Chapter 30: Profit Is What All Human Hearts Alike Desire

The military formations, which had been somewhat chaotic moments before, gradually fell into orderly ranks under the stern shouts of the company commanders and platoon officers at every level.

Nearly a thousand soldiers drawn from the Four Guards Camp and the Valiant Guard Camp were divided into several dozen square formations, each occupying a section of the drill ground.

Targets were arrayed everywhere, warhorses neighed, and the roar of voices surged — a scene of tremendous bustle and excitement.

Zhu Youjian sat upright on the imperial seat atop the review platform, his gaze sweeping calmly over everything below.

Before long, a faint haze of dust rose in the distance as a mounted column came galloping swiftly toward them.

At its head was none other than Gao Shiming, followed by a retinue of junior eunuchs carrying several heavy wooden chests.

Gao Shiming trotted up the high platform and, still catching his breath, reported: "Your Majesty, the silver has all been transported here."

Zhu Youjian gave a slight nod but said nothing, merely pointing his riding crop casually toward the front of the platform.

Gao Shiming understood at once and immediately directed the junior eunuchs to carry the wooden chests to the very edge of the high platform, setting them out in a single row, then abruptly flung open their lids.

"Whoosh —"

In that instant, a dazzling blaze of white light burst forth.

The autumn sunlight poured down upon chest after chest packed with silver ingots, reflecting a brilliance so blindingly bright that one could scarcely keep one's eyes open.

Below the high platform, the soldiers standing nearest were the first to catch sight of this spectacle; after a brief moment of stunned silence, they erupted in irrepressible cries of astonishment.

"Good heavens! It's silver!"

"All of it silver! How much must there be!"

One told ten, ten told a hundred, and the news swept across the entire drill ground like the wind.

The already bustling drill ground instantly became like a wok of oil thrown into a spark — it boiled over completely.

Countless pairs of eyes swiveled in unison toward the high platform, their gazes brimming with greed, longing, and fervor.

Shouts of command, battle cries, and bellows of exertion mingled across the drill ground into a single din, more impassioned and intense than at any moment before.

Zhu Youjian watched all this with cold detachment, the corner of his mouth curving into the faintest hint of a smile.

His mind remained perfectly clear.

In this age, talk of loyalty to the sovereign or love of country was all far too vague, far too hollow.

For these common soldiers, who never had enough to eat or enough clothes to cover their bodies, those grand principles were far less real than a full meal or a new set of garments.

Profit is what all human hearts alike desire.

Hand out the silver in solid, tangible form — let them see real benefit, let them taste the sweetness — and loyalty and patriotism will follow naturally enough.

Yet, watching the scene below the platform begin to slip slightly out of control, Zhu Youjian's brow furrowed once more, almost without his noticing.

He suddenly recalled the absurd Zhuangyuan martial-selection contest in that Stephen Chow film from a later era.

Cheaters, backstabbers, and those fishing in troubled waters — they came in an endless stream.

When men's hearts chase after profit, it can be a driving force, but it can also breed chaos.

He had no desire to see the greater part of these tens of thousands of taels of his silver end up in the pockets of officers and local toughs, while the warriors who truly gave their all ended up with barely a few coppers to their name.

At this thought, he beckoned Gao Shiming over with a wave of his hand.

Gao Shiming immediately drew near and bent forward to receive his instructions.

"It's a disorderly mess down there — utterly unbecoming," Zhu Youjian said, his voice quiet yet carrying an authority that brooked no doubt.

"Take some capable eunuchs down with you and help the various platoon officers and company commanders restore order — I truly cannot set my mind at ease."

The words were phrased very obliquely, but Gao Shiming was far too shrewd a man not to grasp His Majesty's deeper meaning the moment he heard them.

This was no mere matter of restoring order; it was plainly a matter of sending men down to keep watch and prevent anyone from practicing favoritism, committing fraud, or skimming off the reward silver.

"This slave understands!"

Gao Shiming nodded emphatically, descended the platform at once, and began murmuring rapidly to a group of eunuchs.

In no time, those eunuchs slipped away like loaches into water, dispersing silently among the various drill areas and melting into the crowd.

Seeing the matter properly arranged, the tension that had been wound tight in Zhu Youjian finally eased a little.

