Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 530 The Mystery of the Yellow River Dike Collapse: The Officialdom is More Dangerous than the Flood

Zhu Yunwen almost instantly understood why the government affairs office did not adopt the people recommended by Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi, but instead transferred Chen Zheng, a river official with no local governance experience, to serve as the prefect of Guide Prefecture.

If the government office employs Zheng and Zhao's confidants, then this new prefect will certainly help them "clean up their messes" and cover things up at every level.

In this way, the government affairs office may be completely unaware of the true extent of the disaster and be kept in the dark.

Only by bringing in an outsider like Chen Zheng, who was not under the control of the Henan governor and the provincial inspector, could the inherent ecology and balance of the Henan officialdom be truly broken. This would allow for a clearer and more realistic understanding of the actual situation in the disaster area, thereby enabling the correct judgments and decisions to be made.

The officials in the government affairs office are a group of shrewd people. They are well-versed in the ways of officialdom and understand the interests involved. Naturally, they are well aware of this.

On the contrary, he hadn't thought about this aspect carefully at first, which made Zhu Yunwen laugh at himself.

As a time traveler, Zhu Yunwen possesses numerous advanced advantages in this era, but he still needs to learn from these experienced old foxes how to navigate the intricacies and power struggles of officialdom.

After all, the most significant improvements in later societies were in technological advancements, as well as people's broadened horizons and increased their level of understanding.

As for the wisdom and skill in officialdom, the ancients had already reached the pinnacle, achieving a level of consummate mastery!
Later generations simply repeated or made minor evolutions on the existing basis.

There is no essential difference.

Therefore, it is likely not simply because Chen Zheng, the newly appointed prefect of Guide Prefecture, was "too busy" to come to the post station to greet the emperor.

The deeper reason is that he may have been considering impeaching the governor, the imperial inspector, or other superiors, but he was unsure of the emperor's true attitude toward the matter, so he dared not act rashly lest he make things worse.

If he went directly to Guide Post Station and filed a complaint in front of the emperor, and if the emperor had a special relationship with Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi, or was unwilling to punish them for some reason, then Chen Zheng would have completely ruined himself and his future.

After all, officials at the level of governor or imperial inspector were already high-ranking and powerful regional officials who had some "special relationship" with the emperor and were especially favored by the emperor, which was not surprising at all.

Unable to accurately ascertain the emperor's attitude, Chen Zheng naturally dared not act rashly or recklessly, and could only choose to remain still and observe.

Conversely, once the emperor arrives in the disaster area and sees the actual extent of the damage firsthand, his attitude will become clear.

If the emperor continues to speak favorably of Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi and has no intention of punishing them, then Chen Zheng will naturally act in accordance with the emperor's wishes, focusing only on disaster relief and ignoring everything else.

Otherwise, he could seize the opportunity to express his true thoughts and impeach certain officials who have neglected their duties.

In officialdom, the most important thing is to "protect oneself wisely".

The censors in the imperial court, whether impeaching or not, would first carefully try to understand the emperor's intentions.

Those favored ministers would never be foolish enough to impeach him.

If one doesn't even have this much insight, one simply cannot serve as an official in the court.

Of course, impeachments triggered by factional struggles or other special reasons are not included in this case.

That is often a deeper level of political maneuvering.

Without special reasons, the occasional reckless youth who "knowingly venture into the tiger's den" often end up being smashed to pieces, becoming victims of political struggles, and disappearing silently into the long river of history!

Of course, there are very few exceptions.

If the impeached official eventually falls from power several years later, then this "hothead" will leave a "good reputation" in history for daring to fight against treacherous officials.

Otherwise, they will only become a speck of dust in history, not only ruining their own life and future, but also causing their whole family to suffer terribly!
Truly capable and upright officials are well aware of the importance of keeping a low profile and lying low when necessary, and they know to protect themselves first and wait for the right opportunity.

As a local official, Chen Zheng was outside the central government and had limited knowledge of the specific situation.

As long as he's not stupid, not the kind of self-righteous, impulsive fool who doesn't know the times, he won't act recklessly and do something stupid.

Even though he had a strong desire to stand up for the people, he would first observe the situation and act accordingly, rather than act rashly.

This is human nature, and also an inevitable part of surviving in officialdom.

Ordinary people may hope that officials can be upright and fearless, rushing to fight corrupt officials to the death, staging one heroic "show" after another.

