Chapter 255: My Will Is the Will of the State

Chen Qiyu had not expected Zhao Zhu to bring news like this.

He raised his head to look at Zhao Zhu, and asked slowly with slight surprise: "Who is this Inspector?"

"To answer Your Excellency, the Inspector represents the Inspection Bureau in inspecting the localities." Zhao Zhu said respectfully: "As for who has come to Luoyang this time, Your Excellency will know when you see him."

Zhao Zhu still did not dare to reveal Chen Sihai's identity.

He could not gauge what Chen Sihai planned to do. If he leaked the man's name before this matter was settled and truly ruined things, he would not be able to bear the consequences.

Giving Zhao Zhu a deep look, Chen Qiyu nodded and said: "Then let it be the Hundred Flowers Pavilion tonight."

Zhao Zhu had not expected Chen Qiyu to choose a place like that.

The Hundred Flowers Pavilion was a fairly well-known brothel in the city of Luoyang. Was it not somewhat inappropriate to meet in a brothel?

But he was only there to deliver the message; he had no standing or authority to object.

"In the Heaven-Numbered Room Three at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion." Chen Qiyu added after a moment's thought.

Zhao Zhu nodded and said in a respectful tone: "This subordinate will deliver the message. If Your Excellency has nothing else, then this subordinate will return to send the letter."

Chen Qiyu nodded lightly and said to his adviser Li Fang beside him: "See him out."

"No need to trouble yourself." After saying this, Zhao Zhu clasped his hands and turned to walk out.

He did not dare delay in the slightest; he needed to hurry back and deliver the message. After all, the choice of meeting place this time was far too delicate — he needed to get the news back as quickly as possible.

After Zhao Zhu had left, Chen Qiyu looked at Li Fang and asked: "Who do you think is coming?"

"Surely not some ordinary person." Li Fang thought for a moment and said: "This time the one to be investigated is the Prefect of Henan. Though he himself is of no consequence, what it drags in is Prince Fu. Whoever the court sends must be someone who can make decisions. One who can make decisions is naturally not ordinary — it is only a question of who it is."

"I hope they don't send someone timid." Chen Qiyu said with some helplessness.

That was what he worried about most. If the court only gave Prince Fu a slap on the wrist, then everything he had done would be wasted. The people of Luoyang would not have received true deliverance either — that was not what he wanted.

Hearing Chen Qiyu's words, the adviser Li Fang did not speak, because he had nothing he wanted to say — or rather, he simply did not know what he should say. There was really nothing good to say.

Both he himself and his master knew very well in their hearts that the chances of this matter simply fizzling out were very great.

For the emperor at court to rein in a feudal prince had always been an extremely difficult matter, and many times he could not even muster the resolve. Most of the time it was merely punishment on the surface, never touching bone or sinew.

Chen Qiyu glanced at Li Fang, then shook his head. He said nothing more.

Unlike Li Fang, Chen Qiyu had his own view.

In his eyes, the Great Ming dynasty had already reached a perilous point. Since His Majesty had taken the throne, he had governed with vigor and ambition, showing every sign of one who would sweep the realm clean.

That was what Chen Qiyu hoped to see, and at the same time there was one thing he needed to verify. That was whether the present His Majesty possessed great ambition and great boldness, and whether His Majesty had the makings of a truly great and strategic sovereign.

This time was a test. If His Majesty, as in the past, only punished Prince Fu on the surface, that would prove His Majesty lacked this great ambition and great boldness. And if he wanted to sweep the realm clean, that would no longer be realistic.

In his two years in Luoyang, Chen Qiyu had deeply experienced the exploitation and oppression that feudal princes inflicted upon the localities.

These imperial clansmen did not engage in production, living lives of extreme extravagance every day, always scheming and stirring up trouble, taking wives and fathering children, expanding their lands, and amassing wealth through every conceivable means.

The princes hid inside their mansions all day, their temperaments strange and arrogant. Because they had no freedom, their whole persons became somewhat unhinged, and with nothing else to do, the thing they studied became how to persecute others.

Even if some princes had intelligence, what they studied was nothing more than Daoist cultivation and alchemy, poetry and calligraphy — and their expenditures were great as well, their exploitation of the localities just as heavy on ordinary days.

