The Ming Dynasty 1626 Enlightenment

Chapter 11 Let the Rumors Fly for a While Longer

"Esteemed teachers, please listen to what your student has to say!" Li Yingsheng spoke up at this moment. "His Majesty has not yet punished Lord Yang Lian; it is too early to speak!"

Li Yingsheng, a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the Bingchen year, undertook a large amount of criminal trial work while serving as a judge in Nankang. He was very adept at redressing innocent wrongful convictions.

After being summoned back to the capital by Emperor Tianqi last year, he began to write memorials to get people out of prison, but all of them disappeared without a trace!

However, given the eunuch party's ruthless methods, it certainly won't be too late for the six gentlemen of the Donglin Party to be arrested and executed.

Yang Lian, Zuo Guangdou, Wei Dazhong, Yuan Huazhong, Zhou Chaorui, Gu Dazhang, and others, who were later known as the Six Gentlemen of Donglin, were arrested and imprisoned in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, and it has been almost a year since then.

one Year.

The fact that there is still no news is the best news.

Although the reasons were unclear, and it was unclear why they, members of the Donglin Party, were summoned back to Beijing to take up positions when the eunuch faction was powerful.

What does this mean, Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty?

Is it to make them check and balance the eunuch faction?

If that's the case, it has indeed had some effect. In the past six months, the eunuch faction has restrained itself a lot and hasn't been causing trouble for court officials!

"Yes! That eunuch has suddenly become more restrained this year, and has stopped using the pretext of corruption to arrest court officials. Isn't that strange?" Gao Panlong listened to Li Yingsheng's words, thought about it carefully, and was convinced that the eunuch party's "corruption" methods were no longer very effective. So he breathed a sigh of relief.

Even so, Gao Panlong still had a plan in mind: if someone really made a fuss about this and said that he had embezzled and accepted bribes to get this money, he could explain frankly that this was the family property accumulated over generations, and now that the country was in trouble and there were warnings of disasters, how could he be stingy?

The donation is the family fortune left by our ancestors, the salary and rewards we have worked so hard to accumulate. The source of the money is upright, clean and honest, and we are not afraid of anyone investigating.

This way you can also gain a good reputation; this idea couldn't be more useful!

After all, the donation has already been made, so we can only maximize the political impact of this money!

"I don't know! The Emperor's will is unpredictable these days!" Zhou Qiyuan said with some doubt in his voice, but he didn't know the reason.

"Perhaps it's for building a vocabulary!" Li Yingsheng slowly pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table. "Take a look at this list; they're all members of the eunuch faction!"

There were many names written on the paper, but Pan Ruzhen's name was highlighted in red!

"Previously, I received word from Jiangnan that many people were petitioning for the construction of a memorial to Emperor Wei, and quite a few officials had already submitted memorials. Therefore, I joined forces with some censors to impeach Emperor Wei! To this day, there has been no news of any action taken!"

"No wonder the eunuch faction has quieted down a lot lately!" Zhou Qiyuan immediately grasped the core of the information. "The shrine incident is Wei Zhongxian's grand strategy. What he needs is not money or land, but fame! The explosion at Wanggongchang gave them the perfect opportunity to buy fame."

"Does a eunuch deserve to be worshipped in a shrine?" Gao Panlong sneered.

"Whether one is worthy or not is not important," Li Yingsheng added at this point. "What's important is that the emperor doesn't care. It's also important that someone wants to pay homage."

This statement left Gao Panlong speechless.

Yes.

Whether someone is a good match or not has never been decided by scholars.

If the common people see Wei Zhongxian donating money to repair Wanggongchang, if local officials take the opportunity to submit memorials praising him, and if gentry follow suit and erect monuments to avoid disaster, then Wei Zhongxian is worthy of the title even if he is not worthy.

They've been criticizing the eunuch faction for so many years, but a disaster and a pile of money might just turn public opinion around.

If we don't take action soon, Qingliu's reputation will truly be ruined by the money.

Everyone knows that Wei Zhongxian wielded immense power, but seeing this list laid out before one's eyes still sends chills down one's spine.

Wei Zhongxian is trying to ascend to heaven and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun!

And why did the Tianqi Emperor Zhu Ming not react to this? Was it because the eunuch faction donated the most money in the court?

This is what makes the Donglin Party uncomfortable.

"That's why Wei Zhongxian is so concerned about disaster relief! And so proactive in donating money to the court!" Gao Panlong spoke slowly, his tone calm yet chilling. "He hasn't arrested anyone this year because he wants to build up his reputation. Once the shrine is built, Wei Zhongxian will be the 'Nine Thousand Years Old,' revered by all. Then, if he wants to kill someone, it will be a true case of trumped-up charges; he'll never lack a pretext!"

"Therefore, we must seize this opportunity of the catastrophe to kick the eunuch faction out of the court, return power to the emperor, and usher in a new era of righteous rule and great peace!" Huang Suzun, who was standing to the side, also spoke up at this moment.

"That's right, we Donglin Party members must work together to first overthrow Wei Zhongxian, and then rectify the court." Gao Panlong's spirited and bold words grew louder and louder in the private room, and he spoke with increasing abandon.

"The emperor is now being misled by the eunuch faction. How can we break this deadlock?" Li Yingsheng asked, voicing his deepest concern.

"The most important thing right now is how we should use this catastrophe," Huang Su-zun said calmly.

"It seems Bai An has a plan?" Gao Panlong stared intently at Huang Suzun.

