Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

"Of course not like Mr. Gu."

"The court stipulates that associations of more than 20 people must be reported, so Xin Donglin will not put all members under one association."

"My idea and that of some colleagues is to have each literary society nominate members to join the New Donglin Society as members. Using the New Donglin Society as a link, we can integrate these literary societies, but also divide them into individual societies."

"This way we can avoid reporting to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Defense."

Yang Tingshu heard Zhang Pu's question and responded.

When Zhang Pu heard his idea, he could hardly hide his surprise and stared at Yang Tingshu and said:

"Brother Yang, whose idea is this? Are you treating the imperial court as fools?"

"Do you think this isn't forming a clique for personal gain?"

Yang Tingshu paused when he heard this, and he didn't know why he and others had such great confidence when they were discussing this at that time.

If people regard forming an association as forming a party, that would be a more serious matter.

Zhang Pu then said:

"Do you think the imperial court will ignore such obvious loopholes?"

"If you're trying to take advantage of loopholes like this, do you want to make the imperial decree become nothing more than empty words?"

Yang Tingshu had something to say, and said to him:
"Are there not enough empty documents issued by the imperial court?"

"Who is willing to take care of things that the people don't report and the officials don't investigate?"

"Besides, this matter does not violate the laws of the court. What's the problem?"

Zhang Pu looked at his good friend and realized that he still didn't understand the current situation of the court. He sighed and said:
"This is a big problem!"

"The purpose of the court requiring social organizations to report is to put such matters as secret societies on the table and avoid the party disputes that affected the government and the opposition during the Tianqi period."

"Whether it was the Han and Tang dynasties or the early Song dynasty, they all declined because of factional strife. Factional strife has always been a sign of national destruction, no matter what the purpose is."

"The current emperor has been suppressing factional strife. If you connect with many literary societies like this, when they become officials in the future, they will unite to fight against those who are different in the court, and factional strife will arise again, right?"

"The emperor even restricts the current Donglin Party. Would he be happy to see this?"

"Do you think that the current emperor is polite and you want to deceive him by taking advantage of his loopholes?"

Thinking of this, he shook his head repeatedly. As someone who dealt with the inner court more often, he knew that the current emperor was not such a pedantic person.

If someone wants to use loopholes in the rites and laws to deal with the emperor, the current emperor will definitely let these people know what it means to remake rites and music.

Now that the re-making of rituals and music has not been completed, the emperor can introduce new rituals and laws at any time to punish those who take advantage of loopholes.

Yang Tingshu's eyes widened when he heard this. He didn't expect Zhang Pu to say this.

He had been buried in his studies and never thought that this act of taking advantage of loopholes was actually deceiving the emperor.

Thinking of the weight of the word "king and father", Yang Tingshu stammered:

"I have never thought of deceiving you."

"I just want to carry forward the legacy of the Donglin gentlemen and let them have successors."

Zhang Pu shook his head and said:
“The legacy of the Donglin gentlemen must be carried forward, but it is not necessary to build a new Donglin.”

"Don't we, Yingshe, learn from the Donglin gentlemen?"

"Literary societies and forming cliques are two different things. Don't cross the line."

Zhang Pu repeatedly persuaded Yang Tingshu and said:
"If this new Donglin is established, it will be a real party."

"Others may not be punished, but you, the initiator of the New Donglin, will definitely be strictly monitored."

"If you listen to my advice, Brother Yang, don't get involved in this matter."

"I even suspect that the so-called 'New Donglin' ​​is a group of Donglin predecessors in the court who intend to recreate the Donglin Party and compete with the current emperor."

"If you really do what these people say, you will be a pioneer for them."

Then, he told Yang Tingshu about his experience today. He believed that there was a group of people who specifically encouraged scholars to establish a new Donglin.

The purpose of these people is obviously to test the current emperor.

If the formation of the New Donglin Jiawen Society was exploited and tacitly approved, the Donglin Party would soon be revived and become a party spread all over the country.

By then, the New Donglin would either disappear or be swallowed up by the Donglin Party, and it would not be possible for it to grow stronger.

At this time, Zhang Pu had already determined that this was a big trap, and someone wanted to trap him and the people from Yingshe.

So he decided to try his best to persuade Yang Tingshu, and if Yang Tingshu really didn't listen, then he would let him sever his ties with Yingshe.

At this time, Yang Tingshu's brows were already furrowed. He didn't expect that there were such complicated relationships behind it.

He knew the danger and didn't want to get involved. But it was difficult for him to give up becoming the leader of New Donglin.

After all, he was not like Zhang Pu, who had already been favored by the emperor. If he wanted to become a minister in the future, he had to win over people and promote him.

