Chapter 371 Three Men and a Show
Far in the sky.

So close.

Yan Shaoting's voice echoed in the inner hall of Wanshou Palace.

Jiajing immediately raised his eyebrows.

He glanced sideways at Zhang Juzheng who was still kneeling on the ground.

obviously.

Yan Shaoting meant that the only candidate for the newly added position of Governor-General and Minister of Maritime Affairs was Zhang Juzheng.

When Zhang Juzheng heard what Yan Shaoting said, he felt a myriad of complicated emotions in his heart.

Governor General and Lord Admiral.

Although it has never existed in the imperial court, if we can get the emperor's approval today, this job will bring endless power.

obvious.

Yan Shaoting hopes that this task will fall on himself.

This is a huge favor.

Zhang Juzheng was moved, but also felt some indescribable emotions.

once Upon a time.

In the court, the Yan family is still in a situation where everyone is calling for their destruction and everyone wants to overthrow the Yan family.

But in a blink of an eye, Yan Shaoting, a young man from the Yan family, was able to influence the direction of political situation in the court.

Even I had to seek his help.

complex.

The mood is extremely complicated.

Lu Fang, who was standing next to the Taotai, couldn't help but chuckle.

He glanced at Zhang Juzheng who was kneeling on the ground, and then looked at Yan Shaoting with a smile in his eyes.

"Could it be that Guest Yan is talking about the Grand Secretary?"

Say it.

Lu Fang glanced sideways at the emperor on the platform.

He asked this on behalf of the emperor.

Yan Shaoting nodded and clasped his hands together: "Eunuch Lu has a keen eye for talent. The person I want to recommend is Grand Secretary Zhang."

After clearly stating that Zhang Juzheng was the governor-general and minister of naval affairs that he wanted to nominate.

Yan Shaoting immediately said: "The Grand Secretary has worked in the cabinet for many years and is familiar with the duties of various ministries and offices in the court. He has a broader vision and means than ordinary officials.

"Moreover, during the imperial court meeting the year before last, the Grand Secretary was ordered to go south to the southeast, to be stationed in Suzhou and Songjiang, to supervise the court's increase in silk production and overseas sales. With this experience, the Grand Secretary is far more familiar with maritime affairs than others.

"I have observed that no one in the court can match the Grand Secretary. The post of Governor General and Minister of Maritime Affairs is of great use to the Grand Secretary!"

in fact.

What Yan Shaoting said at that moment was prepared long ago.

However, at that time, he was prepared to personally supervise all external affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

The reason is actually the same as what he said now. Whether it was increasing silk production or opening up the sea, it was all due to his advice, so he was naturally the only choice.

Nowadays.

It was just a change of object, from himself to Zhang Juzheng.

Jiajing narrowed his eyes and patted his thigh lightly.

He was still thinking.

Creating new official posts and responsibilities has always been a major event.

In particular, the post of Governor-General and Minister of the Sea will inevitably involve the affairs of many government offices and localities.

Jiajing was observing, his eyes occasionally looking between Yan Shaoting and Zhang Juzheng.

Zhang Juzheng lowered his head, thought for a moment, and then raised his head.

But he did not look at the emperor on the platform, but turned to look at Yan Shaoting, who recommended him to the position of Governor-General and Minister of Maritime Affairs in front of the emperor.

Zhang Juzheng smiled and said without hesitation: "Mr. Yan, I have had different political views with you at times. I don't know why you would recommend me to be the Governor General and Minister of Maritime Affairs today. Moreover, I only have a vague understanding of the Governor General and Minister of Maritime Affairs you mentioned. I am not as good as you in understanding the mystery behind it."

Hearing Zhang Juzheng's words, Yan Shaoting suddenly smiled in his heart.

It had to be Old Zhang who knew why the old Taoist priest had not spoken or made any decision for a long time.

At this time, Zhang Juzheng directly pointed out the disagreements with him in the court.

This is also to dispel the old Taoist priest's suspicion.

Yan Shaoting immediately bowed his hands, clasped his fists, faced the Taotai, and glanced at Zhang Juzheng.

"Grand Secretary, I am an official in the court. I eat the salary of the emperor and I only know how to share the worries of the emperor. Although the Grand Secretary and I have many different opinions on court affairs, it does not affect me and the Grand Secretary. We are both officials in the court and subjects of Your Majesty. Moreover, the Grand Secretary has much more experience in the court than me, and the position of Governor General and Minister of the Navy involves many aspects, so the Grand Secretary is more suitable than me."

Although these words were addressed to Zhang Juzheng, implicitly, they were directed at the old Taoist priest.

really.

After Zhang Juzheng and Yan Shaoting spoke one after another.

A smile appeared on Jiajing's face on the Taotai.

