Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 30 It’s time to clean up the East Factory
At the hour of You, Liu Yirong packed up briefly and prepared to leave the cabinet. Nothing much happened today, so he would attend court, go to court, and then go to the cabinet south of Wenhua Hall, near Huiji Gate, to take up his post. Then, as usual, he would exchange glances with the Prime Minister, Fang Congzhe, who sat in the main seat.

The Emperor didn't come to the Cabinet today, saving a lot of effort in the reception. However, the cabinet ministers actually wanted the Emperor to stay in the Cabinet permanently, as this would save even more effort. At least many things could be decided immediately, rather than anxiously waiting for approval from the Imperial Household Department.

Liu Yirong hadn't been granted the privilege of riding a horse or sedan chair in the Forbidden City, so he had to walk home from get off work like the other cabinet members. This wasn't a big deal, though; Nanxunfang was right at the foot of the Imperial City, and Liu's residence was less than two miles away from Dong'anmen.

In fact, most officials of the third rank and above like to set up their houses in Nanxunfang, which has led to the high housing prices in Nanxunfang, often costing tens of thousands of dollars.

However, high-ranking officials from the Three Judicial Departments would not come to Nanxunfang to join in the fun, as the main offices of the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court were all crammed into Fucaifang. It was a real hassle to attend court and leave, requiring them to wake up at least a quarter of an hour earlier than the other high-ranking officials to arrive at the Meridian Gate on time for court.

Liu Yirong exited Dong'an Gate and headed straight for the sedan chair at the Liu Mansion. The bearers had been waiting there for quite a while. Even if it was only two miles, Elder Liu couldn't walk on his own. He would have liked to save the money, but it was a necessary expense and couldn't be spared.

After dinner, Liu Yirong picked up a book that still smelled of ink and began to read.

"Illustrated Lectures on Elementary Mathematics" edited by Xu Guangqi and Sun Chengzong; illustrations by Sun Chengzong; published by the Silijian Jingchang; suggested retail price: two taels of silver.

Liu Yirong had no idea what the book's purpose was for printing so many inexplicable things. However, he suspected it was a rumor and a subtle warning from the emperor. If anyone dared to object to the Ministry of Rites' petition requesting the establishment of a new department, they would face opposition from the Minister of Rites, Xu Guangqi, the Imperial Tutor, Sun Chengzong, and the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Household Department was essentially the East Depot combined with the Imperial Uniform Guard.

Even more outrageous is the fact that the book's title page includes an accompanying editor's biography. The first sentence of the biography reads: "Xu Guangqi, Minister of Rites and Minister of the Ministry of Rites, visited the Donglin Academy while studying abroad."
It made it seem as if the Donglin Party was openly supporting the new mathematics.

Liu Yirong got angry when he saw the upturned corner of Xu Guangqi's mouth in his portrait. Was this a provocation?

The emperor asked Xu Guangqi to fill the vacancy of the Minister of Rites, and then did this. It is obvious that he is determined to promote the new mathematics. Instead of fighting against the emperor to the end, it is better to start learning now.

The Donglin Party members were good at uniting with their own factions to eliminate dissidents, but most of them did not have heads made of elm blocks.

Not long after he opened the book, the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from afar disturbed Liu Yirong's thoughts, which made him very dissatisfied. Liu Yirong hated being disturbed while reading. "What are you doing? If it's not something important, I will definitely punish you!"

"Sir! Someone handed over a visiting card, saying that it was Master Wang who came in person." The servant panted.

"Wang An?!" Liu Yirong jumped up from his chair.

He now gets nervous whenever he hears a eunuch is coming. Wang An's personal visit triggers his "Yang Lian PTSD" episode.

"Isn't it?" The servant asked tentatively, seeing his frightened face.

"Please let Mr. Wang in." Liu Yirong quickly calmed down.

Wang An was a close supporter of the Donglin Party. During the Emperor's time of insidious influence, the Donglin Party and Wang An had close contact. Furthermore, Wang An's position was far less sensitive than Cui Wensheng's. While colluding with Cui Wensheng might have led to accusations of collusion with Concubine Zheng, what could be charged with colluding with Wang An? Was it collusion with the Emperor?

If you think about it carefully, you can still blame him, such as wanting to emulate Zhang Juzheng and Feng Bao in holding the emperor hostage and controlling the government. However, compared to what happened before, rejecting Wang An and pushing him into opposition was a foolish move.