After hesitating for a while, Yang Tingshu said with some anticipation:

"My dear brother, does the Emperor know my name?"

"If my dear brother recommends me to the emperor, why should I join the New Donglin?"

This question stumped Zhang Pu.

Because in his opinion, Ting Shu was willing to give up the position of leader of the New Donglin, so he must have a bigger goal. Maybe he was aiming at the position of prime minister and wanted to secure it.

However, the number of ministerial positions was limited, and Yang Tingshu and he were both members of the Yingshe Society. According to the system of avoiding the same society, it was almost impossible for them to serve as ministers at the same time.

So Zhang Pu hesitated for a moment, until he saw Yang Tingshu's face turned cold, then he said:
"I will naturally recommend you to the Emperor."

"But the current emperor pays attention to ability when hiring people."

"How far you can go in the future depends on Brother Yang himself."

Yang Tingshu was confident about this. He did not think that he was inferior to others, including Zhang Pu. So he said firmly:

"As long as you recommend me, that's all."

"I believe that with my own abilities, I can at least obtain the status of a Yuanshi."

"Brother Chen Zilong's Yuanshi is the work of Brother Zhang, right?"

Zhang Pu was speechless when he heard this. He had never thought that Yang Tingshu was only seeking the status of a Yuanshi. He immediately said:

"I am somewhat confident about the identity of Yuanshi."

"And I heard that because the Shanxi officialdom is being cleaned up again, this department will still recruit 800 Jinshi to fill the vacant officials."

"With Brother Yang's talent, it would be easy for him to pass the imperial examination. He doesn't even need the status of a Yuanshi."

Yang Tingshu laughed when he heard this and said:
"I'll lend you some good words!"

"As long as one has the background to be an official, who would want to get involved in the New Donglin?"

"I will reject their request when I get back. Our Yingshe will not get involved with any New Donglin."

Zhang Pu was delighted at first, but suddenly an idea occurred to him and he stopped her:
"slow!"

"If Brother Yang refuses, they will definitely choose someone else."

"It's better to pretend to be friendly with them and hold them back for the time being."

"This can also be considered a merit, and let the emperor see your loyalty."

Yang Tingshu hesitated when he heard this and stammered, "This... this... isn't appropriate!"

"They are all good friends of Shilin, why should I deceive them?"

Zhang Pu sneered and said:
"What kind of deception is this?"

"They encouraged you and me to form a new Donglin, and they had no good intentions."

"If we don't show them, they will think we are easy to bully!"

Encourage Yang Tingshu to be a spy and find out the origins of those people.

It is even said that this may lead to the possibility of being awarded seniority merit, reducing the probation years and obtaining priority promotion opportunities.

Yang Tingshu couldn't resist the temptation and finally agreed to let Zhang Pu find out more.
-
After planting this nail, Zhang Pu quickly wrote a letter to the guards who were protecting him:
"Send someone to pass this letter to the Imperial Guards and have them report it to the Emperor."

"If it's convenient, ask them to send someone to talk to us."

As a student taking an exam, it was not convenient for him to meet the Jinyiwei when many scholars gathered. Otherwise, Zhang Pu would not be able to bear the accusation of colluding with the factory guards.

So he could only send a message to the Jinyiwei, or ask the Jinyiwei to send someone.

After this letter reached the Nanjing Jinyiwei, Xiang Junqing, the new Nanjing Jinyiwei seal holder and Southern Pacification Envoy, immediately became interested:

"Zhang Pu has a great reputation and is deeply trusted by the emperor."

"This man is about to enter the government, maybe we can make friends with him."

He quietly travelled with a small entourage and met Zhang Pu.

Zhang Pu did not expect that the head of the Nanjing Jinyiwei would come to see him in person. He was surprised to learn of Xiang Junqing's identity and reminded him:
"Commander Xiang is truly both bold and careful. No wonder he has made such great achievements in Korea."

"The Emperor sent you to Nanjing. He really made the right choice."

Obviously, he knew what Xiang Junqing had done in Korea. He even guessed that the emperor sent Xiang Junqing to take charge of the Southern Jinyiwei for inspection.

As long as Xiang Junqing performs well, he has a good chance of becoming the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At this position, even the Grand Secretary had to befriend him. Zhang Pu naturally wanted to make friends with him in order to gain his support.

It can be said that during his three years in the capital, Zhang Pu had become well-versed in many matters at court and lived up to his title of "white-robed minister".

Xiang Junqing knew Zhang Pu's importance to the emperor and said with a smile:
"Mr. Ximing, thank you for your compliment!"

"No need to say more polite words. The emperor sent me to Nanjing. First, to stabilize the local tax collection, and second, to escort the re-establishment of rituals and music, and to set rules for clans and societies that can interfere with elections."

