Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 612 Close to the truth
"How could I trouble Councilor Yuan to go to such lengths for the affairs of our small state? Please allow Vice Envoy Liu to return to Hanyang." Wu Yunqian dared not show the letter to Yuan Keli, and was even less willing to let him go to the capital at this time. However, Wu Yunqian did not take Yuan Keli's words seriously, but thought it was just a joke with a hint of denial.

Yuan Keli slowly suppressed his sudden smile. "The mission of the Imperial Birthday delegation is to go to the capital to congratulate the Emperor. How can we turn back halfway because of such a trivial matter?"

“The mission will not turn back,” Wu Yunqian explained. “We only plan to send Vice Envoy Liu back to Hanyang with three or five attendants, while I, Li Xiuzhuan, and the other members of the mission will continue on the original itinerary.”

“Ha. Who would do that?” Yuan Keli shook his head and said, “I’ve lived for over fifty years and I’ve never heard of a member of the pilgrimage angels suddenly leaving the group and turning back during their march.”

“But there are precedents where members of the mission are delayed due to illness, and the other members go ahead first.” Wu Yunqian continued to mediate with a forced smile. “Moreover, the journey is expected to take two months, and the Emperor’s birthday is a hundred days away. As long as Vice Envoy Liu goes and returns quickly, or asks Hanyang to send another vice envoy, the three envoys will definitely not miss the ceremony of paying homage to the Emperor!”

Yuan Keli's patience was wearing thin, and he didn't want to argue with Wu Yunqian anymore. He asked directly, "Envoy Wu, why do you insist on sending Vice Envoy Liu back?"

Wu Yunqian sensed Yuan Keli's impatience in his tone, so he further lowered his stance. "As I just said, this matter is of great importance, and it cannot be explained with just a letter."

"Envoy Wu!" Yuan Keli interrupted Wu Yunqian's nonsense with a booming voice, saying almost word by word, "Just tell me, why does it have to be Vice Envoy Liu who goes to Hanyang to deliver the message! Can't someone else go? Can't we send someone from our side?"

"This..." Wu Yunqian couldn't take it anymore and could only look at Liu Yingyuan with a troubled expression. "It's not impossible."

“That settles it then,” Yuan Keli said, his expression softening slightly. “Go back and write your letters. I have signed the documents with Councilor Gao, and I will send someone to the capital. Envoy Wu need not worry about the weight of the messenger; I guarantee that the messenger sent to the capital will be of sufficient importance.”

"Yes." Wu Yunqian lowered his head and said with a sigh, "We'll go back and write it now."

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Accompanied by several postmen, Wu Yunqian and his two companions returned to their lodgings dejectedly.

Even without careful observation, Wu Yunqian could notice that there were significantly more people near the post station. Moreover, the postmen who had accompanied them had stopped where they had been standing after dropping them off. It was as if they had simply sealed the door shut.

"Sigh!" Wu Yunqian sighed and sat down as the study door closed. "Gentlemen, tell me, how should this letter be written?"

"What's the point of writing a letter? We can't let Councilor Yuan send anyone to Hanyang now!" Liu Yingyuan slumped back into his seat, looking utterly dejected. "Something terrible is going to happen!"

“I know. But what can I say after what Councilor Yuan has said?” Wu Yunqian rested his elbow on the table and propped his head up with the back of his hand. “It’s quite clear: Councilor Yuan simply doesn’t trust us!”

"But why is that?" Li Qingquan asked dejectedly. "Does he suspect us of treason?"

“It’s even worse than that.” Although Liu Yingyuan was speaking to Li Qingquan, his eyes were fixed on the sunset outside the window. “‘With a ruler like Ji and Gou, there are ministers like Gui and Lun.’ I think that Yuan, the councilor, may have already begun to doubt the king and even the whole of Joseon.”

"Just because of that letter of denunciation? That was written by the Tartars!" Li Qingquan said indignantly.

"If it were just that letter, it probably wouldn't be so serious." The golden sunset covered most of Liu Yingyuan's face, also obscuring his complicated expression.

"And what else? Guerrilla Commander Qiao?" Li Qingquan recalled what Liu Yingyuan had told him after that shelling. "What exactly is their relationship?"

Liu Yingyuan did not answer, but instead asked, "Why do you think the Celestial Empire suddenly sent Councilor Yuan to Zhenjiang to establish a circuit?"

"The Jurchen traitors failed to attack Shenyang and instead set their sights on Korea. This was foreseeable to our court, and surely it was also foreseeable to the wise men of the Celestial Empire," Li Qingquan said.

“No!” Liu Yingyuan shook his head. “It’s too fast.”

“What’s too fast?” Li Qingquan continued.

"Do you remember at the tea party this morning, when Councilor Yuan said he left Beijing?" Liu Yingyuan asked in return.

