Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 361 Flies in the Ming Dynasty

"Why did you come back with the people from Duke Cheng's Mansion?" Li Guorui lowered his eyelids, narrowing his vision into a slit.

Li Laicai hurriedly said, "I heard in Guangning that grain prices in Haizhou are higher than in Guangning, so I arranged with the escort team to go to Haizhou to buy grain. After I arrived in Haizhou, I met Team Leader Zhu." Li Laicai, like Zhu Hui, used other people's business to shield himself. "He also sells grain for three taels and five cents per dan!"

Although Li Laicai's caravan and Zhu Hui's caravan did not travel to Liao together, they left Liaodong on the same ship.

Zhu Hui's caravan set out several days earlier than Li Laicai's. Even though Li Laicai's caravan temporarily sped up its progress along the Liaoxi Corridor, traveling day and night, Zhu Hui's caravan still reached Guangning and Haizhou first. However, after selling grain and donkeys and mules in Haizhou, Zhu Hui did not immediately leave Liaodong. Instead, he continued to gather information that would help him adjust his business strategies and protect himself.

Zhu Hui also focused on gathering negative comments about Zhang Quan, but unfortunately, he found nothing useful. The merchants' common complaint about the government's "low pricing" simply didn't constitute a necessary condition for attacking Zhang Quan. Forget impeaching Zhang Quan; with Zhang Wenda and Sun Chengzong standing in the way, even arousing the emperor's suspicion and sending an investigative team to Haizhou to "investigate his crimes" would be difficult.

Zhu Hui stayed in Haizhou for two days. When he was about to go south to Gaizhou and leave Liaodong by boat, Li Laicai's caravan also arrived in Haizhou.

Li Laicai's discontent with the government's price-cutting measures was even greater than Zhu Hui's. This was because the Li family's other caravans had coincided with the sudden spike in grain prices in Liaodong. Although timely government intervention and support from the court caused the abnormally high grain prices to quickly fall back to normal, the Li family only managed to sell a few hundred dan of grain at the exorbitant price of six taels per dan. However, Li Laicai knew that Li Guorui was a scoundrel who smiled happily when he made a lot of money but cursed his parents when he made less.

Fear breeds anger. Li Laicai, like Zhu Hui, caused a commotion in the Haizhou market, and it was quite violent. But this time, Zhang Quan didn't even show up. The lower-level officials led their troops and dispatched Li Laicai's caravan.

Zhu Hui was gathering information around the market at the time, and upon seeing this, he immediately went over to dissuade them. Zhu Hui's rhetoric was very convincing, and in short, he was doing everything for Li Laicai's benefit, urging him not to go against the government, but to secure his profits and be content with what he had.

However, Zhu Hui's fundamental purpose was to get Li Laicai to accept the offer for official uniforms. After all, the more nobles and relatives who were "disadvantaged," the more widely the story spread, and the less guilty he would be. If the government truly gave Li Laicai any special favors, Zhu Hui would have nothing to cover up for himself.

Li Laicai knew he couldn't win, and that returning home to be whipped was better than being stabbed in the back in Liaodong. And with Zhu Hui as his comrade in need, he felt much more at ease.

After Li Laicai's caravan reluctantly sold its grain and livestock under pressure from the government and Zhu Hui's persuasion, Zhu Hui invited Li Laicai and his caravan members to board the same ship and return to the interior of China. Li Laicai readily agreed, saving the trouble and expense of finding a boat.

The reason why Zhu Hui treated Li Laicai so "well" was because the families of Wuqing Hou and Cheng Guo Gong were related by marriage.

Specifically, Li Chengming's eldest sister and Li Guorui's aunt, Zhu Li, was the wife of Zhu Yingmei, the younger uncle of Duke Chengguo Zhu Chunchen and the paid commander of the Imperial Guard. Because of this marriage, the two families had been friends for many years, and their interactions were frequent. Even though both Zhu Li and Zhu Yingmei have passed away, the two families still maintain a strong relationship. During the Wanli reign, Zhu Chunchen, who rarely visited the Governor's Office, was often invited to the Li family's premier estate for banquets.

"Three taels and five cents." Even Li Guorui realized the seriousness of the situation. "Besides our two families, did anyone else sell it at this price?"

"Yes. All of them! The grain price in the entire Haizhou is like this." Li Laicai quickly responded: "The Li family, Wang family, Guo family, and Zhang family all sold their grain at this price."

"That would be troublesome"

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That night, the Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Weixian, returned to his residence in Nanxunfang to take charge of the affairs of the Rear Army Governor's Office.