He smiled and waved his hand: "You two don't have to give way to each other. The Governor General and Minister of the Navy are beneficial to the country and the people. However, since this is a new job in the court, I will definitely summon the cabinet to question them. Do you understand?"

This is an inevitable process.

Even Jiajing could not be a real dictator in the matter of the Governor-General and Minister of the Navy. He had to get the approval of the cabinet. Only in this way could whoever was appointed as the Governor-General and Minister of the Navy get the support of the court.

Yan Shaoting and Zhang Juzheng immediately bowed and nodded.

"Wei Chen understands."

Seeing that the two men understood what he meant, Jiajing turned to look at Lu Fang.

Lu Fang immediately understood: "Master, I will go to Wenyuan Pavilion and invite the elders to come over."

Jiajing hummed and nodded.

Watching Lu Fang leave the inner hall.

Jiajing then looked at Yan Shaoting again: "Zhang Juzheng is the best candidate for the governor-general and minister of maritime affairs, but we need to know where the jurisdiction and power of this matter should be. And as you said, what we want to do in the future is not the time to speak out now. The elders are all the backbone of the court, and they are in charge of national affairs. They are not frivolous people."

This is what we are talking about the powers of the Governor-General and the Sea Lord.

of course.

The old Taoist priest also hopes that when the cabinet meets in front of the emperor, Yan Shaoting will come forward to finalize the matter.

Yan Shaoting immediately replied with a smile: "The post of Governor of Maritime Affairs should be set up in the southeastern coastal areas. In addition, we need to supervise the construction of naval warships. I think Nanjing, Suzhou, and Songjiang can all be used. The Minister of Maritime Affairs has power over the sea, so he should be in charge of the navy, the Maritime Customs, and foreign merchants, and control the overseas trade of merchants from all over the country."

After finishing speaking.

Yan Shaoting still had a smile on his face: "The elders are all capable ministers who are rare among thousands. I think that as long as the elders see that this matter is beneficial to the country, they will definitely agree to it. And with the elders discussing it, they may also be able to see the areas that I have not considered and fill in the gaps."

Jiajing hummed.

His gaze shifted to Zhang Juzheng.

"Zhang Juzheng."

"Wei Chen is here."

Zhang Juzheng refreshed his mind and calmed his spirit.

he knows.

Now has finally arrived the time that may become an important turning point in my life.

The emperor's next words will determine whether this turning point will come.

Jiajing smiled and said, "I know your ambitions and aspirations. I'm afraid it would be a waste of your talent to let you be the prefect of Shuntian. But you should also know why I did that in the first place."

Zhang Juzheng lowered his head and clasped his hands tightly together: "I know."

How could I not know that?

In the eyes of outsiders, he was courting death by insisting on calling for reform in this dynasty. Being demoted to the post of Shuntian prefect was actually the emperor's tolerance towards him.

at this point.

Zhang Juzheng knew it very well.

Jiajing nodded. Zhang Juzheng's attitude and response were rewarding for his good intentions.

"Would you accept the post of Governor General and Admiral?"

Jiajing's words were concise and to the point, without any extra words.

He looked straight at Zhang Juzheng, waiting for his answer.

Zhang Juzheng's heart suddenly moved, and then he raised his head, his eyes full of emotion.

Even Yan Shaoting who was standing by was surprised.

Old Zhang really performs as he pleases.

"I will sacrifice my life for the Ming Dynasty and bring prosperity to the country, so that foreign nations can come to pay tribute and Your Majesty can enjoy the throne of the world!"

"it is good!"

Jiajing slapped his thigh and let out a low growl.

Soon.

There were footsteps heard outside the hall.

Lu Fang entered the inner hall first.

"Master, the elders are here."

Jiajing looked up at the figures outside the palace gate and smiled slightly: "Come in."

Outside the palace gate.

Yan Song was the leader, followed by Xu Jie, and Gao Gong, Yuan Wei and Li Chunfang stood behind.

The five people are still confused and puzzled. Why did the emperor suddenly summon them to discuss matters in front of him?

When the five people stood outside the palace gate, they saw Yan Shaoting standing and Zhang Juzheng kneeling inside the palace.

More speculations inevitably arose in the minds of several people.

How did Yan Shaoting and Zhang Juzheng get involved here?
The five people strode into the inner hall and bowed to each other.

Without Jiajing saying anything, Lu Fang still moved a soft stool and placed it behind Yan Song.

However, Yan Song did not sit down immediately, but looked at Yan Shaoting and Zhang Juzheng with doubt in his eyes.

"emperor."

"I wonder what the emperor wants to discuss with us today?"

Behind Yan Song, Xu Jie and others also looked puzzled.

Jiajing waved his finger at Zhang Juzheng and glared at him, saying, "This fellow came to the palace today to ask for an audience, and the first thing he said was he wanted to resign!"

