Chapter 106: Overriding All Objections

Some time had passed since Old Feng arrived in the capital with lightning speed. Throughout it all, he had merely held a nominal post in the Grand Secretariat. The Chongzhen Emperor had not issued an edict filling the vacancy, and no matter how anxious Old Feng grew, it was all to no avail.

When he came to court today, Feng Quan had arrived with an uneasy heart—at last he had been given a substantive post. The Ministry of Works had always been a lucrative sinecure; once there were construction projects to be had, one could line one's own pockets along the way. Would that not be a delight?

But Feng Quan was only daydreaming. Under the current circumstances, he had already made his position perfectly clear—he would not dare act in such a manner.

This lucrative post could no longer be called all that lucrative now. It could even be said to be a hot potato—once it stuck to you, you would either die or shed a layer of skin. Thinking of the fate of his predecessor, Feng Quan did not dare take it lightly.

Happy as he was, he still had to handle matters with perfect clarity. The Eastern and Embroidered Uniform Guard agencies were everywhere inside and outside the capital right now. He was not a man of the Donglin Faction, and if he did not walk the same path as Wei Zaode, he would basically die without even knowing how.

The matter of building the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs being placed in his hands might well be Chongzhen's greatest test of him.

Feng Quan was not only greedy, he also feared death. And so, compared to those Donglin men who prided themselves on lofty integrity and glorified dying for principle, he was far easier to control—he could even be counted one of the rare clear-headed men at court.

That the Chongzhen Emperor placed great importance on the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs was already an obvious fact. Feng Quan was now both flattered and terrified, afraid that with one careless slip he would end up like his predecessor.

At this moment, the Emperor's blade was pressed against his neck. The agencies did not even need any pretext to burst into his home and drag him straight to the Imperial Prison for harsh interrogation.

Though Feng Quan had just taken office, he knew when to do what, and naturally would not be greedy at such a critical juncture.

When Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu received the edict and entered the ranks, the Chongzhen Emperor said: "Among the four classes of people, the scholar is most honored, the farmer most toilsome, the craftsman most bitter, and the merchant most wealthy. Is what I have said wrong?"

Hearing these words, the ministers all shuddered, thinking to themselves that the main act had arrived. Seeing no one speak up, the Chongzhen Emperor continued on his own:

"What is a farmer? In spring, he rises at the crow of the rooster and must drive the ox to the fields to plow. Having barely planted the seedlings, he must pull weeds and tend the soil. Under the blazing sun, who among them is not gaunt and haggard?"

"When autumn comes, if there is a bit of harvest, after paying the government levies, how much remains? Should flood, drought, or insect blight strike, the whole family, young and old, is left in panic, not knowing where their end lies."

"In these times, flood, drought, and insect blight come without cease, and officials great and small levy exorbitant taxes. Perhaps an entire village of farmers does not even have a single plow ox among them. They eat without being full and dress without covering their bodies. One can well imagine what kind of life the common people lead."

As he spoke, the Chongzhen Emperor pointed at the assembled ministers below and sneered:

"And you who serve as officials—most of those in the provinces know nothing of the people's suffering, caring only for exploitation and abuse, utterly without conscience! Those who dwell in the capital delight in factional strife, do not worry over affairs of state, and are past masters at purging those who disagree with them!"

"The Hongwu Emperor once said he would slaughter every corrupt official in the realm. Yet affairs of state have come to this day—can it truly be resolved merely by slaughtering all corrupt officials?"

Having spoken, the Chongzhen Emperor looked toward Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode, gave him a meaningful glance, and asked calmly:

"Regarding this situation, my minister, what wise counsel do you have?"

Hearing this, all the officials turned their gazes upon Wei Zaode.

Many eyes even showed looks of extreme disgust. This fellow Wei was nothing but a dog skilled at flattering the Emperor—who knew what earth-shattering nonsense he would propose today.

Wei Zaode had nothing left to lose. Having already been blackened to charcoal by his Donglin colleagues, he showed no hesitation and stepped forward from the ranks, bowing:

"I report to Your Majesty: in the current situation, corruption among officials great and small has become epidemic, truly beyond comparison with any previous dynasty. Your Majesty just mentioned that the Grand Ancestor, the Supreme Emperor, wished to slaughter all corrupt officials in the realm. It suddenly occurs to me—why not restore the ancestral system and let the common people supervise the hundred officials?"

The moment these words were spoken, the entire court was stunned.

As the officials buzzed with discussion, Wei Zaode simply added fuel to the fire: "Your Majesty, the only course for the present is to invoke severe penalties and restore the Hongwu ancestral system, for only thus can the corrupt winds of officialdom be curbed!"

