Chapter 315: Duke of Ding Xu Xiqiu Comes Calling

As for why Lu Xiangsheng and Wen Zhenmeng were added to the Staff Office, the reason was also simple—Lu Xiangsheng's abilities were plain to see; not sending him to the Staff Office would have been the real waste.

As for Wen Zhenmeng, Zhu Youxiao wanted to use him as an example, to tell the civil officials and scholars of the realm: the Staff Office is your place too, not just for hereditary nobles and imperial in-laws. In this way, he could lower their defensive mentality and also split them apart.

After all, this was clearly weakening the power of the Grand Secretariat. Under such circumstances, it was best not to make things too tense—one had to learn to pull in some while striking at others, so Zhu Youxiao chose Wen Zhenmeng.

As for the remaining two, Song Yingsheng and Zhang Yu, it was naturally more appropriate for them to follow the traditional civil official path in the Hanlin Academy.

Of course, the Staff Office would still select a few more people, but those people were not worth Zhu Youxiao meeting in person.

According to the Staff Office's official structure, the lowest rank was Staff Office Clerk; next was Staff Office Attendant; above that were the Staff Office Grand Ministers—these Grand Ministers were the ones with real power.

Zhu Youxiao was still considering whether to establish a position of Chief Staff Minister, or perhaps call it Chief of Staff. He hadn't yet decided which of these two names to use, or even whether to establish the position at all.

As for what the Staff Office did, Lu Xiangsheng and Wen Zhenmeng naturally could not have been unaware. After all, the capital had been buzzing with talk about it for some time; even if they hadn't seen it themselves, they had heard of it then—they just never imagined they would one day enter this office themselves.

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's arrangement, Lu Xiangsheng quickly stepped forward and said, "Your servant accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your grace."

For Lu Xiangsheng, the Staff Office really was a rather suitable office for him, because it was a newly established office and also a place that students of the Imperial Academy like them rather aspired to.

After all, the Staff Office managed both civil officials and military generals. Someone like Lu Xiangsheng, who excelled at both letters and arms, would naturally want to join.

Besides Lu Xiangsheng, Cao Wenzhao and Wu Xiang would also be joining the Staff Office this time—one could say they were the fresh blood of the Staff Office.

Hearing Lu Xiangsheng speak, Wen Zhenmeng also quickly said, "Your servant accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty for your grace."

Zhu Youxiao smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to Song Yingsheng and Zhang Yu, saying with a smile, "As for you two, enter the Hanlin Academy."

"You four are the top four selected in this year's imperial examinations, and also the first talents selected through the examinations since I ascended the throne. I think very highly of you, so work hard and do not disappoint me."

Upon hearing these words, Lu Xiangsheng and the other three quickly bowed and said, "Your servants accept the decree—we shall exert ourselves to the utmost!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, go back and prepare. I will be keeping an eye on you at all times."

"Your servants take their leave." Hearing this, the four bowed in salute, then obediently withdrew.

After the four had left, Zhu Youxiao stood up, a smile on his face.

Seeing these people, Zhu Youxiao finally felt a weight lift from his heart.

The Great Ming had successors after all—these people were all talents. As long as he could use them well, the Ming still had hope.

Over the following days, Zhu Youxiao personally oversaw the establishment of the Staff Office.

The Staff Office established a total of four Staff Grand Ministers. Besides Duke of Ying Zhang Weixian, there was also Duke of Cheng Zhu Chunchen.

Of the three dukes in the capital of the Great Ming, only the Duke of Ding was excluded—this inevitably made people ponder deeply.

That the Duke of Ying could obtain the position of Staff Grand Minister surprised no one, because the Duke of Ying held a relatively high status and had also rendered meritorious service to the court.

Moreover, the Duke of Ying had participated in the planning of the Staff Office. Under such circumstances, it was only natural that the Duke of Ying would join the Staff Office.

As for Duke of Cheng Zhu Chunchen, the reason was much simpler. The estate land taxation he had pushed for some days ago had deeply pleased His Majesty. Although his abilities were mediocre, he certainly knew how to flatter well, so his receiving important appointment this time was hardly surprising.

Originally everyone had assumed the Duke of Ding would also be selected—after all, with the Duke of Ding's prestige and seniority, obtaining such a position should not have been a problem. But what no one expected was that the Duke of Ding was not on the list at all.

This was tantamount to slapping the Duke of Ding in the face, while also telling all the hereditary nobles and imperial in-laws: the days of not rendering meritorious service and resting on one's laurels were gone for good.

