Di Ming

Chapter 395 "Let this old man do one last thing for the Ming Dynasty."

When the emperor learned that Hai Rui had actually led three thousand scholars north to remonstrate with him to the death, his eyelids twitched with shock and anger.

To be too old to die is to be a thief!

This Hai Gangfeng, I promoted him to Left Censor-in-Chief, bestowed upon him the title of Junior Tutor, and granted him permission to retire to his hometown—a truly boundless imperial favor. Yet you dare to abuse your seniority, relying on your status as a veteran of three reigns and your renowned integrity, to go to the capital and defy the emperor, attempting to tarnish the reputation of the sovereign!
Is this still loyalty?
What angered the emperor even more was that Hai Rui, at the age of eighty, traveled north from Hainan Island, and with a single call to action, countless people responded. Scholars, disregarding fame and fortune, followed suit without hesitation. Despite this massive undertaking, local officials not only failed to stop him but also condoned and encouraged it, even fueling the unrest!
Do they still have any respect for their sovereign or father? Their hearts are despicable!

The emperor stood up, his obese body pacing rapidly around the dragon pillars of the Qianqing Palace, the opium pipe in his hand resembling a sword, ready to be thrust out in anger at any moment.

"The Ming Dynasty is my empire!" The emperor, a man of bad temper, was even more irritable now, his voice filled with extreme frustration. "All the land under heaven belongs to the emperor! The wealth of the four seas and eight wastelands belongs to me! Why can't I send out tax inspectors? They wish the emperor's treasury were empty! They wish the emperor were a poor, penniless emperor who scrimps and saves! Where is their loyalty and filial piety!"

"They line their own pockets and are insatiably greedy! But they won't allow it to me! They won't allow it to me! I've sent thirty-six tax inspectors, is that me competing with the people for profits? They can compete, but I can't? If the enemy can go, so can I!"

"As the Son of Heaven, shouldn't I repair my own mausoleum, build palaces, and purchase provisions? Which prince doesn't need money to marry a concubine and take up his fiefdom? Which princess doesn't need money to get married?"

"If I don't replenish the imperial treasury, will the Ministry of Revenue readily provide funds when I need them? It's just thirty-six tax supervisors; how is that competing with the people for profit? How is that harming the people? Absurd!"

The emperor grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, and his voice grew louder and louder, so that the palace servants and attendants dared not utter a sound.

Even Zhang Jing, who held the highest position in the inner court and wielded immense power, lowered his head and dared not utter a sound.

He knew the emperor well; he figured he had to make the emperor vent his anger first.

But then the emperor raised his opium pipe, slashed it fiercely, and said through gritted teeth:
"Since ancient times, has there ever been an emperor who could not establish a crown prince! To not establish Changluo as crown prince is to violate ancestral rules and disrespect etiquette? What is etiquette? I am the greatest etiquette! If we do not listen to you, will the Ming Dynasty perish? I will grant the titles of three princes at the same time! I will also establish Changxun as crown prince!"

"Changluo's mother was nothing but a lowly palace maid, as insignificant as a blade of grass! As vulgar as a village woman! As dull as a pig or a sheep! What right does her son have to be the crown prince? Just because he is the eldest son? Sima Zhong was also the eldest son!"

"I will not do as you wish! In a few days, I will have Changluo take up his fiefdom, thus ending your hopes! You are the ones who forced me into this situation!"

"You even accuse me of favoring eunuchs and indulging the secret police! I did favor Zhang Juzheng back then, and what was the result? I should have favored eunuchs earlier; it's too late now! If you dare to push your luck again, don't blame the Emperor's Sword for being ineffective!"

Even if Hai Rui were to crash into the Meridian Gate and die upon entering the capital, it wouldn't frighten me!

The emperor's face turned ashen, and he cursed a few times without regard for his image before his anger subsided slightly. However, thinking about the consequences of Hai Rui's arrival in the capital, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

Hai Rui's reputation was so great that it represented fairness and justice, and the will of the people. Whenever Hai Rui came to Beijing, he would kneel before the palace gates and remonstrate with the emperor to the death, making even the emperor's own edicts seem less authoritative.

If Hai Rui had died in Beijing, his reputation as an emperor would have been ruined.

This is an old man he wants to kill, but cannot and dare not kill!

Therefore, no matter what, Hai Rui must not be allowed to enter the capital!
"Zhang Jing." The emperor stopped in his tracks, his round face showing an indescribable coldness. "Hai Rui, don't even think about him coming to the capital. As soon as he arrives in Tianjin, you won't have to work anymore."

