Chapter 1435: Oh No, Our Sons Have Been Swindled Away!

Having many sons also has its drawbacks — for instance, the cost of their weddings! In later generations, any family with two or three sons would surely be driven to distraction worrying about their sons' wedding houses. And Chongzhen had more than a hundred sons! Apart from one imperial prince and four princes of the blood, the rest were all middling Commandery Princes. Their weddings couldn't simply be left unarranged!

Spending fifty or a hundred thousand on a Commandery Prince's wedding wouldn't be much, would it? With more than a hundred sons, that came to several million or even over ten million!

Now that the Ming imperial house ran on fixed budgets, these expenses of several million or more couldn't be claimed from the Ministry of Revenue — the Chongzhen Emperor had to pay them out of his own gold-and-silver allowance. But Chongzhen was a "poor father" with no head for money, and in recent years he had lost a disastrous amount investing in that bottomless pit, the Kingdom of Luzon, leaving him with hardly any surplus. The 350,000 taels he had earlier "sold" Zhu Cihuan for had now all been poured into the Kingdom of Luzon as well. He truly had nowhere to weep!

Now, hearing that Zhu Cilang was willing to take on the marriage arrangements for twelve of his younger brothers, the Chongzhen Retired Emperor felt a warmth in his heart — so even that unfilial son had moments of conscience!

"Imperial Grandfather, Imperial Father," Crown Princess Ding Yuying spoke up at this point, "this humble consort has heard it said that a true man should first establish himself in his career and only then start a family; only thus can he win a good match. If the Crown Prince's twelve uncles hold only bare Commandery Prince titles, I fear it will be hard to arrange good marriages for them, will it not?"

Chongzhen thought it over and found it reasonable. He had too many sons, and they had depreciated badly — a bare Commandery Prince wasn't worth much!

"But how is this career to be established?" Chongzhen looked at Zhu Cilang. "Eldest, they are all your own full brothers. You cannot ignore them!"

Zhu Cilang wore a thoroughly unwilling expression and even shot Ding Yuying a reproachful look — woman, why must you stick your nose into other people's business?

Ding Yuying seemed a bit "slow on the uptake" today, and went on speaking to Zhu Cilang: "Imperial Father, the Crown Prince is about to take command and lead a campaign against Oboi and Yolo, yet he has only just graduated from the Military Academy and has few men around him he can use — in particular, no usable civil officials. Since anyone would do, this consort feels that one's own uncles are surely more reliable than outsiders, are they not? Why not assign all twelve of the Crown Prince's uncles to serve in the Northern Expedition army?"

Zhu Cilang looked rather displeased, and his tone turned quite stern. "Yuying, you are still young and shallow in knowledge. How would you know how hard it is to serve well as a civil official in a frontier command? Those brothers of Ours have all grown up deep within the palace, ignorant of the treachery of the outside world. Send them to the northern frontier and they will only be cheated and ruined!"

Ding Yuying, undaunted, actually talked back to Zhu Cilang: "Imperial Father, the Crown Prince's uncles have at least graduated from middle school. Even if they took the civil service examinations on their own merits, they could still obtain some minor post."

Zhu Cilang, rebuffed by his daughter-in-law, was for a moment left speechless. After a pause he snorted: "The two commands of Heilongjiang and Andong are handed over to you husband and wife. If you botch it, We will not spare you! As for using Our little brothers, that matter must be decided by your Imperial Grandfather — they are all his sons!"

Ding Yuying, heedless of Emperor Zhu's expression, turned around and said with a smile to the Chongzhen Retired Emperor: "Imperial Grandfather, do let your twelve sons go out and gain some experience!"

The Chongzhen Retired Emperor had never had much of an impression of Ding Yuying, but today, seeing her rebuff Zhu Cilang, he found it especially satisfying! So the unfilial son had met his match! And so he at once felt she was a fine granddaughter-in-law. Since she was a fine granddaughter-in-law, of course he had to grant her request.

"Fine!" Chongzhen said cheerfully. "It's only twelve sons, isn't it? They're yours. Take them all to Heilongjiang and Andong and give them proper tempering. No tempering, no timber!"

Zhu Cilang still wore a reluctant look and snorted: "Since the Retired Emperor agrees, We have no objection either. The matter is settled, then. We shall issue an edict shortly transferring twelve sons of the Retired Emperor to the Crown Prince's army to serve in planning. Imperial Father, does that suit you?"

"It does." Chongzhen nodded with a smile, but the moment the words left his mouth, he sensed something was wrong.

Twelve sons just handed over like that? The ninth had been "sold" for 350,000 taels. Shipping out twelve at once — even at a wholesale price that ought to be two million! And now they had been handed to the Crown Prince without a single coin? They had been swindled away!

