At this court meeting to discuss strategies for quelling the Japanese rebellion, Qin Dewei's policy of one year's preparation and next year's encirclement and suppression was finally approved.
On the one hand, it is because Qin Zhongtang himself is powerful and has strong supporters; on the other hand, the courtiers have a high degree of recognition of Qin Zhongtang's ability to do things.
After all, after so many years, Qin Zhongtang has done nothing less than fighting for power and profit. Others have also noticed it, and both enemies and friends recognize that Qin Zhongtang can do things.
In addition, the ministers of the Zhejiang Party, headed by Zuo Du Yushi Tu Qiao and Zhan Shi Zhang Bangqi, did not want Qin Dewei to go to Zhejiang with Shang Fangjian, but in the end their opposition was ineffective.
Even Yan Song no longer opposes it, so how much trouble can the political allies who obey Yan Song cause?
The subtlety here is that Yan Song may have indulged Qin Dewei in using Shang Fangjian in Zhejiang, so he did not respect the will of the Zhejiang party ministers this time.
Although the ministers of the Zhejiang Party were betrayed by Yan Song this time, they could not abandon Yan Song because they had no choice.
Being disliked by Qin Dewei, these ministers of the Zhejiang Party had no choice but to continue to rely on Yan Song, otherwise they would face a situation of double suppression by Qin Dewei and Yan Song.
On the other hand, Yan Song also grasped this mentality of the Zhejiang Party ministers, so he dared to regard the interests of the Zhejiang Party ministers as "sacrifice". He knew that these people could not escape.
If anyone thinks that the Zhejiang Party has the intention to betray Yan Song now, it is unlikely. We are all mature politicians and will not be so naive.
Even if you are sold, you still have to face it with a smile. This is the normal state of political subordinates. Not everyone is as defiant as Qin Dewei.
Then, as usual, the auxiliary ministers went to Ciqing Palace to report the results of the court meeting to Empress Dowager Zhang.
Empress Dowager Zhang listened to the report expressionlessly, but she seemed to be distracted and sat on the throne without saying a word.
The days of being a regent were not as good as imagined. Although I would no longer be mistreated and the days of eating chaff and sitting on straw mats were over, I still couldn't make any decisions.
To give the simplest example, none of the eunuchs and palace maids who gave themselves bran-fed vegetables have been killed so far!
As a queen mother who is nominally regent, is this too much to ask for? But it seems that everyone is stopping themselves!
There is also his own brother Zhang Yanling, who is still being imprisoned in the sky prison in the name of Hou Zhan on charges ranging from making money to murder, to conspiracy.
I mentioned it several times, but the courtiers were always talking about it, and no one took it seriously! No one thought that the brother of the Queen Mother Regent should not be treated like this!
Not to mention the government affairs, whether it is Yan or Qin, they seem to have an attitude of informing them as soon as they have made a decision. It is called a memorial, but it is actually a notification!
Looking back again, Queen Mother Zhang felt that she had been the regent for only two days.
On the first and second days when Emperor Jiajing was in a coma, the officials were quite respectful to him, allowing him to have the illusion of dreaming back to twenty years ago.
Then I felt that as the Queen Mother Regent, I was nothing. The ministers basically only treated me perfunctorily, and even the power of palace affairs was forced to be handed over to Queen Fang.
With Empress Dowager Zhang's political intelligence, she really can't figure out the reason for this "respect at first and arrogance at the end".
For people like Yan Song, supporting Empress Dowager Zhang as regent was just to prevent Empress Fang from colluding with Qin Dewei after becoming regent.
As long as Empress Dowager Zhang comes on stage, it will be fine, and then it will be useless. So what Yan Ge always fears is not that Empress Dowager Zhang will come on stage, but that Empress Dowager Zhang will not want to come on stage.
Therefore, in the first two days, he would act respectful and coax Empress Dowager Zhang to take up his position as regent, and then nothing would happen.
Although Qin Zhongtang's starting point was different from that of Mr. Yan Ge, the purpose was similar, which was to coax Empress Dowager Zhang to come to power and get the job done.
Whether or not she can maintain respect in the future depends on how capable Empress Dowager Zhang is. If she has no ability and no power, then she can't expect to receive respectful treatment from the courtiers.
Furthermore, Empress Dowager Zhang had previously betrayed Qin Dewei, which not only exposed her intelligence but also damaged her credibility. Naturally, the courtiers had no intention of seeking refuge in Empress Dowager Zhang.
Another point is that the ministers alienated and perfunctory Empress Dowager Zhang was also to prevent Emperor Jiajing from suddenly waking up again.
If the emperor wakes up again one day, he will not be liquidated because of his good relationship with Empress Dowager Zhang.
But Empress Dowager Zhang was obsessed with the authorities and couldn't figure out the plot, so she just thought that everyone had failed her.
