Chapter 24: A Thousand Tangled Threads — Where to Begin?

On the way back to Qianqing Palace, the sedan chair swayed gently. Zhu Youjian closed his eyes to rest, but his thoughts were churning.

Today was already the third day since his enthronement. Through various maneuvers and leveraging of forces, he had barely managed to paper together a governing team.

Wang Tiqian at the Eastern Depot and Tian Ergeng at the Embroidered Uniform Guard were now diligent and cautious, but that was merely suppression by power.

Authority cannot stand without awe, nor solidify without grace.

If one truly expects to sustain loyalty through fear alone, then one is truly not far from death.

On this point, the Longevity God-Emperor, when strangled into unconsciousness by a dozen palace maids, surely would have agreed most heartily.

As for the nobility, with some tears and trust, he seemed to have brought Zhang Weixian over to his side.

But the Duke of Ying, a guardian entrusted across three reigns, could still manage to flex his authority and raise his voice at court.

Once reforms that truly tear flesh from bone begin, will he still offer his full support as he does today?

The Great Ming's four dukes and scores of marquises and earls, though long in decline now that recruited soldiers prevail,

still have old ties spread everywhere within the guard station system, tangled roots and crisscrossing branches — pull one hair and the whole body moves.

Among them, surely not all are muddled and decrepit. There must be some ambitious, unwilling men who could be used?

As for the civil officials, by holding the corruption list without striking, and personally directing two memorable scenes, he should have given these cleverest men of the Great Ming a preliminary measure of himself.

But usable does not mean easy to use.

The batch of officials Tianqi left behind were mostly spineless weaklings with shattered bones — a good thing, since it helped him smoothly take over authority.

Yet in this realm, those who can get things done always tend to have some integrity as well…

Once those hard-boned men whom Wei Zhongxian had banished are one by one recalled to the capital, a new round of factional strife will likely begin again.

Zhu Youjian sighed softly inside the sedan chair.

With such a simple sorting-out, the team he had papered together over these two days, though seemingly functioning normally,

was in truth no more than a castle in the air, a fortress on sand — one push and it would collapse.

What came next had to be driven deeper still, done the hard way.

On one hand, he must slowly replace people, gradually refining the team's caliber.

On the other hand, he must produce concrete achievements.

Since ancient times, apart from a freak like Wang Mang, hardly any founding emperor ever talked his way to the throne — they were all men of action.

Only, where to begin next?

Just as his thoughts were myriad and he could not quite sort them out, the sedan chair slowly came to a halt.

"Your Majesty, Qianqing Palace."

Zhu Youjian opened his eyes. Before he could speak, he heard from afar a string of laughter ringing out from the palace, clear and pleasing.

Hearing this laughter, a trace of tender warmth unconsciously softened his taut face.

He waved his hand, signaling the eunuchs bearing the sedan and the accompanying guards to keep silent, then lightly stepped down from the sedan himself and walked alone toward the palace doors.

He quietly stood outside the hall doors and peered inside.

There sat Zhou Yu sideways on the couch, listening with rapt attention as Ma Wenke recounted the day's events at court.

At this moment, Ma Wenke had just reached the scene of sovereign and minister in perfect accord.

He even straightened up, cupped his hands in salute, and declared, "It was at this very moment that His Majesty likewise bowed in salute and said in a ringing voice — 'If you do not fail me, I shall never fail you!'"

His imitation was quite vivid, drawing another peal of soft laughter from Zhou Yu.

She sat to one side, bright-eyed and white-toothed, her gaze sparkling as it moved — for a moment, she seemed almost entranced.

"My husband, to be such a great man… those so-called sage and enlightened sovereigns in the histories, I imagine, could be no more than this…"

Before the words had fully faded, she grew embarrassed herself, as if such blunt praise were too mortifying.

She hurriedly gave a light cough to cover the blush on her face, then laughed and said, "You haven't captured His Majesty's spirit at all. Let me try instead."

With that, she rose, clasped her hands behind her back, raised her brows, and said with deadpan gravity: "The faults of a gentleman are like eclipses of the sun and moon…"

As she recited, she strode with measured, square steps, putting on a most earnest performance.

But after just two steps, she looked up — and saw Zhu Youjian standing at the hall doors, beaming, his eyes full of teasing mischief.

"Ah!"

Zhou Yu's face instantly flushed crimson, the color rushing from her cheeks to the very tips of her ears.

