Chapter 243: Beating the Ministers with a Staff! The Great Rites Controversy?

Upon hearing his master's words, Wei Zhongxian's face instantly lit up with wild joy, and he rose to bow and say, "This servant will go at once."

Chen Hong, standing behind Zhu Youxiao, had his expression turn sour in an instant.

He shot a fierce glare at Luo Sigong.

Clearly, Chen Hong was extremely dissatisfied with Luo Sigong's performance in this matter. This was practically stuffing a handle into Wei Zhongxian's hands, while simultaneously making the master displeased with that fool Luo.

Chen Hong hadn't expected his partner in this affair to be so stupid.

How could one hesitate at a moment like this?

That single hesitation had caused trouble—not only were all the previous efforts wasted, but there might not even be a future anymore.

Chen Hong carefully watched his master, trying to read something from the Emperor's face.

But Chen Hong was to be disappointed, because Zhu Youxiao showed nothing out of the ordinary, merely waving his hand and saying, "Enough, you may withdraw. Take the Embroidered Uniform Guard and keep a close watch over the city—don't let any disorder break out."

Hearing His Majesty's words, Luo Sigong's heart gave a sudden lurch.

He too knew he had just made a grave mistake. Though he still wished to make amends, by now there was no way to remedy the matter.

He could only cling to a faint hope of whether there might still be a chance later. Luo Sigong harbored that sliver of wishful thinking.

"Yes, Your Majesty, your minister accepts the decree." Luo Sigong hurriedly acknowledged, then turned and walked out.

The instant Luo Sigong stepped out, Zhu Youxiao saw the four Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat, led by Han Kuang, approaching in neat formation.

Seeing this, Zhu Youxiao nodded with satisfaction—his efforts had after all borne some fruit.

Soon, Han Kuang and the other three arrived.

Zhu Youxiao didn't even have Chen Hong go over; he directly reached out and beckoned the four, "Come over here."

Han Kuang and the other three exchanged glances, then walked straight over.

Once the four had come before him, Zhu Youxiao said with a smile, "Do my lords have matters to discuss?"

This was plainly playing dumb and feigning ignorance.

The affair outside the Western Park had already stirred up such a commotion—for the four of them to come in at this time was naturally for that very matter. How could there be nothing?

Yet none of the four showed any trace of surprise on their faces.

Han Kuang stepped forward and declared in a clear voice, "Your ministers do indeed have matters to raise."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Then let's hear it."

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao's expression also turned serious—he very much wanted to see what the four of them could possibly say.

Would they endorse him? Or counsel him? Or perhaps neither endorse nor counsel?

Seeing His Majesty's attitude, Han Kuang and the other three felt nothing in particular; their expressions didn't change at all.

Han Kuang continued, "Your ministers have come regarding the rehabilitation of Zhang Juzheng."

As he spoke, he glanced at His Majesty. Seeing the Emperor put on a look of having not expected this, Han Kuang felt a trace of pride in his heart for reasons he couldn't quite name.

For so long, they had always been outmaneuvered by His Majesty—this time it seemed they had finally outmaneuvered the Emperor once.

But Han Kuang quickly drove that thought away. Such a thought was too dangerous—if he did something because of it, His Majesty would likely make him pay.

The proper duty of a minister!

Zhu Youxiao quickly snapped back to himself, and he understood the intentions of these four.

This was treating the kneeling remonstrance at the Western Park as if it had never existed, not taking it to heart at all. They had probably seen Wei Zhongxian and Luo Sigong, realized matters were already arranged, and so simply chose not to get involved.

This way, they wouldn't offend him, the Emperor; the outside disturbance would be settled; and they could find excuses to shirk responsibility.

Zhu Youxiao couldn't help but think of a saying:

The hearts of the civil officials of the Great Ming are all dirty.

As it now appeared, that was indeed the case. The four of them turned a blind eye to the affairs outside, and instead used those outside affairs to advance their own agenda.

They were all old thousand-layer cakes, layer upon layer.

"The rehabilitation of Zhang Juzheng?" Zhu Youxiao looked at Han Kuang and asked, "What about Zhang Juzheng's rehabilitation? I already agreed to it! Surely you haven't come to oppose it?"

