Chapter 576 Zhang Luan’s “Friends”

Jinyiwei, Northern Pacification Office.

Tan Chang, the commander of the Eastern Depot, came to find Jinyiwei commander Zhu Ji to do some business. He soon learned from Zhu Ji that Huizhou merchants were being targeted by the government.

Qin Chang asked curiously, “Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and everything must be kept stable. How come there is such a big commotion all of a sudden? Are you, the Jinyiwei, not involved in this?”

“Not yet.”

Zhu Ji reported truthfully, “Everyone below knows that with the new emperor on the throne, if we do things improperly, our guards will be easily criticized, so now the Jinyiwei is keeping a low profile; moreover, apart from the case of Eunuch Liang and others, His Majesty has not ordered an investigation into anyone, so everyone seems very quiet.”

Qin Chang casually picked up the case file on the table and said, “There hasn’t been even one official convicted recently? That’s quite strange…”

Zhu Ji asked expectantly, “Who are you going to deal with next? I’m itching to do it…”

Qin Chang laughed when he heard this and said, “Wouldn’t it be better to have peace and quiet? Why do you have to do this and that and make the court a mess?”

“But……”

Zhu Ji seemed extremely cautious. He leaned close to Qin Chang’s ear and whispered, “There seems to be someone standing behind those merchants. If things get out of hand, it is likely to cause a huge wave.”

“Oh? Who?”

Tan Chang asked cautiously.

Zhu Ji said, “Zhang Guozhang.”

Qin Chang took a deep breath and asked, “Is Zhang Guozhang very close to the merchants in Huizhou? Or was he also involved in the previous grain, salt permits, and salt taxes? But it’s strange, why didn’t the Ministry of Revenue take action this time, but the Ministry of Works intervened? What role did Shuntian Prefecture play in this?”

Zhu Ji said, “Eunuch, among the officials in Beijing, there are really few who are qualified to order such a big event… At present, the East Factory and the Jinyiwei are not involved, and even the Five Cities Army and the Beijing Army are not involved. Just relying on the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen and the soldiers under its jurisdiction, such a big commotion has occurred. I’m afraid the wind is blowing in the wrong direction.”

“Too.”

Tan Chang nodded and said, “There are so many government offices in the capital, and Shuntian Prefecture is indeed not very eye-catching. How come it suddenly became so powerful? I remember that the governor of Shuntian Prefecture was Wu Qi, right?”

“it’s him.”

Zhu Ji nodded.

Qin Chang hesitated for a moment and asked, “Speaking of which, Wu Qi has always been a coward. How could he have the courage to make such a big fuss? Or… is there someone behind the scenes who instructed him to do this?”

“Who knows?”

Zhu Ji smiled bitterly and said, “I have met this man many times before. He rarely interacts with ministers in the court and acts very low-key. If he really targets Zhang Guozhang…”

“With his courage, it shouldn’t happen.”

Qin Chang said cautiously, “We’ll have to wait and see how the situation develops. This matter has nothing to do with the Royal Guards, so we shouldn’t ask if we can.”

“This… Aren’t you afraid that His Majesty will ask about it later?”

Zhu Ji looked very worried.

If it was just general behavior targeting merchants, it would never reach the emperor’s ears.

But if the target of the conspiracy is Zhang Luan, the situation will be very different. If Zhu Ji is not careful, many lives may be lost. He has no choice but to be cautious.

Qin Chang patted his chest and assured: “As long as Your Majesty asks, our family will tell Your Majesty the truth. You don’t need to worry.”

……

……

Tan Chang left the Beizhenfusi Yamen.

The carriage had not gone far from the street when someone blocked its way.

“Eunuch, it was someone sent by Elder Liu… I don’t know how he heard that you were in the carriage, so he sent someone to stop you on the road, saying that he wanted to invite you to come and talk to you in private.”

The coachman turned around and reported.

Qin Chang said angrily, “I took the trouble to come out of the palace, and I still have to be bothered by others? How dare Liu Ji follow the whereabouts of the eunuchs?”

The driver said in embarrassment: “You only brought me with you this time, I’m afraid you can’t stop me.”

When Qin Chang heard this, he thought, am I being threatened?

This is really unreasonable!

Then Qin Chang got off the carriage angrily. When he saw who was coming, he almost gritted his teeth and asked, “Did Liu Ji ask you to come?”

“Is this Mr. Qin? I’m here to invite you upstairs to chat.”

The leader of the group that blocked the way came forward and said respectfully, “My master has been waiting here for quite some time, keeping an eye on the passing carriages, fearing that you would take another route.”

“Humph, this Sijiu City is square. If I want to go back to the palace, I will naturally take this road. Liu Ji is very calculating… Never mind, take me to see him!”