Seeing Zhu Youjian doubled over with laughter on the spot, and Gao Shiming behind him likewise struggling to keep a straight face,

Zhou Yu's embarrassment at once turned to indignation.

She bit her silver teeth, planted both hands on her hips, and could not help but scold him then and there: "Prince Xin! Prince Xin! You… you are too much!"

Zhu Youjian could hold back no longer.

He strode forward in a few steps, stretched out his long arms, and pulled the still-stamping beauty tightly into his embrace.

"My dear Changqiu, you imitated it so well." He pressed close to her ear, his warm breath tickling her.

"If my beloved consort enjoys listening, tonight I shall speak it for your ears alone — how would that be?"

At these words, Zhou Yu was so overcome with shyness that all strength left her. She shrank into a ball, burying her face deep in his chest, not daring to look up at him.

The two lingered in tender play for a while longer before Zhu Youjian gently patted her back and said softly, "Alright, rest for now. Once I finish handling the remaining matters, I will take you on a proper tour of this imperial palace."

Only then did Zhou Yu reluctantly withdraw from his embrace and step aside, her face still flushed.

Gao Shiming, who had been standing in attendance for quite some time, saw this and immediately stepped forward with understanding, bowing to report.

"Your Majesty, there are three matters to present to you."

Zhu Youjian, hearing this, felt a surge of approval in his heart.

After attending just one meeting with him, the man had already picked up, without being taught, something of the reporting techniques of later ages.

The clever people of this era, setting aside breadth of knowledge, were truly not much inferior to modern men.

"Speak."

"The first matter concerns a plaque."

"That plaque you ordered the Imperial Accessory Workshop to make — 'My Wei Zheng' — has been completed. This slave has already sent men to carry it out of the palace gate, through Chengtian Gate, along East Chang'an Avenue, then turning into Mingzhao Ward, to deliver it to Grand Secretary Li's residence."

Gao Shiming paused, then added, "Along the way, I imagine the officials and commoners of the capital will all be able to see it."

Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction. "Good. A pillar of the state such as this should be proclaimed to the four seas, so that all under Heaven may know of him."

He shifted tone, looking at Gao Shiming with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Only, We did not expect the story of this morning's court session to reach the inner palace so quickly. I wonder, though — will it also spread until everyone in the capital and the surrounding environs knows of it?"

Gao Shiming was a man of the keenest perception and immediately grasped his meaning. He smiled and answered, "This slave would not know. But I imagine that tales of a sage sovereign and worthy ministers are always what the common people love to hear most. Likely they need no one to teach them — the stories spread on their own."

Talking with clever people really did save effort.

Even matters difficult to state outright — he could grasp his meaning and handle them impeccably.

At that moment, Zhou Yu, who had been standing to the side, could no longer contain her curiosity and spoke up. "Your Majesty, are you truly so certain that Grand Secretary Li is a loyal minister? To bestow such grand and public praise — what if… what if he is merely…"

She could not quite bring herself to finish, but her meaning was perfectly clear.

Zhu Youjian heard this and let out a hearty laugh. He reached out and tousled Zhou Yu's hair, saying gently, "That my beloved consort would ask such a question shows that you truly cherish Us."

His expression then turned solemn. His gaze swept over Zhou Yu and Gao Shiming as he said in a deep voice, "In this world, to judge righteousness and wickedness, one need only look at a man's deeds. You must understand, the noble man is judged by his actions, not his heart — if one judged the heart, there would be no flawless person in the world."

"When a ruler employs men, he need only look at what they have done, and whether it benefits the state and the people. There is no need to speculate on the true thoughts within their hearts, and still less to engage in that sort of groundless, 'maybe-it-happened' suspicion."

"If a minister shows Us loyalty, We repay him with trust."

"If one day he reveals a treacherous tail, We shall punish him with the law."

"So long as rewards and punishments are clear, and good faith stands firm, worthy ministers will naturally rise and the wicked will fall."

In his heart, he sighed quietly. There was a second half to that thought he did not speak aloud: Even if Li Guopu was merely putting on an act today, that was fine too. So long as he could keep acting for a lifetime, then the false would become the true.

Zhou Yu murmured to herself at his side, "The noble man is judged by his actions, not his heart…"

She lifted her head, her eyes shining with admiration. "Your Majesty, those words truly pierce to the very principles of the human heart."

