Chapter 125
Cui Sheng did not act like an outsider. He went into the kitchen of the second branch and quickly fried two dishes to go with the wine. The three brothers drank as they talked.
Cui Sheng spoke first. “After all these days, even Big Brother should have seen it clearly: His Majesty will not tolerate people who occupy their posts without doing anything. Those who only want to muddle through their days will not last long.
“You have obtained an office as an experienced administrator through years of accumulated service. That is a real position. If you continue to apply yourself to your duties, promotion will follow naturally.
“Someone as practical as you will also earn the respect of others.”
Cui Mian had taken some of this to heart, but he voiced his concern. “Won’t people laugh at me?”
Cui Fang filled his cup. “Big Brother, Third Brother may hesitate to say this, but I do not.
“Back then, our second branch took the title from the main branch. No matter how we try to justify it, it was still dishonorable.
“Everything in this world has its cause and effect. Because of what happened then, the second branch spent decades achieving nothing. Cause and effect follow one another, and things eventually return to what they should be.
“Think about it, Big Brother. If our branch had not received the title back then, what prospects would you and I have had with our mediocre abilities?
“Many people who rose through the examination system spend their entire lives without ever reaching the fifth rank. What more could you possibly want?
“All these years, you have merely done your duty without either merit or fault. Any jinshi or juren could have done better in your place.
“Would Marquis Xu not know this? He only kept you on because you are Her Majesty’s uncle and he did not want to make her look bad.
“So I advise you to put aside all those old notions and start over. Let us set an example for the descendants of the second branch.”
Cui Fang’s words left Cui Mian thoroughly ashamed. After downing three cups in succession, he said to Cui Sheng with an embarrassed expression, “You are the Imperial Father-in-Law, yet you still hold a fifth-rank post. And I looked down on a real fifth-rank position? I was simply far too greedy.”
Since Cui Fang had already laid everything bare, Cui Sheng did not indulge Cui Mian.
“Second Brother is right. Because of Her Majesty, as long as our family members apply themselves sincerely to their duties, His Majesty will see it. He will not bury our talents, and our promotions will certainly be smoother than other people’s. If that still does not satisfy you, then you truly are asking for too much.”
“I won’t be like that anymore. From now on, I’ll apply myself to my duties and take on only as much as I’m capable of handling.” Cui Mian nodded repeatedly. Then he added, “If I lose my way again, you must remind me like this.”
Cui Sheng and Cui Mian raised their cups together to toast him. “That is what brothers of one family should do.”
Cui Mian had originally thought that after his rank was reduced, the Cheng family would look down on him and that there might be another complication with Cui Lanting’s marriage.
But he had been overthinking things. Instead, the Cheng family increased the betrothal gifts, and when Cheng Gui came to the residence, he behaved even more respectfully toward Cui Mian than before.
Cui Mian later sighed to Cui Fang, “I was wrong all along. Only by conducting oneself with greater honesty and generosity can one earn good fortune.”
***
After the Empress’s birthday on the ninth day of the second month, the Emperor ordered preparations for Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s birthday celebrations. Unlike in previous years, this time the Empress would oversee both the Ministry of Rites and the Palace Household Administration.
The court officials had tolerated the Empress’s control of the Office of Commercial Taxation because it was an institution newly established by the Emperor, and the commercial taxes it collected went into the Emperor’s private treasury. Even though the Empress handled the Office of Commercial Taxation’s affairs in the eastern chamber of Yan’an Hall, it could still be described as an internal matter of the imperial couple.
But this time, the Empress was overseeing the Ministry of Rites in arranging Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s birthday celebrations. That involved the affairs of the outer court, and the two could not be confused.
The entire court erupted in protest. Senior officials submitted remonstrances one after another, and even Prince Jing came forward to say that it was inappropriate. Several of those who led the opposition most fiercely had already prepared themselves to be beaten with the imperial staff and sent home.
The Emperor, however, was unusually good-natured. He merely offered the explanation, “The Empress wishes to show her devotion.”
To this day, the court officials had never figured out whether the Empress had won Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s favor first and thus gained the opportunity to approach Prince Wei, or whether she had first won Prince Wei over and only then come to Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s attention. But there was no doubt that Grand Empress Dowager Chen treated the Empress like her own granddaughter. It was only natural for the Empress to wish to express her filial devotion on the old lady’s birthday.
