Chapter 134: Lu Xiangsheng, Five Years into His Career

Cheng Jiming emerged from the warm pavilion, his face wreathed in smiles.

He glanced at the figure standing ramrod-straight beneath the corridor outside the hall, gave a slight nod of greeting, and walked directly out of the palace.

The junior eunuchs inside the hall had already begun tidying the brushes, ink, and documents from the imperial desk; Cheng Jiming swept a glance over them but paid them no mind.

So the new sovereign had also spotted the Imperial Academy as a critical point — yet he said there was another place even more vital than this?

Where could it be?

The Ministry of Personnel? To go assist Yang Jingchen and overhaul the evaluation and selection process? That was not unworkable — the Imperial Academy nurtures scholars, the Ministry of Personnel selects officials; they are two sides of the same coin.

The Ministry of Rites? To take charge of this year's special examination and select talent for the realm? This examination was the first of the new reign; securing the right men was indeed of the utmost importance.

He pondered all the way out of the great hall. An autumn chill wind met him head-on, making him shiver involuntarily.

But no matter how the wind blew, it could not cool the fire in his heart; all manner of calculations rose and swirled within him.

Gradually, however, his steps slowed.

At last he halted, turned back to gaze at Qianqing Palace, and in the end could not suppress a long, quiet sigh.

"To be young... is truly a fine thing."

When Lu Xiangsheng entered the warm pavilion, his mind was utterly free of distraction.

He did not glance sideways, and before he could raise his head to make out the figure on the imperial throne, he was already performing the court ritual with meticulous precision — lifting his robe, bending the knee, prostrating himself, and executing the full ceremony of one kneel and three kowtows.

"Your subject, Prefect of Daming Prefecture, Lu Xiangsheng, kowtows before Your Majesty. May His Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years."

Just as he prepared to lift his head, a pair of strong arms steadied him firmly.

Then a gentle voice came from above him.

"Minister Lu, rise. You have come at last."

Lu Xiangsheng looked up, startled.

Only at this moment did he truly see the face of the new sovereign clearly.

It had been five years since he left the capital to take up his post; at that time, Prince Xin had been a mere boy of twelve, raised deep within the palace, with no contact with outside officials.

This was, in fact, the first time he had ever studied the sovereign of the Great Ming at such close range.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting beams of light through the air; countless tiny dust motes drifted slowly within those beams, lending the warm pavilion an almost static solemnity.

And the Emperor stood within one of those beams of light.

Young — that was Lu Xiangsheng's first thought.

But those eyes were extraordinarily calm.

The hands supporting him were dry and warm, and carried an unquestionable strength.

"Your Majesty..."

For a moment, Lu Xiangsheng forgot every word of the policy response he had silently rehearsed countless times on the road; his throat felt dry.

With his hands held by the Emperor, he dared not pull away, and could only answer somewhat awkwardly: "Yes, your subject has come."

Zhu Youjian looked at his expression and let out a hearty laugh; the laughter dispelled the stillness in the warm pavilion.

Taking Lu Xiangsheng by the hand, he led him before an enormous screen in the center of the hall.

"Minister Lu, there is no need to stand on ceremony. We summoned you today for one matter alone."

Lu Xiangsheng's gaze fell upon the screen, and he started slightly.

There, his "Memorial on Horse Fodder" had been copied out in a neat, meticulous hand and pasted at the very center of the screen.

Beside the memorial was attached a hand-drawn map of Northern Zhili, on which every mountain, river, prefecture, county, and guard station was marked with perfect clarity.

"Minister Lu, We wish to hear you explain this horse-fodder strategy in your own words." Zhu Youjian released his hand and looked at him with a smile.

At the sight of this map, Lu Xiangsheng's disordered thoughts swiftly settled.

He drew a deep breath, and the draft he had been refining for days resurfaced in his mind.

He cupped his hands toward Zhu Youjian and said in a grave tone: "In reply to Your Majesty, this subject believes that to resolve the Liaodong horse-fodder issue, one must tackle the difficult through the easy, and achieve the great through the small. To focus solely on western Liao would be to aim too low."

Zhu Youjian made no comment, merely watching him quietly and motioning for him to continue.

