Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 653: Trusting someone else

After Shen Lu met Zhang Luan, he went to Xu Qiong's house to pay a visit.

Although Zhang Luan claimed to the outside world that he would not form a party, in fact, the party formed around him was gradually taking shape. The most critical figure among them was Xu Qiong, who was related to Zhang Luan by marriage and was transferred to the capital through Zhang Luan and Li Zisheng to serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

"Come to see the sick? When did it happen?"

Xu Qiong found it a little unbelievable when she heard what Shen Lu said.

I saw someone on the first day of the new year who jumped around like a grasshopper. How could he get sick just by saying he was sick?

You are sick, so be it, but for those of us who depend on you, this is not a good thing and will have a great impact on our political prospects.

Shen Lu said, "It happened a few days ago at the beginning of the year. He seemed to have caught a cold. When I saw him, he looked very bad and coughed from time to time. But I don't think he's in any serious condition. Lai Zhan was once the head of the Imperial Hospital. With his outstanding medical skills, it shouldn't be difficult for him to take care of himself, right?"

At this point, Shen Lu couldn't help but think of Zhang Luan who was drinking tea at home leisurely. He wondered whether he should talk about his mental state. If Lai Zhan pretended to be sick, wouldn't I be deliberately exposing him?
Well, this is not a good idea!
Xu Qiong said: "Although it is the rest period now, the officials of various ministries have been discussing the candidates for the cabinet in private meetings. Many people are ready to recommend Lai Zhan to join the cabinet, but he fell ill at this time, which has a significant impact."

Shen Lu nodded and said, "I have also asked him about this matter. He said that the emperor once said in front of him that he would wait until the situation in the northwest was resolved before deciding whether he would join the cabinet. If Li Yintai and others can win a victory in resisting foreign humiliation in the northwest, perhaps his path to joining the cabinet will be very smooth."

"Something happened in the northwest..."

When Xu Qiong heard this premise, she suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Why don't you make some other agreement with the emperor? Why do you have to say that Li Zisheng and his men can win the battle in the northwest?
You, Zhang Laizhan, are good at playing power games. Liang Fang, Qin Chang, Wan An and others are no match for you and have all fallen. I admit this, but do you have to establish military merit in a field that you are not good at?

The problem is that you didn't go there in person, but instead assigned Li Zisheng who doesn't seem to be that good at military affairs... This is a bit ridiculous.

Shen Lu asked, "Minister Xu, do you think there will be deviations in this matter?"

"Do you think it's safe?"

Xu Qiong asked back, "How many people want to get involved in Northwest military affairs but can't. Lai Zhan is only a scholar after all, so his horizons are limited. He studied in the Imperial Academy for less than a year, and suddenly he was involved in Northwest affairs... Do you think it's easy?"

"Well... everything still depends on the performance of Li Yintai and his men, right? Speaking of which, there are many officers and generals in the northwest who got their positions because of Li Yintai's recommendation. Li Yintai has been very kind to them. If we let Li Yintai go, we can still mobilize a lot of manpower and resources, right?"

Shen Lu seemed to be comforting himself, but he clearly lacked confidence when he said this.

Xu Qiong said: "Even if it is true as you said, there are many people who support Li Shangshu, allowing him to call the shots in Xuanda and Sanbian areas. But the problem is that he has Qin Chang holding him hostage. Do you think Qin Chang, who was banished from the capital because of offending Lai Zhan, will fully cooperate?

"The current situation in the court is unpredictable, and the most crucial thing is the opinion of the eunuch Huai En. In my opinion, this matter is more likely to be disastrous than good."

Shen Lu asked quickly: "Then...if something unexpected happens in the northwest, should we wait until we can enter the cabinet?"

Obviously Shen Lu also very much hoped that Zhang Luan could join the cabinet.

In this way, Shen Lu will have a cabinet minister as an ally, and he will be a qualified middleman in the court in the future. After all, it is not convenient for Zhang Luan to deal with many things directly.

Shen Lu could completely use his good relationship with Zhang Luan to build connections in the court. Even if he himself could not hold a high position, he could still become a powerful figure respected by everyone in the court.

Xu Qiong asked: "Didn't he make any preparations?"

"Ok?"

Shen Lu was stunned at first, then he understood what Xu Qiong meant.

You, Zhang Luan, don't seem to care much about whether you can enter the cabinet or not. You have shirked your responsibilities several times and even used your unreliable military achievements in the northwest to seek a way out for yourself. Have you ever thought about how much impact your failure to enter the cabinet will have on your reputation and status?
To be prepared for both situations means that if you cannot join the cabinet yourself, you should recommend your allies to join the cabinet. And among the people you are familiar with, who is more qualified to join the cabinet than me, Xu?

After all, I am a bachelor of the Southern Hanlin Academy.

Shen Lu said: "I haven't asked him about this yet, but seeing how calm he is, he seems to be very confident about it. Maybe he has some tricks up his sleeve for the northwest border issue that he hasn't used yet?"

"is it?"

Xu Qiong felt a little worried after hearing this.

Who am I allying with?
Why is it that the more I look at that guy, the less trustworthy he seems to me? But why do I have to use him to back myself up, and even rely on him to be my big backer?
What a trust!

Xu Qiong calmed down and asked, "Any news about the Duke of Baoguo Zhu Yong? I have met with him before. The Duke of Baoguo is the most knowledgeable military officer among the ministers, and he is capable of guaranteeing the bottom line of this mission."

If we can't count on Zhang Luan and Li Zisheng, then we can hope for Zhu Yong, the Duke of Baoguo, who has rich experience in leading troops and has made great military achievements with Wang Yue and others. Let him fight a victory, and the credit should also be credited to Zhang Luan.

