Huangming

Chapter 46 Let bygones be bygones, and serve as a vanguard (Please continue reading!)

"Your Excellency, you may have the Ministry of Rites bestow upon Emperor Chen the posthumous title."

Fang Congzhe's face showed a bitter expression.

“The posthumous titles submitted by the Ministry of Rites cannot pass the Grand Secretariat. Even if a senior official makes the decision alone, once it passes the Grand Secretariat, it still cannot pass the Six Ministries.”

Nowadays, most of the official positions in the Censorate and the Imperial Academy are held by members of the Donglin Party.

He forced Fang Congzhe, the Grand Secretary, to plead with the Emperor.

"You, as Prime Minister, have come to this?"

Fang Congzhe shook his head and smiled bitterly, saying, "This old minister is nothing but a figurehead. There is much criticism of him in the court. He is called the chief minister, but he is just a figurehead. What else can I do but compromise?"

At this point, Fang Congzhe was ready to go all out.

“The factional strife in the court is intense now, which is not what this old minister wants to see. Our Great Ming Dynasty cannot continue like this. If we want to make the Donglin Party members back down, there is only one way.”

Zhu Youxiao had some vague guesses and asked, "What method is it?"

"Your Majesty, please allow this old minister to resign. By resigning from the position of Grand Secretary, I can bridge the gap between the two sides."

With the Donglin Party's anti-Fang sentiment at its peak, it's quite normal for Fang Congzhe to have such thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao fell silent for a moment.

"Has Your Excellency read 'On the Six States'?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Congzhe's eyes immediately lit up.

"I have personally read and studied Su Laoquan's masterpiece that will be remembered for generations."

Zhu Youxiao said in a heavy tone:

"Today they cede five cities, tomorrow ten, and then they can have a night's rest. But when they rise and look around, the Qin army is already at their doorstep. Does the Grand Secretary really think that they will give up after you retire?"

Historically, after Fang Congzhe resigned from his official post, the Donglin Party never stopped their actions and showed no mercy.

First, the Donglin Party, under the pretext of investigating the cause of Emperor Taichang's death, targeted important officials of the Wanli era.

Censor Zuo Guangdou impeached Li Ruhua, the Minister of Revenue, for "embezzling Liaodong funds," forcing him to resign. Wei Dazhong, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Justice, arrested Cui Wensheng, a eunuch of the Imperial Pharmacy (a former official of the Wanli Emperor), and forced him to confess, implicating 37 officials from the Zhejiang faction.

From the first to the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Donglin Party used the case to purge Qi Shijiao of the Qi Party and Guan Yingzhen of the Chu Party, and dismissed 12 local governors and viceroys.

Later, under the pretext of "purging the palace," he expelled more than 200 eunuchs left over from the Wanli era, most of whom were agents of the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions in the palace.

They even extended their reach into the imperial examinations. In the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Donglin Party examiners Qian Qianyi and Sun Chengzong admitted 60 Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations) with Donglin backgrounds, accounting for 70% of the total number of admitted candidates, further monopolizing the channels for official promotion.

Furthermore, he marginalized the border generals of the Wanli Emperor's court, indirectly leading to the fall of Shenyang.

Are you taking a step back in the expectation that the Donglin Party members will also take a step back?
That's just wishful thinking.

However, Fang Congzhe gave a bitter smile, shook his head and sighed, "But what else can we do?"

Fang Congzhe only thought that his compromise would bring him peace for the rest of his life and stability for the court.

"If the Grand Secretary were to take his leave in this manner, wouldn't he be failing the great expectations of Emperor Shenzong and the late Emperor?"

Fang Congzhe's willingness to compromise was something Zhu Youxiao absolutely did not want to see.

If the Donglin Party members were truly serving the country, like Zhang Juzheng, then there was nothing wrong with Zhu Youxiao enjoying himself in the harem.

But now, these people aren't even good enough to carry Zhang Juzheng's shoes.

Putting aside other matters, let's look at history: after the Donglin Party members came to power, did they manage to put the Ming Dynasty back on the right track?

No!

Instead, it plunged the Ming Dynasty into even more intense factional strife.

In the name of factional strife, officials from the Qi, Chu, and Zhe factions were suppressed, the common people were ignored, the Jurchens were allowed to run rampant, and morality was distorted.

To the point that later on, even Emperor Tianqi distrusted them and replaced them with Wei Zhongxian, who then killed all these so-called upright officials.

Learning from history, Zhu Youxiao naturally wouldn't allow this to happen again.

Moreover, this world differs from the original history.

He wasn't rescued from the Qianqing Palace by the Donglin Party members; he walked out on his own.

The Donglin Party members had helped Zhu Changluo get to the throne, but they hadn't done so for Zhu Youxiao!