Lu Xiangsheng stepped up to the screen; even his somewhat worn official robe could not conceal the sharp edge he now displayed.

"If we speak only of the horse-fodder matter in western Liao, it is in fact very easy."

He extended a thin but powerful finger and pointed at the map.

"Western Liao currently has twenty-two thousand eight hundred and forty-seven horses and mules. By standard practice, each consumes one bundle of fodder per day; for the winter and spring seasons combined, the requirement is no more than three million six hundred thousand bundles."

"And this subject has checked the Yellow Registers. Yongping Prefecture alone has one million eight hundred and thirty thousand-odd mu of registered farmland. Calculated at one dan of grain per mu, yielding one hundred fifty jin of straw, which when dried produces five bundles of horse fodder — then Yongping Prefecture alone could theoretically produce nine million one hundred fifty thousand bundles of horse fodder annually."

"Of this, the annual levy is three hundred thousand bundles of horse fodder, a tax of one part in thirty, yet eight million eight hundred fifty thousand bundles remain for private use among the people."

"After deducting thirty percent for peasant livestock consumption and thirty percent for fuel and cooking, three million bundles still remain available for sale. With a little rearrangement, this one locale alone would suffice to meet the current needs of western Liao."

Zhu Youjian smiled faintly, still saying nothing.

Lu Xiangsheng drew a deep breath and shifted his tone.

"However, the Liao affair is in truth a great affliction to the state. If one wishes to sweep clean the lair, how could a mere twenty thousand horses and mules suffice? Your Majesty embraces all under Heaven and takes the long view; when the day comes to marshal troops and strengthen the military, the horses and mules required may well reach one hundred thousand."

As he said this, he cast a discreet glance at Zhu Youjian.

Yet the Emperor seemed not to catch his implied meaning, and still wore that same smiling expression.

Lu Xiangsheng's heart gave a slight jump. He continued: "And if all the military needs of the state were to depend on Yongping Prefecture alone, what would happen if disaster suddenly struck that place?"

"Thus this is a strategy of mere expedience, not a foolproof plan. This subject believes that today's strategy should take the three million six hundred thousand bundles for twenty thousand horses and mules as the immediate task, and the eighteen million bundles required for one hundred thousand horses and mules as the plan for the future!"

He stepped forward and jabbed his finger emphatically on the map.

"This subject calculates that Yongping should be the primary source, with an annual levy of three hundred thousand bundles and local procurement of three million bundles."

"Hejian Prefecture should serve as the secondary source. Its registered farmland of eight million three hundred thousand mu far surpasses Yongping; the annual horse-fodder levy is six hundred seventy thousand bundles, and locally one can purchase thirteen million six hundred thousand bundles."

"In this way, we would have fourteen million five hundred seventy thousand bundles; any remaining shortfall can be levied and purchased from Shuntian Prefecture."

"Thus, by combining near and far, and planning well in advance, we can be prepared for any contingency."

Zhu Youjian finally clapped his hands in praise. "Excellent. To look to the future and not scheme only for the moment — that is indeed the strategy of one who plans for the state. Continue."

Having received this affirmation, Lu Xiangsheng felt somewhat steadier. He cupped his hands and proceeded to lay out his second key point.

"However, this is merely a policy for purchasing fodder. As for the expenditure of state funds, it remains a heavy burden."

"At current market prices, a bundle of horse fodder in western Liao costs as much as fifty cash."

"Yet as this subject traveled here from Daming Prefecture, the price of fodder among the common folk was no more than five cash, seven cash — ten cash at the very most. Nearly forty of those cash are consumed in transport and in the hands of petty clerks at every level."

"This subject believes that Yongping Prefecture should be designated to supply Shanhai Pass exclusively. Transported overland, the cost per bundle would not exceed twenty-five cash."

"And if the fodder of Hejian Prefecture is sent by the nearest route down to Tianjin, then distributed by sea vessels to Ningyuan and Jinzhou, the cost can be reduced to twelve cash per bundle."

"In this way, reckoning on the current twenty thousand horses and mules, we would not need the one hundred eighty thousand taels that Huang Yuntai spoke of — sixty or seventy thousand taels would suffice."