Qin Chang angrily asked the visitor to lead the way. He followed the visitor to a tavern on the roadside. After going upstairs, he saw Liu Ji sitting by the window, drinking and looking at a folding fan.

……

……

“Lord Liu, you really have such a refined taste… It’s almost the coldest time of winter, but you’re still here admiring the fan?” Qin Chang sneered.

Liu Ji quickly stood up and greeted, “Oh, it’s all my fault for not being able to entertain you properly. I didn’t come to greet you, and I’ve offended you, Mr. Qin… Please take a seat. This fan… was given to me by a friend, and it’s extremely valuable. The fan alone is worth several hundred taels of silver, and the fan bones are made of rosewood. Tsk tsk… How about… just give it to you as a gift?”

“What!?”

Qin Chang frowned and thought, is this because he sees that I am a refined person and deliberately gives me gifts so that I can do something for him?

Who do you think I am? Why would I fall for your tricks?
Liu Ji closed the fan, presented it with both hands, and said respectfully: “It’s just a small token of my respect.”

Qin Chang’s face turned pale, and he waved his hand and said, “No need. As the saying goes, no merit, no reward. How dare I accept your gift, Lord Liu? You should take it back… Tell me why you have to wait here, why you are blocking my way, and why you have to ask me to come upstairs to see you?”

“Here’s the situation.”

Liu Ji explained, “There have been a lot of personnel changes in the government offices recently, and someone asked me to send a gift to you… This fan is one of the gifts.”

Qin Chang asked with a dark face: “Someone wants to ask you to help pave the way for him to be promoted to a higher position?”

“That’s what it means.”

Liu Ji smiled and said, “But I have clearly told them that the new emperor has ascended the throne and everything is new. Now everything must be done according to the rules. I cannot give special praise or promotion to anyone just because they have given me gifts. This is not in line with your majesty’s governing philosophy of employing the best people.” “Haha, Lord Liu, you are quite upright.”

Qin Chang sneered and asked, “Then what?”

Liu Ji asked calmly, “I want to ask, have some positions been decided now?”

Qin Chang said with a straight face: “What do you want to say…?”

“I want to ask, have you decided on the candidates for the cabinet?”

Liu Ji said with a smile.

Qin Chang stood up suddenly and shouted: “Liu Ji, as the chief minister of the cabinet, you should know that officials outside the cabinet should not interact with internal officials.

“You and I are different, and we have met now, but you mentioned official business and wanted to inquire and ask for favors in private. Do you know what crime this is?”

Liu Ji hurriedly explained: “I have no such intention… Eunuch Tan, please calm down. The fact is that… the cabinet is very busy now, and the staff is extremely limited, and it is difficult to handle official business… Xu Pu and I are very busy every day, and we are afraid that it will affect your majesty’s usual diligence and make you unable to sleep and eat well!”

“so what?”

Qin Chang was hostile from the beginning, and his tone was cold.

Liu Ji said with a fake smile: “I want to recommend Zhang Luan, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the academician of the Hanlin Academy, to join the cabinet. It is said that this person is talented and is… Your Majesty’s relative. I have communicated with him before and found that he can handle the affairs of the court easily… But I am afraid of finding the wrong person, so I have to come to see Eunuch Tan first…”

Qin Chang narrowed his eyes and looked at Liu Ji, and asked, “Lord Liu, even if you want to recommend someone, wouldn’t it be better to say it at the court meeting than to mention it to us in private?

“Besides, even if the Imperial Household Department wants to propose and nominate someone, it should be Eunuch Huai who makes the decision. After he proposes a name, we will discuss it together… Sorry, you really found the wrong person!”

Liu Ji said with emotion: “No mistake, no mistake… That’s right, I already knew about Eunuch Huai’s illness, and I deeply regret it.”

Qin Chang understood as soon as he heard it. Liu Ji was sure that Huai’en would die soon, or even if he was lucky enough to survive, he would not stay in the court for too long, because a serious illness would definitely affect his handling of official duties, and the emperor would then understand and let Huai’en go home to recuperate.

You can’t work yourself to death, right?
So now Liu Ji has begun to curry favor with Tan Chang, perhaps knowing that Tan Chang may soon become the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department again.

“Lord Liu, I have presided over the affairs of the Imperial Household Department before, but I didn’t see you so enthusiastic back then.” Tan Chang said coldly, “Now you have come to see me specially to recommend someone to join the cabinet. What is your intention? I can’t help but want to tell His Majesty about today’s meeting and let His Majesty judge your behavior!”

“Ugh!”

Liu Ji sighed: “I am old and can no longer work. It would not be a bad idea to return to my hometown to enjoy my old age. After all, Lord Wan has passed away.”

