Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 325 He wants to be Yan Song!
After lunch, the cabinet adjourned. Except for Deputy Assistant Secretary Ye Xianggao, who was on duty, all the cabinet members left their duty rooms and found their own places to rest.

Fang Congzhe walked sullenly to the side hall of Wenhua Hall. It was a place specially set aside for ministers to rest since the reign of Emperor Chengzu. Fang Congzhe came here almost every day. Shen followed him.

"Prime Minister." When Fang Congzhe sat down in the side hall, Shen bowed deeply.

Fang Congzhe had been fuming all morning. When he heard Shen's call, his anger immediately flared up. Fang Congzhe didn't play tricks on Shen and asked directly, "Shen Mingzhen! What on earth do you want to do?"

"Prime Minister." Shen's eyes flashed with grievance, and he said sincerely. "I'm helping you."

"Help me? Humph!" Fang Congzhe sneered, "How can you help me? First, you instigated Qi Keyan and your followers to go against the emperor's will and attack Wen Shouhuan, causing me to suffer the emperor's suspicion for no reason. It made my old face look like a monkey's butt!" As he said that, Fang Congzhe patted his face.

"Afterwards, I drafted a secret report to mediate, hoping to maneuver a little further. But not only did you not help, you completely changed your attitude in front of the King and everyone else. Of all the people in the cabinet, I, Fang Congzhe, was the only one who went against the will of the Emperor. What? You want to drive me out of office?"

"Prime Minister! I absolutely have no such intentions." Shen hurriedly explained, "You were right to submit the secret to the study to mediate. But now that Wang Zhangyin has arrived, you shouldn't have tried to maneuver any further. The emperor sent Wang Zhangyin to the cabinet in person to express his final attitude to you. Now, just follow his will."

"What to do? Drive all the ten or so people on the list out of the capital and watch the balance in the court collapse overnight?" Fang Congzhe asked back.

"Of course not!" Shen continued, "You don't have to rush at this moment. The study wants to know the cabinet's attitude. Even if the emperor has doubts, as long as you receive the imperial edict, the doubts will dissipate. Today, follow the emperor's will and banish them from the capital. After a while, when the emperor's temper has calmed down, you can find a chance to bring them back."

"If today's events get out, everyone inside and outside the court will know that I was the weak one who forced you to obey the emperor's will, instead of you being unable to withstand the pressure from the Imperial Household Department and banishing him from the capital. If you bring him back in the future, won't everyone support you even more?" Shen held Fang Congzhe's hand, and the words "open your heart" were almost written on his face.

"You mean the hazy push?" Fang Congzhe's expression eased a little.

"That's exactly what I mean," Shen Xiao replied. "I'll draft an order to banish him from the capital, and you can find a way to bring him back."

"Still trying to push for a promotion! Are you asking for trouble?" Fang Congzhe was still dissatisfied. "Didn't I warn you long ago? Why are you stirring up trouble? The current official in the Ministry of Personnel is Zhou Mingqing. Will your vague promotion be approved by the Ministry? Will it be pushed up? It's been intercepted halfway. Can't you think ahead before you act?"

"I..." Shen's mouth twitched, and he acted as if he was at a loss for words. It took him a long time to finally speak. "I just wanted to give it another try. I also warned them to be more cautious and moderate their words. All the memorials have to pass your review, and you should be able to see that. Recently, the number and wording of the memorials against Wen Qiu have been much better than before. I had no idea that the emperor would react so strongly, and even deposed many of the people who had submitted the memorials before."

"And Wenqiu, too. He submitted a petition after a few words were spoken against him, and he wrote it in such a dreadful way. He submitted two resignations in one month. Even when Xiong Feibai was most criticized, he never did that. He's a grown man, who is he crying for?" Shen's expression turned indignant again. "He's clearly acting with impunity! Wenqiu must have known the emperor's attitude through some channel beforehand, which is why he acted like that."

"What channel?" Fang Congzhe asked.

"It must be Liu Yirong!" Shen Yanzhi said confidently, "Who in the court doesn't know about his relationship with Wen Qiu? He must have sent the letter asking Wen Qiu to submit his resignation again, in order to anger the emperor and sow discord between the cabinet and the study. Last time, Liu Yirong was punished for falsely accusing Xiong Feibai, and he wants to use the same method to make you and me have a taste of the same pain. He's a venomous snake!"

Fang Congzhe was silent for a moment before closing his eyes and supporting his head with his hands. "You're still talking about others. You should reflect on yourself first. Don't dwell on arguing all day long. Put national affairs and the overall situation first."

