Chapter 64 Use Power While You Have It

Zhu Zaiyu took the list of personnel candidates from the Ministry of Personnel.

He merely glanced at it.

In truth, there were no faults to be found with the list submitted by the Ministry of Personnel.

The backgrounds and service records of the recommended officials were documented with utmost clarity and precision.

Moreover, Wen Yuan and the others had headed the Ministry of Personnel for many years, and their administrative competence was beyond reproach.

They had left him virtually no room to seize upon any handles or pretexts.

However.

How did that saying go again?

Power not exercised is power forfeited!

Now that he had been entrusted with the regency and the authority to review and endorse memorials in vermilion ink,

then,

there was simply no need to pay any further attention to the Ministry of Personnel's candidate for the Magistrate of Jiaozhou.

Under the watchful eyes of Wen Yuan and the others,

Zhu Zaiyu merely offered a faint smile at the list, closed it right before them, and placed it on the side table.

Seeing this, Wen Yuan furrowed his brow tightly.

Zhu Zaiyu already spoke in a gentle tone: "Regarding the matter of the Jiaozhou Magistrate, as I have been observing state affairs before the Emperor recently, I have turned it over in my mind several times and still harbor many doubts."

Zhang Zhi looked at his student seated in the armchair before the throne, and his heart was filled with boundless joy at this moment.

Hearing his student speak thus,

Zhang Zhi immediately stepped forward to inquire: "I wonder what doubts Your Highness may have? Since we receive Your Imperial Highness's decree today, we shall naturally obey and strive to dispel Your Highness's perplexities and assist in governance."

Lü Ben immediately turned his head to glare at the fellow.

Flatterer!

He cursed inwardly.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zaiyu had already continued: "I am merely thinking that by now, Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng have probably reached Laizhou, or perhaps even arrived in Jiaozhou itself."

Yan Song nodded with a pleasant smile: "Gao Suqing is a man of impetuous vigor, and Yang Zhongfang is likewise one who takes matters of duty to heart. Knowing that bandits have raided Jiaozhou, the two of them must have already arrived there by now."

Zhu Zaiyu cast a glance at old man Yan and nodded, saying: "I think so as well. And if that is the case, the two of them are probably already beginning to take charge of and oversee the construction of the Jiaozhou port and shipyards."

Having said this,

he did not wait for either Yan Song or Zhang Zhi to chime in this time,

but proceeded on his own accord: "The two of them are respectively a Left Censor-in-Chief and a Right Censor-in-Chief, holding immense authority once they reach the locality. Now that Jiaozhou has fallen into turmoil and the magistrate has been removed from office, their primary tasks over there would presumably be to provide relief to the military and populace, and then throw all their energy into building the port and shipyards."

Lü Ben's brow twitched.

He had already guessed what this young heir apparent was driving at.

The Crown Prince had beaten around the bush for so long, to put it simply, just to argue that everything currently happening in Jiaozhou revolved entirely around the opening of maritime trade and the implementation of the Evaluation and Merit System.

If so,

rather than selecting a magistrate right now, it would be far better to temporarily set the matter aside and entrust Jiaozhou entirely into the hands of Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng.

What a brilliant scheme!

Truly a magnificent scheme.

Once things were arranged this way, that patch of territory in Jiaozhou would truly be under the absolute control of Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng!

He hurriedly cast a look at Wen Yuan.

Wen Yuan caught the hint and let out a heavy cough, abruptly cutting off the Crown Prince's impending words.

He said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, the state selects and employs talent precisely so that civil and military officials each perform their designated duties. That is why there is the division among the Six Ministries, the Censorate, and the Five Courts; why the local administration is divided into the Three Provincial Offices; and why prefectures and counties have their respective hierarchies. The Ministry of Personnel holds the authority of official selection and recommends candidates for appointment. If today's candidate for the Jiaozhou Magistrate is not to Your Highness's satisfaction, Your Highness may return the list to the Ministry of Personnel, and my ministry shall deliberate, re-select, and submit a new memorial."

Zhu Zaiyu glanced at Wen Yuan.

This man was rather lacking in tact.

His voice grew a degree heavier: "The Ministry of Personnel selects officials for the entire realm and has historically been without fault—how could I be unaware of this? The candidates proposed today have unexceptionable backgrounds and records as well."

Wen Yuan felt a wave of relief wash over him inwardly.

Yet Zhu Zaiyu went on to say: "However, the region of Jiaozhou presently encompasses both the opening of maritime trade and the Evaluation and Merit System, alongside the relief of soldiers and citizens and the rectification of garrison posts. The stakes are immense. I believe it would be far better to let Yang Jisheng temporarily take charge of Jiaozhou affairs for the time being. Once they have familiarized themselves with the affairs of Jiaozhou, they can then recommend a suitable local official from the prefectural yamen to succeed to the post of Jiaozhou Magistrate."

Having said this,

he did not afford Wen Yuan or Lü Ben any opportunity for rebuttal,

but instead looked directly at Yan Song and the others.

