Chapter 1270: The Great Cause, the Great Cause

Having barely managed to turn the tables in the preceding period, they were now sliding back into a stalemate of wrangling. But the Tianqi Emperor, never one for diligent governance, no longer wished to let both sides keep tangling with each other — he intended to step directly into the decision.

"... Negotiate peace according to that rebel chieftain's terms. The urgent priority is to make the rebel army withdraw..." During the court assembly, the Tianqi Emperor gave his decision, crisp and decisive.

When the pro-war scholar-officials of the Pure Stream heard the Tianqi Emperor speak these words, they all secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yet immediately, someone put on an impassioned expression, rose, prostrated himself, and declared: "The Xuzhou rebel mob is already a spent force, outwardly fierce but inwardly hollow. This is precisely the moment to muster a grand army and annihilate them. How can we abandon the effort halfway and engage in peace talks that disgrace the ancestral temple and the dignity of the state? Your servant remonstrates at the cost of his life — this must absolutely not be done."

"Your Majesty, the Xuzhou rebel mob has come out in full force, leaving their lair empty. We should mobilize the realm's troops to strike while it's vulnerable. How can we fall for the rebels' trick of bluff and bluster? Your Majesty, once this precedent is set, the troubles will be endless. If peace must be sought, your servant would rather retire and return to his hometown."

The Chief Grand Secretary and the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the various boards, the Left and Right Chief Censors, the Vice Censors-in-Chief, and the Assistant Censors-in-Chief of the Censorate, along with the supervising secretaries and censors of the Pure Stream qualified to be present — some rose to make impassioned statements, others remained silent. Since the sovereign had already made his decision, no one could be held responsible for it, but carrying it out would still bring infamy. Everyone wanted to draw a clear line between themselves and this.

At this moment, the earlier pro-war faction was even rather smug. Their side opposed peace talks, so their rhetoric would naturally win public acclaim, while the side presiding over the negotiations would inevitably become the target of universal condemnation. The label of traitor selling out the country was inescapable. Once the situation eased, under the pressure of public opinion, those who presided over the peace talks would surely fall from power, and their own side could then make a comeback amid the chorus of praise.

As for resigning from office and retiring, that was merely a convention of bureaucratic political struggle. When a minister of Vice Minister rank or higher spoke such words before the imperial presence, it merely expressed an attitude. The Son of Heaven would certainly speak up to urge him to stay. Then everyone would pretend nothing had happened, and once the news spread outside, it would become a fine tale of some upright and pure gentleman, willing to resign and risk his life to remonstrate with the sovereign.

Every impassioned minister, before and after his actions, was watching Wei Zhongxian beside the imperial throne. Every silent minister was also watching Wei Zhongxian beside the imperial throne. This chieftain of the eunuch faction had yet to speak or act. When discussing governance before the sovereign, the grand eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial all had the right to speak. Moreover, now that the eunuch faction's momentum was rising again, the weight of their words was even heavier. No one paid attention to the young Son of Heaven sitting upright on the throne. After his ascension, the Tianqi Emperor was always occupied with carpentry work and always fond of handsome young eunuchs. He had almost no presence in matters of governance.

"If there are myriad offenses, the offense lies with me alone. That the situation has come to such a pass — I have failed my ancestors. Since you all feel ashamed and powerless, then return to your hometowns to recuperate, and let those who can do the job come up and take over!" The Tianqi Emperor spoke in a muffled voice.

These words plunged the hall into utter silence. Those ministers kneeling on the ground who had been making impassioned statements were first stunned, then at a loss for how to react. By convention, in such a scene, no matter how much discontent the Son of Heaven harbored inwardly, he could only gently urge them to stay and offer comfort. Everyone would just go through the motions. Why was he now not following the rules? Once again, everyone involuntarily looked toward Wei Zhongxian, and suddenly felt a chill run through their entire bodies. Could it be that a purge was about to begin under this pretext?

