Chapter 83: The Great Ming Royal Zoo

The Zhengde Emperor was not having an easy time of it lately. Although those civil officials who attempted a palace coup had been thrown into prison one after another or dispersed, the Emperor still felt as though he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

He could not simply execute them. To slaughter hundreds of officials and scholars in one fell swoop might feel satisfying, but Zhengde ultimately lacked the ruthless courage of the dynastic founders, the Emperors Taizu and Chengzu. Yet, to release them was something he simply could not stomach, and doing so would undoubtedly inflate their arrogance. How could he rule in the future if he backed down now?

Zhengde was deeply vexed, and consequently, the eunuchs serving beneath him were equally distressed. This was why the powerful eunuchs known as the "Eight Tigers" in the capital had temporarily set aside their official duties to keep the Emperor company. It was not until a young palace attendant came to report that the Protector of the Country, Master Liaochen, requested an audience that the Emperor's brow finally unfurled.

"Boundless blessings to the Dao! May Your Majesty be blessed with perpetual peace and well-being," Liaochen greeted the Emperor, offering only a slight bow with his hands cupped in front of his chest. As a transcendent man of religion, free from worldly ties, he was exempt from kneeling before anyone save the heavens, the earth, and the deities.

"Master, you have arrived at the very moment! I have been feeling restless and agitated of late. Let us discuss the Dao so that my mind might find some tranquility," the Zhengde Emperor said warmly, taking Liaochen by the hand.

"Ah! Is Your Majesty troubled on account of the Millennium Shrine of Loyal Martyrs?" Liaochen inquired.

"Even the Master knows of this? Of course, with a matter of such magnitude, the outside world must be in an uproar, and everyone is likely cursing me as a tyrannical ruler!" Zhengde smiled bitterly.

Liaochen thought to himself, *So you are well aware of what they are saying behind your back!* Outwardly, however, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty need not fret. As for the expenses required for the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs, this poor Daoist is willing to bear the entire cost."

The Zhengde Emperor waved his hand and replied, "This is a matter of state. Our armies go on campaigns, and those who die in battle sacrifice themselves for the Great Ming; how could I trouble the Master to solicit charitable donations? What weighs on my mind are those civil officials and scholars. They can neither be killed nor released, and each of them is as stubborn as a stone in a latrine. They are sworn not to rest until they force me to play the tyrant!"

"Then simply release them. Would that not fully demonstrate Your Majesty's magnanimity and broad-mindedness?" Liaochen asked with a deliberate, teasing smirk.

"I cannot release them. If it were a trivial matter, I might pretend to be oblivious. But at present, they cannot be let go. If I free them now, this faction of civil officials and scholars will have tasted victory, and I fear they will become even more lawless in the future." True to the years of education instilled by the Hongzhi Emperor, Zhengde grasped the core of the problem with absolute clarity.

This was a contest of power between the sovereign and his ministers. If they were easily pardoned, where would imperial majesty lie in the days to come? A struggle for power was not about right or wrong, but about advancing and retreating. When the civil officials pressed him so aggressively, could it truly be said they were merely upset over a minor discord between the Emperor and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet?

"Since you cannot kill them nor let them go, why does Your Majesty not exile these civil officials to impoverished and remote border regions? Let them experience the hardships of the common people. Do they not constantly proclaim that they act for the country and the people? The frontiers of the Great Ming are precisely where fine men should display their ambitions. If they do not serve as officials close to the people, how will they ever know what the common folk truly need, and how can they ever formulate policies that genuinely benefit the populace?" offered Liaochen, planting a thoroughly wicked idea he had harbored for a long time.

"Ah!" Not only was Zhengde stunned, but the "powerful eunuchs" surrounding him were also utterly shocked. This move by Liaochen was bound to offend the literati to the absolute death!

"Master, if a group of virtuous purists are banished to borderlands, won't the ministers at court attack me as a tyrannical ruler once again?" the Zhengde Emperor asked with a wry smile.

"To repel the Rong and Di tribes, to punish the Jing and Shu. For what purpose does one study? To cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. Sitting within the capital and merely discussing abstract theories is inferior to becoming a local official and putting principles into practice. If one cannot govern a single county, how can one govern the realm? Without weathering the storms, how can one become a pillar of the state?" Liaochen spoke with righteous indignation.

While Zhengde was still hesitating, Liu Jin listened from the side and concluded that exiling those troublemakers in the imperial prison to the bitter, freezing frontiers was indeed a brilliant idea. Firstly, it would spare them from sight and mind, and secondly, it would give those arrogant scholars a taste of real hardship.

"Adversity breeds prosperity, while ease leads to ruin. These purist officials are simply too comfortable, which is why they so senselessly make trouble for His Majesty. Your Majesty, this is a marvelous idea!" No sooner had Liu Jin finished speaking than numerous pairs of eyes fixed directly upon him.

"Liu Jin, your scholarship has improved noticeably of late! You've even been reading Mencius," Zhengde teased.

