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

July 26th, Huangji Gate.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo led the Imperial Guards to Tongzhou yesterday and is expected to reach Deshengmen in another two hours.

Arrived with the main army, there were also more than 500 Jiannu prisoners of war."

The assistant minister of the Ministry of War came out and reported.

Emperor Chongzhen nodded upon hearing this and said:

"Is the reception platform ready?"

Minister of Rites Cai Guoyong hurried out to report, and Emperor Chongzhen said again:

“What about the regulations?”

"Your Majesty, this is according to the highest standards of our dynasty for welcoming a victorious army. The ceremonial platform is 12 feet high, the red carpet stretches one mile, and the ceremonial guard stretches ten miles from Desheng Gate. All the soldiers of the Five Cities Military Commission are dispatched to maintain public order within and outside the capital.

Just after the busy summer season, the Shuntian Prefecture Governor has issued a notice to the people. Now, the people inside and outside the capital have all heard the news of the Duke of Zhenguo's imminent triumphant return. I think today will be extremely lively."

The last time a victory was celebrated with such a big fuss was when Yang Sichang wiped out the bandits. However, there was a big mistake last time. The resurgence of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong made the court lose all its face.

But this time it was different. The battle situation outside the Great Wall had already been verified by the Ministry of War, the Inspectorate, and even the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Moreover, the merit of suppressing the bandits could not be compared with that of recovering lost territory.

Emperor Chongzhen had issued an edict half a month earlier, calling for universal celebration and sharing the joy with the people.

When the civil and military officials in the court first heard the news, they were all delighted, and even the number of memorials impeaching Zhang Shikang decreased by half.

But for some reason, two days ago, since the detailed information about the disaster relief in Yongping Prefecture was passed to the Ministry of Public Security, the atmosphere in the court became a little strange.

Emperor Chongzhen was in a good mood today. In an hour, after the morning court session, he would lead all the civil and military officials to Deshengmen to welcome the triumphant return of his right-hand man.

Since the Imperial Guards set out for battle in early May, Emperor Chongzhen had not seen Zhang Shikang for more than two months.

Oh, and his 'baby' son Zhu Cilang.

I miss you so much.

Waiting always makes people anxious, so much so that when Emperor Chongzhen listened to reports from court officials, he was always absent-minded and responded with perfunctory "hmm" and "ah".

"Your Majesty, I, Yao Kun, the Censor of the Censorate, impeach the Duke of Zhenguo, Zhang Shikang, for misconduct. For the sake of the safety of the nation, I hope Your Majesty will examine this matter with due care and prudence."

After Yao Kun finished speaking, he raised the memorial above his head and kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhen very solemnly.

During the Ming Dynasty, officials did not need to kneel when reporting matters, unless the emperor was furious or the matter reported might cause major consequences, then officials would perform the ritual of kneeling.

Many officials looked at Yao Kun with sidelong glances, but the nobles and relatives present seemed somewhat accustomed to it.

In the eyes of the nobles, the imperial censors of the imperial court have always liked to attract attention in order to show that they are not afraid of power.

Everyone in the court knew that His Majesty trusted the Duke of Zhenguo, their eldest nephew, the most. If the Duke of Zhenguo could be easily brought down, it would be a disaster.

"Well, okay." Emperor Chongzhen was obviously distracted and nodded subconsciously.

Yao Kun was a little surprised, and Taining Marquis Chen Yanzuo immediately coughed loudly to bring Emperor Chongzhen back to his senses.

Emperor Chongzhen came back to his senses and immediately looked at Yao Kun and said:

"Lord Yao, what did you say?"

Even though the situation in the court has improved a lot in the past two years, and even though all the civil and military officials in the court acknowledged Zhang Shikang's great contributions, it did not affect Zhang Shikang's impeachment.

However, all the impeachment memorials would fall on deaf ears once they were submitted to Emperor Chongzhen.

Moreover, after several officials were directly imprisoned and severely punished by Emperor Chongzhen, officials became smarter when impeaching officials again. They no longer mentioned sensitive words such as treason and keeping troops to themselves. Emperor Chongzhen was too lazy to argue with the impeaching officials.

However, impeachment in person at court meetings is rare after all.

"I impeach the Duke of Zhenguo for improper behavior. I hope Your Majesty will handle it with caution." Yao Kun repeated.

"Misbehavior? What kind of misbehavior?"

When I was young, I often visited brothels. Why haven’t I seen you impeaching me?

I think you're just looking for trouble!" Chen Yanzuo scolded angrily.

The nobles and relatives were now extremely united, especially when the civil officials attacked Zhang Shikang.