Although the imperial envoy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard dug up a lot of troubles from the Tianjin Zhongwei and joined forces with the Western Factory to make the entire Rear Army Governor's Office in turmoil, these things did not seem to have any impact on Zhang Weixian, the head of the Rear Army Governor's Office.

The Duke continued his usual routine, routinely going to the government office, sitting in court, attending to chores, and reading. He would occasionally participate in memorial ceremonies, conferring titles, and other ceremonies according to the new monarch's wishes. The most recent posthumous conferment and conferment were respectively conducted by him and Duke Dingguo Xu Xigao, in conjunction with cabinet ministers and officials from the Ministry of Rites.

Zhang Weixian changed out of his official uniform and into casual clothes in a room specially set aside in the front yard, then went to the main study to read. He would not leave until dinner time.

Zhang Weixian pushed open the door and entered the study, only to find that there was someone in the study, and that person was sitting in his chair. Zhang Weixian did not mind this, because that person was Zhang Zhiji, the eldest son of the emperor and the future Duke of England.

"Dad." Zhang Zhiji stood up and gave his father a simple greeting.

"Why are you here with me instead of staying in your own study?" Zhang Weixian smiled as he walked over to the table and closed the book Zhang Zhiji was reading. "Moaning Language? I remember you have a copy in your study, right?" Zhang Zhiji's study was Zhang Weixian's old study, and he knew exactly what books were in it.

"Dad. This is a newly published edition on the market." Zhang Zhiji said, "The bookseller said it was printed by the Silijian Factory and is of very good quality. So my son bought a few more copies." Zhang Zhiji often visited bookstores and especially liked the smell of ink lingering in the bookstores.

Zhang Weixian picked up the book, flipped through it, and nodded involuntarily, saying, "It's time for the Sutra Factory to print something other than Buddhist scriptures." The Sutra Factory of the Imperial Household Department was mainly responsible for printing various books approved by the emperor. Since Empress Dowager Li was a devout Buddhist, when she was still alive, the most printed things in the Sutra Factory were various Buddhist scriptures.

"Moaning Language" is a book Zhang Weixian is very familiar with. He was drawn into it and became fascinated after reading only a few pages.

But suddenly, Zhang Weixian seemed to realize something. He closed the book abruptly and asked Zhang Zhiji, "Wait, where is the original one? You didn't sell it as a used book, did you? There is old master's handwriting on it!" The space in the study was limited. Whenever Zhang Weixian or Zhang Zhiji bought a new book, they would sell the old book or give it away.

"Shengyin Yu" was published in the 21st year of the Wanli reign. It is a cautionary collection of essays compiled by Lü Kun, then the governor of Shanxi and a Jinshi (Jinshi) candidate from the 2nd year of the Wanli reign and the epicenter of the first demonic book case. At the time of its publication, the first case had not yet occurred, and Zhang Yuangong, the fifth Duke of Ying and Zhang Weixian's uncle, was still alive. It was he who purchased this book.

In the 26th year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Weixian inherited the ancestral title of Duke of Ying from his father and became the master of this study. Twenty-five years later, Zhang Weixian's memory of his uncle had become hazy; without looking at the portrait in the ancestral hall, he could hardly recall what he looked like. But every time he flipped through these old books, he could vaguely imagine Zhang Yuangong reading, sighing, and taking notes.

"Don't worry, the old books are still on the shelf. Without your permission, I wouldn't dare touch your bookshelf." Zhang Zhiji carefully took the book from his father's hand and put it in his arms. "I bought this book for myself."

"Buy it for yourself. Then you can look at it in your own room. Why are you coming here to bother me?" Zhang Weixian took Zhang Zhiji's shoulders and moved him aside, then sat back down in the main seat in the study. "Can't make decisions?" After Zhang Zhiji got married, Zhang Weixian had handed over most of the household chores to him.

"Yes and no." Zhang Zhiji walked around to the desk and blocked the sunlight outside the window.

"If you don't want to, get out of here." Zhang Weixian scolded with a smile, "You've been messing around with people in the government office, and now you have to come back and play witty banter with you?"

Zhang Zhiji brought a stool and sat in front of Zhang Weixian, obviously not intending to leave.

"Wait for me here." Although Zhang Zhiji sat in Zhang Weixian's chair, he barely touched his father's furnishings. Zhang Weixian casually reached out and took the book "Arabic Numerals and Double-Entry Bookkeeping" that he had been reading for several days but hadn't finished. "Are you talking about Tianjin?"

Zhang Zhiji was visibly stunned. "You are wise!"

Zhang Weixian smiled complacently. "Someone's using your connections?"

As the head of the Imperial Court, Zhang Weixian had a strong say in filling vacancies. Both the emperor and the Ministry of War would consider his recommendations as an important reference.