Had Our twelve sons just been swindled away like that?

The Chongzhen Retired Emperor realized something was amiss and wanted to go back on his word, but how could Zhu Cilang allow him to? Those were twelve Commandery Princes of the Zhu house, and close collateral at that, all of an age to marry and beget sons, all having attended middle school. Though none possessed great learning, and a few among them even met the standard of academic deadbeats.

But used in the right place, they would still be very useful! For instance, for marriage alliances. The Manchu, Barhu, and Mongol magnates of Heilongjiang and Andong would surely look very favorably upon these sons of the Retired Emperor. Most of the Chongzhen Retired Emperor's sons were good-looking; even if they were good-for-nothings, they were handsome good-for-nothings! Perfect for marriage alliances. And after the alliances, they needn't come back — just enfeoff them with land in Heilongjiang and Andong. Oboi and Yolo, those two rebels, and their followers all held land, which could now be granted to the twelve good-for-nothing princes.

Give each of them a city, and that made twelve cities — six in Heilongjiang, six in Andong — plus the Heilongjiang capital of Huining and Andong's Haishenwai, which was not yet the capital but which Zhu Cilang intended to build into one. Ming control over Heilongjiang and Andong would then be greatly strengthened!

And so these twelve good-for-nothing Commandery Princes were the trump cards in the hands of the lucky Crown Prince and Ding Yuying.

Emperor Zhu naturally could not let Chongzhen go back on his word, so he said to Chongzhen at once: "Imperial Father, the Commandery Princes of our Ming grow ever more numerous and ever less valuable. If they are not properly tempered and given official posts, your son will have no way to find them good marriages!"

Zhu Cilang was threatening Chongzhen — if you go back on your word, then so will I, and I'll wash my hands of my brothers' marriages!

Hearing this, the Chongzhen Retired Emperor naturally dared not retract, but he was still somewhat unwilling. "Eldest, those brothers of yours have no particular ability. Even if they go to Heilongjiang and Andong, they won't be of much use!"

Their use is enormous! Zhu Cilang thought to himself: you simply don't know how to use them. Without them, Heilongjiang and Andong would not be so easy to pacify!

Zhu Cilang said: "Imperial Father, in truth there are capable men among your son's brothers. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth are all quite good! At present, sixty or seventy of the older ones have finished middle school, nearly forty of them. Your son will examine them one by one later and pick twelve who are fit for use."

"Imperial Father, you cannot keep spoiling them and never let them go out to gain experience. A good man sets his ambitions upon the four quarters. With more tempering, perhaps a few talents will emerge. Otherwise, can you truly bear to let them guard three thousand mu of poor fields for the rest of their lives?"

Chongzhen was inwardly furious. Not a single coin given, and now they were even going to pick and choose! This deal was truly turning out to be a loss!

At that thought, he glanced again at Ding Yuying. Come to think of it, the loss had all been suffered on her account! This Crown Princess was even shrewder than the unfilial son — no wonder the unfilial son was so fond of her!

After seeing off the Ninth Prince Zhu Cihuan, and after he and Crown Princess Ding Yuying had sung in perfect harmony to swindle away the Chongzhen Retired Emperor's twelve good-for-nothing sons, Zhu Cilang returned cheerfully to Laoshan Palace.

Since he still needed to give instructions on the northern campaign and the marriage alliances, he brought Zhu Hexing and Ding Yuying back with him to the Hall of Imperial Supremacy. As the three of them entered the Hall of Imperial Supremacy chatting and laughing, they found Chief Grand Secretary Wei Zaode, Military Advisor Yan Yingyuan, Embroidered Uniform Guard Regional Commander Zhu Chunjie, Minister of War Li Yan, and Consort Ning Ajige already waiting there.

This was a rather odd combination. What was Ajige doing at the Hall of Imperial Supremacy? She had not yet been demoted to bondservant! Fan A'nu had not yet married, and the post of the Emperor's personal bondservant had not yet been vacated for her!

"Ajige, what has happened?" Zhu Cilang did not ask the ministers, but instead addressed Ajige, who was performing a Manchu curtsey to him.

"Your Majesty," Ajige said, "this consort has just received an urgent report from Andong. Vice Protector-General Yolo, in the ninth month, transferred his family, trusted aides, and personal guards to Heilongjiang, and also took with him the silver reserves in the Jianzhou prefectural treasury and the horses and mules kept at the Xingkai Lake horse farm. In addition, the Andong Military Commission reports that Russian troops have advanced from Nerchinsk upon Yaksa, and that Yolo's northward movement to Heilongjiang is to support the Heilongjiang Protectorate in resisting the enemy."

(End of Chapter)