Chapter 302: Chaos Erupts

As the head of the Northern Bastille Office, Li Ruolian's daily focus was on the Emperor's every move. He often judged the Emperor's preferences and favored persons through imperial edicts and oral instructions, so as to make corresponding judgments and responses, protecting and helping these capable men avoid major missteps, so that they might one day become figures the Emperor relied upon—and the young Prefect before him was precisely someone in need of his helping hand.

The meticulous Li Ruolian had long known which grand ministers the Emperor valued most, and the protégés of these grand ministers naturally became his targets of attention. For this very reason, on the second day after arriving in Suzhou Prefecture, he sent someone to find Fang Wen and arrange a convenient time for a private meeting.

Fang Wen, trapped in a difficult situation, was overjoyed upon receiving Li Ruolian's notice. To him, isolated and without support, the sudden appearance of a high-ranking officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard signaled the arrival of an opportunity—if grasped properly, this market closure incident would be his chance to escape his desperate straits.

He immediately used the pretext of visiting an old friend outside the city, and, accompanied by the servant who had followed him from Shaanxi, went in plain clothes to the Suzhou Centurion Office.

"Prefect Fang, this officer has come south by imperial decree to deal with those who would scheme to plunge Jiangnan into chaos. At this moment when storm clouds gather over Suzhou City, the Imperial Guard requires the full assistance of your prefectural office, so that the people of Suzhou may not suffer undue harm, and so that the city may swiftly return to its former prosperity. Whatever suggestions or hopes your office may have, speak freely—this officer will work together with your office to handle this matter properly, so as to set His Majesty's heart at ease!"

Although given Li Ruolian's status and position, there was no need whatsoever for him to be so courteous to Fang Wen, Li Ruolian had other plans in mind.

Li Ruolian knew all the tricks of infighting and backstabbing in the Ming court like the back of his hand. He understood Fang Wen's current predicament very clearly and deeply, so he intended to help Fang Wen eliminate his rivals within the prefectural office, allowing Fang Wen to establish a firm foothold in Suzhou Prefecture. When he returned to the capital and reported to the Emperor, he need only mention this matter briefly to leave a better impression in the Emperor's mind.

All of this was for the seat of Regional Military Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Luo Yangxing was too mediocre, his methods too gentle, unwilling to offend anyone—this had led to signs of certain Chiliarchs becoming overbearing and hard to control, with discipline in the Guard showing early signs of disorder, and even some who used their authority to secretly extort court officials. All of this Li Ruolian could not tolerate. In his view, these actions were smearing the face of the Imperial Guard and courting self-destruction.

If these incidents were to reach the palace, the Emperor would likely take measures to restrict the Guard's powers, and the Imperial Guard, which had only just managed to restore its former glory with great difficulty, would probably be gradually marginalized. Such a possible outcome was something Li Ruolian simply could not accept.

As long as he could take over the seat of Regional Military Commissioner, the various disorders now appearing within the Guard would be eradicated at the root, the rotten apples would receive their due punishment, and the Imperial Guard's standing would remain unshakable.

"The Imperial Commissioner's words fill this subordinate with shame. To be frank with the Imperial Commissioner, since assuming this post last year, apart from using the official seal when remitting taxes to the court, all other documents I have issued have been shelved and ignored. When handling official business, the six bureaus and all clerks below the chief secretaries have paid lip service while acting otherwise. Even when I found fault and had someone beaten with boards in the hall, the one wielding the rod was merely putting on a show for my benefit. I have heard something of this scheme in Suzhou to defy the court, but I have been powerless to stop it. Now, fortunate that the Provost has come in person by imperial decree, I can finally feel the might of the court. Whatever orders the Provost gives, this subordinate will fully cooperate and serve, so that Suzhou Prefecture may soon see clear skies again!"

Fang Wen made no attempt to conceal the difficulties he currently faced—after all, with such a major incident occurring under his jurisdiction, he bore undeniable responsibility. Only by first explaining the difficulties he had encountered could he hope to win the understanding of his patron and the Emperor.

"Your office's frankness commands this officer's admiration. This matter of someone colluding with bandits to plunge Jiangnan into chaos is, for your office, purely a disaster not of your making. I believe His Majesty and the court will take your office's difficulties into consideration and will not censure you too harshly. Your office is young and capable; if you serve His Majesty with wholehearted dedication, your future prospects will surely be boundless. I hope your office will not take a single wrong step, and will remember well who is the true master of our Great Ming! Otherwise, the fate of certain persons stands as a warning!"

Li Ruolian's expression turned solemn.

Fang Wen hastily rose, clasped his hands in salute, and murmured words of deference.