This gave Zhu Youxiao some pause—if they had come to oppose it, wasn't it a bit late now?

You people stirred up all this trouble, and only now do you come to oppose Zhang Juzheng's rehabilitation?

Besides, there was no need for all four of you to come together—unless you intend to use Zhang Juzheng's rehabilitation to accomplish something else?

"Reporting to Your Majesty, your ministers believe that since Zhang Juzheng has already been rehabilitated, then all of Zhang Juzheng's official posts should be restored, a temple should be built for him with sacrificial rites, his merits and virtues should be proclaimed to the realm, favor should be extended to his descendants, and he should be granted a posthumous title."

Han Kuang spoke slowly, his expression extremely solemn and earnest.

Hearing Han Kuang's words, Zhu Youxiao immediately understood, and his gaze swept across the faces of the several men.

He now knew what the four of them intended to do—they were preparing to polish their own reputations, and there was probably more to come.

Zhu Youxiao looked at them and asked flatly, "Anything else?"

At this point, it was no longer Han Kuang who spoke, but Xu Guangqi.

He stepped forward and said, "Your minister believes that all officials, great and small, who were implicated because of Zhang Juzheng should all be rehabilitated as well. Their descendants should be properly consoled, so that the people's hearts will not be scattered."

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Xu Guangqi, feeling somewhat amused inside.

Xu Guangqi, with his thick brows and big eyes, had also learned to play dirty—it seemed the Grand Secretariat really was a big dye vat.

But regarding this matter, he was beginning to taste something beneath the surface.

These four had clearly not come solely for Zhang Juzheng's rehabilitation—there was definitely more to come. A moment's thought revealed what they were up to.

Rehabilitating Zhang Juzheng, exalting Zhang Juzheng, and also bringing out those who had been implicated along with Zhang Juzheng. This was plainly a play for reform!

Every one of them was an old yin-yang master, and all of them old thousand-layer cakes.

The benefits of pushing Zhang Juzheng were numerous. For one, it proclaimed their formal platform—to borrow a phrase from later generations' gangster talk, this was what they called raising the banner, signifying that from today onward, their faction had a name on the scene.

Placing this saying across the entire history of the Great Ming, it fit quite aptly. If one flattened the timeline and compared each generation of the Grand Secretariat to a brand name, then it became understandable.

Of course, some brands weren't up to much—like the Three Paper-Paste Grand Secretaries.

At this present moment, Han Kuang and the other three raising the banner of reform brought them no small number of benefits.

First, having their own banner displayed at court proved they had their own governing policies and their own ideas — that they weren't merely echoing the Emperor, not truly just flattering and doing nothing.

This way, they avoided the reputation of the "Three Paper-Mache Grand Secretaries."

Second, with this banner, they could gather many people under their command.

Those people might not want to attach themselves to the "Three Paper-Mache Grand Secretaries" for fear of a bad reputation. But joining the Reformists was different — the word "reform" in every dynasty represented radicals and sacrifice, which instead made one seem good for the country and all the more fearless.

Finally, Han Kuang and the others could use reform to strike at their opponents. Anyone who disagreed with them was the Old Faction, and they'd all be knocked flat.

That Han Kuang and the others could think of this didn't surprise Zhu Youxiao.

Having scrambled through officialdom their whole lives, and since the four of them weren't idiots, they could naturally find the point that best served their own interests.

What Zhu Youxiao hadn't expected was that the four of them would unite so quickly — this trend didn't seem good.

After thinking it over, Zhu Youxiao said, "What you say makes sense. Indeed, this is what should be done."

When Han Kuang and the other three heard these words from Zhu Youxiao, looks of relief finally appeared on their faces.

This was actually a test — a test of whether His Majesty opposed reform. Judging from the attitude His Majesty had shown, clearly he did not.

Watching the four of them breathe a sigh of relief, Zhu Youxiao sneered inwardly.

Thinking pretty wishfully — you want all the glory for yourselves?

That won't do. I need a round of winning people's hearts too.

So Zhu Youxiao said, "Establish a shrine in the capital to offer sacrifices to Zhang Juzheng. Once the shrine is completed, I will personally go and place Zhang Juzheng's spirit tablet into the temple."

