Di Ming

Chapter 347 "Your Majesty, you have long neglected your court officials!"

Zhu Yinhao and Ning Caiwei spent most of the day at the Feng family's residence, making the Feng family look very respectable and leaving Zhuang Tingjian with great hope, before finally heading home at dusk.

It can be said that everyone is happy.

After leaving the Feng family and getting into the carriage, Ning Caiwei brought up the matter of Zhuang Shu being humiliated by her two older sisters in letters.

"Yao Zongwen?" Zhu Yin pondered. "This name sounds familiar, like it's been recorded in historical books... I remember now! Her brother-in-law's name really is Yao Zongwen, from Zhejiang?"

Ning Caiwei said, "I didn't mishear. His name is Yao Zongwen. He is indeed from Zhejiang. Zhuang Shu said that he passed the imperial examination last year and after observing the administration of the Six Ministries for more than half a year, he was appointed as the magistrate of Huating County, a very wealthy county."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Then that's right. Yao Zongwen from Zhejiang was a key figure in the eunuch faction in history and a lackey of Wei Zhongxian. Because he flattered Wei Zhongxian, he rose through the ranks and became the Left Censor-in-Chief, a second-rank official."

"This man was a key figure in Wei Zhongxian's faction, second only to the 'Five Tigers.' He impeached Sun Chengzong for being domineering and wasteful of military funds, which led to Sun Chengzong's dismissal. During his tenure as Left Censor-in-Chief, he openly sold official positions and dared to embezzle military funds, disaster relief funds, and river management funds."

"Huating County is not just a good county, it's a top-tier county, the best among the good counties in Jiangnan. Yao Zongwen must have some connections to be able to become the county magistrate of Huating."

“So he’s that bad.” Ning Caiwei laughed. “No wonder Zhuang Shu said he was a villain, even if he were a high-ranking official, he wouldn’t be as good as Feng Menglong. However, although Zhuang Shu said that, she was still very disappointed in her heart.”

Zhu Yin shook his head: "In terms of wealth and status, Feng Menglong is indeed far inferior to Yao Zongwen. But when it comes to character and morality, that corrupt official Yao Zongwen is not even worthy of carrying Feng Menglong's shoes."

Ning Caiwei said, "I've been in the Ming Dynasty for many years now, and I could never have imagined that such a powerful dynasty would perish after only a few decades. It was a kind of unbelievable disillusionment. Now I understand, the problem was still the corruption of officials."

Zhu Yin nodded and said, "The collective depravity of the scholar-official class in the late Ming Dynasty was a major reason for the corruption and political darkness of the late Ming Dynasty. Officials like Yao Zongwen, who were full of benevolence and morality but were actually wicked and immoral, were not a minority in the late Ming Dynasty, but the majority."

"The biggest responsibility lies with Wanli. This bastard abolished Zhang Juzheng's performance evaluation system, neglected state affairs for decades, and led the way in extorting money, resulting in a severe deterioration of officialdom. In the less than thirty years from the twentieth year of Wanli's reign to his death, there were more than a hundred recorded uprisings, most of which were related to corruption."

"In the later years of the Wanli Emperor's reign, a systemic and widespread corruption had emerged throughout the country. From the emperor and his ministers down to the lowest clerks, everyone was exploiting the system. Soldiers' pay was embezzled, with eight million taels of silver owed. How could they fight a war? So, only seven years after his death, a massive peasant uprising broke out."

At this point, Zhu Yin couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity. If Wanli had just been a little more shrewd, even just a little, Nurhaci and the Manchus wouldn't have had a chance. Even if the Ming Dynasty still had fallen, at least it would have been a Han Chinese dynasty, and history would have been completely different."

Ning Caiwei said, "Is Wanli powerless even by his own power? He doesn't even have the authority to freely appoint a crown prince."

Zhu Yin shook his head: "That's nonsense. Even if he didn't have the power to appoint a crown prince, didn't he have the power to reform the bureaucracy and select virtuous and capable officials? Even if he didn't have that power, he should at least have the power to attend court and govern normally, right? In fact, he held great power until his death. Otherwise, how could he have acted so arrogantly and domineeringly even though he didn't attend court for so long?"

"Besides, it's not that he truly lacks the power and freedom to appoint a crown prince. The Ming Dynasty didn't have any explicit legal provisions stipulating that the eldest son should be chosen if there was no legitimate heir. He just wanted both and lacked the courage to take responsibility. If he were a real man, he would issue an edict tomorrow, resolutely appointing Zhu Changxun as crown prince despite the opposition of the court officials. What could the officials do but protest and resign? Could they possibly depose him as emperor?"

