Chapter 136: This Emperor Is No Easy Mark
Chapter 136: This Emperor Is No Easy Mark
“You need not defend yourself for this matter, Minister Yang. I already know of your loyalty!”
Tianqi said, looking at Yang Lian.
Yang Lian kept his head lowered, while many of the ministers behind him showed expressions of surprise.
These were a bunch of old foxes. Clearly, they now realized that their understanding of this half-grown boy, who was said to only enjoy tinkering with strange crafts and frivolous tricks within the palace, was clearly somewhat inadequate.
These were not words that could be spoken by an unlearned and unskilled youth.
“However, Minister Yang, you have misunderstood. It was merely that I was too grief-stricken and wished to see no one for a time. After all, I am young of age. Having suffered great bereavements within a single month, I was somewhat distraught and afraid of being discourteous to all of you. Therefore, I stayed alone in the warm chamber, wishing for some quiet. Concubine Li has cared for me for nearly two years now, like a mother to me. How could she possibly hide me away? No one hid me. It was all because servants like Wei Jinzhong were too foolish and did not explain matters clearly to all of you at the time, leading to this misunderstanding.”
He continued.
As he said the words ‘young of age,’ the corner of His Majesty the Emperor’s mouth clearly held a sneer.
Yang Lian still kept his head lowered and did not speak, but some among those ministers already showed unease. Clearly, this Young Emperor was not only surprising, but he was also no easy mark. At the very least, he was not what they had hoped for—someone easy to control. And Wang An looked especially pale. He was different from these ministers. For an emperor to want to kill a minister was not so easy. It required concrete charges, consideration of consequences, and especially for civil officials, consideration of public opinion among the scholars of the realm. But killing a household servant did not require that. If one wished, even without charges, they could be ordered to death. Eunuchs were the emperor’s household servants.
Truly, their lives and deaths could be decided at will.
Before the entire Qianqing Palace, a somber silence fell, the atmosphere growing increasingly tense.
“A misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding!”
The Duke of Yingguo suddenly stepped forward and said with a forced laugh.
Yet no one paid him any heed.
He retreated a step with another forced laugh.
“As for Yang Tongzhi…”
Tianqi likewise paid him no mind and instead turned to look at Yang Xin.
Yang Xin quickly bowed in respect.
“As for Yang Tongzhi’s accusation against Minister Yang, that too was a misunderstanding. Minister Yang is a minister entrusted by the Deceased Emperor. That day, the Deceased Emperor took my hand and told me that Minister Yang and all of you were loyal subjects, all worthy ministers I could trust and rely upon. How could they possibly coerce me? Yang Tongzhi was previously in Liaodong and had only just returned to the Capital City, unaware of this. A momentary misunderstanding is understandable. Ministers Yang, Liu, Zuo, and others are all loyal subjects. They are loyal subjects of the Great Ming, my loyal subjects. Let us speak no more of this coercion.”
He went on.
“Ah… it seems it indeed was my misunderstanding. I shall later apologize to Minister Yang of the Censorate!”
Yang Xin quickly said with a smile.
Tianqi nodded, then immediately shifted his gaze to those ministers who were as silent as cicadas in winter.
The latter truly were as silent as cicadas in winter. This Young Emperor handled matters one by one with clear familiarity. This was no ignorant youth who only knew how to play with strange crafts and frivolous toys, who hardly read any books. This was clearly another Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Now there was big trouble.
The High-ranking Officials of the Great Ming did not like such an emperor.
Especially since this emperor also had a fierce and brutal talon. After all, his friendship with Yang Xin was well-known.
“As for where I should stay…”
Tianqi paused.
“Although taking up residence in the Eastern Palace first would be in accordance with proper rites and laws, the coffin of the Late Emperor is here in the Qianqing Palace. I, as his son, should prioritize filial piety. To abandon the coffin and depart would ultimately violate filial duty. I shall remain here to keep vigil for the Deceased Emperor. As for matters outside, I shall entrust them to all of you. Once all of you have selected an auspicious day and the Coronation Ceremony has been held, I shall formally attend court. Furthermore, Grand Secretary Fang is a senior minister of three reigns and the Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat. Let all of you still take Grand Secretary Fang as your leader. The official positions of others remain unchanged.”
He continued immediately.
“Your Majesty…”
Liu Yijing still wanted to say something.
“Grand Secretary Liu, do you wish His Majesty to bear the name of being unfilial?”
Fang Congzhe, who had remained silent until now, spoke.
Liu Yijing fell silent.
A single ‘filial piety’ sealed their mouths.
And Tianqi did not even look at him again, nor did he look at those ministers again. His Majesty the Emperor walked straight towards the main door of the grand hall…
“Yang Xin, you have yet to pay respects to the Deceased Emperor!”
He said.
“We, your servants, deserve death!”
Yang Xin hurriedly said.
Immediately, he stepped forward, and Xu Xianchun and the other followed. The three walked directly into the grand hall under the profound gazes of those ministers. Afterwards, Nine Thousand Years Old also followed them in. Just before entering, Nine Thousand Years Old deliberately glanced at the somewhat dispirited Wang An, then arrogantly shook his head before entering the hall. The ministers outside looked at each other, especially Yang Lian and the others, whose expressions were already very grim. Clearly, they had lost. Amid this eerie silence, Fang Congzhe took a deep breath and straightened his back, which had been bent all this while.
“Gentlemen, it is time to attend to proper matters!”
He said.
Having said that, he walked straight out.
Huang Kechan and others immediately followed behind him.
Zhang Weixian and Luo Sigong looked at Yang Lian and the others, then also followed behind Fang Congzhe and the rest.
In the end, only a bunch of the Donglin Faction remained, communicating with their eyes. But soon, led by Yang Lian, they too departed.
