MLMD -Chapter 258 Aftermath

For the past couple of days, Chen Xinjia had been in high spirits. This was because Chongzhen had accepted his suggestion to send Yue Yang on a mission that everyone else considered a suicide assignment.

To facilitate this, Chen Xinjia not only ordered all departments of the Ministry of War to roll out the red carpet for Yue Yang when he came to complete the formalities, but he also discreetly stirred up a number of censors and officials, urging them to keep a close eye on the inner city. If Yue Yang ran into any conflicts with wealthy merchants or gentry, these officials would immediately write memorials detailing the incidents to be presented to Chongzhen, who would then heap one official accusation after another onto Yue Yang. The censors of the Ming Dynasty had been following this procedure for hundreds of years—it was almost as instinctive as eating or sleeping. Chen Xinjia thought to himself that, regardless of whether Yue Yang could successfully procure grain and funds, he would certainly face a bitter outcome.

Chen Xinjia’s good mood lasted until just now, when Yue Yang entered the city with his troops. As Chen Xinjia had predicted, Yue Yang began his mission of collecting grain and funds. And indeed, Yue Yang had started using force. He and his fierce soldiers stormed into the home of a wealthy merchant named Zhou, loading all the grain and silver from the estate onto large carts to transport it to the army camp outside the city. Rumor had it that he used a method known as “overpowering by force.” Then they moved on to a second household.

At first, Chen Xinjia was pleased. The rougher Yue Yang’s methods, the more aggressively the censors and officials could impeach him, and the harsher his eventual punishment would be. But soon Chen Xinjia’s smile faded. He had heard that this reckless man had begun killing people. Dozens of household guards who resisted were killed on the spot, and even the merchants themselves were injured. Chen Xinjia immediately realized that events were starting to spiral beyond the path he had planned, heading into unpredictable territory.

Sure enough, as Yue Yang continued his seizure of resources, more and more wealthy merchants in the inner city were forcibly requisitioned. Hundreds of carts carried countless amounts of grain and silver to the army camp outside the city. According to Chen Xinjia’s estimate, by this point, the amount of grain and silver collected likely met the required quota. Yet Yue Yang showed no sign of stopping. He continued, door by door, to batter down the gates of the merchants’ homes with his pack of fierce soldiers.

As the chaos escalated, more wealthy households panicked. They gathered their own guards to resist. But these guards, normally only able to bully commoners and vagrants in the streets, were no match for soldiers who feared neither man nor Tatar alike. When the merchants’ guards charged with swords, spears, and clubs, the soldiers did not hesitate to raise their matchlock guns and fire. Soon, the inner city echoed with intermittent gunfire.

Now, Chen Xinjia was finally tasting the bitter fruit of his own scheming.

“Chen Xinjia…” Chongzhen’s voice seemed to drift down from the sky into his ears.

Lost in thought, Chen Xinjia did not hear it at first. It was only when Hou Xun, Minister of Revenue, kicked him on the calf that he snapped back to attention. Opening his eyes, he saw Chongzhen and the other ministers staring at him. He quickly knelt, trembling, and stammered, “Your servant is here!”

Seeing Chen Xinjia kneeling, head bowed and not daring to look up, Chongzhen’s anger burned silently. It was this man’s foolish scheme that had now thrown the inner city into chaos. He recalled how just yesterday he had been naïve enough to trust this fellow’s advice—letting a wolf into the sheep pen, believing that if he could merely grasp the wolf’s weakness, he could punish it. But he had forgotten: a wolf is always a wolf. Once in the sheep pen, it would not rest until it had eaten every sheep.

“Chen Xinjia, this was your idea? To collect grain and silver from the city’s wealthy? And this is the man you recommended?”

Chongzhen’s face showed no trace of anger; his voice had the calm, factual tone of someone recounting an ordinary matter. But everyone present knew better: the calmer the emperor appeared, the higher his inner fury burned. Chen Xinjia dared not raise his head and stammered,

“Your Majesty… I… I originally thought… thought that Yue Yang could carry out the assignment properly, but I didn’t expect him to… to…”

Seeing Chen Xinjia cowering, Chongzhen could no longer restrain himself and roared, “You didn’t expect him to be so reckless, so bold as to shoot and kill multiple household guards, turning a simple requisition into open plunder, did you? You still don’t expect anything? For your own selfish gain, you sought revenge under the guise of duty. You knew Yue Yang was unruly and ambitious, yet you advised me to let him lead troops into the city to collect grain. And now, the inner city is in chaos, and I am powerless to stop his plunder. Are you pleased with yourself?”

