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

"Therefore, impeachment often becomes a tool for partisan struggles rather than a powerful instrument of investigation. Officials without powerful backers can fall at any time because of a single word."

"Cultivating connections with powerful figures and building a faction are essential for self-preservation."

"The gold and silver provided by the merchants are just what we need for this purpose."

Chen Zhiyuan peeled back the layers of the problem, ultimately pointing to the core contradiction within the system.

"Therefore, I believe that the problems of Shanxi merchants are not only due to their lack of integrity, but also to the corruption of officials."

"It is due to the system itself—if the salary is insufficient, officials have no choice but to seek rent."

"If the assessment is inaccurate, then perfunctory work will become the norm from top to bottom, and the channels of communication will be chaotic, so forming cliques to protect oneself will become the priority."

"Under this system, honest officials find it difficult to survive, while corrupt officials easily rise to power. Merchants, in order to survive, will inevitably collude with officials."

"Officials who wish to protect themselves must accept the patronage of merchants. Over time, this creates a deeply entrenched and unbreakable network."

"Even if Your Majesty is wise, killing a few merchants and dismissing a few officials will only lead to a change of personnel and the same old path being followed."

As he wrote this, Chen Zhiyuan felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He knew that Zhu Youjian might not like to hear what he had just said.

The emperor wanted to "cut the Gordian knot" and arrest a few unscrupulous merchants and corrupt officials to demonstrate his power.

But he told him: the problem lies in the system and the structure, and cannot be solved by killing a few people.

But he had to write.

Chen Zhiyuan is now a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, a sixth-rank official.

According to the system, they had the right to submit memorials to the emperor, but not the responsibility to handle practical matters.

His words could reach the Emperor directly, but whether they could be implemented depended entirely on the Emperor's decision and the execution by the various departments.

This was originally intended to encourage open discussion.

However, due to long-standing problems, it has already become corrupted.

Officials prioritized submitting memorials, valuing elegant writing and strong language, while the feasibility and evidence of their proposals were secondary.

Because the person who submits the memorial is not held responsible, and someone else carries it out.

The emperor reviewed hundreds of memorials every day, seven or eight out of ten of which were empty talk, mutual attacks, or praise and flattery.

Those who discuss border affairs have mostly never actually been to the border.

Those who discussed money and grain often did not check the account books.

Those who discuss people's livelihoods often fail to delve into the villages and towns.

Even if His Majesty worked day and night to read through each of these memorials, all he would get were empty words on paper, castles in the air.

Thinking of this, Chen Zhiyuan felt a surge of sorrow.

This is the Ming Dynasty.

A colossal entity that merely circulates empty documents.

The emperor thought that diligently reviewing memorials was being diligent in his duties, and officials thought that submitting memorials was fulfilling their responsibilities.

No one really cares whether those words correspond to the real country and the real people.

Chen Zhiyuan also knew that some things, no matter how clearly one sees them, cannot be spoken of or reported.

For example, in the military.

Even if you know that there will be war in a certain place, that the defenses of a certain place are weak, or that a certain general is not up to the task, you cannot speak out directly.

Since he was neither an official of the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs nor a military commander, his presumptuous remarks on military affairs constituted overstepping his authority.

Even if everything he said is true, he cannot escape the charge of "interfering in military affairs".

Moreover... the emperor might not believe it.

This is the truth, and it's also a helpless situation.

Chen Zhiyuan knew the course of history.

He knew that Shaanxi would suffer a severe drought in the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, that Kong Youde would betray the Ming dynasty and surrender to the Qing in the sixth year of the Chongzhen reign, that Lu Xiangshan would die in battle in the eleventh year of the Chongzhen reign, and that the main force of the Ming army would be annihilated in the Battle of Songjin in the fourteenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

But he couldn't say.

To say that would be spreading rumors and misleading the public, and would be seen as having ulterior motives.

Given Zhu Youjian's suspicious nature, he could easily condemn him to eternal damnation.

Therefore, what I am writing today is limited to an analysis of the border trade system.

Chen Zhiyuan signed and affixed his seal at the end of the memorial, then placed it in a yellow silk envelope and sealed it with sealing wax.

He knew that submitting this memorial would make his situation even more precarious.

Zhu Youjian would be annoyed by his lack of appreciation, the cabinet ministers would think he was meddling, and those officials who had connections with Shanxi merchants would regard him as a mortal enemy.

