Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 361 The Reason Behind the Scenes! A Thunderclap in Summer!
boom!
A thunderclap suddenly exploded outside.

Summer weather is like a child's face, changing in an instant.

Just moments ago the sky was clear and blue, but now a sudden gale has swept through.

Outside, sand and stones were flying everywhere, and the howling wind made the windows rattle loudly.

The dark, heavy clouds, like a vast army, surged and roared in from all directions.

The light in the room quickly dimmed.

Zhan Hui stood up from his desk, walked quickly to Ge Song's side, took his hand, pulled him to sit down, and said gently, "Lord Ge, you flatter me."

"I heard today that Lord Ge had a dispute with the Left Censor-in-Chief in the Censorate."

"Lord Ge is fearless in the face of power, argues with reason, and is courageous, insightful, upright, and unyielding. I truly admire him!"

Ge Song was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and said, "Lord Zhan is indeed well-informed."

"The matter concerning the Censorate has only just occurred, yet Lord Zhan already knows about it."

"I admire you, I admire you."

Zhan Hui bowed towards the direction of the palace and said solemnly, "I am honored by His Majesty's trust in me and have been appointed as a minister of state affairs, bearing the heavy responsibility of assisting His Majesty in handling state affairs and leading all officials."

"If one's eyes and ears are closed, and one's information is not readily available, and one is unable to discern the movements of officials in the court, then one would be failing the Emperor's grace."

Having said that, he slowly lowered his hand, turned his gaze to Ge Song, his eyes filled with expectation, and said, "Lord Ge just said that he came here for the sake of the Ming Dynasty."

"I am also somewhat familiar with Lord Ge's character."

"We serve the same court and assist a wise ruler. Everything we do is for the sake of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country."

"What I hold in my heart is the fate of the Ming Dynasty and the well-being of all its people."

A gentleman is open and honest, and has no need to hide anything.

"If Lord Ge has anything to say, please speak frankly."

"As long as it is beneficial to the country and the people, I, Zhan, will do my utmost to help Lord Ge."

Upon hearing this, Ge Song was overjoyed.

He had been extremely uneasy ever since his argument with Yang Shiqi.

After all, he was a high-ranking official in charge of state affairs, the Left Censor-in-Chief, and a close advisor who was deeply trusted by the emperor.

He is now extremely influential and powerful in the imperial court.

What good can come from offending someone like that?
Having spent many years navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, Ge Song had no doubt that if Yang Shiqi truly wanted to get rid of him, he would have a thousand ways to do so.

Ultimately, the difference in their social standing was vast, like the difference between heaven and earth.

However, looking back on this incident now, Ge Song has no regrets.

He came from a poor family and was able to study and enter officialdom entirely thanks to the financial support of his relatives.

Later, he even entered the Censorate and became an imperial censor.

Outsiders say that censors have the power to supervise officials and report illegal activities.

He was three ranks higher than the official he met.

In reality, the censors, apart from impeaching officials, did not handle any actual affairs.

It was a truly clean and honest government office with absolutely no opportunities for personal gain.

Old Zhu was extremely harsh on officials, paying them very low salaries.

As the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Nanjing was a place where every inch of land was incredibly valuable, and housing prices were ridiculously high.

The imperial court only provided office space for the censors, but did not allocate housing.

Most of his meager salary went to paying rent.

The remaining amount was barely enough to make a living and fill one's stomach.

After Zhu Yunwen came to power, he significantly increased the salaries of officials, which improved their living conditions to some extent.

But Ge Song encountered a new problem.

After Zhu Yunwen's vigorous reforms, the Ming Dynasty experienced rapid economic development.

As a result, housing prices and rents in Jinling City also rose sharply.

This was naturally a good thing for officials who already had residences in Jinling City.

They profited handsomely from this.

But for officials like Ge Song, who have always relied on renting a place to live, it seems particularly cruel.

The increased salaries given to them by the new emperor were all used to pay for the increased rent, effectively supporting the landlords!
Ge Song himself, however, was still in a predicament where his salary was never enough.

Necessary social interactions and reciprocal gift-giving cannot be avoided.

Even if you're poor, you have to put on a brave face.

As a result, he sometimes even reached a point where he had eaten one meal but didn't know how he would eat the next.
They had no choice but to borrow from various sources.

The first thing I do after receiving my monthly salary is to pay off my debts.

Although to outsiders he was a dignified and imposing censor, and his reputation was quite good.

