“Back then, neither of us would bend the knee to the powerful. We both bore a great reputation for a time, and before entering the cabinet, the whole court looked to us with hope. But after we entered the cabinet, none of our measures lived up to expectations. The outer court and inner palace couldn't suppress our influence, and instead they gossiped and insulted us! The past is still vivid. The more we argued, the more we were punished. I've left today. Take care of yourself.”
The emperor neglected his duties. In the past, when Zhang Taiyue served in the cabinet, the cabinet's power was at its height. Officials in the outer court grew increasingly divided, and the cabinet ministers became targets for everyone, attacked by the officials who spoke up against the government. The factional struggle grew fierce.
Since taking office in the cabinet, the state of affairs has changed drastically. In recent years, we've fought over the Huai River governor, official reviews, and the Donglin faction. The struggle between heaven and earth is already raging, but the division between right and wrong remains unsettled. The snow melts and the sun appears, yet there's nowhere to hide.
Wei is by nature impractical and naive. I fear my elder brother will remain secluded in the mountains, while those seeking revenge and taking up arms against one another continue without end.
Winter night, Jihai year, in the duty room
Shen Wei, respectfully written
P.S.
1. Everyone is a chief grand secretary. A rise-through-the-ranks story set in the officialdom.
2. Shen Wei, protagonist tags: lawful evil, a powerful figure among the censors, commissioner of grain transport, inspector of the Nine Frontiers, master of passing the buck, top exam-paper grader, soil erosion control expert, advocate of speaking incomprehensibly.
Theme: I've endured ten years of loneliness; with half a verse in my heart, all worldly ties are empty.
