Chapter 122: Controversy

Wu Youke and Yuan Ban were both capable men, and in times like these, when plague could resurface at any moment, it was naturally best to keep them in his own hands.

Yuan Ban had no objections, since deep down he still wished to serve as an official, but Wu Youke was someone who might not stay even if asked.

The Donglin Faction had nothing to say, and so the matter of promoting and rewarding Wu Youke and Yuan Ban was settled with ease.

The Chongzhen Emperor shifted back into a more comfortable position, casually tossing the memorial onto the imperial desk, then turned to ask Fang Zhenghua how the matter of dealing with the eunuchs and palace maids in the rear palace was progressing.

After what had happened last night, the Chongzhen Emperor had flown into a rage, and Fang Zhenghua, both alarmed and furious, had likewise thrown all his focus into the rear palace.

After Fang Zhenghua returned to the Eastern Depot's yamen, he berated several of the Chiliarchs in charge of punishments until they were thoroughly drenched in abuse, and the agents, spurred on by the scolding, threw themselves fully into the work and conducted yet another thorough sweep of the rear palace.

Fang Zhenghua said with utmost respect:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant has investigated the maids and eunuchs of every palace and hall. The list of those to be cut has been drawn up, and after consulting with Chief Grand Secretary Wei, proper arrangements will be made for all those dismissed."

The Chongzhen Emperor gave an "Mm," then, as if suddenly reminded of something, said:

"In that case, you need not go to Renshou Hall. I will personally go to see Empress Dowager Yi'an myself on another day—that would be more appropriate."

Originally, Fang Zhenghua's greatest difficulty had been Kunning Palace and Renshou Hall, for two mistresses of the rear palace resided there, and no matter how high his position rose, he was still, in the end, a hound of the Zhu family.

The Chongzhen Emperor had always been respectful toward Empress Dowager Yi'an, visiting her nearly every few days in past years, and now he was deeply devoted to Empress Zhou as well—this was merely a case of a couple quarreling in bed and making up by the bed's foot.

If Empress Zhou were to casually whisper a word in the emperor's ear, he would find himself in far more trouble than he could handle. Fang Zhenghua, who had been agonizing over this very dilemma, heard the Chongzhen Emperor's words and felt as if pardoned from a death sentence, hurriedly crying out praises of His Majesty's sagacity and the like.

"Rise."

The Chongzhen Emperor had also simply been in a fit of anger last night; now that he saw Fang Zhenghua handling matters so diligently, he deliberately offered encouragement and consolation before the Donglin Faction, tossing out a generous sweet date.

Before long, the Chongzhen Emperor cleared his throat and asked:

"Minister Feng, has the Temple of Loyal Martyrs been completed?"

Finally it was his turn to perform, and Feng Quan stepped forward with considerable confidence, bowing and saying:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, since taking office at the Ministry of Works, your minister has buried himself in hard work day and night, diligent and tireless, forgetting food and sleep... Your minister allocated funds from the Ministry of Works, distributing the workers' wages without delay, and personally visited the workers' homes to offer condolences..."

"Fortunately, I did not fail the mission. The Temple of Loyal Martyrs was completed on the twenty-first day of the seventh month. The soldiers will surely be grateful for His Majesty's grace. This is your minister's memorial."

"Minister Feng has worked hard, and I am deeply gratified."

After listening to Feng Quan's bout of self-aggrandizement, the Chongzhen Emperor, though finding it distasteful, nonetheless followed the opening to offer a casual word of commendation, once again making clear his stance and attitude before both the Donglin Faction and the loyalist faction.

"To serve the dynasty and to serve Your Majesty is the bounden duty of a minister; your minister dares not claim merit."

Hearing the Chongzhen Emperor's approval and encouragement, Feng Quan was overjoyed inside, thinking to himself that his prospects of entering the Ming dynasty's leadership circle had brightened.

Yet Feng Quan had spent many years navigating officialdom and naturally possessed depth of cunning; on the surface, his expression remained utterly unchanged, presenting a picture of utmost deference and trepidation, which made the Donglin Faction gnash their teeth in fury.

The Donglin Faction watched the Chongzhen Emperor playing in concert with Fang Zhenghua, Feng Quan, and these eunuch-faction types, staging a little drama of sovereign and minister bonding—in truth, they had nothing to say, and dared not say anything either.

No one was a fool; one wrong word and this benighted sovereign would not hesitate in the slightest to execute and confiscate entire households. Far safer to stand by and watch the show.

"Since you ministers have nothing to say, then I shall speak of the next matter. At present, thanks to my brilliance and martial prowess, the southern route army of the rebel bandits has been routed, and the Tartar slaves have been frightened back beyond the passes. The martial law in the capital region is hereby lifted as of today."

Having said this, the Chongzhen Emperor coughed once and continued: "Although Liu Fangliang has yet to be captured, he will not be able to cause any major trouble in the short term."

