Chapter 2773: The Capital (Part 129)

In recent years, Wen Tiren had been secretly gathering damaging evidence against the Restoration Society, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. He knew that what the Emperor abhorred most was the formation of factions.

When Chongzhen first ascended the throne, he had employed men outside the Donglin Party to help purge the Eunuch Party, only to later distance himself from the Donglin as well. The reason was simple: he despised ministers forming factions of any kind, not merely the Eunuch Party. After eradicating Wei Zhongxian's clique, the problem of the Donglin Party gradually became prominent, drawing the Emperor's attention. His gaze turned to those "Solitary Ministers" who lacked partisan backgrounds, and he began systematically excluding Donglin members from the cabinet's inner circle.

Having pushed out the Donglin Party, the Emperor showed no inclination to reinstate former members of the Eunuch Party either. In selecting cabinet members, he preferred ministers without obvious factional affiliations. Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren had secured their positions in the cabinet largely because the Emperor perceived them as "Partyless." Whether they truly lacked factional ties, of course, only Heaven knew.

Zhou Yanru's scheme to leverage the influence of the Donglin and Restoration Society for his return to the cabinet had to be prevented at all costs. This was not merely a matter of power distribution—once Zhou Yanru regained his cabinet seat, the Donglin would inevitably seek to settle old scores over his past attacks on Qian Longxi and Yuan Chonghuan.

As for the discussions of "Conquering the Kun" and "Opening the Port" raised during today's imperial summons, these matters barely registered in his thoughts.

His most pressing concern was mounting a counterattack against the Donglin and the Restoration Society.

Wen Tiren possessed a formidable talent for destroying political enemies. Unlike other political figures, he never engaged in public opinion offensives where "impeachment memorials fell like snow." Such tactics might prove effective with some emperors, but for Chongzhen—who detested factionalism—an excessive concentration of impeachments against a single target would only arouse suspicion. After all, how could so many officials rise up in coordinated attack unless they had formed a faction?

A crucial reason for Wen Tiren's enduring position was that the Donglin Party's methods failed to account for the Emperor's way of thinking. Wen Tiren did precisely the opposite. To eliminate someone, he would wait patiently for the opportune moment. When his target made a mistake, he would strike—throwing stones down the well. He never acted unless certain of success, but once he moved, he typically destroyed his opponent utterly. Ever since his successful attacks on Yuan Chonghuan and Qian Longxi, he had rarely missed when moving against adversaries.

This was the art of "plotting according to circumstance, letting events unfold naturally, so the Sovereign suspects nothing." Sometimes he would affect magnanimity, speaking favorable words about a person while subtly connecting them to matters the Emperor found distasteful, thereby inflaming imperial anger and intensifying punishment. This was "openly saving while secretly destroying." When he wished to recommend someone, he would secretly instruct another to propose the candidate, then voice his own agreement afterward. In all his machinations, he operated from the shadows, never revealing his hand directly.

His strategy for dealing with the Restoration Society followed this same pattern. Though he had not yet acted openly, he had long instructed his younger brother to watch for potential anti-Restoration Society figures. The previous year, attacks by Lu Wensheng and Zhou Zhikui against the Restoration Society had presented Wen Tiren with an excellent opportunity.

If Zhou Zhikui opposed the Restoration Society due to divergent political views and his subsequent loss of office, Lu Wensheng's attack contained elements of local gentry competing for power and profit.

Lu Wensheng was also a native of Taicang. Though he held no degree, he came from a gentry background. In his youth, while staying at his maternal grandfather Zhou Wenqian's house, Zhang Cai had been his classmate. In the ninth year of Chongzhen, the two had fallen out over a trivial matter, and Lu Wensheng harbored the grudge ever since. Seeking an opportunity for revenge against Zhang Cai, he conceived the idea of traveling to the Capital to file a lawsuit against the Restoration Society.

Naturally, undertaking such a momentous action—targeting the Restoration Society, whose reputation blazed like the noonday sun—a "White Body" commoner like Lu Wensheng would not dare proceed without authorization. Behind the scenes, a "Big Shot" was backing him.

