Chapter 1335: The Crown Princess Takes Office (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

This time Ding Yuying truly misunderstood Zhu Cilang, because Zhu Cilang never expected two sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youths to manage a county well!

The parent of a county, the lord of a hundred li, has never been an easy post. In later ages, the people doing this job were mostly uncles and aunties who had been officials for many years — and even they could not necessarily do it well, let alone two children?

However clever Ding Yuying might be, she could not possibly run a county in perfect order, so doing it badly was certain, and doing it well would surely be cheating! So no matter how badly Ding Yuying did, Zhu Cilang was not going to give her a grand funeral. On the contrary, if she really did manage a county well, the Zhu Emperor would send people to investigate thoroughly and see whether someone was manipulating things behind her back.

Zhu Cilang sent Zhu Hexing and Ding Yuying, husband and wife, to govern a county precisely because he hoped they would mess things up themselves. Only in this way would the two of them learn how hard local governance was, and at the same time understand how the grassroots of the Great Ming actually worked.

After they had messed up a county, Zhu Cilang would, a few years later, let the two of them go and wreak havoc on a prefecture — and later still, he would have them manage a military governorship.

And in the intervals between these spells of going out and ruining localities, Ding Yuying still had to complete her studies and begin taking part in the management of the Royal Chamber of Commerce — this would let her understand how Ming industry and commerce operated. Zhu Hexing, for his part, would join the army after finishing his studies at the Military Academy and familiarize himself with every aspect of the Ming military.

Only by accumulating enough experience in local governance, industry and commerce, and the military could this couple possibly grow into enlightened rulers of a generation. So the blind meddling of the Retired Emperor Chongzhen back in the day was a perfectly natural thing — he was just a sixteen-year-old boy who understood nothing and had read only a few books of the sages. How could he possibly have been an enlightened ruler? That the Great Ming was governed worse and worse under him was entirely normal.

Yiling Prefecture, the traveling palace of the Ming Son of Heaven.

Crown Prince Zhu Hexing, who had not seen his Imperial Father for quite some time, now finally met the great Zhu Emperor together with Ding Yuying, his heart uneasy.

The reason for his unease was, of course, that he had failed French again. If he were not the Crown Prince, he would be due for a beating!

"Lucky boy, Yuying, both of you sit. We have good news to tell you!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile, looking to be in a fine mood. He did not bring up Zhu Hexing's coming last in the French exam, and very warmly urged him and Ding Yuying to take their seats.

Zhu Hexing was still somewhat guilty and did not dare speak; instead he glanced at his wife, Ding Yuying. Ding Yuying asked with a smile, "Imperial Father, what good news may your daughter-in-law hear?"

"Of course!" Zhu Cilang laughed. "Your man is going to become an official!"

The Crown Prince becoming an official?

That was a novel thing to hear!

"What office is he going to hold?" Ding Yuying asked next.

"He is going to be the Vice Magistrate of Shizhu County, under a false name," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "Before long, you will be a ranked official of the eighth grade in the Great Ming!"

An eighth-grade ranked official? Zhu Hexing thought to himself: such a small office is still quite a rare thing — I have hardly ever seen one in all my years. I wonder whether it is hard to hold?

"Imperial Father," Ding Yuying said with a smile, "your daughter-in-law worries that her husband cannot handle this office well!"

Can't even handle an eighth-grade post? Zhu Hexing was a little displeased to hear this, and broke in: "Imperial Father, don't listen to her. How hard can an eighth-grade post be? Your son is the Crown Prince — how could he possibly fail at it?"

Ding Yuying glanced at her brimming-with-confidence husband, and her heart was bitter!

Are you the one holding this office? Clearly I am the one holding it! If it is not done well, someone could lose their life!

Zhu Cilang laughed: "The Vice Magistrate post is of course easy to hold — the proper County Magistrate takes the brunt of everything. We have already sent Ma Wanchun to serve as Shizhu County Magistrate. Follow him and study well for two months, and after that We will send you elsewhere to serve as a County Magistrate."

Ma Wanchun was the younger brother of Ma Wannian, the Military Governor of Western Sichuan. He had been serving as a County Magistrate under Zunyi Prefecture (under Western Sichuan military administration), and Shizhu was moreover his family home — he was a grandson of Qin Liangyu, and Shizhu was his family's hereditary domain. However, after the Ma family withdrew from Shizhu, the locality had been thoroughly remade by the Shun court, and the Ma family's foundations there no longer existed, so it was impossible to restore the Shizhu Pacification Commission. Ma Wanchun therefore went to Shizhu to take office as a circulating official.