Zhu Youxiao said in a firm tone, "Such a worthy minister, suffering such injustice — my going personally counts as consolation for him."

Hearing these words from His Majesty, the four wanted to object but couldn't, and could only hurriedly say, "Your Majesty is sagacious."

"Alright, business is done. Come watch the excitement with me." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile as he stood up and walked straight outside.

Han Kuang and the other three naturally knew what their Emperor was going to do, and were helpless both in expression and in heart.

His Majesty was still young after all — he truly couldn't stomach any affront.

At this moment, it wasn't really appropriate for His Majesty to go outside the Western Park, especially bringing the four of them along.

But given His Majesty's resolute attitude, there was no way he wouldn't go.

Han Kuang and the other three were helpless too, and could only follow His Majesty over.

His Majesty's temper also made them understand that they'd need to be careful in the future — His Majesty was not only petty, but also held grudges, and what's more, his thirst for revenge was quite strong.

When the group arrived at the gate of the Western Park, there was still a commotion going on.

Wei Zhongxian was leading people in persuading them to leave — clearly they couldn't resort to force right away.

But the effect wasn't very good. The shouting grew louder and louder, and both sides' emotions grew more and more agitated.

Finally, Wei Zhongxian flicked his sleeve and stepped forward, pulling a chilling smile onto his cold face as he said in a deep tone, "Are you preparing to stage a coup against the throne?"

After these words came out, the scene instantly fell silent.

The term "coup against the throne" could be interpreted as big or small.

Even taken lightly, it was still a grave crime. A minister staging a coup against the Emperor was an offense worthy of having one's head chopped off.

One of the men standing at the front shouted loudly, "You eunuch dog! How dare you bark wildly here and slap random labels on people! We are offering counsel to His Majesty — how is that a coup?"

"I tell you, the Great Ming is not a place where a eunuch dog like you can act arbitrarily!"

The man had a loud voice, and after his tirade, the people around him all started shouting along as well, even showing a tendency to press forward.

If not controlled, they'd probably charge right into the palace.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Hong beside him and asked expressionlessly, "Who is that man?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this man is Chen Qing." Chen Hong said hurriedly.

Zhu Youxiao nodded.

So it was this man — not surprising at all.

Zhu Youxiao then asked, "Has the matter I had the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate turned up anything? Why hasn't it been reported yet?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, some things have already been found." Chen Hong said, bowing.

"This Chen Qing is from Hangzhou Prefecture. He has been fairly incorruptible as an official over the years. He has read widely since childhood and holds a certain reputation among the literati; he is rather aloof by nature and usually enjoys grand talk."

As Chen Hong spoke, he carefully watched Zhu Youxiao, afraid of provoking his master's anger.

As Chen Hong described him, Zhu Youxiao roughly formed an image in his mind.

Clearly this Chen Qing was someone who had read himself stupid, and was a member of the talk-big faction, harboring anger and passion in his heart — but directing it at the wrong place.

In such cases, there was often a family behind him supporting him, so he didn't need to worry about other matters.

Zhu Youxiao asked, "Is this Chen Qing from a major household in Hangzhou?"

Chen Hong quickly said, "According to what the Embroidered Uniform Guard learned from his fellow townsmen and fellow graduates in the capital, the Chen family is indeed a major household in Hangzhou, owning several thousand mu of fine farmland there — mostly mulberry fields, but also a good amount of rice paddies."

"Every year they raise silkworms and weave cloth. The household has over a thousand looms, and also has numerous shops selling silk spread throughout all of Jiangnan — one could say their wealth is immense."

"Chen Qing's father is the current Henan Provincial Administration Commissioner, Chen Zhengdao. However, this information was obtained through inquiries, and its accuracy has yet to be verified."

"After the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported this, they've already sent people to Hangzhou to investigate the specific details." Chen Hong hastily added, partly to salvage something for Luo Sigong, hoping His Majesty wouldn't punish him.

Glancing at Chen Hong, Zhu Youxiao nodded.

As for this result — why wasn't Zhu Youxiao surprised in the least?

