Chapter 10 Cabinet: "Let's have twenty strokes of the cane and a three-month salary deduction as a warning to others..."
Since Princess Yongle was secretly sent out of the palace by the Empress, Emperor Chongming has not attended court for eight years. Most of the affairs of the court were handled by the cabinet ministers, who would draft their proposals and submit them to the emperor for a decision. In this way, even if the emperor did not attend court, it would not lead to the loss of power.
The Grand Secretariat was located in the southeast corner inside the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City, and consisted of three halls. To the east of the Grand Secretariat was the Imperial Edicts Office, to the west was the Imperial Decree Office, and the central high hall was the office of the Grand Secretaries. With its flying eaves and double-eaved roof, it was a magnificent and imposing place where the Grand Secretaries discussed important military and national affairs.
The gatekeeper slowly pushed open the vermilion gate, and a eunuch in blue rushed into the chamber, shouting, "Urgent report from Linzhang, eight hundred li away!"
The urgent report was sealed in an envelope with the official seal and sealing wax. After it was presented to the Cabinet office, several cabinet ministers stopped what they were doing and swarmed around it.
Grand Secretary Zheng Guanhe, a solemn-looking man of seventy-four years old, with a long beard and dignified expression, opened the envelope and read it before saying, "A great victory at the border! Grand Commander Yu Fangyi has achieved a great victory over Hua Kingdom, not only reclaiming the Linzhang sea area but also capturing Silu Prefecture of Hua Kingdom!"
Upon hearing this, the cabinet ministers Tu Dechang, Minister of Works, Yue Yuda, Minister of Revenue, Gong Yibin, Minister of Rites, Yang Yichuan, Vice Minister of Rites, and Yu Yanhan, Vice Minister of Personnel, all smiled broadly. This was probably the most delightful thing that happened this year.
The border regions of Dahuang have been repeatedly attacked by the Hua Kingdom. The Hua Kingdom has long coveted the treasures in the Linzhang sea area. Two months ago, they plundered the islands of Linzhang, causing countless deaths and injuries to the soldiers and civilians on the islands. They also committed all kinds of atrocities on the islands, burning, killing, and looting, leaving the islands in a mess. When the military news was sent back to Dahuang, Emperor Chongming was furious and immediately sent Grand Commander Yu Fangyi and his son Yu Zhenyu to besiege the Hua Kingdom army.
Zheng Guanhe closed the Eight Hundred Mile Gazette, his brows furrowed and showing no sign of easing. As the Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel, the heavy burden on his shoulders kept him constantly on his guard. "You are all ministers of the highest order, and you must always be cautious and resolute in your actions. Although our army achieved a great victory in the battle of Linzhang, the military expenditures over the past two months have been heavy, leaving the national treasury empty. We are powerless to launch further campaigns and cannot afford to attack again. Alas... military pay must not be embezzled. The end of the year is approaching, and according to regulations, the palace will spend a large sum of money on the New Year celebrations. Where will this money come from? Lord Yue, please tell me."
Minister of Revenue Yue Yuda was filled with trepidation. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Prime Minister, in this peaceful and prosperous era, perhaps we should increase taxes..."
"Absurd!" Zheng Guanhe's anger flared, and he threw the document at Yue Yuda's face. His beard bristled, and he glared at him angrily, saying, "You want to increase taxes? Your and my salaries come from the people's hard-earned money. It's one thing if you don't seek the people's well-being, but you also want to implement harsh policies and act as cruel officials to please the emperor. Do you really think the people won't rebel?!"
Yue Yuda had never seen the Grand Secretary lose his temper like this before. He had also spoken those foolish words in a moment of folly, and hurriedly explained, "This humble official misspoke, Grand Secretary, please calm your anger! The border defense campaign has cost the national treasury millions of taels of silver. Perhaps we should advise His Majesty to reduce palace expenditures at the end of the year..."
Zheng Guanhe then smiled slightly, "Alright, you can handle this matter."
Yue Yuda was filled with unspeakable bitterness, but he clasped his hands in agreement.
Minister of Works Tu Dechang, also known as the Second Grand Secretary, courtesy name Rongwei, was unlike Zheng Guanhe, who was cold, selfless, and upright. Having navigated the political vortex of the capital for over thirty years, he was adept at diplomacy and compromise, always remaining untainted by worldly strife. Furthermore, what secured his position among the second-rank officials of the court was his profound and comprehensive strategies for governing the country.
