novelaction Chapter 382
Chapter 382
In the cabinet today, besides Yang Yiqing and Yang Shen, there are three other people: Fei Hong, Jiang Mian, and Mao Ji. Fei Hong and Jiang Mian are both capable ministers. Jiang Mian has repeatedly requested to retire and return to his hometown since Jiajing ascended the throne, but Jiajing has rejected his requests each time.
After careful consideration, Yang Yiqing decided to refrain from making any further moves, both for the sake of stability and for the future of the Yang family.
After all, once he reached his position, further turmoil would not yield much benefit but would carry extremely high risks. The current situation is completely different from that of the Zhengde era, when all the palace maids in the imperial palace were servants of the officials.
The current imperial palace, while not entirely monolithic, makes it extremely difficult to place someone inside.
The emperor's power is already established; even without Zhou Chu, Yang Yiqing cannot act recklessly.
Yang Yiqing could see clearly that although the current emperor was young, he was no less capable in terms of both mind and skill. However, Zhou Chu had handled many things before, and the emperor had simply followed the trend without deliberately highlighting his abilities.
But Yang Yiqing was incredibly astute, and he naturally observed Jiajing's every word and action. He knew very well that the current emperor was no longer someone he could control.
This is the real reason why Yang Yiqing gave up.
Xia Yan had him take the lead, which was a clever plan, but Yang Yiqing wasn't a young man. After being given a few examples, he got carried away and acted recklessly.
If you, Xia Yan, want to cause trouble, why do I have to do it? Wouldn't it be more convenient for me to find a way to get you into the cabinet? That way, no matter what you do, I won't be able to control you.
As a result, Mao Ji, who was originally on Yang Tinghe and Xia Yan's side in the cabinet, was then brought into the cabinet, and Jiang Nan's voice in the cabinet immediately became louder.
Having figured these things out, Yang Yiqing suddenly felt that the world was vast and there was much to be done.
Yang Yiqing has lost his former ambitions. Moreover, he has sent one of his grandsons to the academy run by Zhou Chu. No matter what the reason, Yang Yiqing has no reason to make any more trouble.
"Prepare the sedan chair; we're going to Jiang Jingzhi's residence."
Yang Yiqing looked at the butler and said.
Jiang Jingzhi was none other than Jiang Mian.
Given Yang Yiqing's status, he wouldn't need to present a formal invitation to Jiang Mian's residence; he could simply have someone deliver a message beforehand.
When Jiang Mian learned that Yang Yiqing was coming, he straightened his clothes and had his servants prepare some pastries and tea.
"Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary, have graced us with your presence. I have failed to greet you properly."
Jiang Mian greeted Yang Yiqing politely.
He and Yang Yiqing were not very close, but they were not unfamiliar either, after all, they had served as officials in the same court for many years.
"Jingzhi, there's no need for such formalities. I've come to see you to help you resolve your troubles."
Yang Yiqing took Jiang Mian's hand and said.
This made Jiang Mian very uncomfortable. He had always been aloof, and being treated so warmly was naturally unsettling.
"May the Grand Secretary speak plainly?"
Jiang Mian asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Jingzhi, haven't you always wanted to retire but haven't been able to?"
After Yang Yiqing and Jiang Mian arrived at the main hall, he took the tea, drank a sip, and said...
Jiang Mian's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.
His request to retire was not just for show; he genuinely wanted to return to his hometown. He was already over sixty years old and did not have the ambitions of people like Yang Yiqing and Xia Yan. He had reached the pinnacle of his official career.
If you were to ask him to take a step further and become the Grand Secretary, he wouldn't have the ambition or the ability to grasp the overall situation.
Therefore, retiring from office and making a graceful exit was the best choice for him. In this way, he could save face for himself, return to his hometown and live a wealthy and carefree life. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
"What does the Grand Secretary mean?"
Jiang Mian hesitated.
"At the morning court tomorrow, Jingzhi will again request to resign from His Majesty. At that time, I will join forces with other officials to speak on your behalf, and this matter will most likely be resolved."
Yang Yiqing smiled.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian became even more puzzled. He knew Yang Yiqing's character well. While it might not be entirely accurate to say that he wouldn't act without a profit, he was certainly the type of person who wouldn't act without a clear benefit.
As in the previous dispute over etiquette, after the former Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe was at a disadvantage, this Grand Secretary seized the opportunity and stepped forward.
If Jiang Mian believed such a person's words, then his decades-long career in officialdom would have been wasted.
"Why is the Grand Secretary doing this?"
Jiang Mian didn't mince words and directly asked the question that had been bothering him.
At his level, he no longer cared much about the flattery and sycophancy in officialdom. He was just retiring anyway, so there was no need for him to fawn over Yang Yiqing.
More reasonably, he himself is not the type to flatter or fawn.
Yang Yiqing was well aware of Jiang Mian's personality, so he wasn't too surprised that Jiang Mian asked so directly.
"Jingzhi should have also heard the news that Zhou Hengqi was assassinated and his whereabouts are unknown."
Yang Yiqing picked up a piece of pastry, took a bite, and said.
"Does the Grand Secretary mean that with Lord Zhou's whereabouts unknown, some people are harboring ill intentions?"
Jiang Mian immediately understood the implication of Yang Yiqing's words.
“That’s right. Although the number of cabinet members is not fixed and one more wouldn’t matter, if you, Jingzhi, retire, the chances of others getting in will greatly increase. You should understand what I mean, right?”
Yang Yiqing took a couple of bites of the pastry and found it quite delicious, so he picked up another piece.
"Did you make this pastry yourself, or did you buy it somewhere? It has a light flavor, which is what we like at our age."
Yang Yiqing praised without reservation.
"This was made by my wife. If you like it, sir, I will have her make more and send them to your residence."
Jiang Mian said.
"That's great, it's settled then, I guess I'm taking advantage of you."
Yang Yiqing smiled.
"As for retiring, Jingzhi, you can consider it yourself. I'm just going with the flow. Some people want me to make trouble, but I'm too old for that. If they want to make trouble, let them."
Yang Yiqing said with an indifferent expression.
Hearing this, Jiang Mian felt somewhat helpless. Since Yang Yiqing had come to him, he naturally had no right to refuse.
He could retire or return to his hometown, but there were still members of the Jiang family serving as officials in the court. Moreover, in the future, all the descendants of the Jiang family would have to take the imperial examinations to enter officialdom.
The relationship between the central government and the central government is inherently complex and intertwined, with each party having a stake in the other.
He, Jiang Mian, could be aloof, but he couldn't be aloof for his sons and grandsons. He knew very well that if he didn't agree, the future careers of the Jiang family's descendants would be essentially over.
However, Jiang Mian was not so hard to accept. He and Yang Yiqing basically shared the same view: no matter how much these people stirred things up, they were probably just doing useless work. Now that the emperor's power was established, no one could shake his foundation.
"Then I thank the Grand Secretary for his help."
Jiang Mian bowed and said.