Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 15 My Rules Are Only Two

The candlelight cast the shadow of the new emperor, Zhu Youjian, onto the wall, making him appear exceptionally tall.

He sat upright on the imperial couch, his gaze calmly fixed on the trembling figure below.

Wang Tiqian, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was once a powerful figure in the palace, but now he was like a frightened quail, not daring to even raise his head.

"Wang Tiqian." Zhu Youjian's voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"This servant is here." Wang Tiqian jumped up and quickly replied, his voice hoarse.

"I ask you, what is the state of this world now?"

This question again!

Wang Tiqian's heart clenched suddenly, almost leaping out of his throat.

Yesterday, the eunuch at the gate came to report that the new emperor had asked Wei Zhongxian the same question.

Wei Zhongxian's answer clearly failed to satisfy the new emperor.

Now, the problem has come back to me.

He could clearly feel the hairs on his neck standing on end.

This is a test that will determine life or death.

Praising someone? Whitewashing the truth? That's courting death.

But to tell the truth...

This Ming Dynasty was riddled with problems, with issues piling up like mountains. Where to begin? And to what extent should we go into it?
To put it superficially would be perfunctory, even deceiving the emperor. To go too deep, however, might anger the emperor and bring trouble upon oneself.

Just as Wang Tiqian's mind was racing and his throat was bobbing, preparing to speak about something less critical, Zhu Youjian's voice rang out again.

"Think it over slowly, and speak when you've made up your mind." Zhu Youjian's tone remained calm, yet carried an undeniable pressure.

"Yesterday, I also asked Wei Zhongxian. I was very dissatisfied with his answer. I hope that your answer will allow me to hear something different."

boom!
Wang Tiqian's mind went blank, as if he had been hit hard by a heavy hammer.

The new emperor was telling him not to try to smooth things over like Wei Zhongxian did, and not to try to fool him with those clichés.

What he wants to hear is the truth, the bombshell!

Fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed Wang Tiqian's entire body.

He knew that he had no way out.

If he can overcome this hurdle today, there might still be a glimmer of hope. If he can't, Wei Zhongxian's present will be his future.

He recalled how, when he took over the Eastern Depot today, those former subordinates of Wei Zhongxian fawned over him and treated the traitor Wei as worthless trash.

He thought of his luxurious mansion in the eastern part of the city, and of his son who had been adopted from the clan to carry on the family line.

Can't die!
The will to survive overwhelmed all fear and wishful thinking.

He gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, bent down, and said in a deep voice:

"This servant... obeys the decree."

"In my opinion, the Ming Dynasty today is beset by powerful enemies from the outside and deeply entrenched problems at home. It is already... already in a state of decay, like a tree with many worms breaking and a wall crumbling due to a large crack!"

"When many insects infest a tree, it will break; when a crack is large, a wall will crumble"—from the Book of Lord Shang, Chapter 1, "On Cultivating Power."

Zhu Youjian admired him in his heart, thinking, "He truly deserves to be a top eunuch from the Inner Study Hall, and he is indeed worthy of being the Grand Chancellor of the Ming Dynasty who has been in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonial for seven years!"
Compared to the semi-literate Eunuch Wei, this level of skill is truly outstanding.

Once the words were spoken, Wang Tiqian had no way out.

"The external threat is the Jianzhou Jurchens. Although their chieftain Nurhaci is dead, his son Huang Taiji is even more cunning and ruthless. Our Ming army is now arrogant and lazy, and has long lost the courage it had when it founded the country. In open field battles, we suffer defeats nine out of ten times. We can only rely on strong cities and cannons to hold on."

"Just this year, Huang Taiji led his troops eastward to attack Korea. King Injo of Korea was no match for him and was forced to sign a humiliating treaty on Ganghwa Island. Our Great Ming... has lost another ally. If this continues, the Jurchens will become more powerful in Liaodong, able to harass the Mongols in the west, control Korea in the east, and raid Ningjin in the south every day. Our Great Ming's northern border will never have peace."

"In my humble opinion, we must not be hasty in dealing with the Jurchens. We should follow the old strategy of building fortifications and advancing step by step, carefully selecting generals and training soldiers, and slowly squeezing out their living space. Perhaps then we can turn the tide."

Zhu Youjian nodded to himself.

While Wang Tiqian's words still failed to foresee the immense threat of the Jurchens sweeping across Mongolia and attacking from the west, they had already reached a satisfactory baseline.

"This is an external threat," Zhu Youjian said calmly. "And what about internal problems?"

