That Year's Winter (1)
Two drums!
[!!!!!!]
Jin Su, the Langzhong of the Ministry of Education, stood frozen, body rigid.
The act of increasing the amount of wealth or land granted was common among some powerful ministers, though it had become routine.
But the problem was the problem.
It was power abuse in the literal sense, embezzlement from the national treasury, and waste of the national treasury.
“Shit! The little eunuch brat shows up at exactly this moment! What the hell am I supposed to do!”
Moreover, the person who witnessed the scene was none other than Xia Yuanji, Xia Yuanji.
A figure who did not hesitate to speak his mind to the Yongle Emperor, whom everyone feared.
Xia Yuanji was a man who opposed various financial policies with all sorts of reasons before accepting them.
“What kind of person is the Minister! I'm doomed, I've been ruined!”
Honest, incorruptible, upright character.
Such words were used to describe Xia Yuanji's character, and the powerful ministers disliked him for it.
However, thanks to Xia Yuanji, the economy of the early Ming Dynasty, which had been ravaged by wars, could recover and develop, and everyone acknowledged this.
Crackle.
Xia Yuanji, standing there frozen like a statue, glared at Jin Su and Jin Myeong.
Among them, Jin Myeong stepped forward and bowed.
“Jang Jinmyeong, the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonies, reporting, Minister.”
“You are indeed the Heavenly Inner God. I would like to hear from you again. What business brings you to find the Langzhong?”
“I have come to request a change in the location of the land grant.”
Jin Myeong said it as it was.
His bold, almost natural attitude left Jin Su in shock.
“This, this, this? This crazy eunuch! At a time when I need to beg for mercy!”
Jin Su swallowed his saliva, having harbored a glimmer of hope.
Perhaps another time?
This Heavenly Inner God who was said to be sharp-tongued, maybe even the stingy Xia Yuanji would forgive him once.
But he was saying it so openly.
He must be insane.
“Do you know how outrageous this is?”
“I know.”
“Does the original also know that I will report you and Jin Langzhong to the Three Laws Office?”
“If we go by that, there are quite a few people who should be reported to the Three Laws Office. The Minister should be included among them.”
“What?”
One of Xia Yuanji's eyebrows twitched.
To be so bold even while committing a crime right in front of me.
What a tempting eunuch.
One thing was for sure: his audacity was admirable, at least as much as not being cowed before a Rank 2 Minister.
“So that's why he's the Heavenly Inner God, the audacious one.”
With this kind of audacity, he probably... If he had been cut instead of just being reprimanded, he would have been an unparalleled talent in the world.
By the way, there's a saying that a man's confidence comes from there.
“The Langzhong has been in the Ministry of Revenue for about 20 years, according to what this official knows. Has no such incident occurred during that time?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“In the 32nd year of Hongwu, you became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and in the 3rd year of Yongle, the Left Vice Minister. Now it's the 18th year of Yongle, and you are the Minister.”
“So?”
“The Left and Right Vice Ministers are the positions just below the Minister, and they assist the Minister. Don't you think there is responsibility for this situation? Since you are the Minister now, there's nothing to say.”
“You are audacious.”
“Can you say that there is no responsibility for the Left and Right Vice Ministers who assist the Minister in dividing and overseeing the affairs? Even if you say you didn't know, it wouldn't hold.”
“Are you threatening this official now?”
“I am speaking for fairness. If you want to punish this official, then you should also punish the officials of the Ministry of Revenue who committed the same crime and turned a blind eye to it. That would be fair.”
Sigh.
Meanwhile, Jin Su, watching the scene with wide eyes and open ears, biting his lips and trembling with legs.
The scene in front of him was pure terror.
“Wow...! Shit! I admit it. You are the best in the world. Do that, Jin. The guy who kowtows to the Minister is new. He was really annoying.”
The surprising thing was that he wasn't just kowtowing without reason, but using the power of Zheng He or the Directorate of Ceremonies to threaten, but rather challenging with logic, and that logic was quite sophisticated.
Of course, it was right.
