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

Chapter 857: Leaving the Capital to Guard
"Du Xun!"

"I am here..."

"Who do you think will be the suitable person to take over as the eunuch guarding Nanjing after Cao Huachun returns home?"

"This..." Du Xun didn't expect Zhu Shenzui to ask him this question, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"What? It's hard to reply?"

"Your Majesty, I am just a servant of Your Majesty on weekdays. My status is low. The position of the eunuch guarding Nanjing is important. It is not my place to discuss such a candidate." Du Xun didn't understand Zhu Shenzhui's intention in asking this question, so he could only find an excuse to reply.

"The eunuch guarding Nanjing is also a palace maid of mine, not a court official. You are one of the chief writers of the Imperial Household Department, so you can naturally discuss it. Besides, I am just asking you who can replace Cao Huachun. It is said that Cao Huachun went to Nanjing on the recommendation of Wang Chengen. I am not asking you to make decisions for me when I ask you this. What are you afraid of?" Zhu Shenzhui understood what he meant when he saw his expression, and immediately laughed and scolded.

Du Xun felt relieved when he saw Zhu Shenzhui say that. It seemed that he had thought too much. He thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, the eunuch who guards Nanjing is usually the chief eunuch in the palace, and there are even many eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department. Before Cao Dajian went to Nanjing, he was the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department and was also in charge of the East Factory. Now that Your Majesty has given Cao Dajian the grace to return to his hometown to retire, the replacement should at least be the chief eunuch, or directly selected from the Imperial Household Department. As for who is the right person, I really can't say, and it can only be decided by Your Majesty."

He nodded slightly. What Du Xun said was right. There were a total of thirteen bureaus in the Daming Imperial Palace, among which the Sili Bureau was the most special and ranked first among the internal eunuchs, followed by the Neiguan Bureau, the Yuyong Bureau, the Sishe Bureau, the Yuma Bureau, the Shengong Bureau, the Shangshen Bureau, the Shangbao Bureau, the Shangbao Bureau, the Yinshou Bureau, the Zhidian Bureau, the Shangyi Bureau and the Duzhi Bureau. The head eunuch of each bureau was also called the Grand Eunuch, but the real Grand Eunuch was only the eunuch who worked in the Sili Bureau, that is, the eunuch who held the seal and the eunuch who held the pen of the Sili Bureau.

For example, Du Xun was originally the eunuch in charge of the seal of the Shangshenjian and the eunuch in charge of the Silijian. He continued to serve as the Silijian's secretary, but was transferred from the Shangshenjian to the Sishejian as the seal holder. The main job responsibility of the Sishejian was to be responsible for the emperor's entry, entourage, and ceremonial guards, etc. This was why Han Zanzhou, the eunuch in charge of the seal of the Silijian, did not stand beside Zhu Shenzhu when he went to court, but Du Xun stood instead.

According to the palace hierarchy, Du Xun's rank was not as high as Han Zanzhou's, but he served the emperor on weekdays, so in fact Du Xun was the second in command after Han Zanzhou, and his status was indeed not low.

Zhu Shenzhui thought carefully about the situation of several eunuchs in the palace, and then asked directly: "If I ask you to go to Nanjing to replace the eunuch guarding Nanjing, are you willing?"

"What? Me?" Du Xun was dumbfounded by this question. He never thought that this task would fall on him.

Although the eunuchs guarding Nanjing had a high status and great power, Nanjing was not the capital after all! He was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. The eunuchs who were close to the emperor were sent directly to Nanjing to serve as eunuchs guarding Nanjing. This was not a promotion at all, but an exile!
You must know that Du Xun is now the second most important eunuch in the palace, and he is younger than Han Zanzhou. Once Han Zanzhou retires, with his merits in serving Zhu Shenzhui over the years, the seal of the Silijian will definitely fall into his hands.

Although Du Xun was not Wei Zhongxian, and his passion for power was not as great as Wei Zhongxian's, it was the end of the road for eunuchs to achieve this. Even if eunuchs had physical defects, they were still men! Which man didn't have dreams? Du Xun's biggest dream was to become the seal holder of the Silijian, the first eunuch in the palace.

But now Zhu Shenzhui actually wants to send him to Nanjing as a garrison eunuch? If he goes there, he will have no chance of becoming the head of the Imperial Household Department. Could it be that he accidentally made a mistake these days? Or did he say something wrong just now and made the emperor unhappy? Is Zhu Shenzhui punishing him like this?

Du Xun was nervous, but didn't know how to answer. However, when he looked up and saw Zhu Shenzui looking at him with a smile on his face, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind, and he blurted out the answer.

"I am the emperor's servant. I will go wherever the emperor tells me to go. I will follow his orders."

"Good!" Zhu Shencui was overjoyed. Du Xun was indeed a smart man. He understood it in such a short time. If Du Xun hesitated for a moment, no matter how he answered, Zhu Shencui probably would not let him go to Nanjing to replace Cao Huachun.

The position of the eunuch guarding Nanjing is extremely important, and sending someone to replace Cao Huachun this time is an even more important step. It is not just as simple as being a eunuch guarding Nanjing. Zhu Shenzhui will take action in the south next, and Nanjing is the top priority. Only by controlling Nanjing and having a reliable and capable person guarding it can many things be done smoothly.

