My father is Jiajing

Chapter 507 Go Ask San'er

Zhou Yan's death was indeed a bit unexpected for Emperor Jiajing.

After all, there have been too many changes in the six ministries during this period. Although no one has been replaced, these position adjustments still have an impact on today's court and the world.

As a result, just when Emperor Jiajing thought that the current court could remain stable for a period of time according to the current model, Zhou Yan died. He really caused problems for Emperor Jiajing.

Emperor Jiajing was thinking about the future of the Censorate after Zhou Yan, and this place was indeed a key place.

If the Chief Censor is not so sensible, and acts like a bull all day long, dissatisfied with everyone and wants to lead more than a hundred censors in the Censorate to charge, no one can handle such a situation.

Therefore, in the past, whether it was Yan Song who was watering the Censorate to arrange his own people, or Xu Jie and others who were winning over their own factions, Emperor Jiajing could turn a blind eye.

Because Emperor Jiajing was also aware of this situation and the need for a balance.

Therefore, even though the Censorate lost its original purpose and gradually became a tool in the hands of certain interest groups, Emperor Jiajing accepted it.

After all, this thing was originally established to restrain the imperial power from doing anything wrong.

Therefore, even murderous emperors like Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu did not touch the power of the Censorate in the slightest, and the emperors of later generations had the same attitude towards the Censorate.

So now, suddenly faced with the difficult problem of the Censorate, Emperor Jiajing was really a little confused.

If a Chief Censor was transferred from Nanjing to serve as the Chief Censor of the Beijing Censorate, this would be feasible, but Emperor Jiajing was somewhat unhappy with the Chief Censor in Nanjing and did not want to transfer the Chief Censor from Nanjing to the capital to disrupt the situation.

However, these deputy censors in the capital city all have Yan Song or Xu Jie behind them to a greater or lesser extent. If one of them is promoted, it will definitely affect the court situation.

What if this group of people rely on their backers to engage in factional strife within the Censorate? Wouldn't that affect the political situation and disrupt the country?
Therefore, Emperor Jiajing was also somewhat troubled and helpless about Zhou Yan's death.

"How did he die?"

After returning to Yuxi Palace and bathing and changing his clothes, Emperor Jiajing looked at the latest secret report sent into the palace today. He asked himself some questions in a somewhat annoyed manner, which ruined his good mood in the past two days in Xishan.

Huang Jin also changed into a clean soap-colored robe and waited beside Emperor Jiajing at this time. After hearing Emperor Jiajing's self-questioning and answering, he also understood the annoyance in Emperor Jiajing's heart at the moment.

Emperor Jiajing didn't care about Zhou Yan's life or death at all, he just didn't expect Zhou Yan to die at this time.

Huang Jin whispered, "Zhou Yan is a mortal, he will grow old, get sick and die. The emperor does not need to worry too much."

Emperor Jiajing sighed, "I am not worried about Zhou Yan's life or death, but the impact after his death. During this period, the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice have been replaced, and the Minister of Works will also be recommended after the new year. Now Zhou Yan is dead again, and the court will have to replace four second-rank officials at once. Such an impact must be carefully considered."

When Huang Jin heard the concerns of Emperor Jiajing, he had no way to solve them. After all, even though Huang Jin was the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, he could not interfere in the recommendations and appointments of these people.

Because this is the authority that belongs exclusively to the emperor, and no one can easily touch the bottom line.

So Huang Jin couldn't help but remain silent at this time.

Emperor Jiajing waited for a long time but did not hear Huang Jin's reply. He couldn't help feeling a little annoyed, but he also understood that these topics were indeed beyond the scope of Huang Jin's discussion.

In the past, Huang Jin could speak freely during casual chats, but now every word he said might affect the judgment of Emperor Jiajing, and thus affect Emperor Jiajing's trust in and perception of him.

Therefore, it is understandable that Huang Jin did not dare to respond to such words.

Emperor Jiajing asked again, "Who do you think I should replace next?"

Huang Jin heard Emperor Jiajing ask this question again. He could no longer remain silent and could only bite the bullet and say, "I can't guess what the emperor is thinking, but I believe that no matter who the emperor chooses to be the chief censor of the Censorate, it will be the best arrangement."

When Emperor Jiajing heard what Huang Jin said, he couldn't help but laugh, "You old wily fellow, aren't you throwing the problem to me again?"

