Chapter 150: His Majesty Has No Heir, the Altars of State Are Unsettled

"Father, I'm back."

The Duke of Ding, Xu Xigao, turned around and said evenly, "Tell me, then. What did you all talk about?"

Xu Yunzhen stepped forward.

"We started a card game, no different from the other noble sons. We all began by discussing His Majesty's 'man versus land' question."

He then briefly recounted each person's remarks.

Xu Xigao listened quietly until Xu Yunzhen finished, then slowly shook his head.

"Nothing particularly brilliant."

"Nothing more than campaigns, increasing production, opening up Yunnan, Guizhou, Henan, and so on — all the stale commonplaces circulating in the capital these past few days."

"Didn't a single one of them propose getting their own hands dirty?"

Xu Yunzhen shook his head and said,

"At least during the card game, no one said anything of the sort. It was all just vague talk."

Xu Xigao frowned slightly. "What did you discuss after that?"

Xu Yunzhen then recounted, exactly as it happened, how the heir of the Respectful and Obedient Marquis had tried to bribe a palace eunuch, and how the Earl of Xiangcheng had sought a post in the capital's military administration.

This time, Xu Xigao fell into thoughtful silence.

His fingers gently rubbed the green jade thumb ring, and only after a moment did he slowly speak.

"The threads inside the palace — His Majesty did indeed sever quite a few when he ascended the throne."

"But His Majesty only ordered the execution of those who leaked palace secrets and did not pursue the matter further... It seems His Majesty does not wish to blow things up, only to shut the doors and set the inner court in order."

"For the Respectful and Obedient Marquis to press forward at such a time is rather unwise. In the end, it's a remnant of Mongol ways — handling affairs with too little regard for proper method."

Xu Xigao's assessment hit the mark. He raised his eyes and continued to test his son.

"What do you make of those three? What of their individual talents and temperaments?"

Xu Yunzhen rallied his spirits and gave his honest judgment.

"The son of the Marquis of Wuqing, Li Guorui, quibbles excessively over a little silver at the card table — greedy, petty, and narrow in vision. He should rank as the lowest."

"The son of the Respectful and Obedient Marquis, Wu Weiying, has a firm and fiery nature, but seems somewhat rash. He can be ranked in the middle."

"The son of the Earl of Xiangcheng, Li Guozhen, is eloquent, sharp in calculation, and remarkably gifted in speech. He should rank at the top."

This was the routine examination after his daily return from playing cards.

Yet Xu Xigao shook his head once more.

"In judging a man, you cannot look only at one moment or one matter. You must look at his family tradition, his circumstances, and combine it with the current situation — see it all together."

"Your assessment today is far deeper than before, but it still skims the surface."

He walked over and sat down before the writing desk, gesturing for his son to sit as well.

"In the Marquis of Wuqing's household, the legitimate and the base-born are not distinguished. That Li Guorui has long been at odds with his half-brother by a concubine, Li Guoben."

"Once the Marquis of Wuqing is gone, over the title and the family estate, that branch is certain to fall into chaos."

"Imperial affines are, after all, only affines. When family discipline is lax, such calamities follow."

Xu Yunzhen nodded slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "Your son understands. Our house of the Duke of Ding shall honor the legitimate and suppress the base-born, and will never tolerate such a wind that throws a family into disorder."

Xu Xigao nodded with satisfaction and continued,

"As for the house of the Respectful and Obedient Marquis — there is the true backbone of a military family."

A trace of approval showed in his eyes.

"Their forebears Wu Kezhong and Wu Keqin, at Tumu, followed the imperial carriage as the rear guard and fought to the death. Later, Wu Jin and Wu Cong, during the rebellion of Cao and Shi, both died for the realm defending Chang'an Gate. Among the loyal and valorous of the Great Ming's ennobled houses, since the reign of Chengzu, none surpass them."

He looked at Xu Yunzhen and shifted his tone.

