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

Chapter 241 Replacement

Wei Zhongxian was very satisfied with these two godsons. One of them was good at literature and the other was good at martial arts, which was exactly what he needed. These days, both Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng helped him do his work wholeheartedly, which pleased him very much.

But this was not enough. Wei Zhongxian knew very well who his real enemy was, the Donglin Party, which controlled the government. He was supported by Emperor Tianqi, who used him to deal with the Donglin Party. Although Wei Zhongxian had never been educated, he had mixed in the market and had stayed in the palace for so many years. Wei Zhongxian knew very well that as a eunuch, he could only get to where he was today because of the favor of Emperor Tianqi. Once Emperor Tianqi no longer trusted him, everything he had would be gone like smoke.

If Wei Zhongxian wanted to keep the Emperor Tianqi's favor on him, he had to do the key to making the Emperor Tianqi use him, which was to bring down the Donglin Party.

The Donglin Party was Wei Zhongxian's natural enemy, and there was no possibility of peaceful coexistence between the two sides. If he could not defeat the Donglin Party, then Wei Zhongxian would no longer be of any value to the Emperor Tianqi.

He raised his hand to let the two of them stand up. After they sat down, Wei Zhongxian told them what happened in the Qianqing Palace today. After listening to Wei Zhongxian, Cui Chengxiu and Tian Ergeng looked at each other and understood the godfather's intention of calling them here.

"Geng'er!"

"My child is here!" Hearing Wei Zhongxian calling him, Tian Ergeng quickly stood up.

"Sit down." Wei Zhongxian waved his hand to tell him not to do so, and then asked, "I heard you say a few days ago that Xu Xianchun, the grandson of the imperial concubine Xu Congcheng, was interested in becoming our disciple?"

"My godfather, this is indeed true." Tian Ergeng nodded.

"Tell us in detail about Xu Xianchun. What kind of person is he?" Wei Zhongxian asked slowly while drinking tea.

Tian Ergeng immediately reported Xu Xianchun's situation in detail to Wei Zhongxian. Xu Xianchun was the grandson of Xu Congcheng, the imperial concubine's captain. Xu Congcheng was the son-in-law of Emperor Jiajing and a Ming Dynasty nobleman. From the perspective of Emperor Jiajing, Xu Xianchun could be considered the cousin of Emperor Tianqi.

As a noble relative, Xu Xianchun participated in the military examination, was able to ride a horse and shoot a bow, and was also good at boxing and kicking, and was awarded the honorary title of Jinyiwei Duzhijianshi. As noble relatives, Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng had a good private relationship. They usually called each other brothers and often played together.

Tian Ergeng got in touch with Wei Zhongxian through Wei Liangqing, and then after he worshipped Wei Zhongxian as his adoptive father, Tian Ergeng became very different from before. Although he has not really gained power yet, with the help of Wei Zhongxian's influence, Tian Ergeng is now a very different person and his fame in Beijing is even greater. It is said that Wei Zhongxian also intends to let Tian Ergeng serve as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the current commander Luo Sigong is still there, so Tian Ergeng has to wait for an opportunity to replace him.

But everyone could see that Luo Sigong would not be able to hold the post of Jinyiwei Commander for much longer. The reason why Emperor Tianqi did not remove him was mainly because of the stability of Jinyiwei. At that time, Wei Zhongxian had just come to power and did not even have full control over the East Factory. As an important special department in the hands of the emperor, Jinyiwei was a very critical government office. If Luo Sigong was moved at that time, Emperor Tianqi would have to consider the instability within Jinyiwei. Once Jinyiwei had problems, it would not be a good thing.

Moreover, Wang An of the Imperial Household Department was driven to Nanjing to guard the mausoleum, and the Donglin Party's claws in the inner court had been cut off. Luo Sigong was so scared that he quickly confessed his crime to Tianqi and swore allegiance to the emperor. Since Luo Sigong had already surrendered, there was no need to remove him immediately. This was also the reason why Emperor Tianqi did not move the Jinyiwei and kept him.

But one thing is for another, Luo Sigong was not removed at the beginning because of the considerations at the beginning, and now the second year of Tianqi is about to pass, and the third year of Tianqi is coming. During this year, Wei Zhongxian's power gradually grew, not only controlling the Silijian and Dongchang, but also extending his tentacles from the inner court to the outer court, and began to compete with the Donglin Party for power in the court.

In other words, the current Wei Zhongxian is no longer the same as before. With the expansion of power, Wei Zhongxian began to think that it was time to compete with the Donglin Party. He couldn't always be suppressed by the Donglin Party, right? If so, the Emperor Tianqi would be dissatisfied with him over time, and he would gradually lose the favor of the Emperor Tianqi.

Listening to Tian Ergeng's story, Wei Zhongxian pondered it carefully in his mind. After Tian Ergeng finished speaking, Wei Zhongxian nodded slightly.

"I remember that Xu Xianchun holds the title of Jinyiwei Duzhijianshi?"

"Godfather has a good memory." Tian Ergeng replied quickly. His heart was slightly moved, but his face did not show any emotion at all.

"In that case, bring Xu Xianchun to our house tomorrow."

"Since my godfather wants to see him, I will arrange this matter..." Tian Ergeng replied, and thought of a possibility in his mind and lowered his head slightly.

"Geng'er!" "The child is here!"

"I think it's time to change the position of Jinyiwei Commander. Haven't you always wanted this position? This time, I will make your wish come true."

"Godfather, this...!" Tian Ergeng suddenly raised his head, an expression of incredible surprise on his face.

