Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 4 When the snipe and the clam fight, I'll be the fisherman.
The next morning, around dawn, just as the gates of the capital city were opening, the Imperial Guards set off in all directions, heading straight out of the city.

The officials in the court and even the common people in the capital couldn't help but feel uneasy when they heard the urgent sound of horses' hooves. They all thought that the Grand Eunuch Wei was about to start another unjust case.

The Ming Dynasty has already changed emperors, are we going to let Wei Zhongxian run rampant?

The Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions in the court, and even the Donglin faction hiding in the shadows, were all secretly trying to figure out what the current emperor was thinking. They were even preparing to test this young emperor.

At this moment, Zhu Jue, along with Wang Chengen, Fang Zhenghua, and a team of carefully selected eunuchs, arrived at Wansui Mountain behind the palace and hurried up the mountain path.

Wansui Mountain, also known as Coal Hill, is the place where Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself in history, and it is also the highest point in the entire capital.

In the dawn light, Zhu Jue, guided by his memories of the future, arrived at the crooked tree.

This tree is called the Sinful Locust Tree, which the Qing government chained up for nearly three hundred years.

He had visited this place before, and when he first saw the crooked-necked tree, he felt it was rather eerie, as if the tree had some inexplicable connection with him.

Looking back now, he finally understands: he was destined to become Emperor Chongzhen!

Oh, you are innocent, and the Ming Dynasty should not have perished. Now that I have arrived, you will no longer be chained for nearly three hundred years.

Zhu Jue sighed inwardly, then led Wang Chengen and Fang Zhenghua's group toward the mountaintop.

He did it to exercise, and also to see if there was any open space left in the capital.

Before long, we reached the summit.

This place is also different from later generations. In later generations, there was the Wanchun Pavilion built by the Qing government, which was a huge pavilion that was four or five zhang tall. But now there is only an ordinary octagonal stone pavilion.

He climbed up to the stone pavilion and looked eastward, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

The eastern part of the imperial city was densely packed with the offices of the inner palace eunuchs, leaving no empty space at all.

The same applies to the north; the south side is the imperial palace, so there's no need to look there.

It seems the only option is to build the Six Ministries of the Inner Court on the west side of the Imperial City.

As he turned to look west, the sun was slowly rising, revealing Qionghua Island, Yuxi Palace, the ruins of Wanshou Palace, and Daguangming Hall, as well as the shimmering Taiye Pond and the abandoned open spaces.

The open space to the west of the imperial city is at least a thousand acres, enough to build the six ministries of the inner court and even the factories developed in the early stages.

So, what should we develop first?

Glass seems like a good choice; it can not only make money but also be used to make telescopes.

Actually, there's no need to develop glass, because the glaze on porcelain is made of the same material as glass; it's just that nobody knows that yet.

Once he made this glass, he could earn his first pot of gold. Then, with the development of rudimentary steelmaking, water-powered spinning and weaving, rudimentary oil refining, and so on, the foundation of an industrial empire would be laid.

Zhu Jue stood with his hands behind his back under the rising sun, silently conceiving the blueprint for the development of the Ming Dynasty, his confidence growing ever stronger.

He seemed to have returned to the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey in his previous life, and his whole body was full of energy.

Now he is the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, with hundreds of millions of people and virtually endless resources under his control. Starting a business is no difficult task. What is a monarch who has lost his country? He will be the one who restores it!
Around 7 a.m., he leisurely returned to the Qianqing Palace and headed towards the Imperial Study.

At this moment, Wei Zhongxian stood at the door of the imperial study with a strange expression, holding a memorial to the throne.

Why is this guy coming here so early instead of robbing money and food?
The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs has eunuchs specifically tasked with delivering memorials; this kind of task is completely unnecessary for this fellow. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty court has to process more than one memorial every day, so it's rather strange that this fellow only brought one memorial.

Zhu Jue calmly led him into the imperial study, sat down slowly, and then asked sternly, "What is it?"

Wei Zhongxian held up the memorial with both hands, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, this is a memorial from Yang Weiyuan, the Inspector of Henan, forwarded by Ruan Dacheng, the former Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

Ruan Dacheng?
This guy is a notorious villain, fickle, opportunistic, and his morals are even worse than Lü Bu's.

He came from the Donglin Party and his mentor was Gao Panlong, a bigwig in the Donglin Party. However, because the Donglin Party did not promote him, he defected from the Donglin Party and joined Wei Zhongxian. When Wei Zhongxian fell out of favor, he even led the first memorial to impeach Wei Zhongxian. After the fall of the Ming capital, he colluded with Ma Shiying, who came from the eunuch party, and made the Southern Ming Dynasty a mess. Later, he even joined the Qing court and eventually died on the way to the Qing court's southern expedition.

What is the purpose of such a petty person submitting a memorial at this time?
Zhu Jue opened the top memorial and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Ruan Dacheng's memorial was somewhat inexplicable. Its gist was that "during the Tianqi era, court officials colluded with eunuchs to disrupt the government. According to the seven-year calculation, before the fourth year of Tianqi, the one who disrupted the government was Wang An, who was supported by Donglin. After the fourth year, the one who disrupted the government was Zhongxian, who was supported by Cui Chengxiu. Now, Cui Chengxiu has lost his father and, according to the law, should observe the mourning period."

