Chapter 1639: Prince Xin Is Truly Greedy for Wealth

Zhu Youjian pushed aside the curtain of his sedan chair and looked out... What a familiar feeling! This was the Beijing he had yearned for in his dreams! The city was gray and dim, the streets uneven, and this road was lined everywhere with small vendors selling all kinds of food.

The aromas of various foods drifted over on the wind, and the cries of hawkers, now loud, now soft, lingered around his ears, giving Zhu Youjian an extraordinarily intimate feeling.

Occasionally carriages and horses came toward him, some splendid, some ordinary, their wheels clattering over the bumpy ground. Suddenly he saw a procession of extremely magnificent carriages sweep past under the escort of several dozen brocade-clad riders.

Zhu Youjian was, after all, Prince Xin, and when his sedan chair passed along the main street, ordinary carriages and chairs were supposed to yield the way. Although the Ming dynasty's discipline had grown lax and such things were no longer strictly observed, other people's carriages and chairs still slowed down and passed carefully when they met his.

"Which noble house is that?" Zhu Youjian asked in a low voice.

He did not really want to know; he was merely muttering to himself. But as it happened, a eunuch walking beside the sedan chair came up to answer.

"Your Highness, that is the carriage of the Duke of Ningguo's household."

"The Duke of Ningguo?" Zhu Youjian thought for a moment. "That would be Wei Liangqing!"

He sighed, then turned his head to glance at the man who had answered him — a middle-aged eunuch of about forty, somewhat plump, with regular features, fair and tender-skinned, his face full of fawning smiles.

This fellow was named Xu Yingyuan, the head eunuch of Prince Xin's residence. He was a sycophant, on very good terms with Wei Zhongxian, and the two often gambled together... In Zhu Youjian's previous life, he had detested this eunuch and had dismissed him from office on a charge of "toadying."

But the present Zhu Youjian did not dislike this flattering eunuch in the least... What emperor did not let people flatter him?

At this thought, he smiled and said to Xu Yingyuan: "Zhongxian may be capable and willing to work, but he is far too ostentatious, and that inevitably invites criticism and makes enemies on all sides — truly unwise. Companion Xu, in the future you must not be like him..."

In the future, I... Xu Yingyuan's heart surged with emotion at these words!

He knew, of course, that his master was about to become emperor! And the future and fate of him, the chief eunuch of the princely residence, had likewise reached the moment when the dice were about to be cast.

But Xu Yingyuan had always felt somewhat uneasy about the outcome. Although he had followed Zhu Youjian for many years, he had never reached the level of a true confidant. In this regard, he was self-aware: Zhu Youjian was not very close to him... Perhaps it was because he had gotten too close to Wei Zhongxian, and His Highness Prince Xin suspected him of being Wei Zhongxian's eyes and ears?

But now, hearing Prince Xin's tone, it seemed he wanted him to become a second Wei Zhongxian!

"Companion Xu," Zhu Youjian continued, "after we return, summon Zhou Shizhi and Shang Fuming as well. We must have a proper discussion."

Zhou Shizhi and Shang Fuming were both Zhu Youjian's companion-reader eunuchs, and together with Xu Yingyuan, they were the most reliable force Zhu Youjian had at present!

That was right! Zhu Youjian truly did intend to make heavy use of eunuchs!

This was also a precious lesson he had learned from more than fifty years as Retired Emperor... An emperor must not aim too high, nor spend his days fantasizing about loyal ministers and fine generals flocking to him. If there really had been that many loyal ministers and fine generals, he would not have been dragged off the throne at sword-point by an unfilial son in his previous life.

According to what he had learned over the following decades, the relationship between loyal ministers, fine generals, and a sage ruler was this — first there must be a sage ruler, and only then can there be loyal ministers and fine generals!

Loyal ministers and fine generals are all products of a sage ruler's employment; they are not hiding in some corner waiting for a sage ruler to come find them and give them office... That only happens in storytellers' tales.

Therefore, a sage ruler who knows how to use men, though he must still treat the worthy with courtesy and recruit the talented, does not actually "pick and choose" much. He simply uses whatever men he can get his hands on, and uses them until their names go down in history. After all, one cannot refuse to be emperor just because there are no talents available, can one?

And at present, what Zhu Youjian had at hand were the eunuchs of his princely establishment, headed by Xu Yingyuan, Zhou Shizhi, and Shang Fuming. Right — there was also Cao Huachun, who had recently offended Wei Zhongxian and been sent off to Fengyang to guard the imperial tombs; he too could be of use.

