Chapter 288: The True Essence of Propaganda

"Thousand Years, this subject is truly wronged! How am I in any way a eunuch-faction man? This subject is a disciple of Master Jingyi (Gao Panlong), a fellow townsman of Master Fuqiu (Zuo Guangdou), and has always been listed among the Donglin. In the Donglin Roll of Champions, this subject's nickname was 'No Barrier.' It was only in the fourth year of Tianqi, when filling a vacancy for chief Supervising Secretary, that a dispute arose within the Donglin. Master Jingyi and Master Fuqiu each held to their own word. This subject should have filled the post of chief Supervising Secretary of the Office of Scrutiny for Personnel, but Master Jingyi and Zhao Mengbai (Zhao Nanxing) made this subject fill the Office of Scrutiny for Works instead. Among the Six Ministries, Works ranks last, so making this subject fill the Works post was meant to suppress this subject. Then that traitor Wei somehow intervened and had this subject fill the Personnel post. After that, this subject was smeared as a eunuch-faction man, and within less than a month of taking office, this subject could only abandon the post and leave."

"Later it was again that traitor Wei's doing that made this subject a Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. This subject had no choice but to take the post, though after a short while this subject resigned again. Truly, this subject did no evil! Later, when that traitor Wei fell, this subject submitted a memorial proposing that all officials who had attached themselves to the traitor Wei and to Wang An (the powerful eunuch in power before the fourth year of Tianqi) be dismissed together. That thoroughly offended the officials of the Donglin Faction, and they listed this subject among the traitors' case."

The one now in the White Gate Pavilion, recounting his grievances in a measured tone, was a refined, fair-faced old scholar, in his fifties, not yet sixty. His face was full of sorrow, and as he spoke, tears began to fall.

This fellow was none other than Ruan Dacheng, the "anti-Qing literary worker" in Zhu Cilang's mind — and in history, he had also become a traitor!

But in the thirty years before he became a traitor, he had indeed lived somewhat aggrieved. He was a jinshi of the forty-fourth year of Wanli, and by the early years of Tianqi he had already become a Supervising Secretary, and was moreover a recognized Donglin stalwart. Had he not been caught up in the Donglin's internal feuds, he would by now be an upright gentleman revered by all.

Yet his official career, because of the Donglin infighting and Wei Zhongxian's later interference, had step by step turned into a nightmare.

After hearing Ruan Dacheng finish recounting how he had become a eunuch-faction man, Zhu Cilang smiled and asked, "Ruan Dacheng, tell Us the truth — does a real eunuch faction actually exist or not?"

"This..." Ruan Dacheng was for a moment unable to answer, and simply stared blankly at Zhu Cilang.

What did the Crown Prince's question mean?

He himself had "manufactured" so many eunuch-faction men, and now he was asking whether any existed? Would he not know whether any existed?

"Speak the truth!" Zhu Cilang said gently. "We already know, but We wish to hear you speak the truth!"

"In reply to Thousand Years," Ruan Dacheng shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "if even a eunuch-faction man as notorious as this subject is so careful to draw a clear line between himself and the eunuch faction, then Your Highness may judge for yourself whether a real eunuch faction exists."

"Heh heh." Zhu Cilang laughed, noncommittal.

Ruan Dacheng continued, "Officials seeking advancement through the eunuchs' connections — of course such men existed. When the eunuch Wei was at the height of his power, there were quite a few officials who outwardly attached themselves to him. But whether these officials were truly a eunuch faction is highly doubtful."

"Heh heh."

Ruan Dacheng glanced at the expressionless Crown Prince and sighed. "In truth, everyone knew during the Tianqi years that behind the traitor Wei stood the late Emperor. The so-called eunuch faction might more aptly be called an emperor faction. But even those men could hardly be called a faction, because they were merely seeking office, and had no successors or disciples.

Were it not so, after the late Emperor passed away, how could the officials attached to the traitor Wei have collapsed and scattered so quickly? That traitor Wei... was nothing more than a running dog doing the late Emperor's bidding.

And the name 'eunuch faction' was nothing but a vile label that the Donglin partisans brought out to smear the officials of the emperor faction!"

What he said was also the truth. Zhu Cilang had encountered many "Donglin successors," but had never heard of any "eunuch-faction successors." Even in the years when Wei Zhongxian was in power, the so-called eunuch faction consisted entirely of officials; there were extremely few registered scholars — juren or xiucai — who would style themselves eunuch-faction men. Quite possibly there was not a single one!

In other words, the "eunuch faction" had no roots at all, and no followers. At most it was a clique of officials banded together, with none of the social influence of the Donglin Faction.

Had the Emperor not backed them, they would have collapsed long ago.

