Chapter 14: The Show Begins
“We acknowledge our faults and beg Your Majesty for punishment!”
The ministers knelt down in unison.
“Except for Wei Zhongxian and Minister of Revenue Guo Yunhou, the rest will have their salaries docked for three months as a warning to others!”
Their synchronized performance was so rehearsed that Emperor Chongzhen couldn’t help but laugh in irritation.
This was the first time he had heard of officials voluntarily asking for punishment. Since they insisted, he wouldn’t indulge them.
He could not execute them now, but a reprimand was still within his power.
In truth, he wished he could have them all executed, but alas, that was impossible at the moment.
Ironically, the greatest villain—the infamous eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who manipulated imperial power and committed countless atrocities—had actually answered correctly.
Rumors suggested that Wei Zhongxian came from a commoner background and understood the hardships of the people, which was why he refrained from collecting agricultural taxes and instead levied taxes on merchants.
Thus, some described him as ambitious yet indecisive, malevolent yet concerned about the people's suffering—a paradoxical figure.
It now seemed this was indeed the case.
“Minister Shi Ai, regarding the grand project of the emperor’s mausoleum, you shall coordinate with the Ministry of Works to inspect the site and formulate a comprehensive plan. As for the necessary silver, please wait a while.”
Upon hearing this, not only Shi Fenglai but all present ministers were puzzled. They knew the state of the Ming dynasty well—where could two million taels of silver possibly come from?
“Your Majesty, this contravenes ritual and law—”
“I am well aware it contravenes ritual and law,” Chongzhen interrupted coldly. “But can you provide the silver needed? If you can manage it, not just two million but five million taels will do.”
The emperor cut off the Minister of Rites, and seeing other ministers beginning to agree, his voice deepened: “Enough. This matter is settled. After I pass, I will personally apologize to my elder brother. I trust he will understand my difficulties. As for my sister-in-law, I will explain in person. You need not say more.”
With the emperor’s words so firm, the ministers fell silent; after all, this was a family matter of the imperial household.
“Ministers, if there are no further matters, you may proceed.”
“Your Majesty, I have a matter to report!”
...
In the following time, seven or eight ministers reported various matters. Initially, Emperor Chongzhen found them somewhat interesting, but by the end, he lost all enthusiasm.
These ministers were all procrastinating—reporting on issues they could decide themselves, simply for show.
---
“Your Majesty, Minister Qian Qianyi has a matter to present!”
“Granted.”
“Your Majesty, currently in the harem are Empress Zhou and Empress Yi’an. The lady Ke is not a member of the harem but resides there. This violates ritual propriety. I earnestly petition Your Majesty to expel Lady Ke from the palace.”
Chongzhen, somewhat bored, suddenly perked up upon hearing this voice. After waiting all morning, finally the real show was starting.
Qian Qianyi was a famously notorious figure in history, known chiefly for two reasons: first, as the patriarch of unfaithfulness, and second, as a traitorous minister with itchy scalp.
He was a literary leader of the late Ming, counted among the “Three Greats of Jiangzuo” alongside Wu Weiye and Gong Dingzi. Yet, what he did was universally despised.
In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen’s reign, a scandal rocked the court: at fifty-nine, Qian Qianyi married Liu Rushi, one of the famed “Eight Beauties of Qinhuai,” aged twenty-three. He even built the “Crimson Cloud Pavilion” and “Red Bean Hall” for her, enjoying a famed cultural partnership.
But by the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, when Li Zicheng captured Beijing and Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill, Liu Rushi urged Qian Qianyi to serve the Southern Ming court as Minister of Rites.
During the siege by the Manchu invaders, Liu Rushi declared they were born Ming people and should die Ming ghosts, and they agreed to drown themselves to die for their country. Yet, Qian Qianyi soaked his hand in the water and lamented, “The water is too cold, what shall we do?” Liu Rushi leapt in and was rescued.
Once saved, Liu Rushi said since dying for the country was impossible, they should retreat to the mountains. But Qian Qianyi couldn’t leave the world behind. In the end, he led ministers in the pouring rain to surrender the city to Dodo.
As a parting gift, they even handed over beauties chosen by the Hongguang Emperor to the Manchus.
