Chapter 308: I Have an Heir

When Zhu Youxiao arrived, quite a few people had already gathered here, but upon seeing him, everyone withdrew.

Zhu Youxiao paid them no mind either—these people were mainly here to curry favor with Empress Zhang.

Before this, Empress Zhang's position in the palace was already unmatched; His Majesty's favor toward Empress Zhang had reached an outrageous degree.

Now that Empress Zhang was pregnant, she naturally enjoyed even more favor. If she could give birth to a son, her position in the palace would be unshakable.

At a time like this, even if one couldn't build a good relationship with Empress Zhang, one certainly couldn't afford to offend her, so the proper courtesies could not be omitted.

These people naturally had to come and show their attentiveness, at the very least making an appearance before Empress Zhang.

Zhu Youxiao knew there was nothing he could do about this—after all, that was just the way of survival within the palace.

He walked to the bedside and saw Empress Zhang about to rise, so he reached out and pressed her down, smiling gently as he said, "You're very important right now, so don't get up. Between husband and wife, there's no need for such formalities."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Empress Zhang nodded sweetly.

"Take good care of yourself. If you need anything, tell them and have them handle it. If anyone makes you unhappy, tell me, and I'll deal with them." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

"The people in the palace are quite sensible." Empress Zhang also said with a smile.

After learning she was with child, she was also very happy. Compared to when she first entered the palace, she had grown up considerably and naturally understood many things now.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said nothing more.

Not everyone in this palace was truly that sensible. The reason Empress Zhang said they were sensible was because in front of her, they didn't dare to be otherwise.

Show the slightest lack of sense, and one's life was forfeit.

Zhu Youxiao stayed and chatted with Empress Zhang for a good while before leaving.

With a child on the way, Zhu Youxiao was in a good mood. The troublesome matters from before had been set aside somewhat, but business still had to be handled.

There were far too many problems right now. The most pressing matters were the situations in Shandong and Henan, where the disasters were severe.

Zhu Youxiao knew very well that the local officials had not handled this matter well. According to the course of history, the Wenxiang sect, a branch of the White Lotus sect, would rise up there.

A man named Xu Hongru would take advantage of this opportunity to stir up trouble, and then launch a rebellion against him.

Compared to the situation in the southwest, Zhu Youxiao was far more concerned about this matter—even the situation in Liaodong was not as urgent as this one.

As for the southwest, Zhu Youxiao could let them rebel as they pleased.

First, it was far away, beyond his reach; second, although the disturbance was considerable, the destructiveness was not great.

But Xu Hongru's rebellion was not so simple.

Now three provinces had suffered disasters, and on top of that they were rebelling—it would likely cause a major upheaval, and the entire north would not recover its vitality for a long time. This was something Zhu Youxiao did not want to see.

However, some matters could also be resolved once and for all through this opportunity, though the timing would need to be more urgent.

After returning to his palace, Zhu Youxiao lay on the rocking chair, swaying his body, and began to ponder certain matters.

The first thing to be put on the daily agenda now was the establishment of the Staff Office.

War was coming next, so the importance of this Staff Office was self-evident. Moreover, he wanted to use this opportunity to push the Staff Office forward and grant it more authority.

So Zhu Youxiao turned to Chen Hong and said, "Go find Zhang Weixian for me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong acknowledged and turned to walk outside.

In fact, Zhang Weixian had already submitted the construction charter for the Staff Office long ago. It was just that Zhu Youxiao had never discussed it with him in detail—this time he would have a thorough talk with him.

Regarding the Staff Office matters, he still needed Zhang Weixian to steer the ship.

The Grand Secretariat was actually a very good institution, but after so many years of development, it had long since changed its nature.

They had established many rules for the Grand Secretariat, such as no one entering it without being a Hanlin scholar, which blocked the path of advancement for many people.

Many officials had served earnestly as local magistrates for years in the provinces, yet had no way to enter the central government. This was a practice that chilled people's hearts, and Zhu Youxiao did not want to do things this way.

Once an institution became the exclusive domain of certain people, that institution was no longer of any use.

As for implementing a separation of military and civil affairs, that still posed some difficulty now—that was a matter for later.

But weakening the power of the Grand Secretariat was a matter of utmost urgency, and elevating the status of military men was also very important.

Although Zhu Youxiao agreed with the concept of civil officials commanding military officers, some things could not be taken too far.

The policy of civil over military had been upheld all along.

