Chapter 90: Uneven Favor Is the Greatest Torment

Zhu Youjian shook his head and set aside, for the moment, the thought that had flashed through his mind.

Establishing an entirely new center of power, one that stood above the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial — the idea was intensely seductive.

The Zhengde Emperor had his so-called "Leopard Quarter public offices," and the Jiajing Emperor had his "Western Park duty lodges." In essence, both bypassed the ancestral institutions to restructure the authority of the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial, thereby amplifying the emperor's personal will to its utmost.

With the authority of a Great Ming emperor, so long as a matter did not overturn the ritual order too flagrantly, there was almost nothing that could not be done.

The so-called Grand Secretariat of the Great Ming was merely a truncated version of a chancellor; it could never contend on equal footing with imperial power.

But Zhu Youjian reined in that impulse.

For one, he could still manage the current workload.

With the expansion of the secret memorial system and the reorganization of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, a flood of information was certain to arrive — but that, too, would take time.

Before the tide truly submerged his desk, he still had some leeway.

More important was the matter of talent.

A fine vessel still requires a skilled artisan; a law once established still awaits worthy ministers to carry it out.

He could easily erect the framework of a new organ, but if the men he filled it with were still those bureaucrats whose minds were stuffed with old-era thinking, then what he assembled would, in essence, be nothing more than a "Grand Secretariat within the Grand Secretariat" — a magnified Directorate of Ceremonial.

Such an organ would be a far cry from the efficient, professional, modern organization he envisioned, one that could rival a later-age "general staff" or "executive secretariat."

A meal must be eaten one mouthful at a time; a road must be walked one step at a time.

He needed time — time to slowly scout, sift through, and even cultivate men who truly met his standards for getting things done.

Just then, from outside the hall came the announcing voice of a junior eunuch.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wang has arrived."

"Let him enter." Zhu Youjian's voice was calm and unruffled.

Moments later, Wang Tiqian, the Director of the Eastern Depot, entered with quick, mincing steps, fell to his knees, and performed the full prostration with the utmost deference.

"This slave Wang Tiqian kowtows before Your Majesty."

"Rise." Zhu Youjian's gaze did not lift from the memorial in his hand. He merely said, in a mild tone, "Take a seat to the side. Wait until We have finished endorsing these few memorials, and then We shall speak with you."

"This slave thanks Your Majesty."

Wang Tiqian answered with extreme care, rose from the floor, and perched half his backside on the brocade stool a palace servant had brought over.

For a moment, the only sound in the hall was the soft rustle — sha sha — of paper as Zhu Youjian turned the pages of the memorials.

The sound was not loud, yet it was like an invisible file, scraping back and forth across Wang Tiqian's heart.

He dared not raise his head to look directly upon the imperial countenance. The corner of his eye could only fix on the floor, and, not far away, the hem of the crimson robe worn by Gao Shiming, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The material of that robe was exceedingly fine, giving off a layer of soft and noble luster.

He saw the hem of that robe stir slightly, stepping forward half a pace.

Gao Shiming's voice — tinged with deference yet perfectly composed — came from above Wang Tiqian's head.

"Your Majesty, these three are the itemized proposals on palace personnel, finances, and oversight submitted by Cao Huachun, Liu Ruoyu, and Zheng Zhihui."

In Wang Tiqian's heart, a surge of tangled emotions instantly arose.

"Imperial Commissioner Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Eastern Depot" — what an awe-inspiring title that was!

In the past, it would have been enough to make the hundred officials look askance and send tremors through the court and the realm.

Yet now, he could only enter the palace when summoned by decree.

As for standing and influence before the emperor, never mind comparing with Gao Shiming, this newly risen seal-holder of the Directorate of Ceremonial — he feared he was not even the equal of those ranked eunuchs who could come and go in the imperial presence.

For a eunuch of the Great Ming, power and influence never lay in official rank or grade; they lay solely in proximity to the emperor.

A seal-holder of the Eastern Depot who could not see the emperor at any time — what power and standing was there left to speak of!

Just as his thoughts were churning, Zhu Youjian's voice sounded again from above his head.

"Companion Gao, note down Our verbal decree and send it to these three."