In folk dramas and storytelling, such straightforward and swift stories of gratitude and retribution are often performed!

However, the reality in officialdom is far more complex than the simple and beautiful ideas in the hearts of ordinary people, and is full of intricate entanglements of interests and interpersonal relationships.

Relying solely on momentary indignation and passion without adapting flexibly to the actual situation will make it impossible to gain a foothold and achieve anything in officialdom!
Zhu Yunwen paced back and forth in the room a few times, pondered for a moment, and then turned his gaze to Zhou Anmin: "It doesn't matter if there are no accurate death figures. Tell me your general estimate."

Zhou Anmin's body trembled violently, and he hurriedly knelt down, his forehead pressed against the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. How could I, your humble servant, dare to make arbitrary estimates or speak nonsense regarding such a matter concerning the lives and deaths of millions of people?"

Zhu Yunwen frowned slightly and said with some displeasure, "I told you to speak, so speak!"

"Even if you are wrong, it doesn't matter. I forgive you."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words, Zhou Anmin still kowtowed several times, responding in a firm and clear voice: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. There is an ancient saying: 'If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if matters are not kept secret, they will lead to disaster.' This is the way for a ruler and a minister to conduct themselves, and it is something that must be carefully considered."

"As the ruler of a nation, Your Majesty bears the heavy responsibility of governing the country. You should not listen to unreliable rumors and arbitrary speculations, much less use them as the basis for judgment and handling of important national affairs."

"As the magistrate of a county, I should not arbitrarily make wild guesses about the disaster situation, let alone report unverified data to Your Majesty."

"Your subject will do his utmost to quickly and accurately count the number of deaths. Once we have a clear result, we will report to Your Majesty the truth without any ambiguity, so as not to fail Your Majesty's grace."

Yun Tong stared at Zhou Anmin kneeling on the ground and instantly understood the unspoken meaning behind his "advice".

Previously, the governor and the imperial inspector of Henan had already reported relevant disaster data, and Zhou Anmin had said everything he could at this moment.

If he were to casually offer an estimate that differed from the reports submitted by his two superiors, it would appear too frivolous and would undermine the seriousness expected of an official.

Furthermore, although the emperor verbally pardoned his crime, if the number he estimated at that moment differed greatly from the accurate result afterward, it would inevitably leave the emperor with an extremely bad impression.

Of course, he didn't want to talk about it.

"Very well, I won't force you." Zhu Yunwen waved his hand gently.

As someone in a position of authority, one must be skilled in managing people and understand the art of it.

Excessive pressure often backfires.

"The disaster in Shangqiu is severe. As the magistrate of the county, you should return as soon as possible and continue to devote yourself to disaster relief and post-disaster recovery."

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zhou Anmin respectfully kowtowed three more times, then stood up and quietly withdrew.

Zhu Yunwen then issued another decree: "Except for Zheng Hongjian, the governor of Henan, and Zhao Qingzhi, the imperial inspector, all other officials shall return to their posts."

"We must organize disaster relief, resettlement, and reconstruction efforts meticulously, without the slightest negligence." "Also, has the former Prefect of Guide Prefecture, Li Jichuan, been brought along?"

"I want to personally investigate how the Yellow River dike breached."

Shortly after the decree was issued, Zhao Rui, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, hurriedly returned and reported to Zhu Yunwen: "Your Majesty, Zheng Hongjian, the Governor of Henan, has reported that Li Jichuan is still being held in the prison of the Kaifeng Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office."

"If His Majesty wishes to conduct the trial personally, they will immediately send a telegram to Kaifeng, ordering someone to bring the prisoner over overnight without delay."

"Then send it over," Zhu Yunwen instructed calmly, his tone unwavering. "Just send it directly to where I will be staying tomorrow."

The distance between Kaifeng and Guide Prefecture is several hundred li, which is indeed not short.

In the past, sending someone on horseback to deliver the message would take several days, and then waiting for the prisoners to be brought over.

But now the situation is completely different.

Thanks to the widespread availability of cables, the speed of information transmission has been greatly improved, and messages from thousands of miles away can arrive almost instantly.

The construction of cement roads and the introduction of newly developed four-wheeled carriages have made the speed of carriages exceptionally fast.

