Chapter 106: The Utterly Loyal Kong Yinzhi

Kong Yinzhi truly felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. Cold sweat poured out of him like a patient suffering from exhaustion.

He was completely terrified!

He was a smart man!

If he wasn’t smart, how could he have written that grand piece praising a prosperous age across the eight directions?

When Li Zicheng’s army had not yet reached Qufu, he was the first to set up a memorial tablet wishing the Shuntian Son of Heaven ten thousand years. When the Jiannu arrived, he did not hesitate to shout ‘prosperous age across the eight directions’. When the hair-shaving order was issued, and the entire city of Jiangyin decided to fight to the death to defend the Hua Xia attire, he was the first to petition to shave his own head.

He was a truly smart man!

His various actions during the bloody, war-torn years of the Great Ming had all proven his intelligence…

Of course, integrity was another topic altogether.

The moment Yang Xin spoke these words, Kong Yinzhi immediately understood that the Kong family faced a genuine life-or-death crisis. Although the Kong family was still far from the Pope that Yang Xin spoke of, many parts already matched. The Kong family had de facto fiefs. Confucian Temples worshiped their ancestors all over the Great Ming. Their ancestor’s believers controlled the state. Although the Kongs had no coronation authority, successive rulers sought their recognition of sovereignty. One could say the Kong family was a low-spec version. Though the gap was significant, the Kong family was the only one with the potential to become a Pope-like figure. Whether they wanted it or not was unimportant; what mattered was whether they had such potential.

Having this potential was enough.

For an emperor, having this potential meant his descendants might ultimately be controlled.

Likewise, having this potential, this possibility, gave an emperor a reason to strike first. Then, no matter what Wanli did, the Kong family’s misfortune would begin.

“This… this is rather novel!” he said, wiping his cold sweat.

“His Majesty also found it quite novel. Of course, I’m telling this story without any ulterior motive, just for entertainment, like listening to an opera. Although this opera is true, and His Majesty wants to learn more about Western matters, he has already sent people to Macau to find those Red-Haired Barbarians,” Yang Xin said, raising his wine cup.

Kong Yinzhi wiped his cold sweat again.

Then, trembling, he raised his wine cup and absentmindedly clinked it with Yang Xin’s. His hand shook so badly that the cup fell.

“Ah, Brother Duihuan is so careless. Are you having some wild thoughts?” Yang Xin said with a smile.

Kong Yinzhi suddenly pushed the beautiful maidservant away, stood up abruptly, and then threw himself at Yang Xin’s feet, banging his head hard on the floor…

“Righteous Yang, I beg you to save my entire Kong family! My Kong family has never had any improper ambitions. We only wish to be wealthy gentlemen relying on our ancestor’s legacy. The Kong family is utterly loyal to the Great Ming and to His Majesty. We have never thought of anything else. Everything the Kong family has is bestowed by His Majesty. How could we dare be disloyal to His Majesty!” he wailed.

“But others don’t think that way!” Yang Xin did not help him up. Bullying Kong Yinzhi was a very pleasant thing for him.

“His Majesty does trust the Kong family. He believes the Duke Yansheng has no improper ambitions. But you are not the only Confucian scholars in the world. In fact, Confucian scholars have always tried to resist imperial power. Aren’t there plenty of instances where people held your ancestor’s tablets to storm government offices and defy His Majesty’s Imperial Edicts all over the place? Previously, just because the Imperial Guard didn’t give way, scholars in the Capital City dared to weep at the Confucian Temple to demonstrate against His Majesty. Your Kong family truly doesn’t want to usurp imperial power, but the Confucian scholars have already de facto usurped it.

Will they stop there?

They will not.

They will continue to fight against imperial power, step by step suppressing it, ultimately placing Confucianism above the imperial family. Then they will need a banner, a symbol for Confucianism.

Who else is more suitable than you?

Yellow robes forced upon one!” he said with a cold laugh.

Kong Yinzhi, lying on the floor, quickly pulled out a large handful of Silver Notes and stuffed them into Yang Xin’s embrace.

“Righteous Yang, please show me a way out!” he said resolutely.

“A way out? There might just be one!” Yang Xin said, counting the Silver Notes.

“Liaodong is in peril, the court’s finances are tight. As the leader of civil officials, the Duke Yansheng naturally shouldn’t stand idly by. You should know, even those feudal princes are donating money to the court,” he continued.

The feudal princes indeed had made donations.

“The Kong family will donate. How about one hundred thousand taels?” Kong Yinzhi said.

Kong Shangxian was too old and hardly handled affairs anymore. Kong Yinzhi effectively managed the Kong family. One hundred thousand taels wasn’t a huge sum. Their family had over two hundred thousand mu of tax-exempt Sacrificial Land, but in these times, everyone had large amounts of hidden land. Even he probably didn’t know exactly how much land the Kong family truly owned. After all, the County Magistrate of Qufu was from their family, and no one would dare investigate. Moreover, commercial taxes within Qufu city actually went to their family. Doing business meant paying taxes to them, and this had been going on for centuries. They themselves had lost count of the accumulated wealth. Additionally, there were salaries and constant annual rewards from the court.

Even the reconstruction of the Kong Mansion after the last fire was paid for by the court.

One hundred thousand taels was truly nothing.

“That should be about right. Any more, and it might seem like your Kong family is as rich as the state itself,” Yang Xin said thoughtfully.

“Plus three years of salary!” Kong Yinzhi added immediately.

Yang Xin nodded.