Zhang Jing lowered her head deeply, her voice trembling slightly: "Grandpa, rest assured, this servant will never let him pass through Tianjin. Even if Hai Rui wants to die, he will not be tainted by Grandpa's wisdom in the slightest."

“This servant will personally go to stop Hai Rui, so please don’t worry, Grandfather.”

Just as Zhang Jing was about to leave, the emperor suddenly said, "That's enough, you don't need to go in person. If you go, you will represent me. They don't need to go either."

Zhang Jing looked at the emperor in disbelief. He knew perfectly well what the emperor meant.
If the eunuchs or the imperial guards were to represent the emperor, they couldn't go. None of the officials wanted to go; going would only make things worse.

In this way, no one in the government could stop Hai Rui.

So, who else could stop Hai Rui?

Of course, only outlaws and bandits would fit the bill. Grandpa's intention was definitely to use the bandits to deal with Hai Rui, and then the government would step in to suppress the bandits.

The fact that the emperor would come up with such a method to deal with Hai Rui even chilled Zhang Jing's heart.

Is this something an emperor should do? Grandpa doesn't take any responsibility whatsoever. He wants to prevent Hai Rui from entering the capital, yet he also wants to absolve himself of all responsibility.

Although dispatching the Embroidered Uniform Guard to intercept them would certainly damage the Emperor's reputation, it was still a righteous act. Several thousand scholars had entered the capital to cause trouble; couldn't the Embroidered Uniform Guard intervene? Of course they could. Even if they were universally condemned, it was ultimately the Embroidered Uniform Guard's duty.

However, if bandits are used to intercept them, the palace may seem to have distanced itself from the matter and escaped the stigma, but such a method is not what an emperor would do.

Zhang Jing discerned the emperor's thoughts, but dared not speak them aloud for fear of offending the emperor. He could only understand and say:
"Grandpa, don't worry, I've already thought of a way that satisfies both sides."

With a single sentence, he took the blame upon himself.

Coincidentally, the area from Shandong to Hebei was teeming with gangs, guilds, bandits, and river pirates who made their living along the canals and official roads—they were as numerous as hairs on a cow. Small groups consisted of dozens of people, while large groups numbered in the hundreds or even thousands, potentially numbering in the tens of thousands.

The most distinctive feature of these bandits was that they were half bandits and half civilians; sometimes they were farmers and salt-boiling people, and sometimes they were robbers and murderers. Local officials were unable to suppress them or manage them effectively, so they simply turned a blind eye.

Using bandits to deal with Hai Rui was easy to plan. The only question was how to handle the aftermath; either way, they would send troops to annihilate them and silence them.

The emperor's expression softened considerably, and he yawned, saying, "Minister Zhang, I don't care what method you use, and I'm too lazy to ask. As long as Hai Rui doesn't come to the capital, that's fine. Go and do it yourself."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhang Jing accepted the order and withdrew.

The emperor raised his pipe and took a deep drag, then after a long while muttered to himself:

"Relying on his age to act arrogantly, seeking fame by being honest, and inciting trouble among the masses, what else is there but death to do with him?"

"Hai Gangfeng, if you die at the hands of bandits, it will inevitably tarnish my reputation. Can't you just stay put? I'm about to be buried, why do you care about these things?"

...

Upon returning to his post at the Directorate of Ceremonial, Zhang Jing immediately ordered his trusted confidant, Qiu Li, a eunuch working for the Eastern Depot.

Zhang Jing and Qiu Li discussed the matter in the secret room for a while, after which Qiu Li left the office of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

From this moment on, everything was no longer Zhang Jing's doing, but Qiu Li's. As the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Director of the Eastern Depot, Zhang Jing certainly wouldn't do this personally.

Qiu Li is the most suitable person to do this.

Qiu Li returned to his official residence and immediately summoned Zeng Zheng, the newly promoted commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Qiu Li was a eunuch and could not leave the capital without an imperial edict, so he certainly couldn't do it himself.

"This humble servant, Zeng Zheng, pays his respects to Your Excellency." Zeng Zheng kowtowed humbly as soon as he entered. "I wonder what Your Excellency has summoned me for?"

Zeng Zheng was originally a bandit from Shandong who was used to robbing merchants. After being captured, he was saved by Qiu Li and within a few years became a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a henchman of the Eastern Depot.

"Get up," Qiu Li said in a deep voice. "Zeng Zheng, you came from a bandit background and have connections with brothers from various gangs in Shandong. Tell me, which gangs in Shandong do you know? Give me a complete list."