He leaned back into the broad throne, feeling the warmth of the autumn sun upon him, and a wave of weariness stole quietly over him.

The night before, he, Zhou Yu, and Gao Shiming had together gone over the rosters of eunuchs in critical palace offices such as the dietary directorate and the imperial pharmacy.

In the end, they had worked all the way until the fourth watch and had only just managed to finish half of them.

Now that his mind relaxed, his eyelids began to droop.

Very well, he would take a brief nap.

He did not know how much time had passed when a burst of clamor jolted Zhu Youjian from his light sleep.

He opened his eyes and felt thoroughly refreshed, the earlier drowsiness swept clean away.

This young body really could take punishment — pull an all-nighter, catch a quick nap, and it was brimming with energy once more.

He lifted his eyes toward the drill ground and saw what seemed to be a disturbance in a corner to the east, where a crowd had gathered as if arguing over something.

It was simply too far away to make out clearly.

Not long after, the commotion over there gradually subsided, and a eunuch hurried up the high platform and whispered a few words into Gao Shiming's ear.

Gao Shiming listened, and his expression turned rather odd. He strode quickly before Zhu Youjian, bowed, and reported: "Your Majesty, it concerns a dull-witted fellow who tends horses at the Tianshi'an grazing grounds under the Directorate of the Imperial Horses. Having heard that today's review carried generous rewards, he too wished to compete and win some prize money."

"The platoon officer nearby saw that he was not a soldier of the two camps and shouted him down, refusing him entry. Who would have thought that the simpleton would lose his temper on the spot and actually knock the platoon officer to the ground? It took several soldiers working together to pin him down."

When Zhu Youjian heard this, far from growing angry, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Such an amusing affair! I rule all within the four seas — would I begrudge him this one share of prize money?"

He waved his hand, appearing exceedingly magnanimous: "Let him go! Let him compete! If his skills meet the standard, grant him the same reward as the soldiers of the two camps. I treat all men equally!"

"As decreed!"

The eunuch received the order and hurried back down again.

A moment later, from that very drill area where the disturbance had been, there suddenly burst forth wave after wave of irrepressible exclamations of wonder.

Those exclamations rose and fell one after another, like a stone cast into a lake sending out ripple after ripple, drawing sidelong glances from soldiers in the neighboring drill areas, until at last a great circle three or four layers deep had formed around it.

Zhu Youjian was burning with curiosity, but he lifted his teacup, gently skimmed the foam, and put on an air of perfect composure.

Yet inside, his heart was already racing with impatience…

Could this be one of those face-slapping spectacles where the dragon king returns home and smirks? I am quite interested myself!

The trials proceeded swiftly; in less than an hour, the inspections at each archery ground concluded one after another.

Several dozen supervising inner attendants, each leading a contingent of soldiers who had passed the trials, assembled beneath the high platform.

Gao Shiming and Xu Yingyuan descended from the platform in person, checked the names against the roster one by one, tallied the numbers, and only then remounted the platform with pleased expressions.

Holding a thick roster in both hands, Xu Yingyuan personally reported the results to Zhu Youjian, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"Reporting to Your Majesty! In this inspection, the Four Guards Camp and the Valiant Guard Camp, in total…"

"Those receiving the lower reward: two thousand two hundred and seventy-three men!"

"Those receiving the middle reward: six hundred and twelve men!"

"Those receiving the upper reward: twenty-eight men!"

At this point, he paused, glanced at Zhu Youjian, and only then continued hesitantly: "Those receiving… the special reward: one man."

"Oh?" Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow. "A special reward recipient? Could it be that horse-keeper?"

"It is precisely that man," Xu Yingyuan replied.

"Interesting." Zhu Youjian's interest was now thoroughly aroused. He rose to his feet and declared in a clear voice: "Good! Proclaim our decree — let these brave men ascend the platform to receive their rewards!"

The Tianshi Nunnery grazing grounds lay very close to the Tengxiang Four Guards' encampment; in fact, there were three such grazing grounds within Beijing, all under the jurisdiction of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses.

These "grazing grounds" were not for growing grass, but rather for storing fodder and bean-meal — they can be understood as warehouses for warhorse hay and beans.