Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Yan residence was exceptionally somber.
After serving as Minister of Rites at the age of fifty-six, Yan Song moved from his old residence in the West City to this grand mansion in Dengshikou Hutong. In the subsequent twenty years, he purchased multiple large estates in Nanchang and Yangzhou, with family records claiming over three thousand rooms. In fact, he still owned several large courtyards within Beijing itself, but they were farther from the imperial palace, making this mansion naturally more convenient.
At this moment, he was not receiving guests in his study but had moved to the "Liangqian Shanfang" in the backyard. This was his usual place of leisure, exceptionally tranquil.
Today was indeed different, as two distinguished guests had arrived. They were considered distinguished because they were indeed from noble lineages: Li Tingzhu, a descendant of Li Wenzhong, and Liu Shiyan, a descendant of Liu Bowen. Li Tingzhu currently served as the Governor-General of the Beijing Garrison and had previously been the Commander of the Grand Canal Transportation. Liu Yanshi was the Deputy Commandant of the Right Army in the Five Army Commanderies.
In the sparse courtyard, a sense of coolness pervaded. Besides Yan Song and his son Yan Shifan, only Luo Longwen, Yan Maoqing, Zhao Wenhua, and others were present, signifying the extraordinary nature of the day.
At this time, Yan Shifan poured tea for the two guests and said with a smile, "The old man is absolutely delighted that you two esteemed guests could grace us with your presence today... Come, come, have some tea to moisten your throats..."
Both guests smiled and replied, "Thank you, Junior Minister Yan."
Yan Song, having changed into a thin robe, then emerged, appearing more like he was joining a friendly gathering. Yan Shifan helped him to a seat and offered him a soft cushion.
Yan Song stroked his long beard and chuckled, "Tingzhu, you are in Beijing, yet we have not seen each other for so long... And Shiyan, you are in Nanjing, and it's rare for you to visit. We must have a good long gathering this time."
Li Tingzhu, being slightly older, replied humbly, "Esteemed Minister is busy with state affairs day in and day out; the Great Ming cannot do without you for a single day. We are all individuals unable to manage affairs, just muddling through life. It is inconvenient for us to disturb you and Junior Minister Yan."
"Hahaha," Yan Shifan burst into hearty laughter. "What are you saying? You are the pillars of the Great Ming, the masters. We are merely the hired laborers, hahaha..."
Both guests immediately felt an awkwardness.
Liu Shiyan sighed, "As the saying goes, a county magistrate is not as effective as the immediate supervisor. If it weren't for the patronage of Esteemed Minister and Junior Minister Yan, we would be relegated to idleness at home... Junior Minister Yan, you may not know, but living like this is not easy. Not to mention anything else, even inheriting a noble title is not a simple matter. I know many nobles who have not inherited their titles for over a decade..."
"Oh?" Yan Song and Yan Shifan exchanged a glance, knowing that the main topic was about to be broached.
It must be known that the enfeoffed nobles of the Great Ming were, in fact, a rather unfortunate group throughout the dynasties. In the Hongwu era, the founding emperor had executed many. During the Jingnan campaign, many nobles opposed the King of Yan, and after their defeat, they were further suppressed. Since then, successive emperors had strictly adhered to the ancestral teaching: "Enfeoffed nobles shall not participate in the affairs of the Nine Ministers." Most descendants of enfeoffed nobles held no official positions and, like the imperial family, were almost kept in gilded cages.
After the Hongzhi period, even being kept in gilded cages became difficult. Many people could not inherit their titles for years, and even when they did, their treatment was not as good as before, with most titles being nominal and without substance. Moreover, due to this status, very few were able to serve in the imperial court.
