The Ming Dynasty: Starting with Emperor Chongzhen's crackdown on factionalism

He turned around and looked at Qiao Yunsheng, the Minister of Justice.

"Minister Qiao".

Qiao Yunsheng stepped forward and said, "Your subject is here."

"According to the Great Ming Code, what is the punishment for smuggling military equipment out of the country?"

Qiao Yunsheng, sweat beading on his forehead, replied: "Your Majesty, according to the law, anyone who smuggles military equipment out of the country shall be executed. Anyone who knows of such a crime but fails to report it shall be punished the same way."

"Execute." Zhu Youjian repeated the word, his voice icy.

"What about the smuggled sulfur and saltpeter?"

"Sulfur and saltpeter are raw materials for gunpowder and are prohibited items for military supplies. They shall be dealt with as smuggling of military equipment."

"Okay." Zhu Youjian nodded.

He walked back to the throne, but did not sit down.

"I hereby decree a strict crackdown on border trade and a thorough investigation of Shanxi merchants. Anyone found smuggling military supplies out of the country will be severely punished according to the law, without exception!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone on the platform could no longer stand up.

The first to step forward was Zheng Sanjun, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Studs.

Zheng Sanjun, a native of Southern Zhili, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 47th year of the Wanli reign. He served successively as Principal and Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and was just promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud last year, a fourth-rank official.

"Your Majesty!" Zheng Sanjun's voice trembled slightly, but his tone was firm.

"I believe this matter needs to be investigated further."

Zhu Youjian stared at him.

"Investigate thoroughly? Aren't I already investigating?"

"Your Majesty, Fan Yongdou, Wang Dengku, and others are all good merchants from Shanxi, loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and have a long-standing reputation for good deeds."

Zheng Sanjun raised his head, trying to keep his voice steady.

"In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, Shanxi suffered a severe drought, leaving the land barren and the fields littered with corpses of the starving."

"Fan Yongdou donated 5,000 shi of grain and set up ten soup kitchens, saving tens of thousands of lives."

"Wang Dengku donated 30,000 taels of silver to help the government with disaster relief."

"The governor of Shanxi reported this matter to the emperor, and the imperial court also issued an edict to commend it."

"In the second year of Chongzhen's reign, bandits from Shaanxi invaded Shanxi. The government troops were short of pay, so the Fan and Wang families each donated 20,000 taels of silver to help the army suppress the bandits."

"How could such a loyal and righteous man commit smuggling of military supplies and aiding the enemy, thus betraying his country?"

Zheng Sanjun became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice rose.

"Your Majesty, I believe this is someone slandering loyal officials, attempting to use Your Majesty to eliminate dissidents!"

That's too harsh a statement.

A suppressed gasp rippled through the platform.

Zhu Youjian's face darkened.

"Does Minister Zheng mean that I have been deceived?"

"Your subject dares not!" Zheng Sanjun knelt down.

"I simply believe that such important matters require concrete evidence. To make unfounded speculations without evidence would likely offend loyal officials and discourage merchants throughout the land!"

"Evidence?" Zhu Youjian sneered.

"I will naturally investigate. But why is Minister Zheng so eager to defend the Shanxi merchants? Could it be that you have a past relationship with them?"

Zheng Sanjun's face turned pale.

"Your Majesty, I have no prior dealings with Fan, Wang, or others. I acted solely out of public interest, unwilling to see loyal and virtuous officials wronged!"

"What a fine example of acting out of public interest."

The second person to step forward was Zhang Jimeng, a senior official in the Ministry of War.

Zhang Jimeng, a native of Taiyuan, Shanxi, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second year of the Tianqi reign. He served successively as a principal clerk and assistant secretary in the Ministry of Revenue. Last year, he was transferred to the Ministry of War as a secretary, a fourth-rank official.

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Jimeng's voice was louder than Zheng Sanjun's, with a distinct Shanxi accent.

"I am from Shanxi, and I know the Fan and Wang families very well!"

He stepped out of the line and knelt down next to Zheng Sanjun.

"The Fan family has been engaged in the tea-horse trade in Zhangjiakou since the Jiajing era, and it has been three generations since then."

"During the Longqing era, when Anda was granted tribute, Fan Ming, an ancestor of the Fan family, contributed three thousand taels of silver to help the court build a horse market, facilitating communication between the Mongols and the Han Chinese, thus rendering a service to the country!"

"During the Wanli era, when Liaodong was at war, Fan Yu, the father of Fan Yongdou, the current head of the Fan family, organized a caravan to transport grain to Liaoyang at great risk. On the way, they were robbed by the Jianzhou and suffered heavy losses, but they did not change their determination!"

