Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 24 Deterring the Scoundrels, the Crowd is Full of Power
While the docks and waterways along Taiye Pond were under construction in full swing, the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party were also engaged in a fierce power struggle in the imperial court.

Zhu Jue had the cabinet organize a court meeting precisely to incite the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party to fight amongst themselves and reach a conclusion.

The next morning, these guys actually got to the bottom of it.

Zhu Jue opened the first memorial and was immediately taken aback.

Wen Tiren surprisingly won because he had returned to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and his seniority made it no problem for him to be promoted to Minister of Rites.

Zhou Yanru, however, was serving as the Junior Chamberlain of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and had returned to his hometown to observe mourning for his parents. His qualifications were not yet sufficient for promotion to Minister of Rites.

However, Zhou Yanru has been in Beijing for more than four months since his retirement, and according to custom, he should be appointed to fill the vacancy.

It just so happens that He Ruchong, the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, is still observing mourning at home and will not be able to take office for several months. Zhou Yanru can temporarily take over the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Has the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party compromised?

Or perhaps Feng Quan initially intended for Zhou Yanru to serve as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites as a temporary measure?
After reading the memorial, Zhu Jue couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

The Ming Dynasty court was truly rotten to the core. Loyal ministers and generals were suppressed to the death, while treacherous officials and villains climbed the ranks rapidly through factional connections.

Alright, come on, all of you, prepare to die!
He snorted inwardly, then handed the imperial edict to Wang Chengen and said coldly, "Granted."

Since he was already planning to destroy the outer court and then establish a new one, it didn't matter how many treacherous officials came.

He was reviewing memorials when another announcement came from outside: "Han Kuang requests an audience."

Han Kuang is here!

This guy is outwardly loyal but inwardly treacherous, extremely cunning, and also very alert; he'll run away at the slightest sign of trouble.

Historically, during the Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns, this guy escaped during both purges of the Donglin faction.

He couldn't let this guy get away this time.

He had to fool this guy properly and get him to bring all the Donglin members scattered around the country to the capital to die!

Zhu Jue raised his hand to rub his face, pretending to be a bewildered young boy, before loudly proclaiming, "Summon!"

Soon, Han Kuang strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

This fellow also put on a completely loyal and virtuous appearance.

Okay, let's see who can pretend the best.

Zhu Jue feigned delight and said, "Minister Han, you've finally arrived. I've heard that you are mature, prudent, selfless, loyal, and upright. I'm at ease entrusting the Ming court to you."

Of course! We business people learn from Wang Po's self-promotion, praising ourselves to the skies!
Han Kuang thought the young emperor genuinely regarded him as a loyal minister.

He was secretly pleased with himself, but on the surface he quickly said modestly, "Your Majesty is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise."

You're trying to have your cake and eat it too.

What do you mean by "I dare not accept such a title"?
Zhu Jue feigned humility and asked, "Minister Han, with war raging everywhere and chaos reigning, what should we do?"

Let's put aside the question of what to do for now and first pin the blame on Wei Zhongxian.

Han Kuang glanced at Liu Ruoyu, who was kneeling beside him, and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, there are some things that I cannot say."

You still think Liu Ruoyu is Wei Zhongxian's confidant, right?

Zhu Jue waved his hand decisively and said, "Ruoyu, go to the inner treasury and see how much silver is left."

Liu Ruoyu quickly stood up and respectfully withdrew.

Seeing this, Han Kuang feigned concern for the country and its people, saying, "Your Majesty, the uprisings are all due to Wei Zhongxian's chaos in the court. The rebellion of She Chongming and An Bangyan in the southwest was almost quelled by Zhu Kuiyuan, the governor of five provinces. However, Wei Zhongxian sent his confidants Min Mengde and Zhang Heming to compete for credit. As a result, both of them were terrified of the enemy and dared not lead their troops to quell the rebellion. This gave She Chongming and An Bangyan a chance to catch their breath and allowed the rebellion to resurge."

The same was true in Liaodong. Yuan Chonghuan won consecutive victories at Ningyuan and Ningjin. Nurhaci, the Jurchen chieftain, died due to a recurrence of his cannon wounds. Wei Zhongxian not only seized the military merits but also failed to reward Yuan Chonghuan and the soldiers of Liaodong. He also falsely accused Yuan Chonghuan of privately negotiating peace with the Jurchens, which angered Yuan Chonghuan so much that he resigned his post. As a result, the situation in Liaodong deteriorated day by day.

