I am a temporary worker in Jinyiwei, how did I become a powerful official?

Chapter 231 A Foolish Mistake or a Terrible Trap
The imperial examination in the capital was riddled with problems, and Yang Bo, the Minister of Personnel, and Zhang Siwei, the Vice Minister of Personnel, were largely to blame.

Yang Bo chose to protect his own.

The debate over the maritime ban has reached a fever pitch. As a staunch advocate for opening up the seas, the Jin Party cannot afford to lose a key figure at this critical juncture.

Otherwise, the conservatives led by Xu Jie might have used the Beijing Inspection as a pretext to make a big fuss, and the balance of the debate over the maritime ban would have shifted, potentially undoing the years of efforts of the pro-maritime movement.

Yang Bo, true to his reputation as a seasoned and experienced minister, went all out and publicly declared: "Recently, rumors have circulated that there are major flaws in the capital's performance evaluation? What major flaws?!"
Those Shanxi officials were awarded top marks in the Beijing examination precisely because of their incorruptibility and outstanding achievements.

You disagree? Bite me! You bunch of upright officials, if you're so capable, try to persuade the Emperor to dismiss me from my position as Minister of Personnel.

Ha, I've led troops for so many years, fought so many battles, and managed the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel for so long. Do you think I'm afraid of a bunch of purist officials?
joke!

Let alone you bunch of crow-like officials. Apart from Xu Jie, all the other cabinet members, like Li Chunfang, Gao Gong, Guo Pu, and Zhang Juzheng, would bow and greet me respectfully, addressing me as "Minister Yang."

Others are like dead pigs, unafraid of boiling water; Yang Bo is a tough guy, unafraid of being spit on.

Meanwhile, in the Northern Garrison Command...

Lin Shisan was handling a personal matter.

Sitting in front of him was a middle-aged man dressed in the robes of a seventh-rank civil official.

Ordinary seventh-rank civil officials trembled like leaves when they entered the Northern Garrison Command, as if they had lost their parents.

The middle-aged man remained calm and composed, with a smile on his face.

This is because the man is Lin Shisan's in-law, Wang Xiaochuan's future father-in-law, and Zhao Kang, the magistrate of Zhen Ding County, Baoding Prefecture, Beizhili.

After completing his three-year term, he came to the capital to report to the Ministry of Personnel and await his new post. On the way, he stopped by the Northern Garrison Command to discuss the marriage of his two children with Lin Shisan.

Lin Shisan smiled and said, "Father-in-law, please have some tea."

Magistrate Zhao took a sip of tea and said, "Today, the Ministry of Personnel has issued a notice to transfer me to Yexian County, Laizhou Prefecture, Shandong Province, to serve as magistrate."

Lin Shisan calmly gave an "Oh." Inwardly, he was overjoyed: "My in-law is truly a wonderful person!"

Everyone in the court knows that I, Lin Shisan, was once the savior of Yang Bo, the Minister of Personnel.

If my in-laws were a fool, they would definitely be begging me for help, trying to pull some strings and get promoted.

But my in-laws didn't do that. They just hung up the transfer notice, and after the die was cast, they casually greeted me.

My in-laws clearly don't want to benefit from my position as the third-in-command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Lin Shisan said, "Yexian? Yexian is a good place. There's mutton soup in Zhuqiao, sugar candy in Maqu, Yewulong tea from the East Sea Temple, and gold mines all over the mountains."

Magistrate Zhao smiled and said, "Yes. Yexian is a large county and the seat of Laizhou Prefecture. It's called a lateral transfer, but it's actually a promotion. I'm very content."

"I'm thinking of getting my children married before I leave Beijing to take up my new post."

Lin Shisan immediately agreed: "Okay. I think the wedding should be kept simple. Apart from inviting a few close relatives, we shouldn't disturb our colleagues in official circles."

Magistrate Zhao agreed, "That's excellent."

As the two were talking, Sun Yue, with a large belly, swayed his plump body and walked in: "Master, Uncle Zhao Yinbo."

Magistrate Zhao bowed to Sun Yue and said, "Deputy Commander Sun."

Sun Yue returned the greeting, but hesitated to speak.

Magistrate Zhao, being tactful, said, "You have official business to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell."

Lin Shisan quickly stood up to see him off: "Come to my residence tonight. I just received a pot of aged Fenjiu from Xinghua Village."

After Magistrate Zhao left, Lin Shisan asked, "What happened again?"