Gao Shiming, too, savored the flavor of the words. He looked up and praised from the heart, "Your Majesty's words are truly a vision that sees ten thousand li."

A flicker of awkwardness, barely perceptible, crossed Zhu Youjian's face.

What… had no one in this era said that line? Could it have been coined by someone in the Qing dynasty, or in modern times?

He could not be sure, and dared not show off with this, afraid of being struck by retrospective lightning. He could only let it pass with a vague murmur.

He gave a dry cough and turned his head, signaling Gao Shiming to continue.

"The second matter concerns delivering a message."

Gao Shiming went on,

"This slave has already arranged for a reliable man. Once Grand Secretary Li finishes his duty and returns home, the man will approach and pass on the word."

"He is to ask him to write down the current state of corruption and his ideas for governance into a booklet, and submit it directly as a personal memorial, sent secretly into the palace."

Zhu Youjian nodded.

Curbing corruption was never anything new.

From the Wanli era to Tianqi, and even in the Chongzhen period of the history he remembered — which reign had not proclaimed it would curb corruption?

The reason he was conveying this message so obliquely was merely a shallow probe.

If Li Guopu wished to follow the path of the traditional upright remonstrator, he would certainly denounce such a secret imperial directive.

If his moral purism was not so extreme and he accepted the directive, that would mean he could also accept the role of a close confidant, an isolated minister — so long as his name could be recorded gloriously in the histories.

Upright remonstrators had their uses; close confidants had theirs.

To him, it made no difference either way — only that each must be employed in the right place.

In any case, so long as a man was talented, if he reached Zhu Youjian's hands and did not have at least thirty percent of his value squeezed out of him, it would be an insult to all the blood and tears of those who had toiled like oxen and horses in later ages.

"The third matter concerns the confiscation of properties."

Gao Shiming's voice dropped slightly. "This morning, Wang Tiqian and Tian Ergeng both came to report."

"The family assets of those corrupt men within the Wei faction, the Ke faction, and the Depot and Guard have all been sealed and are currently being inventoried."

"The appraisal of houses, shops, farmland deeds, as well as antiques, curios, calligraphy, and paintings, will still require some time. However, the silver cash already seized totals…"

Zhu Youjian cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No rush. Tell them to do the work meticulously. Compile it together with the proceeds from the confiscations of Cui Chengxiu and those seven chief traitorous criminals, and then submit a single summary."

He patted Gao Shiming on the shoulder and sighed quietly. "The affairs of state are arduous. We do not wish to create excessive slaughter. So long as the work is done capably, We will not, in the end, treat those who render meritorious service unfairly…"

A glint flashed in Gao Shiming's eyes as he smoothly picked up the thread. "Your Majesty's benevolent heart — I am certain those two will understand it well."

Zhu Youjian nodded, then thought carefully. He felt that today's matters should all be more or less handled.

A warm smile appeared on his face as he looked earnestly at Gao Shiming.

"Companion Gao, you have worked hard these past few days. Henceforth, before Us, refer to yourself as 'old servant.' There is no need to call yourself 'this slave' any longer."

At these words, Gao Shiming's face instantly flooded with emotion and gratitude. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling. "This slave… this slave would not dare!"

Zhu Youjian said nothing, only looked at him with a smile.

Gao Shiming kowtowed, and in the end, changed his form of address. "Old servant… old servant thanks Your Majesty for your heavenly grace!"

Zhu Youjian stepped forward, personally helped Gao Shiming to his feet, and patted his hand warmly.

"The affairs of state are arduous. In the days ahead, We shall have to rely all the more on you, Companion…"

Zhou Yu watched this scene, but a look of hesitation and inner conflict appeared on her face.

Zhu Youjian, sharply perceptive, noticed it and smiled. "What is it? My beloved consort seems to have something to say?"

Zhou Yu blushed under his gaze, but still mustered her courage, stepped forward, and said, "This subject consort… this subject consort also has a matter to report!"

With that, she hurried over to the imperial desk, picked up several booklets from among the stacks of documents, and walked quickly back.

"Yesterday, Your Majesty ordered this subject consort to investigate the critical posts throughout the palace. This subject consort believes the matter of the guards is the most urgent. Yet… yet upon closer inspection…" She hesitated here.

"What is it?" Zhu Youjian asked.

"This subject consort feels that this matter is not so simple." Zhou Yu's expression became serious. "The origins of the palace guards are far too mixed, and their numbers far exceed what one would imagine. I fear this is not something that can be sorted out clearly in a short time."