"The rectification of Jiangnan Literary Society is of utmost importance. It is really wise of Mr. Ximing not to let Yang Tingshu get involved in New Donglin."

Zhang Pu let out a sigh of relief, but felt nervous and secretly resentful.

Because Xiang Junqing's words undoubtedly proved his guess. If he had hesitated a little on the matter of Xin Donglin, he might have been included in the scope of Jinyiwei's rectification.

Those who asked him and Yang Tingshu to form the New Donglin were really taking advantage of them.

He was a bit extreme, otherwise he wouldn't have set up a labor union because his disciples were detained. Upon hearing this, he said:

"Thank you for the reminder, Command."

"Commander Xiang, please feel free to ask for anything you need."

"Zhang will definitely cooperate and help the commander achieve meritorious service."

Xiang Junqing was overjoyed when he heard this, but pretended to be unhappy and said:
"What do you mean by helping me accomplish something? It means that we are all doing it together."

"If you don't mind, you can just call me Brother Xiang. I'll just call you Brother."

Zhang Pu was quick to accept the advice and immediately called him Brother Xiang. He then said:

"The person who is being encouraged to form a new Donglin now is my good friend Yang Tingshu from the same society."

"I have convinced him that he can cooperate with Brother Xiang."

"I think with his status, he can bring a lot of help."

Xiang Junqing came for this purpose, because the Jinyiwei had already sent people to infiltrate various literary societies, but due to their talent, fame and other reasons, they were unable to occupy a core position.

There was no one like Zhang Pu and Yang Tingshu who could be called a leader of young scholars. That was why he valued Zhang Pu very much and said happily:
"With the help of my brothers, there will be no worries."

"I really have something that I need to trouble you with, brother."

Just need me, Zhang Pu asked with a smile:

"What's so troublesome? Could it be that the emperor has given instructions?"

This was originally a joke, but Xiang Junqing cupped his hands and said:

"It was the Emperor's order to rectify the Jiangnan Literary Society."

"The new association management charter has actually been finalized, but it has not been announced yet."

"If you want to see it, I have a copy right here."

He took out a copy of the newly formulated social organization management charter by the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Guards and showed it to Zhang Pu.

Zhang Pu took a closer look and found that it was similar to the previous charter. The most important thing was the addition of clauses such as "de facto same society" and "forming cliques for personal gain". Anyone who actually formed an alliance or whose members were in different societies would be regarded as the same society.

This was obviously aimed at the so-called New Donglin. If Yang Tingshu knew about it in advance, he would probably have no hesitation in leaving New Donglin.

So Zhang Pu was confused. Why was this regulation not announced yet? What did the Jinyiwei want to do?
Thinking about this matter, Zhang Pu said:

"Can you tell me what the Jinyiwei is planning?"

"Is this loophole in the association left here on purpose?"

Xiang Junqing laughed, took out a copy of the association regulations and said:
“The loophole was left by the Ministry of Revenue, and we, the Imperial Guards, have already found them to plug it.

"Now we have to wait for people to take the bait and expose them."

“If we don’t restrict these people with connections, Jiangnan won’t be able to hold normal elections.”

Zhang Pu took a deep breath when he heard this, knowing how many people would be implicated. At the same time, he was even more glad that he did not listen to the instigation of others and even persuaded Yang Tingshu to be loyal to the emperor.

However, Xiang Junqing's actions would obviously have serious consequences, and might even lead to large-scale confrontation between the gentry and the court.

So he pondered for a while and asked:

"If that's the case, the new Donglin will be established."

“Only after they are established can they be designated as a commune.”

"If these people gather together, how do you plan to settle Xin Donglin, Brother Xiang?"

Xiang Junqing smiled and said:

"The Emperor said that the Donglin Party's scholarship is still worth learning, but it needs to be transformed into a school of thought."

"The new Donglin Academy can care about worldly affairs and learn the practical knowledge proposed by Qian Gong."

"The most important thing is to be inclusive, to distinguish between the new Donglin and the old Donglin, and to prohibit the use of authority and official power to unite and suppress dissidents."

“Encourage academic debate and establish more academic societies.”

Zhang Pu understood what the emperor meant by this and knew that he was planning to turn the New Donglin into reality and completely dismantle Donglin.

If the new Donglin Academy, under the banner of inheriting Donglin, actually builds one or even several new schools with different ideas, the scholars who currently support the Donglin Party will be dispersed and will no longer be able to form a joint force.

No wonder the emperor kept Qian Qianyi all the time, it turned out to be for this reason.

It seems that the practical learning proposed by Qian Qianyi will flourish from the Donglin Academy. His new learning will play the role of gravedigger of the old Donglin. (End of this chapter)