Chapter 84: An Out-and-Out Strike Against Dissidents

Being someone's dog was unacceptable, and neither was he willing to take off his own official cap — so he could only think of another way.

As the saying goes, whatever you lack, you make up for.

In Luo Sigong's view, what he lacked was someone before the Emperor who could speak on his behalf.

So if he could fill that shortcoming, he would be able to compete head-on with Wei Zhongxian.

Since he himself could not manage to speak before the Emperor, he might as well find a partner.

In Luo Sigong's view, the most suitable person for this was Chen Hong.

Everyone inside and outside the court now knew that the two eunuchs the Emperor favored most were Wei Zhongxian, the Director of the Eastern Depot, and Chen Hong, the brush-holding eunuch.

He and Wei Zhongxian were rivals, and Chen Hong, Eunuch Chen, and Wei Zhongxian were also rivals. Since both of them were rivals with Wei Zhongxian, a natural basis for cooperation existed.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Under such circumstances, Luo Sigong felt the two of them would hit it off at once.

If the two reached a cooperation, then before the Emperor he would have Chen Hong, and outside the palace, Chen Hong could have him. With both sides working together in full cooperation, they could absolutely suppress Wei Zhongxian.

"Eunuch Chen," Luo Sigong walked over to Chen Hong's side and said with a smile, "Judging by your complexion, Eunuch, you look well — it seems something good must have happened. If there is any happy occasion at your household, be sure to tell this subordinate; this subordinate will certainly present a congratulatory gift."

Looking at Luo Sigong with a beaming smile, Chen Hong spoke up: "This servant has nothing particularly happy to report, but it seems Your Excellency should have good news coming. Rather, this servant does sometimes have matters outside the palace. If I should come seeking help from you, Lord Luo, I hope you will not refuse."

Hearing Chen Hong's words, Luo Sigong understood instantly and said with a smile, "Rest assured, Eunuch Chen, this subordinate will do his utmost."

The two exchanged a knowing smile, and neither said anything more.

One exchanged glance was enough — everything was understood without words.

"Lord Luo, let us not delay too long. His Majesty is still waiting to summon you." Chen Hong shook the horsetail whisk in his hand and made a gesture of invitation with a smile.

Luo Sigong clasped his fists toward Chen Hong, then said with a smile, "Thank you, Eunuch Chen."

The two walked into the Qianqing Palace together.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Luo Sigong as he entered, waved his hand to indicate he need not perform the ritual of obeisance, and asked directly, "Has the task I assigned you produced results?"

Luo Sigong dared not be negligent and hastily bowed, saying, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it has indeed been handled. Your servant has already found Chen Kedao, and the man has been brought to the capital."

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao's face immediately lit up with joy.

The man had finally come.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Youxiao said directly, "Bring him into the palace."

Luo Sigong was momentarily stunned.

He had not expected His Majesty to summon this Chen Kedao.

Originally he had thought His Majesty would hand the man over to him, but now it seemed that was not the case. Though he very much wanted to ask why, he knew this was not something he ought to inquire about.

"Yes, your servant will make the arrangements at once." Answering respectfully, Luo Sigong withdrew.

Watching his departing back, Zhu Youxiao let out a helpless sigh.

As for what he was about to do next, Zhu Youxiao did not know how to put it into words.

Playing at political manipulation was a tragedy for an emperor — yet he precisely had to play at political manipulation.

Among the emperors of the Great Ming, the one who played political manipulation best was the Jiajing Emperor. The Jiajing Emperor, as a prince of an appanage, entered the capital to inherit the throne — one could say the situation at the time was extremely complex.

The Zhengde Emperor had died under unclear circumstances, and the ministers at court were none of them the Jiajing Emperor's own people; no one supported him, and the consort kin left behind by the previous emperor were all still present.

One could say that throughout the entire palace, or across the entire court, it was a situation of wolves ahead and tigers behind.

Under such circumstances, the Jiajing Emperor had few choices. Yet precisely under such circumstances, he forcibly hacked out an imperial path that could be called fairly broad.

Was his own situation now not exactly the same?

Ascending the throne at a young age, with the Donglin Faction promoted by his father holding power — who listened to his words?

Perhaps the Donglin Faction wanted to accomplish things, but what they wanted to do was certainly different from what he wanted to do.

If he used them, then whose orders would be followed?

If they refused to do the things he asked, what could he do?

Whether it was this Xiong Tingbi case or this Chen Kedao he had sought out, the purpose was actually only one — to reclaim power.

In Zhu Youxiao's eyes, whether it was the Donglin Faction, the eunuch faction, or the Qi, Zhe, and Chu cliques, there was fundamentally no difference.

The reason he moved against the Donglin Faction was simple — because they currently held power.

If he had transmigrated a few years later, when the one in power was Wei Zhongxian's eunuch faction, then he would certainly have moved against the eunuch faction instead.

On the one hand there were the cases being investigated at court, and on the other there was the dispute over the orthodox lineage — in truth, Zhu Youxiao was not interested in either.

What Zhu Youxiao was interested in was only reclaiming power, just like the Jiajing Emperor back then.

Shortly after the Jiajing Emperor ascended the throne, a controversy and struggle arose between him and the old ministers of the Zhengde Emperor, led by Yang Tinghe and Mao Cheng, over who should be designated as the Shizong Emperor's imperial father (the father in the ancestral lineage sense), as well as over the honorific title for the Shizong Emperor's biological father.

The "continuation of succession" faction, led by Chief Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe, demanded that the Shizong Emperor change his parents.

At the time, Zhang Cong, a jinshi observing government affairs, submitted a memorial censuring the ministers' error and put forward the theory of "continuing the imperial line."

On the surface this was a struggle over titles and status, but in reality it was not so at all.

Hidden deep beneath was actually a struggle over power.

In Zhu Youxiao's view, those ministers who had welcomed the Jiajing Emperor to the capital wanted to control him. And the Jiajing Emperor, unwilling to accept this, naturally had to fight back.

The counterattack he chose was the Great Rites Controversy — this was also the customary practice of emperors.

If one waged struggle over court governance, new problems would usually arise, causing the court to fail to function normally, thereby threatening the stability of the realm. This was something an emperor could not accept.

Under normal circumstances, an emperor would choose to depose the Empress or replace the Crown Prince as the battlefield. On the one hand, this eliminated ministers who did not obey; on the other, it selected out those who did.

The Jiajing Emperor's Great Rites Controversy worked on the same principle. It was not a question of the emperor's titles, but a genuine question of taking sides.

What Zhu Youxiao was doing this time was the same. Chen Kedao's Li Zhi teachings were meant precisely to make the officials fight among themselves.

He would use Li Zhi's teachings — officials who opposed would be dismissed; officials who obeyed would be kept.

The Donglin Faction's case of forming cliques for private gain could directly sweep some officials into it — no need to investigate anything, no need to expend effort pinning any crimes on them.

With this two-pronged approach, he could draw power back into his own hands.

As for whether it was the Donglin Faction, the eunuch faction, or some other faction, Zhu Youxiao simply did not care.

As the saying goes, "A new Son of Heaven brings new ministers." Those in the court who are willing to follow him may stay; the rest can get lost.

This is no factional struggle, nor a battle over orthodox tradition—it is plainly and simply the crushing of dissent.

If one must put a label on it, then this is a struggle over the path forward.