Emperor Zhengde

Chapter 350: The plan of the clean civil servants to take power completely failed
This time, Xu Jin was very confident about the recommendation of Zuodu Yushi.

After all, it is certain that Cheng Wende, whom he recommended, has at least two votes, namely himself and the Deputy Privy Envoy Jiangdong.

"As long as Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong supports Cheng Wende, Cheng Wende will be able to get three votes and overwhelm Xia Yan with an absolute advantage. Then, Your Majesty will not be able to favor Xia Yan anymore! Besides, Your Majesty can't let the Minister of Personnel, the new cabinet ministers, and the Left Censor-in-Chief all be Xia Yan's people, and Duke Yingguo can't dare to offend the Second Prince and cast another abstention vote."

The more Xu Jin thought about it, the more he felt that he had a sure win. He couldn't help but glance at Xia Yan. The more he looked, the less he felt that Xia Yan had any advantages that could once again block his plan of nominating Cheng Wende as the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Xia Yan was indeed not sure whether he could ensure that the Minister of Works Wu Shan, whom he recommended, could become the Left Censor-in-Chief, but he did not have such a strong desire.

Unlike Xu Jin and other civil servants who represented the interests of the merchant class, Xia Yan did not think of limiting imperial power and fighting for the interests of the merchants. Instead, he only thought of relying on imperial power to ensure that the country continued to be stable and strong.

Therefore, Xia Yan’s real idea is to try his best to keep the empire in a state of balance, but he also wants to realize his own political intentions within the balance.

At the beginning of the meeting, Zhu Houzhao spoke first: "The Censorate has great power and responsibility. It supervises civil and military officials. It is the foundation of the court's legal system and the cornerstone of social justice. Therefore, as the chief censor of the Censorate, I should be upright and impartial, and not conceal or falsely accuse others. However, the previous Left Censors-in-Chief have disappointed me, especially the recent Ni Song, who blocked the way for people to speak out and concealed the people's sentiments without reporting them! I am really disappointed!"

"Therefore, the nominees for the post of Left Censor-in-Chief must be rigorous, and the nominees must be selfless and dedicated to the public. If they cause a rift between the upper and lower levels, I will hold them accountable for the nomination!"

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he glanced at Duke of England Zhang Rong and said, "The post of Left Censor-in-Chief does not have to be limited to civil and military officials. Anyone who is impartial and unbiased can be nominated!"

After Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he asked the four ministers of the council to start nominating.

Xia Yan naturally recommended the Minister of Works Wu Shan: "Your Majesty, Mr. Wu is known for his uprightness and integrity. He has never been corrupt in the various projects he has presided over. He is suitable for the post of Left Censor-in-Chief."

"Your Majesty, although Mr. Wu recommended by the Prime Minister is upright and honest, he is also too rigid. I think if you make Mr. Wu the Left Censor-in-Chief, it will undoubtedly put shackles on Your Majesty and all officials, and will make the entire Ming Dynasty rigid and old-fashioned," Xu Jin directly retorted Xia Yan's proposal.

Immediately, Xu Jin said, "I recommend the Minister of Education, Mr. Cheng. Mr. Cheng is an upright official with a broad mind and bearing. If Mr. Cheng is in charge of the affairs of the academy, it will undoubtedly make the court more harmonious and harmonious."

"Your Majesty, I think Cheng Wende is not suitable for the position of Chief Censor. Cheng Wende is good at flattery, flattering the superiors and bullying the subordinates, and is even more likely to smooth things over. I am worried that if Cheng Wende is allowed to take charge of the Censorate, he will be like Ni Song, leaving the Censorate alone, but causing major events throughout the country!"

Xia Yan also pointed out Cheng Wende's shortcomings bluntly.

Seeing Xia Yan and Xu Jin arguing again, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but hold his forehead and said hurriedly: "Okay, let the Duke of Ying and Minister Jiang express their opinions."

then.

Duke of England Zhang Rong stepped forward first and bowed to Zhu Houzhao.

