The rise of the poor

The two white turtles and ambergris presented by Zhu Ping'an greatly pleased Emperor Jiajing. He was so pleased that he took the two white turtles out of the West Garden to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to offer incense and comfort the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty.

Auspicious omens are appearing one after another, a sign of a prosperous era! Ancestors, rest assured, I, Jiajing, will surely carry forward our great Ming Dynasty.

After offering incense at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Jiajing Emperor would hold a ritual ceremony, during which the officials on duty at the Wuyi Hall would present prayers.

Yan Song, Xu Jie, and others wrote poems in praise of this.

However, during the ritual the following day, the one who won first place was Zhu Ping'an's "White Tortoise and Dragon Saliva Poem," which he presented along with the white tortoise and dragon saliva incense.

"Young Master Zhu is truly a blessed man. White turtles are a once-in-a-century occurrence, and I never expected that you would encounter two at once, along with such a large ambergris incense stick, which is also extremely rare."

"The poem 'White Tortoise Saliva Lyrics' presented by Lord Zhu along with Xiangrui is truly excellent, surpassing the poems written by Grand Secretary Yan and Grand Secretary Xu, and winning first place."

"His Majesty has granted Lord Zhu a rank increase in salary and has also bestowed upon him a golden crane robe."

For a time, Zhu Ping'an and the white tortoise ambergris he presented became a hot topic among the palace eunuchs and maids.

In the Wuyi Hall, Yan Song was on duty.

Yan Song sat in the head seat, with a large, thick cotton cushion behind him, while Xu Jie sat in the lower seat, with half of his buttocks on the cushion.

"Huating, your poem today was quite good, and it received praise from the Emperor. Not bad at all," Yan Song said slowly, taking a sip of tea with his eyes drooping.

"Not at all, Your Excellency flatters me. Compared to Your Excellency's masterpiece, I am humbled. His Majesty personally selected Your Excellency's work as a memorial to the throne," Xu Jie said modestly, praising Yan Song's poem.

"I'm too old, I can't keep up anymore. New talents emerge in every generation. Take today for example, Zhu's poem is clearly superior to ours. His Majesty chose Zhu's poem as the finale." Yan Song waved his hand and said with narrowed eyes.

“Zihou, you are too young. You can only produce occasionally worthy works, unlike Grand Secretary Yan Song, who produces masterpieces frequently, has no creative blocks, and whose writing is everlasting.” Xu Jie poured tea for Yan Song and said slowly.

"No, no, I can't take it anymore. I'm getting old, I have to accept it. I used to be able to walk around the city wall without even breaking a sweat, but now, just a few steps from the main hall back to the Wuyi Hall, I'm already panting. From now on, the world belongs to you all. While I can still move, and before I become senile, I plan to one day ask the Emperor for permission to retire and return to my hometown in Jiangxi to live out my days. I don't need a big house, just three leak-proof rooms—one for my wife and me, one for a guest room, and one for the kitchen—that will be enough. A fence will surround the yard with chrysanthemums, and a small vegetable garden will be planted inside. On sunny days, I'll bask in the sun and admire the chrysanthemums, watching my wife pick vegetables and melons in the garden; on rainy days, I'll sit at the door and watch the raindrops fall through the window—that's a beautiful life."

Yan Song waved his hand with a wry smile, indicating that he was old, and said that he wanted to ask the Jiajing Emperor to let him retire and return to his hometown, looking forward to his retirement life.

"Your Excellency, I'm afraid you won't have that good fortune. His Majesty can't do without you, we can't do without you, and our Great Ming Dynasty can't do without you either."

Xu Jie chuckled and shook his head, not believing a word of Yan Song's claim that he had retired to his hometown.

Given Yan Song's control over power, he would never have considered retiring to his hometown! He only wanted to work until he was old! Even in his old age, he didn't want to give up power! The reason why Yan Shifan was called the "Little Grand Secretary" was precisely because Yan Song was old and his energy was failing, so he entrusted many matters to Yan Shifan.

