usatvline Chapter 7: Are we going to do that kind of thing again?
Chapter 7: Are we going to do that kind of thing again?
Nine thousand years old!
Nine thousand nine hundred years old!
Having been in this world for over a year, I can now directly feel Wei Zhongxian's influence. Even though Zhu Ming has used his historical knowledge from his previous life to suppress him, the power that this "Nine Thousand Years Old" of the Ming Dynasty has cultivated over five years has become deeply entrenched in the court and among the people.
Zhu Ming sat on a stone bench in the pavilion, in front of a rosewood chess table. On the table was a small rosewood box with intricate carvings, and several memorials were spread out. He looked at the memorials while thinking about something.
With the Later Jin still eyeing them covetously, their cavalry like wolves on the grasslands, poised to pounce on the Guan-Ning defense line at any moment; how could he collect more commercial taxes to replenish the Liaodong army's pay in time?
They wanted to expand the arsenal, extend the production lines, and continuously improve the gunpowder, shells, muskets, landmines, and naval mines. How could they ensure a steady supply of raw materials to the capital? How could they guarantee that the manufacturing processes wouldn't be leaked?
They dreamed of wielding power over the world and of the deadly factional struggles in the court. Even though the Ming Dynasty began to suppress the Donglin Party's nonsensical and misleading policies, the criticisms from those literati continued unabated, and they seemed to enjoy it!
I still think of the widespread famine at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the natural disasters and epidemics that would last for more than a decade...
This is truly—
Commercial taxes were meager, the Liaodong military pay was scorching, the treasury was empty as if washed, and officials were like crocodiles.
Tax collection is difficult, people struggle to survive; a single tax collection order can lead to countless families facing violence.
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
The struggle for power is vicious; civil and military officials clash, turning the imperial court into a den of wolves and jackals.
The eunuch faction is tyrannical, and the treacherous officials are outspoken; behind nine layers of cloud-like curtains, there is only a single curtain.
No! No! No!
Zhu Ming smiled slightly, lamenting that ruling a household was as difficult as ascending to heaven. After a long while, he closed the Donglin Party's memorial and placed it on the table.
Then, he picked up the teacup, slowly lifted the lid, and glanced down at it—the tea soup was golden yellow, and the aroma was delicate.
Today, the Six Gentlemen of Donglin are still imprisoned in the imperial prison. Although the Seven Gentlemen of the Later Period have been recalled by him, the eunuch faction still holds absolute power in the court!
The Donglin Party's current memorials are partly out of genuine desire to impeach Wei Zhongxian, and partly to test what Zhu Ming really wants.
What do you want?
Knowing the course of history, Zhu Ming sometimes wondered the heavens in bewilderment: Why did I travel to the end of the Ming Dynasty?
As a holder of a national ID number, a Nobel Prize contender, an outstanding product of years of compulsory education, a lifelong beneficiary of the "996 blessing," a newly minted UP master in the military technology section of a certain platform with 800 followers, a daily observer in the field of human body science on a certain TikTok, and a self-disciplined saint of fitness with 360-degree check-in...
So outstanding!
Zhu Ming felt he was too outstanding, so he quit his job and then rewarded himself with a trip to Beijing at his own expense!
After visiting the Forbidden City, I ended up going to Beihai Park by chance, where I ran into a jerk who was dressed in the style of the Qing Dynasty.
This inhuman guy, with a long, shaggy tail, was spewing vulgarities at several young ladies dressed in Hanfu.
Zhu Ming couldn't stand it and went over to argue with him, but the guy couldn't win the argument and tried to fight. Zhu Ming countered with a Wing Chun Bajiquan combo and beat him up twice.
Who knew that the guy, after being beaten so badly, would go berserk and, in his resentment, push a bystander who was watching the commotion into the lake.
He couldn't take it anymore, so he kicked the guy into the water and then jumped in to save him.
After rescuing the person from the water several times, he planned to leave without leaving a trace, leaving behind a touching story of Lei Feng doing good deeds anonymously. However, he ended up discovering that he had actually traveled to the Ming Dynasty and become Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Youxiao!
This is truly a terrible tragedy!
Could this be a test set by the Party and the people... by our five thousand years of Chinese civilization and our ancestors for someone as outstanding as ourselves?
Just then, Wei Zhongxian strode over from the other end of the corridor, wearing a python robe and jade belt. His steps were light and agile. Although he was over fifty years old, he still walked with the nimbleness he had developed in the marketplace in his early years.
