"Your humble servant Zhang Zhe, currently serving as a senior official in the Ministry of War, is willing to serve Your Highness!" As soon as Ye Jingchen finished speaking, Zhang Zhe stepped forward, bowed, and requested permission.
Zhang Zhe kept his head down, so Ye Jingchen couldn't see his expression and looked at Zheng Mingxuan instead.
Sure enough, the old man's expression was not good.
This is not hard to understand.
Zhang Zhe is the son of Zhang Li, who is from a prominent family. Zhang Zhe naturally represents the poor, while Zheng Mingxuan comes from a prestigious family.
With his father's encouragement, the aristocratic families and the poor families had long been locked in a fierce and life-or-death struggle. However, Zhang Zhe relied on his own abilities to become a fifth-rank physician in the Ministry of War, which was under Zheng Mingxuan's control. Zheng Mingxuan must have felt very resentful towards Zhang Zhe!
Although Zhang Li's stance puzzled Ye Jingchen, he still recognized Zhang Zhe's abilities and character, so before Zheng Mingxuan could speak, Ye Jingchen preemptively agreed.
"Alright, I'll have to trouble you from now on, Lord Zhang," Ye Jingchen said with a smile.
The Ministry of War encompassed powerful families, nobles, and commoners, and presumably also included upright officials, making it a battleground for power struggles.
The current state of the Ministry of War is a microcosm of the Da Yuan court.
He didn't mind making the Ministry of War's situation even more murky, so that they could more easily take advantage of the chaos.
Zheng Mingxuan's expression turned even uglier, but he still managed to force a smile when Ye Jingchen looked over.
"Now that we've met, everyone can disperse!" Ye Jingchen waved his hand, then said to Zhang Zhe, "Lord Zhang, please take me to my office first!"
As the second-in-command of the Ministry of War, the Vice Minister of War naturally had a separate office area, which was quite large, at least three times the size of Ye Jingming's small single room.
The room is large and not cluttered with many items, so it feels very spacious.
"Isn't Young Master Lin from the Duke of Anguo's mansion? How did he suddenly become the esteemed Crown Prince?" Zhang Zhe asked quietly in the office, where there were no outsiders.
"My mother comes from the Duke of Anguo's mansion. Is there a problem with me saying that I come from the Duke of Anguo's mansion?" Ye Jingchen retorted confidently.
His father knew he was using the name of the Duke of Anguo's mansion to act outside, but he didn't care, so naturally he had nothing to fear.
Zhang Zhe snorted coldly, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has deceived me so thoroughly! No wonder I haven't been able to find any information related to Your Highness!"
“Young Master Zhang is a smart man. Since you can’t find any information about me, haven’t you ever suspected my identity?” Ye Jingchen asked with a smile.
He didn't believe that Zhang Zhe only found out his identity today.
Although the Duke of Anguo's mansion has always kept a low profile in the capital, and their children rarely appear in public, it is not without flaws if one really wants to investigate.
"I did make that connection," Zhang Zhe readily admitted. "It's just that the outside world says the Crown Prince is incredibly dull-witted, completely different from the intelligent and wise Young Master Lin that I know, so I didn't speculate in that direction."
This person is still upset and is using rumors to provoke him!
After stabbing him, I was afraid he would get angry, so I flattered him a little.
This push and pull was extremely natural, showing both youthful arrogance and tact, no wonder he was able to establish himself in the Ministry of War.
"I also found this rumor quite interesting, which is why I concealed my identity. Please forgive me!" Ye Jingchen smiled and readily admitted his mistake.
He always had a good temper when dealing with capable people.
“Your Highness is merely a fifth-rank physician; I cannot possibly accept Your Majesty’s forgiveness,” Zhang Zhe said.
“If Physician Zhang can’t take the blame, surely Brother Zhang can?” Ye Jingchen carried out his attitude of ‘treating the virtuous with respect’ to the end.
He is not a person of this era, and he does not have the class concepts of this era. When he interacts with people, he considers feelings first and values second. If someone is qualified to be on his chessboard, he does not mind if the other party slightly oversteps his boundaries.
Upon hearing the familiar address of "Brother Zhang," Zhang Zhe's expression softened, and his previously cold and hard face became more gentle.
"Let me first explain to His Highness the current situation of the Ministry of War," he said.
Ye Jingchen knew something about the current situation of the Ministry of War, but what Zhang Zhe said was from his perspective, which could be corroborated and give Ye Jingchen a more thorough understanding of the Ministry of War.
The position Ye Jingchen filled was previously held by the Vice Minister of War, or more accurately, the Right Vice Minister, who also came from a noble family.
Zhang Zhe was collecting evidence of the Vice Minister of War embezzling military funds, probably to prepare for his own promotion. However, Zhang Li exposed the matter at this time, causing the position of Vice Minister of War to fall to Ye Jingchen.
Although Ye Jingchen's visit to the Ministry of War was merely for training and he would leave in three to five years at most, this meant that Zhang Zhe would find it difficult to advance further before Ye Jingchen left.
There are too many variables in three to five years; who knows what other changes might occur during that time?
If Xie Chang'an was the mastermind behind this, Ye Jingchen found it hard to imagine what exactly Xie Chang'an had done to Zhang Li that would make him sacrifice Zhang Zhe's future.
The Vice Minister of War wielded considerable power, responsible for managing military registers, weapons, and war supplies, as well as selecting military officers and transmitting and executing military orders.
Being in this position allows me to openly and legitimately supervise the delivery of war supplies and military pay to the northern frontier. If there is any fighting on the border, I can be informed immediately, thus bridging the gap between the frontier and the rear and preventing any delays in the battle.
Ye Jingchen was fairly satisfied with his position. Although the duties were heavy, there was still the Marquis of Zhongyong as the Left Vice Minister. He only needed to focus on what he wanted to focus on, and left the rest to the Marquis of Zhongyong.
If the Marquis of Zhongyong is too busy, can't he still use Zhang Zhe?
Before Zhang Zhe came to the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War was a power struggle between aristocratic families and nobles. Zhang Zhe's arrival gave people from humble backgrounds a place in the Ministry of War, but he is still just a doctor and has too little say. Ye Jingchen doesn't mind helping him increase his influence.
From a scientific perspective, a tripartite balance of power would make the situation more stable.
The infiltration of the "pure stream" faction can also be carried out simultaneously. After all, competition drives progress.
At noon, Ye Jingchen declined the Minister of War's invitation to a banquet and instead chose to have lunch with Ye Jingming, bringing Zhang Zhe along as well.
Ye Jingming had been in the Ministry of Personnel for over a year and had some understanding of the younger generation in the six ministries, including Zhang Zhe. However, since they belonged to different departments, they had only met a few times and had never actually interacted.
"I know nothing about the Ministry of War, but Lord Zhang volunteered to help me." This is what Ye Jingchen said to Ye Jingming when introducing Zhang Zhe.
"My brother is new to the Ministry of War, and I hope Lord Zhang will take good care of him!"
Because they had to be on duty in the afternoon, the three of them drank tea. Ye Jingming toasted Zhang Zhe with tea instead of wine.
That made some sense, and Zhang Zhe laughed after hearing it.
"His Highness the Crown Prince and the Second Prince share a deep brotherly bond, which is truly enviable!"
"Being able to become brothers is a blessing earned over many lifetimes. You, as an only child, will probably never experience that in your life!" Ye Jingchen joked.
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