Chapter 1080
The Eldest Son Enters the Cabinet
Chapter 1080 The Eldest Son Enters the Cabinet
"Your Majesty, Marquis Luoyun outside the palace requests an audience."
Within the Imperial Palace
The Imperial Study in the Hall of Mental Cultivation
Dai Quan served tea to the Empress, while Xiao Yunzi knelt below the hall. The windows were wide open, and only the incense burner inside the hall emitted wisps of purple smoke.
Seated at the eastern end was the Grand Secretary, Li, who was drinking tea and eating pastries. On the table in front of him were piles of memorials, along with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones—everything was there.
"His arrival is timely. Summon him in; I have questions to ask him."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will go and bring the Marquis in immediately."
Xiao Yunzi kowtowed and respectfully withdrew.
The imperial study returned to silence. Emperor Wu picked up the memorial in his hand, glanced at it casually, and asked a question.
“Minister Li, although you don’t go to the cabinet, you can’t possibly be unaware of the affairs of the court. Now that the civil unrest in the south of the capital has been quelled, everything is in need of rebuilding. What should our Great Wu Dynasty do most right now?”
He put down the memorial in his hand, and thoughts flooded his mind about the arrival of the vassal kings in the capital, the northern regions, the west, and even the towering mountains and deep valleys of the south, or rather, the allocation of the capital garrison.
Little did anyone know, Chief Minister Li gently placed a memorial down, without reading it, and laid it directly on the table, his aged face bearing a hint of melancholy.
"Your Majesty, of all the affairs of the court, only two are of utmost importance, which are simply the final two ends. One is the Ministry of Revenue's money and grain reserves. After the rebellion in the south of the capital was quelled, most of the money and grain accumulated by the court last year have already been used up, and the national treasury is empty. Without money, nothing can be done. That is the first point."
After speaking, he pressed his hand against the inkpad and marked the memorial with a "dismissal."
"These memorials submitted to me are full of trivial matters, not important ones. They are all mediocre people who have been officials for too long and are too shrewd. They want the Ministry of Revenue to have money, so they rely on the taxes from Jiangnan. They also want the Imperial Textile Bureau to weave 800,000 bolts of silk, but now it seems impossible. The training of the capital's garrison and the surrounding local military forces is a long way off."
Another factor is the salt tax. Combined with the taxes from the south and Shu, the court will be well-prepared. Your Majesty, as long as the Imperial Guards are in control of the capital, no trouble can be stirred up. Furthermore, Marquis Luoyun is a strong-willed man; with only ten thousand cavalry, he dares to stand against the Left and Right Guards of the Imperial Guards, which is truly remarkable. Therefore, stabilizing the court is the most important thing.”
Li Chonghou spoke cautiously yet boldly, making Dai Quan, who was listening nearby, feel somewhat apprehensive. But upon reflection, he realized that the Grand Secretary's words had the effect of a stabilizing force.
"You are still so meticulous. These words are the words of a wise and experienced strategist. After the Ministry of Revenue distributed the silver to the generals and soldiers at the front, the silver prepared before and after the New Year has long been used up. As for the Imperial Guard, the Ministry of War intends to put it on hold for the time being. After the Beijing Garrison returns to the capital, Prince Teng will still be in charge, so I am at ease. But what about the border and the southern part of the capital?"
The border, mainly referring to the north, is currently facing trouble. While the Jurchens outside the pass are in trouble, Marquis Luoyun is guarding it, so there's no problem. However, Donghu people can now be seen at various passes in the north. Most importantly, the Xianbei Khan's uncle has died. With the royal court stabilized, the Western King's Palace will likely be anything but peaceful. But the construction of dikes along the Han River valley makes things difficult to predict.
How could Chief Minister Li not know what the Emperor was saying? But these were all superficial matters.
"Your Majesty, this old minister believes that we must defend both the north and the west. Regarding the matter of Qingyang County, regardless of the governor's motives, we must not let it go. His property should be confiscated and he punished to make this known to the world. In the north, the Ministry of War should continue to send reinforcements from the local militia to replenish the ranks, using attrition warfare. We should wait and see. If the south is stable, the replanted grain will be harvested, and the textile bureau will need it again. With money and supplies in hand, the north will have more room to maneuver. In the capital, we should continue training the new army. If an opportunity arises, we can launch a small-scale attack to dampen the arrogance of the Donghu people."
Originally, Chief Minister Li had never agreed to go beyond the border to fight the enemy, but now he had changed his mind, which piqued the interest of the Empress. The matter of Qingyang would end there, but if the northern border were to go beyond the border to fight, where would the advantage come from?
