Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 5 Different paths lead to the same destination

Liu Mansion in Nanxunfang, Beijing (now Dongjiaominxiang)
"You came to the palace to see the emperor today, but you didn't get any useful information?" Zhao Nanxing, the leader of the Donglin Party, the Minister of Rites and the Left Censor-in-Chief, asked in surprise.

"Alas! Yang Lian is just a fool. He made the emperor very angry as soon as he opened his mouth." Han Yu, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, said angrily.

"What's going on?" Zhao Nanxing asked.

"As soon as we entered, the emperor said he wanted to honor Zheng as the empress dowager," said Zhou Jiamo, the Minister of Personnel.

"Your Majesty wants to honor Zheng as the Empress Dowager?" Zhao Nanxing was incredulous. "Didn't Your Majesty imply that we should resolve the Zheng issue?"

"Hasn't His Majesty always been like this, from the eldest prince to the crown prince?" Liu Yirong sneered. "There's nothing wrong with being easily influenced. The question is who will influence His Majesty? The Zheng family or us?"

"Ji Hui (Liu Yirong's courtesy name) is right." Zou Yuanbiao, the Minister of the Dali Temple, also came.

"So we have to drive Zheng away as soon as possible." Zhou Jiamo said.

"How to rush him? If Yang Lian had just said that there was no precedent and Zheng could not be honored as the empress dowager, then the logic would have been established and the first step would have been accomplished. But he scolded the emperor without hesitation, almost pointing at his nose." Han Yu was still frightened.

"What are you scolding?" Zhao Nanxing frowned.

"He said, 'When he first ascended the throne, he became so corrupt that he has no spirit of a benevolent ruler, but rather something else.' I don't know what something else he meant." Han Yu raised his teacup and took a sip.

"Did he really say that?" Zou Yuanbiao was stunned.

"Could it be fake?" Liu Yirong snorted.

"He even lumped Cui Wensheng and the Emperor together in his insults," Zhou Jiamo sighed. "Originally, Cui Wensheng was a great opportunity to deal with the Zheng family. He's so stubborn, he doesn't know what's important or what's not. He keeps saying things like, 'The abuse of medicine harms the Emperor and undermines His Majesty's virtue.'"

"You have the demeanor of an ancient gentleman." Zhao Nanxing's expression was subtle. "And then you were kicked out?"

"It's not like we were kicked out. The emperor still trusted us. It's just that there was another person present at the time," said Zhou Jiamo.

"Who?" Zou Yuanbiao asked.

"The leader of the Zhejiang Party, Fang Congzhe!" Liu Yirong stroked his head. "We must quickly distance ourselves from Yang Lian. We can't let the Zhejiang Party use the Yang Lian incident to provoke us. He's only a seventh-rank official, after all. As for Fang Congzhe, as long as the emperor's favor remains, we can always take our time."

Liu Yirong really wanted to replace Fang Congzhe, but now was not the right time. He was not like Yang Lian who did not know what was important and what was not.

"Don't protect him? I'm afraid Donglin's reputation will be damaged." Zou Yuanbiao frowned.

"He is bringing bad reputation to his king and father, and gaining a good reputation for himself!" Liu Yirong's eyes widened, his pupils shrank slightly, and he tapped the table lightly.

"Okay. So what we have to do now is to let Zheng move out and draw a clear line with Yang Lian. As for the issues of Qi, Chu and Zhejiang, let's put them aside for now." Zhao Nanxing said.

"But compared to this, I want to know more about the emperor's health. Yang Lian can't come back to the palace after causing such a commotion, right?" Zhou Jiamo stroked his forehead and sighed.

"Don't worry, there's someone who can help us answer this question," Liu Yirong said mysteriously. "Who?" Zhou Jiamo asked.

"The Imperial Medical Bureau Director, Liu Heqing."

Zhao Nanxing was a little surprised, "He's come to join us too?"

"Most likely he is an old and cunning man with a sense of crisis. If he doesn't think about himself, he has to think about his disciples and grandchildren. He held an extraordinary position during the reign of Emperor Shenzong, but the situation is different now." Han Yu knew that Liu Heqing had visited Liu Yirong.

"We can ask Liu Yuanshi to observe the emperor's behavior, and we can mobilize censors to attack Yang Lian and draw a clear line. But we still can't do anything about the Zheng family. The emperor is angry, who dares to touch his dragon scales?" asked Zou Yuanbiao.

"Oh~~! Yang Lian, oh Yang Lian, what a shame!" Liu Yirong said in annoyance. "A mere seventh-rank official has forced us, his own people, into this dilemma."

Just as the Donglin Party leaders were racking their brains, the next day, someone completely unexpected sent a visiting card to the Liu Mansion.

Cui Wensheng, the eunuch in charge of writing in the Imperial Household Department, was very anxious. He was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

He knew the Emperor wasn't favoring him today at all. It was that the Imperial Secretary, Yang Lian, who had been dragging the Emperor into this mess. If Yang Lian hadn't spouted such outrageous lies, he would be the one in the Imperial Prison. Of course, it could have been worse. After the "Dragon Entangled with Eight Phoenixes" incident, the Emperor had even beaten Consort Li, let alone an outsider like him.

Cui Wensheng felt like he was standing on the edge of an abyss, a drop that could shatter him to pieces. If he couldn't gain the emperor's trust before the next attack, he would be doomed. No outsiders would speak up for him, and the palace eunuchs were eager for another eunuch to hold the pen. As for his former mistress, Concubine Zheng? Her speaking up for him was like adding fuel to the fire. Only the emperor's favor, only the emperor's favor, could save him.

Cui Wensheng suddenly envied Wang An. As long as the emperor was on the throne, Wang An would be as stable as Mount Tai.

How to win the appreciation of the new master? The fastest way is to betray the old master.

As for whether the new master would be wary after betraying the old master, that was not what Cui Wensheng needed to consider now.

Concubine Zheng was a perfect target for betrayal. She had more than just a grudge against the emperor; they had a real grudge against him. In order to establish her own son, Zhu Changxun, as the heir apparent, Concubine Zheng used every possible means to attack Zhu Changluo.

The dispute over the crown prince raged for fifteen years, until the 29th year of the Wanli reign, when Zhu Changluo was finally crowned Crown Prince. Even after his title as king was confirmed, Zhu Changxun remained reluctant to take up his fiefdom. It wasn't until the 42nd year of the Wanli reign, when Empress Dowager Li, the mother of Emperor Zhu Yijun, passed away and public opinion became extremely unfavorable towards Concubine Zheng, that Prince Fu was forced to leave Beijing.

It can be said that Zhu Changluo lived his entire life under the shadow of Concubine Zheng.

He would never forget the cold and disgusting beating. So Cui Wensheng would not think that the emperor was weak again, as the Donglin Party members did. Instead, he thought that the emperor just didn't want to dirty the dragon claws.

"What do you mean by a crime that cannot be put to death! The nectarine was requested by the emperor! What crime have I, Cui Wensheng, committed?" Cui Wensheng muttered to himself in the empty room.

"Your Highness! As long as you don't leave the Qianqing Palace, I am a sinner. I must erase this stain before I can gain the emperor's favor!" Yang Lian's relentless attitude almost drove him crazy.

"It's useless to impeach the imperial concubine herself. The emperor will not issue such an imperial decree! Let the imperial concubine leave on her own initiative? But how is this possible! She wants to be the empress dowager, and she won't move unless the emperor gives it to her. What should I do? What should I do!?" Cui Wensheng suddenly had an idea.

"Oh right, Zheng Yangxing!"

(End of this chapter)