The general direction set by the Song dynasty reached its peak in the Ming dynasty. Facts had proven that this was indeed an excellent policy for centralizing power.

But constantly trampling down the status of military men did no good for the country either. The direct result was the weakening of the army's combat effectiveness, which was very bad.

This could be seen from foreign wars—during the Warring States period, how powerful the central states were.

Then the Han and Tang dynasties were both strong, and even the Three Kingdoms period remained formidable.

By the Song and Ming dynasties, apart from the first few generations after each dynasty's founding, the status of military men had been trampled too low, and combat effectiveness had plummeted.

This was very bad, so Zhu Youxiao wanted to elevate the status of military men.

Of course, it couldn't be elevated without limit either. The Old Ancestor had long ago summarized this: "The way of civil and military, one tightens and one loosens—neither may be neglected."

The current situation was one of neglect—civil officials' status was too high, military officers' status was too low, and hereditary military households at the grassroots level were even worse off, treated essentially as slaves. This had to change.

In Zhang Weixian's plan, this aspect had been addressed.

Zhang Weixian even felt that since the Staff Office was meant to advise on military affairs, it should be dominated by military officers. So in his plan, hereditary nobles and imperial relatives-in-law occupied a very large proportion.

Take Qi Jin, for example—though not a hereditary noble, his family had been hereditary generals.

Qi Jiguang was the same. Many officers who had risen through recruited soldiers were ultimately enfeoffed as hereditary generals as well, which in essence changed nothing.

So the position of hereditary nobles and imperial relatives-in-law was very solid. This was something Zhu Youxiao did not want to see.

It had to be changed, just not so blatantly—it required long-term planning.

If the Staff Office were all military men, the civil officials would certainly object, and it might well evolve into a civil-military conflict. That was also not something Zhu Youxiao wanted to see.

The Staff Office needed civil officials—besides, the Great Ming had many civil officials who could fight quite well, and this had to be taken into consideration.

As for whether civil officials would look down on the Staff Office or even sit crooked, Zhu Youxiao was not worried in the least.

Wherever one sat, one spoke for that side. If one's seat was in the Staff Office, it would be very difficult to do things that harmed the Staff Office's interests.

Because the Staff Office's interests were one's own personal interests—no one was so selfless and great as to do otherwise.

Soon, Zhang Weixian walked in from outside.

Upon seeing Zhu Youxiao, he hastily bowed respectfully and said, "Your servant Zhang Weixian pays respects to Your Majesty."

"Enough, no need for formalities." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said, "Someone, bring a seat."

After Chen Hong had brought a stool and Zhang Weixian had sat down, Zhu Youxiao said, "The affairs of the Staff Office need to be set in motion. I intend to have the Grand Secretariat draft a list of names. Those who enter the Staff Office and serve as Staff Ministers will hold the official rank of Fifth Grade."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Zhang Weixian was taken aback.

Hadn't they agreed to use nobles and imperial relatives?

Why was he suddenly using civil officials now?

If civil officials gained control of the Staff Office, would people like them still have any good days ahead?

What exactly had happened these past days, and who had spoken slanderously before His Majesty?

Zhu Youxiao did not look at Zhang Weixian's expression, but continued, "Regarding the matter of candidates for the Staff Office, I have already thought it through."

"We must broadly seek talent, selecting from among the generals those who are skilled in battle. Beyond that, we should also select some from among the civil officials, and choose some learned and capable men from among the new jinshi to supplement the Staff Office."

Hearing Zhu Youxiao's words, Zhang Weixian began to grasp the implications.

If this were the case, then this Staff Office would be truly extraordinary.

With civil officials, military generals, and also new jinshi—meaning there would be reserve talent—it seemed His Majesty intended to place great importance on the Staff Office.

In fact, Zhang Weixian had never doubted Zhu Youxiao's determination to make heavy use of the Staff Office; he simply hadn't expected it to be done in this manner.

Originally Zhang Weixian had thought it would just be establishing a bureau within the military, but now it was clear that was not the case at all. So he said, "Your Majesty's judgment is wise and decisive. Your servant has no objections."

"That is for the best." Zhu Youxiao looked at Zhang Weixian and said, "For the military side, you shall draft a list of names!"

"Your servant receives the decree." Zhang Weixian said hastily.

"Alright, nothing more for now. You may withdraw." Zhu Youxiao said, looking at Zhang Weixian.