Wei Zaode's meaning had in fact been revealed to him personally by Wang Cheng'en, who had visited his residence that morning—it was actually the Chongzhen Emperor's own intent. At this moment Chongzhen said nothing, watching the reactions of the ministers below and finding it utterly ridiculous.

The most common phrase the Donglin Faction had used to oppose Chongzhen in the past was how this or that violated the ancestral system. For the first sixteen years of Chongzhen's reign, that phrase had been their trump card. But now, the Emperor had turned their own weapon against them, making it the trump card used to deal with them.

The ministers, hearing Wei Zaode so vigorously devise schemes for the Emperor, were all cursing him inwardly in a chorus.

Compared to his predecessor, Sir Chen, this fellow Wei was as different as heaven from earth. The current Emperor truly lived up to being a benighted sovereign comparable to Jie and Zhou—to think he could elevate such a man. The Great Ming would sooner or later perish at his hands.

This thing was the ancestral system. For the Chongzhen Emperor to invoke it gave him both legitimacy and substance. Officials should, by both reason and sentiment, approve—anyone who opposed it needed no investigation; he was unquestionably a corrupt official.

Even if the Chongzhen Emperor willfully staged another scene of blood splattering the dragon pillar, no one could find the slightest fault with it.

Wei Zaode's proposal to invoke the Grand Pronouncements of the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang, was tantamount to pulling the firewood from beneath the cauldron for the officials. What commoner would be willing to help officials in their corruption? They would certainly be delighted to drag every one of them down from power.

A remonstrance official stepped out from the ranks and, pointing at Wei Zaode's nose before the assembled court, sprayed spittle as he spoke:

"Your Majesty, Wei Zaode truly lacks both virtue and ability—his sole skill is the art of flattery and sycophancy! That such a mediocre, do-nothing creature should occupy the position of chief minister of our dynasty is the misfortune of the Great Ming, the misfortune of all the people under heaven!"

"Your Majesty, I beg that Wei Zaode be executed, to correct public perception and uphold the law!"

"Are you finished?" The Chongzhen Emperor looked at this remonstrance official and sneered: "To dare roar in the court before my very face—it seems you truly do not hold me, the Emperor, in any regard! Where are the Grand Warriors?"

Two Grand Warriors standing guard outside immediately entered the hall, clasped their fists, and bowed their heads, awaiting orders.

"Drag this man out of the hall, give him fifty strokes of the rod, and send him to the frontier as a soldier, never to be employed again. I still consider that his wife and children bear no great fault—let them be commoners for all eternity, and their family is spared the death penalty. Go and carry it out at once!"

"Benighted sovereign! Benighted sovereign!"

In truth, everyone had expected the Chongzhen Emperor to kill again. This light and heavy-handed punishment truly surprised them. Several faces showed shock, frowning and not daring to move a muscle, while the rest buzzed with murmurs.

The Chongzhen Emperor watched the remonstrance official being dragged away by the Grand Warriors and gave another cold snort.

This fellow had been perfectly docile on ordinary days, not daring to say a word in court. For him to suddenly leap out and oppose him like this was clearly instigated by someone.

If he truly killed this man to satisfy their wishes, then under the current rules, this remonstrance official would surely go down in history with a reputation for upright integrity. Would that not be letting him off far too easily?

For now, let him be sent to the frontier as a soldier. Have the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate his background—any fault at all will do. Once it is exposed and his reputation is ruined, then kill him.

By that time, this man would not only lose his life and property, even the pure and lofty reputation he had pursued all his life would turn to nothing, leaving him cursed in the annals of history. Let us see who would still dare leap out thoughtlessly to seek death!

The Chongzhen Emperor was very satisfied with the reactions of the ministers below. He thought to himself that from now on, before dealing with any official, he should employ this tactic—first ruin the reputations of these Donglin men, and then he could knead and shape them however he pleased.

Seeing that the Chongzhen Emperor had once again overruled all objections to protect him, Wei Zaode wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Paying no heed to the opinions of the others, he stepped forward and continued:

"Take the capital as an example. Though the surveillance of the agencies is extremely strong, there are still officials steeped in corruption who remain at large. The provinces are far from the capital, so one can well imagine the situation there."

"If Your Majesty invokes the Grand Pronouncements of the Grand Ancestor, let all the common people of the realm hear of them, and see that every person has a copy. Even if a corrupt and venal official could bribe one man or one household, could he bribe all the rest?"

"The mouths of the people cannot be stopped. When all under heaven know that Your Majesty is a sage ruler for the ages, they will surely rush to expose and report wrongdoing. The work of the agencies will become far easier, and corruption at court can be brought to an end!"... Dear readers, you can search for "Blue Chinese Network" to find this site immediately.