Chapter 415: The Death of Nurhaci

In the days that followed, the court finally settled down.

This was good news for all the ministers—everyone could finally have some good days. When His Majesty wasn't stirring up trouble, no one else wanted to stir up trouble either.

And His Majesty, spending his days doting on Empress Zhang and the imperial prince, had improved considerably.

His Majesty's younger brother was enfeoffed as Prince Xin, and a princely mansion was built for him in the capital. The matter of sending him to his fief was not carried out, and the reason given was simple: Prince Xin was still young, and it was not suitable for him to go to his fief. Besides, His Majesty had only this one younger brother—it wouldn't do if he wanted to see his brother and couldn't.

On this matter, although the ministers had their opinions, the Emperor's attitude was resolute, and no one was willing to stubbornly press the issue. They had always gone along with the Emperor's wishes.

Many people didn't want to get involved in such matters, so there was no one left to defy Zhu Youxiao's wishes.

Days passed one after another, and matters were handled one by one.

After a period of calm, something finally came up.

That was the matter of the Minister of War selection—something that had always been the focus of attention both at court and beyond.

The Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat didn't necessarily need to be selected; three people were temporarily sufficient, and there was no need to pick another. Even if one were to be chosen, it would depend on His Majesty's wishes.

But the Minister of War was different—this needed someone to take charge. Without someone in charge, people would always feel uneasy.

Inside the imperial palace.

The sunlight was excellent. On a whim, Zhu Youxiao dug out his old fishing rod and headed to the lakeside again.

After some bustling about, he leaned back in his rocking chair, gently swaying. His fishing rod rested beside him, and the float bobbed on the water's surface, gently moving with the breeze.

Chen Hong dismissed the palace attendants and stood behind his master, personally holding a feather fan and waving it gently.

Basking in the sun, Zhu Youxiao looked utterly languid.

A palace attendant hurried over carrying a wooden box, then suddenly slowed his steps as he approached, stepping forward to whisper a few words to Chen Hong.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Secretariat has sent the list of candidates for Minister of War." Chen Hong quickly turned and presented a routine memorial.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Read it out for me. I'm rather curious—what kind of candidates will they recommend?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong acknowledged and unfolded the memorial.

After glancing at it, Chen Hong looked at Zhu Youxiao with some hesitation and said, "Your Majesty, the first person recommended on this list is Xiong Tingbi."

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao was startled and stopped rocking.

This candidate—Zhu Youxiao truly hadn't expected it. Han Kuang and the others were rather interesting, actually putting Xiong Tingbi forward.

One had to know that there were many people at court who looked down on Xiong Tingbi, and the three in the Grand Secretariat, including Han Kuang, didn't necessarily think highly of him either. But this time Xiong Tingbi had rendered meritorious service in Liaodong, so recommending him was only proper.

But that wasn't the key point. These people wouldn't recommend Xiong Tingbi for such a simple reason. If they could truly promote based on merit alone, then the court wouldn't be the court. In any era, nepotism was the mainstream.

Slowly closing his eyes, Zhu Youxiao began to ponder.

But with just a little thought, Zhu Youxiao understood why they wanted to recommend Xiong Tingbi—in plain terms, they wanted to transfer Xiong Tingbi away from Liaodong.

It seemed someone had their eye on the Liaodong position. This time Liaodong had won, and some people could no longer sit still.

The court would certainly launch military operations in Liaodong next, only the timing hadn't been set. Xiong Tingbi had gained the Emperor's trust and had also rendered meritorious service in Liaodong—the difficulty of impeaching Xiong Tingbi was considerable, even basically impossible.

So these people used the old trick of officialdom: promoting the man.

If they impeached you, His Majesty might not accept it; but if they promoted you to Minister of War, then perhaps His Majesty would accept it.

That was why such a memorial existed—that was why they put Xiong Tingbi first. It just so happened that Xiong Tingbi had rendered meritorious service, so the pretext was perfectly suitable.

But this proposal—Zhu Youxiao could not possibly agree to it. The situation in central Liaodong was now very good; doing nothing was the best measure. Doing anything would cause upheaval in Liaodong.

What Zhu Youxiao wanted least right now was upheaval.

Maintaining stability trumped everything.

Zhu Youxiao opened his eyes and asked directly, "Are there others?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the second candidate is Cui Jingrong." Chen Hong quickly said.

Cui Jingrong—this man was naturally not unfamiliar to Zhu Youxiao.

Cui Jingrong had a great reputation, and Zhu Youxiao also knew one thing: this old gentleman and Huang Kezuan did not get along. The two could be said to find each other disagreeable, with occasional friction.

