Chapter 1006 Different Thoughts (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
After eating the sandwich, Fitzmaurice opened the "Ming Daily" that he bought every day. This was not some third-rate tabloid, but the official daily newspaper of the Ming Dynasty. There were no gossip columns in this newspaper, and of course no tabloid articles that implicitly accused high-level officials of shameless adultery.
Most of the content in this newspaper is about the latest political changes in the Ming Dynasty. As the British Empire's ambassador to the Ming Dynasty, he certainly needs to read such newspapers to grasp the dynamic changes in the Ming Dynasty's political situation. He reads slowly, not because he doesn't want to read fast, but because... his Chinese is not fluent, and it takes him a long time to recognize some Chinese characters.
"Prime Minister Zuo Zongtang, on behalf of the Executive Yuan, submitted a memorial to the Emperor on the term limit for officials..."
Seeing this news, Fitzmaurice raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in confusion.
"Is that rumor true?"
What are the rumors he mentioned?
Of course, it was the rumor that Zuo Zongtang was about to retire. Although the British Empire had always focused on Europe and France, it did not mean that the British Empire did not care about the Ming Dynasty. After all, the current Ming Dynasty's industrial scale was second only to that of Britain. In London's view, France was the first imaginary enemy. What about the Ming Dynasty? Of course, it was the most challenging imaginary enemy.
What is the challenge?
It is the Ming Dynasty's growing industrial and economic power. According to British estimates, the Ming Dynasty will surpass Britain in five years.
This kind of opponent is the most threatening opponent!
Now that the opponent's Prime Minister is going to be replaced, Fitzmaurice will of course be concerned.
"It seems that the previous rumor is true."
Counselor Leland said:
"Zuo Zongtang is likely to retire."
"retire……"
Pointing to the news in the newspaper, Fitzmaurice read the news again and said.
"Once he retires, who will take over as Prime Minister?"
"Is Wang Youling?"
"He is too old, even older than Zuo Zongtang."
Fitzmaurice said, shaking his head.
"It should be Qian Degong. He is only fifty-three years old. If I am not mistaken, Zuo Zongtang's memorial is aimed at him. After all, Qian Degong is too young. If there are no restrictions, he may even be the prime minister for twenty years. By that time, everyone in the Ming Empire will be his confidant."
"Is there anything wrong with that?"
Leland opened his gray eyes wide, his tone full of doubt.
"This kind of situation cannot happen in China. It will have an impact on the imperial power. In the past, China dealt with such things by having the emperor kill the prime minister and his followers to resolve the threat they posed to the imperial power. Zuo Zongtang's suggestion fundamentally eliminates this possibility."
As he spoke, Fitzmaurice flicked his fingers through the message he had been reading.
"Leland, it looks like Qian Degong is likely to be the Prime Minister. He is a hardliner in the empire. We will have to deal with him in the future, but..."
After a pause, Fitzmaurice looked out the window at Zhongdu and said.
"I am more concerned about who the other two assistant ministers will be?"
Foreigners are concerned, and the people of the Ming Dynasty are also concerned, about what will happen when the Prime Minister and the Assistant Minister are about to retire?
Of course it’s an opportunity!
Of course, those with a keen sense of smell see opportunities.
Like everyone else, Liu Baoyuan saw the opportunity. As the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, he naturally saw new opportunities after learning that both the Left Prime Minister and the Wang Prime Minister were going to retire.
After repeated searches, he finally found his former employer, Zuo Zongtang. In the Ming Dynasty officialdom, in addition to the "first-generation immigrants", there was another type of official called "Zuo Mu", who came from Zuo Zongtang's shogunate. This was an extremely special phenomenon in the Ming Dynasty. When Zuo Zongtang was defeated and his entire army was wiped out, among the tens of thousands of prisoners, there were no less than hundreds of staff and clerks. When they arrived at the Ming Dynasty, some of them entered officialdom under the recommendation of Zuo Zongtang, while others relied on their own talents to pass the civil service examination and entered officialdom.
Because of their similar backgrounds, they were closely connected. Even though Zuo Zongtang was not a party member, he inadvertently became the core of the "Left Curtain".
Accompanied by Liu Baoyuan, Zuo Zongtang came to the garden in the backyard of Zuo's residence. While sitting on the rattan chair, he sighed tiredly and stroked the sparse white hair on his forehead. His voice suddenly became unusually old and deep:
"Retiring at the age of seventy is an ancient custom. One cannot be an official for life. Some people may say that this is just for fame and reputation, but in the future, this will become a precedent in the Ming Dynasty. In the future, officials will always need to leave office."
"Your Excellency has good intentions and is truly a role model for us."
Liu Baoyuan quickly complimented.
"But with the Prime Minister serving as such, we will have no backbone in the future."
His words made Zuo Zongtang shake his head.
"What is the backbone? You should know that forming cliques is a taboo in government. You must be careful in the future. The Ming Dynasty is different from the UK. The UK has the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, but in the Ming Dynasty... forming cliques for personal gain is a taboo in Chinese government!"
"The Prime Minister reminded me that I was rude."
Liu Baoyuan didn't expect the Left Prime Minister to say this, so he spoke cautiously.
"Since the Prime Minister mentioned retirement, then Your Majesty should have already had a candidate in mind for the Prime Minister."
Prime Minister... Liu Baoyuan didn't even dare to think about it. The reason why he asked this now was actually just to test him.
"Um."
Nodding slightly, the left prime minister said.
“It’s a well-known fact.”
After he and Wang Youling retired, Qian Degong was the only assistant prime minister. Of course, he would be the next prime minister, and no one would doubt it.
"Yeah, then... doesn't that mean Fang Zhanbo will also join the cabinet?"
Fang Zhanbo is the Minister of the Interior, and the Ministry of the Interior ranks first in the Executive Yuan. If nothing unexpected happens, he will definitely be an assistant minister. So who is the other assistant minister?
Liu Baoyuan had never thought about that position. What he wanted was very simple... to be transferred from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to another important department, such as the Ministry of Households, or even the Ministry of the Interior.
Everyone has ambitions and their own ideas. For Liu Baoyuan, who is only 56 years old, he feels that he has enough time to succeed.
After taking a look at Liu Baoyuan, Zuo Zongtang knew why he came here, so he said.
"Yu Kun, come to think of it, you have been in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for 7 years."
"Yes, sir, I am able to reach this position entirely thanks to your support."
Zuo Zongtang nodded, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Yu Kun, if you want to advance to the next level, why not take the initiative to ask for permission to go overseas..."
The Prime Minister's words made Liu Baoyuan stunned and surprised.
"Go, go overseas?"
overseas?
Let alone overseas, even the provinces in China are not as comfortable as in China. Going overseas? What a joke.
Nodding, Zuo Zongtang said.
"My great Ming officials must have overseas experience, otherwise..."
Shaking his head and looking at Liu Baoyuan, Zuo Zongtang said.
"You will definitely not be valued by His Majesty. You should have seen how His Majesty has used people over the years, so it's better for you to go overseas."
(End of this chapter)
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