My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 87: Joint Effort

At Luo Zun's house, he was hosting a banquet in the backyard to entertain Shen Sixiao.

"Jishan (Shen Sixiao's pen name) has a brilliant plan! The Dai prince's memorial has been sent to the capital, and the decision has been finalized!"

Shen Sixiao also had a smile on his face. Datong's vassal states, border troops, and gentry all rebelled together, and even the emperor had to consider the impact.

Shen Sixiao said:

"Tomorrow, I would like all the lords to submit a petition to the court, asking them to temporarily stop the southern troops from marching north. As long as we can delay the southern troops from marching north, we will succeed!"

Luo Zun thought about it and felt that Shen Sixiao had hit the nail on the head.

The southern troops marching north is the most critical part of the "Plan to Pacify the Rong". If the "Plan to Pacify the Rong" is completely denied, the cabinet ministers will inevitably oppose it fiercely because it is a challenge to the cabinet's authority.

But things have gotten out of hand, so we should ask the southern troops to temporarily stop moving north and not escalate the conflict. That should be fine, right?
As long as the cabinet does not oppose it so strongly, the matter can be delayed.

Many things just get lost because they are delayed.

In other words, when some policies encounter resistance, canceling them all at once will cause turmoil, so they will use the method of delaying things to stop first, and then quietly cancel them after the impact has passed.

Many reforms in history started with great fanfare but ended in obscurity.

Shen Sixiao's series of punches caught the entire cabinet off guard.

Luo Zun smiled and said:

"I don't need to worry about this. Today's memorials from the Censorate have all been retained by His Majesty. The matter is almost done!"

As a senior censor, Luo Zun was good at observing the direction of the court.

A few days ago, the censors who submitted petitions requesting the abolition of the "Plan for Pacificating the Rong" were all punished by imperial decree. However, today, the petition jointly signed by the Censorate was kept by the emperor and not sent out.

This is enough to show that the emperor has also been shaken.

Without the emperor's firm support, the first step of the southern troops moving north could not be implemented, and the "Plan for Pacificating the Enemy" became a dead letter.

Luo Zun couldn't help but take a sip of wine. If he could stop the "Plan for Pacificating the Rong", he would become the leader among the censors, and promotion would be a natural thing.

Shen Sixiao also drank a little wine, made his own plans, and obtained endorsements from six departments and thirteen departments. After the observation period, he could stay in the capital.

More importantly, if the "Plan to Pacify the Rong" cannot be implemented, Su Ze, as the initiator, will suffer a major blow, and causing such a big disturbance will inevitably affect his position in the emperor's heart.

Given Su Ze's bad reputation in the six departments and thirteen examinations, once he lost the emperor's favor and the protection of the cabinet, he would be exiled soon.
-
Datong, the palace of Prince Dai.

Prince of Dai, Zhu Tingqi, secretly held a banquet in his palace to entertain Zheng Nian, the Lieutenant General of Datong.

It was naturally taboo for a local prince to associate with a border general, but Datong was not the capital, and did not have that many Jinyiwei. The Dai King had held a secret banquet, so Zheng Nian still attended it with his trusted centurion, Zhao Cheng.

Zheng Nian was humble and said to the King of Dai:

"If it weren't for the prince's help this time, my Datong Guard would have become the mules and horses of the southern soldiers. This general respects the prince!"

Dai Wang Zhu Tingqi accepted Zheng Nian's toast, personally pulled Zheng Nian to sit down and said:
"Commander Zheng, the Dai Palace and the Datong Guard are of the same blood. There's no need to say such polite words!"

The host and the guests were all happy, and Zheng Nian whispered again:

"Your Highness, the rebel leader, Zhao Dazhu, has fled to the grasslands, and the military settlement of Zhaojia Village has been reclaimed by the garrison. Send someone to the yamen in a few days, and this piece of land will be yours."

King Dai Zhu Tingqi looked delighted. There was very little land in Zhaojia Village, otherwise Zhao Dazhu would not have led the villagers to smuggle.

But Zhaojia Village was sandwiched between two farms of the Dai Wang Mansion, and the Dai Wang had long wanted to occupy it and connect the farms into one.