"Oh, my dear minister, that's quite unusual. I thought the Grand Secretary would never allow the border troops to break out. What's the reason?"
"Your Majesty, things are different now than before. The capital garrison, the imperial guards, and even the surrounding garrison troops, regardless of the casualties, have all been through bloodshed. If we treat them all equally, we can no longer suppress the border troops. Unfortunately, the border troops have suffered heavy losses. One group was lost outside the pass, and another group was lost guarding the pass. One after another, their strength has been weakened too much, which is contrary to the original intention. This old minister believes that we can try the Marquis of Luoyun's plan after autumn. If there is no opportunity, we can wait until next spring. Of course, we also need to see what the court officials and nobles think. In the end, we should maintain the status quo in the southern part of the capital."
After giving a general overview, the ultimate goal was still to ensure stability in Jiangnan. But where did this stability come from? The Martial Emperor smiled and continued.
"The memorials from the Jiangnan Provincial Administration Commissioner, the Inspector General, the two county magistrates, and the Inspector General have arrived in the capital. The joint trial by the three judicial departments will be held tomorrow. Since you cannot concern yourself with this, have your son go and take a look. The two who deserve their punishment are irrefutable cases, so there is no need to show them any mercy. As for the others, let them be tried again."
“Your Majesty, the case is easy to investigate. Ma Guangcheng and Hu Wenxuan have already confessed, Zhuang Shouzhi has submitted a memorial to discuss their punishment, and so has Jing Cunliang. If the two are convicted, it will only be for dereliction of duty. But if Eunuch Yang of the Textile Bureau said something he shouldn't have, then his crimes will be much more serious. Also, the case files from Xu Changwen's interrogation are still fresh in our minds. In the palace…”
Since the retired emperor is involved, it's difficult to determine how the interrogation will proceed, or if the emperor has other plans.
"Let the three judicial departments conduct a joint trial, and let them answer their questions. As for Yang Chi, the Imperial City Guard has secretly reported that he suddenly went mad on his way to the capital!"
With a gloomy face, he looked at Dai Quan. Was he truly insane, or just feigning madness? Only time would tell when they returned to the capital.
"Even if you're crazy, you have to interrogate them, go through it all."
A glint of cunning flashed in Li's eyes. "Good riddance! Only in this way can the interrogation of this case proceed smoothly."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this old minister obeys the decree. By the way, Your Majesty, in this trial, I would like to invite some civil and military officials to serve as jurors to ensure fairness."
"allow."
The voice just fell,
Footsteps sounded outside the Imperial Study. Zhang Jinyu, already following Xiao Yunzi, hurriedly entered the Imperial Study, knelt down, and greeted the emperor.
"Your subject Zhang Jinyu pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty!"
"Rise, and offer Marquis Luoyun a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty,"
Without needing anyone else, Xiao Yunzi had already brought a chair and placed it in the center of the hall. Zhang Jinyu didn't stand on ceremony; he had been walking hurriedly, and despite the blazing sun, he was sweating profusely. The study was the same as before, but surprisingly, the seat and desk of the Grand Secretary Li were now in the east wing. What did this mean? His gaze was somewhat strange, but Grand Secretary Li remained silent.
Just as Zhang Jinyu was looking around, the Martial Emperor's words of praise came over.
"You lad, you fought well in the south. Although the local garrisons and the capital garrison suffered heavy losses, you managed to quell the rebellion in just one month, saving me and the court a lot of trouble. But as soon as you returned, you got into a fight with several princes. How can I reward you generously?"
Zhang Jinyu listened intently, a mix of emotions mixed with relief. But deep down, he was somewhat skeptical. Back then, the two Dukes of Ning and Rong hadn't received any special rewards after the rebellion was quelled. Moreover, the system of four kings and eight dukes was already firmly established; breaking it would be incredibly difficult.
"Your Majesty, both thunder and rain are acts of imperial grace, which I will remember in my heart. In the battle in the south, the Taiping Sect was a formidable enemy. Although we won three battles in a row, the losses of men and men in each group were difficult to count. I am well aware of the difficulties faced by the court. Fortunately, in Xihe County, the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Dongping seized the opportunity and quelled the White Lotus Sect, which brought peace to the world."
"Then why did you take action? In the southern city, the Military Command sent me a secret letter stating that the princes led 15,000 elite soldiers, and you killed 5,000 of them. If He Yongxi hadn't arrived in time, you probably would have killed them all."