To punish, punish fairly.
“Cancel the earlier insult. Since I started, win it! Please! Let's all live together! Huh?”
Jin Su begged and begged.
Hoping that the Heavenly Inner God would defeat Xia Yuanji!
So that he could also secure his position!
The principal and interest borrowed to buy a new house this time were still a mountain.
If he was dismissed here, he would be sitting on the street.
“If this official investigates all the people including himself and reports them to be imprisoned?”
Jin Myeong knew that Xia Yuanji was a person who could do that and still have leftovers.
He would be imprisoned for opposing the Emperor's question about the third Mongol expedition next year.
“If so, what? This official only tried, so it will end with a light punishment. At best, it will be just a beating with a stick, right?”
“......”
After Jin Myeong's words, silence fell, and an indefinite standoff began between Xia Yuanji and Jin Myeong.
Swallow.
Jin Su, who couldn't say anything and was fidgeting, swallowed his dry saliva.
But... a reversal happened.
Smirk.
The mouth of Xia Yuanji, who had been glaring at Jin Myeong as if to kill him, formed a smile.
“...Tomorrow evening, skins?”
“Very good. This official will bring a drink!”
“Hahaha!”
“Hahaha!”
Suddenly, they laughed together in agreement.
[Hehehehe!]
Jin Myeong and Xia Yuanji laughed as if they were dying.
[......?]
Jin Su blinked in confusion, not knowing what was going on.
“You are indeed the Heavenly Inner God! This old man has lost! Lost! But, this old man even bet on it. Too much, isn't it, Director Jang.”
“Hoho! Even if the Minister was away in the middle, he wouldn't have allowed such things. Now that this official is asking for land with lower value, he probably won't make an issue of it.”
“That's right. If it was to change to other wealth of the same value or simply change the location like you, it would be fine. But if it was a strict request, there was no way.”
“You were too playful. Look at Jin Langzhong. He's about to die soon.”
Jin Myeong pointed at Jin Su, who was bewildered.
“Hahaha! Living like this when you get old is the way. How are your family?”
“My family is always well. I asked when he would come again.”
“Since you came looking for the Ministry of Revenue, I came. Then, shall we go to Yuwol Pavilion tomorrow evening?”
“Yes, this official will properly treat you to a drink.”
Actually, Xia Yuanji was a regular at Yuwol Pavilion.
One of the top regulars.
He knew the names and faces of all the Yuwol Pavilion people, including Holy Mother Yeongyeon and wet nurse Jeonghye.
The people at the pavilion welcomed Xia Yuanji's demeanor, which was gentlemanly.
“Indeed! That's right! Tomorrow is the protagonist of the reward ceremony! Since you came all the way to the Ministry of Revenue today, enjoy the tea and go. Jin Langzhong, you work hard, and Director Jang, please handle it as requested.”
“Eh? Ah, yes yes! Minister! I will do so.”
“Then let's go, Director Jang. Shall we have Jiannan Chun tomorrow evening? Has the Shanxi Fenjiu arrived?”
Jiannan Chun and Shanxi Fenjiu are both famous wines in the world.
Jiannan Chun is the famous wine from Sichuan, Fenjiu from Shanxi.
“It should be there. Since the Minister is drinking, if not, this official will quickly run to the Sunflower Manual and bring it.”
“Hehehe!”
Jin Myeong and Xia Yuanji, swallowing saliva, walked away together.
In the office, only Jin Su remained, clenching his fists and trembling.
“Shit... Even if you tease people, there should be limits...”
* * *
The next day, in the Fengtian Hall Plaza in the outer courtyard of the Imperial Palace.
Puu-uu-! Dong dong! Dong dong! Dudududong!
The horn and drum sounds announcing the start of the event filled the vast Fengtian Hall Plaza.
I-iii-iii-iii!
Following that, the music of the imperial musicians continued.
Today was a day when everyone received rewards, so the faces of the Zhu family and the civil and military officials were full of joy.
A short while later.
“Gongsun Dajing, the Qianhu of the Jinyiwei Commander!”