There was a hint of anger in Jiajing's tone.

However, the five people who heard the explanation were visibly stunned.

Especially Xu Jie, he looked at Zhang Juzheng who was kneeling on the ground with a frown.

This student of mine actually resigned on his own initiative?
This is not like his previous attitude!

Gao Gong then asked, "Why is Guest Yan here?"

Jiajing turned his eyes and glanced at Yan Shaoting, snorting, "This kid is also not serious. He was sent here to talk about something about maritime affairs. But you also know that this kid usually has a lot of tricks. I just listened to it and didn't know how to make a decision, so I asked Lu Fang to call a few elders to come and discuss it together."

Gao Gong suddenly raised his eyebrows.

Although no one knows what Yan Shaoting reported today, since the emperor summoned them all, it basically means that the emperor is inclined to agree with what Yan Shaoting reported.

This speculation not only arose in Gao Gong's mind, but also emerged in the minds of Yan Song and others.

Yan Song's eyes turned, and coincidentally, he spoke before Xu Jie: "I wonder what advice the Crown Prince and his guests have today? Your Majesty seems a little hesitant. Since we are here, let's work together to discuss this matter."

Jiajing couldn't help but hum and nodded, saying, "I agree with you, Lord. Let's all work together to see if this can be done."

After finishing speaking.

Jiajing glared at Yan Shaoting and said, "Why don't you explain it to the elders?"

Yan Shaoting was secretly dissatisfied.

If it wasn't for cooperating with you in acting, I wouldn't have suffered this loss!

But when he raised his head, Yan Shaoting's face was filled with smile and caution.

"My Lords, what I am going to report today concerns overseas."

It's about overseas things.

Everyone's face showed understanding.

Yuan Wei smiled and said directly: "All the overseas affairs, including the recent opening of the sea in our dynasty, were also the result of the advice of guest Yan. If we really want to talk about overseas affairs, who in our Ming Dynasty can understand it better than the guest of the crown prince? Your Majesty summoned us here today, which is really difficult for us."

However, Xu Jie was thinking about the incident some time ago when his family’s ship was robbed by pirates.

Now that I heard that Yan Shaoting was reporting on overseas affairs, I couldn't help but feel concerned.

Xu Jie slowly said, "I wonder what the Crown Prince's guests reported on the overseas affairs?"

Yan Shaoting immediately bowed and said, "I think that although our dynasty has opened the sea to trade with other countries, the court is also engaged in the business of monopolizing the purchase of silk by foreign merchants. At present, various tasks are scattered here and there. I think the court can bring all overseas affairs together in one place and let the cabinet control them. In this way, if Your Majesty wants to know about our overseas affairs in the future, you can also know everything from one place."

This was to cooperate with the old Taoist priest and Zhang Juzheng. Yan Shaoting accompanied the two of them to perform in front of these cabinet ministers.

At this moment.

Yan Song's eyes moved, and he seemed to have thought of something.

He immediately glared at Yan Shaoting, pretending to be angry and said, "Nonsense! You are already deeply favored by His Majesty, and you are in charge of foreign trade and the Maritime Customs. Now you actually want power. Is this what a minister should do?"

As soon as Old Yan said this.

Before Yan Shaoting could explain, Jiajing immediately extended his hand.

Jiajing smiled and said, "Please calm down, Mr. Runwu is not asking for power from me. You misunderstood him!"

Yan Song's expression relaxed a little, but his eyes were still fixed on Yan Shaoting.

Yan Shaoting looked frustrated and frowned. "Reporting to the elder, I am an official in the court, deeply favored by the emperor, and have many responsibilities, but I have recently found that my energy is limited. Therefore, whether it is foreign trade or the Maritime Customs, if your majesty and the court allow, I hope to resign..."

Yan Song's eyes flashed.

It turned out to be just as I guessed.

This kid!
Yuan Wei was watching the situation from the sidelines. He immediately stepped forward, stretched out his hands, and said with a smile, "So the prince's guest is going to give up his job. You really wronged him this time, Lord."

After finishing speaking.

Yuan Wei pondered for a moment, then frowned and muttered, "It's just that the Crown Prince's guests have taken off these tasks, but the court has to continue to handle these tasks, and we have to find someone else to take on these tasks..."

Speaking of this, Yuan Wei suddenly had an idea.

His gaze involuntarily shifted to Zhang Juzheng who was kneeling in the hall.

He smacked his lips.

Yuan Wei suddenly tasted something different.

Rolling his eyes.

Yuan Wei has already taken in everyone present.

Before anyone moved.

Yuan Wei immediately clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I think the court should unify all overseas affairs and put them all under one roof."

This is the first sentence.

then.

Yuan Wei added: "But after much thought, I think it's best for Yan Binke to do this!"

…………

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(End of this chapter)