MLMD -Chapter 286 Caught Between Two Choices

“So, Minister Wen, now that you are Grand Secretary, you can’t even come up with a single idea?”

Seeing Wen Tiren remain silent, Chongzhen felt even more frustrated. The emperor was naturally suspicious and hot-tempered, and since the new year, as the situation in the Ming realm grew increasingly chaotic, his dissatisfaction with Wen had only deepened. This resentment had begun to show in his attitude toward him—on several occasions, memorials submitted by Wen Tiren were brusquely rejected by the emperor.

Wen Tiren was no fool; he naturally noticed Chongzhen’s shifting attitude. Seeing the emperor’s expression now, he grew even more anxious. But in that moment, what advice could he give that would satisfy Chongzhen and also align with Yue Yang’s intentions? Flustered, Wen Tiren stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, this humble servant believes that if Your Majesty were to offer Yue Yang a way to save face, he would settle down, and in this way, Shanxi and Xuanda could be pacified.”

“A way to save face?”

Chongzhen nearly laughed in anger. Damn it—he was the emperor! And now he was supposed to give Yue Yang a face-saving way out? Wen Tiren, as Grand Secretary, not only failed to think of him, but actually spoke on behalf of that traitor. Have you lost your mind? Thinking this, Chongzhen’s expression grew stern. “Minister Wen, how exactly do you propose I give him a way out?”

Wen Tiren had already thrown caution to the wind. He spoke loudly, “I have heard that although Yue Yang drove Grand Eunuch Gao and Chen Xinjia out of Hunyuan Prefecture, he did not take things to the extreme. His sparing of these two proves he has no current intention of rebellion. If Your Majesty were to give him a small concession, this humble servant believes he would not dare oppose the court in defiance of Heaven.”

“Not dare?” Chongzhen snorted through his nose. “This man even called for ‘purging the court’—what is there that he wouldn’t dare to do?”

“That’s only because Your Majesty forced him!” Wen Tiren muttered internally, but maintained a serious expression. “Words and deeds are two different matters. This humble servant believes that if Yue Yang truly intended to rebel, why would he have allowed Xu Dingchen and all the generals of Xuanda to return? Why not simply kill Chen Xinjia, Gao Qiqian, and all of them? Then Shanxi would have been entirely under his control.”

At this, the ministers around him nodded frequently. Wen Tiren’s reasoning was sound: if Yue Yang had really intended to rebel, he could have easily captured or killed Chen Xinjia, Gao Qiqian, and all Xuanda’s generals. In that case, Shanxi might have been completely under Yue’s command in less than half a month.

Even Chongzhen, despite his anger toward Yue Yang, had to admit that Wen Tiren’s reasoning made sense. Yet, his face remained sour. After all, Gao Qiqian and Chen Xinjia had been appointed to Shanxi by him; they had barely settled in when they were humiliated and expelled. Now, the entire court was watching, and instead of punishing Yue Yang, the court might even elevate him. How could the dignity of the dynasty survive such humiliation?

Seeing Chongzhen still hesitating, Wen Tiren grew impatient and turned to glare at Yang Sichang. “You caused this mess. I’ve taken it this far out of benevolence; the rest is up to you.”

Yang Sichang clearly saw the resentment in Wen Tiren’s words. He also realized he had miscalculated. His original intent had been merely to curb Lu Xiangsheng’s power by punishing Yue Yang, but in trying to swat a fly, he had hit a tiger instead—and this tiger had an extremely fierce temperament, biting anyone who provoked him, nearly throwing the entire Ming court into panic.

Though at odds with Wen Tiren, Yang Sichang gritted his teeth and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, since Yue Yang has shown no definitive rebellious intent, the court cannot rashly declare him a traitor. Therefore, I submit that a careful and long-term approach is best.”

“A careful approach? You mean we can’t do anything to him?”

Just as Chongzhen’s anger surged, the Minister of Revenue, Hou Xun, who had been silent in the back, stepped forward. “Your Majesty, I have something to report.”

“Speak!” Chongzhen’s voice sounded like it was squeezed out through clenched teeth.

“Your Majesty, the autumn grain from various regions has been transported to the capital. However, I have calculated that we are still short of 700,000 taels of silver and 1.2 million dàn of grain. I submit this for Your Majesty’s consideration.”

“How can there be such a shortfall? The court’s grain and silver reserves should be sufficient for expenses in these past two years!” Upon hearing this, Chongzhen felt a surge of frustration.

