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

Chapter 151 The Crown Prince Summoned Me to Go Fishing [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

"Is there such a thing?"

Zhai Luan took the resignations and read them through one by one, his brows furrowing in worry, but he spoke slowly and deliberately.
“This matter is indeed of great importance and cannot be decided by us alone. We are afraid we must petition His Majesty for a decision.”

"..."

Xu Zan and Zhang Bi looked at each other in silence.

This is one of the things they have heard most often from Zhai Luan since they joined the cabinet.

Besides this sentence, there is another sentence, "The two Grand Secretaries have made their decision, and I have no objection," which also appears quite frequently.

He truly didn't want to take any responsibility, so he didn't offend the emperor, nor the two of them, nor even the officials who submitted memorials. He also never easily expressed his stance.

The main idea is to "pass through a sea of ​​flowers without a single petal clinging to you".

"Why don't we first order the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel to jointly send people to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to investigate and find out the reason before we start drafting the petition?"

Xu Zan, still somewhat skeptical, asked another question.
"Otherwise, if the Emperor asks us and we know nothing, we might be suspected of dereliction of duty."

Zhai Luan then nodded slightly:

"The two elders have made their decision; I have no objection."

"However, Yan Maoqing was ultimately appointed by the Emperor himself. Why should we bypass the Emperor's orders to the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel to investigate whether there is anything amiss?"

Zhang Bi, also skeptical, pressed on with further questions.

Zhai Luan still said:

"Then let us petition His Majesty for a decision. The two Grand Secretaries can decide. I have no objection."

"..."

Xu Zan and Zhang Bi were completely impressed.

It seems that Zhai Luan was able to get along well with Zhang Cong when Zhang Cong was the Grand Secretary;
Later, Li Shi was appointed as the chief minister, and he was able to complement Li Shi well.
Later, when Xia Yan became the Grand Secretary, he was able to maintain a respectful relationship with Xia Yan and became a true evergreen in the cabinet.

Because he didn't see himself as anything else, but as a tree that was harmless and swaying in the wind. Who would want to mess with a harmless tree?
"In that case, let's leave these resignations in the cabinet for now, and order the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel to thoroughly investigate the matter before drafting the resignations."

After a moment's thought, the two decided to find out the result first.

This was not out of concern for dereliction of duty, but rather to use this seemingly legitimate reason to seize the initiative in the incident and then decide on the best way to strike first.

They could guess it even with their feet.

Yan Maoqing must have done something that angered both Heaven and the people in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to warrant such a large number of resignations.

Each of these people who resigned could become a weapon to attack Yan Maoqing.

Even after the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel investigated, they found that Yan Maoqing had done nothing.

As the Crown Prince's Chamberlain in charge of the Chamberlain's Office, the fact that he left it in this state so soon after taking office is enough to prove his incompetence and dereliction of duty.

They could still openly suggest in the draft proposal that the emperor rescind his order and dismiss Yan Maoqing.

"The two elders have made their decision; I have no objection."

Zhai Luan nodded in response like a robot, without expressing any stance.

However, after hearing their final decision, he still felt a slight unease.

He felt that the two people were being a bit reckless.

Actually, he had already given them a tiny hint when he first answered:

"This matter is indeed of utmost importance, and it is not something we can decide on our own..."

After all, Yan Maoqing was a rising star who had jumped twice in a month from an unranked junior official to a third-rank official.

This speed was something even Xia Yan couldn't match back then.

Without special methods and special support, could it be achieved so easily?

Actually, these two people hadn't been unaware of this, otherwise why would Zhang Bi have said something like, "Yan Maoqing, the Crown Prince's tutor, was ultimately appointed by the Emperor himself"?

They just didn't believe in superstition...

He believes it anyway!

Although there was no direct evidence to prove it, he remembered very clearly that before Xia Yan was dismissed and retired, he had expressed his dissatisfaction with Yan Maoqing to him on several occasions.

Furthermore, his resignation coincided with Xia Yan's vigorous campaign of accusations against Yan Maoqing for "colluding with the Tartars"...

Surely no one would really believe that Xia Yan was dismissed and left idle just because he was late for the morning court session?

Why is that old geezer Xia Yan always late? The Emperor could tolerate it before, but suddenly he can't anymore.

Regardless of whether others believe it or not, he insists on believing it rather than not believing it.

