usatvline Chapter 91 The Struggle
Chapter 91 The Struggle
"The Crown Prince? He's already making a move?"
"That's right." The Ninth Prince nodded. "My people found out that the Crown Prince's people have been frequently going in and out of the Ministry of Personnel these past few days, drinking and eating with several vice ministers and senior officials, and inquiring about vacancies."
The Crown Prince's side even declared, "Huguang belongs to the imperial court, not to any one person," implying that they also wanted a share.
Lao Ba stared at his wine glass without saying a word.
"Huguang is the heartland of the country, and it has been a strategic location fought over by military strategists since ancient times." The Ninth Prince's tone became more and more certain. "The Crown Prince suffered a setback because of the Juxianju incident, and also lost Xiao Guoxing, an important ally, which greatly weakened him."
He's definitely eyeing this lucrative opportunity now, and wants to use it to place his own people in local positions to make up for his losses.
Yin'e's brows furrowed into a knot, his mind like a machine running at high speed, gears meshing, sparks flying.
This was a perfect opportunity for him to make his own plans; his only problem was that he had no local influence.
The imperial power center did have the support of the Niohuru clan, but those people had almost all merged with the Eighth Prince's faction in earlier years.
Niohuru Aling'a, the younger brother of his maternal uncle Yin De, was a favorite of Emperor Kangxi, holding the positions of Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard and Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs.
But this person was already a staunch supporter of the Eighth Prince's faction; his relationship with the Eighth Prince was even closer than his relationship with his nephew, Yin'e.
It's impossible for Yin'e to win over someone like Aling'a; it's not that he couldn't, it's that he was incapable of doing so.
Actively trying to win over these people is uncertain, but it's certain that it's tantamount to turning against Lao Ba.
He doesn't have that ability yet.
Therefore, he had to take this opportunity to place his own people in Huguang.
He's not a member of the Eighth Prince's faction, nor is he a member of the Crown Prince's faction; he's his own man.
Those people don't need high official positions or much power; they just need to be in key positions and be able to watch, listen, and relay messages for him.
He quickly echoed Lao Jiu's words, saying, "That's right, Eighth Brother, we really need to start planning sooner rather than later."
Now that the Crown Prince has already made his move, we can't just wait. There are so many vacancies in Huguang, at least dozens, and every position, from governor to county magistrate, is filled with our connections.
If the Crown Prince's men get in, our foundation in Huguang will be gone.
Eighth Brother nodded, turned his head, and looked at Fourteenth Brother.
"Fourteenth Brother, you just came back from there, so you're most familiar with the situation in Huguang. Could you give us a brief introduction to the situation there?"
You should have a clear understanding of which positions are important, which positions are worth fighting for, and which positions you can concede.
The fourteenth brother put down his wine glass, sat up straight, and his expression became serious.
"Brother Ba, there are 47 vacancies in the positions of officials investigated in Huguang this time, from top to bottom."
The highest-ranking official was the Governor of Huguang, followed by the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, then the Circuit Intendants, the Prefects of each prefecture, the Magistrates of each state, and the Magistrates of each county.
"The position of governor is of paramount importance. Whoever takes it will control the military and political power of Huguang."
The Provincial Administration Commissioner was in charge of finances and grain, while the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was in charge of justice; neither of these positions could be lost.
The circuit intendant and the prefect are scattered throughout the various prefectures and circuits, controlling the counties and districts below. We should strive to secure at least half of these positions.
The eighth brother leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "The positions of governor and provincial treasurer are not ones we can simply compete for."
The Emperor knows exactly what's going on; it's his decision who goes to Huguang.
What we can do is secure those positions below. Once the people above the governor have laid a solid foundation, whoever is above them becomes less important.
The ninth prince nodded, and the fourteenth prince also nodded.
Yin'e nodded in agreement, but he was thinking about something else.
He dared not even dream of the position of governor; he dared not even dream of the position of provincial treasurer.
But is it possible for him to place one or two people among the circuit intendants, prefects, and county magistrates? Even just a minor county magistrate?
After all, a tall building starts from the ground up.
Lao Ba was silent for a moment, then raised his head and scanned the three people's faces.
"In the next few days I will draft a list, listing the positions we can compete for and the people we should use."
There are dozens of vacancies in Huguang (Hubei and Hunan provinces), which can't be filled in a day or two. We're not in a hurry; we'll plan slowly.
He paused, then added, "It's getting late, you should all go back now. I'll call you over to discuss it once I've finalized the list."
The ninth brother stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed to the eighth brother.
The fourteenth prince also stood up, patted Yin'e on the shoulder, and said, "Tenth brother, I'm leaving first."
Yin'e nodded, watched them leave, then bid farewell to the Eighth Prince and left the Eighth Prince's residence.
The sedan chair swayed and wobbled as it made its way back into the night.
Yin'e leaned against the sedan chair wall, his mind racing.
Forty-seven vacancies. The eighth prince will draft the list, the ninth prince will provide the funds, and the fourteenth prince will provide the intelligence. If the three of them work together, they can at least secure one-third of the positions.
And what about him?
What does he have? How many capable people does he have at his disposal?
He went through it in his mind and realized that he only had a dozen or so people he could actually use.
They were all guards, stewards, and servants in the mansion; not one of them was capable enough to serve as an official in the local area.
Those people are good at serving tea and water, running errands and relaying messages, but it's impossible for them to manage a region's water and soil.
He opened his eyes, lifted the sedan curtain, and looked at the dim lights on the street.
The night breeze squeezed in through the cracks, carrying a hint of coolness and the earthy smell of soil.
There were very few pedestrians on the street. Occasionally, one or two watchmen would walk by carrying lanterns, their footsteps echoing in the empty street.
His brows furrowed even more.
After returning home, he sat alone in his study, lit a lamp, spread out a sheet of paper, picked up a pen, and began to write down the names of people he could use.
He wrote and crossed out, crossed out and wrote again, filling a sheet of paper with dense writing, but in the end, it was still the same old material.
He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.
He didn't have much time to plan things out in Hubei and Hunan.
The eighth and ninth princes have already started taking action, and the crown prince is also making moves.
If he doesn't act now, he'll never have another chance once those people have taken all the positions.
However, its predecessor was so incompetent that it didn't even have a single decent person among its own.
There's only one Yin De, but I can't live without him.
Just as he was feeling frustrated and at his wit's end, he heard footsteps outside the door.
"Tenth Prince, someone from the palace has arrived." It was Fuquan.
"Who?"
"It was a junior eunuch under Eunuch Liang. He said it was an imperial edict, ordering you to attend the court assembly tomorrow morning."
"Understood. Send that little eunuch back to report that I will definitely arrive on time tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," Fuquan replied and withdrew.
Looking at the night sky, Yin'e muttered to himself, "Summoning the princes for a meeting again? Does Kangxi have something to announce this time?"