Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 434: Deciding to abolish and establish, and determining guardianship

Thinking about this, Xu Guangqi finally understood why the emperor wanted to enthrone Li Zong. The emperor didn't follow the rules of propriety at all, and citing the old rules of the ancestral temple was just an excuse! The emperor wanted to enthrone Li Zong simply because Li Zong presented him with two tribute women.

Xu Guangqi was stunned. This was absolutely unacceptable! Regardless of whether Li Jong had hidden motives in sending the tribute girl, if the Ming emperor replaced the vassal monarch for such an excuse, the whole world would be in turmoil. Wouldn't this be a declaration to the surrounding vassal states and autonomous chieftains that as long as they bribed and curried favor with the emperor, they could disregard etiquette and commit acts of subversion? At that point, legitimate grounds for dethronement would be tarnished and disgraced by the new emperor's decree.

After understanding this, Xu Guangqi continued, "Dethronement has its reasons, and enthronement follows etiquette. Your Majesty's dethronement of the King of Xian on charges of ingratitude, double-dealing, collusion with foreign enemies, and killing his brothers was perfectly justified. However, enthroning Li Jong as king is impolite, unjustifiable, and without any legal basis. This is absolutely unacceptable for our Celestial Empire, our beloved land. Once this precedent is set, petty schemes will ensue. How can our dynasty govern the nations and rule the world?"

Zhu Changluo didn't know why Xu Guangqi suddenly valued him. His desire to establish Li Zong was entirely out of political considerations.

Zhu Changluo knew that the Western Party, which had suffered a severe blow due to the Guichou Prison Incident, had joined forces with Prince Yeongyang Lee Jong, who had suffered from political persecution. They were planning a military coup against King Lee Hwon, and one of the banners of the coup was that Lee Hwon was indecisive and betrayed the Ming Dynasty.

Regardless of whether Li Zong was truly loyal, if Li Zong took the initiative to raise this banner, it would be difficult for the Ming Dynasty to send troops to Pyongyang with this almost perfect excuse. At that time, the Ming Dynasty would either provide legal support to Li Zong, and then obtain help that might be of little use.

Otherwise, they could only follow Xu Guangqi's orthodox thinking and use the banner of "a minister usurping the throne and a nephew deposing an uncle" to intervene in the coup, restore Li Hun, and then control Korea. However, this meant that the Ming Dynasty would pretend to be unaware of Li Hun's ungrateful and treacherous deeds, which would have other adverse effects.

Therefore, Zhu Changluo's idea was to raise the flag before Li Zong, send troops to Pyongyang, and then support Li Zong with the assistance of the Western Party. In this way, not only could the political situation in Korea be stabilized in a short period of time, but a pro-Ming force could also be quickly established.

As for Li Gong, Zhu Changluo had no idea what this rarely recorded Rencheng Jun was. For Zhu Changluo, deposing Li Hun, ignoring Li Zong, and supporting Li Gong was like choosing blindly.

However, Zhu Changluo had to admit that the Minister of Rites's considerations were correct. Xu Guangqi's value was correct. The Ming Dynasty's ability to maintain the stability of the suzerain-vassal system was not only due to its far-reaching power, but also due to its adherence to rituals and laws. By adhering to rituals and laws, the suzerain's interference was legitimate, and domestic opposition within the vassal states would be much smaller, if not nonexistent.

When Yi Hun wanted to launch a political persecution against King Sogyeong's consort, Kim, he first had to secure posthumous recognition from the Ming dynasty, thereby weakening the king's consort's status as legitimate mother. Even with her status weakened, Yi Hun didn't dare to force her to death or depose her, instead confining her to the cold palace. This was simply because the consort had received official titles from the Ming dynasty, the suzerain state. If Yi Hun dared to take action, he would be considered unfilial. The Ming dynasty could then use this charge to undermine the legitimacy of his rule and even trigger a coup.

Not following the rules of propriety, ignoring Li Gong, and supporting Li Zong was a blow to the great and glorious image of the suzerain state.

After much deliberation and weighing of the pros and cons, Zhu Changluo made a decision.

Even if the Ming's current strength could only maintain a defensive position on the battlefield between Ming and Jin, it was still an absolute threat to Korea. Furthermore, within the Bohai and Yellow Seas, the Ming enjoyed absolute control of the seas, allowing for direct landings in the waters near Pyongyang. With a legitimacy superior to that of the king, the emperor did not need the support of local Korean forces to depose the current king. As long as the army could quickly reach Pyongyang, establish a new king, and stabilize public sentiment, the support of local Korean forces was merely an optional bonus, not a requirement.

In this way, it doesn't matter whether the king is Yi Gong or Yi Jong. The Western Party that supports Yi Jong now can also support Yi Gong after the Ming army enters Pyongyang.

