Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 340 Life is full of ups and downs

Yan Tingzhi's demotion was both reasonable and unexpected.

Logically, the fact that he dared to argue and quarrel with the prime minister in public meant that he would have a hard time maintaining his position in the court. Otherwise, how could the prime minister's authority be demonstrated?
What was unexpected was that Prime Minister Li Yuanhong acted so quickly. The matter had only just occurred, yet he was already eager to kick Yan Tingzhi out! This indicated that the conflict had become so acute that it was irreconcilable, and they were no longer even bothering to pretend anymore.

Yan Tingzhi's position as a Supervising Secretary in the Secretariat was no idle post. Although it was only a fifth-rank official position, it was one of the most important mid-level positions. Especially in the current Secretariat, the Supervising Secretary was a crucial position that served as a bridge between the higher and lower levels.

The vertical official structure of the Secretariat was: the Chamberlain of the Secretariat, the Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate, and the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace. As for other officials such as the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, the Grand Master of Remonstrance, and the Remonstrance Official, they were all attendants and did not directly participate in the decision-making and execution of government orders.

In the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, Yuan Qianyao was dismissed from his position as the Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat. Since then, this position has remained vacant, and the heads of the Secretariat have been two Gentlemen-at-the-Gate.

Among them, Du Xian, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, served as Prime Minister with the title of Grand Councilor. The other Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat was Li Gao, a member of the imperial clan, who was not currently in court but was serving as the Prefect of Taiyuan in the northern capital.

The two Vice Ministers of the Imperial Secretariat each had more important responsibilities, so the affairs of the Secretariat were mainly handled by the Attendant Censor. This demonstrates the importance of Yan Tingzhi, the Attendant Censor, in the current court; his removal from this position will inevitably lead to a series of personnel changes.

Zhang Dai was one of Yan Tingzhi's most promising students, and upon hearing the news, he naturally went to Yan's residence immediately. When he arrived at Yan Tingzhi's house, many of Yan Tingzhi's relatives and friends came to offer their condolences and inquire about the situation.

The atmosphere at Yan Tingzhi's house was not good. As soon as Zhang Dai entered, he noticed that everyone's face was very unpleasant, especially Yan Tingzhi, whose brows were tightly furrowed and who even looked somewhat exasperated.

"Besides being exiled, is there some other punishment the court is imposing?"

Upon seeing this, Zhang Dai quickly asked in a low voice.

"No, it's just that I have other things bothering me at home, nothing serious..."

Yan Tingzhi gave a vague reply at first, then gestured for Zhang Dai to sit closer before sighing and saying, "I am already fortunate to be appointed to Dengzhou. You should know that the Secretariat initially intended to send me to Longzhou in Lingnan, but thanks to Prime Minister Du's efforts, I was not driven across the Huai River. Now I am going to the coast to try out the purple robe and preside over the people, which is also a blessing."

Located in Lingnan, Longzhou is not only far from Chang'an, but also experienced a rebellion last year that swept through more than forty prefectures in Lingnan. Chen Xingfan, a powerful local figure in Longzhou, Lingnan, was dissatisfied with the court's decision to relocate him from his hometown to serve as an official, so he fled back to his hometown and launched a rebellion.

The imperial court appointed Yang Sixu as the commander-in-chief to lead troops from all over Lingnan to suppress the rebellion. The rebellion was finally quelled at the end of the sixteenth year of the Kaiyuan era, but there were still many remnants of the rebellion in Longzhou that had not been completely eliminated.

Under such circumstances, the court's decision to send Yan Tingzhi to Longzhou as an official, regardless of whether Yan Tingzhi had the ability, clearly demonstrated malice.

Although Dengzhou is located north of the Huai River, it is situated at the easternmost tip of Shandong Province, with over 20,000 households, making it a central prefecture. According to the official ranks of the Tang Dynasty, the governor of a central prefecture was a fourth-rank official, considered a promotion compared to the position of a censor in the Secretariat.

Moreover, although the imperial court stipulated that only officials of the third rank or above could wear purple robes, for officials such as prefects and governors dispatched to other regions, in order to demonstrate the authority of officials appointed by the imperial court, even if their rank was not the third or fifth rank, they could still borrow purple or scarlet robes.

