Chapter 24: A Slight Inconvenience for Him

To the west of the Imperial Palace lies a vast expanse of water, a rare and precious landscape within the water-scarce capital. Known by names such as the Taiye Pool and the North Sea, these waters and their surrounding areas are collectively called the Western Garden, a restricted royal precinct. It serves as an extension of the Imperial Palace, housing various government offices and palace halls that cannot be accommodated within the main palace grounds.

Around twenty years ago, the reigning Jiajing Emperor abandoned the Imperial Palace to reside permanently in the Renshou Palace within the Western Garden, later renaming it the more auspicious Yongshou Palace. Consequently, the Western Garden supplanted the traditional main halls of the palace as the political center of the Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, breaking with tradition, the Jiajing Emperor shattered the established distance between sovereign and subject by summoning a group of officials to reside within the Western Garden, keeping them in constant attendance near the Yongshou Palace.

Nominally, these officials were summoned to "assist in the cultivation of the Tao," which effectively meant helping the Jiajing Emperor in his pursuit of immortality. This "residency in the Western Garden" was not a simple nine-to-five arrangement; these officials were required to live on-site, often unable to return home for days, or sometimes weeks at a time. Near the Wuyi Hall, southwest of the Yongshou Palace, modest dwellings known as "Duty Lodgings" were constructed for these officials. Each room was cramped and austere—a testament to hard and simple living—with only the Senior Grand Secretary Yan Song’s quarters being slightly more spacious. Despite these quarters being far inferior to the grand mansions outside, they remained highly coveted. Possessing such a small, humble room was the ultimate proof of one’s proximity to the Emperor and membership in the inner circle of the Ming Empire’s power.

Although it was only mid-February, long before the spring excursions of the third day of the third lunar month, the Jiajing Emperor, struck by a sudden whim, left the Yongshou Palace to enjoy a spring outing, drifting in a boat upon the North Sea. Over a dozen officials accompanied him, circling the North Sea in his wake and offering the customary poems composed for the occasion. By the time they returned to their Duty Lodgings after the outing, it was already afternoon.

Lu Bing, Commander of the Jinyiwei, had just sat down in his room and taken a few sips of tea when he saw Xu Jie, the third-ranking Grand Secretary among the civil officials, lift the door curtain and step inside. Though short in stature, Xu Jie possessed a fair and refined appearance—a common trait among officials close to the Jiajing Emperor. As for Lu Bing himself, the saying often attributed to the Emperor—"honed to a crane-like form"—was, in fact, a reference to him. There were, of course, exceptions, such as the younger Yan Shifan.

If the faction led by Senior Grand Secretary Yan Song and his son was the most powerful and widely recognized "villainous clique" in the court, then Grand Secretary Xu Jie was the mastermind of the resistance against them. Xu Jie, however, avoided direct confrontation; he never openly opposed the Yan faction, preferring to operate from the shadows—a practice historians call "patient endurance." Lu Bing, having collaborated with the Yan faction in his early years, had since broken ties with them following a series of events. It was only natural that he and Xu Jie formed an anti-Yan alliance, eventually even becoming in-laws.

Seeing Xu Jie enter, Lu Bing asked with a smile, "Master Cunzhai, what brings you here instead of resting?"

Xu Jie inquired, "I heard that Ouyang Bijin, a key figure in the Yan faction and Minister of Works, was attacked by a guard during yesterday’s court session and has indignantly submitted his resignation. Was this your doing?"

Lu Bing quickly denied it, "Do not misunderstand! It was not!"

Xu Jie seemed dissatisfied; given their relationship, was there any need for secrets? He insisted, "It could have been."

Lu Bing gave a bitter smile and reaffirmed, "It truly was not." Whether friend or foe, everyone assumed he was the mastermind, and it was difficult to explain otherwise. After all, everyone knew that the guards stationed at the Noon Gate were all Lu Bing’s personal subordinates. After much persuasion, Lu Bing finally convinced Xu Jie that the Minister of Works’ resignation was merely an accident, not a clandestine maneuver of his.

Xu Jie remarked, "While Ouyang Bijin’s resignation is not a bad thing on the surface and appears to weaken the Yan faction, the timing is poor. If he leaves now, it is too early to achieve the best results."

When it came to calculation, few in the court were as subtle as Xu Jie. Lu Bing was a clever man, but he was a level below Xu Jie and could not grasp the meaning. Was taking down a Minister of Works from the Yan faction not a victory?

Xu Jie continued, "Our primary goal is not merely to eliminate one or two individuals from the Yan faction; that does not resolve the root of the problem. What we must focus on is fostering the Emperor’s disgust for the Yan faction and continuously deepening that disdain. That is the fundamental strategy."

As he listened to Xu Jie’s analysis, Lu Bing fell into deep thought. Xu Jie explained further, "From this perspective, Ouyang Bijin resigning now is more like a cicada shedding its skin to escape. You know that his main task is the reconstruction of the Three Great Halls. Although the project is delayed and progressing with difficulty, the Emperor has not yet lost all patience. Letting him leave now is, in effect, letting him off the hook. Therefore, I believe he should be made to toil for another year or so. When the project remains unfinished, the Emperor will inevitably grow dissatisfied with the Yan faction. That is the optimal outcome. In short, do not be obsessed with the gain or loss of a single person or position; these are trifles. Grasping and adjusting the overall ebb and flow of power—that is the true way of governance."

Lu Bing finally understood and said with admiration, "Grand Secretary Xu, your insight is profound; I have learned much!" If there was only one man in the court capable of toppling Yan Song, it was certainly Xu Jie.

After a moment’s reflection, Xu Jie shared his assessment: "During the spring outing on the North Sea just now, Yan Shifan tried desperately to defend Ouyang Bijin before the Emperor, claiming that Ouyang was diligent and had rendered great service. I suspect the Emperor may send someone to investigate, and the Yan faction will likely push hard for their own candidate. We might as well go with the flow and not stand in the way of the Yan faction trying to save Ouyang. However, the guard who provoked Ouyang into resigning may have to suffer a little injustice; otherwise, how can we give Ouyang a graceful exit?"

Lu Bing hesitated but said nothing. If a subordinate had to suffer a minor grievance for the greater good, and the consequences were not severe, it was acceptable. In the world of fame and fortune, one cannot avoid all slights. Once the matter had passed, he could simply provide additional compensation.

Having persuaded Lu Bing, Xu Jie offered another line of thought: "At the same time, we can pretend to let Ouyang Bijin off the hook to trade for other benefits from the Yan faction. It would be killing two birds with one stone."

To utilize such a "small matter" to its fullest, calculating both long-term and short-term interests with such precision, served as a testament to the true power of Xu Jie’s craft.