Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Just like the debate within Cheng Jiming's family, Han Kuang also hesitated after receiving Cheng Jiming's message.

The emperor's request, though seemingly simple, actually hit the nail on the head:

That's because the Donglin Party members wanted fame!
They cannot be as shameless as the eunuch faction; there are many things the eunuch faction can do that they cannot.

Ruan Dacheng sided with the eunuch faction in his struggle for official positions, and he is still criticized by the Donglin Party members to this day.

If Cheng Jiming were to distance himself from the Donglin Party for the sake of the Grand Secretary position, he would be severely criticized.

Han Kuang could already foresee Cheng Jiming's predicament, knowing that this choice would definitely not be easy:
"If Jingzhi issues a statement severing ties with the Donglin Party, people will surely accuse him of betraying his friends for personal gain, and his relationship with us will not be as close as before."

"But if we don't issue a statement, it would confirm that we're forming a political party—"

"If there really is no factionalism or favoritism, why won't they even issue a statement?"

This is truly a dilemma; neither choice is easy.

As the chief minister appointed by the platform, Han Kuang knew that Cheng Jiming had already gone to great lengths to send this message.

Not everyone can resist the temptation of becoming a Grand Secretary.

After the current emperor adjusted the cabinet system, the Grand Secretaries are now completely different from before.

Not only did they have the honor of being appointed prime minister, but they also had the power to independently draft proposals.

As long as one doesn't perform too badly, one can still obtain titles such as baron or viscount after retirement.

With such great honor and practical benefits, Han Kuang felt that Cheng Jiming's willingness to consult him was already enough to demonstrate his firm resolve.

If it were him, he would definitely seize the opportunity to enter the cabinet and become prime minister, rather than letting others make the decision.

Therefore, his choice must also be made with caution, and the interests of Cheng Jiming must be taken into account.

However, considering this point is easier said than done:

What glory can compare to becoming a prime minister?

What tangible benefit could compare to a noble title?

"If I ask Jingzhi to stand on the side of Donglin and refuse to issue a statement, what should I offer as compensation?"

Thinking of Cheng Ji Ming's in-laws and his children.

Han Kuang knew that even if Cheng Jiming was firm now, he would definitely change his mind in the future.

Therefore, he simply replied "I understand" to the person sent by Cheng Ji Ming, leaving the decision to Cheng Ji Ming.
-
At this moment, the debate within the Cheng residence had reached a fever pitch.

Cheng Kegong said to his elder brother:
“Brother, reputation is important, but we must also consider practical benefits.”

"Who benefits the most from Father's appointment as Grand Secretary? It's none other than you, the eldest son."

"If Father is granted the title of Viscount or even Earl, who will inherit the title in the future?"

These words were blunt enough, leaving Cheng Keyan speechless.

Cheng Kegong was right. If Cheng Jiming were to be granted a title, according to the imperial court's succession laws, the title would certainly be inherited by his eldest son.

In this situation, his advice to his father to consider his reputation was utterly foolish.

He simply couldn't bring himself to ask his father to disregard his reputation and distance himself from the Donglin Party.

Therefore, he could only remain silent and stop expressing his opposition.

Seeing his eldest son remain silent and his third son adopt this attitude, Cheng Jiming was speechless for a moment.
The situation was already quite clear; his family all felt the opportunity couldn't be missed. Some simply stated it openly, while others kept it to themselves.

If this continues, his daughter-in-law and grandson will likely come crying and begging him to sever ties with the Donglin Party and ascend to the position of Grand Secretary.

Just as he was thinking this, a doorman came to report that his daughter and son-in-law had arrived, and even his father-in-law, Huang Liji, had come over.

Cheng Jiming knew their purpose in coming; it was most likely related to the matter of the Grand Secretary. Huang Lijie's visit at this time must be to persuade him to heed the Emperor's advice.

But he couldn't not get up to greet them; he couldn't very well avoid seeing his father-in-law.

Seeing this situation, Cheng Kegong immediately arranged for other relatives of the Cheng family to come to his home as well. He believed that with their persuasion, his father would make the right decision.

Cheng Jiming was unaware that his son had arranged this. Upon meeting Huang Liji, he politely said:

“Father-in-law, why are you suddenly visiting at this time of year, when it’s neither a holiday nor a festival?”

"They didn't even send a formal invitation first, giving me time to prepare."

Huang Liji said with a smile:

"If I send you a formal invitation, will you come out to meet me?"

"Are you in a difficult position right now, not knowing what to do?"

Cheng Jiming smiled bitterly upon hearing this, recounted the argument at home, and sighed:

"If I had known it would turn out this way, I shouldn't have come to Beijing to take up this post."

"If I had stayed at home all the time, there wouldn't have been so many problems."

Huang Lijie laughed and pointed at him, saying, "Would you be willing to stay at home and be idle?"

"Liu Yizhu has been staying at home. Is he doing well now?"