Sun Yue said, "Master, our informants have found out that the young Grand Secretary Xu Fan is secretly colluding with censors to impeach Minister Yang of the Ministry of Personnel."

"They've already privately agreed that Hu Yingjia, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, will lead the charge. Should we inform Master Shao about this?"

More than a decade ago, Lin Shisan served as a messenger between Yan Dang and Lu Bing.

Things were different now; Lin Shisan had become a high-ranking figure in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He also had his own personal messenger—Master Shao—through whom he frequently exchanged messages with Gao Gong. Lin Shisan first responded with a "Okay."

Just as Sun Yue was about to turn around and leave to find Master Shao, Lin Shisan called out to him, "Wait a minute."

Sun Yue asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

Lin Shisan said, "I have a bad feeling about this. I seem to smell a conspiracy."

Sun Yue, thinking himself clever, said, "Well, isn't this just like lice on a nun from Mount Tai—it's obvious!"

"Minister Yang supported opening the sea to the sea, while Xu's faction opposed it. Xu's faction attempted to bring down Minister Yang through Hu Yingjia's impeachment in order to uphold the ancestral system of the sea ban."

Lin Shisan shook his head: "Everyone knows that. That's not what I meant."

"Fatty, tell me, which two government offices are in charge of the capital inspection?"

Sun Yue replied, "Well, who doesn't know that? It's naturally the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate."

Lin Shisan then asked, "Hu Yingjia is a censor in the Six Ministries. Which government office does the censor in the Six Ministries belong to?"

Sun Yue replied, "Naturally, it's the Censorate."

Lin Shisan took a sip of tea: "Hmm. So here's the question. Hu Yingjia was an inspector in the capital's audit system and participated in the entire process. If there were irregularities in the audit process, why didn't he report them before?"

"Now that the imperial examination in Beijing is over, he's suddenly jumping out to impeach me. Isn't that just hindsight? To put it bluntly, he's up to no good and has ulterior motives!"

"If Hu Yingjia really takes the lead in submitting a memorial to impeach Minister Yang, it's tantamount to impeaching himself!"

"This is a huge loophole. Can't a group of scholars from the Xu faction who passed the imperial examinations on both the first and second rounds of the examinations figure it out?"

"In the power struggles and factional infighting within the imperial court, if one side's weaknesses are too obvious, they are very likely not weaknesses, but rather a trap."

"I will go find Master Shao myself."

That night, at Gao Gong's residence.

Shao whispered something to Gao Gong.

Upon hearing this, Gao Gong laughed so hard his long beard stood on end: "Fool! Fool! Old Xu sending Hu Yingjia to impeach Yang Bo is tantamount to sending Hu Yingjia to his death!"

Master Shao warned, "The Thirteenth Master of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said you must be careful. Be careful not to fall into Xu's trap."

"In my opinion, you should consult with Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng about this matter."

Gao Gong waved his hand impatiently: "To kill a mere censor and slap Xu Jie in the face. Such trivial matters, why do we need to discuss them with Uncle?"

Zhang Juzheng's courtesy name was Shuda. As an aside, it was quite convenient and advantageous for Zhang Juzheng to obtain his courtesy name.

Gao Gong was careless!
The following morning at court, Hu Yingjia, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, impeached Yang Bo, the Minister of Personnel, for abusing his power and secretly helping his fellow townsmen during the capital inspection.

Gao Gong immediately retorted: "Your Majesty, the treacherous minister has already revealed himself! Hu Yingjia is the treacherous minister!"

The Longqing Emperor asked, "Oh? What makes you say that, Minister Gao?"

As if he had seized on Xu's faction's weakness, Gao Gong loudly proclaimed, "Hu Yingjia, as a censor of the Six Ministries, participated in the entire process of the capital inspection!"

"If there was fraud in the imperial examination, why didn't he report it before? Why did he wait until after the examination was over to report it?"

"If the Beijing Inspection truly has serious flaws, then Hu Yingjia, as the inspector, is guilty of dereliction of duty!"

“If there are no major flaws in the capital inspection, then Hu Yingjia is guilty of falsely accusing a virtuous official.”

"Therefore, regardless of whether there were any irregularities in the capital inspection, His Majesty should severely punish Hu Yingjia!"

It seems Xu Dang made a foolish mistake, placing Hu Yingjia on a precipice. One step forward meant death, and one step back also meant death.

But just as Lin Shisan had thought, this was not a mistake, but a trap.

Gao Gong has already fallen into this trap.

(End of this chapter)