Chapter 157: Matters After Death

In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the summoned members of the Grand Secretariat and the high officials of the Nine Ministers and various ministries stood in ranks on the right, while hereditary nobles such as Yangwu Marquis Xue Lian stood on the left, with Luo Yangxing standing alone at a slightly central position below the steps; Chongzhen sat high on the dragon throne, with Li Erxi attending at his side.

Wen Tiren stepped forward to memorialize: "We report to Your Majesty: previously, Shandong Governor Zhu Dadian and Henan Governor Xuan Mo submitted urgent memorials stating that the drought in both provinces is severe, with refugees already appearing in many prefectures and counties, and their numbers growing daily. Your ministers have deliberated with colleagues in the Grand Secretariat and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to allocate two hundred thousand taels of silver for the two governors to purchase grain and settle the people; but with the large populations of both provinces, a paltry sum of silver may accomplish little. Moreover, as the drought persists, the wealthy grain-holding households locally are all hoarding to avoid disaster—even with silver, grain is hard to buy. Your ministers wonder whether we might divert some of the grain transport to relieve the disaster victims? We request Your Majesty's decision!"

The drought in both provinces was spreading; more and more refugees who had no choice but to flee because of total crop failure were appearing. Fortunately, Lu Xiangsheng had led his army to drive the roving bandits out of Henan—otherwise, swept up by the bandits, most people would have blindly followed for the sake of a mouthful of food, and the bandit ranks would have swelled rapidly.

The Grand Secretariat's strategy was to divert the grain being shipped north along the canal in Shandong and relieve the victims on the spot. This method was feasible, but not in too great a quantity. The grain transport directly concerned the stability of the capital region—the four million dan of grain each year went directly to supply the capital and its surrounding areas. If too much were diverted along the way, what would the million people of the capital do?

Although over the past year or more, through measures such as digging wells against the drought, drying manure to fertilize fields, and repairing canals to channel water, grain output in the imperial estates and the capital's surrounding areas had increased greatly, this only served as a supplement to the grain transport—it could not yet bear the full weight of supplying the capital's population with needed grain. A large amount of transported grain was still required to solve the food problem.

Chongzhen had been preparing for this for two years. He knew the current drought would continue to spread and would last for several years.

The Zheng family's fleet had already shipped roughly over three hundred thousand dan of rice northward, and grain purchases would continue without interruption. Chongzhen had taken two hundred thousand taels from the privy purse to pay the Zheng family's grain purchase and shipping costs. Though far less than the Zheng family's actual expenditures, this gesture had to be made.

According to Zheng Zhifeng, the court need not pay silver for this grain—it could all be counted as a donation from the Zheng family. But they were merchants, and while silver came easily to them, one could not endlessly extract from them—that would become extortion. Protecting private property would be one of the major measures of future reforms; this bad precedent could not be set.

Chongzhen nodded: "Minister Wen has worked hard. I will allocate three hundred thousand taels from the privy purse to purchase grain from Jiangnan, Guangdong, and elsewhere to relieve the north; this year, five hundred thousand dan of the grain transport may be diverted—any more and I fear it would harm the capital region. Given that disaster victims are increasing daily, I have ordered the Grain Transport Governor-General to build four large granaries along the canal. Officials of the corresponding prefectures and counties in both provinces must organize disaster victims to move toward the canal—first, so they can be relieved nearby; second, with labor available, dredging of the canal and its silted waterways can be organized, and using the canal's water flow, irrigation channels can be built and wasteland reclaimed, so as to settle the victims."

Wen Tiren bowed: "Your Majesty's strategy is excellent. Your ministers will return and issue directives to both provinces, urging them to carry it out promptly!"

Left Chief Censor Li Banghua stepped forward to memorialize: "We report to Your Majesty: your minister believes that to prevent corruption in disaster relief, the Censorate should dispatch censors to inspect this matter. Should any official disregard the court's laws and seek to profit from the relief funds and grain, the censors may punish them severely according to law!"

Chongzhen praised: "Minister Li speaks well. Not only should the Censorate send censors to inspect, I will also order the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to send men to investigate; natural disasters are unavoidable, but man-made calamities must be guarded against! After court is dismissed, Minister Li should select capable men and depart immediately. Should any be found guilty of corruption and law-breaking, those of the fourth rank and below may be executed on the spot! Those above the fourth rank shall be arrested by the Depot and Guard and brought to the capital!"

Li Banghua accepted the decree and returned to his place in the ranks. Though the Depot and Guard were disliked, their deterrent power was considerable. The censors and remonstrating officials operated in the open, while the Depot and Guard investigated in secret—the two could complement each other.

