Wanli Emperor Chapter 114 Part 2

Chapter 114 Part 2: Shrine Rats and City Foxes, a Blazing Inferno

Ma Ziqiang listened, captivated. He clapped his hands and smiled, praising, "A fine poem!" 

This poem, whether in its classical allusions or artistic intent, was of the highest quality—a true expression of spirit, crafted with profound skill. 

The hardship, the twists and turns, and the frustration within it were palpable on the page. 

It was clearly born from Zhang Siwei's recent career setbacks.

Zhang Siwei shook his head, picking up Ma Ziqiang's earlier thread. "His Majesty shoulders the burden of the realm, his gaze fixed upon the nine provinces. Who enters or leaves the Grand Secretariat is not for you or me to question." 

Setbacks force a man to grow. 

After his uncle entered the capital, Zhang Siwei had finally suffered one of the few defeats in his life. 

From his earlier impropriety before the emperor during the Daily Lecture, he had now grown cautious in his words and actions, even in private.

Ma Ziqiang was still mulling over Zhang Siwei's poem. Besides the frustration, he also sensed within it a resolute ambition to enter the Grand Secretariat. 

He shook his head inwardly. With such determination, it was no wonder Zhang Siwei was willing to risk the emperor's anger by blocking the reform of the Imperial Clan. 

He weighed his words, brought the topic back to the main issue, and subtly raised the matter that the Ministry of Rites had blocked. 

"His Majesty's sagely heart rules alone; it is naturally not for us to question. However... one fears that with treacherous sycophants in the court, His Majesty, having grown accustomed to their pleasant words, will no longer heed true admonishment. Especially regarding this matter of reforming the Imperial Clan—we failed to fulfill His Majesty's wish, and I fear small-minded men will inevitably seize the chance to offer slander."

Ma Ziqiang was somewhat dissatisfied. After all, this sort of thing, if not handled well, would offend the emperor. 

He had supported Zhang Siwei at the time for the sake of their clique's unity; now, he naturally needed an explanation.

Zhang Siwei, of course, understood the meaning behind his words. 

In the past, he might have offered a perfunctory excuse. But now, Zhang Siwei had learned from the emperor how one should treat one's partisans. 

He looked at Ma Ziqiang, his tone extremely sincere. "Tigan need not worry. His Majesty is benevolent, wise, and discerning; he will not be swayed by slander. Since his accession, His Majesty has shown great skill in appointing people, using them appropriately. Whether it was Xu Jie, Gao Gong, or my uncle, he has always employed men without reservation."

Xu Jie and Gao Gong were fine. What was there to fear? He had more or less figured out the emperor's temperament. 

Why had his uncle been able to enter the Grand Secretariat? Was it not because the emperor needed Wang Chonggu to reorganize the border defenses? 

As long as one was useful, the emperor would not act on emotion or "be swayed by small-minded men." If he, Zhang Siwei, did not occasionally make a fuss, the emperor might truly come to think of him as insignificant.

One must remember: he was the chief manager of the Jin merchants! Not Wang Chonggu!

Zhang Siwei's father and uncle were both great merchants. His mother's clan was backed by wealthy merchants like Shen Jiang. 

His wife's clan was likewise backed by magnates—his father-in-law, Wang En, and brother-in-law, Wang Hui. 

Beyond his clan, there were his marriage relations. 

His second brother, Zhang Siduan, was married to the daughter of the merchant Li Ji. His fifth brother had first married the daughter of the merchant Wang Yin, and later, the daughter of the merchant Fan Shikui. 

As for his friends, classmates, and childhood companions, they were too numerous to count.

Han Ji, son of the wealthy merchant Han Bo and a disciple of Gao Gong, had studied with him, "parsing the classics and examining their trade, day and night without rest."

The great magnate Xu Jing was his childhood friend. Ever since he was a mere student, he traveled with the young master Xu Jing.

Zhang Siwei was the chief manager put forward by dozens of merchant houses. Not even Wang Chonggu's entry into the Grand Secretariat could replace him! 

The salt from the Xie Pool, the silk from Lu'an Prefecture—it all had to pass through his hands. 

The coal, rice, and tea of the entire Three Jin region were coordinated and moved under his direction. 

The iron tax from the five great iron smelteries—Fuguo, Fengguo, Datong, Runguo, and Yiguo—was divided up under Zhang Siwei's guidance before the court could even collect its share. 

The entire commerce of the Three Jin was Zhang Siwei's backyard!

One could say that without his nod, the mutual markets with Altan Khan could not even begin! 

With this much leverage, what was a little pushback against the emperor?

Look at that Shen Shixing. 

Ever since Vice Minister Shen had taken charge of the Ministry of Personnel, he had repeatedly engaged in "vague promotions"—the emperor would banish someone to some godforsaken place, but before the man had even left, the Ministry of Personnel would promote him again, usually to a post in the Southern Directly-Administered Region to ride out the storm, his rank unchanged. 