Wang Tiqian composed himself and continued, "The most serious internal problem lies in finances and grain. Of all the prefectures and counties in the country, seven or eight out of ten are in arrears with their finances and grain. The imperial court's annual revenue is always in deficit. While natural disasters are certainly one reason for this, the more important reason is the corruption of the bureaucracy."

"The taxes paid by ordinary people, for every bushel of rice, are siphoned off at each level. If three bushels are left in the imperial treasury, that's considered lucky. The rest ends up in the pockets of officials at all levels."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian leaned forward slightly, intrigued. "Tell me about the problems with these officials."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze instantly.

If the previous discussion about border affairs was merely a matter of "national affairs," then now, discussing official corruption is truly stirring up a hornet's nest.

This has stirred up a hornet's nest in the entire bureaucratic system of the Ming Dynasty!
The cold sweat that had just dried on Wang Tiqian's forehead broke out again.

He knew that what was about to happen would be a true dance on the edge of a knife.

So be it! If Wang Tiqian is going to die, then nobody else is going to live either!

That's it, let's drag everyone down with us!

"Yes, Your Majesty." Wang Tiqian's voice became somewhat hoarse, but it was exceptionally clear.

“In today’s officialdom, a set of bad practices has long been established.”

"When officials take office in the capital, they must first incur debt to cover social obligations and bribes. But since they are taking office by borrowing money, how will they repay it? It is nothing more than the people's hard-earned money."

"Furthermore, the pursuit of corrupt officials is a matter of rectifying the court. However, the officials who are ordered to do so always send people to secretly communicate with the officials being investigated, demanding huge bribes, before they even bother to finish the job. This shows that they are eager to make money, not eager to get things done!"

"There are also the Imperial Guards and Secret Service agents who go out of the capital on official business. They are supposed to be on the emperor's behalf, inspecting the capital and deterring lawlessness. But now, whenever the Imperial Guards and Secret Service agents go out of the capital, there are always street ruffians and hooligans who offer huge sums of money to become captains and accompany the emperor, using their power to extort and blackmail others. If there weren't huge profits involved, why would those ruffians be willing to spend so much money?"

Wang Tiqian became more and more agitated as he spoke, as if he had been harboring this resentment for a long time.

"They value official rank and titles above all else, they make scheming and backstabbing their custom, they use bribes for social interaction, and they take favors for granted! When they achieve their official positions, they may return empty-handed, and everyone will laugh at them for their incompetence! If this trend is not changed, the country will cease to exist, Your Majesty!"

After saying that, he kowtowed heavily to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Zhu Youjian listened quietly, his face expressionless.

Only when Wang Tiqian's sobs subsided did he slowly speak, his voice as cold as iron: "Well said. And what about you? How much have you embezzled, Wang Tiqian?"

Wang Tiqian trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.

To be honest, isn't that enough?

He suddenly raised his head, his face ashen, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"This servant...this servant is guilty!" He used all his strength to kowtow again, the sound of his head hitting the ground loudly.

"This servant is willing to offer up all my family property, only begging Your Majesty to have mercy and allow this servant to... retire and return to my hometown to live out my old age."

"You think I'm going to kill you?" Zhu Youjian sighed.

"This servant dares not! This servant deserves to die! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!" Wang Tiqian was already incoherent, and just kept kowtowing.

"Get up," Zhu Youjian's voice softened.

He looked at the eunuch making a fool of himself in front of him, but felt no pleasure whatsoever.

He knew all of this, including what Wang Tiqian had said. In fact, he knew more and more deeply than Wang Tiqian had said.

"What you just mentioned is the corruption of officials. But you've missed something else, a deep-seated problem that's even more harmful than the corruption of officials."

Wang Tiqian stood up shakily, his face full of confusion.

“It’s a factional struggle,” Zhu Youjian said, emphasizing each word.

"During the Wanli reign alone, the imperial court was rife with seven factions: Qi, Chu, Zhe, Qin, Kun, Xuan, and Donglin, who attacked and schemed against each other, much like the Warring States period! In their eyes, national affairs were nothing more than pawns in their struggles against their colleagues!"

"My brother, the Tianqi Emperor, combined the powers of the Imperial Guard and the eunuch secret police and dismissed the Donglin Party. But what was the result? How many factions have you so-called 'eunuch factions' split into? Aren't you all entangled in your own interests, fighting each other endlessly!"

"When one person rises to power, all his cronies rise to prominence; when one person falls from power, all his cronies are purged."

"Now that I have just ascended the throne, I imagine that rumors have already spread throughout the court and the country that the eunuch faction will be completely eliminated and the Donglin faction will be revived?"

Zhu Youjian's lips curled into a mocking smile. "With such factionalism and infighting, repeating itself endlessly, how can this country possibly prosper?"