Therefore, if a telegram is sent directly to Kaifeng, instructing them to load the prison carts onto horse-drawn carriages and transport them overnight, Li Jichuan should be able to reach Zhu Yunwen's lodging location by tomorrow night.

Zhao Rui accepted the order, bowed, and stepped down to convey the imperial edict.

As night deepened, Zhu Yunwen went to bed to rest.

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as Zhu Yunwen got up, Zhao Rui rushed over to report: "Your Majesty, last night we received an urgent telegram from Kaifeng saying that Li Jichuan, the former prefect of Guide Prefecture, has committed suicide in prison."

"what?"

Zhu Yunwen's expression suddenly changed drastically.

He had just issued an imperial decree ordering Li Jichuan to be brought here for personal interrogation, but Li Jichuan chose to commit suicide at this critical juncture.
Is this really a coincidence?

Seeing the emperor's displeased expression, Zhao Rui quickly added, "After Your Majesty issued the decree last night, Lords Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi immediately sent a telegram to Kaifeng, ordering them to bring Li Jichuan to the emperor for trial without delay."

"Unexpectedly, just over an hour later, we received a call back from Kaifeng informing us that Li Jichuan had committed suicide in prison."

Zhao Rui's tone carried a hint of unease: "Upon receiving the news, Lords Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi were extremely anxious and rushed here to apologize to His Majesty."

"But His Majesty had already gone to bed and rested at that time."

"These past few days, His Majesty has endured a lot of hardship, traveling long distances and sleeping outdoors, all to reach the disaster area."

"It was only with great difficulty that His Majesty was able to fall asleep and rest. We servants dared not easily wake His Majesty and could only have them wait outside."

Zhao Rui cautiously pointed outside: "Look, the two lords are still kneeling outside."

Zhu Yunwen said angrily, "What's the use of kneeling? The person is dead, do you think they can bring him back to life by kneeling?"

"If Li Jichuan truly intended to die, why didn't he just end it all when the Yellow River breached its banks, instead of lingering in prison until now?"

Zhu Yunwen's questions came out like a barrage of bullets, each word filled with thunderous rage: "Why did he have to commit suicide just when I was about to interrogate him personally?"

"Isn't there something fishy going on here? Isn't someone pulling strings behind the scenes?"

"Are all the officials in the Henan Provincial Surveillance Commission incompetent? Can't they even keep a proper watch over a single prisoner?"

"As high-ranking officials in charge of a province, how do Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi usually instruct their subordinates?"

"Such incompetent and irresponsible behavior is undeniably culpable!"

"Send them all back. I don't want to see them!"

Zhu Yunwen vented his anger, and after Zhao Rui left, he immediately summoned Yang Rong, who was accompanying him.

"Li Jichuan committed suicide in prison for no reason. The newly appointed Prefect of Guide, Chen Zheng, did not come to see me. And Zhou Anmin, the Magistrate of Shangqiu County, reported a disaster situation that was completely different from the reports of Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi."

Zhu Yunwen's voice was deep: "Who exactly is deceiving me?"

"It seems the officialdom in Henan is quite murky!"

Zhu Yunwen turned his gaze to Yang Rong and said in a deep voice, "Yang Rong, you are a minister of state affairs whom I rely on, and you are accompanying me on this tour again."

"I hereby appoint you as Imperial Commissioner. You shall immediately depart for Kaifeng to thoroughly investigate this matter."

"The cause of Li Jichuan's death must be thoroughly investigated."

"At the same time, other things can also be investigated."

"All officials, big and small, in Kaifeng must be thoroughly investigated!"

"I want to see just how deep the waters run in the Henan officialdom."

"As for Zheng Hongjian and Zhao Qingzhi, I will keep them by my side and accompany me on my journey."

"Once you arrive in Kaifeng, just go ahead and act impartially. Don't have any worries. I will take care of anything you need to do!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Rong immediately bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

Zhu Yunwen then immediately ordered the troops to set off, and the troops broke camp and headed towards the disaster area.

He ordered the Henan governor Zheng Hongjian and the imperial inspector Zhao Qingzhi to accompany him, placing them under his direct control.

And so, the group traveled non-stop for an entire day.

As the sun set, they arrived at another post station, where they prepared to rest for the night.

This is the front line closest to the disaster area.

The roads ahead were mostly submerged by the raging floods, or had been flooded before and had just receded, leaving behind a devastated landscape in the heart of the disaster area.

……

(End of this chapter)