Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1257 Examples of Pacification Commissioners

The cabinet meeting lasted all afternoon, but ultimately no decision was reached.

After careful consideration, Hong Chengchou still felt that Wang Jinwu's suggestion was good, and he didn't want the cabinet to take the blame, since he was the chief minister.

So the matter was temporarily put on hold, and it was decided to submit it to the emperor in court for a decision.

When the news was relayed from the cabinet to the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Shenzhui was not surprised, as the cabinet's reaction was already within his expectations, especially since Wang Jinwu had informed the emperor of the outcome in advance after the meeting.

Since the cabinet had not made a decision, the matter was referred to the court for deliberation. A few days later, during the grand court assembly, the normal procedures were followed and some issues were discussed. When the assembly was nearly over, Hong Chengchou, as the Grand Secretary, explained the matter to the public and expressed his hope that the matter would be discussed through a court meeting to determine how to proceed.

In fact, many people in the court already knew about this matter before the court deliberation. No secrets stay hidden forever; several days had passed since the Song Prince's memorial was forwarded from the emperor to the cabinet, and then discussed without result before the court deliberation. This news was already widely known.

After understanding the cause and details of the matter, everyone made their own judgments. These officials who had reached their current positions were not fools. In everyone's opinion, this matter was not easy to decide. Whether they agreed to the Prince of Song's request or refused, it would not be easy and would also cause trouble.

According to the imperial court's regulations, establishing prefectures was a matter of course. But once this was done, who would handle the establishment of these prefectures? Who would be responsible for the subsequent dispatch of officials? Which officials would be assigned to these posts? In addition, there were the subsequent management issues, all of which were troublesome.

This isn't the Ming Dynasty's mainland. At most, it's a remote place, just a little further away, but otherwise, it's not a big problem. You have to understand, the New World is completely different. It takes two months to travel there by sea. The sea is unpredictable, and life and death are uncertain once you're on board. Even if you manage to reach the New World, you'll probably lose most of your life along the way.

Once there, the distance is vast, the climate and water are unfamiliar, and in this wild and untamed land, there's the risk of contracting diseases like malaria and dying. Even if you overcome these difficulties, there will be even greater challenges ahead. How easy is it to build something from scratch? This is hardly being an official! It's worse than being exiled to Lingnan during the previous dynasty. Are you suggesting that all the hard work and effort required to pass the imperial examinations is for this kind of official position?
Putting myself in others' shoes, no one wants to end up like that. Even if I don't go, wouldn't the scholars of the world condemn me if I agreed to this? In officialdom, everything depends on connections and relationships. If I'm not careful, this matter could backfire on me.

Refusing would also be inappropriate, as it would violate ancestral rules. If someone used this to impeach them for colluding with vassal kings and violating ancestral rules, they would also be in trouble. Therefore, everyone had already decided that even if the cabinet wanted to discuss this matter in court, as long as the emperor did not speak or directly ask for their opinion, they would remain silent in court or pretend to be deaf and dumb.

It's better to avoid trouble than to cause it. Better to die for a fellow Daoist than for yourself. Nobody's a fool.

When he met with the court council, everyone remained silent and did not take the initiative to express their opinions, which made Hong Chengchou somewhat anxious.

If the court deliberations fail to produce a result, wouldn't that be putting the cabinet in a very difficult position? That won't do!
Hong Chengchou's mind raced. Just as he was about to speak frankly to the emperor, hoping that the emperor would say a few words for the cabinet and force the various departments to express their opinions, a censor stepped forward first.

"Your Majesty!" The young imperial censor bowed to Zhu Shenzhui first, then said loudly, "I believe that His Highness Prince Song is indeed a wise prince. As a vassal king, he took the initiative to petition the court to establish prefectures in Song. This is a good thing! The court should commend Prince Song and, in accordance with Prince Song's petition, establish prefectures in Song and Yong as soon as possible, demarcate the boundaries of jurisdiction, establish government offices, and send officials to govern the two places..."

