Chapter 102: Wang Zuan's Ambition

After Wang Zuan poured out his true feelings, he poured himself another cup of clear wine, bowed toward the direction of the capital, and said, "Without the support of the Grand Secretary, there would be no glory for me, Wang Zuan, today. I will remember the Grand Secretary's kindness for the rest of my life."

Having said this, he tilted his head back and drained the wine completely.

Zhang Yunxiu watched Wang Zuan's performance without interrupting, merely echoing, "As River Patrol Censor, Uncle is clear in rewards and punishments, your proposals are sound, you repay the Emperor's grace above, and soothe the common people below. Your nephew admires you greatly."

"This is all thanks to the Grand Secretary's keen eye for talent." Wang Zuan smiled, still not forgetting to flatter Zhang Juzheng.

Hiss. Zhang Yunxiu had previously received favors from him, so he didn't think much of it, but Zhang Jingxiu, who was to the side, felt goosebumps upon hearing this.

He had not expected that Wang Zuan, a regional lord, could utter such sycophantic words.

These words sounded like nothing to others, but to Zhang Jingxiu's ears, they were extremely grating.

Although he was the eldest son of the Grand Secretary and had been selected as a Bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, he did not seem particularly keen on power.

He currently served as a Director in the Ministry of Rites, a sixth-rank official.

The status of sixth-rank officials in the capital varied; the high-ranking ones included Directors in the Bureau of Appointments or the Bureau of Evaluations within the Ministry of Personnel.

The former managed the promotions of civil officials throughout the empire, while the latter managed the performance reviews of civil officials throughout the empire.

Though their rank was low, their power was great; even a third-rank Administration Commissioner would have to put on a smiling face like a Maitreya Buddha upon meeting them.

Next were the Bureau of Appointments and the Bureau of Armaments in the Ministry of War.

The Vice Ministers and Ministers only managed the promotions of Commanders, Regional Vice Commanders, and even Assistant Regional Commanders.

As for other military officers, everything was left to the Directors of the Bureau of Appointments, which made that bureau the most lucrative position in the Ministry of War.

The Bureau of Armaments, as the name suggests, managed the mobilization of military supplies for the entire empire and was also a critical department.

The remaining Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Works each had their own sources of profit.

Yet this Ministry of Rites had pitifully little profit.

Moreover, the matters they were responsible for mostly involved facing the Emperor directly; if one did well, there wasn't necessarily a reward.

If one did poorly and angered the Emperor, then one could just wait to be punished.

Zhang Jingxiu had a gentle temperament and no interest in the schemes of the officialdom, so he had proactively requested to go to the Ministry of Rites.

Reading books and drinking tea every day, embracing his wife in his leisure time, admiring spring flowers in spring, listening to the green lotus in summer, chanting to the bright moon in autumn, and watching the proud plum blossoms in winter.

As spring departed and autumn arrived, living in mutual support with his beautiful wife at home, he lived quite comfortably.

Hearing the two speak like this, he smiled and shook his head, excused himself by saying he could not hold his liquor, and stood up to leave.

Wang Zuan ordered someone to see him off. Once Zhang Jingxiu walked out of the dining hall, Wang Zuan sighed, "The eldest young master is as gentle as jade, strict and self-disciplined; he truly has the demeanor of a gentleman of old."

"It is just a pity he was born into the wrong family." Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and sighed deeply: "Having power in one's hands and not using it is one thing, but not having power is another. Born into a family of a Grand Secretary, he has plenty of opportunities to do things for the country, yet he chooses to act like those 'pure' officials and hold himself aloof."

"Indeed, to get things done, one must have power in one's hands." Wang Zuan nodded.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "I believe there are three types of officials in this world. One is like the eldest young master: neither greedy nor grasping, and when encountering unjust matters, he can rely on his hot-bloodedness to argue his case. But sometimes he is too pedantic, doesn't understand how to be flexible, and most are just old scholars who only know how to recite textbooks."

