Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 778 The Promises We Make Will Always Come True
Xuzhou.

On the Yellow River embankment, Li Zisheng stared blankly at the surging, turbid river below, while Pang Qing, who had accompanied him, and a group of his entourage stood beside him.

"Master Dao, the flood season is just around the corner. People along the river are preparing to repair the waterways. If we follow the usual pattern, there will still be dangers in various places. If there is a major breach, we may not have to wait until next year or the year after; a major disaster affecting the entire Yellow and Huai River region may occur this year..."

Pang Qing provided explanations from the side.

Li Zisheng said, "You mean that if the Yellow River breaches its banks this year, we can rely on fate to change its course without me having to exert any human effort?"

“That’s not how it works,” Pang Qing said. “I was just thinking that many sections of the Yellow River are elevated rivers, and if the dikes were to breach, there would be no shortage of casualties.”

"Do I need you to remind me?"

Li Zisheng wanted to walk towards the side of the dike closer to the riverbank.

Pang Qing quickly stopped him: "The dikes here are not very sturdy and are very dangerous. We have to be careful with every step we take... Speaking of which, this place was reinforced last year, but it still can't be completely safe. The situation will get worse as we go downstream. The best thing to do right now is to quickly build a new river channel to take over the out-of-control water."

Li Zisheng said, "Even if a new river channel is built, who can guarantee that there will be no problems at all? Once the floodwaters have passed, if there is a breach in any part of the dike, then all our efforts will be in vain."

"But Master Dao, the funds allocated by the imperial court for river management this year have been delayed."

Pang Qing looked troubled and said, "I have already communicated with local officials, and they told me that in previous years, the imperial court usually entrusted the task of reinforcing the river embankments to local government offices. The treasuries of many prefectures along the Yellow River have long been empty, and they are all waiting for the imperial court to release the funds that have been owed for the past few years."

Li Zisheng frowned and asked, "Does that mean they not only can't give me money, but they're also waiting for me to make up for it?"

Pang Qing nodded, meaning, "You understand perfectly."

You were hoping the local government would help you with some of the funding for river management, but it seems that was wishful thinking.

You either have to pay for it yourself, or wait for your brother Zhang to allocate funds and supplies for you. It seems there's no third option right now.

Will there be a major disaster this year?

Li Zisheng looked up at the sky.

Pang Qing smiled bitterly, "Daoist, even if there is a disaster, you can't see it from here. This Peach Blossom Flood isn't caused by rain from heaven; the danger all comes from upstream. The downstream area is just following the disaster prevention measures... But the upstream area isn't allocating any personnel or funds!"

"Everyone is minding their own business. If things are stable upstream, who cares about what will happen downstream? Just reinforce the dikes in your own prefecture or county, and leave the rest to fate!"

Li Zisheng sighed, "The people upstream might actually be hoping for a breach in the downstream dikes, so the court could allocate more money and grain. Unfortunately, I can't have any such wishful thinking, because... even the slightest mistake could render all my efforts futile."

Pang Qing said, “You’re right. What I fear most is that while you’re managing the river, a breach might suddenly occur! Even if it’s a natural disaster, the people in the court will attribute it to human error, and they will definitely say that you have angered Heaven and the River God, and you will bear all the blame.”

……

……

Li Zisheng is short of money.

Zhang Luan in the north had to run around for this, and even went to his youngest son several times to ask Zhang Yanling for help in raising and allocating money and grain to help Li Zi Province get enough money and grain to cope with the Yellow River flood season that year.

Originally, Zhang Luan didn't have to go to the government office for a single day, but in order to raise funds for the Northwest Army and the Yellow River management, he had to go out and run around frequently. In many cases, he didn't even know who he should meet, and many of the social engagements he participated in were in vain.

Even so, he still enjoyed it immensely.

When the emperor went out of the city to perform the Jitian ceremony, Zhang Luan, as a cabinet minister and vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, did not go with him. After the emperor returned to the palace, many people began to have opinions about him, and criticism arose everywhere.

Some people said that Zhang Luan was now cured of his illness, but he had not attended the court assembly or even reported to the government office, which led them to believe that he was neglecting his duties.

Censors even submitted a memorial impeaching him for holding a position without performing his duties.

The emperor was very tolerant of his father-in-law, especially when Zhang Yu was pregnant, he ignored the memorials impeaching his father-in-law.

However, Zhang Luan's associates, especially Xu Qiong and others, faced increasing pressure. They had hoped that Zhang Luan's prestige in the court would help them gain some political advantages, but Zhang Luan not only failed to take charge of affairs, but also constantly caused trouble for his subordinates, severely damaging his reputation and even preventing him from expanding the size of his faction.