"This one……"

Shen Lu said helplessly, "There is no way to know."

Xu Qiong frowned and said, "After the Duke of Baoguo led his troops west, he never reported his movements? You are in Yintai, and you don't know anything about this?"

Shen Lu explained with a bitter face: "I am a lowly person with little influence. In the government office, I am not responsible for major matters, and I am not in charge of minor matters. How much confidential military information can I know?
"But I think Lai Zhan is certain about this. Why don't we wait a little longer? From what I've seen, Lai Zhan has been able to do everything as if he had divine help over the past year or so. If he can do it this time as well..."

Perhaps because he felt that he had boasted too much, even the usually thick-skinned Shen Lu was too embarrassed to say anything more. After being squinted at by Xu Qiong, Shen Lu sighed helplessly, and even the words of hope could only rot in his stomach.

……

……

Zhang Luan packed up and prepared to enter the palace.

He himself was not very willing to wear a brand new official uniform, but it looked very ill-fitting. Facing his youngest son who had just walked into the room, he sighed, "My son, look at your father. I am so tired that my official uniform has become too big and inappropriate."

Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "Do I have to wear this to enter the palace? Didn't my brother-in-law say before that I should be casual when entering the palace, just like going back to my own home?"

Zhang Luan scolded, "Your brother-in-law is being polite to us, but you are being unreasonable? We are the ministers and they are the monarchs. The monarch and ministers should always follow the etiquette. Before I entered the palace, I specially called you back. Can you guess what His Majesty might say to me?"

"Where can we guess this?"

Zhang Yanling acted as if he had nothing to do with the matter.

Zhang Luan looked somewhat unhappy, and took the initiative to say: "Then when I enter the palace, I will pretend to be sick and keep coughing, saying that I am seriously ill. Then if you have any more schemes and tricks that you want me to execute, I will do it for you!"

"Dad, are you threatening me?"

After listening to this, Zhang Yanling also responded with a tough attitude.

"What? Do you really think your father is going to visit relatives when he goes to the palace? I have to meet your brother-in-law and the Empress Dowager. Is it easy for me?"

Zhang Luan turned and said with a sad face.

Zhang Yanling said, "Since Dad is going to enter the palace, there is something I can mention to my brother-in-law. It is about the former Weining Earl Wang Yue."

"Why is it Wang Yue again?"

Zhang Luan asked, "Why, you want me to nominate this person to return to the court? Do you think Li Zisheng and Qin Chang might fail in the northwest, so you want me to find a backup to clean up the mess?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head and said, "I'm not asking you to recommend him to return to the court, but to help him get rid of his crime so that he can return home as soon as possible and live out his days in peace."

"This……"

Zhang Luan was embarrassed, "I am not familiar with Wang Yue and have no dealings with him. If I suddenly bring up this matter to your brother-in-law, wouldn't people think that Wang Yue secretly bribed me to speak for him?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, are you concerned about what others say and want to establish a good reputation for yourself? You even know how to take precautions against things that haven't happened yet?"

Zhang Luan thought for a moment and asked, "Did Wang Yue make a request?"

"I think he has submitted a memorial in his self-defense."

Zhang Yanling said, "I don't know the specific situation, but up to now, my brother-in-law has not issued an edict to pardon his crime. I suspect someone is interfering."

In Zhang Yanling's view, historically, Wang Yue had been pardoned by this time and had returned to his hometown in Henan to retire.

Of course, Wang Yue continued to submit memorials to defend himself. In the seventh year of Hongzhi, the emperor granted him the title of Left Censor-in-Chief and allowed him to retire. In the ninth year of Hongzhi, he was officially reinstated.

After all, in Wang Yue's own opinion, being dismissed from office and stripped of his title was an incredible thing.

He made so many contributions to the Ming Dynasty, but just because he was close to the powerful eunuch Wang Zhi, he was implicated and even his past glorious military exploits were ignored?
The imperial court is simply killing the donkey after it has served its purpose.

Therefore, after Wang Yue was convicted, he almost always made memorials to defend himself, especially after the new emperor ascended the throne. He wanted to let the emperor know that he was capable and that he was still ambitious.

In history, Zhu Youtang also admired Wang Yue very much. He wanted to use Wang Yue several times, but was blocked by court officials. It was not until Batu Mongke rose to power and the situation in the northwest plummeted that court officials were forced to re-examine Wang Yue's talents.

But in the end, because of his relationship with the fallen eunuch Li Guang, Wang Yue was frightened to death after Li Guang fell from power and committed suicide.

"Is it really that important? Is Wang Yue so important? There is actually someone trying to get in the way? Who could it be? How do you know that Wang Yue will definitely petition to defend himself?"

Zhang Luan had already put on his official uniform by now, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. He simply sat down and asked.

Zhang Yanling said: "Dad, if you want to gain the respect and help of a famous minister or even a famous general, you have to speak for him and make him feel that you are his savior. And with your good relationship with His Majesty and your status in the court, if Wang Yue really has the opportunity to come back in the future, he will worship you like a god.

"Do you know what his abilities are?"

"He is very capable, but he is not from a military family. Why does he respect and fawn on his father so much?"

Zhang Luan shook his head and said, "He was once a minister and also held a noble title. After returning to the court, his status and position... are beyond the reach of my father."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "If he really comes back to the court one day in the future, you will know how he treats you... You have to prepare for this day. When he comes back, you will try to establish a relationship with him. Will he still pay attention to you? What you are doing now is to help him when he is in trouble, don't you understand?"

(End of this chapter)