Chapter 124: Decision
On September 25th, dozens of days after the Mito clan's list was submitted, Prince Mu finally received a secret imperial edict from the court - a real secret, a secret carefully guarded by a newly developed secret box, and definitely not a secret that could be easily sprayed with a big shower from the court; and the imperial edict was just a few words, and did not care about any "evidence" of collusion with the Japanese, but instead only secretly ordered Mu Qi and Qi Yuanjing and others to dispatch ships and rockets, cooperate with the musketeers heading south to block the grain transport route along the Yangtze River, control the key ports, and closely inspect the flow of materials between the north and the south; after the blockade was completed, they were to head north immediately without any delay.
This imperial edict may seem vague, but the words contain a hint of sharpness, and it is much more powerful than a mere document of accusation. If local officials commit faults and the court holds them accountable according to the rules and regulations, and the two sides argue with each other, there may be room for easing the tension. However, if the central government does not ask any questions and just mobilizes the army to control the key points and block the passages when the local authorities are off guard, then even a fool can smell the fierce murderous intent.
The people who received the order were also confused as to why the central government was so murderous. However, as trusted confidants of Master Feixuan, they still acted honestly according to the rules and made secret arrangements without telling the local officials. Then they followed the emperor's orders and headed north quickly, traveling light and bypassing the post stations along the way, without revealing any information at all. They marched at such a fast speed, covering a thousand miles in three days, and only after crossing the Yellow River did they meet an unexpected acquaintance in the Bianjing area. It was none other than Gui Zhenchuan, a new official who was observing politics in the capital area. He was entrusted by Zhang Taiyue to take leave and go out, and brought back the most important news in the capital in the past few months.
"A big change has happened in the capital!" Even though he had already left the capital far away from the trouble spots and hid his head to avoid being affected, Gui Zhenchuan was still terrified whenever he recalled the thunder and lightning that almost turned the world upside down. "It was fine a few months ago, it was nothing more than the civil servants in the court getting together to impeach the prince, but the emperor didn't ignore it. But more than a month ago, these people went to the Western Garden to petition, and I don't know what taboo they violated, which made the emperor furious on the spot. Not only did he immediately order the execution of the emperor, he also sent the Jinyiwei to search everywhere, and threw hundreds of people into the imperial prison..."
After saying these few words, Gui Zhenchuan's face was still filled with fear. At that time, he was on leave at home and happened to go to the Duke Mu's Mansion to take care of the small matter of compiling "The Mortal Cultivator's Path to Immortality". As a result, he ran into the Jinyiwei riding horses and galloping past at the door. They were rampaging like tigers and wolves, arresting people everywhere. Most of the powerful people in the capital lived next to each other, and many of the captured criminals lived around the Duke's Mansion. He saw with his own eyes the Jinyiwei's minions broke into the house, grabbed the criminals by the hair, handcuffed them and took them to the prison cart. They were really uncivilized and undignified, turning a good street into a hell on earth, and made Gui Zhenchuan, a low-level official with little experience, scared to death. For the first time, he felt the cruelty and danger of the court struggle.
To be honest, it was because Zhang Taiyue took extra care of his old friend that he managed to get a remote post so that Gui Zhenchuan could come out and relax and deliver a message to the prince at the same time; otherwise, a small official like him with a shallow foundation would have no ability to protect himself. The situation in the capital is turbulent, the big guys at the top are fighting so hard that even the main roads have been wiped out. If the aftermath spreads over a little bit, the small shrimps below will be crushed into meat paste if they are not prepared.
"It's so brutal, it really feels like the Great Ceremony Debate of the past!" Gui Zhenchuan sighed, still feeling frightened: "I never thought that decades later, His Majesty's temper has not changed at all, and we can still see the scene back then."
Why is it so difficult to be an official in the Zhu family?
"This is not necessarily comparable." The prince pondered, "When the Great Ceremony of Crying at the Palace Gate occurred, the emperor only punished him with a caning and dismissed him from office. It was a bit out of line, but the scope of the incident was not that large. But such large-scale arrests and imprisonment..."
This is the benefit of having a family background in education. Even though the Great Ceremony Controversy was earth-shattering, a minor official like Gui Zhenchuan was far away from the political center after all, and all he knew was some hearsay. However, the Mu Duke's Mansion was deep-rooted, and there was no telling how many relatives and old friends had personally experienced the turbulent political impact of the past. It was also because of this that Mu Qi knew the details of the Great Ceremony Debate clearly - despite the fierce fighting in front of Zuo Shunmen, in reality, both sides left room for maneuver.
The party that was crying at the palace gate left room for maneuver, so they just lay outside the palace gate and wailed on the ground, and did not rush into the palace to make a scene (wouldn't that be a coup d'état?); the emperor's party also left room for maneuver, so he repeatedly ordered people to leave, and only beat them with sticks when they didn't listen, and his reason was quite sufficient - the palace gate was the emperor's home, you ran to the emperor's home to cry, how could you not be driven out with a stick?
