Chapter 171: The People

"Secondly…"

Lai Zongdao focused his entire attention, awaiting the new command.

The first matter today had already been such a raging torrent — what, then, would this second matter be?

Zhu Youjian's gaze slowly swept across the assembled officials below the dais, and his voice rang out, calm and steady:

"We have discovered that our dynasty currently has numerous reward ordinances promulgated against the Jurchen."

He paused briefly, as if giving everyone a moment to recall.

"In the second year of Tianqi, it was declared: 'He who captures the barbarian chieftain shall be enfeoffed as Duke; he who captures a son of the chieftain shall be enfeoffed as Marquis — both with hereditary succession.'"

"In the fifth year of Tianqi, the reward was further elevated, stating: 'Any civil or military official who can annihilate the barbarian chieftain and recover Liaoyang shall, in accordance with the precedent of the Duke of Qian in Yunnan, be promoted and enfeoffed as Duke of the State, hereditarily guarding Liaoyang.'"

"It further stated: 'Even a knight-errant or assassin who can secretly purchase the barbarian chieftain's head and return to offer up the territory — his hereditary noble title and enfiefment shall likewise be as above.'"

Zhu Youjian recited line by line, his tone flat, as if he were merely repeating words from a dossier.

Many officials in the hall nodded slightly; they had mostly heard these reward ordinances — one could say they were known to all.

Enfeoffment as Duke or Marquis, hereditarily guarding Liaoyang — what kind of gracious reward was this! Enough to drive any military man under heaven to madness.

Yet, just as everyone assumed the Emperor was merely reiterating the reward ordinances to boost morale, Zhu Youjian shifted his tone and let out a long sigh.

"However…"

He paused for a moment, a trace of complex, inscrutable emotion flickering in his eyes.

"Have these reward ordinances truly been of any use?"

"In the Valiant Guard Camp, We too once used the reward of Duke and Marquis to spur them on, and at first We also felt the army's morale was greatly roused."

"But then, We personally took part in the drills and martial reviews every day, and spoke heart-to-heart with the various officers — only then did We learn that this heaven-storming wealth and honor had, in their eyes, already become a joke."

The moment these words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked.

Without waiting for the officials to recover from their astonishment, Zhu Youjian gave a slight nod to Gao Shiming beside him.

"Companion Gao, you speak."

"This slave obeys the decree." Gao Shiming stepped forward, drew a thin booklet from his sleeve, and slowly began to address the assembled officials:

"The Directorate of Ceremonial, by imperial order, has examined the reward ordinances of past reigns."

"In the thirty-fourth year of Jiajing, when the Wokou pirates were a scourge, the court posted an ordinance: 'He who can capture and behead Wang Zhi and present him shall be enfeoffed as Earl, rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver, and appointed as a Camp Officer or Garrison Commander with substantive command.'"

Gao Shiming's voice echoed through the silent hall. He raised his eyes, swept his gaze across the assembly, and then continued:

"The then Governor-General of Zhejiang and Zhili, Hu Zongxian, used stratagems and captured Wang Zhi."

"However, Hu Zongxian was later implicated and imprisoned due to the Yan Song case. This earldom, in the end, was never bestowed."

"In the forty-first year of Jiajing, Hu Zongxian composed a poem in prison — 'The treasured sword is buried in wrongful grievance, my loyal soul winds about the white clouds' — and took his own life with a blade."

"It was not until the seventeenth year of Wanli that the Shenzong Emperor finally redressed his case and restored his official rank and title."

After this first story was told, a stir had already begun to ripple through the hall.

Gao Shiming paid no heed to these reactions and continued in his flat, matter-of-fact tone.

"In the twentieth year of Wanli, during the campaign to aid Korea, the court's reward ordinance stated: 'He who can capture and behead the two villains — the Kampaku, Taira no Hideyoshi, and the demon monk, Genso — and present them, shall be richly rewarded with a full marquisate.'"

"Though this campaign was victorious, the two villains were not captured, so no noble titles were discussed — this was also quite ordinary."

"That same year, Bobai of Ningxia rebelled. The court's reward ordinance stated: 'He who can behead Bobai and his son, Bo Cheng'en, shall be granted a marquisate or earldom in perpetuity.'"

"In that campaign, Bobai hanged himself, and Bo Cheng'en surrendered. Yet the reward of marquisate and earldom was never honored."

"In the twenty-seventh year of Wanli, the Bozhou tusi Yang Yinglong rebelled. A reward ordinance was again set: 'Any man, whether Han or native, who slays the rebel and renders meritorious service, may be favored with a hereditary noble title.'"

