Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 779 Irreplaceable
Qianqing Palace.

After the morning court session, two cabinet ministers, Xu Pu and Liu Jian, were summoned by the Hongzhi Emperor. They were led to the emperor by the Grand Eunuch Qin Chang, who personally led them to meet the emperor.

After bowing and paying their respects, the two cabinet ministers were led to the chairs in front of the imperial desk.

Zhu Youcheng was engrossed in reviewing memorials at his desk, not even looking up, and softly instructed, "Gentlemen, please sit down, have some tea, and catch your breath before we continue."

"Here."

Xu Pu and Liu Jian were both extremely cautious.

This was a rare private audience with the young emperor.

Perhaps it was a matter for the emperor and his ministers to discuss important state affairs, or perhaps it was something that was inconvenient to discuss openly in court, involving secrets, and they did not want too many people to get involved.

At times like these, they naturally wouldn't offer advice lightly.

It would be best to stand by as advisors, to see what the emperor had to say to them, and to offer their opinions as evidence for the emperor's decisions.

After the two men sat down, Zhu Youcheng finished reviewing the memorial in his hand, then put down his brush, glanced at the two gentlemen, and then took out the resignation memorial that Zhang Luan had submitted earlier, and handed it to Qin Chang to pass on to the two men.

After the two passed it around, Xu Pu's expression clearly turned sour.

For them, Zhang Luan was both a colleague and a competitor. If Zhang Luan were to retire, it would help maintain the reputation of ministers from the Imperial Academy, thereby blocking the path for non-traditional Hanlin officials to enter the cabinet.

However, they also understood that Zhang Luan was entrusted by the emperor to enter the cabinet, which was a kind of supervision over the orthodox civil officials and a useful supplement to the handling of state affairs. Therefore, they could not openly raise objections in front of the emperor.

“Since last year, my father-in-law has been injured and ill one after another. Since the beginning of this year, his health has deteriorated even more. He is often unable to attend court and even finds it difficult to personally handle the affairs of the Ministry of Revenue.”

Zhu Youcheng gave the opening remarks, which served as a characterization of the matter.

Xu Pu bowed his head and said, "Yes."

Zhu Youcheng said helplessly, "The reason my father-in-law resigned is because many officials in the court believe that he has failed to fulfill his duties as a subject. I sent someone to persuade him and told him that since he entered the court, he has done a lot of things very well and has been of great help to me. I will not be prejudiced against him because he does not attend court or go to the government office."

Upon hearing this, Xu Pu and Liu Jian began to ponder the matter.

What exactly is the Emperor's purpose in summoning us here?
Is he saying this in an attempt to use our prestige to speak up for Zhang Laizhan in the court, so that the censors and officials would stop submitting memorials attacking him and he could stay in the court as an official with peace of mind?
He continued to live his leisurely life of working only three days a week and resting only two.

"but."

Zhu Youcheng then changed the subject, saying, "My father-in-law has actually reflected on the impeachment by the court officials, and believes that he is not currently competent for his current duties."

Upon hearing this, Xu Pu and Liu Jian's thoughts changed again.

He secretly wondered, could it be that Zhang Laizhan was really going to retire?
This is a great thing!

Zhu Youcheng said, "After discussing with my father-in-law, we made some compromises... My idea is to find someone to temporarily replace my father-in-law in the Ministry of Revenue, and he can return to court to govern after he recovers from his illness... so that nothing will be delayed."

Xu Pu asked curiously, "Does Your Majesty mean to let Vice Minister Zhang temporarily retire under the pretext of recuperating from illness? The problem is, if someone else is replaced, then... how should he be placed in that position in the future?"

We can all understand Emperor Xu Pu's intentions. He favors his father-in-law, wanting to enhance his father-in-law's reputation so that he can temporarily escape the open and covert attacks from the court, but also not wanting him to leave the court completely.

It's like when he joined the cabinet, he was just a figurehead, but he never interfered in our cabinet affairs... This can be considered a tacit understanding between the emperor and his ministers, to save face for each other and have a way out.

But the problem is that what you're doing now is clearly against the rules.

What do you think of the person who replaced Zhang Luan as Vice Minister?
Liu Jian said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, it might be appropriate to allow Vice Minister Zhang to continue recuperating at home. His position does not need to be temporarily filled by someone else. I believe that the current officials of the Ministry of Revenue can complete their duties on their own."

His meaning is that Your Majesty should not appoint a temporary regent. If you feel that you cannot do without your father-in-law, then we can tolerate him and let him continue to serve as a nominal Grand Secretary and Vice Minister of Revenue! At worst, we can help you persuade the officials in the court to stop them from causing trouble and maintain harmony between the emperor and his ministers.

