Chapter 214: This Move Isn't Bad (Ten-Thousand-Word Plea for Support!)

For Hu Fei, these days had been passing fairly well; as for the news coming from the court, it did have some effect on him, to a degree.

After all, merchants were quick-witted people with many thoughts; unless something was a sure thing, they would not get involved.

So during this period, with all the disputes in the court, these merchants were not all that enthusiastic. On the surface they were polite and agreeable, promising everything nicely, but in reality they made no actual moves.

Hu Fei understood their game perfectly well — it was simply a matter of offending no one and dragging things out.

Naturally, Hu Fei had no good solution for this sort of thing. The reason was very simple: he could not force the merchants to make a choice, or else it would only backfire.

Having been a merchant for so many years, Hu Fei knew exactly how merchants thought. Under such circumstances, all he could do was wait.

But Hu Fei also knew this could not last long, because the entire affair was being orchestrated by His Majesty. This matter was something His Majesty had assigned to him, and it could not possibly stop just because of these trivial obstacles.

"My lord," a subordinate walked up before Hu Fei and said in a respectful tone, "the State Father has arrived."

At Zhang Guoji's arrival, Hu Fei's face showed no trace of surprise.

In fact, Hu Fei had been waiting for Zhang Guoji to come, because this matter would ultimately have to land on the shoulders of his direct superior.

Now that Zhang Guoji had come looking for him, it seemed everything had been arranged. Though he did not know how it had been done, he had received word to wait, and now it appeared the time had come.

"Then let's go out and welcome our State Father." Hu Fei stood up, a smile on his face.

After saying this, he walked out with light, brisk steps.

When he arrived at the main hall, Hu Fei spotted Zhang Guoji seated at a glance.

He quickly hurried over, clasped his hands in salute toward Zhang Guoji, and with a brilliant smile on his face, said in a gentle tone: "Your subordinate pays respects to the State Father. Might I ask what instructions the State Father has for coming to your subordinate's humble office today?"

"Whatever instructions you may have, the State Father need only send someone to summon me, and your subordinate would come at once. Why trouble the State Father to make the trip personally!" Hu Fei's words were extremely courteous, his tone sincere, his attitude earnest — one could not tell at all that he was speaking falsely; it felt as though these were his true feelings.

Zhang Guoji waved his hand, leaned back in his seat, and said with a smile: "Though we are superior and subordinate, we both work in the same office, both serving His Majesty. There's no need for all this empty formality — let us be more familiar with one another."

Though the words sounded like an attempt to close the distance, the tone somehow sounded like pure officialese, which only made things feel more distant.

Hu Fei felt somewhat helpless inside.

Our State Father truly has no talent for officialdom. With this kind of tone, he comes across as haughty and aloof, which is completely inconsistent with what he says.

If he didn't say these things, being haughty would be no big deal. After all, he was the superior, and moreover the State Father; with such an exalted status, no one would say anything about his being aloof.

Those who did say anything would only be the jealous ones, so it wasn't really important.

Rather, it was his speaking humble words from a lofty posture that seemed truly hypocritical and especially off-putting.

But Hu Fei showed nothing on his face — this was no difficulty for him at all. He quickly said: "To receive the State Father's favor is truly your subordinate's honor. There's nothing more to say — whatever instructions the State Father has, your subordinate will do his utmost to carry them out well and will never disappoint the State Father."

Looking at Hu Fei's earnest face, Zhang Guoji nodded with satisfaction.

It seemed his own abilities were rather decent after all — at least in the matter of treating worthy men with courtesy, he had done very well. Indeed, now that he had shown sufficient courtesy and respect, this subordinate of his had offered up his loyalty. Perhaps there was no need for what Mr. Qin had suggested?

Though such a thought arose in his mind, Zhang Guoji still retained a last shred of clarity and did not act on it. Instead, he said directly: "It's not that I'm asking you to do anything. I came over because there's something I want to ask you."

"Please speak, State Father." Hu Fei quickly said.

"I heard you've run into some trouble recently — seems things aren't going smoothly, and there are people at court impeaching you?" Zhang Guoji looked at Hu Fei and asked with a smile.