He stopped outside the pavilion in the Imperial Garden, bowed, and glanced at the cover of the memorial on the stone table out of the corner of his eye.
Another impeachment petition against him?
Wei Zhongxian's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless.
He then knelt down and bowed, his voice perfectly respectful: "This old servant greets Your Majesty."
"Oh! It's Your Highness, the Ninth Prince!"
Zhu Ming put down his teacup, his lazy gaze passing over the rim and landing on Wei Zhongxian's lowered brows. A slight smile played on his lips as he spoke in a nonchalant tone.
Wei Zhongxian felt a chill run down his spine.
Nine thousand years old!
Another new name!
Ever since Zhu Ming fell into the water, every time his name has been changed, something bad has happened!
He was now all too aware of the unusual nature of this title; it was a title his men used in private, one he never dared to mention in front of Zhu Ming.
If that's the case, then what follows might be even harder to respond to!
After all, immediately after the Wanggongchang explosion, he took out 30,000 taels of silver from his private treasury and sent people to provide relief to the victims.
Food and medicine were being sent to the disaster area, truckload after truckload.
But he didn't expect the people's reaction to be even more enthusiastic than he had anticipated.
It's unclear who started it, but the disaster victims were made to kneel on the ruins, kowtow towards the direction of the imperial city, and shout "Long live the Emperor!" followed by "Long live the Emperor!"
For a time, Wei Zhongxian's fame even surpassed that of Emperor Tianqi (Zhu Ming) who personally visited the disaster area to comfort the people.
In some places, local gentry have begun to arrange for the construction of a shrine in his honor, to have his merits inscribed on a stone tablet so that his name may be remembered for generations to come.
When the news reached his ears, he was first smug, then wary, and finally terrified.
Because if the news can reach his ears, it will definitely reach Zhu Ming's ears.
Moreover, he donated another 30,000 during the imperial fundraising campaign.
Damn! Doing good deeds overshadows the boss – that's a major taboo in the workplace!
"This old servant dares not," Wei Zhongxian said, bowing his head silently and speaking in a low voice.
"You dare not?" Zhu Ming pushed one of the memorials on the table forward. "The memorial from Pan Ruzhen, the governor of Zhejiang, is already on my desk! What? You didn't know?"
Wei Zhongxian raised his head and his gaze fell on the document.
His heart skipped a third beat.
Then he knelt down with a thud, the sound of his knees hitting the floor tiles was muffled.
Pan Ruzhen, the governor of Zhejiang, a high-ranking official whom he had personally promoted, actually submitted a memorial to the throne, openly requesting that a shrine be built in his honor by West Lake.
He had shown the memorial to the emperor, and it was written in a flowery style, praising him to the skies. For a moment, he was also overjoyed!
So, the matter of the disaster victims kowtowing and the matter of the shrine, adding 30,000 taels to 30,000 taels makes it a matter of 90,000 taels, but it's not a good thing when it all comes together!
What is the purpose of a minister having a shrine built in the local area, where he is worshipped by the people? Is he trying to ascend to heaven and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun?
"Your Majesty, please be wise! This old servant is utterly loyal to Your Majesty, as clear as day! It's all that scoundrel Pan Ruzhen's fault..."
Wei Zhongxian spoke quickly and urgently, as if afraid that Zhu Ming would not let him finish, "That fellow Pan Ruzhen has always liked to act on his own initiative and has no sense of propriety. If Your Majesty feels it is inappropriate, this old servant will make him suppress those messy ideas."
Zhu Ming found Wei Zhongxian's predicament amusing.
As a transmigrator of exceptional talent, anyone familiar with history knows how the Donglin Party members would react after news of Wei Zhongxian building a shrine to him reached the imperial court.
Zhou Qiyuan will definitely submit a memorial, Gao Panlong will definitely submit a memorial... They will vilify Wei Zhongxian in their memorials, and then they will conflate Wei Zhongxian with him in their criticism!
They keep repeating the same old arguments: "Zhongxian led the emperor astray" and "Zhongxian's evil deeds are Your Majesty's fault."
Their criticism of Wei Zhongxian was merely a means to an end; their true aim was to criticize Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty.
The fact that Wei Zhongxian built a shrine to his living relatives is absurd enough, but they insist on linking it to the emperor's mistakes, as if Wei Zhongxian wouldn't have dared to build the shrine without the emperor's indulgence.
This logic isn't entirely wrong, but it has a problem: while it's criticizing Wei Zhongxian, it's also slapping Emperor Zhu Ming in the face.
