novelSusiti Chapter 012 Power Struggle in the Capital
Chapter 012 Power Struggle in the Capital
Chapter 012
"From this day forward, this plow shall be named the Tianqi Plow, and the Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau shall be upgraded to the Tianqi Manufacturing Bureau, directly under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court!"
After Zhu Youxiao finished speaking, all around fell into dead silence.
Wei Zhongxian looked up abruptly, a look of shock flashing in his eyes.
Being directly under the inner court meant that this workshop, located far away in Henan, would be directly linked to the imperial family, its status rising dramatically and becoming incomparable to ordinary local government offices.
Zhu Youxiao continued, "The man who invented the plow was Chen Boying. He was bestowed the title of 'The Greatest Craftsman Under Heaven.'"
"The world's greatest craftsmanship!"
Zhu Youjian was dumbfounded. He wanted to advise his elder brother not to be rash. Since ancient times, craftsmen have been ranked at the bottom of all craftsmen. When have they ever received such a praise?
This is no longer a reward, it is...
Zhu Youjian suddenly thought of something more. This was his elder brother's decision, which elevated a lowly military household to the pinnacle of the craft. He wanted to show those censors and officials that he, the emperor, was not neglecting his duties and that he could also influence the people of the world.
"besides……"
Zhu Youxiao looked at Wei Zhongxian with sharp eyes: "Issue my imperial edict: Chen Boying has rendered meritorious service by presenting the plow, which has benefited the whole country. He shall be granted the hereditary title of Hundred-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and shall be appointed as the Chief Supervisor of the Tianqi Construction Bureau, with the rank of Fifth Grade. His parents, wife and children shall also be honored."
Hereditary commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
This is no longer an honorary title; it is a real military rank.
Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard had a bad reputation, it was the emperor's personal army. Although a centurion was only a sixth-rank official, it meant that Chen Boying would be removed from ordinary military households and join the ranks of the emperor's close ministers, even if it was just a title.
Wei Zhongxian's mind raced with thoughts.
This reward from the Emperor is truly unusual.
No matter how powerful an iron plow is, it is still just a farming tool. Why should it be given a name, promoted, and given an official title?
Suddenly, Wei Zhongxian realized that this was the Emperor testing him.
He was testing the attitude of the court officials. Agriculture is the foundation of the country, and the iron plow is of great benefit to the country. It is a good thing and a proper matter. He wanted to see if these censors who were always quick to impeach would oppose the government just for the sake of opposing.
Having understood this, Wei Zhongxian bowed and replied, "This servant obeys the decree. Your Majesty is wise; such a reward will surely inspire all craftsmen in the land to serve with utmost dedication."
Zhu Youxiao seemed to see through Wei Zhongxian's thoughts and said calmly, "Does Wei Zhongxian feel that I have rewarded him too much?"
Wei Zhongxian hurriedly replied, "This servant wouldn't dare."
"I'll tell you why."
Zhu Youxiao squatted down, grabbed a handful of freshly turned soil, held it in his palm, and then slowly released it: "In this world, scholars study for fame and fortune, warriors fight for official positions, and merchants pursue profit for wealth. Everyone has their own goals, which is understandable. But what about the artisans?"
"They built magnificent houses for us to live in; they crafted tools for us to use; they repaired bridges and paved roads for us to travel on. But what did they gain? A mere label of 'ingenious skills' and they're dismissed?"
Zhu Youxiao calmly said, "Chen Boying made this plow not for fame or rank, but to save people the effort of plowing and to harvest more grain. This intention is much cleaner than those officials who spout benevolence and morality but only know how to engage in factional struggles and amass wealth."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"I reward him for his integrity. It is also to tell the world that in my Great Ming Dynasty, as long as someone truly does something beneficial to the people's livelihood, even if they are just a soldier, I will never mistreat them."
Wei Zhongxian prostrated himself deeply, saying, "Your Majesty is farsighted; this servant is foolish and dull."
Zhu Youxiao patted the dirt off Zhu You's clothes: "You're tired today, go back and wash up. Tomorrow, I'll teach you how to make this plow!"
Zhu Youjian's eyes lit up: "Is it true, Your Majesty?"
A ruler's word is his bond.
Zhu Youxiao laughed: "However, you must first understand why this plow is designed this way, and why the iron is forged in this manner. If you can't figure it out, I won't teach you."
"Your Majesty, I will surely understand!"
The young prince stood tall, his eyes shining even through the mud on his face.
Zhu Youxiao nodded, taking one last look at the iron plow standing quietly at the edge of the field.