The Ma family, however, had not lost out in this upheaval. Although they had lost Shizhu, they had gained the lands around Hailongtun in Zunyi Prefecture — the former core territory of the Yang clan of Bozhou, which had now become the territory of the Shizhu Ma family. Compared with Shizhu, Hailongtun, situated on the main route between Sichuan and Guizhou, was far better.

"Your son understands," Zhu Hexing said, thumping his chest. "Your son will certainly study well with that Ma — Ma Wanchun — and learn to be a County Magistrate!"

As long as I don't have to study French!

Zhu Cilang glanced again at Ding Yuying, and Ding Yuying also nodded: "Imperial Father, your daughter-in-law will also certainly — certainly urge His Highness the Crown Prince to study well at being a County Magistrate!"

Zhu Hexing was a little displeased to hear this. He was the Crown Prince — how could he be urged on by the Crown Princess? He frowned and was about to speak, but the Zhu Emperor spoke first: "Yuying, you must not only urge the Crown Prince — you must study together with him!"

Zhu Hexing was dumbfounded. Was this the Crown Prince becoming an official, or the Crown Princess becoming an official?

The Zhu Emperor looked at his son and laughed: "Lucky boy, holding office is not easy, and the lord of a hundred li is harder still. Your temperament is too rough, and not as careful as Yuying's, so We have Yuying study together with you. Later the two of you will manage a county together. Remember — when husband and wife are of one heart, their sharpness can cut through metal!"

The words were tactful, but Zhu Hexing could still understand the meaning within them! The Zhu Emperor was saying: "You silly boy are slow-witted and cannot learn to be a County Magistrate. That is why your wife is to study together with you — so that once you have both learned, you can go and be trainee County Magistrates together!"

"What Imperial Father says is absolutely right. Your son will certainly study together with Yuying."

The Crown Prince naturally did not dare talk back to his Imperial Father.

Zhu Cilang waved a hand. "Lucky boy, you may withdraw for now. You failed French again this time — go back quickly and memorize vocabulary! We still have words to give Yuying."

The moment he heard "French exam" and "memorize vocabulary," Zhu Hexing ran faster than a rabbit. He saluted and darted out of the great hall of the traveling palace.

The Zhu Emperor watched his son's retreating figure, sighed softly, and then said to his daughter-in-law Ding Yuying: "Yuying, We have truly put you through hardship!"

"What is Imperial Father saying? Your daughter-in-law does not fear hardship."

Zhu Cilang laughed: "Only by enduring the bitterest of bitterness can one rise above others! The Crown Prince's natural gifts are limited; in the future he can only rely on you for more support. But although you are exceptionally clever, you are after all young and shallow in experience, and it will still not be easy for you to manage the affairs of a county. But do not be afraid — just go and do it boldly. If you do not do well, We will not punish you. We only want you and the Crown Prince to know that governance is not easy, and being a local parent-official is even harder!"

This was a golden amnesty token!

Ding Yuying let out a long breath and said to the Zhu Emperor: "Your daughter-in-law understands Imperial Father's pains, and will certainly assist the Crown Prince well and do her utmost to serve properly as an official of a county."

Zhu Cilang nodded and said: "But do not overwork yourself either. You are carrying a child; you must rest when you need to. It would be bad if you disturbed the pregnancy. And this county parent-official business is not something that can be done well by sheer toil alone."

Ding Yuying nodded: "Your daughter-in-law understands."

Zhu Cilang continued: "In truth, We have never been a lord of a hundred li either, and have nothing to teach you — only some broad principles. First, you must firmly grasp the official examinations. Only when you have capable people below you can the county's affairs be handled well. But toward these officials chosen by examination, you must combine leniency with strictness, and apply both grace and authority.

Second is land distribution and next year's spring plowing. The people regard food as heaven — this is the foremost matter! Subsoil rights (ownership) must be handled vaguely, while surface rights (use rights) are to be divided equally first. Land division must be completed before the spring plowing, and the sown area must be increased as much as possible.

Third is the registration of households. The population must be counted as thoroughly as possible; only when it is counted can villages and wards be established and fully controlled. Only when the population is grasped can corvée labor be apportioned reasonably.

Fourth is the establishment of local militia volunteers. The places you and the Crown Prince are going to are all newly recovered territories and will not be very stable. Although We will send the Imperial Guard to accompany you, maintaining local order will still depend on local volunteers.

If you and the Crown Prince do these four things well, your performance should not be too poor!"

(End of Chapter)