Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

Three days later, in the study of the Prince of Cheng's residence.

Zhu Qiyu held several memorials in his hands.

These memorials were all delivered today from Tongzhou, and they all share the same theme: impeaching Yu Qian.

As for the content, Zhu Qiyu almost laughed out of anger as he read it.

The first memorial came from Wang Min, the prefect of Tongzhou.

The above states that after Yu Qian arrived in Tongzhou, he colluded with local wealthy merchants.

The grain stored in the Tongzhou official granary was sold at a low price to several large merchants under the guise of "relief".

The memorial even clearly stated the specific figures: "Each stone is worth three qian of silver, and the market price should be more than five qian." It also included a copy of the so-called "sales contract."

The second memorial came from Li Yan, the Imperial Censor in charge of transporting grain.

It vividly describes how Yu Qian "held a banquet for merchants at night, with music and singing lasting until dawn," and "accepted ten pearls and one hundred taels of gold."

He even listed the names of the merchants who participated in the banquet in detail, specifying what dishes were served and what wines were drunk, as if he had been there in person.

The third one, the fourth one...

Each one is presented with absolute certainty and rich in detail. If someone else were to read it, they would probably be intimidated by this "ironclad evidence."

Zhu Qiyu tossed the memorial onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his temples.

He believed that the events described in the memorial had indeed occurred.

The only difference is that the main characters need to be changed; replace "Yu Qian" with the people who submitted the memorial.

Zhu Qiyu muttered to himself, his tone icy: "They can report something so obviously fake so brazenly. Do they really think I'm a fool, or do they think I wouldn't dare touch them?"

Just as he was pondering this, a eunuch's voice came from outside the door: "Your Highness, Minister Yu requests an audience. Shall we grant him an audience?"

"Minister Yu?" Zhu Qiyu was taken aback, then realized that Yu Qian had returned from Tongzhou. "Quickly, invite him in!"

"Yes."

Before long, Yu Qian followed the eunuch into the study.

Zhu Qiyu looked up and his heart tightened.

In just a few days, Yu Qian looked much more haggard.

His already thin face looked even more gaunt, his eyes were bloodshot, and even the gray hairs at his temples seemed to have increased.

Yu Qian bowed respectfully, his voice slightly hoarse: "Your subject Yu Qian greets Your Highness."

"Minister Yu, please rise." Zhu Qiyu quickly gestured for the eunuch to offer him a seat, and then instructed, "Go and have the kitchen prepare some ginseng soup and snacks to be sent over; they should be nourishing."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Yu Qian did not refuse, and then took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "Your Highness, the Ministry of War has just received an urgent message from Datong."

Zhu Qiyu took the memorial, unfolded it, and examined it closely. His expression gradually darkened.

The report was written by Guo Deng, the military commander of Datong, and it detailed the events of the previous day:

Esen, having taken Zhu Qizhen hostage, arrived at the gates of Datong and, using the same tactic as before, demanded that the garrison open the gates to "welcome the emperor."

Guo Deng held firm at the city gates and refused to leave, but Liu An, the commander-in-chief of Datong, and Fang Ying, the deputy commander-in-chief, and others carried gold, silver and silk and went out of the city to "pay homage" without authorization.

A group of people knelt down and wept before Zhu Qizhen, and offered their wealth to Esen, euphemistically calling it "a reward for their hard work in escorting him."

Yu Qian added in a low voice, "Guo Deng said in his report that Liu An and others left the city nearly an hour ago."

Esen's army was arrayed just two miles away.

If the Oirats had seized the opportunity to attack the city, Datong would have been in grave danger.

Zhu Qiyu slammed the memorial down on the table and snorted coldly, "Well done, Liu An!"

Gu Ming had previously decreed that whenever the Oirat Mongols kidnapped the emperor and brought him to the city walls, the city gates must not be opened, and no valuables should be sent to him.

He did something else entirely; not only did he send it, he personally delivered it to my door!

Did he think the walls of Datong were too sturdy, or did he think Esen was too merciful?

After a moment of silence, Yu Qian said, "Liu An is a veteran general; perhaps he acted rashly in a moment of panic, concerned for the safety of the emperor..."

Zhu Qiyu interrupted Yu Qian: "If he truly cared about the safety of the emperor, he should have defended the city to the death and let Esen know that holding the emperor hostage was useless!"

By offering money to curry favor, wasn't he essentially telling Esen that as long as he had the Emperor in his hands, the Ming Dynasty would give him anything he wanted?

Is this saving the emperor, or harming him?

The study fell silent for a moment.

Zhu Qiyu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

He knew that now was not the time to deal with Liu An.

Datong serves as a western barrier for Beijing, and changing generals on the eve of battle is a major taboo in military strategy.

He just remembered this debt.

