Chapter 189: The Earl of Taikang's Troubles

The court was a shifting storm, and no one knew what they might become—one moment riding high with vigor, the next clapped in irons and thrown into prison; or one moment cold-shouldered and neglected, the next at the zenith of their power.

Wang An's experience illustrated this phenomenon perfectly.

Previously, Wang An had been thoroughly cold-shouldered, yet no one expected that he would now once again receive true favor from His Majesty. Though his rank had dropped from first to second, his power was now incomparable to before.

Previously, though Wang An was the number-one eunuch, he held no real power—everyone knew this, for the true power actually lay in Chen Hong's hands.

This time, though Wang An had fallen behind Chen Hong, he had genuinely grasped real authority. This soon-to-be-established Imperial Household Department held boundless prospects.

Beyond that, Chen Hong had finally been elevated to the top position, taking a complete step forward to become the foremost among the eunuchs.

The most aggrieved of all was Wei Zhongxian—he had done nothing, yet inexplicably dropped from second to third.

After this blockbuster news spread, everyone—whether in the palace or among the officials at court—was pondering the implications of this affair.

Though this appeared to be merely a ranking of eunuchs, in reality it was anything but; the ramifications ran far too deep.

As for the court's establishment of the Imperial Household Department, the matter had already been put on the agenda—the Grand Secretariat was reportedly already drafting the roster of personnel for the department, great and small.

The three ministers of the Imperial Household Department were basically settled: the palace would send Wang An, and another would be the Empress's father, the Earl of Taikang, Zhang Guoji.

The final person had yet to be determined; reportedly this person was to serve as an overseer, with duties similar to those of the Censorate. The Grand Secretariat was currently selecting a suitable candidate.

For a time, every official qualified for selection was stirred with excitement.

Though outsiders were spreading all sorts of slander about the Imperial Household Department, in truth, pragmatic people knew that this department's standing would be anything but ordinary.

The Imperial Household Department appeared to be the imperial family's chief steward, yet no one could exercise oversight over it—it answered directly to the Emperor.

Serving in a position like chief steward of the Imperial Household Department made it very easy to catch His Majesty's eye; it was the same principle as serving in a prince's household before his ascension—one was very easily given real responsibility.

Thus, anyone who wished to advance their official career was willing to take this path—though it seemed somewhat roundabout, it was in fact a shortcut.

The most eager of all was Cui Chengxiu—he desperately wanted to enter the Imperial Household Department, but he felt he had little chance with the Grand Secretariat, so he went to see Wei Zhongxian.

Wei Zhongxian also hoped Cui Chengxiu could enter the Imperial Household Department.

After all, this Imperial Household Department belonged to Wang An—if Wei Zhongxian could send his own man in, then at the very least he could hold Wang An back. So Wei Zhongxian would not let such an opportunity slip.

Since Cui Chengxiu was willing to go to the Imperial Household Department, Wei Zhongxian naturally supported him, though he had not yet found the right moment. Still, Wei Zhongxian felt that if he went to plead with His Majesty, perhaps His Majesty would agree to let Cui Chengxiu into the department.

Meanwhile, the impact of this affair manifested in another aspect as well—the greatly elevated standing of the Earl of Taikang, Zhang Guoji.

Toward this newly elevated imperial father-in-law, everyone's attitude had basically been one of keeping their distance with respect; no one was willing to have dealings with him.

After all, offending the imperial father-in-law meant offending Empress Zhang. With the situation still unclear, it was best not to do such a thing.

As for growing close to Zhang Guoji, there was no great benefit to be gained either, so keeping one's distance with respect was the best choice.

But after this affair came to light, Zhang Guoji's standing rose instantly—anyone could see the benefits contained within this Imperial Household Department.

These past few days, Zhang Guoji's household could be described as bustling like a market. Especially the Ming dynasty's hereditary nobles and consort kin—their attitude toward the Earl of Taikang had made a complete 180-degree turn.

Toward consort kin like Empress Zhang's family, the old-line hereditary nobles were unwilling to mix with them. These old nobles had risen through military merit, not through pulling strings. Most crucially, if there was no benefit to be had, trouble was more likely to arise instead.

As for the former consort kin, they would not lightly gravitate toward the Empress's natal family either. The members of these consort-kin households were already relics of the past; at such a time, keeping a low profile and doing nothing at all was best. The Empress's father, the Earl of Taikang, was simply too conspicuous—for them to sidle up now would likely bring no good fruit.

So everyone's attitude toward the Earl of Taikang was the same as toward the civil officials—keep their distance with respect.

But once word came out that the Earl of Taikang, Zhang Guoji, would enter the Imperial Household Department as chief steward, the nobles and consort kin instantly realized one thing—this was the best possible post for their own family's sons.

If they sent their sons to the army or the frontier garrisons, they risked danger—they might well die in battle; if they sent them to some obscure post, that was nothing more than coasting along until death, with no chance of advancement.

Moreover, the nobles and consort kin could not possibly arrange for every son of the house to enter the military—where would there be that many positions to accommodate them all?

