Chapter 438 437 Opportunity to Stay

"This is the charter decided upon by me and Yuan Shangshu after discussion. Your Majesty, please read it."

Standing under the imperial steps, Xu Jie respectfully held the memorial in his hands.

This memorial was written when he was in the Yamen of the Ministry of Rites. It was written by Yuan Wei, and the results of their discussions were written on it.

Although Yan Song was quite controversial among the government and the public and scholars, and Yan Shifan's reputation could be said to be a bad one, he was still a veteran of the Three Dynasties.

Yes, Yan Song was a Jinshi in the 18th year of Hongzhi. He lived through the Hongzhi, Zhengde and Jiajing dynasties. Isn't he a veteran of the three dynasties?

The old man, who is now eighty years old, is still working hard in the position of chief assistant.

In the eyes of outsiders who didn't know the inside story, Yan Song was greedy for power and refused to leave, but Emperor Jiajing knew in his heart that Yan Song had past intentions a few years ago, and that was when Yan Shifan was making the most outrageous noise outside. .

It's hard to say whether Yan Song's intention to leave was to retreat in order to keep his son, or whether he really wanted to resign and return south, but Emperor Jiajing decisively refused at that time.

Without him, there is no one in the court who is more obedient and able to stabilize the court situation than Yan Song.

Xu Jie is still far behind in terms of experience, and he does not have enough prestige to replace Yan Song.

Of course, the most important thing is that Yan Song is not obedient and sometimes makes some inappropriate noises.

However, after years of hard work, it seemed that Yan Song was pressing on me, and I finally got a little enlightened and knew who I should listen to and what I should do.

Huang Jin stepped forward and took the memorial from Xu Jie, returned to the emperor and presented it with both hands. Emperor Jiajing then reached out to take it and look through it.

Not long after, Emperor Jiajing finished reading the memorial in his hand, put it together on the imperial desk, and said, "It's appropriate. Your and Maozhong's proposal is very much to my liking."

After pondering for a moment, Emperor Jiajing spoke to Xu Jie again: "Just follow what Chen Zhong said, and he will be given instructions to offer sacrifices to three altars. There will be a division chief responsible for the funeral utensils. The Ministry of Rites and the Beijing Camp will send people to escort them back to Jiangxi."

"According to the order."

After receiving Emperor Jiajing's nod, Xu Jie hurriedly bowed and accepted the order.

"Huang Jin, ask someone to prepare pen and ink. Let's draft the decree here. Mr. Xu Ge is here, and he will draft it. You can use the seal to issue the rites directly."

Now that Emperor Jiajing has made a decision, he doesn't want to delay it. He waits for Xu Jie to return to the cabinet to draft the decree, then sends it to the inner court for approval, and then transfers it to the cabinet and the six departments to issue the decree. The process is too cumbersome to complete.

Soon, a chamberlain prepared paper and pen, and Xu walked up the stairs and wrote with a wave of his pen. Such a decree was naturally easy for the cabinet bachelor, who was originally meant to do this job.

After the pen and ink were slightly dry, he handed it to Emperor Jiajing to look at it, nodded, and then Huang Jin sent someone to get the treasure seal to seal it.

Just when Xu Jie was about to resign and go back to the cabinet to handle official duties. After all, Yan Song's family was having a funeral, and the chief assistant would not be on duty these days. The burden of the cabinet fell on his shoulders. However, before he could speak, Emperor Jiajing He opened his mouth and said: "Since Nan Qiao died of illness and took office, so did Zha Bingyi. The positions of Shuntian Prefecture Yin and Taipusi Minister are still vacant. Are there any candidates for the cabinet?"

When Emperor Jiajing asked about this matter on this occasion, Xu Jie was shocked.

Both of these positions are of the third rank. The Ministry of Civil Affairs can recommend them but has no right to arrange them. If I ask the cabinet for their opinion, Yan Song definitely has no intention to consider this matter now. Could it be that His Majesty wants to...

Xu Jie thought so in his heart, but he still couldn't be too serious about what he said. He hurriedly bowed and replied: "Your Majesty, the cabinet had discussed Lord Cha's appointment, but there was no discussion about his successor."

"Taipu Temple is in charge of horse administration. It is a major military and state matter that cannot be delayed."

Emperor Jiajing said casually.

Xu Jie felt a little happy, but his face remained calm. He just looked like he was thinking, but soon his brows widened, as if he had thought of a candidate.

Emperor Jiajing was not in a hurry and just waited for Xu Jie to recommend him.

For some things, once you have made a decision, you must stick to it, but you must not be blind and plan slowly.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Admiral Huang Youtongzheng Wang Guoguang to be the Minister of Taipu Temple."

Xu Jie raised his hands to Emperor Jiajing and said.

"reason?"

Emperor Jiajing was somewhat familiar with the name Wang Guoguang, as he seemed to have seen this name in that memorial not long ago.