This powerful patron was not Wen Tiren, but Wang Shimin, scion of a prominent Taicang family. Master Wang descended from Wang Xijue, who had served as Senior Grand Secretary during the Wanli reign. He enjoyed a "friendship spanning two generations" with Wen Tiren and was heavily relied upon, receiving favor and courtesy exceeding that shown to other trusted aides.

At that time, the prominent families in Taicang were the Wang Shizhen family—who had produced a Minister of Justice during Wanli—and the Wang Xijue family, who had produced the Senior Grand Secretary. After Zhang Pu founded the Restoration Society, his school flourished, and many sons of prominent families studied under his tutelage. Wang Shimin consequently harbored resentment against the Society. Lu Wensheng recognized this precisely, and so he presented himself at Wang's door to reveal his intention of traveling to the Capital.

Wang Shimin told him: "The Minister dislikes the Restoration Society. Impeaching them is perfectly timed. But the Minister is strict and does not receive visitors lightly. The one who handles such matters is only Deqing—you should discuss it with him." Following these instructions, Lu Wensheng visited Cai Yichen in the Capital and presented his draft memorial.

When Wen Tiren read the draft memorial forwarded by Cai Yichen, he judged Zhang Cai too insignificant a target. He instructed Lu Wensheng to redirect his attack toward Zhang Pu instead, framing the assault around "using the pretext of raising provisions to enumerate acts of treachery and abuses."

Yet this opportunity was neutralized by the Restoration Society's influence. Education Censor Ni Yuangong, who was responsible for investigating the case, along with his successors Qi Wei and Zhang Fenghe, either protected the Society or deliberately delayed proceedings. During this period, the Restoration Society leveraged its members' connections to have Lu Wensheng transferred to a clerical position in Yongzhou Prefecture, Hunan, using the enticement of a "Good Position Vacancy." Cai Yichen's intention to lure him into submitting another memorial collapsed entirely.

Wen Tiren was not discouraged, for he still held another card: Zhou Zhikui, the first to publicly oppose the Restoration Society. To this end, he had dispatched his partisan Cai Yichen to Fuzhou to persuade Zhou to submit another memorial.

According to the latest letter, Zhou Zhikui was already en route to the Capital and would arrive within days.

This was his first move. The second was to deal with Qian Qianyi—eliminate this figurehead of the Donglin. With both measures applied simultaneously, he could exploit the natural connections between them. Qian and Zhang stood as heads of the Donglin and Restoration Society respectively; inevitably, numerous interactions had passed between them, which must have included discussions of the Imperial Court and various political operations. Moreover, according to intelligence he had obtained, Zhou Yanru intended to rise again, and Qian Qianyi was among those orchestrating his return.

If he could link these three men together, the charge of "Forming a Clique to Disorder Government" would fit perfectly. Once a major prison case was instigated, even if they escaped with their lives, their political futures would be finished.

Wen Tiren's calculation was exceedingly shrewd, and from beginning to end, he himself remained entirely uninvolved. The Emperor would never suspect the machinations behind this case.

"Wen Tiren will definitely be dismissed in June of this year?" Wang Yehao asked in a low voice.

"So it is written in the Book from Heaven," Zhou Lezhi said. "Master confirmed it as well."

"Looking at his demeanor, the Emperor still trusts him completely!"

Though the Book from Heaven had successfully predicted many major events, regarding such a significant court development, Wang Yehao remained somewhat apprehensive. The predictions concerning court situations and world events in this Book from Heaven had gradually grown less accurate in recent years. Zhou Lezhi naturally could not explain this problem—he could only read the "Book from Heaven." As for his master, the old man would merely mutter incomprehensible phrases like "Butterfly," "Caribbean," and "Typhoon," and Master Wang had long since stopped asking for clarification.