Therefore, Shen Lu, on behalf of Xu Qiong, personally went to pay a visit to Zhang Luan.

Unexpectedly, it took three or four visits to the Zhang residence before I finally met Zhang Luan in person. I only managed to see him at the new Shouning Marquis's residence during a break when Zhang Luan was attending a banquet.

"Ru Xue, what do you think of this house? My family and I are planning to move here in a couple of days."

Zhang Luan said smugly, "I was planning to give that house to the eldest son, since he's reached marriageable age now. It would save me some trouble if I didn't see him in the future."

Shen Lu said, "I heard that He Ling was dismissed from his position as a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "Yes. I brought it up with His Majesty myself. After all, that kid has no real skills. He didn't make any contributions after joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he's always being impeached. I really can't bear the shame."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lu felt ashamed.

While others were scrambling to get their sons or nephews promoted, Zhang Luan took the initiative to ask to give up his son's position as a commander of a thousand households.
If the son is a bit dim-witted, the father isn't much better!

Shen Lu asked, "Then, Lai Zhan, what's going on with you? I've heard that there have been a significant increase in impeachments against you in the court recently. Officials from the Six Ministries, and even those outside the Ministry of Revenue, are very prejudiced against you."

"Really?" Zhang Luan asked in surprise. "What's wrong with me? Do you think I failed to achieve anything and disappointed them?"

Shen Lu seemed puzzled and asked, "Your condition should be much better now, right? Why are you still so... uninterested in official matters?"

"Even if you don't intend to take charge of state affairs in the cabinet, you should at least manage your duties in the Ministry of Revenue properly, right? There are so many things to do after the New Year, and I've never heard of you going to the Ministry of Revenue."

Zhang Luan said dismissively, "I am just the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. I am not the one in charge of the Ministry. It doesn't matter if I am here or not. Besides, I am helping the court raise military funds and collect funds for river works."

Shen Lu asked tentatively, "So, even though you're not physically in the government office, you're actually doing just as much work and haven't neglected your duties. It's just that others don't understand, is that right?"

"This one……"

Zhang Luan thought about it carefully.

Shen Lu seems quite "thoughtful." Even though he doesn't have much ambition or feel any sense of accomplishment about what he's done, Shen Lu still summarizes his situation and describes him as a capable minister.

But he himself was indeed embarrassed to admit what Shen Lu said, because he was still a person who cared about his reputation.

Shen Lu sighed, "Speaking of which, at this time of year, Minister Li has gone to Southern Zhili, and I heard he's currently stuck in Xuzhou, extremely busy. Lord Xu, preoccupied with the Ministry of Personnel, also has little time to meet with officials from various regions who come to the capital. And you... sigh! Sometimes I can't help but think, if Yanling had entered the court earlier, would he have been of greater help to you?" "Yanling?"

Zhang Luan empathized, saying, "I think what you said makes a lot of sense. I also hope he can enter the court soon. But at his age, and without any official rank, what kind of position can we give him?"

Shen Lu was somewhat annoyed by his son's lack of ambition and said irritably, "You really intend to dump everything on Yanling, while you yourself..."

The implication is that I was just testing you, and you actually showed your true colors, thinking that you can be at ease by leaving everything to your son, right?
Some people say you are wise in disguise, but I think you're just a blockhead.

Others fight tooth and nail for power, but you never participate in matters of fame and fortune. You're not just pretending; you're a real coward.

Zhang Luan stood up and said, "It doesn't matter. No matter what they say, I have a clear conscience."

"..."

Shen Lu looked at his brother-in-law, who stood there looking very confident, and said with a dark face, "But rumors will ruin you."

Zhang Luan said, "I am merely a relative of the emperor, so at worst I can take a nominal post in the governor's office. If I leave the court, I can simply wash my hands of all the money and grain matters in the Ministry of Revenue!"

"you……"

Shen Luxin thought to himself, "Are you that confident?"
The Ming Dynasty can't do without you, can it?

Zhang Luan said, “Others become officials to get promoted and make money, but I am the only one who racks my brains every day just to raise money for the court. To put it bluntly, I am paid to serve! In a year, the money my family has spent, plus the favors we've done, is worth over a million taels of silver.”

"There aren't that many, are there?"

Shen Lu was also surprised.

Are you, Zhang Luan, really that capable of earning millions of taels of silver a year to send to the imperial court? Or are you including the money you make from selling salt permits to the court?

