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

Chapter 122 You may object, but I will not accept your objections!
Recently, court officials have noticed that the emperor seems indifferent to disaster relief efforts, focusing instead on stockpiling grain. Furthermore, Zhang Ruitu, a cabinet minister, was punished and dismissed from office for his outspokenness. The officials are uncertain about the emperor's attitude and are somewhat nervous.

The first to submit a memorial was Tian Zhen, the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs. He was reading the memorial on behalf of local officials, so he wouldn't be implicated in any way and wasn't nervous at all.

Your humble servant, Tian Zhen, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, respectfully reports: The Governor of Shaanxi, Hong Chengchou, has sent an urgent memorial stating that "Shaanxi has suffered from famine for several years, and we earnestly request Your Majesty's grace to provide relief." The memorial states that since the autumn and winter of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign (1627), there has been no rain, and by the spring and summer of the first year of the Chongzhen reign (1638), Yan'an and Yulin have been devastated, with grass roots and tree bark gone, and many people resorting to cannibalism.

The eleven counties of Fushi, Anse, Ganquan, Anding, Baoan, Yanchuan, Yanchang, Suide, Mizhi, Shenmu, and Fugu have suffered a complete crop failure since the beginning of this year due to a lack of rainfall. We humbly beseech Your Majesty to waive the outstanding taxes and to cease the collection of the regular grain tax.

The summer grain harvest in the prefectures and counties under Xi'an Prefecture has failed, and the autumn crops have not been sown. Tens of thousands of starving people have fled to the provincial capital. We request that Xi'an Prefecture be allowed to open its granaries and sell the grain at a fair price, and distribute 20,000 shi of millet stored in Xi'an Prefecture's granaries to set up soup kitchens in Yan'an, Yulin and other places to provide relief to the disaster victims.

After Tian Zhen finished reading, he bowed and returned to his place in the ranks. The officials remained silent, all looking at the emperor. In fact, this wasn't the first time Hong Chengchou had submitted similar memorials; they had been continuous from last year to this year. But last year the court only allocated 200,000 taels of silver, and this year, with the disaster even more severe, they simply ignored it.

Left with no other option, Hong Chengchou bribed Tian Zhen, the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, with five hundred taels of silver, hoping that he would publicly mention the disaster situation in Shaanxi and the relief efforts in court, so that the emperor could no longer pretend not to see it. Although doing so might offend the emperor, Hong Chengchou truly could not afford to continue.

Bi Ziyan frowned. As the God of Wealth of the Ming Dynasty, disaster relief was his responsibility. He looked at the emperor, waiting for his question, but the emperor did not call on him, only slowly saying two words: "Granted!"

"And then?!" Everyone's hearts sank.

Li Yuzhi, the Left Censor of the Ministry of Personnel, could no longer sit still. As an official from Shaanxi and working in the Ministry of Revenue, he should not ignore the disaster in his hometown, both morally and logically.

Disregarding court etiquette, he coughed lightly, stood on the imperial road, and said, “Your Majesty, the Great Ming Code states that ‘in the event of local floods or droughts, the relevant officials shall report to the Ministry of Revenue, which shall quickly deliberate on relief measures.’ Shaanxi has suffered a major disaster, and I humbly request Your Majesty to order the Ministry of Revenue to quickly allocate funds and grain for relief!”

Nan Juyi, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, stepped forward and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, in a year of great disaster, there is opportunity within danger. Shaanxi is arid and the Yellow River is shallow. It is the perfect time to ‘constrict the water to attack the sand,’ dredge the river, and implement the method of using work as relief. In this way, the dilemma will be resolved, and two goals will be achieved at once!”

Ma Maocai, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, also stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty once compared himself to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who said, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.' Now the disaster victims are crying out for food. If relief is not provided quickly, I fear that the starving people will gather together to become bandits. At the very least, they will plunder villages and towns, and at worst, they will gather in the mountains and forests."