From who knows where, the Martial Emperor pulled out a slip of paper and had Dai Quan hand it over. Zhang Jinyu stood up, took it, opened it, and saw that it was about the aftermath of the cleanup in Nancheng. After reading it, he handed the slip of paper back and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Your Majesty, I have already submitted a memorial regarding the matter in the southern city. Why would several princes bring troops to block the road on their way back to the capital to offer birthday greetings, and why would they launch a surprise attack on Prince Jin's carriage? I suspected they were rebels, which is why I rushed to the capital. After returning to the capital, I heard rumors among the people that the princes are here to change the course of history. I do not know how they intend to do so."
"Silence, Marquis Luoyun, how dare you speak so presumptuously about matters of the imperial family!"
Suddenly, Li Chonghou's rebuke rang out. He didn't glare angrily, but his anger was palpable. Zhang Jinyu, however, not only ignored him but also bowed to the Grand Secretary.
"Your Excellency, these words are not just idle chatter. There are many rumors circulating outside. You can find out the truth by asking around. If you want peace in the country, the palace must be stable first, and then the capital will be stable. Only in this way can the court be stable and deter those who are treacherous. I heard that He Xiaocheng, the commander of the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard, led the remaining troops back to the capital. Overnight, he mobilized 50,000 soldiers to replenish the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard. Together with Yi Anxin's troops of the Left Guard, there are 100,000 elite troops on the side. The princes have all brought heavily armored elite troops. I am also a little worried."
Zhang Jinyu continued to sow discord among the group. No one knew the movements of the various departments in the capital better than the Emperor. The Marquis of Baoning now commanded about 150,000 Imperial Guards, and the Left and Right Guards still had more than 100,000 left, enough to contend with the Emperor. Within the city, there were still people from the Military and Cavalry Bureau, who were not very useful and were perhaps even less capable than the Imperial City Guards.
"You little rascal, you only see the surface and not the depths. The various forces in the capital have their own fixed numbers; they're not what you're talking about."
Chief Minister Li had no choice but to speak up. Although the Emperor seemed to be in the right, the influence of the retired Emperor was not limited to this. In the Beijing Garrison, those sons of nobles were also opportunists. Back then, the Beijing Garrison was the first to rebel, and they were also the ones who betrayed the regime in the end.
Although the Empress understood these words, she could never truly remove the thorn from her heart.
"You speak so eloquently, I ask you, what are your thoughts?"
"I believe that the troops of the capital garrison should be reorganized, and those who are paid without working or who died in battle should be removed. With the addition of the soldiers left to guard the main camp, a force of 350,000 should be formed, which will be enough to deter the villains. Those who have been lost need not be replaced. The same applies to the Imperial Guards. Marquis Baoning should check the quotas and the Imperial Guards should be trained to 250,000. The remaining money should be used to restore the military forces of Sizhou and Hongnong, and then all of it should be transferred to the imperial treasury."
Zhang Jinyu said this because, although the rosters of the various units of the Beijing Garrison seemed to have a lot of personnel, when they were actually counted, there were too many vacancies. Oh, and there was also the matter of the silver outside; he almost forgot about it.
"Your Majesty, I have come here to deliver silver to Your Majesty. I have amassed a considerable amount of silver in the cities south of the capital. After distributing it to the soldiers, I managed to scrape together the remainder from the Sihai Bank, totaling 4.65 million taels, and sent it to the palace to ease Your Majesty's burdens."
Upon hearing this, the entire imperial study fell silent. Even Chief Minister Li, who had wanted to say more, kept quiet. The reason why Marquis Luoyun was so favored by the Emperor was precisely this: others became officials to amass wealth, but he alone offered His Majesty money. How many people throughout history could do that?
The Martial Emperor took a deep breath, gave Luo Yunhou a long look, and finally sighed.
"I remember that during the Song Dynasty, someone presented a perfect couplet: 'The three lights are the sun, the moon, and the stars.' No one could come up with a matching couplet until the great scholar Su Dongpo came up with it. Grand Secretary Li, do you remember how he came up with it?"
"Ahem, Your Majesty, Su Shi matched two pairs of poems. The first pair was 'Four Poems: Elegance, Poetry, and Ode,' and the second pair was even more ingenious: 'Four Virtues: Prosperity, Advantage, and Prosperity,' omitting the character 'zhen' from 'Prosperity, Advantage, Prosperity, and Prosperity,' to avoid Emperor Renzong's use of the character 'zhen' in his poem 'Zunwei.'"
The reply was clear and concise, and the historical allusions were explained. Li, the Grand Secretary, was truly unmatched in his erudition. However, Zhang Jinyu was completely bewildered. He had heard this couplet before, but the enigmatic actions of the Song Dynasty left behind too many regrets.
"As expected of a Grand Secretary, you speak with such clarity and eloquence. You are now the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, and of all the people in the Cabinet, you are the one I trust the most. You've been working too hard, so I'm having your son join the Cabinet. Also, restore the calligraphy to its original state, and carefully put away the matching couplets. Is that right, Marquis Luoyun?"
