Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 137 Controllable Leader

In order to finish the account before lunch break, Sun Chuanting ran towards the Ministry of Revenue as soon as he left the Ministry of War. During this short distance, Sun Chuanting kept wondering why the court suddenly transferred him to Liaodong, but even after he stepped into the main hall of the Ministry of Revenue, he still couldn't figure it out.

"Hey. Who are you? What are you doing here at the Ministry of Revenue?" An official stopped Sun Chuanting.

"Excuse me, where has the Minister gone?" Sun Chuanting, who was in a daze due to deep thought, came to his senses, but did not see the Minister of Revenue Li Ruhua who should have been sitting at the main table.

"The Minister has just gone to the back hall and is now talking to Minister Xu." The official asked, "What do you want to talk to the Minister about? Is it urgent?"

"I've come to Beijing on a letter to the Ministry of Revenue to have my travel expenses reimbursed," Sun Chuanting replied. "And I'll be transferred north to Liaodong soon, so I need to apply for a new travel allowance."

"Why would the Minister of the Ministry personally inquire about such a trivial matter?" the official reminded, "Go to the Office of the Secretary."

"Thanks for the reminder." Sun Chuanting finally realized that personnel changes required the signature and seal of the official, but applying for money and grain did not.

Sun Chuanting took a step forward with his left foot, but immediately withdrew it. "Um... where is the Office of the Secretary?" Sun Chuanting had never been to the Office of the Secretary. When he took office in Yongcheng, the Ministry of Revenue set up a table in the courtyard to distribute silver to the county magistrates who were sent out to other places. At the time, he thought it was a simple matter, that he only had to go to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue to complete all the procedures.

"Oh. Come with me." The official sighed and shook his head.

In the side hall at the back, Li Ruhua, the Minister of Revenue, and Xu Guangqi, the Minister of Rites, were sitting side by side.

Because the yamen runners had not yet brought over the newly lit charcoal stove, the two of them could only rely on their own hot tea to warm their stomachs and bodies.

"Zi Xian. If you have anything to say, just say it." Li Ruhua spoke first. To make the atmosphere less serious, he also made a few jokes: "You'd better finish your words, otherwise the Ministry of Revenue will have to prepare lunch for you. The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of food and fodder. Every grain of rice and grain must be recorded, otherwise I won't be able to balance the accounts."

Xu Guangqi wasn't in a good mood, but Li Ruhua was smiling. He couldn't afford to give the old minister the cold shoulder. "Haha. The Ministry of Revenue has received the imperial treasury, so it shouldn't be as strapped for cash as in previous years. Giving me two taels of rice shows that you care for your junior." Li Ruhua was a Jinshi in the eighth year of the Wanli reign, while Xu Guangqi only passed the Xiucai exam in the ninth year. By the time Xu Guangqi passed the Jinshi exam in the thirty-second year of the Wanli reign, Li Ruhua was already the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War.

"Your Majesty is truly wise." Speaking of the imperial treasury, Li Ruhua offered a few emotional tributes. "When the Liao Rebellion first broke out, I petitioned the late emperor to allocate funds to reward the border, but he repeatedly refused. Guangying and Chengyun depots were out of grain, and Taicang was out of silver. We had no choice but to first inflict hardship on the people, and then on the officials. I am old and rebellious, and I deserve to bear some of the blame for the court and the late emperor. But if we continue like this, chaos will inevitably ensue, late emperor..." Li Ruhua realized that if he continued, he might be making unwarranted remarks that disparaged the late emperor. He abruptly cut himself off and repeated, "Your Majesty is truly wise."

"Your Majesty is certainly wise." Xu Guangqi decided to echo Li Ruhua's words before getting to the point. "I heard from the Ministry of War that you offered some money to several chieftains from the southwest."

"That's true. The local soldiers, unable to get their pay, are robbing the village." Li Ruhua nodded and took over the conversation, asking, "You've led troops before. Do you think these local chieftains can solve Liaodong's urgent needs?"

"You're trying to embarrass me," Xu Guangqi said with a wry smile. "I've never met them. I only know that a few chieftains helped the imperial court suppress Yang Yinglong. But the past is different from today, so these things can't be used as a reference. The famous general who helped Korea conquer Japan was also killed at Sarhu, wasn't he?"

Li Ruhua said, "We'll have to fight a few battles to know whether they're strong or weak. But I think no matter how bad they are, they're still better than the garrison soldiers."

"The soldiers in the garrisons are not soldiers at all; they are simply tenants of officers at all levels." Xu Guangqi agreed. He had visited the garrisons and was well aware of the corruption there, which was why he petitioned the court to train a new army.

"Do you know that Tianjin will open as a port next year?" Speaking of the garrison soldiers, Li Ruhua suddenly remembered the maritime merchants the emperor had mentioned.

"Have you heard about it too?" Xu Guangqi thought to himself: I know everything these people said.