In the past, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out in Julu, and Huang Chao's uprising occurred in Caozhou, both due to famine and lack of relief, which allowed the rebellion to spread like wildfire. Now that a great disaster has just begun, it is imperative to take preventative measures. If the disaster is allowed to spread unchecked, I fear that northern Shaanxi will be shaken and Guanzhong will be in grave danger. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!

Ma Maocai was from Ansai County, Yan'an Prefecture, and his hometown was one of the areas most severely affected by the disaster; Nan Juyi was from Weinan County, Xi'an Prefecture; on the contrary, Li Yuzhi was from Yang County, southern Shaanxi, and the disaster had not yet affected his hometown.

Seeing the emperor remain silent, everyone turned their attention to Grand Secretary Bi Ziyan. Bi Ziyan, left with no other choice, rose and said, “Your Majesty, I believe the ministers’ words are reasonable. Your Majesty just said, ‘The course of Heaven is constant; responding to it with order brings good fortune, responding with chaos brings misfortune.’ The disaster in northern Shaanxi is urgent and severe, and indeed, Shaanxi cannot resolve it on its own. The court should provide relief.”

"But...everyone, go back and write your memorials, detailing the methods of relief and the money and grain consumed. I will choose your strategies based on the circumstances." Zhu Youjian finally relented, but everyone's brows remained furrowed. Delaying tactics, huh? They made it sound like anyone could do that.

What puzzled everyone was, did the emperor have a grudge against Shaanxi? Why was he making excuses and refusing to provide relief? Weren't the people of Shanxi His Majesty's subjects too?! The Shaanxi officials were somewhat heartbroken.

If officials in the Ministry of Personnel had paid attention, they might have noticed that while the emperor dispatched newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) to various regions, those from Shaanxi were deliberately left behind in the capital. Some, longing for their hometowns and anxious to return, even disregarded their hard-earned Jinshi titles and resigned their posts to flee. Zhu Youjian, however, preserved the titles of these individuals and did not pursue the matter further.

Countless people in northern Shaanxi tried every means to escape, dreaming of leaving, yet these people insisted on going against the tide. But what good would it do for them to return empty-handed?! Helpless, Zhu Youjian could only stipulate: those who truly wanted to return should report and could receive the position of county magistrate; those who fled would also be given an appointment letter, and whether they survived or not would ultimately depend on themselves.

Henan and Shandong are located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Local officials reported that the lower reaches of the Yellow River had dried up and requested that the arrears of taxes and grain from the seventh year of the Tianqi reign be waived and that the regular taxes from the first year of the Chongzhen reign be postponed.

“In the spring of the first year, there was no rain in Kaifeng and Henan. Locusts covered the sky, destroyed all the crops, and the people ate grass roots. More than half of them fled.”

"In May, torrential rains lasted for ten days in Xichuan and Neixiang counties under the jurisdiction of Nanyang Prefecture. The Danjiang and Baihe rivers breached their banks, flooding tens of thousands of hectares of farmland and drowning more than a thousand people."

"From January to May of the first year, there was no rain in Jinan and Yanzhou. Locusts swarmed and darkened the sun. Crops failed, and many people sold their children for food." The Shandong governor requested that 2 shi of grain from the Ever-Normal Granary be distributed for relief, and at the same time allowed the disaster victims to "be exempted from punishment for picking wild vegetables and tree bark."

"The counties and prefectures under Shuntian Prefecture suffered from spring drought, and in the fifth month of summer, hailstones the size of eggs damaged seven-tenths of the wheat and rice; in Zhengding and Hejian counties of Baoding Prefecture, drought and locusts occurred simultaneously." The Shuntian Prefect requested "an investigation of the disaster-stricken fields and a reduction or exemption of some land taxes." "The counties and prefectures under Hejian Prefecture had no harvest for several years. By the autumn of the first year, people were resorting to cannibalism, and bandits were rising up everywhere." He requested disaster relief and the dispatch of troops to suppress the bandits.