Huang Jin laughed and said, "The Emperor is the Son of Heaven, a deity. I am just a mortal. How can I worry about the Emperor's affairs? Zhou Yan is the Left Censor-in-Chief. When he dies, the position of Chief Censor will be vacant. This dynasty has never had a Right Censor-in-Chief, so I really don't know what to do about this problem."

Emperor Jiajing sighed and said, "Yes, although there are left and right censors in this dynasty, the permanent censor is just the left censor. Now that Zhou Yan is dead, I can't find anyone to replace him. It's really a headache."

After sighing, Emperor Jiajing seemed to suddenly think of something, and said to Huang Jin: "Do you think San'er has any ideas?"

Huang Jin was also confused when he heard this. Although Prince Yu had the position of regent, it was better to be cautious when recommending a second-rank official like this and not to take the lead too much.

Moreover, this topic is a taboo for Huang Jin. When Zhou Yan was still alive, Huang Jin could still talk about it, but the current situation is that Zhou Yan is dead and the selection of the Chief Censor is imminent. Who would dare to speak carelessly at this time?
What if Emperor Jiajing suspected that we were forming a clique? Wouldn't that be the end of us?

So Huang Jin didn't dare to respond at this time. Huang Jin said, "Prince Yu doesn't know the ins and outs of this. He has enough things to do now."

Emperor Jiajing chuckled, "Does he have a lot to do? Isn't it just reading some memorials forwarded by the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department? How many things can really keep him busy? At most, Gao Gong, Zhang Juzheng and others are still hanging around him, waiting for him to make decisions. He has never helped me with any of the real major court affairs."

"So this time I've thought about who to choose after Zhou Yan, and I'll let San'er come up with an idea. I'm about to go into seclusion to practice, and he should take on more responsibilities. Otherwise, when I go into seclusion, do you think I'll have to be distracted to take care of these things every day? This is definitely not okay!"

This time, Emperor Jiajing had made up his mind to let Zhu Zaigui come up with an idea and choose someone. Moreover, Emperor Jiajing had no idea how many times he had asked Zhu Zaigui about the situation over the years, so he was very familiar with it.

Although this time was a little special, it was only special for outsiders. Emperor Jiajing would not have so many complicated thoughts. His way of thinking was always more unexpected than those who tried to guess his thoughts.

Therefore, at this time, asking Zhu Zaigui to come up with an idea and think about the candidate for the Chief Censor of the Censorate after Zhou Yan was also an unexpected idea of ​​Emperor Jiajing.

Only in this way could Emperor Jiajing maintain his sense of mystery in the hearts of officials to the greatest extent. Otherwise, his thoughts would be guessed by these people, and wouldn't he be led by them by the nose in the future?

Therefore, it was reasonable for Emperor Jiajing to ask Zhu Zaigui to come up with an idea at this time.

It's just that Huang Jin and the others didn't dare to think so. Huang Jin still worriedly asked, "Is it really possible?"

Emperor Jiajing said, "Why can't he do it? He's already in his twenties and a father of several children. I came to be the emperor from Chengtian Prefecture when I was fifteen. Weren't the problems I faced then much more serious than now? Now it's just the death of Zhou Yan. It's not a big deal. Let him exercise himself. This way, I can be more relaxed in the future and have more time to cultivate immortality and practice Taoism."

Huang Jin also understood after hearing this that Emperor Jiajing was really determined to let Zhu Zaigui wade into the muddy waters, so he could only respond with a single word: "Then shall I go and talk to Prince Yu about this matter now?"

Emperor Jiajing nodded, "Go ahead, go ahead. By the way, ask him about the steel plant. If Tianjin Wei hasn't made a choice yet, I'll let Teng Xiang and his men arrange it in Xishan. The matter of the railroad car is also urgent. Even if a hundred Zhou Yans die, it won't be as serious as this matter."

Huang Jin never expected that at this time, Emperor Jiajing was still thinking about the steam railway car. It seemed that this magical car really caught the eyes of Emperor Jiajing.

Huang Jin immediately replied: "I obey your order."

Huang Jin then quietly left the temple and was replaced by Chen Hong, who was serving outside, who went into the temple to wait on standby.

When Chen Hong saw Huang Jin leaving in a hurry, he wanted to find out more, but he didn't dare to ask. What if this was something that Emperor Jiajing didn't want others to know? What would happen then?

So for the sake of his own future and his own life, Chen Hong honestly withdrew his gaze and served in the temple wholeheartedly.

This side of Prince Yu’s Mansion.

