Chapter 11: Chongzhen’s Scheme

The loud and urgent voice instantly made Wang Cheng’en and Li Ruolian kneel inside the warm pavilion.

Chongzhen rose and quickly walked to the wall hung with maps. He studied the densely marked routes, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Li Ruolian, if an urgent document were to be sent from Zhongzhou to Beijing, covering six hundred li, which route would it take?”

Hearing the emperor’s question, Li Ruolian was suddenly shocked. A six-hundred-li urgent dispatch was only used in cases of major regional emergencies, such as urgent military matters or catastrophic natural disasters.

Could something have happened in Zhongzhou, Sichuan?

Without time to ponder further, Li Ruolian replied immediately, “Your Majesty, the six-hundred-li urgent dispatch travels via the courier stations. To leave Zhongzhou, one must pass through Shaanxi; there is only this one route. From Shaanxi, there are two branches: one passes through Tongguan to Weihui Prefecture, Zhending Prefecture, and then enters Beijing; the other goes from Pingliang Prefecture into Lanzhou, then passes Ningxia, Datong, and Xuanfu before reaching Beijing, though this route is several hundred li longer.”

As a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, Li Ruolian was thoroughly familiar with the courier routes across the realm, having traveled them many times. Thus, he answered immediately upon the emperor’s inquiry.

“Ruolian, have your trusted men lead a hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards each to station themselves at the courier posts five hundred li from Beijing along both routes. Intercept all six-hundred-li urgent documents coming from Sichuan into Beijing, and let the rest pass.”

“Your Majesty’s order shall be obeyed!”

“Also, investigate Li Yongzhen, the eunuch scribe under the Directorate of Ceremonial who serves the Office of Privy Purse. I want solid evidence. Once the proof is presented, no one can save him.”

After leaving the Eastern Warm Pavilion, Li Ruolian’s face appeared calm, but inwardly he rejoiced.

He saw hope for the Ming dynasty in this young emperor, who meticulously planned every detail.

His next task was to find Tian Ergeng and take over the investigation into Zhou Kui’s affairs—this was the emperor’s directive.

The emperor must have a reason for summoning him. Whether Tian Ergeng and the others would believe it was beyond his control.

After walking a few steps, Li Ruolian suddenly stopped, struck by a terrifying thought—the emperor had summoned the White Banner troops into the capital.

Combined with the order to investigate the Embroidered Uniform Guards, he keenly sensed the emperor was about to act. Whether against the eunuch faction, the Donglin faction, or both, he did not yet know.

Whichever side it was, the court was about to be purified; the Ming dynasty still had hope.

This thought barely formed before Li Ruolian suppressed it immediately. Such matters involved great stakes beyond his capacity to meddle in. He had to complete the emperor’s orders with utmost caution.

Any mistake would make him a traitor to the Ming.

Watching Li Ruolian leave, Chongzhen’s furrowed brow relaxed somewhat.

After Wei Zhongxian’s fall, the previous Chongzhen had been swayed by the Donglin faction, who claimed the Embroidered Uniform Guards had committed countless atrocities and feared they would alienate officials and commoners alike.

The young emperor had believed these words, and since then, the Embroidered Uniform Guards became ineffective—like a sword suspended above the civil officials but never drawn. The Donglin faction’s power grew, and they began to obstruct the emperor, undermining his authority.

More importantly, without the intelligence agencies like the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the Eastern Depot, he was blind, and officials deceived him at every turn.

Yuan Chonghuan’s unauthorized execution of Mao Wenlong was proof that Chongzhen’s authority was waning.

Another fact was that every member of the Embroidered Uniform Guards was highly skilled. Though their combat power might not rival the Guan-Ning Cavalry, they were certainly stronger than local militias or defense troops.

Claims of one soldier defeating ten were exaggerated, but well-trained guards could easily handle three enemies.

With control of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the palace would truly be secure.

Thus, Chongzhen was eager to regain control of this force.

A month later, Qin Liangyu’s White Banner troops entered the capital, marking the reorganization of the Tengxiang Four Guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

By then, with the White Banner troops, the Imperial Stables’ Tengxiang Four Guards, and the Embroidered Uniform Guards under his command, his position would be strong, allowing him to act decisively.

If he did nothing, that was one matter; but once he moved, it would be like a thunderclap—unstoppable.

The prerequisite, however, was money. Hence, he had just ordered the investigation into Li Yongzhen.

Li Yongzhen was a ruthless man who had castrated himself at age five, entered the palace serving the empress, later offended Emperor Shenzong of Ming, and was imprisoned for eighteen years.

Upon release, he aligned with Wei Zhongxian and was promoted five times in one month, becoming a eunuch scribe in the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Consider this: even in modern times, serving eighteen years in prison would require recovery before resuming work. Yet this man took off immediately.

