weaving

Chapter 1332: Secretly Recorded and Reported to the Palace

In the Qianqing Palace, the Ming emperor and his ministers finally agreed:

Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, was promoted to the position of Right General of the Central Military Governor's Office, and commander-in-chief of military affairs of seven towns including Baoding, and was in charge of all military operations to suppress bandits in the Central Plains.

In addition, Henan Governor Gao Mingheng was appointed as the Right Censor-in-Chief and concurrently the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to assist the Earl of Yongning in dispatching money and grain from Henan and five other provinces to help suppress the traitor Li.

…………

Emperor Chongzhen originally wanted Hou Xun to be in charge of mobilizing money and grain from Henan and five other provinces to help suppress Li Zicheng. After all, he had been released from the imperial prison, and he had to put him to use. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste?

But the Left Vice-Chief Censor Fang Yuegong expressed his opposition...

He said that although Hou Xun had a reputation for being knowledgeable about military affairs and had once served as Grand Tutor, he was indeed the best candidate to mobilize money and grain to help suppress the Li bandits; however, Hou Xun had been in prison for a long time and had not had contact with the outside world for seven years. He was not familiar with the current situation in the world and needed more experience in other positions before he could be entrusted with important tasks.

The Henan Governor Gao Mingheng not only had been in the Central Plains for a long time and was familiar with the enemy's situation, but he had also survived three sieges by the Li bandits and managed to hold the city firmly each time, which shows his ability. According to the current situation, he seems to be more suitable than Hou Xun.

From this point of view, Henan Governor Gao Mingheng should temporarily take charge of the overall allocation of money and grain to assist in suppressing the Li bandit. After Hou Xun becomes familiar with the current situation in the world, we can consider whether to replace Gao Mingheng with Hou Xun.

Fang Yuegong's opinion was supported by the Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun, but was opposed by Huang Jingfang and Jiang Dejing. As members of the Donglin lineage, they naturally supported Hou Xun's comeback!

In the end, it was the stance of the Cabinet Chief Minister Chen Yan that played a decisive role, and finally made Emperor Chongzhen decide to appoint Gao Mingheng to take charge of the responsibility of allocating money and grain to assist in suppressing the Li bandits.

Chen Yan's words were very simple, "The Earl of Yongning helped Kaifeng twice in times of emergency, and there was no evidence of any foul grudge between him and Gao Mingheng, which shows the tacit understanding between them. If the two of them work together, they will be able to turn the situation in the Central Plains around."

…………

It was already afternoon when Emperor Chongzhen discussed the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains with Prime Minister Chen Yan and other important ministers. He had exerted too much energy and felt a little tired, so he took a short nap on the imperial couch.

At 3 p.m., after waking up, Emperor Chongzhen ate some snacks and suddenly remembered that he had been informed many days ago that "Bian Yongqing, who was in charge of the Yongyi Army, had returned to Beijing", so he ordered someone to summon him for questioning.

"You said Zhang Cheng agreed to negotiate with me?"

Bian Yongqing knelt in the empty space to the left of the imperial desk, bowed his head and replied: "Your Majesty, it is indeed so."

"Did he tell you that himself?"

"Yes, Earl Yongning told this to me personally, Your Majesty."

"What did Zhang Cheng say exactly?"

"Yongning Bo said, 'The Jiannu are far away in Liaodong. Although they occasionally invade, they are just superficial infections. If they are properly controlled, they will not become a major threat. But the bandits are different. They have been roaming in the interior of our Ming Dynasty for many years, causing chaos in several provinces. They have long become a threat to our Ming Dynasty. We must not ignore them.'

Therefore, Yongning Bo suggested to Your Majesty, "First negotiate a treaty with Jiannu to stabilize the situation in Liaodong, then gather troops to eliminate the bandits, and then turn around and focus on dealing with Jiannu in order to recover Liaodong."

"Zhang Cheng...did he really say that?"