In the blink of an eye, Zhu Youjian was already in the study of Prince Xin's residence, meeting these three "good eunuchs." Among them, Zhou Shizhi was about the same age as Xu Yingyuan, and looked refined and scholarly — one could tell at a glance he was a cultured eunuch. Shang Fuming was somewhat sturdier in build and a little younger, not yet forty; he was a "martial eunuch," originally from the Directorate of the Imperial Horses.

Besides these three older, more senior eunuchs, Prince Xin's residence also had fifteen younger and lower-ranking eunuchs: Wang Zuo, Chen Bingzheng, Qi Benzheng, Zhang Chengqing, Wang Yongnian, Cao Wenxue, Zhang Dezong, Li Cheng'en, Xu Yannian, Shang Zuolin, Huang Yikui, Li Tianshou, Fan Shouning, Wang Shounian, and Gu Chunxiang. Among these, however, a few might be Wei Zhongxian's men.

So Zhu Youjian first spoke with the three closest and most reliable eunuchs.

Inside the study, the three eunuchs all stood with the utmost deference before Zhu Youjian, eyes on their noses, noses on their hearts, not so much as exchanging a glance with one another — every one of them the very picture of a good running dog, a good falcon and hound.

The feeling these three "good eunuchs" got from Zhu Youjian was somewhat strange. His appearance had not changed; he was still the same — tall, handsome, and even somewhat robust. But his bearing was utterly different!

The old Zhu Youjian had been a big child who wore whatever was on his mind right on his face, but now... his expression was utterly inscrutable. Could this be what they called "joy and anger never showing on one's face"?

He had only just become the heir, and already his abilities had grown?

Surely not that fast? Could he have been playing the fool all along? That would be a mind far too deep!

Just as the three were feeling suspicious, Zhu Youjian suddenly sighed and spoke: "Today His Majesty summoned the Grand Secretaries to Qianqing Palace and settled the foundation of the state... He will pass the throne to Us!"

The three "good eunuchs" had long known of this, but hearing Zhu Youjian say it now, they hastily bowed to offer congratulations — only to be stopped by a wave of Zhu Youjian's hand.

Zhu Youjian's face showed grief as he said: "Our Imperial Brother is but twenty-three this year, yet already mortally ill, and he has no heir to succeed him... This is a great misfortune, so do not offer congratulations."

"Great King, matters of life and death are ordained by Heaven; you must not grieve too deeply."

"Yes, Great King, this is all Heaven's mandate!"

"This is all Heaven's will!"

Seeing Zhu Youjian's sorrowful, grieving expression, the three eunuchs began to console him. They had no fine words to offer — they simply blamed everything on Heaven.

Zhu Youjian also sighed and nodded: "Since it is Heaven's will to lay this burden of ten thousand jun upon Our shoulders, We can only strive with all Our might to live up to the expectations of Our ancestors and Our Imperial Brother... You three are Our trusted pillars, sharing glory and ruin with Us! Therefore this burden dropped from Heaven is Ours, and it is also yours. Are you willing to bear this heavy responsibility together with Us?"

The three "good eunuchs" were so moved they nearly wept. None could remain standing; one after another they knelt before Zhu Youjian — this was probably what was meant by "bowing one's head and prostrating oneself."

"Great King, how could this slave dare share the heavy burden with you? This slave is but your running dog, your falcon and hound!"

"This slave is willing to be ground to dust for the Great King..."

"So long as the Great King gives the word, this slave will climb mountains of blades and plunge into seas of fire without hesitation!"

Zhu Youjian looked at the three of them and nodded with satisfaction.

It did not matter whose side these three had been on in the past... What mattered was that the status Zhu Youjian could give them was something Wei Zhongxian could never bestow!

Zhu Youjian waved at the three. "All of you, rise. Rise and speak."

The three eunuchs all stood up and continued standing with hands lowered and shoulders dropped.

Zhu Youjian paused, then continued: "You three are all old hands in the palace, more familiar with its inner workings than We are. Speak, then... What must We be mindful of? How many factions are there in the palace now?"

Zhu Youjian in fact already knew the answer — of course the palace was not solely Wei Zhongxian's faction. Otherwise, in his previous life, Wei Zhongxian would not have been so easily toppled by Zhu Youjian.

But right now he simply wanted to hear these three eunuchs speak... This was what it meant to open one's heart!