Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Chapter 102 Wang Zuan's Ambition

After Wang Zuan expressed his true feelings, he poured himself a cup of sake, bowed in the direction of the capital, and said: "Without the support of Yuan Fu, I, Wang Zuan, would not be where I am today. I will remember Yuan Fu's kindness for the rest of my life."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine down.

Zhang Yunxiu watched Wang Zhan's performance without interrupting him, and only echoed: "My uncle is the Imperial Censor of Caojiang. He is clear about rewards and punishments, and his proposals are well-reasoned. He repays the emperor's kindness and comforts the common people. I admire him very much."

"This is all because of the Prime Minister's ability to judge people." Wang Zan smiled, but still forgot to flatter Zhang Juzheng.

hiss.
Zhang Yunxiu had received benefits from him before, so he didn't think much of it. However, Zhang Jingxiu, who was standing next to him, got goosebumps when he heard it.

He didn't expect that Wang Zhan, a local lord, could speak such flattering words.

These words may sound insignificant to others, but they are very harsh to Zhang Jingxiu's ears.

Although he was the eldest son of the Prime Minister and was selected as a scholar-official, he did not seem to be so keen on power.

He currently serves as the head of the Ministry of Rites, an official of the sixth rank.

The status of sixth-rank officials in the capital varied. The highest ones included the director of the Personnel Selection Department and the Personnel Examination Company.

The former is in charge of the promotion of civil servants throughout the country, while the latter is in charge of the evaluation of civil servants throughout the country.

Although he is in a low position but has great power, even a third-rank councilor can only put on a smiling face and act like a Maitreya Buddha when they meet.

Next are the Military Selection Department and Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War.

The assistant minister and the minister only manage the promotions of generals, deputy generals, and even lieutenant generals.

As for other military generals, they were all under the charge of the doctors of the Military Selection Department, which made the Military Selection Department the most lucrative position in the Ministry of War.

As the name suggests, the Arsenal Department is in charge of the mobilization of military supplies throughout the country and is also an important department.

The other ministries, such as the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works, all have their own interests.

But the Ministry of Rites has very little benefits.

Moreover, most of the things they were responsible for were directly facing the emperor, and even if they did a good job, they might not be rewarded.

If you do a bad job and anger the emperor, then prepare to be punished.

Zhang Jingxiu was of a gentle nature and had no interest in the intrigues of officialdom, so he took the initiative to apply to go to the Ministry of Rites.

I read books and drink tea every day, hug my wife in my spare time, appreciate the spring flowers in spring, listen to the green lotus in summer, chant under the bright moon in autumn, and watch the proud plum blossoms in winter.

As spring goes and autumn comes, he lives a comfortable life with his lovely wife at home.

Hearing the two talking like this, he smiled and shook his head, then got up and left, making the excuse that he was drunk.

Wang Zan ordered his men to see him off. When Zhang Jingxiu left the dining hall, Wang Zan sighed, "The eldest son is as gentle as jade, strict and self-disciplined. He truly has the demeanor of an ancient gentleman."

"It's a pity that he was born into the wrong family." Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and sighed, "Not using power is different from having no power. Born in a prime minister's family, he had plenty of opportunities to work for the country, but he chose to follow the upright person."

"Yes, if you want to get things done you have to have power in your hands." Wang Zuan nodded.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "We believe that there are three types of officials in this world. One type is like the eldest son, who is not greedy or opportunistic. When faced with injustice, he can rely on his passion and fight for justice. But sometimes he is too pedantic and doesn't know how to adapt. Most of them are old pedants who only know how to read from textbooks."

"The other type is corrupt officials. They kowtow to their superiors in order to get promoted, and they are cold to their subordinates to show off their power. These officials are big parasites. I hate them the most in my life."

At this point, Wang Zuan was so angry that his teeth itched.

Zhang Yunxiu became interested and urged him to continue. Wang Zhan smiled, picked up the wine glass to moisten his throat, and continued: "The third type of official is the law-abiding official."

"What is an honest official?" asked Zhang Yunxiu.

"He has a broad mind, a firm will, and a flexible strategy. He has established a government in a local area, and his proposals are reasonable. He works in the capital and does not feel ashamed of his emperor and father. He can repay his emperor and father, and comfort the people. This is a law-abiding official."

"Being a corrupt official requires cunning, but being a good official requires being even more cunning than a corrupt official!"

Wang Zuan's words seemed to have been rehearsed. When he spoke them now, his words were clear and had an ear-shaking effect.

"clap clap"

Zhang Yunxiu stood up and clapped his hands repeatedly. His slightly immature face was already full of red. He smiled and said with emotion: "Uncle has been in the officialdom for a long time, and his words are sharp. He really hit the nail on the head."

"A few days ago, I ran into the Huating County Magistrate Wei Ming, who also made such a brilliant statement as yours. An official should only seek to have a clear conscience. If he can ensure the peace of the people under his rule, then he is a good official."

This is like sending an old scholar who knows nothing about military affairs to suppress a rebellion.

He was honest and did not embezzle a penny, but his attempt to suppress the bandits failed and instead caused greater damage than embezzlement.

Although the other person was a corrupt official, he was capable. He could only pocket half of the one million military budget, but he could use the money to put down the rebellion.

After a comparison, the latter seems more like a good official.

These days, if you don’t have rice, you can’t even gather chickens together.

