Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 166 Flying Dragon in the Sky, It's a Good Opportunity to Meet the Great Man

In the Hall of Seriousness, Zhu Youjian sat upright, unable to help but become serious.

An almost frozen silence was silently enveloping the small, warm room.

There's no other reason than that this single, top-tier memorial was simply too shocking.

Censor Gao Hongtu reported:

"Those who endanger the state and shake the palace, such as Liu Zhao, Liu Zhixuan, and Liang Menghuan, are guilty of crimes even greater than the 'Five Tigers' and 'Five Leopards,' yet Heaven has not punished them..."

This is not the point.

He had become numb to similar words in recent days. The memorials from the eunuch faction and the Donglin faction attacking each other came like snowflakes, numbering more than three hundred.

However, as his gaze continued downwards, his heart skipped a beat.

"Upon hearing that the late emperor was on his deathbed, an edict was issued to immediately assemble three thousand troops, replace them with new generals, and appoint Xiao Weizhong, a close confidant of Cui Chengxiu, to lead the courier cavalry directly to the capital. What was the purpose of this?"

Following the memorial, he also followed the latest official document standards for governing the country, listing in detail the event, location, the name of the general who delivered the order, and even the official seal of the Ministry of War's dispatch order, with the timeline being meticulous and the evidence conclusive.

Subsequently, Gao Hongtu recommended four more individuals with strong abilities who had been suppressed by the eunuch faction:

"I request that these three be executed, and I would also like to recommend four more people who are strong-willed: First, Geng Ruqi, the Henan Provincial Councilor, was implicated for refusing to kneel before Wei Zhongxian; second, Wang Yaomin, the Prefect, was impeached by Wu Chunfu for refusing to bow to Cui Wensheng, Li Mingdao, and others; third, Liang Tingdong, the Daoist official, died of illness during the festival; and fourth, Mao Jiuhua, the County Magistrate, was impeached by Ni Wenhuan for refusing to submit a detailed report on the construction of a shrine."

Zhu Youjian's gaze lingered briefly on the somewhat familiar names of Geng Ruqi and Liang Tingdong, but he showed no interest whatsoever.

His fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the memorial, while his heart was already churning with turmoil.

Gao Shiming stood with his hands at his sides, while Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng, who had just regained his favor, stood beside him like two clay statues, even deliberately keeping their breathing light.

Everyone knew that a storm powerful enough to shake the court and the country was brewing within this thin memorial, and within the silence of this young emperor.

……

However, Zhu Youjian did not feel the "anger" they imagined.
More often than not, it's a situation that's both laughable and absurd.

No... has this kind of thing actually happened in history?
How could people like Cui Chengxiu and Liu Zhao be so loyal to Wei Zhongxian?

Are they insane to commit such a heinous act as treason for the sake of a eunuch?

Is 3,000 soldiers in Jizhou a lot?
not much.

The armies in the capital were scattered and intertwined, and no one could control all the military power.

The Imperial Guard, the Imperial Bodyguard, the Imperial Guard, the Brave Guard, and so on were deployed in various places. Even if they were given the nine gates of the capital, the Imperial Guard could easily annihilate them once they entered the capital.

These three thousand soldiers from Jizhou were ultimately not the elite Xiliang cavalry under Dong Zhuo at the end of the Han Dynasty, who could fight ten men each.

But actually, there are a lot.

During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin relied on only eight hundred private soldiers.

In such extraordinary matters, the loyalty and decisiveness of the executors are always far more important than the number of people involved.

On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years, and the emperor's authority was deeply ingrained in people's hearts. Would these three thousand weak soldiers really dare to draw their swords against the new emperor?

Zhu Youjian frowned slightly.

Reality is indeed far more bizarre than I imagined.

Cui Chengxiu was already on his way to Hainan, and at this moment he had just reached the border of Jiangxi.

However, Liu Zhao, Xiao Weizhong, and others were in Jizhou. If someone were sent to fetch them, they would arrive in the capital in less than ten days.

Under the three trees, if Zhu Youjian says this is treason, then it is treason.

So... are we going to start a major case?

The moment this thought crossed Zhu Youjian's mind, his heart skipped a beat.

To take action or not to take action?

The pros and cons flashed through his mind like lightning, yet he found it difficult to make a decision.

He slowly closed the memorial, making a soft "snap" sound that was particularly clear in the quiet, warm pavilion.

Both Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng trembled slightly involuntarily.