However, compared to the Censor-in-Chief who oversaw the affairs of the Secretariat in the imperial court, the Prefect of Dengzhou's authority was undoubtedly greatly diminished. Yan Tingzhi's statement was nothing more than a self-consoling attempt to find humor in his misery.

"What a pity, what a pity. Minister Li acted too quickly. If he could have slowed down a bit, he might have been able to devise a plan for our lord between Bian and Song, and our fellow scholars could have echoed our lord's sentiments, making it easier to spread good policies in Henan! Dengzhou is still too far away, so it's difficult to achieve anything there."

Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh. Most of his classmates had been appointed to various prefectures in Henan. Now that the disaster had passed, all regions were actively working to appease the people and restore production. If Yan Tingzhi were sent to Henan to serve as a prefectural governor at this time, with such support from above and below, he would undoubtedly be able to better implement his governing philosophy.

Yan Tingzhi was quite magnanimous. Upon hearing this, he smiled and said, "Things can't always go as planned. Since this is the outcome, we must actively plan ahead. Although Dengzhou is in a remote location, it has the advantage of maritime trade in fish, salt, and sea. Minister Du often says that the two barbarian tribes in the northeast are becoming increasingly disrespectful, and there may be changes in the coming years."

"Now I am going to Dengzhou to diligently repair the sea routes. If there is a campaign in the future, the supplies can be shipped directly to Liaodong to replenish the army's needs. This can not be considered a fruitless endeavor, and it is far better than the useless infighting and backstabbing in the court!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but sigh that there were indeed wise people in the court. Du Xian, who had entered the court as a border official and was appointed prime minister, was also very clear about the hidden dangers posed by the two northeastern tribes.

Unfortunately, he was trapped in the power struggles within the court and could not extricate himself, making it difficult for him to make long-term plans and preparations. Most of his personnel resources were concentrated in the power struggles within the court, and only those like Yan Tingzhi, who had been eliminated through struggle, were given some targeted arrangements that were better than nothing.

Yan Tingzhi was also unwilling to talk much about his own situation, so he quickly changed the subject and said to Zhang Dai, "Zongzhi, you should also write to them to give them some advice in the near future. Although I believe in their personal integrity and character, there are always various obstacles, temptations and traps in any place. Sometimes they may make mistakes due to lack of experience. If they make mistakes, they should correct them. If they do not make mistakes, they should uphold their principles even more."

"What rumors have you heard, Master?" Zhang Dai knew that Yan Tingzhi wouldn't bring this up without a reason, so he immediately asked after hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Yan Tingzhi shook his head and said, "There is no concrete evidence, but some clues are vaguely visible. After I leave my post, the affairs of the department will be temporarily handled by Han Chaozong. He and Miao Jinqing, the examiner, are from the same school. There are also rumors that Cui Sanqi wants to become the examiner this year as a stepping stone to become prime minister. At that time, the examination situation will be very severe."

Your classmates, unlike you, do not reside in the capital region and have powerful relatives who can offer them preferential treatment. They have all studied diligently for the imperial examinations and have finally been appointed to official positions, governing their respective regions. If they were to suffer from nitpicking and criticism because of me, thus hindering their official careers and eroding their will, it would be truly a pity.

So why is the imperial court so keen on personnel struggles? Because a temporary victory or defeat does not represent eternity; it is a game that you must continue as long as you do not withdraw!

For the past two years, they have indeed been in a very good position. With Prime Minister Du Xian as their leader and Yan Tingzhi as their mentor to oversee and support them, they can get whatever they want.

Although Zhang Dai and his classmates did not participate in the imperial examinations, they all passed the civil service examinations without having to wait for the selection process, which shows that having connections in the court makes it easier to become an official.

But now that Yan Tingzhi has been demoted and removed from the court, Chancellor Du Xian is in dire straits. Cui Mian, the Left Attendant Gentleman of the Palace, is also under the Chancellor's command, and his bid for the position of performance evaluation commissioner is aimed at ousting Du Xian from the position.

