Top Scholar

Chapter 558 Peace Talks
Zhu Houzhao then issued an edict to comfort and retain Jiao Fang, saying that "the country is in a time of great turmoil and in times of crisis, it is in need of experienced ministers who can strategize for the country," and advised Jiao Fang to "continue to devote himself to the cause to bring peace to the country." He also took pity on Jiao Fang's "physical weakness" and relieved him of his post as Minister of Personnel, only appointing him as the Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet "to serve as an advisor."

Jiao Fang repeatedly requested to resign, but the emperor refused, so he had no choice but to 'reluctantly' accept the arrangement. Of course, losing his position as Minister of the Court and falling out with Liu Jin inevitably marginalized him within the court and among the eunuch faction…

Where there is sorrow, there is laughter; Zhang Cai is the one who has taken Jiao Fang's place.

The recommendation of the new Minister of Heaven was quickly put on the agenda. Now, Liu Jin had purged the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, half of whom were eunuchs, and the rest were all Liu Jin's yes-men. Anyone who dared to oppose him was out of the running.

Therefore, the court recommendation was merely a formality, and ultimately, in accordance with Liu Jin's wishes, Zhang Cai was recommended to succeed as Minister of Personnel.

This time, however, Liu Jin honestly reported to the Emperor for approval and did not dare to be evasive again.

Zhengde readily approved the appointment...

The first thing Zhang Cai did upon taking office was to appoint all the Jinshi graduates of the Wuchen year to official positions, and all the arrangements were very appropriate, without any deviation from the emperor's wishes.

Ostensibly, this move was to handle the backlog of internal affairs and demonstrate the new Minister's decisive style, but in reality, it was an attempt to curry favor with Su Lu and ease the previously tense relationship between him and the eunuch faction...

Su Lu naturally understood his meaning and made a special trip to visit Zhang Cai to express his gratitude.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Caiping stepped aside and took the initiative to clasp his hands in a fist salute to Su Lu, saying, "It was thanks to Scholar Su's timely reminder that Eunuch Liu was able to pull back from the brink and avoid a future tragedy. I can say that I benefited from this misfortune, and of course I must thank Scholar Su properly."

"You flatter me, Grand Chancellor." Su Lu said solemnly, "Last time, I was mainly trying to prevent the situation from escalating and harming innocent people, not for Eunuch Liu's sake."

Zhang Cai was very clever; he immediately understood that Su Lu had no intention of colluding with the eunuch faction...

His smile froze upon hearing this, and he looked at Su Lu with a complicated expression. "In Beijing today, the only one who dares to openly challenge Eunuch Liu is the top scholar."

"You jest, Grand Chancellor. What am I to challenge Eunuch Liu?" Su Lu said with a faint smile, "I'm just relying on that gold medal to protect myself."

“Then why don’t I act as a mediator?” Zhang Cai said softly. “How about Scholar Su and Eunuch Liu sit down and have a chat, and turn hostility into friendship?”

“No need.” Su Lu spoke with the gentlest tone but with the firmest words. He shook his head and said to Zhang Cai, “I have nothing to talk about with Eunuch Liu. You should talk to the Grand Chancellor.”

“Okay.” Zhang Cai nodded, knowing that Su Lu didn’t want to be labeled a member of the eunuch faction. But he wasn’t too angry, because if he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to either…

But how many people in this world are as lucky as Su Lu?
He then said somewhat abruptly, "Actually, I didn't want to take up an official post, but Eunuch Liu was pressuring me so hard that he said if I didn't come by the deadline, my whole family would be exiled. That's why I had no choice but to come to the capital."

"I've heard of it." Su Lu nodded, thinking to himself, "When you met Liu Jin, you dressed up like a rooster. Was that out of necessity?"

But "to see through things but not say them is the only way to be friends," he nodded understandingly, and sighed softly, "The world is like this, it's really too difficult to do something that benefits the country and the people. Even the Grand Chancellor had to endure humiliation and disgrace, let alone the Grand Chancellor?"

“Scholar Su is truly a kindred spirit to me…” Zhang Cai was deeply moved, wishing she could take his hand and pour out her heart. “We have studied diligently for over ten years, all for the sake of one day governing the country and bringing peace to the world, so as not to waste the knowledge we have acquired. Just as you said in your examination essay, if everyone only cares about their own reputation and not the safety of the country, wouldn’t the world be completely hopeless?”

"Yes." Su Lu nodded, although his article at the time was not in defense of the eunuch faction. But once the article was published, the right to interpret it was no longer in his own hands.

"Given the current state of affairs, the so-called 'pure and upright' faction bears the majority of the responsibility. If the Grand Chancellor could be consistent in word and deed, he would certainly be a great man!"

“It’s not bad either…” Zhang Cai chuckled to himself as he said, “Indeed, we can’t ask for more.”

As he spoke, his expression turned serious, and he stopped his witty banter with Su Lu, saying, "Scholar Su, the grudges between us in the past mostly stemmed from Grand Secretary Jiao. Now that Grand Secretary Jiao has stepped aside, I am willing to do my best to persuade Eunuch Liu to end the hostile relationship between us. What do you think?"

In truth, Su Lu's feud with Liu Jin didn't actually stem from Jiao Fang, but Liu Jin played a crucial role in his planned future. He then solemnly nodded slowly.

"The Grand Chancellor is absolutely right. The country is currently going through a turbulent time, and in this time of crisis, we should indeed put aside our personal grudges and work together to overcome the difficulties."

"That's exactly right!" Zhang Cai clapped his hands happily and said, "I knew the top scholar would prioritize the big picture and wouldn't be swayed by momentary emotional grievances!"