"Hehe, I am but an old man. Even without me, His Majesty remains a divine and mighty ruler, and the Ming Dynasty continues to flourish. No one in this world is indispensable." Yan Song chuckled, and seeing Xu Jie about to speak, he waved his hand. "Alright, let's put this topic aside for now. Huating, I called you here because I have a question I'd like to hear your opinion on. Zhang Jing is deceitful and disloyal, and deserves his punishment, being imprisoned. But the overall situation of resisting the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan cannot be left unattended. Tell me, who would be the best person to replace Zhang Jing?"

Who would be a good successor to Zhang Jing as Governor-General of Jiangnan?!
Upon hearing this, Xu Jie narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for two seconds, then opened his eyes, cupped his hands, and said to Yan Song, "Grand Secretary, isn't Wen Hua currently in Jiangnan overseeing the sea sacrifice? This great victory at Wangjiangjing was largely due to Wen Hua's leadership. Wen Hua has been overseeing the sea in Jiangnan for several months and is extremely familiar with the entire region, including the various armies and garrisons. Wouldn't it be the best choice for Wen Hua to succeed as governor? This would save him the trouble of getting acquainted with the region and allow him to immediately engage in the campaign against the Japanese pirates upon taking office."

"Wen Hua? He has never been involved in military affairs before. Can he really take on the important task of commanding the suppression of Japanese pirates in Jiangnan?!"

Yan Song opened his cloudy eyes and looked at Xu Jie, observing Xu Jie's micro-expressions.

"Your Excellency, everything has a first time. How can there be a second time without a first? Although Wen Hua has never engaged in military affairs or commanded a large army, have you forgotten, Your Excellency, that Wen Hua is no novice when it comes to suppressing the Japanese pirates? Before Wen Hua went to Jiangnan to oversee the campaign, he submitted a memorial to the Emperor entitled 'Seven Proposals,' which first addressed the issue of offering sacrifices to the sea, secondly, arguing against officials for concealing the truth and reducing corvée labor, thirdly, increasing the recruitment of naval forces, fourthly, recruiting wealthy individuals to contribute their wealth and resources, fifthly, dispatching high-ranking officials to oversee the campaign, and sixthly, recruiting former members of the 'suppliers' who had ties with foreign lands as spies. All seven strategies directly address the key points of suppressing the Japanese pirates. Furthermore, Wen Hua's great victory at Wangjiangjing this time also demonstrates his ability in military affairs. In my opinion, there is no problem with Wen Hua succeeding Zhang Jing as governor-general and taking command of the overall campaign against the Japanese pirates."

Xu Jie replied slowly.

"Oh, I didn't expect you, Huating, to recommend Wenhua so highly, even remembering his 'Seven Matters of Discussion' so clearly."

Yan Song's face showed a look of surprise.

If Xu Jie's recommendation of Zhao Wenhua was within Yan Song's expectations—after all, Xu Jie had long echoed his sentiments and recommended Zhao Wenhua based on his understanding of Yan Song's intentions—the fact that Xu Jie knew the main contents of Zhao Wenhua's "Seven Matters of Discussion" so well greatly exceeded Yan Song's expectations.

"The Japanese pirates have become a major threat to our dynasty. If they are not eliminated, the nation will be in turmoil. Wen Hua's 'Seven Points of Discussion' hits the nail on the head. I believe Wen Hua has the ability to eradicate the Japanese pirates in Jiangnan, which is why I recommended him to succeed as governor. Jiangnan is a major source of tax revenue and grain production for our dynasty. The Japanese pirates have led to a sharp decline in grain revenue in Jiangnan. The Japanese pirates in Jiangnan cannot be delayed any longer and must be eradicated as soon as possible, otherwise it will affect our dynasty's grain revenue and have far-reaching consequences," Xu Jie said with a worried expression.

"Hmm, Wen Hua can be considered." Yan Song nodded slowly, then asked again, "Besides Zhao Wen Hua, who else does Hu Ting prefer?"

"Besides Wenhua, we need to think about this carefully. Let's start by considering the Ministry of War," Xu Jie replied after a moment's thought.

"Huating, have you considered Zhu Ping'an as his successor?" Yan Song asked, staring into Xu Jie's eyes.

Xu Jie's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately shook his head, replying with feigned seriousness, "Zhu Ping'an? No, no, Zihou is too young; I'm afraid he can't control those arrogant and fierce generals." (End of Chapter)