But only he himself knew how difficult and bitter his life had been!

He devoted his life to books, studying diligently for decades, and stood out from the crowd, passing the imperial examination and becoming an official in the court.

Now that he has fallen to such a state, how could Ge Song be willing to accept it?

These days, he has been secretly and actively working on it, single-mindedly wanting to be transferred out of the Censorate and assigned to a post outside the capital.

According to the established practice of the imperial court, censors who were transferred to other posts were promoted at least three ranks.

With a bit of luck, it's not impossible to rise nine levels or even more.

If a sixth-rank censor is fortunate enough to be appointed to a post outside the capital by the emperor, he will at least start with a fifth-rank official position.

They might even be promoted to a third-rank or even second-rank official overnight.

Moreover, it was a position with real power.

However, the Censorate was like a walled city.

For outsiders to squeeze in, it's as difficult as climbing to heaven.

For censors of the Censorate, being transferred to a post outside the capital was even more difficult.

Ge Song came from an ordinary background; he was not a second-generation rich kid and had no connections whatsoever.

It's no easy task to find a way to be transferred out of the area by relying solely on one's own efforts and schemes.

Not to mention, he is naturally straightforward and has a bad temper, which has offended many people in the past.

Fortunately, the opportunity finally came.

During this period, Lan Yu's measures to distribute land and implement a new tax system in the Jurchen region sparked a wave of enthusiasm among the scholars of the Ming Dynasty, thanks to the continuous reports in the Da Ming Daily.

People petitioned the imperial court, requesting the implementation of a new tax system throughout the Ming Dynasty.

To be fair, Ge Song actually supports this move.

Those who own large amounts of land and property should pay more taxes.

He came from a poor background and deeply understood this, agreeing wholeheartedly.

However, as more and more scholars submitted their petitions, a few days ago, someone found Ge Song and told him that there was progress in the matter of being transferred to a post outside the capital.

Ge Song was overjoyed, but then the other party put forward a condition: if he wanted to be transferred, he had to accomplish something.

That was to start the trouble in the Censorate by writing memorials to impeach the scholars who had petitioned the court to implement tax reforms.

If this matter is accomplished, he will have the opportunity to inspect the local areas as an imperial censor.

This moment poured cold water on Ge Song's high spirits.

To go on an inspection tour as an imperial censor is something that countless censors in the Censorate dream of!

Serving as censors in the Censorate of Nanjing, they were respected but kept at a distance by all the officials in the court.

But no one would bribe them!
Even when going to the government office, although the officials are outwardly respectful and polite, they can only handle official business strictly and will never give the censor any special favors.

Everyone knows that the censor is someone you can't afford to offend.

But similarly, when there's nothing going on, no one is willing to go out of their way to please them.

After all, censors only have the power to impeach officials, but not the power to recommend them.

Offending the censor will definitely lead to dire consequences.

Even if you flatter them well, you won't get any real benefits.

Moreover, there are many censors in the Censorate. If you try to please one of them, you might offend the others.

It's simply impossible to please all the censors.

However, once you offend an imperial censor, you can forget about having an easy time from now on.

Therefore, the officials in the capital generally adopted the attitude of "if you can't afford to offend them, you might as well avoid them" when dealing with the censors of the Censorate in the capital.

Stay as far away from them as possible and try to avoid contact with them.

It's best not to let your name leave too deep an impression on these censors.

To avoid being targeted for no reason.

If a situation arises that cannot be avoided, then when dealing with the censor, one must resolutely handle matters officially.

We will never leave any "handle" for our actions!
Gradually, the censors naturally became what is known as the "pure stream".

After all, you can't help but want to be a breath of fresh air.

However, once an imperial censor is sent to inspect local areas, the situation becomes completely different.

Because the imperial censors are required to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the officials in the areas they inspect.

Were these officials doing a good job?
Have they done their best and been loyal to their duties?
Are there any instances of officials being passive and negligent in their duties, or failing to do practical things for the people?
Are there any illegal or unethical acts such as embezzlement or bribery?

At this time, a single word from an imperial censor could determine the career prospects, and even the life and death, of many officials!

The imperial censors who went on inspection tours were truly "three ranks higher than the officials they met".

It is no exaggeration to say that they wield immense power.

Many local officials whose own rank was far higher than that of the censors would kneel and bow deeply when they saw a sixth-rank censor coming to inspect the area.

The extent of their fawning and flattery is evident from this.