"How many memorials today are specially marked 'Civil Code'?" Zhu Youjian finally spoke, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Gao Shiming immediately bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, we received a total of 412 memorials today. After the Grand Secretariat and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs sorted them according to your method, 37 of them were specially marked 'Civil Code.' This is much less than in the past few days, and there are not a single one impeaching the new policies."

"Hmm." Zhu Youjian nodded. "Pick them all out, let me take a look first."

……

The so-called special markings are a third type of marking added after the original four-level (A, B, C, D) and color-coded classification system for military, household, official and civilian officials in memorials.

Currently, there are only three special titles: "New Policies," "Public Documents for Practical Affairs," and "Constitutional Law."

The officialdom of the Ming Dynasty consisted of only two things: doing things and dealing with people.

Memorials that implicated or harmed people were generally categorized under the "constitutional" category.

In Zhu Youjian's view, if ten out of a hundred memorials in this category were truly out of public interest, then he had misjudged them.

In the past, he reviewed these memorials purely to practice his understanding of the intricate interest groups and clan ties within the court.

In a sense, it can be regarded as a set of exercises, like "three years of Chongzhen, five years of simulation".

(Gentlemen, please listen to the question^^)

[Wang Shoulu, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, impeached Chen Erji, Yang Suoxiu, and Huo Weihua for forming a clique for personal gain and for recommending former Grand Secretary Han Kuang and others.]

This is an easy question.

What kind of private interests were they pursuing? It wasn't elaborated, but in short, it was forming cliques.

But in Zhu Youjian's eyes, the question stem was as follows:
[Wang Shoulu, an assistant minister in the Ministry of Revenue and a native of Fenzhou Prefecture, Shanxi Province, impeached [name omitted] and recommended Han Kuang, a former minister and a native of Pingyang Prefecture, Shanxi Province.]

The answer is obvious: an official from Shanxi is paving the way for his fellow Shanxi native, former Grand Secretary Han Kuang, to return to the imperial court.

Very good. Wang Shoulu will be temporarily classified as part of Han Kuang's faction. If there are similar memorials expressing their opinions in the future, then this relationship will be more certain.

The next question is at difficulty level LV2.

[Duan Guozhang, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of Revenue, impeached Xu Zhiji, the vice-director of the Court of Judicial Review. He also recommended Jiang Yueguang, Chen Renxi, and others.]

For this question, looking at the place of origin is no longer useful.

Duan Guozhang was from Henan, while the Jiang Yueguang and Chen Renxi he recommended were from Jiangxi and Southern Zhili, respectively, and were completely unrelated.

However, in the "officials' records" that Zhu Youjian opened, it was clearly recorded that Duan Guozhang had defended Yang Lian in the "twenty-four crimes" case in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign. But after the fourth year of the Tianqi reign, this man went into obscurity, and he had also submitted a memorial praising Wei Zhongxian.

Thus, the answer becomes clear: a former sympathizer of the Donglin Party, who succumbed to the eunuch faction when it was in power, is now eager to pledge his allegiance to the Donglin Party again as the tide turns.

Finally, here's a challenging Level 3 question.

[Ruan Dacheng's inscription on "Seven Years of Collusion with the Inner Court's Treacherous Officials"]

In his memorial, Ruan Dacheng unleashed his full power, attacking from both sides.

He said that Wang Wenyan's recruitment of Zuo Guangdou into Wang An's staff was the beginning of collusion between insiders and outsiders to undermine the court.

He said that Jia Jichun's instigation of provincial officials to flatter Wang An was the beginning of collusion between insiders and outsiders to murder officials who had spoken out against the government.

He said that Zhou Jiamo, the Minister of Personnel, heavily relied on Xiong Tingbi, which was the beginning of collusion between internal and external forces that endangered the border regions.

He said that Wei Zhongxian's expulsion of the empress's relatives and his shaking of the empress's position were also imitations of the old tricks of Wang Wenyan and others.

These words were practically a stew of both the powerful eunuch faction and the disgraced Donglin faction in one pot.

His words exude the air of a true gentleman, perfectly aligning with Zhu Youjian's current desire to eliminate factional strife.

However... would Ruan Dacheng be that brave?
Zhu Youjian was skeptical... Besides, do you have a teleportation portal?
He turned to Gao Shiming and asked, "Didn't Ruan Dacheng resign and return to his hometown? I remember he was from Tongcheng. How did this memorial get to the capital so quickly?"

Gao Shiming bowed and replied, "Your Majesty is wise. This memorial was submitted on behalf of Yang Weiyuan, the Censor of Yunnan Circuit."

"Yang Weiyuan?"

