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

Chapter 1261 Groundless rumors
Shaking his head, Wang Mingxuan didn't want the Crown Prince to get involved in this matter for him, and he didn't want the Crown Prince to anger the Emperor because of it. Just as he was about to continue to plead guilty, Zhu Shenzhui said something leisurely, which made Wang Mingxuan stop speaking.

"In my opinion, it is true that Wang Mingxuan made a mistake, but as I have said before, the main responsibility does not lie with Lord Wang. However, this matter cannot be left unresolved. The exact cause of the Yellow River's breach must be investigated to prevent similar incidents from happening again. What do you gentlemen think?"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Everyone quickly echoed, but they all knew in their hearts that this was probably not what the emperor wanted to say. If it were just to give a warning, the emperor would never have made such a big fuss today, summoning not only all the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, but also Xu Xiancheng and Zhou Anmin, not to mention the Crown Prince.

Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, Zhu Shenzhui took out a memorial, which was anonymous and did not reveal who had submitted it, and handed it directly to the Grand Secretary Hong Chengchou.

Hong Chengchou nervously took the memorial and read it carefully. After a few glances, his expression changed drastically. He quickly finished reading it without saying a word and then handed it to Wang Jinwu and the others below him. Soon, everyone present had read the memorial. After understanding its contents, they suddenly realized why the emperor had made such a fuss and summoned them to the Qianqing Palace.

Among the crowd, Wang Mingxuan had the strongest reaction. After reading the contents of the memorial, he could hardly believe his eyes. However, the contents were clearly written, including what the situation was, who was involved, and a list of names. Although the memorial was anonymous, how could such intelligent officials as them not know that these circumstances should be the result of an investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the behest of the emperor?

Ever since the Yellow River breached its banks and caused such a devastating disaster, Wang Mingxuan had been uneasy. Although the emperor had not punished him severely before, Wang Mingxuan, as the Minister of Works, always felt that it was his own fault. Wang Mingxuan had served as an official for decades and believed that he was cautious and fair in his work, and had never made any mistakes. However, he never expected that his lifelong reputation would be ruined in this incident.

These days have been truly difficult for him. Besides the distress and guilt in his heart, there's also the way the other officials in the court look at him and their attitudes. Although he is still the Minister of Works, everyone knows that after such a major incident, Wang Mingxuan will probably have to resign soon.

Moreover, he was already quite old, and once he resigned, the final result would be that he would retire and return to his hometown, with no chance to start over. This was a heavy blow to Wang Mingxuan, and he aged considerably overnight.

But after reading the memorial the emperor had given everyone today, Wang Mingxuan felt an uncontrollable surge of anger. So the Yellow River breach wasn't his or the Ministry of Works' fault after all this commotion! It turned out the problem lay with local officials, gentry, powerful families, and aristocratic clans.

Although the Ministry of Works was indeed ineffective in its supervision, if the latter had not secretly breached the river embankment and diverted water into the canal to compete for water resources without informing the Ministry of Works and the court, how could Huaibei have suffered such a great disaster? Even if some sections of the embankment had been breached, the main river works were not damaged, and at most some areas would have been flooded, which would not have caused such a disaster.

Thinking of this, Wang Mingxuan's hands trembled involuntarily, and a ferocious look appeared on his face as he gritted his teeth in anger.

On ordinary days, Wang Mingxuan is like a kind elder and has a good reputation. However, in his youth, Wang Mingxuan had a very fiery temper. He was famous for his straightforward personality and willingness to speak frankly. Now that he is older, his temper is naturally less than when he was young, but that does not mean that Wang Mingxuan has really become a nice guy.

Especially in this matter, it can be said that Wang Mingxuan was scapegoated, and his lifelong reputation was almost ruined. How could Wang Mingxuan swallow this insult?
"Such a thing has happened! It's utterly appalling!" Wang Mingxuan couldn't help but stand up and say, "Your Majesty! This matter must be severely punished! Such actions by the local authorities are tantamount to deceiving the emperor and disregarding human life! They have disregarded the vital river works and caused such a disaster! If they are not severely punished, it will be an injustice to Heaven and an even greater offense to the law!"

"What Lord Wang says is quite right, but I believe this matter involves a wide range of issues and cannot be accomplished overnight. Your Majesty should be cautious." At this moment, Kong Zhenyun spoke up, and his words were met with agreement from others, especially Yang Sichang, Qian Qianyi, and Fan Fucui. They all agreed that this matter was indeed shocking, but it also involved too many people and was not so easy to handle.

The unauthorized digging of river embankments by local officials is not a recent phenomenon; according to reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, this practice dates back to the Tianqi era. From the Tianqi to the Chongzhen era, and now to the Yongming reign, several decades have passed. Investigating who first committed this act and how many others were involved is not only difficult but also involves numerous complexities. A thorough investigation would implicate not only half the court's officials but also previously retired senior officials, leading to unpredictable consequences. Moreover, their actions were not without reason. From the late Tianqi to the Chongzhen era, the Ming Dynasty experienced abnormal weather, with consecutive years of drought affecting much of the country. Coupled with severe cold, crops in the northwestern provinces failed, leading to subsequent banditry.

