Chapter 234: Mei Zhihuan Rehabilitates Zhang Juzheng

For Han Kuang, this was hardly good news, and in his heart he did not want things to develop this way either.

Ever since he had come to know Zhang Yu, virtually nothing Zhang Yu did had been wrong, and everything he had predicted had proven correct. This was not a good thing for Han Kuang.

Because for Han Kuang, to a certain extent he still wanted to make use of Zhang Yu, but he did not want to raise Zhang Yu's standing.

If Zhang Yu could make just one mistake, then in the future when he spoke he would show Han Kuang more respect. But as things stood now, Zhang Yu was right once again, so Han Kuang's expression was not very pleasant.

Now everyone was impeaching the Grand Secretariat, claiming it was monopolizing power.

If one followed proper convention, at a time like this the Grand Secretariat should submit a memorial declining the matter and deny it outright.

But how could one prove that the Grand Secretariat had no such intentions?

The only way was to push the matter away.

So, push it onto Wei Zhongxian?

Clearly that was not something the Grand Secretariat wanted or was willing to do; clearly that was not what they wished to see.

So after Han Kuang spoke, the expressions of the other three also turned unpleasant.

Sun Chengzong looked up and said, "We cannot retreat. Once we retreat, there is no turning back. Give up one step today, and tomorrow they will make you give up another. Eventually there will come a day when you have no ground left to retreat to."

"What do we do when that day comes?"

"Surrender to Wei Zhongxian?"

"Hand this country over to Wei Zhongxian?"

"Or do we kneel before him in groveling submission?"

Hearing Sun Chengzong put it so forcefully, Han Kuang and the others' faces immediately darkened.

Xu Guangqi said slowly, "Indeed, we cannot retreat, but at this point we must also consider His Majesty's thoughts and take His Majesty's feelings into account. We cannot let His Majesty come to suspect us, can we?"

"If that happens, the one who benefits will still be Wei Zhongxian." As he spoke, Xu Guangqi's gaze turned toward Han Kuang and the others.

Seeing them nod at him, clearly agreeing with his view, Xu Guangqi continued, "So we must find another way to handle this matter."

"Since Wei Zhongxian does not want the Grand Secretariat to handle this matter, then the Grand Secretariat will not handle it. For us, as long as we do not hand this matter to Wei Zhongxian, things become much easier. There are many government offices that can handle this matter — the Office of Transmission, for example."

Hearing Xu Guangqi's words, Han Kuang and the others were all slightly taken aback.

No one had expected Xu Guangqi to bring up the Office of Transmission.

As Grand Secretaries, they were naturally more than familiar with the Office of Transmission. But as the Grand Secretariat's power had gradually strengthened, the Office of Transmission's authority had long since declined day by day.

The normal duties of the Office of Transmission should be to manage the issuance of imperial decrees, convey conditions from below, verify and seal official documents, and report on matters submitted by officials and commoners throughout the realm — including recommendations, grievances and appeals, military intelligence, and natural disasters.

Once upon a time, the Office of Transmission's power had indeed been very great, but now it had been largely carved up between the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Grand Secretariat. For Xu Guangqi to bring up the Office of Transmission at this moment made things seem somewhat peculiar.

If the matter of secret memorials were handed to the Office of Transmission, then clearly its power would expand once again.

Seeing the deep hesitation on the faces of Han Kuang and the others, Xu Guangqi said unhurriedly, "You all should know the situation with the Office of Transmission — I need not elaborate. Handing it to the Office of Transmission is still better than handing it to Wei Zhongxian."

Hearing Xu Guangqi's words, everyone nodded.

The logic was sound — handing it to the Office of Transmission was indeed better than handing it to the Eastern Depot. But there was one problem: letting a duck already in one's mouth fly away was bound to leave a bitter feeling in the heart.

At this point, Huang Kezuan nodded and said, "I think what Grand Secretary Xu said makes sense."

"The task now is to settle this matter. Our opposition might produce the opposite effect. If we want to bring it into the Grand Secretariat, the current situation shows that cannot be done, so we can only settle for the next best option."

Huang Kezuan said in a very firm tone, "Handing it to the Office of Transmission is the best choice. This authority originally belonged to the Office of Transmission, so returning it to them is hardly improper — at least it stands on solid ground morally and theoretically."

"As for what the Office of Transmission can accomplish with this matter, I see no reason to worry." Having said this, Huang Kezuan laughed to himself and continued slowly, "After all, the Office of Transmission is also one of the Six Ministries and Nine Chief Offices."

Though the meaning of these words was expressed lightly, the implication contained within was understood by Han Kuang and the others.

The Office of Transmission being one of the Six Ministries and Nine Chief Offices meant, plainly put, that they were also one of their own — of course, that was only the first layer of meaning.

