"Baigui, if you have time to play house with children, why not take a look at this mountain of memorials instead?"
The moment Zhang Juzheng returned to the entrance of the Grand Secretariat's offices, he heard Gao Gong's voice ringing out from inside.
Baigui was Zhang Juzheng's childhood name. Gao Gong had always been this way, calling people by their childhood names without feeling it disrespectful; rather, he considered it a gracious gesture of intimacy.
Accustomed to this, Zhang Juzheng stepped into Gao Gong's duty room and picked a chair to sit in. "Senior Grand Secretary, I can only pretend I didn't hear that."
Without lifting his head, Gao Gong scribbled rapidly at his desk. "There are no outsiders here right now. The few on duty have all gone to Sishan Gate to pay their condolences."
Zhang Juzheng poured himself a cup of tea and moistened his throat. "Senior Grand Secretary, with the late emperor's passing, the Crown Prince truly seems to have awakened his wits. His words and bearing have impressed me greatly."
"In my view, he may very well become an enlightened ruler in the future."
He offered the praise casually, speaking in the relaxed tone of ordinary chatter.
Gao Gong shook his head. "Every generation has its wise and its foolish. What meaning is there in that?"
"When Shizong ascended the throne at fourteen, he subdued the Grand Secretariat and the court ministers from the very start, and later eradicated long-standing abuses and revitalized discipline and order. Was he not an enlightened monarch then? But what came after? He practiced Daoism for twenty years without holding court!"
"Baigui, do not always count on an enlightened ruler to keep the Great Ming dynasty enduring for ten thousand generations. No matter how precocious he is, can he compare to men like you and me who passed the imperial examinations?"
Gao Gong blurted out words bordering on treason without restraint, and Zhang Juzheng could only remain silent.
After a long pause, Zhang Juzheng finally said, "Suqing, as ministers, you and I remain ministers after all; the sovereign remains the sovereign."
Gao Gong gave a noncommittal grunt, clearly paying it no mind. "The sovereign is naturally the sovereign—especially a sovereign like the late emperor, who entrusted governance to the Grand Secretariat. That is a truly good sovereign."
Zhang Juzheng sighed inwardly.
This was the unbridgeable divide between him and Gao Gong—Gao Gong was simply too radical!
In other words, Gao Gong was detached from reality, taking far too much for granted.
True, he, Zhang Juzheng, wished to direct the affairs of state, but how much longer would he live?
Once the state was saved from collapse, he would return the administration and new policies to the sovereign. Even if, like Shang Yang, the man was discarded while the policies remained, that would be acceptable; he did not covet power for its own sake.
Yet Gao Gong did not think that way. This sworn friend of his had grown sick of the old cycle of loyal ministers and enlightened monarchs, wishing for nothing more than for all future sovereigns to govern by non-interference.
Sheer fantasy!
He did not know just how far Gao Gong intended to push things, but no matter what, it was unrealistic.
Suppressing the monarch temporarily might still be manageable, but if one truly did as Gao Gong envisioned, a sovereign whose authority had been eroded would inevitably rely on the Directorate of Ceremonial to strike back furiously, pitting the inner palace against the outer court.
The Great Ming dynasty could not endure such turmoil.
Regrettably, he knew he could not persuade Gao Suqing, just as he could never agree with Gao Suqing's vision.
Zhang Juzheng smoothly steered away from the subject. "Is the Senior Grand Secretary drafting a memorial impeaching Feng Bao?"
Gao Gong waved a dismissive hand. "The impeachment memorial was already sent into the palace just now. This concerns Xuan-Da; I am writing a letter to Wang Chonggu."
Hearing that the memorial impeaching Feng Bao had already gone out, Zhang Juzheng's eyes flickered slightly.
Yet his face showed nothing. "Regarding Xuan-Da, what does Minister Yang of the Ministry of War think?"
Gao Gong paused briefly, then resumed writing. "Yang Bo says the Tatars over in Xuan-Da are indeed stirring up severe trouble, and the border troops have gone unpaid for too long. Wang Chonggu had no choice."
Zhang Juzheng was startled. "Wang Chonggu can no longer keep the border troops in line?"
This was not something to be taken lightly.