Sure enough, Zheng Guanhe then said to Tu Dechang, "Rongwei, the initial budget was 45.9 million taels of silver, and the year-end tax revenue was 52.15 million taels of silver, but the expenditure exceeded the budget by 8 million taels of silver. Such a huge deficit... The Ministry of Revenue calculated that the deficit is all in the accounts of the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War. Tell me, what was this 8 million taels of silver used for?! Why did it exceed the budget by so much!"
Tu Dechang said, "It was all an accident. In May, three counties were flooded, and the repair of the river embankment cost an extra three million taels of silver. Meanwhile, the Ministry of War spent more than five million taels on warships and weapons for the war against Huaguo at sea."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Guanhe was filled with worry and said, "Living beyond one's means is ultimately not a good idea."
Tu Dechang then said, "Now that the Hua Kingdom has been defeated and retreated, we can use the warships we have built to transport the silk, gold, jade, pearls and other delicacies and trinkets from our country to foreign countries, strengthen foreign exchanges, and in this way we can earn more than eight million taels next year."
“Very well,” Zheng Guanhe’s brows relaxed, and he said, “If officials govern the world with benevolence, then the country and the family will prosper. The Grand Secretariat is the key to the court’s success, and the six of us are all veterans of the Grand Secretariat. We must do practical things for the court. By the way, has Gao Yu of the Ministry of Justice met the requirements for joining the Grand Secretariat?”
The selection of cabinet members was extremely rigorous. There were two main methods for promoting cabinet ministers: one was by special appointment, which meant that the emperor directly ordered them to be appointed to the cabinet; the other was by court recommendation, where the Ministry of Personnel, together with ministers of the third rank and above and officials of the Censorate, jointly recommended several people, and then the emperor selected them to be appointed to the cabinet. In addition, there was an unwritten rule that cabinet members must be of the third rank or above, and only members of the Hanlin Academy could enter the cabinet.
Before the saying "No one who is not a member of the Hanlin Academy can enter the Grand Secretariat," there was another saying "No one who is not a Jinshi can enter the Hanlin Academy." This means that the ministers who entered the Grand Secretariat had to be Jinshi graduates. Gao Yu did not meet this requirement, so he could only enter the Grand Secretariat through another route, by being personally appointed by the emperor.
Minister of Rites Gong Yibin said, "Lord Gao is not yet ready. The murder case in the capital remains unresolved, and His Majesty's intention is that Lord Gao's merits and demerits will depend on the outcome of this mission. However, the Censorate is keeping a close eye on this matter, and the case cannot be handled carelessly in the slightest. Oh, by the way, in addition, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice has also been dispatched to supervise the case. I heard..."
At this point, the smiles returned to the faces of the Grand Secretaries, and Zheng Guanhe asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
After keeping everyone in suspense, Gong Yibin said, "This newly transferred Supervising Secretary of the Criminal Division slapped Gao Yu across the face! And... he also stole Xiao Yinshi's woman."
The cabinet ministers, usually so solemn and dignified, suddenly became animated upon hearing their colleagues' gossip. "There's such a thing?!"
Gong Yibin said, "This censor of the Ministry of Justice is named Feng Tan. This matter cannot be false. He is a young man who is fearless and daring. He is truly formidable."
Yue Yuda asked curiously, "After stealing Xiao Yinshi's woman, is he still safe and sound?"
Gong Yibin said, "He's perfectly at ease! This newly appointed official from another province does have some tricks up his sleeve."
"Alright, enough of this rambling," Zheng Guanhe said with a serious expression. "Now that all of you are gathered here, I feel compelled to offer a few words of advice. I know that some of you are loyal to the King of Jing and others to the King of Chu, but officials are the foundation of governance. Those in positions of authority must serve the people and not let factional strife harm them."
Zheng Guanhe belonged to the Qingliu faction, and his views on conduct and interpersonal relationships had always been admired by the officials. The cabinet ministers bowed and returned to their respective offices.
The cabinet was rife with infighting. When Zheng Guanhe was away, the cabinet ministers would often argue fiercely over a single issue, showing none of the Confucian virtue of "gentlemen use words, not fists," and it was not uncommon for them to fight each other hand-to-hand. Today, the cabinet compound was so quiet that the eunuch who had come to the Taiji Hall by imperial decree was relieved. He lifted the heavy winter curtain and bowed to Zheng Guanhe to greet him.