He stared at Wang Tiqian, his gaze piercing: "I ask you again, why is there factional strife?"

To be honest, this question was never within Wang Tiqian's scope of consideration.

His mind raced, recalling everything he had ever seen and heard throughout his life.

After a long pause, he cautiously replied:

"Your Majesty... this servant believes it is... for the sake of 'profit'." "Those who share the same voice respond to each other, and those who share the same spirit seek each other out. When a person is isolated, they will think of forming factions to enhance their own status. For their own interests, it is natural that they will easily form factions based on their hometown, teacher's school, or fellow students."

"Well said." Zhu Youjian nodded, somewhat satisfied with the answer.

"Then let me ask you again, if it's all for profit, why is the factional strife so fierce? Why do they insist on driving the other side to its wits' end and putting them to death before they'll stop?"

This time, Wang Tiqian really couldn't answer.

He opened his mouth, but could only offer the weakest answer: "It's...it's because the world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts are no longer what they used to be..."

“Wrong.” Zhu Youjian shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness. “It’s because the consequences of failure are too terrible.”

"Once you lose in the factional struggle, the best you can do is be dismissed from your post and never be employed again. The worst you can do is be imprisoned, exiled, or even... die. Death is not enough; they will also confiscate your property and exterminate your entire family, implicating your descendants."

"The cost of failure is so heavy, and the rewards of victory are so enormous, how can those involved not fight with all their might and resort to any means necessary?"

"The entire officialdom of the Ming Dynasty is like a dark forest. Everyone is lurking in the darkness; everyone is both the hunter and the prey."

"No one dares to expose themselves, and no one dares to trust others. Once someone tries to take the lead and reveals a weakness, they will be riddled with arrows from all sides!"

Wang Tiqian prostrated himself on the ground, and upon hearing the words of the Dark Forest, he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

But in an instant, he put all of that aside and just frantically racked his brains, thinking only about how to escape this calamity.

Zhu Youjian stood up, walked to Wang Tiqian's side, and patted his still trembling shoulder: "Get up, don't kneel."

Wang Tiqian stood up shakily, feeling that his undershirt was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to his body, feeling both cold and sticky.

"Bring me pen and ink," Zhu Youjian ordered.

Soon, a young eunuch carrying writing implements entered with his head bowed and eyes lowered.

Zhu Youjian pointed to the desk: "Write down a list of the eunuch faction in your mind and give it to me."

Wang Tiqian's heart leaped into his throat once again.

He was almost certain that Wei Zhongxian must have written the same list before he died.

Is the emperor... checking answers?

He picked up the pen, his hand trembling violently. He dipped it in ink, but hesitated to put it down.

Each name represents a living, breathing person, and the rise and fall of a family. Every stroke of his pen can determine the life or death of these people.

He wrote and stopped, writing down familiar names on the paper and adding his own comments afterward.

Finally, he wrote his own name.

He struggled to write the three characters "Wang Tiqian". He hesitated for a long time, thinking about his own greed, his flattery in front of Wei Zhongxian, and his heartfelt statement just now.

Finally, he wrote eight characters after his name: "Zhong Tan, Neng Zhong, Fu Ni Wu Lai".

After writing the last word, he seemed to have all his strength drained away, and slumped into the chair.

Zhu Youjian picked up the list, which still smelled of ink, and examined it carefully.

The names on the list were largely the same as those on the list provided by Wei Zhongxian.

However, Wei Zhongxian's assessment of Wang Tiqian was: "A petty scoundrel, but capable of rising through the ranks."

One person said he was "moderately greedy, but capable of getting rich," while the other said he was "slightly greedy, but capable of getting promoted."

Really interesting.

Zhu Youjian put down the list, looked at Wang Tiqian, whose face was ashen, and slowly said:
"Now that I have taken this throne, I must establish my own rules. My rules are few, just two."

Wang Tiqian immediately perked up his ears.

"First, loyalty." Zhu Youjian's voice was not loud, but every word carried immense weight.

"To me, loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty."

"Whatever you see or hear, whether it's good or bad, as long as it's something I should know, I must know."

"Moreover, what I need to know must be the truth, all the truth."

He paused, not giving Wang Tiqian a chance to express his loyalty, and continued:
"Second, don't reach into the treasury or into the pockets of the people. Once you've taken your salary, don't reach into the national treasury or into the pockets of the people."

Zhu Youjian patted Wang Tiqian on the shoulder: "The country is in such a difficult situation. As long as you can do these two things, I can forgive and forget what happened before."

