Chapter 7: Imperial Manor 3

"Reporting to His Majesty, this river is called the White Wave River. In the past, its water volume was very large, and the fields on both banks were easy to irrigate, producing much more grain than now. But in recent years, the water volume has grown smaller and smaller. If a few more years pass, the fields won't be able to rely on it anymore! When that time comes, the farming households in the manor won't know what to do, alas!"

Liu Chao sighed as he introduced the area, and his final sigh brought a slight smile to Zhu Youjian's face.

"Liu Chao, how many years have you managed this manor?"

Zhu Youjian asked.

"Reporting to His Majesty, this servant has been assigned to this manor for five years now. Because the grain I deliver to the palace each year exceeds that of other manors by a great margin, I was fortunate enough to earn the appreciation of Eunuch Cao, who promoted me to Serving Attendant of the Directorate of the Imperial Horses!"

"Well done. Keep up the good work, and I will not treat you unfairly."

Zhu Youjian said in a warm voice.

He knew very well in his heart that everyone in the world craves praise from others. Especially when a subordinate performs well, appropriate encouragement from a superior will make him work even harder.

"This servant does not deserve Your Majesty's praise. I only wish to devote myself wholeheartedly to serving Your Majesty's household!"

Sure enough, Liu Chao, praised by the Emperor, broke into a genuine beaming smile, and his reply carried a spirit of magnanimity.

"I intend to turn this manor into a test field. Corn and sweet potatoes are the first step. After that, I will build workshops here to manufacture some essential items. This matter must not be known to anyone! From now on, your responsibility will be very great. This is my test of you, and it remains to be seen whether you can bear it! If you complete it well, then in the future you will be respectfully addressed as 'Eunuch' within the palace! But if you fail my trust, you can guess the consequences yourself!"

Chongzhen said calmly, hands clasped behind his back, gazing into the distance.

Liu Chao's mind raced. Essential items, and corn and sweet potatoes—he hadn't fully understood what a "test field" meant, but he roughly grasped that His Majesty intended to give him great responsibility! If he did well, then in the future he would be no mere Serving Attendant!

His Majesty had said it himself—others would address him as "Eunuch"! Those who could be called Eunuch in the palace were great figures like Eunuch Cao and Eunuch Wang!

All these thoughts passed through his mind in an instant. Liu Chao immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying: "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Even if this servant must give up his life, I will not fail the tasks Your Majesty assigns! If I do poorly, there will be no need for Your Majesty to punish me—I will find a place and end my own life!"

"Rise. Hearing one's words is not as good as observing one's deeds. I will see how you conduct yourself from now on."

Zhu Youjian did not look at him, but stood with hands clasped behind his back, gazing out. At the end of the fields lay verdant mountain ranges, towering and undulating, stretching on without end.

"What mountain is that in the distance?"

Zhu Youjian asked.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, that mountain in the distance is called Miaofeng Mountain. Below the mountain there is a village called Mentougou. The gully there produces coal. In the past, the local villagers would dig coal every winter and sell it in the capital, and the village became fairly prosperous because of it. But a few years ago, I heard that some noble relative enclosed the coal gully for himself, digging and selling the coal on his own while forbidding others from mining. This stirred up endless resentment among the local villagers, and I heard that there was even a death because of it before."

Zhu Youjian's face darkened. He turned to Luo Yangxing and instructed: "When we return, investigate clearly who did this! Competing with the people for profit and causing deaths—who gave him the courage!"

Luo Yangxing hastily acknowledged. He summoned an Embroidered Uniform Guard attendant, whispered a few instructions, and the attendant turned and strode away swiftly. Before long, the sound of urgent horse hooves faded from near to far.

Zhu Youjian was extremely satisfied with Luo Yangxing's efficiency and attitude. He gave him an approving look and said: "It's rare to get out. We'll stay here for the night, and set out back to the palace tomorrow morning!"

Wang Cheng'en was greatly alarmed at these words and hurriedly stepped forward to advise: "Your Majesty, it is not yet noon. Returning to the palace after the midday meal would not be too late. Staying overnight here is not only unsafe—when the Grand Secretaries and ministers learn of it, they will also make trouble!"

"No need to worry about safety, and no need to bother with the ministers! The Grand Secretaries know well that I have been sequestered in Wuying Hall and have not received court officials. Besides, Wen Tiren is not a man without discernment! If he says nothing, who else would invite trouble upon themselves? I still need to think things over carefully here, then produce a plan for Liu Chao to carry out! Companion, no more persuasion. My mind is made up—go make the arrangements!"