If this problem were not resolved, then no matter what was said it would be empty talk, and the common people would never have good days. That was why Chen Qiyu had used the matter of the secret memorial to make his probe.

Chen Qiyu had not told the adviser Li Fang about this matter, and he would not tell him either.

At the postal station.

Looking at Zhao Zhu before him, having heard him relate the whole matter, Chen Sihai's brows furrowed.

What was this Chen Qiyu playing at, setting the meeting place at a brothel?

One had to know that officials were not permitted to enter brothels. Could he be trying to set a trap for him?

That did not seem right. If he himself were trapped, then Chen Qiyu certainly could not escape involvement either. Besides, the secret memorial was submitted by Chen Qiyu himself — where could he hide?

Or had some situation arisen that he did not know about?

But if he did not go, that would be showing cowardice.

Glancing at Zhao Zhu, Chen Sihai said with an expressionless face: "Alright, I understand. You may go. Tomorrow night I will keep the appointment on time."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Zhao Zhu hurriedly acknowledged.

Though Zhao Zhu felt that there seemed to be some matter between the two excellencies, he also knew this was not something he could interfere with. Sometimes, the less one knew, the better.

So he turned without the slightest hesitation and walked out.

Nighttime, in the Western Park of the capital.

Zhu Youxiao sat in a rocking chair, but the location was no longer his pavilion — it was Empress Zhang's residence.

Beside Zhu Youxiao's rocking chair was placed a table, upon which sat tea and refreshments.

On the other side was placed a rocking chair of the same style, and seated in it was naturally Empress Zhang.

In truth, Zhu Youxiao was somewhat embarrassed at this moment.

Because Empress Zhang was looking at him with those beautiful eyes of hers, and her expression was rather plaintive.

Having just schemed against Zhang Guoji, Zhu Youxiao felt rather guilty in his heart.

"Your Majesty, why not let my father resign his post in the Imperial Household Department?" Empress Zhang looked at Zhu Youxiao and said softly.

Empress Zhang was very worried. Earlier today, in the daytime, her father had already come to the Western Park.

The Ruyi beans being sold by the Imperial Household Department were selling like wildfire — sure enough, there were still many people buying.

Though the price was very high, many people felt it was worth it. After all, these were seeds, and high-yield ones at that. Once planted next year, they would surely bring a good harvest. At that time they would certainly fetch a good price.

Moreover, seeds were the kind of thing that could be planted generation after generation, so even if they were a bit expensive it was not a loss — there were still many buyers.

But the fact that these people spent money to buy did not mean they did not complain about the high price.

Her father had not dared to go out much these past two days, and had come straight to the Western Park to pour out his grievances to her.

Empress Zhang then understood one thing: her father had been schemed against again.

Having been in the palace for this long, she had also seen things clearly and thought them through.

The reason her father was being employed in this way was not that His Majesty thought highly of him, but simply that His Majesty wanted to use his status as the Emperor's father-in-law to make him into a target.

Just as her father had told her before, his reputation seemed to be getting worse and worse. Originally Empress Zhang had still been hesitant, but now she was finally certain — with His Majesty behind all of this, it would be a miracle if her father's reputation could be good.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Empress Zhang and said somewhat helplessly, "But I have no suitable person."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Empress Zhang fell silent.

After a moment of silence, she spoke slowly, "Then let my father keep doing it. He is now a minister of the Great Ming, and he is also my father. Some things are theirs to bear. I only hope that one day in the future, Your Majesty will remember their merits and spare their lives."

As she spoke, Empress Zhang stood up and knelt directly before Zhu Youxiao, saying slowly, "I beg Your Majesty."

Seeing this, Zhu Youxiao immediately stood up, gently reached out to help Empress Zhang up, and drew her into his arms.

He said softly, "Baozhu, rest assured, I will not do such a thing. They will all be fine."

In truth, Zhu Youxiao understood Empress Zhang's worry. She was afraid that in the end he would kill the donkey after it finished grinding — sacrificing her father to placate the anger of the ministers.

That was why she said such things — meaning that doing the work was proper, and there was nothing to say about taking the blame for the Emperor, but she hoped he would spare her father's life.

Empress Zhang wrapped her arms around Zhu Youxiao's waist, leaning against his increasingly broad chest, and said softly, "Your Majesty has promised me. I will remember it."