"Yes." Zhu Changluo nodded at Xu Guangqi. "You are indeed my chosen Minister of Rites. I will do as you say and establish Li Gong as the successor to the Joseon King."

Xu Guangqi breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and no one can surpass you!"

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Cui Wensheng hurriedly trotted into the South Study. His movement was so loud that he attracted the attention of everyone in the hall as soon as he stepped over the threshold.

"Where is the master?" Cui Wensheng was ready to kneel down and kowtow, but the person he was kneeling to was not sitting behind the imperial desk.

Wei Chao put down his pen, stood up with the help of the armrest, and stretched vigorously. He hadn't gotten up since he came in this morning. "The Emperor is summoning Xu Butang in the main hall." Wei Chao's voice changed with the feeling of relaxation. "But the foreigners have already left."

"Where is the ancestor?" Cui Wensheng asked again.

"Where else can I be? Of course I'm staying with you in the main hall." Wei Chao shivered.

"How long has it been?" Cui Wensheng asked immediately.

"It's been a while." Wei Chao asked, "Why, is it urgent?"

"It's a big deal, but there's no rush." ​​Cui Wensheng shook his head.

"If you're not in a hurry, just sit and wait." With that, Wei Chao strode away from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Cui Wensheng turned around and asked as the two passed each other.

"Dirty things," Wei Chao said without turning his head. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Haha." Cui Wensheng came to his seat and sat down. "Let's just forget it."

Soon, a eunuch came to Cui Wensheng with tea and snacks. However, after he finished his tea and snacks, he still hadn't seen the emperor.

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"Mr. Xu," after another in-depth discussion, the emperor asked the crucial question: "Who do you think should be the guardian of Korea?"

Xu Guangqi immediately stood up, bowed and said, "It is the duty of a minister to serve his country with his life at stake. I am willing to go in person!" Xu Guangqi's attitude was consistent. In the article "The Danger in the Left Liao Is Very Great" presented to Emperor Shenzong, he sincerely expressed his willingness to recommend himself. Even though he is in an important position now, his determination has never wavered.

"We still need you to mediate the foreign affairs, and I can't bear to part with you. You should stay in Beijing." Zhu Changluo shook his head and smiled. He certainly wouldn't let Xu Guangqi go to Korea to form a symbiotic alliance with Xiong Tingbi, who was guarding Liaodong. It wasn't that he thought Xu Guangqi would necessarily ignore national affairs for the sake of his Jesuit grudges. But putting two people who already had a foundation of distrust together was creating hidden dangers. It wasn't like the Ming Dynasty was starving.

The emperor's words were so sweet that they moved Xu Guangqi immediately. "Since I have been paid by the emperor and will serve him my whole life, how can I bear the emperor's love and care?"

"Enough, enough. Go home and wipe your tears. You're already a grown man." Zhu Changluo waved his hands. He really couldn't stand the sight of an old man with tears in his eyes. Whenever he saw this kind of scene, he would think of Li Ruhua. He didn't know if the old man had returned home yet. "Tell me about the matter."

"I recommend the Minister of Revenue, Wang Yingjiao." Xu Guangqi wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeves.

"Ah?" Zhu Changluo raised his eyebrows and said, "He hasn't arrived in Beijing yet." Not to mention Beijing, it is still unclear whether Wang Yingjiao has received the news.

Xu Guangqi recommended him, saying, "Wang Yingjiao was in charge of Korean military affairs during the 26th year of the Wanli reign. He is quite familiar with Korean affairs and can speak the Korean dialect. Furthermore, I have heard that Wang Yingjiao and Xiong Tingbi get along very well."

"Wait a minute," Zhu Changluo raised his hand to interrupt Xu Guangqi. "You didn't hear this from Li Ruhua, did you?"

"Yes." Xu Guangqi nodded woodenly. In the 26th year of the Wanli reign, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea again, Xu Guangqi was still taking his first imperial examination and about to face his first failure. By the time he passed the imperial examination in the 32nd year of the Wanli reign, Wang Yingjiao had already requested leave to return home.

"No wonder." Zhu Changluo shook his head and said, "Change him. If he goes to Korea, who will be the Minister of Revenue? Besides, the old man is already seventy years old. He may not be able to withstand being sent to a cold and harsh place like Korea."

Xu Guangqi thought for a moment. "Perhaps Yuan Keli, the Left Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, could be used."

"Yuan Keli," Zhu Changluo murmured, nodded slightly, and was about to speak, but Wang An interrupted at this moment: "Mr. Xu, I heard recently that you and Yuan Tongzheng are very close?"

