Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 117 Your Majesty, I request the execution of Yuan Chonghuan to appease the hearts of the people of Fujian Province!

The Zhou family was found to have 35,000 taels of silver, 800 taels of gold, three mansions, 3 hectares of farmland, and other miscellaneous items sold for 3,000 taels. All of this money was returned to Empress Zhou, transforming her from a poor woman with only a few hundred taels of pocket money into a wealthy young lady with a fortune.

As for the other unfortunate bribe-givers, their homes were not confiscated. After all, many of these people were officials, and confiscating their property would cause panic among the court officials. Tang Yu used the account book to trace the individuals and arrested them without interrogation, only having their families come to ransom them. He earned "one Fujian" of transport tax silver, and this 10,000 taels went into Zhu Youjian's slush fund.

However, everyone was indignant: "We gave gifts to the emperor, your father-in-law, and you arrested us instead! This is outrageous! Is there no justice or law left?!"

Actually, Zhu Youjian himself was partly to blame. His heavy reliance on Sun Chuanting led these people to misjudge him, believing him to be a tyrannical ruler like King You of Zhou. Since they couldn't outmaneuver the high-ranking officials by offering women, they had to find another way: cultivating relationships with the emperor's relatives.

Other relatives of the emperor are difficult to approach due to their status, so the emperor's father-in-law becomes the breakthrough point! Besides, Zhou Kui is shameless enough to boast and accept anyone who comes his way. He doesn't care whether the excessive requests are achievable or not; he just agrees first.

The next day at court, Zhu Youjian had predicted the ministers' predictions. He appeared in the court wearing a five-clawed dragon robe, holding the hand of Empress Zhou, who was adorned with a phoenix coronet and wedding gown!

The emperor sat upright on his dragon throne, with a Maitreya couch placed to his left, where Empress Zhou sat beside him. Upon seeing this, all the officials fell silent, leaving those who had prepared for a battle with the emperor in an awkward position.

Sensing the emperor's intention to depose the empress, even the cabinet ministers were determined to advise him against it; Bi Ziyan and Zhu Xieyuan had already prepared memorials. Even the emperor's faction did not support the deposition, but now it all seems like a joke. Looking at the emperor and empress's deeply affectionate demeanor, they hardly seem like they've fallen out!
With his ministers no longer having a reason to cause trouble for the emperor, Zhu Youjian was now going to make trouble for them. He intended to thoroughly expose the Ministry of Rites' past practices of accepting bribes and manipulating the selection of imperial concubines. Zhu Youjian thought to himself, "Although there can only be one princess consort, the fees for registering her for the selection are enough to support her for a lifetime. This is my money!"

These scoundrels are going too far! They're trying to profit from both sides—the palace has to pay for the selection of concubines, and the families of the participating women also have to pay! It's outrageous! They're all so good at swindling, cheating, and making money, why don't they contribute more taxes to the country?!
The eunuch faction began impeaching officials in the Ministry of Rites, but the eunuchs themselves weren't clean; they had also embezzled money during the selection of the Prince Xin's consort. To punish the Ministry of Rites, Wei Zhongxian would have to be punished as well. The Donglin Party was delighted; they didn't care about the fate of the Ministry of Rites! Even if there were their own people in the Ministry, they were willing to sacrifice them. If it could bring down Wei Zhongxian, it would be worth it.

"What?! I became a princess through bribery?!" Empress Zhou was dumbfounded when she realized she was the one caught in the gossip. Zhu Youjian tilted his head, telling her to calm down and not panic; this matter had nothing to do with her.

Ultimately, the matter remained unresolved without a conclusion. The Minister and Vice Ministers of Rites were left in a sorry state, their salaries reduced. Royal weddings and funerals were henceforth separated from the Ministry of Rites and placed under the jurisdiction of the Twelve Inner Palace Supervisors. The already powerless Ministry of Rites was further weakened. Wei Zhongxian was also fined half a year's salary, but the Grand Eunuch didn't rely on a salary for his livelihood. However, since they were already there, and although the Emperor had stated he had no intention of deposing the Empress, the siege of the Emperor's father-in-law's residence was still quite alarming. Without clarifying the situation, everyone remained uneasy. It would be incredibly shameful to starve the Emperor's father-in-law to death, like Zhang Juzheng's family had.

