respects him after ascending the throne, what would that mean?"

"This……"

Qin Ji thought carefully about Huai En's words and felt that there seemed to be some truth in them.

Huai En continued, "Since Wang Weining was exiled to Anlu, he has submitted memorials to defend himself every year. It is a good thing that the late emperor did not accuse him.

"He repeatedly said that he had made contributions to the Ming Dynasty, but no matter how great his contributions were, were they as great as those of Yu Shaobao in the past? Moreover, he was not at peace in Anlu at all, and often relied on his past contributions to bully local officials. He did not seem to be demoted, but rather like a meritorious official who was granted a fiefdom by the court. The local government had long been resentful of this."

Qin Ji said: "No matter what, we cannot deny his ability..."

Huai En sneered and said, "There are so many famous officials in the court who are good at managing borders. Take the current Minister of War Yu for example. He has been in the northwest for many years. Doesn't he have less experience in resisting foreign humiliation than Wang Weining?
"Then there is Ma Wensheng, the chief censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, who is also capable of stabilizing the border. You insist on pushing Wang Weining out at this time, which is really making trouble out of nothing and is not advisable!"

"That……"

Qin Ji felt that he could not compare with Huai En's usual strong aura, and now he could not even win the debate, but he still insisted on his point of view, "Even if Wang Weining is not used, he can be allowed to return to his hometown to live out his years as he requested, and be released from his criminal status. Wouldn't this also reflect your majesty's magnanimity?"

Huai En sneered and said, "Since the court doesn't use him, why should it pardon his crimes? I say Hou Fang, don't be too honest.

"Even if you see Wang Weining's defense letter in the future, you should pretend that you didn't see it. When you stay in the Imperial Household Department for a long time and see him making excuses for himself again and again, you will know that this person is definitely not a good person."

……

……

After Qin Ji's attempt to persuade Huai En failed, he seemed very depressed.

But there was nothing he could do.

After all, the Imperial Household Department is headed by Huai En, and since Huai En is unwilling to intercede for Wang Yue, he cannot overstep his authority, because he knows that his words do not carry enough weight, and it is best for him to keep his mouth shut on issues concerning "principles".

That afternoon, Li Rong sealed Wang Yue's memorial.

The general meaning is that this kind of memorial has no practical significance and does not need to be shown to the emperor. It only needs to be reviewed by the emperor and then put aside.

The duty of the Imperial Household Department was to identify the importance of memorials to the emperor and submit the important ones to the emperor for review, while the emperor could deal with the rest at his discretion.

After all, the emperor's energy is limited, and it is impossible for him to handle all the government affairs in the world. Otherwise, it would be too much to ask. This is the fundamental reason why cabinet ministers gradually gained the power to draft documents during the Xuande period and the Silijian also had the power to approve documents accordingly during the same period.

Tan Ji asked, "Is this Wang Yue's memorial in self-defense?" "Yes."

Li Rong saw Qin Ji coming over curiously and asked in confusion, "Eunuch Qin, is there a problem?"

Qin Ji said with a distressed look: "I am wondering whether it is necessary to bring this memorial to your majesty for review. After all, Wang Weining is also a famous minister. It doesn't feel good to keep serving as a criminal."

Li Rong smiled and said, "Eunuch Tan, it was Eunuch Huai who ordered that any ministers who defend themselves, especially officials convicted by the previous emperor, will not be reported unless there are special circumstances."

"Why?"

Tan Ji asked.

"Isn't this obvious? Even if it is Your Majesty, you cannot easily change the decision of the late emperor. The same applies to guilty ministers. This is a concrete manifestation of filial piety, and there is almost no room for negotiation."

Li Rong replied.

Qin Ji couldn't help but frown when he heard this.

Li Rong looked around and made sure that no one was around, then he lowered his voice and asked, "Eunuch Tan, what kind of relationship do you have with this former Earl Weining?

"Or do you sympathize with Eunuch Wang, who once commanded the Western Factory?"

"That's absolutely not the case."

Qin Ji was shocked and quickly defended himself, "It's just that your majesty has expectations for border affairs, and hopes that someone can take the initiative to stand up at this time to share your worries and preside over the military and political affairs of the northwest.

"I've been wondering why a famous official like Wang Yue, who is both civil and military, should be left idle forever? Or, give him a chance to atone for his sins, at least let him return to his hometown to live out his days, and lay the groundwork for using him in the future when something unexpected happens."

Li Rong smiled and asked, "Eunuch Tan, you really don't know why Eunuch Huai doesn't like this person?"

Tan Ji asked hesitantly, "Is it because of Wang Zhi's matter?"

Li Rong shook his head and said, "It's all because this former famous border official has a bad reputation."

"what?"

Qin Ji looked a little confused, as if he didn't understand.

Li Rong asked with a smile: "Don't you know how much Wang Yue Wang Shichang likes to curry favor with the rich and powerful? In the army, he is a man of his word and strict in military management. No one disobeys him. But in front of the rich and powerful, he is a well-known spineless person, and it can even be said that he has no principles at all."

"This……"

Qin Ji frowned and asked, "You heard it from hearsay, right?"

Li Rong said unhappily, "You just haven't worked in the Imperial Household Department for a long time, so you don't know these old officials from the Chenghua period... Take Wang Yue for example. Whenever he saw Eunuch Wang Zhi, he would kowtow to him. He would never dare to say anything against Eunuch Wang's will. He even gave Eunuch Wang a lot of money and goods, and even sent boys from his clan to serve Eunuch Wang as servants. He has no principles at all."

Qin Ji felt a little embarrassed and defended himself, "This is not considered a personal moral flaw, right? The court was in this mood at the time. If he wanted to achieve something, he could only go with the flow.

"Besides, even if this is true, this action can be regarded as a gift to the person who promoted him and respected him. It will not affect his service to the court and his achievements."

Li Rong smiled and said, "May I ask, Eunuch Tan, who is the most powerful noble in the court right now?"

The words were not very clear, but the look in his eyes was full of meaning.

Sure enough, this simple sentence woke Qin Ji up.

Tan Ji was shocked and asked, "You mean Zhang..."

He didn't make it too clear because some things were obvious.

Li Rong smiled and said, "You already know everything, so why do you have to bring it up again? Eunuch Huai is already seriously ill, and I don't want to leave trouble for the future, and I don't want to see the foreign relatives dominate. At this time, you have to bring up the matter of Wang Shichang, which will make it difficult for Eunuch Huai to feel at ease."

(End of this chapter)