Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 381 Legal System
In the hall, after Li Wen was taken down, the ministers returned to their respective ranks, and the hall became silent again.

After Leng Sengji arrived at the palace, before he could even bring up his business, Ming Ting took the opportunity to suppress him. At this point, Leng Sengji was not prepared to create any more complications, so he spoke directly.

"I am here to negotiate peace between our two countries. Although the Ming and Qing dynasties have been at war for several years, there is actually no major grudge."

"In the past, the rebel Li Zicheng led his army to invade the imperial court, and harmed the emperor and his relatives. Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty died for his country, and 22 wise ministers also died for their country. However, the Chinese people did not hear of his actions and allowed the rebel to start a rebellion. It is truly lamentable."

"The Qing Dynasty is grateful for the loyalty and righteousness of the sages in the capital, and for the long-standing friendship between our two dynasties. That is why we raised an army to suppress the rebellion and drive out the rebels for the Ming court."

"After Emperor Sizong of the Ming Dynasty died for his country, the princes of Fu and Tang were enthroned without imperial decree, usurping the throne. This is truly a violation of moral principles and is outrageous and disrespectful."

"The Qing court entered the pass to avenge the Ming emperor and father and to redress the shame of your subjects. The reason here must be investigated."

"Emperor Sizong has no descendants. His Highness Gui, the Regent, is the heir of Emperor Shenzong. He is the direct descendant of the emperor and is supported by the ministers of the Ming Dynasty. He should inherit the Ming Dynasty."

"The Qing court came here to uphold the moral principles and ethics. Now that the Ming dynasty has restored order, there is no need for the Qing dynasty to raise troops to fight against the rebellion."

"The Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty has written to Your Highness. As long as the two countries negotiate peace, the Qing Dynasty will announce to the world that His Highness Gui is the only successor to the Ming Dynasty. We can also send troops to help His Highness Gui to wipe out the usurpation of the royal family and rebellion."

"The Qing court is willing to follow the example of the Song and Jin dynasties and become uncle and nephew with the Ming dynasty. From now on, we will rule the world separately and never fight again."

Leng Sengji had just finished speaking when Chen Zizhuang and other ministers in the court had already turned gloomy. They were furious when they heard that Leng Sengji dared to confuse right and wrong and make such a presumptuous statement.
After Leng Sengji finished speaking, several court officials including Lu Daqi and Chen Zizhuang were about to step forward to refute him, but before they could open their mouths, His Royal Highness the Regent waved his hand to stop them.

Zhu Lang looked at the cold monk below, but chuckled and said

"Uncle and nephew?"

"Then tell me, who is the uncle and who is the nephew between my Ming Dynasty and your Qing Dynasty?"

Leng Sengji looked at the smile on Gui Jianguo's face, but he remained calm and said

"Of course, Daqing is my uncle and Ming is my nephew!"

At this time, Chen Zizhuang could no longer bear it and shouted angrily:
"How dare a ten-year-old kid claim to be a master in the Central Plains? This is really ridiculous."

Leng Sengji glanced at the angry Ming minister in the hall, but his face was calm and he said

"My Great Qing now occupies the northern part of the country outside the Great Wall, the Central Plains and the south of the Yangtze River, with a territory of thousands of miles, and the national strength is more than ten times that of your Ming country."

"How can I, the Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty, not be the uncle of your Ming Dynasty?"

As soon as Leng Sengji finished speaking, Chen Zizhuang shouted

"It is better for the barbarians to have no ruler than for the Chinese to have no ruler. When my great Ming dynasty conquered the world, you Jurchens were living as savages in some deep mountain or old forest."

"A bunch of barbarians from outside the Great Wall don't know the difference between high and low, and they want to cling to the orthodoxy of the Central Plains. How shameless!"

Leng Sengji's face darkened when he heard this. However, he ignored Chen Zizhuang and the others and looked directly at Gui Jianguo above him, saying in a cold voice:
"A small country should not be humble, a small country should not be afraid of the strong, and a country that is rude and insults its big neighbors will be destroyed. This is what you Han people say."

"Your Highness Gui, the reality now is that my Great Qing is great and your Ming is small. Is this your Ming's attitude towards my Great Qing court?"