He walked on thin ice his whole life, relying not on his ability, but on his caution. Otherwise, how could he have become a staunch cabinet minister?

Let's see if these two will end up with bloodied heads this time, confirming his guess...

Just as I was thinking this.

"Gentlemen, I apologize for disturbing you." A soft, feminine voice came from the doorway.

The three men looked up and saw that the newcomer was none other than Zhang Zuo, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. They immediately stood up and returned the greeting.

"Greetings, Eunuch Zhang."

"His Majesty's decree states that the affairs of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices shall be handled entirely by the Directorate of Ceremonial. The three Grand Secretaries need not concern themselves with this matter. Please deliver the resignation letter of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to me."

Zhang Zuo said with a smile.

"..."

Xu Zan and Zhang Bi, who were about to write notes to the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel, were taken aback.

Zhai Luan's heart also trembled.

His guess was right; Yan Maoqing was not someone to be trifled with!
However, this time the Emperor struck first, so Xu Zan and Zhang Bi didn't have to suffer any serious consequences. They were lucky...

……

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Yan Maoqing's "internal new rules" were ultimately only half successfully implemented.

Those who submitted their resignations still insisted on showing up for duty every day, while those who did not submit their resignations began a relaxed and comfortable rotation system. The two sides were clearly distinct, and if you were to look at the numbers carefully, they probably wouldn't even be half.

However, Yan Maoqing didn't care and didn't force him.

Anyway, he had already achieved his goal. He was just waiting for the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel to come and investigate, and then make a fuss to prompt the court officials to submit a memorial impeaching him.

The next day, after waiting all day, the Censorate and the Ministry of Personnel did not make any move.

On the third day, we waited another day, but still no one came to address the matter.

In addition, he went to the palace every day for the past two days, and he still made sure to use the net to visit the Crown Prince at Zhongcui Palace.

However, it was good that he couldn't see Zhu Zaiyi, so each time he could only say, "Is the Crown Prince going fishing today? If not, it's alright, I'll ask again tomorrow."

And so it went until the fourth day.

Yan Maoqing decided not to go to Zhongcui Palace anymore, since Consort Wang would never let him see the Crown Prince again anyway.

The palace is so big, and walking is the only option; it's going to wear out my shoes. It's better to lie down in the office of the Imperial Household Department and wait for news.

"These people are really useless."

While slumped in his chair with his eyes closed, trying to rest, he was internally complaining.

"Consort Wang has filed this lawsuit for so long, yet there has been absolutely no response."

"The Ministry of Personnel and the Cabinet received the resignation letter from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and several days have passed, but there has been no response whatsoever."

"What are these people doing? How can they be so passive and lazy? They're not even as good as our Imperial Household Department!"

Just as I was thinking this.

Suddenly, Lü Maocai's voice came from outside the door:
"Minister, Granny Li from Zhongcui Palace is looking for you."

"Mother Li?"

Yan Maoqing opened one eye and looked towards the door. He saw that the person who came was none other than the old nanny who had kept him turned away at Zhongcui Palace for the past few days.

"Minister Yan..."

Granny Li wore an extremely awkward smile.
"Why didn't you go to Zhongcui Palace today? The Crown Prince has been waiting for you at the gate for quite a while."

"Why are you waiting for me?"

Yan Maoqing asked, puzzled.

The smile on Li Mama's face grew increasingly awkward, and her cheeks trembled as she forced a smile.
"Naturally, we'll go fishing together. Her Highness the Imperial Concubine has permitted the Crown Prince... to accompany Minister Yan to fish."

"what?!"

Yan Maoqing's expression was blank.

Upon hearing this, Lü Maocai froze, his head filled with questions.

What kind of fishing?
How do you catch fish?

This tutor to the Crown Prince goes to Zhongcui Palace every day with a fishing net, is he just leading the Crown Prince in this kind of idleness?!
at the same time.

"Imperial edict has arrived!"

Suddenly, another loud singing voice came from outside.

"Kong Jian, Junior Chamberlain; Li Chengzhi, Left Vice Minister; Feng Degui, Left Vice Minister; Hu Hongzhen, Left Director of Justice!"

"Come out immediately to receive the imperial decree!"

Nine people had their names called, and without exception, they were all officials of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who had previously submitted their resignations.

This imperial edict was clearly targeted!
(End of this chapter)