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

Chapter 455 The Worst Scenario with a Low Probability

Lu Ting nodded and said sincerely, "I have never participated in political affairs, and I have never been interested in political affairs."

"This time I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I followed Bi Zhen and Gu Dayong's actions."

"After submitting the petition, I felt uneasy, fearing that I had done something wrong and brought suffering to the people. Now that I have heard the words of the Heavenly Official, I feel relieved."

Seeing that everything Lu Ting did was in line with his wishes, Yang Yiqing wanted to keep him and chat with him for a while.

However, Lu Ting said that he was an eunuch with a strong sense of boundaries, and if he stayed here for a long time, it would inevitably cause misunderstandings among the people of the world.

Yang Yiqing felt more and more that Eunuch Lu was different from Zhang Yong.

Yang Yiqing even took the initiative to stand up and send Lu Ting to the door.

Lu Ting looked deeply moved. As he was about to leave, he turned around and looked at Yang Yiqing, seeming to want to say something but stopped himself.

Yang Yiqing wondered, "Does Eunuch Lu have anything else to say?"

But he heard Lu Ting whisper to him, "I have something to say from the bottom of my heart, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

Yang Yiqing said calmly, "Eunuch Lu, there is no need to be so polite. Just say whatever you want to say."

Lu Ting then said to Yang Yiqing in a serious tone, "After I nominate Wang Hua tomorrow, I hope that Yang Tianguan can speak out in support of me like he did last time."

Yang Yiqing had this plan in mind, but when he heard Lu Ting specifically mention it, he felt something was a little strange, so he asked, "Oh? What does Eunuch Lu mean?"

Lu Ting looked very sincere, "Last time I wrote a letter to the emperor, I was lucky enough to get the support of Yang Tianguan. Unfortunately, it was deliberately blocked by someone with ulterior motives, and I failed in the end."

"This will inevitably cause Yang Tianguan to lose face, and it will also easily lead to misunderstandings both inside and outside the family."

"It's fine for Lu, I'm just an inner official, and all my honor and disgrace are on your majesty. The praise or criticism of these outsiders has no effect on me at all."

"But if someone fanned the flames and made the government and the public think that your majesty was dissatisfied with the Heavenly Official and therefore rejected the candidate that the Heavenly Official tried so hard to protect, I'm afraid that many opportunistic scoundrels would cause trouble."

"It may also cause unnecessary trouble to Yang Tianguan."

After hearing this, Yang Yiqing narrowed his eyes slightly.

Previously, both the government and the public had unanimously condemned Yang Tinghe for being jealous of talented people and greedy for power, but no one realized this tricky angle.

But what if someone really does bring it up?

That actually makes sense.

Because the emperor chose to help Yang Tinghe instead of Yang Yiqing who was strongly advocating for Xie Qian, this would to a large extent cause many fence-sitters to misjudge the direction of the wind.

In the political struggle, if any party falls into a losing position, it may end up being pushed down by everyone.

Yang Yiqing didn't expect that Lu Ting was so sensitive to the political risks involved.

After thinking about it for a while, I felt relieved.

As expected of a capable eunuch commander, the Bazhou Army suffered repeated defeats. Although he was too upright and frank, he was still very sensitive to the situation.

He asked, "So what does Eunuch Lu mean?"

Lu Ting said, "Yang Tianguan must win back the loss he suffered on this issue, otherwise he will inevitably be looked down upon by the world."

"Since Yang Tianguan thinks this candidate has a high chance of being approved, why not stand up again and support Wang Hua openly?"

"This way, we can let those righteous people who are indignant for Xie Qian see Yang Tianguan's perseverance, and use this victory to further strike a blow to Yang Tinghe's arrogance."

Yang Yiqing was immediately moved.

Taking advantage of the momentum of winning to attack the opponent, isn't this almost like getting something for free?

Moreover, Lu Ting's analysis was so logical and well-founded that Yang Yiqing could not think of any reason to refuse.

In addition to what Lu Ting said, there are also some invisible benefits.

For example, in this case, Wang Hua, the Minister of Rites who was about to take office, would definitely accept his favor. After all, in the eyes of outsiders, it was Yang Yiqing's "unyielding" struggle that led to this victory.

When Wang Hua becomes one of the Seven Ministers in the future, even if he cannot agree with Yang Yiqing on all issues, he will not stand up against Yang Yiqing.

Otherwise, what will people in the world say?
On the other hand, Yang Yiqing intervened in the selection of the Minister of Rites. Regardless of the process, he approved of the final candidate, which in itself showed his strength to the world.

This can also encourage his accomplices to a great extent.

Yang Yiqing pondered for a moment, and finally let down his guard. He said to Lu Ting, "Eunuch Lu is right. When Eunuch Lu writes a letter tomorrow, I will stand up and support him immediately."

