The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 192 The Grand Secretary's Counterattack Traps Prince Su

Fortunately, Tu Chengyu was quick-witted and soon came up with several reasons.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Lord Shen as the Imperial Envoy for disaster relief for the following reasons."

Firstly, Lord Shen is highly respected and virtuous. If he were to be appointed as the imperial envoy, he would surely be able to command the forces of the prefectures on both sides of the Yellow River, allowing disaster relief and rescue efforts to proceed more quickly.

Secondly, since Lord Shen is about to step down from his position as Grand Secretary, he will have time to serve as an imperial envoy.

Thirdly, Lord Shen is from Jiangnan, and the disaster relief urgently needs the support of various prefectures and counties in Jiangnan. With Lord Shen coordinating the efforts, the results will surely be twice as good with half the effort.

Fourthly, Lord Shen is highly skilled in government affairs, making him undoubtedly the best candidate to serve as imperial envoy.

Tu Chengyu hadn't expected that he could come up with so many reasons in such a short time.

Moreover, each of them sounds quite reasonable.

The emperor was very satisfied with Tu Chengyu's reasons and nodded to the chief minister, saying:

"Minister Shen, what do you think of what Prince Su said?"

The emperor asked the question with ease, but the chief minister was very dissatisfied.

However, given the current situation, it was clear that the emperor also wanted him to be the imperial envoy, so he couldn't just bluntly say no.

He could only say tactfully, "Your Majesty, I am old and afraid I am not fit to serve as an imperial envoy."

The Emperor smiled and said, "I know that Minister Shen is getting on in years, but I did not intend for him to personally visit the flood-stricken areas."

Instead, they wanted Minister Shen to be in charge of the central government and oversee the disaster relief efforts, while others would handle the errands and other tasks.

The emperor had gone to such lengths that it was clear he was determined to appoint the Grand Secretary as imperial envoy.

Therefore, even though the Grand Secretary was very unwilling, he had no choice but to agree.

This is probably the situation the prime minister least wants to see.

Today, not only have I lost my position as prime minister, but I've also gotten myself into this huge trouble.

One might ask here, isn't the position of Imperial Envoy something that both the Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary factions were vying for? How come the Grand Secretary, now that he has it, complains that it's troublesome?

This is because the outcome of a situation depends on one's perspective.

For someone under the Grand Secretary to obtain the position of Imperial Envoy, it is naturally a desirable post.

Not only do they receive credit for their achievements, but they also wield absolute power when they leave, enjoying countless benefits and advantages.

However, once you reach the position of Grand Secretary, especially if you are about to leave office, these merits and benefits become meaningless.

Therefore, the Grand Secretary reluctantly said, "Since Your Majesty values ​​this old minister so much, this old minister shall serve the court to the very end."

His words were considered an agreement to the emperor's request.

However, when this emperor and his minister finally reached an agreement, the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony became very strange.

None of the court officials, including the crown prince, were happy.

Tu Chengyu didn't understand what was going on at first, but after thinking about it for a while, he realized that the emperor's move was blocking the interests of many people.

When the Grand Secretary obtained the coveted position of Imperial Envoy, it meant that the Second Grand Secretary's faction had completely failed in their goal at court that day.

This displeased both the second-in-command and the second-in-command.

Next up is the Crown Prince, who originally intended to cooperate with the Grand Secretary.

The plan is for both sides to join forces to seize the position of imperial envoy, and then share the functions and benefits.

But now that the Prime Minister has taken this position, who can take credit from him?

Besides these two sides, the Prime Minister's side was also dissatisfied.

Because, according to the original plan, they had already selected the imperial envoy.

But now that things have turned out this way, all our plans have been in vain.

What's most infuriating is that, despite securing the position of imperial envoy, the greatest responsibility ultimately falls to the Grand Secretary.

Unfortunately, the current prime minister doesn't need any credit at all.

As Tu Chengyu thought about it, he almost burst out laughing.

A simple action could displease the entire court.

Both sides, who had struggled fiercely, ultimately failed to achieve their respective goals.

Although this action displeased so many people, Tu Chengyu was very satisfied with the emperor's actions.

Based on what I've learned in the past few days, they are vying for the position of imperial envoy.

It wasn't out of pity or a desire to save people.

Instead, they wanted to gain credit and profit from the Yellow River flood.

The emperor was probably fully aware of their thoughts.

That's why, in today's court, the task of imperial envoy was forcibly assigned to the Grand Secretary.

Having reached the position of Grand Secretary, he no longer sought merit or various benefits.