The second layer of meaning was that since they were civil officials, part of the Six Ministries and Nine Chief Offices, then the appointment and dismissal of officials was decided by the Ministry of Personnel — which is to say, decided by the Grand Secretariat.

The third layer of meaning was that at an opportune moment, they could replace the personnel with their own people.

If that did not work, they could bring the Office of Transmission into the Grand Secretariat, and then naturally they would be their own people. Once they were their own people, there was nothing more to say — just take it over and use it directly.

Han Kuang and the others glanced at Huang Kezuan, their expressions easing considerably.

"I think this matter is feasible."

Han Kuang was the first to speak up. His face was calm, but in his heart he was already extremely excited.

Because Han Kuang had thought of something — something he had never imagined would prove useful.

That was the fact that he had people in the Office of Transmission. The Right Transmission Officer of the Office of Transmission was Feng Congwu — thoroughly one of his own men.

Once the matter of secret memorials was handed to the Office of Transmission, he would be able to have his say there — even more so than in the Grand Secretariat. So Han Kuang immediately voiced his agreement.

Han Kuang was quick to react, and the others were naturally not slow either.

Since they were considering the Office of Transmission, what instantly came to mind was naturally the people in the Office of Transmission, and Feng Congwu immediately entered their sights.

The relationship between Han Kuang and Feng Congwu was hardly a secret, so everyone thought of him at once.

"I think it's suitable." Shooting a deep glance at Han Kuang, Sun Chengzong was the first to voice his approval.

He also had Minister of Personnel Zhou Jiamo as an ally — once things got underway, he would have matters to attend to.

The officials throughout the Office of Transmission could be adjusted through the Ministry of Personnel. This matter itself had been proposed by Huang Kezuan, so he naturally had his own ideas as well.

Once this matter took shape, if someone lodged an accusation, someone would need to investigate — which would certainly involve the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate. He could take this opportunity to expand his own power.

Xu Guangqi looked at the three of them, knowing full well that each had his own schemes, but he was not worried — what he relied upon was not this.

As for the possibility of mutual impeachments breaking out among officials, Xu Guangqi was not very concerned either. He himself had the fewest people to begin with, and besides, he did not consider this a bad thing.

What had the officialdom and governance of the Great Ming become by now?

Back when Xu Guangqi was drilling troops, he had been harassed by his superiors more than once. If the secret memorial system had existed back then, he would have submitted a secret memorial impeaching his superiors long ago.

The four men, each harboring different thoughts, settled the matter just like that.

"I'll go write the routine memorial, and then we'll sign it jointly." Han Kuang nodded and said.

Originally it need not have come to this, but now that the Grand Secretariat was being impeached, a routine memorial of explanation had to be written after all; the several Grand Secretaries would also need to sign jointly, to express the Grand Secretariat's stance.

So they might as well write the Grand Secretariat's stance into this routine memorial — that too was only fitting.

The other three had no objections either — after all, they had just reached a consensus — so they all nodded in turn, expressing agreement with Han Kuang's proposal.

After Han Kuang finished writing the routine memorial, he handed it to Sun Chengzong and the other two to look over.

All three expressed that they had no issues with it, and there was nothing to criticize about Han Kuang's prose or his composition.

After all, Han Kuang had been in the Grand Secretariat for so many years; writing an official document was naturally no problem for him.

So the three appended their names to it, and the routine memorial was sent directly into the palace.

After passing through several hands, the routine memorial landed in Zhu Youxiao's possession.

The moment he received this routine memorial, Zhu Youxiao picked it up and read it.

After reading the routine memorial, Zhu Youxiao gave a light smile, then set it aside.

This counted as a good thing, after all — it was proceeding according to his plan, and it truly hadn't disappointed him.

Casually handing the routine memorial to Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao said, "Spread the news as quickly as possible. Oh, and say that we're following the Grand Secretariat's recommendation — send it to the Directorate of Ceremonial for red endorsement."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong quickly acknowledged, then left holding the routine memorial in both hands.

The matter concluded satisfactorily according to Zhu Youxiao's plan.

Of course, it might also be just the beginning. So Zhu Youxiao needed to choose a suitable person to take over.

Just as Zhu Youxiao was pondering this, Chen Hong returned from outside.

He was holding a routine memorial in his hands, and came straight to Zhu Youxiao's presence, saying, "Your Majesty, here is a routine memorial submitted by Mei Zhihuan, Junior Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Zhu Youxiao was slightly taken aback.

Mei Zhihuan — that name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it. At this moment, Chen Hong delivering this routine memorial to him clearly had some other purpose.

