Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 146: Dog-eat-Dog and the "Great Ceremony Debate"

"Is Tian Ergeng awake?" Wei Zhongxian ignored Xu Xianchun.

"He can open his eyes, but he's still confused," replied a West Factory executive.

"It's good that you can answer. Drag him over here." With Wei Zhongxian's order, the usually arrogant and domineering Jinyiwei commander and Northern Pacification Division assistant was dragged over like a dehydrated mangy dog.

"Give him two more slaps to wake him up!" Fu Yingxing ordered.

"Yes." The executioner swung his arms left and right, drawing out all the blood from Tian Ergeng's nose.

"Admiral!" Tian Ergeng, who had regained consciousness, did not even bother to wipe the blood from his nose and quickly knelt on the ground.

"Are you still dizzy?" Wei Zhongxian put on a chrysanthemum-like smile. But the brighter his smile, the colder Tian Ergeng felt.

"I'm not dizzy anymore!"

"Xu Zhangxing said that you are pretending to obey but actually going against your will and insisting on having your own way." Wei Zhongxian glanced at Xu Xianchun, then stared at Tian Ergeng intently.

Tian Ergeng immediately realized he had been betrayed. But the most urgent task at the moment was not to engage in a war of words with Xu Xianchun.

"I am not disobeying orders. I just think that Luo Sigong, the head of the guards, favors the Donglin Party! He has a rebellious heart!" Tian Ergeng knew very well that he could not get rid of the responsibility for Lord Zou's death no matter what.

But responsibility doesn't necessarily mean guilt. If the emperor can feel my loyalty, a major incident can be mitigated. As long as I'm not convicted or sentenced, there's still room for improvement.

"Wow!" Wei Zhongxian became interested. "Do you have any evidence?"

"No. We're still investigating." Tian Ergeng's eyes dimmed.

"Heh. So it's just suspicion?" Wei Zhongxian chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Luo Sigong changed his orders every day. One day he ordered the Northern Guards to conduct a thorough investigation, but just one night he ordered the operation to cease. This is hard not to arouse suspicion." Tian Ergeng further rationalized his "disobedience." "The Northern Guards had the power to report directly to the emperor, bypassing the Chief Guard."

"But you didn't report it," Wei Zhongxian sneered. "Neither the Imperial Household Department, the Western Depot, nor even your former employer, the Eastern Depot, received any secret reports from the Northern Pacification Office."

"I was planning to confirm my suspicions before reporting them to the palace, but who could have known that Zou Yuan, Zou Siqing, would die so soon?" Tian Ergeng then glared at Xu Xianchun fiercely. "I specifically told this bastard to be careful when 'serving' Zou Siqing, but he was so reckless that he 'served' Zou Siqing to death."

Wei Zhongxian didn't even nod. "Xu Zhangxing, is this true?"

"Tongzhi Tian, ​​it was you who ordered me to undergo water torture, right?" Xu Xianchun didn't care about anything else. If the interrogation continued like this, he would surely die.

"Are you fucking being waterboarded?" Tian Ergeng asked angrily.

"I only had Mr. Zou's toenails plucked out and then rubbed some salt on them." Xu Xianchun practically yelled. "You won't die!"

"Lord Zou was forced to death by you, a fool!" If the people from the Western Factory had not been there, Tian Ergeng would have stood up and kicked Xu Xianchun twice.

Wei Zhongxian frowned, then waved to Fu Yingxing. "Go to the coroner."

"Yes." Fu Yingxing took the order and ran towards the imperial prison.

"How did Lord Zou die?" Wang Chengen, who had been silent, spoke.

"To answer your Excellency," Tian Ergeng replied. "Zou Siqing committed suicide. He wrapped himself in a quilt, smashed a porcelain bowl, and then used the shards to cut his own neck."

Tian Ergeng wanted to gesture on his neck. But as soon as he raised his hand, he realized: Isn't this cursing myself? If I can't get through this today, I might really lose my head.

"Suicide, huh." Wei Zhongxian looked at Xu Xianchun with some sympathy.

To Xu Xianchun, it didn't matter how Zou Yuanbiao died; he had killed him anyway. Rather than relying on the "suicide" defense, he chose to drag others into the water: "Master Tian, ​​you have a choice, I don't! No matter what, I was only doing what you ordered! If you hadn't ordered me to, why would I torture Master Zou? You wanted to gain merit and power, to sit in that position. Now that something has happened, you can't put all the blame on the people below you!"

"You're talking nonsense! I told you to interrogate him, not to punish Lord Zou with corporal punishment!" Tian Ergeng retorted without giving in.

