Chapter 1070 - Exoneration
The memorial's composition required considerable deliberation.
Sun Yuanhua bore undeniable primary responsibility for Kong Youde's rebellion—that stain could not be washed away after losing Dengzhou. The memorial would inevitably involve a plea for punishment.
God bless! His rescue by a fellow believer—the Australian—had erased the most dangerous charges: "falling to the enemy" and "colluding with the enemy." What remained were matters such as "employing people unclearly," "failure of oversight," and "indulgence." However one phrased them, these were not extremely grave sins—not matters of fundamental principle.
Yet his situation was far from simple. Losing the military stronghold of Dengzhou was also a severe charge. Civil and military officials had lost their heads for lesser failures to hold territory. How to avoid that fate demanded meticulous calculation.
Fortunately, Kong Youde's mutiny had not occurred within his defense zone—not even within Shandong. The soldiers had already entered Zhili when they revolted. Moreover, at the time of the mutiny, Kong Youde had already been transferred to Jiliao and was no longer under Sun's command.
The logic might seem forced, but at least it provided room for exoneration. Essays could be written on this aspect.
Another matter required immediate communication of his stance: the Wang family.
On Qimu Island, Lu Yang and Lu Wenyuan had explained the entire sequence of Kong Youde's mutiny to him in detail. For the first time, Sun Yuanhua possessed a comprehensive and reliable understanding of events—previously he had known only scattered and contradictory fragments. With accurate intelligence in hand, he could weigh Court relationships and adopt appropriate attitudes.
Sun Yuanhua reflected carefully. Though the triggering incident involved chicken theft, the underlying cause had direct connection to the "closing doors and striking markets" in Wuqiao County.
The reasons behind that closure were clear to him: beyond the soldiers' poor discipline and repeated harassment of the locality, the leadership of Wuqiao Magistrate Bi Ziyin had been the main factor. Magistrate Bi and Sun had "always been unhappy" with one another—the tension related to Liaodong affairs.
Bi Ziyin harbored deep hatred for Liaodong people. When his brother Bi Zisu served as Governor of Liaodong, he was bound and tortured by Liaodong soldiers demanding their pay during the Ningyuan Mutiny in Chongzhen's first year. Bi Zisu later committed suicide in shame. Sun Yuanhua's heavy reliance on Liaodong people in Dengzhou and Laizhou, his repeated advocacy for Liaodong interests—essentially serving as their spokesman—had long drawn the Bi brothers' resentment.
Now that catastrophe had struck, if the matter were investigated seriously, Bi Ziyin could not escape charges of "inciting chaos" and "provoking conflict."
Similarly implicated was the Wang family of Xincheng. Sun Yuanhua understood precisely why Kong Youde had executed the soldiers who stole the chicken: the Wang family was supremely successful in the imperial examinations, famous throughout the realm.
Three consecutive generations bearing the characters Guang, Zhi, and Xiang had produced fourteen Jinshi degree-holders. The Xiang generation alone accounted for ten. Wang Xiangchun had risen to Director of the Bureau of Evaluations in Nanjing's Ministry of Personnel. His cousin Wang Xiangqian had served twice as Minister of War; in Chongzhen's first year, he supervised the armies of Xuanfu and Datong with the titles of Junior Preceptor, Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, Minister of War, and Censor-in-Chief of the Right. He retired only in Chongzhen's second year. Among Wang Xiangchun's brothers of the same father, many had also served as civil and military officials.
More importantly, when Sun Yuanhua passed the provincial examination in the fortieth year of Wanli, his Examiner—his Zuoshi—was none other than Wang Xiangchun. Xu Guangqi and Wang Xiangjin were graduates of the same year—Tongnian. Fellow religious senior Yang Tingyun was Tongnian to Wang Xiangjie.
From this perspective, though Wang Xiangchun belonged to the Donglin Party and thus to a different faction than Sun Yuanhua and Xu Guangqi, the two sides maintained quite close relations. Especially ties like "Examiner" and "Tongnian."
Kong Youde understood the special relationship between the Wang family and Sun, which was precisely why he punished his subordinates so severely—to satisfy the Wang family. On this point, Sun Yuanhua had actually felt some satisfaction with Kong Youde, believing he "understood the larger picture." At the beginning of the mutiny, Kong had repeatedly sent letters explaining his "difficulties."
The Wang family was deeply entangled in this affair. Sun Yuanhua reflected that they too could be charged with "inciting change." The Donglin Party's power at Court was growing unstable; many people would use this as ammunition.
Furthermore, the Wang and Bi families had generations of intermarriage. Both reasonably and emotionally, the Wang family needed to clear themselves of the charge of "inciting change."
The Wang family might attempt to scapegoat him, shifting the blame entirely onto his shoulders. But upon careful consideration, this seemed unlikely. First, such a move would only drive Xu Guangqi's faction to oppose them—offering no benefit to the Donglin Party. Second, regarding whether it was "inciting change," Sun Yuanhua as Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou obviously possessed the most authoritative voice. If he firmly insisted the Wang family bore significant responsibility, they could not exonerate themselves.
So long as he explained the situation clearly, even if the Wang family would not actively help when the time came, they would at least avoid striking a man who was already down.
Of course, all this still required the grandees at Court to exert themselves on his behalf—which meant substantial expenditure on bribes.
