Chapter 125: Son of Heaven

Actually, the Chongzhen Emperor had originally planned to summon a few trusted confidants to discuss a few matters and be done with it, but then he felt it wouldn't be any fun without the Donglin monkeys hopping around in front of him, so he had the eunuchs drag them all out of their warm beds to attend the court discussion, letting them watch him show off.

Unexpectedly, the more they talked, the more matters piled up, and the further they drifted from the original topic.

Say one thing, and someone would immediately dig up another matter to drag in. For instance, the Emperor initially asked how to support Zhou Yuji, and now the discussion had jumped who-knows-where, with no one even mentioning how to support Zhou Yuji anymore — truly bizarre!

The Donglin Faction's reputation for ruining the country and harming the people was no empty boast. Even here in the Winter Warm Pavilion, right under the noses of the Chongzhen Emperor, the three depot directors, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Regional Military Commissioner, if no one kept an eye on them for even a moment, they'd still take the chance to trade a few barbs at each other for good measure.

This pack of monkeys debated back and forth, using all sorts of trivial fur-and-hide matters to draw attention, yet never once mentioning the northwestern war — they nearly made the Chongzhen Emperor forget about it himself.

Suddenly recalling the true purpose of today's session, a murderous glint flashed in the Chongzhen Emperor's eyes. If not for his good mood today, he wouldn't have hesitated to make blood splatter across the Winter Warm Pavilion.

"What a fine bunch of Donglin partisans — they nearly managed to lead me around in circles." The Chongzhen Emperor abruptly remembered he still had unfinished business. Looking at the Donglin officials buzzing with discussion below, he erupted in anger without the slightest warning, slamming the table and saying:

"I summoned you here to discuss the northwestern war. Ningwu Pass is on the verge of falling — this cannot be delayed any longer. Put everything else aside. Hu Shi'an, I saw you speaking quite cheerfully just now — how do you propose to resolve the situation at Ningwu Pass?"

"Your... Your Majesty... your servant is unwell — please forgive me!" Junior Supervisor of the Household Hu Shi'an's face instantly turned ashen. With a "thud," he knelt to the ground, and no matter how much he was pressed, he just lay there playing dead without a word.

"Fine, Hu Shi'an, playing this game with me, are you? Does your physical ailment have something to do with your brain? Weren't you quite eloquent just now impeaching Jiang Dejing?!" The Chongzhen Emperor let out a cold sneer. Seeing Hu Shi'an still motionless with his rear stuck up in the air, he immediately waved his hand and roared:

"Drag him out, throw him into the Imperial Prison, and give him a thorough interrogation with all the instruments!"

This time, the Winter Warm Pavilion fell into extraordinary silence. Apart from Hu Shi'an's terrified cries for mercy, not a single minister dared step forward to voice any objection or doubt.

With no one daring to oppose him, the Chongzhen Emperor should have been pleased — yet now, looking at these cowering ministers below, he found himself increasingly displeased no matter how he looked at them.

This bunch — if history's wheel had turned as it should, most of them would have surrendered to the Jianzhou barbarians by now. How on earth did they manage to worm their way into the Great Ming court?

This pack of armchair warriors — besides throwing tantrums and engaging in factional strife in his court, what else could they do? When questions were truly put to them, every single one either claimed to be unwell or couldn't squeeze out a single decent word even with their rear ends stuck up. Wasn't it exactly like this that the Great Ming had been ruined by them in the history books?!

"Come, come, you — speak."

"Not speaking? Fine, drag him out."

"You — speak!"

"Still not speaking? Drag him out and behead him."

The Chongzhen Emperor pointed at the ministers one by one. Some were so frightened on the spot that they wet their trousers, but when it came to the battle at Ningwu Pass, every single one of them couldn't produce a single useful word.

Truly a pack of rogues who wouldn't submit without a beating. It had only been a few months since he'd last had anyone executed, and their audacity had already grown to such heights — if he kept indulging them, they'd soon be climbing to the heavens!

Within a few quarters of an hour, the Chongzhen Emperor had already ordered the depot and guard officers to drag away five officials. The first three were thrown into the Imperial Prison, with charges being prepared to confiscate their property, while the remaining two were taken straight outside the door and beheaded.

Some timid officials who had never witnessed bloodshed, due to psychological strain, could even smell a bloody scent that didn't exist and vomited on the spot. The Chongzhen Emperor looked upon them with utter contempt.

