Chapter 5: Internal Affairs

Until he stepped out of the grand hall, Xu Yingyuan still felt a bit lightheaded.

Just before leaving the side chamber, he had exchanged a silent glance with Wang Chengen. The meaning in Wang Chengen's eyes was clear: the Emperor had changed. Xu recalled the Emperor’s initial order to set aside five thousand taels of silver—yes, the Emperor had indeed changed!

Only now did it dawn on him. The Emperor had been generous to him; the Imperial Dietary Bureau was a lucrative post. Xu knew the difference between being fed once and being fed for a lifetime. He had to seize this opportunity to perform well and carry out the Emperor’s instructions perfectly.

Having realized this, Xu straightened his official cap and scurried off into the darkness like a gust of wind to attend to his duties.

...

Inside the side chamber of the grand hall, after Xu Yingyuan had departed, Zhu Youjian spoke again to Wang Chengen:

"Find two hundred loyal young eunuchs, aged fifteen or sixteen, to serve as my personal guards. I will train them myself."

For the first time, Wang Chengen did not respond immediately. He hesitated and asked, "Your Majesty, if you do this, those ministers at court..."

"Pay them no heed."

Zhu Youjian knew, of course, that this could not be kept from the civil officials. In fact, he had no intention of hiding it. As the Emperor, everything he did was legally and logically sound. Even if others wanted to stop him, they could only resort to underhanded, clandestine means. He did not care about that.

"This servant obeys your decree."

"One more thing," Zhu Youjian continued. "Send a trusted confidant to the Southern Zhili region overnight. Recall Cao Huachun and appoint him as the Superintendent of the Imperial Horse Bureau."

Cao Huachun was an old acquaintance from the Prince of Xin’s estate and could be trusted. He had previously been demoted to Nanjing for offending Wei Zhongxian. Zhu Youjian remembered him as a man of considerable talent, especially in military affairs. Bringing him back to oversee the Imperial Horse Bureau would allow for better training of the imperial guards and serve as a check against Wei Zhongxian, forcing the latter to work even more diligently.

As he spoke, Zhu Youjian flipped through the book in his hands. This time, he was reviewing the roster of officials in the capital. As the pages turned, his eyes settled on an official named Zhang Weixian.

This man was the current Superintendent of the Capital Garrison. Zhang Weixian was the representative of the current Ming nobility, holding the title of Duke of Ying and wielding supreme authority over the capital's troops.

The nobility, in theory, shared the fate of the state and were natural royalists. Moreover, Zhang Weixian was only in his early thirties. At this age, a noble already possessed a certain degree of worldly wisdom and strategic depth, yet his blood had not yet grown entirely cold. He was perfectly suited to be cultivated as a confidant by the Emperor. This was why Zhu Youjian’s gaze had lingered on his name. Whether he could actually be utilized and whether he would be useful, however, remained to be seen after personal observation.

Seeing the Emperor stop turning the pages, Wang Chengen tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, are there any other commands?"

After a moment of thought, Zhu Youjian finally closed the book and said, "No."

"Also, send word: I shall hold court tomorrow."

Zhu Youjian set down the roster and began a systematic, scientific regimen to exercise his body. No one understood the importance of a healthy physique better than a man who had already died once. The body was the foundation of everything. Not to mention, he intended to lead charges and strike down enemies himself before long; how could he do that without a robust frame? He was quite satisfied with the foundation of this seventeen-year-old body.

...

The next day. At the third watch of the fifth hour.

After the bells rang on the Meridian Gate tower, the civil and military officials entered the imperial palace through the side gates. Zhu Youjian traveled by palanquin from the Palace of Heavenly Purity to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Following a series of rituals, the civil and military officials of the Great Ming Empire finally saw the new Emperor again, whom they had not seen for ten days.

Everyone peeked cautiously at the Imperial countenance. Although such petty actions were forbidden by etiquette, if laws were always perfectly observed, humanity would have long since entered a state of perfect harmony. Some hoped to guess his mood from his face; some looked on with anticipation; others wore expressions that made it impossible to tell what they were thinking.

Though they held various motives, they were all, without exception, disappointed. The young Emperor’s expressions and movements betrayed no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. Seeing this, the officials dared not engage in further breaches of decorum.

Then, the official from the Court of Ceremonial Protocol began to call out the list of officials requesting an audience: Minister of Rites Lai Zongdao, Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang, Minister of War Cui Chengxiu, Minister of Revenue Guo Yunhou, Superintendent of the Capital Garrison Zhang Weixian...

Since this was the first formal court session of the new Emperor’s reign, there were dozens of officials needing to report on various matters.

However, for Zhu Youjian, sitting upon the Dragon Throne, he only paid slight attention to the name Zhang Weixian; the rest mattered little to him. He had no intention of playing political games with these officials in the court. In his view, such behavior was no different from adults playing house with children.

Politics is based on the military; power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Politics without military power is a joke. Could one truly expect enemies to offer a military salute simply through clever rhetoric?

Soon, the Minister of Rites, Lai Zongdao, was the first to step forward. This man had climbed to his position by relying on Wei Zhongxian—he was part of the so-called Eunuch Faction.

"Your servant, Minister of Rites Lai Zongdao, has a matter to report! The great affairs of the state lie in sacrifice and warfare..."

The theme of Lai Zongdao’s memorial was that since the late Emperor had passed, they should begin preparing for the sacrificial ceremonies.

After listening, Zhu Youjian said calmly, "We shall discuss this another day."

Lai Zongdao and the assembly of officials: "?"

They had imagined many different responses from the new Emperor, such as an insistence that the late Emperor's ceremonies be conducted with the utmost care... but what did "discuss another day" mean?!

Lai Zongdao carefully glanced at the powerful eunuch Wei Zhongxian, who stood beside the Emperor. Wei Zhongxian stared straight ahead, as if none of this had anything to do with him. Seeing this, Lai Zongdao dared not say more. If the Emperor said to discuss it later, then discuss it later they would. Perhaps there was something improper in his memorial, and the Emperor wanted him to improve it?

With this doubt, Lai Zongdao returned to his place.

Next, the Minister of Works, Xue Fengxiang, stepped forward.

"Your servant, Minister of Works Xue Fengxiang, has a matter to report..."

As the Minister of Works, his memorial naturally concerned construction. The most pressing issue was the construction of the late Emperor’s mausoleum. Xue Fengxiang explained that, all things considered, it would cost two to three million taels of silver.

Before he could finish, the Minister of Revenue, Guo Yunhou, stepped out to declare there was no money! The state treasury had been depleted for years; the Ministry of Revenue could scrape together at most five hundred thousand taels. The rest... would have to come from the Emperor’s own private coffers.

Just as the two began to argue, Zhu Youjian interrupted them again, using the same excuse of discussing it another day.

The officials: "..."

The mausoleum was to be discussed another day... what were they to do if the late Emperor’s remains began to rot? Although Xue Fengxiang was stunned, once the Emperor had spoken, the matter had to be deferred.