"We'll discuss this later," Zhu Qiyu waved his hand, changing the subject. "Minister Yu, what's the situation in Tongzhou? Has the Tonghui River been dredged?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian rose and bowed: "I was just about to report to Your Highness, but fortunately Your Highness sent Assistant Magistrate Lu with the Embroidered Uniform Guard to assist us. The river was dredged yesterday."

I have ordered the Ministry of Revenue to mobilize two hundred grain transport ships, which began transporting grain early this morning.

Zhu Qiyu's eyes lit up; this was rare good news: "Good! Lu Zhong has done a good job. By the way, what caused the river to become blocked? Was it truly a natural disaster?"

Yu Qian: "Your Highness, it was some local ruffians who were misled and sank more than ten broken boats in a narrow part of the river, and then filled it with sand and debris."

Lu Tongzhi has arrested 37 people involved in the case, who are currently being held in Tongzhou Prison and will be escorted back to Beijing in a few days.

Zhu Qiyu pressed further: "Who instigated you?"

Yu Qian hesitated for a moment: "The interrogation is ongoing, and there is no conclusive evidence yet."

Zhu Qiyu stared at Yu Qian for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Minister Yu, do you know how many memorials impeaching you I have received these past few days?"

He picked up the memorials from the table and handed them to Yu Qian: "Wang Min, the prefect of Tongzhou; Li Yan, the imperial censor in charge of grain transport; and these few others."

Everyone says you colluded with merchants, sold government grain at rock-bottom prices, accepted bribes, and indulged in lavish banquets.

He described it in great detail, even specifying how many beads you collected and what kind of wine you drank.

Yu Qian took the memorial and quickly flipped through it, his face turning from white to red, and then from red to green.

As he finished reading, his hands trembled slightly, and when he looked up, his eyes were filled with grief and indignation: "Your Highness!"

I spent three days in Tongzhou, inspecting the waterways and directing the boats during the day.

They spent their nights calculating grain supplies and settling soldiers; they never had a moment to feast or drink.

These... these are pure slander!

"I know that if I believed these things, you would be in the Northern Garrison Prison right now, not sitting in my study."

Yu Qian was taken aback, then bowed deeply: "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness."

Zhu Qiyu's gaze sharpened: "But I want to know, who exactly is behind those thugs who blocked the river?"

Why would those officials who impeached you dare to so blatantly frame the Minister of War?

Minister Yu, tell me the truth, just how deep are the waters in Tongzhou?

Yu Qian remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Your Highness is wise."

Tongzhou was the terminus of the Grand Canal, where grains and goods from all over the country gathered.

When I was in Tongzhou, I was indeed invited to banquets by merchants who offered me gold and jade, but I sternly refused them all.

When I inspected the granaries, I also found that the amount of grain stored in the books did not match the actual amount stored, with a shortage of nearly 500,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

There were eight major trading companies in Tongzhou that controlled more than 70% of the grain trade.

Behind this were often the shadows of court officials and powerful members of the imperial family.

"So you backed down?"

Yu Qian smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, it is not that I am retreating, but now the Oirat army is pressing on the border, and the capital is in imminent danger."

If a thorough investigation were conducted now into the collusion between officials and merchants in Tongzhou and the embezzlement of grain reserves, it would inevitably implicate a wide range of people.

I fear that before external threats arrive, internal strife will break out first.

Zhu Qiyu remained silent.

He understood Yu Qian's concerns; with a formidable enemy at hand, internal stability was paramount.

Even if there are termites, we can only tolerate them for the time being.

But he could not let it go.

Zhu Qiyu thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "Let Lu Zhong not escort the man back to the capital."

All those involved in the case were executed on the spot.

The severed head was displayed at the gate of Tongzhou, and a notice was posted stating: "Anyone who dares to obstruct grain transport or spread rumors will be punished in this way."

Yu Qian was startled: "Your Highness! According to the law, the three judicial departments should conduct a joint trial to ascertain the facts of the crime before sentencing can be determined. Such a hasty decision may..."

Zhu Qiyu interrupted him: "Afraid people will say I'm tyrannical? I'm not afraid, so why are you afraid?"

Minister Yu, I will be ascending the throne next month.

According to custom, a new emperor should grant a general amnesty upon ascending the throne.

Do you want these people to live on until then, and then escape justice with a pardon?

Yu Qian opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Zhu Qiyu continued, "I not only want to kill these people, but also to let those hiding behind the scenes see clearly."

"I'm not pursuing this too deeply this time to save face, but my blade can fall at any moment."

Silence fell over the study once again.

After a long silence, Yu Qian rose and bowed deeply: "Your subject... understands."

Zhu Qiyu's expression softened somewhat, and he suddenly asked, "Minister Yu, have you read the Book of Tang?"