Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 149 Issuing an Edict of Self-Reproach is Pure Bullshit (Part 2)

It was a good thing that the rebels withdrew from Fengyang Prefecture.

However, if someone distorts the truth, even a good thing can turn into a bad thing.

The next morning around 7 a.m., Zhu Jue had just arrived at the main hall of Yu Xi Palace and glanced at the first memorial when he was so angry he wanted to curse.

Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang, reported that the rebels had captured Fengyang, destroyed the imperial tombs, and slaughtered more than forty civil and military officials, including Zhu Guoxiang, the garrison commander of Zhongdu, Cheng Yongning, the commander, and Yan Rongxuan, the prefect of Fengyang. The 20,000 troops of the Zhongdu Garrison were almost entirely killed or wounded. Local gentry, village heads, and village chiefs were also slaughtered by the rebels, leaving Fengyang Prefecture in ruins.

The cabinet drafted a long and rambling document, essentially stating that the imperial tombs had been destroyed and the ancestors had been disgraced, and that the emperor, as the ruler, had to issue an edict of self-reproach.

This tone suggests a desire for revenge; these guys are truly shameless.

After reading it, Zhu Jue slammed the memorial on the table in anger and shouted, "Bullshit! What is this?"

Is the destruction of the imperial tombs my fault?

Am I responsible for guarding the imperial tombs?
I have never seen such a shameless person!
You've already taken all the benefits, and you still want to keep all the profits.

I want to save the Ming Dynasty by making money through overseas trade, but I have to compete with you for supplies, and you even incite a popular uprising for me!

You all just take the money and do nothing, and when something goes wrong, it's all my fault.

He even demanded that I issue an edict to repent.

You bear absolutely no responsibility!
Why should I support you?

They don't do any real work, all they do is fight for power and profit, and then they expect me to take responsibility when something goes wrong. Is this how an official should be?
His outburst of anger terrified both Wang Chengen and Liu Ruoyu.

What's going on here?
Wang Chengen wanted to ask, but dared not.

Liu Ruoyu was at a loss for what to do.

Seeing this, Zhu Jue took a deep breath and gradually suppressed the anger in his heart.

He knew very well that getting angry was useless.

The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party wanted to provoke him into losing his composure.

The capture of Fengyang by Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong was not of much strategic significance, especially for them personally, it did not bring them any benefit.

What's the point of taking down that godforsaken place?

They won't gain anything, not even food rations. After the battle, they'll have to retreat obediently. It's like losing food rations for nothing. What's the point of fighting a war if it's just a slap in the face to the emperor?

These days, digging up someone's ancestral graves only serves one purpose: to create a deadly feud that lasts until death!
From a normal person's perspective, no one would do something that brings no benefit whatsoever and would also create a deadly enmity with the current emperor.

This is highly unusual.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

This is a huge conspiracy; Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong are cooperating with Huang Taiji.

Historically, after the fall of Fengyang, Emperor Chongzhen was so humiliated that he was furious and immediately mobilized a large army to besiege Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, sending away all the troops he could.

As a result, just when Chongzhen had mobilized all his troops to besiege Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, Huang Taiji launched a surprise attack on Dushikou and marched all the way to Yanqing Prefecture.

In his haste, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to transfer all the garrison troops from Jizhou to Jizhou.

This resulted in the near-total loss of the Jizhou border troops in Yanqing Prefecture, leaving the capital region virtually undefended.

When Huang Taiji stormed into the capital region, it was like entering an uninhabited land. He could plunder as he pleased, and no one cared!

This time it was actually the same conspiracy and the same routine as in history, but he didn't fall for it and didn't care about Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong at all.

Huang Taiji's surprise attack on Dushikou and subsequent invasion of Yanqing Prefecture was a wasted trip; he gained nothing.

At this moment, Huang Taiji was being led around by the nose like a dog. The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party had no choice but to use the term "rebel" to annoy him and try to make him lose his composure.

Could he be fooled?
He didn't need to pay any attention to those shameless scoundrels in the outer court; why get angry?

He tossed the memorial directly to Liu Ruoyu and said coldly, "The entire family of Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang, will be executed!"

He really didn't have time to deal with those officials from the outer court right now; he was busy.

He quickly finished processing the memorials and then began to review the materials collected by Wang Chengen.

These materials are all related to porcelain.

Actually, not all porcelain from the Ming Dynasty came from the Jingdezhen area. Jingdezhen was famous because the official kilns were located there. Of course, the kaolin clay there was also the best clay for firing porcelain.

However, the greatest demand in European countries now is not for official kiln porcelain, but for ordinary civilian porcelain.

Therefore, he didn't need to send ships to Jingdezhen to bring over kaolin clay to fire porcelain. That would be a complete waste, not only of transportation capacity but also of kaolin clay.

He could simply find clay nearby that could be used to fire porcelain. The seven major kiln systems of the Tang Dynasty were Yuezhou Kiln, Dingzhou Kiln, Wuzhou Kiln, Yuezhou Kiln, Shouzhou Kiln, Hongzhou Kiln, and Xingzhou Kiln. Xingzhou is the present-day Xingtai, where the capital of Shunde Prefecture in Beizhili Province is located.