Seeing this, Xu Jin smiled slightly and looked at Xia Yan with great pride. He was now just waiting for Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong to speak and express his support for Cheng Wende to serve as the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Xia Yan also noticed Xu Jin's expression, and he began to secretly suspect whether Xu Jin had reached some kind of compromise with Duke of England Zhang Rong and pulled Duke of England Zhang Rong over. Otherwise, he would not be so confident.

Just when Xu Jin was looking forward to it and Xia Yan was worried, Duke of England Zhang Rong spoke up: "Your Majesty, I beg you to let Deputy Envoy Jiang speak first. I haven't thought it through yet."

"allow!"

Zhu Houzhao smiled slightly. He could see that Zhang Rong's words meant that his previous suggestion had made Zhang Rong change his mind and began to consider whether to recommend his military officer to be the Left Censor-in-Chief.

When Xu Jin heard Zhang Rong say that he had not made up his mind yet, he was surprised but not disappointed. He thought that perhaps this Duke of England Zhang Rong had also received some promise from Xia Yan and was hesitating whether he should support the candidate proposed by Xia Yan to be the Left Censor-in-Chief, or support the candidate proposed by himself, that is, the candidate supported by the Second Prince, to be the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Xia Yan couldn't help but glance at Xu Jin, not hiding his inner disgust towards Xu Jin at all.

Because he could see that the reason why the Duke of England hesitated was definitely because Xu Jin's side put pressure on him. He couldn't help but think: "Your Majesty has repeatedly issued orders to strictly prohibit ministers from colluding in private, but Xu Jin really dared to go against the wind and commit crimes!"

Xia Yan had the confidence to say this, because he did not have any private connection with the regent Zhang Rong and Jiangdong. He used an open strategy. He believed that as long as he openly proposed a plan that was beneficial to himself, Zhang Rong and Jiangdong, he could reach an agreement directly. Naturally, there was no need to collude in private.

Jiang Dong did not expect that Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong would ask His Majesty to let him speak first, but he did not think it mattered. After all, he had already made up his mind about the recommendation for the post of Left Censor-in-Chief. Not to mention that the Second Prince had given him a heads-up, even if he hadn't given him a heads-up and didn't give the Second Prince's face, he would have to recommend his relative-in-law, Cheng Wende.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Mr. Cheng to be the Left Censor-in-Chief. During his tenure as the Minister of Science, Mr. Cheng was always fair and strict, and all teachers and students praised him..."

Jiang Dong gave a bunch of very objective reasons and then sat down.

When Xu Jin saw Jiangdong expressed support for Cheng Wende, he was naturally very pleased. Although he had already guessed that Jiangdong supported Cheng Wende to be the Left Censor-in-Chief, Xu Jin couldn't help but glance at Xia Yan, and his beard at the corner of his mouth twitched, revealing a proud look on his face.

"This Jiangdong is really good at promoting the virtuous without avoiding relatives!"

Xia Yan cursed in his heart. He didn't expect Jiang Dong to be so unreserved in recommending his in-laws.

Zhu Houzhao could see that Xu Jin, the clean leader representing the merchant class, had a great chance of winning the competition for the position of Left Censor-in-Chief.

Of course, this was only before the emperor himself intervened.

Now that I, the emperor, have intervened, the result will naturally be different.

Although Zhu Houzhao knew that the emperor should maintain a balance and not allow one party to dominate, he was also unwilling to allow the Qing stream to become so powerful that it would affect the major policies of the court.

Therefore, after Zhu Houzhao learned that the newly appointed cabinet minister Yan Song had formed an alliance with Xia Yan, he was unwilling to let clean officials serve as the Left Censor-in-Chief, which would have made Xu Jin and others qualified to compete with Xia Yan's power, or even suppress Xia Yan.

However, Zhu Houzhao also knew that he could not allow Xia Yan's power to become too great. If the Censorate only obeyed the orders of the Cabinet, it would also affect his imperial power.

Therefore, Zhu Houzhao hoped that a third-party force would intervene to make the political structure of the dynasty more balanced. After all, a triangle would provide greater stability.

"Duke Yingguo, have you made up your mind?" Zhu Houzhao asked.