The rebellion of the disaster victims in the Northwest was also because Wei Zhongxian ordered his men to impose exorbitant taxes. Your Majesty, you don't know that the Northwest has suffered from severe drought for years, leaving the land barren and the fields littered with corpses of the starving. Wei Zhongxian not only refused to allocate funds and grain for disaster relief, but also ordered his men to impose exorbitant taxes. Those who did not pay the exorbitant taxes he created under various pretexts were beaten to death. Wasn't this the reason why the disaster victims rebelled?
Piracy in the southeast was becoming increasingly rampant, largely due to the indulgence of the eunuchs in charge of the Maritime Trade Office sent by Wei Zhongxian. These eunuchs, eager to enrich Wei Zhongxian, accepted bribes from the pirates. Furthermore, instead of suppressing the pirates, they also suppressed the Zhejiang and Fujian navies, leaving them without provisions, ships, and any real threat to the pirates.

Your statement is half true and half false. While the events in the Southwest and Liaodong were indeed related to Wei Zhongxian, attributing the events in the Northwest and Southeast to Wei Zhongxian is a bit far-fetched.

However, logically speaking, since Wei Zhongxian held absolute power in the court, he should indeed be responsible for these matters.

If I were Zhu Youjian, I would definitely be fooled by you into wanting to deal with Wei Zhongxian.

Zhu Jue feigned ignorance and said, "Wei Gong has already explained all of this to me. He said that the fighting has nothing to do with him."

Wei Zhongxian was truly adept at deceiving people.

He managed to gloss over the fact that war was breaking out everywhere, didn't he?

What about treason?

How did this guy manage to fool everyone?
Han Kuang feigned caution and said, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold, the late Emperor died suddenly in the prime of his life, and all the princes died. That was all because Wei Liangqing got eight palace maids pregnant. Wei Zhongxian wanted to emulate Lü Buwei's actions and have the Wei family seize the throne."

What's the point of bringing this up again?

Zhu Jue still feigned ignorance and said, "Wei Zhongxian said that it was all done by Madam Ke."

You actually believe that?!

Han Kuang feigned concern for the country and its people, saying, "Your Majesty, I dare to say that you cannot believe Wei Zhongxian's words. During the late Emperor's reign, he controlled the Eastern Depot, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Imperial Guard, and the Capital Garrison. All the civil and military officials in the court were his men. If he did not intend to usurp the throne, who could have harmed the late Emperor?"

That was due to his carelessness.

Zhu Jue feigned panic and said, "Minister Han, you yourself said that the entire court is Wei Zhongxian's man. If I were to take action against him, wouldn't the world fall into chaos?"

So that's what you were worried about.

Can I say that Feng Quan is one of my men?

This decision cannot be made public.

Han Kuang thought for a moment, then pretended to be righteous and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, there are still many loyal and virtuous officials in the court. As long as Your Majesty raises your arm and calls, there will surely be loyal and virtuous officials to remove Wei Zhongxian, this scourge of the country and the people."

I will not fall for your tricks!

Zhu Jue feigned fear and said, "Minister Han, I have already ordered people to investigate. Nowadays, the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, the Five Temples, and even local government offices are almost all controlled by Wei Zhongxian's adopted sons and grandsons."

Most of those people just want to take advantage of him, what are you afraid of!

What should we do about this timid young emperor?
Han Kuang frowned and pondered for a while, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "Your Majesty, why don't I recruit some loyal and capable officials to help Your Majesty control the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, the Five Temples, and even the local government offices? That way Your Majesty won't have to worry."

I've been waiting for you to say that.

Zhu Jue nodded repeatedly and said, "I heard that Minister Han is the most respected among the Qingliu faction, and that a single call from him would inspire a large number of Qingliu to follow in his footsteps. That is why I risked promoting Minister Han to Grand Secretary of the Cabinet to deter the wicked."

You want me to seize control of the court, right?
That would be great.

Han Kuang quickly pledged his loyalty, saying, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost to persuade upright officials to come out of seclusion and serve Your Majesty. When the court is full of righteous people, Your Majesty will be able to easily deal with Wei Zhongxian, this scourge of the country."

Okay, then you should go and appeal for it.

When the time comes, I will have Wei Zhongxian deal with you all!
(End of this chapter)