Along with Yan Tingzhi, Han Chaozong also served as a censor. He was the same Han Jingzhou whom Li Bai wrote about: "I don't need to be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households, I only wish to meet Han Jingzhou."

With a personality like Yan Tingzhi's, it would be difficult for him to get along with his colleagues unless they shared similar interests. His relationship with his former colleague Miao Jinqing, who had served as his colleague in the Ministry of Personnel, and with his current colleague Han Chaozong, who was serving as his colleague in the Ministry of Personnel, was so-so.

Han and Miao were both appreciated and promoted by the former prime minister Zhang Jiazhen, hence the saying that they came from the same school.

The wonderful connection didn't end there. According to the regulations for evaluating officials in the Tang Dynasty, the officials in charge of evaluating merits and performance in the Ministry of Personnel were to be judged by the officials in charge of evaluating merits and performance in the capital and the provinces. The officials in charge of evaluating merits and performance in the Ministry of Personnel were to be judged by the officials in charge of evaluating merits and performance in the capital and the provinces. Two officials in the capital with high rank and prestige were to be appointed as evaluation commissioners to examine the evaluation of officials in the capital and the provinces!
In other words, in this year's examinations for both domestic and foreign officials, they may be hit by a penetrating wound from top to bottom by their opponents!
Even Zhang Dai and his classmates were no match for him; they were just small fry who weren't even qualified to sit at the table. If the other side really got hold of the three stages of judgment, supervision, and school, they could easily pin them down without them even uttering a sound!

Therefore, Yan Tingzhi was also worried that his students, whom he had appreciated and promoted, would be implicated by him, and Zhang Dai dared not imagine this "wonderful" scene.

Although he held a high-ranking official position in the capital and also served as an important close attendant, such as the Left Remonstrance Official, he was not worried about such malicious suppression. On the contrary, others were worried that he might file a false complaint.

However, if his classmates are wiped out, it will also deal a devastating blow to his various personnel arrangements in Henan. At that time, not only will he be able to easily take out tens of thousands of strings of cash to buy a house in Chang'an, but the merchants involved in the Bianzhou flying money, the tens of thousands of women and children gathered in the weaving workshop, and the thousands of canal boatmen such as Nan Jiyun will probably all scatter, causing huge social problems.

Just as the two were looking at each other in silence, a chubby-faced child suddenly rushed in from outside, looked at Yan Tingzhi and said loudly, "Father is still entertaining guests here, and my mother is loading things into the cart and is about to leave!"

"Let her leave if she wants! Her husband is the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, but isn't the Prefect of Dengzhou also a man? She knew my character back then, so who can she blame now? Yan Tingzhi has a strong backbone; how could he bend over for a sycophantic woman like me!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Tingzhi immediately spoke with an angry expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai finally understood why the atmosphere had been like that when he first entered the family. It turned out that the couple had quarreled over the matter of being demoted, and were now threatening to run away from home!

Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes. He never interferes in other people's family matters, except for the affairs of a sage, where there is great merit and fame!
So he stood up and said, “Don’t worry, Master, I will definitely write to all my fellow students and warn them to be careful.”

"Zongzhi, wait a moment!"

Yan Tingzhi raised his hand and called to him again. He then got up and went down the steps to pull the young boy over, put him down on the ground, and pressed his son's head down to kowtow to Zhang Dai several times. He then said in a deep voice, "Recognize this handsome young man. This is your senior brother Zhang. You must respect him as you would your father!"

"Senior Brother Zhang..."

The boy was thrown down and hit his head a few times. He started to sob in pain. As soon as his father let go, he covered his face and ran out the door crying.

“I do not know when I will return to the capital. This child is too young to accompany me. Zongzhi, you have seen that my family has no virtuous wife to manage things, and the brothers in my family are all strong-willed and violent. They are not capable of raising children properly. If the marriage cannot continue, I am afraid I will have to shamelessly entrust this child to you for upbringing.”

Yan Tingzhi looked at Zhang Dai again, and said with some embarrassment and helplessness.

(End of this chapter)