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

Chapter 301 Cao Huachun's Second Deception
Just as he was hesitating about whether to tell Zhu Xieyuan the truth, the old man's expression suddenly turned serious.

He said earnestly, "I understand Your Majesty's desire to consolidate power. However, I must advise Your Majesty not to be too hasty. You may not realize that if a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler as an enemy. Your Majesty's reign is long and prosperous; why rush things?!"

"Uh... No, no! I'm only going to deal with a few bald monks. When did I ever say I was going to target all the officials in the court? Alas, Grand Secretary, you've misunderstood me!" Zhu Youjian said, heartbroken.

"A bald... monk?!" Zhu Xieyuan was dumbfounded.

"Yes, indeed. It's because the imperial court is broke! These monks and Taoists do not engage in production, but seize large amounts of land and houses, and exploit the people. Most importantly, they don't pay taxes. They are truly despicable!" Zhu Youjian said through gritted teeth.

"Your Majesty wants to seize temple property to replenish the national treasury?! Then Your Majesty can just issue an edict to have the Ministry of Revenue draft an official document, why bother to send border troops to the capital?!" Zhu Xieyuan looked at Zhu Youjian as if he were caring for a mentally challenged child.

"Do you think it's that easy?" Zhu Youjian looked at the old man as if he were a fool.

Zhu Xieyuan fell silent. After composing himself, he asked, "What does Your Majesty intend to do?"

"Mountains were felled and temples destroyed, horses trampled mountains and rivers, and the ordination certificates that were sold indiscriminately during the Wanli era were redeemed. The system of 40 monks per prefecture, 30 monks per state, and no more than 20 monks per county, as stipulated by Emperor Hongwu, was strictly enforced."

Unordained monks and "wild monks" without proper ordination certificates were imprisoned, punished, and forced into labor service, serving on the frontier. Taxes owed by monasteries for the previous 263 years were collected, and illegal activities by monks and nuns were strictly investigated. Notices were posted encouraging the public to donate money. The Emperor Taizu stated, "Those who practice spiritual cultivation must strictly adhere to the precepts and regulations, and must never act recklessly."

Zhu Youjian, mimicking his father Zhu's tone, said, "These monks, unwilling to even practice their spiritual discipline, how can they not commit wrongdoing?! Monks with wives, I'll be furious with you! Monks with property, I'll be furious with you! Monks who collude with officials and harm the people, who disregard the rules and practice evil ways, I'll be furious with you!!!"

"Therefore, monks and Taoists who violate the law will be punished three times more severely! Those who cover up such acts will be punished the same way, while those who report and expose each other will be spared the death penalty!" Zhu Youjian added.

"Your Majesty is trying to kill the monks!" Zhu Xieyuan was both amused and exasperated. Who could possibly pay these taxes accumulated over two hundred years? In the end, wouldn't the temple's property be used to repay them?

"Your Majesty's decision to mobilize troops privately for this matter is ultimately inappropriate. Here's what we'll do: I will issue a supplementary order in the name of the Ministry of War. However, Your Majesty must not issue any more imperial edicts to mobilize troops in the future," Zhu Xieyuan said wearily.

Zhu Youjian nodded vigorously, repeatedly agreeing. He waved goodbye to Zhu Xieyuan and called out, "Grand Secretary, take care! Come again next time!"

"Phew! I finally fooled him." Zhu Youjian wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead. The old man was too clever; it wouldn't be easy to deceive him. You'd have to use several layers of smokescreens. Zhu Xieyuan was on the fifth layer, while he was in the atmosphere.

Zhu Youjian's confession about the anti-Buddhist campaign was true, but he didn't send Cao Bianjiao back to fight the bald monks—why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? In fact, Cao Bianjiao and the three thousand elite cavalrymen he recalled were tasked with protecting him, the emperor! Meanwhile, Cao Huachun and his entourage traveled light, day and night, arriving in Jinzhou in just four days. The hardships of the journey had roughened his skin, and apart from his lack of a beard, he exuded masculinity, his demeanor completely unpretentious, unlike a typical eunuch.

Cao Huachun was quite familiar with both Cao Bianjiao and Cao Da Cao; they might even have been family five hundred years ago. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Cao Huachun solemnly produced the imperial edict and read it aloud, ordering Cao Bianjiao to transfer one thousand elite cavalrymen each from Guan, Jin, and Ning to the capital. Only after Cao Bianjiao knelt and uttered, "Your subject receives the decree and obeys the order," did Cao Huachun hand the edict to him.

Cao Bianjiao glanced at the imperial edict, initially thinking he was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, his expression changed drastically. He looked to Cao Wenzhao for help; the order to mobilize troops shouldn't be so brief. At least the marching route, the time limit, and logistical support should be clearly stated.

He was already suspicious, and now, looking around, he saw that something was indeed wrong: the emperor was actually using an imperial edict to mobilize troops! His first thought was that something had happened to the emperor!
Seeing that the two Cao generals seemed to be caught in a dilemma, Cao Huachun's face darkened. He said sternly, "His Majesty has treated the two generals well. Do you intend to disobey the imperial decree?!"

Cao Wenzhao took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. My family has received imperial favor for generations. If we do not think of repaying it, we are no different from beasts. I just wonder if His Majesty is well now? Can these mere three thousand cavalry accomplish anything great? If necessary, I can mobilize the entire force to enter the capital and defend the emperor!"

Cao Huachun looked at Cao Wenzhao with surprise, but his gaze softened considerably. He smiled and said, "General, there's no need to worry. His Majesty is well and the situation in the court is stable. As for why His Majesty mobilized troops, he hasn't told me. However, I do have a guess, though I can't guarantee I'll be right."

Upon hearing this, both Cao and Da Cao breathed a sigh of relief and then politely said, "Please try to explain, sir. Even if there are differences, we will not forget your teachings."

"I wouldn't call it instruction. You all know about your adopted son Cao Er's situation, right?!" Cao Huachun asked.

Cao Wenzhao was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "We are aware of this and are very worried about it. A few days ago, I wrote a letter to Your Majesty, begging for leniency and to allow my foolish subordinates to atone for their crimes with meritorious service. Even if we die on the battlefield, we will never forget Your Majesty's kindness in our next life."

Cao Huachun nodded and comforted you, "You need not worry. His Majesty will handle this matter properly. Alas, that day His Majesty faced all the ministers alone for your sake. Some people wanted to implicate you two, but His Majesty made the decisive move to protect you both."

Even the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Shan Mingxu's desperate attempt to retaliate by striking his head against a pillar in court failed to change His Majesty's mind. For your sake, His Majesty has gone so far as to dismiss Shan Mingxu. This move will inevitably cause a great uproar in the court; do you understand His Majesty's good intentions?!

"This! How could it come to this? How could it come to this! I am guilty. It is because I failed to discipline Your Majesty properly that I have implicated you!" Cao Wenzhao bowed towards the direction of the capital.

"Actually, His Majesty summoned you back this time to vent your anger. On that day, His Majesty leaned against Cao Er's coffin and said, 'All the bald monks in the world deserve to die.' I speculate that His Majesty probably wanted to emulate the story of Emperor Wuzong's persecution of Buddhism. Of course, I was just saying this casually, so don't take it seriously." Cao Huachun chuckled, perfectly capturing the essence of his satirical writing style.

The uncle and nephew were even more moved. Cao Wenzhao patted Cao Bianjiao on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Go back to the capital and convey my regards to His Majesty. Tell His Majesty that I, Cao Wenzhao, swear to serve His Majesty to the death. Heaven and earth bear witness to my loyalty!"

(End of this chapter)