"But he dared not issue an edict. He wanted to make Zhu Changxun the crown prince, but he didn't want to completely break with the officials. He was hesitant and afraid of taking risks, so of course he couldn't get things done."

"Speaking of ancestral rules, the Ming Dynasty stipulated that eunuchs should not interfere in politics, which is an ancestral rule clearly stated in writing. However, powerful eunuchs emerged one after another in the Ming Dynasty, which shows that the ancestral rule was just a load of rubbish. Not to mention, there was no explicit rule for establishing the eldest son without a legitimate heir, so it is not an ancestral rule either, but at most a historical inertia."

"As emperor, Wanli had every right to break this inertia that was not an ancestral rule and make his favorite son the crown prince. But he did not have the courage to do so."

"Wei Zhongxian wasn't even the emperor yet, so how could he manipulate the entire court and do things that even Emperor Wanli couldn't do? Did Wei Zhongxian have more power than the emperor? Of course, it's because Wei Zhongxian dared to do it."

"Some people in later generations readily claim that Ming Dynasty emperors were easily soluble in water, using this to emphasize that Ming Dynasty emperors had no real power. They treat this as history and try to whitewash the emperors. Anyway, the responsibility always falls on the civil service group, and the emperors are wise and powerful. Isn't that a joke?"

Ning Caiwei said, "It was precisely because Consort Zheng saw this clearly that she drove away her uncle and appointed Zhang Jing, letting Zhang Jing do what the emperor wanted to do but lacked the courage to do."

Zhu Yin looked at the setting sun outside the carriage and said, "So from now on, Zhang Jing will be the devil in the emperor's heart, the emperor's alter ego. I'll go see Zhang Jing tonight and see how crazy he's going to be."

When Zhang Jing was mentioned, neither Ning Caiwei nor Zhu Yin could relax.

The political situation in the court has changed rapidly in the past few days.

The most powerful minister today is no longer Grand Secretary Wang Xijue, but Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing not only held the power of approving imperial edicts in the Directorate of Ceremonial, but also oversaw various affairs of the Eastern Depot. The eunuch clique, which had been suppressed during the reign of Emperor Shizong, quickly rose again and its power expanded rapidly after Zhang Jing was reinstated.

The Eastern Depot's authority was designed to deal with officials. With a powerful supervisor in charge and the emperor's support, it could immediately become the nemesis of officials.

For many years, officials had few ways to deal with the Eastern Depot. They could only try to influence the emperor and the director of the Eastern Depot by using the principles of rites and ethics and the teachings of the founding emperor.

But this time, neither the emperor nor Zhang Jing seemed to be buying it.

Upon returning to the Directorate of Ceremonial, Zhang Jing immediately took several swift and decisive actions. First, he joined forces with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, controlled by the Zheng family, and seized the supreme supervisory power of the Censorate under the guise of an imperial decree.

In other words, the impeachment memorials submitted by censors to officials both inside and outside the capital, as well as the censorate's investigations of conduct, were all subject to the supervision of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In effect, the Censorate lost its traditionally independent supervisory power.

Even the Censorate could only cooperate, let alone the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice. Nowadays, the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, when trying major cases, not only had to report to the Eastern Depot, but the final decision also had to be reviewed by the Eastern Depot. If the Eastern Depot disagreed, the case could not be closed.

Furthermore, regarding the filing of cases, the Eastern Depot would hesitate to file cases that it deemed unnecessary, while immediately filing cases that it believed should be filed.

In this way, the Eastern Depot rose above the Three Judicial Offices. Coupled with the Embroidered Uniform Guard aiding and abetting its evil deeds, it could basically investigate and arrest whomever it wanted.

However, they haven't started arresting anyone yet.

With the emperor's tacit approval and indulgence, Zhang Jing began to make things difficult for the cabinet's draft opinions, frequently refusing to approve, altering, rejecting, or keeping them in the interim, leaving the cabinet helpless.

After all this turmoil, the cabinet's power to draft proposals was once again suppressed by the power to approve them, just like during the Zhengde reign.

Zhang Jing was indeed a ruthless man. When he did something, he did it thoroughly. He even used the excuse that the Imperial Guard had the right to audit the Ministry of Revenue's accounts to directly send eunuchs with abacuses to oversee every expense report and settlement. They would use any suspicious accounts as a pretext to prevent the Ministry of Revenue from allocating funds or balancing the books.

Nowadays, the Ministry of Revenue must have its funds verified by the Imperial Guard before it can be allocated.