Cheng Jiming was speechless. Liu Yiju was the typical example set up by the emperor, a Donglin Party member who was deliberately not reinstated.

Given his seniority as Grand Secretary before Han Kuang, if he were to return to the court, even Han Kuang would have to take a back seat.

However, because he had relinquished the position of Grand Secretary to Ye Xianggao, the emperor considered it an act of prioritizing partisan interests. Using his feigned illness as an excuse, the emperor insisted that he was seriously ill.

Therefore, Liu Yiju was never reinstated and faded from the political scene of the Chongzhen era.

If Huang Lijie hadn't mentioned it, Cheng Jiming would have completely forgotten about this person—

He rarely mentioned this name when discussing matters with other members of the Donglin Party.

Liu Yiju was never among the ministers in the imperial court who were promoted and given titles.

Aside from being exonerated from his position as a member of the Donglin Party, Liu Yi-jun was reinstated to his original post and awarded the Left Pillar of State rank. He held no other official positions or titles.

Compared to other officials who were reinstated, Liu Yizhu's situation was rather tragic. Even his disciple Yao Ximeng did not make a special trip to Liu Yizhu's home to pay his respects.

Cheng Jiming was deeply moved by Liu Yiju's plight. If Liu had insisted on not writing a statement and been forced to resign, the Donglin Party members might have spoken well of him, but it wouldn't have changed his fate.

Huang Liji further stated:
"Liu Yiju was willing to give up his position as Grand Secretary for the sake of the Donglin Party, which led the Emperor to deem him unusable."

“If you give up your position as Grand Secretary for the sake of Donglin, you will have no chance of being reinstated in the future.”

"Even your children and grandchildren will be implicated, and the emperor will consider them to be more loyal to the Donglin faction than to the emperor."

"This is something that will bring disaster to future generations; we must learn from this lesson."

Cheng Jiming was startled upon hearing this, and suddenly understood why Huang Lijie had mentioned Liu Yijing:
If I were to give up my position as Grand Secretary for the sake of the Donglin Party, wouldn't that be exactly what Liu Yi-jing did?

With his example as a warning, I must not repeat his mistakes.

Even if one doesn't value the position of Grand Secretary, one cannot let the emperor think that one is stepping down for the sake of the Donglin Party.

With this thought swirling in his mind, Cheng Jiming had already made up his mind.
-
Just then, the messenger he sent to Han Kuang's residence returned, saying that Han Kuang had not replied.

Cheng Jiming didn't quite understand Han Kuang's meaning, so Huang Liji said:

"It seems that Chief Minister Han is reluctant to lose you as an assistant and hopes that you will become a Grand Secretary."

"He just couldn't say it out loud, so he didn't reply."

As the leader of the Donglin Party, Han Kuang certainly could not persuade Cheng Jiming to issue a statement severing ties with the Donglin Party in order to become a Grand Secretary.

But his attitude was, in effect, tacit agreement.

Without his support, what's the point of Cheng Jiming maintaining his Donglin Party membership?
Han Kuang might not appreciate it, as he had hoped that Cheng Ji would join the cabinet and help him achieve success.

Cheng Jiming sighed as he thought of this.

I know that ultimately I have to make my own choices, and I have to bear the blame myself.

He said to Huang Liji:

"I understand what my father-in-law means."

"Don't worry, I won't be so unwise as to not cherish the opportunity when it comes."

"It's...that's..."

Thinking that his lifelong reputation might be damaged because of this, Cheng Jiming was really reluctant and still hesitated.

Huang Lijie knew his concerns, and his trip was on the emperor's orders to help him dispel them.

Upon hearing Cheng Jiming's decision, he smiled and said:
I understand your concerns, but it's not a difficult thing.

"The Emperor asked you to issue a statement severing ties with the Donglin Party because he was worried that you and Han Kuang would form a faction and control the cabinet."

"As long as you show that you do not belong to the Donglin Party, the Emperor will naturally put his worries aside."

"I think you could follow Qian Qianyi's example and set up your own faction, which would naturally clear you of any suspicion of forming a clique."

Cheng Jiming was puzzled upon hearing these words and asked in confusion:
“If someone like Qian Qianyi were to establish their own faction, wouldn’t they become enemies with the Donglin Party?”

"That won't do; we can't get past the Grand Secretary either."

He waved his hand repeatedly, believing that this approach should not be adopted.

Huang Liji said with a smile:

"Qian Qianyi was a scholar who established his own school of thought based on practical knowledge and abandoned the Donglin Party's scholarship, so he had to establish his own school of thought."

"As long as you still believe in the Neo-Confucianism of the Donglin scholars, who can say that you have betrayed Donglin?"

"Besides, you and I are both from the North. Being in the Donglin Party, which is mainly composed of Southerners, is already somewhat uncomfortable. We also have academic differences."

"If you, along with Sun Qifeng, Lu Shanji, and other northern scholars, were to establish the Northern Donglin Society, would those Donglin Party members necessarily become your enemies?" (End of Chapter)