"Yes. I understand." Shen agreed respectfully. "I will never do this again. I will do as you say."

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Shen and Fang Congzhe went to the side hall of Wenhua Hall, while Liu Yirong and Han Yu went straight out of Donghua Gate at this time and went to the riverside direct house near the east moat.

The two of them sat down on the cushions in silence. After a long while, Han Yu couldn't help but ask, "Ji Hui, what do you think Shen Mingzhen wants to do?"

Liu Yirong was silent for a moment before he asked, "Tell me, which ancient sage does our Majesty most resemble?"

"Why are you asking this?" Han Yu was puzzled.

"I heard that the emperor once asked Prime Minister Fang what kind of minister he wanted to be." Liu Yirong held his chin and gently stroked his beard with his index finger. "Do you know what Prime Minister Fang said?"

"Ah?" Han Yu couldn't wrap his mind around it for a moment.

"Prime Minister Fang said that the kind of ruler you have determines the kind of ministers you have," Liu Yirong asked again. "Minister Yu, which ancient sage do you think the current emperor is most like?"

Han Yu just said, "It's very different from the temple."

Liu Yirong was startled for a moment, then laughed, "Haha. Yu Chen, there's no one else here. Just stop trying to be sarcastic with me, okay?"

Han Yu glanced out the window and continued, "If I must make an analogy, I think the current emperor is very opinionated and diligent in governing, which makes him most like the emperor of the Shi Dynasty. Moreover," Han Yu shook his head and smiled bitterly, "he is also very good at using the imperial cane."

Although the Jiajing Emperor became senile in his later years and was obsessed with fasting, praying, and practicing Taoism, thinking about ascending to heaven all day long, people still praised him for his vigorous and heroic spirit in his early years.

Even Hai Rui's famous "Memorial on Public Security" declared: "Your Majesty is gifted with wisdom and judgment, and possesses unparalleled insight. In the early years of his reign, he eradicated accumulated abuses and revitalized the nation. The world admires your great achievements." Those who are knowledgeable say that with the right people supporting you, peace is just around the corner, and this is no exaggeration."
"I think so too," Liu Yirong nodded intently, then asked, "For a monarch as gifted, wise, and opinionated as Shimiao, what kind of prime minister would he prefer?"

"The prime ministers during the reign of Emperor Sejong included Duke Yang Wenzhong, Duke Fei Wenxian, Duke Yang Wenxiang, Duke Zhang Wenzhong, Duke Li Wenkang, Duke Xia Wenmin, Duke Zhai Wenyi, and Yan..." Han Yu stopped here. "Ji Hui, what are you saying?"

"Yes, Shen Mingzhen wants to be the Yan Song of this dynasty!" Liu Yirong said to Han Yu, "Yan Song only needs the emperor's trust, not the support of the media!"

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After lunch break, Fang Congzhe and Shen Congwen returned to the cabinet duty room in the Huadian side hall. As they entered, Ye Xianggao, the deputy assistant on duty, came up to them with a note. "Jin Qing, what's going on?" Fang Congzhe was startled. "Are you here to urge me to draft an imperial decree?"

Ye Xianggao paused, then immediately understood what Fang Congzhe meant. He explained, "The emperor wants the cabinet to draft an edict, but not one that would demote or fine someone." Ye Xianggao handed the note over and continued, "The emperor has given Li Maofu the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, allowed him to return home to recuperate, and instructed the cabinet to work with the Ministry of Revenue to recommend a new Minister of Revenue."

"So sudden!" Fang Congzhe took the note and asked, "Hasn't the Cabinet received Li Maofu's resignation recently?"

"Indeed not." Ye Xianggao nodded.

"Then why did the Emperor suddenly order Li Maofu to retire?" Fang Congzhe suddenly had an idea. He immediately thought of Zhang Quan's memorial and the notice ordering Li Changgeng, the Minister of Revenue, to return to Beijing to report on his duties. "Could it be related to what happened this morning?"

"It's hard to say." Ye Xianggao suggested: "How about sending someone to the Ministry of Revenue to ask?"

"I'll go." Shen took the initiative.

"No." Fang Congzhe returned to his seat and said to Shen, "Mingzhen, you draft the edict in the cabinet. Before the court is dismissed, send the decree of demotion and salary reduction to the Ministry of Personnel."

Civil servant personnel changes, while submitted to the Ministry of Personnel for implementation, also had to be submitted to the Ministry of Personnel for review and correction. If the Ministry of Personnel felt a personnel change was inappropriate, it could submit a memorial to question it. However, questioning did not mean rejecting it, and the Ministry of Personnel could not directly interfere with the normal process of personnel changes; this was the exclusive power of the emperor.

