The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 102 Tingtui

After reading it, Yan Song quickly removed the apron and handed it to Huang Jin, then bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I congratulate you on the transformation of your body through the tribulation of immortality, the transformation of stubborn metal into a fine vessel, the auspicious signs of the stars, and the attainment of divine holiness!"

A smile appeared on Jiajing's face, but it didn't seem like genuine joy.

The Imperial Observatory said that fire refining gold was an auspicious sign, which was naturally a good thing. But what if Tao Zhongwen's omen of fire overcoming gold was not entirely unfounded?

Yan Song, arguably the most knowledgeable of the emperor among the court officials, immediately said, "However, this concerns the emperor's health, and is a matter of great importance. Perhaps—"

"Not as good as what?"

"Why not let His Highness Prince Jing leave the palace and go to his residence first? Regardless of whether it is inauspicious or not, we should keep him at a distance first, and then order Master Tao and the Imperial Observatory to try to deduce the will of Heaven. This is the best course of action."

Jiajing was willing, but if only Prince Jing left the palace while Prince Yu remained, then the position of Crown Prince would be decided, which was unacceptable to him.

Yan Song naturally understood that he said this on purpose. He wanted the emperor to think about moving the two princes out of the palace at the same time. If he brought it up himself, it would be easy to arouse suspicion.

It is clear that no matter how sophisticated the power tactics are, they cannot be used indefinitely, especially against a group of intelligent people.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiajing said, "I cannot favor one over the other."

Yan Song pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking, "His Highness Prince Yu is not young anymore, and the imperial family has few heirs. It would be appropriate for both princes to leave the palace and reside in their own residences as soon as possible, then arrange for the Ministry of Rites to select candidates for the imperial concubines, and prepare for their wedding next year or the year after."

As expected, Jiajing slowly nodded: "Alright, as you said, the two princes will leave the palace and move into their residences. The Ministry of Rites will choose an auspicious day, and the Ministry of Works will prepare the residences."

The imperial concubine selection and the grand wedding should be planned by the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites, and will be held next spring.

He paused, then added, his tone calm yet undeniable: "Prince Jing and Prince Yu moved out at the same time, without distinction of order."

"promise."

Yan Song was waiting for this statement: "There is no distinction between first and last, which seems fair, but in reality it still favors Prince Jing, because it should have been done according to the order of seniority."

"Huang Jin, pack that Ai Dai up and take it back to the Grand Secretary." Jiajing said gently to Yan Song, "You are getting old. From now on, when you are on night duty, you can ask Yan Shifan to serve you."

"This old minister thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."

"Furthermore, the Ministry of Rites need not hold a grand celebration for the Emperor's birthday this year, as I wish to practice meditation in peace."

After chatting for half an hour, Yan Song was already drowsy, so Jiajing sent someone to take him back to rest.

Huang Jin then brought over another bowl of medicinal soup, but Jiajing refused to take it. Feeling weak, he even began to reminisce about the effects of the elixir he had received the day before.

The next day, in the cabinet office, Yan Song sat in the main seat, with the other two cabinet ministers, Zhang Zhi and Lü Ben, sitting on his left and right sides respectively. These two were specially promoted and recommended by Yan Song, and they could only nod and agree.

Their main job was to revise the "Minglun Dadian" (Great Code of Ethics), and they ignored all other court affairs.

Soon, all the officials of the third rank and above in the capital, including the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, as well as the officials from the Six Offices, arrived.

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to the Grand Secretary and the two Grand Secretaries."

The crowd first bowed deeply to Yan Song, then bowed slightly to the left and right assistant ministers in turn.

"Alright, please be seated. Today's court recommendation is being held according to His Majesty's wishes to elect the Minister of Rites. As His Majesty's birthday is approaching, the Grand Secretariat is overseeing the process to finalize the selection as soon as possible. Minister Xu, do you have any objections?"

Yan Song looked slightly tired, but his tone was undeniably forceful, giving Xu Jie a direct blow.

Logically, the imperial recommendation should be presided over by the Minister of Personnel, and the results should be reported to the cabinet afterward. However, Yan Song now wants to take direct control, with the cabinet in charge, and it seems that this will continue to be the case in the future.