"I disagree!" Before the young censor could finish speaking, another person stepped forward. Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that he was a young supervising secretary from the Ministry of Justice. Supervising secretaries were also officials who spoke out against wrongdoing, and their status and rank were similar to that of the censor who had just spoken out.

The censor expressed his opposition in front of everyone, directly asking the young censor, "The Song and Yong kingdoms are vassal states of our Great Ming, not those enfeoffed within our own territory. The two kingdoms are more than ten thousand miles away from our Great Ming. It is simply impractical to set up prefectures and send officials over such a distance. Even if we did do so, subsequent governance would be extremely inconvenient. I believe this matter is not so easy."

"So we'll just give up because it's not easy?" The young censor sneered. "Are the court's rules more important than other difficulties? As the saying goes, without rules, there can be no order. Besides, Song's current difficulties are very real. The King of Song is the emperor's legitimate son and a wise king of our Great Ming. Since the King of Song has made a request, what's wrong with setting up prefectures and counties in this way?"

"This is not a question of whether it is possible or not," the official said calmly. "The court should prioritize effectiveness in its actions. The situations in different places are different, so how can we generalize? Even in our own territory, there are similar situations in Yunnan, Guizhou, and even north of Liaodong. It is also a reality for the court to set up Tusi (local chieftains) and Dusi (military commanderies) in these places. How can we be so rigid in our approach and insist on setting up prefectures instead?"

"Rules are rules! Have you not heard of the rebellion in Shading Prefecture? If the court had abolished the native chieftain system in Yunnan and other places back then, how could such a thing have happened?" the censor retorted.

"What? In your opinion, was it Emperor Taizu who made a mistake? Or were the later emperors, such as Emperor Chengzu, Emperor Renzong, and Emperor Xuanzong, all wrong?" The censor retorted coldly, not giving an inch: "Was it a mistake to establish Tusi and Dusi back then? If not, how could Yunnan and Guizhou have been pacified in the early years of the Ming Dynasty? Moreover, these places are located in remote areas, beyond the reach of the court. If they were not managed in this way, how could the court have controlled the local areas over the years?"

"As for the rebellion in Shading Prefecture, that was an isolated case. It's absurd to use an isolated case to criticize the court's policies! Besides, Shading Prefecture is about to fall. Once Shading Prefecture is destroyed, the court will adjust its policies in Yunnan and Guizhou, and then implement the policy of replacing native chieftains with appointed officials to completely control the local areas. But then again, even if we do that, it won't be a matter of a day or two. Don't you know that?"

"Since replacing native chieftains with appointed officials is the right path, why go through the same old roundabout way?" the censor retorted. "Moreover, Song and Yong are not the same as Yunnan and Guizhou provinces; their situations are completely different. How can they be compared? I believe that we should grant the request of the King of Song and establish prefectures!"

"I object!"

"I agree!" "I disagree!"

In a short time, several people stepped forward one after another. These were all young and ambitious officials. Although their ranks were not high, nearly half of them were censors, and some were key officials from various ministries. The court was in an uproar over this matter, with heated arguments that left the ministers dumbfounded.

None of the ministers expected things to turn out this way. The debate over whether to establish prefectures in the New World even extended to the policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. As their arguments shifted, they became increasingly heated and emotional.

Emperor Zhu Shenzhui sat on his throne, watching the scene calmly without uttering a word. Even the Crown Prince, sitting not far below him, did the same, with a slight smile on his lips, as if he were quite interested in what was happening.

Grand Secretary Hong Chengchou was initially taken aback, but after he came to his senses, he subconsciously looked towards the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he stopped speaking, simply standing in his original position and letting the officials continue their debate.

After a commotion, someone finally couldn't stand it anymore and stood up to sternly stop them, which restored order to the court.

At this moment, Zhu Shenzhui finally spoke to the person who had stopped him, saying, "Xu Xiancheng, you tell me, what should be done about this?"