"So it's about that matter — please don't even mention it." Hu Fei said with a helpless look: "Your subordinate originally thought to use the Audit Bureau to do something for His Majesty — first, to show loyalty to His Majesty; second, to earn some merit for myself. After all, your subordinate had just arrived at the Imperial Household Department and hadn't accomplished anything, and felt uneasy about it."

"But who would have thought they would oppose it so fiercely? With all that fuss, the merchants got scared and now they're all keeping their distance. Until the court reaches a conclusion, this matter probably can't go forward, and I don't know how it will end. If the court sides with those people's arguments, I'm afraid my post won't last either."

Having said this, Hu Fei let out a sigh, his face full of a worried, dejected expression.

Zhang Guoji looked at Hu Fei, greatly pleased inside. This Hu Fei had indeed lost his composure.

This was the perfect opportunity to win people over. As long as he made his move, he would surely be able to bring Hu Fei under his wing.

So Zhang Guoji said: "This is where you went wrong."

Hu Fei was startled, looked up at Zhang Guoji, and said hesitantly: "Your subordinate doesn't quite understand. Please enlighten me, State Father."

"You know yourself that you are an official of the Imperial Household Department, so your affairs are naturally the department's affairs. The Imperial Household Department is currently under my charge, so this naturally becomes my affair as well. Why didn't you consult with me beforehand about such a matter? And after trouble arose, why didn't you come to me?"

Zhang Guoji looked at Hu Fei and asked with a stern face: "Do you think I'm not qualified to manage the Imperial Household Department?"

Hearing these words, Hu Fei immediately stood up from his chair, his face bitter as he said: "State Father, you wrong me. It's not that I didn't consult you beforehand — I simply had no choice."

"Your subordinate has just arrived at the Imperial Household Department, and truly feels uncertain inside. Your subordinate's former occupation — the State Father surely knows of it. Suddenly elevated to such a high position, your subordinate feels uneasy!"

"So I thought to first produce some results for everyone to see. But who could have expected things to turn out like this? Your subordinate feels even more ashamed now."

"If things had succeeded, your subordinate would certainly have come to report the good news to the State Father. But now that things have already come to this, how would your subordinate dare to approach the State Father? If this matter somehow implicated the State Father, then your subordinate would deserve ten thousand deaths."

Hearing Hu Fei's explanation, Zhang Guoji's expression softened somewhat. He looked at Hu Fei and said with a smile: "If that's the case, then this matter can't be entirely blamed on you. You've just arrived at the Imperial Household Department and indeed don't understand the situation."

"Since I am in charge of the Imperial Household Department, all matters great and small within it should be handled by me, so you should have reported the matter to me at the very first opportunity. It seems you're new to officialdom and inexperienced. Well then, let me teach you." Zhang Guoji said with a smile.

In Zhang Guoji's view, Hu Fei was truly a novice in officialdom, a newcomer. He could certainly do business in his daily life, but he really was no good at being an official. Clearly he had read few books of the sages — one wondered how someone like him had gotten into the Imperial Household Department.

But that was fine too. People like this were easy to control. Look — hadn't he already come under his wing right away?

So Zhang Guoji began lecturing Hu Fei on the ways of officialdom. He talked for a full half hour without pause, covering such topics as how to get along with superiors and how to interact with colleagues, citing classics and quoting authorities with great fluency.

Hu Fei listened very attentively at the side, occasionally adding a flattering remark, his facial expressions perfectly coordinated, accompanied by sounds expressing various emotions — sounds of wonder, sounds of amazement, even sounds of sheer admiration.

This round of flattery left Zhang Guoji feeling greatly satisfied.

When he finally finished, Zhang Guoji took a sip of tea, still seeming somewhat reluctant to stop.

"Though you've just entered officialdom, I can see you have considerable talent. In the future, I will come by often to instruct you, and you'll understand in your heart what to do." Zhang Guoji looked at Hu Fei, stroking his beard and smiling.

"Your subordinate thanks the State Father for his teachings and will certainly seek the State Father's guidance often in the future." Hu Fei quickly stood up and bowed. His tone was extremely earnest and sincere.

