Huangming

Chapter 173 Leveraging Power and Controlling People, Concealing One's Integrity and Manipulating Authority

Qianqing Palace.

Dong Nuan Pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao stretched his muscles and bones, first practicing a set of Hua Tuo's Five Animal Frolics in the East Warm Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, and then practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade for Health Preservation.

In the early spring chill, after performing several sets of exercises, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his plain gauze undershirt was slightly soaked with sweat.

The back pain caused by sitting for long periods of time reviewing official documents was finally relieved a lot after this exercise.

Call ~
Zhu Youxiao finished his breathing exercises and immediately felt his blood and energy flowing smoothly throughout his body, sweeping away the fatigue accumulated from reviewing memorials for days.

The palace maids, carrying gilded bronze basins, silk handkerchiefs, and other items, filed in one after another. The head lady-in-waiting personally held the handkerchief and wiped the fine sweat from the emperor's forehead.

During the change of clothes, the ladies of the Six Departments skillfully helped the emperor change into a bright yellow everyday robe embroidered with the twelve symbols, and even adjusted every gold buckle on the jade belt at his waist to the perfect position.

After everything was arranged, Zhu Youxiao sat upright on the dragon throne and nodded slightly to the eunuchs in his court.

"Let Wei Zhongxian in."

A moment later, Wei Zhongxian entered the hall with his head bowed and eyes downcast. The hem of his robe, embroidered with a four-clawed golden python, dragged on the gold brick floor with a soft rustling sound—clearly, he had been waiting in the corridor for a long time.

"This servant, Wei Zhongxian, greets Your Majesty!"

After paying his respects, he walked five steps in front of the emperor, touched his forehead to the ground, and shouted: "This old servant congratulates Your Majesty! Your Majesty's wisdom and martial prowess have eliminated the wicked, and the drought-stricken Beizhili has been relieved by timely rainfall. This is an auspicious sign from heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao raised his eyebrows and glanced out the window.

Rain streaked across the glazed tiles, washing away the bloodstains that had stained the Zuoshun Gate today.

Zhu Youxiao chuckled and asked, "I didn't know that Wei Banban had learned the Imperial Observatory's method of sensing the heavens and man?"

"This old servant dares not speak presumptuously about celestial phenomena."

Wei Zhongxian maintained his bowing posture, but cold sweat seeped from the back of his neck.

Today brings good fortune in matters of the heart; but my attempt to flatter has backfired.

Fortunately, the emperor did not take these things to heart.

Zhu Youxiao took the hot towel handed to him by a palace maid and slowly wiped the ink stains remaining between his fingers.

He glanced up at Wei Zhongxian, who was bowing and waiting for orders, and asked in a languid voice, "Da Dang, how are things going with those people from Zuo Shunmen?"

Wei Zhongxian immediately stepped forward, a secret memorial already presented to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, Gao Panlong has confessed in prison to intercepting seven memorials regarding the disaster situation in Shandong. All twelve officials involved have signed the confession. However…"

He glanced at the rhythm of the Emperor's tapping fingers out of the corner of his eye, considered it for a moment, and said, "The fragment of the secret letter presented by Zhou Jiamo has been examined by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and it is indeed found to have been altered."

"Oh?"

Zhu Youxiao suddenly threw the handkerchief into the golden basin, and the splashing water startled the palace maids who were attending him, causing them to retreat in a panic.

He stared at Wei Zhongxian's gleaming forehead and asked, "So, Minister Zhou is deceiving the emperor?"

"This old servant dares not make a rash judgment!"

Wei Zhongxian knelt down abruptly, but still held aloft the secret memorial: "However, Wen Zhenmeng confessed that Gao Panlong did indeed secretly order him to incite the candidates to boycott the examinations. The joint signature list found in a secret compartment of the guild hall by the Northern Garrison Command matches the handwriting of the secret memorial."

"I remember that Gao Panlong's accomplice included a man named Miao Changqi?"

Wei Zhongxian broke out in a cold sweat on the back of his neck.

It seems His Majesty has a firm grasp of the overall situation and knows everything.

He immediately replied honestly, "Your Majesty is wise! Miao Changqi bit his tongue in prison last night."

Zhu Youxiao suddenly grabbed the paperweight from the desk, but stopped just before slamming it down.

He stared at Wei Zhongxian's trembling crown tassel: "Go tell Xu Xianchun that if another important prisoner dies, he'll go to Liaodong to eat snow."

