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

Chapter 231 Are you scared? [Seeking monthly votes]

at the same time.

The capital city has simultaneously entered a state of both turbulent waves and undercurrents.

Zhu Houcong issued an edict to reinstate Xia Yan as Grand Secretary. He then suspended and imprisoned Grand Secretary Zhai Luan, Minister of War Zhang Zan, and Yang Bo, Director of the Ministry of War's Bureau of Military Affairs. He ordered Xia Yan to lead a thorough investigation into the three men's collusion with Shanxi officials and merchants.

Then he suddenly announced that he was unwell and moved to the West Garden to live in seclusion and recuperate.

The phrase "the emperor is unwell" is like dropping a depth charge into waters already churning with waves.

This caused chaotic currents both above and below water, leaving the powerful and influential in the capital and the court officials completely bewildered, and almost everyone secretly harbored their own ambitions.

under these circumstances.

The dismissal and investigation of Zhai Luan, Zhang Zan, and Yang Bo did not cause much of a stir.

It should be understood that people's attention is always very limited. No matter how big the problem is, as long as an even bigger problem can be created to cover it up, people's attention can always be diverted.

In the past, this method was used by the entire court to deal with Zhu Houcong and lead him by the nose.

After all, Zhu Houcong was in the open, while the entire court was in the shadows.

Furthermore, the entire court of officials far surpassed Zhu Houcong in their ability to control public opinion between the court and the people.

Zhu Houcong wanted to use this method to deal with the entire court, but he lacked the conditions and opportunity. In the end, he only ended up shooting himself in the foot, and had no choice but to compromise, compromise, and compromise again...

And this time.

Yan Maoqing is still as reckless as ever, causing such a huge commotion in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Xia Yan inexplicably changed her mind again, and even went so far as to take the blame and accusations for him, insisting on putting herself at the gambling table.

This was tantamount to handing both the conditions and the opportunity to Zhu Houcong simultaneously.

How could Zhu Houcong, who was by nature addicted to gambling, possibly miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

After careful consideration, he decisively chose to use the three princes as leverage, hoping to win an unprecedented victory in this gamble!
Honestly, this was a feeling he had never had since he ascended the throne—a feeling that everything, both internal and external, was under his control.

Even when Zhang Cong and Gui E were around, he never felt this way.

He has always had a keen sense of perception.

He could sense that although Zhang Cong and Gui E had both worked diligently for him, they had always held back from him. They even harbored the desire to integrate into the bureaucratic group and try to gain its recognition and praise.

Therefore, he also had reservations about these two, and later supported Li Shi, Xia Yan, Wang Tingxiang, Zhai Luan and others to keep them in check.

But Yan Maoqing is different from Xia Yan this time.

Regardless of whether this matter succeeds or fails, these two guys certainly didn't sit at the gambling table as gamblers this time; instead, they directly placed themselves as chips on the gambling table.

This was precisely the situation that Zhu Houcong had been seeking but unable to obtain.

In his view, the previous court struggles based on rules and order were nothing more than a gamble where all the nobles and court officials wanted to sit at the table, treating his imperial power as a distributable interest, and trying to drag him into the game to redistribute imperial power.

This was what Zhu Houcong found most unbearable and most helpless about!
This world is his, this imperial power is his, this gambling table is his, everyone can overturn the table, but he can't...

But now, the situation is slightly different.

Zhu Houcong had complete confidence in Yan Maoqing. That scoundrel was always clueless and seemed to have no idea that there were chairs to sit on under the gambling table.

As for Xia Yan, although this old man is as cunning as a hornet's nest, Zhu Houcong has carefully analyzed the situation and is certain that the old man has no chance of leaving the table to become a gambler midway through the game. Even if he wanted to, he could stop him.

Therefore, this time, he made up his mind and placed a heavy bet...

Fortunately, so far, Xia Yan has not disappointed him.

As soon as the imperial edict was issued, Xia Yan immediately began to take action.

First, he was ordered to organize a joint operation involving the three judicial departments and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. With the cooperation of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, they swiftly brought Zhai Luan, Zhang Zan, and Yang Bo under control.

Then, in the name of the cabinet, Shanxi was designated as a pilot area, and a "performance evaluation system" that had been brewing in their minds for who knows how long was being pushed forward.

This decree implements the "three ledgers" method, forming a three-tiered regulatory chain from the Cabinet to the Six Departments and then to the Six Ministries. It audits the progress of government affairs monthly and conducts a comprehensive review every six months, strictly eliminating redundant officials who do nothing.

If Yan Maoqing knew that Xia Yan was implementing such a law, he would probably realize it immediately.

This is exactly the same law that Zhang Juzheng implemented during his reforms, and even the specific details are almost identical!
Then he was going to give Xia Yan a good dressing down.

So, this old man already knew perfectly well what the problems were in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, and what methods should be used to rectify them. He already had a solution in mind; it was all just a matter of the same fundamental principle...

of course.

Issuing laws is not enough; someone has to carry them out.

Xia Yan first went to the Jixia Academy of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and obtained the list of those low-ranking officials who had previously passed Yan Maoqing's test and joined the Jixia Academy.