The conversation abruptly changed, and Zhang Jinyu didn't understand what was going on. Looking at Dai Quan, his expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing further.
"Your Majesty, I don't understand. A couplet, a single word, what does the supplement mean?"
Looking at himself and Grand Secretary Li, the eldest son's entry into the cabinet meant he would become a junior Grand Secretary. The Li family, father and son, were truly extraordinary.
"Haha, you should go back and read more books,"
This laughter caused Chief Minister Li to bow deeply.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. My son, Chaosheng, came yesterday."
After a quick explanation, Zhang Jinyu suddenly realized that this was to allow Li Chaosheng to enter the cabinet earlier. But how could Chaosheng and Zhen have any connection? Zhenlai, isn't that the eldest son's courtesy name? So that explains it all. Two cabinet ministers from one family, tsk tsk, how many people would envy them.
"Thank you for enlightening me, Your Excellency. I am but a fool."
After returning the courtesy,
But Emperor Wu interrupted him.
“You’re not stupid, you’re just too straightforward. Everything I just said will be done as you say. It will save money and also take care of all the departments. The end of the month is approaching, and it’s time for the Emperor Emeritus’s birthday banquet. Don’t forget that. Also, you will be the inspector for the joint trial of the three judicial departments. Show me who is involved in the fraud. I will take the money.”
"Yes, Your Majesty, I obey the decree, but I don't know about the joint trial by the three judicial departments. It requires a public trial, but what about the Imperial Textile Bureau?"
Zhang Jinyu was uncertain. Both the Imperial Household Department and the Textile Bureau were involved with the palace. If Yang Chi were arrested and imprisoned, what if he said something he shouldn't have in court? And what about her student? Who knew what his situation was?
This case is probably not simple. We can only wait for the three judicial departments to hold a trial.
"Isn't there a former head of the Textile Bureau? Just ask around. Also, Yang Chi should be arriving in the capital soon, and he's already gone mad."
"what."
Zhang Jinyu's eyes widened in disbelief. He'd gone mad! When did he go mad? She recalled that not long ago, she'd been sharing the spoils with this person—no, they'd been stirring up trouble together. And yet, he hadn't held on. Was it because of His Majesty, or because of this case, or perhaps because of the Emperor Emeritus?
Looking at the others, their expressions remained unchanged, suggesting they had known about this for some time.
It seems Yang Chi doesn't care whether it's true or false; he has to go mad. This way, the case will likely become a cold case. When the investigation stalls, it'll simply be attributed to the dereliction of duty by a few officials—whoever did it, they'll be held responsible. That's easy to dismiss.
"That's settled then. You may all leave."
Before the two could ask any more questions, the Martial Emperor began to dismiss them. Helpless, Zhang Jinyu could only bow and leave with the Grand Secretary. Once they reached the courtyard outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhang Jinyu offered his congratulations.
"Congratulations, Your Excellency, on having two cabinet ministers from one family! You are truly favored."
"You brat, you're always saying nice things. It's Chao Sheng's good fortune to be admitted to the cabinet. I'm not happy about it. But you, you dare to say anything. The power in the capital is complicated and there are many obstacles. The case in Jiangnan has taken another turn. Several princes will definitely investigate this matter. So, how the case will be tried is still uncertain. Your protégé may have something else going on."
For some reason, Li Chonghou suddenly felt uneasy, a wordless feeling welling up inside him. Zhang Jinyu, however, didn't seem to care. In officialdom, it was all about compromise—a win-win situation for everyone. No one would stubbornly resist to the end. Besides, the affairs of Jiangnan were handled by the prefectural officials; a mere county magistrate, having only been there a few days, what could he do even if he discovered corruption?
"Rest assured, my lord. Even if there are other motives, as long as he is not corrupt, works for the people, and dedicates himself to the way of the sages, the court will naturally take notice. I believe that one person's actions should benefit all the people. If there is any embezzlement in his household, it is absolutely unbelievable."
Since the princes are insisting on a thorough investigation, let's investigate how much wealth they possess, or rather, how much the officials in Dawu and Jiangnan can embezzle. He wants to see that too.
"My lord, you should proceed with caution. This matter may seem simple, but the entanglements with Chang Le Palace behind it require careful consideration. Furthermore, those people from Jiangnan have already entered the capital."
Or rather, the joint trial by the three judicial authorities might take place tomorrow. It all depends on how Song Zhen handles the case. The variables may lie with him. We'll have to consider these matters further when we get back.
"Thank you for informing me, Elder Master."
(End of this chapter)