Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 328 The Last Pilgrimage
Zhu Changluo had been sitting in the guest seat for quite some time. He propped up his head, eyes closed, as if thinking, or perhaps resting his mind. Zhu Changluo said nothing, and his attendant, Wang An, stood beside him, waiting quietly.

Suddenly, a growing noise emanated from the medicinal odor. Zhu Changluo opened his eyes and tilted his head to look. He saw Li Ruhua, neatly dressed, walking towards him, supported by his son and surrounded by servants.

"Your Majesty! It's really Your Majesty!" When the Emperor turned around, Li Ruhua recognized him. His anxiety and anticipation became reality at this moment, and a childlike smile filled his wrinkled face.

"Your Majesty..." Li Ruhua's emotions were rising, and a foreign sensation surged in his throat. He used his spirit to overcome his instincts and forced himself to swallow the bloody smell. "Your Majesty, Li Ruhua, pays homage."

"Stop knocking. Just stand there." Seeing Li Ruhua's frail appearance, Zhu Changluo's face also showed pity. He stood up, walked over quickly, and took Li Ruhua's arm before he knelt. Zhu Changluo could feel that this old Confucian official, tightly wrapped in red, was now as light as a bare skeleton without fat or muscle.

"Your Majesty, you've really come." Li Ruhua was clearly smiling, but tears were falling. The fact that his father and emperor could come to see him was the greatest affirmation of his official career.

Zhu Changluo rolled up his sleeves and wiped away Li Ruhua's tears. "Li Qing, you have suffered so much."

"Your Majesty, please don't." Li Ruhua quickly turned his head away. "My tears will stain your imperial robe."

"The blood of heroes and the tears of veterans are the best embellishments for cloth. How can they be dirty?" Zhu Changluo continued. But the more he wiped away the tears, the more they shed.

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Li Ruhua's sobs soon ceased. The emperor's gentle words seemed to have injected a surge of youthful energy into him. Li Ruhua stood up and led the emperor to the main seat, while he himself insisted on taking the guest seat.

"Stop standing there, you haven't paid your respects to the emperor yet." Li Ruhua said to Li Tingyuan who was kneeling on the ground.

"Yes!" This was Li Tingyuan's first time seeing the emperor. Panicked and bewildered, his voice distorted. "I, Li Tingyuan, pay my respects to the emperor. Long live the emperor!"

"My son has behaved rudely in front of the emperor. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me." Li Ruhua's voice was a little hoarse, but he could still speak clearly.

"It's okay. Get up." Zhu Changluo said to Li Tingyuan.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Tingyuan kowtowed and stood up, then walked to his father's side and stood with his head bowed. He wanted to see what the emperor looked like, but he didn't dare look directly at him, so he could only sneak a peek at the emperor's face out of the corner of his eye.

"Your Majesty," Li Ruhua said. "I heard from my son that this morning someone from the palace summoned me to appear before Your Majesty. May I ask what the matter is?"

"I'm just here to see you, not to advise you on government affairs. Just take a good rest." Zhu Changluo waved his hand.

Li Ruhua leaned back in his chair, holding onto the armrests, and tried his best to maintain a straight and composed demeanor. "Though my body may be weakened, my mind remains strong. Please ask your Majesty."

Zhu Changluo looked at Li Ruhua's determined eyes, was silent for a moment, and finally nodded. "I have received a memorial from Liaodong, written by the provincial governor Zhang Quan. In it, Zhang Quan requested that I issue an imperial decree to change the destination of sea transport from Jinzhou, Lushun, and other places to Yingkou in Gaizhou. It is for this matter that I sent someone to find you."

Li Ruhua said, "The issue of grain transported from the sea to Liao has always been under the direct supervision of Li Youqing, the Minister of Supply. Your Majesty can issue an order to summon him to inquire."

"I've already sent someone to summon him back to the capital." Zhu Changluo stared straight ahead, gazing at the fiery sunset. "Let's put Li Changgeng aside. What do you think of this matter, Li Qing?"

Li Ruhua thought for a moment and decided to start from the beginning: "In the 46th year of the Wanli reign, the Nu chieftains captured Fushun, and the court discussed sending troops to plunder the court. At that time, the main issue discussed in the Ministry of Revenue was where the grain and military pay would come from. The conversion of land grain to sea grain was just a secondary issue discussed as a side issue."

For a long time, Li Ruhua's primary job was to negotiate with the late emperor, urging him to dig into the treasury to fill the hole in Liaodong. Since the emperor refused to contribute, Li Ruhua was left to shoulder the infamy and impose additional levies on the entire country. Compared to such a major undertaking, the transportation of grain and salaries was a minor matter. After all, even the best cook cannot cook without rice, and the Ministry of Revenue could not transport grain and salaries that did not exist.

