Huangming

Chapter 135 The Ministry of Personnel's Night Candle, Crane Plank Flying at Dawn

It was already 3:45 PM.

Zhou Jiamo rubbed his aching temples and pressed the last selection document down with a jade paperweight.

The ink in the inkstone had long since frozen, and the purple brush on the brush holder had been worn down to a dull tip.

The charcoal brazier in the duty room was almost extinguished, and the embers cast the peacock patch on his scarlet robe flickering between light and shadow.

The old servant Zhou An quietly changed the tea. A few snow-white dragon-shaped tea leaves floated in the Jian kiln rabbit fur teacup, and the rising steam drew winding white streaks in the cold air.

"Budang, today"

Physician Zhang Wenxi stood outside the curtain, holding the draft banknotes to be signed, but before he could finish speaking, he was stopped by raising his hand.

"I'm off duty today. We can discuss anything else tomorrow."

Zhou Jiamo blew away the tea dust, swallowing the slightly bitter, warm liquid as it rolled down his throat.

Upon hearing this, the official in charge of the Ministry of Personnel had no choice but to put the court money back and turn away with a helpless expression.

Zhou Jiamo watched Zhang Wenxi's departing figure and simply shook his head.

Your Majesty acts arbitrarily and has done too many things since ascending the throne. Zhou Jiamo has objections to most of these things.

However, his repeated petitions went unanswered, which gradually fueled his resentment and weariness.

As the Minister of Personnel, he dared not disobey the emperor's orders.

However.
Don't even think about me working overtime after get off work hours!
Zhou Jiamo has already given up.

Da Da Da~
Three clanging sounds came from outside the window, and the faint sounds of clerks from various departments starting to tidy up the registers could be heard.

He gazed at the mountain of official selection files on his desk, files that held the dreams of countless people to rise to prominence. Yet, all he wanted at that moment was to see the old plum tree he had planted himself in the west courtyard of his home.

With the Donglin faction losing power, even as the Minister of Personnel, he was not favored by His Majesty.

I wonder how many more days this Minister of Personnel will last?

Let's take it one step at a time!

Zhou Jiamo sighed and prepared to head home.

He had just fastened his gray squirrel fur cloak when he suddenly saw a waiter from the Ministry of Justice kneeling breathlessly at the foot of the steps: "Reporting to Your Excellency, the imperial edict from the palace has arrived!"

Zhou Jiamo paused in unbuttoning his cloak, then asked, "What is it? Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately replied, "The palace says that an agreement should be reached today."

What could be so urgent?
Hey ~
Zhou Jiamo frowned and let out a long sigh.

I wanted to leave work on time, but my boss wouldn't let me leave!
Unfortunately, there was no labor bureau in this era, and even if there were, he wouldn't dare to sue the emperor.

Zhou Jiamo had no choice but to accept the red book sealed with vermilion lacquer, his fingertips touching the still-warm wax seal.

He immediately realized that this was an urgent document that had just been sent from the warm pavilion of the Qianqing Palace.

His brow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he turned to the steward waiting in the corridor, saying in a deep voice, "Light the lamps, open the seal."

Since we can't refuse, let's get this done quickly.

Fortunately, the winter morning roll call is at Shen time (3-5 PM), before it gets dark.

If it were summer, and he had to work overtime after dark, he would be very unhappy.

Not long after Zhou Jiamo finished speaking, more than a dozen horn lamps suddenly lit up in the duty room.

The clerks scurried to fetch a silver cutting knife and carefully cut open the yellow silk envelope printed with the words "Imperial Express".

Zhou Jiamo examined it closely by the lamplight and found it to be a memorial of promotion for a loyal and brave man, with an attached imperial edict from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs ordering the Ministry of Personnel to discuss it immediately.

He frowned slightly.

The reason was that he had absolutely no recollection of any of the people among those who were to be promoted.

Guerrilla He Gang, Xuanfu Guerrilla Ma Shilong, Shitanglu Guerrilla Man Gui, Qianzong Cao Wenzhao, and his brother Cao Wenyao
Who are these?

Zhou Jiamo looked puzzled.

These people hold low-ranking official positions, yet His Majesty has sent them official documents with utmost urgency.

The world is truly vast and full of wonders.

Although Zhou Jiamo had doubts, he still said, "The Director of the Military Selection Office and the Performance Evaluation Office."

As he spoke, he took off the ear warmers he had just put on, and hurriedly stuffed the cold copper hand warmer into his sleeve.

"Then send someone to the Ministry of War to borrow the records of border generals from the Wanli era."