Zeng Zheng didn't know why Qiu Li asked this question, and honestly replied:
"As far as I know, some of the more powerful gangs include the Fragrance Scent Sect, the One Incense Stick Sect, the Hongyang Sect, the Full Bloom Society, the River Dragon Gang, the White Stripe in the Waves Gang, the Mine Protector Gang, the Pole Gang, the Green Hand Assassin Gang, the Water Ghost Gang, and the Bandit Camp..."

Qiu Li then asked, "Which of these gangs have powerful backgrounds?"

Zeng Zheng carefully got up and said thoughtfully:

"The three major gangs with powerful backgrounds are the Manpeng Society, the Mine Protector Gang, and the Green Hand Assassin Gang. The Manpeng Society mainly consists of canal workers, and they are backed by the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner's Office. The Mine Protector Gang is backed by the Prince Heng's Mansion, because the Prince Heng's Mansion has the most mines in Shandong. The Green Hand Assassin Gang is the most special. They specialize in taking care of people, but they carry the waist badge of the Ming Dynasty's Criminal Investigation Department, and they are backed by the Confucius Mansion."

Qiu Li couldn't help but laugh. "The Confucius Mansion keeps assassins to kill people? I'm really surprised. They are descendants of the sage, the orthodox lineage of Confucianism." Zeng Zheng smiled and said, "Your Excellency has lived in the Forbidden City for a long time and is of noble status. Naturally, you wouldn't know about such nonsense. This Green Hand Assassin Gang is also a branch of an old Shandong family. It was originally kept by the Confucius Mansion and has existed since the time of Emperor Jiajing."

Qiu Li said, "There's a very important matter that needs your attention right now. You need to go to Shandong immediately and contact some local gangs, but not these three with powerful backgrounds. Contact as many others as you like, the more people the better. I'll give you some blank official documents for military ranks below the fifth grade; you can use them to make promises about official appointments..."

Zeng Zheng was initially excited, but when he heard that he was going to deal with Hai Rui, he was stunned.

The Prime Minister ordered him to bribe the bandit forces to intercept and besiege Hai Rui and his three thousand scholars.
This…

Although Zeng Zheng came from the underworld, he knew Hai Qingtian's name; who in the world didn't know him?
Zeng Zheng was immediately in a dilemma.

"What?" Qiu Li, adept at reading people, frowned, his triangular eyes flashing with a cold light. "Are you in a difficult position?"

Zeng Zheng trembled, his legs buckled, and he knelt down. "It's no trouble at all! It's no trouble at all! Rest assured, Your Excellency."

Qiu Li smiled slightly, "It's best not to force yourself, after all, it's not a small matter."

"No, no, not at all!" Zeng Zheng said with a forced smile. "I owe my life to Your Excellency; I would go through fire and water for you..."

Qiu Li waved his hand, "No need for words of loyalty. I know your heart. You know what's going on, so I trust you to handle things. Remember, the word 'secrecy' sounds easy, but it carries immense weight. Do you understand the implications?"

Zeng Zheng forced a smile and said, "How could I not know? This matter came from your words, Your Excellency, and is not meant to be heard by me. Even if I dream about it at night, I will not utter a single word."

Qiu Li nodded. "Alright! Go and do it immediately, and be quick. You must stop Hai Rui before he leaves Shandong, no matter what method you use."

When Qiu Li said "no matter what method you use," his voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling intent.

"I will obey Your Excellency's decree!" Zeng Zheng bowed and accepted the order.

He bent down and took five steps back, about to turn and leave, when Qiu Li suddenly said, "Once this matter is finished, you will be a deputy commander, and one of your sons will be promoted to a centurion."

"Thank you for your kind words, Prime Minister!" Qiu Li's face lit up with joy.

But Qiu Li's smile vanished. "But if you mess it up, you won't need to come back to see me."

Zeng Zheng's heart skipped a beat. "Yes, yes!"

By the time he stepped outside, he was drenched in cold sweat. Even the spring sunshine outside offered him no warmth.

He knew very well that this matter had to be handled properly. Otherwise, he would face certain death!
……

When Hai Rui arrived in Dezhou, north of Shandong, he had already gathered three thousand scholars who followed him!

The vast majority were students, with others including students of the Imperial Academy, successful candidates in the provincial examinations, and a very small number of successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

With so many people and such a large gathering, one would expect the Shandong governor, the Shandong inspector, and the three provincial commissioners of Shandong to intervene. However, strangely, no one came to take action, as if they knew nothing about it.

