Chapter 23: Abolishing the Postal Relay System, the Butcher’s Blade Raised High

"If there are any matters to be addressed, speak now; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"

After Wang Cheng'en finished speaking, he stepped aside, his gaze fixed inward in contemplation.

"Your Majesty, your subject has a matter to report."

Chongzhen glanced over. It was Mao Yujian, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief.

"State your petition!"

"Your Majesty, after investigating the state of our empire’s postal relay stations, I humbly request that you abolish the relay system. There are three reasons: First, the stations are increasingly corrupt and have lost their original function; furthermore, the desertion rate among the couriers is severe, rendering the system incapable of normal operation. Second, there are currently 2,366 stations with nearly 100,000 couriers, incurring enormous expenses. Abolishing them would allow these funds to be reallocated for the Liaodong military payroll. Third, once abolished, the labor duties of the stations can be assigned to local farmers, increasing the labor force for miscellaneous tasks."

Upon hearing Mao Yujian's words, a thunderclap seemed to echo in Chongzhen's mind. He had no memory of this man, but the historical records regarding the abolition of the postal stations were well-known. Li Zicheng had rebelled precisely because Chongzhen abolished the stations. As a courier in Yinchuan, Li Zicheng had lost his job and fallen into debt. He killed his creditor, and after discovering his wife’s infidelity with a villager, he killed her as well, leaving him no choice but to flee. He joined the army in Ganzhou under General Yang Zhaoji and Colonel Wang Guo, where he was soon promoted to a commander. In the second year of Chongzhen’s reign, due to issues with military pay, he killed the very man who had promoted him—Wang Guo—and launched his rebellion.

Looking at the timeline, unemployment was the fuse for Li Zicheng’s rebellion. Setting aside the unemployment, Li Zicheng’s nature was inherently restless; even without this incident, he likely would have rebelled for other reasons later.

"Your Majesty, I second this proposal!"

Liu Mao, a Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War, stepped forward to support the Censor's proposal.

"Mao Yujian, I ask you, what is your official position?"

Mao Yujian was momentarily stunned, unable to grasp the Emperor’s intent, but he replied immediately, "Returning to Your Majesty, I am the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief."

"You know you are the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief. Do you know your duties?"

"Returning to Your Majesty, they are to impeach officials, rectify injustices, oversee the various circuits, and serve as the eyes, ears, and moral guardians of the Son of Heaven."

Bang!

Chongzhen, who had been calm since the start of the morning court, slammed his hand against the dragon throne and stood up abruptly. "Then what does the abolition of the postal stations have to do with you? You have failed to attend to your own duties, yet you busy yourself with the affairs of the Ministry of War. If the stations are abolished, how will official documents and urgent reports be delivered to the frontiers and provinces? How will the tribute rites and foreign envoys be received in the capital? How are the dismissed couriers to be resettled? How will the stations themselves be handled? Do you do things without thinking, merely acting on a whim?"

Chongzhen’s anger flared. "Do not think I am unaware: you kept a concubine, and your lawful wife discovered this by intercepting news through the postal system. Instead of reflecting on your own failings, you hold a grudge against the postal system!"

As these words left his lips, Mao Yujian cursed inwardly. Such a private matter was known only to a few; how did the Emperor know? The other officials were equally stunned, realizing that what they thought was a matter of state was merely a petty personal vendetta.

"Guards, drag Mao Yujian out and execute him! Take Liu Mao as well and give him twenty strokes of the heavy bamboo!"

The Imperial Guards immediately dragged Mao Yujian out. His pleas for mercy echoed through the hall. Chongzhen was utterly incensed. In Baishui, one-tenth of the six thousand people were former couriers or deserters; if the stations were abolished, the consequences would be catastrophic. Even if only one-tenth of the 100,000 couriers joined the civil unrest, the imperial court would need to mobilize 100,000 troops to suppress them. With powerful enemies lurking outside, it was impossible to draw from the nine frontier armies, and relying on the garrison troops would mean the end of the Ming Dynasty. The couriers were physically superior to ordinary refugees; while their combat ability might not match the frontier troops, they were at least on par with the local garrison soldiers.

"My lords, are there any other matters to report?"

Hearing the question and having witnessed Mao Yujian’s fate, the ministers quickly replied, "We have no further petitions!"

"Since you have no petitions, I have one matter I would like you all to hear. Cao Sicheng, as the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, you explain: what is the situation with the refugees outside the outer city of Beijing?"

Not only was Cao Sicheng dumbfounded, but all the ministers were stunned. How could there be refugees at the feet of the Emperor? Cao Sicheng, wisely avoiding any excuse, immediately knelt and said, "Your subject... your subject does not know. I shall investigate at once!"

"No need!" Chongzhen had no patience for their charade. "I can tell you: these refugees are from Shaanxi. Shaanxi has suffered a great drought, with no harvest at all, yet the various taxes remain, leading to civil unrest. Currently, there are over a dozen uprisings within Shaanxi. The most severe, in Baishui County, has already gathered over six thousand people, one-tenth of whom are former couriers and deserters."

Only then did the ministers realize why the Emperor was so enraged by the proposal to abolish the stations; it was like driving a knife into his heart. Mentioning this made Chongzhen want to have all these ministers dragged out and executed. If this uprising were handled poorly, it could overturn the Ming Dynasty, yet these ministers were still squabbling over trivialities.

Cao Sicheng reflexively muttered, "That is impossible!"

"Impossible? Are you questioning me? Would you like me to bring in a few refugees to confront you in court?"

Cao Sicheng shivered and knelt instantly. "Your Majesty, that is not what I meant. If such events were occurring in Shaanxi, why has the Censor of Shaanxi not reported it?"

"Your Majesty, the Cabinet has not received any report of natural disasters from the Governor of Shaanxi, Hu Yanyan, nor has the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers reported any civil unrest!" added Zhang Fenglai, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. The matter was too grave; he had to distance himself from the responsibility.

"Wang Cheng'en, read it to them!"

Wang Cheng'en stepped forward and read the memorial from the Shaanxi Censor, Wu Huan.

"Huang Liji, you and the others who just joined the Cabinet may be forgiven for your ignorance, but you, Huang Liji, joined the Cabinet in the ninth month of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign. This memorial was submitted in August of this year. You cannot possibly claim to be unaware of it!"

"Your Majesty, at the time, the Cabinet only received a report of a few hundred refugees. The local government had the absolute capacity to handle it, so the Cabinet drafted the response, and the Directorate of Ceremonial affixed the red seal..."

"Shut up!" Chongzhen angrily cut off Huang Liji’s explanation. "That was then, but you did not follow up on the outcome after you drafted the response? What is the use of the Cabinet? Huang Liji, as the Chief Grand Secretary of two reigns, you have neglected your duties and failed the imperial grace, allowing the uprising to escalate. I am deeply disappointed. Guards, cast Huang Liji into the Censorate prison. Let the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review investigate this thoroughly. He shall be sentenced after the unrest is quelled!"

"Zhou Yingqiu, as Minister of Personnel, the Governor of Shaanxi and the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers are so decrepit and incompetent that they fail to report such critical matters of state, yet this is how your Ministry conducts its evaluations? Tell me, how should the Governor of Shaanxi be punished?"