Gao Gong sneered. "It's Yang Bo who can no longer keep Wang Chonggu in line!"
He handed over a memorial. "See for yourself."
Zhang Juzheng rose and took it. Looking at the cover, it was an imperial censor's inspection report.
Perplexed, he flipped the memorial open.
Scanning it swiftly, Zhang Juzheng's expression immediately darkened.
Composing his countenance, he asked gravely, "Of the fifty thousand warhorses purchased last year, only thirty thousand were usable!?"
Having read it beforehand, Gao Gong naturally knew what Zhang Juzheng was referring to, and anger laced his tone. "Not only that—last year, the Ministry of War gave him a quota of seventy thousand!"
"In the first month of this year, all the horse-price silver from the Court of the Imperial Stud was disbursed."
"The Mongols couldn't sell their horses, which is why they are kicking up a fuss over this!"
Zhang Juzheng closed the memorial, his brow furrowed.
So that was it. The tribes of the steppe were relying on border trade to feed themselves, and when the quota was cut short, it was no wonder they revolted.
As for where the silver meant for horse purchases had gone, it went without saying.
And with that, they still had the gall to claim troops were unpaid? Not to mention earlier funds, just in the second month of this year, two hundred and seventy thousand liang of military pay was sent to Xuan-Da!
The merchant taxes in Xuanfu did not even have to be remitted to the capital, yet now they were still asking the court for money!
Xuan-Da had virtually turned into a bloodsucking leech!
Zhang Juzheng said, "Then the Senior Grand Secretary's letter is..."
An official dispatch from the central court would be formal business, leaving no room for maneuver.
Gao Gong clearly did not want to push things that far yet, which was why he was writing in his personal capacity.
Gao Gong gave a cold snort. "I am asking him, with how high he builds his walls and how vastly he hoards grain, when he plans to rebel."
Zhang Juzheng knew Gao Gong spoke out of frustration. He shook his head. "Senior Grand Secretary, if you say Wang Chonggu uses the barbarian threat to enhance his own importance and is insatiably greedy, I would believe it. But to say he plans to rebel is going a bit too far."
"His two sons are still in the capital, after all."
The Great Ming dynasty was precarious, but no one dared to be the first bird to stick its neck out just yet.
Hearing this, Gao Gong fell silent for a moment.
In the end, he let out a sigh. "Baigui, how could I not know that? I only hope he shows some restraint."
"With the investiture and tribute of Altan Khan, he achieved great merit; he was right on the threshold of entering the Grand Secretariat. I fear he may fail to preserve his integrity in his twilight years."
He and Wang Chonggu had passed the metropolitan examination in the same year, and their personal friendship was decent.
Zhang Juzheng's brow knitted in shared anxiety. "The affairs of state are fraught with hardship."
Gao Gong quickly reined in his emotions and waved his hand. "Baigui, go attend to signing off on official duties first. In such troubled times, I truly cannot handle it all alone."
Zhang Juzheng nodded and stood up. "As it happens, Zixiang and I still need to confer with the Ministry of Rites regarding the late emperor's temple name. I shall take my leave."
With that, he turned and stepped out of the room.
Watching Zhang Juzheng's departing figure, Gao Gong's expression gradually grew solemn.
In the empty duty room, he spoke in a cold voice: "Did you hear everything I said?"
As soon as the words fell, a figure stepped out from behind the screen behind his desk.
He walked slowly to Gao Gong's side. "I heard everything I was meant to hear."
Gao Gong picked up the letter he had just finished writing, turned his head, and stared straight at him. "Zhang Siwei, deliver this letter into the hands of your uncle Wang Chonggu."
"And take one more message for me: tell him that his power in Xuan-Da has grown too entrenched to control. I will no longer trust him. Next year, he must report to the capital; entering the Grand Secretariat is on the table!"
"Otherwise, let him rebel right there in Xuan-Da! If he does, I will strip the other border garrisons bare if necessary to sever his head and sacrifice it to the banner!"
The undisguised fury made Zhang Siwei shudder.
If anyone else had said this, he could have brushed it off as mere bluster, but coming from Gao Gong, he dared not doubt it.
Zhang Siwei reached out, took the letter from Gao Gong, and hesitated. "Senior Grand Secretary, does Minister Yang know about the matter of entering the Grand Secretariat...?"
