Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 230 The Junior Grand Secretary Has Made a Contribution?

Yanfu.

Yan Song slowly returned to his study, sat down, and let out a soft sigh.

Although he was more vigorous than his peers, he couldn't help but look tired after a day of managing the affairs of the cabinet. He waited for his wife but didn't see her, so he slowly pressed his brows together.

tired.

But it was fulfilling.

This feeling of being in charge is so intense that even if it requires immense effort, it is still incredibly rewarding.

After decades of studying hard, isn't this the feeling of having great power all that we've been looking for?
The throne of the emperor is ordained by Heaven, and the power of the chief minister is the ultimate goal that ordinary people can strive for!

Now, the position of Grand Secretary is within reach.

The four cabinet ministers of the current government are: Zhang Cong, Zhai Luan, Li Shi, and Yan Song.

In terms of seniority, Yan Song was the last to enter the cabinet and ranked last. However, Zhai Luan and Li Shi, who preceded him, were, to put it nicely, "arrogant but not competitive, sociable but not obedient," but to put it bluntly, "submissive and weak, unable to stand up for the ruler." They had long been suppressed by Zhang Cong and had lost their temper, merely echoing each other like insects.

Before Yan Song even entered the cabinet, he dared to confront Zhang Cong head-on, and after entering the cabinet, he quickly formed a pincer movement against Zhang Cong.

The key was that Yan Song struck the perfect balance—

To rival Zhang Cong in terms of prestige in the imperial court and prevent him from monopolizing power;
However, it did not hinder the implementation of government policies and carried them out simultaneously.

As expected, the emperor, with his keen insight, repeatedly praised Yan Song, and Yan Song's reputation grew daily. Although he was the last minister, he was actually better than the second minister.

Zhang Cong, on the other side, was shocked to realize that in the art of discerning the emperor's intentions, this loyal minister who had risked his life to stand on the other side as soon as the emperor ascended the throne and entered the capital was actually inferior to Yan Song, who had always been prudent in protecting himself.

However, given Zhang Cong's lust for power, he was naturally unwilling to back down in the slightest.

The counterattack came swiftly.

The most ruthless move is the current uproar over the "transfer of Beijing officials to other regions," which directly targets the Ministry of Personnel, which is under the control of Yan Song.

The land survey presided over by Gui E has failed. The land data submitted by various provinces and regions are obviously meant to deceive the court. Some provinces and regions are not even willing to put on a show. The implementation of the Single Whip Law is also in name only. This measure already had many problems, and now it is being seized upon by opponents to criticize it heavily.

However, Zhang Cong's methods of dealing with officials in the capital were, at least from the perspective of public morality, justifiable. Moreover, the central government was not like the local government; here, the emperor's edicts were truly the only means to make decisions.

Therefore, Zhang Cong is now gritting his teeth, determined to thoroughly eliminate this group of parasites!
Yan Song admired him deep down, but this matter offended far too many people.

Officials in the capital held high positions and wielded immense power. Many important positions were paid tribute by various provinces, allowing them to receive large sums of money without ever leaving their homes. Most importantly, they could climb the ranks step by step by accumulating seniority. Now, however, they were sent to the provinces to do hard labor and were required to perform well in their performance evaluations before being allowed to return. It is no wonder that they were filled with resentment.

Anyone who dares to continue implementing the new policies and crack down on officials in the capital will be the mortal enemy of these bureaucrats!
"A single misstep can ruin ten years of hard-earned reputation!"

Yan Song sighed softly as he stroked the table.

Those scholars who wield their pens can elevate people to great heights, or they can ruin their reputations.

Zhang Cong's reputation has become increasingly tarnished, and he has been reduced to a petty person who curries favor with the emperor and engages in political opportunism. The Great Rites Controversy has become a complete stain on his life. We should learn from his mistakes and be cautious.

Ironically, there were also quite a few upright officials who supported the reform of officials in the capital.

For example, his inner circle included Yan Yishou, Minister of Justice; Liu Yu, Vice Minister of Justice; Mao Bowen, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief; Wang Yuan, Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review; and a host of other officials.

These people were all criminals who had been demoted in the Li Fuda case. At the time, they all demanded a thorough investigation of the case out of a sense of justice, and were punished by Jiajing. Now, they have returned to the central government because of their outstanding abilities, and naturally gathered under his command as the leader of the Qingliu faction.

Coincidentally, these officials all had experience of being sent to remote areas. Perhaps it was because of this experience of being demoted that they personally felt the chaos in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, to the point that change was no longer an option. Or perhaps it was because the implementation of such a policy would actually benefit their future promotions. In any case, this group of people supported it.

As a result, Yan Song was put on hold.

If he agrees to the "transfer of officials from the capital to other places" and the Ministry of Personnel strictly implements it, he will offend a large number of people and his reputation will definitely be damaged. The key point is that the credit still belongs to Zhang Cong. After all, Zhang Cong started to rectify the officialdom several years ago and gradually achieved today's results. It is not up to him to reap the benefits.
However, if he opposes the "transfer of officials from the capital to other regions," the capable ministers united under his command will inevitably be dissatisfied, which will also affect his reputation among scholars. If he angers His Majesty, the excellent situation will be ruined.

"If Your Majesty wishes to implement new policies, then I must resolutely implement them!"

"But you must not keep pace with Zhang Luofeng completely, otherwise you will always be inferior to him!"

"How do we grasp these differences?"

After pondering for a long time, Yan Song still couldn't come up with a good solution. During this time, he only saw the old servant in the house come in to serve tea, but he never saw his wife. His face darkened slightly.