What could Xu Jie say about this? Besides the Yan faction and the purgers, there were many fence-sitters. These people were simple-minded; they listened to whoever was in power.

Whose is it? He's definitely following the Grand Secretary now.

With just a handful of incompetent officials, they had no chance of directly confronting Yan Song.

Xu Jie smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "This matter is urgent, and it is naturally best for the Grand Secretary to take charge."

The decision to hold this meeting was made because there was no time left, so the cabinet took the lead, and we will fight for every inch of the matter, regardless of its usefulness.

Yan Song didn't bother with Xu Jie's petty schemes. A higher rank can crush a lower one, and whether or not he was in a hurry was up to him.

"Alright, the main candidates now are Ouyang Bijin, Ouyang De, and Fang Zheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Everyone, please share your opinions."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Wenhua, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, immediately stood up and expressed his support for Ouyang Bijin. He spoke eloquently, listing Ouyang Bijin's qualifications and achievements from beginning to end. After finishing, he cupped his hands to the crowd and looked at the entire audience.

Yan's party officials followed suit, one after another rising to second the motion. Occasionally, one or two upright officials would try to speak up, but they found that most of their side remained silent.

Since Xu Jie and Ouyang De are not speaking, what can they say?

Seeing that the situation was settled, Ouyang De and Xu Jie exchanged a glance, slowly stood up, and calmly said, "I also think that Ouyang Bijin is more suitable. The administration of Guangdong and Guangxi is complicated and complex. Governor Ouyang has been there for many years and his practical experience far surpasses that of me."

Xu Jie took over the conversation, cupped his hands to Yan Song, and said, "Since this is the consensus, then we ask the Grand Secretary to make the final decision."

Yan Song surveyed the room and nodded slightly: "Since there are no objections, Ouyang Bijin shall be officially appointed as the Minister of Rites."

"Grand Secretary Lü," he said, looking at Lü Ben on his right, "draft an imperial edict and submit it for approval."

Lü Ben responded and stood up, picked up his pen and carefully considered the wording to finalize the regulations, then sent someone to deliver them to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

According to the procedure, the seal will be marked with red ink by the seal bearer or the pen master, and then the seal will be affixed to the Imperial Seal Office.

Once the imperial edict was completed, it was sent to the Six Ministries for review. If there were no objections, a copy was sent to the Office of Transmission and promulgated to all government offices in the capital and to the governors and censors of the provinces.

On the same day, the Ministry of Personnel issued a record of appointment and granted Ouyang Bijin an official document, a token, and the seal of the Ministry of Rites. He was to be invited to an audience with the Emperor to express his gratitude on a chosen day, and then proceed to his post the following day.

This is the complete process by which the imperial court appoints high-ranking officials.

From the imperial recommendation to the official approval, from the Imperial Seal Office to the Six Ministries, from the Office of Transmission to the Ministry of Personnel for appointments, each step is interconnected and indispensable.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that, apart from the Ministry of Personnel which was temporarily lost, most of the other crucial positions were firmly in the hands of Yan Song's faction. This is the root of Yan Song's immense power in the court.

As for the Directorate of Ceremonial, as long as the emperor didn't give the order, Yan Song's draft proposals were always approved.

"His Majesty is considerate and has indicated that the birthday celebration need not be extravagant, but the necessary rites should still be observed. The Ministry of Rites has made preparations in advance."

.

"Yes."

The Minister of Rites was absent, so the Vice Ministers on the left and right came out to receive the order. This matter was not a big problem, as long as Ouyang Bijin returned before the Emperor's birthday. The Minister was needed on the day of the ceremony, but it would not matter if he was absent at other times.

"There is one more thing. His Majesty is grateful that the princes are growing up and intends for the two princes to marry as soon as possible and move out of the inner palace on an auspicious day to live in the Prince's residence in the capital."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in surprise, and then whispered among themselves. Even the members of Yan Song's faction did the same, as Yan Song had not revealed this to them.

The main problem is that there isn't enough time, and there's not much to discuss. This is the will of the emperor, and he is the chief minister. What else do they need?

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