Money he certainly possessed. Sun Yuanhua was not a "clean official" in the traditional Chinese sense. He had ability, but he was far from incorruptible. He had entered officialdom through recommendation as an advisor and risen to the crucial post of Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou in less than ten years. Beyond his own capabilities, this ascent owed firstly to the protection of his teacher and relative Xu Guangqi at Court, and secondly to the money he lavished on Zhou Yanru.
Sun Yuanhua had done plenty of office-buying and position-purchasing. In an environment where "government comes from bribery" had already become standard at Court, anyone's political views and insights required substantial spending to gain recognition and implementation. This money, naturally, did not come from his personal purse—he could not have afforded it.
Though the Governorship of Dengzhou and Laizhou had filled his purse, most of his wealth was lost in the city when Dengzhou fell. Once his memorial was submitted, he would need to spend a large sum on activities. Fortunately, before the catastrophe, he had arranged for the Shanxi House to remit silver to the Capital. Combined with funds already saved in the Capital and at home, it should prove sufficient. If not, teachers and friends in the Capital would have to raise the remainder on his behalf.
The memorial was written but not officially dispatched. Instead, it was sent as a private letter by special messenger riding a fast horse to Xu Guangqi's residence in the Capital, asking for his review and revision before formal submission. Sun Yuanhua knew nothing of the current Court situation; he feared that an inappropriate word in the memorial might create problems rather than solve them.
While Sun Yuanhua engaged in his tense maneuvering, the Shandong Forward Command simultaneously dispatched a telegram. Upon receipt, Xu Ke immediately issued instructions to intelligence agencies in the Capital, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. The apparatus established the previous year began to turn. The Engine Forward Command's order to the Foreign Intelligence Bureau was clear: keep Sun Yuanhua in his official position if at all possible—strive for retention in office despite dismissal; if impossible, strive for Sun Yuanhua to serve in the army to atone for his crimes after dismissal. In short, keep Sun Yuanhua in Shandong.
When Leng Ningyun received the telegram, he was calculating accounts with an abacus in the study of his money house, wrapped in a thick fur robe.
His current appearance and manner—pigtail aside—resembled the Jin Merchants of television dramas. Including the heated kang beneath his buttocks—winter in seventeenth-century Beijing was truly no joke. A teapot left in the room at night would freeze solid by morning.
Fortunately, his thick hair bun served as a kind of hat, offsetting considerable chill. Thinking of those "Manchu Warriors" with their gold-coin rat-tails surviving in even higher latitudes during the Great Qing, Leng Ningyun had to admire their cold resistance.
"Damn it," he muttered, shivering as he picked up the telegram. He resolved to undertake some infrastructure construction this spring—heating, a proper sanitary bath, something. He had had quite enough of the dry toilet in the courtyard and bathing in a wooden bucket.
He had been in the Capital for half a year now, opening shops, cultivating connections, attending endless social engagements. From beginning to end, he had spent large sums—public funds that needed to be properly accounted for and reported.
The confidential clerk brought him the telegram, and he studied it carefully. This task had actually been assigned months ago. Leng Ningyun's role was to work through Eunuch Yang's relationships and take the eunuch route. Wang Dehua, Gao Qiqian, and their ilk were currently red-hot figures. If they could speak a few words for Sun Yuanhua and assist covertly, Sun Yuanhua would not only survive but might possibly remain in office in Dengzhou and Laizhou.
The closer a dynasty drew to its end, the easier it became to invert black and white. Leng Ningyun had no doubt about this. What troubled him was how to effectively connect with Wang Dehua's circle—a considerable challenge.
Eunuch Yang managed the Directorate of Imperial Music—the Bell and Drum Office—but he was not a direct subordinate of Wang Dehua and his faction, nor was he a "Dragon-following Eunuch" from the Prince of Xin's residence. Though he had been re-employed by currying favor with Wang Dehua, he remained outside the core power of the palace.
His request, in terms of motive, would not seem suspicious. The shopkeepers of large commercial firms in the Capital almost universally served as "request agents," and high-ranking officials routinely used major commercial establishments as "firewalls" and "introducers" for receiving bribes. The risk lay in Eunuch Yang potentially playing the old trick of "taking money without doing work."
Leng Ningyun understood: even if Eunuch Yang could not help at all, he would still adopt an unfathomable expression and swallow the silver without shame, then sigh with false compassion—"what a pity"—after Sun Yuanhua's head fell.
"Eunuchs are unreliable!" This was the conclusion Leng Ningyun had summarized after his months running a money house in the Capital. A similar insight: "Officials are equally unreliable."
His first task was to confirm whether Eunuch Yang actually possessed the ability to help.
Leng Ningyun pondered for a moment, then summoned Wu Kaidi and discussed the matter to be handled.
"Go ask around. Can Eunuch Yang get through to Wang Dehua? Can we ask him for help?"
"Understood." Wu Kaidi nodded. "Eunuch Wang has been very popular recently. Eunuch Yang should be quite diligent in his attentions."
"Asking him to do things isn't as simple as just being attentive."
"The Chief is right," Wu Kaidi said. "But as they say, requesting favors comes down to one word: 'money.' Spend enough, and the job gets done."
"This matter is more complicated than simply spending money—we're working through a middleman." Leng Ningyun explained his concerns to Wu Kaidi.
(End of Chapter)