Zhu Youxiao reached out and took the routine memorial, flipping through it, and sure enough, he discovered something interesting.

Mei Zhihuan's routine memorial didn't write about much — it only covered one matter, and that was seeking posthumous rehabilitation for Zhang Juzheng.

Submitting such a routine memorial at this time — this Mei Zhihuan was somewhat interesting.

Zhu Youxiao hurriedly read on.

In this routine memorial, Mei Zhihuan wrote:

"In our nation today, the people are poor, the treasury is depleted, bandits run rampant, and the military is weak.

Censorial officials do not discuss matters of state but instead engage in factional strife; officials abandon their proper duties and issue hollow pronouncements. All affairs of state are bound up by empty rhetoric.

When someone attempts to carry out reforms, they are either called meddlesome or subjected to excessive demands. Reform fails and slander follows; justice goes unvindicated while enemies pile up.

Heroes lose heart, mediocrities gain power, and the affairs of state can no longer be carried forward."

Mei Zhihuan had raised the problems. At the end of the routine memorial, he also provided solutions.

This was a very interesting official, and what he said did indeed strike at the vital point — this was exactly what the Great Ming looked like now.

Only by strictly evaluating officials and demanding they seek truth from facts; by clearing the channels of remonstrance to strengthen organizational discipline; by distinguishing praise from blame to cherish talent — only then could the nation have hope.

At the end of the routine memorial, Mei Zhihuan also covertly offered support for the secret memorial system.

The reason Mei Zhihuan didn't come out openly and directly was simple.

This secret memorial system had been proposed by the eunuch faction; before the Grand Secretariat took a stance, a minor official like him had better not express an opinion.

He had ideas and convictions, he had methods for getting things done, and he knew when to advance and when to retreat — this official could be used!

In Mei Zhihuan's routine memorial, there was one line that made Zhu Youxiao laugh.

He wrote in the memorial: "Those who attach themselves to petty men are certainly petty men; those who attach themselves to gentlemen are not necessarily gentlemen. A fly clinging to a horse's back, even after traveling a thousand li, is still a fly."

At the very end, Mei Zhihuan brought up Zhang Juzheng: "If today there were someone like Zhang Juzheng who examined names against realities and rectified the rules of governance, would those shameless villains who slander and frame others still dare to be so brazen?"

Zhu Youxiao smiled and set down the routine memorial in his hands, feeling that what he had been doing was having some effect.

During this period, he had been projecting an attitude to the outside world — that he needed people who dared to do things, people who dared to change, and had no use for those who spoke empty words and fired empty cannons.

Whether it was appointing Xu Guangqi, or allowing Huang Kezuan to raise the matter of Xunzi.

The process of these matters wasn't important; what was important was showing that he could accept different outcomes and accept different opinions.

Though those who hated him hated him to death, many others saw this as an opportunity.

The court must not be like a stagnant pool of water — they had to be made able to move, daring to move, and knowing how to move.

Clearly, Mei Zhihuan was someone stirred into action by this attitude.

He attacked the current officialdom, hoping to change it through the supervisory system; he supported the secret memorial system, and he revered Zhang Juzheng.

He did not naively believe that a gentleman was simply a gentleman, able to stand firm in righteousness.

This — this was the kind of official he needed.

Glancing at Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao said, "Go look into this Mei Zhihuan for me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." After acknowledging, Chen Hong turned and walked out.

Gently rising to his feet and stretching his limbs, Zhu Youxiao let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed he had found the person he wanted to use — if he was suitable, he could send him over as well.

Compared to Feng Congwu, he preferred Mei Zhihuan.

Feng Congwu was Han Kuang's man, and he currently managed the Imperial Academy. If he were allowed to stick his hand into the secret memorial system, then his power would become somewhat too great — that would not be a good thing.

Moreover, Feng Congwu wasn't that resolute; compared to Mei Zhihuan, he lacked something.

And what Feng Congwu lacked was precisely what Zhu Youxiao valued.

If the timing was right, Zhu Youxiao would be willing to promote Mei Zhihuan.

Before long, Chen Hong returned.

Searching for the materials hadn't taken too long. Of course, these were only ordinary materials, not secret things — some of them were even just files from the Ministry of Personnel.

Taking the files from Chen Hong's hands, Zhu Youxiao quickly began reading.

Mei Zhihuan — passed the jinshi examination in the thirty-second year of Wanli, and was appointed Hanlin Bachelor.

Seven years later, he was appointed Supervising Secretary of the Office of Scrutiny for Personnel, served as Vice Commissioner of Guangdong, and then as Education Commissioner of Shandong.

This man had experience serving in local posts, and his performance evaluations were all of the highest grade—he was indeed the kind of official Zhu Youxiao favored.