Chapter 30: I Shall Depart the Palace Today for an Inspection

For this alliance of impoverished officials, they had already made up their minds: in the imperial court hereafter, they would focus on one thing only. Whatever the Emperor supported, they would support with even greater fervor. Whatever the Emperor opposed, they would oppose with even greater intensity. Anyone who did not support the Emperor was a son of a bitch! Their guiding principle was absolute loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism.

Therefore, when they attended court again, Chen Xinjia and the members of this impoverished official alliance were all brimming with excitement. It meant they had another opportunity to perform before the Emperor. However, despite their inner excitement, Chen Xinjia still presented himself on a stretcher, appearing to be on the verge of death. Otherwise, if one man were beaten to death on the spot while another remained sprightly, would it not make the imperial flogging appear biased?

While the civil and military officials were each lost in their own thoughts, Zhu Youjian spoke from the Dragon Throne. His arrangement this time was simple: he merely promoted Chen Xinjia and the other officials who had spoken up. The members of the impoverished alliance were, naturally, overjoyed. However, the reaction of the civil official faction was somewhat unexpected. They had anticipated some opposition, but instead, the group collectively fell into silence. Seeing this, the members of the impoverished alliance gradually suppressed their joy.

The civil official faction, having controlled the government for years, was comprised of shrewd operators, but these impoverished men who had climbed to the center of the nation through rigorous examinations were no fools either. No problems meant the biggest problem of all. If these people were not acting out now, they were surely brewing something significant behind the scenes. Having realized this, the group secretly became more vigilant, no longer indulging in the excitement of the past few days.

Following this, the court session became somewhat tedious. It remained the same old three topics: military pay, disaster relief, and frontier affairs. To these memorials, Zhu Youjian still offered no response.

...

After the court was dismissed, Zhu Youjian led his entourage to Wansui Mountain to continue training the inner imperial guard. With the Directorate of Imperial Apparel working through the night, the uniforms personally designed by Zhu Youjian were worn by these inner guards for the first time. At this moment, these tall, fierce-looking youths, holding blood-stained blades, stood in perfect formation on the drill grounds for Zhu Youjian’s inspection. Black naturally carried an aura of stern lethality, compounded by the robust momentum these men had cultivated through daily combat. In just over ten days, this personal guard of only eight hundred men had already begun to look like an imperial army.

It was at this time that Cao Huachun, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, approached and bowed, presenting a roster: "Your Majesty, the investigation into the various thugs and bullies around the capital has been completed. There are a total of 3,712 individuals, among whom 127 are the primary ringleaders. There are others with lesser crimes that this servant has not yet fully tallied; if Your Majesty requires, I shall have them cross-checked one by one."

Zhu Youjian took the roster, flipped through it, and shook his head. "Do not bother with the lesser ones for now." Currently, the eight hundred men in the Shenwei Camp were training with live combat daily, and the prisoners in the capital's jails were nearly exhausted. These three or four thousand men were enough to alleviate the urgent need.

Cao Huachun nodded in acknowledgment and continued his report: "Additionally, this servant has recently recruited over five hundred men into the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Most of them are descendants of fallen military officers, while the other half are sons of honest, multi-generational farming families. I have been screening them day and night. Give me half a month, and I will surely select five hundred men of clean background and proven loyalty to serve as Your Majesty's guards during your tour outside the city. Furthermore, five hundred martial-minded eunuchs can be selected from the Imperial Horse Agency to serve as guards."

Knowing the Emperor would soon be touring outside the capital, Cao Huachun had been sleeping only two or three hours a day, tirelessly managing all relevant affairs. Five hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards, five hundred eunuchs from the Imperial Horse Agency, eight hundred of the Emperor's personal guards, plus the accompanying eunuchs and the guards for the supply wagons—as long as the Emperor's tour did not involve the frontier, with the Emperor's martial prowess, these forces were more than enough to ensure his safety.

Zhu Youjian nodded and offered Cao Huachun some words of encouragement. Cao Huachun then asked, "Your Majesty, how should we handle the thugs and bullies listed in the roster? Should I have the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrest them all?"

"No need. I shall deal with them myself two days from now when I leave the palace."

"I obey the decree," Cao Huachun replied with a bow. For the current Cao Huachun, hearing that the Emperor intended to leave the palace no longer came as a surprise. Since the Emperor was already preparing for a long-distance tour, what was a mere trip outside the palace? He only needed to attend to his duties.

Next, Zhu Youjian instructed Wang Cheng'en, who was standing to the side: "Go and bring Zhang Weixian into the palace."

...

During this period, aside from constantly monitoring the power he wielded within the Capital Barracks, Zhang Weixian had been eagerly waiting for a new decree from the Emperor. So, when he heard from his confidants that Wang Cheng'en had arrived at his residence, he rushed out to welcome him without even stopping to tidy his clothes. When he heard the decree summoning him to the palace, he was beyond excited. After lying dormant for so long, was the Emperor finally going to act against the Capital Barracks?!

As he looked at the Imperial City not far ahead, Zhang Weixian spent the entire journey adjusting his emotions, pondering how best to present his insights on governing the Capital Barracks to the Emperor.

However, what Zhang Weixian did not expect was that the Emperor's first words upon his entry into the palace delivered a minor shock to his sense of authority. "I am leaving the palace in two days. You are to keep the Capital Barracks under control and remain in a state of readiness; there is no need for any guard duties."

It was no wonder Zhang Weixian was stunned. The words "leaving the palace" were easily spoken, but as the Commander of the Capital Barracks, he knew better than anyone how difficult it was to achieve. For many years in the Ming Dynasty, no Emperor had successfully accomplished this. Even those who had managed to step outside the capital, with the exception of the Founding Emperor and the Yongle Emperor, had met with dismal ends.

Contemplating this critical point, Zhang Weixian wanted to offer counsel. But he immediately considered that, given the Emperor's talent as a bold sovereign, this decision must have been calculated. Moreover, the current Emperor truly possessed the strength to leave the palace. Not to mention the repeated setbacks he had dealt the civil officials in court, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the inner imperial guards now firmly in his hands were enough to allow for his departure.

At this thought, Zhang Weixian took a deep breath and knelt solemnly: "This subject accepts the decree! I thank Your Majesty for entrusting me with this confidential matter. Two days from now, I will ensure the Capital Barracks are well-guarded and will not allow any trivial matters to disturb Your Majesty's inspection. If there is any lapse, I shall offer my head!"

Zhu Youjian nodded, drafted an imperial edict for Zhang Weixian to maintain order in two days' time, and then had him escorted out of the palace. Upon returning home, Zhang Weixian wasted no time and immediately summoned his military confidants to discuss the relevant arrangements. Of course, he was not foolish enough to reveal the secret of the Emperor's departure, but instead fabricated another pretext.

...

Two days later, Zhu Youjian convened the morning court once more. He intended to announce his departure for an inspection before the full assembly of civil and military officials. Because this excursion differed from the upcoming long-distance tour, its political significance outweighed its practical utility.

Having received the news in advance, Zhang Weixian claimed illness and did not attend, remaining busy with the affairs of the Capital Barracks. His absence made some officials feel wary. However, before they could dwell on it, a single, light remark from the Dragon Throne caused the vast Fengtian Hall to erupt in an instant:

"I am leaving the palace today for an inspection."