My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 29 Zhao Zhenji takes office

As Su Ze expected, the next day, the chief minister Xu Jie again wrote a letter to ask for retirement, but this time the emperor still kept it in his hand and did not issue it.

On June 13, Xu Jie again requested retirement on the grounds of old age and illness. This time, Emperor Longqing issued an edict to retain him and sent imperial physicians to Xu Jie's residence to show his intention to retain him.

But by this time, the ministers had already understood the emperor's attitude.

How could the Censorate and the censors of the six departments resist this opportunity?
In addition to Xu Jie's disciples and former officials, censors began to write petitions frantically, impeaching Xu Jie for various mistakes during his tenure, and the imperial desk was piled with memorials impeaching Xu Jie.

On June 15th, Xu Jie submitted another memorial. In this memorial, Xu Jie listed the gains and losses of his administration. At the end of the memorial, he recommended Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji to the emperor to join the cabinet.

At this point, Xu Jie's dismissal from his position as prime minister is a foregone conclusion. This memorial also reflects Xu Jie's level. He is very humble and his attitude is very sincere.

More importantly, Li Chunfang and Zhao Zhenji, recommended by Xu Jie, were qualified candidates to join the cabinet in terms of their qualifications, reputation, and personal relationship with the emperor.

This is a way to find a way out for yourself.

Xu Jie and Li Chunfang were both teachers and friends, and they were fellow students of the School of Mind. Li Chunfang's political views were similar to Xu Jie's. Simply put, they advocated tranquility and inaction, and his personality was relatively conservative.

Zhao Zhenji and Xu Jie were also fellow enthusiasts of teaching, and his political stance was similar to Xu Jie's, and they were both non-stick types.

With these two people entering the cabinet, Li Chunfang, with his qualifications and prestige, would definitely replace Xu Jie as the chief minister of the cabinet, so that he could continue to suppress Gao Gong.

Su Ze couldn't help but sigh that politics is indeed the "art of man".

Although Xu Jie was old, his memorial of retirement left him enough room for retreat.

According to Xu Jie's idea, after he retired, the five cabinet members, the chief minister Li Chunfang, and the assistant ministers Zhang Juzheng, Chen Yiqin, and Zhao Zhenji, were all his students and old friends. With four of them fighting against one Gao Gong, I would definitely have the advantage.

In this way, he would not have to worry about his safety after retirement, nor would he have to worry about Gao Gong's political retaliation.

Su Ze just sneered. What Xu Jie didn't know was that Gao Gong and Zhang Juzheng had already reached a tacit understanding.

Su Ze remembered from history books that Zhang Yingzhi, the Nanjing Rites Censor, was the pioneer in implementing the Single Whip Law during the reign of Zhang Juzheng, and he knew who he was.

It can only be said that Zhang Juzheng was too good at making false moves. No one in the court noticed the relationship between him and Zhang Yingzhi, and did not know that he was the one secretly behind the "overthrow of Xu".

Good disciples are unreliable, Li Chunfang has a weak character, and Zhao Zhenji is a non-stick pan.

As for Chen Yiqin?
When Xu Jie wrote a letter to ask for retirement, Chen Yiqin, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, also wrote a letter to ask for retirement.

This time the emperor issued an edict to retain him, but Chen Yiqin seemed determined to leave and submitted three memorials in one day requesting retirement.

What Xu Jie didn't expect was that Chen Yiqin resigned before he retired!

It's over! Four against one has turned into three against one!

On June 18th, Li Chunfang, who was patrolling the border in the north, returned to the court, and Emperor Longqing summoned Li Chunfang to the palace for an interview.

On June 19th, Xu Jie's petition for retirement was finally approved by the emperor. This prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, who had served in the reigns of Jiajing and Longqing and defeated Yan Song, finally resigned and returned home.

Longqing issued an edict praising Xu Jie's contribution to policy-making and support, and also promoted Xu Jie's three sons to official positions. The emperor and his minister parted ways in a decent manner.

There was another imperial edict, and Li Chunfang, the Grand Secretary of Jianji Palace, entered the cabinet as the chief minister, and Zhao Zhenji, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was changed to the Minister of Rites, in charge of the affairs of the Zhanshi Palace, and also entered the cabinet.

These great storms in the court did not have much impact on Su Ze who was in the National History Museum. After all, he was still just a small Zuo Zanshan of the Zuo Chunfang in the Zhanshi Mansion.