That wasn't all; Zhang Jing then set his sights on the Ministry of Personnel. He ordered the Imperial Guards to seize the Ministry's authority by investigating officials' misconduct, reporting illegal activities, and monitoring the Ministry's daily operations.

Officials who passed the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation and were due for promotion could be accused of cheating by the Imperial Security Bureau. Officials who failed the evaluation and were due for demotion or dismissal could be accused of being wronged by the Imperial Security Bureau…

Even more outrageous, Zhang Jing also set his sights on the Ministry of Rites.

He actually fabricated rumors under the guise of receiving a report, claiming that there had been cheating in the seven imperial examinations overseen by the Ministry of Rites since the second year of the Wanli reign. These seven examinations resulted in many candidates who should have passed the provincial examinations failing, while many others who should have failed passed and became officials.

Then, they threatened to investigate the historical facts!
This means that many officials among the officials, that is, those who passed the imperial examinations in the last seven times, had fake academic achievements and were not qualified to be officials.

Those qualified to become officials were many candidates who had failed the imperial examinations since the second year of the Wanli Emperor's reign.

This tactic was extremely despicable and insidious. Its brilliance lay in this: if officials collectively resigned in protest against the secret police, they could simply promote those who "shouldn't have failed the exam," filling the numerous vacancies. As for who those candidates should have passed... well, they were, of course, the obedient ones.

Zhang Jing seemed to have gone all out, his actions as swift and decisive as a tiger, which aroused the indignation of the officials. Based on past experience, the officials should have impeached Zhang Jing one after another, and if the emperor ignored them, they should have threatened to resign en masse.

However, Zhang Jing fabricated rumors of cheating in the imperial examinations, and everyone was preparing to deal with the large-scale resignations of officials in the outer court. How could the officials resign?
Resigning is pointless now. Zhang Jing is incredibly audacious; he even dares to spread rumors and smear the national talent selection ceremony.

In just a few days, officials, in order to avoid trouble and protect themselves, returned to the state of "fearing the secret police more than the law" that Hai Rui had criticized back then.

The political atmosphere of the Jiajing era, where "officials would remain silent when discussing matters for fear of offending the secret police and imperial guards," reappeared.

Many officials speculated that Zhang Jing must have had a powerful strategist guiding him. In particular, the fabrication of rumors that he had been involved in cheating in all seven imperial examinations must have been orchestrated by an extremely insidious and despicable advisor.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yin said with a mocking expression:

"The imperial examination is the face of the court, the public sentiment of the people, and it concerns the support of the people and the prestige of the court. Yet Zhang Jing has smeared and defamed such an important matter, truly resorting to any means necessary."

"Such a major matter couldn't have been decided by Zhang Jing on his own; it must have been approved by the emperor. For Emperor Bai Jin, as the emperor, to even agree to this shows just how selfish he is. Does he think that the Ming Dynasty is as stable as Mount Tai and that no matter what mishaps occur, the country will not perish?"

Ning Caiwei shook her head as she listened, "Zhang Jing doesn't leave himself any way out. Is he going to have no future?"

This action was tantamount to the later high-level officials telling the whole country that there had been widespread cheating in the college entrance examinations for several consecutive years, ruining the future of many candidates.

If it's true, of course it should be exposed. But if it's a malicious political rumor, what about the country's credibility?
Emperor Wanli truly had no compassion for the Ming Dynasty, nor did he care about the people's hearts.

...

When the two returned to the Marquis's residence, it was already dark. Zhu Yin immediately prepared to keep his appointment with Zhang Jing at Luoyue Temple in the Western Hills.

Because Xu Wei and Zhang Jing were acquainted and considered old friends, Zhu Yin also brought Xu Wei along.

Zhu Yin was escorted by a dozen or so guards, led by Lan Cha and Hong Ying.

Luoyue Temple is located in a very remote place in the Western Hills. When Zhu Yin arrived, a full moon was overlooking the quiet temple, and the faint sound of chanting drifted in the air, making it seem like a secluded paradise.

Around the waterside pavilion in front of the mountain gate, hundreds of heavily armed guards stood watch. Inside the pavilion, a man in a white robe was brewing tea by the water.

As he brewed tea, he recited: "The waters of the Canglang River are clear, I can wash my hat tassels; the waters of the Canglang River are muddy, I can wash my feet."

The man was nearly fifty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard. He had a cool and aloof demeanor, exuding an air of authority without anger.

This person is none other than Zhang Jing, the current head of the Directorate of Ceremonial and, exceptionally, the head of the Eastern Depot!
Zhang Jing is a very punctual person. Since he was the one who initiated the meeting with Zhu Yin, he had to arrive first.