Through this back-and-forth, Wei Zhongxian had a rough idea of ​​what was going on: Luo Sigong didn't want to escalate the incident, but Tian Ergeng wasn't willing to give up. He simply wanted to extract information from Zou Yuanbiao's mouth and claim credit for it to the palace, not to kill him. Xu Xianchun, a long-time prisoner, was known for his restraint, avoiding severe punishment. Unexpectedly, Zou Yuanbiao couldn't bear it and committed suicide.

"Enough!" Wei Zhongxian didn't want to listen anymore.

After the hall returned to silence, Wei Zhongxian turned to Wang Chengen and said, "Wang Shaojian, as long as the coroner can't find anything else, the case is closed."

"Yes." Wang Chengen nodded.

"What do you think we should do, Wang Shaojian?" Wei Zhongxian asked.

"Let's report it first. The emperor has to make the decision on this matter." Wang Chengen answered without hesitation.

"That makes sense," Wei Zhongxian affirmed. "Then I'll have to trouble Junior Supervisor Wang."

"The director of the factory is staying here?" Wang Chengen asked. "One of us can go to the study." Wei Zhongxian chuckled, somewhat giving credit. "I still have to collect Mr. Zou's remains, don't I?"

"Okay, I'll take my leave then." Wang Chengen stood up and saluted, then casually pointed to a few executives directly under the Inspection Bureau. "You guys stay and help the brothers in the Execution Bureau. Everyone else, come back with me."

"As ordered!"

"Thank you." Wei Zhongxian's expression remained unchanged, and he cursed in his heart: "You annoying little bastard."

When Wang Chengen reached the gate of the Northern Pacification Office, he heard Wei Zhongxian's voice from behind:
"Fu Yingxing, take a few brothers to the coffin shop to buy a decent wooden coffin and use the West Factory's account."

"Yes." As Fu Yingxing responded, Wang Chengen also stepped over the steps of the Northern Pacification Office.

Although the case had been investigated, Wei Zhongxian was still sitting in the main seat in the hall, so the officers of the Northern Pacification Office had to continue kneeling.

"Wang Cheng'en is a talented and loyal young man, the youngest supervisor in our Western Depot. He will report the situation truthfully to the Emperor." Wei Zhongxian first looked at Xu Xianchun with a smile. "The Emperor is wise and sagacious." He then fixed his gaze on Tian Ergeng. "I will follow the Emperor's wishes and complete this mission. You all rise."

"Thank you, eunuch governor!" Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng kowtowed almost simultaneously. They both thought that Governor Wei was hinting at favoring them.

------

Forbidden City, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Southern Study.

Zhu Changluo listened to Xu Guangqi's brief account in silence. Only after Xu Guangqi finished speaking and kowtowed did he ask, "Was it Liu Yirong's idea that you replace Zhao Nanxing as the spiritual leader of the Donglin Party?" Because Zou Yuanbiao had already died in the Northern Pacification Office, Zhu Changluo did not mention it again.

"In reply to the emperor, this is not only Lord Liu's idea, but also mine," Xu Guangqi replied.

"What's the reason?" Zhu Changluo never thought that things would turn out this way.

Zhu Changluo's initial idea was to use the events of Xiong Tingbi and Liaodong to warn the powerful factions of the Donglin Party so that they would behave themselves.

Ordering Xu Guangqi to take advantage of the "Western Factory Debate" to contact the Donglin Party was simply a way to penetrate the Donglin Party's inner circle. He had considered guiding and splitting the Donglin Party. However, such a move could not be rushed, as a split in the Donglin Party would only trigger more serious factional fighting.

Therefore, after the Huangji Hall meeting, Zhu Changluo temporarily stopped his campaign and did not further pursue the Donglin Party. Moreover, he even moderately warned Fang Congzhe to prevent the anti-Donglin Party forces from "pursuing victory" and pushing the court back to the situation of attack and conquest that existed in the middle of the Wanli period.

Zhu Changluo hadn't anticipated the turmoil and awkwardness of the court reforms. He had assumed the greatest resistance would come from the cabinet, as these old men were required to enter the palace immediately after the palace opened at dawn, regardless of whether they were attending court or not, to process memorials submitted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. For them, reducing court sessions offered little practical benefit. Therefore, when Fang Congzhe arrived in his study to request an audience, Zhu Changluo hinted at his cooperation.

However, the cabinet only offered symbolic opposition in the initial period. As things escalated, even Shi Jikai, the cabinet's staunchest opponent, fell silent. The most ferocious infighting occurred precisely within the six departments and thirteen censors, whom Zhu Changluo considered the greatest beneficiaries.

These people were of low rank, had very low salaries, and no gray income, so they couldn't afford to buy houses around the imperial city. Many of them lived almost next to the city walls. To attend court, they had to get up early and then walk for almost half an hour to the palace.

They rarely got a chance to speak at court meetings, and most of them were just background material while senior officials read out their speeches. In Zhu Changluo's view, reforming the court meetings was not only for his own benefit, but also for theirs.

