Chapter 310: You Qians — Your Dirty Business Has Blown Up!

"Order the Ministry of Works, the Censorate, the inspecting censors, the Shuntian Prefecture, the troops of the Five Wards' Troops and Horses Offices, and the supervising directors and case-handling Bureau Secretaries of the Three Workshops to rush to the Tax Office and Salt Office to put out the fires and relieve the people's distress — no delay permitted!!"

"Order all battalions of the city defense forces to strengthen patrols along the streets, delay the opening of morning markets, and impose a one-day curfew. Whoever stirs up trouble or misleads the people is to be beheaded on the spot without arrest or imprisonment — no mistakes allowed!!"

"The Ministry of Revenue is to draft a proposal for issuing one hundred thousand taels of silver, with grain to be accounted for later, to be used for rebuilding government offices and disaster relief. The Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard shall supervise — anyone who reaches out a thieving hand gets his head chopped off!"

At this moment when lives hung in the balance, the people who had suffered disaster were naturally unable to resist or endure on their own — the court needed to respond immediately, which was what was meant by "disaster relief."

The Chongzhen Emperor, who knew deeply from later generations how government response to earthquakes affected every stratum of the common people, immediately issued a series of clear imperial edicts, explicitly stating that the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard would supervise, issuing a deterrent that directly cut off any thoughts of corrupt ministers meddling for their own gain.

It had to be said, the great Ming dynasty showed nothing special when idle on ordinary days, but once mobilized, its efficiency was remarkably high — far ahead of where the Tartar Qing could ever hope to reach.

Not to mention the various government offices named for disaster relief — even unrelated ministries and courts sent people out to help. Some of the great households that ordinarily devoured people without spitting out bones even began hypocritically setting up porridge kitchens and building makeshift shelters.

The reason these people behaved so differently from how they had toward that other emperor in history was precisely that the Chongzhen Emperor now held all power in his own hands — at least in the capital region, he was a man whose word was law, who could kill whomever he wished.

No one dared disobey an edict spoken personally by the Emperor. Whether sincere or deliberate, the disaster victims quickly received food and shelter relief, and the situation began to gradually improve — this was a good thing.

Around the afternoon of the day the edict was issued, the joint investigation results of the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of Works were uniformly reported up by Grand Secretary Feng Quan:

"... Four hundred sixty-five rooms collapsed, crushing to death three hundred six men and women; children uncounted. Twelve officials of the Tax and Salt Offices survived; the rest were all buried. We humbly await Your Majesty's decision."

In just half a day, Feng Quan had actually investigated the cause of the incident, bluntly claiming that Tartar Qing spies had colluded with traitorous ministers of the Nanjing court to sabotage matters. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought this fellow was an upright minister devoted to the public good.

Though the words were vague, the meaning was perfectly clear — it was precisely the result the Chongzhen Emperor wanted.

In truth, Feng Quan also understood that as Minister of Works in charge of the construction of the two offices and the Imperial Bank, with such a huge blunder occurring with such far-reaching impact, he would certainly be the first one unable to evade blame.

But a man who had thrived smoothly since the Tianqi reign — how could he be at a loss for measures now?

Feng Quan gauged the Emperor's intent, gave it some thought, and combined it with the main purpose of Chongzhen's current reforms. Without making a sound, he shifted attention away from himself and this incident onto certain "traitorous ministers of the Nanjing court" and "Tartar Qing spies."

These two phrases left Chongzhen plenty of room to maneuver — this was precisely Feng Quan's cleverness.

Hearing him finish, the sharp-minded men still standing in the court instantly understood the implications. Each smiled faintly, but from top to bottom they remained composed, none exposing the point, no one saying a single extra word.

The Chongzhen Emperor understood Feng Quan all too well and naturally knew the harm villains could do. But at a time like this, villains often had their own uses — "true villains" were ruthless toward those "hypocrites" to the point of flaying skin and crushing bones.

Understanding the little calculations running through old Feng's mind, Chongzhen did not expose him either, but smiled and said: "Minister Feng has labored a full day — you have worked hard."

Looking at the smile on the Chongzhen Emperor's face, Feng Quan broke out in cold sweat. He hurriedly knelt on the ground, repeatedly saying it was no hardship, that he served Your Majesty — beyond that, he dared not say a single extra word.