He arrived fifteen minutes early.

As soon as Zhu Yin and his entourage appeared, a guard from the Zhang family stepped forward and bowed to Zhu Yin, saying:
"This humble servant greets Your Excellency. My wife has arrived and is brewing tea in the pavilion to await your arrival. Please, Your Excellency!"

"Lord?" Zhu Yin was taken aback. Although he had been granted the title of Marquis, this was the first time he had been addressed as "Lord." The fact that Zhang Jing's guard addressed him in this way clearly indicated that it was Zhang Jing's intention.

Zhu Yin nodded and got out of the carriage with Xu Wei, entering the pavilion. Lan Cha and the others immediately set up defenses.

"My name is Zhu Yin. I have just met you, Lord Zhang." Zhu Yin bowed respectfully and said, "I am ashamed to have troubled you to wait for me."

Xu Wei also cupped his hands and said, "This old man, Xu Wei, greets Lord Zhang."

This is no longer the early days of the dynasty. Zhang Jing is the head of the Inner Secretariat, holding a position equal to, or even more powerful than, the Grand Secretary. Although Zhu Yin is a marquis, he must first pay homage to the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhang Jing raised his hand in return and smiled, saying, "It is my greatest honor that Your Excellency has accepted our invitation. Please have a seat, Your Excellency. Mr. Wenchang, please have a seat."

Although he was a castrated man, his voice was not high-pitched.

Zhang Jing addressed Zhu Yin as "Lord," which seemed polite, but was actually a subtle reminder that he was speaking to Zhu Yin as a nobleman, not as a scholar-official.

Zhang Jing personally poured tea for the two of them, appearing very gentle and calm, not at all like the head of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the supervisor of the Eastern Depot.

"Thank you, Master Zhang." Zhu Yin and Xu Wei raised their teacups together.

Zhang Jing laughed and said, "Is Mr. Wen Chang's 'The Chronicles of Summer Gods' finished yet? It's truly a masterpiece. Grandpa likes it very much and was urging me to finish it the other day."

Xu Wei smiled and said, "You flatter me, Mr. Zhang. The manuscript won't be finished until next month."

Zhang Jing looked expectant. "After the book is finished, I will read it first and then have it printed at the Daojing Factory of the Directorate of Ceremonial. I will ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 100,000 taels of silver and distribute it to the whole country after it is printed."

Xu Wei asked, "My old miscellaneous book is actually going to be made into a Daoist scripture? And the Ministry of Revenue is even allocating funds for its publication. Is this His Majesty's intention?"

Zhang Jing shook his head, his eyes unreadable. "This is my idea."

At this point, he turned to Zhu Yin, his eyes filled with admiration. “Your Excellency is a man of exceptional talent, no wonder Lord Tian values ​​you so highly. I have been deeply indebted to Lord Tian, ​​and today, meeting Your Excellency feels like we have known each other for a long time.”

Zhang Jing was a scholarly eunuch from the Imperial Academy, whose knowledge of classics, history, philosophy, and literature was no less than that of ordinary scholars. His speech and behavior also reflected that of a scholar.

Zhu Yin said against his will, "I heard from Master Tian that Master Zhang is a man of his word, a man of great righteousness, and a believer in Guan Yu. I greatly admire him."

"However, Zhang Gong's actions these past few days have caused a stir in the court and drawn the attention of all officials. I am deeply worried about Zhang Gong."

"What is there to worry about?" Zhang Jing smiled nonchalantly. "Life is but a dream, how much joy can one have? A true man in this world is like a wild goose soaring across the sky, leaving only a fleeting shadow, enough to comfort one's life. Even in death, what regrets are there?"

"The deaths of Shang Yang and Zhu Fu were both tragic and gruesome at the time. Yet, they are recorded in history for thousands of years."

After saying this, Zhang Jing looked at the moon in his cup, slowly drank it all, and then said slowly:

"Your Majesty, you have long neglected your court officials."

"However, His Majesty is benevolent and compassionate, unwilling to harm the bond between ruler and subject. Alas, how many of the ministers can truly understand His Majesty's good intentions?"

"I only wish to share the burdens of my sovereign and father, and I desire to enjoy myself for a day, but in the end, I will be executed."

"I will do what my lord and father are unwilling to do. I will do what my lord and father are unwilling to do. I will do what my lord and father should not do."

"I would gladly die to share the emperor's burdens!"

P.S.: Still didn't manage to stay within the top 500. But thank you all for your support, goodnight.

(End of this chapter)