That afternoon, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs drafted the imperial edict:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Chen Boying, a military household member of Guide Guard in Henan, is intelligent and ingenious, and has created a new type of iron-shafted plow, which saves labor and increases efficiency, benefiting agriculture and sericulture. He is hereby bestowed the title of 'First Craftsman Under Heaven,' granted the hereditary title of 'Hundred-Household Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard,' and shall actually serve as the Chief Supervisor of the Tianqi Manufacturing Bureau, with the rank of Fifth Grade. The Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau shall be renamed the Tianqi Manufacturing Bureau, directly under the Inner Court. This is the imperial decree."
Inside the East Wing of the Wenyuan Pavilion, Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao slammed the imperial edict drafted by the Directorate of Ceremonial onto the sandalwood table.
"Bang!"
Ye Xianggao was so angry that his white beard flew wildly: "Absurd! Utterly absurd! A military household made a plow, and according to regulations, he was rewarded with fifty taels of silver and a plaque. This is already an act of imperial grace. He was granted the hereditary title of a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard and appointed as the head of the Tianqi Construction Bureau, a fifth-rank official. Where does this place the public office of the court? Where does it place etiquette and law?"
Zhu Guozuo, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Minister of Revenue, and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, slowly stepped forward and said: "In our dynasty, merit is awarded only through military achievements, and hereditary titles are not granted without military merit. During the Jiajing reign, Qi Jiguang, the Junior Guardian, quelled the Japanese pirates, but only granted his son the title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Now, a plow is being used to justify the merit of the first half of a national war? If this continues, titles will be used indiscriminately!"
Minister of Rites Sun Shenxing said, "The problems with this matter do not end there..."
"A local crafts shop suddenly becomes an imperial embezzlement agency? Where does the money and provisions come from? Now it's under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Treasury, turning into a money pit for eunuchs. This... this is utterly outrageous!"
The ministers' expressions grew increasingly grave; they were well aware of the Tianqi Emperor's temperament.
This young emperor was obsessed with carpentry and often acted on a whim, issuing some rather unreliable decrees over the years. However, these were mostly trivial matters within the palace or rewards for favored courtiers, which the civil officials usually turned a blind eye to.
This time is different. It is a blatant violation of the merit-based reward system, touching the core power domain of the civil service group: the evaluation and promotion channels for talent.
The imperial examination was a single-plank bridge that countless scholars across the land fought tooth and nail to cross.
Military positions are earned through hard-fought battles and meritorious service.
This is a rule that has remained unchanged for over two hundred years in the Ming Dynasty, and it is the cornerstone for the scholar-official class to maintain their status and the order of the court.
Now, the emperor used a plow to easily pry open a crack in this foundation stone.
If a soldier who makes a plow can be rewarded with the rank of centurion today, will a carpenter who makes a waterwheel be rewarded with the rank of chiliarch tomorrow? And the day after tomorrow, will even a bricklayer who builds a palace be granted the title of earl?
"If this precedent is set, the whole country will be in uproar! Won't all those craftsmen, merchants, and even itinerant magicians flock here, hoping to use their strange skills and cunning tricks to curry favor and advance their careers? Where will the court's integrity be? Where will the moral character of the literati be?"
Vice Grand Secretary He Zongyan exclaimed excitedly, "It must be returned! The Cabinet should exercise its power to reject it; this decree must not be issued!"
For a moment, everyone looked at Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao.
Ye Xianggao closed his eyes, his chest heaving.
Returning the imperial decree sounds easy, but doing so would be a public slap in the face to the emperor and a direct confrontation with the increasingly arrogant Wei Zhongxian and his eunuch faction.
In the third year of the Tianqi reign, Wei Zhongxian's influence had grown considerably, and the upright officials in the court were repeatedly suppressed. Wei Zhongxian, as the Grand Secretary, was already feeling extremely uneasy.
But the problem is...
If he is not returned, how will scholars across the land view him as the Grand Secretary?
"Draft vote".
Ye Xianggao said resolutely, "This reward is excessive and may open the door to favoritism and ruin the national ceremony of rewarding merit. I humbly beg Your Majesty to rescind your order and simply reward the military household according to the established rules... If Your Majesty insists... this old minister will resign."
Ye Xianggao wasn't acting impulsively. He had already realized that this young emperor was outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, and that he had repeatedly used Wei Zhongxian to disgust him, which made him want to step down.
In the power struggles of the court, losing a battle simply meant retiring to one's hometown and being far from the central government. The problem was that Wei Zhongxian colluded with his clients, especially Wei Zhongxian, whose methods were extremely cruel and despicable. In fact, he was somewhat afraid.
