Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 112 Wei Zhongxian

The next day, Zhou Anmin left Pingyang City early and returned to Pingshun.

The day before leaving, Zhu Shenzui gave Zhou Anmin a bag of gold, silver and jewelry, and pointed out a "shortcut to success" to him.

The shortcut is to use the money to get in touch with Keshi and Li Jinzhong, and establish a relationship with them as soon as possible through their relatives.

After the discussion, Zhu Shenzhu also reminded Zhou Anmin that Li Jinzhong's original surname was Wei before he entered the palace, but he didn't know his specific name. But Zhou Anmin was a member of the Jinyiwei, so it was not difficult to find out these things through the Jinyiwei channel, just make sure not to find the wrong person.

As for Ke Shi, it is much simpler. The Jinyiwei have files on her and you can find Ke Shi's hometown by looking through them.

Once this path is opened, let alone a small flag of the sixth rank, as long as the money is in place, even the position of a pacification envoy or a commander-in-chief will be possible.

However, Zhu Shenzhui told Zhou Anmin that even if it was possible to get a higher position, there was no need to do so. The higher the position, the greater the price to pay and the more attention it would attract. It would be more economical to get a position as a thousand-household officer. The emperor is far away and the sky is high. In this way, he can continue to stay in Shanxi without going to the capital and getting involved in unnecessary conflicts.

In addition to Zhou Anmin's matter, Zhu Shenzhui asked Zhou Anmin to do one more thing, which was to find a way to get the position of commander of Luzhou Guard or Ningshan Guard in Shanxi once the connections were successful. If it was difficult to become the commander, then the position of co-commander-in-chief would also be possible.

The two garrisons were located in the north and south, on either side of Yangtou Mountain and Zhaowu Mountain. No matter which garrison was acquired, it would be of great benefit to Zhu Shencui. With the position of garrison commander, Yangtou Mountain and Zhaowu Mountain would become Zhu Shencui's real territory, and he could then do many things in the name of the garrison.

With the money Zhu Shenzhui had managed to collect, Zhou Anmin set out on his journey. Zhu Shenzhui sent Zhou Anmin out of the city with high hopes that Zhou Anmin would be able to make the journey smoothly.

Now is the best time. If we wait until Li Jinzhong changes his name to Wei Zhongxian and becomes the prominent 9,900-year-old, it will be difficult to do this. At that time, Eunuch Wei is no longer a small figure. The 9,900-year-old in history is not a joke. Let alone such a small amount of silver, even if it is doubled, it is impossible to get through to Eunuch Wei and Madam Fengsheng Keshi.

Just as Zhou Anmin left Pingyang and returned to Pingshun to make preparations before going to northern Zhili, in the Forbidden City, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Youxiao had a face as gloomy as water, and in front of him were piles of memorials, all of which were impeaching Xiong Tingbi.

It has been several days since Tianqi ascended the throne. He is nominally the supreme ruler of the empire and the supreme emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

But Tianqi didn't feel like he was the emperor at all. From before he ascended the throne until now, in the imperial palace, Tianqi always felt that there were countless eyes secretly staring at him. And in the court, the powerful strength of the civil servants frightened him, especially since these civil servants kept putting pressure on him, the emperor, for various reasons in order to achieve their goals.

Yao Zhongwen was eager to impeach Xiong Tingbi shortly after Wanli's death, but Zhu Changluo died after only one month on the throne, and the matter was left unsolved. After Tianqi ascended the throne, the matter of Xiong Tingbi was brought up again.

On the sixth day after Tianqi officially ascended the throne, the impeachment of Xiong Tingbi came again.

First, the censor Gu Xu impeached Xiong Tingbi for staying and not coming back, accusing him of concealing his defeat, seeking credit, exhausting his troops, wasting money, being arrogant, and claiming sickness. The next day, another censor Feng Sanyuan impeached Xiong Tingbi for "eight things without strategy and three things of deceiving the emperor." As the two impeachment memorials emerged, officials such as Zhang Xiude, Wei Yingjia, Yang Lian, and Wang Jizeng pointed out various mistakes made by Xiong Tingbi during his tenure. For a time, Xiong Tingbi was called for by everyone in the court, and impeachments were overwhelming.

Tianqi didn't know much about Xiong Tingbi, but he understood one thing: his grandfather Wanli was not stupid. Since Wanli decisively appointed Xiong Tingbi after the Battle of Sarhu, and the situation in Liaodong gradually stabilized after Xiong Tingbi took office, it can be seen that Xiong Tingbi was capable.

Deep down, Tianqi had just ascended the throne and his top priority was to stabilize the government. He thought it was better to be still than to move, and had no intention of targeting Xiong Tingbi.

But now the impeachment of Xiong Tingbi in the court was getting more and more intense. The officials led by Yang Lian were at the forefront, and the officials of various departments did not stand idly by. Among them, the Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo and others kept putting pressure on Tianqi, strongly demanding that Xiong Tingbi be removed from office and someone else be sent to govern Liaodong.

The relentless pressure from the civil service group, especially the Donglin Party, put Tianqi under tremendous pressure. Although he was smart, he was only a sixteen-year-old boy. Moreover, his grandfather and father died within less than two months of each other. As the eldest grandson of the emperor, Tianqi was not liked by his grandfather Wanli since he was a child.

Taichang was emperor for too short a time, and he hastily ascended the throne without even having his title as crown prince confirmed. Therefore, Tianqi had no one he could rely on either in the court or in the palace.