"Even if in future we reckon on a hundred thousand horses and mules, the annual expenditure could still be kept within two hundred thousand taels."

(Attached map: the red lines are the North Canal, the Yongding River, and the Wei River — these main waterways are not navigable year-round.)

(Tianjin is the regular base for shipping grain beyond the passes; this sea route has been in operation for a very long time.)

He finished and looked at Zhu Youjian for the second time.

Zhu Youjian, however, seemed not to notice. He merely gazed at the map and exclaimed in admiration, "Mobilizing resources on many fronts, calculating and planning with such precision — one may well call you a worthy minister."

Lu Xiangsheng gritted his teeth. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to speak even more plainly.

"Your Majesty, the former Governor-General of Ji-Liao, Master Yang, spoke of the four abuses in horse fodder: unfair market pricing, the rich evading what the poor must bear, purchasing fodder at double the price, and officials preying on the people until they flee. At root, it all comes down to just two words: 'local governance.'"

"Once this subject takes up his post, he need only investigate carefully, seize the chief offenders, and make an example of them. Within ten days or a month, these abuses can be swept clean."

He paused, and at last ventured to speak the crucial words.

"Yet if this subject should one day leave his post, in the end times change and men pass away, and when the man is gone his policies die with him. It is hard to avoid corruption rising again."

"The abuses of the petty clerks, at the local level, are perhaps even more intractable than the abuses of officials."

Zhu Youjian nodded, seeming quite in agreement. "There is reason in those words. To govern well for a time is easy; to govern well for ten thousand ages is hard. That is indeed so. Is there more?"

He does not care about the petty clerks…

Lu Xiangsheng felt a surge of unwillingness in his heart. He continued, "Beyond this, the land quotas in every region are all fixed according to the Yellow Registers of the Wanli era. Over these several decades, the population has multiplied, military farmlands have been encroached upon, and tidal flats have been reclaimed. The actual acreage under cultivation has long since far surpassed the old figures."

"For this reason, the horse fodder that each region can produce annually is far more optimistic than this subject's estimates. It is only that…"

He did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was already perfectly clear.

On Zhu Youjian's face, a smile slipped out before he could restrain it.

He seized the moment to let out a hearty laugh. "Good news, good news indeed! In that case, we need not worry about overburdening the people."

He has no interest in cadastral surveys either?

A sense of disappointment settled in Lu Xiangsheng's heart, but he pressed on.

"Your Majesty, beyond this, the farmers who open new lands mostly cling to old methods. If we could promote agricultural instruction in the localities, disseminate superior seed strains, and supplement this with building irrigation works and opening some paddy fields, then the yield would certainly increase — and horse fodder would increase along with it."

At this point, as if to strengthen his argument, or perhaps to bolster his own courage, he gritted his teeth and could not help but violate his own principle of pragmatism.

Without having conducted any investigation, he actually blurted out a rather bold figure.

"With cadastral surveys and agricultural instruction combined, perhaps Yongping alone could produce each year… six million bundles of horse fodder!"

"Good." Zhu Youjian merely nodded as before, sparing with his words as though they were gold.

That single word "good" made Lu Xiangsheng feel anything but good.

By now Lu Xiangsheng was already somewhat disheartened, yet he forced himself to finish laying out the last hook he had prepared.

"Your Majesty, the price of horse fodder is lowest just after the wheat harvest."

"At that time the flood season on the rivers has passed, making it most suitable for boat transport. Moreover, the grain tribute ships heading north will be about to make their return voyage."

"If we could make use of these empty ships to requisition horse fodder from Shuntian Prefecture and ship it via the tribute canal to Tianjin… then never mind a hundred thousand horses — even keeping two hundred thousand would be no difficult matter!"

When Zhu Youjian heard these words, he finally turned his head, fixing both eyes firmly upon him.

Lu Xiangsheng's heart leaped with joy. As expected — one must approach it through matters of war and state, after all?

A young Son of Heaven — as expected…

But he had not anticipated that Zhu Youjian, looking at him, would have the smile at the corner of his mouth grow larger and larger, more and more impossible to suppress.

At last, he could hold back no longer and burst into an earth-shaking roar of laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha…"

This laugh had Zhu Youjian rocking back and forth, tears nearly streaming from his eyes.