Most shamelessly, when the Manchus ordered all to shave their heads, rumors swirled throughout Southern Ming. One day, Qian Qianyi said, “My scalp itches terribly,” and shaved his head bald.
So much so that when Emperor Qianlong commissioned the National History Institute to compile the “Records of Treacherous Ministers,” he ordered Qian Qianyi to be listed alongside Sun Kewang, Zuo Menggeng, Feng Quan, and Gong Dingzi—the worst traitors.
From Deputy Minister of Rites of the Ming to Minister of Rites of the Southern Ming, then to Deputy Minister of Rites under the Manchus, Qian Qianyi’s deeds were the height of hypocrisy.
“Qian Qianyi, elaborate on your accusations.”
Chongzhen despised this patriarch of seduction and betrayal so deeply that he no longer addressed him as “Minister.”
The other ministers took no offense, thinking the emperor was still angry over the previous matter.
“Your Majesty, I have eighteen charges against Lady Ke.”
“First, Lady Ke cooked the dragon egg (external kidney of the horse) for the late emperor to eat, causing his health to deteriorate.”
“Second, she promoted the eunuch Wei Zhongxian. Together, they persecuted the concubines. In the third year of Tianqi, they plotted poison that caused Empress Zhang to give birth to a stillborn and remain childless afterwards. Later, they persecuted Consort Hui, leading to the death of the emperor’s second son Zhu Cizhao in June of the fourth year of Tianqi. In May of the same year, they falsely issued an imperial edict to imprison Consort Yu, cutting off her food, resulting in her death along with the miscarriage of her child.”
“Your Majesty, I—”
“Let him continue!”
Minister of War Cui Chengxiu stood up on Wei Zhongxian’s signal, but after just starting, he was interrupted by Chongzhen.
“Qian Qianyi, continue!”
“Yes, Your Majesty, third…”
...
With each accusation from Qian Qianyi, the faces of the ministers darkened.
Wei Zhongxian’s eunuch faction was even more sullen.
Chongzhen was aware of many of these things; after all, the records of the Chongzhen era were clear. But the performance had to be complete.
“Qian Qianyi, Lady Ke was personally appointed by my elder brother. Do you know the consequences of malicious accusations?”
“Your Majesty, here is the evidence for the charges. Please review!”
Qian Qianyi produced a stack of papers from his sleeve. Wang Cheng’en immediately stepped down from the platform to take the evidence and handed it to Chongzhen.
The emperor quickly scanned through them. Honestly, if he did not have prior knowledge, it would take some time to decipher the dense text without punctuation.
After a pause, Chongzhen said gravely, “Summon Lady Ke!”
“Your Majesty, this is improper. Lady Ke was the wet nurse to the late emperor and was personally granted the title ‘Fengsheng Madam.’ She served the late emperor for years and holds a highly honored status. How can she be confronted in court merely because of ministerial accusations?”
“Your Majesty, Lady Ke was like a mother to the late emperor. The harem consorts are her daughters-in-law. Which elder would harm their own descendants in such a way? Qian Qianyi is clearly making malicious accusations.”
“Your Majesty, I, Left Censor Cao Sicheng, impeach Deputy Minister of Rites Qian Qianyi for cheating in the Zhejiang Imperial Examination in the first year of Tianqi. Qian Qianyi accepted thousands of gold taels from Qian Qianqiu and arranged signals. How can accusations from such a person be credible?”
“Absurd. This case was settled by the late emperor in the second year of Tianqi. Minister Qian was punished by salary deduction and forced into retirement for three years. Now, Minister Cao brings it up again, is this a challenge to the late emperor’s judgment?”
Right Censor Cao Yubian stood up.
These two were the Left and Right Censors of the Censorate. Cao Sicheng belonged to the eunuch faction, Cao Yubian to the Donglin faction.
Chongzhen’s face was stern, but inside he was both confused and pleased.
Confused because he had expected an impeachment against Wei Zhongxian but instead found it was his old mistress Lady Ke.
Pleased because someone was finally targeting Lady Ke.
He had set the stage last night, and now all the actors had appeared. It was a matter of who would destroy whom.