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

Chapter 203 Yuan Chonghuan, you bastard, do you want to rebel?!

Zhu Youjian felt that something strange was really going on today. Shi Laifeng was frantically trying to frame Yuan Chonghuan. What kind of grudge did these two have?! Yuan Chonghuan was indeed a bastard, but did he do something that warranted such a violent attack?
There was a reason why Shi Laifeng was working so hard: Zheng Zhilong's men gave him 10,000 taels of silver, with the promise that if he killed Yuan Chonghuan, he would get another 100,000 taels; if he was just dismissed from office, he would get 50,000 taels; if he was transferred, he would get another 10,000 taels; if he was left in the same place without any real consequences, the final payment would be canceled!
Shi Laifeng has been feeling uneasy lately. He started out as a member of the eunuch faction, rising to power by flattering Wei Zhongxian, and he also had some ability of his own. But later, he became too clever for his own good and fell out with Wei Zhongxian. Now, the Donglin Party despises him for being corrupt, the eunuch faction has excluded him, the emperor is distant from him, and he can't squeeze into the promising imperial faction.

He had struggled, but ultimately all his efforts were in vain. He couldn't help but sigh: "A new emperor, a new court; the most important thing in being an official is to please the emperor! What can be done if the emperor doesn't like him?"

He also foresaw his tragic end, so while he still held the title of Grand Secretary and retained some remaining influence, it was time to pave his way out. Even if he wanted to arrange for his descendants to enter officialdom and rise through the ranks, money was indispensable. Without money to pave the way, he might only ever be an eighth-rank instructor for his entire life!
Furthermore, after returning to his hometown, he would need to acquire a few acres of meager land; otherwise, how could he support his family through farming and scholarship? It's true that the emperor increased the salaries of officials, but it was mostly the lower-ranking officials who benefited. These lower-level officials, on the other hand, toiled tirelessly every day without receiving any reward. Moreover, while the salaries did increase, the court still delayed payments when it was short of funds.

In short, Shi Laifeng felt that the court and the emperor had wronged him, so he accepted the money with a clear conscience. It was money that should have been his in the first place, and since the emperor wouldn't give it to him, he could only make amends in his own way. As for his impeachment of Yuan Chonghuan, there was nothing wrong with it. Yuan Chonghuan was so arrogant, and keeping such a person around would only cause trouble, so he was actually doing a good deed!
Not everyone disliked Yuan Chonghuan. Wang Zaijin tried his best to defend him: "Governor Yuan only killed a pirate. His Majesty ordered him to govern the southeast to deal with the Japanese pirates. He was just performing his duties. What crime has he committed?!"

"Yuan Chonghuan arbitrarily killed a thousand-household commander of the imperial court, disregarded the laws of the country, and treated the imperial army as his private property. How is this any different from rebellion?!" Shi Laifeng said righteously.

“A commander of a thousand?! Zheng Zhilong insists that this is just a group of Japanese pirates. If they are Japanese pirates, why would they arrest a commander of a thousand?! Even if he really is a commander of the imperial court, attacking the imperial navy is treason. Such a traitor should be killed by everyone!” Wang Zaijin said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Whether he is a commander of a thousand households or not depends on the imperial court's official appointment documents, not on whether anyone acknowledges it or not! I have said that how Zheng Hongkui should be dealt with should be decided by the three judicial departments of the imperial court and His Majesty, not by a mere Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi who can overstep his bounds!" Shi Laifeng shouted.

The two argued more and more heatedly, and the focus of their debate was developing in a strange direction: Shi Laifeng emphasized procedural justice, while Wang Zaijin focused on factual justice. But Zhu Youjian had always disliked debate, and he didn't want to analyze who was right and who was wrong. He only wanted to know how to suppress the matter and minimize the losses to the court.

Punishing Yuan Chonghuan would be a huge blow to morale in the army and among the people. After all, Yuan Chonghuan was indeed quite talented. His reputation in officialdom was terrible, but he managed to escape the Jisi Incident, and his reputation among the army and the people was actually quite good.

The army liked him because he could indeed raise money and was willing to distribute it to the army; the people liked him because he had thoroughly ravaged Fujian, not only killing Japanese pirates, but also the original mountain bandits and outlaws.

As a result, Fujian, a mountainous and coastal region where its people were constantly bullied by bandits and Japanese pirates, was transformed into a paradise by him. Public security improved dramatically, and inland commerce flourished. The people loved it, but other officials disliked it—wasn't this the perfect model of an upright and just official? In the end, the bad guys became the court, and the good guys were all played by Yuan Chonghuan?!

Yuan Chonghuan really couldn't stay in Fujian any longer. If he stayed any longer, the whole province would rebel if he raised his arm! Fortunately, Zhu Youjian had already taken steps to smooth things over. He was the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, so sending him back to Guangdong and Guangxi was perfectly legitimate! I heard that the chieftains in Guangxi were causing some unrest. In that case, let him lead his troops back to suppress it!
The chieftains of Guangxi had no idea that while they were happily harvesting rice and singing folk songs at home, they were actually carrying such a huge burden on their shoulders! It's true that they had rebelled, but they had also helped the Ming Dynasty fight against rebels quite a bit. Their merits and demerits canceled each other out, and they were innocent, innocent!

With the ten thousand taels in his account, Shi Laifeng finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least his verbal sparring in court hadn't been in vain. Now that he had achieved his goal, he didn't say anything more. It was as if he really cared about Yuan Chonghuan that much. This guy hadn't even given him a New Year's tribute; didn't he know any manners?
After Shi Laifeng calmed down, Wang Zaijin objected, saying, "Your Majesty, Governor Yuan should not be severely punished, but he cannot be left unpunished either. I urge Your Majesty to issue a stern warning and a clear decree to reprimand him, so that he will not make the same mistake again!"

"A reprimand," Zhu Youjian said casually, "Draft an edict! Yuan Chonghuan, you scoundrel, do you want to rebel?"
Human life is of paramount importance. The court must obtain approval from the Ministry of Justice before executing anyone, and then submit the case to me for final approval. Yet you killed someone without even blinking an eye?! If I gave you an imperial sword, would you dare to kill anyone?! You may feel good killing people, but what about the court? If Zheng Zhilong surrenders and rebels again because of this, do you have the ability to subdue him?

If everyone were as lawless as you, I wonder how many would claim to be the most powerful and how many would feel lonely!
The crime you have committed should have been punishable by death, but since you are a former official of the late emperor and he once valued you, I will spare your life for his sake. From now on, you must be careful in your words and deeds, and abide by your duties. If you continue to be so arrogant, next time you will surely face execution!

The Grand Secretary in charge of drafting the imperial edict was Li Guoxuan. He frowned deeply, racking his brains to figure out how to translate the emperor's words into an imperial edict in a way that was both accurate and elegant. The emperor's scolding didn't seem like an act at all!
The others couldn't bear to watch the emperor's speech either. He was always talking about rebellion and calling himself emperor. It seemed he was addicted to fighting. Little did he know that rebellion was a serious crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, the most severe accusation against a subject. Fortunately, Grand Secretary Li did not join the emperor in his nonsense.

This dismissal of Yuan Chonghuan, a show of force followed by a lenient approach, may not have been effective against someone as unruly as Yuan Chonghuan, and Zheng Zhilong probably won't let it go easily either.

How should Zheng Zhilong be dealt with? If we simply back down and appease him, how can we demonstrate national power and uphold the law? If we hold him accountable for sending troops to attack the Ming Dynasty's navy, does the current imperial navy even have the strength to confront him?
Sigh, Zhu Youjian felt that life was so hard, and no one could give him a moment's peace!

(End of this chapter)