Before this, Cui Jingrong had served as Minister of Justice, Minister of War, and Minister of Personnel—his official career experience was very rich. If Cui Jingrong were brought back into service, there would naturally be no problem.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Chen Hong and asked, "This man was recommended by Xu Guangqi, wasn't he?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it was indeed Grand Secretary Xu." Chen Hong dared not be negligent and quickly said.

Zhu Youxiao nodded.

He had guessed this long ago. Whether it was Huang Kezuan or Han Kuang, neither of those two could possibly recommend Cui Jingrong, so it could only be Xu Guangqi.

Truly interesting.

"Aside from that? Who else?" Zhu Youxiao asked again.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, there is also Wang Xiangqian." Chen Hong said once more.

This was also an old minister, and very advanced in years—even if he hadn't reached eighty, he was probably close to it.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao helplessly let out a sigh.

The talent drain of the Great Ming was truly severe.

Now they even had to use people from the Wanli era, even from the Longqing era—it was clear that Emperor Wanli in the latter half of his reign truly hadn't cultivated any talent for the Great Ming.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Youxiao had no one available to use. After sending people to the staff office, there was actually no one left to use?

It had to be said, this was a tragedy.

Fortunately, Zhu Youxiao still had new people available; otherwise, things would be even more troublesome later.

"Besides those two, who else?" Zhu Youxiao asked again.

"There is also Wang Zaijin." Chen Hong said once more, cautiously.

"They really do know how to pick people." Zhu Youxiao waved his hand and said, "Tell the Grand Secretariat that Cui Jingrong shall be the Minister of War. The Grand Secretariat will draft the edict, and the Directorate of Ceremonial will issue the red endorsement."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong quickly acknowledged, bowed, and withdrew.

After Chen Hong left, Zhu Youxiao slowly closed his eyes once more.

This matter, at this point, was considered concluded. As for other ramifications, he didn't need to consider them.

What the court needs is stability, not struggle.

Zhu Youxiao had noticed something—Han Kuang seemed to be growing restless. He had originally thought Han Kuang would remain stable for a while longer, giving him more time. But who would have thought that after such a short period, he was already getting restless?

Had becoming Chief Grand Secretary changed him so quickly?

After all, when the Donglin Faction had collapsed, Han Kuang had been trembling with fear, as if treading on thin ice. But how much time had passed since then, and already he was nurturing all sorts of improper thoughts?

People truly were unreliable—once they held power, they wanted something even greater.

Leaning back in his chair with a sigh, Zhu Youxiao began pondering candidates for the position of Chief Grand Secretary once again.

If Han Kuang pulled something like this again, then his position as Chief Grand Secretary and Grand Secretary would be finished.

News spread quickly—the Emperor had reinstated Cui Jingrong, which did not surprise too many people.

Cui Jingrong's seniority and prestige were plain for all to see; serving as Minister of War was naturally no problem for him. The Emperor's decision to reinstate him would not draw criticism, so the transition was fairly smooth and stable.

After this matter was settled, the court settled down once again.

Soon, autumn arrived.

The court began busying itself with the autumn harvest. This was the first year of large-scale potato cultivation, and the court placed great importance on it, everyone waiting for the potato yield. This was very important to the court.

Since the beginning of the year, disasters had not ceased. Earthquakes and floods were frequent across the regions; several major earthquakes had occurred, not to mention the countless smaller disasters.

When reports came up from the various regions, matters concerning disaster conditions were numerous, enough to send chills down one's spine. Shandong had even seen rebellion; the people's livelihoods were fraught with hardship. At a time like this, the court needed grain.

So regarding this potato harvest, the entire court was paying close attention. Naturally, Zhu Youxiao was also very attentive, except this time he did not leave the palace—he waited inside for news.

"Your Majesty, Minister of War Cui Jingrong requests an audience." Chen Hong came to Zhu Youxiao's side and said respectfully.

This caught Zhu Youxiao somewhat off guard.

Ever since Cui Jingrong had assumed the post of Minister of War, two words could describe him: low-key.

This old minister had become so low-key that people could hardly see him anymore. On ordinary days he did not submit routine memorials, and he had even requested leave from the morning court several times. As for matters of the Ministry of War, aside from maintaining its stable operation, he basically offered no opinions or suggestions—as if he had been placed there like a memorial tablet.

It was not the first time someone had impeached Cui Jingrong, and Zhu Youxiao said nothing about it. As for the routine memorials impeaching Cui Jingrong, all of them were withheld in the palace.