Chongzhen noticed that Hou Xun seemed to have something to say, and decisively tried to shift the topic to the Hall of Martyrs. Before he could speak, Hou Xun had already stepped forward and spoken first: "We report to Your Majesty: your old minister hears that Shi Xiantai has returned to the capital—this trip to Jiangnan must have been quite fruitful?"

Chongzhen knew this old fellow had caught wind and was preparing to reach out for money. Helplessly, he spoke: "Minister Shi has indeed just returned. After court is dismissed, I will have someone deliver one million taels to the Taicang treasury. Minister Hou may rest assured!"

Hou Xun happily withdrew. Now, whenever confiscated illicit silver came in, Hou Xun was sure to come for his share—in his view, the Emperor was a big fat sheep. Chongzhen thought of the silver he had just obtained—before it was even warm in his hands, he had to hand over a portion. Naturally he was reluctant, but the man was also acting for the court's sake; not giving it would truly be indefensible.

Chongzhen continued: "Now that droughts are appearing successively in various provinces, the Grand Secretariat should prepare for the worst and draft countermeasures as early as possible; once large numbers of disaster victims appear, effective strategies must be adopted immediately to settle them properly. All ministers must not take this lightly—the disaster of the roving bandits in Shanxi and Shaanxi is still before our eyes, and we must never let it recur!"

All the ministers bowed in assent. The Emperor's words were not alarmist—the bandit momentum had only just been checked. If new disaster victims were not properly settled, no one could guarantee that no one in Shandong or Henan would rebel.

Chongzhen continued: "Regarding the Hall of Martyrs I originally proposed, all ministers unanimously opposed it, and I know your thoughts and concerns, which is why it has been delayed until now without being built; but what I said has already spread widely through the army. If I break my word and grow fat on my promises, how can I win the trust of the realm in the future? Since all ministers are present today, let us discuss the matter of the Hall of Martyrs again—this matter can no longer be delayed!"

Wen Tiren stepped forward to memorialize: "Your Majesty's intention in building the hall was to inspire soldiers and civilians to fight the enemy bravely, with the original purpose that those who die in battle need not worry about what comes after; now the Taicang treasury is increasingly well-off, Your Majesty often allocates silver from the privy purse to comfort the imperial troops, monthly pay is sufficient, and there are also burial subsidies and hereditary lands. Your minister believes that with such generous treatment, how would soldiers dare not to strive? Thus building the hall is truly superfluous!"

The rest of the ministers remained silent. They were tired of trading words with Chongzhen, and had all made up their minds—no matter what the Emperor said, they would firmly refuse to agree to building the hall. We've tolerated the burial silver and hereditary lands—giving them a mouthful of food is fine—but you actually plan to build them a hall? That's going too far!

Chongzhen sighed: "Since we Han people established our own homeland, countless fine sons have shed blood and laid down their lives to protect their homes and country from barbarian invasion; how many nameless martyrs died in foreign lands, unable to have their souls return to their native soil—it was precisely these martyrs' bloody resistance that won our Chinese people peace and prosperity! The current state of the Great Ming is proof of this! Do all ministers know that many orphans whose families have passed away are serving at the front? They have no kin left in this world—after they give their lives for the country, where do their souls go? Who will pull the weeds from their graves? Who will offer them the four seasonal sacrifices when they are in distress underground? Will all ministers not put yourselves in their shoes and think on this?"

In this era where everyone placed great importance on matters after death, Chongzhen's words were indeed beyond reproach in terms of reason and sentiment.

Who would want to die with no one to offer sacrifices? Carrying on the family line was not only about continuing the bloodline—more importantly, it was so that after death, someone would visit one's grave, so that one would not feel lonely underground.

Yangwu Marquis Xue Lian stepped forward with deep feeling to memorialize: "Your Majesty's words resonate deeply with your minister. On behalf of my comrades in the army, I express profound gratitude for Your Majesty's concern for the soldiers! If this is accomplished, it will surely greatly boost troop morale, unite officers and men as one, and enable them to render new distinguished service for Your Majesty in pacifying the petty and sweeping away the vile!"

Wei Shichun stepped forward to memorialize: "Even amid Your Majesty's myriad affairs of state, you still think of the soldiers' concerns—we ministers are all deeply moved by Your Majesty's grace! The matter of building the hall has already spread widely through the army, and officers and men who hear of it are all overjoyed—it is now a matter that must be done! Otherwise, morale will easily collapse! The words of Yangwu Marquis are also what your minister thinks—we request Your Majesty to issue a decree to the relevant offices to begin construction!"

The two had been overseeing the Capital Camps until now, and with less interference from civil officials, they had already achieved considerable results in rectifying military discipline and improving troop combat effectiveness.

This time, the matter of building the hall for sacrifices had received unanimous support from the Capital Camps and the Yongwei Camp alike. This was tremendous glory—the Emperor had not forgotten them, these men of slaughter. Monthly pay was issued in full, there were substantial subsidies for death in battle or disability, and His Majesty even wanted to find wives for the bachelors—with all these measures, only fighting to the death could repay His Majesty's kindness.