Li Ruhua continued, "I remember that Li Youqing was still serving as the Governor of Shandong at the time. He submitted a memorial to the court, requesting that the maritime ban on Deng, Lai, and Tianjin be lifted, in accordance with the old practice of aiding Korea during the expedition against Japanese invaders. In his memorial, Li Youqing argued that transporting 400,000 dan of grain to Liao by sea would only cost a little over 100,000 taels of silver. Compared to the price of grain, the freight costs were comparable, or even higher, than land transport, making this a good idea. But..." Li Ruhua paused. "For various reasons, the proposal to ship grain by land was never implemented. It wasn't until the defeat at Sarhu in the 47th year of the Wanli reign that the court adopted this advice and appointed Li Changgeng as Minister of Finance."

"What are the various reasons? Li Qing, stop trying to be clever with me," Zhu Changluo said. "Speak more carefully."

"That," Li Ruhua said with a wry smile. "It's just that the court is in a state of confusion, with all sorts of opinions being said. Even a wise and virtuous ruler needs time to sort things out." Insulting one's father to one's son is disrespectful. Li Ruhua certainly couldn't directly criticize the late emperor in front of the emperor.

And that was precisely what happened. The court debate was chaotic, and various strategies were endlessly proposed, but most were pointless fantasies. For example, an official from the Ministry of Justice named Feng Shixing requested the construction of unusual vehicles, including a flying carriage, a whirlwind, a demon-subduing pestle, a rolling land, and a windlass. He argued that it would only take 2,000 ironworkers and carpenters to build 500 vehicles from wood and hide, 10,000 soldiers, and a salary of 300,000 taels. In just one month, Kaiyuan and Tieling could be recovered. In just a few months, the slave chieftains could be annihilated and their families destroyed.

Since the speaker was innocent, everyone was free to speak freely. This kind of thing actually slowed down the efficiency of the entire administrative machinery. Even the imperial decree appointing Xiong Tingbi as the governor of Liaodong was delayed for two months due to the influence of various opinions. It was not officially issued until news of Kaiyuan's fall reached Beijing.

"Uh..." Zhu Changluo could only shake his head and smile bitterly. "Don't dwell on the past. Just continue."

"I'm not entirely clear on what happened after that," Li Ruhua said. "At least the freight rates reported to our department by the Superintendent's Office were indeed significantly reduced, as Li Changgeng said. The Ministry of Revenue has all these records on file; Your Majesty can send someone to retrieve them for inspection."

Zhu Changluo then asked, "Zhang Quan also stated in his memorial that Xiong Tingbi had sent several letters to officials requesting a change in the shipping destination. Has the Ministry of Revenue received any similar letters?"

"Xiong Feibai did often send letters urging the Ministry of War and our department to provide food and wages, but there were no letters directly requesting a change in the sea shipping destination." Li Ruhua shook his head.

"Then the 'officials' here are the Supervisory Office." Zhu Changluo's voice was unpredictable. "Why do you think the Supervisory Office is unwilling to cooperate with the Liaodong Headquarters, Li Qing?"

"I dare not speculate on the reasons, but one thing is certain. Shipping grain from the sea to Jinzhou and Lushun is much closer than shipping it to Gaizhou." Li Ruhua said, "The late emperor's will was to change land transportation to sea transportation, and use ships to transport grain and supplies to Liaodong. Jin, Lu, and Gai are all in Liaodong, so of course the closer the better." This was still a subtle criticism of the lazy governance of the Supervisory Office.

"Okay." Zhu Changluo hesitated. "There's one last thing. I'd like to ask for your opinion."

A hint of sadness flashed across Li Ruhua's eyes, clearly realizing something. "Is it about filling a vacancy?"

"Yes." Zhu Changluo couldn't help but frown slightly. "Li Qing, who do you think is worthy of the position of Minister of Revenue after you?"

"Nanjing's Minister of Revenue, Wang Qianfu." Li Ruhua had been thinking about this even before he fell ill. He said sternly, "Wang Qianfu is upright and loyal, and he treats the country like his own family. During the Japanese invasion of Korea, he governed Tianjin, Baoding, and other places, and made many achievements. Moreover, when Wang Qianfu was the governor of Baoding, he worked closely with Xiong Feibai to alleviate drought and floods, and their friendship was well-known. If Wang Qianfu could join the government in Beijing, he might be of great benefit to the situation in Liaodong."

Li Ruhua was recounting an old story. In the 27th year of the Wanli reign, Xiong Tingbi, then 30 years old, concluded his vacant political career and was appointed Procurator of Baoding Prefecture, responsible for overseeing criminal justice and assisting in the management of customs pay and taxation. During his tenure, Xiong Tingbi was shrewd and capable, particularly in disaster relief efforts. He was recognized by then-Governor Wang Yingjiao, who hailed him as "the best official in the land." Wang Yingjiao even publicly remarked, "I only consider you a scholar, how can you be so astute in handling political affairs? I am not as good as you."