Today Qin Dewei actually came over and asked for Shang Fangjian. If Emperor Jiajing was awake, how dare Qin Dewei do this? He clearly looked down on her as the regent mother!
So after listening to the petition from the auxiliary ministers, the Queen Mother Zhang said: "Shang Fangjian needs to be given by the emperor personally, and the Ai family does not dare to replace it without permission, so the matter should be dropped."
Qin Dewei raised his head in surprise, not expecting that something went wrong at this point.
The result of the meeting among the ministers is basically a resolution. It is just a formality for you, Queen Mother Zhang. You, the old man, nod and agree and that's it. Where do so many problems come from?
If the emperor can do it personally, what else do you, the regent mother, do to you, but to let you, the old man, pretend to take over the imperial power?
It was fine a few days ago, and you have become a qualified tool man. Why did you start to feel awkward today? Everyone worked hard from Wenhua Hall to Ciqing Palace. Is it easy?
Qin Dewei muttered to himself while playing: "Please think again, the Queen Mother!"
Empress Dowager Zhang responded: "The Ai family has thought twice. If Mr. Qin thinks it's inappropriate, please hire someone else."
Qin Dewei was speechless. Politics is all about the exchange of interests. You, Queen Mother Zhang, can disagree and then propose exchange conditions. This is understandable.
But like now, if you don’t leave any room for exchange and directly block others, it is simply unreasonable!
Qin Dewei continued: "Shangfangjian is of great importance. I will leave for the southeast in the near future. There is no time to lose. I also ask the empress to grant Shangfangjian as soon as possible according to the imperial agreement!"
"If you have Shang Fangjian, it won't hinder your departure." Queen Mother Zhang said.
No one else said anything. Anyway, this was Qin Dewei's business, so he was happy to watch the excitement.
It was quite touching to watch Qin Zhongtang feel a little deflated in front of the unreasonable Queen Mother Zhang.
In fact, if it were to be changed to other routine matters, regardless of whether the Queen Mother agreed or not, the ministers could just do it and find reasons to come back later.
But something that is closely related to imperial power like Shang Fangjian is impossible to obtain without legal authorization, and no one dares to take it without permission.
Qin Dewei was helpless and said directly: "I heard that there are people in the palace who are disrespectful to the Queen Mother and are still getting away with it. If Xiao Xiao can be brought to justice, can I gain the Queen Mother's trust?"
As far as he knew, Empress Dowager Zhang currently had two major worries. The first was that Zhang Yanling was still in the sky prison, and the second was that the eunuchs who had abused her maids could not get the punishment they deserved, and it was really hard to save her face.
Therefore, Qin Zhongtang took the initiative to propose an exchange condition for these concerns in exchange for Empress Dowager Zhang to relent.
The first Zhang Yanling issue involved so much that Qin Dewei was too lazy to deal with it, while the second one was relatively simple.
The other auxiliary ministers were speechless. Can you, Qin Dewei, be more straightforward? The key is to be subtle. How could you propose such a naked, simple and crude exchange of interests?
"Okay, the Ai family is just waiting for the news!" Empress Dowager Zhang nodded, finally there was a worthy person among the ministers.
The rest of the people were speechless again. It was obviously a political issue at the highest level, but it acted like a village man and a village woman bargaining.
I just don’t know what Qin Dewei will do. Those eunuchs and maids are all from the palace. How can Qin Dewei reach into the palace?
Queen Mother Zhang’s political credibility has basically been ruined. It’s not like you, Qin Dewei, don’t know, why do you still dare to trust Queen Mother Zhang so much?
After coming out of Ciqing Palace, Qin Dewei left Donghua Gate in full public view and went to Yiwu Yamen to attend to matters.
This time he went to the southeast to serve as an imperial envoy, and there were few people around him who were proficient in barbarian affairs to assist the Communist Party. Therefore, Qin Zhongtang planned to transfer some personnel from the barbarian affairs yamen to enrich the imperial envoy team.
Of course, when he left Dong'anmen and passed by Dongchang, Qin Zhongtang seemed to have turned into Dongchang by accident.
For a celebrity like Qin Zhongtang, everyone pays attention to every move he makes. In the impression of the world, it seems that this is the first time Qin Zhongtang has openly walked into the East Factory.
Eunuch Qin, the governor of the East Factory, was also surprised. He invited Qin Dewei in politely and openly drank tea under the statue of Guan Gong in the lobby.
Qin Dewei asked: "Are you familiar with those weaving eunuchs in the south?"
Eunuch Qin replied cautiously: "They are all working for the emperor. It's hard to say whether they are familiar with each other."
Qin Dewei replied: "Then you can get familiar with each other in the future! I went to the southeast as an imperial envoy to rectify maritime issues.
If the Weaving Bureau has any excess silk and satin, you might as well sell it to foreigners! Those people will buy it at a high price!"
