Top Scholar

Chapter 612 What will our future hold?

In Yang Tinghe's study, Yang Tinghe was still deep in thought.

Li Dongyang was slightly more skilled than Yang Tinghe, having figured him out completely, forcing Yang Tinghe to readjust his understanding of the Imperial Household Department.

Moreover, Li Dongyang also took into account Yang Tinghe's personal position... The expansion of the bureaucracy might harm Yang Tinghe's immediate interests, but in the long run, his protégés and former officials would certainly benefit.

Don't forget that the Yang family is a family of scholars who passed the imperial examinations. His brother, Yang Tingyi, is already a mid-level official, and his sons will also enter officialdom one after another...

Su Lu waited quietly for Yang Tinghe to speak, like a student waiting for a teacher to grade their homework. But he knew perfectly well that this was the most dangerous moment since the establishment of the new Court of Imperial Sacrifices—

If Yang Tinghe and other upright officials viewed the Court of Imperial Sacrifices as a potential enemy and were determined to nip it in the bud, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would be in danger of disintegration.

Although the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is outside the Three Realms and not subject to the Five Elements, and the outer court has no right to interfere, the officials in the Court all have teachers, classmates, fathers, brothers and old friends, and these people are almost all in the gentry circle.

In this world, no one can survive independently of their surroundings. Once the gentry decide to reject the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, everyone in the court will suffer immense pressure. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices has only been established for half a year and has not even taken root yet. The people's will is far from firm. Under such circumstances, if one cannot withstand the pressure, it will fall apart.

Therefore, the entire Imperial Household Department was not afraid of eunuchs at all, but dared not cut themselves off from the gentry—that would be to cut off their own path to survival.

This is why Su Lu has always maintained a facade of respect for the Cabinet and never dared to show any ambition. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices is currently just a nascent seedling; even a hidden dragon must conceal its claws and lie low, and even a fierce tiger must hide its edge. Once he has weathered these few years and grown strong enough, do you think he will still be so subservient to the Cabinet?

At this moment, all we can do is honestly beg the authorities to show leniency for now...

~~
After a long silence, Yang Tinghe finally broke the silence: "What will the Court of Imperial Sacrifices become in the future?"

“If we can proceed smoothly, we might become the new Secretariat, and the Grand Secretariat would essentially be the former Chancellery. Add to that the Six Ministries, equivalent to the Ministry of Personnel, and the central government of the Ming Dynasty would be truly complete,” Su Lu said candidly.

"History has come full circle and returned to its starting point."

"Your way of putting it is rather novel." Yang Tinghe finally started eating soybeans again, crunching as he asked:
"But are the existing six supervising secretaries incapable of fulfilling the responsibilities of the Secretariat?"

The term "Geishizhong" refers to an official under the Secretariat, which is why Yang Tinghe asked this question.

“After the outer court was transformed, the censors were no longer close ministers of the emperor, and often disagreed with the emperor,” Su Lu said frankly. “The emperor wanted to establish a new secretariat, so he naturally wanted to use the most obedient people, which is why he chose us, the newly appointed scholars with no background.”

After saying this, he solemnly declared: "But please rest assured, Your Excellency, we will neither collude with the eunuchs nor blindly follow the emperor's evil wishes!"

"Good, good, good." Grand Secretary Yang nodded with satisfaction. "That's exactly what we were worried about. You are the future and our hope. We can't let you go astray right from the start."

"Yes, thankfully we have the guidance and encouragement of the elders. If we have made any mistakes, please point them out without hesitation." Su Lu hurriedly lowered his head to accept the instruction, he had never been so obedient in his life.

"You should also help us old folks more, and not let Liu Jin keep humiliating the cabinet." Yang Tinghe nodded and handed a handful of soybeans to Su Lu, saying, "Here, have some. We can't eat these normally; we can only satisfy our cravings when we're home all day."

"Of course." Su Lu quickly scooped up a little bit with both hands to show that he wasn't greedy, but actually it was because Yang Ge Lao had already peeled the soybeans.

Just as the atmosphere was easing and Su Lu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Yang Tinghe asked in a low voice, "What if Liu Jin falls from power?"

"We can talk about that kind of thing after he's really fallen from power," Su Lu said, sitting up straight again.

"When the cabinet regains control of the court, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will obey orders. If the Grand Secretary really finds it displeasing, then abolish the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; I will have no objection."

"Nonsense." Yang Tinghe gently scolded, "The Court of Imperial Sacrifices is meant to assist the Crown Prince, how can it be abolished? If it really comes to an unavoidable day, then it should be restored to its original purpose!" Under Su Lu's well-designed guidance, Yang Tinghe couldn't help but start to imagine.

Then Su Lu suddenly said, "Besides, I don't think Liu Jin will fall from power anytime soon."

Yang Tinghe's face darkened. "Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. His behavior has already aroused the wrath of both gods and men. How can it last?"

“What you say is true, and I also believe that he will be finished sooner or later, but whether it will be three or five years, or eight years, who can guarantee that?” Su Lu said solemnly, “We cannot rely on wishful thinking to plan for the future. We must also make preparations for both possibilities. What if the Emperor is determined not to let Liu Jin be the scapegoat? Would you gentlemen not save the people of the Ming Dynasty from their suffering?”

These few words caused Yang Tinghe's expression to change several times. He gripped the soybeans tightly and said in a deep voice, "The Emperor will not abandon the country for Liu Jin!"

Su Lu retorted without any hesitation, "Three years ago, Liu and Xie probably thought the same thing, didn't they?"