Bian Yongqing suddenly prostrated herself on the ground, bowing her head and saying, "Your Majesty, I dare not speak nonsense. Earl Yongning did say this, and every word is true. Please understand, Your Majesty."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly. He said nothing more. He just leaned his head on the back of the throne and closed his eyes. He seemed to be resting, but more like he was thinking in his heart...

Seeing the emperor like this, Bian Yongqing did not dare to move at all. He still crawled on the ground, with his head pressed tightly against the ground, not daring to raise it at all, waiting for Emperor Chongzhen's orders.

"How long have you been back in Beijing?"

"Your Majesty, I have been back in the palace for twenty days."

"The bandits are stationed outside Kaifeng City. The situation is critical. As the military supervisor, you cannot leave for long. You should go back tomorrow." "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Bian Yongqing, you keep an eye on Jin Cheng for me. Don't interfere with how he deploys his troops; don't interfere with how he recruits surrenders and accepts traitors; and don't interfere with how he appoints officials and makes promises.

What I want you to do is to tell me all about Zhang Cheng... such as who are his trusted generals, which officials he has close contacts with, who are the bandits he has recruited to surrender, and who are the generals he has rewarded. You should write all this down for me and report it to the palace."

Bian Yongqing's body trembled slightly, and she replied softly, "Yes, Your Majesty, I remember it all."

Emperor Chongzhen stared at him for a while before he said weakly, "Go!"

Bian Yongqing didn't dare to stand up until then. He just glanced at the haggard Emperor Chongzhen, then immediately lowered his head, a tear involuntarily flowing down his cheek.

He did not dare to turn around, but only took small steps to slowly back away until he reached the threshold. After he left the Qianqing Palace, he bowed several times to Emperor Chongzhen before turning around and slowly leaving...

…………

Wei Qinghui, the housekeeper of the Qianqing Palace, walked over lightly. He gently lifted the half-worn yellow satin door curtain embroidered with dragons and entered the warm room.

She only saw Emperor Chongzhen behind the imperial desk, looking tired and a little miserable. His brows were furrowed, and there was no trace of the former light in his eyes. She couldn't help feeling a little sad in her heart, and she stood at the door, not daring to go in.

After a while, Emperor Chongzhen slowly turned his head. He glanced at Wei Qinghui, then lowered his head to look at the memorials on the imperial desk.

"Are you back from Chengqian Palace?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Qinghui took a few steps forward and bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty, I just came back from Chengqian Palace."

"How is Princess Tian today?"

"Empress Tian has a low-grade fever every day after 3 p.m., and often coughs at night, with phlegm..."

"How is the sputum?" Emperor Chongzhen's tone was full of worry and impatience.

"The sputum... the sputum often contains blood stains."

Wei Qinghui continued softly, "Her Majesty always feels weak all over and doesn't want to get out of bed. She is worried that her illness won't be cured, and she misses the Fifth Prince. She is always unhappy, and...she often cries secretly."

She finally choked up and said, "Your Majesty, if Madam Tian continues like this, her condition will only get worse."

"The mediocre people in the Imperial Hospital only know how to hold consultations every day and consider prescriptions. They consider and consider... and consider again and again... and this is the result."

Emperor Chongzhen angrily cursed: "Good-for-nothings, all of them are incompetent good-for-nothings!"

Wei Qinghui hurriedly persuaded her softly, "Empress Tian also said that the imperial doctors treated her with great care, and they all hoped that she would recover soon and feel relieved.

But they could only focus on regulating menstruation, clearing the spleen, moistening the lungs, resolving phlegm and relieving cough. They tried all the medicines that could be tried, but unfortunately they were of little help to the Empress.

The disease that the Madam is suffering from is indeed serious. She has not had her period for several months and is getting thinner day by day. In my opinion, you cannot rely solely on the imperial doctors for treatment. You need to pray for blessings.”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, but didn't say much. He just waved his hand to dismiss them.