Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 423: Reporting World Affairs

"Then what should I do?" Cui Yuan looked Sun Chengzong in the eye, hoping he could give him a solution that would satisfy both parties.

"'If the body is upright, then the shadow will be upright; if the body is evil, then the shadow will be evil. The official should be in a thick place, not in a thin place; he should be in the real place, not in the superficial place.' Things are what they are. Since the case was discovered by the East Factory, it should be the East Factory that is the first to expose it, and the governor's office should be the second to provide manpower. In this way, Cui Tixing will not be suspected by the emperor because he is suspicious of him. There is no need to kowtow to him in vain." Sun Chengzong answered as a matter of course.

"But...oh!" Cui Yuan had a lot of troubles to say, but he hesitated to speak, and finally could only let out a long sigh.

"Since this is a case with solid evidence, why is Chief Justice Cui so worried?" Sun Chengzong even began to suspect that there was something wrong with the case, but this shouldn't be the case. Falsely framing nobles and relatives, and letting outside officials get involved, isn't this courting death?
"Although this case is irrefutable, it does involve them. The students are simply seeking protection for themselves," Cui Yuan said tactfully. "Can Sun Zhongcheng find a way to protect the students?"

"Aren't you afraid that they will retaliate against you?" Sun Chengzong narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I guess so." Cui Yuan narrowed his eyes and nodded twice slightly.

"You are wearing the Feiyu robe bestowed upon you and handling an ironclad case, so why should you be afraid of them?" Sun Chengzong lacked key information and naturally could not guess the twists and turns in the matter.

Cui Yuan remained silent. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, he decided to choose the lesser of two evils. "I will learn from you. Since this is an ironclad case, I will file my first impeachment petition." Compared to the possibility of being abandoned after the rabbit has died, Sun Chengzong's allusion to being feared by the emperor was far more terrifying.

"Yes!" Sun Chengzong smiled and nodded, his face filled with satisfaction. As a veteran teacher, he particularly enjoyed the feeling of polishing jade into a useful tool. "You really don't have to worry about retaliation, Cui Tixing. If you are stripped of your official position and title, how can they retaliate against you?"

Cui Yuan was filled with awe. This smiling old man was quite cruel!

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In the third hall of the inner residence of the Ministry of Revenue, Li Changgeng, the Minister of Revenue, who oversaw Liao's military supplies, was leisurely eating lunch under the bright midday sun. Normally, at this time of year, he would ponder and ponder, trying to compose a few lines of exquisite poetry. But today, Li Changgeng felt no interest at all. He was inexplicably apprehensive, feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Master," a young man dressed as a servant hurried over at this moment, holding something in his hand. "Master, the imperial notice has arrived."

During the Ming Dynasty, official gazetteers were published and distributed by the Tongzhengsi (Communal Affairs Office) and relayed from Beijing to the far reaches of the empire via a nationwide postal system. Local officials at all levels could simply dispatch messengers to postal stations at the designated times, or order them to be delivered in advance. This provided them with information on personnel changes and major events of concern to the court. Sometimes, the gazetteers even revealed the emperor's daily activities and words and deeds. This information was crucial for understanding the state of the nation and gauging political trends.

"Well, bring it here." Li Changgeng waved to the young servant.

"Yes." The servant quickly opened the newspaper and handed it to Li Changgeng.

The format of the court bulletin was not a folded large-character poster, but a thread-bound booklet with a cover. The thickness of the booklet depended solely on the content of the current issue of the court bulletin. Therefore, before he even flipped through it, Li Changgeng knew that a lot of things had happened recently.

The copy Li Changgeng received was an official copy printed with movable type. These free copies were distributed only to government officials. If the officials felt the contents needed further dissemination, they would give the copy to local booksellers, who would then make copies and sell them. The court had no control over whether local officials accepted the bribes or how they used them. In densely populated areas with a thriving printing industry, these bribes could even amount to a substantial income. If private individuals were unwilling to pay but wanted to preserve portions of the official gazette, they would find a way to borrow a copy and then take it home to copy.

Important national news was transmitted to every corner of the empire through the process of postal delivery, photocopying, and hand-copying. Sometimes, it even spread to vassal states and became known to both Chinese and foreigners.

Li Changgeng took a look and his eyes widened immediately, because the first one was the regular period of the national gift.

The official gazette clearly stated that the Emperor had approved the request of Minister of Rites Xu Guangqi, declaring the Crown Prince's enthronement ceremony to take place on November 14th, the first year of the Taichang reign, and that the ceremony of crowning would be held during the ceremony. The Emperor also ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange the Crown Prince's wedding as per customary procedures. The gazette did not specify which prince would be enthroned, but anyone truly interested in the matter could easily identify the Crown Prince by the date of November 14th. November 14th, Yisi Year, the 33rd year of the Wanli reign, was the birthday of the Emperor's eldest son, Zhu Youxiao.