"Does your office have trusted persons within the prefectural administration? In a few days, after the unrest has subsided, they will be needed. For now, I ask your office to take up the brush and list those within the prefectural office who harbor disloyalty toward the court—when the time comes, the Imperial Guard will arrest them all at once! Afterward, your office shall immediately send people forth to comfort the populace and restore the prosperity of the markets. If there are casualties, the innocent must be compensated and damaged homes repaired. All subsequent matters shall be handled with your office's diligent care! Once you have finished writing, your office may return—it would be best to shut your gates on the pretext of illness, leaving prefectural affairs to your deputies. Everything else shall be handled by this officer!"

Li Ruolian pointed to the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table as he spoke.

Fang Wen was stunned for a moment, then was suddenly overwhelmed with joy. With Li Ruolian's words, he could legitimately topple all his political enemies within the prefectural office.

With the great basket of "colluding with bandits to plunge Jiangnan into chaos," anything could be thrown in.

After handing the list left by Fang Wen to Wu Junsheng, Li Ruolian sat down and sank into thought.

Everything had been arranged. Now all that remained was to see to what extent the market closure in Suzhou Prefecture would escalate. Li Ruolian hoped those people would make as big a scene as possible. Toward these Jiangnan gentry and officials who regarded the Emperor as nothing, he felt genuine hatred and disgust, wishing he could have every one of their families exterminated and their properties confiscated.

At the start of the market closure, the mindset of Suzhou's citizens was no different from that of Yangzhou Prefecture. But the difference was that because Xu Qiming and others had adopted extraordinary measures, Liang Qi had gone with the flow and arrested his entire gang, and the market closure lasted less than two days before being brought to an end. Thus no major disturbance occurred within the city, and market order was quickly restored.

However, Suzhou Prefecture's Judge Jiao Yunfeng and the wealthy merchants Huang Zhi, Wang Zuohai, and others did not adopt drastic measures. Instead, they secretly mobilized literate members of their families to write inflammatory posters and distribute them everywhere, inciting the city's populace to rise up against the so-called tyranny of the court competing with the people for profit.

The posters obliquely attacked Zhu Youjian personally, calling him the only tyrant of the Great Ming since the founding Emperor, saying he had countless consorts in the palace and staggering daily expenditures, and that this taxation was carried out solely to satisfy his own greed—a typical case of placing the people of Jiangnan in fire and water for the private interests of the imperial house. The posters even hinted that the roving bandits ravaging the north were also a result of his excessive exploitation of the people—that the northerners had risen up against tyranny only to survive.

As the rumors spread, compounded by shortages of grain, oil, and salt, and with instigation from those with ulterior motives, the citizens of Suzhou—who already had a precedent of resisting taxation—began to grow restless. First, neighbors gathered to discuss the commercial tax matter; then discussion turned to cursing and denunciation, and one small gathering after another dispersed amid a chorus of abuse.

Although discontent and indignation were brewing within the city, because most households still had stored grain to last a few more days, Suzhou City remained generally calm on the surface.

But on the fourth day of the market closure, this facade of calm was shattered—the reason being that most households had run out of grain.

At Li Ruolian's instruction, the Sihai Trading Company in Suzhou City had also joined the market closure. Several grain shops and general stores had shut their doors, and the employees who lived within the city had each been given enough grain to last ten days, which they secretly transported home and hid away.

Citizens whose households had already run out of grain, or were close to running out, could no longer contain themselves. First a small number of people took to the streets, cursing at the mulberry tree while pointing at the locust tree; then the crowd grew larger and larger, until finally someone shouted the slogan "Go demand an explanation from the authorities!" and the crowd on the streets began spontaneously moving toward the Suzhou Prefectural Office.

As households throughout the city each contributed members to the procession, the hired thugs and ruffians of Huang Zhi and others were also among them. When they passed one of the Sihai Trading Company's grain shops, several hoodlums pointed at the establishment and shouted: "This shop is run by the palace! The dog emperor squeezes money from the people and still adds more taxes—he won't let us live! Let's loot it today!"

One thug ran up, leaped, and kicked the door panel. With a bang, the door panel didn't budge in the slightest. Another thug shouted: "Smash open the shop door! There's grain inside!"

This shout ignited the crowd's ferocity. Someone stepped forward and began throwing his body against the door panels, then more people joined in. Under the combined force of the crowd, several door panels crashed to the ground with a thunderous roar, and people began surging into the shop in a frantic rush.

As word spread, the other shops of the Sihai Trading Company were also broken into by the populace one after another. But whether grain shops or oil, salt, and general stores, most of the goods stored within had long since been loaded onto boats and shipped elsewhere—those who broke in gained little.

In the chaos, someone seized the opportunity to set fires, and before long, several blazes were burning in various parts of the city. Driven by the flames, people who had lost all reason began smashing, looting, and ransacking the shops and homes along the streets. The prosperous city of Suzhou was suddenly thrown into turmoil.