"Wang Yingjiao, I understand." Zhu Changluo stood up, and Li Ruhua followed suit, leaning on the armrest. Seeing this, Li Tingyuan hurried over to support his father. "Is Your Majesty going back to the palace?" Li Ruhua forced a smile.

"Yes."

"I'll take you there."

"No need to see me off, no need to kneel." Seeing Li Ruhua's half-kind, half-sad smile, Zhu Changluo felt a little sad. He walked forward, took Li Ruhua's dry hand, and patted it gently. "Just focus on recuperating and don't worry about state affairs anymore."

Hearing this, Li Ruhua's eyes turned red again.

Zhu Changluo was afraid of being completely infected by Li Ruhua's emotions, so he let go of Li Ruhua's hand and said to Li Tingyuan, "Take good care of your father." After that, he took Wang An and left Li's house.

Li Ruhua obeyed the order and did not kneel. But after the emperor's back disappeared, he still knelt deeply, facing the final sunset glow. Silent tears slid down, dripping onto the front of his court robes. Li Ruhua knew that his final audience with the emperor was over.

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The evening drum had sounded, and all the gates had closed. Between the Imperial City and the Palace City, only the section from Dong'an Gate to Donghua Gate remained open.

At the Donghua Gate, Han Benyong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables, and Liu Ruoyu, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, were waiting there. When they saw Wang An approaching with the sedan chair, they immediately went to greet him.

"Your servants pay their respects to the emperor, wishing him long live the emperor." As the sedan chair came to a stop, before Wang An even lifted the curtain, the two eunuchs knelt down and kowtowed impatiently.

"Everyone, get up." Zhu Changluo bowed and got out of the sedan chair. He looked at Han Benyong and asked, "Are you here to help me change clothes again?" Zhu Changluo changed clothes at the Donghua Gate Tower again.

"If the Lord is willing to do me the honor." Han Benyong almost wrote the word "flattering" on his face with a pen.

"You've come all this way, how can I not give you this favor?" Zhu Changluo wanted to smile back, but he couldn't. He said as he walked into the palace. "What are you doing here again?"

Even though the emperor didn't look at him, Liu Ruoyu knew he was being questioned. He fished out a memorial from his bosom, held it in both hands, and said, "Not long after my master left the Qianqing Palace, a new batch of memorials arrived through Huiji Gate. One of them is from Liaodong."

The group of four passed through the Donghua Gate, which was guarded by elite guards. However, since Liu Ruoyu and Han Benyong wanted to go out again, the Donghua Gate was not closed immediately like the Dong'an Gate and Dong'anli Gate.

"Who wrote it and what's the content?" Zhu Changluo glanced at Liu Ruoyu, but did not take the memorial.

"My Lord, the signatories are Xiong Tingbi and Yang Lian," Liu Ruoyu said. "They executed a translator in Liaodong."

"Interpreter? What rank does he hold?" Zhu Changluo walked up the city wall along the horse path.

"No grade." Liu Ruoyu replied.

"That's nothing." Zhu Changluo looked away, clearly losing interest. "Kill him, and he'll be killed. He didn't overstep his authority."

Liu Ruoyu mistook the emperor's sympathy for displeasure, and hurriedly said, "Xiong Jinglie did not exceed his authority, but that interpreter was recommended to Liaodong by Xu Libu."

In a loose sense, Father Mendoza was indeed recommended by Xu Guangqi, as he wrote in a memorial recommending the use of Western mercenaries, "A foreign official who is well versed in Chinese could serve as an interpreter to facilitate communication."

"Did Xiong Tingbi kill people from the Jesuit Order?" Zhu Changluo stopped for a moment, but he immediately resumed walking.

"Yes." Liu Ruoyu followed the emperor into the gate tower.

"Read the memorial again." Zhu Changluo stood in front of the clothes rack, and Han Benyong immediately followed to help the emperor undress. Wang An, like last time, assisted Han Benyong.

"Yes." Liu Ruoyu accepted the order and, with the help of the candlelight brought by the eunuch, half recited and half read the memorial with simple and concise wording.

"Pack this dress and find a place to put it so it won't get burned." Zhu Changluo suddenly said after taking off his outer robe.

"Yes." Han Benyong didn't understand what was going on and turned his head to look at Wang An. Wang An was not in a position to speak at the moment, so he just smiled back at him.

Liu Ruoyu spoke at the same speed as he changed his clothes. After he finished changing his clothes, he finished reading the memorial. "Master, that's all."

"Han Benyong, what do you think?" Zhu Changluo asked.

"We should be clear about the boundaries. I don't work in the Imperial Household Department, so it's not right for me to discuss politics." Han Benyong stepped aside and said respectfully.

"It's not your job to change clothes, so how dare you compete with others for them?"

"Hehe." Han Benyong smiled foolishly.

"What do you think, Wang An?"

"This is a small matter, but it is likely to become a big deal," Wang An judged.

"I just want to make a big fuss. I'm worried I'll have no excuse to put them on a leash."

(End of this chapter)