Chapter 6, Promotion

Zhu Youjiao opened it and looked at it, then smiled with considerable satisfaction: "Issue an edict to the cabinet, proposing to appoint Xu Guangqi as a lecturer in the imperial lectures, and promote Sun Chengzong, the Left Zhongyun, to the position of Deputy Minister and concurrently as the Grand Scholar of the Imperial Academy, also as a lecturer in the imperial lectures! Furthermore, summon these two to meet me on the platform of the Qianqing Palace the next day!"

Qi Shi taught.

... ...

Thus, Fang Congzhe met Zhu Youjiao once again, and he also recounted the matter of Xu Guangqi and Sun Chengzong meeting him. He then said: "This old minister, upon hearing the words of these two, suddenly realized that although Yang Lian was disrespectful, it was ultimately out of goodwill to protect Your Majesty, and thus he lost his composure. This person has a good reputation, and since Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, it is essential to win the hearts of the people. Therefore, this old minister believes it is better to pardon his offense and impose a light punishment. As for Wei Dazhong, although his words were reckless, they were also out of public spirit. In truth, it was this old minister who was foolish, momentarily blinded by personal grievances. Now, I implore Your Majesty to reconsider the punishment for this minister!"

Both individuals are radiant and full of vitality

Fang Congzhe began to speak of the matter regarding Zhu Youjiao summoning him, saying: "As you anticipated, His Majesty indeed summoned me concerning Wei Dazhong, and His Majesty has already agreed to my proposal to imprison Wei Dazhong and sentence him to death"

Thus

Fang Congzhe felt quite pleased; he had not expected that someone like Sun Chengzong, an official affiliated with the Donglin faction, would one day come to seek his assistance

Zhu Youjiao hurriedly said: "Let the proclamation be seen."

Fang Congzhe said: "However, Yang Lian and Wei Dazhong are indeed censors. Your Majesty has just ascended the throne, and it would be excessive for us to suggest that Your Majesty execute the censors. Are you truly certain that Your Majesty will not harbor any dissatisfaction towards me because of this?"

Zhu Youjiao smiled and said: "After all, it is Yuan Fu, experienced in statecraft, drafting edicts, and has been transferred from Fang Congzhe to the Minister of Personnel, promoted to the Grand Secretary of the Supreme Court, and appointed as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince!"

After Fang Congzhe heard Qi Shijiao say this, he felt a sudden jolt in his heart: "Allowing Ye Xianggao to enter the capital is the edict of the Great Emperor; it cannot be that His Majesty issues an edict that contradicts the edict of the Great Emperor."

Your Majesty, according to reports from the Jinyiwei, last night the Minister of the Hanlin Academy and Deputy Director of the Four Barbarians Pavilion, Qishi Jiao, the Deputy Grand Secretary and concurrently the Inspector of Henan, Xu Guangqi, and the Left Zhongyun, Sun Chengzong, visited the residence of Yuan Fu. This is the content of their conversation.

Fang Congzhe was somewhat surprised; he did not expect it to be these two individuals instead of his own students. He quickly said, "Please let them in"

Xu Guangqi

Fang Congzhe smiled and said to Xu Guangqi, "Xu Guangqi, you are speculating on the will of the sage! However, you can rest assured that I am not a censor and will not impeach you. But I must remind you that if you do not change your temper, your official career will not be as long as Sun Chengzong's!"

Wenhua Hall

The next day

At this moment, Xu Guangqi also stood up and clasped his hands, saying: "Yuanfu, although I have differing political views from you, I hope you can consider the greater picture. His Majesty's trust in you is actually a belief that you are a minister of great principle, capable of resolving internal party conflicts within the court, coordinating all parties, and uniting the officials to revitalize our Ming Dynasty, rather than seizing the opportunity to eliminate dissenters and exacerbate conflicts"

Qi Shi has left the Fang residence

Xu Guangqi, upon hearing Sun Chengzong's words, could only stand up and say: "Alright, let us go together to pay our respects to Fang Congzhe!"

Thus, as soon as Sun Chengzong arrived, he first conveyed to Fang Congzhe the words that Xu Guangqi had spoken to him.

It is rare that an official with a broad perspective actively seeks out Fang Congzhe. To think of this level of understanding is one thing, but to take proactive action is another. No wonder Xu Guangqi and Sun Chengzong were able to leave a lasting reputation in later generations

Qi Shi Jiao said: "And Yuan Fu, you are just like Gao Gong, facing a dismal exit from the capital"

At this moment, the steward of the Fang residence came to inquire: "Master, it is late at night; do you think it is time to return to the inner courtyard to rest?"

