Volume One, The Young Dragon Opens Its Eyes - Chapter 143: Stripping the Fiefs—The Political Correctness of the Great Ming

Chapter 143: Stripping the Fiefs—The Political Correctness of the Great Ming

Wang Wen did not actually know whether what Zhu Qizhen said was true or false, but he knew one thing: if a massive military campaign were launched and continued for several years, places like Luchuan and Myanmar would surely be unable to withstand it.

However, this thought was immediately dismissed by Wang Wen.

His opposition to large-scale military deployment was sincere.

If they were to launch a massive military campaign simply because they opposed sending imperial princes to be enfeoffed in distant lands, would that not be putting the cart before the horse?

Yet, a deep sense of mistrust lingered in his heart.

Mistrust toward the Emperor, and mistrust toward the nobility.

He understood political matters far too well. What could be said today could be altered tomorrow; once a precedent was established, everyone thereafter would simply cite that precedent.

Opening a small gap was equivalent to opening a floodgate.

Wang Wen was all too familiar with Zhu Qizhen's tactics, for this was not the first time the Emperor had used them. The matter of opening the seas to maritime trade had been handled by Zhu Qizhen in precisely the same manner.

Though the routine was old, as long as it worked, it was enough.

By now, the opening of maritime trade was already brewing a storm in the provinces. When that storm finally blew into Beijing, it would likely be the moment when the court formally proposed the revision of the tally trade system.

Granting the Emperor a single leeway today meant heaven could be pierced tomorrow.

Today, it was claimed as a forced expediency; tomorrow, external military campaigns would be launched on account of this very matter.

In the end, only the common people would suffer more hardship.

Yet these words were unsayable for Wang Wen, because speaking them was useless.

If Wang Wen were to speak out, the Emperor would certainly declare it an expedient measure—done just this once, with no example to be followed hereafter. As for when the next time came, a different excuse would be ready.

Wang Wen sighed inwardly, thinking to himself, "So be it, so be it. What does it matter if this old man discards his official post?" He stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Emperor Taizong raised the righteous army of the Jingnan Campaign and won the entire realm. When Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, the Prince of Han revolted. Across the three reigns of Taizong, Renzong, and Xuanzong, the imperial kinsmen throughout the realm were pacified and reined in. Today, Your Majesty releases the tiger back to the mountains; how can one know whether among them there might be one or two who imitate the deeds of Emperor Taizong?"

"This is sowing the seeds of chaos for the empire. Your Majesty, I implore you to think thrice. I implore the Grand Empress Dowager to think thrice."

With that, Wang Wen dropped to his knees, prostrating himself for a long time without rising.

For a moment, the Wenhua Palace grew so silent that the dropping of a needle could be heard.

It seemed as though everyone had even stopped breathing.

Zhu Qizhen was no exception.

Emperor Taizong’s uprising had occurred only thirty or forty years ago, and many in the court were direct witnesses to the Jingnan Campaign.

Perhaps in another decade or two, the Jingnan Campaign would become a casual topic of conversation among civil officials, but at present, it remained a heavily suppressed, highly sensitive taboo.

Some things could be done but not spoken of.

Some things could be spoken of but not done.

After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, because his acquisition of the throne lacked orthodox legitimacy, he never once uttered the two words "stripping the fiefs," yet he had carried it out thoroughly in practice.

Now, Wang Wen had torn away this fig leaf.

No matter what happened next, Wang Wen would likely no longer be able to remain in the Censorate; demotion to a post outside the capital would be the lightest outcome.

Zhu Qizhen spoke calmly, "Minister Wang, you are mistaken. Zhang Zhong’s final memorial stated it very clearly: henceforth, the imperial princes of the Great Ming shall be divided into those within the inner domains and those in the outer domains. For the princes enfeoffed within the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Great Ming, everything shall remain as it was of old. Only those princes enfeoffed beyond the two capitals and thirteen provinces shall possess the power to command troops, and even then, they shall be subject to imperial checks and balances."

"Moreover, times change and circumstances differ. As the Grand Empress Dowager said, those trivial matters of the past need not be brought up again. I have even pardoned the descendant of Jianwen, and let the rights and wrongs of the Jingnan Campaign end right here."

"I trust all my imperial uncles."

After a moment of thought, Zhu Qizhen added, "Issue the decree: the descendants of the Jianwen loyal ministers, such as Fang Xiaoru, shall be entirely pardoned and posthumously honored with official titles."

Upon hearing this, the Grand Empress Dowager frowned slightly, sighed inwardly, but said nothing more.

In truth, there was one matter Zhu Qizhen did not know.

During the reign of the Hongwu Emperor, the heirs of the imperial princes were all gathered in Nanjing to study. At that time, Emperor Renzong, the Prince of Han, and the Prince of Zhao were all there.

Emperor Hongwu detested the Prince of Han the most, yet favored the Prince of Renzong, only disliking Renzong for his corpulence. However, Renzong had enjoyed a deep friendship with the Jianwen Emperor when the latter was still the Heir Apparent.

Yet friendship was friendship; when the time came to strike, neither side had shown any mercy. It was just that in the dead of night, when dreams washed over him, Emperor Renzong could not help but occasionally sigh over the death of the Jianwen Emperor.