After a while, Wang An walked into the main hall of Liu's mansion with a smile on his face. He bowed and said, "Lord Liu."

"Master Wang." Liu Yirong returned the greeting.

The two men sat down, and the servant brought hot tea. Wang An held the teacup and took a sip. After some pleasantries, Wang An got to the point: "Lord Liu, it's almost time. Donglin can start writing the memorial."

Liu Yirong still had many questions in his mind, so he did not agree immediately: "Master Wang, please forgive me for being so presumptuous, but what is the emperor thinking?" The conversations between the Donglin Party and Wang An have always been relatively direct.

"Alas. The emperor has made a mistake in using Cui Wensheng." Wang An sighed.

"Then why didn't the Emperor reprimand Cui Wensheng?" Liu Yirong asked the biggest question in his mind. "Master Wang, you and I both serve the court and the Emperor. I hope you can tell me if the Emperor is withholding this money for Xuan Xiu's sake?"

If this were true, it would be a serious problem. If the emperor intended to follow the example of Emperor Jiajing and seek the secret of immortality, then the Donglin Party could only submit a petition to implore the emperor to give up this idea.

They had previously spread the news that Zhang Tianshi was about to come to the capital, hoping that others would help test the emperor's intentions first and then make plans after the situation became clear. But Fang Congzhe, the old fox, refused to take the bait.

"Lord Liu, I can assure you that the Emperor has no intention of cultivating the mystical realm." This incident was originally a smokescreen spread by Zhu Changluo through Liu Heqing, intended only to divert the attention of the outer court. Now that everything was ready, there was no need to maintain this veil of deception.

"It was Minister Xu's advice to summon Zhang Tianshi to the capital." Wang An paused, a chill in his eyes. "By the way, where did Lord Liu get this news?"

"Xu Guangqi suggested that the Emperor summon Zhang Tianshi to the capital?" Liu Yirong deftly avoided Wang An's question with a tone of surprise. Liu Heqing's repeated disclosure of exclusive and confidential information concerning the Emperor signified his growing importance to the Donglin Party.

I must not let Wang An find out that it was Liu Heqing who passed the information to the Donglin Party! Liu Yirong secretly made up his mind.

Wang An smiled dumbly and didn't ask any further questions. He naturally followed Liu Yirong's lead and continued, "Yes. Minister Xu once told the emperor that the purpose of summoning Zhang Tianshi to the capital was to prevent a recurrence of the 'Three Wus and One Zong' incident. Rather than letting the imperial court's butcher knife fall on the Jesuits, it would be better to nip it in the bud."

"Xu Guangqi is really interesting." How could the overseas Jesuits possibly defeat Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain, which has been passed down for thousands of years? This is simply playing with the Jesuits.

"Then why didn't the emperor reprimand Cui Wensheng?" Liu Yirong asked the same question again.

"The emperor has made a mistake in employing Cui Wensheng." Wang An also gave a repeated answer.

Misuse? Liu Yirong began to ponder the meaning of this word. That's right! It's wrong for the Emperor to not want to be known as someone who "doesn't know people well." Wouldn't it be better to reprimand Cui Wensheng and tell him to stop?
"The emperor wants to take this opportunity to clean up the East Factory!" Liu Yirong guessed.

"Yes, the Emperor wants to emulate Duke Zhuang of Zheng and play hard to get with the Eastern Depot, so he's been holding back until now." Wang An secretly admired him, but his expression remained impassive. "But I don't want the Emperor to be known as someone who can't judge people well."

"So what does Wang Zhangyin want Donglin to do?" Liu Yirong nodded, thinking: This makes sense now. The Emperor is about to take action against the East Depot, but the former Prince's tutor doesn't want to bring shame upon the Emperor, so he personally comes to the Donglin Clan to collude with them.

"I hope the Donglin Party will only attack Cui Wensheng and the Dongchang in their impeachment petition. And emphasize the Emperor's grace in allocating funds from the Imperial Treasury to cover unpaid salaries and wages. You must put the Emperor in his proper place," Wang An instructed. "It's not that the Emperor misjudged Cui Wensheng, but that I, Wang An, made the mistake of recommending him. This is the problem of the Imperial Household Department, not the Emperor's!"

As expected of the Imperial Tutor. Liu Yirong nodded in praise, then raised his hands and bowed towards the Forbidden City, saying, "Your Majesty, your grace is immense, and your insight is profound!"

"Then I'll take my leave." Wang An nodded with satisfaction, a subtle smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)