“In the counties of Jiangpu and Liuhe under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture, heavy rains caused the Yangtze River to overflow, and the dikes were completely submerged,” they requested a reduction or exemption of taxes.

"From spring to summer of the first year, Fengyang Prefecture suffered from drought, locusts devoured the crops, many people fled, and the area where the ancestral tombs are located became barren land." They requested funds for disaster relief and the repair of the imperial tombs.

Taiyuan Prefecture, Pingyang Prefecture, Wuchang Prefecture, Jingzhou Prefecture, Changsha Prefecture...

Zhu Youjian listened, increasingly uneasy. It was truly bizarre: despite bumper harvests across the land, how could every prefecture and county suddenly be suffering from disasters and demanding money from the court?! Bi Ziyan also sensed something amiss, his fists clenching tightly. Falsely reporting natural disasters to resist taxes was a local tradition; someone wanted him dead!
Bi Ziyan stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the disaster reports from various regions vary in severity, including floods, droughts, and locust plagues. Relief measures should be tailored to the specific circumstances. If relief is provided indiscriminately, firstly, the court's funds are limited, and secondly, it may not be effective. I earnestly request Your Majesty to appoint an imperial commissioner to personally inspect the disaster areas, verify the facts, and reassure the people. Based on the on-site investigation, relief measures should be implemented according to the actual situation.”

"Granted. Lu Xiang-sheng, the governor of Baoding, is ordered to personally inspect the six prefectures of Baoding, Zhengding, Hejian, Shunde, Daming, and Guangping, as well as the disaster situation at Zijing, Daoma, and Longquan passes. Zhang Wei-xian, the Duke of Yingguo, is ordered to lead 800 elite cavalrymen of the Shenji Battalion to inspect the remaining disaster-stricken prefectures and counties in Beizhili. Cao Hua-chun, the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, is ordered to lead 3,000 elite cavalrymen of the Shenshu Battalion to inspect Nanzhili."

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!!! The eunuchs are greedy and tyrannical. Does Your Majesty intend to reinstate the tax supervisors and repeat the mistakes of 'Gao Huai's rebellion in Liaodong'?!" Lai Zongdao, the Minister of Rites, cried out loudly.

"Your Majesty! According to the laws of our ancestors, civil officials who inspect local areas are usually dispatched by the Censorate; military officials who command troops are not allowed to interfere in civil affairs! Now, the governor of Baoding, Lu Xiang-sheng, is ordered to inspect the six prefectures himself, and the Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Wei-xian, and the eunuch Cao Hua-chun are ordered to lead the Beijing Garrison to inspect the northern and southern Zhili provinces. This is an example of using military force to interfere in politics and using eunuchs to disrupt power!"
Although Lu Xiang-sheng is the governor, the position of commander of the three passes is the responsibility of a military officer. Now, he is ordered to also inspect civil affairs. Is this an attempt to give border generals the power of life and death over local areas? The Duke of Yingguo has been in charge of the Beijing Garrison for generations. If a nobleman is appointed to inspect the prefectures, where will the Provincial Surveillance Commission and the Imperial Censor be placed?

As for eunuchs... the practice of eunuchs supervising the army is already a flaw of the ancestral system. Now, they are being ordered to lead cavalry to patrol the southern Zhili region. Have they not heard the saying, "Where the imperial guards go, even chickens and dogs are not at peace"? The Suzhou uprising two years ago was precisely because the tax supervisor allowed his troops to plunder! Fang Zhuangli, the Minister of Personnel, chimed in.

Wang Zaijin also stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the British Ministry’s 800 elite troops consume 100 shi of grain per day; Cao Huachun’s 3,000 cavalry require 3,000 warhorses and 1,000 bundles of fodder. The Imperial Treasury currently has only 430,000 taels of silver. If we use the funds for the Beijing Garrison’s inspection expenses, I fear there will be no funds left for disaster relief in Shaanxi!”