This figure satisfied Wanli as well. Wanli’s simplest aim in sending him was to extort money. This Great Ming emperor truly loved silver the most. Saying Wanli was greedy was not wrong; he was greedy because the silver in the Imperial Treasury allowed him to escape the control of the civil officials to the greatest extent. The civil officials controlled him through the Ministry of Revenue’s financial authority.

One hundred thousand taels was already a lot. By the time he died, he had only saved seven million for his descendants.

But at this time, the Great Ming emperor was truly poor. At least, Wanli was definitely not the richest person in the Great Ming. Although Zheng Zhilong had not yet risen, what Chen Zilong said about the Yangzhou Salt Merchants having assets of thirty million and annual profits of nine million was from this era. This meant that the silver accumulated by the Great Ming emperor over half a century was less than the annual profits of those salt merchants.

And yet, the Tax Supervisors and mining supervisors stirred up public resentment.

“Also, our Great Ming values both civil and military affairs. That is the correct principle. Confucian Temples are everywhere in the world, but there is not a single Martial Temple. No wonder people say Confucianism is too powerful,” he continued.

“The Duke Yansheng will petition to re-establish the Martial Temple!” Kong Yinzhi said without hesitation.

“But who should be enshrined?” Yang Xin asked.

“Joint worship of Guan Yu and Yue Fei?” Kong Yinzhi suggested.

He naturally knew what had happened in the Capital City. The founding of the Great Ming had abolished the Martial Temple, meaning Jiang Ziya could no longer be the patron. Zhu Yuanzhang abolished it, so later descendants certainly couldn’t re-establish him. Before Wanli, he had canonized Guan Yu and Yue Fei as saints. If a Martial Saint was to be established, it would be them. Moreover, the construction of the Yue Fei Temple had already begun. The Capital City already had temples for both Guan Yu and Yue Fei; other places could simply have joint worship. Most places already had one of the two. Now it was just a matter of adding another statue, and then Martial Temples would exist all over the Great Ming.

This project was easy to manage.

“Furthermore, once the Martial Temple is established, people must worship there. It’s best if the Duke Yansheng takes the lead, calling upon all scholars and civil officials in the world to worship at the Martial Temple!” Yang Xin said.

“Brother Yang, what do you mean?” Kong Yinzhi asked.

“Of course, it means the Duke Yansheng must go to the Capital City to worship the two saints, Guan Yu and Yue Fei. If even the Duke Yansheng worships them, then all Confucian scholars in the world naturally must also worship them. It’s best if the Duke Yansheng also petitions for a system, for example, requiring local officials, especially educational officials, to take Government Students to worship at the Martial Temple once a year.

Only then can it be shown that the Great Ming values both civil and military affairs, not venerating Confucianism alone.

This will also silence the multitude of critics.

If the Kong Mansion’s library still has some books from other schools of thought, it wouldn’t hurt to publish them.

The Kong family’s status will not be shaken. We all understand why Confucianism alone is revered. But the current problem is that those Confucian scholars are a bit spoiled by favor, thinking their status is not due to His Majesty’s reverence for Confucianism, but that they inherently deserve this status. Therefore, they need to be made to understand that Confucianism is not the only school in the world. Only the Kong family can truly make this effective. As long as you can make those Confucian scholars understand that both the Kong family and Confucianism must obediently remain under the imperial family, then His Majesty will be at ease,” Yang Xin said.

The Kong family certainly had these books.

Their family library was second only to the Yongle Encyclopedia collection.

“Yinzhi understands!” Kong Yinzhi said straightforwardly.

“Huh, Brother Duihuan is really a straightforward man!” Yang Xin said, surprised.

“Righteous Yang, my Kong family has stood for a thousand years by relying on one word: loyalty. When it comes to matters of loyalty to His Majesty, the Kong family has absolutely no objections,” Kong Yinzhi said righteously.

His words were like those of a scoundrel who changed girlfriends every month, swearing he had loved each one. Hadn’t his family stood for a thousand years precisely by kneeling to whoever came? In that sense, they did rely on ‘loyalty’—they declared loyalty to whoever arrived, no matter who it was. Whoever attacked, they would show loyalty.

“It’s just that the Duke Yansheng is old and frail…” he then said hesitantly.

“The Yue Fei Temple has not been completed yet. Wait until the Grand Canal reopens and then take a boat to the Capital City!” Yang Xin said.

He didn’t care about this. It had to be the Duke Yansheng worshipping at the Yue Fei Temple. Even if this Duke Yansheng was seventy-nine, he must travel a thousand li to the Capital City.

Kong Yinzhi had nothing more to say.

He didn’t care if his uncle died on the way. If his uncle died, he would just inherit the title.

He then took his leave. As soon as he left, Xu Xianchun entered.

Yang Xin immediately showed him the stack of Silver Notes.

“Brother Yang, how can you do this to His Majesty? His Majesty sent us to see if the Duke Yansheng had disloyal thoughts. How can a subject act like this? As a member of the Imperial Guard, how can Xu allow this?” Xu Xianchun said righteously.

Having said that, he turned, pushed the door open, and left with a look of great anger.

The two beautiful maidservants looked at each other and silently began clearing the table. One of them instructed the little maid who came in to clean up and then left directly. Then servants brought in bathwater, even sprinkling it with petals—though they were dry—while the other little beautiful maidservant walked gently to Yang Xin’s side…

“Some people really don’t know how to behave!” Yang Xin said disdainfully.

The little beautiful maidservant certainly knew how to behave. She smiled gently and then began to loosen Righteous Yang’s clothes…