The Emperor was being so mild and reasonable that the officials were somewhat flattered. They began to think that he was willing to listen to criticism after all, and that the future remained promising. Perhaps, just this once, they could make an exception.
Besides, how much could the Empress really know about the affairs of the outer court? Would it not still be the Ministry of Rites making the decisions? At most, she would merely have her name attached to the arrangements; it would not cause much trouble.
The Empress was already in the eastern chamber, and officials had grown accustomed to entering Yan’an Hall to see her. Minister Gu had even gone to the eastern chamber to plead with her the last time. As long as no one entered the inner palace, the arrangement could be considered acceptable.
Thus, the officials made a great show of opposition but ultimately backed down without much consequence. Instead, they began to feel sorry for Minister Gu.
During the Xuanning era, every time the Ministry of Rites and the Palace Household Administration had jointly organized a ceremony, they had quarreled and shifted responsibility back and forth. After several such incidents, Emperor Xuanning had grown tired of it. From then on, all celebrations were entrusted to the Ministry of Rites, while the Palace Household Administration only handled the miscellaneous chores.
Now the Empress had been added to the mix as well. Minister Gu and the Ministry of Rites were going to have quite a headache!
And if Minister Gu went to plead with the Empress again, as he had last time, and managed to get the whole matter called off, that would be even better.
But he did not.
The previous time, the Empress had shown consideration and allowed the Ministry of Rites to arrange her birthday celebration on a simpler scale. Minister Gu had been deeply grateful. So even though he knew that jointly working with the Palace Household Administration would lead to endless complications, he did not refuse.
The next day, the Empress summoned him to the eastern chamber. Qian He, Song Zhang, and Jiang Shi were there as well. Minister Gu secretly groaned when he saw them.
From the look of things, the Empress did not merely intend to lend her name to the arrangements. She truly meant to oversee them.
The Ministry of Rites and the Palace Household Administration alone were already enough to create endless disputes. With the Empress and her people joining in, would the whole affair not descend into chaos?
The more people involved in a task, the worse it was usually handled. Minister Gu was considering how to explain this tactfully and make the Empress understand the principle.
But the Empress gave him no opportunity. Once he had taken his seat, she said, “I know Minister Gu is busy with the metropolitan examination, so my side will take on whatever work we can. The Ministry of Rites need only send people to offer guidance. We will try our best not to trouble you.”
The claim was far too bold. A grand celebration of this scale was not something that could be managed merely by someone who had overseen palace affairs for a few months. To avoid mistakes, countless details in every area had to be coordinated. The Empress was thinking too simply.
Qian He, however, wholeheartedly supported her. “Whatever Her Majesty commands, we shall do. The Palace Household Administration may not excel at other things, but when it comes to providing manpower, we are second to none.”
Minister Gu did his best to keep his emotions from showing. “Has Her Majesty already drawn up a plan?”
“Commissioner Song and Administrator Jiang have worked out some detailed regulations. Minister Gu, please take a look first.” The Empress indicated that Song Zhang should hand the prepared booklet to Minister Gu.
Minister Gu accepted it skeptically, intending to skim through it. But after reading only two lines, he focused completely and continued carefully from beginning to end.
Everything in the booklet was laid out clearly. It could be said that every detail, large or small, had been taken into consideration. Even the sections concerning ritual procedures contained not a single error. The people in the Ministry of Rites were not this well versed in the subject; whenever questions arose, they often had to consult the ritual classics on the spot.
Minister Gu looked at Song Zhang and Jiang Shi in astonishment. “The two of you worked all this out?”
Jiang Shi modestly replied, “I merely assisted Lord Song.”
Song Zhang, however, would not take all the credit for himself. “I could not have done it alone. Without you, I would have had to spend quite some time going through all those Ministry of Rites texts.”
Jiang Shi knew better than to accept the compliment. “Lord Song is familiar with the affairs of every ministry and office. How could these matters possibly have posed any difficulty for him?”
Cui Lanyin smiled. “Commissioner Song will oversee the larger matters, while Administrator Jiang will keep an eye on the implementation. That leaves me free to rest easy.”
Having this set of detailed regulations made things much easier. The Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household could each carry out their assigned duties according to the list, and even the procedures for coordinating with one another had been clearly laid out, making it possible to avoid all the usual buck-passing and bickering.
The more Minister Gu read, the more useful he found it. He praised it, saying, “When I get back, I’ll study this carefully. From now on, the Ministry of Rites should also work out such detailed guidelines in advance. It would save us so much effort.”
