Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 229 Liu Ruoyu

Wang An didn't want to recommend someone, but since the emperor had asked, he had to say something. Wang An pondered for a moment and tactfully replied, "Master, according to current regulations, adding one more person would require an additional three thousand taels of silver per year. The current internal salary budget is already very high, so we should save as much as possible."

"Didn't you just say you were very busy? Would adding someone else give you some free time?" Zhu Changluo pulled out a memorial from the pile that had been approved. He hadn't done much to organize the memorials, and they weren't arranged neatly. This pull directly knocked the pile over.

"On second thought, I think it's better to be busy. I have nothing to do when I'm idle anyway." Wang An strode to the imperial desk and spoke while tidying up.

Wang An neatly arranged the memorials. He knew they were all destined for distribution, so he simply carried them to his desk and placed them there. After helping the emperor rest, he or Wei Chao would return to the Southern Study to compile the comments on the memorials into public decrees, to be distributed today or tomorrow.

"Sly guy. Even if it means saving money, it won't hurt to save a little." Zhu Changluo looked at Wei Chao and asked, "Wei Chao, what do you think?"

Wei Chao didn't have the calculations and concerns that Wang An did. He said directly, "What the old ancestor said makes sense, but the work has indeed increased a lot recently. It would be helpful to add one or two more people."

Wang An did not respond, but lowered his head and stared at the cover of the memorial as if admiring a flower.

"Do you have any candidates to recommend?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"If you really want me to recommend someone, I do have one." Wei Chao glanced at Wang An subtly. However, Wang An's attention was focused on the emperor.

"Tell me about it." Zhu Changluo handed the memorial he had just taken out to Wang An. "Send this out today."

"Yes." Wang An took the memorial, but before he could hold it firmly, he was startled by Wei Chao's next words.

Wei Chao recommended: "Liu Ruoyu, who was under the name of the former eunuch Chen Ju, has a good reputation in literature, and he may be promoted to the position of Silijian for supervision." In the palace, famous eunuchs who have passed away are generally respectfully referred to as "former eunuchs."

"Under the name of Chen Ju." Zhu Changluo turned his gaze to Wang An.

Wang An's eyebrows twitched unnaturally, but then returned to normal. "Liu Ruoyu is my junior apprentice. He entered the palace in the 29th year of the Wanli reign, the year the master officially ascended the throne. He became my godfather's disciple that year, and in the 31st year of the Wanli reign, he was adopted as my godfather's son. He was my godfather's last adopted son."

Wang An sighed in his heart: After going around in circles, I ended up back at myself.

"Liu Ruoyu?" Zhu Changluo nodded slightly, and asked Wei Chao, "What does he do?" Zhu Changluo always felt as if he had seen or heard of this person's name somewhere.

"When the previous supervisor was in office, Liu Ruoyu worked in the Secretariat of the Imperial Household Department, in charge of transcribing documents. Now he is in the Internal Affairs Office, in charge of clerical affairs." Wei Chao replied.

The Neizhifang was located inside the Meridian Gate, next to the left and right side gates. It was not a dedicated office like the Shushufang, but rather a duty room separated by two rows of rows, with personnel on duty 24 hours a day.

They were responsible for everything from clerical work, keeping the keys to the palace gates, delivering imperial edicts, preventing fires, and guarding the inner chambers.

The so-called writing affairs are to polish the imperial edicts issued by the Southern Study. The usual process is that the emperor dictates orders to the eunuchs who hold the seal or the pen, and the eunuchs take notes to keep up with the emperor's speaking speed. After the emperor stops speaking, the eunuchs will restore the orders through notes. Of course, the emperor's orders must be carried out, but they are also divided into priorities. Urgent ones are issued directly without polishing. Important ones are polished by the chief eunuchs themselves. A large number of "light" miscellaneous orders are handed over to the eunuchs in the Neizhifang for polishing. After polishing, the eunuchs in charge of writing will take the orders directly to the Six Departments Direct Office outside the Meridian Gate and hand them over to the officials on duty in the outer court.

"Hmm." Zhu Changluo's gaze lingered on Wei Chao for a moment, but he finally said to Wang An, "Go call him over."

"Now?" Although the emperor didn't say a word of doubt, Wang An still felt like he was being roasted on the fire.

"You still want to choose the date?" Zhu Changluo smiled faintly. "It's okay to recommend relatives. Let him come."

"Yes." Wang An sighed again in his heart.

------

To get from the Qianqing Palace to the Neizhifang, one had to pass through the three main halls and the Huangji Gate. To avoid keeping the emperor waiting, Wang An trotted the entire way. Although over fifty, Wang An was in excellent health. If it weren't for the recent overtime work that had left him somewhat unwell, he wouldn't have been out of breath after running this short distance.