"The major issue has been settled, which is a great blessing for the country!" Thinking of the protracted dispute over the national foundation, Li Changgeng couldn't help but sigh.

Below this fundamental event was a message so short that it contained only seven words including the date: The princess was born on February 23rd.

Li Changgeng certainly didn't take this little piece of news, which meant almost nothing to him, to heart, and forgot about it almost immediately. While drinking his morning tea and eating a meat pie, he turned to the second page of the official newspaper.

The third important news item on page two concerned the administration of education, also known as the Ministry of Rites. In this item, the Ministry announced the examination questions for the special imperial examination, the names and birthplaces of the top five candidates in the Five Classics and the first place winners in the Eighteen Houses, and the date of the special imperial examination: March 15, the first year of the Taichang reign. In addition, the emperor appointed the chief examiners for the provincial summer examinations. The court report read:
The examiners sent by the Hanlin Academy included Qian Qianyi, the editor of the Imperial Academy, and Bao Qianzhen, the right censor of the Criminal Department, as chief examiners in Zhejiang; Zhou Yanru, the editor of the Imperial Academy, and Wang Jihui, the left censor of the Household Department, as chief examiners in Jiangxi; Miao Changqi, the scholar of the Imperial Academy, and Zhu Tongmeng, the scholar of the Military Department, as chief examiners in Huguang; Liu Zhongying, the scholar of the Imperial Academy, and Wang Qingbai, the scholar of the Rites Department, as chief examiners in Fujian; Yang Hongbei, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Liang Jianting, the chief examiner of the Dali Temple, as chief examiners in Sichuan.
The entry was very long, taking up more than a page, but Li Changgeng patiently read it through. He paid special attention to the young Hanlin scholars who were sent out to serve as examiners.

For the "minister-in-waiting" of the Hanlin Academy, being exiled usually marked the end of a long tenure, often spanning several years, a decade, or even decades, marking the official start of a career path. As long as they navigated this equally long period of advancement step by step, avoided major mistakes, and ultimately became "veteran officials," they could enter the cabinet, transitioning from so-called "minister-in-waiting" to "actual prime minister." Consequently, whenever a Hanlin was exiled, officials from all over the country would seek ways to connect with them.

Li Changgeng read slowly and unknowingly turned to the fourth piece of news.

This piece of news was about the Ministry of Rites. More precisely, it was a summary of the full text of a memorial submitted by the Minister of Rites, Xu Guangqi, regarding the case of unorthodox Christians attempting to cause chaos in Liaodong.

The more Li Changgeng read, the more puzzled he became. While official reports often included summaries of memorials, it was rare to find a full text like this. This memorial, written over 500 words, stood in stark contrast to the emperor's reply, which consisted of just two words: "Zhaozhun."

After reading this article, Li Changgeng suddenly felt a chill in his spine. As far as he knew, Xu Guangqi had only been released from the Imperial Examination Hall at the end of the previous month. Logically, Xu Guangqi would have had to struggle to understand the details of the incident. Yet, he had so quickly written a definitive memorial, which was then excerpted in full by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and promulgated throughout the country. It was hard not to speculate.

Li Changgeng put himself in Xu Guangqi's shoes, and the more he thought about it, the more his heart palpitated. It felt like a pair of large hands were placed on one's neck. The hands were simply there, silently, normally not affecting one's breathing, but if the owner of the hands wanted to, they could instantly strangle one's neck.

It's not difficult to guess who the owner of this big hand is. But why does he always do this?
Li Changgeng didn't dare to think any further. He continued to read the official newspaper, trying to dilute this subtle feeling of fear with new news.

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The new news finally no longer came from the Ministry of Rites, but from the Ministry of War.

The court reports recorded the results of various battles fought on the Liaodong battlefield since the emperor ascended the throne.

In addition, the official report also partially excerpted the details of the conversation and rewards when the emperor met with the Chahar envoy Amudaihong Taiji.

These documents indicated that the emperor had approved the Chahar's request for assistance and, on the condition that the Chahars send troops to suppress the bandits, had allocated disaster relief funds to aid the tribes on the left wing affected by the white disaster. To repay the emperor's grace, tens of thousands of elite cavalry from 30,000 households on the left wing would soon launch an attack on the bandits.

At that time, Liaozhen officers and soldiers will also launch a counterattack against the bandits in accordance with the deployment of General Xiong Tingbi.