Though Zhang Siwei was only a Vice Minister of Personnel, the provincial military commander Wang Chonggu was his maternal uncle, the faction leader Yang Bo was the father-in-law of his cousin, and he himself was the chief patron behind the Shanxi merchants.
One could say he was the heir apparent to the Shanxi Faction.
The mantle of the next leader of the Shanxi Faction undoubtedly belonged to him.
His status and weight were far beyond what a mere bureaucratic title could convey.
Now that Gao Gong offered a seat in the Grand Secretariat in exchange for Wang Chonggu relinquishing his hold on Xuan-Da, Zhang Siwei naturally had to confirm matters from the standpoint of the Shanxi Faction.
After all, Yang Bo was still the leader of the Shanxi Faction and Wang Chonggu's immediate superior.
If things truly proceeded as Gao Gong said, he feared Yang Bo might harbor resentment and fall into internal conflict with his uncle, which would be disastrous.
Gao Gong did not answer directly, saying only, "Just deliver the message."
That was all he would say. He had already conferred with Yang Bo, but Zhang Siwei was not worthy of an explanation from him.
Zhang Siwei showed his hand, speaking up: "Senior Grand Secretary... our Shanxi Faction is unlike the others. Could you perhaps promise Minister Yang an additional slot as well?"
"When the time comes, we will be able to contribute more effort..."
In their formidable Shanxi Faction, they had the Shanxi merchants for money, Yang Bo for authority, and Wang Chonggu for troops. Was such strength not far more worth courting than the mediocre lots from South Zhili, Huguang, or Zhejiang?
It would have been unnatural not to bargain a bit.
Gao Gong could not be bothered to reply. What did the Shanxi Faction take him for? He was willing to yield ground slightly for the sake of his ambitions, but he would never be coerced by anyone!
Were it not for the fact that establishing actual prime ministerial power was fraught with immense difficulty and demanded the concerted effort of many civil officials, he would never have tolerated Zhang Siwei chattering here.
Indeed, establishing true prime ministerial power was Gao Gong's grand design!
The present Grand Secretariat differed from the Three Departments system of past dynasties.
While the Grand Secretariat appeared to be the office of the prime minister, it was in truth merely the emperor's private secretariat. The actual bureaucratic rank of a Grand Secretary was only that of a Grand Academician of the Hall or Pavilion, a mere fifth rank, serving solely as imperial advisers.
Since its inception, it possessed neither the name nor the institutional reality of a prime minister.
Only after generations of Grand Secretaries gradually consolidated authority—following Xia Yan, Yan Song, and others, right down to Gao Gong—did it steadily acquire the de facto weight of a chief minister.
Yet even so, as an imperial private office of the fifth rank, its institutional status and official structure suffered from an inherent constitutional flaw; it could be sustained by individual force of will, but it was not an established statutory institution.
Unless—the authority of the prime minister was made real, formally elevating the Grand Secretariat to the status of prime minister in official protocol!
And that required raising the official ranks and titles of the Grand Secretariat, wresting away the Directorate of Ceremonial's veto power, and winning the full backing of civil officials and the scholarly elite!
Were it not for this, why would he tolerate the likes of the Shanxi Faction and Zhejiang Faction, or repeatedly extend olive branches to South Zhili?
Were it not for this, why would he cling stubbornly to the post of Minister of Personnel?
Were it not for this, why would he have twice recommended candidates for Seal-Holding Eunuch, to the point of now targeting Feng Bao? Outsiders assumed he was simply petty and bore grudges—truly underestimating Gao Suqing.
At the thought, Gao Gong grew even more impatient with this character Zhang Siwei, who judged noble motives with the mind of a scoundrel.
With a flick of his sleeve, he pointed. "Leave through the side door."
Gao Gong's long-established intimidation made Zhang Siwei swallow his words immediately.
Yet he did not leave; instead, he brought up another matter: "Senior Grand Secretary, using Eunuch Chen Hong's channels, I have already submitted the memorial impeaching Feng Bao into the palace for you."
"However... Feng Bao is deeply trusted and favored by Consort Li. Charges like corruption or severing communication between the inner and outer courts will likely accomplish little, won't they?"
