Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 655 Own People

Forbidden City, inside the Qingning Palace.

Zhang Luan and Zhu Youtang sat on each side and were questioned by Empress Dowager Zhou.

Queen Mother Zhou could indeed be said to be taking advantage of her seniority to the point that she could even suppress her own son, let alone her timid grandson whom she had watched grow up.

"Laizhan, you too, my grandson told you to join the cabinet earlier, but you insisted that you had to wait until the Northwest Border incident was over... Didn't Li Zisheng and Zhu Yong go to the Northwest to deliver cloth and food? What does that have to do with the war? If you don't have military merits, you can't join the cabinet?"

Empress Dowager Zhou seemed to hope that Zhang Luan could join the cabinet as soon as possible.

In this way, she will have someone who can have a say in the decision-making level of the government.

No matter how powerful Zhang Luan is now, he is only an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Although he seems to have gained the emperor's trust and become a powerful official, he is unable to influence major decisions in the court.

When Zhang Luan heard what his "aunt" said, he became a little anxious for a moment.

I thought to myself, even if the Empress Dowager wants to cause trouble, don't do it in front of our Majesty. If you give him a difficult problem and he thinks I intentionally asked you to speak for me, wouldn't the Emperor think I'm ungrateful?
Zhang Luan hurriedly said, "Grand Empress Dowager, this proposal was proposed by me myself... Based on my own personality, I don't have many extravagant expectations for entering the cabinet. If I force myself to enter the cabinet now, it will be difficult to convince the public.

"So I told Your Majesty that only after I have some military merits can I be qualified to join the cabinet. Then we can discuss whether to join the cabinet or not."

"Yes, Grandmother."

In front of the two old foxes, a male and a female, Zhu Youtang was as docile as a little lamb.

A fully-powered Queen Mother Zhou was clearly not something that a newbie like Zhu Youtang could handle.

On the contrary, Zhang Luan was usually slick and seemed to be able to deal with Queen Mother Zhou with ease.

Queen Mother Zhou frowned and asked, "Why? Even if you have made military achievements by chance, you still mention whether you are qualified to join the cabinet?
"Laizhan, you are a family member, who would think you are unqualified? You have made so many contributions to the royal family, and even the late emperor praised you highly. You should have enough qualifications, right?

"You were already a minister during the Chenghua reign, and now you are assisting the new emperor to ascend the throne, and the reign has been changed to Hongzhi, but you are still only a minister. Don't you feel that you are at a disadvantage?"

Zhang Luan said quickly: "Aunt, what's the loss? I am just a poor scholar, and now I have a high position without taking the imperial examination. It is already controversial.

"Do you really want your nephew to be used as a target for criticism every day in the court? There is still a long way to go. Do we have to rush?"

Seeing that it was not working to reason with him as a subject, Zhang Luan changed his tone and used his status as a relative to argue.

When Empress Dowager Zhou heard Zhang Luan's words, her expression indeed brightened up a lot.

It was obvious that her "eldest nephew" was asking her to "let him go" in a pleading tone.

This also seemed to tell her not to think that climbing up all the time is a good thing. In addition to bearing the pressure of court affairs, people in high positions also have to endure controversy.

You are not helping me by forcing me to take the position, but putting me on the fire.

Zhu Youtang, who was standing by, couldn't help but look at his father-in-law with admiration.

It seems to be saying, father-in-law, you usually seem careless, but why are you so adept at dealing with me, the powerful imperial grandmother?
Queen Mother Zhou hesitated for a moment, then asked with concern: "Then Lai Zhan, how confident do you think you are in achieving military merit in this battle in the northwest?"

"This one……"

Zhang Luan immediately turned his gaze to his son-in-law, meaning, I can't answer this question, it's your turn to show your ability.

Zhu Youtang immediately took over the conversation tactfully, and said with a smile: "Grandmother, from what I think, as long as Li Zisheng and others can complete the task of transporting military supplies to the northwest, they will be considered to have military merits. Then, as the recommender, my father-in-law's entry into the cabinet may be guaranteed." Zhang Luan quickly corrected: "Your Majesty, it's just a chance, don't say anything guaranteed, I don't deserve it."