Zhu Youcheng said helplessly, "Perhaps people in the court do not understand what my father-in-law has done this past year. He did say that recently he has to recuperate while also completing his duties, and he is truly exhausted."

Xu Pu and Liu Jian were both wondering what Zhang Laizhan did besides loafing around all day. What important task did he have to accomplish?
Are there really such self-aggrandizing and shameless people in the world?
Zhu Youcheng continued, "I am aware that no one can temporarily replace my father-in-law in his duties. If he doesn't do them, it would only backfire if we asked someone in the Ministry of Revenue to do them..."

Xu Pu, however, had a different opinion: "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. I believe that Minister of Revenue Li Min will be able to shoulder this important responsibility."

"Minister Li still has his own things to do."

Zhu Youcheng shook his head and said, "My idea is to find a competent person from among the officials currently in the capital who are either retired or on temporary assignment, and have him temporarily replace my father-in-law in his position, holding the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to complete the unfinished business of my father-in-law."

Xu Pu asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what should be done with Zhang Guozhang after he recovers from his illness?"

Zhu Youcheng sighed, "At that time, we can let him return to the Ministry of Revenue as Vice Minister, or simply arrange another post for him. As for the person who will replace him now, he can be transferred to the Northwest to temporarily supervise military pay and other matters, which will not affect his continued service to the court."

Now Xu Pu and Liu Jian probably understood what the emperor meant.

The emperor felt that his father-in-law was too important and irreplaceable, and that if Zhang Luan were not around, the Ministry of Revenue might be in great turmoil.

This idea is utterly absurd!
Xu Pu and Liu Jian both believed that Zhang Luan was, as the censors had impeached, a mere figurehead who did nothing of substance and was a typical example of a corrupt official who was just collecting his salary and waiting to die. He relied on his status as the emperor's father-in-law to swindle and deceive people in the court, even deceiving the emperor into believing that this father-in-law was indispensable. This led to mutual comfort and deception between the father-in-law and son-in-law, and they treated the court officials like fools.

Xu Pu said, "I believe this is not in accordance with regulations, or... should not be adopted."

Clearly, no matter how much Xu Pu resented Zhang Luan's inaction, he still had to give face to the emperor. The reason why these two cabinet ministers were able to quickly replace Wan An and Liu Ji after Zhu Youcheng ascended the throne was entirely due to their status as lecturers in the Eastern Palace and their good relationship with the emperor. Their own seniority and reputation in the court were not enough to intimidate everyone.

Xu Pu and Liu Jian had long served in the Hanlin Academy and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and had few connections. They desperately needed the emperor's favor to maintain their authority. To clash with the emperor's father-in-law, who was also highly trusted by the emperor, and engage in internal strife would be to undermine their own position. A wise person would not do that.

Zhu Youcheng waved his hand and said, "Mr. Xu, please do not have any concerns. Just recommend candidates... This is all for the better execution of court affairs, so there is no need to shy away from it."

Liu Jian, standing to the side, was getting anxious.

Thinking to myself, "This is such a good opportunity, especially since it was proposed by the emperor himself, and Zhang Luan himself doesn't want to do it anymore. Why don't we take this opportunity to recommend a suitable person?"

When the emperor realizes that his father-in-law is not irreplaceable, and Zhang Luan realizes that he is just a good-for-nothing, even if he recovers from his illness, he will be too embarrassed to return to court to cause trouble... Even if he shamelessly returns to the position of Vice Minister of Revenue, he will be ridiculed by the world, and the emperor, having realized his mistake, may not dare to employ him.

The Five Military Commands were the perfect place for these relatives of the emperor to settle down; it was the ideal place for them to live a life of leisure and idleness.

Xu Pu said, "If we really have to recommend someone, I think Ye Qi, the former governor of Datong and now the commander of the Yizhou Mountain Factory, is very suitable for this position. Perhaps he could temporarily take over as the vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Xu Pu was no pushover.

Since Your Majesty has said that you need to find someone to temporarily replace Zhang Luan, and that this position is not easy to replace, then I must find someone more capable to take over, and use the results to prove that this position is not only suitable for Zhang Luan!
This person was naturally Ye Qi, who should have been promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but was later usurped by Zhang Luan.

Liu Jian was visibly relieved after hearing that Ye Qi was the recommended candidate.

Putting aside everything else, Ye Qi enjoys a very high reputation in the court, and his abilities have long been recognized by the civil and military officials. More importantly, Ye Qi was famous for his skill in raising funds and supplies when he was in the Northwest. No matter how capable Zhang Luan is, or how much revenue he can bring to the emperor, as long as Ye Qi is there, all problems should be easily solved.

Zhu Youcheng thought about it carefully and nodded, saying, "He is indeed a good candidate."

Xu Pu hurriedly replied, "If Your Majesty has a better candidate, then I should admit my mistake."