Today's meeting between Wang Yehao and Zhou Lezhi was conducted in strict secrecy. Zhou Lezhi had warned him that many eyes belonging to the Kun likely watched the Wang residence. Their meeting had to remain absolutely confidential; otherwise, Zhou Lezhi's life would be forfeit.

If Zhou Lezhi died, the "Book from Heaven" would become nothing but a stack of waste paper. Thus Wang Yehao, despite his dignified titles of Minister of War and Vice Minister of War, had to accommodate these precautions. Today, Master Wang had disguised himself and slipped out among the merchants entering and leaving the residence, changing his attire once along the way. Only then had he arrived at this secret location to speak with Zhou Lezhi face to face.

Regarding the court situation, Zhou Lezhi's judgment was naturally inferior to Wang Yehao's, so he offered no opinion.

"Never mind—this matter has nothing to do with us. We are content to sit and watch." Wang Yehao said, "However, today's court discussion seems to imply war. In the Emperor's heart, presumably, the idea remains to seek peace through war."

"War or no war matters little. Just don't let the Imperial Court exhaust its strength." Zhou Lezhi sighed. "If this battle is fought, I fear Zuo Kunshan will suffer heavy losses! Zhonglun doesn't have many soldiers under his command. If he wants to conquer the Kun, nine times out of ten he will issue orders to transfer Zuo Shuai's troops..."

"Heh," Wang Yehao laughed coldly. "Zhonglun holds only the title of Governor of Southern Gan. How can he command that pack of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals in the Central Plains? Zuo Kunshan has always been proud and self-indulgent. With Zhonglun in command this time, merely avoiding an ugly defeat would count as an excellent outcome!"

Seeing Zhou Lezhi looking somewhat distracted, he continued: "Sir need not be overly concerned. Rather, regarding the matter of opening the port you mentioned..."

He then recounted the words exchanged during today's cabinet summons.

"...Wucheng spoke not without reason. Shanghai is a crucial coastal town in Southern Zhili. Proposing to open it as a port was indeed reckless!"

Zhou Lezhi pondered for a moment. "No matter how many merchant ships the gentry operate, that remains a private matter and cannot be brought into the open. To make it official through proper channels will prove difficult. Alas!"

"Regarding Qian Taichong..."

"It doesn't matter," Zhou Lezhi said. "If Shanghai won't work, we can turn to Ningbo instead."

"Ningbo?" Wang Yehao was quite familiar with the city—not only because he hailed from Zhejiang, but because his research into the matter of opening ports had led him through many old records. Ningbo's port geography was superior to Moon Port, and it boasted the prosperous Jiangnan region as its hinterland. In terms of transportation, though it lacked the Yangtze River water routes that Shanghai could utilize, the Yong River provided direct access to Hangzhou and connection to the Grand Canal. By water, it could equally enjoy the advantage of reaching in all directions.

"I fear this matter will also prove difficult..." Wang Yehao shook his head. "Since the opening of the seas in the Longqing reign, Zhejiang officials have petitioned three times to open the Zhejiang Sea, and the Imperial Court rejected them all."

"That was then; this is now," Zhou Lezhi said. "During the Jiajing and Wanli reigns, the realm was at peace. Opening a port to collect taxes was nothing more than icing on the cake for the Imperial Court. Those at the center naturally preferred one less matter to one more. Now the realm is in turmoil, and what the Imperial Court lacks most is silver. Could the Zhejiang gentry simply stand by and watch while the Merchants Bureau fills its coffers?"

Though many Jiangsu and Zhejiang gentry held shares in the Merchants Bureau, most of them belonged to the Restoration Society faction, with gentry from the four prefectures of Suzhou, Songjiang, Huzhou, and Hangzhou comprising the majority. The gentry from the southern prefectures were far fewer in number.

This latter group represented potential supporters for opening the sea at Ningbo. If they were willing to become active, there remained hope for the matter. Moreover, the current court discussions of "Conquering the Kun" meant that gentry of the Merchants Bureau—who had previously turned a blind eye to the Kun in order to profit—would likely now wish to sever those ties and legitimize their dealings through proper channels.

(End of Chapter)