What was the Donglin Faction primarily made of?

The gentry of Jiangnan.

Most of these people were handicraft industrialists from Jiangnan. Of course, the title of "handicraft industrialist" might not be quite appropriate, because they all had their own businesses.

They monopolized the land, monopolized the channels, monopolized everything. They squeezed the common people of Jiangnan, leaving them no place to stand, not a single bite to eat — forcing them to depend on the gentry, or else wait to starve to death.

This was the way they ensured their own survival. After drinking their fill of blood, they stretched their hands toward the court, beginning to display their political demands to consolidate their position.

In the earliest days, they hadn't done this, nor had they thought of going so big.

They merely had a small business at home and a bit of land. To keep from being deprived of it, they had their family members study and take the examinations. Having one family member become an official could at least protect that little plot of family land.

As more and more scholars emerged from their households and their officials grew ever more powerful, the land and business interests of their families swelled like a snowball rolling downhill.

With such capital in hand, they began to have more people educated and more people engaged in commerce.

At the same time, in the court above, they were no longer satisfied with merely protecting their own little patch of ground. They reached their hands into other people's fields—even the nation's fields.

They cared not what the interest was, nor whose interest it was—so long as it benefited them and they wanted it, they scooped it all into their own hands.

This was the Donglin Faction.

A deformed monster born from the sprout of deformed capitalism.

Clearly this Chen Qing was one of their number, even though he had never studied at the Donglin Academy and lacked such lofty renown—and indeed, that was precisely the case.

That was why the previous case of the Donglin Faction forming cliques for private gain had not implicated Chen Qing. But the moment their interests were threatened, they would still leap out.

Clearly, the things this Emperor had done of late had filled many with fear and unease. At the same time, they still harbored a trace of naivety—and that was what frustrated Zhu Youxiao the most.

They possessed a simple patriotism, yet did not feel there was anything wrong with their own conduct.

They did not treat the common people as human beings, feeling that oppressing them was only natural. Because they believed their own possessions were earned through their own hard struggle, accumulated generation after generation through diligent sweat.

They would never look at how many people had been ruined—their families broken, their homes destroyed—in the process of amassing these fortunes.

They would never look at how many of the lands they purchased had belonged to people who could no longer survive, how many were seized through usury, how many were swallowed up after natural disasters, and how many were obtained by exploiting loopholes in the state and bribing officials.

It could be said their hands were dripping with blood. Of course, it was also because the state was powerless and the Emperor was powerless—unable to protect his own subjects.

At this moment, Zhu Youxiao's heart was calm as still water. He quietly watched the noisy crowd not far away, yet felt that everything around him was so silent.

The warm wind blowing against him instead made him feel somewhat cold.

But this feeling did not last long, because someone raised a wooden staff high into the air.

Wei Zhongxian raised the wooden staff high, standing on the steps, his face twisted in a ferocious glare at the crowd, and bellowed: "If you wish to remonstrate with His Majesty, you may write a routine memorial, or speak at the morning court!"

"Kneeling here—you are forcing the Emperor's hand!"

"Disperse at once, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Wei Zhongxian's words were like a heavy bomb dropped into the crowd, provoking great fury all around.

Chen Qing angrily pointed at Wei Zhongxian and shouted loudly: "The Great Ming has become what it is today precisely because of eunuch vermin like you and the treacherous ministers at court!"

"Today, we will not retreat!"

"Even if it costs us our blood! The Great Ming has nurtured its scholars for two hundred years—to die for righteousness comes this very day!"

Chen Qing let out an angry roar, like the strongest voice of this era.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Qing, then turned his head to look at the four Grand Secretaries beside him.

Their faces were all covered in black lines, understanding that they too had been cursed at.

If the eunuch faction meant Wei Zhongxian, then the treacherous ministers at court naturally referred to the four of them.

At this moment, Zhu Youxiao spoke slowly: "The people of the world, the affairs of the world—always so tangled and chaotic."

"Why have reforms in every dynasty failed?"

"Because there are those who oppose them."

"Why do people oppose reform?"

"Because without reform, they can continuously and endlessly reap benefits."

