Chapter 164: Recommending Zuo Guangdou

His gaze swept across Han Kuang and the others, Zhu Youxiao said warmly, "Beloved ministers, no need for such formalities!"

Once they had all risen, Zhu Youxiao smiled and asked, "All of you have come today—is there something on your minds?"

"Your Majesty, since Your Majesty's wedding is approaching, we dared not disturb Your Majesty during the ceremony, so we wished to report certain matters to Your Majesty beforehand." Han Kuang opened the proceedings.

Hearing Han Kuang's words, Zhu Youxiao nodded.

This was indeed something Han Kuang and the others ought to consider, but Zhu Youxiao was not particularly worried—he trusted these men's ability to handle affairs. Zhu Youxiao sat in his chair, waiting for them to speak.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the first matter concerns vacancies in the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and other offices. Here is the list drawn up by the Grand Secretariat for Your Majesty's review." As he spoke, Han Kuang respectfully presented the routine memorial, then stepped aside.

Reaching out to take the memorial, Zhu Youxiao said nothing, gently unfolding it and flipping through it quickly.

Within the memorial was a list of names—many of them, some familiar, some unfamiliar.

The lower-ranking officials on the list Zhu Youxiao need not concern himself with; he only had to control the few in power. So his gaze went to the Vice Minister positions, looking first at the Ministry of Revenue.

It did not surprise Zhu Youxiao—Xu Guangqi had placed Li Zhizao in the position of Left Vice Minister of Revenue.

Seeing Xu Guangqi's move, Zhu Youxiao smiled faintly. He wondered whether to call Xu Guangqi innocent of heart, or ignorant of officialdom's rules—or perhaps Xu Guangqi had done this deliberately?

Zhu Youxiao thought to himself.

But it did not matter much. Let Xu Guangqi do as he pleased—Li Zhizao it was. Since Xu Guangqi had chosen Li Zhizao, he could only agree; after all, he had already promised Xu Guangqi before.

Next, Zhu Youxiao looked to the Right Vice Minister of Revenue—also a very critical position.

After one glance, Zhu Youxiao was taken aback. This was a candidate he had never expected in a hundred ways.

Not because the man was obscure or anything—his reputation was considerable, at least in later ages. The man Xu Guangqi had recommended was actually Zuo Guangdou, and one should know that this man was also an elder of the Donglin Faction.

Speaking of it, Zhu Youxiao found it somewhat strange—he seemed to have overlooked Zuo Guangdou.

From the very beginning, Zuo Guangdou appeared not to have surfaced in the whole affair at all, and that was what seemed most peculiar—for one should know that Zuo Guangdou's official rank was not low.

Glancing at Xu Guangqi, Zhu Youxiao hesitated slightly—could Zuo Guangdou and Xu Guangqi be on the same side?

That shouldn't be. Zuo Guangdou was thoroughly Donglin—or perhaps not quite. He seemed to have gotten the composition of the Donglin Faction wrong; this was a misunderstanding and prejudice carried over from later ages.

Perhaps they were merely on good terms, because the Donglin Faction knew how to put on a show; perhaps they had some kind of connection; or perhaps because they had both opposed Wei Zhongxian, they had all been branded as Donglin?

But whether that was truly the case was hard to say.

Now that Xu Guangqi had chosen Zuo Guangdou, there was something interesting in this.

One should know that Zuo Guangdou had not attended that gathering of Xu Guangqi's that day—which meant Zuo Guangdou was not part of Xu Guangqi's circle.

And yet, why would Xu Guangqi recommend Zuo Guangdou?

For Zhu Youxiao, when he did not understand, he naturally asked.

So Zhu Youxiao smiled and asked, "There is one thing I wish to ask Minister Xu. You have recommended Zuo Guangdou on this list—I wish to know why."

Everyone's heart stirred—no one had expected Zhu Youxiao to ask this question at this moment.

But still, no one spoke.

As for this candidate, they too had been quite surprised, and had asked Xu Guangqi before—though what they had asked was whether he was certain he wanted to make the recommendation.

As for why Xu Guangqi wanted to recommend Zuo Guangdou, they naturally found it awkward to ask.

No one had expected Zhu Youxiao to ask so bluntly. And so everyone became interested, waiting for Xu Guangqi to give an answer.

Xu Guangqi was unhurried. He stepped forward and said in a clear, measured voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Zuo Guangdou took charge of military farmland affairs in Zhili, commissioning Assistant Prefect Lu Xiangguan to oversee water conservancy. When Zuo Guangdou left the capital to manage military farmland, his regulations were orderly, his decrees were all carried out, water conservancy was developed on a large scale, and the northerners only then began to plant rice. Your minister therefore recommends Zuo Guangdou."

After saying this, Xu Guangqi stepped back and stood straight as ever.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at him and nodded lightly. Of course he understood the meaning behind Xu Guangqi's words.

Previously, Zhu Youxiao had discussed with Xu Guangqi improving seeds, promoting new crops, and increasing agricultural yields.

He had entrusted this matter to Xu Guangqi, and Xu Guangqi had agreed. But now that Xu Guangqi had become Minister of Revenue, it was inconvenient for him to do it personally.

Yet Xu Guangqi had still kept this matter in his heart—when selecting a Vice Minister of Revenue, he wanted to choose someone who could carry out this task for His Majesty.

After weighing his options, Xu Guangqi found Zuo Guangdou the most suitable, and so he submitted this man's name.