"The other type is the corrupt official; they are servile to their superiors to seek promotion and cold-faced to their subordinates to show off their power. Such officials are great pests, and I have hated and loathed them all my life."

Speaking of this, Wang Zuan was so angry his teeth itched.

Zhang Yunxiu became interested and urged him to continue. Wang Zuan smiled, picked up his wine cup to moisten his throat, and continued: "As for the third type of official, they are the 'pragmatic officials'."

"What is a pragmatic official?" Zhang Yunxiu asked.

"One who has vision in his chest, a firm will, is resourceful and adaptable, governs a region, makes sound proposals, enters the capital to serve, and has no regrets toward the Emperor and his father. Above, he can repay the Emperor and his father; below, he can pacify the common people. This is a pragmatic official."

"To be a corrupt official, one must be cunning; to be a truly great official, one must be even more cunning than the corrupt ones!"

Wang Zuan's words seemed as if they had been rehearsed; now that he spoke them, the phrasing was clear and had a deafening, awakening effect.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Zhang Yunxiu stood up and clapped his hands heavily, his slightly youthful face already flushed with red. He smiled and exclaimed, "Uncle has long been in the officialdom, your words are sharp; you have truly hit the nail on the head."

"A few days ago, I met Wei Ming, the Magistrate of Huating, who had similar high-minded views. To be an official, one only seeks to have no regrets in one's heart; if one can ensure the peace of the people under one's rule, that is a good official."

This is like using an old scholar who knows nothing of military affairs to go and suppress a rebellion.

He is incorruptible and doesn't embezzle a single cent, but he fails to suppress the bandits, instead causing greater damage than embezzlement would have.

Another person might be a corrupt official, but he has ability; he might pocket half of the one million in military funds, but he can use the remaining money to quell the rebellion.

Comparing the two, the latter is clearly more like a good official.

In this day and age, if you don't have rice in your hands, you can't even gather the chickens.

Wang Zuan, receiving affirmation, smiled even more broadly. He stood up, personally poured a cup of wine for Zhang Yunxiu, and then smiled mysteriously: "Nephew, my four-year term of assessment is about to be completed."

"Although this position is good, I must also step down."

Zhang Yunxiu smiled knowingly, took the wine cup from his hand, and comforted him: "Uncle, rest assured. Based on your ability and talent, this assessment will surely be top-tier. When you return to the capital, you will certainly be given an important role."

As soon as these words were spoken, two streams of white air puffed from Wang Zuan's nose, and his eyes shone brightly.

Although the River Patrol Censor is a prestigious position, its rank is not high. According to custom, he should be promoted to a third-rank official, but there are only so many third-rank positions in the capital.

These include the secondary officials of the Six Ministries and the Censorate, namely the Vice Ministers and Vice Censors-in-Chief. Or the chief officials of the Office of Transmission and the Grand Court of Revision, which are also third-rank.

Next, there are the minor Nine Ministers: the Chancellor of the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction, the Court of Imperial Stud, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of Imperial Entertainments, the Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, and the Libationer of the Imperial Academy.

These are all third-rank officials.

Among them, the most powerful is the Chancellor of the Hanlin Academy, who is a third-rank official and the head of all literary officials in the empire.

Next is the Chancellor of the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction, also a third-rank official, whose main duty is to teach and assist the Crown Prince.

With a new Emperor ascending the throne, the Crown Prince's teacher will naturally be given an important role.

But now, the Emperor only has a son who is still nursing, so the Supervisorate of Imperial Instruction has become an idle office.

The Libationer of the Imperial Academy is a junior third-rank official, in charge of all the scholars in the Imperial Academy.

It is a clean and noble position, but unfortunately, teaching and nurturing talent is not something he can do.

As for the Court of Imperial Stud, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Court of Imperial Entertainments, although they are junior third-rank, their power is not even worth mentioning compared to his position as River Patrol Censor.

They are not even as sought after as some Directors in critical departments within the Six Ministries.

After thinking it over, Wang Zuan locked his target onto the Six Ministries and the Censorate.