Ouyang did not go out today, and she was in good health before she left. Otherwise, the old servant would have reported this earlier, but she has not appeared yet. There is only one possibility.

Has that bastard gotten into trouble again?

"Humph!"

Yan Song left the study with a sullen face and strode quickly toward the inner courtyard.

As expected, just as they entered the inner courtyard, they saw Madam Ouyang and her son Yan Shifan approaching. However, judging from their expressions, they were quite excited, not the former pulling the latter's ear and begging for forgiveness.

Yan Song felt somewhat relieved, but seeing the joy on the faces of the two men, he was also puzzled.

Yan Shifan was young and impetuous, and it was one thing for him to wear his heart on his sleeve, but his wife was also a woman of deep thought. What happy event had she encountered?

Surely they won't choose a new daughter-in-law?
"I have something important to report!"

Fortunately, Yan Shifan couldn't keep it to himself. He rushed over and began to tell the story: "Father, have you heard about the Duke of Dingguo's disturbance at the Embroidered Uniform Guard a few days ago?"

Yan Song nodded slightly. Such a big matter had even alarmed His Majesty, so the cabinet must know it very well.

“Mingwei solved this case. He interrogated the family and uncovered the truth behind Madam Sheng’s death. Once all the evidence was conclusive, the young duke was persuaded to leave the Northern Garrison. Now he has surrounded the Shen family with his servants and brought Madam Xu back…”

Yan Song remained unmoved.

What was being persuaded? It was simply taking advantage of the situation to back down.

Although this Duke of Dingguo was only eighteen years old and had a deep affection for his sister, Madam Xu, he was not a true young man after all, and he understood the principle of knowing when to stop.

"Madam Sheng has three daughters. The first, Qin, was born to a poor and destitute scholar. The second, Feng, was born to Shen Dai, the former Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. The third, Gu, was born to a man suspected to be a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Mingwei has given me many clues and entrusted me to investigate them!"

Hearing this, Yan Song recalled how the Embroidered Uniform Guard had sought help when they were at their wits' end, only to have their problem easily resolved by the talented scholar Chu Cai of the Hanlin Academy. He could easily imagine how proud the Hanlin Academy must have been, and couldn't help but think to himself, "Mingwei is truly talented. If he were my son, he would be a tremendous asset to my career!"

Of course, I only thought it in my mind and didn't say it out loud.

These words, once spoken, would inevitably cause resentment even among the best of friends. After all, no one wants to hear their own parents praising someone else like that. Therefore, Yan Song was quite restrained at home. Although he disciplined his son, he did not criticize others.

But then he suddenly realized that his son was no less capable: "These past few days, Zhao Wenhua and I have been investigating this matter. When he was running Baihua Winery, he had connections with all sorts of people. Although he has now stopped that business, he can still use his old connections. After many twists and turns, Father, you would never have guessed who we found out in the end by following the lead of Madam Sheng?"

Hearing him speak with such certainty, Yan Song couldn't help but feel curious: "Who is it?"

Yan Shifan gritted his teeth: "Sun Liu!"

"Sun Liu?"

Yan Song was taken aback at first, then his expression changed: "That night watchman in the examination hall? A traitor from the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"It's this very thief!"

Yan Shifan said angrily, "It was Sun Liu who tricked me out of the Deer Cry Banquet and was kidnapped by the thieves. I would recognize him even if he were reduced to ashes. I thought I had escaped the capital with my family long ago, but I didn't expect that he had just changed his clothes and was still hiding in the capital. Judging from his appearance, he was issuing orders and still had a lot of men under his command!"

"This doesn't make sense..."

Yan Song became serious: "Judging from this person's behavior, he is probably not just a spy planted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Can you trust the people you sent to keep an eye on him?"

“They’re unreliable. I don’t dare to alert them. I’ll have them leave first, then hurry back to report to my father!”

Having learned from his many experiences, Yan Shifan had become much more cautious: "Capturing Sun Liu is not only to avenge the previous kidnapping, but also to find out the thieves behind him. This group of people definitely have big ambitions in the capital, and we must not let them escape!"

"very good!"

Yan Song showed a look of relief and said decisively, "This is no small matter, and it concerns the dignity of the court. You will come with me to the palace to see the Emperor immediately and ask him to make a decision for you!"

"what?"

Yan Shifan was startled: "Shouldn't we arrest the person first and find out what crime he committed?"

Yan Song said in a deep voice, "How will you arrest them? Will you summon yamen runners from the Shuntian Prefecture or ask the Embroidered Uniform Guard for help? Don't forget that both sides were involved in the case of Lady Sheng's murder! If we ask them to take action and something goes wrong along the way, we will miss a good opportunity. If we handle it improperly, we will offend the emperor, which would be a crime rather than a merit!"

"Father is right!"

Yan Shifan took a deep breath and whispered, "Should we inform Mingwei about this?"

Yan Song said calmly, "I will pack my things and enter the palace immediately. You go to Mingwei's house first and inform him that no matter what he says, he must come to the palace gate immediately!"

"it is good……"

Yan Shifan's expression changed slightly, and he accepted the order and left.

Half an hour later, when the father and son reunited at the Forbidden City, Yan Shifan looked relieved: "Mingwei said that I was the one who found out about this matter, so it is up to me to decide. He just told me to be careful in everything!"

"A true friend!"

Yan Song stroked his long beard, then straightened his clothes and led his son into the palace gate. Seeing his son looking around with barely suppressed joy, he said lightly, "Let's familiarize ourselves with this place first. In the future, when you pass the imperial examination and become famous, you will also have a place in the heart of the country!"

(End of this chapter)