Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 438: Selection of Grand Master

When Lu Ting heard the names of Gu Dayong and Bi Zhen, he suddenly realized, "They are all working for you?"

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn’t dare to believe it.

One was the dignified commander-in-chief of the Western Factory, and the other was the dignified eunuch guarding the garrison, yet they were controlled by a fifth-rank military officer.

But Lu Ting is different.

He relied on his obedience to someone's words and went from being a small-time eunuch who went south to hunt down small-time people to first becoming the military supervisor of a small group of troops who had redeemed themselves for their crimes. Then he defeated the retreating Bazhou rebels with the miraculous "Battle of Huai Shang". Then he replaced Gu Dayong whose front line collapsed, and was appointed as the eunuch in charge of the seal of the Imperial Stables, supervising the military affairs of hundreds of thousands of troops.

Although he encountered some unfair treatment after the war, with the reminder of someone, he did not fight or compete, and successfully allowed his nephew Lu Yong to obtain the title of Earl of Zhenping.

Now that he was lying in the correct position, of course he had to continue lying there.

Facts have once again proved his foresight. He doesn't have to do anything now, as someone is planning to send him to the position of seal holder of the Imperial Household Department.

As for Gu Dayong and Bi Zhen...

The position they grabbed was obviously not as good as theirs.

Pei Yuan didn't need to hide too much from Lu Ting, so he said bluntly, "We each take what we need."

Lu Ting nodded.

Then he asked Pei Yuan, "With my status, how should I nominate, and who should I nominate?"

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It's obviously not enough to rely on your identity as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration. It's better to use your previous identity as the eunuch in charge of military affairs and start with suppressing the rebellion this time."

Lu Ting's mind flashed with Gu Dayong's inventory of famous generals, as well as the two cases in which Bi Zhen stirred up public opinion in the court and the country. He continued to listen in silence.

Pei Yuan said to Lu Ting, "Although the military is gradually gaining momentum, momentum is a very mysterious thing. If the government and the public continue to discuss and pay attention to it, it will be like boiling oil over a raging fire. Over time, it will easily leave an impression of the military being strong in the minds of the world."

"The support of the people is unreliable. When the martial spirit prevails, the literary spirit is weak. When the literary spirit prevails, the martial spirit is weak."

"Han and Tang dynasties valued military achievements, so some people gave up their pens and joined the army, and some men were naturally self-respecting and arrogant!"

"The Song Dynasty valued culture and elegance, so it was said that only those who could sing out their names outside the Donghua Gate were considered good men!"

"The emperor is a martial artist now, and he has used the suppression of the rebellion in Bazhou to boost the morale of the military officials. Unfortunately, the civil officials have been torn apart for various reasons. At this time, we need to take actions to boost morale to counter the attention of the government and the public on the great meritorious service."

"Now that the influence of high-level civil servants has greatly decreased, we have to start from the scholars at the bottom. So I conclude that this Enke event will be passed very smoothly."

Lu Ting couldn't help but comment, "This is all the power of Qianhu."

Pei Yuan did not deny it and said truthfully, "There are several young brothers who have reached the age where they should make achievements. We must give them a satisfactory future."

Lu Ting remembered that Pei Yuan had mentioned to him before that he wanted him to help arrange an event for the Jiangxi Jinshi degree.

It seems that there is a lot to do this time, so Pei Yuan simply created a Jinshi exam himself.

Thinking of this, Lu Ting felt inexplicably ashamed.

If I had the same reputation as Wang Zhen and Liu Jin back then, why would I bother Brother Pei with all this trouble?

Lu Ting couldn't help but sigh, "These little brothers are so lucky. It's worth Qianhu's trouble."

I just wonder how the civil and military officials in the court would feel if they knew that such a huge upheaval was caused by a few newbies...

Pei Yuan didn't want to hide it from Lu Ting, and added, "It's not just for those little brothers. They want Lu Wan to make a clear statement, so they plan to use Lu Wan as the Left Censor-in-Chief to wipe out the remnants of Liu Jin. I don't care about others, but I can't watch them touch Wang Chang."

Pei Yuan said meaningfully, "If I can't even protect my own little brother, how can I, Pei Qianhu, face other people again?"

This sentence can also be said in reverse. As long as Pei Yuan can withstand the political changes and protect Wang Chang, he can proudly hold his chest high in front of all his younger brothers.

So Pei Yuan did not hide his pride at all in front of Lu Ting.

Although Lu Ting thought that the two sides were close allies, he felt inexplicably relieved when he saw Brother Pei Yuan, no, seeing that Pei Yuan was so reliable.

Lu Ting sincerely praised, "The Thousand Households Master is truly an outstanding person!"

Pei Yuan was secretly happy.

Successfully pretended to be cool.