The banquet was getting more and more enjoyable. At this time, Captain Zhao Cheng said:
"Your Highness, a few days ago, the guards apprehended several members of the royal family who had tried to break through the checkpoints. Now is a critical moment. You should pay out the arrears of rice." Dai Wang Zhu Tingqi said disapprovingly:
"Don't worry, Captain Zhao! Those royal family members who broke through the barrier have been severely punished by the king."

The Dai Wang family has more than just the Dai Wang Mansion.

The Dai Wang line has been passed down for six generations and has many side branches. In addition to the Dai Wang Mansion, which is the royal title, there are also a large number of clan titles such as generals and lieutenants who defend the country and assist the country.

These branches of the Dai King were all under the management of the Dai King's Palace and lived around Datong.

Just like in a big family there are rich and poor, the Dai Wang Mansion is rich enough to rival a country, but many of the Dai Wang's side branches live a miserable life.

These members of the royal family were also restricted by clan decrees and could not engage in agriculture, forestry, industry or commerce, and could only live on the stipends issued by the court.

Even this little bit of rice as salary was often withheld by the Dai Wang Mansion.

The royal family was subject to restrictions and could only stay in the fiefdom for their entire lives, but some members of the royal family who could not survive would violate the ban and go to the capital to file a complaint.

The gap between the rich and the poor among the royal family in Shanxi was particularly obvious. During the Jiajing period, many poor royal family members crossed the border and went to Beijing to file complaints.

It was obvious that King Dai did not care about the opinion of Zhao Cheng, the centurion.

After he finished drinking, he said to Zheng Nian:

"Tomorrow, the King will go to the ancestral temple outside the city and cry! Let the court completely stop the plan to pacify the enemy!"
-
On September 25, Prince Dai cried in the ancestral temple in Datong. When the news reached the capital, even Emperor Longqing could no longer sit still.

The emperor personally ordered the King of Dai to comfort him and ordered the ministers to discuss strategies for pacifying the enemy.

Seeing this signal, the six subjects and thirteen questions began to submit petitions frantically again.

In the History Museum, Shen Yi Guan looked at Su Ze anxiously and said:
"Zilin, how can you still sit still? His Majesty has ordered the cabinet to reconsider your "Strategy for Subduing the Enemy"...

Shen Yiguan glanced at Su Ze and saw that he looked normal and was still writing something. Shen Yiguan paced back and forth and said:
"That's right! A few days ago, Huang Ji from the Imperial Household Department impeached you, and His Majesty temporarily dismissed you from your position as lecturer in the Eastern Palace. This must be due to the heated discussions outside the court. Zilin, you should keep a low profile these days. After all, you have the support of the cabinet."

Shen Yiquan was also considering Su Ze. These days, the censors mainly attacked the cabinet ministers, and paid less attention to Su Ze, the initiator.

This is also normal. If one can bring down a cabinet minister, it is a medal of honor for the censor. If one can bring down an entire cabinet, it is a monument for the censor.

How could any censor who wanted to advance himself care about Su Ze?

As long as the cabinet falls, won't there be anyone to deal with Su Ze, as a close confidant of the former cabinet minister?

This is how political struggles work. As long as the top leader doesn't fall, even if you suffer a little injustice, it will be considered a meritorious service, and sooner or later you will have the opportunity to be transferred back and promoted.

If the mountain above your head collapses, even if you hold on to your position temporarily, you will be liquidated sooner or later.

At this moment, a secretary walked into the History Museum.

The name of this Zhongshu Sheren was Pan Quan, and he was one of the two Sherens beside Zhao Zhenji.

Pan Quan handed Su Ze a note written by Zhao Zhenji himself. It read:

"Qi Jiguang has arrived in Tianjin, and the main culprit Zhao Dazhu has fled to the grassland."

Seeing this, Su Ze immediately destroyed the note and said to Pan Quan:

"Please inform Mr. Zhao that Mr. Su understands."

Pan Quan nodded and left the History Museum. Su Ze immediately finished writing the memorial in his hand and signed his name on it.

(End of this chapter)