After Zhang Weixian had left, Zhu Youxiao lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, then turned to Chen Hong and said, "Go to the Grand Secretariat and convey my decree—have them draft a list as soon as possible and submit it."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong acknowledged, then turned and went to the Grand Secretariat to convey the decree.

Once this news spread, the Grand Secretariat would likely be thrown into contention.

After all, those who could enter the Staff Office would certainly be heavily favored in the future. The Grand Secretaries in the Grand Secretariat would probably squabble endlessly.

This list was important enough, tempting enough, that others would also start maneuvering. It seemed the officialdom was in for another period of unrest.

But this had nothing to do with him; Chen Hong merely ran it through his mind.

Things indeed unfolded as Chen Hong had imagined. Once the news spread, it immediately stirred up no small waves. Many people began pondering the matter, clearly all quite excited.

Within the Grand Secretariat, the atmosphere had also grown strange.

The several Grand Secretaries could naturally see how important this matter was, so each began contemplating what people to place, and for the moment no one started discussing anything.

After leaving the office, everyone went home separately.

After returning home, Sun Chengzong ate a little something, picked up his tea and took two sips, then looked up at the steward and asked, "Has Lord Yuan arrived yet?"

"Master, he hasn't arrived yet!" the steward said with a smile.

He didn't know why his master was so anxious, but clearly something major was afoot. Normally, when guests came to the house, he would report immediately, and his master wouldn't even ask.

Since he had asked this time, it was evident his master was somewhat unsettled.

But it wasn't long before a servant came in to announce the arrival.

Following Sun Chengzong's instructions, the steward brought the guest directly to the study.

Yuan Keli looked at Sun Chengzong and said with a smile, "Calling me over at such a late hour—it's about the Staff Office matter, isn't it?"

The two had known each other for many years and understood each other thoroughly, so they spoke without beating around the bush. Sun Chengzong was not surprised by Yuan Keli's directness.

Gently nodding, Sun Chengzong set down his teacup and said, "You should be able to see how important this Staff Office is this time. His Majesty is about to make a move on the military, but the realm cannot be thrown into chaos."

"The court is in troubled times now, with powers and interests deeply intertwined, and there are plenty of people with treacherous designs. So we must have someone of ours in this Staff Office no matter what."

"Who do you want to send?" Yuan Keli looked at Sun Chengzong and asked.

"I want you to go." Sun Chengzong didn't hide it and directly stated his thoughts.

Seeing that Yuan Keli didn't immediately object, he continued, "We need some seasoned men to hold things down. You've returned in triumph from the southwest this time—entering the Staff Office shouldn't be difficult at all."

Yuan Keli said nothing.

He naturally knew that getting in wouldn't be difficult for him, but he was also weighing the gains and losses of involving himself in this matter.

He was no longer young, and getting mixed up in such affairs didn't seem quite appropriate.

"Don't hesitate—this matter is yours and yours alone." Sun Chengzong looked at Yuan Keli and continued, "The importance of this Staff Office goes without saying. We can't let those people ruin things."

"The nobles and imperial relatives have no real ability—they're just skilled at lining their pockets. If they truly gained control of the Staff Office, the consequences would be unthinkable."

"Once you're in, things will be much easier to handle—at the very least, they won't be able to do anything unlawful."

Yuan Keli sighed, then said with a wry smile, "You've thought it out well enough, but I'm afraid the outcome will fall short of expectations."

"We do our best and leave the rest to heaven." Sun Chengzong looked at Yuan Keli with a grave expression and said, "We serve as officials of the Great Ming, so naturally we must be loyal to the imperial cause."

Hearing Sun Chengzong say this, Yuan Keli raised his hand and said, "No need to say anything more—I agree. But there's one thing I want to tell you: I hope you can squeeze in one more person."

"You mean Sun Chuanting, right?" Sun Chengzong looked at Yuan Keli and said with a smile.

"You know me well!" Yuan Keli also smiled, a look of emotion on his face as he said, "This Sun Chuanting is a talented man. Though he's young, he's very capable."

"When it comes to marching and fighting, he has considerable insight, and this time in the southwest he earned no small number of merits."

"That matter needn't concern you." Sun Chengzong looked at Yuan Keli and said, "Do you not know why he went to the southwest? He's someone already favored in His Majesty's heart—do we need to worry about him?"

"Precisely because of that, we should recommend him, shouldn't we?" Yuan Keli also said with a smile.