Chapter 175: A True Villain, a False Gentleman

With a heart full of trepidation and immense excitement, Zhang Huangyan stepped through the Gate of Heavenly Succession, then followed the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial through layer upon layer of palaces, until at last he arrived at the Winter Warm Pavilion, where the Chongzhen Emperor ordinarily reviewed memorials and discussed matters of state and military affairs.

"This humble commoner, Zhang Huangyan, pays respects to Your Majesty, may you live ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" After entering, Zhang Huangyan immediately knelt prostrate on the ground, and for some reason, his body could not help but tremble slightly.

Of course, this trembling came from the excitement of meeting the Son of Heaven, not from the fear that so many people were accustomed to.

The Chongzhen Emperor looked him up and down with the gaze of a man appraising a son-in-law, and only after a long while did he smile and say: "Someone, bring a seat."

"This humble commoner... is overwhelmed with trepidation!" Zhang Huangyan understood well that being offered a seat in the Warm Pavilion was a privilege rarely granted even to important court ministers, so what virtue or ability did he possess to deserve it.

At that moment, Zhang Huangyan did not relax; on the contrary, his heart grew even more tense, wondering what matter could have prompted the current Emperor to summon him here.

"If His Majesty tells you to sit, then sit down quickly. Hesitating like a woman." Li Chun saw the Chongzhen Emperor's glance and immediately understood his intent, hurrying forward to urge him.

Left with no choice, Zhang Huangyan reluctantly sat on the chair, yet only half his buttocks touched the seat, as if he were ready at any moment to rise and kneel on the ground.

Seeing this, the Chongzhen Emperor did not press him further, knowing well that the more one pressured him, the more nervous he would only become.

Chongzhen smiled and said: "I have heard that this young brother enjoys putting matters of state to discussion on paper. Today I summoned you here — first, because I wish to hear what words of governance you truly have."

"Speak freely. Here, if I say you are not guilty, then you are not guilty!" Seeing Zhang Huangyan's hesitant expression, the Chongzhen Emperor feared he might not dare speak the truth, and so gave him a preemptive reassurance.

The implication was that Chongzhen was telling him that everyone present today was a trusted confidant, and nothing said would ever be leaked; and even if it were leaked, no one could harm a single hair on his head.

Zhang Huangyan's expression shifted several times — he naturally understood the Chongzhen Emperor's implication — but at this moment, his mind was on something else entirely.

At home, he liked to write and sketch about matters of state — this was already a rather private hobby. He had not even mentioned it to his closest friends, so how could the Chongzhen Emperor know about it in such detail?

Just as he was hesitating, Zhang Huangyan suddenly recalled the rumors about the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot that had been circulating in the capital recently, and his expression immediately turned grave. It seemed this could not be separated from them.

Zhang Huangyan still could not understand — what sort of people were these agents of the Guard and Depot, that they could be so pervasive? If that were so, what major or minor affair in the capital could possibly escape their piercing eyes?

At that moment, Zhang Huangyan did not harbor the disgust toward the Guard and Depot that ordinary scholars felt. He was a man of understanding, knowing full well their importance in governing the state, and his admiration for the Chongzhen Emperor grew even deeper.

"This humble commoner has been hiding his light." The imperial will could not be defied. After deliberating for a moment, Zhang Huangyan still rose and said respectfully: "This humble commoner presumes to overstep his bounds and dare ask Your Majesty — does what the newspaper says have true evidence?"

The Chongzhen Emperor had not expected Zhang Huangyan to bring up that very matter first. He said nothing, but glanced to his side. Li Chun received the imperial intent and quickly said:

"The Imperial Newspaper of our dynasty — every issue is handled by the Eastern Depot. Naturally, we would only publish what has true evidence!"

"Very well then." Zhang Huangyan did not mince words and directly countered: "Previously, Zhang Cai founded the Fushe Society and enjoyed considerable renown as a man of pure reputation, praised by all. Yet now he is suddenly found to be a colossal corrupt official, with true evidence in hand — why has His Majesty still not issued an edict to arrest him and parade him through the streets for public display?"