Wang Zuan was so pleased with the affirmation that he smiled even more. He stood up and poured a glass of wine for Zhang Yunxiu himself. Then he smiled mysteriously and said, "My dear nephew, our four-year assessment will soon be completed."

"Although this position is good, we have to give it up."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled knowingly, took the wine glass from him, and said comfortingly: "Uncle, don't worry. With your ability and talent, you will definitely get top marks in this assessment. When you return to the capital, you will be given an important position."

As soon as these words came out, two streams of white air spurted out of Wang Zan’s nose and his eyes shone brightly.

Although Caojiang Yushi was a noble official, his rank was not high. According to common practice, he should have been promoted to a third-rank official, but there were only so many third-rank officials in the capital.

Among them are assistant officials of the six ministries and the Censorate, namely, assistant ministers and deputy chief censors. Or they are officials of the Tongzhengsi and Dali Temple, also of the third rank.

Secondly, among the Nine Minor Officials, there are the Chancellor of the Chancellery, the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Household Department, the Hanlin Academy, and the Imperial College.

These are all third-rank officials.

The most powerful among them was the President of the Hanlin Academy, who was of the third rank and the top poet in the world.

The second is the Zhanshi of the Zhanshi Mansion, who is also a third-rank official, and his main job is to teach and assist the crown prince.

When the new emperor ascends the throne, the prince's teacher will naturally be given an important position.

But now, the emperor had only one son who was still breastfeeding, and the Zhanshi Mansion became an idle government office.

The Chief Academician of the Imperial College was a third-rank official and was in charge of all the students of the Imperial College.

He is quite noble, but unfortunately, teaching is not something he is capable of.

As for the Taifu Temple, Taichang Temple, and Guanglu Temple, although their rank is third grade, the power they have is no less than that of Caojiang Censor him.

He is not even as popular as the doctors in some important departments among the six ministries.

After much deliberation, Wang Zuan set his sights on the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

Either he should be a vice minister in one of the six ministries except the Ministry of Rites, or he should be a deputy chief censor of the Censorate. If that doesn't work, he could just be a fourth-rank assistant chief censor.

As long as he returns to the capital, it means that his political career is not over yet.

After thinking this through, Wang Zhan spoke more calmly: "My dear nephew, although I have been rated as top, if I want to go further, I will need some help."

"What kind of help?" Zhang Yunxiu asked with a smile.

"If the Prime Minister allows me to be the minister, I can do it. If he doesn't allow me to be the minister, I can't do it." Wang Zan said directly.

"Uncle, the six government offices in the capital have their own positions for assistant ministers, and they are all fully occupied now." Zhang Yunxiu looked embarrassed, and suddenly remembered something, so he advised, "In my opinion, you can take up a local position first."

"That's being a provincial councilor, which is good, but it's far away from the capital. I can't see the prime minister or hear his teachings. It's heartbreaking every day and night." Wang Zan said, and his true feelings were aroused again.

"No, no, no, not a provincial councillor." Zhang Yunxiu smiled and shook his head, explaining slowly, "When we go back, we will report to the emperor and request that part of Songjiang Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture be separated and directly under the jurisdiction of the court, and the rank of the official guarding it will also be the third rank."

"Is this okay?"

Wang Zan's face was full of disbelief.

You should know that there were only two places in the Ming Dynasty where the top leaders were of the third rank, one was Beijing and the other was Nanjing.

Even in Chengtian Prefecture, where Emperor Jiajing made his fortune, and Fengyang Prefecture, where Emperor Hongwu made his fortune, the prefects were only of the fourth rank.

How could Songjiang Prefecture deserve such an honor?

Wouldn’t those officials be furious?

"My dear nephew, let me say this, but this thing of yours is unlikely to succeed." Wang Zuan poured a basin of cold water on him.

"Everything depends on human efforts." Zhang Yunxiu smiled and shook his head.

"Okay, if this thing can be accomplished, then I will volunteer to work in Songjiang Prefecture. If it doesn't work out..."

Wang Zuan patted his chest and agreed, but suddenly changed the subject. Zhang Yunxiu interrupted with a smile, "If it doesn't work out, we will ask father to give you a position as a minister for the sake of the grain boats you gave us."

No seat?
Then why not just add one more?

When Gao Gong was in power, there was a widely circulated folk song in the capital.

"There are five ministers in one book, more than sixty three dukes, and vice ministers and chief censors, as many as pigs in Jingshan."

The intention was to satirize Gao Gong's excessive rewards.

In fact, there are not necessarily only two assistant ministers in the six ministries. Governor-General and Governor-General are the official titles in the Qing Dynasty.

But in the Ming Dynasty, he was not an official position, but an action.

For example, the governor of Shandong.

If most of these governors still hold an official position in the central government, their main rank will be calculated according to their central government position.

The governor-general was in charge of hunting for the emperor, so his status naturally could not be low, and most of them would be promoted.

After taking this reassurance, Wang Zuan put his mind at ease. He smiled and praised: "That's because you are courageous, my nephew. If I can really get close to the prime minister this time, I will do my best to help you in the future."

"Uncle, you're welcome." Zhang Yunxiu said a few words with a smile and then left.

...

More than half a month later, in the morning, the convoy finally returned to Beijing.

It was already the end of November. The temperature in Beijing dropped suddenly. The sky was low and cloudy. An indelible feeling of depression lingered in my heart.

As soon as Zhang Yunxiu entered the house, Zhang Fu came up to him in a hurry and shouted, "Sir, something big has happened!"

(End of this chapter)