Chapter 1297: An Examination That Produces a Crown Princess

The six personnel appointments connected to the Zheng family — Zheng Zhilong being ranked among the Three Excellencies, Zheng Sen entering the Grand Secretariat and taking charge of the Ministry of Works, Zheng Jing being appointed Military Governor of the Dongning Army, Zheng Cong (Zheng Sen's second son) being enfeoffed as Duke of Sulu, Zheng Du (Zheng Zhilong's third son) being sent out as Prefect of Quanzhou, and Zheng En (Zheng Zhilong's fourth son) being sent out as Prefect of Ryukyu (under the Dongning Army) — were all issued on the same day, the twenty-fifth day of the second month of the twentieth year of Hongxing.

For the Zheng family of Anping, this truly was six blessings arriving at once!

In addition, eleven young ladies of the Zheng family had made it into the top one hundred of the preliminary examination for the Jinling Women's University, greatly increasing the probability that the Crown Princess would come from the Zheng family.

The Zheng family's prestige at present could be called at its zenith, surpassing in one stroke the natal family of Empress Wu Sanmei, and becoming the foremost noble house of the Great Ming!

However, these were still extraordinary times — Wu Sangui, the elder brother of Empress Wu Sanmei, was still besieged by Li Dingguo at Lueyang, his fate unknown.

So the Zheng family, with its six blessings at the door, had to keep a low profile, lest they give the impression of a petty man riding high. Therefore the Zheng family did not hold grand banquets to celebrate, and even closed their gates and declined visitors — even the southern court officials of their own faction could not get through the gates of the Zheng family's great mansion in East Lake Town.

But being unable to enter the mansion gates did not mean there was no way to meet privately. East Lake Town was built along the water, and every great mansion built in East Lake Town was constructed by the water's edge, with a private dock, so that in leisure hours one could go boating on the lake.

A pleasure boat, decorated very plainly and looking somewhat worn, sailed silently across the lake surface near the Duke of Quan's mansion in the evening of the twenty-fifth, and finally glided into a secluded cove before coming to a stop. From the smokestack at the stern rose wisps of cooking smoke — clearly someone was dining aboard this pleasure boat.

And the owner of this deliberately understated pleasure boat was none other than the Grand Guardian, the Duke of Quan Who Overcomes Hardship, Zheng Zhilong.

"You certainly live frugally, old sir — this pleasure boat is so old and worn, and you still won't buy a new one? With six blessings at your door, you still won't treat everyone to rare delicacies, and just scoop up some fish and shrimp from East Lake to entertain your guests?"

The one holding a wine cup, looking at a table of plain river delicacies and fruits and vegetables while speaking in jest, was Luo Dagong, Minister of Foreign Affairs — the last zhuangyuan of the Great Ming. Already in his fifties this year, he had reached the age of preserving his health in pursuit of longevity, and had long ceased to care for rare delicacies.

"This is called keeping a low profile!" said Ji Kun, Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, flatly. "His Majesty's calculation has always been to use the north to control the south, yet among the eight ministers today, southerners hold five seats — only the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of War remain in northern hands. And now even the position of foremost noble house is about to be taken by southerners."

"That cannot be said so simply," said Shen Tingyang, who had just taken office at the Ministry of Revenue, shaking his head. "Among the Yingtian nobility, those who came from the north are still the majority — at least seven-tenths — and they are all military-merit houses, fierce and formidable!

Unlike us southern nobles, who mostly come from merchant, artisan, and scholar-official backgrounds. Even when we have military merit, it is naval military merit, which after all cannot compare to the army's."

His words were not meant to look down on the navy, but rather that the navy found it very difficult to play a decisive role in the political life of the Great Ming imperial court!

The Great Ming was a continental army state; the army numbered close to one million men. The navy, at its absolute fullest count, was fifty or sixty thousand, and all of it was stationed away from the capital — there were hardly any naval forces in Yingtian Prefecture or Wuhan Prefecture.

"But southerners have money!" said Ma Luan, son of Ma Shiying and Prefect of Wuhan, with a laugh. "The wealth of the realm gathers in the southeast. The rich merchants and great traders of a single ordinary southeastern prefecture can often match the number found in an entire northern province. With wealth one can establish schools on a grand scale and cultivate talent. In recent years, at the three great imperial universities of Yingtian, Wuhan, and Tianjin, as well as at Nanjing University, Nanyang University, and Beiyang University, southerners account for more than eighty percent of the students. Only the military ministry's academies are dominated by northerners."

As he spoke, he glanced again at Zheng Zhilong. "Now His Majesty wants to use examinations to select consorts for the Crown Prince and the various princes. I fear this Crown Princess will most likely be a talented southern lady!"