"Your Majesty, my position is too high to comment on this matter. It would be more appropriate for other officials to speak on it." Xu Xiancheng clearly stated his refusal to discuss the matter. His attitude earned him slight nods of approval from the crowd. Although Xu Xiancheng was a high-ranking official in the court, holding positions such as the Director of the Censorate, Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard, he was also a member of the imperial family. He was the maternal uncle of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Song. This matter concerned the State of Song, so he naturally had to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

"I had forgotten about this matter. You may leave now," Zhu Shenzhui nodded, not making things difficult for Xu Xiancheng, and then turned his gaze to the other officials, directly asking for their opinions.

After the debate and argument just now, the attitudes of those who had initially refused to express their opinions have inevitably changed somewhat. To be honest, although the argument was quite heated, everyone heard both sides' viewpoints, and they all have their own reasons. This matter is very difficult to resolve.

Setting up prefectures is difficult, but not setting them up is also difficult, especially given the current situation in the Song Kingdom. Whatever the outcome, an explanation is needed, and the previous policy of continuing with local fiefdoms and vassal kings is no longer possible. No one wants to be the first to stick their neck out or get involved, but the emperor has now directly inquired, and they cannot refuse to answer. This puts them in a very difficult position.

The group exchanged glances instinctively, then steeled themselves and began to answer the emperor's question. However, they were interrupted after only a few sentences. Zhu Shenzhui stated that if the answer was ambiguous, there was no need to continue; he wanted results, not evasive answers.

Now that this matter has been brought up in court, we must come up with a viable solution. Otherwise, won't you officials become useless figures who hold positions without doing your jobs?

Faced with the pressure from the emperor, everyone secretly groaned. At this moment, someone suddenly stood up, and everyone saw that it was none other than the Minister of Works, Wang Mingxuan.

Old Master Wang's reputation was severely damaged by the recent breach of the Yellow River dike, and he has been exhausted from the disaster relief and subsequent river works these days, looking as if he has aged several years in an instant.

Everyone knows that Wang Mingxuan's tenure as Minister of Works is likely short-lived. The reason the emperor hasn't held him accountable yet and is allowing him to remain in his position is to protect his reputation and recognize his hard work over the years. The Yellow River issue is simply too significant. Regardless of the final outcome, Wang Mingxuan will eventually leave the court and retire to his hometown, which is the best possible result.

So when Wang Mingxuan stepped forward, everyone was stunned, because no one expected that Lord Wang would suddenly take the initiative to express his opinion.

"Your Majesty!" Wang Mingxuan bowed to the emperor and said, "I think this matter is indeed difficult. Logically speaking, since His Highness Prince Song has made a request, and Song does indeed have difficulties, it is normal to set up prefectures and counties according to the court's regulations. However, what the other officials said also makes sense. Song is not like our homeland; it is thousands of miles away, and it is really inconvenient to set up prefectures and counties and send officials there..."

"Does Your Excellency mean to play both sides?" Before Wang Mingxuan could finish speaking, the emperor interrupted him somewhat displeasedly.

Wang Mingxuan remained calm and did not offer any explanation. He continued, "I believe that the vassal states such as Song and Yong can be treated as special cases and should no longer be determined by the previous ancestral rules of the court. What was the situation more than two hundred years ago, and what is the current situation? There should be some adjustments. Moreover, the ancestral rules cannot cover everything. Your Majesty should be flexible and adaptable."

These words caused an uproar. If Wang Mingxuan hadn't been senior and highly respected, someone might have immediately criticized or even insulted him.

"What exactly do you mean? Please speak frankly," Zhu Shenzhui asked calmly.

Wang Mingxuan said, "I believe this matter can be decided according to the rites. Since Your Majesty has implemented the Zhou system of enfeoffment, then the enfeoffment of vassal kings can also be determined according to the Zhou system, without having to follow the ancestral system. In addition, the Ming Dynasty can set up Pacification Commissions in their respective countries to further confirm the vassal system. In this way, we can avoid various situations and solve the current problem. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

(End of this chapter)