This was also why, starting from Dagukou, Zhu Cilang had step by step sought to seize the leadership of the Donglin Faction, and never considered leading the eunuch faction — because there simply was no eunuch faction! Perhaps a few fallen officials had been branded with the eunuch-faction label, but they had never formed a party, had no political activities, and were all back in their hometowns eating idle rice.

So if he wanted to seize a party and take power, he could only turn to the Donglin; there was no eunuch faction to seize.

Zhu Cilang smiled and nodded. "The Donglin gentlemen are indeed clever. A single vile label of 'eunuch faction' is enough to make men tremble!

So We can only be a Donglin Crown Prince!"

Ruan Dacheng thought to himself: The Donglin may be clever, but none are as clever as you — you've nearly seized the whole party already. If your late uncle had possessed this skill, how could he have died so young?

"Jizhi," Zhu Cilang called Ruan Dacheng by his courtesy name, "would you like to be listed among the Donglin once more?"

Of course Ruan Dacheng wanted that. But how could such a thing be easy? He had previously spent a great deal of money to restore the Donglin partisan Zhou Yanru to the chief grand secretaryship, hoping thereby to return to the Donglin. Yet in the end, because too many within the Donglin opposed it, the effort came to nothing, and Zhou Yanru could only repay him by promoting his good friend Ma Shiying.

Zhu Cilang knew Ruan Dacheng's misgivings, and said with a smile, "Jizhi, I am not Zhou Yanru. I have the means to firmly control the Donglin Faction!"

A Donglin Faction firmly controlled by the Crown Prince? Ruan Dacheng thought to himself: If that truly happened, the Donglin Faction would be no different from the eunuch faction.

Zhu Cilang said, "Jizhi, do you know what the Donglin Faction's greatest strength is?"

"This subject is dull-witted."

Zhu Cilang glanced at him and laughed. "It is boasting, rumor-mongering, and slander! They boast that they themselves are gentlemen, they spread rumors that the sovereign and father is a fatuous ruler, and they slap the slanderous label of 'eunuch faction' on officials of differing views. Remarkable! These men deeply understand the true essence of propaganda. Jizhi, do you know what the true essence of propaganda is?"

"This subject does not know."

The word "propaganda" had only become popular in modern times; though it had been used before, it did not then carry its later meaning.

Zhu Cilang laughed. "It is to say that you yourself are good, and that your enemy is bad! And to say it until everyone believes it. There are many means of propaganda, and the Donglin gentlemen's gatherings are only one of them. Jizhi, the opera you excel at can also be used for propaganda!

How about this: first help Us write several operas exposing the Tartars' evil deeds, so that the people of the southeast may quickly see the Tartars' true face! Once everyone recognizes that the Tartars are the bad ones, they will naturally know that you are a good man, and then We will be able to put you to great use."

"This..." Ruan Dacheng thought for a moment and nodded. "May this subject write about the Tartars wanting to dig up the grave of the Sage Confucius?"

"That is only one part," Zhu Cilang said. "You must also write the story of the Tartars seizing the lands of the Han people in Northern Zhili, the story of their forcibly occupying the houses of the common people of Beijing, the story of their forcing the Han commoners of Northern Zhili to submit as slaves, and of driving out hundreds of thousands of people, leaving them all as corpses from starvation!

Furthermore, you must write the stories of the Tartars slaughtering cities: the Massacre of Liaoyang, the Massacre of Shenyang, the Massacre of Liaodong, the Massacre of Liaoxi, the Massacre of Jinzhou, the Massacre of Jinan, the Massacre of Sanhe, the Massacre of Changping...

And also, you must write of how the civil officials who stayed in Beijing and went over to the Tartars suffered humiliation — how they shaved their heads and changed their dress, how they submitted as slaves, how they offered up their wives and daughters to be violated and debauched by Tartar officers and soldiers!

In short, you must write the Tartars as worse than demons and monsters — more evil, more vile, more shameless!

Well? Jizhi, can you write these things? Can you write so much?"

"Hey! Ruan Jizhi! What are you thinking about?"

Ruan Dacheng had clearly been frightened by Zhu Cilang's description. He sat dazed for a while, and only when he heard Zhu Cilang call out loudly did he stammer, "Th-Thousand Years, are the Tartars truly that evil?"

"Of course! The Tartars are the most evil of all," Zhu Cilang said. "And moreover, We have always said one when there is one, and two when there are two, and have never slandered anyone! In a few more days, when the Tartar embassy arrives in Nanjing, you will see for yourself how evil they are!"

"The Tartar embassy?" Ruan Dacheng had heard something of it. "Is it the embassy led by that Sun Zhixie?"

"Yes!" Zhu Cilang nodded. "They will soon be coming to Nanjing! When the time comes, go ask them yourself, and you will know how evil the Tartars are!"

(End of Chapter)