On the contrary, it is posthumous reputation that the chief minister values.

Therefore, only when the Grand Secretary becomes the Imperial Envoy can he truly consider the needs of the people in the disaster area.

Moreover, the prime minister will do everything in his power to prevent corruption from occurring.

Therefore, from all perspectives, appointing the Grand Secretary as Imperial Envoy was the most in line with the Emperor's requirements.

Thinking about this, Tu Chengyu couldn't help but wonder if all of this was something his father had planned from the beginning.

Even the departure of the Grand Secretary was part of the Emperor's plan.

Otherwise, how can we explain how such a perfect plan, which perfectly aligns with the Emperor's interests, was accomplished so easily?

Moreover, things progressed far too smoothly. So smoothly that even Tu Chengyu himself felt that his nomination of the Grand Secretary for the Emperor was as if it had been planned in advance.

If Tu Chengyu doubts himself like this, others will naturally think the same way.

Not seeing the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, he scrutinized Tu Chengyu with a strange look.

Tu Chengyu could only pretend not to see these looks and ignore them for the time being.

Just as Tu Chengyu was thinking about these things, the Prime Minister continued to speak.

"Your Majesty, if I accept this imperial envoy's assignment, then I will step down and relinquish the position of Grand Secretary."

Even at this point, the chief minister is still concerned about leaving office.

To this, the Emperor said with a hint of helplessness, "Minister Shen, I will not stop you. However, Minister Shen is going to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief."
The position of Grand Secretary would help you command the officials of all the prefectures, so in my opinion, you should just hold onto the title for now.

The emperor's implication was that you could refrain from doing the duties of the chief minister, but the title of chief minister would still be retained.

The emperor did this not only to reduce the obstacles faced by the chief minister during disaster relief efforts, but also probably to compensate the chief minister.

However, this is not good news for the Second Assistant Minister, Lord Tang.

After years of hard work, he finally managed to oust the prime minister today, much to his surprise. He had expected to smoothly take over the position, but now things have taken an unexpected turn.

The former prime minister left without leaving behind any title.

Although he will take over the power of the prime minister, without the title of prime minister, his position will ultimately be illegitimate.

Moreover, without this title, other people in the Council of State would inevitably come out to compete with him for the position of Grand Secretary.

No one can guarantee that he will be able to take over the position of Grand Secretary in the end.

However, no matter what the Second Minister Tang thought, the matter had already been decided, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

Moreover, judging from the emperor's behavior today, he wouldn't allow anyone to ruin his plans.

With this in mind, Lord Tang remained silent.

When he falls silent, his subordinates naturally stop causing trouble.

The position of imperial envoy, which everyone expected to be fiercely contested, was thus easily decided.

Everyone was disheartened and just waited for the court session to end.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Grand Secretary Shen, who had not yet completely resigned, spoke up again.

"Your Majesty, since Your Majesty has appointed this old minister as the imperial envoy for disaster relief, then this old minister has a request, and hopes that Your Majesty will grant it?"

The emperor asked curiously, "Minister Shen, what are your requests? Please feel free to make them."

Lord Shen said, "Your Majesty must know that every time the Yellow River floods, there are always people who are affected by the disaster and come to the capital to escape."

Since Your Majesty has entrusted this old minister with the overall management of disaster relief, then this old minister requests Your Majesty to appoint a person to oversee the refugees fleeing the capital as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu realized that he had completely forgotten about this matter.

The Crown Prince wanted to seize the position in charge of disaster relief in the capital.

Therefore, after hearing this, Tu Chengyu focused his attention on seeing who the Emperor would assign this task to.

If it were someone else, I'd see if I could help the Crown Prince take it back.

Although the Crown Prince prioritized his own interests over the interests of the disaster-stricken people when he tried to seize the imperial envoy for disaster relief, he failed to consider the interests of the people affected by the disaster.

This displeased Tu Chengyu somewhat, but he still had no hesitation in wanting to help the Crown Prince.

Tu Chengyu wanted to compete for this position, and it's likely that others in the court shared the same idea.

If the position of imperial envoy were still in existence, many people probably wouldn't care about it, but now that the position is gone.

Therefore, there are not many opportunities left to profit from this disaster relief effort, making this job in the capital a rare and desirable one.

In an instant, the court officials who had just wanted to leave all stood still, wanting to see how the emperor would arrange things.