"In reply to what Master Wang said." Xu Guangqi looked at Wang An and said seriously, "I have been close to Yuan Keli for a long time. I have known Yuan Keli since he passed the provincial examination in the 25th year of Wanli. He is both my teacher and my friend. I know that he is upright and impartial, good at making decisions, and is fair in his duties and harmonious in his work. He is ashamed of the reputation of being a party member, so I dare to recommend him to Your Majesty." Xu Guangqi bowed to the emperor and turned his attention to the emperor. "Since we met again, I have discussed military affairs in Liaodong with him. Yuan Keli also firmly advocates the control of Korea. To prevent him from being indecisive and even turning to the enemy."

"Then let's go with him." Zhu Changluo nodded. Even if he were to choose, he still felt that Yuan Keli was a suitable talent. The fact that there was no record of him in Ming history was enough to prove his ability in handling Liao affairs. "When you go back, don't tell him. When the time comes, someone will submit a memorial to recommend him, and then you can tell him."

"Your Majesty is wise." Xu Guangqi immediately understood the reason why the emperor made such arrangements.

As the saying goes, secrecy is key to success. His memorial, "The Great Danger in the Left Liaodong," attracted the attention of the Korean embassy. Importantly, the memorial was retained by Emperor Shenzong and not copied. The Koreans likely gained access to the memorial through bribery of certain officials, including the Imperial Court and the Civil Service.

Li Tinggui's delegation traveled from Pyongyang to Liaoyang, then through western Liaoning into Zhili. Upon arriving in Beijing, they confronted everyone, accusing Xu Guangqi of groundless suspicions about Korea, which greatly troubled Xu Guangqi. Furthermore, along the way, Li Tinggui's delegation witnessed the explosion of the Liaoyang gunpowder depot, the death of Queen Wang, and the death of the emperor. They only returned after congratulating the new emperor on his ascension, a truly unlucky event. Now that they were deposing the king, they couldn't let any more news leak out.

Xu Guangqi even speculated that the emperor's summoning of officials from the Imperial Observatory and Jesuit scholars to discuss calendar reform today was also a deceptive measure.

"Come here," Zhu Changluo picked up the small box that had been beside him for a long time and waved to Xu Guangqi. "Here is a little gift for you."

Xu Guangqi subconsciously declined, saying, "Since Your Majesty appointed me to this position, I have achieved nothing and have made some mistakes. I am grateful for Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"Stop! Stop chanting!" Zhu Changluo felt that if he didn't stop Xu Guangqi in time, he would recite a 500-600-word refusal essay on the spot. "Come here."

"Yes." Xu Guangqi had no choice but to bypass the Tianxue magic weapon, walk to the dragon throne, and kneel down respectfully waiting for reward.

"When the foreigners arrived last year, they brought some rare treasures not found in our country." Zhu Changluo opened the box and pulled out a gleaming gold pocket watch. "This is one of them. I had the palace craftsmen reverse engineer the blueprints and make a batch of replicas."

Zhu Changluo twisted the spring, and the mechanism within immediately began to move. Soon, the hands, powered by the force, began to jump on the dial. The sound of these jumps was apparently not loud, but it reached Xu Guangqi's ears with such clarity.

Xu Guangqi raised his hands high. Then he heard, "The replica watch is made of better materials. Gold has been used wherever gold can be used, and silver has been used wherever gold cannot be used. But whether it's gold, silver, or gemstones isn't important. What's important is that this replica watch is more accurate than the original, with smaller errors."

Zhu Changluo placed the pocket watch in Xu Guangqi's hand. "Western methods and learning have their merits and demerits. We should discard the dross and retain the essence, striving for perfection. You should work hard."

"Your Majesty, I bow my head in gratitude for your grace." Xu Guangqi clutched his pocket watch tightly and kowtowed slowly. "Your Majesty's teachings, I will never forget them until my death."

"Since it's a pocket watch, it's better to keep it in your pocket. Put it away." Zhu Changluo turned back to the throne, closed the lid, picked up the box, and stuffed it into Wang An's hand. "I won't give you the box. Otherwise, after you take it, you will put it in the box and worship it. There is no need for that. Things are meant to be used."

"Yes." Xu Guangqi carefully put away the pocket watch, as if it was his sweetheart.

"Get up." Zhu Changluo said.

"I thank the emperor again for his grace." Xu Guangqi bowed again and stood up.

"There's nothing else to do. Follow me for a while." Zhu Changluo walked towards the palace door, and Zhu Youxiao immediately followed. Wang An felt that he needed to help the emperor open the door. Without having time to put the box away properly, he stuffed it into his arms and ran quickly to the door.

But there was no need for him to run so fast, because before he even reached the door, the emperor stopped. "Xu Qing." Zhu Changluo turned around, as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

(End of this chapter)