Sure enough, early the next morning, Lu Ting wrote another letter through the Ministry of Public Administration, proposing a new candidate for the Minister of Rites.

In view of the attention that Lu Ting's last memorial attracted, officials of all ranks in the Ministry of Public Administration quickly copied some of it and sent it to relevant people who were concerned about this matter.

Anyway, it will not be kept secret once it is published in the book, so it would be a waste not to do such a favor.

Emperor Zhengde, who had been paying attention to this matter for a long time, read it as soon as possible.

I was stunned when I saw the name "Wang Hua".

This makes it difficult to control Yang Tinghe.

Although Yang Tinghe cannot be controlled, Wang Hua is indeed a good candidate.

Wang Hua was the top scholar in the imperial examination and had a gentle and humble personality, which made him at least not aggressive despite being one of the seven ministers.

Presumably, this should be a choice that is welcomed by both the government and the opposition.

Zhu Houzhao thought about it for a moment and immediately asked Zhang Rui, the governor of the East Factory, to inquire about the wind direction outside.

Lu Ting's public petition did indeed arouse great interest among many people.

In view of the fact that three eunuchs had submitted memorials in succession, which were simply outrageous, the ministers did not have preconceived impressions and did not look at the articles with tinted eyes.

Wait and see the candidates recommended by Lu Ting.

Hey!
The number one scholar in the imperial examination! The president of the Hanlin Academy! The right imperial tutor of the Right Spring Office of the Zhanshi Palace who taught Zhu Houzhao when he was the crown prince! The left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites! The minister of the Ministry of Personnel in Nanjing!

This pure and clear stream tastes so sweet.

While the officials were still praising him, Yang Yiqing stepped forward and once again supported Lu Ting's choice.

The others seemed to have just woken up from their dreams and quickly agreed.

Many people who were qualified to be nominated were first suppressed by Lu Ting by bringing out Xie Qian, and then he replaced him with Wang Hua. For a moment, they were too embarrassed to bring out the people they wanted to recommend to compete.

The most important thing is that even Yang Tinghe was very proactive in praising Wang Hua.

This made it rare for the government and the opposition to have a consistent view on the whole matter.

When Zhu Houzhao learned about this, he no longer hesitated and immediately asked the Minister of Personnel to organize a court discussion.

Since the result is roughly clear, of course no one would offend the Seven Ministers who are about to take office.

Wang Hua was passed unanimously and became the new Minister of Rites.

At this point, the struggle over the Minister of Rites officially came to an end.

At the same time, the issue of Lu Wan's reward suddenly became the most important focus. On this day, Pei Yuan was hanging up in Zhihua Temple.

Just after handling a case of a lecherous monk defrauding people of money and sex, someone came to report that Wei Ne, the councilor of the Ministry of Public Administration, was seeking a meeting outside.

And next to him was Jiao Hanlin who had been here last time.

Pei Yuan frowned.

Wei Ne was his eyes and ears in the Tongzheng Division, so no matter how many times he came, Pei Yuan would always greet him with a smile, but that Jiao Huangzhong was quite a trouble.

Pei Yuan had wanted to help Jiao Huangzhong out of consideration for his feelings for Jiao Yaner, but Jiao Huangzhong had not thought clearly about his position at all, which made Pei Yuan very annoyed.

At this moment, the two of them came hand in hand. It is obvious that they were in a desperate situation and had nowhere else to turn to, so they still wanted to get some help from their cheap son-in-law.

Pei Yuan hesitated for a long time before sighing, "Forget it, let them in."

Because I was feeling irritated, I simply opened another file to take a look.

This time, a county magistrate reported an auspicious sign to the emperor. The Ministry of Rites was already disgusted with such things, so Mao Ji, the left vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, transferred the matter to the Thousand Households Office for Suppressing Evils and asked the Thousand Households Office to verify it.

Pei Yuan still knew the importance of the relationship between the Left Vice Minister of Rites and the county magistrate.

Moreover, what the superiors like, the subordinates will follow. Pei Yuan did not want the local authorities to taste the sweetness and then waste their energy on making trouble.

So, Pei Yuan directly commented, "It is a rumor that confuses the people and the facts are untrue." Then he had the letter sent back to Mao Ji without even performing any performance.

As soon as the man who delivered the documents left, Wei Ne came into the hall excitedly with Jiao Huangzhong.

There was already a master-servant distinction between Pei Yuan and Wei Ne.

Jiao Huangzhong was just the father of a concubine, so there was no need for Pei Yuan to give him any extra gifts.

He observed the two of them, sitting behind the desk, and called out, "Counselor Zuo, what brings you here?"

Wei Ne was in a very good mood and was about to respond when Jiao Huangzhong next to him coughed lightly.

Wei Ne knew that it was Pei Yuan's disregard that made Jiao Huangzhong feel uncomfortable, but Jiao Huangzhong couldn't bring himself to greet him, so he could only helplessly say, "Jiao Hanlin is here too."