Immediately afterwards, he took the list and went straight to the Censorate to meet with his old acquaintance, Wang Tingxiang, the Left Censor-in-Chief.

"Brother Ziheng, I heard that after your internal investigation, some positions in the Censorate are now vacant."

Sitting down opposite Wang Tingxiang, Xia Yan smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum and got straight to the point.
“Brother Ziheng knows me well. I love doing things that help those in need. I was so happy to see you struggling with this at your age that I immediately sent you a group of talented people.”

As she spoke, Xia Yan took out the list, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"There are no outsiders here, so I won't stand on ceremony with you." Wang Tingxiang glanced at the list but didn't immediately reach for it. Instead, he frowned, his old face showing concern.

"Brother Gongjin, what's wrong with you lately? Have you gone senile?"

"What are you saying, Brother Ziheng?"

Xia Yan wasn't annoyed; instead, he smiled knowingly as he asked the question.

"If you weren't senile, would you have spearheaded this 'Performance Evaluation System'? You're not just offending one or two people; you're making an enemy of the entire court!"

Wang Tingxiang's old face wrinkled even more.

"Hehe, Brother Ziheng, haven't you heard the saying, 'A single thought can enlighten the world'?"

Xia Yan stroked his beard and smiled as usual.

"Ever since I made up my mind to return to my hometown to retire, my back doesn't ache anymore, my legs don't hurt anymore, I can walk from Chengtianmen to Qianqing Palace in one breath without getting out of breath, and I don't feel guilty speaking loudly to the Emperor anymore. Isn't that amazing?"

"The same principle applies to matters in the imperial court. Now, I have no worries about what I do and do not need to worry about gains and losses."

"Isn't it just making an enemy of the entire imperial court?"

"If these people can bring me down and help me get what I want, I will not only not hold a grudge against them, but I will also thank them properly."

"But if they can't bring me down and make my assessment and performance evaluation system work, then they can't blame me. They can only blame their own incompetence."

"Even if I am condemned by the entire court at that time, just as you always say in your theory of the monistic nature of qi, if this performance evaluation system can be implemented, it will be a good thing for the country and the people. At least I will have preserved the righteousness in my heart, and I can face my death with composure."

Am I wrong?

"..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tingxiang continued to sized Xia Yan up and down, and after a long while, he said jokingly:

"I never thought that Grand Secretary Xia, who calls himself a Pillar of State, would actually have moments of fear. I think you were actually frightened by that young man Yan Maoqing, weren't you?"

"Heh, aren't you afraid?"

Xia Yan retorted sharply.

"If you're not afraid, why is the Censorate conducting an internal investigation this time?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of that young man; I'm just doing my duty to the emperor since I'm paid by him."

Wang Tingxiang immediately puffed out his chest, trying to cover up his misunderstanding, and said...

Xia Yan immediately asked again:

"So, are you scared this time?"

"Why should I be afraid this time?"

Wang Tingxiang asked in confusion.

"As you know about recent events, when that young man Yan Maoqing went to Taiyuan this time, he not only dealt with the Provincial Governor Guan Jieshan and the officials of Taiyuan, but also dragged Zhai Luan and Zhang Zan down from their horses in one fell swoop."

Xia Yan smiled and said,

"Now that he has been ordered to go to Datong, I have a feeling that he will encounter even greater obstacles and make even bigger mistakes in Datong."

“I launched the ‘performance evaluation system’ in Shanxi as a pilot program precisely to help him remove obstacles and, incidentally, to facilitate his return to his hometown to retire as soon as possible.”

"If I want to successfully implement this matter in cooperation with Yan Maoqing, I must send the Censorate to assist in the supervision. Otherwise, the local officials will not sit idly by and wait for their doom, and I'm afraid that a good thing could turn into a bad thing."

"If things ultimately go wrong because of the Censorate's circuit inspector, then he will also ruin what he wants to do."

"I'll ask you again, are you afraid?"

"..."

Wang Tingxiang was speechless; this matter needed to be handled with caution.

The imperial inspector sent to Shanxi this time to oversee the implementation of the "performance evaluation system" must be carefully selected, and no mistakes can be made.

After all, this young man is no pushover. Many people have already fallen into his hands. Not to mention Yan Song, or the four great dukes of the capital, even Zhai Luan, the Grand Secretary, and Zhang Zan, the Minister of War, have suffered a major setback this time.

Therefore, it's no wonder that Xia Yan values ​​this young man so much and has developed an unprecedented desire to retire.

"Therefore, this list is the best candidate for the Imperial Inspector."

Xia Yan pushed the list again and smiled.

"Don't say I didn't help you. All the people here were personally tested by Yan Maoqing last time and were allowed to enter the Jixia Academy. Naturally, they are also Yan Maoqing's people."

"Later, I will transfer them to the Censorate in the name of the Cabinet. Then you can give them the official position of Circuit Inspector and send them to Shanxi to supervise the 'Performance Evaluation Law'. In this way, no matter what happens, Yan Maoqing will not blame you, nor will he hold a grudge against you."

"In addition, I would like to offer Brother Ziheng a piece of heartfelt advice."

“We’re not young anymore, we’ve gotten what we deserve, it’s not a bad thing to make room for the younger generation.”

(End of this chapter)