The only impact was that Zhao Zhenji was in charge of the Zhanshi Mansion, becoming the boss of his own boss. Of course, Zhao Ge Lao probably wouldn't notice a small fry like him right now. Su Ze's boss, Zuo Chunfang Zuo Yude, was also an old acquaintance, Zhu Dashou, who was transferred from the Hanlin Academy.

In addition to Zhu Dashou, Luo Wanhua was also transferred to the Zhanshi Mansion and served as Zanshan together with Su Ze.

Because of his contribution in submitting a joint petition requesting the compilation of the "Imperial Mirror Illustrations", Shen Yikuan was promoted to a regular position in advance and appointed as the Left Censor of the Spring and Autumn Palace, a seventh-rank official, in charge of advising the crown prince.

The office location of the National History Museum remained unchanged, but it was renamed the Imperial Household Department. Li Chunfang, the chief minister of the cabinet, became the chief executive of "The Illustrated Account of the Emperor's Mirror", and Zhao Zhenji, the chief secretary of the Imperial Household Department, became the deputy chief executive.

In modern terms, the National History Museum still has the same team, but it has a new name and office.

But soon, the news from the court reached Su Ze.

On June 23, the newly appointed Chancellor of the Chancellery, Zhao Zhenji, accompanied by a group of Chancellery officials, summoned Su Ze and other officials of all ranks who held positions in the Chancellery to the Chancellery.

Su Ze finally saw Shen Shixing, who looked tired.

It's ironic to say that Gao Ge Lao asked him to get close to Shen Shixing, but Shen Shixing was busy with the ceremony of enthroning the crown prince these days and slept in the Ministry of Rites almost every day, so he had no chance to come to the History Museum.

The Imperial Astronomical Observatory calculated an auspicious time, and the enthronement ceremony was scheduled for the 20th of next month. The officials of the Ministry of Rites had been busy for almost a month, and there were still many things that had not been prepared.

It wasn't just Shen Shixing. There were also many officials in the Zhanshi Mansion who also held positions in the Ministry of Rites. They all looked at Su Ze with resentful eyes.

Su Ze then remembered that he was the meritorious official who first proposed the establishment of a crown prince. He had just submitted a memorial to the emperor and gotten the job done, and he was even promoted. However, the officials in the Ministry of Rites were now extremely busy.

You, Su Ze, just need to submit the memorial. We officials in the Ministry of Rites have too many things to consider.

Looking at Shen Shixing's resentful eyes, Su Ze couldn't help but hum with pleasure.

Unexpectedly, the first sentence Zhao Zhenji said made Su Ze's mood fall to the bottom.

"The Ministry of Rites has been incredibly busy these days preparing for the enthronement ceremony of the Eastern Palace. As the Chancellor of the Imperial Household and the Minister of Rites, I bear the responsibilities of the ministry and am specifically reporting this to Your Majesty. Everyone in the Chancellery must also be busy preparing for the enthronement ceremony."

Shen Shixing gave Su Ze a look that said "you deserve it", but the officials of the Zhanshi Mansion, including Su Ze, could only bow and accept his orders.

Su Ze did not expect that Zhao Zhenji, the famous non-stick pan in history, was so decisive and efficient in handling government affairs.

As soon as the emperor's order was announced, Zhao Zhenji began to arrange the work.

The officials whose names were called came forward and accepted the tasks they were responsible for.

The great events of the country are in the army and in the sacrifice.

The ceremony of enthroning the crown prince is an important ceremony second only to the emperor's succession ceremony, and naturally there are many things that need to be prepared.

What’s worse is that the last time a crown prince was appointed was in the 18th year of the Jiajing reign, when Emperor Jiajing appointed Crown Prince Zhuangjing.

After the sudden death of Crown Prince Zhuangjing, Emperor Jiajing believed that the two dragons would never meet again and never appointed another crown prince.

Even the oldest officials in the Ministry of Rites didn't know how to hold the ceremony of enthroning the Eastern Palace, so they could only find information from the "Da Ming Hui Dian".

At this moment, Zhao Zhenji suddenly called Su Ze's name and said:
"Left Praise Su Ze, hand over the tribute to Erwusi Zang."

Upon hearing this appointment, many of Su Ze's friends, including Shen Shixing and Shen Yikuan, changed their expressions.

(End of this chapter)