Lu Xiangsheng was utterly baffled by this laughter, completely at a loss as to which of his words had been wrong.

He felt only a burning heat spreading across his face. A surge of irritation rose from the bottom of his heart, yet he dared not let it show. He could only stand there awkwardly, rooted to the spot, utterly at a loss.

At last, Zhu Youjian's laughter ceased.

He straightened up, walked over to Lu Xiangsheng, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Minister Lu…"

Zhu Youjian's eyes held a trace of teasing as he spoke, his voice unhurried.

"You are not being honest."

Lu Xiangsheng jerked his head up, his eyes filled with shock and uncertainty.

Could it be…?

He heard Zhu Youjian speak evenly: "Today, when We summoned Ministers Cheng and Wang to audience, the first question We asked them both was this: 'Has the time come for this realm to root out its abuses?'"

"It seems to Us that this question need not be put to you, Minister Lu."

Lu Xiangsheng's eyes lit up. He cupped his hands, ready to answer. "This subject…"

"You need not answer this question." Zhu Youjian waved a hand, cutting him off.

He extended one finger and laid it out in detail.

"First: when you spoke of numbers like a hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, you were testing Us — testing whether We have the resolve to pacify Liaodong, and to what extent We anticipate committing to this great military undertaking."

Lu Xiangsheng's expression instantly stiffened.

Zhu Youjian extended a second finger.

"Second, when you spoke of corruption resurging after an official leaves his post, you were probing whether We have the will to cleanse the bureaucracy — and whether this 'bureaucratic cleansing' would treat only the symptoms or the root cause. Whether it would stop at the officials, or reach down to the sub-official clerks."

Lu Xiangsheng was already feeling somewhat ashamed inside.

Zhu Youjian's pace of speech began to quicken.

"Third, when you raised the matter of empty grain-transport vessels, you were testing whether We have the intention to overhaul the grain transport system, and even to reform it fundamentally."

"Fourth, the inaccuracy of the land registers — you were testing whether We have the resolve to survey and measure all the realm's farmland!"

"Fifth, this so-called promotion of agriculture and instruction — you were testing whether We are willing to resume agricultural initiatives in the Northern Metropolitan Region!"

Having said this, Zhu Youjian spread all five fingers wide and waved them before Lu Xiangsheng's face, asking with a teasing air:

"What? Did Minister Lu think We have not read the 'Talks by the Lu River,' or that We are ignorant of the deeds of Xu Zhenming, Wang Yingjiao, Zuo Guangdou, Xu Guangqi, and those other gentlemen?"

A string of names poured from the young Son of Heaven's mouth like a volley of cannon-fire.

Behind every name lay a chapter of court history, a saga of arduous reform.

Lu Xiangsheng's face alternated between ashen and flushed; he was so mortified he wished the earth would swallow him. He could only bow awkwardly and say, "This subject… this subject would not dare."

Zhu Youjian shook his head. The smile on his face had, at some point, vanished completely.

He did not look at Lu Xiangsheng again, but turned and walked step by step back behind the imperial desk.

The moment Zhu Youjian slowly seated himself upon the throne, the very atmosphere of the great hall seemed to congeal.

He simply sat there in silence, looking down from on high at the minister standing in the hall.

It was still that same seventeen-year-old face, yet Lu Xiangsheng saw in those deep, fathomless eyes a maturity and authority utterly at odds with his age.

Was it an illusion born of the Son of Heaven's oppressive majesty?

Or was it that sons of the imperial house were precocious by nature?

But when the late Emperor first ascended the throne, he had never possessed such an aura!

"Minister Lu, a young man should have youthful vigor. In the future, be a little more open and forthright. Do not imitate the old hands of officialdom with these acts of studied moderation."

The words fell, devoid of the slightest ripple of emotion.

Lu Xiangsheng stood frozen to the spot, his heart filled with regret.

Ah, when he had visited his teacher yesterday, his teacher had said, 'The new sovereign is young, and his mind is hard to fathom. You must be cautious in word and deed — observe more, listen more, speak less.'

