Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 568: Who is the treacherous villain?
The emperor has no private affairs. This is the Confucian scholars' idea of a perfect emperor. In this way, no matter whether the emperor appoints a queen, takes concubines, or appoints a crown prince...everything can be brought to the court for discussion, and then they can use all kinds of skills to support or obstruct it. As for whether it will succeed in the end, whether it will be famous for thousands of years or infamous for thousands of years, it all depends on luck.
If we take the five words "the emperor has no private affairs" one step further, then it is a state that they hope for even more - the emperor has no private property. After all, as the emperor, he already owns the world, so why does he need private property? What imperial farms and inner treasuries are all wrong, they are competing with the people for profit!
The necessary annual expenses of the royal family are allocated from the treasury of the Ministry of Revenue, and then various government offices surrounding the emperor, such as the Guanglu Temple, are used to serve the emperor. The emperor himself can just sit back and rule the world. Isn't this great?
Therefore, in daily life, the emperor would sit on the throne during court and make decisions on various petitions, nodding and shaking his head, rather than interfering in everything. This is what a mature bureaucratic system requires of an emperor.
Any emperor with a strong personality would definitely resist such a system with many shackles. For example, the current emperor is a typical person who cannot stand being manipulated by ministers. He is not the only one. The two emperors who came before him, Yingzong and Ruizong, all had such strong personalities. What the current emperor hates most is undoubtedly ministers interfering in his private affairs and coveting his inner treasury.
But compared to this, there was another thorn that was deeply embedded in his heart.
At this time, when Ge Yong mentioned the royal ships, even though the person in front of him was his most respected teacher, the emperor still frowned and said, "Teacher, do you think I don't want to send ships out to sea? Not to mention that Zhang Shou wants to recruit foreign talents, in fact, I also hope to send people with broad vision like him to go out to sea and take a good look at the world outside the Ming Dynasty!"
"That royal fleet was left behind by Emperor Taizu. It has always been managed by the Imperial Household Department. The emperors of all dynasties have only enjoyed the benefits of the merchant ships. The rebellious sons of Emperor Shizong also plotted to gain huge benefits from it. In the end, the fleet almost sailed out to sea for several years without returning. The fact that Emperor Yingzong was able to seize the throne was also due to the evil deeds of those rebellious sons."
"Although the Imperial Household Department submitted to the throne after Emperor Yingzong and my father ascended the throne, and immediately surrendered after the merchant ships returned, Emperor Yingzong had no time to purge those who were opportunistic, and then he encountered a struggle for the throne among his sons, and it was difficult for him to take care of those ships."
"When my father came, he also died before he could start a big fight in the Imperial Household Department. After Chu Kuan entered the Imperial Household Department, it took him a long time to gain a firm foothold. Now that he has outlasted the old generation and become the seal-in-chief, he has finally taken back the things that originally belonged to the royal family. But these ships are floating outside all day long!"
Ge Yong didn't care about the emperor's angry attitude, and asked leisurely: "Yes, you are right, but after taking over all the things that were previously managed by those people, do you think Chu Kuan is still completely yours? Is he still the half-brother who grew up with you? Although the words "half-brother" may sound disrespectful to others, the emperor should not be angry."
Seeing the emperor's expression suddenly change, and indeed he did not object to his address to Chu Kuan, the old man smiled.
“Over the years, he must have acted on his own more and more often, right? I heard from Jiuzhang that Chu Kuan once swore to him that the reason why the Ming Dynasty could survive the civil strife and continue to this day was all thanks to eunuchs like them who were disabled but determined.” When he said this, he had no idea that the words “disabled but determined” were added by Zhang Shou himself.
Without waiting for the emperor to speak, Ge Yong continued calmly, "Since Emperor Taizong, several emperors have either been weak in character and let their ministers make decisions, or were spoiled and did whatever they wanted after they took the throne. It was not until Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Ruizong that a wise ruler finally appeared. Even in such a chaotic situation, the Ming Dynasty never declined. Why is that?"
"First, the Military Equipment Bureau has always been very important, and both Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Ruizong quietly took over the Military Equipment Bureau at the very beginning. Second, the huge royal industry has been maintained by the Imperial Household Department and has been in stable circulation. It has not changed hands because of the war. As long as the emperor has money, he will have confidence and he doesn't have to look at the ministers' faces when spending money."