Emperor Chongzhen did not make a direct conclusion, but asked Wang Chengen to bring Yao Kun's memorial for him to read.

In Yao Kun's memorial, Zhang Shikang exaggerated his own contributions during the disaster relief in Yongping Prefecture, causing the people of Yongping Prefecture to only be grateful to him as the Duke of Zhenguo, rather than to the court.

The memorial was so well-reasoned and well-founded that Emperor Chongzhen wanted to exonerate Zhang Shikang, but he frowned and couldn't find the words for a moment.

So, Emperor Chongzhen threw the memorial to the nobles and relatives. The nobles and relatives were the best at stirring up trouble and could argue even if they were wrong. Chen Yanzuo took a quick look and pointed at Yao Kun and said:

"The Duke of Zhenguo had just performed an unprecedented feat outside the Great Wall, but instead of rushing back to the capital to claim his reward, he went to help Yongping Prefecture resolve the disaster, saving countless civilians.

What's wrong with promoting yourself? Yao Kun, if you're jealous, just say it directly, why bother being so sarcastic!

"Ah, yes, yes!" All the other nobles echoed.

Yao Kunhai did not refute, but a senior official from the Ministry of War stood up and knelt down and said:

"I, Li Gang, the head of the Ministry of War, support Lord Yao. According to my investigation, the Duke of Zhenguo not only publicized his achievements among the people, but also did so in the Imperial Guards camp.

I dare not criticize the contributions of the Duke of Zhenguo, but Your Majesty must be cautious about his actions.

Your Majesty should understand that the Duke of Zhenguo holds all the military power of the Ming Dynasty and should act with a low profile and caution.

The Duke of Zhenguo's actions are suspected of treason, and if he truly has such intentions, his colleagues should understand the consequences."

Li Gang's words were indeed very firm. After he finished speaking, he knelt on the ground, even looking ready to die.

The word "treason" was a serious accusation for a court official. Li Gang knew very well that given the status of the Duke of Zhenguo in the eyes of the current emperor, he might not be able to walk out of the palace alive today.

But as it was his duty, he still gritted his teeth and gave frank advice.

Emperor Chongzhen frowned upon hearing this, and the atmosphere in the court became gloomy. The joy of welcoming the meritorious officials of the Ming Dynasty was wiped out.

Emperor Chongzhen actually knew what happened in Yongping Prefecture, and he even knew everything that happened in the military camp.

But Emperor Chongzhen just felt it was strange, because it did not match his understanding of Zhang Shikang, so he did not take it too seriously. Anyway, the boy was coming back soon, so why not just ask him in person?

But now the people from the Inspectorate and the Ministry of War do not seem to want to give up, and the situation is true, so Emperor Chongzhen is in a difficult situation.

Fortunately, the nobles were not jealous. Song Yude immediately stood up and said:

"You short-sighted fellows may not know that my eldest nephew Bill and others would rather resign from their military power.

My nephew is indifferent to fame and fortune, which is something you petty and despicable people can't compare to. Don't forget, who is responsible for the current appearance of our Ming Dynasty.

As the saying goes, once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten. Aren’t you worried that the tragedy will happen again if you just abandon the donkey after it has served its purpose?

Do you want to go back to the previous situation of internal and external troubles and poverty?

What are you thinking about?"

Song Yude's words were so enlightening that they stunned most of the court officials present.

In fact, this is also the true voice of Emperor Chongzhen, and he has expressed this idea to important cabinet officials more than once.

The Duke of Zhenguo is a wise minister sent down by our ancestors. Zhu Youjian will never do such a thing as putting away the bow after the bird has been killed. You important ministers in the cabinet had better not force me.

In the past two years, important cabinet officials such as Hai Zhongqi have cooperated well with Emperor Chongzhen. Although there have been impeachments from other court officials, at least important cabinet officials rarely interfere.

Emperor Chongzhen was just about to hear the opinions of the cabinet members when the Prime Minister Li Banghua stepped forward and bowed.

"Your Majesty, I have never spoken ill of the Duke of Zhenguo's contributions. I believe all my colleagues are aware of this.

I believe that the memorials submitted by Lord Yao and Lord Li were not about their concerns for the Duke of Zhenguo."

This made many people confused. Emperor Chongzhen frowned and asked Li Banghua to continue.

Li Banghua seemed to be considering it as well. After a moment's silence, he seemed to have made some kind of decision.

“Your Majesty, my colleagues, the Duke of Zhenguo may be devoted to the country.

But what about the other generals of the Imperial Guards? What about the Tiger Guards?

Haven't you heard about the Chenqiao Incident?