If you loosen the leash even slightly, these people will jump around.

They really need to be constantly reminded.

If you don't discipline them for two days, they'll be climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles.

Wei Zhongxian, reprimanded by the emperor, swallowed hard and quickly replied:
"This servant obeys the decree!"

At this moment, the palace maid Zhang Yun'er brought over hot tea.

Zhu Youxiao accepted the hot tea offered by the palace maid and his gaze fell on the secret report about Zhou Jiamo on the imperial desk.

A slight, meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"How is Zhou Jiamo now?"

Wei Zhongxian quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Zhou Jiamo has been granted permission to retire with his original rank, as per Your Majesty's decree, and is currently recuperating at home. However..."

He hesitated for a moment, but then slowly spoke.

"People in the literati all scorned him as a lackey of the eunuch faction, and it is said that even his students and old friends avoided him like the plague."

Zhu Youxiao chuckled softly upon hearing this, tapping his fingers lightly on the imperial desk: "Good, very good. This is exactly the effect I wanted."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the Forbidden City after the rain had cleared.

The sunlight shone on his young face, but it revealed a pair of unfathomable eyes.

"By imperial decree, Zhou Jiamo is commended for his meritorious service in restoring order. In addition, the Imperial Medical Academy is ordered to send imperial physicians to treat his injuries."

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly realized: "Your Majesty is wise! This is to let the world know that those who obey Your Majesty's will, even if they have made mistakes, will have a good end; those who disobey Your Majesty's command..."

"good."

Zhu Youxiao interrupted him, his eyes sharp as knives.

"I want Zhou Jiamo to be a living example. To show those officials who are still watching what the consequences are for following Gao Panlong and his ilk in resisting the land survey, and what the result will be for obeying my will."

He walked back to his desk, picked up his vermilion brush, wrote a few words on the memorial, and said calmly, "Although Zhou Jiamo is hateful, I would rather keep him alive than kill him. What other way out can a lone minister, despised by the literati, have but to rely on imperial power?"

A hint of admiration flashed in Wei Zhongxian's eyes: "Your Majesty is far-sighted. In this way, those officials who are still hesitating will surely understand which path to take next."

Zhu Youxiao had a meaningful smile on his lips, and his eyes flashed with a sharp insight into the ways of the world.

"Governing a country is like cooking a small fish. These officials are like the chefs in the imperial kitchen. If you kill them all, who will take charge of the cooking?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian bowed even lower, but the emperor continued, "But if we let them cut corners, this state banquet will be ruined sooner or later. So I want them to chop the vegetables, but I also want to prevent them from stealing any—understand?"

To reiterate: Who are your enemies, and who are your friends?

How can one transform a wavering enemy into a steadfast ally, thus gaining the upper hand in political struggles?

Like his foolish younger brother Zhu Youjian, who changed chief ministers every day and killed officials all the time, treating the dragon throne as a guillotine and the dragon robe as a shroud, insisting on killing until heads rolled to show imperial majesty.

But did he manage to control the situation?
Instead of succeeding, he made more and more enemies and fewer and fewer friends.

In the end, he directly caused the Ming Dynasty to perish.

His foolish younger brother treated the imperial court as a martial arts arena, unaware that the sharpest blade in the Forbidden City was always hidden in a smile.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood, Wei Zhongxian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Gao Panlong and others in the imperial prison have confessed to many people, including many nobles. Your Majesty, how should we deal with them?"

Zhu Youxiao paused, then asked, "Nobles? Are you referring to those from the Duke of Cheng's household?"

Wei Zhongxian bowed even lower: "Your Majesty is wise, and there are also in-laws from the Marquis of Wuqing's family."

Zhu Youxiao frowned deeply.

He lightly tapped his finger on several names circled in red ink on the list: "These old foxes, I touched their vested interests by surveying the land, and they dared to collude with officials to obstruct the new policies. Who gave them the guts?"

"Issue the imperial decree! The nobles involved shall have their salaries reduced by three years, and their sons and grandsons shall be sent to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for training. As for those who are the most vocal—make them pay ten years' worth of back taxes on their estates."

Wei Zhongxian looked up in astonishment, meeting the emperor's ambiguous smile: "Your Majesty, is this punishment appropriate?"

Too light?

Zhu Youxiao swirled the hot tea in his hand, blew away the foam, took a sip, and said, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? These nobles have been entrenched in the capital for over two hundred years, their roots already entangled in the cracks of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Deal with them slowly, so as not to let them merge with the civil officials."