"What does a moment's rashness matter? The strong wind reveals the sturdy grass; the great upheaval reveals the loyal minister. When the realm truly faces ruin, those you can truly rely on will be precisely such seemingly rash men of unyielding fire."

"You ranked him in the middle because you judged him from the perspective of ordinary days. But if you judge him by the great moral principles of our dynasty here and now, he should rank at the top."

Xu Yunzhen's face burned faintly. His father's words had shown him the limits of his own vision.

He hesitated a moment, then could not help asking, "Father, do you then think that this 'man versus land' question His Majesty raised — this question of the age — truly has no solution?"

Xu Xigao fell silent.

He gazed out the window, his eyes distant, as if piercing through time and space.

"A solution — there is one, in the end," he said slowly. "Campaigns, expansion, increasing production, and even the new policies His Majesty seems poised to launch... If the realm can truly be cleansed and our Great Ming's dynastic fortune extended by a hundred years, it is no difficult matter."

Xu Yunzhen could not help pressing further. "But what of a hundred years hence? That projection spoke of three hundred million people a hundred years from now. Even if we swallowed all our neighbors, how could we contain so many living souls?"

Xu Xigao shook his head and withdrew his gaze. "Do not think so far ahead. A hundred years from now, I will certainly be gone, and you will surely be gone as well. To do well the task before your eyes — that is the true principle."

He shifted his tone and returned to the earlier topic.

"Your ranking of Li Guozhen at the top just now was also off the mark."

"That boy has a glib tongue. His talents all skim the surface — he seems shrewd, but he has no taste for inquiring into practical matters and no willingness to do solid work. If this goes on, he will be nothing more than the next Zhao Kuo, all talk on paper. His accomplishments will be limited in the end."

These words, though seemingly about Li Guozhen, were in truth aimed at Xu Yunzhen himself.

Xu Yunzhen cupped his hands slightly and said, "Father's instruction is correct. Your son... has learned his lesson."

"If you are willing to change, that is good." Xu Xigao sighed. "You must remember: this new sovereign's eye is far sharper than we imagine. Ordinary boastful talk will not catch his discerning gaze."

Seeing his son's puzzled look, he explained, "All of you saw only this question of man and land, only these three sessions of the Daily Lecture. You did not notice when these statecraft documents first began to be circulated, nor how they guided the various ministers, step by step, to ponder these problems."

He paused, then said with emphasis, "It was the thirtieth day of the eighth month! The sixth day after His Majesty ascended the throne!"

"This so-called question of man and land is merely the final result. These statecraft documents are what His Majesty truly means to grasp."

"This matter is far from as simple as you perceive."

Xu Xigao picked up a thick bound volume from the writing desk and handed it over.

"These are all the versions of every statecraft document, each time they were submitted, that His Majesty corrected and sent back. You are to read through every single one from the beginning."

"Do not only look at the final documents. You must also see, throughout the process, what exactly His Majesty favored, what he detested, and what he ultimately means to seize hold of!"

"Understood?!"

Xu Yunzhen accepted it with reverence and said in a deep voice, "Your son will read it tonight."

"Not only read it — you must also write." Xu Xigao's tone brooked no dissent. "Choose a topic yourself and draft a policy essay. When it's done, bring it to me for review."

"Ah?" Xu Yunzhen froze. "Father, didn't we say there was no rush?"

"'No rush' does not mean no practice." Xu Xigao's gaze sharpened. "If the moment truly comes and you cannot write the essay, cannot handle the matter, and cannot be lifted up even when pushed — that would be the greatest joke of all!"

"Your son... understands!" Xu Yunzhen nodded emphatically.

Only then was Xu Xigao satisfied. He lifted his teacup, took a sip, and continued the examination.

"The matter of the Earl of Xiangcheng — what do you make of it?"

Xu Yunzhen steadied himself and laid out his analysis in measured tones.