But such a ridiculous thing happened. The group of people who benefited the most and should have supported the reform were more excited than anyone else, biting anyone they could find, and acting as if they would not stop until the court was in chaos, attempting to drag down all the cabinet and the fifteen ministers into the water.

Initially, Zhu Changluo dismissed the situation as a case of two factions using ancestral rules to attack each other, so he ordered the Imperial Household Department to record and investigate the affiliations of the censors. After the inner court compiled the list, Zhu Changluo used it as a warning to the leading figures of both factions, demanding they properly manage their censors. Everyone should stop making trouble.

At this time, Zhu Changluo still wanted to keep things quiet and had no intention of using the court reform to expand the situation. Because the East Factory had just been rebuilt and was still in the process of being adjusted, Zhu Changluo did not trust the Jinyiwei very much. Even when he went out to meet people, he only arranged for the West Factory to escort him.

Although the Western Factory was useful, Zhu Changluo designed it as a supervisory agency for the inner court. Zhu Changluo did not intend for the Western Factory to investigate or punish officials from the outer court.

Due to the Donglin Party's dominance, Zhu Changluo, while simultaneously attacking both leading figures, Fang Congzhe and Liu Yirong, even gave Liu Yirong special treatment. However, in the end, Fang Congzhe, who escaped such treatment, was able to suppress the forces led by the Zhejiang Party, while Liu Yirong was completely unable to control the Donglin Party.

On the eleventh day of the winter month, the conflict erupted. The Donglin Cult took advantage of the emperor's presence to launch a direct attack on him. Zhu Changluo finally realized that this group wasn't simply engaged in a factional struggle; they were also attempting to exploit the reforms in the court system to ignite the "Great Ritual Debate" of the Taichang reign, forcing the court and, ultimately, the emperor, to yield.

But compared to Zhu Houcong, the vassal prince who came to Beijing like a floating duckweed, Zhu Changluo's situation was much better. Because there was no figure like the Empress Dowager Zhaosheng Cishou in the palace, the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace headed by Wang An had basically completed the transfer of power in the inner court when the crown prince ascended to the throne. The cabinet was no longer a one-man show for powerful ministers like Yang Tinghe.

Zhu Changluo had originally intended to complete the purge of the inner court in the final months of the 48th year of the Wanli reign. After the imperial examinations marking the change of reign title and the opening of Tianjin as a port, he would gradually eliminate the more naive civil servants, starting with corrupt Confucian scholars like Sun Ruyou. Only the most loyal to the emperor would be retained to monitor the so-called "foreign Confucian scholars," preventing the new powers from becoming too powerful without checks and balances. However, the court reforms devolved into a "grand ceremony debate," forcing him to adjust his plans and move forward.

Despite the decision to crack down on the Donglin Party, Zhu Changluo remained restrained, expanding the scope of the crackdown to a moderate degree rather than an unlimited one. He even personally adjusted and narrowed the scope of the Jinyiwei's crackdown to ensure that officials with positive historical records and those with little or no involvement in the incident would be spared.

He prepared a new script and ending, but the flapping of a butterfly's wings never allows only itself to fly high.

When the Jinyiwei moved, everyone moved.

Xu Guangqi, the Minister of Rites, was the first to react, going to the cabinet to plead with Fang Congzhe, the chief minister and leader of the Zhejiang Party, to exercise restraint. Fang Congzhe remained calm on the surface, even supporting Shen's efforts to escalate the factional strife. However, he secretly took the risk of colluding with Luo Sigong, the head of the Imperial Guard, and citing the example of the Eastern Depot to persuade the Imperial Guard to restrain themselves.

Xu Guangqi was also persuaded by Liu Yirong and decided to become the leader of the Donglin Party.

"I believe that eliminating the Donglin School can only address the symptoms, not the root cause." Xu Guangqi had already prepared his arguments for persuading the emperor. "Back then, Zhang Juzheng banned lectures under the pretext of 'opposing the unhealthy habit of scholars not pursuing practical learning.' He issued an imperial decree to close academies nationwide, even confiscating and demolishing their land and buildings. He believed that once the evil was eradicated, the academy culture would be eradicated forever. However, after Zhang Juzheng's defeat, academies across the country have revived."

"The vast majority of Donglin members or sympathizers are simply dissatisfied with the corruption in the court and the fierce factional struggles. If this source of chaos is not addressed, even if Donglin disappears, there will still be Xilin or Nanlin. Donglin has simply grown crooked, not rotten at the root. Rather than destroying Donglin, it is better to tolerate and control it. Donglin has the intention to correct current ills, but it is being exploited by so-called opinion leaders. If we replace the leaders who manipulate public opinion with leaders approved by the emperor, Donglin can be used by the emperor as a powerful tool for reforming the system and reviving the Ming Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)