Chapter Twenty-Nine: Civil officials, after all, are masters at using others as blades to do their dirty work!

Ultimately, Fang Zhenghua spoke first.

"Your Highness, I am already tasked with training the Pure Army. This..."

Before Fang Zhenghua could finish, Zhu Cilang waved his hand.

"Do not decline. There are few people I can trust right now, so you will just have to work a little harder!"

Hearing this, Fang Zhenghua felt a surge of emotion; how could he dare to refuse?

"This servant obeys! I will certainly not fail Your Highness's great trust!"

Gao Yushun, however, was somewhat bewildered, as he had never imagined such a stroke of good fortune would fall upon him. But soon, he too expressed his loyalty.

"This servant obeys! I will certainly manage the Eastern Depot well!"

With the two eunuchs having pledged their loyalty, it was Luo Yangxing's turn. Kneeling on the ground, Luo could not help but feel excited, and he replied respectfully:

"Your subject will certainly not fail Your Highness's great trust!"

As the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Luo Yangxing knew that the more men the Guard had, the greater his power would be, so he was naturally delighted by the prospect of its expansion.

"Very well, go and attend to your duties!"

Zhu Cilang waved them away. Suddenly, remembering something, he called out:

"Ma Bao!"

Ma Bao slipped in from the doorway instantly.

"Your Highness, I am here."

Zhu Cilang commanded:

"Go to the inner treasury and withdraw two million taels of silver. Give five hundred thousand to Li Hu, four hundred thousand to Li Guozhen, four hundred thousand to Luo Yangxing, and three hundred thousand to Wang Xiantong. Keep two hundred thousand for yourself to distribute among the eunuchs and palace maids."

"As for the remaining two hundred thousand, send it to the Duke of Ying!"

"Tell them that this is the pay and reward I am granting them."

"After they have paid every soldier in full, the remainder is theirs to keep!"

"As for promotions and titles, we shall discuss that when the time is right!"

Hearing this, Ma Bao laughed happily:

"I understand, I thank Your Highness!"

The situation had now stabilized, and it was time to fulfill previous promises: paying the arrears of the Beijing Garrison, the Five Chief Military Commissions, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and giving each man a five-tael bonus. There was also the matter of rewarding his own three thousand personal guards. Normally, such a sum would not be necessary, but this was a rebellion after all; how could he succeed without being generous? This money was enough to win over their hearts.

Just as Ma Bao prepared to leave, Zhu Cilang suddenly remembered something else and said:

"Right, send someone to the imperial prison and bring Xue Guoguan to me!"

"I obey!"

With that, Ma Bao departed.

About an hour later, Xue Guoguan was brought before Zhu Cilang.

"The condemned subject, Xue Guoguan, pays respects to Your Highness!"

Xue Guoguan knelt on the ground, kowtowing with a sense of trepidation. As a former Grand Secretary, he had once been exempt from kneeling to anyone, even the Emperor. But having lost his position and being reduced to a disgraced official accused of corruption, kneeling was now expected.

Zhu Cilang examined him. The man's hair and beard were already white, his face aged; he was surely nearing sixty! And yet, this was the loyal old man whom the Chongzhen Emperor had intended to execute? Furthermore, he was the head of the cabinet and the foremost of all civil officials—the situation seemed utterly absurd.

*Sigh.*

Zhu Cilang sighed inwardly and imagined himself giving the Chongzhen Emperor a middle finger.

"Ma Bao, bring a stool and let Minister Xue sit!"

Ma Bao quickly complied. Xue Guoguan was initially reluctant, but seeing the earnestness in Zhu Cilang's expression, he ultimately yielded. Before being brought here, Ma Bao had briefed him on recent events, so Xue knew the Crown Prince was now serving as regent. He had some vague impression of the Prince, but the young man before him seemed different—less naive, possessing a newfound sense of maturity and composure.

As he pondered this, Zhu Cilang spoke again:

"Minister Xue, I ask you, which faction do you belong to? The Eunuch Faction? The Zhejiang Faction? The Chu Faction? Or the Donglin Faction?"

Hearing this, Xue Guoguan stood up from the stool and bowed hurriedly:

"Your Highness, this old subject belongs to no faction! This subject is only of the Imperial Faction!"

Good. A standard answer, and exactly the one Zhu Cilang wanted to hear.

Zhu Cilang continued:

"During this morning's court session, dozens of ministers led by the Senior Grand Secretary, Zhou Yanru, petitioned me to punish you for corruption and bribery."

"But you have already been stripped of your office, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned. How else do you think I should punish you?"

"You are a smart man; you should be able to see that they want to use my hand to kill you! Do you have anything to say?"

Though Zhou Yanru had not explicitly asked for an execution that morning, the collective demand for "punishment" from so many officials was a thinly veiled call for his death. Civil officials were masters of using others to do their dirty work. The plan was perfect: Zhu Cilang would be the executioner, and the Donglin Faction would reap the rewards. Unfortunately for them, they were dealing with a transmigrator named Zhu Cilang.

Xue Guoguan felt a wave of dizziness. Truth be told, he had never truly believed he would die for this. He had been the head of the cabinet, the leader of the literati! How could he be executed for a mere few thousand taels of silver? Which of those Donglin, Zhejiang, or Chu officials was truly clean?

Regaining his composure, Xue Guoguan knelt again.

"Your Highness! This subject... this subject is guilty!"

"I beg Your Highness to spare my life for the sake of my advanced age!"

As he spoke, Xue Guoguan began to sob. As a pure member of the Imperial Faction, even if he were corrupt, incompetent, or prone to bad ideas, he did not deserve this end, for he had always been loyal to the Emperor and the throne!

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang walked over to help him up and comforted him:

"Minister Xue, there is no need for this. I did not grant their request."

"I know of your loyalty to my father."

"And... who said you were guilty?"

Eh?

As Xue Guoguan stood up, he looked at Zhu Cilang in utter confusion, unable to grasp the meaning of his words. His corruption had been confirmed, he had confessed to it, and the stolen goods had been seized in the act! Was that not guilt?

"Your... Your Highness, I... I do not quite understand!"

Xue Guoguan stammered. He could not comprehend what the Crown Prince was planning. Seeing this, Zhu Cilang decided to be blunt.

"Minister Xue, I will tell you the truth. My father and I are very dissatisfied with the Donglin Faction, and we are looking for someone to suppress them."

"That is why I thought of you!"

"I can grant you immense power, enough to confront the Donglin Faction."

"I can also allow you to build your own faction, but there is one condition: your faction must be an Imperial Faction! It must have no ties to the Donglin, Zhejiang, or Chu factions. They must be loyal only to the imperial authority!"

"Minister Xue, tell me now, are you willing?"

Zhu Cilang asked slowly.