Since Du Xun is a wise and intelligent person, he is the most suitable person to go to Nanjing. Moreover, Du Xun has been serving by his side for the past two years. He is a cautious and reliable person and is trustworthy. Moreover, Du Xun is different from other eunuchs. Zhu Shenzhu values ​​him for two things.

First, during the Chongzhen period, Emperor Chongzhen sent Du Xun to Shanxi to investigate the Hengtong Trading Company incident. At that time, Du Xun had dealt with Zhou Anmin. Although Du Xun ultimately returned empty-handed, Du Xun was quite capable and actually found some clues for him. However, at that time, Zhu Shenzhui and Zhou Anmin joined forces, and with the help of Zhang Xijun in Beijing, they finally reached an agreement with Du Xun in private to cover up the matter.

Second, when Zhu Shenzhu led his troops to attack the capital, Du Xun was in the palace. When Emperor Chongzhen learned that the capital had been broken and the palace had been invaded by troops, he knew that the situation was hopeless. At that time, Emperor Chongzhen planned to execute the concubines and princes and princesses in the harem, and then burn himself in the Qianqing Palace. If Emperor Chongzhen had done this, there would have been an uproar in the world. At that time, even if Zhu Shenzhu controlled the capital, he would not be able to control the entire Ming Dynasty. At that time, rebellions would break out everywhere, and the situation would be out of control.

At this time, Du Xun directly stepped forward to stop Emperor Chongzhen, forcibly controlled Emperor Chongzhen and prevented him from committing suicide. He also led people to protect the people in the harem. Although he had his own selfish motives in doing so, Du Xun did a great favor to Zhu Shenzhui. After Zhu Shenzhui's men entered the palace and captured Emperor Chongzhen, everything was under Zhu Shenzhui's control. The Ming Dynasty also avoided severe turmoil, and the world quickly stabilized.

From this point of view, Du Xun has made contributions, and his actions are equivalent to directly joining Zhu Shencui at a critical moment. After changing his allegiance, Du Xun had no choice but to follow Zhu Shencui, which is why Zhu Shencui first thought of Du Xun when choosing eunuchs to serve him.

With Du Xun's identity, status and ability, it would be no problem for him to be a eunuch guarding Nanjing. Moreover, he and Zhou Anmin were old acquaintances. With him as a eunuch guarding Nanjing, it would be much easier for Zhou Anmin to investigate the case under Du Xun's cover.

"In that case, you will take over from Cao Huachun as the eunuch guarding Nanjing. Do you know what to do when you arrive there?"

"I will obey the emperor's orders. I will do whatever the emperor tells me to do."

"Haha, you are a smart man, that's a good point." Zhu Shenzhui laughed and immediately waved at Du Xun, motioning him to come closer.

After Du Xun took two steps forward, Zhu Shenzhui told Du Xun about Lou Laoer's secret memorial, and informed him that he had authorized Zhou Anmin's Jinyiwei to secretly investigate the matter. However, since this matter was not a trivial matter and was probably not an isolated case, and Nanjing was different from the capital, the local forces were extremely powerful, and the civil servants were in groups, this investigation could not be open and aboveboard, and it needed to be investigated secretly and thoroughly, and it had to be investigated clearly.

At that time, in addition to his responsibility as the garrison eunuch, Du Xun's main responsibility in Nanjing would be this matter, and Zhu Shenzui allowed Du Xun to bring a group of people with him to Nanjing to directly replace the people guarding the eunuch's mansion in Nanjing, so as to avoid collusion between people in the eunuch's mansion and the local people.

After listening to Zhu Shenzui's words, Du Xun's heart was filled with ecstasy. He knew that he had made the right bet. If he had not come to his senses quickly and agreed to go to Nanjing without hesitation, how could this mission have fallen on him?
This is no small matter. Du Xun has been serving Zhu Shenzhui for so long, and he has long known that Zhu Shenzhui intends to attack the south, but he has not found the opportunity yet. This incident is exactly an opportunity. If this incident can be used as a breakthrough point, the situation in the south can be directly opened up, and even through this incident, those deep-rooted forces in the south can be removed and the entire Ming Dynasty can be controlled.

As a eunuch, especially a eunuch of Du Xun's rank, how could he not know the importance of this matter? Once he could help Zhu Shenzhui accomplish this, his position in front of Zhu Shenzhui would change greatly. With such a great achievement, the seal of the Imperial Household Department would definitely fall into his hands. Isn't this better than waiting for the current seal Han Zanzhou to step down and then take over?

Thinking of this, Du Xun could hardly suppress his excitement. He nodded repeatedly and patted his chest to promise that he would get this matter done properly after arriving in Nanjing.

However, Du Xun also made a suggestion. Although he was the eunuch guarding the city and there were Zhou Anmin's Jinyiwei, the two of them were still not enough. If possible, it would be better to have one more layer of arrangements, which would be safer.

"I have already considered this. When you go to Nanjing, I will let Zhang Xijun go on a tour of Jiangnan as an imperial envoy. He will coordinate this matter. You don't need to contact the eunuchs directly with the Jinyiwei. Just follow Zhang Xijun's arrangements."

"I understand. I will do my best to follow the emperor's orders. If I fail to accomplish this, I will not have the face to see the emperor again. Please rest assured, Your Majesty." Du Xun was completely relieved when he heard that Zhang Xijun would take action. He knew Zhang Xijun too well. With Zhang Xijun around, those people in the south would be in big trouble.

(End of this chapter)