With that, she opened the booklet in her hands and began to read it out in earnest.

"The personnel serving as close-in bodyguards are as follows:"

"From the Embroidered Uniform Guard, one thousand five hundred Han Grand Guardsmen, of whom three hundred and twenty-five are on rotating duty."

"From the Three Thousand Camp, one thousand five hundred Red-Helmet Generals, of whom seven hundred and fifty are on rotating duty."

"From the Three Thousand Camp, five hundred Bright-Armor Generals, of whom two hundred and forty are on rotating duty."

"From the Five Armies Camp, three thousand Encirclement Guards, of whom one thousand are on rotating duty."

"From the Front Guard of the Princely Armies, forty Sword-Bearing Officers, of whom twenty are on rotating duty."

"From the Banner-Bearers and the other twenty guards, one hundred and eighty Sword-Bearing Officers, of whom forty are on rotating duty."

"From the Retinue of Mounted Attendants of the Dispersed Ranks, eight, of whom four are on rotating duty."

At first, Zhu Youjian wore a faint smile, watching with appreciation as Zhou Yu earnestly delivered her report.

But the more he listened, the tighter his brow furrowed, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

When Zhou Yu finished reading, he turned to Gao Shiming, who stood solemnly to one side, and asked, his voice now somewhat heavy: "Of all these many sources, which contingent is currently on duty in Our immediate presence?"

Gao Shiming hastily replied: "In reply to Your Majesty, it is the Han Grand Guardsmen of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Zhu Youjian asked again: "Those four hundred personal guards We brought from the Prince Xin Residence — where are they stationed now?"

Gao Shiming answered: "They were originally Embroidered Uniform Guard Banner Officers seconded to the Prince Xin Residence. Only, having not yet received Your Majesty's decree, they have not been incorporated into the palace guard system. Their unit designation still remains under the Prince Xin Residence."

"For now, they are merely serving alongside the Han Grand Guardsmen on close-in duty, in accordance with Your Majesty's prior arrangements."

Zhu Youjian took the register from Zhou Yu's hands and began leafing through it carefully.

The relaxed mood he had been in earlier had now vanished without a trace.

Here, above the Ninth Heaven, within the great inner sanctum of the imperial palace, the guard force upon which the life and safety of the supreme Emperor of the Great Ming's Two Capitals and Thirteen Provinces depended was actually this sort of patched-together, chaotic, utterly absurd structure?!

He counted carefully — the close-in bodyguards alone came from seven different sources! And if one added the twenty-two Upper-Direct Guards who defended the Imperial City and the palace gates, it was even more unmanageable.

When the dynasty was first founded, the founding Emperor's authority was awe-inspiring and the institutions were strict. Devising such a system of checks and balances, with commands issuing from multiple channels, was meant to prevent anyone from completely controlling the palace guard and staging another "Incident at Xuanwu Gate."

But now the dynasty was decrepit, men's hearts were restless, and this whole apparatus had utterly collapsed!

The various guard stations were militarily decrepit; the practices of drawing empty salaries and impersonation were endless. The so-called imperial guard had long since rotted to the core.

No wonder there had been palace intrusion cases like those of "Wang the Minister" and "Zhang Cha" during the Wanli era…

What sort of strictly guarded Forbidden City was this? It was clearly nothing but a broken thatched hut, leaking wind from every side!

In an instant, all those grand affairs of state he had been pondering on the way back to the palace — replacing personnel, establishing meritorious enterprises — were all flung beyond the Ninth Heaven.

Chao Cuo put it well: the most intractable peril under Heaven is that which appears peaceful and uneventful, yet conceals an unforeseen catastrophe.

Now, every issue had to yield precedence to one single matter — grip the blade, and grip it well!

His thoughts having reached this point, he betrayed nothing on his face. He turned back to Zhou Yu and forced a smile: "My beloved consort has truly put her heart into this."

Zhou Yu said, a little embarrassed: "Not at all. Eunuch Gao helped me a great deal."

Zhu Youjian laughed heartily, closed the register, and appeared completely unconcerned: "This matter is not urgent. The day is still young. Today, We shall first take you on a tour of this great palace inner sanctum."

He strode toward the hall's exterior, his voice resonant.

"Attendants! Saddle a horse!"

From behind him came a startled, low cry from Zhou Yu.

"Ah? Your Majesty… I — I don't know how to ride…"