It would either be a Vice Minister in the Six Ministries, excluding the Ministry of Rites, or a Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. If that fails, even a position as a fourth-rank Assistant Censor-in-Chief would do.

As long as he returned to the capital, it meant his political career was not yet over.

After thinking this through, Wang Zuan spoke much more steadily: "My dear nephew, although my performance review is top-tier, if I want to advance further, I will need some assistance."

"What kind of assistance?" Zhang Yunxiu asked with a smile.

"If the Grand Secretary wants me to be this Vice Minister, I can be one; if he does not want me to be one, I cannot," Wang Zuan stated directly.

"Uncle, in the six offices here in the capital, the Vice Minister positions are all filled, one person to a seat," Zhang Yunxiu said with a troubled look, then suddenly remembering something, he advised, "In my opinion, you could first take a post in the provinces."

"That would be an Administration Commissioner of a province; although it is not bad, it is far from Jingshi. I would not be able to see the Grand Secretary or hear the old gentleman's teachings, and I would be heartbroken every day and night," Wang Zuan said, becoming emotional again.

"No, no, no, not an Administration Commissioner of a province," Zhang Yunxiu shook his head with a smile and explained unhurriedly, "After I return, I will petition the Emperor to request that a portion of Songjiang Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture be carved out and placed directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, with the official rank of the governor also being third-rank."

"Will that work?"

Wang Zuan's face was full of disbelief.

One must know that in the Great Ming, the heads of only two places are third-rank: one is Beijing, and the other is Nanjing.

Even the Prefect of Chengtian Prefecture, the hometown where the Jiajing Emperor rose to power, and Fengyang Prefecture, the hometown where the Hongwu Emperor rose to power, are only fourth-rank.

What virtue or ability does Songjiang Prefecture have to enjoy such a special honor?

Wouldn't those officials raise a huge ruckus?

"My dear nephew, it's not that I'm being difficult, but this matter of yours is unlikely to succeed," Wang Zuan said, pouring a bucket of cold water on him.

"Human effort can achieve anything," Zhang Yunxiu said, shaking his head with a smile.

"Fine, if this matter can succeed, then I will volunteer to take the post in this Songjiang Prefecture; in the event that it doesn't..."

Wang Zuan patted his chest to promise, but suddenly changed his tone. Zhang Yunxiu interrupted with a smile: "If it doesn't succeed, then for the sake of the grain boats you gave me, I will cast aside my pride and beg my father to add a Vice Minister position for you."

No position? Then why not just add another one?

Back when Gao Gong was in power, there was a folk rhyme widely circulated in the capital.

"One ministry has five Ministers, the Three Dukes number over sixty, Vice Ministers and Imperial Censors are as numerous as the pigs on Jingshan."

It was intended to satirize Gao Gong's excessive granting of favors.

In fact, there are not necessarily only two Vice Ministers—left and right—in the Six Ministries; the titles of Governor and Viceroy are official titles in the pseudo-Qing.

But in the Great Ming, it is not a type of official title, but rather a type of action.

For example, Governor of Shandong.

If these Governors also hold an official post in the central government, their main rank is calculated according to the central post held.

A Governor acts on behalf of the Emperor to inspect the realm, so their status naturally cannot be low, and thus most Governors receive additional honorary titles.

Having taken this reassurance, Wang Zuan set his mind at ease. He beamed and praised: "That is because you have courage, my dear nephew. If I can truly stay close to the Grand Secretary this time, in the future, should you have any requests, I will be duty-bound."

"You are too kind, Uncle," Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile, and then they dispersed.

…

More than half a month later, in the morning, the carriage procession finally returned to Beijing.

It was already the end of the eleventh month; the temperature in Beijing had dropped sharply, the sky was low and dark, and a lingering sense of oppression swirled in one's heart.

As soon as Zhang Yunxiu stepped into his home, Zhang Fu rushed up in a panic and shouted: "Young Master, something big has happened!"

(End of chapter)