Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

Chapter 301 Rooted in the Heart
At this time in Mengcheng.

The Chongzhen father and son and the accompanying son of King Qin had already seen the county magistrate of Mengcheng.

What Yan Yingyuan, Xu Yingwei and other Qinwang scholars never expected was that the county magistrate of Mengcheng was one of the nine civil servants who followed the Holy Majesty to defeat Beijing.

Although the Hanlin Academy's review was only from the seventh-rank officials, they were the emperor's close servants. If they were released outside, they would have to start from the sixth rank, but Wang Wei was only the seventh-rank magistrate, and he was also the magistrate of a small county like Mengcheng.

Even Wu Yingji was a bit slanderous about this, the Donglin Party's food is really ugly.

It's nothing more than to demote Meng Zhaoxiang to be the minister of the Ministry of Rites. He also demoted Liu Lishun, Ma Shiqi, and Wang Wei to the localities successively, and only gave officials of the same rank. This is a bit too much.

This is completely ignoring the emperor, the Holy Majesty.

Even if it is ruled by the vertical arch, it is not such a method of rule by the vertical arch, is it?

"Your Majesty." Wang Wei said sadly, "I am incompetent, I am ashamed of you."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of." Chongzhen said, "How could you guys beat so many of them."

"Your Majesty, what I'm talking about is not about being demoted." Wang Wei said, "For being demoted to Mengcheng County as magistrate, I actually don't have any objections in my heart. Instead of staying in Nanjing to do nothing, I might as well do something there."

After a pause, Wang Wei said again: "What makes me sad is that after arriving in Mengcheng, I haven't accomplished even one thing in the past few months, and almost caused a civil uprising because of handling the marriage robbery case."

"You can't blame you for this." Chongzhen said.

"The clan power is entrenched in the place, and the tail is too big to lose. It has been the most difficult to deal with since ancient times."

In fact, the clan power was not completely resolved until four hundred years later, because this thing has been combined with the Chinese tradition of sacrificing and worshiping ancestors, and it has vitality beyond imagination.

Chongzhen also had no illusions about being able to eradicate the power of the clan, at most it would split it up and force it to move elsewhere.

At the moment Chongzhen said again: "But fortunately, the power of the clan will not endanger the country and society of our Ming Dynasty, and from a certain level, it will even maintain the stability of our country in the Ming Dynasty."

All the scholars and Wang Wei deeply agree with this.

Regardless of the clans in other places, at least the clans in the eight prefectures and one state in the south of the Yangtze River firmly supported Daming.

Chongzhen sighed softly, and then said: "What I worry about is never the clans in the states and counties. I worry about the clans in the hearts of the people in the south of the Yangtze River. This is what will really endanger the country."

Wu Yingji and Yan Yingyuan looked at each other, and asked, "I'm stupid, I want to ask my lord, is the clan in the hearts of the people in the south of the Yangtze River you mentioned just now referring to the Donglin Party?"

Chongzhen nodded and said, "I don't need to keep my mouth shut anymore, it refers to the Donglin Party."

Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Zhu Shunshui, and even Xia Yunyi and other Qin Wang scholars showed conflicted expressions on their faces.

When the news of the party struggle first reached Xuzhou, Wu Yingji and others were filled with righteous indignation, wishing to light up the sky lanterns of the big bosses of the Donglin Party.

But after a few months, they calmed down.

So Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Xia Yunyi and other scholars who are inextricably linked to the Donglin Party couldn't help but wonder, could there be some misunderstanding?
Could it be Mr. Gao Ge and Mr. Jiang Ge who were deceived by villains?

To put it bluntly, they grew up under the strict public opinion control of the Donglin Party. The image of the Donglin Party members as upright and honest, serving the country and the people has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it is by no means easy to destroy.

So now Chongzhen bluntly classified the Donglin Party as a force "to be abolished", which made them feel very entangled.

Only Wang Wei took it seriously and said: "The local clan has an unimaginably powerful control over the people in a place. The patriarchs and clan elders believe what the people say, and it is even more effective than the government's words."

"And the Donglin Party also has an unimaginably powerful control over the eight prefectures and one state in the south of the Yangtze River."

"It is often the Donglin Party members who say what the people in Jiangnan believe. If the government's decree is not supported by the Donglin Party members, it will become difficult to move forward in the eight prefectures and states in the south of the Yangtze River."

"So the Donglin Party is really a clan, and it is also the clan in the hearts of the people in Jiangnan!"

After a pause, Wang Wei said again: "However, as the Holy One said, local clans are tangible and can be controlled, and their influence is limited. It will definitely not threaten the stability of the country, but the clans in the hearts of the people in the south of the Yangtze River are invisible. Yes, and its influence is so great that it can even influence the court of the cabinet ministers! It is reported that when Gu Xiancheng was reported, he even threatened in private that he could control the Ming Dynasty in Wuxi!"

"Wang magistrate's words are too much!"

Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu and Zhu Shunshui all said in unison.

Chongzhen glanced over, and Wu Yingji cupped his hands and said: "This is really a dirty word. Mr. Jingyang is loyal to Daming, how can he be so rebellious?"

Wang Wei frowned and said, "Leaving aside what Gu Xiancheng is, in September of the [-]th year of Chongzhen, Zhang Pu, the leader of the Fushe, used to control scholars in the south of the Yangtze River and assisted Zhou Yanru to enter the cabinet again. Is it true?"

After a pause, Wang Wei said again: "Besides, after Zhou Yanru paid homage to Prime Minister, Zhang Pu even gave him a pamphlet, asking Zhou Yanru to hire him one by one according to the list contained in the pamphlet, isn't it true?"