Zhu Changluo's heavy reliance on the Donglin Party was a last resort; he had no other choice.

If we don't give them important positions, wouldn't that be heartless and undermine our legitimacy?

But Zhu Youxiao was not like that.

"A gentleman does not form factions. As a subject of the Ming Dynasty, one should serve the Ming Dynasty. How can one fight for power, suppress dissidents, and neglect state affairs? During the reign of Emperor Shizong, there was no Donglin Party or Qi-Chu-Zhe Party; there were only factions of officials!" During the reign of Emperor Jiajing, who dared to speak of forming factions?

Anyone who dares to say that is courting death.

During the Wanli reign, Wanli, in a fit of pique with the civil service, refused to attend court for twenty years, indulging in his willful whims.

However, the power that should have belonged to the emperor was gradually taken away by the civil service group, leading to factional strife.

"Grand Secretary Fang is a loyal and devoted minister. How could he be so disheartened as to plunge our Great Ming Dynasty into the abyss?"

Zhu Youxiao was absolutely ruthless in his dealings with factional strife!

And Fang Congzhe, the Grand Secretary, wants to resign?
Never agree to it!

Fang Congzhe listened to the young emperor's words with a mixture of relief and bitterness.

"This old minister is truly powerless to help."

"As the Prime Minister, the Grand Secretary, and the head of all officials, how can you be incapable of doing anything?"

Zhu Youxiao immediately rebuked him.

After saying this, Zhu Youxiao sighed, his eyes gradually filled with tears, and he even managed to squeeze out a few drops.

"The Grand Secretary is a minister who assists and assists the emperor. If the Grand Secretary requests to resign, what can be done to me?"

Holding Fang Congzhe's withered hand, Zhu Youxiao sobbed and asked, "I entrusted the country to you, Grand Secretary, and this is how you repay me?"

Old Deng, instead of risking your life for me, you're thinking of deserting?

What do you want?!
Unsure of the emperor's thoughts, Fang Congzhe could only ask, "What does Your Majesty wish me to do?"

He wanted to escape, but he couldn't.

Given His Majesty's current attitude, he will absolutely not allow him to resign.

Since the retreat has been blocked, there is no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward.

But the prerequisite is that he needs someone to support him.

Even without direct support, one should not kick someone when they're down or stab them in the back.

"I wish for the Grand Secretary to eliminate factional strife."

To eliminate partisan strife?

How to eliminate it?

"Your Majesty, please give your instructions."

Zhu Youxiao wiped away the crocodile's tears, his face showing a capable and efficient demeanor.

"You shall not yield an inch of the posthumous title and temple name of the late emperor."

what?
Fang Congzhe was stunned when he heard this.

He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty's actions will only intensify factional strife, at which point the cabinet and the six ministries will be paralyzed, and government orders will be rendered ineffective. I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."

Zhu Youxiao, with his back to Fang Congzhe, said in an icy tone, "This shutdown is exactly what I want!"

"The Six Ministries reject the memorials, the Cabinet withholds imperial edicts—then let the whole world see—who in my Great Ming Dynasty can govern this well? Who can eradicate the centuries-old ills of the Ming Dynasty? Where should the decrees of this Great Ming Dynasty truly originate?"

"What I need are ministers who can govern the country well, not ministers who fight factional battles."

"Your Majesty wants to..." The old prime minister's Adam's apple bobbed, his withered fingers gripping his thigh tightly.

Zhu Youxiao nodded.

"I have ambition, but does the Grand Secretary have the courage?"

This move is dangerous; if one is not careful, one could end up like Chao Cuo.

Fang Congzhe felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it.

However, seeing the new emperor rise like the morning sun, Fang Congzhe may have truly seen the dawn of the empire.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and in that moment, he thought through everything that had happened in his life. Those things flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

The joy of passing the imperial examination, the smooth career path, the bitterness of resigning from office, the leisure of making friends and cultivating reputation, and the difficulty of becoming the sole prime minister.

A moment later, the old man opened his eyes. His eyes were no longer weak and submissive as before; instead, they were fierce like a wolfhound, full of fighting spirit!
I, Fang Congzhe, have spent my whole life putting on a show and occupying a position without real power for seven or eight years. Now that I have met a wise ruler, what does it matter if I am shattered to pieces?
Future historical records should state: Fang Congzhe, the Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty, was a reformer, not a mere figurehead!
"His Majesty."

Fang Congzhe took a step back and respectfully bowed deeply to Zhu Youxiao.

Inside the main hall, the old chief minister almost shouted as he spoke:
"Your subject, Fang Congzhe, is willing to serve Your Majesty as your vanguard!"

(End of this chapter)