Only the Grand Empress Dowager, who shared his pillow, knew this.

She also knew that Zhu Qizhen’s current stance was, in reality, a form of concession.

Within the scholarly circles of the Great Ming, there had always been an undercurrent of sympathy for the Jianwen Emperor. No matter how great his achievements were throughout his life, Emperor Taizong could never wash away this stain.

Therefore, people would petition for the redress of Xie Jin’s miscarriage of justice, but not a single person dared to speak out for the miscarriage of justice suffered by Fang Xiaoru—though sympathy was by no means lacking among the literati of Jiangnan.

Rehabilitating and clearing the name of Fang Xiaoru was, in essence, a repudiation of Emperor Taizong. Naturally, Emperor Taizong’s pride still needed to be preserved, so in the various assessments and appraisals of Fang Xiaoru and the others, the convention of "using respectful terms for the exalted" would still have to be maintained.

Nevertheless, even so, this was a major boon for the southern literati.

The reason Zhu Qizhen made this decision was because he knew this matter could not be blocked indefinitely.

Even if he did not do it, future emperors would have to.

Because among the literati of the Great Ming, many proudly claimed to "follow the Dao rather than the ruler." Fang Xiaoru and the others remained loyal to the Jianwen Emperor, and in terms of Confucian morality, they had committed no error.

To continue denying this would only damage the regime's own ruling foundation.

Especially now, when the faction of civil officials was growing in power and playing an increasingly vital role. Since this was something that had to be done sooner or later, it might as well be thrown out as a bargaining chip.

"Your Majesty is wise," Yang Shiqi said immediately upon hearing Zhu Qizhen's words.

Immediately afterward, all the civil officials below shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise."

Upon seeing this, the Duke of Cheng muttered under his breath, "Fine, Fang Xiaoru was indeed a man of backbone."

The Jingnan faction was actually not very willing to see the rehabilitation of Fang Xiaoru and the others. It was simply that Zhang Fu was suppressing dissent, making it difficult for them to speak out. After all, if Fang Xiaoru was a loyal minister, what did that make them?

Some things could not be thought about too clearly.

Wang Wen also knelt down, yet he said nothing at all. He knew that saying anything was useless. In the next few days, he would likely be forced to leave the capital.

Even the fabricated charge was already waiting: sowing discord in the imperial family.

Zhu Qizhen let out a quiet sigh and glanced sideways at the Grand Empress Dowager. She was also looking at him, her gaze filled with unperturbed calm.

Zhu Qizhen felt a slight chill creeping up his back after just a moment—it had been dampened by cold sweat.

To get this idea passed, he had made countless preparations in his heart.

These preparations had not all been made today; they had begun several years ago, when he first met Zhang Zhong.

At that time, Zhu Qizhen had discovered a problem.

The Great Ming's external strategy was actually quite unfavorable for territorial expansion. Although Emperor Taizong had launched massive external campaigns, he had verbally adhered to the institutional legacy left by the Hongwu Emperor.

If Zhu Qizhen wanted to push the Great Ming to its absolute zenith, he first needed a theoretical foundation.

When Emperor Wu of Han wanted to wage a northern expedition against the Xiongnu, he first had to elevate the Gongyang School and raise the banner of supreme vengeance. The policy of enfeoffing princes abroad was certainly the crystallization of Zhang Zhong's lifelong wisdom, but it was also Zhu Qizhen's first step toward becoming a great emperor.

From this day onward, the founding Emperor’s grand strategic guideline of "restricting the empire by mountains and seas, listing fifteen un-conquerable states" transformed into a policy of "internal commanderies and counties, external vassal states."

This political shift might not show any significant changes today, or even in the next dozen years. But centuries later, when people looked back and explored this period of history, every single one of them would point to this very meeting as the crucial turning point.

That, of course, was a story for the future.

"Your Majesty," Yang Rong said, "since the policy of external enfeoffment has been decided, I wonder which imperial prince will be designated to garrison Luchuan?"

This was a question everyone knew to be rhetorical, yet it had to be asked.

Everyone knew that the Prince of Xiang was currently in the capital.

If not the Prince of Xiang, then who else could it be?

Sure enough, Zhu Qizhen replied, "The Prince of Xiang is my imperial uncle, both senior and virtuous. Let the Prince of Xiang be enfeoffed in Luchuan. The Ministry of War shall prepare three personal guard units and various officials to assist my imperial uncle in achieving this endeavor."

Chai Che responded, "Your minister obeys the decree."

The Grand Empress Dowager also chimed in, "Sooner is better than later. Since it has been decided, let the Prince of Xiang proceed to the military camp first. The Cabinet shall deliberate and draft a formal title and establishment."

The Grand Empress Dowager's primary purpose this time was to pave the way for the Prince of Xiang, so naturally, she wanted to nail this matter down firmly.

Upon hearing this, Yang Rong frowned slightly, stepped out from the ranks, and said, "Grand Empress Dowager, your minister believes that the situation in the military camp is fraught with danger and crises. It would be safer for the Prince of Xiang to depart only after the major affairs have been completely settled."

Zhu Qizhen understood immediately: Yang Rong's worry was identical to his own previous concern.

Indeed, the notion of stripping the fiefs as political correctness had already penetrated deep into the marrow of the central civil official elite.