Fang Congzhe nodded after listening.

Yuan Fu, Yang Lian, and Wei Dazhong are prominent members of the Donglin Party. Yang Lian is also a regent. If you do not take this opportunity to eliminate these two, it will not just be a matter of Your Majesty being dissatisfied with you, but rather a question of whether you can maintain your position as the Prime Minister! Moreover, Ye Xianggao is about to receive an imperial edict to enter the capital. If you do not remove Yang Lian and Wei Dazhong now, once Ye Xianggao arrives in the capital, you will not be able to hold onto your position as Prime Minister!

Sun Chengzong suddenly stood up and said with some helplessness: "Elder brother, why must you be so angry? The unresolved matters between Lord Yang and Lord Wei will only disturb the hearts of the people and complicate the situation in the court, intensifying factional struggles. You yourself have said that His Majesty hopes Fang Congzhe will stand up to plead for Lord Yang and Lord Wei. As subjects who benefit from the Emperor's grace, how can we neglect public affairs due to personal grievances?"

Then, Sun Chengzong said: "Yuanfu, I respectfully ask you to take charge and submit a memorial to His Majesty on behalf of Duke Wei and Duke Yang. Although Duke Yang may have acted inappropriately at times, he is ultimately a sincere person with a loyal heart. How can he be subjected to such a fate of losing his head and body? This would only tarnish your reputation, Yuanfu. Clearly, you are a humble and selfless minister, yet you would be misunderstood as someone who seeks revenge and stands by while the monarch is unjustly labeled as unkind."

Fang Congzhe expressed his gratitude to En

The key issue at present is to prevent Ye Xianggao from entering the capital. Additionally, Wang An is closely associated with Wang Wenyuan of the Donglin Party. This individual controls the Palace Memorial Office, which is detrimental to us. Furthermore, the Emperor's former companion eunuch, Wei Chao, is also his person. This individual must not be allowed to remain; he must be eliminated. Otherwise, once Ye Xianggao enters the capital, he will become the second Zhang Juzheng, and Wang An will be his Feng Bao

... ...

Fang Congzhe nodded his head

Zhu Youjiao met with Xu Guangqi and Sun Chengzong

... ...

I take my leave, Your Excellency

Qi Shi Jiao said: "As for this matter, I will find a solution for Yuanfu, so you can rest assured."

The Fang Residence

Zhu Youjiao thought to himself in this way

Zhu Youjiao also achieved his objectives; not only did he give the civil officials a warning through the punishment of Yang Lian, but he also dealt a blow to the Donglin Party, which had grown powerful by controlling the discourse. At the same time, he identified talents worthy of future use, and he strengthened the authority of the cabinet ministers, thereby preventing an escalation of factional strife

Not long after, an inner court official came to report: "Your Majesty, Yuan Fu requests an audience."

The Wei Dynasty presented the secret memorials of the Jinyiwei to Zhu Youjiao

Qi Shi then smiled with delight: "It is evident that Your Majesty places great trust in Yuan Fu. In this case, we need not rely on currying favor with Li Xuan to secure the Emperor's favor! Yuan Fu's position is thus assured, and after all these years of waiting by the Donglin Party, it will still be the world of our Qi Party in the future!"

Wei Chao was very surprised after hearing this; he did not expect the Emperor to place great trust in Xu Guangqi and Sun Chengzong. The key point was that among those who were favored, there was no mention of Qi Shijiao, a disciple of Fang Congzhe.

Fang Congzhe waved his hand and said, "Wait a moment, let's see if anyone else comes to visit"

Before long, indeed, a doorman from the Fang residence came running to report: "Master! The young Master Xu from the Zhan Shi residence and Master Sun from the Left Zhongyun have come to pay their respects!"

Saying this, Fang Congzhe stood up and said: "You two speak with such courtesy, I shall now enter the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty! You two may please return now."

Then Zhu Youjiao said: "Yang Lian has shown disrespect towards me and should be severely punished. However, what Yuan Fu said is reasonable. Considering his sincere heart, I will demote him to a remote area in Yunnan-Guizhou as a post station officer, while Wei Dazhong will be appointed as the county magistrate of Yunnan-Guizhou."

This matter should be considered carefully, but it is absolutely unacceptable to allow Ye Xianggao to enter the cabinet. Even if he does, he must not be allowed to collude with Wang An. If Ye Xianggao cannot be stopped, then Wang An should be removed from his position in the Palace Memorial Office first

Thus, the incident involving Yang Lian's rudeness comes to an end

As he spoke, Fang Congzhe presented his memorial.