The palace eunuchs respectfully addressed the cabinet ministers as "Old Masters." A junior eunuch said respectfully, "Old Master Zheng, His Majesty has issued an edict summoning you and Old Master Gong to the Taiji Hall to discuss state affairs."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Guanhe hurriedly walked towards the Taiji Hall.
***
The Taiji Hall was where the emperor handled state affairs. Just past 9 a.m., the bright sunlight from the east shone on the magnificent palace, casting a golden glow in front of the hall. The eunuch guarding the hall, wearing a light blue cashmere jacket with a small python pattern pointing upwards, had his fingers tucked into his sleeves to keep warm. Seeing the two ministers approaching, he quickly pushed open the hall door to welcome them in.
The hall was exceptionally warm in the cold winter because of the heated floor. Emperor Chongming sat high in the hall, and upon hearing the noise, he looked up from his scrolls and said, "Get up. Enough of the nonsense. The scribes presented Yu Fangyi's memorial this morning. I already know about the great victory of the border army. What I want to ask today is about the matter of Hua Kingdom sending a princess to marry into the country."
Zheng Guanhe said, "I am unaware of this matter."
Emperor Chongming looked at Sheng Honghai, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was standing beside him. Sheng Honghai did not look up, but focused on grinding ink. He said succinctly, "The Dahuang border army has captured Silu Prefecture of Hua Kingdom. Hua Kingdom intends to send envoys to negotiate, to marry their princess to our dynasty in exchange for the return of the border land and to restore the friendship between the two countries."
Zheng Guanhe and Gong Yibin exchanged a glance and remained silent for a moment before Zheng Guanhe replied, "Just now, I discussed with the cabinet ministers our dynasty's expenditures this year. The national treasury is running low on silver. Now that our army has won a great victory, if the two armies were to fight again, our army might not be able to sustain its strength. In my opinion, negotiating peace is not out of the question. However, even if Hua Kingdom sends a princess for a marriage alliance, it is absolutely impossible for them to return Silu Prefecture."
Emperor Chongming, nearing forty, ascended the throne at seventeen and ruled the empire for twenty years. He was adept at using imperial tactics to control the people's hearts. After Zheng Guanhe finished speaking, he slowly said, "What the Grand Secretary said is exactly what I was thinking. So, how will we make up for the deficit in the national treasury? And will we agree to the marriage alliance?"
Emperor Chongming posed two questions in succession, to which Zheng Guanhe calmly replied: "The cabinet has just discussed a solution to the national treasury deficit, which will be presented to Your Majesty later. As for the matter of the princess of Hua Kingdom coming to marry, Your Majesty is in the prime of life, and marrying the princess may ensure peace on the border for decades, so it is not impossible."
"Marry her?" Emperor Chongming suddenly laughed, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "That's a formality for the Empress. I only have one Empress. The princess of Hua Kingdom can only be a concubine. Never mind, let's wait for the Hua Kingdom envoy to arrive before we negotiate."
Zheng Guanhe said, "It is good that Your Majesty cherishes old friends."
Emperor Chongming looked sad and recited: "A lone white rabbit runs east and looks west; people are not as good as new, clothes are not as good as old."
Sheng Honghai had been by Emperor Chongming's side since the latter was a prince. He could tell that the emperor was missing Empress Xiaoxian again. He stopped grinding ink and took the secret memorial presented by the eunuch Jiang Lili behind him. He said, "Your Majesty, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Lord Wei Shengxian, has sent a secret letter. I have not yet asked you to look at it."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongming immediately put down his imperial pen, opened the letter, and after reading it, laughed and said, "Excellent! Excellent! After all these years of idleness, the spies of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have finally found some clues!"
Emperor Chongming was never one to show his joy, and Gong Yibin had never seen the emperor so delighted. He asked, "What has made Your Majesty so happy?"
"It is my Princess Yongle." Emperor Chongming put down the secret letter, walked down from the high seat in the Mingtang with his hands behind his back, pushed open the palace door and looked at the towering mountain peak in the distance, and said, "Eight years have passed, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard has finally found her whereabouts."
Gong Yibin asked, "Where is the princess now?"
Emperor Chongming gazed at the vast snow-capped mountains, the cold north wind swirling into his robes, giving him a somewhat otherworldly air. "In the Lingnan region, a thousand miles away from the capital."
