Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 150 I really envy you guys having an official like me [Seeking monthly votes]

"Hehehehe..."

Seeing this, Lü Maocai was secretly overjoyed.

The Emperor is now aware of his utterly absurd "new internal regulations".

If half of the officials in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices openly resign, this matter will alarm not only the Emperor, but also the Cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel, which are responsible for approving resignations.

The cabinet and the Ministry of Personnel will certainly send people to investigate this matter.

With things escalating to this point, it's as if half the court knows Yan Maoqing's treacherous and incompetent nature. The emperor will also be under pressure as a result, so how can he continue to rely on him?
In this way, wouldn’t my chance come?
After all, no matter what, he was now acting on the Emperor's orders and even had the opportunity to meet the Emperor.

He could at least be considered half of the emperor's "confidant". As long as Yan Maoqing was removed, he would definitely be the most capable person in the entire Zhan Shi Mansion to succeed the position of Crown Prince's Zhan Shi.

Wouldn't that be a promotion opportunity?

"Uh……"

Faced with a "coup" by half of the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Yan Maoqing was also taken aback.

What on earth are these guys doing?
The real purpose of his "new internal rule" was to induce honest officials to submit the aforementioned impeachment.

Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, the Imperial Household Department simply cannot find such an upright official.

No secrets stay hidden forever. This matter will surely be exposed soon, attracting the attention of the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel, and reaching Zhu Houcong's ears, making him regret appointing him as the Crown Prince's tutor.

But what's with this mass resignation?

Could it be because his previous "threats" were too strong?

Perhaps they felt powerless against the powerful, and unwilling to lose their integrity, so they decided to retire gracefully?

However, another possibility cannot be ruled out:
This is their strategy of retreating to advance!

They attempted to pressure him through a collective strike to prevent the implementation of the "new internal regulations."

This is also a common protest tactic used by civil officials in the imperial court. The civil official group had previously used it against Zhu Houcong during the Great Rites Controversy, forcing Zhu Houcong, who ultimately won the Great Rites Controversy, to make certain compromises in some aspects.

However, if that's the case, they've really chosen the wrong target.

Zhu Houcong did not genuinely not want to be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

But Yan Maoqing genuinely hoped to retire and return to his hometown...

Despite his current wealth and power, as long as he can retire safely, he can still escape Chaoyang Gate with his family within half an hour. If it takes him even a second longer, he will lose!
Of course, Yan Maoqing was also aware of this.

These officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who refused to "abandon their posts" were fundamentally different from the civil service group that insisted on "ancestral rules" during the Great Rites Controversy.

These officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices were simply fulfilling their duties and likely had little political motive; they were more focused on upholding their political ideals.

Most of them are truly capable people.

On the contrary, those officials who did not step forward to resign are the ones who are just coasting along, living off the status quo and going with the flow.

However, the more this was the case, the more Yan Maoqing felt that he should let these people go and approve their resignations.

Because if the historical trajectory remains unchanged.

Zhu Zaiyi continued to live in Zhongcui Palace until he was fourteen years old when he was crowned and then died. From then until Zhu Houcong's death, no crown prince was ever appointed.

In other words, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices will certainly be unable to function effectively for a long time to come.

Their steadfast political ideals will eventually be worn away in this process, and they will have to silently endure the pain of their ideals gradually shattering, taking this regret to their graves.

Even if someone is fortunate enough to escape this stagnant quagmire in the future.

Given the prevailing atmosphere in the officialdom of this dynasty, people as upright as them would most likely become martyrs in the brutal political struggles, and might not even have a peaceful end...

"Very well... I'll grant your request!" Yan Maoqing said, his heart breaking, as he looked at Kong Jian and the other officials who had resigned.

Damn it... I've risked my life for this, yet you've gotten it all for me. I'm so envious of you having a superior like me. I'm green with envy!
But at the same time.

He knew in his heart that there was a high probability that this matter would not be accomplished.

Because his signature and seal were only the first step. The second step was to get approval from the Ministry of Personnel and the Grand Secretariat. In the end, it would probably have to go to the Directorate of Ceremonial and Zhu Houcong before the resignation process was considered complete.

Such a large-scale resignation would likely attract the attention of the cabinet and various ministries, causing him some trouble.

But this is exactly what he wanted, and this is much stronger than the impeachment by the officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!

If even this cannot relieve him of his duties as the Crown Prince's tutor, he will change the character "鄢" to "阉" and from then on be called Yan Maoqing!
That's what you call a win-win situation!
It's a win-win situation where neither side loses out!
"Come with me to the duty room now. I will sign and stamp your documents one by one. You should also submit your resignations to the Ministry of Personnel as soon as possible."

With a wave of his hand, Yan Maoqing took the lead and walked briskly towards the duty room, leaning on the net in his hand.

"???"

Kong Jian and the others were taken aback.

Although they weren't just putting on a show, they did consider that Yan Maoqing might worry that the matter would escalate to the Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet, attracting a lot of criticism in the court.

Therefore, they would most likely reject their resignations on the spot and have no choice but to comply and cancel the absurd "internal new rules".

Unexpectedly, Yan Maoqing reacted so calmly and even... to this situation.

This looks like someone who couldn't wait to have it, right?
He is so fearless. Even the former Grand Eunuch Liu Jin would not be so unafraid.
In that case, let’s wait and see!

Canceling that absurd "internal new rule" and dismissing the Crown Prince's Chamberlain who formulated it actually yielded the same result.

What is this called?
This is what they call "if you can't solve the problem, you can solve the person who created it!"
Could it be that the higher authorities would approve their resignations without even asking, bringing the Imperial Household Department to the brink of collapse?

……

Cabinet value.

"Of the seventeen officials in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, nine, including the Junior Chamberlain, resigned at once. How could Minister Yan approve them all at once?"

Grand Secretary Xu Zan frowned deeply and handed a stack of resignations from the Ministry of Personnel to Zhai Luan, who was more senior than him.

"Grand Secretary Zhai, what do you think is the proper way to draft a resolution for this matter..."

"This is no small matter!"

Upon hearing this, Grand Secretary Zhang Bi also came over and subtly expressed his stance.

"In that case, should the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, which is already short of officials, still be needed?"

Not long after they joined the cabinet, the two of them met Zhao Wenhua, Yan Song's only adopted son.

However, Zhao Wenhua was not there to act as an intermediary for Yan Song, but rather to deliver a congratulatory gift on behalf of the Southeast Group... a gift that was impossible to refuse.

This was because at that time, some people impeached the two of them for being incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities after entering the cabinet, and strongly recommended Yan Song to join the cabinet.

They also face unimaginable pressure. If they cannot get the support of the Southeast Group, or even if they start to fuel the flames, their positions as Grand Secretaries will be unstable.

Since we've received the money, we naturally have to do some practical things from time to time.

For example, a few days ago Yan Maoqing used a storybook to allude to the affairs of officials and merchants in the southeast.

Given the opportunity, they would naturally try to resolve this problem for the Southeast Group without affecting themselves, while simultaneously gaining more political resources for themselves.

After all, the position of Grand Secretary is currently vacant.

(End of this chapter)