"Huh?" Li Qingquan still couldn't understand Liu Yingyuan's meaning, but he began to think about this question.

“‘I left Beijing at the end of March and only recently arrived in Zhenjiang.’” Wu Yunqian immediately recalled Yuan Keli’s original words.

“Is there anything wrong with this?” Li Qingquan not only recalled the scene at the time, but also specifically remembered Wu Yunqian’s respectful attitude when he handed over the book, as well as the kneeling that stunned him.

"When did the Jurchen traitors withdraw their troops from Shenyang?" Liu Yingyuan continued to ask, while also pondering the question himself.

"Around the end of March?" Li Qingquan wasn't quite sure. "That timing matches up."

"It would be strange if they matched!" Liu Yingyuan judged. "The Provincial Administration Commissioner is a third-rank official! As far as I know, the appointment and removal of officials of this rank usually takes at least a month to reach a conclusion. And this is a newly established Military Commissioner!"

“The world has changed,” Li Qingquan said. “Doesn’t it say, both in China and abroad, that the former crown prince, now the emperor, is an extremely diligent and wise ruler?”

"This isn't simply a matter of diligence. After the defeat at Sarhu, even though the late emperor rallied, his responses to Liaodong affairs were rarely delayed as before. But no matter how fast the correspondence was, there was no instance of establishing a new military advisory body so soon after a victory." Liu Yingyuan's pupils began to tremble. "Therefore, I think this matter may have been brewing for a long time, and it wasn't something that the Jurchen traitors only decided on a whim after withdrawing their troops from Shenyang."

"Does Vice Envoy Liu mean that Yuan, the Councilor, did not arrive because of reports or advice from Liaodong, but because it was a pre-planned move?" Wu Yunqian interjected.

"I can't be completely sure, I can only say it's very likely." Liu Yingyuan said uncertainly, but his actions showed he was nodding. "To draw such a conclusion based solely on time is a bit too arbitrary." Wu Yunqian's voice seemed to tremble slightly.

“It’s not just the timing, but also the senior advisors,” Liu Yingyuan immediately added. “Don’t you think it’s strange that both Yuan and Gao, the two advisors, are in Zhenjiang at the same time?”

Wu Yunqian, the "senior councilor," indeed felt that Gao Bangzuo acted too much like a subordinate in front of Yuan Keli.

Liu Yingyuan explained simply: "After the Jurchen troops withdrew, Councilor Gao immediately came to Zhenjiang to garrison, which must have been at the behest of Commander Xiong. And if it was Commander Xiong who advised the emperor to establish the garrison, he would have also suggested that the emperor make Councilor Gao a full-time official."

Wu Yunqian frowned, nodded slightly, and asked, "Is it possible that General Xiong requested the establishment of Zhenjiang Circuit and asked that Councilor Gao be reassigned, but after the memorial was sent to the capital, it was changed by the advice of some official?"

“Possibly! But that brings us back to the issue of time I mentioned earlier,” Liu Yingyuan said. “Establishing a circuit and selecting officials is not something that can be decided hastily. If it’s a suggestion from Liaodong and there are objections from the officials, then it’s even less likely that there will be a result in just a few days. So I think there is a huge force in the capital pushing this matter forward.”

"But what does that prove? And what does it have to do with Yuan's theory of 'Ji, Gou; Gui, Lun'?" Li Qingquan vaguely understood, but still didn't quite grasp it.

“It’s hard to say just because of this one thing. But considering the other two things, you two should be able to discover the strangeness and horror of this matter,” Liu Yingyuan said quietly.

"What is it?" Li Qingquan immediately asked.

"The death of Qiao Youji and the rapid promotion of Xu Lishu." Liu Yingyuan looked at Li Qingquan, his gaze shifting as if dragging the blood-red of the setting sun onto Liu Yingyuan's face.

The news of Xu Guangqi's promotion to Minister of Rites was brought back to Korea by the envoys Chen Wei and Chen Jin.

The so-called "envoys to mourn" and "envoys to offer incense" were special envoys dispatched to commemorate the deceased late emperor. These individuals left the capital on August 18th of the 48th year of the Wanli reign (1619) and arrived in the capital in October. After offering incense, the delegation stayed in the capital for three months, finally departing in late January of the first year of the Taichang reign (1612). They brought back much of the latest news, the most shocking of which was that Xu Guangqi, the Grand Master of Ceremonies who had "most slandered Joseon," was suddenly promoted to Minister of Rites by the newly enthroned emperor. Meanwhile, Sun Ruyou, a more senior but politically opposed Vice Minister, was stripped of all his power and exiled to Nanjing after a series of events.

At the same time, the mission also brought back news of a personnel change that initially went largely unnoticed: Yuan Keli, the renowned but retired censor of Shanxi Province for over twenty years, was appointed to fill the vacancy of Left Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. No one at the time expected that this man would be demoted to Zhenjiang by the emperor just a few months later.