Apart from the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Cheng, not a single other person from the hereditary nobles or imperial in-laws was selected for the Staff Office.

On the civil official side, the one who entered the Staff Office was Yuan Keli. He had rendered merit in suppressing the rebellion in the southwest, and now that he had returned, he happened to enter the Staff Office.

Besides Yuan Keli, there was one other person whose selection surprised everyone. That person was Vice Minister of Revenue Li Zhizao, who also became a Staff Grand Minister of the Staff Office.

Besides these people, Sun Chuanting also entered the Staff Office, likewise serving as a Staff Grand Minister.

These five Staff Grand Ministers left people somewhat baffled—or rather, unable to figure out what the selection criteria were. Among them, Yuan Keli and Sun Chuanting could perhaps be understood; both were men who had just returned from victorious campaigns.

Sun Chuanting in particular was a figure from His Majesty's inner circle. This time in the southwest, not only had he not disgraced His Majesty, he had instead won resounding glory. One could say he was a remarkable man—though young in years, he had everything that mattered.

Beyond that, the Duke of Ying and the Duke of Cheng were more or less understandable as well. After all, both were hereditary nobles who had rendered merit to the court, so they did not raise any eyebrows.

But what was the deal with this Li Zhizao?

For a moment, people simply could not figure it out.

Besides this, His Majesty also selected twenty newly minted jinshi and recruited another twenty from the Hanlin Academy, all of whom were assigned to the Staff Office. The entire framework of the Staff Office was thus assembled.

At the same time, the Staff Office also established a separate sub-office called the Military Justice Department.

Although this Military Justice Department was nominally under the Staff Office, only Chen Sihai of the Military Justice Department could manage it—no one else could even inquire into it. And because of this, Chen Sihai became the Staff Officer of the Military Justice Department.

Of course, there were also unexpected developments, such as Qi Jin.

Originally everyone had assumed that Qi Jin would certainly enter the Staff Office this time—at the very least he would be a candidate for Staff Grand Minister, and might even rank quite high.

But the result surprised everyone: Qi Jin's name was not on the Staff Office roster. However, this confusion did not last long. Everyone here was a veteran of officialdom; with just a little thought, they understood the reason behind it.

Look at the current members of the Staff Office—although each appeared powerful and high-ranking, none of them actually held real military command. In plain terms, they looked very powerful, but in reality they had no troops in hand.

Qi Jin was different—Qi Jin genuinely had men under his command. The fact that His Majesty did not let Qi Jin enter the Staff Office was naturally because of this.

Those who led troops as generals could not enter the Staff Office; those who entered the Staff Office had to give up their military command.

Under such circumstances, it was naturally inappropriate for Qi Jin to join the Staff Office. This involved the issue of troop command authority versus troop deployment authority.

However, the ministers at court were all too familiar with this principle, so with a little thought, they understood.

And so the matter of the Staff Office was settled. After such long planning, everything had finally come to rest.

After the Staff Office was established, the first task was to audit the Five Chief Military Commissions, sorting out the entire institution from top to bottom and taking back a portion of their power, thereby achieving the goal of delegation.

Another function was to communicate with the Six Ministries. One should know that the Staff Office held equal status with the Grand Secretariat and could directly issue correspondence to the Six Ministries.

This was the check-and-balance measure Zhu Youxiao had left in place, also used to weaken the Grand Secretariat's power. However, this effect would have to develop gradually—it could not yet be seen for the time being.

But Zhu Youxiao had no mind to spare for this at the moment; the Staff Office could develop slowly.

One should know that for a newly established office, if you just let it loose, it would be like a hungry wolf—it would roam everywhere seeking prey and swallow everything in one gulp.

The Staff Office was exactly such an office; ever since its establishment, it carried with it the appetite for power.

Moreover, none of the people in the Staff Office were easy to deal with. Apart from Duke of Cheng Zhu Chunchen, not one was easy to handle. So Zhu Youxiao had no worries.

What Zhu Youxiao needed to plan next was the trip to Shandong.

The Duke of Ying's mansion.

Duke of Ying Zhang Weixian sat in a chair drinking tea, but the expression on his face was not very pleasant.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Weixian set down his teacup, raised his head, and looked at the young man before him, asking: "He still hasn't left?"

The young man sat in the chair, holding a handkerchief in his hand, gently wiping his mouth as he said: "Once someone's come in, how easy is it to leave? He's still out there waiting."