"Wang Guoguang was a Jinshi in the 23rd year of Jiajing reign. He was first awarded the title of magistrate of Wujiang County, and later transferred to the ceremonial title and promoted to the director of the Ministry of War. Later, he served successively as the Wenxuan Lang of the Ministry of Personnel, the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Governor of Cangchang. He also served in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs. experience.

As His Majesty said, the horse administration of Taipu Temple is a major military and state matter, and it also takes into account economic power. Wang Guoguang's evaluations in the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Households are all top-notch. I think Wang Guoguang can take up this position. "

Xu Jie took his time and explained to Emperor Jiajing that the reason for recommending Wang Guoguang was indeed suitable for the position of Taipusi Minister.

Taipusi Horse Management is not limited to providing war horses for the army, but also collects money from various places. These are supposed to be the expenses of local horse breeding. Because there are many complaints about private horse breeding, private horse breeding is directly canceled and money is collected instead. Taipu Temple used the money to purchase horses from various places and handed them over to the Ministry of War. The remaining silver was deposited in Taipus Temple's Changying Treasury.

The experience of Guoguang's Ministry of War and Ministry of Households is indeed in line with the requirements of the position of Taipusi Minister. I don't believe that he will not be able to impress Emperor Jiajing.

Sure enough, Emperor Jiajing nodded slightly after listening to Xu Jie's description of Wang Guoguang's resume. There were not many officials in the court who had both military and financial skills.

"You go back and write a memorial and submit it."

Emperor Jiajing obviously agreed to Xu Jie's recommendation, but this was not as urgent as he said just now. He did not let Xu Jie write the memorial in Yongshou Palace, but went back to the cabinet to write it according to the procedure and then sent it to the Supervisor of Ceremonies.

"I'll think about it later. The position of Shuntian Prefecture Governor cannot be left vacant. We must arrange an official to take over as soon as possible."

When Xu Jie said goodbye and was about to leave, Emperor Jiajing said again.

Xu Jie left the Western Garden in a happy mood, but he did not go back to the cabinet directly. Instead, he went to the Six Departments Corridor first and handed the red edict to Liang Menglong, the chief secretary of the Ministry of Rites, before returning to the cabinet to work.

For the posthumous gift to Yan Song's deceased wife Ouyang, Liang Menglong would naturally not be unaware of it. Moreover, although it was a bit beyond the rules, it was not excessive and was still within the acceptable range. At least there was a precedent in the previous dynasty.

Ouyang was an imperial decree, so it was okay to send officials to escort the coffin.

Soon Liang Menglong personally supervised and quickly completed the process of the Ministry of Rites. After using the seal, he personally sent it to the cabinet and handed it to Xu Jie.

Xu Jie did not dare to delay, and immediately wrote a formal imperial edict, and then sent someone to the palace to seal it, and sent someone to Yan's house to issue the edict. When it was used, he had to notify the Ministry of Rites, the Taichang Temple, the Ministry of War, and the Beijing Camp and other government offices to send the funeral supplies to Yan's house.

Xu Jie finished his work in the cabinet, but he did not feel tired at all. At this time, his spirit was still high.

He was sure that Emperor Jiajing was going to replace Yan Song based on what happened in Yongshou Palace today.

Although there were some signs before, Xu Jie did not dare to be very sure, but on the selection of the Minister of the Imperial Household, Emperor Jiajing did not wait for a few days until Yan Song returned to the Ministry to mention it, but let him decide now, which shows that the emperor has made up his mind.

Although it seems that the appointment and removal of an official is just a matter of the emperor's imperial edict, for Yan Song, who has been in power for more than ten years, his students and former officials are all over the court, and many of them are still in leadership positions. This is also the reason why Yan's party members have a lot of say in the court, although they are not relatively dominant.

Now, the actions of Emperor Jiajing are obviously intended to gradually reduce the influence of the Yan family in the court. The most direct way is to replace people little by little, quietly replace the officials of the Yan family faction, and at the same time prevent Yan's officials from taking office, so that Yan Song's influence in the court will be greatly reduced. After that, whether it is retirement or something else, there will be many options for means.

However, Xu Jie has actually seen through Emperor Jiajing's plan. If he just wants Yan Song to resign, why does he need to do so many things.

Think about the rumors and things that Yan Shifan has done in the officialdom and the people. If he doesn't do something, it will be difficult to quell the complaints from the outside world.

Thinking of Yan Shifan, Xu Jie couldn't help but feel a little angry.

This person really doesn't give himself face.

Xu Jie and Yan Song are of the same generation, and Yan Song also treats him with courtesy, but it is completely different when it comes to Yan Shifan. He is quite rude to him because of his relationship with Yan Song.

However, Yan Shifan will not be able to enjoy his freedom for long. Perhaps he will never have the chance to return to the court after leaving for mourning. Even if he returns, he will probably be arrested by the officials.

Xu Jie does not believe that Emperor Jiajing will seize Yan Shifan's love. He is not afraid of being criticized for not going back to mourn his mother's death.

As for Yan Song, the death of his wife is naturally nothing. He does not need to do anything.