"Alright, leave this matter to me." Zhang Guoji said with a smile: "In a moment I'll go to the palace and see what His Majesty's attitude is."

As he spoke, Zhang Guoji glanced at Hu Fei and chuckled: "Don't worry, I'll do my best to put in a good word for you."

"Then your subordinate thanks the State Father in advance." Hu Fei quickly said.

Only after Hu Fei respectfully saw Zhang Guoji out did the smile on his face instantly vanish.

He raised both hands and rubbed his cheeks vigorously. He had been smiling for too long — his face had gone stiff.

Hu Fei walked to the table, picked up the teapot, and gulped down tea. He had talked too much and was parched.

After drinking, a bitter smile appeared on Hu Fei's face.

What kind of mess was this?

Who would have thought that this Imperial Father-in-Law had a habit of loving to play the teacher.

If he were really an official serving in the Imperial Household Department, receiving such favor from a superior would surely make him laugh in his sleep even while dreaming.

Moreover, this man was the Imperial Father-in-Law—a thigh gleaming with gold. He would certainly cling to it without the slightest hesitation.

But the reality was not so. He had come to the Imperial Household Department to do his own business, and thus could not afford to get too close to the Imperial Father-in-Law.

The key problem was that he didn't quite dare get too close either. After all, this Imperial Father-in-Law looked, however one sized him up, utterly scatterbrained and unreliable.

He couldn't compare himself to the Imperial Father-in-Law. The man's daughter was the Empress—no matter how he stirred things up, in the end nothing would happen to him. But he himself was different. If he followed the Imperial Father-in-Law in stirring things up and something actually went wrong, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Many people would show consideration because the other party was the Imperial Father-in-Law, but no one would show consideration for him. So Hu Fei had no recourse but to keep the Imperial Father-in-Law at a respectful distance.

But looking at how things stood now, achieving that seemed all but impossible. Thinking of this, Hu Fei could only smile wryly.

Yet in his heart he couldn't help but sigh over how important it was to have given birth to a good daughter. Look at this Imperial Father-in-Law of the Great Ming—though he couldn't exactly be called a fool, he was absolutely unsuited to managing a department like the Imperial Household Department. But the man had sat himself into that position nonetheless. What could you do about it?

Still, Hu Fei also breathed a sigh of relief. With the Imperial Father-in-Law joining in, this matter was as good as done.

Leaving Hu Fei's place, Zhang Guoji was in excellent spirits. He did not return to his own office but went straight into the Western Park.

He had obtained a token a few days earlier that allowed him to enter the palace at any time to see his daughter. From this one could see just how deeply His Majesty doted on Baozhu.

Passing through without the slightest obstruction all the way to the Western Park, Zhang Guoji found that the scenery and atmosphere here were utterly different from those within the Forbidden City—merely looking at it lifted one's spirits.

When he saw his daughter, she was not inside a palace hall but in a pavilion by the lakeside. There a gentle breeze brushed past, and the grass and trees gave off their fragrance. Gazing at the rippling surface of the lake was indeed pleasing to the heart.

Walking up to Empress Zhang's side, Zhang Guoji bowed and said, "Your subject pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress."

Seeing her father bow in such a manner, Empress Zhang hastily rose to her feet and said with playful reproach, "Father, what are you doing? Enough of that—come over quickly and keep your daughter company in conversation."

Zhang Guoji smiled and walked over as well. Father and daughter sat together in the pavilion, drinking tea, chatting, and speaking of family matters.

Empress Zhang listened very attentively. Although she lived very well in the palace and the Emperor doted on her greatly, she was still young after all, having only just been married, and she missed home very much.

Like a student away from home pursuing his studies, Empress Zhang was very happy now to hear her father speak of these things.

On the other side of the Western Park, Zhu Youxiao lay in a rocking chair, a palm-leaf fan covering his face, eyes half-closed in rest.

Accompanied by warm breezes and gentle sunlight, the feeling was simply too languid.

Chen Hong walked cautiously to his side and said in a low, respectful voice, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Father-in-Law has entered the palace."

Zhu Youxiao said nothing, only waving his hand lightly to indicate that he had taken note.

Bowing as he withdrew to one side, Chen Hong said no more.

