Chapter 35: Summoning Zou Yuanbiao

In the days that followed, the entire court was busy with a single matter — selecting an Empress for the Tianqi Emperor.

Though the Empress was being chosen for him, Zhu Youxiao found that he seemed to have no part in it. The whole selection process was overseen by Consort Dowager Zhuang, with the actual work handled by Wang An of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Zhu Youxiao had originally wanted to learn about the selection process — after all, he'd read so many novels about imperial consort selection in his past life, and he'd never had the chance to see the real thing! But as things stood now, it seemed there was no role for him.

With no part to play in the Empress selection, Zhu Youxiao could only remain in the Qianqing Palace reading the memorials submitted by his ministers.

Just as Zhu Youxiao was reviewing memorials, Chen Hong arrived at the Grand Secretariat: "By order of His Majesty's sacred edict!"

The officials of the Grand Secretariat performed their bows.

Chen Hong looked around at the assembled men and said: "By order of His Majesty's sacred edict: Heaven and Earth are in harmony, yin and yang flow in accord, and this is the foundation of all things…"

At these words, the ministers of the Grand Secretariat felt a stir in their hearts.

Sure enough, they heard this senior eunuch continue: "…Our dynasty has long relied upon the orthodox transmission of the Way, to respond to Heaven and Earth; the mandate of Heaven and the balance of yin and yang must not be violated. We, having reached a flourishing age and being at the time for taking consorts, do hereby honor the decree of Consort Dowager Zhuang and command all circuits, prefectures, and counties under Heaven to conduct a broad selection of worthy maidens, to fill the Six Palaces."

The Grand Secretaries thought to themselves, "Just as expected," their minds as clear as mirrors. They watched Chen Hong pause, then raise his voice and continue: "We command the Ministries of Revenue and Rites to execute this edict, touring the prefectures and counties in public capacity. Any maiden who has passed the age of fifteen but not yet reached twenty, of graceful countenance and proper bearing, with a voice like the oriole and decorous conduct, and who moreover excels in the arts of the Six Accomplishments, shall be included among those selected for examination. You are to hold Our edict, appraise and select worthy beauties, present virtuous consorts, to properly balance yin and yang, to secure the peace of the Great Ming, and to continue the line of the ancestral temple. By imperial order."

Once this sacred edict spread throughout the realm, the officials of every prefecture and county grew restless with ambition, all busily scouring their jurisdictions for beautiful women.

This was hardly difficult to understand — for these local officials, the consort selection was one of the rarest opportunities imaginable.

Even if the woman they recommended never became Empress, if she merely became a Noble Consort, they as her recommenders would surely enjoy her patronage. As one who slept beside the Emperor, a single thought from her would send their official careers soaring without limit.

All the officials spared no effort in scouring everywhere for beautiful or talented unmarried maidens — some officials even went personally to the homes of locally famous families, threatening and bribing them to hand over the young women of their households.

But none of this had anything to do with the grandees of the capital. Though everyone was discussing the Emperor's consort selection, there were other matters that worried them far more — namely, the case framing Xiong Tingbi. The court had issued a sacred decree: Yang Lian would serve as chief examining judge, with the Three Judicial Offices jointly trying the case. The prisoners Feng Sanyuan, Wei Yingjia, Zhang Xiude, Yao Zongwen, and others had already been brought by the Ministry of Justice into its prison.

Among these was naturally Li Ruzhen, Regional Commander of Liaodong. Originally this seemed a good thing, because the Donglin Faction had gotten the case into their hands.

But the news that followed was not so good. The Tianqi Emperor first summoned Gao Panlong, intending to entrust the case to him for trial — but Gao Panlong, colluding with Wei Zhongxian, refused His Majesty, and only then did the Emperor turn to Yang Lian to hear the case.

Whether true or false, this news stirred enormous waves in the capital, and within the Donglin Faction itself it caused an even greater uproar.

For a time, the Donglin Faction was thrown into complete chaos over the Xiong Tingbi case, with countless people watching Yang Lian to see how he would conduct the trial.

Deep within the imperial palace, Zhu Youxiao was again soaking up the sun.

The sunlight had been perfect lately, and the carpenter's workshop had remained idle — Zhu Youxiao didn't even let anyone go in to clean it.

He squinted slightly, enjoying the warm sunshine, looking as if he were about to fall asleep. In his mind, however, he was contemplating the Censorate of the Great Ming.