"Look at you, even the emperor said you are qualified to join the cabinet, but you insisted on creating trouble. You are so resistant even to fighting for yourself?" Empress Dowager Zhou glared at Zhang Luan, as if warning him, I'm helping you, so you better shut up.

Zhang Luan shrugged and said helplessly, "I am not a member of the imperial examination system. Over the past year, I have encountered many disputes. I am also very tired."

"Look at what you are talking about... When our dynasty was founded, who ascended to high office through the official path of the imperial examination? Li Shanchang, right? Liu Bowen, right? Hu Weiyong, right? They all assisted Taizu in building the foundation of our ancestors!"

After Empress Dowager Zhou refuted, she emphasized: "It's tiring, but you have to do the work and do it well. The late emperor used you because of your relationship with my grandson. You wholeheartedly help my grandson stabilize the government."

Zhang Luan was almost dumbfounded. "Aunt," why don't you use any other analogy? Why don't you use Hu Weiyong and Li Shanchang as examples? Don't you know that they all had miserable endings?

Zhu Youtang quickly spoke for his father-in-law: "Grandmother, my father-in-law has indeed helped me a lot. For example, the court is currently implementing the new salt policy, which has helped the treasury raise a large amount of funds in a very short period of time, solving the court's urgent needs. I am very grateful."

"Look, even so, your father-in-law is still modest and says he is not qualified. In my opinion, if you want to help, you must help with confidence. If you are just an assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, no matter how much you do, will anyone recognize you? If you were a cabinet minister or the prime minister, even if you were not a Jinshi, would others dare to say anything bad about you?"

Empress Dowager Zhou seemed to understand the ways of the Ming Dynasty very well, and said with a straight face, "In all dynasties, it doesn't matter whether you are a scholar or not, as long as you are a prime minister, you will be able to intimidate the scoundrels below.

"I still say the same thing. Who says that a prime minister must be a candidate for the imperial examination? Xiao He, Chen Ping, and even Zhuge Liang, who all passed the imperial examination? Aren't there many prime ministers throughout history who have never taken the imperial examination?"

Zhang Luan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Aunt, the examples you cited were all from the ancient times when there was no imperial examination. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, as long as it was a unified dynasty in the Central Plains, the prime ministers basically took the imperial examination and were promoted all the way up. This was especially true in the Ming Dynasty. The government cannot be disrupted. At least since the Renxuan period, the prime ministers of the Ming Dynasty could only be those who came from the imperial examination."

Empress Dowager Zhou narrowed her eyes and asked, "Haven't you ever participated in the imperial examination? I wonder where you got your title as a scholar?"

"I……"

Zhang Luan felt that he was somewhat overwhelmed.

This old woman, is she angry today? You have to fight for me, right? You put so much pressure on my son-in-law, it's hard for me to do it.

Queen Mother Zhou said, "Let's put it this way, grandson. Regardless of whether Li Zisheng and his men have made military achievements, you must help your father-in-law get the position of cabinet minister. Even if he has no military achievements, you must force him to get the position.

"I know that as an emperor, you want to win people over with virtue, but it depends on the situation. In many cases, you need your own people to take care of the court. Look at your father. No matter how controversial he was at the time, he still appointed the people he wanted to use. Who dared to object?"

Zhang Luan couldn't help but feel a little flustered when he heard this.

I shouted in my heart, Aunt, you are making trouble out of nothing.

Our Majesty is truly a wise and virtuous monarch praised by everyone, but you actually taught him to appoint people based on personal connections? Aren't you subverting people's perceptions?
Even if you are his grandmother and his elder, you can't do this, right?

Zhu Youtang seemed to be encouraged, nodding his head repeatedly and agreeing: "Grandson has remembered what the Royal Grandmother said. Grandson will try to win military merit for father-in-law. This time, he will join the cabinet, and grandson will emphasize to those around him that they are not allowed to disobey."

"That's good."

Queen Mother Zhou smiled and said, "I hope nothing goes wrong... No matter what time, we must have our own people in the court, do you understand?"

"Grandson, remember this!"

Zhu Youtang replied respectfully.

(End of this chapter)