"This servant...this servant obeys the decree! This servant will definitely repent and serve Your Majesty to the death!" Wang Tiqian was moved to tears and kowtowed repeatedly.

Zhu Youjian sighed and said, "The national salary is meager. While corruption is certainly a result of human error, the flaws in the system also bear a heavy responsibility."

He looked at Wang Tiqian and said slowly and deliberately, "I will try my best to change, but I also hope that you will change together."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiqian burst into tears, prostrated himself on the ground, and answered with sobs:
"Your Majesty is benevolent and virtuous, showing such compassion that we servants would never dare not die for you."

Zhu Youjian didn't believe it at all after hearing it.

But it doesn't matter.

When he says something like that for the first time, no one will believe him or listen to him.

It's ok.

He would repeat it over and over again, to everyone.

Those who don't understand or don't want to understand will fall behind, while those who can understand and are willing to understand will naturally catch up.

He has plenty of time—at least, theoretically, he has seventeen years left.

"Alright, you may leave." Zhu Youjian waved his hand. "By the way, tomorrow morning, summon Tian Ergeng and Zhang Weixian to the palace to see me."

“Yes,” Wang Tiqian replied.

"By the way, where is Luo Sigong, the former head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, now?" Zhu Youjian suddenly asked again.

"Your Majesty, Luo Sigong has been living at home in seclusion since he retired due to old age in the fourth year of the Tianqi reign."

"Old age? So... how old is he now?"

"It should be... sixty-five."

Sixty-five… Zhu Youjian shook his head in his heart. At this age, in this era, he was already old and frail, and probably had no spirit left.

"Does he have any children serving in the court?"

"His son, Luo Yangxing, is currently a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Luo Yangxing..." Zhu Youjian murmured the name, "How old is this man? What kind of person is he?"

"Around thirty-two or thirty-three, and...said to be quite capable."

Zhu Youjian nodded: "Issue my decree to promote Luo Yangxing to the position of Imperial Guard Flag Commandant, and have him take office immediately."

"According to the order."

"Furthermore, summon Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo and tell him to come to the palace to see me tomorrow after Tian Ergeng."

"I have noted it all down," Wang Tiqian replied with a bow. Seeing that the new emperor had no further instructions, he prepared to take his leave.

He had just retreated to the doorway when Zhu Youjian's voice came from behind him again.

"Don't inform them tonight."

Wang Tiqian was taken aback, turned around, and looked at the emperor with a puzzled expression.

A strange smile appeared on Zhu Youjian's face.

"Let them all get a good night's sleep."

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. Wang Tiqian came from the Inner Study Hall and began to hold the positions of Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Directorate of Imperial Cuisine, and Directorate of Imperial Supplies in the first year of the Tianqi reign (1621). —From *Zhuozhong Zhi*

　　2. Regarding whether he was greedy or not, Lu Shou, the head of the Eastern Depot during the Wanli era, said that confiscating Wang Tiqian's property could yield a million, but they couldn't find any. Later, Wang Tiqian lived a good life, so I'll just assume he was slightly greedy. Anyway, he'll have to make way for others later, so this is just a temporary measure.

　　3. The corruption of the Ming Dynasty, such as the appointment of officials in the capital, comes from Chen Bangyan's "Collected Works of Mr. Chen Yanye", which describes the corruption during the Jiajing and Wanli periods.

　　4. I couldn't find direct materials from the Tianqi and Chongzhen periods, but Korean envoys recorded that after a new emperor ascended the throne, it was thought that things would become more peaceful, but instead, the greed of those below doubled. Why double? Because new officials are at their most corrupt. This is also why I don't replace people in large numbers; if the team isn't well-managed, replacing people is meaningless. —From *Kimyu-niwa Asahi-nichi* (Diary of Kimyu-niwa)

　　Don't be fooled by how disgusting South Korea is now. During the Ming Dynasty, Joseon was saved by the Ming Dynasty and is still very close to it. They are heartbroken by the corruption of the Ming Dynasty.

　　5. The story of street ruffians buying Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) ranks and going out of Beijing to make money originated from the Suzhou uprising in the sixth year of the Tianqi reign (1626)—which occurred when the eunuch faction went to arrest Zhou Shunchang, one of the Seven Gentlemen of Donglin. This event is historically known as the Kaidu Incident.

　　6. Luo Sigong served as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for 42 years. He was originally intended to succeed Tian Ergeng, but upon closer inspection, he found that Luo was already over 60 years old. His age, Luo Yangxing's official position, and other details were researched in the paper "A Century of Ups and Downs: The Rise and Fall of the Luo Family, a Family of Embroidered Uniform Guards in the Ming Dynasty", by Gao Shouxian.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)