"Official Gazette!" Huang Suzun glanced at Gao Panlong, then turned his gaze to the official document beside him, his voice unhurried, "Please take a look, gentlemen. This is the official description of the Wanggongchang disaster: Gray smoke surged up, a great tremor shook the earth, the sky collapsed, and countless houses were leveled."

"However, according to the case files copied by the imperial court, the people within several miles of Wanggongchang were cleared out by the Embroidered Uniform Guard in advance of the explosion. At the time of the explosion, most of the people in the city had run outside to watch the military parade." Gao Panlong frowned slightly upon hearing this. "It's a pity that the number of casualties caused by the Wanggongchang disaster was too small, which ultimately makes it less significant."

"Yes, a mere one or two hundred casualties is too few, not tragic enough, not shocking enough to the world," Zhou Qiyuan said, looking at the casualty figures in the official manuscript, expressing his regret.

The day of the explosion was the day of Emperor Tianqi's grand military review.

According to the rules, all the people in the capital who could leave the city went out to attend the ceremony, and the houses within four or five miles of Wanggongchang were completely cleared out by the Jinyiwei and Dongchang the day before.

Therefore, when Wanggongchang was blown up, the number of civilians directly and indirectly injured or killed was only one or two hundred.

One or two hundred people.

This number chilled the hearts of the Donglin Party members present; it was far too little!

"That's not quite right, sirs!" Huang Suzun said slowly, "We need to grasp a few points: first, the ominous signs; second, the ominous omens; and third, divine retribution!"

"Before the explosion, some strange things happened. The red ball from the Vulcan Temple rolled out, and the clouds on the horizon first became chaotic and then exploded. At the time of the explosion, trees were uprooted and stone lions flew out. The daytime was dark, and the sky collapsed and the earth caved in. Ancient books record that when ominous signs appear in the sky, there must be wicked ministers."

"The eunuch faction has seized control of the court, engaging in corruption, perverting justice, and persecuting loyal officials; the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people have reached this point!"

"But!" Gao Panlong suddenly spoke, his tone hesitant, "His Majesty has already made it clear that it's not divine retribution, and has even issued an edict of self-reproach! If we still..."

He paused slightly, then didn't continue.

"We may choose not to speak out or submit a memorial, but that doesn't mean the scholars and common people won't speak out!" Huang Suzun continued. "After all, the Wanggongchang explosion was unprecedented in its power, and with so many houses collapsing, how could only a couple hundred people have died? Perhaps the eunuch faction has blocked the news and misled the Emperor!"

Hearing Huang Suzun say this, everyone finally came to their senses. It was truly brilliant of her to avoid the main issue and focus on the trivial one!

"If the news gets out, aren't you afraid of being investigated?" Li Yingsheng pondered for a moment, then asked.

"What are you checking? The official gazettes," Huang Zunsu smiled. "These gazettes are originally copied from the court down the line. The official documents and decrees issued by the Office of Transmission every day are sifted through by us before becoming the gazettes. We 'polish' the news of this disaster a bit, then send it out. Who knows who polished it?"

The imperial gazette first went to the Office of Transmission, then to the Directorate of Ceremonial, then to the Cabinet after approval, and finally back to the Office of Transmission after the Cabinet drafted its proposal.

The official copy could be distributed to the six ministries on the same day, and within three days it could spread throughout the entire city of Beijing. Then, through the local reporting system, it could reach the prefectures in Jiangnan within half a month.

This gave the intellectuals of the Donglin Party a great deal of room to maneuver.

"An Bai is right! And the best thing about disasters is that they can't be investigated." Gao Panlong finally understood and slammed his hand on the table: "What we need to do is exaggerate this explosion... spread the truth, and let the world know that a calamity has struck from the sky, the emperor has lost his virtue, and the eunuch faction is causing trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, a complex expression flashed across Li Yingsheng's face, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words back down.

In contrast, Gao Panlong, Zhou Qiyuan, and the others had eyes full of burning passion and faces full of excitement.

The matter of obtaining the imperial manuscript went even more smoothly than they had anticipated.

Within days, the speed of official gazettes from various places seemed to have been boosted by lightning. When the official documents routinely issued by the Office of Transmission reached the hands of Donglin officials, no one really knew how the comments on those documents had been "polished"!

In any case, when it reached ordinary people, the explosion had long since become a terrifying scene.

"You don't know! The explosion leveled the entire area within a ten-mile radius!"

"God is angry! This is a catastrophe!"

"The emperor's moral failings and the eunuch faction's treachery have brought ruin to the country; even Heaven cannot bear to watch!"

……

Teahouses, taverns, streets, markets—every corner of the two capitals and thirteen provinces was abuzz with talk of the explosion.

Gao Panlong and his accomplices executed their plan flawlessly.

Meanwhile, Zhu Ming, sitting in the Imperial Study, listened to the news brought back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his face remaining calm and composed.

"Your Majesty, shall I deal with these rumors circulating in the streets?" Luo Sigong asked respectfully from the side.

"No need!" Zhu Ming said casually, flipping through the memorial without turning his head.

"However, those rumors are becoming more and more outlandish, and I'm afraid..." Luo Sigong reminded him.

Tsk! The Donglin Party members have quite a few tricks up their sleeves. It seems it's time to move on to the next step of their plan!

"No rush! Let the rumors fly for a while longer!" Zhu Ming casually tossed the few documents onto the imperial desk and smiled at Luo Sigong.