Finally, only Wang An remained.
He still stood there in silence…
“This old slave dares to treat me like a child!”
Tianqi angrily said from upstairs, looking at him.
Ah, the Qianqing Palace was actually a two-story building, though people’s usual impression was just that splendid and magnificent grand hall. But in reality, above this great hall was another level, and on this level were many rooms akin to secret chambers. After entering the hall and paying his respects to Zhu Changluo, Yang Xin was immediately taken by Tianqi into his study here. Xu Xianchun and the other, of course, remained below. Here were only him, Tianqi, and Nine Thousand Years Old. Even Concubine Li and Lady Ke were downstairs.
“If he should be killed, then kill him!”
Yang Xin said bluntly.
“Let us wait until this period passes. After all, he served the Deceased Emperor for many years. It would be improper for me, upon succeeding the throne, to kill such an old servant of the palace immediately. First wait until the Coronation Ceremony is completed. Then we can throw him into Nanhai Park. After some time, we can find a charge and have him directly executed. Speaking of which, if not for you today, I truly would have had to swallow this anger. Those dogs, each more arrogant than the last. In their eyes, what kind of emperor am I? Simply a puppet for them to manipulate at will. Especially that Yang Lian. That day, the Deceased Emperor took my hand and entrusted me to him. And this is how he treats me? How does he face the spirit of the Deceased Emperor in heaven?
In time, I will kill him too!
And that Luo Sigong, as Commander of the Imperial Guards, he is not even as good as Xu Xianchun.
When not at a critical juncture, one truly does not know there are so many heartless, ungrateful ones. Each usually puts on the appearance of a dignified gentleman, a loyal subject and righteous person. But at a critical moment, their true natures are all revealed.
The coffin of the Deceased Emperor was right before them!
They dragged me out by force, as if dragging a prisoner!
And they still have the face to call themselves loyal ministers?
I am actually curious—why are they so frantic?”
Tianqi said.
Clearly, the bellyful of anger he had been holding back could finally be poured out to someone.
Although for most of the past year or more, Yang Xin had not been in the Capital City, the notes he wrote had never stopped being sent to Tianqi. Even when in Liaodong, it was the same. They were simply sent to Xu Guangqi, who then passed them to Tianqi. Old Xu was already a Junior Supervisor of the Household of the Heir Apparent; he was an official of the Crown Prince’s establishment. So, in terms of perspective, this Tianqi probably far surpassed those ministers. It was just that he was young and still lacked the cunning and scheming talent of those old foxes. But in terms of intelligence, he was definitely clever enough.
After all, the benefits of a broad perspective were obvious.
“It’s probably because Ye Xianggao hasn’t arrived yet?”
Yang Xin said.
“They are all of the Donglin Faction. After the Deceased Emperor succeeded to the throne, he appointed a bunch of Donglin members. But the Chief Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat was still Grand Secretary Fang. Although Liu Yijing entered the Grand Secretariat, he was ultimately far inferior to Grand Secretary Fang and could not truly allow the Donglin to control the Grand Secretariat. The only one who could surpass Grand Secretary Fang in terms of seniority and prestige was Ye Xianggao. But the Deceased Emperor passed away too early. Although an Imperial Edict had already been issued summoning Ye Xianggao to the Capital City, Ye Xianggao had not yet set out on his journey. And Grand Secretary Fang’s position as Chief Grand Secretary remained unchanged. They were afraid that during this period, His Majesty would be controlled by Grand Secretary Fang. Then, with just one Imperial Edict, Ye Xianggao could be made to stay in his hometown. Therefore, they acted preemptively to seize control of His Majesty.”
He continued immediately.
“It’s that simple?”
Tianqi said, finding it hard to believe.
“It probably is that simple. The goal of the Donglin Faction is to form a Grand Secretariat under their control. Deputy Chief Grand Secretary Liu Yijing is their man. Han Kuang can also be considered one. Then, as long as they can replace Grand Secretary Fang with Ye Xianggao, they completely control the Grand Secretariat. And with Zuo Guangdou in the Censorate, and Yang Lian in the Six Offices of Scrutiny, the Grand Secretariat, the Offices of Scrutiny, and the Censorate Office are all in their hands. Basically, the court would be run by them. Then, step by step, they would replace other non-Donglin-affiliated ministers and provincial governors with their own people. What Your Majesty could do would only be to rule from the throne in the Imperial Palace. This is ultimately their goal.
The Son of Heaven rules from the throne, while his ministers handle affairs below.
Or one could also say, the Son of Heaven serves as a figurehead, and the ministers below call the shots.
This is what the Confucian ideal state looks like. If the Donglin Faction has any ideals, this should be their ultimate ideal. Of course, such talk of ideals is just talk. In the end, it still comes down to silver.
By controlling the court, they can formulate policies favorable to them.
Such as granting more privileges to the Gentry, lower taxes for merchants, no more Mining Supervisors or Tax Supervisors, the lower the tariffs on overseas trade, the better. As for insufficient court finances, they can reduce the stipends of the imperial clan, cut Imperial Household expenses, and add more taxes on the peasants. In short, they must not harm the Gentry to benefit the state; they must harm the state to benefit the Gentry, especially the Gentry of Southern Zhili and the Jiangsu-Zhejiang region. They live in luxury, eating hundreds of sheep in a single meal is fine, drinking millions of bushels of grain in wine each year is fine.
But the court must not collect an extra ounce of silver in taxes from them.”
Yang Xin said with a smile.
“Hmph, if that’s the case, then Ye Xianggao need not come. Send an Imperial Edict to Grand Secretary Fang. Ye Xianggao is old; it would be unfortunate if something happened to him on the road. Let him continue his retirement at home!”
Tianqi said with a cold laugh.