Zhu Youjian had some recollection of this name. This man had impeached four or five high-ranking eunuch officials and was himself burdened with three or four impeachment petitions from Donglin Party officials. He was a hedgehog covered in thorns.

"Gao Banban, bring me the official documents of Yang Weiyuan and Ruan Dacheng for me to see."

"According to the order."

Gao Shiming quickly took two thin booklets from the bookshelf.

Zhu Youjian opened it and examined it closely. After a moment, a knowing smile appeared on his face.

Two key pieces of information:

Firstly, Yang Weiyuan and Ruan Dacheng were born in the same year, both becoming Jinshi in the 44th year of the Wanli reign. After observing the political situation, they served as officials in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and were true old friends.

Secondly, judging from Yang Weiyuan's memorials during the Tianqi era, he was clearly a member of the eunuch faction.

Thirdly, Ruan Dacheng, whom he perceived as a spineless opportunist, had actually been a member of the Donglin Party in his early years and was a fellow townsman of Zuo Guangdou. Later, he fell out with Wei Dazhong over the position of Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Personnel, which led him to switch allegiance to Wei Zhongxian.

In short, a marginal figure who repeatedly oscillated between the Donglin Party and the eunuch faction, ultimately siding with neither, now entrusted this memorial, which was a direct attack from both sides, to someone who had once been a member of the eunuch faction but now sought to sever ties with Cui Chengxiu and others.

Zhu Youjian sighed with satisfaction, as if he had solved the last major math problem. "Observe their actions, examine their motives, and scrutinize their reasons. How can a person conceal themselves? How can a person conceal themselves?"

When Confucius judged a person, he looked at their behavior, motives, and the principles by which they lived their lives.

Once you understand him, where can you hide his true nature?

But now, I'm looking at birthplace, examination results, classmates, mentors, and conflicts of interest.

They achieve the same goal through different means!

……

Whether reading the draft or relying on memory, Zhu Youjian quickly finished reviewing all thirty-odd memorials specially marked "Civil Code".

Some of these attacks directly targeted him personally, saying he shouldn't have submitted secret memorials, that the classification of memorials was unfair, and even Lu Tunan, the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs, weakly mentioned the ownership of the "Da Ming Shi Bao" (Great Ming Times).

More often, it was a battle of accusations between the eunuch faction and the Donglin Party.

The criticism was directed at Tian Ergeng and Wang Tiqian, as well as Huo Weihua and Xue Fengxiang. There were even two impeachments against Qian Qianyi, the future Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who was already embroiled in legal trouble before even arriving in Beijing.

The charges against them were mostly "forming cliques for personal gain".

Very few cases actually involve corruption.

And Gao Hongtu's direct impeachment for "treason" is truly unique.

As for figures like Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu, whom he had already clearly stated he would eliminate, they became like rats crossing the street, hated by everyone.

Whether it was the Donglin Party or the eunuch faction, they all followed suit and submitted memorials, as if they couldn't prove their political correctness without uttering a single scathing remark.

The Ming Dynasty court was in such a chaotic state, at least at the beginning of winter.

Traditional political issues are almost ignored; the most popular topics are always only two: government documents on governance and political manipulation.

Some wanted to get things done, while others wanted to cause trouble.

To get things done, you must first win people over; winning people over is for the purpose of getting things done better.

The reasons given are always high-sounding, but they are all about exchanging interests.

Zhu Youjian gently closed the last memorial, a hint of satisfaction in his expression.

After many days of hard work, the results are finally in.

It was worth it for him to put down his beloved "True Records of Military Training" and spend so much time studying "official's frivolous books".

His problem-solving speed is getting faster and faster.

Three years of Chongzhen's reign, five years of simulation—this is no joke.

The "sea of ​​questions" approach used in Huanggang has indeed proven effective.

Without sufficient practice questions, how can one outwit and outmaneuver this court full of scoundrels?

The Chongzhen Emperor in history simply didn't do enough practice problems!
Zhu Youjian gently patted the memorial on the table, having already made up his mind.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the standing crowd, and said, "Gao Banban."

"Your subject is here." Gao Shiming bowed and accepted the order.

Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng's hearts jumped into their throats.

Zhu Youjian's gaze swept across their faces, and he slowly said:
"Firstly, the matter of Liu Zhao as reported by Gao Hongtu."

"The accusation of treason is utterly baseless. The Ming Dynasty has nurtured scholars for nearly three hundred years; how could there be such a rebellious minister?"

"The loyalty of the eunuch is evident to all. He only hanged himself because he was grieving for the late emperor. How can he be considered a traitor?"

