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

Chapter 792 Qian Qianyi

"When did Mr. Mu Zhai arrive in the capital?" Zhu Shenzhui asked politely.

"Regent, I just arrived in the capital the day before yesterday." Qian Qianyi replied neither arrogantly nor humbly.

"You went from Jiangnan to the north. Was the journey easy?"

"Thank you for your concern, Regent. My army is now suppressing the bandits in the Central Plains. The bandits have not entered the borders of Nanzhili and Shandong. Even the area near Henan has become much more peaceful. This is all thanks to the Regent. With the Regent in the court, my journey has been relatively smooth." Qian Qianyi said with a smile.

This guy was good-looking and had a good tongue. In just a few words, he inadvertently flattered Zhu Shenzhui, which made Zhu Shenzhui laugh.

"I'm glad everything went well. Mr. Mu Zhai has lived in Jiangnan for several years. I wonder how Jiangnan is doing now? Can you tell me about it?"

"If the Regent has any questions, I will naturally have nothing to say. I am originally from the south and have studied in the countryside over the years, so I do know a thing or two. Please allow me to slowly tell you..." Qian Qianyi was driven out of the capital by Wen Tihen and Yang Sichang in the tenth year of Chongzhen. He suffered a great setback at that time. If it were not for his good relationship with Cao Huachun, he would have been in trouble just because he had written an epitaph for the eunuch Wang An.

With Cao Huachun's manipulation, Qian Qianyi was eventually dismissed from office and expelled from the capital, and ordered to return home.

However, after Qian Qianyi returned to Jiangnan, he said that he was studying and cultivating his character in his hometown. In fact, he lived in Nanjing. Soon after, Emperor Chongzhen appointed Cao Huachun as the garrison commander of Nanjing. After Cao Huachun arrived in Nanjing, he took good care of Qian Qianyi. Qian Qianyi not only did not suffer any hardship, but he also thrived in Nanjing and became more and more famous.

Fame aside, Qian Qianyi always wanted to make a comeback, and he never thought about returning to the capital and the court. However, during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, it was very unlikely for Qian Qianyi to do so. In addition, Wen Tihen was the chief minister, and Yang Sichang was also in the court. With these two mortal enemies, Qian Qianyi could not return to Beijing without any accidents.

Qian Qianyi lived a carefree life in the past few years, but only he knew the pain in his heart. But he never thought that he could actually return to Beijing. When the imperial court issued an order not long ago, Zhu Shenzhui issued an order to reinstate Qian Qianyi, not only allowing him to return to Beijing as an official, but also giving him the position of Right Censor-in-Chief, Qian Qianyi, who had been waiting for a long time, was overjoyed.

Although Zhu Shenzhui entered the capital in the name of clearing the court and pacifying the national crisis, and took control of the government and became the regent, when the news spread to Jiangnan, the whole of Jiangnan was in an uproar. Countless people scolded Zhu Shenzhui as a traitor, and there were also many people clamoring to get rid of the traitor for the country. Qian Qianyi was one of them. He scolded Zhu Shenzhui many times at literary meetings and even cried bitterly for the imprisonment of Emperor Chongzhen.

But now Zhu Shenzhu directly reinstated Qian Qianyi and gave him the post of Right Censor-in-Chief. After receiving the order, Qian Qianyi ran faster than anyone else.

To put it bluntly, Qian Qianyi was just a literati who was good at talking, and he was the kind of person who had the desire but not the courage to do something. Otherwise, he would not have been nicknamed "The water is too cold and my scalp is itchy" in later generations.

The idea is naturally different depending on where the butt is. Scolding Zhu Shencui is for political and reputation reasons, and joining Zhu Shencui is the same reason. Qian Qianyi understands this better than anyone else.

Moreover, as time went by, Zhu Shenzhu's position in the Ming Dynasty became more and more stable. The two foreign wars and the war against the bandits at home had obviously improved, and the public's perception of Zhu Shenzhu began to change. Many people even thought that it might be better if Zhu Shenzhu was the emperor. At least Zhu Shenzhu was more suitable as the emperor than Chongzhen, who was short-sighted, fickle and irresponsible.

Today was not only the first time Zhu Shencui met Qian Qianyi, but also the first time Qian Qianyi met Zhu Shencui.

Qian Qianyi was a veteran of four dynasties. He was a Jinshi in the 38th year of Wanli's reign and had met Emperor Wanli. He also had dealings with Emperor Taichang and Emperor Tianqi. As for Emperor Chongzhen, he stayed in the court for a full ten years and was more familiar with him.

Compared with the previous emperors, Zhu Shenzhui gave Qian Qianyi a completely different feeling. Although this master seemed kind on the surface, he had an intimidating demeanor. Moreover, Qian Qianyi was good at the Book of Changes and understood physiognomy. He was secretly shocked when he saw Zhu Shenzhui. Zhu Shenzhui was far superior to Emperor Chongzhen in both appearance and gestures. In his opinion, except for Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang and Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di, there was no third emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty who could compare with him.

Qian Qianyi was once the editor-in-chief of "The Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong". He had seen portraits of emperors of various dynasties in the palace. He found that Zhu Shenzui looked particularly similar to Taizu and Chengzu. If he was fatter and had a longer beard, they would have been exactly like them. On the contrary, the appearance of Emperor Chongzhen was somewhat different, which was strange.

When facing Zhu Shenzhui, Qian Qianyi did not act humble, but talked freely and with the demeanor of a famous scholar, which was also his cleverness. When Zhu Shenzhui asked him about the affairs of Jiangnan, Qian Qianyi immediately understood Zhu Shenzhui's purpose. He knew that Zhu Shenzhui wanted to know the attitude of Jiangnan towards the court, including the attitude towards him, Zhu Shenzhui. He immediately took the opportunity to talk about the views of the Jiangnan aristocratic families and gentry on the court, etc.

