Chapter 6: The Aftermath of the Fall of Guangning

Upon hearing these words, everyone present silently reflected on them twice, finding them remarkably profound. It seemed that although the Emperor was young, his insight was already quite extraordinary. However, when considering the context of his subsequent remarks, it became clear that the Emperor was still addressing the matter of the Xiong-Wang case.

Guan Yingzhen felt a surge of spirit; he stood up, stepped out of the ranks to the center, and said, "Your Majesty's words strike at the very heart of the matter, laying bare the truth and pointing directly to the conscience of men. They are truly marvelous. I congratulate the Great Ming, and I congratulate the ancestors of our dynasty for the heavens have bestowed upon us a sage monarch to restore the glory of the Great Ming." Having said this, he prostrated himself on the ground.

The assembled officials followed suit, kneeling in unison: "We congratulate the Great Ming, and we congratulate the ancestors of our dynasty for the heavens have bestowed upon us a sage monarch to restore the glory of the Great Ming."

Zhu Youxiao stood up and declared, "I wish to work alongside you all to restore the glory of our Great Ming and project our might across the world."

The officials chanted in unison, "Restore the Great Ming, project our might across the world! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live the Emperor!"

Once everyone had returned to their seats, Zhu Youxiao moved to the main topic: "Regarding the cases of Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen, you have all been debating for several days. I have listened to your arguments, and both sides have their points. However, I wish to address two issues. First, whether you are supporting Xiong or Wang, is it truly out of public interest? Are your suggestions based solely on their actions?"

This was a heavy question, and the officials fell into a profound silence. After a moment, Xu Guangqi stood up and said, "Your Majesty, having reflected upon your words, I must be honest with myself. I support Xiong Tingbi not because he is innocent, for I believe he is indeed guilty, but because I believe his crimes do not warrant death. Thus, I feel my support for him is entirely out of public interest."

Upon hearing this, others thought, "Indeed, I too can claim to be acting out of public interest. As for whether that is truly the case, how could the Emperor possibly know?" Just as they were about to follow Xu Guangqi’s lead, Zhu Youxiao interjected, "Sir, you are non-partisan, a fact I am well aware of; your words are naturally impartial. However, are there not others among you who harbor factional biases? Buddhism speaks of looking within to see the Buddha; today, I ask you all to look directly into your own hearts. Are you truly free of any factional prejudice? Do not rush to defend yourselves; think, think carefully before you answer."

The officials remained silent, but Zhu Youxiao did not wait for their response, continuing, "The second issue: Xiong and Wang lost Guangning. This is a crime. Regardless of the reasons, a crime is a crime. Since it has been established that merit and crime must be weighed together, if they are to be executed, both must be executed. Whether the loss of territory was due to incompetence or attitude is a separate matter."

This effectively set the tone for the case: there would be no saving one while sacrificing the other. Either both would be saved, or both would be executed.

The officials remained silent, and the hall became so quiet that a falling needle could be heard. Zhu Youxiao was in no hurry; he would wait, for someone would eventually lose their composure.

Finally, Ye Xianggao stood up and said, "Your Majesty, after long deliberation, I believe that since the two lost Liaodong, they deserve execution according to the law." The elder was deeply troubled; Wang Huazhen was, after all, his student, but he felt that given the gravity of losing the territory, execution was already a lenient sentence.

Rarely, after Ye Xianggao expressed his opinion, no one stepped forward to echo him. People were fine with saving one person by killing the other, but the prospect of killing both felt too cruel. Of course, the cruelty they perceived was only directed at the specific individual they wished to save.

Seeing this, Fang Congzhe stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, while it is true that the two lost Guangning, their crimes do not warrant death. I implore Your Majesty to allow them to redeem themselves through service."

Xu Guangqi stood up and said, "I second this." More and more officials followed suit, saying, "I second this."

Zhu Youxiao smiled; the officials still did not understand his intent. He turned to Fang Congzhe and asked, "Prime Minister, did these two men lose Guangning?"

"They did, but the reason they lost it was because..."

Zhu Youxiao interrupted him bluntly, "Since they lost Guangning, what does the law dictate for the crime of losing territory?"

"The law dictates execution, but there were extenuating circumstances, and the two..."

Zhu Youxiao interrupted again, "Since the law dictates execution, then they shall be sentenced to death. What more is there to say?"

The officials had assumed that to save Xiong Tingbi, one must save Wang Huazhen, and vice versa. They did not expect the Emperor to sentence both to death. Non-partisan officials like Xu Guangqi felt it was a pity, while those like Zuo Guangdou were deeply disappointed. This result not only doomed Xiong Tingbi but also dragged Wang Huazhen down with him—how could this be allowed?

Zuo Guangdou stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, it is a fact that Xiong and Wang lost Guangning, but the blame cannot be placed solely upon them. I beg Your Majesty to investigate further."

Zhu Youxiao was delighted; it was as if someone had brought him a pillow just as he was becoming drowsy. He replied, "I am already aware that the Minister of War, Zhang Heming, also bears guilt. Since Censor Zuo has brought it up, let us discuss it."

Zuo Guangdou was furious; that was not what he meant! Could the Emperor not twist his words? But he dared not say so, and had to follow the Emperor's lead: "The Minister of War is indeed guilty, and the Cabinet should share the blame."

Since he had already implicated Zhang Heming, he might as well drag Fang Congzhe down with him.

Fang Congzhe stood up and said, "I am also guilty and request Your Majesty's punishment." Ye Xianggao and Han Kuang also rose to confess their guilt. Sun Chengzong had only entered the Cabinet after the loss of Guangning, so he was uninvolved, and besides, he was currently inspecting the Shanhai Pass. Thus, the three members of the Cabinet confessed together.

Zhu Youxiao asked Wang Ji, the Minister of Justice, "Minister Wang, what punishment do you think is appropriate under the laws of the Great Ming?"

Wang Ji stood up and replied, "As Minister of War, Zhang Heming should be dismissed from his post. As for the three in the Cabinet, a one-year salary forfeiture would serve as a warning."

Zhu Youxiao stood up and declared, "Issue the decree: Xiong Tingbi and Wang Huazhen have failed the imperial grace and lost Liaodong; according to the law, they are sentenced to death. Zhang Heming, as Minister of War, is dismissed from all posts and shall never be employed again. Fang Congzhe, Ye Xianggao, and Han Kuang shall forfeit one year's salary. Furthermore, I appoint Huang Kezuan as Minister of War." (After Zhang Heming resigned due to illness, the post had remained vacant, and since Huang Kezuan did not belong to any faction, the Emperor took the opportunity to promote him.)

Seeing the Emperor issue the decree directly, the officials panicked. However, the Emperor’s reasoning was sound and unassailable, so they had to resort to an emotional appeal. Led by Fang Congzhe, the officials knelt and cried, "We implore Your Majesty to show mercy beyond the law and spare their lives."

Zhu Youxiao replied, "They are sentenced to death because they deserve it; there is nothing to be done about that. As for showing mercy beyond the law, that depends on whether I am willing."

Sensing a softening in the Emperor's tone, they immediately pleaded, "Grace comes from the Emperor; we beg for your compassion."

Zhu Youxiao understood their sense of shared fate—the "fox mourning the death of the hare"—so he said, "The decree has been issued, but the execution may be delayed. Let them reflect on their actions in prison for now."

The officials were overjoyed. As long as they were not executed immediately, the chances of their survival increased. They shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live the Emperor!"