unclear

Chapter 1473 Every family has its own sutras that are difficult to recite
1639 quietly came to an end amidst the clamor and noise, and in the blink of an eye, it was spring of 1640. The capital, which had just celebrated the Lantern Festival and was still immersed in the atmosphere of victory and New Year's festivities, was spoiled by a piece of news in the newspaper.

An investigation by the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard revealed that 11 privately-owned arsenals, led by the Jin County Arsenal, had been illegally trading and selling prohibited firearms and ammunition for many years. Seven chambers of commerce, led by the Ningbo Jiuzhou Chamber of Commerce, had also colluded with these arsenals in smuggling prohibited firearms and ammunition for years. All have been apprehended with the stolen goods and will soon be transported to the capital for trial.

Once this matter was disclosed, it immediately caused a huge uproar across the country, with people from many places flocking to local government offices to petition and demand severe punishment.

The commotion was most intense in Ningbo and Fuzhou, where two families involved were besieged by crowds, resulting in multiple deaths and the burning of several residences. The local government's subsequent actions were quite intriguing: those who committed the vandalism and arson were not arrested, and the victimized families received no protection.

Once the news spread, similar incidents occurred in several other places. In mid-February, several families involved in the case fled in panic, heading north to Beijing, where they knelt in broad daylight at the entrance of the Dali Temple, seeking refuge. Nearly a hundred people, young and old, shivered in the cold wind, their cries deafening, creating a truly tragic scene.

What's even more interesting is that three distinct groups emerged among the onlookers. Some sympathizers believed that the matter should be handled according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and that family members should not be implicated before a trial and conviction.

Some critics felt that since a family member had committed such a serious crime, it was only right for the family to bear the consequences. Others were simply watching the spectacle, remaining indifferent and unbiased. As a result, the two sides got into a physical altercation due to heated words, and a brawl broke out right in front of the Dali Temple.

The government in the capital reacted relatively quickly. The Embroidered Uniform Guard immediately dispatched a large number of men to disperse the onlookers and took the hundred or so people to the Military Command for strict custody. They then submitted a memorial to the emperor detailing the events and the results of the preliminary investigation.

With such a large commotion at the gates of the imperial city, the emperor would have known even if the Embroidered Uniform Guard hadn't submitted a memorial. So, the next morning, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was once again packed with people, with military and political officials sitting together, waiting to hear the emperor's opinion on how to handle the situation.

"Commander Zhou, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is probably going to be held responsible this time! If you ask me, so many people shouldn't have been let into the city. Are the people patrolling the city gates really that clueless?"

The officials had a pretty good idea of ​​why the emperor suddenly summoned them for a meeting before the emperor, and then some of them started making sarcastic remarks to Zhou Jiaqing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

“Governor Yuan, you can’t say that. It’s true that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is responsible for maintaining order in the capital, but they can’t just stop ordinary people from entering the city. They all have identification tags, they’re not carrying any contraband, and they’re not wanted. What law should the gatekeepers use to prevent them from entering the city?”

Such a disturbance right under his nose, even alarming the Emperor, was indeed a great annoyance to Zhou Jiaqing. But he was not one to be trifled with, and he couldn't stand anyone arbitrarily blaming the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Especially after seeing that the speaker was Yuan Chonghuan, the Governor-General of Nanyang who had returned to Beijing to assume his post, he was even more furious and didn't want to give him any face at all, directly retorting with a question.

"Although we couldn't stop them from entering the city, we should have noticed their unusual behavior and sent more men to follow them, otherwise things would have escalated to this point. Such an absurd thing would never happen in Manila or Da Nang. Does this mean that anyone can cause trouble and it will reach the ears of the emperor from now on?"

Yuan Chonghuan didn't back down and immediately pointed out the laxity of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He was an official returning to the capital to report on his mission and shouldn't have gotten involved in such matters, but he had been guarding a region for many years and was used to handling major and minor affairs on his own. He couldn't help but say a few words when he saw something he didn't like.

"Then why not have Governor Yuan teach me a thing or two about how to tell who should follow and who shouldn't? If we don't have that ability, even doubling the size of the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't be enough with the hundreds of thousands of people in the capital." Despite Zhou Jiaqing's mere title of Commander, he was qualified to attend the Imperial Conference. Even when facing a powerful regional official like Yuan Chonghuan, he remained fearless, coldly tossing the question back at him.

This seemingly simple question actually criticizes the comparison between Manila and Da Nang, tiny places, and the capital, implying that Yuan Chonghuan's suggestion was terrible and petty.

"My lords, please calm down. His Majesty is about to arrive. There is time to discuss the truth." Seeing that the two were getting increasingly agitated as they argued back and forth, Cao Huachun, the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was getting impatient.

Today's imperial meeting was rather strange. Not only was the emperor nowhere to be seen, but even his two shadow guards, Wang Chengen and Wei San, along with a team of personal bodyguards, had all vanished. Based on his understanding of the emperor, he would never bring so many people with him unless he was leaving the palace.

But why would the emperor hold a royal meeting while secretly slipping out of the palace? Of course, no one could guess, which was why he was so annoyed and didn't want to listen to these two people's incessant chatter.

"If you ask me, officials in Zhejiang and Fujian have neglected their duties. They were too slow to react and too sluggish in their actions. It's true that the prisoners were escorted to the capital, but they burned down the people's houses before they even had a trial, and someone even died. That's really going too far."

Why not arrest and punish them immediately? Dragging it out has forced everyone to come to the capital; isn't this just deliberately causing His Majesty trouble? The Russian delegation is arriving in Beijing the day after tomorrow, and it's said that ships carrying delegations from Europe have also passed through Enniu Port. His Majesty has been sleeping very late for several days in a row, and now he has to worry about this matter. Alas…”

Cao Huachun's words only made things worse, as Minister of Education Ma Baoguo couldn't help but comment on the matter as soon as he finished speaking. Instead of criticizing the Embroidered Uniform Guard or judging Yuan Chonghuan, he turned his attention to local officials, blaming them for neglecting their duties.

"I have read the reports from Zhejiang and Fujian, and they are indeed difficult to handle. The ringleaders of the riots are all military families who have lost loved ones. If it weren't for these treacherous officials stealing and selling weapons for money, their families might not have died in battle."

Moreover, with so many people gathered, no one can say for sure who started the fight, killing or injuring anyone. Whom should the local officials arrest? And on what charge? Can't the families of the soldiers petition His Majesty, or simply come to the Meridian Gate to plead their case?

Liu Fuli, the Minister of Personnel, was also unhappy with Ma Baoguo's accusations. "It's easy for him to talk when he's not in the same boat," he thought. "Local officials are the ones facing the most difficult situations. Who would intentionally delay things unless they were caught in a dilemma?"

"If the newspapers had waited a few days to report it, and waited until after the conviction before announcing it, that would have been better. Sometimes news travels too fast..." Customs Director Li Tianjing, who was also back in Beijing to assume his duties, couldn't help but remark this as he listened to the conversation.

"His Majesty has arrived, silence..." Before he could finish speaking, Wang Chengen's shrill voice suddenly rang out from outside: "The Emperor has arrived."

(End of this chapter)