Although Yang Sichang opposed building the hall, he saw that Chongzhen insisted on his view while the court officials were firmly unwilling to yield—at this critical moment, someone had to step forward and smooth things over.

So he stepped forward to memorialize: "Though what Your Majesty says is all true, since the founding of the Great Ming, no small number of court officials and literati have also given their lives for it. If Your Majesty now intends to build a hall solely for soldiers, I fear the realm's literati will be in an uproar—this would not be a blessing for the state! Your minister believes that if this is to be accomplished, another path must be found!"

It was not only Wang Cheng'en who had pointed out this crux—Yang Sichang also saw it clearly. This matter had to satisfy both civil and military; it could not lean toward the military side alone.

Wen Tiren watched Yang Sichang repeatedly come forward to steal the spotlight, and this time his words also leaned somewhat more toward the Emperor—he couldn't help but raise his guard against Yang Sichang a few notches.

Chongzhen shot Yang Sichang an appreciative glance and asked: "Then in Minister Yang's view, how should this matter be handled?"

Yang Sichang memorialized: "In your minister's view, soldiers who die for the country should have cemeteries established at the places where they fell, with the government hiring people to manage daily cleaning and sacrifices! As for building a hall in the capital, that is quite unnecessary!"

Yang Sichang's suggestion was basically the same as the martyrs' cemeteries of later generations in various places, but it was also a pioneering act in history—one had to admit Yang Sichang was indeed a talent.

Though the assembled ministers were still not entirely willing to accept Yang Sichang's suggestion, compared to Chongzhen's idea of building a hall in the capital with Ministry of Rites and Ministry of War officials offering the four seasonal sacrifices, this was barely acceptable—so this time no one stepped forward to oppose.

One only needed to select a piece of wasteland at the site of a great battle and enclose it, hire people to look after it on ordinary days, and no officials needed to go offer sacrifices—this method could pass muster.

Chongzhen went along with the flow: "Minister Yang's words suit my intentions well—this method is feasible! But the matter of building the hall in the capital must also proceed!"

The court officials immediately became dissatisfied—we've already conceded a step, what more do you want?

Minister of Rites Liu Yuliang stepped forward to memorialize: "Your minister believes that the Minister of War's proposal is already excellent. If Your Majesty makes any further outlandish moves, we ministers fear we cannot agree!"

Xue Lian and the other hereditary nobles glared angrily at Liu Yuliang—this old fellow, relying on his seniority, actually dared to openly defy His Majesty. Should they send someone over the wall into his house tonight to give him a scare?

Luo Yangxing, who had remained silent all along, was secretly considering sending men to collect evidence of wrongdoing by the Liu family—as long as the evidence was sufficient, they could be arrested directly into the Imperial Prison and taste the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Chongzhen waved his hand: "Minister Liu, calm yourself! Apart from the Minister of War's method, I intend to invite all loyal souls who gave their lives for the country into the Hall of Martyrs for sacrifice—civil and military alike, without distinction! Henceforth, any civil or military figure who makes outstanding contributions to the Great Ming and its common people shall, after their death, also be invited into the hall to receive state sacrifices! And the court shall bestow upon them matching posthumous titles!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Qianqing Palace fell into silence. Everyone except Chongzhen was pondering the meaning of the latter half of the Emperor's words, while Chongzhen leisurely picked up his teacup and savored it.

Hah! Let's see if you still oppose this now?

Civil and military sharing in sacrifices was one thing—that only made you think I was being fair—but even then, one had to die for the country to qualify.

But the latter sentence's impact on everyone was utterly enormous.

As long as you made outstanding contributions to the Great Ming, to the realm, to the people—even if you died of old age or illness, you could enter the hall and receive sacrifices! And you would get a posthumous title!

Though every dynasty had the tradition of sharing the Imperial Ancestral Temple, such treatment had been granted to very few in the Great Ming's two hundred-plus years—none of those present in the hall considered themselves qualified to enter the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

But the Hall of Martyrs gave everyone a chance. Though its grade and level were lower than the Imperial Ancestral Temple, it was still supreme glory to receive state sacrifices from the court! As long as one achieved political accomplishments others could not, perhaps one could enter the hall and receive sacrifices!

Moreover, if both civil and military could enter the hall, then one could claim outwardly that the Emperor had originally wanted only the military to enter, but through one's own strenuous opposition, one had finally forced the Emperor to agree that literati could also enter and receive sacrifices—this would win a good reputation among the literati.

"Your minister agrees with Your Majesty's words—the matter of building the Hall of Martyrs brooks no delay!" A sonorous voice broke the silence in the hall.