"But why did the Military Equipment Bureau choose its master so easily? Why did the Imperial Household Department, which manages the royal assets, never embezzle this huge amount of money? Has Your Majesty ever thought about this? Just to say that they are loyal, haha, they have been loyal for so many years, how difficult it must be!"
The emperor had never seriously thought about this problem. After all, he was not Ruizong who founded the country himself. But after being criticized by Ge Yong, he gradually calmed down, although he was originally a little frightened and angry because his soft spot was touched.
He always believed that it was the ancestral family rules that were passed down to the present day, cultivating a large number of loyal talents, which was the reason why the most core military equipment bureau was preserved, and the Imperial Household Department managed the royal industries to flourish. So even if some old men made a lot of money, as long as the profits delivered every year were guaranteed to increase, he would not make a big move. But now think about it...
Wasn't it because almost every dynasty and every generation fought over the throne that the roots of the decline were sown from the first true emperor, Kublai Khan? It doesn't make sense that the two people before him in this dynasty all succeeded in seizing the throne after fighting, but the dynasty remained stable on the surface. One exception is normal, but two are not normal...
Therefore, the emperor took a deep breath and couldn't help but whispered: "Why didn't I think of it... Could it be that Chu Kuan and Zhang Kang..."
"Your Majesty may think this is an attempt to sow discord. Zhang Kang, the Marquis of Weinan, who is in charge of the Military Equipment Bureau, is a surrendered minister, but he has served Emperor Ruizong for many years and has made great contributions. Chu Kuan of the Imperial Household Department has protected you, Your Majesty, and the Queen Mother, and has worked diligently until now. The eunuchs in the palace regard him as a role model."
"In terms of loyalty, the countless civil and military officials in the court may not be as good as them. But in terms of hiding things, there are probably few people in the court who can compare with them. What is it about Zhang Kang and Chu Kuan's personalities that makes them willing to lie dormant until now? Is it the will of Emperor Ruizong, or simply the ancestral teachings of Emperor Taizu? Or do they know something that others don't know?"
At this point, Ge Yong added in his mind: When it comes to hiding things, Zhang Shou should be no less than those two guys.
Actually, if the emperor had not suddenly brought up that point as if he had been hit in the sore spot, he would not have lifted the lid - the empress dowager had already seen through it and instructed him to find an opportunity to break the window paper to the emperor, so it would be better to do it today.
But then again, both the emperor and he habitually used Zhang Shou's method of diverting attention. The emperor used Hong to try to divert the attention and attack power of certain censors in the court, while he... used Chu Kuan and Zhang Kang to divert the emperor's excessive attention from Zhang Shou.
So, it is true that he who keeps company with vermilion will become red, and he who keeps company with ink will become black!
The emperor's face turned gloomy, but even if Ge Yong was his most respected teacher, he would not really doubt his two most trusted people just because of someone's words. However, thinking that the Military Equipment Bureau and the Imperial Household Department had always had a smooth transition, and that these two major institutions were the first to stand in line after every major change in the situation, he felt a big knot in his heart.
Could it be that before Emperor Taizu disappeared at sea, he had already anticipated the current outcome? So he had planted a foreshadowing in these two major institutions in advance, so that Weinan Earl Zhang Kang and Chu Kuan seemed to be in charge, but in fact they had already been sidelined? Or...
Is it really as Ge Yong said, that because they know things that others don’t know, they are no longer simply loyal ministers?
Seeing the emperor's face changing constantly, Ge Yong didn't want the emperor to continue to follow this line of thought and go off on a tangent. He coughed lightly, but then began to talk enthusiastically about how, after reading the so-called "Elements of Geometry", he asked someone to recruit several old sailors who had sailed to the West to find out about the foreign scene.
Under normal circumstances, the emperor would have been attracted by his description in a short while , but today, the emperor was obviously absent-minded, so Ge Yong just smiled and talked for a while, then pretended to be tired, yawned, and stood up to leave.
Before he reached the Qianqing Gate, he heard hurried footsteps behind him, clearly someone was chasing him. He had no intention of stopping, and soon he found that the eunuch who had led him had quietly retreated, and then he heard a very light voice behind him.
"Old Master, the Emperor has asked me to come and see you off. The Emperor has just ordered that Dr. Zhang's workshop produce many rare and ingenious products, so he wants to personally write an inscription as a reward. I am here to follow the Emperor's order to go to the Imperial Household Department and ask the craftsmen in Eunuch Chu's factory to carve the words on a plaque. The name of the plaque is...Tiangongfang."