"As for the presumptuous acts of building shrines to living people and indiscriminately bestowing titles and ranks, haven't I already ordered them to be corrected? This matter should not be mentioned again in the future."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng both breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

However, Zhu Youjian changed the subject.

"However, Liu Zhao, as a general guarding a region, has violated the law by rashly wielding military power. Therefore, he shall be exiled to the tenth level of the Green Ridge, his family property confiscated, his official status revoked, and his status reduced to that of a commoner."

He then looked at Wang Tiqian: "Liu Zhixuan and Liang Menghuan, I remember they never submitted a single official document on state affairs. How much did they each donate when the road was being built?"

Wang Tiqian quickly stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, Liu Zhixuan donated 500 taels of silver, and Liang Menghuan donated 7,000 taels of silver."

Zhu Youjian raised his eyebrows.

Wang Tiqian immediately understood and added, "According to the list, these two are both corrupt officials, and their family assets should be between several thousand and ten thousand taels."

Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "Liu Zhixuan..."

He pondered for a moment, sighed, and said, "Add nine green belts and strip them of their official status as commoners."

Zhu Youjian certainly wanted the money.

But we can't ask for it that way.

In politics, the most important thing is credibility. In rewards and punishments, the most important thing is clarity.

The matter of embezzlement has been stated as settled, and that is that.

Ten thousand taels of silver is not worth damaging his political credibility.

As for Liu Zhao, he was simply unlucky to have dared to get involved in military matters. Confiscating his property and stripping him of his official rank was already an act of leniency, and it cannot be considered a breach of promise.

"As for Liang Menghuan..."

"The report is untrue; this proposal is not permitted."

Having said that, Zhu Youjian ignored the expressions on Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng's faces.

Anyway, with these two around all year round, they are probably unmatched in the court when it comes to understanding his attitude and behavior.

Zhu Youjian ignored them, gathered the dozens of memorials on the table, picked one up at random, and pushed the rest aside.

"Except for this one, all the rest should be kept in the archives and not distributed. Record the impeachments in them in each person's personal notebook for future verification."

"As for this book..."

Zhu Youjian stroked the memorial in his hand, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Therefore, Lu Chengyuan, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Works, will be promoted to the same rank as other officials under the new policy and will be subject to the same assessment. In addition, he will be granted an imperial plaque, inscribed with the four characters 'Loyal, Upright and Honest'."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Gao Shiming took the memorial and held it carefully in his hands.

Zhu Youjian clapped his hands and stood up.

"Alright, serve the meal."

"Also, notify the people on the list that Shen Shizheng should attend a meeting at the Wuying Hall."

……

An hour later, in the duty room of the Eastern Depot.

"Your Majesty, the memorial has been obtained." A young eunuch hurriedly entered and presented a copy of the memorial.

Wang Tiqian opened his eyes and snatched it away.

He skipped over the long self-justification at the beginning and quickly focused his gaze on the key point.

Lu Chengyuan petitioned: "Your Majesty, please order all officials to focus on practical matters and achieve tangible results, and not to engage in empty talk about morality while neglecting wealth and power; not to talk about life and death while neglecting their duties; not to be hypocritical gentlemen who abuse power through bribery; and not to form cliques for personal gain or act as hypocrites."

Officials should be respectful and not seek revenge that could harm the foundation of the nation; officials should remain true to their duties and not use recommendations as a stepping stone to advancement.

Those who control the government, even if they are from the Donglin faction, are still villains; do not use Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou as shields. Those who act diligently and independently, even if they are not from the Donglin faction, are still gentlemen; do not use Cui Chengxiu and Wei Zhongxian to frame them.

In this way, the government will be efficient and the affairs of the state will be manageable...

Wang Tiqian narrowed his eyes, read the memorial carefully several more times, and finally put it down.

He waved his hand and said to the little eunuch, "Go down, let's have some peace and quiet."

The young eunuch quietly withdrew, closing the door behind him.

The room was dimly lit, and Wang Tiqian did not turn on the light. He simply pondered over and over all the things that had happened during this period of time.

After a long while, he walked heavily to the window, reached out and pushed open the carved wooden window with a creak.

A cold wind swept in, clearing his muddled mind.

He raised his head and looked towards the Wuying Hall, but his view was blocked by the tall palace walls.

"Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger, and when a sage arises, all things are revealed."

"The words of the ninth line of the fifth hexagram of Qian are indeed true!"

Just moments later, the carved wooden window slammed shut again.

Simply put, it's too cold.

(End of this chapter)