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed down the corridor, clearly heading towards the Ministry of War.

The sky was dark.

Zhou Jiamo then took care of His Majesty's urgent matter.

It's already past 5 AM.

goo goo~
My tummy is rumbling.

Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo looked helpless; all he wanted was a hot meal and a good night's sleep. Old Mei didn't even want to cut anymore.

Now nobody's stopping me from going home, right?
After putting on his warm clothes, Zhou Jiamo followed his old servant out of the Ministry of Personnel. Before he could even get into his sedan chair, he heard someone calling his name.

"Mingqing, wait!"

Zhou Jiamo paused as he got into the sedan chair, turned around to look at the person, and discovered that it was actually Liu Yiju, the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

"What advice does Grand Secretary Liu have for me?"

He frowned slightly, and his gaze toward Liu Yijuan became more distant.

The smile on Liu Yijing's face gradually disappeared, and he said, "It's only been a few days, yet you seem so distant, Mingqing?"

Zhou Jiamo said expressionlessly, "Grand Secretary Liu is a close minister of the Emperor, and I dare not be presumptuous."

"you"

Liu Yiju was about to reprimand him, but then seemed to remember something and finally sighed.

"I have my own difficulties."

"Who doesn't have their own difficulties? Yan Song had his difficulties, and Qin Hui had his difficulties. If one cannot uphold one's integrity because of these difficulties, how can one be called a virtuous minister or a renowned official?"

Zhou Jiamo showed Liu Yizhu no respect whatsoever.

The emperor pressed on relentlessly, but the Donglin Party members failed to organize a proper counterattack.

In Zhou Jiamo's view, it was because of Liu Yiju.

He is a coward who fears death; he is a traitor to the party and a lackey of the eunuch faction!
If he had been more assertive, how could Han Kuang have been exiled? How could the situation in the court have deteriorated to such an extent?

It's all Liu Yijuan's fault!
"That's all."

Liu Yijun sighed deeply; he didn't want to explain anything.

The courtiers thought he was afraid of death, but was he really afraid of death?
Maybe a little.

But more than anything, he saw through the emperor.

The new emperor is not like the previous soft-hearted emperors.

The current Ming emperor is as hard as iron, yet shrewd in his dealings. If he confronts the corrupt officials head-on, all those upright officials in the court will either be killed or dismissed by His Majesty.

Why don't you understand?
Liu Yijuan was exhausted.

I had hoped to catch up with Zhou Jiamo, but now all I can do is conduct myself in a dry, businesslike manner.

"I have come to see you today to inform you of the matter of tomorrow's court appointment of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Thanks to Emperor Shenzong's practice of not filling vacancies for official positions, the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War remained vacant for several years.

In addition, Sun Wei, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, had already been sentenced to death by a thousand cuts for instigating students to submit a petition.

The Ministry of War, a very large institution, didn't even have a Vice Minister.

It is a good thing that His Majesty is now willing to recommend the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

Zhou Jiamo's eyes flickered, and he already had several candidates for the position of Vice Minister of War in his mind.

"I'll take care of this tomorrow."

Liu Yijing pondered for a moment and then reminded him, "Today, the Grand Secretary came to see me specifically to say that His Majesty has a candidate for the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War."

Zhou Jiamo frowned.

Your Majesty, what does this mean?
Since it is a court recommendation, it is natural to consider merits and qualifications to select the most suitable candidate.

Why is it still necessary to pre-select?

Although Zhou Jiamo was displeased, he still asked, "Who has been chosen?"

Liu Yijing immediately replied, "Yuan Keli, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud."

"what?"

Fire was blazing in Zhou Jiamo's eyes.

"Is it that favored minister?"

His fists clenched, his face contorted: "If His Majesty wishes to appoint Yuan Keli as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, he should issue an imperial edict. To attempt to pre-select a candidate through court recommendation is contrary to the ancestral laws and regulations of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

If a suitable candidate were pre-selected, that would be fine.

Just a month ago, Yuan Keli was a fifth-rank official, but today he is about to be promoted to the position of Vice Minister of War, a third-rank official.

Moreover, he had no experience as a governor or a secretary in the Six Ministries.

Why?
Zhou Jiamo grew angrier the more he thought about it, and finally made a harsh statement: "Your Majesty is trampling on the ancestral system of my Great Ming Dynasty and deceiving my Ministry of Personnel. Even if I, Zhou Jiamo, die, I will never recommend that favored minister Yuan Keli to the court!"

ps:
You can cast your monthly vote, but if you don't want votes, you won't vote, right?

Haji, you reader, you rascal.

(End of this chapter)