The six major kiln systems of the Song Dynasty were Ding Kiln, Jun Kiln, Cizhou Kiln, Yaozhou Kiln, Longquan Kiln, and Jingdezhen Kiln. Ding Kiln was located in Dingzhou, Zhending Prefecture, Beizhili Province today, while Cizhou Kiln was located near Handan, Guangping Prefecture, Beizhili Province today.

There is plenty of clay for firing porcelain in Beizhili, so why would he go to such lengths to find it elsewhere?

Zhu Jue carefully examined the information about porcelain, then suddenly turned around and said, "Cheng'en, your hometown seems to be Xingtai, right?"

Why did Your Majesty suddenly ask about this?

Wang Chengen nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, my hometown is Xingtai County, Shunde Prefecture."

Zhu Jue then asked, "Do you still make porcelain there?"

Oh, so that's what Your Majesty was asking about.

Wang Chengen recalled, "Our porcelain was very famous during the Tang Dynasty. However, during the Song Dynasty, it gradually moved to Dingzhou and Handan, leaving only some small earthen kilns in our area. I don't know why."

Oh, and there are earthen kilns too.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Do you still have a lot of clay for firing porcelain?"

Wang Chengen nodded repeatedly and said, "There are many, they are everywhere. When I was a child, I loved playing with mud. I could make bowls, cups and all sorts of things."

Oh, you can do some porcelain work too.

You are my closest confidant, and I must ensure that your family benefits as well.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Is your father still alive? Do you have any brothers?"

Alas, one wishes to care for one's parents, but they are no longer there.

Wang Chengen sighed inwardly, then carefully said, "Your Majesty, my family was too poor when I was a child. After I entered the palace, my parents passed away one after another, leaving only my two younger brothers, Ye Tai and Ye Yao. They have grown up now and it is time for them to get married."

well.

Zhu Jue said without hesitation, "I just happen to want people to dig clay in Xingtai, Dingzhou, Handan and other places and transport it to the capital. I will entrust this matter to your two younger brothers. Ye Tai will be in charge of organizing people to dig, and Ye Yao will be in charge of transportation."

Digging and transporting soil isn't difficult work; almost anyone can do it. My two younger brothers are somewhat educated, so they certainly won't mess it up.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chengen repeatedly clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

What's this? It's a simple job, anyone can do it. Would I treat you badly?

Zhu Jue waved his hand and then asked, "I see that the waterways in Xingtai, Dingzhou, and Handan are crisscrossed and densely packed. There should be waterways connecting to the Grand Canal, right?"

Wang Chengen nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty. Xingtai, Dingzhou, and Handan were actually on the main trunk of the Grand Canal during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It's just that later the main trunk of the Grand Canal became the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal."

"Our area has the old course of the Sui and Tang Grand Canal, which can be traversed by cargo ships of 800 liang (a unit of weight), and they can go straight downstream to the North Canal in less than a day. Dingzhou is even closer; a ship fully loaded with clay can reach the North Canal in less than half a day."

Great, it's settled then.

The supply of clay can be guaranteed without using many cargo ships, and the porcelain factory can be built.

Zhu Jue was pondering the matter of building a porcelain factory when Fang Zhenghua suddenly strode in carrying a memorial, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, this was sent by the Cabinet."

He took the memorial, opened it, and found that it was still the one from Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang.

The cabinet also submitted a revised draft, implying that Yang Yipeng was not merely the governor of Fengyang. The governor of Fengyang was originally the chief supervisor of the waterways and governor of the four prefectures of Feng, Yang, Lu, and Huai, as well as the three sub-prefectures of Xu, He, and Chu, with his office located in Huai'an.

Then came a whole bunch of rambling and rambling.

This means that Yang Yipeng wasn't in Fengyang at the time, so how could his entire family be executed? As the emperor, you can't shirk responsibility like this. You should issue an edict to repent!

It’s not over, right?
Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then asked, "Who is this Yang Yipeng, and why are they protecting him?"

Fang Zhenghua replied without hesitation, "Yang Yipeng is from Linxiang, Yuezhou Prefecture, Huguang Province. He seems to have a good relationship with Wen Tiren, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet."

Oh, the Qi-Chu-Zhe faction, right?

You want to anger me, don't you?
I was so angry that I started randomly killing people!

Zhu Jue sneered, then handed the memorial to Liu Ruoyu and said coldly, "Does your cabinet mean that I have made a mistake in appointing people? Also, Hong Chengchou is in charge of pursuing and suppressing rebels. Why don't we execute Hong Chengchou as well?"

This means that if you don't agree to execute Yang Yipeng, then execute Hong Chengchou as well.

Hong Chengchou was a member of the Donglin Party, while Yang Yipeng was a member of the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party. Would the Donglin Party let General Hong Chengchou be buried with Yang Yipeng for nothing?

Obviously, this is impossible.

He seems so angry that he wants to kill people indiscriminately. If the cabinet keeps grumbling, he'll probably want to kill even more people!
This time, the memorial was not rejected by the cabinet. Yang Yipeng was sentenced to have his entire family executed, and the matter of him issuing an edict to repent was never followed up.

(End of this chapter)