weaving

Chapter 1470 The matter of bestowing a marquisate is inappropriate!

Emperor Chongzhen was in high spirits because of the news of the great victory at Zhuxian Town. He did not hold Chen Yan and others accountable for their presumptuous audience. He simply asked them to wait outside the Qianqing Palace for a short while before summoning them for an audience.

Chen Yan and the others entered the East Pavilion and paid their respects to Emperor Chongzhen. They then stood on either side to await the emperor's questions.

Since they had requested an audience voluntarily, rather than being summoned by Emperor Chongzhen, the emperor did not have any important questions for them. He simply sat behind his desk and quietly watched Chen Yan and the others.

None of the ministers were willing to speak first. Chen Yan, as the Grand Secretary, knew that he could not remain silent, otherwise he might incur the emperor's wrath. So he stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we have come here for the matter of Henan."

Upon hearing them mention the matter of Henan, Emperor Chongzhen's face immediately broke into a rare smile, and he casually asked, "Are you all here to recommend Zhang Cheng for credit?"

Chen Yan and the others were taken aback by what they heard. They all looked embarrassed, exchanged glances, and lowered their heads in silence, none of them wanting to be the first to speak in front of the emperor.

Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Personnel, was standing next to Fang Yuegong, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief. He gently nudged Fang Yuegong's foot with his right foot, signaling him to speak first on behalf of everyone.

Fang Yuegong didn't want to be the first to stick his neck out, but the topic of their request for an audience today happened to be matters concerning their own Censorate.

“Your Majesty, we are requesting an audience regarding the matter of the Earl of Yongning, but not to seek credit for him. Rather, it is because many censors have impeached the Earl of Yongning.”

After hearing Fang Yuegong's words, Emperor Chongzhen was stunned. He couldn't understand why someone would impeach him when the Earl of Yongning had not only defeated Li's army and protected Kaifeng City, but also recovered the entire territory of Kaifeng Prefecture.

"Or is it that Zhang Cheng is arrogant and domineering, and too ruthless in killing?"

Fang Yuegong glanced at the crowd and saw that they were all bowing their heads and remaining silent, except for Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Personnel, who nodded to him.

"Your Majesty, the censor has impeached the Earl of Yongning in Henan..."

As Fang Yuegong spoke, he observed Emperor Chongzhen's expression. Although he saw that the emperor's original smile had gradually turned cold, he had no choice but to say it: "The forced occupation of official and civilian lands, the unauthorized conversion into military settlements, and the recruitment of displaced people to cultivate the land have already provoked the opposition of officials and civilians throughout Henan Province."

We, your humble servants, fear... fear that this will incite a popular uprising, and that... that the excellent situation in Henan will be ruined in an instant. Therefore, we dare not conceal this matter. That is why we request an audience with Your Majesty to make your decision.”

Emperor Chongzhen's eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was unusually cold, as if he was about to unleash a thunderous rage. This frightened Chen Yan and the other officials, who all lowered their heads and dared not look at the emperor.

Sure enough, Emperor Chongzhen slammed his fist on the imperial desk and said loudly, "Are you just bored? There are so many officials in the court, and even some local governors, who are just sitting on their laurels and not doing their jobs. Why don't you see them submitting memorials to the emperor?"
what?
All they do all day is impeach capable officials and subordinates. Today they impeach this one, tomorrow they impeach that one, seizing on such trivial matters and making a fuss over nothing. What are they trying to achieve?

Emperor Chongzhen was indeed genuinely angry; otherwise, he wouldn't have said such things.

All the court officials remained in their positions, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a word in protest.

But Emperor Chongzhen's anger did not subside because of their silence; on the contrary, it grew even angrier: "Zhang Cheng has just driven back the bandits, and you all come up to impeach him. What are your true intentions?"

"what!"

"Chen Yan, tell me, if Zhang Cheng is replaced, would you be willing to go to Henan to oversee the suppression of the bandits?"

Chen Yan trembled. He was capable of being the Grand Secretary, but as for going to the front lines to oversee the suppression of the rebels, even if he had a hundred lives, he wouldn't dare accept such a heavy responsibility. Before Chen Yan could refuse, Emperor Chongzhen sternly asked again, "Wu Sheng, are you willing to go?"

"And you, Huang Jingfang, are you willing to go?"

No one dared to speak, each fearing that the Emperor would actually force them to go to the front lines to oversee the suppression of the rebels. They all lowered their heads and dared not make the slightest unnecessary movement.

The Chongzhen Emperor, too lazy to call them out one by one, sternly said, "Tell me, who among you is willing to be the commander-in-chief and wipe out the bandits for me? Step forward!"

Suddenly, the entire East Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace fell silent. Everyone was quiet, and apart from the sound of their own breathing, there was not a single other noise.

After a moment, Emperor Chongzhen's anger subsided somewhat. He knew that simply scolding people could not solve the actual problem. The affairs of the court always needed to be done by someone, and he could not replace them all.

Seeing that everyone was intimidated, he spoke gently, “As cabinet ministers, you are all outstanding officials. You should be more mindful of the bigger picture and share my burdens, instead of just following the crowd and causing me trouble.”

"Yes. We will certainly share Your Majesty's burdens," Chen Yan said first.

In truth, he was unwilling to impeach Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, because Zhang Cheng was not only his purse but also a powerful ally in the outer court.

As the Grand Secretary of the court, how could he possibly cut off his own arm? That would only weaken his own power and give his opponents room to strike him!

Therefore, he was only here to make a show of it today. After all, as the Grand Secretary, Chen Yan dared not offend all the censors and civil officials. If that were the case, he would probably become the target of the censors' impeachment.

Seeing that even the Grand Secretary Chen Yan had expressed his submission, everyone spoke up and took sides, fearing that the Emperor's wrath might not be appeased and that they might end up in trouble, which would be a loss.

"Zhang Cheng defended Kaifeng and repelled Li's army; his merit is immense. I intend to bestow upon him the title of Marquis. What do you all think?"

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this. They had come to impeach Zhang Cheng, but now that the impeachment had failed, they were going to grant Zhang Cheng a marquisate. Wouldn't they be cursed to death by those censors and officials when they got out?

"Your Majesty, I believe that granting the title of Marquis to the Earl of Yongning is inappropriate!" Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun was the first to object.

Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen was looking at him, he bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, the Earl of Yongning has only been granted the title of Earl for a little over a year. Although he has made new contributions, he still needs to be rewarded as an encouragement."

However, I believe it is inappropriate to bestow upon him the title of marquis. This would not only be contrary to the court's usual practice, but also, if done too hastily, would only embolden him and increase his arrogance. If this were to happen, it would be detrimental to the court.

After hearing Zheng Sanjun's words, Emperor Chongzhen did not rush to speak. Instead, he leaned back on his throne, closed his eyes, and pondered for a while before asking, "In your opinion, how should he be rewarded?"

"In my opinion, although the Earl of Yongning is already of the rank of Earl, it is a title given to him in his honor, not a hereditary one. Now that he has made great contributions in repelling the bandits in Kaifeng, the court will surely reward him."

Your Majesty, I believe that the title of Earl of Yongning should be elevated from a hereditary title to a permanent one. This would not only reflect the court's generous reward and His Majesty's deep affection for the Earl of Yongning, but also inspire the soldiers on the front lines to fight for the nation and defeat the enemy.

Emperor Chongzhen closed his eyes and fell into deep thought once more, repeatedly pondering Zheng Sanjun's words...