"That is not necessarily so!" said Imperial Son-in-law Zheng Jiangong, shaking his head, his brows knitting together. "Princess Kunxing says those two girls of the Wu family are both peerless beauties — not only beautiful, but alluring. They could rank among the top two of all the women sitting the examination!"

Under Zhu Cilang's impetus, Princess Kunxing and Princess Zhaoren had also received a new-style education, and their academic performance was quite good. So the two of them, along with Zhu Cilang's Noble Consorts Xu Erlin and Jin Dongzhu, and Zhu Cilang and Wu Sanmei's eldest daughter Zhu Tianfeng — already betrothed to Luo Xiushen's son Luo Kedi — five people in all, had also been pressed into service by Zhu Cilang to participate in the preparation and admissions work for the Jinling Women's University. If they could master the Women's University teaching materials under Zhu Cixuan's tutelage, then they would also become teachers at the Women's University, becoming China's first generation of professional women.

And the two girls the Wu family had sent to Wuhan to sit the examination, though not outstanding in their studies, were both of absolutely stunning appearance.

"No need to worry," said Ma Luan, shaking his head. "Even if Wu Ake were as beautiful as a heavenly immortal, it would be useless — she is the Crown Prince's maternal cousin, and His Majesty has already said that cousin marriage is not permitted."

"But Wu Ake is not even the most beautiful," said Zheng Jiangong. "Wu Ahuan is the most outstanding in appearance of all the women sitting the examination. The cousin-marriage prohibition His Majesty spoke of refers to blood relations, and does not count adopted children. So this Wu Ahuan can become Crown Princess!"

The Ming dynasty had long had a rule against cousin marriage, though it was not strictly enforced, and there were plenty of loopholes — because the basis of this regulation was not biology but ethics. To prevent future Sons of Heaven of the Great Ming and princes of the imperial clan from producing mentally deficient heirs through close-kin marriage, Emperor Zhu had stipulated that blood relation be the basis for determining whether a marriage counted as cousin marriage.

Therefore Wu Ake could not stand for selection as Crown Princess, but Wu Ahuan could!

"Isn't Wu Ahuan ranked outside the top two hundred?" asked Luo Dagong. "She surely cannot pass the examination for the Women's University, can she?"

One of Luo Dagong's daughters had also passed the preliminary examination, ranked fifth! A proper top student! So he too cared about who could become Crown Princess — and naturally he also knew Wu Ahuan's ranking.

"The preliminary examination only had a literary test and no martial test, but the second examination includes a martial test," said Zheng Jiangong. "This Wu Ahuan is not only incomparably beautiful, but has practiced martial arts since childhood — riding, shooting, firearms, fencing, and the long spear, all without exception she excels at. And she is also thoroughly versed in military science! Her literary ranking is 255th, but in the martial test she should be able to rank first. Being admitted to the Women's University is no problem for her."

Hearing this, the several men present understood. The Wu family's Wu Ahuan had been "custom-made" for Zhu Hexing according to Zhu Cilang's requirements.

"Imperial Son-in-law," asked Luo Dagong, "do you know what the second examination will test?"

"It has not yet been decided," said Zheng Jiangong. "But martial arts and military science will certainly be tested. Because the Crown Princess and the consorts and ladies of the imperial princes will have the opportunity to serve as regents and administer the state — not understanding military affairs will not do.

In addition, financial management will certainly also be tested! With money and troops, the emperor's throne can be secure. If a sovereign lacks the ability to command the army and manage finances, then he must rely on his empress and consorts to assist him."

Zhu Cilang's approach here broke with convention — only a great restoration sovereign like him could accomplish it. But on careful thought, it was also quite reasonable. Because the pool of candidates for Crown Prince and heir-apparent was not large, and they could not be selected by examination!

But their wives could be carefully chosen, and of course one should select women capable of helping their husbands and sons govern the realm. In fact, the Ming's consort selection criteria in the past had also been very strict, but the standards were wrong — they did not test civil and military strategy or fiscal planning, but instead selected a batch of "female virtue class" graduates. When they were needed to help a young emperor or a lazy emperor govern, they were basically unreliable, and so power had to be left to civil officials and palace eunuchs.

Even worse, because the emperor, empress, and empress dowager all understood nothing, they could not distinguish who at court was loyal and who was treacherous, who was a capable minister who got things done, and who was a braggart and a windbag.

Because military strategy and martial arts would definitely be tested, the several southern high officials present all felt uncertain, and everyone turned their gaze toward Zheng Zhilong.

Zheng Zhilong looked over the assembled men and said slowly: "The key issue now is not what will be tested, but how the Crown Princess will be produced. Apart from the Crown Prince's same-surname kin and maternal cousins, is it the one with the highest examination score who becomes Crown Princess? This matter has not yet been settled!"

(End of Chapter)