It is worth noting that this kneeling was not part of the etiquette prescribed by the imperial court.

It was purely a deliberate act by local officials to curry favor with the inspecting censor.

Over time, this gradually evolved into an unspoken rule in officialdom.

Everyone agreed that this was the proper way to receive the imperial censors on their inspection tours.

Otherwise, with so many officials coming to pay their respects, the imperial inspector might not remember who knelt before him.

But he will certainly be impressed by the official who did not kneel before him.

At that point, they will most likely investigate this official and impeach him.

Local officials have their own difficulties in handling affairs.

Even the most honest officials are not immune to some "gray" areas.

It may not be that he embezzled a certain amount of money.

But at the very least, many things I handle cannot be brought to the forefront for detailed scrutiny.

If investigated seriously, he cannot escape at least one charge of violating the imperial etiquette!

This alone is enough to warrant his dismissal.

But sometimes you have to get things done, and that's completely unavoidable.

If you follow the rules rigidly and completely, many things will not get done.

Therefore, no matter how honest an official is, it is difficult for him to withstand a memorial from the censor!
Conversely, if a local official serves the imperial censor on his inspection tour very well, and when the censor returns to the capital to report, if he gives him a evaluation such as "an honest and upright official who is dedicated to serving the people and loyal to the court and His Majesty, and is a rare good official," then the official being evaluated will surely be promoted.

According to the established rules of the Ming Dynasty, the evaluations given to officials by the imperial censors who patrolled the provinces carried far more weight than the evaluations given by the local officials' immediate superiors!
It can be said that if an censor stayed in the Censorate in the capital, he was just an censor.

He was just an insignificant official who spoke out against injustice.

Once sent out of the capital, one becomes an "Imperial Envoy"!
They held the power of life and death over the officials they inspected.

Local officials went to great lengths to curry favor with the imperial censors who came to inspect the area. Their obsequiousness was far more "filial" than that shown to their own parents.

Despite Zhu Rongji's vigorous efforts to punish corruption and bribery, employing swift and decisive methods that resulted in numerous deaths and bloodshed, the actual effectiveness of his crackdown on corruption and bribery remained unsatisfactory due to the lack of institutional constraints and the reliance on only post-incident punishments.

Corruption in officialdom during Zhu De's reign was no less severe.

Moreover, in many cases, things in officialdom cannot be simply summarized by the four words "corruption and bribery".

The intertwined interests in officialdom are extremely complex.

More often than not, officials are neither "black" nor "white," but rather operate in a "gray" zone.

They are not corrupt officials who are greedy for money and lustful, but they are not necessarily good officials who are selfless and honest.

A mix of good and bad, neither entirely good nor entirely bad—this is the reality for the vast majority of officials.

It was precisely because the imperial censors' inspection tours offered enormous benefits that they were highly sought-after opportunities.

For the censors of the Censorate, securing an opportunity for an imperial tour was by no means an easy task.

The competition is incredibly fierce.

Everyone was secretly using every trick in the book.

It's truly a case of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique abilities!
Moreover, when selecting censors for external inspections, the imperial court often preferred those censors who had previous experience in external inspections, rather than "newcomers" with no experience at all.

In the future, if officials are to be selected from among the censors for external appointments, those with experience in external inspections will be given priority.

After all, having spent so long working behind closed doors in the Censorate, only proficient in "submitting memorials for impeachment," and knowing nothing about other practical matters, the court was not comfortable letting such a person become an official.

Only by accumulating experience in external inspections can one naturally succeed in taking on other official positions.

The imperial court has always followed certain established practices in selecting officials.

Unless His Majesty takes a liking to you and breaks the rules to promote you to a high position, you simply cannot avoid the many procedures.

Therefore, the importance of the first imperial tour to the outside world for the censor is self-evident.

It could even be said that this directly relates to Ge Song's future.

Once this opportunity is missed, who knows when the next one will come?

Perhaps he would only be able to waste his life in mediocrity in the Censorate.

Although everything was relayed through a "middleman," he never actually met that "big shot."

But the "middleman" was absolutely reliable, so Ge ​​Song had no doubt about it.

After much deliberation, Ge Song finally gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and prepared to take a gamble.

In fact, Ge Song supported those scholars and felt sympathy for their plight.

However, what do these things matter when it comes to one's future?

Does what you think in your heart really matter?
Not important at all!
Ge Song could guess that the reason why that "big shot" chose him instead of other censors was probably because of his poor background.