In truth, Zhu Youxiao hadn't expected this Imperial Father-in-Law to come so quickly. It seemed the man really was rather impatient.

But this was a good thing too—at least he would soon be able to finish what needed to be done.

The conversation between Zhang Guoji and the Empress continued. After the family talk was finished, Zhang Guoji turned the topic to the matter of the Royal Trading Company.

"Daughter, has His Majesty ever told you how he intends to proceed?"

Empress Zhang shook her head and said, "His Majesty does not speak of it, and your daughter does not ask. Matters of the court have nothing to do with the inner palace."

As she spoke, she looked at Zhang Guoji and asked, "This matter doesn't seem to be something Father is handling, does it? It seems to have little to do with Father either, no? If that's so, then Father should not get involved. Let them make their own fuss!"

Empress Zhang felt that these matters were very troublesome. Though she didn't know why, she subconsciously did not want her father to participate, and so she said these words.

"That's not how it should be said." Zhang Guoji said with a stern face, "Your father now manages the Imperial Household Department. How can it be said that the affairs of the Imperial Household Department have nothing to do with your father? No matter what happens in the Imperial Household Department, your father cannot detach himself from it."

Giving her father a helpless look, Empress Zhang didn't know what more to say. She could only say resignedly, "But your daughter truly knows nothing at all. As the Empress, how could I meddle in the affairs of the court?"

"What kind of talk is that? As the Empress, you naturally must assist His Majesty well and offer him counsel and admonition. That is the proper duty of an Empress."

Zhang Guoji spoke again, "This matter involves the entire Imperial Household Department, so it is a major affair. Right now, in the Imperial Household Department, I have no people under me. This time is a fine opportunity."

"Now that Hu Fei cannot even protect himself, and the entire Audit Bureau is in a panic, this is my chance to step in and help them win back their morale. Once I've won them over, I will no longer be a man without allies in the Imperial Household Department."

"Most crucially, with the Audit Bureau in hand, I can at last be a hero with a place to exercise his talents. Those court officials who criticize so much are all acting out of selfish motives."

"Isn't this a good thing we're doing? As long as we come to terms with the merchants, the palace's expenditures from now on won't cost us a single coin of our own. How much money will that save? Besides, since the matter touches the inner palace, it is also something you, as Empress, ought to oversee."

As Zhang Guoji spoke, he looked at his daughter with a sorrowful expression on his face.

What he wanted now was for his daughter to help him. Given how favored she was before His Majesty, this matter surely posed no great problem. As long as his daughter spoke up, His Majesty would certainly agree.

Glancing at her father, Empress Zhang felt very helpless. She could only say with a bitter smile, "Father, why must you insist on holding this office? Wouldn't it be better to go home, read some books, and wander about at leisure?"

"Toiling and worrying in the Imperial Household Department—why put yourself through it? Why don't I go to His Majesty and request your resignation on your behalf? You could go home and enjoy your remaining years in comfort. That would be just fine."

Glancing at Empress Zhang, Zhang Guoji barely restrained himself from cursing.

He truly couldn't curse—the person before him was not only his daughter but also the Empress of the Great Ming.

Zhang Guoji could only swallow the blood rising in his throat and explain patiently, "All these years I've read the books of the sages, and it wasn't for nothing. It's just that my luck has been poor all these years—I failed the imperial examinations time and again—so I never had the chance to realize the ambitions in my breast."

"Now that the opportunity has come, how could your father give it up? As for retiring to enjoy one's old age—at my current age, even another twenty years wouldn't be too late."

Looking at her father, whose face was set with determination, Empress Zhang felt even more helpless.

But she also knew that she would still have to help with this matter; otherwise, there was no telling what kind of mischief her father might stir up.

Empress Zhang coaxed and soothed him, saying, "Since that's the case, let your daughter go speak with His Majesty. Until then, Father must do nothing—just wait quietly for your daughter's news."

"Rest assured on that score—I will certainly wait for your news." Zhang Guoji hastened to say with a smile.

In his heart, his daughter's words before the Emperor would certainly carry great weight; as for the other ministers and such, they were far less effective.

After all, of all things under heaven, what men fear most is the pillow wind.