Although the Huaihe River basin was located along the Yellow River, its situation was somewhat better than that of the northwestern provinces, as the Yellow River's water source had not been cut off, and the fields could still be irrigated. Even so, areas slightly further from the Yellow River faced difficulties. Without digging dikes and diverting water into canals, the local people would likely be unable to cultivate the land. At that time, the imperial court's taxes were heavy, with all taxes levied on the land and the people. If they did not take such measures, wouldn't it be tantamount to forcing the people to starve and revolt like those in the northwestern provinces?
Therefore, this matter cannot be judged solely on the surface; such actions were taken out of necessity. The local authorities were forced to do so, and officials turned a blind eye, pretending ignorance. As time passed, this became the norm. By the time the situation in the Ming Dynasty improved, the Yellow River dikes, already riddled with holes, were no longer an easy task to repair.

Moreover, people tend to have a sense of complacency. Since nothing had happened for so many years, it wasn't surprising that later generations would turn a blind eye. Everyone thought that as long as they kept it from the court, they could slowly repair the breached riverbank later, and that would be the end of it.

But while they thought this way, doing it was easier said than done. Repairing the river embankment not only cost money and grain, but also manpower. How could local officials possibly repair the damage caused by decades of damage in a short period of time? So everyone turned a blind eye and prayed that nothing would happen to them while they were in office. Once their term was over, whether they were promoted or transferred, it would be none of their business.

Zhu Shenzhui understood all of this. He knew that if this matter were thoroughly investigated, it would become the biggest case in the dynasty. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, sabotaging river works was a capital offense. If the investigation were to follow the trail and pursue each person to the end, countless people would be killed, the court would be emptied, and the foundation of the country would be shaken.

Knowing this is one thing, but this matter absolutely cannot be let off lightly. If he slacks off on this issue today, similar incidents will be even more unstoppable in the future. If he can disregard the crime of sabotaging river works, others will follow suit, the country will be in ruins, and what authority will he, as emperor, have left?

More importantly, Zhu Shenzhui was not angry at the instigator, but at the fact that none of the officials who followed had reported the matter to the court. If, in the years since his ascension to the throne, any local official had noticed the dangers of this situation and informed the court in advance, allowing the court to take swift action to correct the problem and prevent future troubles, then this Yellow River disaster would never have led to such consequences. The disaster is now so severe, with nearly a million people's homes destroyed and displaced, and over a hundred thousand dead, injured, or missing. Where can these wronged souls go to seek redress? Aren't their lives also lives? To whom can they seek justice?

"Your Majesty!" Xu Xiancheng, understanding his brother-in-law's thoughts, quickly rose after seeing that Kong Zhenyun and the others' attitude displeased the emperor. He said, "As the head of the Censorate, I bear the responsibility for this incident. However, I believe this matter must be thoroughly investigated. If we do not punish them severely, what will become of the laws of our Great Ming? How will the people view this matter? It will also greatly damage Your Majesty's prestige and cause resentment among the people!"

Hong Chengchou raised an eyebrow slightly and gave Xu Xiancheng a deep look. He dared not underestimate Xu Xiancheng's attitude, knowing that Xu Xiancheng's position in the court was no less than his own. Although Xu Xiancheng was not a member of the cabinet, let alone the Grand Secretary, he was not only the head of the Censorate, but also held the position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. In addition, Xu Xiancheng was the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, making him one of the emperor's most trusted ministers. If it weren't for the fact that Xu Xiancheng's sister was the Empress, making him a relative of the empress, Xu Xiancheng's qualifications would have been more than enough to make him the Grand Secretary.

Moreover, Xu Xiancheng made it clear that if this matter were to be let pass by so easily, and the court failed to act, the consequences for the Ming Dynasty and even the emperor himself would be extremely serious. In the past two years, as the Ming Dynasty recovered its vitality and the country showed signs of revival, it not only resolved internal and external troubles but also improved its finances. However, at the same time, the Donglin Party and other upright factions that had been suppressed or had lost real power were showing signs of resurgence.

This can be seen from Yang Sichang's previous ulterior motives. Yang Sichang had once tried to test the emperor, but was stopped in time. Although the emperor did not expose Yang Sichang, Hong Chengchou sensed the emperor's wariness, and the emperor's attitude towards him even changed slightly because of Hong Chengchou's timely intervention, which made Hong Chengchou somewhat uneasy.

Furthermore, due to the Yellow River's breach, there are rumors circulating both inside and outside the court that the Yellow River's breach caused such a major disaster because of the emperor himself. In other words, the emperor has done something wrong, and Heaven is using this as a warning to punish him.

These rumors were quite detailed and even implicated the retired Emperor Chongzhen, accusing the current emperor of illegitimacy in ascending the throne. This greatly alarmed Hong Chengchou. He sent people to investigate, but couldn't find the source of the rumors; however, the rumors themselves were undeniably true. Moreover, as time went on, these rumors intensified, with some even suggesting that the emperor should take responsibility and issue an edict of self-reproach. Hong Chengchou couldn't imagine what would happen if it came to that. Were these people brainwashed? Did they think the emperor's power was dull? How could they dare to challenge the emperor?

(End of this chapter)