The Shanxi Faction had placed its bets on Gao Gong now. In matters of political investment, he naturally needed to look closely; if an error occurred, it would be too late.
Gao Gong glanced at Zhang Siwei and scoffed.
Twirling his beard, a smug look appeared on his face as he said, "I suffered indignation yesterday. If I took no action, wouldn't that make him even more vigilant?"
"This is merely a smokescreen. Let him revel in his triumph for a few days; my true methods have not even been unleashed yet."
From under his desk, he pulled out a memorial: *Five Urgent Matters of the New Administration*.
Zhang Siwei had only just caught sight of the characters on the cover when Gao Gong drew it back.
He hurriedly asked, "Senior Grand Secretary, this is..."
Gao Gong did not answer directly. "You will know when the time comes."
"Either I do not strike, or when I do, I will pin the Directorate of Ceremonial down for good! Combining the momentum of our Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries and Nine Courts, the censorial officials, the scholarly elite, and the regional governors and viceroys, even Consort Li will not be able to stop us!"
Not daring to pry further, Zhang Siwei promptly flattered him, "The Senior Grand Secretary possesses mountains and rivers in his breast, with far-reaching vision and profound strategy. I worried unnecessarily. Our Shanxi Faction will surely follow closely in your wake."
Gao Gong cast a calm glance at Zhang Siwei.
In his mind, he was already calculating how, once prime ministerial authority was firmly established in the Grand Secretariat, he would smash and dismantle these Shanxi and Zhejiang factions. On the surface, however, he merely admonished, "Very well. Go back and learn more from Yang Bo, and stop brooding over your petty schemes all day."
Being dismissed once again, Zhang Siwei bowed helplessly, preparing to retreat.
Just as he stepped back, he seemed to recall something and paused.
He spoke up suddenly: "Senior Grand Secretary, Zhang Juzheng seeks only self-preservation, and Gao Yi sits on the fence. I fear neither can be entrusted with great undertakings."
"This morning, I saw the Crown Prince showing profound filial devotion toward Gao Yi, and the relationship between the two seemed out of the ordinary. Gao Yi may not necessarily agree with your ambition to reduce the sovereign to a figurehead and empower the prime minister."
Though Gao Gong held great power at present, none of the Grand Secretaries could be taken lightly.
If Gao Yi truly raised the banner of royalism to defend imperial authority and prerogative, it would create no small trouble.
Gao Gong, however, did not care.
He had promised cabinet seats to the ungrateful schemers of the Shanxi Faction and South Zhili only to achieve his grand objective—merely a means of rallying all sides.
When the Grand Secretariat was eventually handed over from his hands, all these factional plotters would have been swept clean, leaving behind a central prime ministerial administration where the capable rose, the incompetent fell, and the country was governed with sound statecraft.
To truly accomplish great work, one still had to rely on capable bureaucrats like Gao Yi and Zhang Juzheng, who held public duty in their hearts.
For a self-serving factionalist to claim Gao Yi and Zhang Juzheng were untrustworthy was truly turning the natural order on its head.
He waved a hand, saying nonchalantly, "As civil officials, how could they not support this?"
"Besides, both Zixiang and Baigui follow my lead in everything."
"Though I have not yet laid my cards on the table with them..."
Plucking up his courage, Zhang Siwei suddenly cut Gao Gong off: "Senior Grand Secretary, think twice."
Gao Gong frowned and looked at him.
Seeing this, Zhang Siwei quickly urged, "Senior Grand Secretary, what if things do not succeed then?"
"Humble figures like us might still escape unscathed, but if Grand Secretaries like you are implicated, it will not be so simple."
"Since you have such close personal friendships with them, why not spare more thought on their behalf? It would also be for their own good."
These words seemed to strike a chord with Gao Gong.
After a moment's reflection, he finally gave a slow nod.
Gao Gong said, "Very well. When the time comes, I shall have Gao Yi request sick leave to rest, and dispatch Zhang Juzheng to inspect the imperial mausoleum."
The so-called inspection of the imperial mausoleum meant checking on the progress of the construction of the late emperor's tomb.
Historically, it had always been led by a Grand Secretary.
The round trip would take quite some time.
Relieved, Zhang Siwei finally withdrew.
Chapter 13