Chapter 101: A New Round of Reshuffling

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Hong.

How could Zhu Youxiao not know what scheme this eunuch beside him was plotting?

Eunuchs befriending court officials, and court officials befriending eunuchs—this was inherently unavoidable, and Zhu Youxiao had no intention of stamping it out entirely, but certain boundaries still had to be maintained.

Chen Hong could go befriend the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Regional Military Commissioner Luo Sigong, but he would never allow him to meddle too deeply on the civil official side.

Zhu Youxiao's purpose in having Chen Hong befriend the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Regional Military Commissioner Luo Sigong was to make him a counterweight to Wei Zhongxian.

Although Zhu Youxiao was willing to employ Wei Zhongxian, it was absolutely not the way he had been used in his previous life.

Chen Hong and Wei Zhongxian would inevitably both go courting civil officials, especially after this affair. But Zhu Youxiao would absolutely not allow the two of them to overstep.

Whoever it was, if they grasped too much power, they would inevitably breed unnecessary ambition.

As for matters on the civil official side, Zhu Youxiao would arrange those himself—how could he let Wei Zhongxian and the others take control?

Balance was the sort of thing that naturally ought to exist everywhere.

Because only with all sides in balance could he, the Emperor, preside from the center.

Once that balance was broken, the first to suffer the brunt would be him, the Emperor.

Chen Hong, standing to one side, saw the Emperor looking at him and gained some understanding.

His heart suddenly jolted—he seemed to have been getting a bit carried away.

When he had gone to befriend the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Regional Military Commissioner Luo Sigong, the Emperor had done nothing and had even encouraged him. But now it seemed different—the Emperor did not want him befriending civil officials.

What the Emperor did not want him to do, he must not do. On this point, Chen Hong understood very clearly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant will go to the Grand Secretariat at once to deliver the edict." Chen Hong hurriedly bowed.

Waving his hand and watching Chen Hong's retreating back, Zhu Youxiao smiled faintly.

Chen Hong had not disappointed him after all—he knew what should be done and what should not.

This was the measure of restraint.

If he lost that sense of restraint, then it would be time to replace him.

Throughout the court, true and false, real and illusory news abounded, and many people were scouting around to find out what the real news actually was. Because everyone knew that a new round of reshuffling in the court had already begun.

With Yang Lian and Zou Yuanbiao seized by the Eastern Depot, this signified that matters had formally entered an uncontrollable scope.

Now no one knew what the future would bring, so panic gripped the court and the public alike.

Under such circumstances, news that Chen Kedao was to establish an academy in the capital also spread.

Upon hearing of this, many people flocked to Chen Kedao's side.

One had to know that this Chen Kedao was His Majesty's confidant, deeply favored and trusted by His Majesty, entering the palace every day to lecture His Majesty.

One had to know that those able to see His Majesty nowadays were few—not to mention ordinary ministers, even senior court officials had to expend great effort to gain an audience with His Majesty.

At this point, some were pondering how to submit memorials to His Majesty, some were pondering how to make their names known throughout the realm, some were pondering whom to curry favor with, and still others were pondering how to protect themselves. The entire capital was suffused with an atmosphere of chaos.

With Zou Yuanbiao and Yang Lian arrested, the most panicked were naturally the people of the Donglin Faction.

Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing was also somewhat flustered at this moment. Looking at Vice Minister of Works Zhao Nanxing seated below him, he said with slight hesitation: "How do you think things will change?"

The main problem now was that no one could grasp what His Majesty truly intended to do—even Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing did not know, so he had summoned Zhao Nanxing, hoping Zhao Nanxing could offer him some advice.

Sun Shenxing truly did not want to be implicated in this case of faction-forming for private gain. Because once implicated, he feared his official position would not last long.

"How things change depends on what His Majesty does." Zhao Nanxing spoke slowly. His expression was not pleasant either.

At this moment, Zhao Nanxing thought of one person—Grand Secretary Han Kuang of the Grand Secretariat.

Regarding the private conversation between Han Kuang and Gao Panlong, Gao Panlong had not told anyone about it, and naturally Han Kuang would not speak of it either.

But there was one thing the two of them knew, and that was Han Kuang's attitude toward this matter.

Han Kuang had already stated his position back then, and it remained the same now.

In Han Kuang's view, the reason matters had reached their current state was that everyone had gotten one thing wrong—no one cared what His Majesty thought.

If one looked at it from a different angle, perhaps one would understand.

The Censorate's people impeaching Wei Zhongxian was simply not a big deal; Han Kuang had never taken it to heart.

The Censorate's very function was to oversee all officials, and their discord with eunuchs was nothing remarkable—it had always been so.

It would be strange if the Censorate's people did not impeach eunuchs. His Majesty was not angry over this matter.

The entire affair had been mishandled from the very start; it should never have been conducted this way.

Hearing Zhao Nanxing mention His Majesty, Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing naturally also thought of this matter, and he too thought of Grand Secretary Han Kuang.

Lifting his head to look at Zhao Nanxing, Sun Shenxing asked: "Should we then listen to Han Kuang?"

Zhao Nanxing had not expected Sun Shenxing to put the matter so bluntly, and the expression on his face turned somewhat unpleasant.

Everyone's impression of Han Kuang was neither good nor bad—he could barely be counted as one of their own.

But one thing was certain: neither Zhao Nanxing nor Sun Shenxing was convinced by Han Kuang, and Han Kuang could not be considered a diehard Donglin man either.

In a word, Han Kuang's prestige was insufficient. And that was indeed the truth.

In the original course of history, after Ye Xianggao was dismissed, Han Kuang served as Chief Grand Secretary for a time. But he was unable to command the Donglin Faction, leaving it unable to present a united front, and in the end it suffered a great defeat at Wei Zhongxian's hands.

Now, things had happened exactly as Han Kuang had said they would. The Donglin people had not listened to Han Kuang back then, so if they went to him now, they would lose face.

Because this was not merely a dispute of ideology, but also a struggle over the line of approach.

Everyone knew that Han Kuang advocated severely punishing the Censorate officials who had accepted bribes, acknowledging that they had colluded with Li Ruzhen to frame Xiong Tingbi, and then punishing those officials harshly, so that His Majesty could see the sincerity of their group.

Han Kuang advocated using such actions to tell His Majesty: we are loyal to Your Majesty; these people are merely the rotten apples that spoil the barrel; in punishing them, we will not be soft-hearted.

If this were done, it could make His Majesty understand that the Donglin Faction was devoted to the state rather than forming factions for private gain.

But from the very beginning, everyone had not chosen to do this, instead wanting to protect Yao Zongwen and those people.

The purpose of protecting those people was simple—because they were their own. Zou Yuanbiao and the others had even wanted to use this affair to topple Wei Zhongxian.

At the time, Han Kuang had told them: if you do it this way, what will His Majesty think?

And the result was exactly as Han Kuang had said—Wei Zhongxian directly slapped the label of faction-forming for private gain on them, and even manufactured a case involving Zhang Laosan.

This time, it thoroughly enraged Your Majesty.