In the end, trying to draw a tiger, he had produced a dog; his attempt had turned into this neither-fish-nor-fowl performance.

Now, it seemed, his cleverness had only made things worse.

Zhu Youjian was inwardly amused.

A twenty-seven-year-old Lu Xiangsheng — how utterly callow he still was.

He said flatly, "Enough. Let us first finish discussing the matter of the fodder."

Zhu Youjian continued, "Your proposal is very good, but We must add a few points."

"You said that of the fodder used by the common people for their own purposes, one-third is burned as fuel."

"But you have yet to take up your post, so you are probably unaware that Luanzhou in Yongping Prefecture is rich in coal. There, two catties of coal cost only one cash coin."

"The common people of Yongping likely do not burn as much fodder for cooking and heating as you imagine."

"Minister Lu, once you arrive at your post, you will need to revise your estimates. That is the first point."

Lu Xiangsheng bowed awkwardly. "This subject understands."

Zhu Youjian nodded and continued:

"The Fuel Supply Depot has newly produced an item called 'honeycomb briquettes.' It is made by mixing coal dust with yellow earth. Its thermal value and durability both surpass raw coal."

"A preliminary estimate is that, for equivalent heating power, its cost is no more than one-third that of coal."

"The method of making this item is extremely simple. Before you leave for your post, you may go to the Directorate of Ceremonial to collect a sample and the diagrams. Try making some once you arrive, and you will understand."

"Once this item is introduced, the stalks and straw the common people use for fuel will likely decline even more sharply."

Zhu Youjian's speech quickened, and a confident light gleamed in his eyes.

"Third, We have secretly ordered Regional Commander Ma Shilong to lead six thousand cavalry under his command and wait at Tongzhou."

"The moment Boshugtu and Khutugtu Khan join battle on the southern Gobi, he will strike Khutugtu Khan from the rear."

"If this battle is decided, then the tribes of the southern Gobi will become our Great Ming's exclusive preserve. At that point, you may freely use silver to purchase fodder from beyond the passes. You will gain both material profit and goodwill — killing two birds with one stone."

Lu Xiangsheng silently calculated in his mind for a moment. After a short while, he let out a long breath and bowed deeply to Zhu Youjian.

"Your Majesty discerns the finest details and perceives events ten thousand li away. You grasp the essence in the subtlest matters and determine the fate of the realm in grand strategy. This subject… has been merely displaying his petty skill before a master."

Though he had no idea what those honeycomb briquettes were, the matters of purchasing fodder from the tribes beyond the passes and Yongping's abundant coal mines were indeed practical and effective solutions that had never occurred to him.

But right now, none of that was the most important thing!

Lu Xiangsheng forced a smile, his tone filled with feigned enthusiasm:

"This subject shall return at once to prepare. Within three days, I will be in Yongping, and before winter sets in, I will first relieve the urgent crisis in Liaoxi!"

— Leave, leave quickly! If I don't leave now, and the Emperor remembers that I was just probing his imperial mind, I'll be finished.

"No hurry." Zhu Youjian shook his head. "Wait two more days. There is no harm in leaving after attending Our third Daily Lecture."

He looked at Lu Xiangsheng and asked with a smile:

"Could it be that Minister Lu is not interested in the answer to that question?"

That question!

Lu Xiangsheng's figure paused, almost imperceptibly.

His teacher's words still echoed in his ears — "The new sovereign is young, and his mind is hard to fathom. You must be cautious in word and deed — observe more, listen more, speak less!"

But…

But!

He jerked his head up, and the faint hesitation in his chest transformed utterly into surging heroism and solitary valor!

Ten years of bitter study by the cold window, five years in the treacherous sea of officialdom — what had he sought all along?

Was it not for this very day, when he could stand upon the golden hall and pour out the ambitions in his heart, to find a way forward for this storm-tossed realm!

To this question of the age — who but me?! Who but me?!

At this thought, the struggle and hesitation in his eyes faded completely, leaving only a resolve as clear and pure as washed skies.

Lu Xiangsheng faced the imperial throne, bowed deep until his hands touched the floor, and his voice rang out with unprecedented power.

"Your subject, Lu Xiangsheng, now seeks leave to answer this question!"

Begging for monthly tickets.