Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 16 Secret Edict
Outside the study room of the palace, Chen Bangyan took off his eunuch clothes and changed back into a blue official uniform. Then he opened the door and walked into the study room.

The room was brightly lit. Chen Bangyan looked at the handsome young man behind the table. A hint of surprise flashed through his eyes. He secretly praised him for being the direct descendant of the royal family. Then he lowered his head and bowed.
"I, Chen Bangyan, the Director of the Military Affairs Department, greet His Royal Highness the Prince of Gui."

"Please stand up quickly. I have heard of your name for a long time."

The young man above walked quickly to the table and helped the middle-aged official in the room up.
"You look very handsome. You are indeed a loyal minister and pillar of the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Lang took two steps back, looked at him, and praised him.

"Your Highness, thank you for your praise."

Chen Bangyan felt relieved. This Gui Wang was easy-going and seemed to be a kind person.
As for what the King of Gui said about having heard of your great name for a long time, Chen Bangyan didn't take it seriously. He was just a small sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel. How could the King of Gui have heard of his name?
Chen Bangyan knew that this was just a polite remark from the King of Gui, so he did not ask His Highness how he knew my name, otherwise it would be Zhu Lang who would be embarrassed.

After both parties sat down, Zhu Lang was the first to ask

"I don't know why Lord Su ordered Lord Chen to come to the court."

Chen Bangyan listened to Su Ge Lao's words and looked at the smiling young prince above him.

Zhu Lang did not call Su Guansheng Lord Su or Mr. Su, but called him by his name.

He did not know the character of the Gui prince. He had heard in the city that the Gui prince seemed to be exiled from the palace, delayed his studies, and had a somewhat dandy personality. But when he saw him today, he felt that the rumors were really not to be believed.
He didn't know whether the King of Gui was just saying it casually or had a deeper meaning. He had repeatedly run into obstacles with Ding Kuichu and others in the past few days, and thought that this trip would be in vain. But now he felt that his trip seemed to have taken a turn for the better.
Thinking of this, Chen Bangyan's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and he said
"The previous emperor suffered a disaster, and the whole country mourned. However, the most urgent task is to re-establish an wise ruler, stabilize the country both internally and externally, so as to win back the hearts of the people and restore the foundation of our ancestors of the Ming Dynasty."

Chen Bangyan looked at Zhu Lang, whose face had turned serious, and continued

"Your Highness is the direct descendant of Emperor Shenzong, with the most legitimate lineage, wise and courageous, and you deserve to succeed the throne and lead the ministers. Lord Su sent me to the court this time to submit a petition, hoping that Your Highness will ascend the throne as regent as soon as possible and stabilize the hearts of the people in the world."

"I am a small prince from a distant vassal state, with shallow morals. Lord Su, your words are too kind."

Zhu Lang smiled, but did not deny it. He continued to ask

"I have lived in the palace for a long time, and I am not familiar with the gentlemen of the previous dynasty. I only know that Lord Su is an important official of the country. Sir, you came from Guang, can you tell me about Lord Su?"

Chen Bangyan's face turned serious when he heard this, but he did not speak immediately. After thinking for a while, he said

"Lord Su was originally the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue during the Hongguang reign. He encountered disaster in the Southern Capital and met the late emperor in Zhejiang Province. He was the first to advocate the enthronement of the emperor. He was promoted to the Grand Secretary of the Dongge for his meritorious service. He was loyal and diligent in the king's affairs and was a close confidant of the late emperor."

"However, the Zheng family in Fujian Province was arrogant, which displeased the late emperor. At this time, the Qing government was invading Jiangxi, so the late emperor ordered Su Ge Lao to go to Jiangxi to recruit soldiers, one to rescue Jiangxi Province, and the other to establish a new army with Su Ge Lao to protect the royal family."

"Lord Su was ordered to recruit soldiers, but he had no money or food. He raised money from various sources on the border between Guangdong and Jiangxi and finally recruited 3,000 soldiers. At this time, Jiangxi Province was in urgent need, so Lord Su led his troops to rescue."