In order not to appear too frivolous, Pei Yuan continued to talk about business, "Once the Enke matter is successfully promoted, Li Shishi will promote the previously shelved review of redundant officials."

"Li Shishi continued to use his power as the Left Censor-in-Chief, which meant that he had completely abandoned the tacit understanding he had previously reached and tore his relationship with the ruling Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing."

"At this time, the selection of the Minister of Rites can be put on the table for discussion."

Lu Ting knew that it was his turn to do the work next, so he asked tactfully, "Then how should I speak?"

Pei Yuan said, "You can start with the 'Bian Xian and Xiao Chong case' and the 'Ma Zhongxi case', using these two hottest topics at the moment as an introduction."

"The 'Bian Xian and Xiao Chong case' and the 'Ma Zhongxi case' were originally caused by the eunuch Bi Zhen, who was in charge of Shandong, and the civil officials and scholars praised Bi Zhen a lot because of this."

"So, if Eunuch Lu starts with the same case, the public opinion will not only not feel it is abrupt, but may even arouse strong interest."

"As for you, Eunuch Lu, you should not focus on these two cases, but on the grassroots civil servants who died in the city."

"And from Eunuch Lu's perspective, we can't think that they were forced to die for the city. Instead, we should think that they were inspired by their integrity and refused to follow the enemy, so they took the initiative to die for the city."

Hearing this, Lu Ting asked in confusion, "Didn't Bi Zhen question He Jian before, saying that a large number of county officials were forced to die in the city? If I say this, wouldn't I be contradicting myself?"

Pei Yuan was speechless.

He looked at Lu Ting, "Others don't know that you two are in the same group."

Lu Ting understood a little.

That is to say, everyone holds their own stance and fights against each other.

Lu Ting felt that he still had to ask more clearly, "What are the pros and cons of these two statements?"

Pei Yuan thought about it and felt that he could reveal more.

As the target partner of Pei Yuan's ultimate plan, Eunuch Lu has to conspire with him to do more bad things and further bind him to feel at ease.

Pei Yuan said, "The previous saying was that they used the general situation to force the Minister of War He Jian. Under the mood of grief among many civil officials, they used these two cases to force He Jian to death."

"Under such circumstances, in order to survive, He Jian had no choice but to split the relationship between Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing, and then play both sides to protect himself."

"But what about the essence? Being forced to die in the city is pitiful, but it doesn't sound so honorable." "And Eunuch Lu's move can help the civil officials gain the respect they want after achieving their goal. It can also win the general favor of the civil officials for Eunuch Lu and pave the way for his next step to take over the seal of the Imperial Household Department."

After hearing this, Lu Ting praised, "I see, the Qianhu is indeed very meticulous."

Pei Yuan felt vaguely that Lu Ting's words were somewhat offensive, but it was difficult to confirm, so he continued.

"With such a general favorable impression, Eunuch Lu's further remarks will be more easily accepted."

"Then Eunuch Lu can praise the noble actions of the civil servants or scholars during the suppression of the rebellion. I have also asked the Ministry of Public Administration to summarize some specific examples, which I will bring to Eunuch Lu in due time."

"Eunuch Lu should attribute all of this to the merits of etiquette education, and then he can talk about the vacant position of Minister of Rites. Eunuch Lu can suggest that the court select virtuous officials with outstanding conduct, integrity, and both moral integrity and talent."

Lu Ting slowly pondered over what Pei Yuan said, and suspected that Pei Yuan was speaking in a sarcastic way.

According to the political spectrum between him and Pei Yuan, one is a eunuch and the other is a Jinyiwei, both of them are evil forces in the court.

Maybe they can fool the world by performing occasionally, but people like them can't perform for their entire lives.

If such a person with outstanding character and incorruptibility really comes from one of the Seven Lords, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
Moreover, according to Lu Ting's political plan, his next step would be to enter the Imperial Household Department and become the eunuch in charge of the seal.

As the head of the inner court, it is very frustrating for the outer court to have such a Da Zongbo who is naturally in conflict with them.

Lu Ting thought about it and asked Pei Yuan carefully, "Does the captain have a suitable candidate in mind?"

Pei Yuan said, "Of course."

Having said that, without waiting for Lu Ting to ask again, he said without hesitation, "Thank you for moving!"

Lu Ting took a breath and said, "This is inappropriate!"

Then he changed his words and said, "That's impossible!"

Pei Yuan said, "Xie Qian was the top scholar in the Chenghua period. He entered the cabinet from the Hanlin Academy. He had an outstanding reputation and a good reputation. Later, he was squeezed out by Liu Jin and had to leave the court. With his qualifications, he is fully qualified for the position of Minister of Rites."