Furthermore, the northern and southern territories are thousands of miles apart. Sending nobles and eunuchs to patrol separately would inevitably delay the exchange of documents between the north and south, exacerbating the disaster. Your Majesty, I humbly request that Your Majesty rescind your decree and reinstate the existing system, ordering the imperial inspectors of both the northern and southern territories to promptly investigate the disaster situation, compile a report within three days, and draw upon the necessary troops from the various prefectures and garrisons; there is no need to alert the capital garrison!

Zhu Youjian ignored them and continued, "I hereby order Grand Secretary Li Guoyu to lead 800 troops to patrol Henan; I hereby order the reinstatement of Zhang Heming, former Governor-General of the Five Provinces, to serve as Governor of Hubei and Hunan, with the additional title of Censor-in-Chief, to patrol Huguang; I hereby order the reinstatement of Liu Zongzhou, former Principal of the Ministry of Rites, to serve as Governor of the Pearl River, with the additional title of Censor, to lead 800 Xiaoling Guards to patrol Guangdong and Guangxi; I hereby order Yuan Chonghuan to patrol Fujian and Zhejiang; I hereby order Ma Xianglin, Pacification Commissioner of Shizhu, to lead 5,000 White-Spear Soldiers to patrol Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, to investigate the disaster situation, urge tax collection, and deter the villains!!!"

"Your Majesty, this is an outrageous order!" Liu Mao, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, exclaimed excitedly. "I am afraid I cannot obey. I beg Your Majesty to rescind this order. If Your Majesty insists on proceeding, I will certainly veto it!"

Kong Wenshi, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty’s appointment of governors of the Pearl River and the Two Lakes is unprecedented and unheard of! I urge Your Majesty to strictly follow ancestral rules and refrain from privately establishing official positions. Moreover, important ministers should be selected through court elections. Only by choosing those who possess both virtue and talent can you gain the respect of the people. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!”

Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Shan Mingxu said, “Your Majesty, each province of the Great Ming has its own censors. It is the duty of the censors to inspect the country and report on matters heard. Your Majesty has now set up an additional inspector, which has left the Censorate at a loss. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order and send censors to inspect the local areas.”

Zhu Youjian's gaze swept over the cabinet ministers: Zhu Xieyuan, the head of the Ministry of War, looked down as if he were asleep; Bi Ziyan remained silent, his face ashen; the other ministers, both high and low, lowered their heads unconsciously when they saw the emperor's gaze upon them. It seemed the cabinet was terrified of the emperor.

On the noble side, Qin Liangyu's gaze was resolute, while Zhang Weixian seemed somewhat excited. This put Zhu Youjian at ease. Sure enough, getting rid of the troublemakers would prevent another coup by the court officials; dismissing former Grand Secretary Huang Liji was the right thing to do!
Since no officials stepped forward to resign, Zhu Youjian assumed they had approved it. As for the Censorate, what was that? Zhu Youjian said calmly, "The Taizu Emperor established the Censorate to 'manage the affairs of attending to the emperor, offering advice, filling in gaps, revising, and investigating the affairs of the Six Ministries and all departments,' not to cause me trouble. You can object, but I will not accept your objections!!!"

After the court session, Zhu Xieyuan approached Zhu Youjian and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, you are too impatient. If this continues, I fear it will lead to a rift between the emperor and his ministers!"

"I urgently need money and grain," Zhu Youjian said calmly.

Zhu Xieyuan nodded and said, "Your Majesty must be wary of villains."

"I understand, Minister Zhu. I will dispatch a battalion of imperial guards to you," Zhu Youjian continued.

"Very well." Zhu Xieyuan smiled and said, "I am old now. If I were young, what would I have to fear from petty villains? Your Majesty, please feel free to act. If there are any rebellious ministers or traitors within the pass, I will personally eliminate them one by one for Your Majesty!"

How arrogant! Zhu Youjian glanced at him sideways. This old man seemed to be shining in his eyes at this moment. They all had the surname Zhu, could they be family?!
(End of this chapter)