Qin Chang got angry when he heard this.

He sneered and asked, “You mean, Wan An has retired. If you retire too, the cabinet will be in chaos without an old man in charge? Who are you threatening?”

“That’s not my intention! I really speak from the bottom of my heart. I really want to live a peaceful life for a few days.”

Liu Ji looked aggrieved. “Isn’t that why I recommended Zhang Guozhang to join the cabinet? With him here, I can rest assured… Even if I leave tomorrow, I can leave with peace of mind.”

Qin Chang seemed very impatient and waved his hand, saying, “Let me make it clear to you, Your Majesty has never given any instructions on who should enter the cabinet.

“If you really want to nominate Zhang Guozhang to join the cabinet, you can bring it up at any time during the court meeting. By then, after the discussion of the ministry and the court, there will be public opinion… Let’s go!”

As he spoke, Qin Chang stood up, turned around and walked away, all in one smooth move.

Liu Ji shouted loudly from behind: “Eunuch Qin, I, Liu, am really wronged! In fact, Liu is completely kind-hearted. I just want Zhang Guozhang to join the cabinet and become familiar with the business. Then I can make room for him! In this way, the cabinet will be full of people trusted by Your Majesty. This will be a blessing for the court and the Ming Dynasty!”

Hearing this, Qin Chang suddenly stopped.

At this point, Qin Chang finally figured it out.

Not only did Liu Ji not want to leave, he also did not want to recommend Zhang Luan to join the cabinet. He even wanted to exclude Zhang Guozhang, who was a big shot in front of the emperor. It was only for the sake of face and harmony that he pretended to be sincere in front of him, showing that he really wanted to recommend Zhang Luan to the position. In fact, he was just saying the opposite.

“Oh.”

Qin Chang remained calm and silent for a moment, then turned around and walked back to his seat.

……

……

“Eunuch Tan, please have some tea.”

Liu Ji personally poured tea for Tan Chang.

Qin Chang stared at Liu Ji for a long time before he said coldly, “You’re welcome.”

Liu Ji smiled and said, “I have heard about your efforts to find a way to treat Eunuch Huai before… You personally went to ask Zhang Guozhang for help and asked Zhang Guozhang to diagnose Eunuch Huai. This is truly a great act of kindness and righteousness.”

“We are all colleagues, and Eunuch Huai spared no effort to protect Your Majesty, and was even banished from the capital for this… If it weren’t for Eunuch Huai’s strong protection, Your Majesty might have been taken advantage of by that villain…” Qin Chang looked at Liu Ji with a sharp gaze and asked sternly, “Lord Liu, I wonder what you were doing at that time?”

Liu Ji avoided Qin Chang’s sight and forced a smile, saying, “It’s actually very difficult for outsiders to get involved in this kind of thing. Isn’t it only now that I know that it was actually all the work of the late Concubine Wan and Liang Fang? At that time, I didn’t support their plan to change the crown prince!”

“hehe.”

Qin Chang saw through it but didn’t say it out loud.

The little things that Wan’an and Liu Ji were planning and jointly pushing for the change of crown prince had long been noticed by Emperor Chenghua, who once considered forcing them to retire.

That is to say, Emperor Chenghua’s condition deteriorated rapidly and he did not have time to punish Wan’an and Liu Ji, which allowed them to escape by luck. In addition, the cabinet needed an old man to take charge during the transition from the old to the new, which led to Wan’an’s retirement and Liu Ji’s subsequent ascension to the throne. Otherwise, the cabinet would be in a different situation now.

Qin Chang smiled, reached out his hand to pick up the cup of tea in front of him, and drank it.

Liu Ji understood now, smiled mysteriously, and immediately poured another cup for Qin Chang.

Liu Ji calmed down and asked, “Mr. Qin, do you think Zhang Guozhang’s joining the cabinet is something you support or oppose?”

Qin Chang understood what he meant and responded, “Your Majesty relies so much on Zhang Guozhang. If Zhang Guozhang succeeds in entering the cabinet, he can indeed help Your Majesty a lot. I wonder what your relationship with him is like, Lord Liu?”

“Very good. Zhang Guozhang and I have always been able to talk about anything. You may not know… Zhang Guozhang is a good friend, and I can be considered one of his confidants.”

Liu Ji said shamelessly.

Qin Chang thought to himself, you are really good at flattering yourself.

“But then again, as the Prime Minister and Grand Secretary…”

Qin Chang paused and expressed his attitude at the right time, “There is no need to be so close to the relatives by marriage. Besides, there is really no precedent for relatives by marriage to enter the cabinet in this dynasty. As far as I am concerned, I am against it…”

Liu Ji’s face lit up with joy. He looked around and leaned over to talk to Qin Chang in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)