"Your Majesty flatters me. This old slave has only casually perused a few volumes, but the books of the ancient sages are naturally worth reading," Liu Jin hastily replied with a show of modesty.

"Your Majesty might as well proclaim it to the entire realm: none who have not served in the prefectures shall enter the Cabinet; none who fail to understand the feelings of the common people are fit to govern the state. Practical work revitalizes the nation, while empty talk ruins it. Moreover, with the precedents of the Han and Tang dynasties and the backing of great righteousness, there is no need to fear their criticisms," Liaochen suggested.

"But what of the ancestral dynastic laws...?" Zhengde asked hesitatingly.

"Your Majesty, according to ancestral law, scholars are forbidden from presumptuously discussing state affairs! If it were back in the days of Emperors Taizu and Chengzu, every last one of those fellows would have lost their heads!" Liu Jin spared no effort in dispelling the Emperor's misgivings.

"Very well! Let it be done," Zhengde nodded. Then, turning his gaze to Liaochen, he asked, "Master, are you not afraid of the civil officials' censure?"

"Boundless blessings to the Dao. This poor Daoist is a man outside the worldly realm and indeed ought not to interfere in state affairs. Yet this matter arose because of the Shrine of Loyal Martyrs and carries a profound karmic tie with me; I could not simply stand by," Liaochen replied with a shake of his head.

"Oh! Was this matter not initiated by the divine decree descended by the Spirit Guide of Eastern Heroes? My divine decree is still in effect; why does the Master speak of karmic ties?" Zhengde asked in profound bewilderment.

"Your Majesty, you must know that Daoism was born in China and matured in China. As long as China endures through the millennium, the Dao shall endure through the millennium. This poor Daoist wishes to accumulate merit across the four directions, and thus must propagate the teachings far and wide. Furthermore, to guide the heroic spirits and protect the Huaxia civilization so that the Central Plains never again suffer the disaster of the Mongol Yuan—that is the aspiration of this poor Daoist," Liaochen answered.

"Quite right, the Master's words are profoundly virtuous." Hearing this, the Zhengde Emperor was greatly delighted, forgetting entirely that Liaochen had spoken of Huaxia and China rather than specifically the Great Ming. Yet at that moment, the Great Ming was synonymous with China and represented Huaxia, so Zhengde's personal interpretation was hardly incorrect.

The vexations that had plagued the Zhengde Emperor now had a resolution, leaving his heart remarkably light. In high spirits, he led Liaochen to his favorite place—the imperial menagerie where leopards, tigers, and other ferocious beasts were kept. Like a child showing off his toys, he pointed at the beasts in their iron cages and said, "Master, as one who wanders the four corners of the world and dwells long in deep mountains for ascetic cultivation, have you ever laid eyes on such fierce creatures?"

Liaochen shook his head. Zhengde's Leopard House fell far short of a modern zoo; there were only a handful of creatures shuffling about, and the variety was far too limited.

"Your Majesty, by keeping these here, you are handing your critics a weapon! If Your Majesty wishes to observe tigers and leopards, why not select another garden, construct a zoological park, and share the joy with all the people of the realm, while also broadening the horizons of the capital's common folk? If this is done, even if the officials object to Your Majesty raising tigers and leopards, the common people of the capital will not allow it!" Liaochen suggested.

"Sharing the joy with the common people—these words are wonderfully apt!" Zhengde's mind spun quickly. By dragging all the commoners of the capital into the matter, those officials would surely have to shut their mouths. He hastily responded, "We shall do just that."

"If these tigers and leopards are turned over for the common people of the capital to view, won't Your Majesty no longer be able to enjoy them?" asked Gao凤, who was currently in charge of all matters concerning the Leopard House, stepping forward immediately.

"Your Majesty can establish scheduled opening dates with the populace; there is no need for it to be open every single day," Liaochen replied.

"We could also use this as an excuse to command the vassal states to present rare and exotic beasts as tribute to enrich the Leopard Park," suggested Gu Dayong, offering a cunning scheme from the side.

"No." Before Liaochen could voice an objection, Zhengde rejected the idea outright. Zhengde was no fool; if he did that, he would be railed to death by the officials across the empire, turning a good deed into a disaster.

"Your Majesty, you might actually command tributary states to present their unique indigenous beasts, firstly to enrich the Leopard Park, and secondly to allow people to appreciate exotic foreign customs. Within the gardens, you could engage guides to explain the habits of foreign beasts, thereby expanding the knowledge of the common people," Liaochen advised.

"Indeed! Indeed! We could even sell admission tickets to serve as funds for feeding the beasts!"

Just as Zhengde, Liaochen, and the "Seven Tigers" were eagerly throwing out suggestions to one another on how to run the "Great Ming Royal Zoo," a young palace attendant came running from afar, panting heavily as he announced, "Li Dongyang and the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are outside the palace requesting an audience!"