Precisely because both sides left room for maneuver, the matter did not become a big deal in the end. Of course, the civil servants did not shake the imperial power, but there is always a limit to the emperor's retaliation; even the main culprits, Yang Ge Lao and his son, were not executed in the end, right? Considering that Master Feixuan has been mean and sarcastic since he was a child, this is truly the utmost generosity and compassion.
But from this perspective, the current situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse and is completely different. Spanking behind closed doors could be considered an internal conflict within the ruling class; but sending the Imperial Guards to openly arrest people on the streets was like rubbing the officials' faces on the ground, which was equivalent to publicly breaking up the relationship. After the relationship is broken, even if someone wants to rescue them, they are often powerless to do so - Confucius said, only reputation and position cannot be lent to others; being imprisoned in the street and losing one's official prestige, even if one can be pardoned in the future, how can one maintain his position in the court?
If it really comes to this, the person is basically useless. The future and fate of hundreds of officials were abolished in one go, and countless followers and old friends were implicated. Wouldn’t such a move be too - too bold?
As the civil officials rose up and the criminal law was relaxed, it was difficult for the scholars who grew up in a greenhouse to imagine the courage to stir up such a clear river. So Gui Zhenchuan hesitated for a moment and spoke in a low voice:
"After all, there is no precedent for this..."
"Oh, yes." Mu Qi said, "When Emperor Gao was involved in the Empty Seal Case and the North and South List Case, he basically used this method to kill people."
Gui Zhenchuan's eyes bulged.
Perhaps he was obsessed with the peaceful days of the past, so Gui Zhenchuan hesitated for a moment, but still struggled:
"Even so, humiliating people in public is uncivilized. I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of scholars all over the world."
"Whether it's disappointing or not, I don't know the truth." The prince said calmly, "However, if the emperor is really determined to unleash this thunderous wrath, then all the officials from the south to the north will be swept away, and a lot of official hats can be freed up. If the construction of the customs and navy is smooth enough, the court will have a lot of vacant official positions. With so many official positions, someone from the royal family will have to fill them."
Gui Zhenchuan took a deep breath and stopped talking.
As a whole, before humans invented more advanced and reliable ruling technologies, the bureaucracy was invincible in every sense; even a sage or a benevolent ruler, or a rare talent, had to rely on this complicated organizational structure to implement his ideas, so they could never be its enemy, but could only be docile. But an invincible group does not mean an invincible individual. As long as the imperial power avoids arousing a consensus of common hatred against a common enemy within the bureaucracy, the imperial power can be said to be invincible. Since ancient times, expanding the establishment has been the only way and the highest secret to appease the bureaucracy. As long as there are enough official positions in hand, what does a little resentment matter?
That’s right, interrogating and plundering ministers will destroy their reputation, and scholars all over the world will feel indignant. But no matter how angry you are, you can't stop someone from becoming an official in the court, right?
We are all just disciples of the saint, and a few words of crying from a distance are enough. Officials who were questioned could just lose their heads, but the scholars had to mourn and make progress at the same time, so they had a lot to consider.
"...Will His Majesty do this?"
"If the emperor wants to root out the evil, he will definitely do so." The prince said, "Using new official positions in exchange for the scholars' acquiescence in the purge is a routine that has existed since the time of Emperor Gao... Of course, the emperor's intentions cannot be guessed by the people below, and the ministers just need to do their own things. I have one more thing to ask of you, Mr. Gui."
Gui Zhenchuan pondered for a moment and sighed:
"Please speak, my lord."
"Has the manuscript for the eighth volume of "Mortal Cultivation" been prepared?" The prince whispered, "I would like to ask Mr. Gui to add content about traitors colluding with each other to seek power and luring foreign enemies ashore to plunder in the chapter about overseas travels. It should be based on the disaster of Japanese pirates, but it should be written in depth, painfully, and stirringly, and it should be able to create public opinion... With this as the cornerstone, repeatedly perfunctory and repeatedly exaggerated, it would be best if the manuscript can be written within a month, and distributed immediately after printing, so that all the northern provinces can have a glimpse of it."
"This is--"
"What we are going to do cannot be disclosed yet. But please believe me, Mr. Gui, as long as we do this well, there will be unexpected benefits in the future."
After saying this, the prince raised his hand and pointed upwards, his intention was self-evident.
Although it "cannot be leaked", Gui Zhenchuan has roughly guessed the foreshadowing. However, wealth and honor must be sought at the risk of one's life. If one wants to make progress, how can one not make some sacrifice?
Thinking of the position that would be vacant soon, he did not hesitate any longer:
"yes."
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