This shows that the Shandong officials were utterly disappointed with the emperor's actions and wished Hai Rui would go to the capital to remonstrate with him to the death. It was already quite rational of them not to follow Hai Rui to the capital; why would they obstruct him?
Today is April 17th. Early this morning, just as Hai Rui was about to continue his journey north, the people sent by Ning Caiwei finally arrived.

The person who came was named Tang Yangyang. Although she was a woman, she was one of Zhu Yin's first students and the head of the Tiger Fang Nanjing intelligence agency.

Ning Caiwei sent Tang Yangyang in person because she was a woman and more suitable to take care of Hai Rui's daily life.

Upon receiving the order, Tang Yangyang immediately led her team from Nanjing to Shandong. She then notified Fan Yi'an, the head of Huya in Jinan.

Tang Yangyang was dressed as a man, looking like a handsome and dashing scholar. As soon as she saw Hai Rui, she said directly, "Lord Hai, I have been sent by Lady Jiangning to deliver a message."

Tang Yangyang was not only there to deliver a letter; she also wanted to take care of and protect Hai Rui, though she couldn't say it outright.

"Is it Caiwei?" Hai Rui couldn't help but smile, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time. "It's that child. Where's the letter?"

Tang Yangyang handed over the letter, saying, "Please take a look, Mr. Hai."

Upon receiving the letter, Hai Rui was immediately struck by the neat and elegant calligraphy, and couldn't help but praise it:
"In just two years, Caiwei's calligraphy has already reached a high level, very good..."

But then he frowned, his thick silver eyebrows furrowing.

It turned out that the letter was meant to persuade him to return south.

The letter stated that the emperor would absolutely not accept advice; he was no longer receptive to honest and unpleasant suggestions. Not only would the emperor not listen, but he would also become even more rebellious and might even take his anger out on the eldest son, Zhu Changluo. Therefore, there was no point in the letter going to the capital.

Therefore, Caiwei advised him to return south and not to concern himself with the affairs of the capital.

Hai Rui sighed and said with a sigh, "Knowing it is impossible, yet doing it anyway; knowing it is impossible, yet doing it anyway! Caiwei, Caiwei, you don't understand, you don't understand."

He looked up at the sky and said, “I know you are worried about my safety, but some things must be done, and many people need to do them together. We cannot back down. The result you see is not the real result. The real result is invisible.”

“If we take this step back, the hearts of the people will be lost. If we take this step back, justice will be lost. By then, passion will have cooled, and people will only care about protecting themselves. Then, no one will care about right and wrong, loyalty and treachery, good and evil. What a terrible world that would be.”

He stared at the letter, seemingly conversing with Caiwei from afar, or perhaps talking to himself, his expression utterly desolate.

"The Emperor is drifting further and further away from the Holy Son of Heaven, and the fate of the Ming Dynasty is declining. We must be vigilant and do our best, even if the hope is slim."

"Whether His Majesty accepts advice is His Majesty's decision, and whether I enter the capital is my decision. His Majesty may refuse to accept advice and may act arbitrarily. But the people of this land cannot tolerate this anger, cannot vent it."

"These things ultimately need to be done. The blood that must be shed cannot be spared. Let this old man do one last thing for the Ming Dynasty."

Tang Yangyang's eyes welled up with tears, but she showed no intention of trying to persuade him further.

She knew very well that Hai Rui was as resolute as iron and would never give up halfway. Not even if her lord and his wife came in person, they could not persuade him to return south.

His wife wrote a letter of advice, but she didn't really hold out much hope. If Hai Gangfeng were so easily persuaded, would he still be Hai Gangfeng?
Hai Rui said, "You should go back now; I must continue on my journey."

"No!" Tang Yangyang stepped forward to support Hai Rui. "Madam said that I should take care of Lord Hai."

After saying this, he helped Hai Rui onto the carriage.

Thousands of people marched north along the canal road again, but after a short while, a large, dark mass of people appeared on both sides of the crossroads ahead. There were at least a thousand people, all carrying weapons, and many of them were on horseback. However, they were dressed in all sorts of different clothes and were definitely not government troops.

One of them shouted, "We're rich today! So many bookish scholars, let's rob them!"

"I opened this road and planted this tree. If you want to live from now on, leave money to buy the road!"

"Brothers, kill!"

...

P.S.: That's all for today. Thank you, goodnight! Please vote with your monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)