Wasn't he himself the same? Mm, all men were the same.

So this matter was certain to succeed.

An excited smile spread across Zhang Guoji's face. As long as he pulled this off, then he would truly have made it.

Thinking of himself taking complete control of the Imperial Household Department, Zhang Guoji couldn't contain the joy in his heart.

In Zhang Guoji's view, the Imperial Household Department would surely become even more powerful in the future—perhaps one day it would be on par with the Grand Secretariat. When that time came, his own standing would inevitably rise along with it, and perhaps he would even leave his name in the annals of history.

Watching her father's delighted expression, Empress Zhang felt somewhat helpless. The good mood she had just built up faded away almost entirely in that moment.

She said nothing more to her father and saw him off.

Zhang Guoji paid no mind to any of that—his heart was filled with nothing but joy.

Turning to look at the serving maid beside her, Empress Zhang asked, "Where is His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty the Empress, His Majesty is by the lake soaking up the sun," the maid replied hurriedly.

Empress Zhang was not surprised. She nodded and said, "Then let's go take a look."

The longer they lived together, the more Empress Zhang came to understand Zhu Youxiao.

She felt that her sovereign had many sides—on one hand he was a wise and capable emperor, yet on the other he was like a recluse, caring nothing for fine wine or beautiful women, instead preferring to roam and revel in mountains and waters.

If he were not emperor, she reckoned, he would travel across every great river and mountain; when he grew tired of walking, he would build a house in some scenic spot with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and live out his days there in peace and comfort.

When Empress Zhang arrived where Zhu Youxiao was, he was already sitting by the lake staring blankly into space, lost in thought about who knew what.

This, too, Empress Zhang understood—her sovereign was very fond of staring off into nothing, though she knew not why. Fortunately, disturbing him at such times did not make him angry, or else it would have been quite troublesome.

Smiling, she walked over and gently sat down beside Zhu Youxiao.

Turning to look at Empress Zhang, Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "You've come?" Just now I heard from those below that the State Father came to the palace today. I thought you would spend more time with him, but I didn't expect you to come to me so soon."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao say this, Empress Zhang smiled wryly and said, "My father did not enter the palace to make idle conversation with your concubine."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao reached out and took Empress Zhang's hand, smiling as he asked, "Then there must be some matter. Judging by Baozhu's expression, it must be quite troubling. No matter—don't be troubled. Whatever it is, tell me. We are husband and wife together; there is no need for so many reservations."

"I know not what blessings I cultivated in my past life to be fortunate enough to marry Your Majesty in this one." Empress Zhang was deeply moved and leaned her body against Zhu Youxiao.

Gently encircling Empress Zhang's waist and drawing her into his embrace, Zhu Youxiao only then smiled and said, "You said those very words in your past life too."

Empress Zhang was naturally very clever, and she immediately understood what her sovereign meant, and was even more deeply moved.

Her eyes moist, she said softly, "Your concubine is willing to be together with Your Majesty in every life, every generation."

Neither of them spoke again, holding each other quietly, gazing at the water not far away.

After a long while, Zhu Youxiao pulled his arm free and said, "No good—it's gone numb."

Seeing Zhu Youxiao making faces at her, Empress Zhang burst into laughter, and her mood improved considerably.

At that moment, her worries seemed to have left her entirely.

Reaching out to gently massage Zhu Youxiao's arm, Empress Zhang said with playful reproach, "Then why didn't Your Majesty say so earlier?"

Zhu Youxiao did not take up that thread, but instead reached out and gently pinched Empress Zhang's nose, smiling as he said, "Feeling better now? Then tell me—what exactly was the matter when the State Father entered the palace?"

Seeing how considerate Zhu Youxiao was toward her, Empress Zhang set her heart at ease and told Zhu Youxiao everything Zhang Guoji had said to her.

Of course, regarding her father's intention to win over people's hearts, Empress Zhang still did not bring that up, for it was far too sensitive a matter.

Glancing at Empress Zhang, Zhu Youxiao gently patted her hand and said mildly, "I thought it was something serious—it's only this. This is hardly a major matter. The Imperial Household Department doing this is also for my own good."