This fellow probably thought that Emperor Chongzhen would not be as muddle-headed as Emperor Tianqi, so he submitted a memorial to show his loyalty. In any case, whether it was dealing with the eunuch faction or the Donglin faction, this fellow seemed to have the merit of making the appeal.

Little do they know that such fickle people are the most disliked by those in power.

You came from the Donglin Party and then turned against them, then you allied yourself with Wei Zhongxian and then turned against him again. Who would dare to use you?

As for the meaning behind this fellow's memorial, Zhu Jue knew perfectly well.

This is the Qi-Chu-Zhe faction making their move; their targets are the Ministry of War and the Censorate!

Cui Chengxiu was Wei Zhongxian's favorite son, which is why he was appointed to the absurd position of Minister of War and Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Why is this position considered absurd?
This is because such a position had not appeared in the Ming Dynasty for more than two hundred years. Generally, the highest position held by a governor-general was Minister of War and concurrently Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

The difference between left and right is like heaven and earth, even a single word makes all the difference.

The governors-general and ministers of the Ministry of War and the right censor-in-chief of the Censorate appointed by the Ming Dynasty to serve outside the capital were merely honorary titles without any real power.

In other words, the governor-general was only nominally the Minister of War and the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and did not actually have any authority over the Ministry of War or the Censorate.

Cui Chengxiu held both the substantive positions of Minister of War and Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

Both the Ministry of War and the Censorate of the Ming Dynasty were under its jurisdiction!
This guy wields immense power; no wonder he's been targeted by the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "Where is Yang Weiyuan from?"

Why are you asking him where he's from?

Wei Zhongxian recalled, "Your Majesty, Yang Weiyuan seems to be from Wendeng County, Dengzhou Prefecture."

Oh, this guy is a member of the Qi faction.

That's not right. The Imperial Inspector is only a seventh-rank official. How did this lowly clerk get so close to the Emperor?

Zhu Jue thought for a moment and then asked, "Why would a mere imperial inspector dare to forward such a memorial, and how could this memorial even reach you and be forwarded to me? What's going on?"

This kid is not just a minor imperial inspector.

Wei Zhongxian shook his head repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, Yang Weiyuan is the cousin of Xu Dahua, the former Minister of Works."

Oh, he's the cousin of one of your godson's sons.

Zhu Jue then asked, "Where is Xu Dahua from?"

Why do you keep asking people where they're from?
Without hesitation, Wei Zhongxian replied, "Dahua's family is in the capital, but they are registered in Kuaiji County, Shaoxing Prefecture."

I understand now. A cousin is a maternal cousin. It seems that the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions started intermarrying as early as the Wanli era.

This time, the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions indeed joined forces.

The Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions want to seize the Ministry of War and the Censorate, right? It's a good opportunity to let Wei Zhongxian step up and fight these guys to the death!
Wei Zhongxian seems to be completely unaware of this; we need to give him some pointers.

Zhu Jue slowly nodded and said, "Do you think Cui Chengxiu should observe the mourning period?"

you ask me?
What does this mean?
Rumor has it that Wei Zhongxian wanted to use this matter to test Emperor Chongzhen.

He was actually fooled by the Qi-Chu-Zhe faction. Seriously? Using his own eldest son to test him? Cui Chengxiu was in charge of both the Ministry of War and the Censorate, and the Ministry of War also oversaw the military administration of the capital garrison. If these two important government offices were seized, his position as the Ninth Prince would be in danger.

Unaware of the impending danger, Wei Zhongxian actually probed, "Your Majesty, this humble subject dares not make a hasty judgment; it depends on your opinion."

You were indeed fooled by the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions into thinking they were here to test my intentions.

Zhu Jue said expressionlessly, "What do you mean by 'it depends on my opinion'? The rules for observing mourning for parents are clearly written in the 'Great Ming Code,' haven't you read them?"

I can't read, so why should I read the "Great Ming Code"?
Since I came to power, my word has been the law of the Ming Dynasty!
Wei Zhongxian naturally dared not say these words aloud.

He thought for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, didn't you say that war is inescapable? Chengxiu is the Minister of War. With war raging everywhere, shouldn't he be observing the mourning period?"

You have misunderstood Jin Ge Wu Pi.

Zhu Jue slowly shook his head and said, "When one's parents pass away, unless one is leading troops in battle, one must observe the mourning period. Although Cui Chengxiu is the Minister of War, he is not leading troops or on the battlefield, so according to the law, he should observe the mourning period."

what?
Wei Zhongxian even tried to salvage the situation by saying, "Your Majesty, is it not acceptable for Chengxiu not to observe mourning?"

Do you think the "Great Ming Code" is child's play?
Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then instead of answering, asked, "What do you think of Cui Chengxiu compared to Zhang Juzheng? Don't you know what happened when Zhang Juzheng didn't go to observe the mourning period for his father?"