Grand Secretary Bi Ziyan then stepped forward, bowed, and asked, “Your Majesty, I have recently heard that eunuchs and members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have been entering and leaving the residence of the Emperor’s father-in-law. Now that the Zhou residence is besieged, rumors are spreading throughout the court and the public, and people are in a state of panic. I dare to ask Your Majesty, is there any deeper meaning behind this action? I humbly request Your Majesty to give a clear explanation to calm public sentiment.”

Zhu Youjian said calmly, "Zhou Kui and his ilk offended the Empress, and now they have only been given a slight punishment, being confined to their quarters to reflect on their mistakes. Furthermore, some unscrupulous people have bribed the Empress's father-in-law with money and goods, ruining the Empress's reputation. This trend must not be allowed to continue."

Upon seeing this, the Empress, mindful that the conduct of her maternal relatives needed to be rectified to uphold discipline and maintain proper palace decorum, specifically regulated the behavior of her own family members, intending to set an example for them. She hoped that all officials would take this as a warning and work together to maintain a clean and upright court atmosphere.

"Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty the Empress is wise!" Bi Ziyan exclaimed in admiration. "Today, we see the overstepping of the bounds by relatives of the empress without leniency, and we see the corruption of treacherous officials with clear rewards and punishments, and we have eradicated bribery to cleanse the court. Truly, you have 'revitalized family traditions, which are admired by the court and the people, and set an example for the palace, which wins the hearts of all.' We, your humble servants, should emulate Your Majesty's loyalty and dedication to the country, and work together to protect the integrity of the nation. This is truly a blessing for the country and a fortune for all the people!"

The Emperor and his advisors' question and answer were as if they had planned it beforehand. The assembled officials exchanged bewildered glances, and the matter was dropped. However, everyone was seething with anger and prepared for a fight! Since they couldn't argue with the Emperor, Yuan Chonghuan became the unfortunate one to take the fall.

The Fujian Circuit Censor stepped forward, knelt down with a thud, and tearfully accused, "I have heard that 'high-ranking officials should be loyal to the country and devoted to its people; regional ministers should uphold integrity and incorruptibility.' Now, Yuan Chonghuan, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, has been ordered to govern Fujian, but instead of focusing on rectifying the coastal defenses and pacifying the people, he has engaged in corrupt and lawless acts, wielding power arbitrarily. His crimes are too numerous to count!"

Yuan, disregarding etiquette, led his troops to forcibly enter the former residence of Ye Xianggao, arresting his servants and trespassing on his private home, causing fear and trembling among the prominent families and gentry of Fujian Province. Ye Xianggao was a Grand Secretary of the previous dynasty; Yuan's use of military force to coerce him is an insult to his ancestors and a trampling of moral principles! Furthermore, the various clans of Fujian, some with generations of official rank and others with long-standing reputations, were not treated with courtesy by Yuan, but instead subjected to military force; this is tantamount to "using force to subjugate culture and shake the foundations of the southeast!"
Yuan convened a meeting of various clans at Ye's residence, ostensibly to discuss the suppression of bandits, but in reality, he harbored treacherous intentions. During the meeting, he mentioned that "the imperial court has ordered the suppression of Zheng Zhilong," lamented the "shortage of military funds," and openly stated that "Fujian's tax revenue is insufficient to cover expenses," while secretly eyeing the clans' private wealth. This was, in essence, "using the suppression of bandits as a pretext to extort bribes!"
During the banquet, Yuan claimed the wine was bland and tasteless, using this as an opportunity to provoke a fight! He jokingly remarked that "when one is well-fed and warm, one thinks of lust," his words as vulgar as those of a commoner. Furthermore, he condoned his subordinate Chen Jisheng's lustful gaze towards women, saying, "There are no beauties like this in Liaodong." Such behavior is hardly befitting of a high-ranking official; it is more like that of a bandit or a street ruffian!
In the past, when Yu Zigao lost his army, Your Majesty still knew to replace the general; now Yuan Chonghuan is so arrogant and domineering. If he is not dismissed quickly, I fear it will cause the people of Fujian to become disaffected, and pirates will covet the borders! I humbly request Your Majesty: immediately remove Yuan Chonghuan from his post as governor-general, and order the three judicial departments to severely investigate his crimes of corruption and deception. Only in this way can the law be upheld and the southeast be at peace! I risk my life to offer this frank advice, and humbly submit it for Your Majesty's consideration!

(End of this chapter)