"Why do you say that, Mr. Xu? I also think it is appropriate for Ye Qi to temporarily serve as the Vice Minister of Revenue in place of my father-in-law." Zhu Youcheng looked at Qin Chang beside him and instructed, "Qin Chang, draft an edict to summon Ye Qi back to court. For the next period of time, he will serve as the Vice Minister of Revenue. Also, send an edict to my father-in-law, telling him to stay home and recuperate without worrying about court affairs for the time being."

Xu Pu and Liu Jian, who were standing nearby, were both wondering if this matter was really that easy.
His Majesty has no objections?
Or perhaps... even His Majesty believes that Ye Qi could have replaced Zhang Luan long ago?
Or should we carefully recommend someone, only to find that even he is unable to complete Zhang Luan's task, thus giving a resounding slap in the face to those officials who impeached Zhang Laizhan?
But is that even possible?

What extraordinary abilities does Zhang Laizhan possess that enable him to accomplish what others cannot?

In fact, isn't Zhang Laizhan a typical example of the current young emperor's nepotism?

……

...The matter was settled amicably, and Zhu Youcheng then had Qin Chang escort the two back to Wenyuan Pavilion, showing exceptional thoughtfulness.

Whether welcoming or seeing off guests, the emperor always had the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial personally lead the procession, which was a sign of great respect for the two Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.

After returning to the Cabinet office.

Liu Jian couldn't help but ask, "What exactly does Your Majesty mean? Is Zhang Laizhan truly unable to withstand the immense pressure and wishing to retire into seclusion?"

"do not know."

Xu Pu shook his head and said, "However, Zhang Laizhan has really not participated in much court affairs this year. He has attended court very few times and has never set foot here before."

As a cabinet minister, Xu Pu found it absurd that he had never been to the cabinet office.

Liu Jian said, "If Ye Qi is appointed as the Vice Minister of Revenue, and he performs well, will there be no need for further changes? Or will His Majesty continue to assign Zhang Laizhan other duties, such as those in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, or even the Ministry of Rites, to... suppress certain people in the court?"

In Liu Jian's eyes, the emperor's reliance on Zhang Luan was driven by great personal motives.

The emperor wanted to use Zhang Luan to suppress those disobedient ministers in the court. Because Zhang Luan did not follow the rules, he could be used as a pawn without any worries.

It's nothing more than having a terrible reputation...

A civil official who has passed the imperial examination in the traditional imperial examination system will certainly care about his reputation in history and pay attention to his name before and after his death.

As for Zhang Luan, a low-ranking civil official from a family of imperial relatives, no matter how much he did, he was destined to be infamous for eternity.
……

……

Zhang Luan temporarily withdrew from the court.

The news caused mixed feelings in the capital... It wasn't that everyone firmly stood on Liu Jian and Xu Pu's side, or that they thought Wang Shu and Ma Wensheng were guiding lights. After all, the Hongzhi Emperor had just ascended the throne, and there were quite a few officials who had risen to power through the influence of Li Zisheng, Wan An, and Liu Ji.

Although most of them were not under Zhang Luan's command, they still made connections due to a sense of shared sorrow.

Even Zhang Luan, the father-in-law of the Ming Dynasty, who was deeply trusted and valued by the emperor and had already become a Grand Secretary, Vice Minister of Revenue, Director of the Imperial Medical Academy, Hanlin Academician, and Marquis of Shouning, could not withstand the concentrated attacks from traditional civil officials from the Eastern Palace, forcing him to adopt a reclusive attitude to avoid court disputes.

So what can we, a group of people who have lost our backers, rely on to maintain our foothold in the court? It seems that there is no other way out except to surrender or resign voluntarily.

At least Zhang Guozhang can take sick leave and will be able to retire unscathed in the future.

But if we get caught up in the vortex of political infighting, I'm afraid no one will speak up for us, and we'll end up with a tragic fate of losing our families and lives.

As a result, many people thought that Zhang Luan's departure would bring about a clean and efficient government, or that everyone would applaud and cheer. However, the result was that regardless of whether they were on Zhang Luan's side or not, even those officials who had good relations with the Crown Prince's tutors, all took a cautious attitude towards the news and remained silent.

On this day, Li Rong, the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Depot, went to the Northern Garrison Office to carry out his duties and met Mu Bin, who had just been promoted to commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He listened to Mu Bin's summary of various rumors circulating in the capital.

"Officials in Beijing are discussing in private the matter of Grand Secretary Zhang returning home to recuperate. The conclusion is that no matter what mistakes Grand Secretary Zhang has made in the past, he should not have fallen into such a state because of his merits."

Mu Bin's face was full of embarrassment as he said this.

After all, he had previously been influenced by Huai En and Qin Chang, and felt that Zhang Luan's existence seriously affected the stability of the court order. He believed that relatives of the emperor should serve in the Five Military Commands, not as civil officials.