It was only after Jiajing ascended the throne that some enfeoffed nobles were employed to restrain the faction of Yang Tinghe and his son. For example, Marquis of Wuding Guo Xun, Marquis of Xianning Qiu Luan, Marquis of Linhuai Li Tingzhu, and Marquis of Zhenyuan Gu Huan. However, most of these individuals held nominal military posts. Even for such positions, they had to actively lobby. For instance, Qiu Luan had even paid homage to Yan Song as his adoptive father, and through Yan Shifan's recommendation, he was able to serve as the Governor-General of Datong, and later as the Governor-General of the Beijing Garrison.
Qiu Luan could be considered an anomaly among the enfeoffed nobles of the Ming Dynasty. Most nobles, even those of the highest rank, could only hold sinecures in the Five Army Commanderies, such as Liu Shiyan at this moment.
Therefore, when Liu Shiyan spoke like this, it was a complete shedding of the nobles' pride, a full acknowledgment of reality.
Yan Shifan naturally understood, but still wished to probe their intentions, so he said casually, "That cannot be said, after all, they are the masters of the house... Better than us transient visitors, wouldn't you say?"
Li Tingzhu offered an awkward smile and sighed, "Junior Minister Yan, please don't be so quick to mock us... To be frank, we have come today to inquire about a matter and wish to hear the truth..."
"Hahaha..." Yan Shifan suddenly laughed and said, "Brother Tingzhu, you are referring to Zhu Mo's 'Report on Canal Transportation,' aren't you?"
Li Tingzhu and Liu Shiyan nodded emphatically.
At this moment, Yan Song spoke, smiling, "This matter indeed was the fault of the grain overseers and their accountants. Later, it also involved the Viceroy of the Portuguese nation, Soza... Zhu Mo was, after all, assassinated. How can a dignified imperial envoy not be allowed to travel freely within the Great Ming? If I had not pleaded illness, severe punishment would have been meted out... Esteemed Minister Xu is a good man, too soft-hearted..."
Both guests were immediately awestruck.
This was because Guo Cong was able to become the Commander of the Grand Canal Transportation by bribing Yan Song with three thousand taels of silver. It was Yan Song who personally made the request to the Emperor. Yet, at this moment, Yan Song was saying he would mete out severe punishment? Was that not merely posturing?
Their purpose in coming here was to support Guo Cong. Guo Cong was a descendant of the Marquis of Wuding, and if Zhu Mo had indeed struck him, it would have been a very significant signal, not to be trifled with.
Speaking more deeply, they had been closely observing Zhu Mo's reforms. The last time, when the imperial estates were reformed, the enfeoffed nobles had been extremely fearful, afraid that Zhu Mo would use them as an example and, while reforming the imperial estates, also suppress the nobles.
This time, fortunately, Zhu Mo had only made a preliminary move, and Xu Jie, being particularly tactful, had presented a compromise – Guo Cong was not punished, but his military authority was removed. However, even so, this development was still very dangerous, indicating that Zhu Mo was not pleased with the enfeoffed nobles, and might take serious action one day.
Yan Song's words at this moment left the two guests at a loss, unable to discern his true intentions. However, they had discussed before coming – the Yan family was at their weakest point, and there was no reason to refuse the enfeoffed nobles...
Thinking of this, Liu Shiyan said, "Esteemed Minister, Junior Minister Yan, Guo Cong was indeed incompetent and caused the neglect of canal affairs, which was his fault... But is the fault solely his? To place him in such a precarious position is also not ideal. Now, Esteemed Minister Xu has appointed someone else to oversee military affairs, and the Censor of Canal Supervision has been dispatched. Guo Cong can no longer sleep soundly. He claims to be investigating Hu Zhi, but will he investigate Hu Cong when the time comes? To be frank, it is for this reason that he sought us out to ask Esteemed Minister Yan for advice..."
Yan Song nodded, pondered for a moment, and suddenly sighed, "Hu Zhi is also an old student of mine... These canal affairs, the Governor-General and the Commander, neither can do without the other... When it comes to canal matters, there is no such thing as a single person's responsibility... Since you trust this old man, I will say this – there is only one canal in the world, not two!"