At the same time, the emperor also issued an imperial edict to the vassal state of Korea, ordering Korea to provide necessary assistance to the officers and soldiers of Liaodong, and not to prevaricate and delay as it did during the Battle of Sarhu, otherwise it would bear the consequences.

Although Li Changgeng had no military experience, he understood that this was a grand strategy. If successfully implemented, it would mean a three-way containment of the Jurchen slave tribe by the Ming, Mongolia, and Korea. However, the uncertainty of this strategy was too great.

The Mongols have never been trustworthy. It can even be said that the Mongols cannot escape responsibility for the current state of Liaodong.

From the 40th to the 45th year of the Wanli reign, the 30,000 households of the Left Wing, commanded by Lindan Batur, repeatedly launched large-scale raids against various passes in the Ji and Liao regions. The Ming responded by sending elite troops from various regions deep into the grasslands to raid the bandit lairs, achieving several significant victories. This effectively threatened Lindan Batur's rule, forcing him to return the captured Ming people in the 45th year of the Wanli reign in exchange for trade. However, this years-long stalemate effectively distracted the Ming from the Jurchens.

From a Jurchen perspective, the Ming and the Mongols were at odds, with the Jurchens profiting from their own conflict. If the Ji-Liao border had remained unmolested by the Mongols between the 40th and 45th years of the Wanli reign, the Ming army could have easily moved eastward to strike the Nu tribe, maintaining a balance of power among the Jurchen tribes and preventing their dominance. Even if the Gao-Huai-Liao Rebellion had occurred earlier, Liaodong would not have been in its current state. If only a sage emperor could return and give the people peace, the Liao people's resolve might be restored.

If Mongolia is not trustworthy, then North Korea is useless.

North Korea is a small nation, not only powerless but also likely to play both sides in order to preserve its own interests. Regarding this, Xu Guangqi even said, "The relationship between the Koreans and the Koreans has already been established." Trying to force them to help fight the enemy would likely lead to a repeat of the Battle of Sarhu.

Also, what exactly did the so-called "consequences" mentioned in the official report refer to? It couldn't be that the king was simply deposed and replaced. If that were the case, who would be responsible for carrying out the order, and how would it be carried out? Somehow, Li Changgeng thought of Xu Guangqi again.

No! Even if he had submitted the memorial, he couldn't have been the candidate. Based on the Jesuit case alone, the emperor couldn't possibly have put him and Xiong Tingbi together. Xiong Tingbi and Xu Guangqi working together simply added further uncertainty to this "three-way arrangement."

As he thought about it, Li Changgeng began to think about himself. If the emperor ordered him to go to Pyongyang with the army and an imperial edict to depose the king and establish a new one, that would be truly impressive. But forget it. Such a task would be best left to a capable person. Li Changgeng didn't think he was capable of such a task.

Li Changgeng shook his head, put aside his daydreams, and flipped through the few remaining official newspapers.

The new news is still related to the military affairs in Liaodong, but it is not about Liaodong itself, but about the southwest.

The imperial report stated that the Emperor had rejected the request of She Chongming, the Sichuan Yongning envoy, and An Bangyan, the Guizhou Shuixi envoy, to lead troops to aid Liaodong, citing the preponderance of local troops and generals and the need for additional conscription. He also ordered the southwestern chieftains to remain within their respective territories and not to venture beyond their jurisdiction. However, to commend their loyalty and bravery, the Emperor had dispatched envoys, including Si Tian, ​​with thousands of taels of silver, to various locations in the south to reward them.

Finally, there were some personnel appointments and dismissals, of which Li Changgeng paid special attention to only three:

First, Wang Yingjiao, the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, was changed to the Minister of Revenue. After receiving the imperial edict, Wang Yingjiao must immediately go to Beijing to perform his duties and is not allowed to refuse or delay!
Second, Zhu Xieyuan, the Left Governor of Sichuan, was promoted to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and Governor of Sichuan to oversee military affairs.

Third, Tang Ruowang, the chief official of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, was transferred to the position of deputy director of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, and his punishment was revoked and his salary was restored.

"Huh!" Li Changgeng breathed a sigh of relief after finishing the official report. It was arguably the most demanding official report he had read in recent days. The volume of information was immense, requiring careful scrutiny. "Take it to the study. I'll read it again tonight." Li Changgeng closed the volume and handed it to the servant who was serving him dinner.

"Yes." The servant took the book, winked at another servant, and walked away.

However, the servant had just left the dining room and had not yet turned into the study when he stopped abruptly. "Hey! What are you doing here, clerk? Don't you know that outsiders are not allowed to enter the inner house?"

(End of this chapter)