"Minister Wang, have the statistics for the officials who perished in the line of duty been completed?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, upon receiving your command, I returned and led officials of the Ministry of Personnel to visit every location. Fortunately I did not disgrace my charge — all have been counted. Civil and military officials and eunuchs together number six hundred seventy-two." Minister of Personnel Wang Shaowei hurried forward to say.

"Mm."

The Chongzhen Emperor nodded and said: "In my view, they are no different from those soldiers and generals who died fighting for the nation — they too should be treated equally. The Grand Secretariat must promptly produce a feasible plan for consolation and compensation — we cannot let the people of the realm grow cold toward the court!"

Jiang Dejing hastily said: "Your Majesty need not worry — I shall return and immediately convene the Grand Secretaries for deliberation."

"Then I am reassured." The Chongzhen Emperor nodded, then his expression suddenly turned stern: "Ma Shiying, the Minister of Personnel in Jinling, has long reported to me that although the Donglin faction was exterminated in Beijing, they remain rampant in Nanjing. I think this incident can hardly be unrelated to them!"

"The Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice are not to involve themselves in this matter — it is to be handled entirely by the Eastern Depot. Wang Cheng'en, tell Li Youcheng that he is to investigate this case with full latitude! As long as I still live, these reforms must continue!"

"Heaven's punishment? I am the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming. My will is the will of Heaven and of the ancestors. Whoever dares speak of Heaven's punishment again — throw the accomplices into prison, behead the ringleaders outright, and seal shut all those so-called literary societies!"

Having said this, the Chongzhen Emperor looked toward Minister of War Zhu Dadian and asked: "How goes Chen Qiyu's campaign in Taiyuan?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, since the great victory at Guguan, Taiyuan, Fenzhou, and Daizhou have all submitted upon receipt of the proclamation. The Duke of Ying and Governor-General Chen have led our dynasty's royal army to three victories in three battles — Luzhou and Pingyang Prefecture have all been recovered!"

As he spoke, Zhu Dadian inexplicably grew agitated, and with a sobbing voice cried out: "Your Majesty, all of this is the sign of the Great Ming's resurgence in our dynasty! This disturbance must surely be the work of heretics — I beg Your Majesty to investigate strictly!"

"We beg Your Majesty to investigate strictly!"

Ni Yuanlu, Feng Quan, Wang Shaowei, and the other ministers of the five ministries, as if they had coordinated beforehand, stepped forward simultaneously as Zhu Dadian finished speaking and shouted in unison. The remaining court officials likewise shouted in unison under the leadership of Chief Grand Secretary Jiang Dejing — the scale was unprecedented, the scene truly spectacular.

The capital had been thrown into upheaval by this incident, even to the point of curfew — yet at this very moment, the city of Nanjing was filled with a festive atmosphere, with not a trace of sorrow to be seen.

The Qian residence — the main hall was ringed by a full circle of civil officials.

Today was the sixty-fourth birthday of Qian Qianyi, leader of the Donglin faction. Including nobles and relatives like Xu Wenjue, nearly every notable figure in Nanjing had arrived. The scene was utterly joyous.

But the good times did not last. Qian Qianyi was in the midst of pleasant conversation with a group of officials when suddenly a fierce argument broke out in the courtyard. His brows knit tightly at once, and the others too felt displeasure.

Before long, the Qian household steward came trotting in to report some trivial matter or other. Qian Qianyi's brows shot up in fury and he snapped: "Today is my birthday celebration — I will not tolerate young whelps making trouble here. Throw them all out!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The steward nodded repeatedly and ran out — but the commotion outside only grew louder. Just as Qian Qianyi grew impatient and was about to rise to inquire, Li Youcheng strode in with a batch of agents in pointed caps and white leather boots.

Li Youcheng's blade was already drawn, still bearing fresh, uncoagulated blood, bringing with it a whiff of gore that did not fit the atmosphere of the place.

Entering the door, Li Youcheng first planted himself in the hall with legs spread wide, swept his gaze over the great personages he ordinarily could never afford to offend, gave a cold laugh, and shouted loudly:

"Hey, Qian! Your dirty deeds have come to light — this banquet's over for you. Come on now, let's take a trip to the Eastern Depot prison, shall we?"