As for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that was more like a place for consort kin, since many of their sons were granted positions there through imperial favor—though most held sinecures drawing a salary, and precious few ever reached the center of real power.

So when this opportunity with the Imperial Household Department appeared, all the nobles and consort kin felt it was a chance.

From the very design of this office, one could see it was a department serving the Emperor, naturally positioned to grow close to him. Such an office was naturally the first choice for people like them—as long as they could win the Emperor's favor, nothing else mattered.

Moreover, the Imperial Household Department did not have as foul a reputation as the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and it leaned more toward the civil-official side. Working there would not tarnish one's name, while the benefits were also plentiful—one look showed it managed money and grain. Even without reaching in to take anything, there were countless places to work one's schemes, so countless people wanted in.

Under such circumstances, the Earl of Taikang naturally became the target of everyone's arrows—all wanted to work through him.

The Earl of Taikang's residence.

Zhang Guoji sat in his chair with some irritation, a helpless expression on his face as he looked at the great pile of visiting cards beside him, truly at a loss for what to do.

As a man of letters, Zhang Guoji had always thought himself unrecognized talent, but now it seemed that was not the case at all.

Once, Zhang Guoji had fantasized that if he could pass the imperial examinations, he would surely become a good official, and a great one at that—perhaps even one who could turn back the tide of collapse and prop up a falling house, just like Yu Qian.

But Zhang Guoji's official career had never gone smoothly his whole life—no one expected that at this age he would suddenly leap to the heavens in a single step.

Though it was thanks to his daughter, Zhang Guoji was still very pleased.

Only, this happiness did not last more than a few days, because the crowds swarming in and wearing down his threshold left Zhang Guoji at a loss.

The earliest arrivals were those who had long been on good terms with Zhang Guoji; then came a wave of scholars calling at his door; and finally, some local civil officials arrived.

Even many great officials of the current court sent Zhang Guoji letters, and some came directly bearing the visiting cards of high-ranking ministers.

To sum it up in one sentence—they all wanted to enter the Imperial Household Department.

Besides these people, there were also the nobles and consort kin of the court, and they were the same.

Facing these two groups, Zhang Guoji felt he dared not offend a single one.

Take the civil officials first. He himself was a man of letters, and those officials all held real power at court. Under such circumstances, how could he dare offend them?

The nobles and consort kin were the same—whether he was willing to admit it or not, he counted as one of their number, and in the end he would have to blend into their circle.

If this time, because of the Imperial Household Department affair, he offended them deeply, then what would he do afterward? Could he even go on living?

If he let these shameless people make trouble for him, then he would never get anything done.

You see, in the eyes of civil officials, the nobles and consort kin of the court were much like the shrews and ruffians of the streets—they could not be beaten apart nor trampled to death, utterly impossible to deal with.

These nobles and consort kin—Zhang Guoji could not afford to offend them either. But now both groups had come knocking at his residence, and that left him quite helpless.

Zhang Guoji now had no idea what to do at all.

"Weren't you quite happy a few days ago? Why are you like this now?" A woman's teasing voice sounded from the doorway.

Then a woman walked in from outside. Though she looked well along in years, she retained her charms, and her face faintly bore some resemblance to Empress Zhang.

This person was none other than Empress Zhang's mother—Lady Li.

Seeing Li walk in, Zhang Guoji let out a sigh and pointed at the pile of visiting cards beside him, saying, "Take a look at these!"

Li didn't look at Zhang Guoji, nor did she look at the things he wanted her to see. Instead, she walked over to a chair on the side and sat straight down.

The words she spoke struck straight at Zhang Guoji's heart. "What's there to be troubled about? Just go into the palace and ask, wouldn't that settle it?"

"Go into the palace and ask?" Zhang Guoji hesitated, then said doubtfully, "Ask whom?"

"Who else could it be? Ask the Empress!" Li said with exasperation. "This matter was decided inside the palace from start to finish. Some say that whether it's you or that Wang An, everything was arranged single-handedly by our daughter. Whether that's true or not, at least going into the palace to ask does us no harm — far better than you sitting here racking your brains on your own."

Hearing this, Zhang Guoji was silent for a moment, then nodded, suddenly enlightened, and said, "Then I'll go into the palace right now and ask our daughter."

Seeing Zhang Guoji's manner, Li couldn't help but admonish him, "Mind your manners a bit. Our daughter is the Empress now — don't you go embarrassing her."

"Don't worry, I know what to do." Zhang Guoji waved his hand impatiently.

The Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Hong, who had hurried in, and asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this is a routine memorial submitted by the Taikang Earl's household. The Earl of Taikang misses Her Majesty the Empress and wishes to enter the palace to pay a visit." Chen Hong said with a bow, holding up a routine memorial with both hands.

Zhu Youxiao was slightly taken aback, then a smile spread across his face.

It seemed this Imperial Father-in-Law wasn't a fool after all — he knew enough to come into the palace and ask.