The Minister of Rites, standing in front of the Zhu family on the white marble platform, called out Gongsun Dajing's name.
“Ha!”
Gongsun Dajing immediately stepped out between the civil and military officials, bowed, and knelt on one knee.
“By the order of the Ming Emperor, the Qianhu of the Jinyiwei Commander who defended the imperial family and the state against the rebels, Gongsun Dajing, is bestowed 3,000 taels of silver.”
“Long live! Long live! Long live!”
After that, the rewards for the Jinyiwei personnel continued one after another, and the captains who participated in the Baohua Mountain bloodbath, including Yi Yi, all received a promotion in rank.
The turn of the eunuchs came later.
In terms of actual power, the Jinyiwei was much higher than the Directorate of Ceremonies because they followed the surface ranks.
The head of the Jinyiwei is Rank 2, the head of the Directorate of Ceremonies is Rank 4.
How much time had passed?
The turn of the Directorate of Ceremonies came, and the eunuchs were called one by one.
After a short while.
“Jang Jinmyeong, the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonies!”
Finally, Jin Myeong's turn came.
Since it was the 13th or so, it wasn't long to wait.
When Jin Myeong's name was called.
Puu-aa-a-ang! Dong-dongdong!
It seemed to signal that Jin Myeong's turn was a bit special, so the music stopped for a moment and the military music of the trumpets flowed out.
“Ke!”
Unlike others, Jin Myeong, who had been waiting at the front gate of Fengtian Hall like when he saved the Empress last time, answered.
And then he started walking with steady steps, very proudly.
Grabbing the waist of the touwu robe embroidered with a golden two-horned dragon-serpent in black silk, he straightened the bent back.
The Cheonyang Biyeon around his waist and the Zhengyin Sword stuck obliquely sparkled in the bright sunlight, and brighter than that was the face under the official hat.
The officials behind Jin Myeong felt as if they were illuminated by a halo.
[Aa...!]
The women, including the Empress, sparkled with eyes as they looked at Jin Myeong.
They clasped their hands and fidgeted, opening their mouths wide, but when they remembered that Jin Myeong was a eunuch, they came to their senses.
No matter how much, it was too regrettable.
If he was just a eunuch, if he wasn't a eunuch... He was a man so attractive that I wanted to ask to be a bandit together.
“By the order of the Ming Emperor, the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonies Jang Jinmyeong warned the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue about the attacks by rebels and suggested the deployment of the army.”
When Jin Myeong knelt and bowed, the Minister of Rites listed Jin Myeong's merits.
“Using the scouts and eunuchs of the Central Army to track and monitor the rebels, and at Baohua Mountain, even in a life-threatening situation, he fought against the leader of the rebels and protected the rear.”
The reason the Yongle Emperor and the Ministry of Rites specially rewarded Jin Myeong was because of this.
Because the Left Commander of the Central Army, Zhang Fu, and the Minister of War, Jin Heup, reported Jin Myeong's merits one by one.
Including the fact that they dispatched elite scouts from the Central Army to operate surveillance posts on the tops of the four mountains.
“Thus! The name of the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonies Jang Jinmyeong is listed in the merit list. Also, the land of Shuntian Prefecture is bestowed, and he is enfeoffed as Count of Shuntian, and 10,000 taels of silver are bestowed.”
[Oooo!]
When the Minister of Rites recited the imperial decree, exclamations mixed with admiration and admiration burst out from all over.
Originally, it was the place where the Zhu family was, so they shouldn't have made a sound, but it was so abrupt.
A eunuch in the merit list!
No abruptness was this abrupt.
Moreover, bestowing land and enfeoffing as a count suggested that a young eunuch had become a small vassal and a nobleman of the country.
“Long live! Long live! Long live!”
The protagonist of this abruptness, Jin Myeong, immediately shouted “long live” and bowed his head.
In front of Jin Myeong who bowed his head, the eunuchs ran over and placed a table with 10,000 taels of silver and imperial edicts.
The imperial edict sealed with gold thread and the silver receipt on the table sparkled.