The Censorate, which had developed from the Censorate of earlier dynasties, was responsible for surveillance, impeachment, and remonstrance, and together with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review was known as one of the Three Judicial Offices.

When major cases arose, they were jointly tried by the Three Judicial Offices, a procedure also called "joint trial by the Three Offices."

The Censorate, with its semi-judicial nature, looked in every way like the disciplinary inspection commission of later ages — yet Zhu Youxiao felt that the Great Ming's Censorate had changed its flavor.

What was the Censorate's duty?

The answer was simple: the Censorate was meant to oversee the hundred officials — in plain terms, it was meant to help the emperor keep watch over his ministers.

But what about the Great Ming's Censorate now?

Everyone was competing to impeach the Emperor himself, going to absolutely any lengths. If the Emperor wanted to hear any useful information from the Censorate, he had to rely on the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard instead — one had to say, this was a tragedy. When had everyone started using the Emperor to build their reputations? As if failing to "farm" this particular Emperor instance meant betraying the very duty of a Censor.

"Zou Yuanbiao." Zhu Youxiao tapped the armrest of his wheelchair with one hand while recalling this man in his mind.

People were truly complex creatures. Zou Yuanbiao had first appeared on the political stage by opposing and impeaching Zhang Juzheng — the result being that Zhang Juzheng had him given eighty strokes of the court cane and then exiled to Guizhou.

In the eleventh year of Wanli, Zou Yuanbiao was once again demoted for remonstrating with the Wanli Emperor, and it was only when his cheap father, the Taichang Emperor, took the throne that Zou Yuanbiao was able to return.

Zou Yuanbiao recommended to his cheap father eighteen men including Tu Zongjun and Li Banghua. His father issued an edict, commending and accepting them.

Two days later, Zou Yuanbiao again submitted memorials on several matters — discovering and promoting talent, managing finances, strengthening the military — along with four regulations for ensuring peace, and requested the summoning and employment of Ye Maocai, Zhao Nanxing, Gao Panlong, Liu Zongzhou, and Ding Yuanjian, as well as the posthumous consolation and appointment of Luo Dahong, Luo Yuren, and thirteen others.

It could be said that a full half of the Donglin Faction members currently in court had been recommended by Zou Yuanbiao — his position within the Donglin Faction was truly pivotal.

Of course, none of this was what Zhu Youxiao cared about. What he cared about was Zou Yuanbiao's political stance — namely, that Zou Yuanbiao approved of Zhang Juzheng's reforms.

Most people would find this hard to believe — didn't Zou Yuanbiao oppose Zhang Juzheng? Why would he approve of him?

In fact, Zou Yuanbiao did approve of Zhang Juzheng's reforms. What he opposed was only Zhang Juzheng's failure to honor the rites and teachings — his refusal to return home to observe mourning for his father, which Zou called "clinging to position and forgetting one's kin."

But later it was also Zou Yuanbiao who submitted a memorial rehabilitating Zhang Juzheng: "Jiangling's merit lies in the state, his faults lie in his person. When the state deliberates, it should not cease even after death. To call him a minister of the state — how could he be unworthy?"

The meaning of these words was simple: Zhang Juzheng had rendered great service to the state. The reason the country had fallen into such a state was precisely because Zhang Juzheng's reform achievements had been overturned. Zhang Juzheng should be rehabilitated, to set an example for those with ambition to serve the nation.

In his mind, Zhu Youxiao roughly sketched a profile of Zou Yuanbiao: this was a true scholar of the School of Principle. He defended the rites and teachings, always believing that ritual could not be abandoned; he wanted to serve the nation, sparing nothing of himself in doing so, while despising powerful eunuchs and believing they should be struck down. Such a minister had both strengths and weaknesses.

Gently opening his eyes, Zhu Youxiao felt that Zou Yuanbiao was a somewhat interesting man.

In truth, though he hadn't been transmigrated here long, Zhu Youxiao had lived two lives, and he knew very well that people were not tools — people were multifaceted.

No man was perfect. As Emperor, the art of employing people was to put the right person in the right place. Zhu Youxiao was very clear on this in his heart, so he planned to test Zou Yuanbiao's mettle.

He turned his head to look at Chen Hong: "Go fetch that routine memorial from Zou Yuanbiao calling for Zhang Juzheng's rehabilitation and restoration of his posthumous title."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong promptly acknowledged and hurried off to fetch the memorial.