Chen Zizhuang and others in the lower hall were about to open their mouths to argue, but Zhu Lang above them waved his hand to stop them.
Zhu Lang looked at Leng Sengji below, his face calm, and said

"Great power? How come I don't know when you and the other Eastern barbarians became a great power?"

"Leng Sengji, how many people do you think the Manchus have? One hundred thousand, one million, or ten million?"

Leng Sengji's expression changed slightly when he heard this, but before Leng Sengji could say anything, Zhu Lang said in a cold voice:

"The population of the Central Plains is in the billions. If we count the number of Manchu men, women, old and young, how many are there in the millions?"

"An ant brags about being a great country by climbing a locust tree. How can a mantis shake a tree? How dare a tiny country like you brag about being a great country in front of the Ming Dynasty? You are overestimating your own capabilities."

"You Eastern Tartars are just taking advantage of the civil unrest among the Han people in the Central Plains to enter the pass. If the Central Plains were not in turmoil, would you really want to enter the Central Plains with hundreds of thousands of people like you?"

"As for whether to recognize or not, there is no need to say more. Even if a commoner in the Central Plains declares himself emperor, he is still the orthodox ruler of the Central Plains."

"You Manchus are so funny. You put on robes and imitate the Central Plains people to shout "emperor" a few times, and you really think you are the emperor too."

"A bunch of uncivilized barbarians from outside the Great Wall actually came to talk to the Ming Dynasty about the orthodoxy of the Central Plains. It's simply laughable."

Leng Sengji looked at the ministers in the hall with contempt, his face was also gloomy. These Han people kept calling them barbarians and barbarians, and they didn't take the Qing Dynasty seriously at all. How could Leng Sengji not be angry?

Barbarians, so what? The Ming Dynasty called itself the Celestial Empire, but it was not taken away from the North and the Central Plains by these barbarians.

Leng Sengji glanced at the emperor and his ministers in the palace, and suddenly said in a cold voice:
"You Ming people are still so arrogant. It seems that the previous few small victories have made you Ming people forget the power of our Qing cavalry!"

"The Ming Dynasty was able to win a small victory earlier only because the Qing Dynasty was tied up by the Mongolian rebellion. Now the Qing Dynasty has wiped out Mongolia, and all the tribes on the grassland have surrendered."

"I have 100,000 cavalrymen in the Qing Dynasty. If you and the Ming Dynasty are still so arrogant and disrespectful, then my Highness Duoduo, the Prince of Yu in the Qing Dynasty, will lead the troops to attack immediately. If that happens, I'm afraid it will be too late for you to beg for mercy!"

The officials in the palace also changed their expressions when they heard this. Since entering the pass, Duoduo has captured and killed Li Zicheng, destroyed more than 100,000 troops in Jiangnan, and destroyed the Hongguang Dynasty. Even Chen Zizhuang and other Ming court officials had to admit that the captive king Duoduo was fierce and difficult to control.

Zhu Lang was unmoved when he heard this, and he shouted coldly:
"Then let him come, Bolo, Nikan, I have already beheaded several of your Qing Dynasty's Beile Dutong, but I have not yet beheaded your Qing Dynasty's princes and dukes."

"Go back and tell Dorgon that from now on, as long as the northern army crosses the river, our two dynasties will immediately go to war until death."

In the hall, the cold voice kept echoing. Leng Sengji looked at the grim young man above him, and his expression was also ugly.
Leng Sengji was very clear about the current situation in the court. The Qing court was simply unable to go to war with the Ming court. It was not that they could not win, but that they could not win.

The main force of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty is still there. These people are all Jurchen veterans who have fought for decades since the time of Huang Taiji.
Even if the Qing court went to war with the Ming court at this time, with these angry old soldiers, the Qing court was still confident that it could suppress the Ming court's army.

But given the current situation in the court, the Qing court cannot afford to fight.
After several defeats in Fujian, Guangdong, Huguang and other places, the Qing government also realized that the soldiers of the Ming court in Guangdong Province were no longer the same Ming army as before.
After absorbing the core elites of the Chuangze Bandits and the Western Bandits, the Southern Ming Court, with its numerical advantage, was able to fight against the main forces of the Eight Banners.