Pei Yuan said "Oh" indifferently and didn't respond.

Jiao Huangzhong's face immediately turned red. He instantly remembered the last time Pei Yuan called him over, but he didn't see him until very late.

He wanted to walk away in anger, but he was still thinking about Wei Ne's previous boasting to him, and regarded Pei Yuan as his last straw.

At the moment, he could only shamelessly say to Pei Yuan, "It's been a while since we last met. I hope you are doing well, my dear son-in-law."

Pei Yuan couldn't save face, and didn't correct Jiao Huangzhong's words, and reluctantly said perfunctorily, "I'm just busy with official business."

Pei Yuan asked the two to sit down, and soon the Jinyiwei soldiers served them tea.

Pei Yuan deliberately ignored Jiao Huangzhong and directly asked Wei Ne about his purpose.

Wei Ne quickly smiled and said, "This time I came here to express my gratitude to Qian Hu."

When Pei Yuan saw that it was for this, he immediately lost interest.

He opened another file, looked at it in a disinterested manner, and asked casually, "What are you thanking me for?"

Wei Ne said, "The situation in the court is becoming clearer and clearer. Li Shishi is unwilling to give up the position of Left Censor-in-Chief, Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe have turned against each other, and He Jian has also begun to retreat to avoid being forced to take sides."

"Now, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the plan to clean up Liu Jin's remnants is about to fail. Even my colleagues in the Ministry of Public Administration dare to talk to me again."

Pei Yuan did not take credit for it and replied lazily, "I am just a small captain working on paperwork in Zhihua Temple. I don't have time to care about these things. No need to thank me."

Wei Ne smiled and said, "You don't need to explain, I understand. I also benefited from Governor Wang's help."

Pei Yuan was somewhat surprised by Wei Ne's optimism. He asked Wei Ne, "Are you sure you can pass it?"

Wei Ne was in a good mood, "It's almost done. Now the seven ministers of the court are complete, and the loophole left for Lu Wan has been closed."

"If you want to place Lu Wan, there are only two ways."

"Well, one of the seven ministers is to be removed. However, none of the seven ministers have done anything wrong. It is not appropriate to force them to retire just to make room for them."

"And the most suitable positions for Lu Wan now are Left Censor-in-Chief and Minister of War. Li Shishi has made it clear that he will not give up. Although Minister of War He Jian has been criticized recently, the Ministry of War must have made contributions to the successful suppression of the rebellion. As Minister of War, He Jian is a meritorious official himself. How can he drive away his superior for the sake of his subordinate who has made contributions?"

Pei Yuan was a little surprised when he heard this.

He asked, "Didn't He Jian take the initiative to retire?"

Wei Ne was somewhat stunned, "Why did he voluntarily retire?"

Pei Yuan didn't respond, and then said, "Then tell me the second method."

Wei Ne didn't think much about it and said directly, "The second method is much easier. After Li Dongyang retired, there are only three cabinet ministers now. Now that the court is busy, we should add another one to jointly handle state affairs."

"Since it is difficult to clear a position among the seven ministers, we can nominate someone to join the cabinet, so that Lu Wan can make room for this vacant position."

Pei Yuan thought about it and it seemed like this was indeed a solution.

No wonder He Jian pretended to be dead, it turned out to be because of this.

Pei Yuan asked thoughtfully, "So, Sima He has seen the opportunity to join the cabinet?"

Wei Ne said, "I heard it was."

"Minister Lu has made contributions, and Minister He has also made contributions. They should both be promoted. One will be appointed to the cabinet, and the other will be appointed as the Minister of War, which was vacant by He Jian. This way, we can have the best of both worlds."

Pei Yuan felt a little uneasy when he heard the changes that were beyond his plan.

How come these ministers are so capable of causing trouble?

Although this result doesn't sound bad.

But since it is beyond my control...

What would be the worst change?

Pei Yuan was thinking, and suddenly a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He hurriedly called out, "Someone come!"

Someone immediately responded and came in.

Pei Yuan said to him in a deep voice, "Go to Dongyue Temple immediately to find the Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi, and then ask him if he has any thoughts on joining the cabinet!"

Upon hearing this, the man immediately responded and left.

Wei Ne listened to Pei Yuan's words, pondered them secretly, and his expression changed as well.

Now the court urgently needs to give Lu Wan a vacant position among the Seven Ministers.

Although having Minister of War He Jian join the cabinet is the current optimal solution, the probability of Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi joining the cabinet is very small, but no matter how small the probability is, it is still an option.

Moreover, if the Left Censor-in-Chief Li Shishi entered the cabinet, wouldn't it mean that Lu Wan could still be promoted to the Left Censor-in-Chief, and then launch a hunt for Liu Jin's eunuch party according to the original plan?

(End of this chapter)