Emperor Zhu Houzhao's suggestion let Duke of Ying Zhang Rong know what he should do, so Zhang Rong replied: "Your Majesty, I recommend Yang Lin, the former deputy commander-in-chief and current Minister of Police, to be the Left Censor-in-Chief!"

"Although Yang Lin is the son of a military official, he is a top student at the Imperial University and has been in charge of the Military Law Department of the Imperial Guard for six years. He is upright and fearless of power. He once dared to impeach the Governor-General Shi Baoshan for illegal activities. Because of this, he has been repeatedly rejected by civil officials and has no chance of promotion. I ask Your Majesty to make important use of him!"

Zhu Houzhao knew that Yang Lin had been transferred to a civilian position after being disabled due to combat, but had never been promoted. When Zhang Rong mentioned it, he nodded and said, "Yang Lin is indeed very suitable. What do you think?" At this time, Xia Yan, Xu Jin, and Jiang Dong all had a blank mind. They had never expected that Zhang Rong would recommend Yang Lin, who was born a military general, to be the Left Censor-in-Chief.

The most shocked and disappointed person was Xu Jin. He really didn't expect that Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong would put forward a military general.

Letting a military general serve as the Left Censor-in-Chief, isn't this letting the military general manage the civil officials? If this continues, how can the censors take care of the civil officials!

Naturally, Xu Jin was extremely unwilling to do so.

However, Zhang Rong was extremely willing to do so.

Originally, he did not dare to nominate an official from his own military and noble system to head the Censorate. After all, he knew that the position of Left Censor-in-Chief had always been regarded as a position that only civil servants could hold.

However, when Zhang Rong received a hint from Emperor Zhu Houzhao and heard Zhu Houzhao say that there was no need to stick to the civil and military aspects and wink at him, he began to be tempted, although he was indeed greeted by the Second Prince and was hinted by him not to abstain again.

However, Zhang Rong thought that it would be better to please the emperor than the second prince. Moreover, pleasing the emperor could bring benefits and set a precedent for military officials to hold high-ranking civil officials. In this way, there would be hope that military officials would become generals or ministers in the future, and it would further change the situation where military officials were always suppressed by civil officials.

As for the second prince, he is naturally nothing in front of the emperor and his own interests.

Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong's decision doomed him to offend the Second Prince, but it also catered to Zhu Houzhao and began the process of gaining benefits for his own military officer group.

Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but laugh. Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong did not choose to become a running dog of his prince, but still chose to be loyal to him, which naturally made him happy.

After thinking for a while, Xia Yan also stood up:
"Your Majesty and Duke Ying value Yang Lin. After thinking about it, I also feel that Yang Lin is more suitable than Wu Shan. I also apologize to Your Majesty. When I first recommended Wu Shan, I had selfish motives because Wu Shan is my fellow townsman. Although it is said that one should not avoid relatives when recommending talents, the most important thing for the post of Left Censor-in-Chief is fairness. Therefore, in order to maintain the discipline of the court, I think it is more appropriate to recommend Yang Lin! Wu Shan is my fellow townsman. Even if I recommend him, I should not have recommended him!"

Xia Yan's words seemed to be an apology for his own crime, but in fact he was showing the emperor that he was fair, and at the same time he was also implicitly criticizing Jiangdong.

Jiang Dong indeed couldn't help but blush, and couldn't help but cup his hands and said: "In this case, I also apologize for recommending Cheng Wende. Cheng Wende is my in-law, I give up my right!"

"Very good, very good!" Zhu Houzhao laughed loudly. "My dear ministers, you can clearly see your own mistakes and be brave after knowing shame. This is a good trend in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, you are not wrong to promote people regardless of their relationship. Now let's discuss the candidate for the Left Censor-in-Chief. Since the Prime Minister has recommended Yang Lin, that means there are three votes. In this case, I will draft an edict to appoint Yang Lin, the Minister of Police, as the Left Censor-in-Chief and in charge of the Censorate."

"Follow the Holy Order!"

Xia Yan responded first to show that he fully supported Yang Lin's appointment as the Left Censor-in-Chief.

Of course, Xia Yan changed his mind halfway and was willing to support military generals to take charge of the Censorate, not really because the emperor and Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong intended to let Yang Lin take charge of the Censorate, so he had to follow the crowd.