“At the beginning of the year, that was because grain and silver from Shanxi’s Northern Route barely covered the court’s expenses. Now, however, Yue Yang has clearly stated that he will not submit this year’s autumn grain. Thus, we are again short on both grain and silver.” Hou Xun’s words were blunt and clear: if Yue Yang hadn’t rebelled, the taxes and grain would have been delivered properly. Now that he refuses, the court is left empty-handed.

“Silver… silver… it’s always about silver!” Chongzhen could no longer contain his anger and shouted at Hou Xun. “Minister Hou, how can you serve as Minister of Revenue? Always claiming there’s not enough for expenses—can’t you try to save something?”

“Of course I can save!” Hou Xun was also angered. He looked straight at Chongzhen and answered confidently, “Your Majesty, as you said, I am merely Minister of Revenue. I cannot conjure silver. If you wish me to save silver, I could simply halt the Liaodong allowances, and then there would be no problem!”

In the Ming court, the Minister of Revenue’s post was arguably the hardest. Since Chongzhen’s ascension, annual taxes amounted to barely four million taels of silver, yet yearly expenses exceeded five million. Every day was a struggle of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Hou Xun, exhausted by this, feared nothing in confronting the emperor.

“You…” Chongzhen ground his teeth, furious. Stopping the Liaodong allowance meant that over a hundred thousand soldiers stationed there would immediately strike. Who would stop the tens of thousands of Jianzhou Jurchens beyond the border?

Chongzhen’s anger stemmed from the fact that the problem had circled back to its origin: because the emperor sought to act against Yue Yang, Yue Yang, angered, refused to submit taxes. With no silver, the court could not mobilize forces against him, leaving the court short on revenue. How, then, could Yue Yang be coerced into compliance?

Feeling powerless, Chongzhen leaned back and closed his eyes, a pang of sorrow crossing his heart. Do I really have to bow to that bastard?

Finally, he opened his eyes slightly and asked in a soft voice, “So, ministers, what do you propose regarding Yue Yang?”

The ministers exchanged glances. With this question, everyone understood that the usually stubborn emperor was preparing to compromise.

Hou Xun remained silent, returning to the crowd. Yang Sichang looked at Wen Tiren, who had closed his eyes and rested, and with no other choice, stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, in this humble view, Yue Yang’s grievance stems mainly from feeling his rewards are too meager. Coupled with the rash and reckless actions of Chen Xinjia and Gao Qiqian, this has provoked his discontent. We could simply grant him a higher official post, and he would settle down.”

Saying this, Yang Sichang felt his face burn with embarrassment. Only a month ago, he had recommended someone to handle Yue Yang—and now he was advising the emperor to reward the same man.

Chongzhen’s expression took on a trace of sarcasm. “And according to Minister Yang, what position should we grant him?”

Alright, if shamelessness is decided, let’s take it to the extreme. Yang Sichang took a deep breath. “I propose granting Yue Yang the position of Commander-General of Shanxi, with the additional title of General of Dragon and Tiger.”

Upon speaking, he sensed the disdainful glances around him, but he had already thrown caution to the wind. What was reputation worth anyway? Since becoming an official, he no longer cared.

He lowered his head, not daring to look at Chongzhen. After a long moment, a voice seemed to drift from the heavens: “Very well, Minister Yang, handle this matter. But first, send someone to test Yue Yang’s stance. If he refuses, I cannot bear the embarrassment…”

November, Chongzhen Year 9

Shanxi’s weather had turned cold. After Yue Yang’s uproar, the atmosphere in Hunyuan Prefecture grew tense for several days. Rumors of General Yue Yang preparing to rebel spread through every street and alley. Prefect Jiang Xin, returning to his office, immediately shut his doors, never daring to inspect the refugees or the autumn harvest again.

As time passed, rumors of Yue Yang’s rebellion continued to grow. The entire Northern Route, even all of Shanxi, was filled with fear and apprehension. Yet, as days went by, those who had worried that Yue Yang’s rebellion would plunge Shanxi into chaos observed that, after expelling Gao Qiqian and Chen Xinjia, Yue Yang took no extreme measures. He continued his usual routines: inspecting fields, opening new farmland, and carrying out daily governance—showing none of the urgency or rebellion that had been feared.

Yue Yang’s behavior puzzled many and also caused nervous relief. Meanwhile, the court’s inaction perplexed them further. Yue Yang’s previous actions had been a severe slap to the court’s face, stripping it of the last shred of dignity. Yet more than half a month had passed with no response from the court. Such restraint—or indecision—was utterly baffling.