Her coaxing tone made Zhu Youxiao's protective instincts surge. He took Empress Zhang's hand and led her inside, saying softly, "Fine, you remember it then. Now let's do something important."

Chen Hong, standing to one side, saw this and waved away the eunuchs and palace maids.

He knew His Majesty did not like people waiting on him nearby. After quietly closing the door, he stood outside waiting silently, in case anything inside required his summons.

The next morning, Zhu Youxiao rose very early.

Having spent the whole night before, he should have slept until the sun was high in the sky. But he couldn't — he had matters to attend to today; he needed to attend the morning court.

The matter had fermented enough; eventually it had to be resolved.

Chen Hong had waited outside all night and looked rather exhausted, so today it was not he who accompanied Zhu Youxiao, but Wei Zhongxian instead.

Under Wei Zhongxian's attendance, Zhu Youxiao ate breakfast and completed his washing.

Once everything was ready, they headed toward the front.

By the time Zhu Youxiao arrived, the ministers had long since prepared themselves, waiting quietly inside the great hall.

This was not a grand court assembly, so only the Grand Secretariat, the Six Ministries, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Office of Transmission had come. Other officials were not present, but that was already sufficient.

"His Majesty arrives!"

Hearing Wei Zhongxian announce His Majesty's arrival from the front, Zhu Youxiao turned and walked out.

Seating himself on the dragon throne, after the ministers had paid their respects, Zhu Youxiao slowly raised his hand and said, "Ministers, rise."

After everyone had stood up, Zhu Youxiao said slowly, "At today's morning court, I have some matters to discuss with you all."

Hearing this, the ministers were all taken aback.

His Majesty did not usually attend morning court much. Impeachment memorials had always been coming in, but His Majesty paid them no mind. That he came to morning court today meant there was something important — they just hadn't expected His Majesty to be like this.

In fact, both Zhu Youxiao and the ministers knew one thing well: the Great Ming's morning court was somewhat nominal in nature.

Some matters were not suitable for discussion at morning court; some matters were too big to be finished at morning court. So basically everything was submitted to the palace in the form of routine memorials.

And if important ministers of the Six Ministries and the Grand Secretariat had matters, they would come into the palace to see His Majesty.

Morning court thus seemed somewhat like chicken ribs — but of course, it was the Old Ancestor's rule, so it had never been abolished. To borrow a phrase from later generations: small matters get big meetings, big matters get small meetings — that basically matched the current situation of the Great Ming.

But judging by today's setup, His Majesty seemed about to say something of great importance.

His gaze sweeping over all the ministers, Zhu Youxiao continued, "Some days ago, Chen Qiyu, the County Magistrate of Luoyang, submitted a routine memorial, and also sent a secret memorial through the Office of Transmission, impeaching Liao Zhong, the Prefect of Henan, and the Prince of Fu of Luoyang for colluding together, oppressing the locality, and encroaching upon the people's land."

"This matter has caused quite an uproar these past days. Many people have submitted memorials. Some say the Prince of Fu should be severely punished, or else where would the court's laws stand? Where would the secret memorial system stand?"

"Others say Chen Qiyu overstepped his rank in submitting the memorial and should be punished."

"At the same time, I have also heard some talk that Chen Qiyu used this to coerce the Emperor. That he has failed in the way of a minister and should be severely punished — dismissed from office and exiled to the frontier."

Having said this much, Zhu Youxiao slowly stopped.

In truth, all these rumors and this public opinion had been stirred up by Zhu Youxiao himself. Chen Hong had already achieved some results in this regard, and recently the effect seemed quite good.

Once public opinion had been provoked enough, it was time for him to come out and state his position — that was the meaning of today's morning court.

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhu Youxiao continued, "Regarding this matter, I consulted Zhao Bingzhong of the Office of Transmission."

"After Minister Zhao discussed it with me, I understood one thing. Why did Chen Qiyu do this? Why did he force me?"

"The reason is also simple — whether princes of the blood or imperial relatives, these years they have been running rampant in the localities, committing many unlawful acts, yet few have truly received severe punishment."

"After local officials submit impeachments, most sink into the sea like stones. Even when the court does issue punishments, they are mostly superficial — more often just edicts of reprimand. This has caused many officials below to suffer losses."