It was already getting dark, and Zhu Zaigui was enjoying his life comfortably in the warm room of the backyard. On one side, there was the fragrance of his concubine Chen, and on the other side, there was the gentle massage of Si Hua. His life was simply the best.

But such a comfortable moment was soon broken by Meng Chong who came hurriedly from outside.

Meng Chong walked into the warm room with small steps and bowed to Zhu Zaigui, "Your Highness, our ancestor, Eunuch Huang, is here."

When Zhu Zaigui heard Huang Jin coming, he was also stunned. He didn't even have time to put the tangerines that Chen had peeled into his mouth. He asked incredulously, "It's almost midnight, what is he doing?"

As Zhu Zaigui was talking, he placed the "Yongle Encyclopedia" in his hand on a small table beside him. At this time, Chen and Si Hua looked at each other, stood up, bowed slightly to Zhu Zaigui, and were about to leave.

Zhu Zaigui watched Chen and Si Hua leave, but he did not stop them, because he understood that Huang Jin, who came to his house at this time, must not be just hanging around, so he did not deliberately stop the female relatives from leaving on their own initiative.

"Go and fetch Eunuch Huang."

Zhu Zaigui instructed Meng Chong to take Huang Jin to the warm room in the backyard.

After all, the fire in the front yard had been extinguished and the heating supplied by the floor heater had also been stopped, so at this time, Zhu Zaigui could only take Huang Jin to the warm room in the back house.

Moreover, although Huang Jin had a high status, he was still just a eunuch. There was nothing wrong with bringing him to the back house to meet him.

When Meng Chong heard Zhu Zaigui's instructions, he immediately went to the front hall and brought Huang Jin, who was waiting there, to the warm room in the back house.

When Huang Jin just came in, Zhu Zaiqi instructed Meng Chong again: "Prepare some side dishes and snacks, and boil a pot of Pu'er tea and bring it over."

After hearing what Zhu Zaigui said, Huang Jin was moved and bowed to Zhu Zaigui, "Your Majesty, I cannot do this. I am not worthy of this."

Zhu Zaigui said, "What are you talking about, eunuch? It's mealtime now. You came from the West Garden and you must not have had time to eat. Just have a bite here. It won't be a problem. Besides, I don't usually serve delicacies. These are just some home-cooked dishes, which are very plain."

Huang Jin was moved and responded with a "yes", but he did not agree with what Zhu Zaigui said about "home-cooked dishes".

If it were any other time, Huang Jin would have thought that the food in Zhu Zaigui's house was home-cooked, but what time was it now? It was early spring, and it was still freezing cold everywhere.

However, in Prince Yu’s mansion, people can eat fruits and vegetables that are only available in spring and summer. Can this be considered normal?

Obviously, this kind of normal thing is unusual at this time of year.

However, Huang Jin did not envy this unusualness, nor did he think that Zhu Zaigui was being extravagant.

After all, these off-season fruits and vegetables have been around for many years, and the palace will supply them in corresponding proportions every year, and the court officials in the capital will also receive corresponding rewards.

So strictly speaking, Zhu Zaigui's extravagance was not luxury at all.

Moreover, Zhu Zaigui was a prince. If he lived a hard life, regardless of whether anyone would believe it, the first people who knew about it would wonder if Prince Yu was pretending or if he had other intentions.
Therefore, in order to avoid creating unnecessary imagination and speculation, necessary luxury is still needed.

"Father-in-law, why are you here so late?"

Zhu Zaigui brewed a cup of tea that Meng Chong had prepared first and pushed it in front of Huang Jin.

Huang Jin first thanked him, and then drank some of the hot tea, which helped to moisten his throat and warm his body.

Huang Jin said, "Didn't Zhou Yan die today? The Emperor was worried about this matter, and couldn't think of a suitable candidate to succeed the position of Chief Censor of the Censorate, so he thought of sending this servant over to ask the prince's opinion and see if there is anyone suitable to recommend."

When Zhu Zaiqi heard this, he was also stunned, "Is this appropriate?"

Huang Jin said: "What's inappropriate about this? Your Highness is the Prince Regent, it's only natural for him to know a little about state affairs and ask about them. And this is also what the Emperor meant."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zaigui couldn't help but fall into deep thought. It wasn't that he didn't want to get involved in this matter, but he didn't have anyone suitable to recommend at the moment, so for a moment he didn't know how to reply to Huang Jin.

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Asking for a monthly ticket~~
(End of this chapter)