There were two official rooms for the Ministry of Clerical Affairs, one near the Zuoye Gate and the other near the Youye Gate. The one near the Zuoye Gate corresponded to the Li, Xing, and Li departments, while the one near the Youye Gate corresponded to the Hu, Bing, and Gong departments. Liu Ruoyu was the official in charge of polishing the Ministry of Rites' affairs, so he worked in the left-hand room.

The eunuch who was accompanying Wang An ran all the way, and when he reached the door of the main room, he was out of breath even more than Wang An. However, he ignored the outburst and immediately opened the door for the old ancestor.

The sound of the door opening immediately attracted everyone's attention. Seeing Wang An's figure, the people in the office immediately dropped their tasks and knelt down.

"Greetings, ancestor!" Liu Ruoyu did not call Wang An "senior brother", but called Wang An "ancestor" like everyone else.

Although both were Chen Ju's adopted sons, Wang An and Liu Ruoyu were not close friends. Wang An was selected to study at the Inner Academy in the sixth year of the Wanli reign, while Liu Ruoyu was not born until the twelfth year. After Wang An's meteoric rise to fame thanks to his "follow the emperor," Liu Ruoyu did not have the nerve to approach Wang An to reminisce about the past and seek further advancement.

"Yeah." Wang An was satisfied with Liu Ruoyu's nonchalant attitude. Instead of entering, Wang An waved across the crowd and said, "Liu Ruoyu, come out and follow me."

"Yes. I'll be right there." Liu Ruoyu kowtowed, then stood up and walked to Wang An.

"Farewell, old ancestor." Wang An did not say where he was going, so the other officials present did not have any special reaction.

After finding the man, Wang An did not immediately return to the Qianqing Palace with Liu Ruoyu. Instead, he went to the other room across the street and delivered the memorial that the emperor had previously given him. He sent it to the left room because it was a memorial impeaching Xiong Tingbi of Liaodong. Zhu Changluo not only approved it, but also personally wrote his comments on it.

"Ancestor, where are we going?" Liu Ruoyu asked cautiously after walking with Wang An for a while.

"The Qianqing Palace." Wang An's expression was unpredictable. "The Emperor wishes to see you."

"Huh?" In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through Liu Ruoyu's mind. "Why?"

"You'll know when you get there." Wang An tilted his head slightly and instructed: "Just tell your Majesty whatever he asks you. Don't hide anything, don't lie, don't hesitate, just say whatever comes to your mind." "Okay, I know." Liu Ruoyu felt his heart beating faster and his hands and feet getting cold.

"Also, don't stutter when you speak." Wang An reminded again.

"Yes."

------

"Your servant Wang An greets the emperor, may he live long and long." Normally, Wang An would only kneel and kowtow when she first met the emperor that day. But to show her humility and obedience, Wang An knelt again and performed the ritual of five bows and three kowtows before the emperor as she led Liu Ruoyu to the center of the hall.

"Your servant Liu Ruoyu pays homage to the master, long live the emperor." This was Liu Ruoyu's first time facing the current emperor up close. He was a little nervous, and his voice was shaking like his body, but at least he didn't stutter.

"Do you know why I called you here today?" Zhu Changluo waved his hand, signaling Wang An to return to his seat.

"In reply to your Majesty, I don't know." Liu Ruoyu knelt on the ground without looking up.

"Didn't Wang An tell you?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"I asked, but the old ancestor didn't tell me. You'll know when you get there." Liu Ruoyu answered in detail.

"Grandfather, isn't he your senior brother? Why do you call him so formally?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"The seal of the Imperial Household Department held by our ancestor was given by the master, the title of eunuch holding the seal was conferred by the master, and the affection between senior and junior brothers was given by the godfather. Everything has a priority. In the palace, status is always more important than affection, and the order cannot be messed up." Liu Ruoyu's answer was decent and comprehensive, which made Wang An breathe a sigh of relief.

"You're quite good at talking." Zhu Changluo nodded slightly, then patted the book on the table and asked, "Have you ever been to the Inner Academy? Why is there no record of you there?" This was a record book that recorded the information of students in the Inner Academy. The time period was from the 25th to the 30th year of the Wanli reign.

Being registered is something every eunuch will go through. However, most eunuchs will only be registered once by the Internal Affairs Bureau when they enter the palace. Only a very few clever and lucky young eunuchs will be registered a second time when they are selected to join the Internal Studies Hall under the Silijian.

The details of the two records differ significantly. The Neiguanjian only recorded the eunuch's name, date of birth, time of entry into the palace, hometown, and other information. Beyond this, there was nothing else, and it was not updated.

