MLMD -Chapter 288 Power Consolidated

As mentioned before, Cao Huachun had a relatively mild temperament, but today—even someone like him couldn’t help feeling like cursing and hitting someone.

“Grant him the right to open a personal office and establish his own administration!” The four words sounded simple enough, but their meaning was terrifying. Anyone familiar with officialdom knew exactly what this implied.

To “open a personal office and establish an administration”—also referred to as 建牙开府 or, mistakenly, 开牙建府—meant that a high-ranking official, upon imperial authorization, could establish his own administrative office, set up his own banners, and manage his own military and civil affairs.

Officials with this power held immense authority. They could freely appoint or remove subordinates, even enact certain policies and laws. This was a privilege reserved for princes, nobles, and meritorious ministers—a mark of extraordinary honor.

Because the power was so great, it often led to unpredictable outcomes. Since the rebellions of the Tang dynasty’s regional governors, successive dynasties rarely granted any official such sweeping authority.

So the moment Cao Huachun heard Yue Yang propose it, his mind immediately jumped to the term “fanzhen separatism” from the Tang dynasty.

Gritting his teeth, Cao Huachun asked, “Lord Yue, do you know what your final condition implies?”

“Of course I do,” Yue Yang replied casually. “That’s why I only brought it up now.”

“That’s impossible!” Cao Huachun refused outright. “Since the founding of this dynasty by the Taizu Emperor, no official has ever been granted the right to open a personal office. If we set such a precedent, what becomes of the dignity of the Ming?”

“The dignity of the Ming?” Yue Yang chuckled. “Cao Gonggong, don’t joke with me. Does the Ming even have dignity left? The Jianzhou tribes are a barbarian people, numbering only tens of thousands, with an army barely over ten thousand. Yet time and again they have invaded Ming territory with no effective resistance. How laughable that our so-called great empire with millions of subjects is helpless against this tiny barbarian state. Tens of thousands of our troops only dare to trail behind fewer than ten thousand Jianzhou soldiers without risking battle.”

“And it’s even more ridiculous when you consider that during the Yongle era, the population was only fifty million, yet annual tax revenue reached thirty million taels of silver. Now the population is tens of millions, but revenue barely reaches four hundred thousand taels—less than one-fifth of Yongle’s. Isn’t that absurd? Cao Gonggong, how do you explain this?”

Cao Huachun was momentarily speechless. Though a eunuch, he was also the Grand Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial and well-versed in history. He wanted to argue, but facts were facts—no flowery words could obscure them.

Seeing Cao Huachun fall silent, Yue Yang said with a smile, “Nothing in this world comes for free. Since the court wants me to pay taxes, they must provide something in return. One million dan of grain and five hundred thousand taels of silver annually in exchange for a marquisate and the right to establish my own office—surely that’s not too much to ask?”

Cao Huachun clenched his fists in frustration. “But there’s no precedent in the Ming for this!”

“Once you grant it to me, there is,” Yue Yang said matter-of-factly. “Those lazy officers in Liaodong are just following in my wake to reap benefits. They each get promotions, yet I was only offered a post as General of the Nation and two thousand taels of silver. When the emperor’s rewards are so unclear, doesn’t it chill one’s heart?”

Seeing Cao Huachun open his mouth to speak, Yue Yang stopped him. “Don’t try to preach about the emperor’s mercy and grace. If a sovereign or a court cannot reward or punish clearly, who would devote themselves to it? I won’t waste words. If the emperor accepts these three conditions, I will fulfill my promises: one million dan of grain and five hundred thousand taels of silver every year. If not, then I can only apologize.”

Yue Yang’s words were blunt to the point of leaving Cao Huachun speechless. After a long pause, he sighed. “Lord Yue, your demands are beyond what we can grant. We can only await the emperor’s judgment.”

“That’s fine. I can wait. When the emperor agrees, I will send men to transport the autumn grain and taxes to the capital,” Yue Yang said with a casual wave of his hand.

After their discussion, Yue Yang arranged for Cao Huachun and his entourage to rest. That night, Cao Huachun could not sleep. He wrote an urgent memorial to the Chongzhen Emperor, detailing Yue Yang’s demands, and sent it to the capital immediately.