"You mean, Xu Lishu was behind this?" Li Qingquan was deeply shocked.

Liu Yingyuan took a deep breath and slowly nodded, saying, "I think the matter should be like this. Before the change of the world, the emperor, who was still the crown prince, had already noticed Xu Lishu and that letter, 'The danger in Liaodong is already very serious,' and may even have had direct communication with Xu Lishu. Otherwise, the promotion would not have come so quickly and decisively."

Wu Yunqian and Li Qingquan both nodded.

Liu Yingyuan continued, "After Xu Lishu took office, he should have quickly revived his proposal to oversee Korea, and it received the Emperor's support. Yuan Keli, who had saved Qiao Youji's life, should also have been the chosen candidate long ago. However, at that time, the Emperor's main focus was on protecting Xiong Jinglue and suppressing the clamorous court discussions, so the proposal for oversight was temporarily shelved." Liu Yingyuan's conclusion was very close to the truth, but there was one piece of news that had just been brought out of the capital by the Zhengdan envoy that Liu Yingyuan was unaware of: Xu Guangqi and Yuan Keli had a long-standing friendship.

“It might not be a postponement,” Wu Yunqian sighed again, his voice filled with exhaustion and helplessness. “Counselor Yuan only came recently, perhaps because it hasn’t reached that stage yet.”

"What do you mean?" Liu Yingyuan immediately pressed.

Wu Yunqian still propped his head up with the back of his hand. "If it's really as Vice Envoy Liu said, that His Majesty had already taken notice of that memorial and accepted Xu Lishu's advice, deciding to send a special commissioner to garrison Zhenjiang and monitor Korea, then he wouldn't have waited until recently to take action. Faced with His Majesty's determination, the so-called clamorous court discussions were no obstacle at all. The strategy of monitoring Korea may have already been implemented; those two recently fortified brick walls and the newly established artillery positions along the Yalu River should only be the beginning. Yuan, the Councilor, has only arrived now; it's probably time for him to come."

"Oh!" A look of sudden realization appeared on Li Qingquan's face. "No wonder those city bricks looked so new; they were only recently laid!"

"Ambassador Wu's insight is profound." Liu Yingyuan knew that Wu Yunqian had completely agreed with his reasoning. But he couldn't laugh at all.

“Vice Envoy Liu has thought things through much more deeply. If you hadn’t brought this up, I wouldn’t have come up with that idea either.” Wu Yunqian shook his head, looking at Liu Yingyuan with expectant eyes. “Vice Envoy Liu, do you have a way to break this deadlock?”

"No," Liu Yingyuan said with a wry smile. "The only solution now is to annihilate the Jiang and Jin families and use the heads of Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui to quell Yuan Canzheng's anger and the Emperor's suspicions. But Yuan Canzheng not only refuses to let us return to Hanyang, but also uses this as an excuse to say he will send someone to Hanyang to deliver a letter."

Suddenly, Liu Yingyuan had a flash of inspiration and thought of a detail: "Commander Lu, that Commander Lu!" Liu Yingyuan exclaimed, "Afterwards, Councilor Yuan will definitely send that Commander Lu to Hanyang to deliver the letter. After Commander Lu arrives in Hanyang, he will definitely go to the Uijinfu to investigate Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui!"

"No wonder he suddenly interrupted to ask for the address of the Yijin Prefecture!" Wu Yunqian exclaimed in shock. Only then did he understand why a mere commander of a thousand households could not only attend meetings but also sit in front of Mao Youji.

Fortunately, Huang Yicheng did not tell them Lu Wenzhao's identity as an imperial envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard; otherwise, this sudden flash of inspiration would have knocked Wu Yunqian and Liu Yingyuan unconscious.

"We absolutely cannot let him go to Hanyang!" Liu Yingyuan exclaimed in horror. "If things really come to that, then we won't be able to hide anything from you anymore!"

"Why don't we tell Councilor Yuan that we're not going back?" Li Qingquan suggested.

“What’s done is done!” Wu Yunqian immediately shook his head in rejection. “Going back on our word now will only make Yuan, the councilor, more suspicious of us. Besides, Yuan doesn’t necessarily need to use us as a pretext to make his move. Since he has such a person by his side, it means he’s prepared to send him to Hanyang.”

“Then let’s get this guy sorted out!” Li Qingquan suggested again.

"How do we handle this?" Wu Yunqian asked, his brow furrowed with worry. The deep wrinkles between his brows were so pronounced they could crush a mosquito.

“Give him money, until he’s satisfied!” Li Qingquan said. “Once he’s fed, Councilor Yuan will be ‘blind’!”

Wu Yunqian hesitated for a long time, but finally could only nod and say, "Okay. Write the letter."
(End of this chapter)