The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 440

"Lord Xie is indeed well-informed. I have only just returned to the capital, and you have already received the news."

Zhou Chu looked at Xie Qian in front of him and smiled.

Zhou Chu hadn't originally intended to keep his return to Beijing a secret, since he was going to attend Lu Wei's wedding. However, he didn't make a big fuss about it. Xie Qian getting the news so quickly was somewhat unexpected for Zhou Chu.

"I am from Yuyao, which is only about a hundred miles from Shaoxing."

Xie Qian took the teacup from the maid beside him, took a sip of tea, and smiled.

Xie Qian only said half of what he meant, but Zhou Chu understood the implication behind his words.

Xie Qian's hometown is Yuyao, so any slight disturbance in Shaoxing or Yuyao would definitely not escape his notice.

As long as some people keep an eye on Zhangjia Village, Xie Qian will naturally get the news whenever Zhou Chu goes in or out.

Zhou Chu smiled upon hearing this, neither confirming nor denying.

"What advice does Lord Xie have for me?"

Zhou Chu looked at Xie Qian and asked.

"What advice can I offer? I'm so old now, I'm practically buried in the ground. What can I do? All I can do is pave the way for my good-for-nothing son. Mao Weizhi and the others sent me to the capital to do their bidding, but in my opinion, it's better to do His Majesty's bidding than to do their bidding."

Xie Qian blew on the tea in his cup.

"I'm already this old, so I'm not afraid of people saying I'm two-faced anymore. I used to work for them, but I retired and returned to my hometown a few years ago. My ties with the Jiangnan faction are long gone. Besides, the Jiangnan faction is now barely surviving under the thunderous methods of Lord Zhou and His Majesty."

Xie Qian looked at Zhou Chu with some admiration.

"So, Lord Xie, what further use do you have for me and His Majesty?"

Zhou Chu raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

It was Zhou Chu's idea to have Jiajing turn Xie Qian against the emperor, but Xie Qian was unaware of this, so Zhou Chu did not intend to reveal it. Zhou Chu said this in order to wait for Xie Qian to tell him what he could do for him. If he was really useless, why would he pave the way for his son Xie Pi?

There was no real friendship between Zhou Chu and Xie Qian; it was merely an exchange of interests. Zhou Chu was too lazy to cultivate a relationship with a cunning old fox in his seventies, as the cost of doing so would be far too high for someone his age.

It's better to be straightforward.

"Since I'm here, I can naturally help Lord Zhou. Lord Zhou may not know this, but the current court situation seems stable on the surface, but there are undercurrents. Lord Zhou is now extremely powerful, but that's the problem. Throughout history, every official with power has countless sycophants. It's not that they want to become cliques, but once they reach a certain position, many people will attach themselves to them. If you don't give them sycophants, they will find another faction."

Xie Qian said meaningfully.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu thought for a moment. Since becoming the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he had actually only promoted three people: Yan Song, Zhang Cong, and Han Jie. As for Sun Jiaojiao's father, he was only promoted incidentally because of his relationship with Sun Jiaojiao, Zhou Chu, and Han Jie's daughter, Han Yuan'er.

If Zhou Chu had any factions, they were only these people. Further out, at most, they were the officials that Yan Song had cultivated in Jiangnan. There were nearly two thousand officials in the capital, and after Zhou Chu's several upheavals, most of them were in a state of having no factions.

However, being in officialdom is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. People like Hu Zongxian and Zhang Juzheng had to find a powerful patron to rely on in order to realize their ideals and climb the ranks quickly.

Otherwise, one could very well waste their life.

Once you're in an official career, who wouldn't want to climb the ranks? Who wouldn't want to find a powerful patron to rely on?

When Chen Wanyan first gained power, countless officials flocked to him. Although these people sided with the wrong person, it still reveals the thoughts of these officials in the bureaucracy.

These days, which official in Beijing wouldn't want to find a powerful patron to rely on?

Yang Yiqing, the Grand Secretary, is nearly seventy years old and has already begun to slack off. Most officials will not seek him out, and even if they do, Yang Yiqing will likely ignore them.

As for Yang Shen, he wouldn't bother with these people at all. Yang Shen's current path is to be a loyal and capable minister. He only has a good relationship with Zhou Chu and Han Jie, and he has always been too lazy to show any courtesy to other officials.

After ruling out both of them, the officials didn't have many options left.

"Does Lord Xie mean that all the officials in the capital are now subservient to Lord Mao and Lord Xia?"

After a quick thought, Zhou Chu came to a conclusion.

"Lord Zhou is indeed exceptionally intelligent; he saw the problem at a glance."

Xie Qian said with a hint of flattery.

Xie Qian understood his place perfectly. He didn't act like a senior or preach like someone who had been through it all. He knew very well that he was the one who needed Zhou Chu and the emperor, not the other way around.

"The biggest problem with Lord Zhou's current power is that he doesn't form factions. As a result, the officials below him who can't curry favor with him will try to bring you down so that the big shots they're climbing on can rise to power."

Xie Qian pointed out the truth.

Zhou Chu was not surprised to hear this. Any capable and powerful minister who did not want to form a faction would be attacked and killed by countless officials below him.

The historical Zhang Juzheng was exactly like that. He was a model of a capable and powerful minister, and his power reached the pinnacle of the Ming Dynasty. But that's where the problem lay. Despite his power, Zhang Juzheng did not form cliques or engage in corruption. As a result, the officials below him who could not curry favor with him would launch a fierce attack against him.

Zhou Chu's power today is far from that of Zhang Juzheng at his peak. In fact, Zhou Chu knows very well that he may never reach Zhang Juzheng's level of power in his lifetime.

After all, Zhang Juzheng was facing the young Wanli Emperor, while he himself was facing the Jiajing Emperor, an emperor whose wisdom was almost demonic.

The emperor treated him well, and Zhou Chu didn't think about seizing too much power. Such a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject was quite good.

Even with Zhang Juzheng's power, he was relentlessly attacked and annihilated because of the incident of seizing the opportunity to mourn, and after his death, he was thoroughly purged. The entire Zhang family did not have a good ending.

Zhou Chu doesn't believe he can control everything now. On the contrary, he is the most dangerous person right now, which is why he stays in Zhangjia Village and stays away from the imperial court.

Only by staying away from the court for a period of time can these officials in the capital find others to rely on. In this way, Zhou Chu can see the situation clearly. Zhou Chu is in the shadows, while these people are in the open. When the time comes to deal with these people, it will be easier.

That's how it was in the Ming Dynasty court. When you think you're at the height of your power, that's often when your joy turns to sorrow. Countless people have verified this. Historically, Xu Jie and Yan Song didn't stay at the peak of their power for more than a few years.

Now that Mao Ji and Xia Yan have lost the foundation of the Jiangnan faction, they naturally need to continue to consolidate their own foundation. They only need to send a slight signal to the officials in the capital, and those officials will swarm around them like flies.

Zhou Chu sighed.

"I only want to serve His Majesty and the court. I have no interest in forming factions. Once a faction is formed, it is easy for it to become too powerful to control. If countless officials were to attach themselves to me, would I still be able to do what I say and do as I please?"

“I know that Lord Zhou is a man of great integrity, which is why I came to help him.”

Xie Qian smiled.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Xie."

As Zhou Chu spoke, he picked up his teacup and clinked it against Xie Qian's from a distance.