The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 668 Paying Homage to the Emperor (Part 2)

The struggle between the Donglin Party and the eunuch party has now become public. For Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, to win the support of the Donglin Party and other factions of upright civil officials, the best way is to publicly distance himself from the eunuch party.

Prince Qing's angry rebuke of Shi Dayong has undoubtedly boosted his standing among the civil officials. However, Prince Qing was so pleased with himself that he was unaware that this action had also displeased Emperor Qiansheng.

The reason why Shi Dayong was favored and grew in power was precisely because Emperor Qiansheng deliberately cultivated him in order to counterbalance the Donglin faction. In addition, Shi Dayong was particularly good at making money. Since the introduction of mining tax and monopoly tax (mainly commercial tax), Emperor Qiansheng not only had inexhaustible silver, but the imperial treasury was also becoming increasingly full.

This also prompted Emperor Qiansheng to be even more indulgent and trusting of Shi Dayong, turning a blind eye even when he knew that the mining supervisors and tax supervisors under him were engaging in illegal activities.

At this moment, Emperor Qiansheng glanced at Prince Qing indifferently, and the latter couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, and quickly lowered his eyes.

Emperor Qiansheng turned his gaze to Sun Chengzong, who was still kneeling, and said calmly, "As Minister Sun said, we can order the affected prefectures and counties to open their granaries for disaster relief. As for whether the three-year tax exemption is necessary, that remains to be discussed. We will order the relevant officials to conduct on-site investigations and verifications before making a decision."

Emperor Qiansheng was clearly worried about unrest in the Central Plains. He agreed to open the granaries for disaster relief, but refused to exempt the people from taxes.

Sun Chengzong had no choice but to say, “Your Majesty is wise. I have another document here, which is Jia Ziming’s impeachment of Wan An, the supervisor of mining in Luoyang. Wan An has been committing all sorts of evil deeds in Luoyang under the guise of supervising mining and tax collection. His behavior is outrageous. Luoyang was originally a major city in the central region, but now all industries are in decline. From the gentry and local worthies to the common people, many have been forced to the point of losing their families and lives.”

Emperor Qiansheng already disliked Jia Huan, and upon hearing that Jia Huan had actually submitted a memorial impeaching his "purse strings," he became even more displeased, saying indifferently, "No need..."

Emperor Qiansheng initially wanted to say that it was unnecessary, as Jia Huan had no official position and was not qualified to submit a memorial. However, after a second thought, he changed his mind and said, "Bring up the memorial."

Sun Chengzong took out the memorial and the blood letter, and solemnly said: "This blood letter was left by a cloth shop owner in Luoyang. His entire family of ten was extorted by Wan An and forced to hang themselves. This blood letter accusing Wan An, the mining supervisor of Luoyang, was left at the scene. Jia Ziming happened to pass by and obtained this blood letter, so he submitted it along with the memorial to the emperor."

In an instant, the hall erupted in an uproar.

Chen Ju, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, hurriedly stepped forward, took the memorial and the blood-written letter from Sun Chengzong's hands, and presented them to the Emperor's desk.

Emperor Qiansheng first read the blood-written letter, then Jia Huan's memorial, and his expression turned quite ugly.

"Your Majesty, the Prefect and Assistant Prefect of Luoyang previously impeached Wan An for numerous illegal acts. Now, Jia Ziming, who is passing through Luoyang, has also impeached this man, with a blood oath as evidence. It is clear that this is not an empty accusation. I implore you to arrest Wan An immediately and bring him back to the capital for trial," said Zhao Dongxing, Minister of Revenue.

"I second this proposal. It's not just Wan'an; mining supervisors and tax collectors in various regions have also committed many illegal acts, causing widespread public discontent. Mining supervisors and tax collectors across the country should be recalled immediately."

"Lord Li is absolutely right, I second that!"

The Donglin Party officials all spoke up in agreement, and more than half of the ministers knelt on the ground, creating a dark mass of kneeling faces. Even Emperor Qiansheng felt the pressure.