"But halfway through the journey, news came that the late emperor had been martyred, and Ji'an in Gan Province had also been captured by the Qing army. At that time, the army had no food or money, and the soldiers were in a panic. Su Ge Lao had no choice but to lead the troops to retreat to Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, train the soldiers, and protect this fighting army for the country."

"Lord Su heard that Your Highness was stationed in Zhaoqing and was courageous and brave. He thought that it was time to establish Your Highness so that the country could have a wise leader sooner. Therefore, he sent this humble minister to come here overnight to report to the court," Chen Bangyan said solemnly.
"Lord Su is indeed the pillar of our country. State affairs are getting tough. Without a loyal minister like Lord Su, I really don't know how the Ming Dynasty would cope." Zhu Lang sighed softly, with a look of emotion on his face.
In secret, Zhu Lang's eyes suddenly lit up.

Su Guansheng really has soldiers, and there are as many as 3,000 of them.

According to records from the previous life, after the Shaowu Dynasty was established, the Shaowu Dynasty persuaded the pirates and bandits in Yanhai, Guangdong Province to surrender, and then sent troops to confront the Yongli Dynasty.
He said, if Su Guansheng had no troops, how could he, a mere academician in name only, have the courage to establish a new dynasty?
Zhu Lang kept thinking in his heart. He had originally planned to recruit Su Guansheng to the court. Now that he found out that Su Guansheng had soldiers, he became more determined.
Nothing is more important to Zhu Lang than military power. No matter whether the 3,000 men in Su Guansheng's hands can fight or not, as long as they are recruited into the court, just putting them there will make people afraid to use them.

Li Mingzhong had 6,000 men, Su Guansheng had 3,000 men, and when Jiao Lian came to the court, another 3,000 men, a total of 12,000 men.
Ding Kuichu only had 20,000 troops under his command. With these 20,000 troops, Ding Kuichu did not dare to act rashly.

As long as Ding Kuichu did not dare to lead his troops to rebel, he would have no choice but to return to the court. His position as regent naturally occupied the righteous position, and there were also opposition factions such as Qu Shisi in the court.

By then, he would have the chance to truly eat up the fat sheep that is Ding Kuichu!
Zhu Lang's eyes turned and he said
"Sir, you have been in the court for a few days. Can you submit the memorial to the court?"

"I submitted the memorial to the court a few days ago," Chen Bangyan's face flickered, and then he said respectfully.

"What, has he been sent to the court?"

The young prince was startled and stood up from his chair.
Of course, he could guess that Chen Bangyan must have submitted a letter to the court, but he probably didn't know at this time.
The young prince seemed to have thought of something, his face gradually became ugly, and he said
"But I have never seen Lord Su's memorial."

Chen Bangyan looked at the livid prince, but there was no trace of surprise on his face. He just remained silent.
After being turned away by Ding Kuichu and the other two a few days ago, he knew that Su Guansheng's memorial would not be delivered to the Prince of Gui's Mansion, and Su Guansheng's position as a cabinet elder might be in jeopardy in the new dynasty. "Hehe, that's right. All affairs of the previous dynasty were handled by Lord Ding and others. What qualifications do I, a small prince from a distant vassal state, have to interfere?"

The young prince sat back in his seat with a dejected look on his face. Chen Bangyan looked at the depressed young prince and couldn't help but feel sympathy in his heart. The study room suddenly became dull.

"Apart from Lord Su, are there any other ministers in Guangzhou?" the young prince asked suddenly.

"Ah... apart from Lord Su, there is Lord Gu Yuanjing, the governor of Guangdong Province. All the affairs in Guangzhou are handled by these two gentlemen," Chen Bangyan answered subconsciously.

The room was silent again.

Zhu Lang narrowed his eyes and thought about the name he had just cheated, but found that there was no information about this person in his memory.
However, as the governor, this person should be very important in Guangzhou. Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a fierce light. It seems that this person can't stay in Guangzhou.
"Since Lord Su is an important official in the court, why did he stay in Guangzhou instead of leading his troops into the court?" the young prince asked in a deep voice.
Chen Bangyan's heart skipped a beat when he heard Zhu Lang's words, and he quickly said
"Lord Su is not a provincial governor of Guangdong Province, so he dare not enter the court without a reason. Moreover, Zhaoqing is the garrison of Governor-General Ding, where a large number of soldiers are stationed. In order to avoid misunderstandings from Lord Ding, Lord Su has never entered the court."