Who would have thought that today Cui Jingrong would actually come? Judging by his manner, something major must have happened.

Zhu Youxiao stood up and said, "Come, let's go see."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong acknowledged and hurriedly attended to Zhu Youxiao as they walked forward.

The two soon arrived at the front, and Zhu Youxiao saw Cui Jingrong.

Seeing that he was about to perform the ritual of obeisance, Zhu Youxiao quickly said, "That's enough, no need for formalities. Given your advanced age, Minister, you may be excused from these rituals when entering the palace from now on."

"Chen Hong, bring a stool for Minister Cui." Zhu Youxiao ordered with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong acknowledged, then hurried over to bring a chair, placing it respectfully beside Cui Jingrong and saying with a smile, "Minister Cui, please have a seat."

After Cui Jingrong sat down, Zhu Youxiao finally spoke: "Seeing how hurried you look, Minister, has something happened?"

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Liaodong!" Cui Jingrong said hastily, producing a routine memorial as he continued: "Xiong Tingbi has submitted a memorial stating that Nurhaci is dead. This is his memorial."

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Youxiao's face was filled with disbelief.

Nurhaci was actually dead?

He just died like that?

That shouldn't be—according to the original course of history, Nurhaci had not yet reached the time of his death.

Zhu Youxiao said impatiently, "Bring the memorial up at once!"

Chen Hong dared not delay. He hurried over, holding the memorial with both hands as he came before Zhu Youxiao and respectfully handed it to him.

Zhu Youxiao was extremely eager at this moment. He quickly took the memorial and rapidly flipped through it.

Soon, Zhu Youxiao clearly saw the contents of the memorial.

Nurhaci was truly dead. This time, Nurhaci's death was greatly connected to Xiong Tingbi.

In this memorial, Xiong Tingbi wrote in great detail how Nurhaci had died—how he had used cannons to bombard Nurhaci, and how Nurhaci had succumbed to his severe wounds.

Aside from the above, there was also a request for commendation, which was only proper.

Zhu Youxiao excitedly set down the memorial and laughed heartily: "This is indeed good news! Xiong Tingbi has done well in Liaodong—he has not betrayed my trust! Excellent, excellent, very good!"

"Someone! Summon the Grand Secretaries of the Grand Secretariat." Zhu Youxiao said with a smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong quickly acknowledged, turned around, and ran out. His steps were light and cheerful.

After Chen Hong had left, Zhu Youxiao turned his gaze to Cui Jingrong.

By all rights, Cui Jingrong, as Minister of War, should have reported the news to the Grand Secretariat first, and only then would it reach the Emperor.

But Cui Jingrong had not done so—he had delivered it directly to the Emperor. As a seasoned veteran of officialdom, he could not possibly make such an error, so this was deliberate on his part.

It seemed this old fellow was not easy to deal with either. Although he appeared honest and proper on the surface, he still had ideas in his heart. But since he had not shown them openly, Zhu Youxiao would not press the matter.

Zhu Youxiao chatted idly with Cui Jingrong for a few exchanges, weaving in a few probing remarks.

But Cui Jingrong wore a thoroughly bewildered expression, as if he half understood and half did not.

Zhu Youxiao was helpless about this—he knew full well the man was playing dumb, yet he could not call him out on it.

Their idle conversation did not last long. Soon, the three Grand Secretaries arrived.

They had already heard the news from Chen Hong on the way, and all wore joyful expressions—especially Xu Guangqi, whose smile could barely be contained.

He was genuinely overjoyed. Previously, he had been constantly worried; the Ming's military preparedness had fallen into disrepair, and he had been deeply anxious, even requesting an imperial edict to train troops. But he had been obstructed from many sides, which had left him disheartened.

Ever since receiving Zhu Youxiao's trust and appointment, Xu Guangqi had devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving the nation and its people. Although he sometimes clashed with Zhu Youxiao, in Xu Guangqi's heart, His Majesty was a wise ruler—young and impulsive, which was understandable.

The facts had also proven Xu Guangqi right. What His Majesty had done was already bearing fruit. This time, Liaodong was the best example—His Majesty had not erred in employing Xiong Tingbi.

Aside from Xu Guangqi, Han Kuang and Huang Kezuan were not nearly as pleased. Especially when they saw Cui Jingrong—how could they not understand what was going on?

The Ministry of War having fallen into this fellow's hands was truly most unpleasant.

Huang Kezuan in particular shot Cui Jingrong a rather gloomy look. The discord between the two was nothing new, and now that he had become a Grand Secretary, this old fellow had actually pulled such a stunt?