However, Xu Jie does not want to wait any longer. Since Emperor Jiajing has already planned to replace him, he should not let it go, but should do something to speed up the process.

When did he enter the cabinet?

It seems to be the 31st year of Jiajing. In a blink of an eye, it has been almost ten years. At that time, Yan Song was the first assistant and Lu Ben was the second assistant. He was just put into the cabinet by Yan Song to make a show and balance the power of the court.

Let's not talk about Lu Ben. The cabinet naturally cannot become his one-man show. Being summoned into the cabinet as Yan Song's opponent not only shows his magnanimity, but also reassures Emperor Jiajing.

But this is also the way he controls his subordinates.

In the court, there are always two groups, hostile to each other, while he is high above and comments on Confucius, always in control of the overall situation.

If you want to use someone, just lean your elbow a little to that side and help them suppress the other side.

However, I have waited for so long and finally have the opportunity to replace him. Once the Yan faction collapses, which group of forces will Emperor Jiajing support to be my enemy?

After Xu Jie returned to the cabinet to deal with the matters related to the Yan Mansion, he couldn't help but think wildly.

However, thinking about it, the business can't be delayed.

Ask the clerk to prepare the pen and ink, and he also has to write a memorial to recommend Wang Guoguang as the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

Cha Bingyi's transfer was originally strange. He knew it beforehand, but it was indeed handled by Yan Shifan, but he knew that there must be something fishy.

Now there is a chance to ruin this matter and let his own people take the position, why not do it.

However, he had already promoted Wang Guoguang to the position of Minister of the Imperial Household, and the remaining post of Shuntian Prefecture Governor had to be given up.

Of course, it was not given to Yan Song's people, but to Prince Yu's Mansion.

By the way, there was also Wang Guoguang's previous position, the Right Tongzheng Dudu of Tongzhengshisi, which was a fourth-rank official position anyway, in charge of the succession of Huang Wei, the military officer, and the selection of officials.

Unconsciously, Xu Jie thought of Wei Guangde. This little guy would definitely be interested in this position, because this position is quite important for hereditary military families.

But it was useless to be interested. The rank of that little guy could not be raised all at once, unless Emperor Jiajing designated him. If he designated him, Yan Song would not object, and he would not object either, and the Ministry of Personnel would naturally not say much, but this was impossible.

When Xu Jie started his official duties again, the angels in the palace also entered the gate of Yan's mansion with the funeral supplies prepared by various government offices.

After Yan Song and Yan Shifan knelt down to receive the imperial edict, they naturally had to thank Emperor Jiajing for his kindness and compassion for his old ministers.

It was late, and Yan Song's plan to enter the palace to thank the emperor after receiving the imperial edict was delayed, and he only left the words to enter the palace to thank the emperor tomorrow morning.

That night, Xu Jie contacted Gao Gong, and Yan Song also discussed with Yan Shifan in the secret room of the mansion.

"Dad, you must leave your son in the capital when you enter the palace to thank the emperor tomorrow, otherwise I am worried that Xu Huating will take the opportunity to harm you."

Although he had just lost his mother, Yan Shifan was not too sad, but was calculating the current court situation.

It can be said that in the past two years, especially after King Jing was determined to be a vassal, he felt that things that were easy in the past would sometimes go wrong. Although they could be done in the end, it was always a lot more troublesome.

In addition, some people below also began to have a little intention of pretending to obey but secretly disobeying, and obviously had the idea of ​​leaving their own big ship, but is it possible?

"You are just the Minister of the Ministry of Works, how could His Majesty take away your feelings for this matter?"

Yan Song whispered.

"Things are in the hands of people. My mother is gone. Shouldn't my son stay with my father to fulfill his filial piety?"

Yan Shifan said immediately, and even noticed his father's thoughts, and said to Yan Song with a heavier tone: "Father, do you think that if your son returns to Jiangxi, our family can really get out of it?

The court will let us go?

That majesty is not as kind as you think, and will not show mercy to our men.

If he really cares about his feelings for you, he would not force you to stay and let you help look after the Jingwang Mansion.

After so many years, can't you see through his thoughts?"

Yan Shifan's sudden words made Yan Song turn his head and look at him, with a little surprise on his face.

Yes, Yan Shifan never dared to speak in such a heavy tone in front of his father before, but now he can't care about it.

Some things, if you have never done them, it would be fine, but if you have done them, you will have to pay the price sooner or later.

In the past few years, didn't Yan Shifan know that he should restrain himself?

Seeing his father getting old, he certainly understood, but he also knew that he couldn't stop.

Taking a gamble, there is still a chance to turn things around, but retreating will be doomed.

If he regrets, he shouldn't have come to the capital twenty years ago, otherwise he would never be in the current situation.

He and his father are the abandoned sons prepared by that person, who will be thrown out in the future to appease the resentment of all officials.

Before that, that person would not touch him, so he dared to act recklessly in this capital.

But, he still had to show his cards in the end.

"What can you do if you stay?"

Yan Song looked at Yan Shifan and asked in a low voice.