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, "It's fine if others don't understand me, but even you, Ru Xue, don't understand me? Fine! Since others are impeaching me, I should do the same as others and submit a memorial to resign from my post every now and then! Don't let people say that I'm shameless and clinging to power! I also thank you, Ru Xue, for coming to remind me."

"I……"

Shen Lu thought to himself, "I'm only here to urge you on, not to remind you to leave the court."

Once you leave, my role as a middleman becomes meaningless. I don't even have the connections to continue my career in the government, so why should I be respected?
I'm just a mere scholar who passed the imperial examination.

Zhang Luan seemed quite resolute, saying, "Ru Xue, please go back. I will give you all an explanation soon."

……

……

Zhang Luan's so-called explanation was actually a memorial to resign.

The tradition of civil officials in the Ming Dynasty was that when impeached, they would submit a memorial to the emperor, saying that they had done nothing or were too old and weak to do anything. This was also a way to test the emperor's attitude. If the emperor really thought they were incompetent, he would issue an edict to let them go back to their old age.

Zhang Luan seemed to realize that he was not happy being an official.

Now that he has been appointed as a cabinet minister and has also become the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, positions he never dared to dream of before, he can say that he has no regrets in life.

Leaving the imperial court, and not having to worry about money and provisions, living a carefree life as the Marquis of Shouning... this life is simply paradise on earth.

When he submitted this memorial, there was no surprise in the court. Because Xu Pu and others secretly fueled the flames, the matter, which was originally meant to be kept secret from the court officials, became a big fuss.

His memorial requesting resignation hit the nail on the head regarding what the court officials disliked. They said he had no ability to serve as an official and yet he tried to resign like them.

Are you trying to use a strategic retreat to advance?

The best way is to sow discord, make the emperor dislike you, and get rid of you as soon as possible so that you can really go back to being a powerful relative of the emperor. That way, we won't have to worry about you, you old codger, doing things that harm the court.

After learning of this matter, Zhu Youcheng did not review or reply to it, nor did he allow the court officials to discuss Zhang Luan's resignation memorial in court.

It can be said that anyone could allow Zhang Luan to leave the court, but he, as the son-in-law, would not allow his father-in-law to leave, because Zhu Youcheng really needed his father-in-law to come out and support him.

Therefore, Zhu Youcheng directly sent Qin Chang to visit Zhang Luan, trying to comfort him and allow him to focus on serving the court without being disturbed by outside noise.

Zhang Mansion.

Qin Chang earnestly advised, "Mr. Zhang, the criticisms against you in court stem from their ignorance of your behind-the-scenes actions! His Majesty understands this, and those who know you have witnessed it and are indignant on your behalf. The Ming Dynasty cannot do without you, and His Majesty needs you even more now!"

Zhang Luan frowned and said, "Eunuch Qin, are you speaking from the heart? I remember you were the one who most wanted me to retire as soon as possible. Now...aren't I caught in the middle?"

Qin Chang smiled wryly and said, "At that time, I didn't know much about Mr. Zhang. I was instigated by others and did some things that offended him. I hope you won't take offense."

"hehe."

Zhang Luan gave a slight, bitter smile, as if to say, "You, Qin Chang, are quite unprincipled. Why did you treat me like a treacherous villain back then? And now you consider me a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty?"
Qin Chang said, "Take what you're doing right now. In the Hanlin Academy, you're assisting in compiling the Veritable Records of the late emperor; in the Ministry of Revenue, you're raising funds for the army; and you're busy with the river works. If you were to retire, do you think the one in the south could still hold things up? Think of the people along the Yellow River; who isn't eagerly awaiting your return?"

Zhang Luan asked in confusion, "I'm editing books? I haven't even been to the Hanlin Academy."

“That’s what your son said.”

Qin Chang asked curiously, "He said that you will be releasing a draft of the original transcript soon, and that you have been writing in seclusion recently. Is that true?"

Zhang Luan thought to himself, "Damn it! What a ridiculous joke my son told to cover up my lie! No wonder Qin Chang thinks I've been wronged."

So it turns out my son was creating a fabricated image for me behind my back?

"Yes Yes."

Zhang Luan immediately thought that since his son said so, he should fully cooperate. "I've been quite busy lately, racking my brains over the book repair. But isn't it convenient for me to repair books now that I'm retired?"

Although he said that, he was thinking to himself, "I hope that kid can actually bring that cow back to me, besides helping me brag."

Otherwise, I would truly become a laughing stock of the Ming Dynasty. I had only offered to retire out of spite, but in the end, like Wan An and Liu Ji, I would have left the court in disgrace and would never have the face to appear in the Governor's Office again.

(End of this chapter)