"That's right. You do interact quite a lot with foreign scholars." Li Ruhua chuckled, his face wrinkled. "I'd like to find a time to meet with them. Could you help bring them together?"

"You want to see them?" Xu Guangqi was puzzled.

"The Emperor wants foreign merchants to bring some grain from Southeast Asia to Liaodong by sea. I need to negotiate the price with them," Li Ruhua said. "But I don't understand what they say. I can't trust foreign scholars to translate for me. So I'd like to ask you for help."

Xu Guangqi suddenly realized. He had thought Li Ruhua wanted to see the missionaries. "Of course, when are you free?"

"You can arrange it as you wish. The Ministry of Revenue is busy, but it's better than the Ministry of Rites." Li Ruhua implicitly praised Xu Guangqi, then slid back to the topic, "Opening the sea is bound to cause unrest, and the garrison troops are unfit for use. You are well-versed in military affairs and have great strategic potential. If you have any suitable proposals to submit to the court, I will support you. I have also read some military books."

"Old sir, you are truly loyal to your country." Xu Guangqi praised him, then immediately climbed up the pole and got to the point: "There is one more thing I would like you to help me with."

"What happened yesterday?" Li Ruhua knew why Xu Guangqi came the moment he saw him in the main hall.

"You are wise." Xu Guangqi was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.

At this time, the yamen runners brought over a stove burning new charcoal.

"Come in." Li Ruhua shouted towards the door.

Even with the charcoal burning brightly, it still took quite a while to warm the entire room. To quickly dispel the chill, Li Ruhua simply leaned over to the stove and spread out his palms, actively accepting the warmth of the charcoal fire. "Zixian, it's freezing cold, come over and warm yourself too."

"Old sir, what do you think about what happened yesterday?" Xu Guangqi leaned over, but did not speak until the two officers left before he continued the conversation.

Li Ruhua stared at the charcoal stove, his face expressionless. "The person asking me this question, is it Xu Guangqi, the Minister of Rites, or Xu Guangqi, a member of the Donglin Party?"

"I am both the Minister of Rites and a member of the Donglin Party, but I never joined the Donglin Party for personal gain," Xu Guangqi said tactfully. "Besides, aren't you and Donglin Master Gu Duanwen also of the same age?"

Gu Xiancheng, the founder of the Donglin Party, also achieved a Jinshi degree in the eighth year of the Wanli reign. "Brother Shushi," Li Ruhua's eyes dimmed. "He's been dead for eight years." In the fortieth year of the Wanli reign, Gu Xiancheng died of illness in his hometown of Wuxi County, Nanzhili. He was posthumously named Duanwen.

Li Ruhua put away his melancholy. Perhaps it was the warmth of the charcoal fire, but there was a hint of excitement in his voice. "Gu Shushi said that his original intention in establishing Donglin Academy wasn't for the imperial examinations, but for the benefit of the world. He meant, 'Gathering the world's good men to teach, to absorb all the good in the world and make it my good, and to fill the world with its spirit.'"

"But among the young men of ambition, there are always those who emerged from the academy and entered the imperial court. While in the academy, these people discussed current affairs and criticized the behavior of officials. After entering the court, they used their academy friendship as a bond to form factions, and eventually became a considerable force. Regardless of the cause and effect, Gu Shushi ultimately arose, wanting to remotely control the court from his position in the opposition."

"Stirring up public opinion and interfering in government affairs." Li Ruhua, a witness of that period, saw it clearly. "You are following the same path that Gu Shushi took!"

"What were you doing on the 11th? Forcing the emperor to abdicate? The fact that the emperor didn't order a caning is already a great favor," Li Ruhua said sinisterly. "Did you come to the Ministry of Revenue to persuade me to submit a petition to plead for the Donglin Clique? I'm old, my energy is limited, and I can't argue anymore. But if this case happened ten years ago, I would have impeached the Donglin Clique for forming a clique and disrupting the government!"

Li Ruhua was inspired by his admiration for talent. "Xu Butang, you are talented, and the Emperor values ​​you highly. Don't make a mistake. Stay out of this and pretend nothing happened. Just keep your distance from the Donglin Party. With your relationship with Imperial Tutor Sun, the Emperor will definitely not vent his anger on you."

"Old sir, I can't just stand by and watch." Seeing Li Ruhua's disappointment, Xu Guangqi hurriedly said, "I passed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and saw dozens, even hundreds, of officials in various uniforms, lining up to hand in petitions. Someone's colluding!"

"This isn't surprising. The Donglin Party was able to force Fang Zhonghan, who grew up in Northern Zhili, to 'return to his roots' and become the leader of the Zhejiang Party. It's only natural that they'd face backlash. With some strife and struggle, the Donglin Party will become more restrained." The room warmed up, and Li Ruhua retreated to his chair. "Fang Zhonghan is the Prime Minister of the Cabinet. If the impeachment memorial is submitted, you can imagine the draft bill. If the Imperial Household Department whispers a few words to the Emperor, many people will suffer. I won't speak for the Donglin Party." Li Ruhua picked up his tea, ready to gesture to see him off, but after thinking it over, he decided to add one more sentence: "Instead of coming to the Ministry of Revenue and following my path, you might as well follow Ye Jinqing's. With him, the draft bill might be more moderate."