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Gong Yibin only knew that the emperor's only legitimate daughter had been sent outside the palace since childhood, and for the past eight years, all his favor had been given to the concubine princess, Feng Dai. However, the second princess had not yet been granted a title by the time she came of age. As the Minister of Rites, he catered to the emperor's preferences and said, "Your Majesty has personally bestowed a title upon Princess Yongle since her birth. Will you bestow a title upon the second princess this year?"
Emperor Chongming's smile faded, and he simply said, "No need."
Gong Yibin knew he had flattered the emperor in the wrong place, so he cleared his throat and said, "The envoy from Hua Kingdom will be arriving soon. The Ministry of Rites has instructed officials from the Court of State Ceremonial to personally handle the arrangements, and we will certainly not lose face as the number one country in the Central Plains."
Emperor Chongming said, "I summoned you here precisely for this matter. The murder case of an official in the capital is still unresolved, and the murderer has not yet been found. In addition to all the necessary formalities, we must strengthen our defenses. The delegation must not be allowed to cause any trouble in my Dahuang."
"I understand."
After Gong Yibin left, Emperor Chongming asked Sheng Honghai, "How is Xiao Yinshi's investigation into the theft of the national treasury progressing?"
This matter was a top secret of the Dahuang court. Only a few powerful officials at the center of power, including the Left Censor-in-Chief Xiao Yinshi, the Grand Secretary and Minister of Personnel Zheng Guanhe, and the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Sheng Honghai, knew about it. Sheng Honghai said, "Your Majesty, the Chief Censor has some new leads. He has arrested Su Bai, the most famous actor in the capital. I believe the stolen fifty million taels of silver will be found soon."
Zheng Guanhe said, "I really can't figure it out. Fifty million taels of silver, such a huge amount, how could it just vanish overnight? Who is the mastermind behind this?"
Emperor Chongming's brows furrowed with gloom as he coldly said, "A master? He has committed such a heinous crime, I will make sure he becomes a dead man! Grand Secretary, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's spies report that Grand Tutor Feng went to Yongle Temple last night? In your opinion, Grand Secretary, is the theft of the national treasury related to the Grand Tutor?"
Zheng Guanhe knew that His Majesty was sensitive and suspicious, but he never expected that His Majesty would suspect the Imperial Tutor. He had been Feng Hengdao's student and knew his teacher's character well. The two were both teacher and friend. Therefore, he said with certainty, "Your Majesty is overthinking it. Grand Tutor Feng is highly respected and has no reason to do such a thing. Assassinating high-ranking officials in the court would not benefit him in any way."
“You can’t make definitive statements,” Emperor Chongming said sternly, his eyes gleaming. “Who could have imagined that his eldest daughter, Feng Youming, would act so outrageously?!”
Zheng Guanhe declared loudly, "The Grand Tutor is loyal to the country and would not act in such a way!"
Emperor Chongming glanced at him, pondered for a moment, and said, "Fine, since the Grand Secretary has vouched for me, I will believe in the Grand Tutor's innocence."
Zheng Guanhe said, "Your Majesty is wise."
"Alright, enough with the formalities. I have another question," Emperor Chongming said, his gaze returning to Zheng Guanhe. "When Minister of Justice Gao Yu was investigating this case, was the Ministry of Justice keeping a close eye on him? Gao Yu submitted a memorial this morning, impeaching someone named..."
Emperor Chongming couldn't remember the name, so Sheng Honghai picked up the conversation and said, "Feng Tan. Your Majesty, you are a person of high status and may have a bad memory. This Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice was promoted by you. He solved the case of the fallen dragon."
"I remember now. He does have some talent in solving cases. How could he have offended Gao Yu?"
Zheng Guanhe said, "Last night, Feng Tan slapped Gao Yu and stopped him from taking Lin Wanzhou away."
Emperor Chongming lowered his eyes, took a deep breath, and laughed, "He does have some backbone. He is an official of the Six Ministries, responsible for impeaching all officials. Ha, now he is the first person in history to be impeached."
Zheng Guanhe asked, "Does His Majesty wish to see him?"
"Too short-lived, I won't see him." Emperor Chongming waved his hand, took a sip of the hot tea that Sheng Honghai handed him, and said, "As for the matter of overstepping his bounds and assaulting his superior, let him be flogged twenty times and fined three months' salary as a warning to others."
A note from the author:
You'll regret this, you old emperor! (▽皿▽#)
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