"After all, the land survey of Beizhili was not as simple as it seemed."

Zhu Youxiao implemented the policy of land survey, the essence of which was to enrich the country and strengthen its military. The so-called enrichment of the country meant that the national treasury was full and the fiscal revenue was as solid as a mountain.

The Ming Dynasty was an agricultural nation, and the foundation of its tax revenue was entirely tied to land.

However, since the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the problems of land annexation and concealment have become increasingly serious.

Powerful and wealthy individuals seized vast tracts of fertile land without reporting it. The imperial court then imposed taxes on local areas based on the existing land area, placing a heavy burden on the shoulders of the common people, who suffered greatly.

Whenever natural disasters strike, crops fail, people are unable to pay taxes, and countless people go bankrupt.

They were either forced to sell their meager land to large landowners at a low price, or were robbed by powerful and tyrannical forces, or were forced to leave their homes and become beggars, their plight extremely miserable.

The imperial court not only failed to collect taxes, but also had to allocate funds for disaster relief, leaving the national treasury empty and creating a vicious cycle.

These drawbacks are obvious, but finding a solution is incredibly difficult.

The land survey was an act of defiance against all the nobles and powerful figures of the Ming Dynasty, akin to one person fighting against the entire world; one can imagine the difficulty involved.

More than thirty years ago, Zhang Juzheng paved the way for this cause.

He implemented the performance evaluation system, using land surveys as a starting point to severely punish corruption, investigate fraud, and clear up outstanding debts.

He urged local officials to be down-to-earth, not to seek quick results, but to focus on practical effectiveness.

However, the difficulty of implementation is beyond imagination.

Ultimately, although the land survey was not abandoned halfway, the results were not satisfactory.

The measured area of ​​land increased by only 800,000 hectares compared to the Hongzhi period, but decreased by 1.5 million hectares compared to the Hongwu period.

The reason for this is that powerful figures and landlords still concealed large amounts of land without reporting it to the imperial court.

By the first year of the Tianqi reign, the accumulated problems of the Wanli reign over several decades had burst forth like a breached dam.

Looking across the land, on the official roads of Beizhili, refugees surged like a tide.

According to Zhu Youxiao's estimate, the amount of farmland hidden by the powerful and wealthy today is at least one million hectares.

The imperial court continued to use the land data from the Zhang Juzheng reform period when levying taxes.

This distorted system of "reducing land but not taxes" meant that ordinary farmers often had to bear the tax share that originally belonged to powerful landlords.

They worked hard all year, but couldn't even pay their taxes, and their lives were plunged into despair.

Meanwhile, those powerful and wealthy individuals who seized land, and those gentry who concealed their land holdings, amassed vast fortunes and escaped justice.

They wouldn't use their own money to pay taxes; instead, they would exploit the people even more, hastening the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

If this continues, the Ming Dynasty may be doomed.

therefore.

No matter how great the resistance to the land survey, Zhu Youxiao was determined to eradicate this stubborn problem.

He will never tolerate those who obstruct him.

Gao Panlong and his group are just the beginning!

Zhu Youxiao's thoughts raced, but he quickly returned to reality.

The road ahead is fraught with difficulties; for now, we must first strengthen our wings.

Zhu Youxiao turned his gaze to Wei Zhongxian and asked, "Among the candidates who caused trouble outside Zuoshun Gate, were there any who have not been stripped of their academic titles?"

Wei Zhongxian's knees buckled, and the chill from the gold-brick floor sent a chill down his spine.

He had long known that the Eastern Depot's spies were always around, but he was still startled by the timing of the emperor's questioning—those few candidates he had privately removed from the list of those to be expelled had finally been implicated before the emperor.

Thump~
Wei Zhongxian immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, it is true that a few people were pardoned by this servant, but this servant did so entirely for Your Majesty's sake!"

"presumptuous!"

"You dare to arbitrarily change the policies drafted by the Cabinet?" He suddenly stood up, the scent of ambergris mixed with the dampness after the rain hitting Wei Zhongxian's face, making him almost suffocate.

"Are you thinking of me, or of yourself? As an inner court official, what are you planning to do by cultivating your own trusted officials?"

Wei Zhongxian felt his mouth go dry and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "This servant is wronged, this servant deserves to die ten thousand times! The reason this servant did this was because they were capable, and His Majesty cherishes talent and has few people to use. It would be such a pity if these people were stripped of their titles."

