In the following days, Zhu Ping’an and Mao Haifeng’s allied forces divided and advanced in all directions. They were invincible, with frequent reports of victories. The coastal strongholds of the Japanese pirates were uprooted one by one.
While Zhu Ping’an was invincible, the political centre of the Great Ming, the Western Garden in the capital, welcomed another wave of memorials.
The centre of this wave of memorials involved two people, one was the Governor-General of Jiangnan, Zhang Jing, and the other was the Zhejiang Inspector, Zhu Ping’an.
Both of them faced impeachments, piles of impeachments as high as mountains. Among them, the impeachments against Zhang Jing were the most numerous, while those against Zhu Ping’an were fewer, but still not insignificant.
“How come they are all impeachments against Governor-General Zhang and Lord Xiao Zhu? Impeaching Governor-General Zhang is one thing, but why are there so many impeaching Lord Xiao Zhu? What are they thinking? Don’t they know that recently, His Majesty’s mood and appetite have been good, all thanks to Lord Xiao Zhu? If it weren’t for the memorials and secret reports frequently sent by Lord Xiao Zhu, bringing so many reports of victories, would His Majesty’s mood be this good?”
Several young eunuchs delivered the memorials to the main hall, then retreated to the tea room. While brewing tea, they whispered softly.
“Ain’t that the truth? The imperial kitchen these days is like it’s New Year. The imperial chefs are scrambling to show off, each one vying to make their signature dishes. The treasured recipes are being served one after another. It’s rare for His Majesty to have a good appetite. In the past, they didn’t have such opportunities to perform.”
“The imperial kitchen almost wants to set up a longevity tablet for Lord Xiao Zhu and burn three sticks of incense morning and evening. Now they all look forward to Lord Zhu sending memorials to the Western Garden. Last time I went to deliver the meal, they secretly told me that if I pass on the news of Lord Xiao Zhu’s memorial arriving first thing, they would even give me special meals for a month.”
“Those black-hearted ones. Lord Xiao Zhu is so good, winning battles one after another, yet they still impeach him.”
The young eunuchs whispered in the tea room, feeling quite indignant on Zhu Ping’an’s behalf regarding the memorials impeaching him.
Within the inner court, Zhu Ping’an’s reputation was excellent. The factions of Huang Jin, Feng Bao, the imperial kitchen, and others all held a favourable view of Zhu Ping’an and were willing to get close to him. Especially the Feng Bao faction regarded Zhu Ping’an as one of their own.
“How many memorials impeaching Lord Xiao Zhu are there today?” One young eunuch asked softly.
“There are eight.”
“Ah, that’s one more than the day before yesterday. These people from the outer court really don’t do human affairs.”
“Shh, keep it down. Your words beat all the people in the outer court with one stick. If ill-intentioned people hear it and spread it to the ears of the lords in the outer court, they have plenty of ways to make life difficult for us little people.”
Just then, footsteps came from outside, and the whispers in the tea room abruptly stopped.
In the main hall, Emperor Jiajing was wearing a blue Taoist robe, with only a white sleeping garment inside. His wide sleeves fluttered as he came to the window. The windows were wide open, and the cold wind blew in fiercely. Emperor Jiajing spread his arms with a look of enjoyment.
This was right after Emperor Jiajing had taken the immortal pill he refined himself, and he was now circulating his energy.
Beside him, Huang Jin was wrapped in a cotton coat, shrinking his neck, like a pine grouse unable to withstand the severe cold in snowy weather.
“Hehe, Huang Ban, your constitution is not up to par. Next time I refine a few more pills, I’ll reward you with one to take.”
Emperor Jiajing saw Huang Jin’s shrunken pine grouse appearance and couldn’t help but chuckle, waving his sleeve and speaking slowly.
“This old slave thanks the True Lord for the reward.” Huang Jin quickly knelt and thanked him.
“Get up. I have also circulated my energy for two cycles. It’s time to handle government affairs. Present today’s memorials.”
Emperor Jiajing waved his hand and slowly walked to the desk, sitting down.