"The Capital Camps must be overhauled. The Marquis of Baoding, Liang Shixun, is unlikely to hold his position much longer."

"Among the capital's noble houses, those qualified to take over are none other than the Marquis of Lingbi, Tang Guozuo, who commands the Red Helm Generals, and the Earl of Xiangcheng, Li Shouqi, who commands the Great Han Generals."

"The Marquis of Lingbi would seem more suitable, since the Red Helm Generals are already within the Capital Camps structure. But he built a living shrine for Wei Zhongxian — a stain that cannot be washed away. His Majesty will likely not choose him."

"Therefore, your son believes that going with the current and lending the Earl of Xiangcheng a hand would be appropriate."

"Mm, that is a sound analysis." Xu Xigao nodded, a rare gesture. "On the Earl of Xiangcheng's matter, I will find an opportunity to put in a word at the palace. However, whether it succeeds or not still depends on His Majesty's inclination. It is hard to say."

Xu Yunzhen, seeing that today's examination had finally earned some approval, grew bolder and voiced the greatest doubt in his heart.

"Father, what exactly is His Majesty's view of us nobles now? Why do all the memorials we submit sink like stones into the sea?"

This was the question that concerned all the nobles most.

In the overhaul of the Valiant Guard Camp, there was no place for the nobles.

The Duke of Ying, Zhang Weixian, proposed selecting and examining noble sons; His Majesty agreed verbally, yet no follow-up came, while on the civil official and Depot-Guard side, things proceeded with great vigor.

The memorial on overhauling the Capital Camps was submitted — retained in the palace, unanswered.

The two memorials on gambling and banditry — retained in the palace, unanswered.

Even the memorials submitted by several more proactive noble houses on reorganizing the capital region's guard stations and rectifying the frontier payroll quotas were also retained in the palace, unanswered.

The Emperor's attitude was like a dense fog, impossible for any noble to see through clearly.

"It is precisely because we do not know that we have no place to start."

Xu Xigao let out a long sigh.

"So, although the Earl of Xiangcheng was somewhat hasty, letting him go probe the path is not necessarily a bad thing."

"Then what of Zhang Zhiji of the Duke of Ying's house? He is more impatient than anyone — he's even gone and gotten himself mixed up as one of those so-called Five Sons of Statecraft!" Xu Yunzhen could not help saying.

Xu Xigao looked at his son's eager expression and suddenly smiled. "What, can you not hold back either? Do you also wish to go answer that Question for the Realm?"

A trace of embarrassment flickered across Xu Yunzhen's face, but he still nodded. "An opportunity to leave one's name in the histories — your son indeed... finds his heart itching unbearably."

"The gentleman keeps his vessel concealed upon his person and moves only when the time is right." Xu Xigao shook his head. "I told you, when judging a man, look at his family's tradition."

"Whom do you think Zhang Zhiji got that restless temperament from? In his youth, the Duke of Ying was even more rash than he is. Their family's tradition has always been thus — like a drawn sword, its edge fully bared."

"Our house, the Duke of Ding's house, must walk a different path."

"We must wait a while longer."

Xu Yunzhen sighed and asked, somewhat unwilling to let it go, "Then what exactly is our Duke of Ding's house waiting for?"

Xu Xigao fell silent for a long time, his gaze deep as the sea.

"For now, we wait on two matters."

"First, to see how His Majesty deals with the Marquis of Fengcheng, Li Chengzuo. When the traitor Wei was in power, this man clung to him with all his might, even submitting a memorial requesting that Wei Zhongxian be granted the Nine Bestowments. How His Majesty handles him will reveal certain things."

"Second, to see when His Majesty will truly begin selecting and examining noble sons. Even if he grants no military authority, the Capital Camps, the Imperial Guard, the capital region's guard stations — surely he can let us move a little, use us a little? He cannot let the armor of the Great Han Generals rust away."

