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

Chapter 314 Bi Ziyan takes charge of the government, the Little Liao King serves as regent, and Empress Zhang rules from behind the curtain.

On the second day of the second month of the fifth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the day the dragon raises its head, it was once again the annual day for the emperor to put on a show and encourage agriculture. Half a month had passed since the emperor's escape. In the court, the five-year-old eldest prince, Zhu Ciyan, was dozing off on a small stool next to the dragon throne. Behind him, a curtain was drawn, and Empress Zhang, the Empress Dowager Yi'an, was ruling from behind it, with Consort Sun accompanying her on her right.

Before fleeing, Zhu Youjian left an edict, bestowing the title of Prince of Liao upon his eldest son, Zhu Ciyan, and ordering him to oversee the country on behalf of the emperor! Empress Zhou was to hold the imperial seal in his place, Wang Chengen, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was to wear a red robe, and Bi Ziyan was to act as the head of the outer court. All officials were to perform their duties diligently and not be negligent!
The first Prince of Liao in the early Ming Dynasty was Zhu Zhi, the fifteenth son of Emperor Taizu. The Liao princely title was abolished in the second year of the Longqing reign. Now, the emperor has bestowed the title of Prince of Liao upon his eldest son, the implication of which is clear. However, the fact that he did not appoint his eldest son as crown prince has caused some unease. But since the emperor himself ascended the throne as a prince, the Prince of Liao may still have a chance.

These are all official appointments; in reality, the approval and stamping of documents were mainly handled by Sun Shiwan, a practice that the inner court officials had become accustomed to. If outsiders were to find out, it would likely cause a huge uproar.

Zhu Youjian dared not slacken in the slightest when it came to guarding the palace. The four imperial guards remained in the palace and were not brought out. There were also three thousand White Spear Soldiers in the capital, led by Ma Xianglin's wife Zhang Fengyi, who had now entered the Forbidden City to seal off the inner court.

During Zhu Youjian's inspection tour, no one was allowed to enter or leave the Forbidden Garden. Food and drink had been prepared in advance, and doctors and medicines were also stocked up. Any attempt to spy on the palace was strictly prohibited. Anyone who tried to force their way into the Forbidden Garden, regardless of rank or status, would be shot dead if warnings were ignored!

Zhu Youjian was well aware of his weaknesses. Regarding security, he always believed that it was better to be safe than sorry. He could not gamble on the conscience of his enemies, nor did he want to be powerless and furious after his own family members were killed. Even if he slaughtered many people in the court, it would be of no use.

In the imperial court, the tenth meeting was held to discuss how to welcome the emperor back. Lai Zongdao, the Minister of Rites, submitted a memorial to the Regent Zhu Ciyan, stating: “In previous years, at this time, His Majesty would always lead his officials to the suburbs for plowing, praying for a bountiful harvest and to reassure the people. His Majesty's absence this year is truly inappropriate. With Qingming Festival approaching, His Majesty will be visiting the imperial tombs, but being far from the capital, I fear the ancestors will resent him. I humbly request His Highness the Prince of Liao to send a letter urging His Majesty to return to the capital!”

Zhu Ciyan looked up, seemingly confused, as if he heard someone calling him. He then turned to look behind the curtain. The officials, seeing this, frowned. A moment of silence followed behind the curtain; in fact, Zhang Yan was waiting for Sun Shiwan to instruct her on how to respond.

After several years of practice, Sun Shiwan had developed an extremely fast writing speed. Her pen moved like a dragon, and she quickly wrote several paragraphs of beautiful and clear text on the notebook. Zhang Yan read from the notebook and said, "What Minister Lai said is very true. Empress Dowager Ciyan also misses His Majesty very much. I will write a letter to persuade His Majesty to return."

Alas! Lai Zongdao was rebuffed and sighed inwardly. Every time he tried to persuade the emperor, he never revealed the emperor's reply or when he would return!
Seeing Zhu Ciyan's somewhat foolish and naive demeanor, he immediately hatched another plan. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness the Prince of Liao is now entrusted with the important task of regent, but he has not yet learned the ways of governing the country. Now that Your Highness has reached the age of enlightenment, it is appropriate to invite teachers to instruct you. I humbly request Your Majesty to issue an imperial decree to select several lecturers for Your Highness the Prince of Liao!"

"His Majesty has decreed that princes and princesses in the palace shall begin their education at the age of six, and the time for them to leave the palace to study shall be determined later. I dare not contradict His Majesty's decree."

In fact, Zhu Youjian never said such a thing. Sun Shiwan made her say it just to appease Lai Zongdao. Zhu Ciyan was only a few years old. Without the emperor's personal supervision, who knew what kind of person he would be raised by those scholars?! The emperor just went out, he's not dead!

Seeing that Zhu Ciyan was sitting on the dragon throne looking rather bored, Wang Chengen felt a pang of sympathy and shouted, "Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!"

Everyone looked at each other, somewhat helpless. The court assembly was merely a symbolic affair, and without the emperor, it felt utterly meaningless. The uneventful morning court session passed in this way. Wang Chengen led Zhu Ciyan away through a side door, and the two behind the curtain also withdrew through the back door.

After they left, the court remained in session, with everyone continuing to discuss the topic they had been trying to reach a conclusion on for a long time.

