The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 92 Xu Mansion

"Minister, the position in the Ministry of Rites is also related to the Hanlin Academy; we cannot easily relinquish it."

The Yan family was making plans, and so was the Xu family. Having been pushed to the position of Minister of Personnel, Xu Jie had no choice but to lead everyone in the struggle if he didn't want to leave in disgrace like Wen Yuan.

There were more than a dozen people sitting in the main hall, all of whom were key members of the Qingliu faction. The tea was naturally of good quality, pre-rain Longjing, but no one was in the mood to savor it.

The group discussed the matter for half an hour, but could not come up with a plan that could surpass Ouyang Bijin's.

Moreover, now, the crowd's attention is subtly turning towards Xu Jie, simply because his performance has been quite disappointing. Everyone is discerning and can see that the Minister did not intend to go all out this time, and even showed signs of backing down.

Yang Si, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Rites, stood up, his tone full of resentment and urgency: "Yes, once Ouyang Bijin has secured his position in the Ministry of Rites, he will control the entire Hanlin Academy. In the future, the lecturers for the crown prince and the literary tradition of scholars will all fall into the hands of Yan's faction."

Zhang Zhi, the Vice Minister of Rites, sighed: "Once even the Hanlin Academy falls into the hands of Yan's faction, they will corrupt the probationary officials and compilers. In ten or twenty years, the court will be full of treacherous officials!"

"The minister has his own considerations, so please don't get too excited. Things are not settled yet."

Even though some people tried to smooth things over, everyone insisted on expressing their own opinions, and most of them were putting pressure on Xu Jie to compete with Yan Song and the emperor.

Xu Jie was also helpless. If it were someone like Zhao Wenhua promoted by Yan Song's faction, he would naturally do his best. But Ouyang Bijin, apart from being a relative of Yan Song, had no faults in terms of character, qualifications, or political achievements.

Moreover, Ouyang De was his senior in terms of the philosophy of mind, and they were classmates in terms of the imperial examinations. Their relationship was unquestionable, so of course he wanted to push his own people to occupy the Ministry of Rites and control the literary lineage of the Hanlin Academy.

However, in recent years, Ouyang De has devoted most of his energy to building academies, recruiting disciples, and spreading the philosophy of mind. His political achievements are far inferior to those of Ouyang Bijin.

Moreover, given His Majesty's mindset, having just promoted him to Minister of Personnel, unless he is determined to establish Prince Yu as the heir apparent, how could he possibly promote another Minister of Rites?

Rather than putting up a stubborn resistance, it would be better to take a step back and see if we could find a way to retain control of the Hanlin Academy.

But he didn't say it, because how could these people not understand such a simple truth?

They simply didn't want to back down an inch, or rather, they were willing to back down, but only if they received appropriate compensation. After all, if Ouyang De took a step forward, they should also take a step forward.

But if they can't move forward, they can only stay in the same place. In their view, this is Xu Jie's fault, since he's the boss!

As for Ouyang De, he didn't utter a single word from beginning to end. It's impossible to say that he had no ambition for the position of Minister, but he was mostly put on a pedestal. Going up against Ouyang Bijin was a very slim chance of winning.

But his disciples and grand-disciples are all hoping he will take over.

However, since things had come to this point, and seeing that Xu Jie was being forced into a corner, if they didn't speak up soon, their relationship would be over. Moreover, the Qingliu faction was already weak, and if they were to split up, they would be courting their own destruction.

Ouyang De spoke calmly: "Ultimately, this matter depends on His Majesty's decision."

As soon as the person in question spoke, all eyes in the room turned to him.

"I have heard what you all said, and I appreciate your good intentions."

Ouyang De paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present, finally settling on Xu Jie. "But there are some things that Zisheng cannot say directly, but I cannot remain silent about."

Xu Jie breathed a sigh of relief. Even he felt a lot of pressure facing everyone's accusations, since these people couldn't be considered enemies; he could only win them over through various means.

It's easy to break ties, but difficult to come together as a united front.

Now that Ouyang Deken has spoken up, everything will be much easier to discuss.

The crowd had no choice but to sit down quietly. They had vented their emotions and exerted enough pressure. It was time to stop. They couldn't really push Xu Jie to the edge.

"Please speak, Lord Chongyi."

"In the past few years, when I was lecturing in the south, I did devote most of my energy to the academy and my students. Since I came to the capital to serve as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, I have also served as the Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. I have held both positions, but I have not been able to take good care of either one."

In terms of practical matters, governance, and experience in organizing grand ceremonies, I am no match for Ouyang Bijin. This is a fact, not self-deprecation.

He spoke calmly, as if he were commenting on someone unrelated to himself: "So, all of you here are letting Zisheng compete, which is like letting him use a piece with obvious weaknesses to hit the opponent's hardest iron plate."

It was expected that we would lose.

Winning the argument would be abnormal.

These words are so blunt, leaving no room for saving face for themselves. What can others say?

Ouyang De picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his throat, and said, "At my age, to be able to become the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is already a great favor from His Majesty."

"If we strive for the position of Minister, even if we succeed, we might not be able to secure it; if we fail, it will only bring harm to Zisheng and everyone else."

He turned to Xu Jie: "Zisheng's consideration is correct. If the Ministry of Rites is handed over to them, it will be a victory if the Hanlin Academy can be preserved. There is no need for me to worry about this anymore."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the crowd became complicated. Some secretly breathed a sigh of relief, some had a hint of disappointment in their eyes, and most of them looked away from Ouyang De and remained silent.

They knew that Ouyang De's words were to help Xu Jie out of his predicament and also to shut them up. Even the person involved said not to argue anymore, so what reason did others have to force Xu Jie?

But when these words reached the ears of Ouyang De's students and former subordinates, they tasted quite differently. If their teacher did not fight for his position, the vacated spot would be left unfilled, and their hopes for a promotion would also be dashed.

The hall was quiet for a moment. Although the younger Hanlin Academy students did not dare to openly refute Ouyang De, they could not hide their resentment.

Xu Jie observed all of this and sighed silently to himself. He knew that the matter was far from over.

Ultimately, they were still complaining: "You clearly hold the position of Minister of Personnel, so why won't you promote us?"

While claiming to be fighting for Ouyang De, they were actually fighting for themselves.

But how could Xu Jie put himself in danger so soon after taking office? Yan's faction was just waiting for him to promote his own people and then expose his mistakes.

The position of the Minister of Personnel can be summed up in one sentence: "The most beautiful scenery is found on the most dangerous peaks."

Xu Jie wore a smile, seemingly showing no dissatisfaction whatsoever despite the pressure from others.

He reassured everyone with kind words: "We will do our best in dealing with the Ministry of Rites. As for the Hanlin Academy, I will find another way. Let's leave it at that for now. After you go back, everyone should stay in your positions."

With the Emperor's birthday approaching, any mistake at this time would be a disgrace to the entire court. We must be cautious and respectful.

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