Chapter 441: The Man Who Knew the Human Heart: Wang Dehua

"As I understand it, whether palace women or castrated men, few enjoy wealth, health, and comfort in their old age—most end in bleak circumstances. You are not outsiders; you are all old retainers who have followed me since my days in the princely household. I know that although you have no immediate worries, you cannot help but feel sympathy for those of your kind. Is that not so?"

Zhu Youjian asked in a gentle tone.

"To answer Your Majesty's question, Your Majesty's words strike straight at the hearts of this old servant and the others! Though we old servants are somewhat greedy, and though our methods toward erring maids and servants are somewhat harsh, we are not ordinary men, yet our consciences are not entirely lost—we are deeply aware of the suffering of the many servants!

It is only that the ancestors established many rules, and we old servants are powerless to change them. At times we too fear falling into such a pitiful state. When we think of such scenes, we old servants are truly terrified in our hearts, dreading that we cannot meet a good end! Alas!"

Cao Huachun, who had remained silent until now, picked up Zhu Youjian's thread. While straining to recall the fates of powerful eunuchs of past dynasties, he spoke in a low voice, and by the end his eyes had reddened slightly. Wang Dehua and Wang Cheng'en likewise nodded and sighed repeatedly.

"Companion Cao, there is no need for such distress! You are all men I trust. So long as you are loyal to the imperial house and diligent in state affairs, I will surely grant you a good end!"

Seeing the white-haired and white-bearded Cao Huachun pour out his heart, Zhu Youjian sighed inwardly before comforting him in a warm tone.

"We old servants thank Your Majesty for this grace! Though we old servants bear hidden afflictions, we have known Heaven, Earth, sovereign, and parents since childhood! Toward Your Majesty's family and toward the Great Ming, we have never harbored the slightest disloyalty! Your Majesty's family has always treated us old servants as family, and this sincerity we can truly feel in our hearts!

We only pray that the Great Ming may endure for ten thousand generations, and that we old servants may share a measure of your favor alongside Your Majesty's family—with that, we shall be fully content!"

Upon hearing Zhu Youjian's promise, the three men, overcome with emotion, hastily knelt and knocked their heads against the floor with audible thuds to express gratitude for the Emperor's grace.

"Rise, and let me finish what I have to say!"

Zhu Youjian spoke as he returned to sit upon the dragon throne. The three men rose and quickly gathered at his side.

"This is my plan: for the aged and infirm eunuchs in the palace, according to their personal wishes, they shall be placed respectively in the capital's temples, Daoist abbeys, or almshouses. The privy purse shall provide part of their food and clothing expenses, with the remainder borne by the place where they reside.

Should they pass away, the privy purse shall also fund the purchase of land for their burial. The cost of medicine for their daily illnesses may likewise be borne by the palace. And for those who wish to return to their hometowns to reunite with their families, the palace shall bear the cost of their journey. With such plans of mine, do my Companions have any objections?"

"Your Majesty! Waaah waaah waaah~~~ Your Majesty is the son of the Heavenly Emperor, and amid handling myriad affairs of state, you would still make such meticulous provision for countless base persons. This old servant truly... waaah waaah~~"

"Your Majesty! This old servant, on behalf of the countless maids and servants in the palace, thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness and virtue! This old servant only wishes that Your Majesty's family enjoy fortune, longevity, health, and peace, and that the Great Ming's rivers and mountains endure for ten thousand generations!"

"Your Majesty, this old servant dares to claim he is one who has read widely in poetry and books! This old servant feels that from the First Emperor to this day, there has never been a Son of Heaven as benevolent as Your Majesty in all the world! That this old servant has had the fortune to serve Your Majesty in this life—who knows how much virtue our ancestors accumulated to earn such blessing!"

Having heard Zhu Youjian's plan, the three men one after another fell to their knees with a thud and knocked their heads against the ground.

Zhu Youjian's act of considering the welfare of those around him moved Wang Dehua and the others beyond measure, and Cao Huachun, who had not yet emerged from his earlier melancholy, wept bitterly.