Qian Qianyi was very good at speaking and had a good art of speaking. What he said was not only meaningful but also humorous. In particular, while he was telling the story, he would skillfully explain the humanities, geography, customs, etc. of Jiangnan as if he was telling a story, which made people listen with relish. One talked and the other listened, and asked a few questions from time to time. The king and his minister chatted happily. Before they knew it, they had been chatting for two hours. Zhu Shenzhu could not help but sincerely admire Qian Qianyi's literary talent and his understanding of the situation in Jiangnan.

"Mr. Mu Zhai is indeed worthy of his reputation! What he said today really opened my eyes."

"I dare not praise you so much, I am just telling the truth. Besides, I have been in Jiangnan for a long time and visited many places. Naturally, I know a little more than ordinary people." Qian Qianyi said very modestly.

"Mr. Mu Zhai is too modest." Zhu Shenzhui nodded with a smile, and then asked, "Where have you been staying in the capital these days? Do you have a place to stay?"

Qian Qianyi replied, "I used to have a residence in the capital, but I sold it when I returned to my hometown in the tenth year of Chongzhen. I haven't had time to find a new place to stay in the capital this time. I am staying at a good friend's house in the capital for the past few days."

Zhu Shenzhui frowned slightly, "How can this be possible? We summoned you back to the capital for a great purpose. You don't even have a place to stay and have to rely on others. If this gets out, won't people think you are being treated harshly?"

"Du Xun!"

"I'm here!" Du Xun, who was not far away, responded quickly and hurried forward.

"Go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ask if there is a suitable house in the capital. Find a good place for him to stay. Mr. Mu Zhai has just returned to the capital, but he has no place to live. How can this be possible? Go and do it as soon as possible. Let Mr. Mu Zhai move into the new house today."

Du Xun immediately responded when he heard this: "I will do it right away. I will arrange everything right away."

"Well, go ahead." Zhu Shenzhui waved his hand, and Du Xun hurried to make arrangements. At this time, Qian Qianyi couldn't help feeling a little touched. Today, he not only had a very pleasant conversation with Zhu Shenzhui, but was also granted a mansion. He had never expected such a grace. He immediately stood up and thanked him, and said embarrassedly that he had not done anything to deserve Zhu Shenzhui's kindness.

"These are all trivial matters, sir, you don't have to be so. Your talent and knowledge are known to the world. The court has left you idle and let you live in the countryside for several years. It is already unfair to you. Now that you are back, how can I not use you? With your ability, let alone a mere Right Censor, even being the Minister of Rites will be no problem. As for entering the cabinet, in my opinion, it is only a matter of time. However, the court has its own rules. No matter how much I value you, it can't be achieved overnight. You should understand this principle, sir?"

Hearing this, Qian Qianyi's old face turned red with excitement. He had never thought that he would be valued so much by Zhu Shenzui. Qian Qianyi, who had always been proud of his talent, had never been treated like this. Although he was highly admired by the people, and he himself had a high status in the Donglin Party, he even had the reputation of being a master of learning.

But the problem is that this is the first time that an emperor has recognized his subject. Even Emperor Tianqi and Emperor Chongzhen did not think so highly of themselves, let alone these words.

Moreover, Zhu Shenzhui's words revealed an important message, that is, Qian Qianyi's current position as the Right Censor-in-Chief is only the first step. Perhaps in the near future he will become the Minister of Rites. After becoming an official in one of the six ministries, Qian Qianyi will be qualified to enter the cabinet directly. Entering the cabinet and becoming a cabinet elder or even the Prime Minister has been Qian Qianyi's dream for many years!

Of course, Zhu Shenzhu also made it clear that official positions cannot be given just because they can. The court has its own rules. Even if he values ​​Qian Qianyi, he cannot immediately make him the Minister of Rites and include him in the cabinet. This needs to be done step by step. Qian Qianyi has been an official for decades and understands this principle. Moreover, although the position of Minister of Rites is vacant, Fang Fengnian was demoted because of the Beijing inspection, but he still presided over the work of the Ministry of Rites. If Qian Qianyi wants to take this position, it means that he has taken Fang Fengnian's position. This point must be considered.

However, Qian Qianyi didn't care about these things at all. In his opinion, since Zhu Shenzhui said so, the position of Minister of Rites would be his in all likelihood. As for Fang Fengnian, others might be wary of him, but Qian Qianyi didn't take him seriously at all. You should know that within the Donglin Party, Qian Qianyi's status was much higher than Fang Fengnian's. Don't forget that Qian Qianyi was the leader of the Donglin Party. Do you know what leader means? Fang Fengnian was nothing more than a rising star of the Donglin Party. How could he compare with the senior Qian Qianyi?
Even if he had taken away his position as Minister of Rites, so what? Moreover, the position in the court was held by the most capable, so how could Fang Fengnian dare to turn against him? Thinking of this, Qian Qianyi's heart was burning with passion, and he felt that Zhu Shenzhu was his only confidant, and his eyes were wet with excitement.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..." Qian Qianyi was choking up and couldn't speak clearly. Zhu Shenzhui took his hand and patted it twice, saying gently: "Sir, there is no need to be like this. You have been wronged over the years. Everything is over. In the future, I will need your help with important matters in the court. It is my blessing to have such a great talent as you in the court, and it is also a blessing for the Ming Dynasty!"

"I...I will definitely live up to the high expectations of the Regent. I will repay the Regent with my life and soul!" Qian Qianyi's eyes were filled with tears and he nodded repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)