Xu Guangqi recommended Zuo Guangdou not because of faction, nor for the sake of struggle—purely and entirely because of the man's ability.

Though Zhu Youxiao's face showed nothing, in his heart he was deeply moved. If everyone were like Xu Guangqi, how could the Great Ming not prosper?

But this was something Zhu Youxiao could not say openly, so he simply nodded, taking it as approval of the matter.

Setting the memorial aside, having finished with the Ministry of Revenue, it was time to look at the Ministry of War.

Sun Chengzong had recommended two men: one was Yuan Keli, recommended as Left Vice Minister of War; the other was a man named Fu Zonglong, recommended as Right Vice Minister of War.

After reviewing these two men, Zhu Youxiao had no objections at all.

First was Yuan Keli—his deeds needed no elaboration.

To study the history of the late Ming, there was one man one could not bypass, and that man was Mao Wenlong; and one could not bypass Mao Wenlong without bypassing Yuan Keli, so Zhu Youxiao approved of Yuan Keli.

As for Fu Zonglong, though he had no reputation yet, this man had real ability.

For when An Bangyan rebelled, it was Fu Zonglong who stabilized Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou—one could say he secured the great rear of the southwest.

Though he did not know how Sun Chengzong had come to appreciate Fu Zonglong, Zhu Youxiao felt that Fu Zonglong was a fine man as well.

Reading this list of recommendations, Zhu Youxiao felt a sense of ease, and then felt that he had indeed not misused his people—Xu Guangqi and the others had truly not let him down.

Setting the memorial aside, Zhu Youxiao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Since I have already spoken, I naturally will not go back on my word—proceed according to the list in this memorial."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Han Kuang bowed in acknowledgment, while inwardly growing vigilant.

What Han Kuang was vigilant about was naturally Sun Chengzong and Xu Guangqi.

As for Sun Chengzong, Han Kuang had long been wary. Sun Chengzong was His Majesty's teacher, and handled affairs very properly—with the slightest carelessness, he might replace him.

As for Xu Guangqi behind him, Han Kuang had not previously thought Xu Guangqi had any particular ability, but this time His Majesty's attitude toward Xu Guangqi gave Han Kuang a great shock.

Originally, Han Kuang had thought Xu Guangqi's recommendation of Zuo Guangdou had some other reason. But now, having heard Xu Guangqi's reasoning—regardless of what Xu Guangqi was thinking—this sort of conduct was certain to win approval in His Majesty's eyes, so Han Kuang knew this too was a troublesome opponent.

Zhu Youxiao took a sip of tea and said, "Do my beloved ministers have any other matters?"

The men exchanged glances, and in the end it was Han Kuang who stepped forward again.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, at present, both inside and outside the court, everyone is discussing Chen Kedao, and there are those in the court who wish to fish in troubled waters. Your minister begs Your Majesty to calm public opinion."

Once these words were spoken, the atmosphere among them became somewhat delicate.

Because everyone knew the relationship between Xu Guangqi and Chen Kedao, and this matter was now stirring up a great commotion—the best way to quell it would be to deal with Chen Kedao, but would Xu Guangqi agree?

Xu Guangqi could not possibly agree. He held his position firmly because of the support of those behind him. If he were to move against Chen Kedao now, no one would support him anymore.

Because this would be tantamount to betrayal, Xu Guangqi would certainly not agree.

The two sides might tear into each other. The Grand Secretariat had only just settled down for a few days—was it about to start up again already?

After learning of this matter, Sun Chengzong did not feel particularly good about it. He actually had no interest whatsoever in these debates, feeling that such affairs were simply a waste of time. Better to spend that time drilling more troops and stockpiling more grain and fodder.

For officials who had reached their level of position, they all understood things quite clearly in their hearts. The so-called Way of Confucius and Mencius was nothing more than a stepping stone for advancement.

It was just that they would not rail against it the way Li Zhi did. They all relied on this background for their standing—to turn around and trample it or tear it down would damage one's reputation and bring no benefit. Who would do such a thing?

So in their hearts they understood it all perfectly well, but they simply did not say so. To some extent, they even had to uphold this existing order, because it was the guarantee of the benefits they received.

If he were torn down, then what would I do in the future? This was the current situation.

"Then what does my beloved minister think should be done to quell this?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Han Kuang and asked with a smile.

In truth, any clever person understood that this affair was something His Majesty had stirred up himself.

Back then, Chen Kedao had lectured His Majesty, and after he went out, his lectures were all escorted and protected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If this wasn't some scheme of His Majesty's, then there was no such thing as ghosts!

So at this moment, those proposing to deal with Chen Kedao—aside from those who wished to use this to court fame—the others were probably genuinely intent on doing so. In their value system, Chen Kedao was a heretic who defied orthodoxy.

Zhu Youxiao asking this was actually just to sound out Han Kuang's opinion, to see what he would say.

"Your Majesty, your minister believes that since the fashion for lecturing and learning prevails throughout the realm, and since everyone wishes to lecture, then it is you lecture yours and I lecture mine. One may disagree with others, but disturbances must not be allowed to break out."

"This is among the common people. Your minister believes that rules should be established—as the saying goes, without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Whether it is banning lectures or permitting lectures, everything must be clearly stated, establishing a set of rules for all under heaven."

"As for the court, where the debate over the Academy rages on without end, your minister believes a decision should also be reached."