"In that campaign, Yang Yinglong also hanged himself. Yet the reward of a hereditary noble title was still never honored."

Having finished reading, Gao Shiming closed the booklet and silently withdrew back to Zhu Youjian's side.

The entire Wuying Hall sank into a strange and eerie atmosphere.

These matters — the younger officials might not know them, but among the Grand Secretaries, Ministers, and ennobled nobles present, who did not?

Yet knowing was one thing; having them laid bare, one by one, item by item, before the full assembly of civil and military officials, was another matter entirely.

And what was even more bizarre… these were problems caused by Your Majesty's grandfather and great-grandfather!

Was it truly proper to speak so bluntly to their face like this?

In the Great Ming, whether a noble title could be granted — though the civil officials had a say — ultimately still depended on the Emperor's attitude.

The civil officials, to some degree, merely found suitable justifications for the Emperor's decisions.

If one were to say that in all the cases and persons mentioned above, the merit was too low to warrant enfeoffment —

then when a new sovereign ascends the throne, his maternal relatives, without having achieved the slightest merit, start at minimum with an earldom, and after a few more years can even reach a marquisate — what does that count as?

And Wei Zhongxian's faction was directly granted three noble titles — Duke of Ning, Marquis of Dong'an, and Earl of Anping — what does that count as?

The new sovereign's speech, though never once mentioning his ancestors by name, was, line by line, a stab in their backs.

Especially those old ministers who had walked the path all the way from the Wanli reign — what they heard stirred an indescribable mix of feelings in their hearts.

What the new sovereign had said was truly…

Truly so satisfying!

Tap. Tap.

Zhu Youjian's fingers lightly rapped the imperial desk, pulling everyone's thoughts back.

He waited until the hall had fallen completely silent, then slowly spoke.

"In governing the people and commanding subordinates, nothing is more correct than the law; in establishing laws and promulgating teachings, nothing is greater than reward and punishment."

"To post an ordinance and then renege on it — that is the ruin of the state's credibility!"

"If, when a crisis looms and danger is pressing, you hastily post reward ordinances — marquisates and earldoms not even sufficing, you go so far as to offer dukedoms, even promising a million taels of gold — what use is it then?"

"Once the matter is settled, the noble title is also settled — dismissed. Who under heaven could still believe in such posted rewards?!"

"In the end, it is nothing more than a scrap of empty paper!"

His gaze blazed like a torch, sweeping over every man present.

"Therefore, the second matter the Ministry of Rites is to deliberate today is this very matter of bestowing noble titles!"

"The promises of the past went unfulfilled — We shall now fulfill them!"

"The rewards of the past went unissued — We shall now issue them!"

"We shall restore the dynasty's prestige, so that all under Heaven may witness Our sincerity in rewarding merit and Our resolve to save the nation!"

Zhu Youjian's gaze came to rest upon Lai Zongdao.

"For every campaign since the Jiajing era where rewards were publicly proclaimed, the Ministry of Rites is to re-examine the merits. Every proclamation must be rewarded; every reward must be honored!"

"Where the individuals and officials concerned are now largely deceased, locate their descendants and let them receive the reward in their father's stead."

"What the fathers went unrewarded for, let their sons and grandsons inherit the merit. Whether hereditary titles or life titles, duke, marquis, or count — We shall not begrudge any of them!"

"Can the Ministry of Rites accomplish this?!"

Lai Zongdao raised his head, at last fully jolted awake from his earlier excitement at leaving a name in the annals of history.

This was the first time he had ever scrutinized the young monarch upon the throne with such seriousness.

A hundred emotions surged through his heart — awe before the sovereign's mettle, a sigh for the governance of bygone days, but more than anything, an unprecedented sense of duty.

This was no hot potato; this was a thousand-jin burden — to right the altars of state and win back the hearts of the people!

Lai Zongdao drew a deep breath, stepped out from behind his desk, and performed a ritual obeisance of the utmost solemnity before Zhu Youjian.

"This subject reports to Your Majesty: the Ministry of Rites can accomplish this!"

His voice rang with steely resolve, without the slightest trace of hesitation.

"Good!"

Zhu Youjian laughed heartily upon hearing this.

"Then the task of restoring the dynasty's prestige shall rest upon your shoulders, Minister Lai!"

He turned to Gao Shiming. "Issue the decree!"

Gao Shiming bowed in acknowledgment, and bearing the edict, strode briskly down to stand before Lai Zongdao.

Lai Zongdao extended both hands and solemnly received that weighty edict.

Two decrees issued, and he was now won over, heart and soul.

The hearts of men, the hearts of men!

This sovereign was simply born to be Emperor!