Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

Just then, Huang Daozhou, the young master of the Zhan family, stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly: "What, which general are you going to challenge?"

"I cannot defeat them!"

He then continued, "Your Majesty, I believe that now that you have achieved such a great victory, demonstrating the majesty of the nation, you should issue an edict to all directions, and prepare for the relief and conscription of troops to prevent the Eastern barbarians from invading again!" Huang Daozhou had his own opinions about the censor being beaten, but felt that national affairs should be the priority. As for those who were beaten, they could only accept their bad luck; after all, this wasn't the first time court officials had fought...

During the Zhengtong reign, there were also incidents of people killing the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but these were ultimately left unresolved...

Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Zhu paused for a moment, then nodded: "Alright!"

"Our nation is currently facing many difficulties, but our soldiers fought bravely and achieved a great victory. I have decided that the Crown Prince will lead the cabinet, along with all civil and military officials from the Six Ministries, to Nanjing to pay homage to Emperor Taizu at Xiaoling Mausoleum. What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"

Zhu Jian revealed his plan to move south in a disguised manner.

Upon hearing this, the court officials were thrown into chaos, whispering amongst themselves in small groups.

"Your Majesty, if all court officials were to perform ancestral rites, how would the affairs of the court be managed?" asked Zhang Zhifa, the Grand Secretary.

He keenly sensed that the emperor intended to use the pretext of paying homage at the Xiaoling Mausoleum to move the imperial court south... but he couldn't stop the emperor from sending the crown prince to lead the pilgrimage...

Fan Jingwen, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the affairs of state should be the priority at present. The Crown Prince and the Six Ministries of the Cabinet should not go to Nanjing!" He paused and then added, "If the Eastern barbarians invade again, who will defend the capital?"

Fan Jingwen committed suicide by jumping into a well in 1644 when Li Zicheng entered Beijing, demonstrating his extreme loyalty and integrity.

"If the Eastern barbarians invade again during my journey south to pay homage to our ancestors, I will personally lead my sword to defend the capital!"

As soon as Zhu Jian finished speaking, Sun Chuanting also stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I am willing to stand with you in this defense!"

The eleven generals in the court also stepped forward and said in unison, "This humble general is also willing to stand with Your Majesty in defense!"

These soldiers were all veterans of battle, and had fought alongside Zhu Jian, sharing a bond of camaraderie. Even now, their armor was stained with blood… Their voices on matters of war carried more weight than those of these civil officials…

After listening, Zhu Jian nodded slightly: "My lords, in preparation for tomorrow's trip south with the Crown Prince to pay homage to our ancestors, I have decided to establish a Military and Political Bureau to temporarily manage the affairs of state!"

"Your Majesty, this must not be set a precedent!" Liu Yuliang hurriedly stepped forward and said.

Doesn't this mean the emperor is going to form another cabinet? This is outrageous!

"We second that proposal!" Half of the court officials knelt down, all seconding Liu Yuliang's proposal.

"Your Majesty's actions violate ancestral rules! Since the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the cabinet has always served as an assistant government. Now Your Majesty intends to establish a military and political bureau, which is suspected of creating another cabinet!" Zhang Jinyan, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Rites, bowed and kowtowed.

Zhang Jinyan was a fence-sitter, an opportunistic official who surrendered to both Li Zicheng and the Qing army. Ultimately, he was implicated in a literary inquisition and punished by the Qing court.

Zhu Jian coldly swept his gaze over half of the kneeling court officials below the hall, remaining silent as he watched.

For a moment, the court was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; everyone was focused on this matter.

Looking at the crowd kneeling in the hall, Zhu Jian sneered inwardly. The Ming Dynasty system was really interesting. It was one thing for the censors and officials to protest, but they could even reject imperial edicts. It was also no wonder that when Emperor Wuzong wanted to make a southern tour, all the officials knelt down to remonstrate against it, on the grounds that it "violated ancestral rules and wasted the people's money and resources."

Furthermore, the Great Rites Controversy of the Jiajing Emperor and the Succession Crisis of the Wanli Emperor both encountered collective opposition from civil officials. If the emperor forcibly broke through the checks and balances of the civil officials, it would trigger political turmoil. The civil official group might even use public opinion tactics such as "celestial warnings" and "disasters" to fight back.

After a long while, Prosecutor Zhu slowly rose from his seat, clapping his hands and exclaiming, "Good! Good! Good!"

"Dismissed Vice Grand Secretary Liu Yuliang and demoted him to cabinet member; cabinet member Xue Guoguan promoted to Vice Grand Secretary!"

Before Zhu Jian could finish speaking, Xue Guoguan hurriedly stepped forward, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject Xue Guoguan thanks Your Majesty for your trust and will certainly do his utmost to assist Your Majesty!"

Xue Guoguan was filled with excitement. He had finally removed a major obstacle in front of him. As long as he could bring down the Grand Secretary Zhang Zhifa, he could ascend to the position he had always longed for!

Liu Yuliang removed his official hat and slowly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I am old and feeble; I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission to resign and return to the countryside!"