Xu Yunzhen, hearing this, grew even more dejected. "Then what can your son do now? I cannot go out and play mahjong with them every day, can I? Among that crowd, there are barely any men of use — no interesting play to be made."

"From tomorrow onward, you will not be going to play mahjong." Xu Xigao's tone was calm.

"I have already secured you a position as a Gentleman Attendant of the Cavalry. Starting tomorrow, you will enter the palace for duty."

"Remember: watch more, listen more, speak little. Do not fight to stand out, but do not be the worst either. Do your assigned duties well, and wait quietly."

Xu Yunzhen was still unwilling to let it go. "Then how long must your son wait in the palace before he can stand out?"

Xu Xigao fell silent again.

This time, his silence lasted even longer.

The light inside the pavilion gradually dimmed, etching the wrinkles on his face more deeply.

"First, wait for the Grand Court Assembly on the first day of the tenth month. It will be His Majesty's second Grand Court Assembly since his accession."

"This new sovereign acts only for practical gain. He is likely not holding this assembly for the sake of ritual — otherwise he would not have held none at all in the ninth month. And the memorials submitted regarding the assembly have all been retained in the palace, unanswered."

"I fear that when the time comes, something different will emerge once again..."

He paused, as if weighing an exceedingly weighty phrase.

"Furthermore..."

"It would be best to wait until His Majesty... has an heir."

Xu Yunzhen was jolted with shock and abruptly raised his head.

Xu Xigao's voice turned incomparably dry and heavy.

"When the nest is overturned, can any egg remain whole?"

"Our Great Ming has lost three emperors in the span of ten years. The line of the Guangzong Emperor has always been frail in constitution."

"Should there be another... unspeakable event, the throne could only be chosen from the other princely lines descended from the Shenzong Emperor."

He closed his eyes, the wrinkles on his face folding layer upon layer.

"When that day comes — the strife between men and land, the struggle for the throne, the war between the Donglin and the eunuch faction, all these fires blazing at once... the collapse of this dynasty may well be before our very eyes!"

"Father... how could it come to that!" Xu Yunzhen's voice trembled.

"I wish it were otherwise myself." Xu Xigao opened his eyes, exhaustion filling them. "But in Beijing, since the Duke of Ying takes the urgent path, I can only take the deliberate one."

"If the worst should happen, and the Duke of Ying falls, at least our House of the Duke of Ding will still be here to hold things up."

"One urgent, one deliberate — that is the way of balance."

He turned his head and looked gravely at his son.

"Of course…"

"If it truly reaches the point beyond remedy, then our House of the Duke of Ding shall naturally rest with the dynasty, and stand or fall together with this realm and its altars."

"Yunzhen, your father is already old. If that day ever comes, I fear you will have to bear the weight of this house."

He drew a breath and continued:

"Set everything else aside. Remember only this one thing…"

"You are the descendant of Xu Da, Prince of Zhongshan! You are of the Duke of Ding line, personally established by the Chengzu imperial line!"

"At the moment of life and death, do not disgrace the mighty name of our ancestors!"

"Father!" Xu Yunzhen turned pale with shock and tried to speak further.

"Withdraw now!"

Xu Xigao cut him off with a sharp wave of his hand, his voice stern.

"Put yourself in proper order. Tomorrow you report to the palace for duty. Do not shame my face. Do not shame the face of the House of the Duke of Ding!"

Though a thousand words filled his heart, Xu Yunzhen could only swallow them. He bowed deeply and withdrew, backing out of the room.

In the tower chamber, Xu Xigao was alone once more.

He walked slowly to the window and gazed out at the ancient pine in the courtyard, standing firm against the wind for a hundred years, and said nothing.

Only after a long while did he raise his hand and gently touch the rim of his eye socket. The spot where a fist had struck him in his youth seemed to ache faintly again.

"Zhang Weixian… I never thought you would surpass me in the raising of a son."

(End of Chapter)