"The palace's annual expenditures are enormous. Those ministers at court come begging money from my inner treasury every year, as if my money could never run out. With this scheme of the Imperial Household Department, the palace spends less and can even earn a bit extra."

"Don't be fooled—day in and day out they all pay lip service to 'the gentleman does not speak of profit.' But the affairs of this world are chaotic and tangled; without money, nothing can be accomplished."

"If the common folk have no money, they cannot afford to eat; if soldiers have no money, they cannot fight wars; if I, the Emperor, have no money, then I cannot repair bridges and roads, nor relieve disaster victims—and then the realm would fall into great chaos."

"So this thing called money absolutely cannot be lacking."

Empress Zhang looked at Zhu Youxiao with a hint of heartache and said softly, "Then why not reduce the palace's expenditures a little? Spend less and there will be more left over, and Your Majesty can accomplish more."

Glancing at Empress Zhang, Zhu Youxiao smiled and said, "If the affairs of this world were truly that simple, that would be wonderful. Enough—you need not worry about this. I will find a way. As for the Imperial Household Department, I will immediately send someone with the decree—do as Xu Guangqi proposed! Starting from Shuntian Prefecture, let Xu Guangqi handle the matter properly. The State Father will not be shortchanged."

Hearing these words from Zhu Youxiao, Empress Zhang was still somewhat hesitant. She spoke cautiously: "There won't be anything improper about this, will there? Please, do not let your concubine delay Your Majesty's important affairs."

"Rest assured on that count!" Zhu Youxiao said with a smile. "That will absolutely never happen. Do you take me for the sort who would ruin the state over a pretty face?"

"Your Majesty!" Empress Zhang protested with a coquettish pout.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Empress Zhang, a smile spreading across his face, and beckoned to Chen Hong not far away.

When Chen Hong reached his side, Zhu Youxiao said, "Xu Guangqi's routine memorial—give it the red endorsement."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Chen Hong hurriedly bowed and said, "This servant will see to it at once."

The so-called red endorsement was, in fact, the Emperor's reply to a minister's routine memorial—or rather, his endorsement of the Grand Secretariat's draft rescript opinion.

When a minister submitted a routine memorial, the Grand Secretariat would produce a draft rescript. The draft rescript stated whether the matter was permitted and how it should be handled.

After this was done, the memorial would be sent to the Emperor. If the Emperor read it and agreed, he would give the red endorsement; if he did not agree, it would be sent back to the Grand Secretariat for them to redraft their strategy.

Xu Guangqi's routine memorial had long since been delivered to the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhu Youxiao had indeed asked everyone to discuss it, and so the memorial had remained at the Directorate of Ceremonial. If Zhu Youxiao never brought it up again, the memorial would never see the light of day—what was known as "retained without reply."

Now Zhu Youxiao had Chen Hong take out the memorial and give it the red endorsement directly. The meaning was clear: this matter Xu Guangqi proposed—I approve it.

Then the next step would follow: the memorial would be sent back to the Grand Secretariat, which would execute it according to the Emperor's approval. The memorial would become a decree of the court, to be carried out according to the standards for executing decrees.

It appeared to be merely a single sentence from Zhu Youxiao, but in fact the matter had already been settled.

And so word spread quickly: Xu Guangqi's memorial had been approved, and the Imperial Household Department's affairs could proceed; the Ministry of Revenue would also first establish an office, and as for the specifics, Xu Guangqi would need to submit another memorial.

And so the matter was settled.

But the ministers were not having it.

Weren't we told before to discuss it? We were already rolling up our sleeves, ready to oppose it vigorously—how could it suddenly be approved?

For something to happen so abruptly, there must surely be a reason.

And so everyone began investigating the matter, and results came quickly.

Such things could not be hidden from people anyway; being found out was hardly surprising.

It turned out that Zhang Guoji, the leading minister of the Imperial Household Department, had entered the palace to beg the Empress, and the Empress had in turn begged His Majesty—and so the matter had passed.

For a moment, the ministers did not know what to say. Some felt the Emperor had gone too far and that a memorial should be submitted to impeach him over it.

This was consort-clan interference in governance—absolutely impermissible!