The Ming court had hundreds of thousands of soldiers. If one wanted to destroy the Ming court, it would be impossible to rely on just one or two banners. One must mobilize all the troops in the country.
Dorgon's enemies at this time are not just the Ming court. If Dorgon sends all his troops to fight a decisive battle with the Ming court, once Dorgon's troops are damaged, Hauge and Jirgalang will definitely take the opportunity to seize power.
Given the hatred between Dorgon and Hauge and others, if Hauge and others seize power, what will be the fate of Dorgon? There is no need to think about it.

This is why Dorgon had to push for peace talks with the Ming court despite the pressure from the whole court. If he didn't get rid of Hauge and the Zhenglan Banner, Dorgon would always have a thorn in his back and couldn't even sleep peacefully.

Leng Sengji's expression changed several times, but he finally suppressed his anger and said

"We, the Qing Dynasty, have come here to sincerely negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty. Our two dynasties have been in constant friction for several years, and the people in the border counties and cities have been suffering."

"If we can reach peace, the people of both countries will be free from the suffering of war and be able to live and farm in peace."

"This is a matter of mutual benefit. Why is His Royal Highness Gui the Regent so aggressive?"

The hall was silent for a long time before a voice came from above.

“This looks like a peace negotiation.”

Leng Sengji's expression relaxed when he heard this, but at this moment, looking at the ministers in the hall who remained silent, his heart sank.

He had previously sent letters to many important officials in the Ming court in order to create a public opinion trend in Guangdong Province to negotiate peace.

But today, after Gui Jianguo spoke, not a single minister in the palace dared to come out to support the peace talks. Gui Jianguo's control over the Guangdong court was far beyond Leng Sengji's expectations. Although Leng Sengji gave in, he still failed to reach a peace agreement with the Ming court.

In order to achieve the exchange of territory, Leng Sengji even promised to exchange Wuchang and other places in eastern Hubei to the Ming court.
However, the Ming court never agreed to negotiate peace, and the two sides finally reached an agreement to cease fire for three years.
It has been two years since the Ming court returned from the southwest, but the provinces have only barely restored production order.

The Ming court's current reserve of food and money is far from enough to start another war. Instead of constantly destroying the Miao people and trampling on their food, it is better to temporarily cease fire and accumulate resources.
Dorgon wanted to stop the war and deal with Hauge and others. Zhu Lang also had things to do at this time. The seven-bull grain system had been tried in the two prefectures for two years.
The Ming court and the Qing court ceased fighting, and Zhu Lang was able to obtain a stable external environment and officially implement the seven-bull grain system in the country.
Moreover, there is another benefit to the truce between the two sides. The Qing court's proposal to exchange land was carried out in secret.
The land exchange was an extremely sensitive matter, and Dorgon was clearly not prepared to make it public before reaching an agreement with the Ming court.

The Ming court did not agree to the land exchange, and the Qing court delegation would certainly not mention it again after returning to the court. Dorgon did not want to mention it, but the Ming Dynasty could.
Zhu Lang has secretly informed Hauge and others in Hanzhong about this matter. After Hauge learned the news, the conflict between him and Dorgon would become more and more difficult to bridge.

Zhu Lang agreed to a truce at this time, also to give Dorgon and Hauge time to fight each other.

Without the pressure from the Ming court, Dorgon would certainly seize the time to deal with Hauge, his biggest worry. Once the two of them took action, the Ming court could take advantage of the opportunity to profit.

In the morning at the Zhuangyuan Restaurant in the south of Guangzhou, the restaurant was filled with scholars who were going to take the imperial examinations in Beijing.
It was late February, the imperial examination had been completed, and the scholars were waiting in the city for the Ministry of Rites to announce the results.
This year is the first joint examination after the establishment of the Guangdong Province. The Guangdong Provincial Government has won a series of victories over the Qing invaders, and the people in the southern provinces are confident.

After the imperial court announced the restoration of the imperial examination, a large number of candidates who had been waiting for many years in various provinces also rushed to Guangzhou to take the exam.
At this time, the imperial examination was over, and the candidates were no longer under pressure. They gathered in restaurants and teahouses in the city all day to make friends and discuss current affairs.