Li Rong laughed and said, "Weren't people saying that Zhang Guozhang was not a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), so his entry into the Hanlin Academy was already against the rules, and he was not qualified to join the cabinet at all? He even said that his position as Vice Minister of Revenue should be removed?"

Mu Bin didn't say anything, because there were just too many such rumors, and the words spoken by the censors during impeachment were even more offensive and difficult to describe.

"We cannot wait until he leaves the court on sick leave to realize how much he has contributed to the court!"

Li Rong said, "Regardless of his reputation, Zhang Guozhang has never wronged the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, the court owes him a lot."

Mu Bin asked, "Eunuch Li, will Grand Secretary Zhang return to court to take up his post?"

How did we know that?

Li Rong waved his hand and said, "If it were anyone else, I might be able to dispel their doubts, but Zhang Guozhang's personality is different from ordinary people. He hasn't been recuperating at home all year; more often than not, he just doesn't want to get involved in the political infighting at court, simply to avoid being attacked by others."

At this point, Li Rong appeared quite emotional.

Look at Zhang Guozhang, how much injustice he suffered as an official? He only relinquished his post when he became too ill to handle state affairs.

Only then will others know that Zhang Guozhang should not have retired, or rather, that it was far from his time to retire... Aren't you people too heartless?

Mu Bin was also puzzled.

After all, Li Rong's attitude before was not on Zhang Luan's side.

Before Huai En died, Li Rong acted as Huai En's henchman. As the vanguard of the anti-Zhang Luan camp, he once overshadowed Qin Ji.

Now, with Huai En recently dead, Li Rong seems to have lost all principles. No matter what he says or does, he seems to understand Zhang Luan very well, and even firmly stands on Zhang Luan's side when considering issues.

How hypocritical!

Li Rong instructed, "Besides observing the reactions of ordinary people to this matter, we also need to see how those in the court are doing... We need to observe whether certain people were not proactive or cooperative when Zhang Guozhang was the Vice Minister, but started to put in effort after that Vice Minister Ye took over."

"Yes."

Mu Bin immediately accepted the order.

In Mu Bin's view, discovering which people in the court were not putting in their work and were deliberately opposing Zhang Luan's rule was also a way of finding corrupt officials in the court, and did not violate the principle of preventing interference in politics by relatives of the empress.

Li Rong immediately smiled and said, "Send someone to observe the details of Vice Minister Ye's handling of government affairs, to find out who he associates with, and how he raises funds for the army and river works. In that case... I won't have to meet with the officials in person. I can just gather the information and inform His Majesty."

Mu Bin thought to himself, "You really are a cunning old fox; you're the best at changing your tune depending on the wind."

As the head of the Eastern Depot, you should be fully responsible for intelligence gathering, but instead you're handing it over to us, the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"If we find that Vice Minister Ye is having trouble handling government affairs, should our Embroidered Uniform Guard provide some assistance?" Mu Bin asked.

Li Rong asked, "If Zhang Guozhang encounters difficulties in handling affairs, will you lend a hand?"

Mu Bin thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "Basically, no. The Embroidered Uniform Guard mostly just cooperates with Grand Secretary Zhang in handling cases. Only the Second Young Master's side will bring some people and frequently travel to various places in the capital, but this does not affect the livelihood of the people... Only in the matter of Xishan, the Embroidered Uniform Guard received His Majesty's oral order to fully cooperate."

"Then no need."

Li Rong said, "His Majesty hopes that Minister Ye can do his job well, but he doesn't want him to do it too well. You should know how to control the balance, right?"

Mu Bin thought to himself, how could I not know?
Isn't it all just to make Ye Qi look bad, to make His Majesty think that his father-in-law is very important and an indispensable force in the court? Everyone's just putting on an act in front of His Majesty, right?

It is agonizing for an upright person like me to deliberately deceive the king when I know that things are not as they seem, and I cannot accept this.

Li Rong leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Remember this: if Zhang Guozhang returns to his post, the court can live in peace. If he doesn't return, the court will lose someone to check and balance the civil officials, and His Majesty will gradually find it difficult to manage affairs of state."

"I'm only saying this to you! Governor Zhu has retired, and from now on... the political landscape of the court will be completely different from before, so we must be extremely careful."

With each new emperor comes a new set of officials. Li Rong took over the Eastern Depot, and Mu Bin followed suit.

This foreshadows that from the Eastern Depot to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, all must operate according to the new rules and order. The premise for maintaining this new order is to ensure that the emperor has a "close confidant" in the court. At present, this close confidant cannot be the underage Zhang Yanling, but can only be Zhang Luan, the "battle-hardened" father-in-law of the emperor.

(End of this chapter)