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

Chapter 1258 Fangzheng

Wang Mingxuan's words surprised everyone; no one expected that this old man would make such a suggestion.

Previously, the issue of establishing prefectures in the New World was mainly about whether or not it could be done. However, Wang Mingxuan has now proposed a new solution, which is to resolve the issue in the manner of the Pacification Commissioner's Office.

The Pacification Commissioner system of the Ming Dynasty was an extremely unique system. Its key feature was that while nominally and formally the Ming Dynasty held suzerainty over the vassal states, in practice, the original systems of the vassal states were continued in local administration. This meant that although the Ming Dynasty possessed sovereignty, it acknowledged the actual rule of the vassal states, allowing it to independently establish government offices, appoint officials, effectively manage local areas, and even form its own armies, possessing considerable autonomy. However, the Ming Dynasty also retained the right to tax and station troops in the vassal states, and the subsequent investiture of vassal kings required the Ming Dynasty's approval to ensure its legal legitimacy.

This system was generally used in remote areas or in the vassal states surrounding the Ming Dynasty. For example, the Three Xuan and Six Wei were established at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. In addition, the Tusi (chieftains) in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan were essentially the Xuanwei Si system, but they adopted a policy of parallel operation of local government and Xuanwei Si, which differed from that of the outer vassal states.

"My lord, if we follow your plan, the Song and Yong kingdoms will become true vassal states. Isn't that inappropriate?" someone couldn't help but ask, clearly indicating that they thought it was wrong.

Wang Mingxuan retorted directly: "Song and Yong are vassal states, aren't they? So what's wrong with that? Even if we set up prefectures, the main purpose is simply to confirm the rule of our Great Ming over those areas. The rest is about taxes and administration."

"If the Song and Yong kingdoms were located near our Great Ming, that would be one thing, but they are in the New World, so far away. I have already understood what you all have been arguing about for so long. If we can set up prefectures there according to ancestral rules, what is there to argue about? Just do it directly. Why bother with court deliberation?"

At this point, Wang Mingxuan glanced at the officials in the hall and calmly said, "Since there is debate, it means that setting up prefectures is inherently inconvenient, let alone sending officials thereafter. If this matter is so certain yet cannot be implemented, what will become of the face of our court?"

“The situation is different now than when the country was founded, so some changes are natural. I suggest changing the prefectures to Pacification Commissions. Wouldn’t that be a good change? If you gentlemen have a better idea, that’s fine. If not, you might as well consider my suggestion.”

After speaking, Wang Mingxuan returned to his original position and said nothing more. Everyone looked at each other, unsure of how to respond.

Everyone is smart enough to know how tricky this matter is, and they also understand that Wang Mingxuan's words are indeed reasonable.

The New World is unlike any other place; setting up prefectures is extremely difficult, especially the subsequent appointment of officials. If I insist on following ancestral rules, the emperor might just hand it over to me in court, which would be like creating a huge problem for myself.
Most of the officials who had previously engaged in heated debates were low-ranking censors. They were not high in rank or status, and as censors, they spoke their minds freely, so it was normal for them to argue fiercely. However, once the matter was settled, these people were merely talking and would never actually take responsibility. The final task would fall to the high-ranking officials at the ministerial and ministerial levels, or be directly handed over to the cabinet, which would be even more difficult to accept.

"I think Your Majesty's suggestion is quite good. Setting up a Pacification Commission in the New World is a good idea. In any case, it can solve the immediate problem. It is also feasible to transfer the Pacification Commission to a permanent official position when the time is right." At this moment, someone stood up to express their support for Wang Mingxuan's suggestion.

"I also think that the current establishment of the Pacification Commission is more appropriate than the direct establishment of prefectures. I second that proposal!" Since there was a first, there was a second, and soon someone else expressed their agreement.

As several people expressed their approval of Wang Mingxuan's proposal, the others couldn't help but be slightly tempted as well. Indeed, setting up a prefecture immediately would be too difficult, but ignoring the situation was also unacceptable. Therefore, a compromise might be better: establishing a Pacification Commission to resolve the current problem.

Once the Pacification Commission was established, it was ostensibly a delegation of power to the Prince of Song and the Prince of Yong, making them true vassal kings with the authority to set up their own government offices, appoint officials, and even form their own armies. However, from the perspective of the Pacification Commission system, the territory on the New World still belonged to the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty had the right to collect taxes from the Song and Yong Kingdoms and even station troops there. In this way, the fundamental nature of the territory was secured in form.

Just like the Tusi (chieftains) in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, we can first use this method to appease and stabilize the local area. When the time is right, we can gradually implement a policy similar to the "reform of Tusi system" (abandoning local chieftains and replacing them with centrally appointed officials), and gradually establish local governments and appoint officials. Anyway, there's no rush. The Song and Yong states haven't been established for very long. We can just leave it like this for now and let future generations handle it decades or even centuries later. Perhaps their wisdom will surpass theirs, and they'll have better solutions?
Let's set aside the controversy for now and start with the Pacification Commissioner system; it's better than doing nothing. As for what will happen decades or even centuries from now, why worry about that? Many of the ministers in the court are not young anymore. Not to mention there are plenty of middle-aged people in their forties and fifties, there are also quite a few elderly people in their seventies and eighties. It's uncertain whether these people will live for another ten or twenty years. Even the youngest official probably won't live past fifty.

Once this generation has all died of old age, this burden will be left to future generations to deal with. What does it matter to them what the court does then? They're already dead and won't see it anymore, so why bother worrying about it when they can't see it?