"Rumors." Gu Yanwu said, "This is nothing more than a false rumor."

Wu Yingji also said: "It's all rumors about scholars in the south of the Yangtze River and manipulating the court."

Xia Yunyi also said: "Don't say that we are rehabilitating the society. The Donglin Party didn't have such abilities when it was in its heyday."

Wang Wei frowned and said, "Well, even if Zhang Pu's manipulation of Jiangnan scholars is a rumor, then it is a fact that the Donglin Party disregarded the safety of the emperor and millions of soldiers and civilians on the front line of Xuzhou, and brazenly launched a party struggle in Nanjing, right?

"This is a fact." Wu Yingji admitted, "But this matter has nothing to do with whether the Donglin Party is a clan power."

Gu Yanwu also said: "What's more, we firmly believe that Mr. Gao Ge, Mr. Jiang Ge and Mr. Xie Ge were deceived by villains, otherwise they would never have done such stupid things."

Hearing this, Zhu Cihong and Zhu Cijiong frowned.

Xu Yingwei, Yan Yingwei and other Qin Wang scholars also frowned. They should have different opinions, but because of their friendship, they did not refute Wu Yingji and other scholars in front of Wang Wei, an "outsider".

Among the scholars of King Qin, there are many descendants of members of Fushe or members of the Donglin Party. How could Wang Wei alone have spoken to so many scholars of King Qin, and he was quickly refuted by all the scholars.

Only then did Chongzhen get up and said, "Okay, let's stop here for today."

"Students like this are waiting to resign." Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Xia Yunyi and other Qin Wang scholars resigned one after another, and Wang Wei did not stay long, and also left.

After a while, there were only Chongzhen and his son left in the big tent.

Chongzhen ordered Hu Guozhu to guard around the big tent, and then said: "Long'er, Jiong'er, have you seen it? Now you know how difficult it is to get rid of the Donglin Party clan?"

"My son has already seen it." Zhu Cijiong said with a dark face.

"I didn't expect that even Wu Yingji, Gu Yanwu, Zhu Shunshui, and Xia Yunyi were also believers of the Donglin Party."

Zhu Cihong said: "Wu Yingji and the others are not believers of the Donglin Party, but because most of their parents, grandparents, relatives or teachers are members of the Donglin Party, so they have always had a good impression of the Donglin Party."

Having said this, Zhu Cihong said to Chongzhen again: "Father, my son finally understands why you used Luanjia as a bait to lure the Donglin Party members to attack. Otherwise, it is really not enough to completely eradicate the Donglin Party."

Now Zhu Cijiong also understood: "No, because the Donglin Party is rooted in people's hearts."

"That's right, because the Donglin Party is rooted in the hearts of scholars and common people." Chongzhen said solemnly, "If it weren't for this, how could the eunuch party, which was so prosperous back then, lose to this group of civil officials who have no power to restrain chickens."

……

Outside the big tent, there was already a quarrel among Prince Qin's sons.

Wu Yingji said: "It's too much for the Holy Majesty to compare the Donglin Party to the thieves in the mountains."

Yan Yingyuan said: "Brother Ciwei, please be careful. Your Majesty only said that the Donglin Party has as much influence on the people in the south of the Yangtze River as the clans in the local prefectures and counties. Why did you ever say that the Donglin Party is a thief in the mountains?"

Wu Yingji said: "In the past, Mr. Yangming once said that it is easy to destroy the thieves in the mountains, but it is difficult to destroy the thieves in the heart. Now the Holy One says that it is easy to destroy the clans in the prefectures and counties, but it is difficult to destroy the clans in the heart. Isn't it just comparing the Donglin Party to the thieves in the mountains?"

"Two different things." Yan Yingyuan said disapprovingly, "How can they be confused."

Xia Yunyi said: "However, it is also inappropriate for the Holy Majesty to compare the Donglin Party to the clan in his heart."

Xu Yingwei said: "I think the comparison of the Holy Majesty is very appropriate. The Donglin Party is the clan in the hearts of the people in the south of the Yangtze River."

Seeing that Wu Yingji was about to refute, Xu Yingwei rushed to say: "Brother Ciwei, don't rush to refute. I would like to ask Brother Ciwei and other elder brothers, are all Donglin Party members gentlemen?"

"That's not it." Wu Yingji waved his hand and said, "Ten fingers have different lengths, how can everyone in the Donglin Party be a gentleman? For example, Ruan Dacheng was once a member of the Donglin Party."

Up to now, Wu Yingji and other people in Fushe look down on Ruan Dacheng.

Xu Yingwei said: "Then here comes the question, brother Ciwei, have you ever heard the people in the south of the Yangtze River say that the Donglin Party is not? I'm afraid it has never happened before, right? But when it comes to the Donglin Party, whether it is traffickers, gentry, businessmen or even Which of the beggars begging on the street didn't give a thumbs up and call him the pillar of the country?"

After this pause, Xu Yingwei went on to say: "In the early years of Chongzhen and last year, when the Donglin Party took full control of the cabinet, which of the ministers and ordinary people in the court did not say that the court is full of prosperity?"

Gu Yanwu said: "Isn't this the truth?"

Xia Yunyi said: "Even if there are a few scoundrels among the Donglin party members, they are still flawed. In the early years of Chongzhen and last year, the atmosphere of the imperial court was indeed full of righteousness. Brother Youzhen, don't you agree?"

Xu Yingwei said: "If it's true that the court is full of prosperity, why is it that after the second year of Chongzhen, the government seems to be getting worse every day?"

(End of this chapter)