The records in the Neishutang were far more detailed, recording not only the aforementioned information but also the recommender, the reason for the recommendation, the location assigned after leaving the tang, any changes in position, and so on. When eunuchs reached the age of 20 and received a courtesy name, this name was also recorded. For example, when Wang An turned 20, Chen Ju gave him the courtesy name Yunyi, and this information was recorded in the Neishutang register.

The Inner Study Hall of the Imperial Household Department was like the Hanlin Academy in the inner court system. Except for very rare exceptions like Wei Zhongxian, all the confidential high-ranking eunuchs and the eunuchs who served as tutors to the princes came from here.

"In reply to my master, the Emperor, I was born in the 12th year of the Wanli reign and castrated myself in the 26th year. When I entered the palace in the 29th year of the Wanli reign, I was already 17 years old." Liu Ruoyu replied.

"The inner library only accepts young ones under the age of 18." Wei Chao couldn't help but complain in his heart when he reminded him: a damn old gangster like Wei Zhongxian could also be specially promoted by imperial decree.

"Castrate yourself? Is your family very poor?" Zhu Changluo asked again.

"My Lord, my family is not poor," Liu Ruoyu explained. "My father's name was Yingqi. He was the hereditary commander of the Left Guard of Yanqing. In the 31st year of the Wanli reign, he was appointed Deputy General of the Liaoyang Auxiliary Garrison."

Liu Ruoyu came from a family of military commanders, his lineage tracing back to Liu Dahai of the Yuan Dynasty. In the 14th year of the Yuan Dynasty's Zhizheng reign, Liu Dahai accompanied the anti-Yuan uprising leader Miao Daheng to garrison Hengjian Mountain. After Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang breached Hengjian Mountain through a night raid, Miao Daheng led the remnants of his reconquered army to surrender. After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Taizu appointed Liu Dahai as a captain of the Left Guard of Yanqing. During the Jingnan Campaign, Liu Dahai's son, Liu Guansui, followed Emperor Chengzu in battle and died at Baigou River. In recognition of his achievements, Emperor Chengzu posthumously conferred the title of hereditary deputy commander. By the time of Liu Ruoyu's father, Liu Yingqi, the hereditary deputy commander had already reached the eighth generation.

"Did Liu Yingqi commit a crime?" Zhu Changluo asked in confusion.

It was normal for children to be implicated when their father was convicted. For example, Chen Ju was implicated by his father Chen Hu and was sent to the palace to be castrated as a eunuch.

"My father died in his natural bed. He was not convicted of any crime." Liu Ruoyu replied.

"Then why did you castrate yourself?" Zhu Changluo's face was filled with confusion. It's said that one's body and hair are given by one's parents and should not be damaged. Liu Ruoyu's resolute decision to castrate himself, while his father was still alive and his family was still in financial ruin, truly surprised him.

"I disobeyed the teachings of my father and brothers and castrated myself because of a strange dream." After Liu Ruoyu castrated himself, it was his father Liu Yingqi who used his connections to find a way to send him to the palace.

"Strange dream. Okay." Zhu Changluo sighed softly: "You are really interesting."

Liu Ruoyu breathed a sigh of relief. Twenty-three years had passed since he castrated himself. If the emperor insisted on asking him what he dreamed about, he would just have to make it up.

Zhu Changluo leaned on the armrest to straighten his sitting posture, looked at Wang An and said, "Please take a seat."

"I bow to you and thank you, my lord." Liu Ruoyu's nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. He had heard that the emperor had summoned many old men in one day. He didn't know the content of the conversation, but he knew the result.

Some of the elders who were summoned had retired, while others had been promoted. He was under thirty-seven, and without any significant responsibilities, so he was clearly not someone who needed the Emperor to personally summon him and gently persuade him to retire. Therefore, Liu Ruoyu suspected that he would most likely be promoted to fill the vacancy.

"The Imperial Household Department now has one seal holder and three scribes." Before Zhu Changluo could finish his words, Liu Ruoyu felt like he couldn't breathe. His eyes widened, his pupils shrank, and his face was full of shock. He almost slipped off the stool.

"But the only people who assist me in managing the Privy Council are Wang An and Wei Chao. Someone recommended you to me, saying that you are well-known for your literary talent and are capable of taking on important tasks. So I asked Wang An to bring you to the Southern Study."

"I am terrified!" As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Liu Ruoyu knelt on the ground and lay back in his original position.

"I haven't said I'll let you into the Imperial Household Department yet. Although I recommend people who are virtuous, I still need to see for myself whether they are virtuous or not." Zhu Changluo tapped the table lightly and ordered, "Go back and sit down. Lift your head and look me in the eye when you speak."

"The slaves obey."

(End of this chapter)