Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 595 Secret Discussion

The gatekeeper was unaware that the master and Qionghai Town were allies. He only knew that if things went wrong, he might lose his promising career. He reacted quickly and told Lin San, "If you don't mind, sir, please wait at the gatehouse. I'll go find the master."

Lin San thought the money had worked, breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded, saying, "Very good, I'll wait here."

At this moment, Wen Tiren was reviewing memorials sent from various places in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

One of the main responsibilities of the cabinet was to assist the emperor in reviewing memorials, offering preliminary opinions, and writing them down on paper. This was called "drafting." After being reviewed by the Directorate of Ceremonial, the eunuch in charge of writing would make corrections in red ink, which was commonly known as "red-inking." After being reviewed at each level, the memorials would reach the emperor for his final decision.

Since assuming the position of Grand Secretary, Wen Tiren gradually gained control of the cabinet's discourse. Second Grand Secretary Wu Zongda remained cautious and self-protective, while the others either remained indifferent or closely followed his lead. While not exactly a one-man show, the cabinet's draft proposals largely reflected his will. As long as the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs didn't "intercept" his proposals, Emperor Chongzhen would usually adopt his opinions. This was the most telling aspect of a Grand Secretary's status and power. Therefore, reviewing memorials daily was one of his most important tasks.

The entire cabinet was eerily quiet, save for the rustling of pages turning and drafting of memorials. Suddenly, a guard on duty approached the door. "Your Excellency," he said, "the brothers from Xuanwu Gate have sent word that your family urgently needs your attention. Would you like to deliver a message or send them away first?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the cabinet stopped what they were doing and stared at Wen Tiren.

"Nonsense!" Wen Tiren slammed his brush down on the table. "Can't you see I'm handling state affairs? My family members are ignorant, and you, the people on duty in the palace, don't know the rules either. Are you going to indulge their nonsense? What could be more important than national affairs? We'll talk about it when I get back!"

The guard shrank back, feeling deeply wronged. If he didn't report it, the Grand Secretary would likely reprimand him later; if he did, he'd be accused of being ignorant of etiquette. Serving in the palace was truly a dilemma. He said sheepishly, "I'll convey the Grand Secretary's words immediately..."

As he turned to leave, Wen Tiren asked casually, "Did my family say anything?"

The guard thought for a moment and replied, "It seems they said someone has arrived from Guangdong, and it's something very urgent..."

Wen Tiren's brow twitched. This was the story he had prepared beforehand for his people in the manor. The person from Guangdong referred to Qionghai Town, to prevent his colleagues from knowing about his relationship with Liu Ye. Now that the Tartars were rampaging in Beizhili and martial law was in effect in the capital, for them to come looking for him at this critical juncture, it must be something important.

He waved his hand, "I understand, you may leave."

After the guards left, he resumed his focused reading of the memorials, as if nothing had happened. Seeing no further drama, the other cabinet members also picked up their pens and went about their own business.

After a while, Wen Tiren frowned, pressed his hand to his forehead, and groaned softly. Seeing this, Wu Zongda asked with concern, "Is Changqing feeling unwell?"

Wen Tiren said softly, "I don't know if it's because I caught a cold yesterday, but after reading a few memorials today, I suddenly feel dizzy and lightheaded, and my vision is blurry..."

Wu Zongda said with concern, "Since you have caught a cold, you must not be careless. It is important to find a doctor to treat you as soon as possible."

"But they're still on duty..."

"It's alright, I'm here, you can go without worry."

The others overheard the conversation and immediately declared, "Your Excellency's health is of utmost importance; we're here for you." Whether they were sincere or not, they had to put on a show.

Wen Tiren said gratefully, "Then I'll have to trouble Shangyu (Wu Zongda's courtesy name) and all my colleagues. Alas, I'm getting old, and my health can't compare to that of the younger generation."

After trembling as he walked out of Wenyuan Pavilion, Wen Tiren immediately straightened his back, his pained expression vanishing without a trace, and strode towards Xuanwu Gate.

The study of the Wen family mansion.

Wen Tiren looked at the towering Lin San, picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and smiled, "It's you again. I remember your surname is Lin, right? Last time you sent Gao Yingxiang, what good stuff have you sent this time?"

Lin San's last escort of Gao Yingxiang to the capital, his rampage at Xuanwu Gate, his pursuit and beating of Cao Huachun, and his refusal of Chongzhen's offer of an official position left a deep impression on people, making it difficult for Wen Tiren not to remember him.

Wen Tiren had only asked casually and hadn't thought too much about it. After all, there weren't many bandits in the Ming Dynasty as influential as Gao Yingxiang. Who knew that Lin San's words would be so shocking?

"Your Excellency, I have indeed brought back some valuable items from the capital this time: the heads of over two thousand Tartars and Mongols!"

"Pfft!" Wen Tiren spat out all the tea he had just drunk, water droplets even dripping onto his beard. Forgetting his composure, he pressed on, "You're not joking, are you? Over two thousand heads of Tartars and Mongols? What exactly happened?"

"It's like this, the Tartar prince Abatai, for some reason, ran to Shandong and fought two battles with us in Dengzhou and Changyi, both of which we won. These heads are only from the battle of Changyi; the heads of the Han soldiers and bondservants were lost, not to mention the heads from Dengzhou..."

Wen Tiren was utterly shocked and remained speechless for a long time. If defeating the bandits only demonstrated the formidable fighting strength of the Qionghai Army—after all, Hong Chengchou, Cao Bianjiao, and Lu Xiangshan had also been chasing and fighting bandits in the Northwest—then defeating the Tartars face-to-face and capturing more than two thousand heads was the most glorious achievement of the Ming army in over a decade.

Seeing that Wen Tiren was still in a daze, Lin San tentatively asked, "Sir?"

Wen Tiren snapped out of his daze and quickly asked, "Where's the head?"

"It has already been sent to the Ministry of War."

Minister of War Zhang Fengyi was essentially one of Wen Tiren's men. Upon hearing that the heads had been sent to the Ministry of War, Wen Tiren nodded, "That's only right. Examining the heads and determining the merits of the battle is the Ministry of War's duty." Although he desperately wanted to claim the immense credit for himself and claim credit for strategic planning, it was impossible. The battle between the Qionghai Army and Abatai had happened so suddenly that no one knew about it. Now that the heads had already been sent to the capital, there was no room for maneuver in dividing the credit. If he were to forcibly intervene, it would be too unseemly, and the emperor wasn't a fool.

However, such an amazing record also made Wen Tiren feel fortunate that the ally he had found was very capable. At present, the Ming Dynasty is beset by internal and external troubles, and the importance of famous ministers and generals is becoming more and more prominent. Whether he can hold the position of chief minister in the future, the capable and good-fighting Liu Ye can play a key role. He is a good ally.

He asked, "Besides delivering the head, is there anything else?"