"..." Yang Tinghe's pupils contracted sharply, and his hand unconsciously loosened, causing the soybeans between his fingers to fall to the ground with a crackling sound. Because Su Lu's words had indeed pointed out a blind spot—all their plans were based on the premise that 'after the situation in the world deteriorates, the emperor will definitely use Liu Jin as a scapegoat.'

Moreover, Liu Jin's efforts to reform the salt administration were still unsuccessful, and this year he even planned to reorganize the national finances and taxes and reorganize the military farms. Such actions were tantamount to courting death. Therefore, they were all very confident that the outcome would be clear within a year or two. However, Su Lu's words suddenly reminded him—what if the emperor continued to support Liu Jin to the death, disregarding the fate of the country, as he had done three years ago?
Can you upright officials really sit idly by and watch the Ming Dynasty collapse?

That was absolutely out of the question. Most of the talented ministers were wholeheartedly devoted to saving the Ming Dynasty, but they disagreed with the emperor's actions and opposed Liu Jin's monopoly of power. Therefore, they saw this struggle as a necessary step to restore order.

Actually, nobody really wants to give up entirely...

Therefore, in this game, the emperor's decision not to "sacrifice the rook to save the king" actually had a solution—that is, to fight head-on.

The Emperor had already shown his determination to fight to the bitter end, so who would dare to rule out this possibility?
Therefore, we must be prepared for a protracted war. Once we change our thinking, the problem of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will be completely different—not only should it no longer be regarded as a potential threat, but it should be regarded as an ally and helped to develop and grow stronger.

Because at least for now, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices is an inner court institution, and any struggle should be for Liu Jin's power, not the power of the cabinet.

Therefore, the stronger the Court of Imperial Sacrifices became, the less arrogant Liu Jin became.

The Directorate of Ceremonial and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices are natural rivals. The enemy of my enemy is my friend; how can they be regarded as enemies indiscriminately? If the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were truly forced to join forces, the consequences would be unimaginable. Then the Ming court would truly be without hope.

“Hongzhi is right, we must be prepared for both possibilities.” Having figured this out, Grand Secretary Yang said solemnly to Su Lu, “Let’s share our resources and cooperate well to get the court back on track!”

"Yes!" Su Lu hurriedly replied in a deep voice, his attitude as respectful as ever.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about serious matters during the New Year. Let's eat here tonight." Yang Tinghe treated Su Lu like a son and nephew, and said with a warm smile, "My cook makes pig's trotters, which are authentic hometown flavors. We usually don't even want to eat them, but we specially stewed them early today because of you. You must do us the honor of coming."

"Of course, I've been craving this home-cooked meal for ages!" Su Lu chimed in, becoming affectionate with Yang Tinghe, though secretly she wanted nothing more than to kick the bastard a couple of times...

~~
At the same time, Su Youjin brought his female relatives to Shiwangfu Street.

One should never forget kindness. Before the New Year, Su Youjin had prepared many New Year's goods and sent them to the Princess's residence. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he made a special trip to pay New Year's respects to the young princess.

The women went inside to pay their respects to the young princess, while Su Youjin exchanged pleasantries with Eunuch Song outside. The two bowed to each other and said, "Happy New Year, Happy New Year."

Eunuch Song hurriedly returned the greeting with a smile, saying, "Happy New Year! Happy New Year! I'm so sorry to trouble you again, Lord Su."

“A drop of water in need should be repaid with a spring of water, let alone the princess who saved my family’s life.” Su Youjin looked ashamed. “On the contrary, we have caused the princess to be unable to return to Sichuan for a long time. We are really sorry.”

Eunuch Song invited him to take a seat and served him tea, then said warmly, "Lord Su, you flatter me. The princess is living very comfortably in the capital. Besides, there is currently a serious banditry in Sichuan, so we can help gather information and make connections in the capital. Therefore, we should stay here for a while."

"Alright, alright, we'll do our best whenever the Su family can help us," Su Youjin hurriedly replied.

Eunuch Song was overjoyed and said, "That's wonderful! We'll have to rely on you a lot from now on!"

"It's my duty," Su Youjin said solemnly, even though he was just a panda keeper...

~~
On the other side, the eldest aunt and Huang E went inside to pay their respects.

After the two distinguished guests paid their respects, the young princess hurriedly rose to greet them, taking her aunt's hand in one hand and Huang E's hand in the other, her eyes filled with affection as she said, "Now I finally understand what it means to 'meet fellow villagers and have tears in your eyes.' It's so wonderful to see people from my hometown on the first day of the new year!"

"Oh dear, Your Highness is suffering." Auntie said with heartache, "My daughter is also spending the New Year alone at home. Just thinking about it makes me realize how miserable she must be."

"Auntie, Jinbao has Tiantian and Xibao'er with him, as well as Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, and Uncle. He won't suffer," Huang E quickly tried to salvage the situation.

“She doesn’t feel good when she’s not with her mother.” The eldest aunt almost broke the little princess’s defenses.

She took a deep breath, first politely inviting her aunt to take a seat, then took Huang E's hand, looking her up and down while smiling and saying, "Wow, Sister Huang E is just like one of the Four Beauties who stepped out of a painting. She is truly a sight to behold. No wonder she was able to capture the heart of the top scholar."

Huang E smiled and bowed slightly, saying gracefully and calmly, "Your Highness is too kind. I am already married, while you are the one who is truly in the prime of youth and as beautiful as a flower."

The two stunning beauties, spring orchid and autumn chrysanthemum, each had their own unique charm. The aunt looked them over from left to right, but ultimately decided that her own daughter-in-law was the best…

(End of this chapter)