In fact, the efficiency of the Ming Dynasty court was just that absurd. It wasn't apparent before because Zhu Youjian made decisions from the center and handled things decisively. Now that the government has been handed back to the civil officials, they have all shown their true colors again.

Everyone felt that things couldn't continue like this and that they should send someone to bring the emperor back. However, the last person to try this was the second-in-command, Zhu Xieyuan, but he failed miserably and never returned.

Everyone felt that given the emperor's shameless nature, sending anyone else would yield the same result. The cabinet now only had three pitiful members left, and the six ministries only had four ministers. It was definitely not suitable to send any more high-ranking officials out; if they left, the court would come to a complete standstill.

Someone suggested, "Why don't you, the Imperial Observatory, think of a solution?!"

Ye Zhenchun, the Imperial Censor, shook his head vigorously. Last October, during a solar eclipse, he predicted a military disaster because the emperor had neglected his duties. He suggested the emperor issue an edict of self-reproach. The emperor scoffed at his judgment, warning him, "No matter what the celestial phenomena are, you'd better portray them as positive! If any more celestial warnings appear, I'll throw you to the dogs!" Ye Zhenchun wasn't worried about being thrown to the dogs—the emperor wasn't that cruel—but it was also true that the emperor didn't believe in celestial phenomena. Being an official these days wasn't easy; even the Imperial Tutor had accepted his fate. He certainly didn't want to offend the emperor!

"My lords, His Majesty has sent back a decree!" The councilor of the Ministry of Justice, dressed in a blue robe, ran over excitedly, and everyone made way for him.

The Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, Tian Zhen, looked at his subordinate with an unfriendly expression. The councilor could only smile wryly and say to Tian Zhen, "His Majesty has ordered that Grand Secretary Bi personally deliver this message!"

Bi Ziyan then took the letter, carefully pried open the sealant, and quickly scanned its contents. He couldn't help but gasp. Those around him, already curious, became even more impatient at his strong reaction, bombarding him with questions: "Grand Secretary, what did His Majesty say? Did he promise when he would return?!"

"Tongzheng, why don't you tell everyone what happened?" Bi Ziyan rubbed his temples and handed the letter to Tian Zhen.

Tian Zhen took a look and his eyes went blank: "His Majesty arrested four hundred corrupt officials in Taiyuan, including thirty-nine major corrupt officials who will be sent back to the capital for joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices. All departments should prepare to receive them. Three million taels of silver in confiscated illicit gains will be transported back to the national treasury in installments. His Majesty said he is well and told us not to worry!"

"Hiss, four hundred people? Are there still people left in Taiyuan?!"

"Your Majesty wouldn't be going to follow the example of Emperor Taizu and resort to skinning people alive and stuffing them with straw, would you?" Someone's legs were already trembling.

"His Majesty has established regulations that allow guilty officials to surrender themselves. If their crimes are within the prescribed limits, they can remain in office after returning the embezzled funds; if their crimes are too serious, confiscation of their property and removal from office are inevitable. However, His Majesty has said that since we have been so close as ruler and subject, his life may be spared. That's all I have to say. Gentlemen, please be mindful of yourselves!" Bi Ziyan said quietly.

Ding Kuichu, the chief clerk of the Shaanxi Department of the Ministry of Revenue, said, "Your Majesty is acting recklessly! With such widespread resentment among officials, aren't you afraid of causing chaos throughout the land?!"

However, his words were met with no agreement; the crowd looked at him strangely. Regardless of what people thought in private, opposing corruption was absolutely politically correct. Sun Chengzong had been removed from his position as the Liaodong military commissioner by Gao Di on charges of embezzling military funds.

The slogan of fighting corruption is shouted every year, and it is almost always mentioned when officials impeach others. However, when it comes to actually arresting corrupt officials, it is rarely implemented. But now the emperor is too shameless. He personally arrests people and does not need to find complete evidence of corruption. Instead, he asks the convicted officials to prove the origin of their property. Who can explain this?!
The group was internally devastated, but they had to maintain a calm facade. They were already plotting how to transfer assets to evade the emperor's investigation. In reality, Zhu Youjian had no intention of using the same methods he used on the Shanxi officials against these Beijing officials. Taiyuan had only a handful of people; the capital, with its tens of thousands of officials and clerks, was far too large for him to handle.
Ultimately, officials are more concerned with their own interests. After the news that the emperor was going to arrest corrupt officials in Shanxi reached the capital, these officials were all on edge. Instead of worrying about arresting the emperor, they hoped that the emperor would return later, or better yet, not at all!

Undercurrents were swirling within the capital. Officials were making more frequent private visits, and the agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot were also busy. Bi Ziyan was under immense pressure and couldn't help but consider retiring. He shared his thoughts with Yuan Keli.

Yuan Keli retorted, "Do you think you can get away with resigning at this time?! Public opinion can be devastating. Even if the emperor believes you, the rumors outside can drive you to your death. Don't overthink it. At worst, I'll help you out."

Bi Ziyan was furious: "What do you mean by 'helping out'? This is the job you should be doing! Aren't you a cabinet minister?!"

"Everyone knows I am old and frail, and His Majesty also summoned me back to court because I am too old to perform my duties. I am asking for a rest now, and no one should object to that, right?!" Yuan Keli snorted.

"No, no, no, Li Qing, I was wrong. I was just joking. You have to stay and help me!" Bi Ziyan's tone softened instantly.

(End of this chapter)