But most court officials did not chase this dead end; they knew this matter could not be pursued. As for consort-clan interference in governance, the Great Ming simply had no soil for such a thing. At most it was making a fuss over nothing, utterly without effect.

This reminded people of another relative of the imperial family—the maternal family of the Longqing Emperor. That State Father had been quite outrageous.

Everyone knew about that affair. That State Father of the Longqing Emperor not only frequently ran to the palace begging for rewards, but also threw tantrums before his own daughter, and had done even more detestable things!

But what could you do to him?

Could you arrest him and punish him, or could you kill him?

None of it was realistic at all.

But that didn't mean nothing could be done. After all, he was just a State Father-in-Law—there was little he could do, and the harm he could cause wasn't all that great either.

But with the State Father-in-Law in the Imperial Household Department, things were different. His control over the department—that was where the problem lay.

So the officials quickly reached a consensus: they should get this State Father-in-Law out of the Imperial Household Department as soon as possible.

As long as he wasn't causing trouble in the department and obediently went back to being their State Father-in-Law, wouldn't everything be fine?

And so, for a time, there was no shortage of routine memorials impeaching Zhang Guoji, and they came with great fanfare—clearly someone wanted him brought down.

But none of these memorials drew any response; Zhu Youxiao had them all shelved. To put it plainly, the Emperor simply had no intention of disciplining this State Father-in-Law.

This made countless people even more excited, and they adopted the stance that they absolutely had to bring the State Father-in-Law down.

Actually, this was quite simple. When a person couldn't be brought down, he became a mountain, a banner. If anyone could bring him down, then that person would gain even greater prestige.

It was like climbing Mount Everest. If no one chose to challenge Mount Everest, it would just be a tall mountain sitting there—perhaps the tallest mountain in the world.

But when someone chose to climb it, it was no longer an ordinary mountain. If those who came before failed, those who came after would all think of pressing forward in waves. They didn't necessarily truly want to reach the summit—they just wanted to prove they were stronger than those others.

If even more people failed to reach the top, then even more would want to try. Because the more people who couldn't make it, the stronger you would appear when you finally did.

So right now, Zhang Guoji was that kind of mountain. Everyone wanted to bring him down, and the more people who failed to do so, the more people wanted to try.

In fact, in many cases, it was the same with the eunuch faction and powerful ministers. Perhaps they hadn't done that many bad things, perhaps what they did wasn't any different from what other court officials did—but precisely because they were favored by Your Majesty and couldn't be brought down, countless people swarmed against them.

This was what they called farming prestige. Whoever brought them down or toppled them was sure to leave a name in history.

And so all kinds of charges were pinned on them—whether they were genuinely guilty or it was nothing but baseless rumor and fabrication, everything was heaped onto them, and their reputations naturally grew worse and worse.

As the saying went, "Public opinion can melt metal, and accumulated slander can destroy a man." That was exactly the principle at work.

After this matter, what Zhang Guoji faced was precisely this—and that was also the reason Zhu Youxiao had pulled him in.

Zhu Youxiao couldn't possibly let Hu Fei bear all of this. This hat was one Zhang Guoji could wear, but Hu Fei could not.

Things proceeded exactly as Zhu Youxiao had envisioned. With everyone's spear pointed at Zhang Guoji, two people were relatively safe—one was Hu Fei, and the other was Xu Guangqi.

These two could carry out their work without a hitch. Hu Fei's side should have already begun.

The merchants were merely afraid—it wasn't as if there was no benefit to be had anymore. As long as their fear could be dispelled, there would naturally be no problem. This was an imperial edict from the court, so of course they would no longer be afraid.

As for Xu Guangqi's side, he would have become the target of everyone's attack, but now someone else was drawing the fire.

The Imperial Household Department office.

Hu Fei walked into Zhang Guoji's room holding a stack of contracts, bowed in greeting, and said: "State Father-in-Law, here are the twelve contracts just signed. Everything was done according to the rules. Please review them."

Zhang Guoji nodded, quite satisfied with Hu Fei's attitude.

Ever since he had left the palace, everyone in the Imperial Household Department had shown him even greater respect.

Because everyone had realized one thing: no matter how incompetent this State Father-in-Law was, he was still the State Father-in-Law.