Those who had remained silent, on the other hand, were eager and itching to try. Could it be that a clean and decisive wholesale changing of the guard was about to happen? How many crucial positions would this vacate, and how many people could be placed in them? However, Wei Zhongxian's reaction to this was very quiet. He did not even signal with his eyes as he usually did; he merely stood with his body bowed in solemn respect.

The Tianqi Emperor's face bore weariness and disgust. Only when he was in the palace tinkering with the things he liked and seeing the few people he liked did he feel at ease. Facing these hypocritical people before him always made him uncomfortable. Yet the current situation had forced him to step forward and take charge.

Although over these past few years, Prince Xin, Zhu Youjian, had constantly told the Tianqi Emperor that the realm was rotting, that treachery and evil were disrupting governance, and that the Tatar invaders were encroaching on the borders, and that if things were not set right soon, the situation would decay beyond repair, Tianqi understood that it could still be maintained for now, so he was too lazy to pay much attention or get involved. Now, his hot-blooded younger brother Zhu Youjian spoke of summoning the realm's loyalist troops to strike hard at the rebels whose momentum was flagging, saying the current situation was merely a minor setback and that taking it seriously would be enough to wipe out the rebel mob. But the Tianqi Emperor knew that at present, it truly was very difficult to salvage.

"These are not peaceful times, nor is this the moment for you all to be bluntly upright and pure. With the rebel mob pressing on the capital and the altars of state in turmoil, this is a moment for me and my beloved ministers to pull together in the same boat and overcome this difficulty together. Set aside your past disputes of personal sentiment and work with one heart and united effort." The Tianqi Emperor first spoke these words with earnest gravity, then sighed and said: "All of you, rise. Let us discuss how to make the rebels withdraw."

Only after the words had reached this point did the assembled ministers who had earlier been ready to threaten death and resign from office rise to their feet, somewhat sheepishly. On every face was a hint of relief at having survived a calamity. Some young nobles of the merit aristocracy lacked sufficient self-cultivation, and looks of contemptuous laughter had already appeared on their faces. And those who had remained silent all along deliberately let their discussions and cold sneers be heard by others. But preserving one's official position was what mattered; no one cared about such trifles.

Before they had even returned to their respective ranks, the Tianqi Emperor spoke again in a muffled voice: "Minister Ye is frail and often ill. This period has indeed been hard on you, beloved minister. You should temporarily lay down the heavy burdens on your shoulders, return to your hometown to rest and recuperate well, and once you are recovered, serve the country again."

These words made the scene fall utterly silent. There were various ways for the Son of Heaven to order the Chief Grand Secretary to resign, but the one thing he absolutely should not do was tell him to retire to his face. This was already tearing away all circumlocution and concealment — a naked, barefaced coercion. It was far too irregular. Yet looking at Chief Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao, standing dumbfounded before the crowd, watching his face turn pale, even beginning to tremble slightly, every civil official in the hall, even the ministers of Wei Zhongxian's faction, felt a chill in their hearts and a vague sense of dread.

The celestial might is unfathomable. If the Son of Heaven could arbitrarily dismiss the Chief Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet, and do so this easily and directly, then once he grew accustomed to it in the future, how were they all to conduct themselves? How could they ever hold their heads high again? The assembled men began exchanging glances. Each hoped someone else would speak up and remonstrate directly, to offend the dragon's scales, but no one was willing to do it themselves. With even the Chief Grand Secretary meeting such a fate, what if they went and got implicated too?

The Chief Grand Secretary, the outgoing Chief Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao, looked helplessly toward Zhao Nanxing. At a time like this, only the leader of the Donglin faction had the ability to get more people to remonstrate with the Son of Heaven, to make the Son of Heaven retract his decree. But all Ye Xianggao saw was the deeply pained expression on Zhao Nanxing's face, and he also saw a hint of joy in the eyes of the Minister of Personnel, Zhao Nanxing. If he were no longer Chief Grand Secretary, then Zhao Nanxing might now occupy a favorable position in the Inner Cabinet, and could even use this to directly become Chief Grand Secretary. Thinking of this, Ye Xianggao's knees went weak, and he knelt down again, his voice trembling as he said: "Your servant..."