"You're quite adept at deciphering the emperor's intentions. But is this really your job?"

Wei Zhongxian trembled and remained silent.

I was so scared I almost flew out of my skin.

"This servant deserves to die! Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

It's no use saying anything now; instead, kowtowing and confessing your sins might offer a better chance of survival.

"That's it!"

Seeing Wei Zhongxian's disheveled appearance, Zhu Youxiao did not immediately punish him, but asked, "Who were they?"

Faced with the emperor's inquiry, Wei Zhongxian immediately prostrated himself and replied, "Your Majesty, there are Wen Zhenmeng, Huang Daozhou, and others involved. Although these people were involved, they were actually coerced by Gao Panlong, and they are all exceptionally talented—Wen Zhenmeng is well-versed in the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, and Huang Daozhou is knowledgeable in astronomy and calendrical calculations. This old servant has verified that they secretly changed the word 'resisting taxes' in the joint register to 'petition,' which shows that they have no objection to Your Majesty's policy of surveying and registering land."

He stole a glance at the emperor's expression and hurriedly added, "What's even more remarkable is that Huang Daozhou still wrote the 'Memorial on Military Farms' while in prison, mentioning that 'after the land survey, military farms should be used to replenish the empty national treasury'; Wen Zhenmeng also confessed to the Embroidered Uniform Guard about Gao Panlong's secret account of embezzling disaster relief funds. This old servant thinks that if such talents are exiled to the army, it will only chill the hearts of scholars throughout the land!"

When Wei Zhongxian started boasting, he didn't even bother to write a draft.

Were Wen Zhenmeng and Huang Daozhou really that powerful?
However, Zhu Youxiao no longer cared about these things.

He had his reasons.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Zhongxian and said:
"Since you say these candidates are 'talented,' then I will give them a chance."

Wei Zhongxian looked up in a daze, meeting the emperor's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

That gaze was just like the forked tongue of a snake I had seen in the countryside when I was a child—cold and sticky, yet carrying a deadly allure.

He suddenly realized that the emperor not only wanted to pardon these scholars, but also wanted to burden them with the shackles of being "accomplices of the eunuch faction," turning them into sharp blades aimed at the upright officials.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Youxiao sneered and continued, "However, you must remember—since these people can be pardoned because of your 'amnesty,' their future will forever be in my hands."

He stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, gazed at the darkening sky outside the hall, and said calmly, "Go and tell them that I can let them continue with the imperial examinations, and may even offer them official positions. But—"

He suddenly turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Wei Zhongxian: "From now on, if they dare to have the slightest disloyalty, I will not hesitate to let them taste the bitterness of the imperial prison."

Wei Zhongxian trembled and quickly kowtowed: "This servant understands! Your Majesty, rest assured, these people will be grateful and swear to serve you to the death!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded slightly, sat back on his throne, and said in a slightly gentler tone: "In addition, find a few more candidates with similar backgrounds. Don't worry about whether they are involved in any scandals, as long as they are 'talented' and 'usable'."

He paused, then added meaningfully, "Remember, what I want is a 'compliant' knife."

Wei Zhongxian understood immediately and replied, "This servant obeys! I will select carefully and will not disappoint Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded in satisfaction and waved for him to leave.

After Wei Zhongxian left, Zhu Youxiao looked towards the palace gate, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"A knife with tainted material is the easiest to use."

He muttered to himself, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Since you want to climb up the ranks, then I will give you the opportunity—but this opportunity will be exchanged for your ‘handles’.”

He picked up the vermilion brush and made a light stroke on the memorial, as if he could already see what these "pardoned" candidates would look like in the future imperial court—

Fear, dependence, and reluctance to disobey.

And this is exactly what he wants.

Spring rain falls again outside the window, and amidst the pattering sound, countless conspiracies are quietly brewing in the shadows of the Forbidden City.

Those scholars who were granted amnesty would never have known that their lives had already been divided in two by a stroke of vermilion ink:
The first half is about studying hard, but the second half is about kneeling before the throne forever, using the handles of power to bind oneself firmly to the chariot of imperial power.

PS:

A long chapter has been added! (It's all burned out!)

Tomorrow is the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao). If there are any readers who are still preparing for the Gaokao, I wish you good luck on your exam, success in the exam, and admission to your desired university!
(End of this chapter)