At that moment.
Swoosh.
Unusually, the Yongle Emperor stood up from his seat.
The Yongle Emperor walked to the edge of the white platform and swept his gaze over the civil and military officials.
After a while, he spoke.
“Know this.”
[Yes! Your Majesty!]
The civil and military officials answered in unison as if in chorus with the majestic voice coming from deep in the chest.
The music that had filled the plaza stopped abruptly as if cut with a knife, and the empty space was filled again with the voices of the civil and military officials.
“Hmm, the Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, the Judge of the Directorate of Ceremonies, the Eunuch.”
“Ke!”
Still calling while sweeping the gaze over the civil and military officials, Zheng He ran to one side of the platform, knelt, and bowed.
“I hereby announce the establishment of the Ming Tongji Sacha, dedicated to heaven, earth, gods, and the spirit of Emperor Taizu, based on this day.”
“Ke!”
Finally! The sky of the Eastern Depot opened.
Since the Emperor's imperial decree was issued, it has officially started as an official office.
From this moment, the official titles of the eunuchs increased one by one.
“As seen at Baohua Mountain, there are special groups lurking in the Ming. The Superintendent of the Eastern Depot and the Tongji Sacha are to immediately track down the rebels and bring them to justice.”
“I will do my best!”
“Thus, I order the immediate operation of the Inspection Bureau of the Tongji Sacha. The Yeongban of the Ming Tongji Sacha Inspection Bureau, Jang Jinmyeong!”
The Yongle Emperor looked at Jin Myeong, who had knelt on one knee in the center of the plaza.
“Ke!”
“From this moment on, the right to decide life and death for subjects of rank 5 and below is granted to the Cheonyang Biyeon. Use this to uproot the rebellious gangs and bring the heads of the villains!”
[!!!!!!]
Upon hearing that, the officials doubted if what they heard was correct and were in shock.
To a mere Rank 5 eunuch, the right to decide life and death for subjects.
It meant that even if you killed a Rank 5 or lower official and a subject without permission during duty, you wouldn't be punished.
It was a terrifying authority, and the opening of a new Reaper appearing in the palace.
“Jang Jinmyeong, the Yeongban of the Inspection Bureau, will wholeheartedly obey His Majesty's order.”
“Can I trust you?”
“......”
In response to the question asking for trust, Jin Myeong did not immediately answer.
[......?]
Then, not only the Zhu family on the platform but also the civil and military officials below the platform all looked at Jin Myeong in bewilderment.
Just when the Yongle Emperor was about to become bewildered.
The perfect moment!
“Who is the Ming eunuch!”
Suddenly, Jin Myeong shouted with inner energy.
Ga-! Ga-! Ga-!
The cry echoed throughout the palace.
Then, the eunuchs, who had been stationed in every corner without distinguishing between the platform and below, immediately turned to the Yongle Emperor and knelt on one knee.
The eunuchs of the Shanglinjian who were offering sacrificial bowls for ceremonies inside Fengtian Hall.
The eunuchs of the Zhidianjian who were cleaning Fengtian Hall and the plaza with rags and brooms.
The near eunuchs who were holding umbrellas for the Zhu family!
[The Ming is great and vast!]
With one heart and one voice, they began to shout.
At Fengtian Hall and the plaza!
Far away, the eunuchs driving elephants and horses!
The Dozhi jian's soldiers sweeping the streets and city gates!
It echoed throughout the palace.
The Son of Heaven asked if he could trust a eunuch.
A lowly eunuch became a count and a nobleman!
An office led by a mere eunuch became the highest office of the Ming.
Now, ten thousand eunuchs are neither humble nor lowly!
[Ten thousand Heavenly Inner Gods are one body!]
[Living to protect the state!]
[Dying to return to parents and brothers!]
[What is there to hesitate between life and death!]
[Today we!]
Even beyond the walls surrounding Fengtian Hall and the plaza, the eunuchs' roaring voices crossed the walls.
And that voice pushed up to the cold winter sky, endlessly.
[Eunuch clan!]