“This may sound presumptuous, but I still have to say it,” Su Lu said firmly, “whether we can coexist peacefully does not depend on me, but on your side.”

"What do you mean?" Zhang Cai asked, frowning.

"Because of the current state of affairs, although the Qingliu faction bears the majority of the responsibility, the rapid collapse is entirely due to Eunuch Liu's faction..." Su Lu then said bluntly.

"If Eunuch Liu continues to solicit and accept bribes on a large scale, and allows his subordinates to poison the people and plunder their wealth, then Grand Chancellor, am I supposed to turn a blind eye to this because of the agreement?"

He paused for a moment, then pressed Zhang Cai further, "If the Grand Chancellor doesn't find a way to change the prevailing atmosphere in your region, how can people believe in your ideal of 'governing the country and bringing peace to the world'? If people don't believe in your ideal, even if you don't care about your reputation before and after your death, how will your descendants conduct themselves?" "As expected of the top scholar, your words are truly sharp..." Zhang Cai couldn't help but smile wryly, "Your questions have made me sweat profusely, and even my headache has been cured."

"Anyone can say these things, but no one dares to." Su Lu said with a faint smile, "I happen to be lucky enough to be able to say these things without worrying too much about being retaliated against, so of course I have to say them and ask the Grand Chancellor for an answer."

Zhang Cai pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded and said, "You're right. As officials, we must ultimately consider our descendants and our posthumous reputation. We can't be so short-sighted and profit-driven, lest we earn eternal infamy. Rest assured, I will do my best to persuade Eunuch Liu to restrain himself, control his subordinates, and reduce his disturbance to the people."

He paused for a moment, then said sincerely, "But as you know, there's only so much I can do on my own, and it's impossible to turn things around quickly in a short time, so please be lenient with me, Scholar."

“I fully understand the Grand Chancellor’s difficulties, and I can turn a blind eye to some things that are not too excessive,” Su Lu said in a deep voice, “but I will not be lenient with those excessive things.”

"Understood." Logically, Su Lu's words were quite excessive, but Zhang Cai didn't find them excessive at all. She nodded slowly and asked, "Then please tell me, what is excessive, and what is not excessive?"

"Whether it's excessive or not isn't up to me, nor is it up to the Grand Chancellor," Su Lu replied. "If the common people think it's excessive, then it's excessive."

"Understood." Zhang Cai nodded.

The two reached an understanding on this point, and nothing more was said...

So Su Lu got up to say goodbye, and Zhang Cai saw him all the way to the door.

Stepping out of the Zhang residence and into the sedan chair, Su Lu let out a long sigh of relief.

The dark cloud that had been hanging over him for nearly a year, the eunuch faction, finally began to dissipate, allowing him to catch his breath.

Zhang Cai watched Su Lu's sedan chair leave, then turned and went into the mansion, returning to her study.

His son, Zhang Zuwang, finally couldn't help but ask, "Dad, why are you being so polite to that kid?"

"Isn't it polite?" Zhang Cai retorted.

“Even if he is the top scholar in the imperial examination and the emperor’s favorite minister,” Zhang Zuwang said in a muffled voice, “that doesn’t mean we can set rules for you and Eunuch Liu.”

Zhang Cai frowned, then sighed and said, "Alas... because he is representing the Emperor, setting rules for us."

"He represents the Emperor?" Zhang Zuwang was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth.

“Idiot, do you know how Jiao Fang lost his official position?” Zhang Cai said in a low voice, “And how Eunuch Liu was dealt with so badly? He was behind it all.”

As he spoke, he said in a deep voice, "I had guessed before that, just as Eunuch Liu was used by the Emperor to restrain the officials, Scholar Su was used by the Emperor to restrain Eunuch Liu. Today, Scholar Su's words have practically made it clear—this is the job he is!"

"Him?" Zhang Zuwang asked incredulously. "What makes him so special? Just because of those few dozen newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"

"What if we add the Inner Factory as well?" Zhang Cai snorted. "Zhang Yong's position as Inner Factory Director is just a figurehead. The real power in handling cases is in Qian Ning's hands, and Qian Ning listens to Scholar Su..."

"So the Imperial Factory is now in Su Zhuangyuan's hands?!" Zhang Zuwang exclaimed in shock.

"That's not entirely true, but we do have to obey him." Zhang Cai sighed softly. "Why did the Emperor grant him such great power as a newly appointed top scholar? Wasn't it to keep Eunuch Liu in check?"

"I see..." Zhang Zuwang suddenly realized, but then said incredulously, "The Emperor actually entrusted such an important task to a top scholar who had just entered officialdom..."

“This is the Zhu family’s tradition of ‘using the small to control the large.’” Zhang Cai said without surprise, “Even my father, a high-ranking official, is subject to the control of a seventh-rank censor. The same principle applies to the seventh-rank provincial inspectors.”

He couldn't help but laugh as he said, "The Emperor is already giving Liu Gonggong a lot of face by using a dignified top scholar as a tool to control him."

"So, Father, are you really going to do as you promised?" Zhang Zuwang asked again.

“Of course.” Zhang Cai replied without hesitation, “What the top scholar said makes perfect sense. I also hope to earn a good reputation so that I don’t end up disgraced and bring shame upon my descendants. I might as well use this opportunity to persuade Eunuch Liu to reorganize the team. If they continue to act recklessly, everyone will be doomed!”

Upon hearing the words "implicate one's descendants," Zhang Zuwang quickly nodded and said, "Father is wise."

(End of this chapter)