"Some say they are conservatives, but I do not see it that way. I call these opponents vested interests. What are vested interests?"

"They are those who can obtain benefits from the existing rules and systems, so they are unwilling to let go, and naturally become conservatives. They wish to maintain the status quo; they do not want change. Because under this system, they gain the most—why should they change?"

"Take a commoner for example: if I had five hundred mu of prime irrigated fields, I would naturally hold on to them and absolutely refuse to sell them easily."

"Reform represents change; it represents that the interests of some people will be damaged. Those whose interests are damaged are the vested interests. They will stand up and oppose, they will shout loudly like this, they will constantly splash dirty water on you, constantly ruin your reputation. They will cause trouble for your new policies, and may even attack you personally."

Having said this, Zhu Youxiao smiled, his gaze sweeping over Han Kuang and the others. He continued: "It is precisely because of this that reformers often cannot withstand this pressure, and they fall apart—and the reform fails."

"After the reform fails, these vested interests do not stop. They must strangle all dangers in the cradle, and deal with all the reformers who wanted to take benefits away from them. So reformers come to no good end."

"Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, when an emperor wishes to pacify their anger, he may choose to kill the reformers. Take Shang Yang—his policies on farming and warfare were not abolished, but the man himself died."

"Thus reformers of every generation have never failed to carry the resolve to die. Take Zhang Juzheng—he probably never imagined he would meet such a miserable end after his death."

Zhu Youxiao's words were laden with meaning, and the look he cast toward Han Kuang and the others carried a few degrees more of amusement.

Of course, he was not petty-minded enough to come here just to watch the excitement, nor to watch Wei Zhongxian beat people out. He truly had matters to discuss.

As for whether Han Kuang and the others believed him, Zhu Youxiao did not care to say. Because whether they believed it or not—Zhu Youxiao himself believed it regardless.

The four of them, Han Kuang included, exchanged glances. They naturally understood His Majesty's meaning.

They knew this matter all too well—they knew Shang Yang's fate.

They also knew the fate of a man from the Han Dynasty. That man was named Chao Cuo, and his end had also been miserable.

Clearly they were doing the right thing, yet they met no good ending. They understood in their hearts how it worked, but now hearing His Majesty say it aloud, the four of them still felt something strange stirring within.

Just at that moment, action broke out outside.

Countless Eastern Depot agents rushed out, swinging the wooden staffs in their hands as they charged at the crowd, without the slightest hesitation or pause—striking anyone they saw.

In an instant, the entrance to the Western Park was thrown into chaos. Countless people, after taking several blows, began struggling and retreating.

But their movements were not as fast as the Eastern Depot agents'. Many fell beneath the staffs, and blood stained this patch of ground red in that very instant.

Some people trembled in fear and ran backward, some screamed and charged forward, some with reddened eyes shouted "Fight to the death!" and grappled and brawled with the agents.

Zhu Youxiao saw one man whose head had been split open by an Eastern Depot agent—after falling, he still tried to resist, and took several more vicious blows.

At this moment, Zhu Youxiao also knew that these staffs were not only breaking the heads of these officials, but also breaking something belonging to him as Emperor.

From this moment on, his reputation would plummet, and this incident would be clearly recorded in the annals of history.

He had finally and thoroughly embarked on the path of the fatuous ruler. He estimated that before long, such talk would emerge.

At the same time, as these staffs came crashing down, they also smashed some old and established things.

There is a saying: without breaking, there can be no establishing.

If you do not smash the old, how can you build the new?

New systems are easy to establish, but new hearts and minds are not so easy to win.

Zhu Youxiao turned around, looked at the four men behind him, and said slowly: "I am not Emperor Renzong of Song. The Great Ming is not the Great Song either. Four beloved ministers, do as you see fit. Even in the worst outcome, I will not let you become another Zhang Juzheng, much less a Chao Cuo — at most, a Wang Anshi."

After saying these words, Zhu Youxiao stepped forward and walked into the Western Park.

The expression on his face was calm, his steps exceptionally firm, without the slightest hesitation.

Behind Zhu Youxiao, outside the gates of the Western Park, the sounds of beating and wailing continued, yet the farther he walked, the more resolute he became.