Lu Ting shook his head and rejected the idea, saying, "Xie Qian is not someone you can easily mess with. Why would you mess with him? Besides, Xie Qian was a cabinet minister in his past. If Xie Qian comes back, how will Yang Tinghe cope?"

"Given Xie Qian's qualifications, ability, and prestige in the court and the country, not to mention Yang Tinghe not wanting to see him come back. Even His Majesty would not want to see a Grand Secretary who is more troublesome than Yang Tinghe."

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "So, isn't this a good candidate?"

Lu Ting: “?”

Pei Yuan explained, "Eunuch Lu, as a eunuch, no matter who you propose, people will doubt your intentions. But when you propose Xie Qian, there will be no such concerns. Instead, people will trust you more. Moreover, when you propose to let Xie Qian come out of retirement, you can greatly gain the favor of a person and make him pay attention to you."

Lu Ting's heart moved, and he continued, "Yang Yiqing?!"

Pei Yuan nodded, "Yes, it's Yang Yiqing!"

Yang Yiqing has a close relationship with Li Dongyang and Xie Qian.

During the Jiajing period, when facing the fierce trio of Zhang Cong, Huo Tao and Gui E, Yang Yiqing, who felt overwhelmed, urgently called for external aid, and the person he called for was Xie Qian.

Lu Ting was able to give respect to the civil officials at this time, and proposed Xie Qian as a candidate, praising Xie Qian highly. This would definitely increase Yang Yiqing's favorability and make him feel like a confidant.

Unfortunately, it’s just TiTi.

Just as Lu Ting said, Xie Qian's seniority was too long. Yang Tinghe had finally gotten rid of Li Dongyang. How could he possibly allow Xie Qian, a senior university scholar, to return to the court calmly?
Moreover, the emperor desired a weak cabinet.

Zhu Houzhao had finally made Liang Chu infamous and destroyed his prestige, and now it was time to make further efforts.

He absolutely did not want Xie Qian to come back to strengthen the cabinet.

Pei Yuan briefly explained, and Lu Ting understood Pei Yuan's intention, "Are you planning to make a feint?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Not bad."

"You have only one goal, which is to attract Yang Yiqing's attention. As long as Yang Yiqing doesn't come out and express his opinion, you will work tirelessly to promote Xie Qian in the court."

"Don't worry, no one will come out and accuse you, a eunuch, of interfering in government affairs."

"Because the person you recommended was Xie Qian."

Lu Ting understood a little.

Xie Qian himself was a renowned leader of civil officials, and he was squeezed out by Liu Jin and had to retire and return home.

As a eunuch, Lu Ting could disregard his own gains and losses and push for a civil official leader who is anti-eunuch. What bad intentions could he have?

Lu Ting can use the political correctness in this to unscrupulously dominate the direction of public opinion.

Lu Ting thought for a moment and asked, "What if Yang Yiqing comes out to express his opinion?"

Pei Yuan said, "Yang Yiqing is now in a difficult situation facing Yang Tinghe, so he should be very welcoming to Xie Qian's return. After Yang Yiqing expresses his stance, you can temporarily retreat behind the scenes and see the reactions of the government and the public."

"If my guess is correct, both Yang Tinghe and the Emperor will take action to suppress this proposal."

Lu Ting was a little confused. "If so, I won't have worked in vain. Not only will the Prime Minister and the Emperor be dissatisfied with me, but I'm afraid that all the eunuchs in the inner court will hate me when they hear that I recommended Xie Qian."

Pei Yuan said bluntly, "You are just an eunuch. Maybe you are a reasonable eunuch in the eyes of those scholars, but not many people will pay attention to you. In this game, the person who loses the most is Yang Yiqing."

"Because when Yang Yiqing stood up and expressed his support for Xie Qian, his status and qualifications easily overshadowed you, and all attention was diverted to him."

"When Xie Qian is rejected, you can go meet Yang Yiqing in secret."

Lu Ting was slightly surprised, "I'm going to see Yang Yiqing?"

Pei Yuan said, "That's right, then it will be time for us to propose the real candidate."

"And in order to ensure success, this candidate must be proposed by Yang Yiqing."

"Yang Yiqing has just suffered a setback and must make a comeback immediately. So no matter what, the new Minister of Rites must be nominated by him again and successfully appointed, otherwise he will be completely defeated in the court."

"As for Yang Tinghe and His Majesty, they have just humiliated Yang Yiqing. As long as they don't want to force Yang Yiqing to overturn the table immediately, they have to make appropriate compromises. As long as the candidate is suitable, there is a great chance of breaking through."

Lu Ting asked, "Who does the commander-in-chief plan to appoint as the Grand Master?"

Pei Yuan opened his mouth and said a name that he had thought of carefully, "Former Nanjing Minister of Personnel, also the top scholar in the Chenghua period, Wang Hua!"

(End of this chapter)