"At the beginning of this month, Shanxi Regional Commander Zhou Yuji and Datong Regional Commander Bai Guangen sent military dispatches reporting that the battle at Ningwu Pass has reached a stalemate, the city defenses are in ruins, and they are requesting reinforcements. Let everyone deliberate on what should be done."

These words sent a wave of shock crashing through the warm chamber.

Although Li Zicheng's several hundred thousand troops were still held back outside Ningwu Pass, they remained at bottom a ticking time bomb. Zhou Yuji and Bai Guangen had far too few men, and their holding out this long was already a miracle; one mishandled move could directly collapse the already tottering Ming dynasty.

After the assembled ministers buzzed with discussion for a while, Vice Minister of Revenue Dang Chongya stepped forward to memorialize:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, since Chen Qiyu was reinstated as Governor-General of the Five Provinces, he has achieved nothing whatsoever. The military situation in the northwest is dire, and the border troops are in disrepair. Your minister requests that Chen Qiyu be executed to steady the morale of the army!"

"In this way, the Ningwu garrison and other units will surely be grateful to the court and fight to the death, and the Great Ming may yet have hope!"

These Donglin types truly were dogs who could not change their ways. Seeing them deliberating with such enthusiasm for quite some time, Chongzhen had actually thought they might finally offer some sensible proposal.

But who would have thought that the moment these fellows opened their mouths, they wanted to chop down the newly appointed Chen Qiyu. It seemed this factional strife truly could not be avoided.

"A jinshi of the fifth year of Tianqi—by all rights, he ought to have some ability. How is it that all he thinks about all day are such trifling matters?" The Chongzhen Emperor's words were both an interrogation of Dang Chongya and a rebuke to all the Donglin ministers in court.

That old fellow Feng Quan saw the displeasure on Chongzhen's face and keenly sensed an opportunity to curry favor. He hurriedly stepped forward after Dang Chongya, waving his hand and angrily rebuking the Donglin ministers, saying:

"Vice Minister Dang, Governor-General Chen is one of the few capable ministers the Great Ming possesses today. His Majesty is a sage sovereign rarely seen in a thousand years—how could he listen to such slanderous words? What exactly are your intentions?"

Having shouted this much, Feng Quan continued, bowing deeply:

"Your Majesty, there is a matter your minister has kept bottled up inside. At this moment, for the sake of the Great Ming's altars of state, even if I am ground to dust, I must speak! This Dang Chongya was supervising grain transport in Tianjin at the start of the year, and the scale of his embezzlement—how could it be merely a hundred thousand taels? The extravagance of his household rivals that of a prince's mansion. I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict for a strict investigation!"

Dang Chongya's face flushed red at these words, and he hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, Feng Quan is spitting blood and framing me! During my time supervising grain in Tianjin, I have always upheld the law and conducted myself with integrity. How could I commit such disgraceful acts? I beg Your Majesty to think thrice!"

The moment his words fell, Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode, standing off to the side, said in a sinister tone:

"Vice Minister Dang, since Minister Feng's words are all baseless slander, and you walk upright and sit straight, then what harm is there in letting the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot investigate? What is there to fear?"

As they say, having the loyalist faction around was truly convenient—they said everything the Chongzhen Emperor should have said and wanted to say all at once. All he had to do was sit up top and watch the monkeys perform below, enjoying his leisure.

Though this fellow Feng Quan would later surrender to the Tartars in ages to come, Chongzhen still found him quite handy to use.

And Wei Zaode as well—though he would later surrender to Li Zicheng in ages to come—Chongzhen still found it rather amusing to use him as a scapegoat and shield.

Feng Quan was especially skilled at flattery and sycophancy, which the Chongzhen Emperor knew full well, and so would not give him particular prominence. Bringing him back into the Grand Secretariat to participate in governance was precisely to have him stir up trouble, and now results were finally being seen.

At such a moment, even Wei Zaode dared not utter a sound, yet this fellow actually stepped forward without hesitation to rebuke, presenting himself with righteous indignation, face unflushed and breath unbroken—clearly he had already fathomed Chongzhen's intention to deal with the Donglin Faction.

What the Chongzhen Emperor needed to do now was simply follow the opening and bring this Vice Minister of Revenue down. If anyone stepped forward to plead for him, he could even sweep them all up in the same net.

As for whether Feng Quan's claims of embezzlement exceeding a hundred thousand taels were true or false, that no longer mattered. The Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot had no shortage of torture experts; once thrown into the Imperial Prison, even the purest white could easily be twisted into black.

Feng Quan had fathomed the Chongzhen Emperor's playbook and simply lowered his head, waiting for the emperor to issue the edict following his lead.

The Chongzhen Emperor sat above, pondering for a long while, and finally spoke words that left everyone stunned. Dang Chongya, who had believed himself doomed, felt his heart leap into his throat.