Although there were many censors in the Censorate, none came from such a poor background as him.

Most other officials own hundreds or even thousands of acres of fertile land in their homes.

Those who stand up and take the lead in opposing the new tax system inevitably risk having vested interests and being suspected of speaking for themselves.

Pushing this "poor official" to the forefront appears justifiable, selfless, and purely for the sake of the country, the nation, and the people!

This is precisely Ge Song's "special value".

He decided to seize this opportunity.

Thus, the scene unfolded today in the main hall of the Censorate, where he flew into a rage on the pretext that a scholar's letter slandered the court and defamed the emperor's reputation.

To Ge Song's surprise, just when things were about to be completed and many censors of the Censorate were preparing to submit a joint memorial under his instigation, the Left Censor-in-Chief Yang Shiqi arrived!
To be honest, Ge Song really had bad luck.

After being promoted to Minister of State Affairs, Yang Shiqi still held the position of Left Censor-in-Chief, but in reality, he rarely set foot in the Censorate.

After all, the Ministry of State Affairs was extremely busy, and as a minister in charge of state affairs, Yang Shiqi had no time to spare for the Censorate!

Moreover, the Censorate is only responsible for supervising officials and does not handle political affairs. If there is anything, you can go directly to it and will not be affected by any delay.

Yang Shiqi naturally didn't need to come to the Censorate.

But today, for some reason, it just happened, and it directly suppressed his letter and that matter.

Seeing that all his carefully planned schemes had come to naught and that the transfer to another post would likely fall through, Ge Song decided to step forward and use the opportunity to launch a fierce interrogation of Yang Shiqi!

Unexpectedly, he was reprimanded by His Majesty, as if he had been slapped hard across the face.

Seeing that there was no way out, and given Ge Song's straightforward temper, he decided to fight to the bitter end once his temper flared up.

After making that "criticism," it would be self-deception to say that he wasn't nervous or afraid at all.

After much deliberation, he finally decided to visit Zhan Hui in person.

Although the powerful "middleman" did not explicitly state who the "big shot" behind the scenes was, Ge Song, having served as an official for many years, had some guesses in his mind.

While I can't guarantee absolute accuracy, it's probably pretty close.

After all, those who have a say in the matter of the censors being sent to other provinces are few and far between, and it's not hard to guess.

Seeing that Zhan Hui had no intention of shirking responsibility, Ge Song was finally relieved.

So what if I offended Yang Shiqi? At least I still have someone backing me up.

There's no need to be too afraid of him.

Serving as an official in the government inevitably involves clashes of ideas, interests, and personal feelings.

Who can guarantee they'll never offend anyone?

In everything, there are gains and losses.

Now that you've chosen a side in the court, you can no longer remain a fence-sitter.

Trying to please both sides and be a "non-stick pan" will only result in pleasing neither side!
Ge Song raised his eyes and glanced at the seemingly "amiable" Lord Zhan with a slightly scrutinizing look.

Then he slowly took out a stack of letters from his pocket and respectfully handed them over.

"Lord Zhan, in recent days, the Censorate has received many letters from arrogant scholars."

"The letters were all petitions pleading with the Censorate to submit them to the court, strongly demanding the implementation of a new tax system within the Ming Dynasty."

Ge Song's expression was solemn, and his tone was full of indignation: "The letter is full of malicious slander against the court and serious defamation of His Majesty's reputation. The content is really disgusting and outrageous!"

"In my humble opinion, if we allow these people to attack the court at will, it will not only damage Your Majesty's reputation, but if this continues, the rumors will spread like wildfire, causing panic among the people and plunging the Ming Dynasty into turmoil!"

As he spoke, Ge Song's face was full of worry.

"But just today, in the Censorate, I mentioned this matter to Minister Yang Shiqi, and he didn't seem to care at all, simply saying that we would discuss it later."

He couldn't help but clench his fist when the matter was mentioned.

"But I firmly believe that the best doctors treat illness before it occurs."

"Fire should be extinguished before it starts; as soon as it shows any signs of life, it should be put out immediately."

"If we allow the flames to grow unchecked and become a raging inferno, it will be too late to put it out!"

"My position is lowly and my words carry little weight. Compared to that high-ranking and powerful Left Censor-in-Chief and Minister of State Affairs, I am naturally incomparable."

"But my sincere heart of loyalty to the emperor and service to the country is as clear as day!"

Ge Song straightened his back, his face resolute.