In other words, this decree could still be dissuaded once more. If the Ministry of Personnel submitted a report and the emperor directly rejected it, or simply ignored it, the decree would inevitably go through the Ministry of Personnel's entire process.

Shen understood Fang Congzhe's idea almost immediately. He raised his eyebrows and replied, "Yes."

While the three were talking, Liu Yirong and Han Yu also returned to the duty room.

"Ji Hui." Fang Congzhe called Liu Yirong as soon as he entered the door.

Liu Yirong heard the call and came to Fang Congzhe's desk, bowing and saying, "Prime Minister, what are your instructions?"

"You can go to the Ministry of Revenue to check the situation." Fang Congzhe handed the note to Liu Yirong.

"What's going on at the Ministry of Revenue?" Liu Yirong took the note and was shocked. "The Emperor wants Li Maofu to retire at this time!" He had written the note attached to Zhang Quan's memorial.

"Is there any problem?" Fang Congzhe remembered what Shen had said before and couldn't help but look at Liu Yirong a few more times.

"Prime Minister." Liu Yirong didn't think much of Fang Congzhe's gaze, only noting that it was a subtle one. "Rerouting shipping is no small matter. The Emperor wants Li Maofu to retire now. Perhaps he's discovered something we don't know about yet."

"Yeah." Fang Congzhe still clearly remembered that it took a lot of trouble to change the transportation of grain and wages to Liao from land to sea.

Li Ruhua's public stance on this matter was unclear. At the time, he was still negotiating with the late emperor regarding the additional Liao tribute. But a public silence didn't mean there wasn't collusion behind the scenes. It wasn't surprising that the Imperial Household Department discovered some extra information.

"That's certainly possible." Fang Congzhe nodded. "But let's not speculate just yet. Ji Hui, go check it out at the Ministry of Revenue."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Liu Yirong handed the note back to Fang Congzhe and turned to leave.

In fact, Liu Yirong didn't need to go. Because at that time, the petition for the deceased's body, drafted by Li Tingyuan on behalf of his father Li Ruhua, had already arrived at the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Almost at the same time, a joint petition from Liaoyang was also sent to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

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The main hall of the Censorate is located in Fucaifang, southwest of Beijing’s inner city.

Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda was sitting at his desk, sipping his first cup of afternoon tea while lazily flipping through the case file in front of him. This file compiled a list of criminal cases handled by inspectors from all over the country in the previous month.

Generally speaking, the Ming Dynasty's conventional judicial system, from lowest to highest, consisted of counties, prefectures, and prefectural governments, as well as the Imperial Censorate. The Imperial Censors of the Metropolitan Censorate were empowered to conduct judicial impeachments against the judicial processes of these offices. During their visits, they would examine prisoners and review case files. If there was insufficient evidence or the prisoner refused to accept the charge, a retrial would be ordered. The written documents produced by the Imperial Censors during their judicial impeachments would be submitted to the capital for review by the Metropolitan Censorate headquarters.

As the highest official in the Censorate, Left Censor-in-Chief Zhang Wenda could raise questions about any case and request a reexamination by a Circuit Censor. If he so desired, he could also issue a direct order from his headquarters, having a higher-ranking Circuit Censor or a Circuit Censor from another region replace the original judge for a second review. However, since most cases were minor and the facts were clear, such incidents were rare. When they did occur, they were usually major cases with widespread implications.

Zhang Wenda was more concerned with the imperial examinations at the Imperial Examination Hall than with the criminal cases documented in the case files. To prevent cheating, the Censorate dispatched a significant number of censors to supervise the spring examinations and the autumn examinations in Shuntian Prefecture. Their duties consisted of pacing the examination halls and keeping an eye on the hand-picked examiners. After the exams were completed and submitted, the censors would remain near the examination room to ensure compliance. Only after the results were announced would the censors and the examiners leave the examination halls.

Jingle bell, jingle bell!
Zhang Wenda took a sip of tea, yawned, and turned another page. Then, he heard the distant ringing of a bell outside. Zhang Wenda knew it was the postman or the courier arriving with another delivery. He hadn't paid much attention to it at first; after all, there were three government offices in the area, and the postman wasn't necessarily coming to the Censorate. But as the bells grew closer and more rapid, he couldn't help but lose interest.

Ding! The bell stopped ringing for a moment, then rang again rapidly.

Zhang Wenda raised his head and saw a soldier in standard uniform walking straight into the lobby of the Censorate.

"Sir, please sign it." The soldier came to the desk, put down the bag on his back, and took out a Hijri calendar from it.

(End of this chapter)