As he spoke, the young man raised his head and glanced at Zhang Weixian, saying: "Father, wouldn't it be better to just see him? After all, he's a Duke, just like our family. It wouldn't look good to keep him waiting like this."

Hearing his son Zhang Zhiji's words, Zhang Weixian let out a sigh and said with a bitter smile: "And what would come of seeing him?"

"It's been this long — you know well enough what His Majesty is like. What could I do even after seeing him? What advice could I possibly give him? The road ahead is his own to walk."

Zhang Zhiji thought for a moment, then said: "Perhaps he has some ideas he wants to ask you about, Father. Even if you don't wish to entertain him, we must still preserve the dignity of the nobility. If word of this gets out, I fear it would damage our family's reputation."

Zhang Weixian looked at Zhang Zhiji, a playful smile suddenly appearing on his face. He then chuckled and said: "You may be young, but your intellect has always been sharp. Over the years, your health has been poor, and someone once examined you and said your mind was too profound, weighing down your body. I don't believe you can't see through this. Go on, tell me — what are you really thinking?"

"What Father worries about is nothing more than incurring His Majesty's suspicion," Zhang Zhiji said after thinking it over. "His Majesty has no use for the Duke of Ding right now, and if Father were to help the Duke of Ding, it would seem like an act of favor-granting."

Zhang Weixian glanced at his son and nodded, saying: "Since you know this as well, why do you still urge me to see him?"

Having navigated officialdom for so many years, there was one thing Zhang Weixian understood very clearly: when it was time to step forward, one must step forward; when it was not time to step forward, one absolutely must not.

His current situation was one where he should not step forward. Living out the days ahead in peace and stability was what truly mattered.

After all, he had recently been involved in establishing the Staff Office, and now he had become a Staff Minister — his standing had naturally risen with the tide.

At a time like this, he should guard against arrogance and impatience, and must not be overly ostentatious or domineering. And acts of favor-granting — those especially could not be done.

Buying people's loyalty — what do you intend to do?

Especially when the person His Majesty wants to discipline — if you go and show him favor, are you tired of living?

In Zhang Weixian's view, His Majesty was not a magnanimous man. If he offended His Majesty over this matter, that would truly be a loss that outweighed any gain.

The Duke of Ding was a fool too — coming to his house at a time like this and refusing to leave. Wasn't he just asking for trouble?

Zhang Zhiji smiled and said: "The man has already arrived; driving him away is impossible. Even if Father refuses to see him, outsiders won't say Father truly didn't meet him. Instead, they'll say Father is being deliberately mysterious, or even that Father is crossing the river by a hidden channel, harboring ulterior motives."

"So your son believes that since the man has come, Father might as well see him. Not only see him, but see him openly and grandly — see him with a clear conscience, see him in a way that everyone can witness."

"As for whether to give him advice, that is Father's own affair. Besides, in serving the court loyally and doing things for His Majesty, I imagine the Duke of Ding has his own thoughts on the matter as well."

Turning to look at his son, Zhang Weixian gazed at his pale face, a flicker of heartache passing over his own features. He then sighed and said: "Great wisdom in youth wears down both heart and body. Your poor health is mostly because of this. I've told you time and again — don't always be thinking about these things."

Zhang Zhiji paid it no mind; his father had been saying these things for years.

He raised his head and looked at his father, asking: "So, will you see the Duke of Ding or not?"

"With you putting it that way, how could I not?" Zhang Weixian said with a hint of exasperation. "Have someone go announce it and bring him in!"

"Very well." Zhang Zhiji nodded and turned to walk out.

Before long, Zhang Zhiji returned from outside, leading in a middle-aged man.

This man was none other than Xu Xi, the current Duke of Ding.

Upon seeing Zhang Weixian, Xu Xi hastily clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings to the Duke of Ying." The smile on his face was exceptionally radiant.

Zhang Weixian, however, remained unmoved. He simply waved his hand and said: "Enough, let's dispense with that. Have a seat. Drink some tea. This is newly arrived tea leaves — tribute goods from Jiangnan. A fine thing — have a taste."

"Very good, very good." Xu Xi quickly agreed, smiling as he sat down.

After picking up the teacup and taking a sip, Xu Xi smiled and said: "Truly fine tea leaves indeed. The Duke has excellent taste!"

"Let me tell you — this tea, from the selection of the leaves to the steeping time, even the choice of water and the fire used to boil it — there's great refinement in all of it."

Zhang Weixian spoke at length with a look of great interest.