"After the reduction of palace eunuchs, how are the surplus personnel to be resettled? Among them, how should the old, frail, and infirm be treated differently from those in their prime and robust?"

"And how are the newly established duties of financial auditing and internal palace oversight to coordinate with personnel promotions and demotions, so as to form mutual checks?"

"Furthermore, these policy essays are far too vague — they must be made more concrete! Exactly how many men are to be dismissed, which men, in how many stages, and by what estimated date can implementation be fully in place…"

"We shall not elaborate on each point. Take the memorial Xue Guoguan submitted a few days ago concerning the reorganization of the Capital Camps, along with Our red endorsements on it, and transcribe a copy to send to the three of them. Have them redo their submissions and hand them in."

Wang Tiqian's heart sank, inch by inch.

Oversight, finances, personnel — what were these matters?

Why had no one spoken to him of such tidings?

The new sovereign had been on the throne for only a short span of days — had the men of the palace already shifted their allegiance elsewhere so quickly?

A new reign brings a new set of ministers; the shifting fortunes of favor and neglect, of warmth and cold, do not rest with the sovereign alone.

The hem of Gao Shiming's robe dipped slightly — that was him bowing to receive the decree.

"This humble subject has noted it down."

Gao Shiming's form of address made Wang Tiqian's eyelid twitch, and a surge of nameless fury instantly flared up within him.

"This humble subject"? You are nothing but a gelded wretch, and you dare call yourself "subject" before the throne?

Wei Zhongxian's bones are not yet cold — have you already forgotten the lesson of that precedent!

Fool! An utter, irredeemable fool!

Yet Gao Shiming's next words made his heart clench tight.

"Your Majesty, the two remaining here are… are the two Your Majesty previously gave special attention to."

Gao Shiming's voice paused, carrying a hint of hesitation, perfectly measured.

A burst of vicious rage shot straight to Wang Tiqian's head.

His Majesty has already bade me sit here — what matter is there that needs to be kept from me?!

He ground his teeth in fury, yet on his face he dared not reveal the slightest trace.

Silence returned to the hall, broken only by the soft rustle of Zhu Youjian turning the pages of the memorials.

A moment later, Zhu Youjian's voice sounded again, tinged with undisguised disappointment.

"These two proposals are also unacceptable."

"Guopu's strategy errs on the side of recklessness; Jingchen's errs on the side of timidity. They appear comprehensive, but in truth they remain empty discourse on paper — I see no backbone in them."

Zhu Youjian paused briefly, then suddenly turned toward Wang Tiqian.

"Tiqian."

"This slave is here!"

Wang Tiqian jolted as if shocked, instantly sliding from his brocade stool to kneel on the floor, his entire body prostrating itself.

"A few days ago, We charged you with keeping a close watch on matters within the capital. Has there been any progress?"

"In reply to Your Majesty!" Wang Tiqian's voice trembled slightly from agitation. "This slave… after receiving the decree, this slave dared not slacken day or night, and has indeed obtained some findings. This slave is willing to lay them all before Your Majesty!"

"Within the capital…"

He had barely begun when Zhu Youjian cut him off.

"That will not be necessary." Zhu Youjian's tone remained mild. "Sit and make your report. Companion Gao, help Tiqian up."

Gao Shiming stepped forward at the command, extended an arm, and made a show of supporting Wang Tiqian, his words drifting out faintly: "Eunuch Wang, rise."

Wang Tiqian used the gesture to stand, exchanging a glance with Gao Shiming.

All he saw beneath that smiling face was an abyss of bottomless indifference.

The majesty of the Son of Heaven lies not in the thunderbolt, but in the rain and dew.

Before the thunderbolt, men merely cower; it is the uneven bestowal of rain and dew that truly torments them.

A vague thought flickered through Wang Tiqian's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it. He forced an awkward laugh and carefully settled himself back onto the brocade stool.

This cannot go on!

If this grinding pressure continues, never mind power and influence — sooner or later the new sovereign will cast him aside like a worn-out shoe!

And once his power and influence are utterly gone, even if His Majesty does not kill him, there will be plenty of others who will!

— Tian Ergeng, my apologies!

(Chapter 91: Reputation as the Furnace, Greed as the Charcoal (+Bonus))