The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 427

"Your Majesty, what are your orders for summoning me here?"

When Xie Qian arrived at the Imperial Study, he looked at Emperor Jiajing before him and couldn't help but sigh, "Heroes have always emerged from among the young."

Just as Emperor Wen of Han traveled alone to Chang'an in ancient times, Your Majesty ascended the throne at the age of fourteen and quickly seized power.

While Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, certainly deserves credit for this, it was the person in front of us who appointed Zhou Chu to the position of commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Even on his first day on the throne, he had the foresight to appoint a young man who had never entered officialdom as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. What courage that was! What a remarkable talent for recognizing people!

Furthermore, Xie Qian had heard about the way Xia Yan, Yang Yiqing, and others had flattered Zhou Chu to the point of ruin, even though he was in Yuyao.

When Xie Qian learned of this, he couldn't help but sigh at how ruthless Yang Yiqing and his men were. Xie Qian had originally thought that Zhou Chu's tenure as commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was over.

But he didn't expect that the emperor would use a different method to cleverly resolve this situation of being praised to death, leaving Yang Yiqing, Xia Yan and others with no choice but to swallow their bitterness and accept it.

The emperor before us has a vision, a grand perspective, and even a level of trust in Zhou Chu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, that is far beyond what an ordinary emperor can match.

"Grand Secretary Xie, I summoned you here to ask for your opinion. The position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel is currently vacant. I believe Ru Hu is capable enough to fill this vacancy. What do you think, Grand Secretary?"

Jiajing looked at Xie Qian and smiled.

Ruhu was the pen name of Xie Qian's son, Xie Pi. Xie Pi's courtesy name was Yizhong, and his pen name was Ruhu.

Upon hearing this, Xie Qian was startled and overjoyed. He had been thinking about finding a better future for his son, but he had little connection with the current emperor and was hesitant to go to the palace to request an audience. Now, however, Jiajing had extended an olive branch to him, which made Xie Qian very happy.

"I am of limited talent and learning, but I am honored by Your Majesty's high regard for me. If I am able to take on this important task, I will certainly urge him on at all times."

Xie Qian did not make excuses or be polite. He knew very well that any words of excuses or politeness he uttered at this moment would be tantamount to refusing the emperor's offer to recruit him and his son.

That would be tantamount to ruining the future of his son Xie Pi.

Xie Qian's words were very clever. He showed the humility he should have, but he did not refuse Jiajing's proposal. He directly helped Xie Pi accept the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Only by entering the Six Ministries could one truly enter the power center of the Ming Dynasty, and only then would one's future career be limitless.

Upon hearing this, Jiajing nodded in satisfaction. Since Xie Qian had said so, it meant that this seventy-something-year-old cabinet member had completely sided with him.

This is only natural. After all, the Jiangnan faction has fallen apart from its foundation due to Yan Song's series of measures. Mao Ji and Xia Yan, the representatives of the Jiangnan faction, are certainly unwilling to accept this, since their advancement in officialdom depends entirely on the strength of the Jiangnan faction behind them.

But Xie Qian was different. He had long since given up on the idea of ​​getting promoted and making money. Now in his seventies, Xie Qian had already enjoyed everything he could before retiring from office.

To put it bluntly, given Xie Qian's current age, it's questionable how much longer he can live. The only thing he cares about now is his son Xie Pi's career, because Xie Pi's career represents the future of the Xie family.

Given the current situation of the Jiangnan faction, it is clearly no longer suitable for Xie Pi. If it were Xie Qian himself, or if Xie Qian were twenty years younger, he would not have done so.

Just like Mao Ji and Xia Yan, once they are labeled as part of the Jiangnan faction, it is extremely difficult to get rid of them, so they have to stick to this path to the end.

But Xie Qian was different. The label of the Jiangnan faction on him had become dispensable when he first retired from office, and Xie Pi showed no signs of it either. So when Jiajing said this, Xie Qian agreed almost without thinking.

"I originally intended to promote Ru Hu to the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, but after thinking about it, I realized that with Ru Hu's talent, having been in the Hanlin Academy for so many years, it would be a waste for him to be merely the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Let him gain some experience in the Ministry of Personnel. If he can work diligently and conscientiously, he can be promoted in the future."

Emperor Jiajing painted a picture of a cake for Xie Qian.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was a third-rank official position, and a powerful position within the Six Ministries. The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was only a fourth-rank official, so the difference between the two was considerable.

When Jiajing said this, he was actually expressing his high regard for the Grand Secretary in front of him.

Xie Qian naturally understood Jiajing's meaning.

"Your Majesty's kindness to me and my son is as heavy as a mountain. I will obey any command you give me."

Xie Qian bowed directly.

"Your Excellency, there is no need for such formalities. You are of advanced age. Please take some of these tonics from Annam back with you to help you recover your health. I need Your Excellency, and the Ming Dynasty needs you too."

As Jiajing spoke, he looked at Huang Jin, who took out a box filled with all sorts of tonics. Xie Qian took it with trembling hands, his face full of gratitude.

"Your Majesty's kindness is as deep as the sea, and I have no way to repay it. I am willing to give my life for Your Majesty."

Xie Qian was about to bow again when Jiajing stood up and helped him up.

"I've already said there's no need for such formalities, why is Your Excellency acting this way?"

Jiajing looked at Xie Qian, and Xie Qian looked at Jiajing. The two men smiled at each other.

In Zhangjia Village, Chu Li came to Zhou Chu.

"My lord, Zhu Qiyuan, the eldest son of the Prince of Jin, has already left Shaoxing."

Chu Li looked at Zhou Chu and reported.

Zhou Chu was not surprised at all when he heard this. Given his position as the Prince of Jin, if he didn't have any sense of national responsibility, he would most likely consider the most profitable course of action, which would be to continue colluding with those Shanxi merchants.

Since that's the case, Zhou Chu no longer needs to worry about the Prince of Jin's residence. Of course, the Prince of Jin's residence is not something that Zhou Chu, a mere commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, can handle; it still needs to be dealt with by the Emperor.

The emperor had absolute power over the regional princes, unless they wanted to rebel. After all, the princes of the Ming Dynasty were not like those of the Han Dynasty. These princes had no military power, no right to mint currency, no money or soldiers, and their power came almost entirely from the emperor.

Just like the former Prince of Dai, Zhu Junzhang's father, the emperor demoted him to a commoner with a single word. The entire Prince of Dai's mansion didn't even dare to plead for him, but could only plead for Zhu Junzhang, allowing Zhu Junzhang to inherit the title.

Although the Prince of Jin's mansion had deep connections with these Shanxi merchants, no matter how deep those connections were, he was still the Prince of Jin. These merchants did not have military power, and how to deal with Prince Zhu Zhiyang was just a matter of a word from Jiajing.

"Now that the Prince of Jin's mansion has withdrawn, why don't you and the other princes and princesses discuss the future mining of the coal mine?"

Zhou Chu looked at Chu Li and said.

Chu Li nodded upon hearing this.