"Since submitting memorials accomplishes nothing anyway, why bother doing thankless work? Over time, this chills the hearts of officials throughout the realm."

"At the same time, the princes and imperial relatives in various regions act lawlessly like this, yet the court never intervenes — how will the people of the realm see this?"

"The people of the realm will think that I, as Emperor, am unqualified. Do you ministers agree?" As he spoke, Zhu Youxiao's gaze swept over them.

The meaning of these words was very simple: the time to pick your side has come. Obediently stand on my side, and turn my will into the court's will, to be implemented from top to bottom.

At this moment, shock filled everyone's hearts.

Some could not believe it; some were inwardly excited — Xu Guangqi and his group, for example.

Since His Majesty was willing to move against the imperial clans, this showed His Majesty's great resolve and great boldness.

One had to know that the problem of the imperial clans had always been a headache for the court. The ministers had no good solutions, and emperors generally avoided the topic entirely.

Now His Majesty was doing this — truly a blessing for the realm. At the same time, they thought of another possibility: His Majesty had already moved against imperial relatives. What about the meritorious nobles and the consort clans? If they committed any more acts of lawlessness, His Majesty certainly would not spare them either.

At this moment, Huang Kezuan, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Everyone else snapped back to attention at this point and stepped forward directly, saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Only after everyone had paid their respects did Zhu Youxiao nod and say slowly, "Ministers, no need for ceremony."

After everyone had risen, Zhu Youxiao continued, "That said, I cannot allow people to falsely accuse princes and imperial relatives either. So I have already ordered the Office of Transmission to conduct a thorough investigation. If the accusations prove true, there will be no leniency — severe punishment without exception!"

"Additionally, the Grand Secretariat shall draft an edict: from now on, officials at all levels are strictly forbidden from submitting routine memorials and secret memorials together. This is a waste of the state's resources. Does maintaining relay stations cost nothing? Or does the paper for writing memorials cost nothing?"

"Whether routine memorial or secret memorial, I can see them all."

This was not because Zhu Youxiao was angry at Chen Qiyu's approach, but because it truly cost money.

The relay stations were already expensive enough. If one memorial had to be delivered twice, the cost would double. The Great Ming was this vast — with so many routine and secret memorials each time, that was a huge sum of money.

If it required spending money, that would be one thing, but repeating the same task over again served no purpose other than wasting resources, so Zhu Youxiao decided to strictly prohibit it.

At this moment, Chief Grand Secretary Han Kuang stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise and enlightened. Your ministers obey the decree."

"If there is nothing else, let us end the court session." Zhu Youxiao stood up and waved his hand dismissively.

In truth, by this point, Zhu Youxiao could not be bothered to waste words with them.

Amidst the ministers' prostrations and salutations, Zhu Youxiao turned behind the screen and walked out of the great hall, while saying to Wei Zhongxian, "Have the matters been investigated clearly?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, they have been fully investigated." Wei Zhongxian said hurriedly.

What Zhu Youxiao referred to was naturally the previous incident—those people who had run to the gates of the Western Park to kneel and remonstrate had been beaten away by Wei Zhongxian and his men, who had also arrested some of them.

Zhu Youxiao had then ordered Wei Zhongxian to investigate them: anyone guilty of corruption or embezzlement was to be severely punished without mercy—their entire households confiscated and the offenders exiled; those without corruption charges were to be dismissed from office and sent home.

Hearing Wei Zhongxian's reply, Zhu Youxiao stopped in his tracks, his face darkening as he looked at him, and asked in a stern voice, "Are there any wrongful cases or false accusations? Any oversights or errors in the investigations?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. This servant has checked repeatedly—there are absolutely no oversights." Wei Zhongxian said hurriedly.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "That is for the best. If you have framed anyone, or if there are any oversights, I will not forgive you. So it is best that there are none."

Wei Zhongxian hastily assured him again, "This servant swears upon his own head—there are absolutely no oversights."

The reason Wei Zhongxian dared to make such a guarantee was that all those guilty of corruption had indeed been uncovered by him; as for those he could not prove guilty, he had not dared to frame them.

To put it plainly, there might be fish that slipped through the net, but there were absolutely no wrongfully accused.