"At the beginning of His Majesty's reign, he purged the eunuch faction. Upon hearing the news in the capital, Fan Yongdou donated five thousand taels of silver overnight to help the court appease the descendants of loyal officials who had been persecuted by the eunuch faction!"

As Zhang Jimeng spoke, his eyes reddened.

"Your Majesty, how could someone so loyal and righteous, who comes from a family with a long tradition of righteousness, do something that would aid the enemy?"

"This must be a case of someone becoming jealous of the wealth of Shanxi merchants and fabricating a false accusation!"

"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly, lest the loyal and virtuous be disheartened, and the merchants of the realm be alienated!"

These words were sincere and heartfelt, and resounded with conviction.

Officials on the platform began to whisper among themselves.

Zhu Youjian frowned.

He vaguely remembered what Zhang Jimeng had said.

The Shanxi governor's memorial seems to have mentioned the Fan family's donation of grain.

There seem to be records of the Fan family transporting grain in the old archives of the Ministry of War.

Could it be... that Chen Zhiyuan was really wrong?

The third person to step forward was Hou Xun, an assistant director of the Ministry of Revenue.

Hou Xun, a native of Guide, Henan, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 44th year of the Wanli reign. He was a key member of the Donglin Party and once served as an imperial censor. He was demoted for impeaching the eunuch faction, but was reinstated in the first year of the Chongzhen reign. He is currently an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a fourth-rank official.

Hou Xun was a senior member of the Donglin Party and had close relationships with Qian Longxi, Cheng Jiming, and others. As soon as he stepped forward, many people turned their attention to him.

"His Majesty,"

Hou Xun's voice was not loud, but his reasoning was clear.

"I believe that what Lords Zheng and Zhang said is indeed reasonable."

"Shanxi merchants have been engaged in border trade for a century. There may have been some violations during this period, but I think it is unlikely that they systematically smuggled military supplies and funded the enemy's treason."

"Why?" Zhu Youjian stared at him.

"Because there's no profit to be made," Hou Xun said frankly.

"Your Majesty, the tea and cloth trade is ten times profitable. However, sulfur, saltpeter, and pig iron, although essential for military needs, have limited production, are difficult to transport, and are extremely risky."

"Shanxi merchants prioritize profit; why would they choose the difficult path, risking their lives, to engage in a business that yields no return?"

"Furthermore, if the Shanxi merchants were truly aiding the enemy, then Jianzhou in Liaodong should have had ample military equipment and provisions."

"However, during the Battle of Guangqumen last year, I observed the enemy cavalry's equipment. Their swords and arrows were crude, and their armor was incomplete, which shows that they were short of supplies."

"If Shanxi merchants were truly supplying large quantities of military provisions, why would things have come to this?"

Hou Xun's analysis sounds reasonable.

The discussions on the platform grew even louder.

Zhu Youjian frowned even more deeply.

What Hou Xun said seems to make sense.

In his memorial, Chen Zhiyuan accused Shanxi merchants of smuggling military supplies, but Hou Xun argued that the business was not worthwhile and that Shanxi merchants would not engage in it.

Who is right?

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

More and more officials are stepping forward.

Li Jizhen, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works; Zhang Zhengchen, Principal of the Ministry of Rites; Wu Zhiyu, Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War; Wu Yanfang, Censor…

They were all officials of the third or fourth rank, and the backbone of their respective ministries and departments.

What they said was largely the same: how Shanxi merchants were loyal to the emperor and loved their country, how they donated grain and silver, and how they made contributions to the country.

His words became increasingly heated, and his emotions grew more and more agitated.

"Your Majesty! When Fan Yongdou donated silver to aid the army last year, he said: 'The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen. Even a merchant, though humble, knows loyalty and righteousness!' Such heartfelt words are not something a treacherous merchant could utter!"

"Your Majesty! Wang Dengku's mother passed away last year. On the day of her funeral, the people of Datong spontaneously came to pay their respects, their cries shaking the heavens. If the Wang family were truly unscrupulous merchants, would the people have acted so fervently?"

"Your Majesty! Border trade involves a wide range of issues. If we launch a major crackdown on Shanxi merchants based on a few unfounded rumors, the border markets will likely collapse, trade will cease, and the supply of provisions to the nine border regions will become even more difficult!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Your Majesty, please investigate this matter thoroughly!"

More than a dozen officials knelt on the ground.

Voices rose and fell, and words were passionate and impassioned.

It was as if Zhu Youjian had become a tyrant who persecuted loyal officials.

Zhu Youjian stood before the throne, looking at the officials kneeling on the ground, listening to their words of "loyalty to the emperor and love for the country," "meritorious service to the country," and "love and respect from the people," his mind was in turmoil.

His suspicious nature completely erupted at this moment.

Is Chen Zhiyuan really talking nonsense?

Was the entire contents of that memorial fabricated?