They were all veterans of the palace, intimately familiar with the secret histories of successive reigns. Having witnessed with their own eyes many aged and infirm eunuchs die silently, unnoticed by anyone, they could not help but feel that grief of the fox mourning the hare's death.

But all this was dictated by ancestral rules. Throughout the ages, though many eunuchs had wielded immense power, even if they wished to change these things, in the end they were willing but powerless.

No matter how close successive emperors were to them, the relationship was ultimately that of master and servant. Many emperors would deliberately or inadvertently overlook the private desires and selfish thoughts of their servants—but if anyone dared to presume too far upon their favor, the consequences could well be imagined.

Unexpectedly, the present sovereign not only treated those close to him with warmth, but regarded every servant in the palace as his own subjects, and had actually proposed such a meticulously considerate policy—truly unprecedented in a thousand years.

It could well be imagined that once the Emperor's actions became known to the people of the palace, countless would kneel and wail, kowtowing in gratitude for the Emperor's benevolent heart and virtuous deeds.

"My Companions, rise. I have never regarded eunuchs as beings apart. In my eyes, anyone who serves the Great Ming and is loyal to the imperial house—regardless of status or position—receives equal treatment from me. Ah, I have also remembered one more matter."

Zhu Youjian spoke a few words of comfort, and the three men rose one after another from the ground. Cao Huachun still sobbed from time to time.

"May this old servant ask what other instructions Your Majesty has?"

Wang Dehua took several deep breaths to calm the surging emotions within him, then bowed respectfully.

"I neglected to mention in what I said just now: for those who wish to retire to the almshouses and who have studied at the Inner Palace School, if they are willing to select orphans from the almshouses and teach them to read and write, the palace will naturally fund whatever they require. When you make the announcement, remember to emphasize this point. And bear in mind—it is entirely voluntary, no coercion!"

This point had come to Zhu Youjian suddenly. Acting on the principle of putting every talent to its best use, he specifically stressed it to Wang Dehua and the others.

Among the eunuchs leaving the palace to spend their remaining years, many had attended the Inner Palace School, and some possessed literary attainments that rivaled even juren and jinshi. For such talents to merely retire would be rather a waste.

Under Zhu Youjian's vigorous support, six almshouses had already been established in the capital, housing some three thousand elderly and frail persons who were alone in the world and had essentially lost the ability to work.

To facilitate mutual assistance and care among the old, weak, women, and children in the almshouses, following Zhu Youjian's instructions, these several thousand people were placed in separate arrangements, mixing old and young, women and children, so that they might support one another.

Of course, the almshouses also hired many sturdy women to care for those taken in, but an extra pair of hands was never a bad thing.

In view of the considerable number of orphans in the almshouses, Zhu Youjian had put forward this plan, with the aim of letting these aging eunuchs contribute their last measure of warmth.

There was no helping it—the Great Ming had too few literate men, and the illiteracy rate was simply too high.

Having these scholars who devoted themselves solely to the imperial examinations go teach was completely unrealistic.

For now, the only option was to advance the cause of literacy through such piecemeal methods. After all, one fewer illiterate was one fewer, and it was better than doing nothing at all.

It seemed he would still need to find ways to attract more scholars to devote themselves to education.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty! Your Majesty has shown us servants boundless grace—how could we fail to repay such kindness? We old servants need only hint that Your Majesty has decreed that any who put their talents to full use and devote themselves wholeheartedly to the tasks entrusted by Your Majesty may even be permitted to adopt a foster son to care for them in their old age and see to their funeral rites. Surely those talented servants will flock to the opportunity? Heh heh heh heh!"

Wang Dehua first bowed respectfully, then spoke of his scheme with satisfaction.

"Hahahaha! Well done, you Wang Dehua—this scheme truly understands the human heart! With such a two-pronged approach, I believe this matter will surely achieve excellent results! Very well, these are the matters I entrust today. Companion Wang, Companion Cao, you may go and make the announcement! Companion, let us go to Kunning Palace!"