Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

The Jianlu who had threatened the Ming Dynasty for decades were defeated in one battle. This good news will sweep away the gloom that the military and civilians of the Ming Dynasty had when facing the Jianlu. It is indeed worthy of comforting the ancestors in the Taimiao.

After the chief minister Li Banghua took the lead, all the court officials knelt on the ground to ask for permission, and many of them even had tears in their eyes.

Wang Chengen also bowed to Emperor Chongzhen with red eyes and said:

"Prime Minister Li is absolutely right. Your Majesty has previously said that the Duke of Zhenguo is a virtuous man bestowed upon our Ming Dynasty by our ancestors. His contributions are truly worthy of this tribute.

Your Majesty has been working day and night for the Jianlu rebellion in recent years, and has not attended any morning office.

The bitterness of this edict of self-blame is only known to me, this old slave.

Now that the Great Ming is proud and confident, how can we not... make it known to the world?"

The first half of the sentence was spoken by Wang Chengen to the emperor and his ministers in his capacity as the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, while the second half was spoken by Wang Chengen in his capacity as a household slave, speaking up for his master.

In the past few years, when the court was in an unfavorable situation, a battle was lost on the front line, or a disaster occurred somewhere, court officials would write memorials hoping that the emperor would issue an edict of repentance and comfort the people.

Regardless of the cause of the incident, it actually had little to do with the emperor. However, almost every time, Emperor Chongzhen would take the initiative to write a self-criticism edict.

For the emperor, admitting his mistakes and lack of virtue to the whole world is tantamount to humiliation.

However, Emperor Chongzhen endured such humiliation eight times.

The court officials would not pity the emperor, nor would they blame themselves more for the humiliation suffered by the emperor. They believed that it was the emperor's fault.

But now, Zhang Shikang used practical actions to tell everyone that everything that happened before was due to the incompetence of his ministers at that time.

This not only made the Ming Dynasty proud, but also allowed Emperor Chongzhen to get rid of the haze from then on. For Emperor Chongzhen, it was indeed a comfort to his ancestors.

After Wang Chengen also knelt down, all the court officials were waiting for the emperor's reply. In their opinion, there was no reason for the emperor to reject such a timely request.

However, when everyone was waiting for the emperor's reply, Emperor Chongzhen remained silent.

He stood up and walked down the imperial steps, slowly pacing around the hall, as if reviewing the humiliating past years.

The court officials have been replaced one after another, and the prime minister of the cabinet has changed countless times, but how many people can truly empathize with his experiences over the years?

Emperor Chongzhen did not expect these ministers to empathize with him. He just wanted to feel the sense of pride quietly.

All the court officials knelt on the ground, and he did not dare to shout "Stand Up".

He is the Son of Heaven, and everything he has done over the years is worthy of the Ming Dynasty, but these court officials may not think so.

Ten breaths passed, and Emperor Chongzhen's expression changed from excitement to arrogance, and then from arrogance to calmness.

No one knew what kind of mental journey he had gone through, and Emperor Chongzhen did not care whether these people understood him.

After he sat back on the throne, he said to his ministers calmly:

"I am truly comforted by what you have said. Although we have won the battle, the war situation is unpredictable. For the sake of safety, I believe that we should indeed offer sacrifices to our ancestors, but we should do so after the dust has settled and everyone should be at peace."

Emperor Chongzhen's words were so powerful and convincing that many court officials were speechless.

However, Emperor Chongzhen thought to himself that such a matter of bringing honor to the family should be done after Wuji came back to worship together.

Since our ancestors have sent down talented people, wouldn’t it be disrespectful to them if we don’t let them see what they look like with their own eyes?

After this incident was exposed, the court returned to normal. Although the war outside the Great Wall made everyone overjoyed, the difficulties the court was currently facing could not be ignored.

Some officials from the Ministry of Revenue asked for instructions on the collection of summer grain, some from the Ministry of Works reported on the progress of canal excavation, and some even suggested that the emperor urge the guards to end the war as soon as possible.

The Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War said:

"Your Majesty, my colleagues, the most pressing matter at present, besides the war outside the Great Wall, is the maritime affairs.

My fellow colleagues, please do not always take maritime affairs lightly. As the Duke of Zhenguo said, the future will be an era of great navigation, and the sea contains inestimable treasures for us.

However, Zheng Zhilong has now disregarded your majesty's grace and is now using the maritime issue as a threat to collude with the Jianlu. It seems he is colluding with them. I hope Your Majesty will make a decision."

The Minister of War did not exaggerate the situation, but simply told the truth.

Since Zhang Shikang implemented military reforms, the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of War's ability to deter the three armed forces has declined, but it still has to say what needs to be said while pursuing its policies.

Zheng Zhilong took advantage of the fact that the imperial court was busy with the war against the Jianlu, intending to use force to force the other side. He gathered his warships and dared to blockade the Ming Dynasty's waters, which had lasted for more than half a month.

This truly shows a disregard for the Ming Dynasty court.

After the Minister of War finished speaking, the court officials all frowned. Although the Duke of Zhenguo had mentioned the Age of Exploration at the court meeting, they only had two emotions.

Those who don’t understand the ocean may think that they are spending a lot of money but achieving little results.

Those who understand the ocean basically know the huge benefits it brings, but they are also very wary of the Zheng family's maritime power.

But no matter what, if the Zheng family's actions cause losses to the court, this is definitely intolerable.

But another group of court officials believed that it was the Zheng family that had been protecting the security of the Ming Dynasty's waters for decades.

Now that the imperial court wants to rebuild the navy, it has to throw the Zheng family aside and ignore the contributions the Zheng family has made to the imperial court over the past few decades, which is unfair to the Zheng family.

For a time, the civil and military officials in the court were divided.

Some believed that the Zheng family should be executed, while others believed that the court should put themselves in their shoes and consider the Zheng family's merits. For a while, the court was in a state of anxiety.

Both sides held their own opinions. Those who supported the imperial court believed that the Zheng family had ulterior motives and did not take the imperial court seriously.

Those who stand on the side of the Zheng family believe that the Zheng family has made many contributions to safeguarding the coastal defense security of the Ming Dynasty over the years, and the court should not abandon them.

In the end, the matter of the Zheng family's response came to Emperor Chongzhen.

Everyone thought that even the current emperor would be at a loss if faced with such a situation.

However, after learning the truth, Emperor Chongzhen simply said to his ministers:

"My dear ministers, how do you think the Duke of Zheng would respond to the Zheng family's threat if he were in the court?"