As a time traveler, Zhu Ming thought he was shameless enough, but being scolded like this every day was not an option.
Therefore, he cannot let this matter escalate.
If this blows up, the Donglin Party members will have a ready-made handle to rightfully attack him for condoning the eunuch faction.
If he were to punish Wei Zhongxian, it would be exactly what the Donglin Party wanted; if he were not to punish him, it would confirm his tolerance of the eunuch faction.
Therefore, Zhu Ming needed to intervene, but he had to do it just right, neither giving the Donglin Party any opportunity to take advantage of the situation nor making Wei Zhongxian too embarrassed, and he also needed to curb the expansion of the eunuch faction once again.
As for the title "Nine Thousand Years Old," it cannot be retained.
There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a country. If you are called "Nine Thousand Years Old," then what about his "Ten Thousand Years Old" title?
"Your Excellency, humph! I've collected hundreds of memorials impeaching you, and kept them all in the central government. I know all about the money you embezzled and the people you promoted," Zhu Ming's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "However, the matter of building a shrine to the living is over."
Wei Zhongxian pressed his forehead to the ground, not daring to utter a sound.
"I ask you, is there any precedent in our dynasty for eunuchs building shrines in their honor? Going back two hundred years, the eunuch Zheng He, the Three Treasures Eunuch, sailed to the Western Ocean, displaying the nation's power across thousands of miles. How do his achievements compare to yours? Did he build one?"
Wei Zhongxian's back stiffened.
"No," Zhu Ming answered for him. "Even Zheng He didn't build it, why would you?"
Then Zhu Ming paused, and his tone suddenly changed, becoming meaningful.
"The Donglin Party members were just looking for something to do with you, and you've handed them the knife. They criticize you for building a shrine to live on, and incidentally, they criticize me for condoning the eunuch faction. Do you think my life is too comfortable? Or have you not written enough of a self-reproach edict?"
Wei Zhongxian's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but Zhu Ming stopped him with a gesture.
"So I'm drawing a line for you. First, regarding shrines in the earth, you can build ten or eight in your own home, I won't interfere. But building them all over the world is not allowed."
"Secondly, I do not wish to hear the title 'Nine Thousand Years' again. Whether you are Wei Zhongxian or Li Jinzhong, to me you are just a eunuch. Nine Thousand Years? What will the world think? What will the historians write?"
As Zhu Ming spoke, he stared directly into Wei Zhongxian's eyes.
"Did you understand?"
Wei Zhongxian's forehead pounded against the ground with a loud thud. "This old servant understands!"
"And another thing!" Zhu Ming paused, his tone suddenly shifting to a meaningful glint. "Do you know what Pan Ruzhen's memorial means to me? The Ming Code has a crime called 'colluding with close attendants.' A high-ranking local official requesting the construction of a shrine for an inner court official—what is that? That's colluding with an inner court official and plotting treason. If this is punished according to this law, Pan Ruzhen's head would be enough to be chopped off three or four times over, and yours would be enough to be chopped off seven or eight times over!"
Cold sweat broke out on Wei Zhongxian's forehead.
He dared not respond, because he knew that every word Zhu Ming said was true.
Colluding with close attendants is a capital offense. Pan Ruzhen's move not only failed to bring honor to Wei Zhongxian, but instead handed the knife to the Ming Dynasty.
"However, I don't intend to kill Pan Ruzhen yet," Zhu Ming said calmly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I still have some use for him, but this matter can't be left like this. I'll give you a task!"
"An errand?" Wei Zhongxian looked up, his eyes still showing fear, now tinged with doubt. "Your Majesty, is it something you want to..."
At this moment, Wei Zhongxian's mind was racing.
Based on Zhu Ming's behavior over the past year, is he going to do something like that again?
If that's the case, that's a really ruthless move!
Without a doubt, Pan Ruzhen would be terrified by the words "colluding with close attendants," and would definitely risk his life to carry out the task.
Our emperor is becoming increasingly adept at playing the game of court politics; now he considers three steps ahead for every move he makes, which is truly admirable.
"That's right!" Zhu Ming smiled knowingly as he saw the understanding look on his face.
Wei Zhongxian was easy to use; he understood things immediately.
"This old servant understands." Wei Zhongxian kowtowed again. "This old servant will make the arrangements immediately."
"Let's get down to business. How's the fundraising at court going?"
Wei Zhongxian got up from the ground, still terrified, and deftly took out the list from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.