Seeing Ge Yong suddenly stop and turn his head to look at him, Liu Feng, who had just clearly heard the conversation between Ge Yong and the emperor, felt happy and frightened.
He was happy that if the emperor really suspected Chu Kuan, he might be able to replace him. He was worried that the power behind Chu Kuan might be greater than he thought. If he still managed to get through this easily, and knew that he was by his side and heard what the emperor and Ge Yong said, then even if Chu Kuan couldn't do anything to Ge Yong, he would not let him, his usual enemy, go.
Chu Kuan appears gentle on the surface, but he is actually cruel. Under the retaliation from others, he has no chance of turning things around!
Therefore, under Ge Yong's strange gaze, Liu Feng immediately said flatteringly: "Old Master, since the emperor has rewarded Dr. Zhang so generously, he naturally believes in what you just said..."
Before Liu Feng finished speaking, Ge Yong lazily said, "If you really want to give a generous reward, you should follow Zhang Shou's advice and immediately issue a recruitment notice to recruit talents, even foreigners, instead of using the three words Tiangongfang to express your gratitude. Forget it, considering the emperor's current mood, this is already very good."
Seeing that Ge Yong was about to leave after he finished speaking, Liu Feng immediately said boldly: "It is only because the old Grand Tutor has a sharp eye that he can see through the treacherous villains in the court..."
"Who is the treacherous villain?"
Ge Yong suddenly turned around, his face extremely gloomy. Seeing Liu Feng immediately lowered his head and dared not speak again, he said coldly: "You are the emperor's attendant, remember to be careful with your words and actions. If any of what I said in front of the emperor today is leaked, you know the consequences. As for Chu Kuan..."
Although Liu Feng wanted to lower his head to the ground, he still felt that Ge Yong's stare was real. How could he have thought that he would offend the old master Ge just by following Ge Yong's tone?
"Chu Kuan is different from you. Even if he sometimes acts on his own, he also has times when he can make achievements. Don't use your petty mind to plot against him. You won't know how you will die when the time comes!"
Seeing Liu Feng's expression suddenly change, Ge Yong didn't bother to look at the name of this arrogant but incompetent Qianqing Palace manager, and left with a flick of his sleeves. With such little ability and knowledge, he still wants to fight with Chu Kuan? He leaked the news to the Fourth Prince before, but was shouted out by the ignorant Fourth Prince; he didn't even know how to reflect on himself and was making trouble in front of him?
After exiting the Qianqing Gate, Ge Yong saw the eunuch who had come to pick him up was still waiting beside the sedan chair, so he shook his hand and said, "No need for this sedan chair, my legs are still fine, I can walk by myself."
The two strong eunuchs looked at each other in bewilderment. In this palace, although the empress dowager was old, she didn't like to ride in a sedan chair, and the emperor was the same. Therefore, although the sedan bearers like them had received special training, they could only carry people a few times a year. On the contrary, people with such a high status as Ge Yong rode in a sedan chair more often than the emperor and empress.
Knowing that this old man looked kind but was actually a man of his word, they exchanged glances and simply carried the sedan chair and followed Ge Yong. Sure enough, although Ge Yong clearly noticed that they were following him, he didn't say anything until they found that Ge Yong had actually walked outside the Silijian Gate. They stopped in their tracks and were all dumbfounded.
And then, they saw a completely unbelievable scene. The old Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, who was of the first rank, looked up at the low-key gate of the Imperial Household Department and actually just barged in!
The two eunuchs carrying the sedan chair had no idea of Ge Yong's move, so they had no time to report it. The eunuchs who stayed in the Silijian had never thought that such a person would come in, so their first reaction was to be stunned. When someone finally thought of reporting to Chu Kuan... Chu Kuan had already arrived outside the Silijian public hall!
Seeing Chu Kuan hurriedly coming out to greet him, the other eunuchs who were unaware of the old Grand Tutor's visit naturally left on tiptoe. Although there were still two eunuchs in charge of the Imperial Household, everyone felt that the old Grand Tutor Ge had come with bad intentions, and they were too lazy to take Chu Kuan's place. Sure enough, as soon as he saw Chu Kuan, Ge Yong asked directly, "When will the second prince leave?"