……
The Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs is on duty.
Wei Zhongxian leaned back on the soft couch, listening to the report from his trusted eunuch Li Yongzhen.
"Godfather, things are in complete chaos outside. At the Wenyuan Pavilion, Ye Xianggao wants to return the imperial edict, and several ministers are there. The censors of the Six Ministries are writing memorials, and I heard that Zhou Shipu, a censor from the Ministry of Rites alone, is going to submit three memorials... The censors of the Censorate are even more outraged, threatening to jointly petition the emperor to the death!"
Wei Zhongxian sneered, "To the death to remonstrate? Very well, I'd like to see whether their necks are harder or the court beatings are harder."
"Godfather is wise. But... this time, isn't His Majesty's reward a bit too heavy? A few of the younger ones are grumbling, saying that a craftsman has suddenly become like us, who have served His Majesty for many years..."
"Slap him!"
Wei Zhongxian glanced at him coldly, and Li Yongzhen, realizing he had misspoke, quickly slapped himself several times.
Wei Zhongxian sat up. How could he not know that the emperor's reward to Chen Boying was somewhat absurd?
The problem is that the Donglin Party, due to the struggle over the succession, the three major cases, and their contribution in supporting the Tianqi Emperor, enjoyed the Tianqi Emperor's deep trust and held important positions in the court.
People like Yang Lian and Zuo Guangdou were entrusted with important positions in the Censorate, Sun Chengzong became a Grand Secretary, and Ye Xianggao, although not a member of the Donglin Party, had close ties with the Donglin Party.
In particular, the Donglin Party held central power, and after taking power, it frequently launched bureaucratic assessments such as the Imperial Examination and the Capital Inspection, using morality as a pretext to exclude dissidents, which led to increased internal friction within the bureaucratic system.
The Tianqi Emperor gradually realized that although the Donglin Party's criticisms touted integrity, they actually solidified factionalism and even interfered with border defense decisions (such as the Xiong Tingbi case), weakening the imperial power's control over the situation.
Furthermore, the long-term struggle between the Donglin Party and other factions such as the Zhejiang Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party led Emperor Tian to believe that he was unable to effectively integrate the civil official group to deal with the Liaodong crisis and the eunuch's monopoly of power. As a result, he turned to rely on eunuchs such as Wei Zhongxian to counterbalance the power of the civil officials.
Although Wei Zhongxian attacked the Donglin Party, his political enemy, many times after he seized power, the problem was that the Donglin Party's power was too great, and he did not actually shake the foundation of the Donglin Party.
The Donglin Party controlled the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Rites, as well as the Censorate and the censors. They attempted to force Emperor Tianqi to compromise through court discussions. However, although Emperor Tianqi was young, he was not stupid.
He must break the Donglin Party's blockade, or he will become a complete puppet.
This seemingly foolish move is actually opening a door, just like Cao Cao's edict seeking talent back then. Cao Cao's edict broke down the restrictions of social class and birth, giving those from humble backgrounds a chance to rise to prominence.
The Tianqi Emperor bypassed the Ministry of Personnel, which was controlled by the Donglin Party, and set an example for the military households throughout the country. In fact, this was a signal that he wanted the military households and artisans to understand that the country belonged to the Zhu family.
He, Zhu Youxiao, is the true emperor.
Wei Zhongxian's principles were so effective that they kept the emperor happy. The more the civil officials opposed him, the more the emperor felt that only he himself truly supported him.
"Go and find a few clever people to relay those words from outside to His Majesty in a different way."
"What does 'godfather' mean?"
"For example... the civil officials weren't criticizing the rewards themselves, but rather the Emperor's judgment of character. They said that craftsmanship was just a fancy and frivolous skill, meaning that the carpentry work the Emperor liked was also a fancy and frivolous skill. They said the rewards were too heavy, meaning that the Emperor was not qualified to decide who to reward or how much to reward."
Li Yongzhen's eyes lit up: "Son understands!"
"Also... let our people spread the word that Chen Boying is a divinely ordained auspicious sign, and that the plow is a divinely inspired act. If the civil officials oppose it, they are going against the will of Heaven and are jealous of the virtuous and capable."
"yes!"
Yongcheng Agricultural Implements Manufacturing Bureau, Yongcheng County, Guide Prefecture.
Chen Ying was unaware of what was happening in the capital. At this moment, he and Tie Yuanli had become the vortex of the struggle in the capital and the center of the storm.
He also became a pawn in the power struggle within the imperial court.