"How dare you!" Truly, it was the eunuch who was anxious, not the Emperor. Li Chun grew angry the moment he heard this and rebuked without a second thought.

"I harbor a heart of benevolence and leniency. The people have long been deceived by those thieves of the Fushe Society. If I were to arrest him rashly, it would inevitably stir up a great uproar. To disturb the stability of the state for the sake of that single thief Zhang Cai would not be worth it." The Chongzhen Emperor said calmly:

"Moreover, aside from despising corrupt officials who squeeze the people's blood and sweat and hold office without doing anything, what I hate most are these so-called great worthies who wear the name of pure reputation while inwardly being no better than village peasants. If I arrest and execute them all, the people, not knowing the true situation, would find it all in vain."

"Therefore, I must first ruin their reputations. When they are cursed by ten thousand people, then I will have them sliced alive by slow execution — only then will the hatred in my heart be assuaged. Do you still have questions?"

The Chongzhen Emperor spoke these last words through gritted teeth, clearly having reached the extreme of hatred toward Zhang Cai and his kind.

As for Zhang Cai, Zhang Huangyan's previous view had been the same as everyone else's — that he was a man of considerable fame and pure reputation. It was not until the newspaper came out that he first began to doubt Zhang Cai's character.

When the second issue of the newspaper came out some time ago, Zhang Huangyan could hardly believe it in his heart. Only then did he write to a close friend entrusted in Nanjing to inquire, and unexpectedly received a conclusion he could not bring himself to believe.

It was said that over in the Southern Direct Administration, things had already exploded because of the newspaper.

Most importantly, everyone was saying that the newspaper's claims were not empty words without proof — rather, they had been verified with evidence. Zhang Cai truly did own several lavish residences and gardens elsewhere.

No one had expected that although this fellow usually wore plain clothes and a scholar's headwrap, putting on a proper appearance, once he was out of public view, he showed an entirely different face.

As soon as the newspaper came out, it caused an enormous uproar in scholarly circles. The persona of a great worthy who was a pillar of the Fushe Society suddenly collapsed. Whether they believed it or not, many people harbored various motives and went about making open inquiries and secret investigations, hoping to learn the true situation.

Those with connections and means did not ask around blindly. They went to various places to check account books and discovered that the steward of Zhang Cai's household spent money with great extravagance — especially around the time the Yellow River's dikes broke last year, when a huge sum of money had suddenly been added.

As luck would have it, the date this huge sum was added coincided exactly with the time the Chongzhen Emperor had released funds from the privy purse for disaster relief. Anyone who said the two had no connection whatsoever — no one would believe that.

Zhang Cai had now gone a full half month without any news at all. He had not even shown his face at the last Fushe Society gathering, which only made the scholars gossip even more.

Anyone with discerning eyes knew that this fellow must have a guilty conscience — why else would he behave in such a manner?

Although Zhang Huangyan also read the books of the sages, he was not one of those scholars who had read themselves into foolishness. On the contrary, like those rare men of insight such as Chen Zilong, he was extremely shrewd.

Judging from the news that had come out recently, most of what the newspaper had said was indeed true.

At the time, Zhang Huangyan, who had originally held some admiration for Zhang Cai, was so furious upon hearing this news that he could not sleep well for several days, and one after another wrote down these six characters on paper: "A true villain, a false gentleman."

After hearing the Chongzhen Emperor finish speaking, Zhang Huangyan reversed his previous attitude and bowed, saying: "Your Majesty is supremely wise. Toward such petty villains, this is exactly how one should deal with them!"

"Such petty villains love nothing more than their reputations."

"Now Zhang Cai is already standing at the crest of the storm. Therefore, this humble commoner presumes to suggest: if Your Majesty were to send agents of the Guard and Depot to Nanjing at this time to search out a huge sum of money, this thief would have no way to refute the charges."

"When that day comes, what the world will sing of will not be how pure Zhang Cai was, but how Your Majesty removed a great scourge for the common people and the scholars alike!"