Hu Fei in particular treated him with exceptional courtesy.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Guoji was even more pleased. With his mood lifted, the smiles on his face multiplied. So when he saw Hu Fei, Zhang Guoji beamed like the sun itself.

Zhang Guoji was very satisfied with Hu Fei's conduct. These past few days, no matter what the matter was, Hu Fei had come to him for guidance, and everything Zhang Guoji said, Hu Fei agreed with completely.

It could be said that Hu Fei now followed none other than his own lead, the State Father-in-Law. Where could one find such a good subordinate?

His judgment had been right—his skill in employing people was truly superb.

Reaching out to take the contract documents Hu Fei offered, Zhang Guoji flipped through them quickly.

In truth, he couldn't understand them all that well, because these contracts were written very complexly. But he could hardly say, "I can't understand this—why don't you explain it to me?"

That was absolutely out of the question.

So Zhang Guoji looked up at Hu Fei and said with a smile: "I still have some other matters to attend to. Just leave these here for now—I'll look at them when I have the time."

Hu Fei hastily replied: "This humble official was too presumptuous. Your Excellency manages the Imperial Household Department with so many matters above and below—you can't always be looking after this subordinate's affairs. Your Excellency's kindness toward me, I know it well in my heart. Rest assured, Your Excellency—I will give my utmost effort."

"Good, good—that's for the best." Zhang Guoji said with a smile.

"Aside from these matters, this subordinate has one more thing he wishes to consult the State Father-in-Law about." Hu Fei spoke up again.

"What else is there? Speak!" Zhang Guoji leaned back and said: "Anything at all—so long as I can resolve it, I certainly won't put it off. After all, this is our Imperial Household Department's business."

"This subordinate thanks the State Father-in-Law." Hu Fei quickly clasped his hands and said: "Actually, it's nothing major. The merchants we recruited this time were all selected based on the palace's previous expenditures, but there are many things not covered on that list."

"After this matter came to light, quite a few merchants came knocking on our door. They said that since they too were serving Your Majesty loyally, they shouldn't be excluded—they wanted to join as well."

Hearing Hu Fei's words, Zhang Guoji was momentarily stunned.

These people really were rushing to hand over their money. But there was nothing to be done about it—who could blame them, when the benefits here were so plentiful?

Yet this raised a question: things the palace had never used before—did they need to be added to the palace's inventory now?

If it were a normal purchase to stock up on supplies, that would be no big deal. But this time was different—these merchants' motives for coming were far from pure.

They were here for that royal insignia title. So whether to permit them was the question.

Permitting them could be justified—after all, they showed sincere loyalty. Besides, things the palace didn't have—sending some in wouldn't hurt.

But refusing them could also be justified, because these people were suspect of seeking advantage through trickery—this was bribing the palace with silver. So it couldn't be agreed to.

Hu Fei didn't dare decide on his own, so he had come directly to consult Zhang Guoji.

Glancing at Hu Fei, Zhang Guoji looked up, set down the booklet in his hand, and said slowly: "What do you think should be done about this matter?"

"In reply to the State Father-in-Law, this subordinate believes this move is inadvisable." Hu Fei quickly said: "The Imperial Household Department has just been established, and many matters have yet to be sorted out. One could say everything is a tangled mess—and the Audit Bureau even more so. If we rashly add so many people, it would be very easy for chaos to break out."

"So this subordinate believes that the current group is just fine and easier to manage. If we need more later, or want to let them in, we can do it then—there's no need to bring them in now."

Zhang Guoji stroked his beard and nodded lightly.

He felt Hu Fei's words made excellent sense, so he declared in a clear voice: "Then let's handle this matter the way you suggested. I'm leaving it to you—no problems with that, right?"

Hu Fei hastily clasped his hands and said: "Rest assured, State Father-in-Law—there will be no mistakes whatsoever."

Then he bowed and said: "If there is nothing else, this subordinate will take his leave."

Zhang Guoji nodded and watched Hu Fei leave.

He now found Hu Fei more and more impressive—sensible, knowing when to advance and when to retreat, capable in handling affairs. He was a fine subordinate indeed.