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Chapter 1474 Every Family Has Its Own Troubles (Part 2)
"Slurp...slurp...plop...hiss...whoosh..."

At the shout, a gray figure strode in—it was the emperor, dressed in the uniform of a warrior from the Imperial Stables. He rushed behind his desk, picked up the teapot from the stove, poured half a cup, lit a cigar, and took two deep drags before speaking.

"My esteemed ministers, I have just visited the Military Command and personally listened to the testimonies of those who were crying out for justice outside the Dali Temple. To be honest, it was quite tragic; their families were destroyed and their lives were lost. But even if they should all be punished as a result, that is the court's way of dealing with them according to the law, not the people's way of venting their personal grievances."

This matter should still be handled by the Three Judicial Offices. The crime should be clearly defined and punished as it is stated in the Great Ming Code. Do not be swayed by external forces. Any dereliction of duty by local officials should be investigated by the Ministry of Personnel. For the time being, no punishment should be imposed, but this should not be repeated.”

"...Your Majesty is wise..." After these words, the court officials in the room were a little stunned. They paused for a few breaths before expressing their agreement, but their expressions were not uniform and their resolve was weak.

Everyone was thinking to themselves, since they weren't going to discuss the matter and had already reached a conclusion, why hold another imperial conference? Wouldn't it have been enough to just send someone to convey the message?

"My lords, this matter is not difficult to handle. Any county magistrate could easily resolve it clearly with the laws of the Ming Dynasty. So why has it escalated to the capital?"

Hong Tao certainly wasn't just bored and deliberately tormenting these ministers; he had gathered them together to discuss a more complex issue. He tapped the table with his knuckles to indicate that the meeting wasn't over yet and the main topic was just beginning.

"Your Majesty, this matter should have been handled by the local government. Now that it has come to the capital, it is purely because some officials are incompetent and irresponsible, disregarding the laws of the Ming Dynasty!" Faced with the emperor's questioning, Zuo Guangdou, the Left Censor-in-Chief, gave his answer without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, the officials in various regions certainly acted improperly, but the incident was sudden and there was no precedent for it, so it is understandable. If those military families who caused trouble had been arrested at the time, it would have discouraged the garrison and could have led to a major disaster."

The emperor's approach and attitude were clear, and Liu Fuli, the Minister of Personnel, did not want to waste any more words on this matter; he simply followed the emperor's will.

But after hearing Zuo Guangdou's words, he had no choice but to stand up and speak up for the officials in various places. Being a local official is not easy. They can't just scrutinize the articles of the Ming Code like in the Three Courts Joint Trial. They have to consider many more aspects.

If all the blame is placed on local officials, it would be tantamount to the imperial court setting the tone for future similar incidents. The problem is that the emperor and the imperial court did not approve of this approach, leaving local officials at a loss and doing nothing to help.

“What you two ministers say makes sense, but neither of them gets to the heart of the matter. The cause of this incident is not the military families who have lost loved ones, nor the criminals who have stolen and sold weapons, nor the local officials who are caught in the middle, but me and all of you!”

When two completely opposing opinions emerged at the meeting, Hong Tao could no longer remain calm and listen to all sides, so he had to step forward and act as the judge.

Unfortunately, his refereeing style was unconventional; instead of giving the yellow card to the participant, he went to the refereeing team. This confused all the ministers in the room, who stared blankly at the fat face behind the imperial desk.

"Who can tell me, besides greed for money, what other reason could drive these criminals who steal and sell weapons to take such risks?" If you don't understand, that's fine. Here's a hint so you can keep thinking.

Ever since hearing about the disturbance at the Dali Temple, Liu Liu had spent the entire night figuring out the whole story, and then went to the Military Command early the next morning to verify it. If anyone could immediately give the correct answer, wouldn't they seem incredibly stupid? "...The student is guilty; the General Staff's oversight was lax, allowing the culprit to take advantage!" The ministers continued exchanging glances, and after a moment, Tan Buming slowly rose, taking partial responsibility, though his face showed some reluctance.

"I am guilty... The Ministry of War failed in its management and did not discover the thieves' covetousness in time!" Immediately afterward, Minister of War Wang Jiazhen also stood up, his tone and expression exactly the same as Tan Buming's.

"I am guilty...Ministry of Industry...I am old and blind, and I cannot judge people well..." The third person to stand up was Wang Zheng, the Minister of Industry. The old minister, who was over seventy years old and had white hair, tried hard to pin a crime on himself. Unfortunately, he was not good at being tactful and adaptable all his life, and after stammering for a long time, he still couldn't find the right target.

"What I want is the reason. Only by knowing the reason can we solve the problem, not to find a scapegoat. You need to change this habit in the future. Don't rush to admit fault when something happens, and don't do it half-heartedly and unwillingly. Since the three of you are up, then each of you can tell me what the root cause of this matter is."

Seeing Tan Buming get up to admit his mistake, Hong Tao knew that at least two more people would have to get up as well. The Ministry of War, the General Staff Department, and the Ministry of Industry were the main regulatory bodies for the military industry. Whenever problems arose in this industry, they would all bear some responsibility.

Hong Tao did not like this attitude. It seemed like he was taking responsibility, but in reality, he was trying to get away with it and not investigate further. It was a manifestation of laziness in governance.

Regardless of people or events, there is always a primary and secondary distinction. Clarifying the primary and secondary responsibilities is not just about punishing someone; the most crucial thing is to solve the problem.

"...I dare to say that the military industry is the backbone of the nation and should not be handed over to the private sector. Since ancient times, no merchant is honest. When they see huge profits and are not constantly supervised, problems are bound to arise."

The three looked at each other. Tan Buming and Wang Jiazhen lowered their heads and continued to play the victim, while only Wang Zheng huffed and puffed, finally speaking his mind.

He had probably been holding these words in for a long time, and he knew why he had been holding them in, so he regretted it a little after he said them. But his personality made him unwilling to appear too weak, so he could only stubbornly brace himself for the wrath of the wrath.

The ministers in the room also minimized their breathing, lowering their eyelids and only glancing at the Emperor's desk out of the corner of their eyes. Several of them had already involuntarily clenched their fists, deeply worried for Wang Zheng.

Regardless of its validity, these remarks have already overstepped their bounds. The policy of having private companies run some military industrial enterprises, like the assimilation policy, was one that Emperor Jingyang had decreed. Various ministries had also formulated a set of regulations for this purpose, some of which were even written into the Great Ming Code.

If you say this method is wrong now, isn't that going against the tide of history? Even if the emperor knows it's wrong, he can't admit it verbally. Besides, it won't be easy to change it now; it involves too many people, even the Ming Dynasty's legal code would have to be revised. It's unlikely the emperor would agree to that; it's more likely he'd just let you retire and go home.

"Wang Zheng, with your words today, I have not failed my decision to let Xu Guangqi take on a disciple back then." But the emperor's words pulled Wang Zheng out of the abyss.

(End of this chapter)