Instead, he also considered that letting Yang Lin take charge of the Censorate would not only cater to the emperor's wishes, but also prevent Xu Jin and the prince behind him from taking advantage of the opportunity to control the Censorate. At the same time, he also wanted to curry favor with Duke Yingguo Zhang Rong so as to completely pull Zhang Rong into his camp.

At this moment, Xu Jin felt as if he had been slapped hard in the face, and his whole body was numb.

It turns out that the Left Censor-in-Chief is not even his accomplice!

This is the result!

Jiang Dong looked at Xu Jin helplessly and raised his eyebrows in the direction of Xia Yan, meaning: "You, Xu Cifu, have also seen it. It's not that I, Jiang, don't want to promote my own relative Cheng Wende, but the Prime Minister has taken the lead in promoting the virtuous and avoiding relatives, and has also implicitly mocked me. I can't give in to personal feelings anymore!"

"Xia Yan! What a great Xia Yan!"

Xu Jin really didn't have the mood to be angry with Jiang Dong now, but was very angry with Xia Yan. He didn't expect that a civil servant like Xia Yan would rather compromise and let a military official take charge of the Censorate than let himself, a clean civil official, take charge of the Censorate!
Because in Xu Jin's view, Xia Yan's behavior was undoubtedly a betrayal of the civil service group, and he was undoubtedly a traitor who fawned on his superiors!

But in any case, Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied with this result.

The Minister of Personnel, the newly appointed cabinet ministers, and the Left Censor-in-Chief were not clean civil servants, which undoubtedly made the merchant class's plan to control the government fail.

He even succeeded in putting military generals in charge of the Censorate, which meant that a situation of checks and balances between military generals managing civil officials and civil officials managing military generals gradually took shape.

However, Zhu Houzhao had to admit that after the fraud in the court, during the process of appointing new important officials in this council, the contradictions between reformist officials like Xia Yan and officials representing the merchant class like Xu Jin were increasingly exploited by him.

Xia Yan will undoubtedly become the target of public criticism.

Because it was Xia Yan's proposal that enabled him, the emperor, to successfully exclude a large number of civil servants trained by the merchant class from the empire's decision-making level by establishing the Council of State.

It was as Zhu Houzhao expected.

Soon, Zhu Houzhao received a report from the censor Han Yiyou, who impeached Xia Yan for violating the ancestral law by proposing to set up a council office and attempting to usurp power as regent. He also directly stated that Xia Yan had twenty crimes, listed them one by one very clearly, and demanded that the court execute Xia Yan! And abolish the system of ministers of council proposed by Xia Yan!
The fact that Xia Yan established the Council of State Affairs is a clear proof, and the memorial impeaching the Prime Minister is not an ordinary impeachment memorial, so Han Yiyu's memorial was able to reach the emperor.

However, Zhu Houzhao also knew that Xia Yan's suggestion to set up a council would meet with dissatisfaction among many officials across the country, so he was mentally prepared.

Zhu Houzhao had only one way to deal with this, which was to keep it and not send it out!

Zhu Houzhao could guess that if he kept the letter and did not send it out, it would only create public opinion that he, the emperor, was overly fond of Xia Yan and allowed him to take power.

But Zhu Houzhao was not a person who cared about public opinion, so even if public opinion said that he was too trusting of Xia Yan and was old and foolish, he didn't care.

Xia Yan, on the other hand, cares a lot about this.

As a person from the Ming Dynasty, Xia Yan is not as reckless as a time traveler like Zhu Houzhao. He still cares very much about his reputation.

After all, people in the Ming Dynasty valued face and admired saints and gentlemen. Everyone motivated themselves to become a gentleman and be praised by others. Xia Yan was no exception. Only a few people, like Zhu Houzhao, cared about the substance but not the face.

Therefore, when Xia Yan learned of Han Yiyou's impeachment memorial, he submitted a memorial to resign from his post to show that he was not greedy for power and was not the so-called ambitious official in the eyes of some people.

Thanks to my book friend Mo You La Jiao for the 500 Qidian coins reward

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(End of this chapter)