As candidates for the imperial court, the most important thing for the candidates is of course the government affairs. Recently, the most noteworthy thing is naturally the Qing envoys coming to Beijing to negotiate peace.

In the lobby of the restaurant, three scholars were sitting at a table near the window. Although they were all wearing long robes, their ages varied greatly.
The oldest of the three is nearly middle-aged and his name is Gu Yanwu. The young one is Li Yong, and the remaining teenager is Chen Yonghua.
The dishes on the table were simple, with only a plate of shredded tofu, a plate of fried peanuts, a plate of braised pork, and a pot of daughter's red wine.
The scholars and guests in the hall were noisy, but the three of them were concentrating on reading the newspaper in their hands.

At the wine table, Gu Yanwu suddenly put down the newspaper in his hand and said angrily:
"The barbarians from the East actually want to discuss uncle and nephew with our Ming Dynasty. The legal system and the righteousness must not be given to others easily!"

Li Yong on the side also spoke in a cold voice

"Yes, these Tartars' so-called peace talks are nothing more than an attempt to steal our Central Plains' legal system. They are truly ambitious."

Although the Qing government occupied the capital and recruited a group of rebellious Ming officials to establish rule in various provinces, it looked like a new dynasty, but in fact, the people in the Central Plains did not consider themselves to be people of the Qing Dynasty at all.

The Qing Dynasty has only been around for a few decades since Nurhaci rose to power. Before that, who knew what the Qing Dynasty was like?

After the Qing court forced the shaving of hair in an attempt to suppress Han traditions, the distinction between Chinese and barbarians became increasingly clear.

The Ming court's successive victories in the south greatly encouraged the Han people in the north and Central Plains. Not only in the south, but also in the north, there were wars everywhere in the Qing court.
The Qing court negotiated peace with the Ming Dynasty this time, in addition to solving the problem of Hauge, another purpose was to obtain the Ming court's recognition of its legitimacy.
As long as the Qing court negotiated peace with the Zheng family of the Ming Dynasty and formed an uncle-nephew or brotherly relationship, the Qing court could openly obtain the Central Plains legal system from the Ming court.

The Ming court was the orthodox in the Central Plains, and the Qing court negotiated peace and formed an alliance with the Ming court, so the Qing court was naturally also the orthodox in the Central Plains.

If the Qing court had this level of orthodox status in the Central Plains, it would be able to legitimately win the hearts and minds of the Han people in the country.

Many righteous armies within the Qing court would also lose the legitimacy of their uprising and instantly become traitors intent on rebellion.

This is also the reason why Zhu Lang refused to negotiate peace. The righteousness is invisible and intangible, and seems useless, but it can actually affect the hearts of the people.

Gu Yanwu said in a cold voice again

"In my opinion, the imperial court should not only not negotiate peace at this time, but should directly attack Jiangnan and save the people of Jiangnan from the dire situation."

Chen Yonghua heard this and shook his head slightly.

"Although the Eastern Tartars are hateful, I think it is a pragmatic move for the imperial court to choose a truce at this time."

"Although Fujian, Zhejiang, Huguang, Sichuan and Shu were recovered by Your Highness, these provinces have all experienced great chaos. I was born in Fujian Province, so I know the situation in Fujian Province best."

"Min Province is located on the border, with tens of thousands of troops stationed there. Military supplies are extremely expensive, and the people in the province can barely fill their stomachs after working hard for a year."

"The court needs to accumulate strength at this time. If we rush into another battle, it will be risky."

Gu Yanwu picked up the wine glass on the table and drank it all, but he still couldn't help but speak

"What Fufu said makes sense, but now is indeed a good time to counterattack Jiangnan. It would be a pity if we don't mobilize troops to recover Jiangnan now."