Wei Zhongxian had just asked about Xu Xianchun, especially the fact that Xu Xianchun held the title of Jinyiwei Commander, which made Tian Ergeng feel uneasy. Although Tian Ergeng had been eyeing the position of Jinyiwei Commander, and given his rank, it was no problem for him to be the Commander. But the problem was that Luo Sigong had been sitting firmly in the position of Jinyiwei Commander. He had tried to probe Wei Zhongxian several times before, but Wei Zhongxian had not given him a definite answer. After so much time had passed, the position of Jinyiwei Commander seemed to Tian Ergeng to be something he coveted but could not reach, and no one knew whether he could eventually take it.

Wei Zhongxian had just asked Xu Xianchun again, which made Tian Ergeng even more worried. After all, Xu Xianchun already had the title of Jinyiwei Duzhijianshi, even if it was a nominal title, but in some cases, the official title of the Ming Dynasty was just a matter of a word. Once the emperor spoke and Wei Zhongxian nodded, it was not impossible for Xu Xianchun's title of Jinyiwei Duzhijianshi to change from nominal to real.

If this happens, Xu Xianchun's rank in the Jinyiwei will be second only to the commander. When Luo Sigong steps down, Xu Xianchun will become the most suitable successor. When thinking of this possibility, Tian Ergeng wanted to slap himself. Why not recommend Xu Xianchun when there are so many people to recommend? Isn't this asking for trouble?
If time could be reversed, Tian Ergeng would never care about Xu Xianchun, even if Xu Xianchun and he were close friends. What if this person didn't work for himself? He was punished by heaven and earth, and the position he had set his sights on was given to someone else for nothing. Wasn't this a brain drain?

But he didn't expect that Wei Zhongxian's words would bring Tian Ergeng, who was feeling a little depressed, back to normal. When he heard Wei Zhongxian ask him to be prepared to take over the position of commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Tian Ergeng was surprised and happy and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing him like this, Wei Zhongxian felt amused. Wei Zhongxian knew exactly what Tian Ergeng was thinking. He was just trying to warn him. How could he not know that Tian Ergeng had long coveted the position of Jinyiwei Commander? Besides, Tian Ergeng was his godson. Wei Zhongxian and Xu Xianchun were not familiar with each other. Tian Ergeng had recommended him to Wei Zhongxian. It was impossible for him to give the position of Jinyiwei Commander to Xu Xianchun.

Tian Ergeng was just anxious and confused. Wei Zhongxian knew what he was thinking and teased him on purpose. He didn't expect that this kid was so resistant to teasing.

Wei Zhongxian couldn't help but burst into laughter. As Wei Zhongxian's laughter rang out, Tian Ergeng came back to his senses and couldn't help but laugh foolishly as well.

"My dear brother, congratulations." Cui Chengxiu congratulated Tian Ergeng cheerfully, his face filled with genuine joy, but only he himself knew whether he felt jealous in his heart.

After quickly thanking Cui Chengxiu, Tian Ergeng came to his senses and remembered that the person he should thank the most was his godfather Wei Zhongxian. He immediately knelt down in front of Wei Zhongxian, kowtowed and thanked his godfather for his support.

Wei Zhongxian waved his hand to ask him to get up. After Tian Ergeng kowtowed and stood up, Wei Zhongxian told him in a serious tone that the matter regarding the commander of the Jinyiwei should be settled soon. In a few days, it would be the third year of Tianqi, and after this New Year, Luo Sigong's position as commander would also be over.

Wei Zhongxian had already recommended Tian Ergeng to Emperor Tianqi, and Emperor Tianqi also agreed to Wei Zhongxian's decision to let Tian Ergeng serve as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although this matter has not been finally announced, it is a foregone conclusion.

Although Tian Ergeng is about to take office as the commander of the Jinyiwei, the Jinyiwei is different from other government offices. The Jinyiwei's authority in the Ming Dynasty is very important, especially as the emperor's personal army, the Jinyiwei also undertakes many related functions.

It is not so easy to control the Jinyiwei. After all, Luo Sigong has worked in the Jinyiwei for many years, and most of the people in the Jinyiwei were promoted by Luo Sigong. To replace him is not as simple as just sitting on the throne of the commander.

Tian Ergeng replaced Luo Sigong as the commander of the Jinyiwei, but the Jinyiwei was still full of Luo Sigong's men, and he could not control the Jinyiwei alone. In this case, Wei Zhongxian had to help Tian Ergeng find some helpers, and Xu Xianchun, who Tian Ergeng had recommended to him before, happened to be a suitable candidate.

Xu Xianchun already had the title of Jinyiwei Commander-in-Chief, although it was a nominal title that could be turned into a real one with just a word from the emperor. With Xu Xianchun as Tian Ergeng's right-hand man, he would have more control over Jinyiwei, which was also the result that Wei Zhongxian was happy to see.

Although the Dongchang had great power, it was not the Jinyiwei after all. Compared with the Jinyiwei, the Dongchang did not take many things for granted. Since Wei Zhongxian wanted to fight against the Donglin Party, he had to take the Jinyiwei into his own hands. It was for this reason that the commander of the Jinyiwei had to be Wei Zhongxian's man.

It was a brilliant move to support Tian Ergeng as the commander of the Jinyiwei and let Xu Xianchun, Tian Ergeng's man, be his deputy. As for Xu Xianchun, although Wei Zhongxian had never met him, he might be a close friend of Tian Ergeng. Wei Zhongxian thought that such a person could be used.

Wei Zhongxian even thought about it. After meeting Xu Xianchun tomorrow, if this kid is really as he imagined, it is not impossible to make further use of him. For example, adopting him as an adopted son like Tian Ergeng would be a good idea. Although he trusts Tian Ergeng, once Tian Ergeng really takes the position of commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Wei Zhongxian will have to be on guard. Of course, this precaution is not a defense, but just to make Tian Ergeng work for him better and listen to him. Therefore, it is necessary to put Xu Xianchun by his side.

(End of this chapter)