The vacant post at Tianjin Zhongwei was a lucrative one. Ever since Luo Sigong dispatched his men to Tianjin Zhongwei to round up all the corrupt officials, both large and small, and imprison them in the Dongsifang Prison, Zhang Weixian had been receiving various "self-recommendations" almost daily. Some were more subtle, sending letters and handouts to Zhang Weixian. Others were more direct, even going so far as to visit the Rear Army Governor's Office to "borrow his words."

"That's not the case. Whether it was visiting cards or gifts, anything related to filling a vacancy, I sent them back as you instructed." Zhang Zhiji realized that what his father was talking about was completely different from what he was about to say. He curled his lips slightly, then pulled an opened envelope from his sleeve and leaned forward to hand it to Zhang Weixian.

"What is this?" Zhang Weixian took the envelope and shook out the visiting card inside.

"This is a post from the Wuqing Marquis' Mansion." Zhang Zhiji said.

Zhang Weixian was just about to open it and take a look, but when he heard the name, he suddenly didn't want to read it anymore.

From Li Wei to Li Wenquan to the current Li Chengming, and even Li Guorui in the future, Zhang Weixian looks down on none of them.

This wasn't because Li Wei was of humble origin. After all, few Ming Dynasty concubines were of noble birth. Two hundred and fifty years ago, the ancestors of the Zhu family were still "Huaiyou commoners."

Zhang Weixian just felt that the Li family was like a fly in the center of the Ming Dynasty, marrying everywhere. Li Wei's second daughter married Chen Yinzheng, the son of Chen Wangmo, the Earl of Pingjiang, and his eldest granddaughter married Zhu Yingmei, the son of Zhu Xixiao, the Duke of Chengguo.

If these were the only things, it would be fine. After all, it was normal for nobles and relatives to marry to form political alliances, and his Zhang family was no exception.

But Li Wenquan actually dared to secretly marry his daughter to a eunuch and establish a relationship with him. This was truly a case of his insanity. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's protection and the late Emperor's indulgence, it wouldn't be surprising if Li Wenquan was deposed or even beheaded.

Zhang Weixian felt sick when he thought about this because the first person Li Wenquan chose for this woman to marry was not Zhang Xun, but him, Zhang Weixian.

In the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, the heir to the throne, Li Wenquan, approached Zhang Yuangong, the fifth Duke of Ying, hoping to forge a marriage between the Li and Zhang families and maintain a lasting friendship. At the time, the only eligible descendant of the Zhang family was Zhang Weixian, the son of a young woman who had recently lost her wife. It could be said that they were targeting him.

In this matter, neither Zhang Weixian himself nor his father, Zhang Yuande, the sixth Duke of Ying, Zhang Yuangong's younger brother, had a say. As long as Zhang Yuangong nodded, Zhang Weixian would become the son-in-law of the Wuqing Marquis family.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuangong was prudent and decisive, politely declining Li Wenquan's request. To avoid offending Li Wenquan and, by extension, Empress Dowager Li, Zhang Yuangong claimed that the Zhang family had already decided to make Zhang Weixian's concubine, Zhang Zhiji's mother, his successor, his wife his legal wife. The petition had already been submitted, but the Emperor had yet to approve it. With the Emperor's approval, Zhang Zhiji's mother would become Zhang Weixian's successor. To avoid wronging the Li family's daughter, Li Wenquan was advised to choose another worthy husband.

At that time, the Zhang family had not submitted any petitions. Zhang Yuangong was still looking for a virtuous wife for his good nephew. Moreover, even if he wanted to make the concubine with the eldest son his legal wife, he did not have to submit a petition to ask for the emperor's consent. It was not like he was seeking to marry a princess, so he could just do it himself.

But to complete the act, Zhang Yuangong wrote a memorial and approached Tian Yi, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the director of the Secretariat, to secretly slip it into the pile of "unreported" memorials. For the Secretariat, responsible for receiving and sending all internal and external memorials, imperial edicts, imperial decrees, and draft documents, this was a simple task. Furthermore, the "unreported" memorials were already piling up, so an extra copy wasn't surprising.

But all this effort was obviously in vain. Li Wenquan didn't even bother to investigate and simply believed what Zhang Yuangong said. Not long after, he married his second daughter to the alternative marriage partner, Zhang Xun, the fifth brother of Zhang Cheng, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department and the commander of the Eastern Depot.

The memorial remained stuck like this until it was burned by the Imperial Household Department after its destruction date. By the time the forgotten memorial was burned, the brothers Zhang Yuangong and Zhang Yuande had passed away, and Zhang Weixian had inherited his ancestral title, becoming the seventh Duke of Ying of the Ming Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)