This was a common practice among Ming Dynasty officials; they liked to resign as a means of resistance.

Without any hesitation, Prosecutor Zhu said, "Granted!"

"The Minister of War, Yang Sichang, who was ordered to oversee the military operations in Xiangyang, and the Minister of Revenue, Cheng Guoxiang, who was in Jiangnan procuring provisions and funds, will enter the cabinet immediately and head to the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing to prepare for the Crown Prince's southern tour to pay homage to his ancestors!"

The cabinet now consists of seven members: Chief Minister Zhang Zhifa, Second Minister Xue Guoguan, and cabinet members Fu Guan, He Fengsheng, Sun Chengzong, Yang Sichang, and Cheng Guoxiang.

Zhu Jian was least afraid of using resignation as a means of resistance. As long as he made the announcement, how many scholars and officials would want to become officials? Was he afraid that no one would be able to become an official?

Then, his voice tinged with anger, he asked again, "Is there anyone else who wants to retreat to the mountains?"

Before Zhu Jian could finish speaking, more than forty officials simultaneously removed their official hats and placed them aside, saying, "We are old and we humbly request Your Majesty's permission to return to the countryside!"

Zhu Jian looked in the direction of the voice and saw more than forty court officials, including four vice ministers of the six ministries, twelve principal officials of the six ministries, two supervising secretaries of the six ministries, seven censors of the Censorate, six members of the Hanlin Academy, and the rest were principal officials of the Court of Judicial Review and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

"Approved in full!"

"Your Majesty, such a large-scale dismissal of court officials may cause panic in the court!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Huang Daozhou hurriedly advised.

"I haven't dismissed anyone, but I will also help those who are virtuous!"

"Vice Minister Xue, are you panicking?"

Upon hearing Zhu Jian name him, the Second Grand Secretary, Xue Guoguan instantly realized it was his turn to step forward and firmly stated, "Both thunder and rain are acts of imperial favor; I am not alarmed!"

Zhu Jian nodded slightly. Although Xue Guoguan was cunning and uneducated, he was useful. As long as he was useful, that was enough for Zhu Jian!

"Who's panicking?" Zhu Jian asked, his gaze sweeping coldly over the assembled officials.

After a moment, Zhu Jian saw that no one echoed Huang Daozhou: "Huang Daozhou, no one in the court is panicking. You are overthinking it..."

The court officials were not a monolithic group; factional strife was particularly fierce, and none of the officials present were willing to continue pleading for these forty-odd officials.

Seeing this, Huang Daozhou could no longer plead for them, since these people had voluntarily chosen to retire to the mountains, and the emperor had merely granted their request...

Seeing that no one else spoke, Zhu Jian slowly sat down. These people liked to resign, so why not just hold a special imperial examination? Anyway, the Ming Dynasty has people… He began, “Where is Ni Yuanlu, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy?”

Before Zhu Jian could finish speaking, Ni Yuanlu, who was standing in the middle or back row, quickly stepped forward and said, "Your subject Ni Yuanlu pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"You should postpone your trip to Nanjing! Stay in the capital to prepare for the special imperial examination!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Ni Yuanlu kowtowed.

"Huang Daozhou, you'll join in too, as a deputy chief examiner!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Huang Daozhou replied, accepting the order.

"Prepare this year, hold the imperial examination next year, and next year select 3,000 candidates for the provincial examination and 1,300 candidates for the metropolitan examination! This is hereby proclaimed to all scholars throughout the land!"

Zhu Jian's words immediately caused an uproar. These newly appointed scholars were Zhu Jian's reserve system for future officials...

"Your Majesty, isn't the number of candidates this year a bit too many...?" Ni Yuanlu asked.

The imperial examination with the most successful candidates since the founding of the Ming Dynasty was during the Hongwu reign, with over five hundred successful candidates. The number now being examined by Zhu Jian is more than double that of the Hongwu reign, and five times more than at any other time...

"Our nation is facing many difficulties, so we should recruit more talented people! Do any of you have any objections?" Zhu Jian asked expressionlessly.

"We have no objection!" the remaining ministers replied in unison, bowing.

They certainly have no objections; they're all prepared to let their faction members enter the system through this Enko election. How could they possibly have any objections?

"Once the cabinet arrives in Nanjing, it will prioritize filling vacancies from various ministries there!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" said Zhang Zhifa, the Grand Secretary, Xue Guoguan, the Second Grand Secretary, Fu Guan, He Fengsheng, and Sun Chengzong in unison.

Zhu Jian glanced at the court officials and declared decisively, "The Military and Political Bureau is established today. All major military and political matters shall be submitted to the Wuying Hall in the capital!"

"Sun Chengzong, Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, and Lu Xiangshan will remain in the capital as military and political ministers, overseeing military affairs and planning battles in various regions!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chengzong and Sun Chuanting stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we obey!"

"The rest of you, esteemed officials, will accompany the Crown Prince on a southern tour to pay homage to our ancestors the day after tomorrow!"

The matter of the military and political bureau has been settled with the resignation of the Deputy Grand Secretary and more than forty other officials...