"Governor Ding, what a great Governor Ding!"

The young prince sneered and stopped talking. Then, as if he had thought of something, a look of dejection appeared on his face, and he leaned back in his chair.

Chen Bangyan, who was standing by, was shocked. He originally thought that Ding Kuichu and others must have a close relationship with the King of Gui by supporting him.

But now looking at this appearance, Ding Kuichu is obviously extremely domineering, and the King of Gui is also dissatisfied with Ding Kuichu.

"Your Highness, why are you so discouraged? Your Highness is wise and brave. When you succeed to the throne in the future, you will surely make all the ministers bow down to you. If you become discouraged after encountering such a small setback, how can you revive our Ming Dynasty?"

Chen Bangyan looked at the frustrated prince, and suddenly a feeling of sadness and heroism rose in his heart. He stood up, bowed, and spoke loudly:

The young prince seemed to be moved, and suddenly stood up. Then, as if he had made up his mind, he clenched his fists, walked up to the blue-robed official, and lifted up the middle-aged man who was bowing.
"Sir, if I order Lord Su to come to the capital with a secret decree, would Lord Su dare to lead his troops into the capital?" The young prince stared at Chen Bangyan.

"If Your Highness gives me the imperial edict, even if Bangyan dies, you must order Su Ge Lao to lead his troops into the court to assist the wise ruler and prevent the ruthless ministers from hiding the sky and manipulating our Ming Dynasty."

Chen Bangyan's head became hot, and he felt his blood boiling. He spoke loudly:
"it is good"

Zhu Lang praised loudly, and without waiting for Chen Bangyan to regret, he walked back to the table, took out paper and pen, and in just a moment, the paper was filled with words.

The young prince stopped writing, took the prince's golden seal and was about to stamp it on the letter paper, but suddenly he looked up and said:

"By the way, how much silver is available in the Guangzhou treasury right now?"

Chen Bangyan stared at the golden seal of the King of Gui. When he saw the seal stop, his heart suddenly tightened. Then he suddenly heard Zhu Lang's words and subconsciously said

"The provincial treasury is under the management of Lord Su and Lord Gu. I don't know the exact amount, but it must be tens of thousands of taels."

Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with regret. He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to defraud the details of Guangzhou's treasury, but he didn't expect that Chen Bangyan, Su Guansheng's confidant, didn't know the exact amount of silver in the treasury.

That's his money. If he doesn't find out the details, what if someone takes a kickback?

"It is the time of autumn harvest. When you return this time, please ask Lord Su to lead the troops into the capital in the name of escorting the autumn tax."

"Now all the money and grain of the court is in the Governor-General's Office of Guangdong and Guangxi. Even the expenses of my government can only rely on the Governor-General's treasury. If there is no money and grain, it will be difficult to carry out the affairs of the court.
"This time, Lord Su is escorting silver to the capital. Ten thousand taels is not too little, and fifty taels is not too much. Sir, you should ask Lord Su to make preparations early."

Zhu Lang, the prince who had to borrow five hundred taels of silver from his subordinates, said shamelessly:
"I understand."

Chen Bangyan's face was serious. He looked at the golden seal of the King of Gui on the letter paper, and a hint of excitement flashed across his face.

In fact, it doesn't matter what Zhu Lang wrote in his decree. If Su Guansheng wants to enter the court, they can find a hundred reasons to make him speechless.

The point of this decree is not the excuse of escorting the autumn tax, but the golden seal of the King of Gui on it. With this decree, they are serving the emperor.
Why did Su Guansheng refuse to enter Zhaoqing before? Because he had no idea what the king and his ministers in Zhaoqing thought of him. If the King of Gui and Ding Kuichu were on the same page, with Ding Kuichu's army suppressing him from outside and the King of Gui's righteousness hindering him from inside, Su Guansheng would be doomed if he entered the court.

With Zhu Lang's edict, Su Guansheng was no longer isolated and helpless after entering the court. Instead, he had the support of the King of Gui. Only in this way could Su Guansheng have the confidence to compete with those people in the court.
(End of this chapter)