After a few days as the emperor, Tianqi, as the new emperor, had no power or capital to compete. In the court, even the cabinet had become a decoration, and the chief minister Fang Congzhe had already begun to think about resigning. The Donglin Party was the only one in the court, and other parties, such as the Zhejiang Party and the Chu Party, also joined forces with the Donglin Party for their own interests and oppressed the emperor.

As for the Imperial Palace, it was also very frightening. Ma Rong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department during the Wanli period, was driven out of the palace after Emperor Taichang ascended the throne. Now the most powerful eunuch is Wang An, who is in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the East Factory. Although Wang An has not officially replaced the Imperial Household Department as the eunuch in charge, he actually left the position of the eunuch in charge vacant after Ma Rong left. Now he is no different from the eunuch in charge, except for the title.

But Tianqi knew very well that Wang An was not trustworthy. When his father, Emperor Taichang, passed away, Wang An had colluded with civil officials in private. Wang An's role in driving Li Xianshi out of the Qianqing Palace was not so glorious. Moreover, Tianqi suspected that Wang An had colluded with foreign officials when Emperor Taichang was alive. Otherwise, when Emperor Taichang was in poor health, he, the eldest son of the emperor, was one step behind the civil officials when he heard the news and rushed to the palace. This could not have been done without the civil officials' spies in the palace, and this spy was most likely Wang An.

Not only Wang An, but also Jinyiwei Commander Luo Sigong was also involved. In addition to Wang An as a civil servant, the Jinyiwei also had a role in the palace relocation case.

The Imperial Household Department, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were the emperor's powerful weapons against the civil service group. Not to mention the emperors after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di were both wise and capable emperors. They were also emperors on horseback who held the sword in their hands. Their words were law and no one dared to disagree.

However, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the Imperial Household Department began to be established. The establishment of this institution was mainly for the stability of imperial power. After that, the politics of the Ming Dynasty gradually formed a situation of three-way competition among the civil service group (cabinet), the noble group and the Imperial Household Department.

During the reign of Emperor Baozong of the Ming Dynasty, the Battle of Tumu Fortress almost wiped out the noble group. After the war, the noble group never recovered and no longer had the huge influence they had in the early Ming Dynasty. As a result, the three-way balance of power was broken. Without the support of the noble group, the emperor had to personally fight for power using eunuchs, Jinyiwei and civil officials.

After such a situation is created, the result is either the east wind prevails over the west wind or the west wind prevails over the east wind. It has been like this for so many years. Relying on the eunuch group and institutions such as the Jinyiwei, every emperor of the Ming Dynasty has basically been fighting for power with the civil service group. But now Tianqi suddenly found that the sword handle that originally belonged to the emperor actually ran to the opponent's side and secretly united with the civil officials. How can Tianqi feel at ease?

Under such circumstances, even if Tianqi wanted to suppress Xiong Tingbi's impeachment, he could not do so. The impeachments piling up before him were increasing. The whole court was in an uproar, and everyone was suggesting that Xiong Tingbi should be dealt with. Tianqi had no one he could use, and although he was angry, he was powerless.

"Li Banban."

"I'm here!" Li Jinzhong, who was serving on the side, responded quickly. Since Tianqi ascended the throne, Li Jinzhong had become the chief eunuch beside Tianqi. Although he did not have a formal position as a eunuch, everyone could see that Li Jinzhong was highly valued by the emperor.

"Tell all the gentlemen in the cabinet that I have agreed to Xiong Tingbi's request. Just follow the cabinet's wishes."

"Your Majesty, then I will transfer it to the Imperial Household Department to use the seal?" Li Jinzhong asked hesitantly.

Tianqi waved his hand and said, "Use it."

"Yes..." Li Jinzhong responded quickly, stepped forward and picked up the memorials, looked up at Tianqi who looked grim, and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, I will do it right away, Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?"

"Just do it..." Tianqi sighed, and seeing Li Jinzhong was about to walk out, Tianqi suddenly stopped him again.

"Li Banban! What's your real last name?"

"Your Majesty, my surname is Wei." Li Jinzhong replied quickly.

Tianqi nodded thoughtfully, "You have been with me for quite some time. Now that I have succeeded to the throne, I feel it is inappropriate for Li Banban to still use your previous surname. Today I will grant you a favor. From today on, you will resume your original surname."

Li Jinzhong's body trembled slightly, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Tianqi, choking with sobs as he said, "How could this servant be so worthy of your kindness that Your Majesty would worry about such a small matter? Your Majesty's kindness is so great that I cannot repay you with my life..."

"Okay, okay, you said it was a small matter. There's no need to be so serious. Get up." Tianqi smiled faintly and said, "I know your loyalty. In the future, work hard by my side. I will be of great use to you!"

"I will die for the Emperor!" Li Jinzhong knocked his head against the ground, tears streaming down his face as he said, "Today, I have received the Emperor's grace and have been able to restore my original surname. I will never repay this even if I die! From today on, I will restore my original surname and change my name to Zhongxian to repay the Emperor's grace!"

"Good! What a great Wei Zhongxian!" Tianqi showed a satisfied smile on his face. Wei Zhongxian's attitude made him very happy. There were not many people he could use in the palace, and Wei Zhongxian in front of him was one of them who he could absolutely trust and rely on.

Tianqi had no solution at the court, but he could not rest assured if the situation in the palace continued, so he thought that Wei Zhongxian was the only one he could use. Wei Zhongxian's attitude further proved Tianqi's judgment. He was right. Although this person was not very good, he was absolutely loyal to him. If he could use him well, he would be a good sword.

(End of this chapter)