Chongzhen’s roar echoed through the Warm Fragrance Pavilion. Only yesterday he had still considered using this opportunity to punish the troublemaker. But once events exceeded his control, he quickly chose to forget those plans, placing all blame on the man kneeling before him. The pavilion fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Taking a deep breath, Chongzhen closed his eyes, inhaled deeply several times, and then reopened them, fixing his gaze on Chen Xinjia. He spoke slowly, “Chen Xinjia, this mess is your doing. What do you suggest we do about it?”

Chen Xinjia trembled like a leaf on the ground. Hearing the emperor’s demand, he finally whispered, “Your Majesty… this Yue Yang is arrogant and overbearing. The court… the court should punish him severely…”

Listening to Chen Xinjia, Yang Sichang, Wen Tiren, Hou Xun, and others shook their heads privately. This man could be eloquent in normal times, but in a crisis, he panicked completely—a truly unbecoming sight. In another timeline, posterity judged Chen Xinjia in a single phrase: “Ambitious, slightly clever, but ultimately unable to avert disaster.” Though somewhat cunning, he lacked the courage to bear responsibility.

As expected, Chongzhen’s eyes showed a flicker of disappointment upon hearing Chen Xinjia’s words. Shaking his head, he shouted, “Guards!”

Two armored generals immediately entered. Chongzhen pointed at Chen Xinjia and commanded, “Remove his official hat and robe! Expel him from the palace!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The tall generals quickly stripped Chen Xinjia of his hat and robe. Then, one on each side, they dragged the already collapsed man out of the Warm Fragrance Pavilion.

Seeing Chen Xinjia being hauled away like a dead dog, everyone present bowed their heads in fear. Chongzhen swept his gaze across them and coldly said, “What? Do any of you wish to plead for him?”

“We dare not! Your Majesty is wise. Chen Xinjia deserves punishment and should indeed be held accountable!” They all quickly declared in unison. The inner city was now in uproar; the people were outraged. Someone had to bear responsibility. Two were undeniably accountable: the emperor who made the final decision, and Chen Xinjia, who had offered the advice. But as emperor, Chongzhen could do no wrong. So naturally, the “black pot” had to be carried by another—and who was more suitable than Chen Xinjia? Veterans of the bureaucracy had long mastered the art of throwing someone under the bus. They needed no further prompting; they acted swiftly and decisively.

Chongzhen waved weakly, “Enough. Don’t call me wise or speak of my virtue to pacify me. Now, tell me, how do we resolve this?”

Yang Sichang looked around. Even the Grand Secretary Wen Tiren and the others frowned in silence. It was clear they had yet to formulate a plan. He stepped forward and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, for now, the first step is to issue an imperial order to Yue Yang, commanding him to immediately cease collecting grain and withdraw his troops from the capital!”

“Hm, reasonable. But Minister Yang, can you guarantee that Yue Yang will obey immediately?” Chongzhen asked after a moment’s thought.

“Of course he will!” Yang Sichang replied without hesitation.

“Oh? Why?” Chongzhen’s attention sharpened. His greatest fear was that Yue Yang would treat a casual order as a royal command, wreaking havoc across the inner city and causing public outrage—while also embarrassing the emperor.

Yang Sichang explained patiently, “Your Majesty, while Yue Yang is arrogant, he is not reckless. Reports from our scouts indicate that he has already extorted dozens of wealthy households. Though we do not know exactly how much grain and silver he has taken, it is likely sufficient to supply the army outside the city. The court has not intervened only because we feared provoking widespread chaos in the city. If he continues his extortion, any imperial order to suppress him would only work to his detriment. Once your decree reaches him, he will naturally comply and lead his troops back to the camp outside the city.”

Chongzhen nodded repeatedly in agreement. “Good… Minister, you speak wisely.” He pounded the armrest of the dragon throne in delight. “Indeed, you are the pillar of the nation. Since this is the case, let Minister Yang handle this matter. Agreed?”

Yang Sichang maintained a composed expression, bowing respectfully, “Your servant obeys…”