Over ten days later, on November 23, a messenger arrived in the capital. This time it was a eunuch, and a remarkable one at that: Wang Cheng’en.

As the emperor’s most trusted eunuch, Wang Cheng’en held a position even higher than Cao Huachun. So when Cao Huachun learned of his arrival, he personally went to the gate to escort him in.

Wang Cheng’en went directly to Yue Yang, and soon Yue Yang summoned his entire household, his generals, and the prefects of Hunyuan and surrounding regions to hear the decree. Wang Cheng’en wasted no words and publicly read the emperor’s edict: Yue Yang was appointed General of Dragons and Tigers, Commander-in-Chief of Shanxi’s Northern Route, and Marquis of Loyalty and Courage, with a hereditary title. Most importantly, Yue Yang was granted the right to open his own office and establish his administration.

Once the edict was read, the entire residence erupted in cheers, especially Yue Yang’s generals and officials. Being granted a marquisate meant that the Ming had a new noble for the first time in over a hundred years. And with the right to establish his own office, Yue Yang could now form his own team, appoint his subordinates, and wield true authority—exactly what his officers and generals had dreamed of.

News spread quickly. Yue Yang’s marquisate and his right to open an office astonished many, and the Ming court was thrown into upheaval.

In the capital, countless ministers and censors were horrified. They knelt before Zhengyang Gate, wailing, while memorials flooded the emperor’s desk, demanding that Yue Yang’s decree be revoked and that the “traitor” be arrested and sent to the capital. The entire court was thrown into frenzy.

“How could Yue Yang, of all people, be made a marquis and given the right to open an office?”

“He must have seduced the emperor! Our dynasty has seen no marquis for over a century. This man only won a few battles and killed some Jianzhou tribesmen. How can this be allowed? We refuse to accept it!”

Both officials and the public debated fiercely, but Yue Yang remained unmoved, resolutely focused on his own path.

Even the emperor and his ministers said nothing to quell the rumors. Only when Wang Cheng’en and Cao Huachun arrived in the capital with one million dan of grain and five hundred thousand taels of silver did the court realize the source of the matter.

Unlike the capital’s uproar, the people of Shanxi’s Northern Route welcomed Yue Yang’s marquisate. After all, the benefits he brought were real: he developed livelihoods, combated bandits, encouraged farming, and gradually introduced high-yield seeds. Life for the people had improved, enough for basic comfort and sustenance.

The people were simple: whoever brought them a good life would earn their support. Yue Yang had done that.

That day, the gates of the Yue residence were bustling. A crowd of civil and military officials gathered to congratulate him.

House steward Cao Youqian oversaw two servants in replacing the plaque “General of the Nation” with a new gilded sign: “Residence of the Marquis of Loyalty and Courage,” accompanied by a loud burst of firecrackers.

All the servants were elated. From that day on, they were the household of a marquis. Wherever they went, announcing their affiliation would earn respect. Who wouldn’t be thrilled?

Generals and officers, including Yue Laifu, Shun Bao, Hu Laosan, Wu Chengfeng, Hailou, Wu Qing, Chen Zhi, and Chu Di, came from across the region to offer congratulations. Prefects like Jiang Xin of Hunyuan and Zheng Fakui of Yingzhou also attended.

At mid-morning, Yue Yang appeared at the gate wearing a crimson dragon robe, a jade belt, and a black official hat. Surrounded by more than a dozen personal guards, he personally welcomed everyone into the residence.

Seeing Yue Yang so poised and commanding, everyone realized that his status and power now demanded respect.

Zheng Fakui, who had come all the way from Yingzhou to congratulate him, felt deep emotion. Just over four years ago, Yue Yang had been a minor scholar, and the Yue family was being oppressed by the Wang, Lin, and Li families, on the verge of ruin. Who could have imagined that in only four years, the boy who had nearly been killed would rise step by step to become a hereditary marquis?

By all accounts, Yue Yang’s power was now fully consolidated. Lost in thought, Zheng Fakui saw Yue Yang approaching and hurriedly stood straight, bowing deeply with those around him: “Your servant greets the Marquis!”