"I had a dispute with him today."

"Although His Majesty's predetermined agenda for tomorrow's grand court assembly is to discuss the matter of the blood-written petition for help, I have decided to go all out and take this opportunity to directly petition His Majesty, earnestly requesting the court to issue an edict to arrest those scholars who presumptuously discuss state affairs, slander the court, and defame His Majesty's reputation."

He stared at Zhan Hui and said, "I have come here today hoping to gain your support in this matter, Lord Zhan."

Ge Song had already guessed that Zhan Hui was behind this matter.

But he knew very well that a "big shot" of this level would not easily step into the limelight.

Since he wanted to become the other party's disciple, gain their approval, and pave the way for his future career in officialdom, he had to voluntarily submit his "pledge of allegiance."

He took the initiative to submit a memorial impeaching the scholar.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hui did not respond immediately.

He calmly took the letter from Ge Song, slowly opened it, and began to read it carefully.

His face remained calm and composed, showing no change in emotion whatsoever.

After reading one letter, he leisurely picked up the second and third letters and read them one by one.

Only then did he gently put down all the letters, raise his eyes, and look intently at Ge Song.

"These letters are indeed full of slander and falsehoods. The person who wrote them, who so defamed His Majesty, deserves to be executed!"

Zhan Hui's tone was icy, and his words were filled with murderous intent.

After a slight pause, he changed the subject, his tone now carrying a hint of admiration: "Lord Ge's courage is commendable!"

Upon hearing this, Ge Song's eyes lit up with hope, and he hurriedly asked, "So, Lord Zhan is willing to support me in this matter?"

"Not urgent!"

Zhan Hui's answer surprised Ge Song.

He calmly picked up a cup of tea from the table and gently placed it in front of Ge Song.

Ge Song was an impatient person to begin with, and at this moment he was even more anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, but he could only look at Zhan Hui with longing eyes.

But the other party simply acted nonchalantly and leisurely.

Ge Song felt helpless and knew that he had acted too hastily and lacked composure.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, slowly picked up the teacup, and took a sip.

At this moment, Zhan Hui finally spoke up: "The censor bears the heavy responsibility of supervising all officials and impeaching those who break the law."

"The corrupt practices in officialdom need to be corrected by censors."

"The treacherous officials of the court should be exposed and denounced by you, the censors."

"The position of Imperial Censor carries a heavy responsibility!"

At this point, Zhan Hui's voice rose slightly, and his expression became increasingly serious:
“Those scholars are spouting nonsense and slandering the emperor’s reputation. They are utterly despicable and should be killed as soon as possible.”

"But these people alone are not enough to disrupt the court, much less shake the foundations of our Great Ming Dynasty."

Zhan Hui's tone grew increasingly solemn, as if every word carried the weight of a thousand pounds:

"The real threat to the stability of the Ming Dynasty is not these arrogant and rebellious scholars, but the people who are backing them up and supporting them."

"This person is right here in the imperial court!"

Zhan Hui's eyes were like an eagle's, fixed on Ge Song, as if intentionally observing the subtle changes in his expression after hearing these words.

His astonishing pronouncements continued unabated:

"Only by eliminating such treacherous officials can the Ming Dynasty court achieve stability."

"Only when the world is at peace and tranquil can we truly achieve a peaceful and prosperous society."

These words were spoken with great passion and conviction.

Ge Song's heart skipped a beat, as if struck by something. He immediately lowered his voice and asked nervously, "What does Lord Zhan mean?"

A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Zhan Hui's eyes, like a sharp sword piercing straight to the heart: "The scholar has slandered the court and defamed the emperor's reputation. Let the Ministry of Justice arrest him and bring him to justice."

"It's not worth you, a dignified censor, making such a fuss over this."

"The person you really want to impeach is not the scholar who wrote these letters, but the minister in charge of protecting them, Yang Shiqi, the Left Censor-in-Chief!"

"Lord Ge, what do you say?"

The room, which had been dimly lit, suddenly became bright and dazzling.

Lightning struck, illuminating the earth and the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the lightning passed, and darkness returned to the world.

Ge Song's hand holding the teacup trembled violently involuntarily.

The water in the cup immediately cascaded down the rim and onto his hand.

But he was completely unaware, as if he were nailed to the spot.

At this moment, the sky outside was dark, thunder and lightning mingled, and torrential rain poured down, as if to drown everything in the world!

……

(End of this chapter)