After that, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household both grew busy. Minister Gu also realized that he had underestimated Qian He. The Imperial Household under Qian He’s management was no longer the chaotic place it had once been. Whenever the Ministry of Rites was too overwhelmed to cope, Qian He would have the Imperial Household take care of anything they could conveniently handle, even if it was not technically their responsibility.
Minister Gu also noticed that, although Song Zhang and Jiang Shi were the ones coordinating everything, the Empress was not merely standing by and watching as she claimed. On many matters, Song Zhang and Jiang Shi still needed to refer decisions to her.
Unlike ordinary women of the inner palace, the Empress possessed an extraordinary decisiveness. Her breadth of mind and courage surpassed those of most men.
With the Empress overseeing everything in a clear and orderly fashion, Song Zhang and Jiang Shi promptly reported any developments, and the Imperial Household cooperated fully. Minister Gu had never found any celebration as easy to arrange as this one.
Minister Gu had always believed that officials who came from the censorate were the only ones who combined ability and talent; everyone else had been beneath his notice.
This time, he realized that he had been taking things for granted. Song Zhang and Jiang Shi were both only juren, yet they had outdone any number of officials who had passed the metropolitan examination.
During an audience with the Emperor one day, he could not help saying, “Your Majesty, the Commissioner Song and Administrator Jiang under Her Majesty are both exceptionally capable. They are truly rare talents. Leaving them in the Office of Commercial Taxation is making poor use of them. There are still many important posts vacant in the various ministries and offices. Your Majesty should transfer them out and put them in charge of those positions. Of course, Her Majesty cannot be left without capable people either. Perhaps she could choose some replacements from the Imperial College?”
“You go and tell her yourself.” The Emperor dismissed him with a flick of his finger.
Minister Gu, however, assumed that the Emperor simply found it difficult to bring the matter up with the Empress. So he went to the Eastern Pavilion instead. He considered the Empress a very reasonable person, and felt that having the people under her promoted would only give her greater support. She had no reason not to encourage it.
During this period, Song Zhang and Jiang Shi spent every morning at the Eastern Pavilion. Both of them happened to be there when Minister Gu arrived, which suited him perfectly.
He repeated to them exactly what he had said to the Emperor. He had expected to persuade the Empress, but he soon discovered that Song Zhang and Jiang Shi had no intention of negotiating at all.
“We appreciate Minister Gu’s concern, but Song will not be going anywhere,” Song Zhang said. “If Her Majesty ever relinquishes control of the Office of Commercial Taxation, I’ll go manage Her Majesty’s private estates instead.”
“Then I’ll be Lord Song’s assistant,” Jiang Shi added.
Cui Lanyin had long since mastered the Emperor’s method of applying knowledge flexibly. She smiled at the two men and said, “As long as I remain in this position, things will never come to that. When the time comes, I’ll establish an Office of Imperial Treasures. One of you will be its Director and the other its Deputy Director. You’ll still be my right- and left-hand men.”
Song Zhang and Jiang Shi laughed heartily.
“Then we’ll have nothing left to worry about,” they said.
It was not that the Empress failed to see the implications. Rather, she was unwilling to reach out her hand. She knew what to do and what not to do, and had drawn a line for herself that she would never cross.
Most importantly, she treated her subordinates with complete sincerity. Once someone worked for her, she remained loyal to them from beginning to end.
Minister Gu began to understand. It was precisely because she was such an Empress that Song Zhang and Jiang Shi were willing to remain by her side without regard for their own prospects.
After that, in addition to respecting Cui Lanyin, he developed a deep admiration for her.
The court officials had been waiting for the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household to come to blows, with the Empress eventually having to seek the Emperor’s judgment. Not only did that never happen, but they watched as the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household grew increasingly harmonious. Song Zhang and Jiang Shi, who served under the Empress, were even able to mobilize personnel from both institutions without going through Minister Gu or Qian He.
The Empress, the Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial Household worked together with remarkable harmony and efficiency to arrange the birthday celebrations for Grand Empress Dowager Chen.
What had happened? Seeing Minister Gu coming in and out of the Eastern Pavilion with a smile on his face was astonishing. In previous years, whenever he had been responsible for arranging the various celebrations, he had always worn a long, bitter expression. This time, he even had the metropolitan examination to deal with. Shouldn’t he have been frantic with work?
Here it is! I didn’t have time to check it earlier. I’ll correct the typos right away. [Wicked grin]