"Vague promotion" had always been a sharp tool for civil officials to counter the emperor's arbitrary banishments, and a common way to display magnanimity and curry favor with the lesser officials.

Zhang Juzheng had reprimanded Shen Shixing several times, but was always fobbed off with an excuse. 

The emperor eventually grew annoyed and personally intervened, telling Shen Shixing to restrain himself. 

Shen Shixing agreed readily, then turned around and carried on as before. 

Since Shen Shixing, backed by the Southern Directly-Administered Region clique, had that much leverage, then he, Zhang Siwei, as the leader of the Jin Clique, should naturally have it as well.

Only by making a fuss would the emperor remember his importance and offer some appeasement. Only by stamping his foot from time to time would the officials of the Jin Clique look carefully to see who was the true dragon.

Ma Ziqiang remained noncommittal. 

Who did not have their moments of trying to fathom the emperor's heart? 

On the surface, the emperor was precociously wise and did not let his personal feelings affect state affairs. 

But an emperor was, in the end, an emperor. If one began to hallucinate that the emperor would always play by the rules, one would suffer for it sooner or later. 

It was not as if everyone could be compared to Gao Gong and Xu Jie.

Furthermore, the Huguang affair had already left the emperor furious for some time.

Now, the proposal to reform the Imperial Clan had been blocked by the Ministry of Rites. The emperor might have been secretly holding a grudge, calculating how to settle the score.

Ma Ziqiang held to his own view. "I only fear that the back-and-forth discussion will delay the proper business in Huguang." He spoke tactfully, but his meaning was clear: Zhang Siwei should know when to stop.

Zhang Siwei grunted, accepting the advice. 

It was clear he was still able to listen to Ma Ziqiang's counsel. Then, he could not help but smile and add an unrelated comment. "In my view, the affair in Huguang will likely not be resolved so quickly."

Ma Ziqiang cast him a curious look.

Zhang Siwei shook his head, saying no more. 

He had his merchant houses, which reached deeper into the localities, giving him more clues to deduce the situation. 

But none of it was his concern. 

It was best if it dragged on. With the Imperial Clan in turmoil, would the status of the Ministry of Rites not rise as well?

…

Huguang Provincial Administration Commission, Changsha Prefecture. 

Changsha, as the great prefecture of Huguang and the essence of the region, had attracted many prominent households to establish residences within the prefectural city. 

Wealthy households and gentry also had their own hierarchies. 

Those with shallow foundations could only move their entire families, becoming glamorous "upper-class" city dwellers. 

Those with deep foundations had houses in the city and manor-fortresses in the countryside.

Unfortunately, they had recently run into a vicious star. The Embroidered Uniform Guard had come plowing the earth.

Today, Zhu Shitai had just stormed a manor-fortress and killed many—other prominent households might be spared and allowed to argue their case, but this sort of "benevolent" local squire who occasionally moonlighted as a bandit was, as a rule, killed on the spot. 

Zhu Shitai casually kicked aside a corpse blocking his path, scraped his boots on the ground twice to rub off the blood, then walked another circuit around the manor, checking for any named fugitives who might have escaped the net.

"My lord, there is another living one inside!" A Centurion dragged a half-grown boy out of a room.

Zhu Shitai waved his hand. "Strangle him." 

He was unarmed, so there was no need to bloody a blade. 

He was just feeling satisfied with his own benevolence when he suddenly remembered something. 

He turned and gave another order. "He might have been deliberately discovered to protect his younger or elder brother. Go and search that place again, carefully."

When one was out on a mission, one had to conduct oneself properly. These kinds of plots were all too common in storybooks; he had to be careful. 

This was a commission his old man had begged for with his life. He had no other concerns; he just wanted to get the job done thoroughly. At the very least, he could not let the old man curse him one last time as he was dying.

Another hour passed. He let the Embroidered Uniform Guard pilfer some valuables—when the capital's men went on official business, was this not what they came for? 

After it was done, the men finally left the manor-fortress, reassembled, and prepared to return.

Zhu Shitai was just about to swing himself onto his horse when he saw an Embroidered Uniform Guard rider approaching. 

He looked closely—it was one of his father's personal guards. Zhu Shitai shouted anxiously, "What is it!?"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard, though hurried, had not lost his composure. 

He reached Zhu Shitai and said, panting, "Young Lord! The Duke says the situation in Huguang has changed! He wants you to return at once!"

Zhu Shitai let out a breath of relief. Good, it was not his father on his deathbed. He swung himself onto his horse and asked casually, "Did he not say what it is?"

The guard moved close to Zhu Shitai's saddle and whispered, "The Prince of Taining of the Jing Princedom, fearing the Imperial Commissioner, has committed self-immolation in guilt! Now, all of Huguang, from the officials to the princely residences, is in an uproar! The Residence of the Prince of Min is restless, the Residence of the Prince of Ji is terrified... The Duke fears they will lose their minds and do something rash!"

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