“As you command.” Huang Jin stood up, bowed his body, and slowly retreated backwards until he was two metres away before turning to fetch the memorials.
Soon, memorials piled like two small mountains were stacked on the desk in front of Emperor Jiajing, one high and one low.
Emperor Jiajing casually took one from the lower pile of memorials, slowly opened it, and began to review it.
“Oh, this is another memorial impeaching Zhu Ping’an.” Emperor Jiajing only glanced at it and found it was another memorial impeaching Zhu Ping’an. “Recently, there have been quite a few memorials impeaching Zhu Ping’an.”
Huang Jin observed with his eyes on his nose and nose on his heart, quietly bowing at the side to serve, like a wooden figure.
“Luo Longwen? This name sounds a bit familiar. Huang Ban?” Emperor Jiajing looked at the signature on the memorial, squinted his eyes, and looked at Huang Jin.
“True Lord, he is a Secretariat Drafter, quite skilled in making ink.” Huang Jin replied in a low voice.
“Oh, it’s him. I remember now. It was Wei Zhong who recommended him. I thought it sounded familiar.” Emperor Jiajing suddenly recalled, then curiously muttered to himself, “I want to see where he is impeaching Zhu Ping’an.”
With that, Emperor Jiajing continued to read the memorial.
Huang Jin’s peripheral vision also caught the content of the memorial. He glanced over it unobtrusively, skimming ten lines at a glance. Luo Longwen impeached Zhu Ping’an for neglecting the construction of city walls, disregarding the lives of the people in Zhejiang, being in position but not performing his duties. This led to Japanese pirates easily breaching county towns, burning, killing, and looting inside, causing huge losses to the local people’s lives and property.
In the memorial, Luo Longwen listed detailed data. He said that Zhejiang governed ten prefectures and thirty-seven counties, among which only twelve county towns had city walls, the remaining twenty-five county towns had no city walls. Eight were currently under construction, and seventeen county towns had no action on building city walls. Based on this as evidence, he impeached Zhu Ping’an, the Zhejiang Inspector, for being irresponsible, disregarding the people’s lives, and neglecting the construction of city walls.
When Japanese pirates attacked, county towns with city walls could close the gates in time, mobilise troops and young men to defend the city, and barely hold out. At least seven or eight out of ten walled county towns could be defended.
If there were no city walls, the county town was like the Japanese pirates’ backyard, where they could come and go as they pleased.
The people inside the city would suffer. When Japanese pirates came, it was murder and arson, committing all kinds of evil. The people in the city were terribly unlucky, suffering greatly. Wives, children, elders, cattle, horses, and livestock all fell victim to the Japanese pirates.
There were still so many county towns in Zhejiang without city walls being built. This was Zhu Ping’an’s dereliction of duty, irresponsibility, and disregard for the people’s lives.
Based on this, Luo Longwen impeached Zhu Ping’an, demanding that he be punished for the crimes of dereliction of duty, irresponsibility, and disregard for the people’s lives.
“Making a fuss over nothing.” After reading the memorial, Emperor Jiajing expressionlessly threw it to the floor.
Indeed, making a fuss over nothing, Huang Jin agreed in his heart. Building city walls takes so much time, raising grain and funds, selecting sites and designing, preparing bricks, stones, and timber. It can’t show results without a year or so. How long has Lord Xiao Zhu been appointed as Zhejiang Inspector?
Moreover, in Jiangnan, far from the borders, county towns basically have no city walls.
Zhejiang’s three prefectures and twenty-seven counties, with twelve having city walls and eight under construction, is already proactive in building city walls in Jiangnan.
His Majesty’s comment that Luo Longwen is making a fuss over nothing is truly correct.
Huang Jin also knew why Luo Longwen impeached Zhu Ping’an. Luo Longwen was recommended by Yan Song, and this person was Yan Shifan’s lackey. Because the matter of Zhu Ping’an helping Yang Jisheng revise the memorial impeaching Yan Song was leaked last time, Yan Shifan hated Zhu Ping’an and wanted to eliminate him. It was all too normal for Luo Longwen to impeach Zhu Ping’an.