Gu Yanwu was born in Jiangnan. He personally participated in the defense of the city by the rebels a few years ago and was well aware of the situation in Jiangnan at that time.
After the Qing Dynasty occupied Jiangnan, in order to supply the capital and the Eight Banners and Green Camp troops on the front line, they did their best to exploit the gentry and people in Jiangnan.
At this time, rebel armies also rose up in various parts of Jiangnan. As long as the imperial court could defeat the garrison troops on the front line of Zhejiang Province and enter Jiangnan, the gentry in various parts of Jiangnan would surely rise up and respond.
The imperial court has now ceased hostilities with the Qing. The many volunteer armies in Jiangnan will probably soon be encircled and suppressed by the Qing court. Many of these volunteer armies in Jiangnan are Gu Yanwu's old friends.
Chen Yonghua looked at Gu Yanwu who looked unwilling and said to him:
"Brother Ningren, why worry? His Highness the Regent is wise and brave. This is just a temporary ceasefire. In the future, the court will definitely fight back to Jiangnan and restore our Ming Dynasty."

"The most important military and national affairs are money and grain. Your Highness, the Regent, will change the tax collection to grain in kind, so that the corrupt officials will have a harder time getting their hands on it."

"Now that the granaries of the prefectures in Fujian Province are becoming more and more abundant, our Ming Dynasty is getting stronger every day. As long as the court continues to provide good money and food, there is no need to worry about not being able to completely destroy the Qing invaders and take back the old capital."

Li Yong heard what Chen Yonghua said, but shook his head slightly and said

"Money and food are only the surface, the root lies in people"

"There are always talented people in every dynasty, but they are not put to good use. Since Your Highness ascended the throne, you have opened the Talents Hall to break the old rules of the previous dynasty. The cabinet minister Su and the commanders of the imperial guards are all good ministers. Once promoted, they will show their talents and their reputations will spread across the world."

"This is the foundation of the prosperity of the court. As long as the court can appoint people based on their talents regardless of their background, and many wise men will come to the court, it will not be difficult to restore the country."

Gu Yanwu looked at the two people at the table who were full of vigor and vitality, and a trace of envy flashed in his eyes.

In the past, he was just like Chen Yonghua, full of vigor and ambition, but after many years, the Central Plains was in chaos, and everything had changed.
When Gu Yanwu thought of this, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly said

"If I fail the Ministry of Rites exam this time, I will immediately take up a post as an official and not waste any more time on the imperial examinations."

Chen Yonghua and the others were stunned when they heard this and started to persuade

"Brother Ningren is well educated and well versed in moral principles. He will surely be a famous minister in the future. Why are you so anxious?"

Gu Yanwu shook his head

"My two brothers, you are so talented at such a young age. You will surely pass the imperial examinations in the future. But I cannot waste any more time on you."

"The country is in danger. If I can do something for the court, even if it's just for an official, I will be willing to do it."

Gu Yanwu is now 37 years old, almost forty years old, but he doesn't want to wait any longer.

Chen Yonghua and the other two were about to persuade them again, when several black-clad servants rushed towards the restaurant from the street outside the building.
A skinny boy rushed into the building first and shouted loudly when he entered the lobby.

"I have good news for you gentlemen."

"Congratulations to Mr. Gu Yanwu from Nanzhili for winning the first place in the Ministry of Rites Examination. I am here to report the good news to you."

Gu Yanwu was also stunned when he heard this, but before he could look over, several servants rushed in from outside the door and also shouted

"Congratulations to Mr. Li Yong from Qin Province for passing the Ministry of Rites exam and ranking 15th. I am here to report the good news to you."

"Congratulations to Mr. Shi Yongyi from Guangdong Province for passing the Ministry of Rites exam and ranking 56th. I am here to report the good news to you."

"Congratulations to Mr. Chen Yonghua from Fujian Province who ranked 117th in the Ministry of Rites Examination. I am here to report the good news to you."

"Congratulations to Mr. Liu Mingdao from Huguang who passed the Ministry of Rites examination and ranked 252nd. I am here to report the good news to you..."

In the restaurant, servants kept coming in. Every time the servants called out a name, cheers would be heard in the building.

Some wealthy scholars even ordered their attendants to fetch copper coins and silver and scattered them around the building.
At the table, Gu Yanwu and the other two took their wine glasses and drank them all in one gulp. They threw down their glasses and looked at each other, then suddenly burst into laughter.
(End of this chapter)