Before he could finish his polite formalities, someone from among the supervising secretaries and censors in the lower ranks stepped out of line and said loudly: "Your Majesty, at this moment of national crisis, how can the Inner Cabinet be left without someone at the helm? Grand Secretary Ye has labored diligently in state affairs. How can he be dismissed so casually? Your Majesty, think thrice!"

Ye Xianggao could tell this was one of his own protégés, of humble origins and not much good at currying favor, one he had not given much attention to. He never expected that those who usually fawned on him so eagerly did not come forward, yet this distant one did. And only this one came forward; everyone else remained silent. At this moment, Ye Xianggao could not help but let his old tears stream down his face...

"I have already dispatched an express summons for Grand Mentor Sun to enter the capital. Grand Mentor Sun is in the Inner Cabinet and manages military affairs. He is perfectly suited for this time of crisis, and he is perfectly suited for this Chief Grand Secretary post!" The Tianqi Emperor said with a stern face.

No sooner had these words faded than Zhao Nanxing looked around him, took a step forward, and knelt down heavily, speaking with the utmost earnestness: "Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Ye is loyal at heart in state affairs and has committed no fault this time. If he is dismissed like this, I fear it will chill the loyal hearts of the realm's scholars!"

Once he stepped out of line, more people followed, stepping out and kneeling. Though they did not speak in unison, the meaning expressed by the ministers who came forward was the same: Ye Xianggao should not be dismissed; he was very suited for this Grand Secretary position. The crowd that had just remained silent now began to recount Ye Xianggao's worthiness and achievements. However, there truly had been nothing much to show for it in recent years, so their words inevitably lacked conviction.

At this moment, the ministers who had been silent all along also began to join the debate. What they spoke of was the role Ye Xianggao and Zhao Nanxing had played in this great defeat. The officials who had earlier advocated for war should not only resign, but also be pursued for their culpability.

The Tianqi Emperor's brow furrowed. Tianqi understood why there was such fierce opposition. Sun Chengzong was not of Jiangnan origin, and he looked down on every faction that hailed from Jiangnan. If he were allowed to take the position of Chief Grand Secretary, with the added status of imperial tutor, and even the forbearance and support of Wei Zhongxian in the inner court, the Donglin faction and its allies would inevitably face a purge. They did not care whether Ye Xianggao stayed or left, but they absolutely could not allow Sun Chengzong to return to the capital.

"My Lord of Ten Thousand Years, you must not let anger harm your health. Let them strut about. In the current situation, even if an edict were issued for a court deliberation, the Six Offices of Scrutiny would not seal and reject it. And if there are any more unappreciative wretches, this old servant will certainly teach them a lesson." Seeing the Tianqi Emperor's breathing grow somewhat rapid, Wei Zhongxian hurriedly stepped forward and said in a low voice.

Many people noticed the details of this exchange. Even as they put on their airs of righteous grandeur, they all speculated on what Grand Eunuch Wei had actually said to the Son of Heaven. Yet, imperceptibly, the content of the debate shifted to whether to make peace or war. Ye Xianggao slumped to the ground in dejection, while Zhao Nanxing and those associated with him vehemently advocated for war. Several officials who had served in the Ministry of War scraped together and cobbled up a figure of two hundred thousand troops. Others knocked their heads on the ground, saying that if they did not fight, they would be failing the ancestors of the Great Ming and failing the realm and its altars.

Some also expounded from the perspective of military expertise, arguing that if troops were mustered now, the rebel mob would surely retreat, and they could even annihilate the rebel army. If peace were negotiated, that would be falling right into the treacherous scheme of the Xuzhou rebel mob. Perhaps there were traitors in the court colluding with the rebels, which was why talk of peace negotiations had been raised.

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