Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

However, he is after all the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, with Zhou Yunsong absent, he must uphold the dignity and interests of the Ministry, some matters he could not delve into.

”Quick, send a message to the elder statesman, never mind, I should go there myself!” Zhao Gongqing couldn’t care about anything else and went directly to the Imperial City to find Zhou Yunsong.

It was already evening by the time Yang Zhenshan returned to the Marquis Mansion, and the sky had already darkened.

Yang Zhenshan went straight to the study and flamboyantly wrote a memorial.

He decided to seize the opportunity to make a big fuss and stir up the muddy waters of the Da Rong Court.

Indeed, Qu Changkong’s prophecy had come true, as things were out of his control.

The political struggle among the civil servants at the court was becoming increasingly unscrupulous, forcing Lu Wenquan to leave Capital City. Furthermore, someone even dared to suppress the officials from the Martial Arts Pavilion.

The demotion and reassignment of Bao Lang to the Ministry of Justice was a form of suppression.

If Yang Zhenshan didn’t stand up today, then anyone might come to trouble him in the future.

It’s worth noting that Yang Zhenshan had many old connections from Chongshan Town to Liaodong, deeply entwined with both civil and military officials.

Lu Wenquan and Lin Zhan had the closest relationship with him, but don’t forget that the Yang family had some less obvious connections in the bureaucracy.

For instance, Zheng Xiao, who is currently the governor of Liaodong, governs the affairs of Ping Yuan and Liao Yuan provinces, supervising the salt industry and Market Shipping Department.

In fact, Zheng Xiao inherited Liu Yuanfu’s political capital, and many of Liu Yuanfu’s former students now follow Zheng Xiao’s lead.

Yang Zhenshan was already close to Zheng Xiao, and their families were also related by marriage, as Lin Zhan’s wife was Zheng Xiao’s younger daughter.

Apart from Zheng Xiao, another civil servant close to Yang Zhenshan was Pang Tang, who had been serving as the governor of Chongshan Town for nearly a decade and had been the leader of the clustered civil officials there.

However, both Zheng Xiao and Pang Tang were far from the Capital City, hence they were not involved in the court disputes.

But not being involved doesn’t mean they were not affected.

One could see from the officials under Pang Tang and Zheng Xiao; their promotions had been nearly non-existent in recent years.

Even now, Zheng Xiao is only an Assistant Imperial Censor at the Imperial Examination Hall. His position as governor is significantly lesser than that of Pang Tang. While Pang Tang could intervene in all military and political affairs of Chongshan Town, Zheng Xiao, as the governor of Liaodong, could only handle the salt industry and Market Shipping Department and had no authority over military and political affairs.

If one were to delineate factions, Yang Zhenshan, Pang Tang, and Zheng Xiao would all be considered part of the Liaodong System. Zheng Xiao is a bit peculiar because he inherited Liu Yuanfu’s political capital and theoretically should hold a significant standing in the Imperial Examination Hall, but Zheng Xiao’s career has not been smooth in recent years, revolving only around Liaodong.

Yang Zhenshan needs to look after not just the Martial Arts Pavilion, but also for individuals like Pang Tang and Zheng Xiao, acting as their spokesperson at court.

However, the officials at various court departments were becoming increasingly unscrupulous, refusing promotions and demotions where due, which is the main reason Yang Zhenshan needed to stir the court’s murky waters.

If it was just about seeking justice for Bao Lang, then simply reassigning Bao Lang back to the Martial Arts Pavilion would suffice. However, Yang Zhenshan represents the interests of both the officials and military generals from Chongshan Town and Liaodong. Even if Yang Zhenshan was reluctant to involve himself in court disputes, he had no choice but to engage.

Unless he was willing to completely sever ties with the Liaodong System, cutting off from the officials and military generals of Chongshan Town and Liaodong, he must fight for the due benefits of the Liaodong System.

Especially the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War, managing promotions and punishments of civil and military officials respectively, Yang Zhenshan must make his stance clear.