As mentioned earlier, most members of the Donglin Party came from the Jiangnan region, an area known for its thriving industry and commerce. Many of these families owned businesses, and therefore vehemently opposed increasing commercial taxes. It's worth noting that at the beginning of the dynasty, with everything in disarray, Emperor Taizu of Jin levied a tax rate of one-thirtieth on industry and commerce to promote their development. Now, nearly ninety years after the founding of the dynasty, with thriving industry and commerce, especially in the Jiangnan region where capitalism is beginning to emerge, the tax rate remains at one-thirtieth, which is remarkably low.

Therefore, although Shi Dayong was not a good person, his encouragement of Emperor Qiansheng to levy commercial taxes was undoubtedly the right direction. However, the collected commercial taxes did not go through the Ministry of Revenue, but went directly into the emperor's private treasury. Moreover, the tax supervisors in charge of collecting taxes used various pretexts to squeeze money from the emperor, which turned a good thing into a bad thing.

Moreover, none of the mining supervisors and tax collectors dispatched by the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs to various places were spared from embezzling funds. They would only hand over 10% or 20% of the tax revenue they collected, and then divide the remaining 80% or 90% among themselves, except for the portion given to Shi Dayong as a token of their respect.

The officials of the Donglin faction were making a fortune and were enjoying themselves when a group of tax inspectors came to "rob" them. Naturally, they hated the eunuch faction led by Shi Dayong. Now that they had the opportunity, why wouldn't they take the chance to stir up trouble?

Emperor Qiansheng looked at the large group of people kneeling in the hall, his face extremely gloomy. He never expected that Jia Huan, although not in the court, would still stir up such a storm for him.

Emperor Qiansheng suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Gentlemen, please rise. I have read Jia Huan's memorial and the letter written in blood. I hereby order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate this case. If it is true, he will be severely punished!"

"Your Majesty's actions are inappropriate. The Imperial Guard and the Secret Service have always been a den of snakes and rats; they cannot be trusted!"

"Indeed, I believe that an imperial envoy should be dispatched to oversee this case!"

Seeing that Emperor Qiansheng was trying to get away with it, the civil officials were not about to be fooled and opposed the intervention of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Emperor Qiansheng was burning with rage and was about to lash out when an official from the Office of Transmission rushed into the Wenhua Hall with an urgent report from 800 li away. He knelt before the throne and said, "Your Majesty, the Governor of Henan, Cao Wenzhao, has sent an urgent report that Zhang Cunmeng, a mining thief in Mianchi County, Luoyang Prefecture, has captured the county seat, killed a number of local officials, opened the granaries to attract refugees to join him, and gathered tens of thousands of people to raise flags and rebel. Wan An, the mining supervisor of Luoyang, was also beaten to death on the spot by the mob."

In an instant, the entire Wenhua Hall was in an uproar. Everyone was pressuring Emperor Qiansheng to arrest Wan An and bring him to justice, but unexpectedly, something happened in Luoyang, and the person in question was beaten to death by the people.

Chen Ju hurriedly placed the urgent report on the imperial desk. After reading it, Emperor Qiansheng was both shocked and furious. What had Sun Chengzong just said? A riot had actually broken out in Luoyang.

"Perhaps I should have approved the opening of the granaries for disaster relief as soon as possible!" A moment of regret flashed through Emperor Qiansheng's mind, but it was only for a moment before it was replaced by anger and cold killing intent. No matter what the reason, all rebels who dared to kill officials and rebel must be killed immediately!

"Minister Zhao, immediately draft an imperial edict ordering Cao Wenzhao, the governor of Henan, to lead troops to suppress the rioters, recapture Mianchi County, and bring all the rebels to justice," Emperor Qiansheng said coldly.

Zhao Mingcheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have received your decree. The riot that broke out in Luoyang must be related to Wan An's misdeeds. It is clear that Jia Ziming's accusations against Wan An are not unfounded. Although Wan An was killed by the mob, his crimes are undeniable. I believe that an imperial envoy should be sent to investigate and verify this matter. If it is confirmed that the riot was caused by Wan An, then in order to appease the people, he should be executed!"

At this point, Emperor Qiansheng had no choice but to concede, and said in a deep voice, "Granted. Order the cabinet to recommend an imperial envoy. Court adjourned!" After saying this, he stood up and left.

In this factional struggle, the Donglin Party won a minor victory, while the eunuch party lost one member. As for Jia Huan, who was not present, he naturally gained fame.

(End of this chapter)