Upon hearing the Grand Secretary's words, the Emperor asked:
"Minister Shen, now that you are in charge of disaster relief, do you have anyone in mind to recommend for the position in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu saw that the Prime Minister, who had been keeping a straight face, actually revealed a slight smile.

He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that His Highness Prince Su is very suitable for this position."

Upon hearing this, Tu Chengyu felt a cold sweat break out all over his body.

This old guy actually put himself in the eye of the storm at this time.

Could it be that he was unhappy because I helped him nominate someone earlier, and now he's come out to take revenge on me?

What frightened Tu Chengyu even more was that the emperor, upon hearing the suggestion, did not show any displeasure, but instead asked with great interest:
"Minister Shen, why do you think Prince Su is suitable?"

As soon as he said that, Tu Chengyu knew without turning his head that all eyes would once again be on him.

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince's gazes will inevitably become more complex.

They were probably thinking, 'Could it be that Xiao Wu has conspired with Father Emperor to have Xiao Wu recommend candidates for the imperial envoy, and in return, Father Emperor will have Xiao Wu take charge of disaster relief in the capital?'

You know what, this idea seems perfectly reasonable.

However, this wouldn't be good for the guys.

Especially the Crown Prince; when the two brothers discussed it yesterday afternoon, the Crown Prince clearly stated that he wanted to compete for this position.

Although the crown prince did not intend to do it himself, he still wanted his subordinates to seize it.

Some might say that Tu Chengyu is on the Crown Prince's side, so if Tu Chengyu got it, it means the Crown Prince got it too.

That's true, but there's a difference between the Crown Prince giving the job to Tu Chengyu and Tu Chengyu directly snatching the task from the Emperor.

If Tu Chengyu were to obtain it so easily, the Crown Prince would inevitably suspect that Tu Chengyu might be using a feint to achieve his goal while secretly pursuing another scheme.

Now is the time to test the relationship between the Crown Prince and Tu Chengyu.

However, based on Tu Chengyu's understanding of the Crown Prince, although the Crown Prince might have doubts, he would give Tu Chengyu a chance to explain at the right time.

From this perspective, Tu Chengyu still has a chance to clear up the Crown Prince's misunderstanding, provided that Tu Chengyu can help the Crown Prince secure this position in the future.

Thinking of this, Tu Chengyu disregarded the rules of the court and, before the Grand Secretary could reply to the Emperor's greeting, spoke first:
"Your Majesty, I have something to say."

Tu Chengyu spoke first, so the Prime Minister had no choice but to swallow back what he was about to say.

The emperor probably remembered that Tu Chengyu had helped him earlier, so he didn't react to Tu Chengyu's sudden interruption.

He simply asked, "Is there anything you want to say?"

Tu Chengyu quickly replied, "Father, I think what the Grand Secretary just said was really inappropriate."

"How can I, a young subject, shoulder such a heavy responsibility? Besides, with the Crown Prince above me, there is no reason for me to be entrusted with tasks beyond his authority."

Tu Chengyu directly expressed his feelings and also brought up the Crown Prince.

Faced with this answer, the emperor did not give a clear attitude, but instead asked the chief minister:
"Minister Shen, do you have anything to say about what Prince Su said?"

The Grand Secretary glanced at Tu Chengyu and said with a smile, "Your Highness, you are mistaken. The reason I mentioned Your Highness was because I was thinking of the Crown Prince."

Prince Su should know that the Crown Prince is the foundation of the state, holding a high and noble position. Therefore, the Crown Prince should focus his mind on learning state affairs, rather than handling specific matters like us ministers.

The Prime Minister is absolutely right; that makes perfect sense.

But the process cannot be like this.

This task could be assigned to a court official or a prince like Tu Chengyu.

However, the crown prince must first obtain the task before it can be handed over to someone else.

This is especially necessary for Tu Chengyu and the Crown Prince's subordinates.

Since the Crown Prince has already expressed such thoughts, they can only help him achieve his goal, not steal his limelight and cause him to lose prestige in court.

Therefore, Tu Chengyu immediately refuted the Prime Minister's words:
"Lord Shen, although the Crown Prince needs to learn how to handle state affairs, he also needs to know how matters at the grassroots level are handled."

Furthermore, the Crown Prince once told me that only by understanding the hardships of the common people can one better manage state affairs. Having the Crown Prince in charge of disaster relief in the capital is the best opportunity to understand the people's suffering.

Of course, the Crown Prince had never said this to Tu Chengyu, but at this moment, Tu Chengyu had to put the Crown Prince first and let others know that the Crown Prince also understood the suffering of the people.

(End of this chapter)