"Old sir, I am not against punishing the Donglin Party. Nor am I against implicating others." Xu Guangqi glanced at Li Ruhua's gesture, then took a deep breath and prepared to reveal his intentions.

"Oh?" Li Ruhua became interested and put down his teacup. "Then why did you come to the Ministry of Revenue?"

"I agree with you," Xu Guangqi stated his position. "I don't approve of the Donglin Party's ways either. But we can't make a big deal out of this. As you just said, the Emperor wants to open a port in Tianjin, and the problems with the garrisons need to be resolved urgently. Furthermore, the Liao situation is turbulent, and the Jiannu are falsely claiming the Mandate of Heaven. The chieftains in the southwest, the people of Shandong, all are experiencing unrest. It's easy to see that the other factions are out to eliminate the Donglin Party. Regardless of whether they can or can't, if a stalemate begins, the court will become chaotic, and the locals will be uneasy."

"Then what do you want?" Li Ruhua turned sideways and looked at Xu Guangqi.

"Partially implicate, limited expansion, and quick resolution." Xu Guangqi briefly summarized the strategy agreed upon with Liu Yirong.

"How to expand it? Who will be implicated?" A word popped up in Li Ruhua's mind: infighting within the party.

"All those who were captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard will be dismissed from their posts, and some key members will be implicated. There will definitely be censors who will jump out to oppose it. At that time, someone will contact the Imperial Household Department and ask the chief eunuch to petition the emperor for caning in court. By dismissing from office and caning in court, as long as the officials who jumped the highest are punished, the influence of the Donglin Party in the court will be reduced." Xu Guangqi replied.

"Implicate the core members and retain the Donglin Party? Ha." Li Ruhua chuckled. He had seen this kind of thing too many times. "And then you go up?"

"Yes. I will go up and be the new leader." Xu Guangqi did not avoid the scrutinizing look in Li Ruhua's turbid old eyes.

"Wow!" Li Ruhua originally thought that Xu Guangqi would be evasive, but he didn't expect him to admit it directly.

"I will come out and do the good guy after the situation escalates. As long as I can persuade the emperor and let things go smoothly, I can become the new leader of the Donglin Party." Xu Guangqi was frighteningly frank.

"You're just telling me straight away, aren't you afraid I'll tell everyone?"

"Old Master, this is the side hall where the charcoal is not being loaded." Xu Guangqi pointed to the closed door. "The place you chose."

"I like you more and more." Li Ruhua smiled. "Your idea is good, but there is a problem."

"Please speak, old man." Xu Guangqi responded to Li Ruhua with a smile.

"What if things don't go smoothly?" Li Ruhua asked. "Can you convince the Emperor to stop after the situation escalates?"

"Things will definitely be settled smoothly. Because I won't wait until the situation escalates before I try to dissuade the emperor. I will go to the palace to see him soon and lay out all my thoughts." Xu Guangqi bowed in the direction of the Forbidden City.

"What?" Li Ruhua's face changed slightly. "Do you know what you are saying?"

"Of course I know. I just want to tell the emperor that I want to become the leader of the Donglin Party." Xu Guangqi said, "The Donglin Party is neither rebellious nor treasonous, it's just a little out of control. It's better to control than to block. If the emperor can appoint me as the leader of the Ministry of Rites, he will not object to me becoming the leader of the controllable Donglin Party. The Donglin Party used to be the prince's party. Now that the prince has become the emperor, the Donglin Party should become the emperor's party, not a rebellious party."

"I don't understand." Li Ruhua frowned.

"Then I'll tell you from the beginning." Xu Guangqi didn't mind the trouble.

"No, no, no." Li Ruhua shook his head repeatedly. "I heard you clearly. You're just using this incident to overthrow Zhao Nanxing and Zou Yuanbiao, and then take over as leader of the Donglin Party." Li Ruhua knew very well who would be in charge of the Donglin Party after Gu Xiancheng's death. Or rather, this matter wasn't a secret at all.

"To achieve this goal, and to dispel the Emperor's suspicions about the Donglin Party, you must tell the Emperor what happened. That's all." Li Ruhua pointed his index finger at himself. "What I don't understand is why you came here to see me? Just tell the Emperor what happened and let him make the final decision."

"I came to the Ministry of Revenue to find you in order to find a way out." Xu Guangqi stood up, walked in front of Li Ruhua, and performed the etiquette of a junior.

"Stairs? I don't have any steps here for the emperor to step on." Li Ruhua also stood up.

"Old sir, your steps are not for the emperor, but for officials to use." Xu Guangqi smiled slightly.

(End of this chapter)