"Grand Secretary Yan, if my memory serves me correctly, the Jiaozhou Vice Magistrate, Assistant Magistrate, and other subordinate officials were not removed from office this time, were they?"

Yan Song instantly grasped Zhu Zaiyu's intent. Cupping his hands together, he nodded slightly: "Your Highness is brilliant. Pressed by Luo Yong upon arriving in Jiaozhou to ensure the situation did not deteriorate further, the Prefect of Laizhou merely stripped the Jiaozhou Magistrate of his gauze cap, while leaving the Vice Magistrate, Assistant Magistrate, and others untouched."

Having said this,

Yan Song continued: "Does Your Imperial Highness mean to have Gao Suqing and Yang Jisheng temporarily assume charge of Jiaozhou affairs in their capacity as officials of the Censorate, and utilize the Evaluation and Merit System on-site to assess the officials of Jiaozhou, big and small? Once they are thoroughly acquainted with the officials of Jiaozhou, they can then recommend capable men to the imperial court."

Could this be the sort of intuition possessed by old Taoist priests?

Listening to old man Yan's words, Zhu Zaiyu felt a stir in his heart.

He had merely opened the topic, yet Yan Song was already able to deduce his exact train of thought.

Indeed, he had even anticipated an additional layer beyond what Zhu Zaiyu himself had initially considered.

Assessing officials through the Evaluation and Merit System!

Yan Song, too, inwardly marveled at the profound cleverness of the young crown prince before him.

Leaving the position of Jiaozhou Magistrate vacant at this moment was, by all accounts, a boon for both Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng.

The two of them would naturally be able to handle the situation in Jiaozhou with ease and composure.

At the same time, because they held the power to recommend candidates for the new magistrate, the officials within the Jiaozhou prefectural yamen would inevitably bow to their commands, vying with one another to exert themselves and vie for merit, solely hoping to secure a recommendation from the two men.

In this manner,

whether Gao and Yang were constructing ports and shipyards or reorganizing and drilling the maritime defense garrisons, they would naturally encounter far fewer obstacles when levying corvée laborers or allocating funds and grain.

The old man and the youth

exchanged a glance.

Both were struck with admiration for the other's sagacity.

Zhu Zaiyu smiled, nodding in affirmation: "Grand Secretary Yan has served at court for many years and truly possesses a deeply perceptive mind. I indeed harbored this very thought, just as the Grand Secretary has stated."

After saying this,

he looked toward the assembled officials in the hall.

"Jiaozhou has many matters to undertake at present. Whether it is the opening of maritime trade or the Evaluation and Merit System, both are matters of vital importance that concern the two capitals and thirteen provinces of our Great Ming, as well as the hundreds of millions of subjects across the realm!"

"I was thinking: for such crucial matters, if we were to hastily select and dispatch officials from elsewhere simply to fill a vacancy, would not the newly arrived official be forced to spend time familiarizing himself with local conditions in Jiaozhou first?"

"I have often heard it said that when officials arrive at a new post, it takes a hundred days before they truly understand the locality."

"A hundred days..."

"Can Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng afford to wait a hundred days?"

"I believe they cannot afford to wait, my lords cannot afford to wait, and His Majesty even less so."

Once the floodgates of conversation were opened,

Zhu Zaiyu spoke with increasing ease and composure.

He continued: "As for the affairs of Jiaozhou, I believe it is far better for officials already native to or serving in Jiaozhou to take them over. They have served in official posts in Jiaozhou for many years and are intimately familiar with every blade of grass and tree in the locality. Otherwise, the Ministry of Personnel would not have kept them serving in Jiaozhou for so many years."

As he spoke these words, Zhu Zaiyu's gaze shifted directly to Minister of Personnel Wen Yuan.

Would you, Wen Yuan, dare to claim that the current officials in Jiaozhou are unqualified?

If so, that would mean you, the Minister of Personnel Wen Yuan, are unqualified!

For you are the one who constantly claims that the Ministry of Personnel governs the selection system for officials throughout the realm.

As expected, Wen Yuan's heart sank, yet he was forced to squeeze a smile onto his face to meet the Crown Prince's gaze.

Only then did Zhu Zaiyu continue: "That being the case, it would be far better to let Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng shoulder the burdens of Jiaozhou first. They are officials sent from the central government and possess genuine capability. If they cannot even govern a single prefecture well, how could they possibly manage the grand undertaking of opening maritime trade?"

This was the flavor and benefit of holding true power.

Even if the Ministry of Personnel had already prepared a slate of candidates for the Jiaozhou Magistrate, he could simply ignore it.

He could bypass the usual channels altogether and thrust Gao Gong and Yang Jisheng straight into position!

Yan Song had already risen from his soft stool.

Clasping his hutu tablet with both hands, a broad smile beamed across his face.

"Your Imperial Highness is profoundly wise and discerning."

"This old minister believes this course of action is entirely feasible!"