Although the five men executed were all minor functionaries and no great officials, the senior ministers in court were still struck dumb with terror — one must be vigilant in times of peace!

Many people only now realized that the Emperor before them was no longer the easily deceived emperor of old. If he wanted to kill someone, he needed no reason whatsoever.

"A bunch of trash like you, and you still form cliques for private gain? Just now every one of you was chirping away merrily — is there anyone among you who has privately called me a tyrant like Jie or Zhou? Fine, I'll give you a chance. Say it to my face right now, and I guarantee your life. Step forward!"

The Chongzhen Emperor swept his gaze around the room. Wherever his eyes landed, the officials there immediately huddled together, not daring to move so much as a muscle, let alone having the courage to admit what was in their hearts.

"Your Majesty, your servant confesses!" Just at that moment, Second Grand Secretary Jiang Dejing suddenly stepped out of formation, which took the Chongzhen Emperor by surprise. Kneeling on the ground, he kowtowed and said:

"When Your Majesty dealt with Chief Grand Secretary Chen Yan and Gong Dingzi back then, your servant did indeed say that Your Majesty was a tyrant like Jie and Zhou. I confess my crime, and only beg that Your Majesty not implicate my entire family!"

Jiang Dejing was refreshingly straightforward, as if he cared nothing for his own life, and made no attempt to explain or beg for mercy.

The Chongzhen Emperor knew this Second Grand Secretary fairly well. Though he was in a rage at the moment, that exaggerated fury was mostly put on for the benefit of the Donglin monkeys — underneath it all, he remained perfectly rational.

Glancing at Jiang Dejing, the Chongzhen Emperor walked over to him, grabbed him by the arm, and hauled him to his feet. Without saying a word to him, he turned and berated the remaining Donglin officials:

"I keep my word. Since Jiang Dejing dared to step forward, I pardon him of all crimes, and in the future he will be given important appointments!"

"But as for the rest of you — you who daily style yourselves as righteous gentlemen — when it came to this moment, not a single one of you dared step forward. I am deeply disappointed in you!"

"You can fool the common folk, but if you provoke me, I can pluck those heads off your shoulders and use them as chamber pots whenever I please!"

"Ha! This is the hundred officials of the Great Ming. This is the officialdom of the Great Ming!"

The Chongzhen Emperor sat back in his seat, took several deep breaths, and then asked:

"Among you, who dares to claim they are absolutely clean? Step forward."

The ministers looked at one another, but in the end only Ni Yuanlu, Jiang Dejing, and a scant few others stepped forward with chests puffed out and heads held high before the Chongzhen Emperor. The rest of them hung their heads in shame.

"Do you know what the common folk outside say about you? They say the officialdom of the Great Ming is as muddled as a fish pond and as deep as rivers and seas — full of every kind of rule and every manner of exorbitant levy! Last time on the street, I even heard someone say that not a single official in the court has a clean backside. Those words I remember most clearly!"

Having said this, the Chongzhen Emperor sighed, and said with some self-reproach:

"As they say, water that is too clear has no fish — I understand these principles. Our dynasty's official salaries are the lowest of any dynasty in history. I only hope that after I raise your salaries, you will truly work for the Great Ming and truly bring benefit to the common people!"

This was truly a case of "a village hidden beyond the willows and flowers" — after successively punishing five officials and giving everyone present a thorough tongue-lashing, just when all were trembling with fear, he suddenly made a dramatic turn and announced he would increase the salaries of all civil and military officials.

This was benevolent governance — greatly benevolent governance!

"The matter of increasing salaries shall be handled by the Ministry of Revenue. I trust my minister Ni!" By the time the Chongzhen Emperor finished speaking, he seemed drained of energy.

The officials were overjoyed and kowtowed in unison, shouting: "Your Majesty is truly a benevolent and sage ruler! Long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

But the Chongzhen Emperor, looking at the officials' faces full of delighted surprise, mercilessly dashed cold water over their heads, and said with a grim face:

"I want you to remember this firmly in your hearts: this increased salary is the flesh and blood of the people. If I hear again of anyone using the people's money to oppress the people — no matter who, no matter what their status — I will execute every single one I find. I will not break my word!"

"Furthermore, don't think too highly of yourselves, all of you present. Even if I truly went mad one day and slaughtered every official in this Great Ming court, there would still be people fighting tooth and nail to become officials afterward."

"I am the Emperor of the Great Ming. If anyone wishes to test whether my Son of Heaven's sword is sharp — by all means, come and try!"