But he still went to deliver it.

Afternoon at the Office of General Affairs

In front of the Office of Transmission, the old clerk's hand trembled even more than last time when he received Chen Zhiyuan's memorial.

"Chen...Chen Xiuzhuan," the old official said in a low voice.

"The news about yesterday's platform has spread throughout all six departments. And what are you doing here...?"

"His Majesty has ordered me to read more history and compile more history," Chen Zhiyuan said calmly. "This memorial is based on my reading of history, analyzing the drawbacks of the border trade system, and is my duty as a compiler."

The old official glanced at the title on the envelope—"Memorial on Rectifying Border Trade"—sighed, and wrote it down in the register.

"At 3:45 PM on the 19th of March, Chen Zhiyuan, a compiler of the Hanlin Academy, presented a memorial entitled 'On the Rectification of Border Trade,' which consisted of eighteen pages."

Chen Zhiyuan bowed and left.

As I walked out of the Office of Transmission, the spring sun was shining brightly.

The memorial was delivered to the Directorate of Ceremonial at the beginning of the Shen hour (3-5 PM).

When the chief eunuch Wang Chengen saw the inscription, his brows furrowed.

He hesitated for a moment, but still put it into the box to be presented to the emperor today—after all, Chen Zhiyuan was a compiler personally promoted by His Majesty, and his memorials could not be intercepted.

At 2:45 PM, Zhu Youjian finished reviewing the Ministry of War's memorial regarding the suppression of bandits in Shanxi, and wearily rubbed his temples.

Wang Chengen presented the box at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, there are a few more memorials today. Do you wish to...?"

"Give it to me." Zhu Youjian reached out his hand.

He first looked at two copies, both of which were trivial greetings.

The third document is Chen Zhiyuan's "Memorial on Rectifying Border Trade".

Upon seeing the inscription, Zhu Youjian's face instantly darkened.

"Chen Zhiyuan..."

He murmured the name softly, his tone complex.

He was promoted just yesterday, allowing him to "focus on compiling history," and today he has already submitted another memorial.

Is this person tactless or deliberately provoking?

Zhu Youjian originally intended to leave it unread, but for some inexplicable reason, he still opened the sealing wax.

The opening is acceptable; it's just a typical analysis of border trade.

But the more he read, the more serious his expression became.

When he read the line "The immense wealth of Shanxi merchants did not rely on the regular trade of tea and cloth, but must have come from other sources," he frowned.

When he read the line "Sulfur, saltpeter, and pig iron can be sold for a hundred taels of silver after leaving the pass," his fingers tightened.

When he read the line, "Without the support of the court, once the incident is exposed, the family will be destroyed and the people will die in an instant," he breathed heavily.

When Zhu Youjian read the passages such as "Officials' salaries are meager, so they have to seek rent; performance evaluations are inaccurate, and officials are perfunctory; channels for communication are chaotic, and people form cliques to protect themselves," he slammed the memorial on his desk!

"presumptuous!"

Wang Chengen was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground.

Zhu Youjian's chest heaved, his eyes burning with rage.

What is Chen Zhiyuan criticizing?

Criticizing the imperial system?

To criticize him as an emperor for his incompetence in governing the country?

He really wanted to issue an imperial edict immediately to dismiss Chen Zhiyuan from his post and arrest him!

But... he forced himself to calm down, picked up the memorial again, and continued reading.

"Therefore, I believe that the problems of Shanxi merchants are not merely due to the merchants' lack of integrity, nor to the corruption of officials. Rather, they are caused by the system itself..."

"Under this system, honest officials are hard to find, while corrupt officials are easy to rise..."

"Even if Your Majesty is wise, killing a few merchants and dismissing a few officials will only result in replacing them with a new batch of people, repeating the same old mistakes..."

Every word pierced Zhu Youjian's heart like a needle.

How can we lightly alter the established laws of our ancestors?

How can it be implemented if all officials oppose it?

With the national treasury empty, how can salaries be increased?

He gets up at the crack of dawn every day, reviews memorials until late at night, severely punishes corruption, and lives frugally. Isn't all this in order to rectify officialdom and revitalize the Ming Dynasty?

But Chen Zhiyuan told him: What you've done is just superficial.

The real problem lies in the system, and you can't change it.