Zhang Juzheng eventually couldn't stand the scolding anymore and had no choice but to go home to observe the mourning period.
How can Cui Chengxiu be compared to Zhang Juzheng?
Wei Zhongxian finally realized what was going on, and he asked with some concern, "Your Majesty, do you mean they really want Chengxiu to go and observe the mourning period?"

Sigh, you still don't understand the situation, do you?

If we're talking about scheming and plotting, you're not quite as good as the Qi-Chu-Zhe faction; you're just ruthless enough.

I won't go into those details. In short, you just need to stand in front of me and fight against the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions and the Donglin Party.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked in return, "Why do you think they made Ruan Dacheng, who had already resigned and returned to his hometown, write this memorial, and even had Yang Weiyuan, the imperial inspector of Henan, forward it? Couldn't they have simply found someone in the capital to write a memorial and submit it? Why go through all this trouble?"

Yeah, are they crazy?

This memorial, consisting of only one sentence, traveled thousands of miles!
Wei Zhongxian asked, somewhat puzzled, "Your Majesty, I am foolish, why do they go through all this trouble?"

You are indeed rather dull-witted in this matter.

Zhu Jue bluntly pointed out, "If you knew that they wanted Cui Chengxiu to go on a mourning period so they could seize control of the Ministry of War and the Censorate, what would you do?"

I'd rather kill that guy who submitted the memorial!
No wonder a single memorial traveled thousands of miles; these guys are just afraid I'll kill them, aren't they?

Wei Zhongxian narrowed his eyes slightly and slowly nodded, saying, "Your Majesty, I understand. What do you suggest we do?"

us?

Do you think it's us?
well.

This kind of villain, if used well, can actually be quite useful.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully and then instructed, "Have Zhou Yingqiu, the Minister of Personnel, promote Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiang to the position of Right Vice Minister of War, and include them in the nomination of the Minister of War."

what?
Are you kidding me?

Wei Zhongxian cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I have investigated. Lu Xiang-sheng is only a fourth-rank prefect of Daming, and Sun Chuan-ting is only a fifth-rank official who retired from the Ministry of Personnel. It would be a stretch for them to be promoted to the right vice minister of the Ministry of War, let alone the minister of the Ministry of War. I'm afraid no one would agree to that."

I just wanted to promote Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangshan along the way.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "I just want to find a pretext. They disagree, we disagree, and we disagree with whoever they propose."

Do we need a reason for this? You and I both disagree, so what can they do?

Fine, go ahead and find a pretext if you want. The key is who from the Ministry of War and the Censorate will take over.

Are you implying that you still want to use my people?

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback for a moment, then cautiously asked, "Your Majesty, who do you think is the most suitable person to manage the Ministry of War and the Censorate?"

That depends on who is most useful.

Zhu Jue pondered and said, "If you think someone is capable of taking on this important task, you can have Zhou Yingqiu recommend them. Let all the recommended people come to meet the Emperor so I can see who is suitable."

I'll propose, you choose?
Okay, as long as the people promoted are still my people.

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Stop flattering me. I'm ordering you to rob money and grain, so don't try to fool me.

Zhu Jue asked sternly, "Has the stipend for the imperial princes been stopped?"

If you say stop, how can we not stop?

Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I have already ordered the men to stop."

Yes, Not Bad.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then instructed: "Once the stipends for the imperial princes have stopped, quickly arrange for people to transport the grain to the border towns, especially Liaodong, Yansui, and Gansu. Make up for the shortfall in grain for the soldiers on the border."

Transporting grain is quite a troublesome matter.

Wei Zhongxian forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

And money.

Zhu Jue then asked sternly, "Can you raise the one million taels for this month?"

Uh, this month?
Wei Zhongxian said cautiously, "Your Majesty, there are only a few days left this month. Cui Wensheng is still in Southern Zhili. I still have to send people to arrest him. Besides, he has only been in office for two years. At most, he can only embezzle a few hundred thousand taels. I'm afraid it will be very difficult to raise one million taels."

I told you to deal with Cui Wensheng, so you just deal with Cui Wensheng?

Zhu Jue said coldly, "The month I mentioned doesn't start from the first day of the month, but from yesterday. If you can't recover one million taels of illicit silver from Cui Wensheng, why don't you arrest someone else?"

other people?
Who should we catch?

Oh, right, Xu Dahua!

You unfilial son, you dare to scheme against your godfather, he'll get you!

Wei Zhongxian thought for a moment, then said in a sinister tone, "Your Majesty, what do you think about arresting Xu Dahua and recovering his ill-gotten gains? This fellow was impeached because he was too greedy."

Xu Dahua?
That's your godson.

This guy?
You were calling me "Dahua" so affectionately just now, and now you've turned into "Xu Dahua"!

If I piss you off, you'll even take care of your godson, right?

You're such a jerk.

Great, the more shitty the better.

You go and fight them like the snipe and the clam; I'll be the fisherman.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Since you know he has embezzled, then naturally you should throw him into prison to recover the stolen goods."

(End of this chapter)