Wei Zhongxian was illiterate, but Li Yongzhen and Wang Tiqian jointly altered the cabinet’s voting records for him. After Wei was executed by Chongzhen, Li Yongzhen’s wealth alone amounted to 290,000 taels of silver.

Given the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ practices at the time—cutting corners and skimming profits—it was certain some of that wealth had been embezzled. Chongzhen now hoped to seize as much as possible.

He tasked Li Ruolian with investigating Li Yongzhen for three reasons: to seize his ill-gotten wealth, to intimidate Wei Zhongxian’s faction, and to plant his own loyalists.

With the plan set, all that remained was to wait for the net to close a month later. Only then did Chongzhen’s mood ease considerably.

Inside the palace, two matters remained: how to eliminate Consort Ke, and how to remove several ministers from the Six Ministries and the Nine Ministers, paving the way for Sun Chengzong and others to enter the cabinet.

Eliminating Consort Ke was a delicate matter. One, due to her special status; two, because of her murky relationship with Wei Zhongxian. Acting rashly risked disaster.

Consort Ke, also known as Yin Yue or Baba, entered the palace at eighteen as the wet nurse to Zhu Youxiao. She was enchanting and seductive, ruthless and cruel in nature, and notoriously licentious.

Rumors had it that before Zhu Youxiao’s wedding, she had already been his favored concubine and was titled Consort Fengsheng by Emperor Tianqi.

To seize power, Wei Zhongxian once spent 500 taels of silver on a banquet with sixty dishes. Consort Ke intended to use Wei to solidify her position, while Wei sought the Tianqi Emperor’s trust. Thus, they colluded closely.

Zhu Youxiao’s three sons and his own death were all at their hands.

Regardless, Chongzhen could not propose this matter himself; someone else must initiate it. He would then act accordingly.

His elder brother had died barely half a month ago; it was not proper, morally or logically, for him to move against the emperor’s personally appointed Consort Fengsheng and Wei Zhongxian’s confidante so soon.

Compared to Consort Ke’s case, dealing with ministers from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers was even more challenging.

The Six Ministries were Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works. They were equal in rank, with no one considered more important than another. Practical considerations applied.

Chongzhen tapped his fingers rhythmically.

In peacetime, the Ministries of Rites and Works were more important. The Ministry of Rites managed ceremonies, national education, foreign relations, and the imperial examinations.

The chief examiner was usually the Minister of Rites, and the successful candidates were seen as his protégés.

Officialdom valued teacher-student relationships; when used skillfully, this was a powerful force.

Of course, this was ideal, since final appointments rested with the Ministry of Personnel.

The Ministry of Works managed national projects—building bridges, roads, and palaces during peace—and was thus crucial.

During wartime, the Ministries of War and Revenue were paramount. In other dynasties, the Ministry of War oversaw military appointments, discipline, military registries, defenses, armaments, and courier stations, but had no authority to deploy troops.

The Ming, however, faced severe external threats—from the Northern Yuan, Oirat, Tatars, later the Japanese pirates, the Jurchens, and peasant uprisings, none of which ceased.

The Ministry of Revenue handled many affairs, but summed up simply: it controlled the empire’s finances. No matter how capable other departments, if officials had no salary or resources, all efforts were futile.

Compared to the other four ministries, the Ministry of Justice, responsible for law enforcement and judicial matters, was less important, especially in the late Ming.

Among the Six Ministries, in both peace and war, the undisputed leader was the Ministry of Personnel. It managed the appointments, assessments, promotions, demotions, and transfers of all civil officials.

Most importantly, it handled the capital examinations and major personnel decisions, with power to decide the political fate of officials below fourth rank—a vast authority capable of standing against the cabinet’s premier.

It must be noted that except for the emperor’s personal troops and the inner court, the emperor could not directly appoint officials without the Ministry of Personnel’s consent. Without it, even the emperor was powerless—except, of course, for emperors like Ming Taizu and Chengzu, who could simply execute those who disobeyed.

“Put the other ministries aside for now; the Ministry of War must be taken first!”

Having reviewed the Six Ministries’ responsibilities, Chongzhen made his decision.

There were two reasons for targeting the Ministry of War. First, Minister Cui Chengxiu was the leader of Wei Zhongxian’s eunuch faction’s “Five Tigers.”

Second, the Ministry of War had already sidelined the Five Military Commanders’ Office; the twenty-one guards around the capital were under its control. For any military reforms, Chongzhen had to bypass the Ministry of War, so it was better to eliminate it outright.

The eunuch faction and the Donglin faction were mortal enemies. Crushing Cui Chengxiu, the eunuch faction’s head, would please the Donglin faction.

The stage was already set for the Donglin faction.

Now, all awaited tomorrow’s court assembly!