Qin Dewei's subtext is very clear, help your Weaving Bureau make some money, and then this favor will be counted on your head, Eunuch Qin, and all the eunuchs in the Weaving Bureau will be grateful to you, Eunuch Qin.
Eunuch Qin was caught off guard and almost couldn't answer the words. These things are good things, but they are not suitable for public discussion!
Then I heard Qin Dewei say: "My conditions are also very simple. Those eunuchs who have offended Queen Mother Zhang will be executed!"
Eunuch Qin was speechless. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but shouldn't this kind of thing be a secret operation and a secret room conspiracy?
Is it okay for you, Qin Dewei, to openly discuss the exchange of interests in public and in broad daylight?
Eunuch Qin asked again: "Would you like to change places to talk again?"
Qin Dewei replied: "No need, everything must be open and transparent! Let everyone know that I asked you to do things in exchange for huge benefits!"
Eunuch Qin: "..."
This must be a deliberate display of alienation. I feel like I have been rejected, and my mood is a bit complicated.
Qin Dewei whispered again: "In the eyes of others, I, Qin Dewei, am not capable of interfering in palace affairs, so I can only pay huge benefits in exchange for you to do it!
If the emperor wakes up, the more public something is, the more clearly it can be explained and the less likely it is to arouse suspicion."
After calming down, Eunuch Qin continued: "Our Dongchang has always been open to the outside world but not to the inside. We are responsible for monitoring the outside of the palace and generally do not interfere in the affairs inside the palace.
Under normal circumstances, the punishment of internal supervisors is managed by the Li Supervisor, and Dongchang rarely gets involved."
Qin Dewei whispered again: "Isn't this the opportunity to intervene? If you don't actively seize power, how will you have the opportunity to go further?"
Eunuch Qin then asked: "Just tell me clearly, who else is there in the palace? There are not many people who can cooperate."
Only then did Qin Dewei reveal the answer: "Queen Fang is in charge of palace affairs. You can join forces with Queen Fang to suppress several people who have abused Queen Mother Zhang."
"Have you made an agreement with the Queen?" Eunuch Qin asked in surprise. What surprised him was not that Qin Dewei had contact with Queen Fang, but that the contact was so efficient.
Qin Dewei shook his head: "I have not discussed anything with the Queen. Everything depends on you, Eunuch Qin."
A reasonable explanation can be found for the eunuchs of the Qin Dynasty, but it is difficult to solve the problem for the living widows.
Eunuch Qin summed it up and found that the chain of interests in this matter was clear. If it were spread, it would not cause people to have undue doubts. Moreover, the benefits were huge and the risks were very low. You could try it.
Nowadays, the power of civil servants in the outer dynasty is greatly expanding, while the power of eunuchs who have lost the support of the emperor is shrinking. The most typical one is Dongchang.
Without the emperor's edict, there really wasn't much that Dongchang could do.
Therefore, if the Qin eunuchs wanted to maintain their influence, they had no choice but to change their thinking and start to engage in internal affairs. From the external affairs of the imperial court to civil servants, they became the imperial palace affairs.
As Qin Dewei, who has always practiced it, said, if you don't actively intervene in other people's territory, how can you make progress?
If Empress Fang cooperates this time, and Eunuch Qin helps handle palace affairs, it will definitely have a very special meaning.
Everything in the palace, especially the disciplinary issues of the inner prison, are managed by Zhang Zuo, the chief minister of etiquette. If he successfully completes the punishment this time, he will take root in the palace again.
As for whether Empress Fang would cooperate, Eunuch Qin was still very confident in persuading her.
Qin Dewei pointed out a direction. It would be too funny if he couldn't even do the details well.
After all, there is no harm in having the other queen. First, it can establish her prestige. Queen Fang has not been in charge of palace affairs for long, so she can take the opportunity to kill chickens and monkeys and establish the queen's majesty.
The second is to show generosity, let others see that the Queen is broad-minded and take the initiative to "honor" the Queen Mother.
Of course, there may be some negative consequences. For example, some people may feel unkind, and fellow eunuchs do not know how to protect each other. But in the palace, how much is "favor" worth?
Each has its pros and cons, and it all depends on the individual's choice.
Eunuch Qin asked again: "In the eyes of others, will they misunderstand that I want to seek refuge with Queen Mother Zhang, so I will help Queen Mother Zhang vent her anger?"
Qin Dewei emphasized again: "I just said, everything is open and transparent!
Everyone can see that it was me, Qin Dewei, who gave me huge benefits in exchange for your move this time! You took advantage of me, Qin Dewei!
And I, Qin Dewei, wanted to get Empress Dowager Zhang’s approval for Shang Fangjian, so I tried to help Empress Dowager Zhang vent her anger!”
If Eunuch Qin could take this opportunity to hook up with Empress Fang and establish a cooperative relationship, he would be able to go south with more confidence.
There is no way, with people like Yan Song in the center, we must be as prepared as possible before going south.