With this understanding, everything became clear, and the previous worries vanished instantly. Many ministers, regaining their composure, expressed their agreement with Wang Mingxuan's suggestion to establish a Pacification Commission in the New World. Of course, while the name "Pacification Commission" might be fine elsewhere, it was somewhat inconvenient in Song and Yong. After all, a Pacification Commission is meant for outsiders; otherwise, the term wouldn't exist. Therefore, everyone felt that changing the name would be more appropriate. How to change the name wasn't difficult; it was easy to discuss.

It didn't take long for everyone to come up with several names, which was a minor matter. The key point was that the problem was finally solved in this way, so everyone was happy and no one would get into trouble again.

Now that a conclusion had been reached in the court, Zhu Shenzhui seized the opportunity and made the decision publicly.

Subsequently, the cabinet was instructed to formally draft an edict to establish the management method for vassal states in the New World. Furthermore, to avoid future troubles and to streamline the process for further enfeoffing members of the imperial clan, the edict stipulated the continuation of this system—a result that Zhu Shenzhui had already considered.

Today's court session ended more than an hour late because of this matter, and it was already noon when it finally concluded. Zhu Shenzhui rose from the dragon throne, turned and left amidst the salutations of the assembled officials, and as he left the main hall and headed towards the Qianqing Palace, a eunuch who had been waiting by the roadside waited for the emperor to pass by before approaching and whispering something to Lu Jiude, who was accompanying the emperor. Lu Jiude nodded thoughtfully and then waved for him to leave.

Then he quickly stepped forward and followed the emperor back to the Qianqing Palace. He first helped the emperor change his clothes, and only after that did he quietly tell the emperor the news he had just received.

"Where are the people?"

"I've already sent someone to Qianqing Palace, and they're waiting outside now."

"Let him in!"

"yes……."

A moment later, a eunuch walked in from outside. Upon seeing the emperor, the eunuch immediately stepped forward, kowtowed, and said, "This servant greets Your Majesty."

Looking closely at the eunuch, he realized that the man was quite old, slightly older than Lu Jiude. His temples were already gray, and he was tall with a rugged appearance. If it weren't for the fact that he had no beard and was dressed in eunuch's clothes, one might not have associated him with a eunuch at all.

"Square-type!"

"The slave is here!"

"Get up..."

"Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Fang Zhenghua got up from the ground, stood to the side with his hands hanging down, and lowered his head slightly, not daring to look the emperor in the eye.

Fang Zhenghua was a prominent figure in the palace, a powerful eunuch on par with Wang Chengen. During the Chongzhen era, Fang Zhenghua served as the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and also supervised the Imperial Horse Administration, placing him among the top eunuchs in the palace.

Despite his current position serving the emperor and heading the Directorate of Ceremonial, Lu Jiude was once just a lowly eunuch under Fang Zhenghua. When Fang Zhenghua was at the height of his power, Lu Jiude was nowhere near the top, and even Cao Huachun's status was only roughly the same as Fang Zhenghua's.

Moreover, although Fang Zhenghua was a eunuch, he was strong and powerful, and had excellent martial arts skills. He was considered a top expert in the palace. Not to mention ordinary people, even the best members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were often no match for Fang Zhenghua. It is said that Fang Zhenghua's fist and foot skills were quite remarkable, and three or five good fighters could not get close to him. In particular, he was so skilled with a spear that he was truly amazing.

When Jin Yong wrote *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, there was a recurring martial arts manual called the *Sunflower Manual*, and a derivative technique called the *Evil-Repelling Swordplay*. The creator of this manual was actually modeled after Fang Zhenghua, demonstrating Fang Zhenghua's remarkable abilities.

Fang Zhenghua was not only exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but also enjoyed a good reputation both inside and outside the palace. He was one of the very few eunuchs who was upright and incorruptible. In his early years, Fang Zhenghua worked extremely diligently in the Directorate of Ceremonial, meticulous in his official duties, never bending the law for personal gain, and never using his power to oppress others.

He was extremely loyal to the emperor and was a rare example of integrity among the eunuchs. He refused to accept any silver offered by border generals and officials outside the capital, leaving it all to the emperor to handle. Such conduct made him a model of integrity among eunuchs and earned him the trust of Emperor Chongzhen.

However, Fang Zhenghua was an upright man, and Emperor Chongzhen was suspicious by nature. Although he trusted Fang Zhenghua, he never truly gave him important responsibilities. In addition, due to his past relationship with Wang Chengen, although Fang Zhenghua held a high position, his real power was less than that of Wang Chengen. The affairs he was responsible for were mostly related to the outer court. On many occasions, he even served as a military supervisor representing the emperor to appease the border troops and inspect the border defenses. He spent most of his time away from the palace.

After Zhu Shenzhui entered Beijing under the pretext of the Jingnan Campaign, he seized control of the palace and purged the Directorate of Ceremonial and the palace eunuchs, especially the former. Wang Chengen was directly sent to the Chongzhen Emperor and placed under house arrest along with his master. Later, due to certain events, Wang Chengen was eventually executed. In addition, some eunuchs were marginalized or sent to guard the imperial tombs to retire. After this purge, people like Lu Jiude gradually rose to prominence, while veterans like Fang Zhenghua were gradually marginalized. Fang Zhenghua is no longer the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, nor is he the Director of the Imperial Horse Administration; aside from his rank, he only holds a nominal position in the Eastern Depot.

(End of this chapter)