Zhu Youjian replied with a smile.

His predecessor, the Chongzhen Emperor, had never left the palace except for sacrifices. Now, suddenly and unexpectedly, he wanted to spend the night outside the palace—this made Wang Cheng'en feel very unsettled.

"I cannot remain forever inside the palace, knowing nothing of matters beyond its walls or of the people's suffering! I want to be an emperor who stays close to the ground, not a puppet who only schemes against civil officials!"

Luo Yangxing and the others dared not respond to the Emperor's words and could only lower their heads in acknowledgment, for these words already touched upon the court, and given their three identities, none of them could interject.

By the time they returned to the village head's home, it was already midday. Wang Cheng'en and Liu Chao hurried off to prepare the midday meal, while Zhu Youjian and Luo Yangxing sat in the room drinking tea and waiting.

Before long, Wang Cheng'en and Liu Chao entered the room carrying food. Liu Chao's face was wreathed in smiles as he said to Zhu Zhenqing: "Your Majesty, the fare in the countryside is crude and simple. Please be tolerant!"

Zhu Youjian laughed: "Food and drink are but trivial matters. The realm is not at peace these days. Compared to those common folk who have died of starvation, being able to eat one's fill is already a blessing! On ordinary days in the palace, I have reduced dishes and cut back on music. Extravagant pleasures are not what I desire!"

Luo Yangxing and the others bowed in unison and said respectfully: "His Majesty is truly a sage ruler for the ages. We, your servants, are filled with admiration!"

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and said: "No more words of flattery. I am diligent and frugal, hoping only to revive the Great Ming and rescue the common people from fire and water. Only then can I face our ancestors with a clear conscience!"

The dishes were set upon the table—eight dishes and eight bowls. Though they could not be called delicacies, they were still fairly sumptuous.

Zhu Youjian instructed: "Keep four dishes—that will be enough for Luo Yangxing and myself. Give the rest to the guards to enjoy."

Wang Cheng'en hesitated: "Your Majesty, the food is not much to begin with. Giving it away to others would make things seem too shabby!"

Zhu Youjian urged: "Just do as I instruct! Companion, you have been by my side for years—do you not know that I dislike waste?"

Wang Cheng'en had no choice. He and Liu Chao removed the remaining dishes, leaving only four on the table.

Zhu Youjian beckoned Luo Yangxing to sit down, picked up his bowl of rice, and ate with the dishes. Wang Cheng'en and Liu Chao stood to the side attending.

The ancients held that one should not speak while eating, so the meal passed in silence. Before long, Zhu Youjian had finished a bowl of rice, though the dishes on the table had barely been touched. Luo Yangxing, extremely constrained in the Emperor's presence, also ate only a single bowl of rice and did not dare reach for the dishes at all.

Zhu Youjian paid him no mind. He set down his empty bowl and stood up on his own, saying: "I am full. I'll go out for a walk to aid digestion. Wang Cheng'en, you two sit down and eat. No need to follow—I will only be in the courtyard."

Luo Yangxing had not expected the Emperor to dine so quickly. He hastily set down his rice bowl and said: "Your servant is also full. I shall accompany Your Majesty on the walk."

Wang Cheng'en and Liu Chao were about to follow, but Zhu Youjian shot them both a glare, and the two had no choice but to remain in the room.

The sovereign and his minister walked one after the other into the courtyard. The guards were taking turns eating their meals. Seeing the Emperor come out, those who were eating quickly put down their bowls and grabbed their weapons, preparing to guard him.

Zhu Youjian said gently: "You all keep eating. I am merely walking in the courtyard—no need to be tense!"

Only then did the guards relax. Those who had not finished picked up their bowls again and resumed wolfing down their food with big mouthfuls.

After walking a few steps, Zhu Youjian suddenly remembered something. He turned to Luo Yangxing behind him and asked: "Luo Qing, do the mounted riders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard make use of fire lances?"

Luo Yangxing hastily reported: "In answer to Your Majesty, the mounted riders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are all men of high martial skill. They ordinarily use sabers, spears, bows, and crossbows as their weapons, and very few use fire lances. This is because fire lances are long and bulky, troublesome to fire, and weak in power—the officers and men are all unwilling to use them."

Zhu Youjian's brows furrowed upon hearing this.

Familiar as he was with the course of history, he knew perfectly well that firearms replacing cold weapons was the inevitable trend.

But the quality of Ming firearms was truly hard to commend: fire lances had no standardized process, with bores of inconsistent sizes; the shot had the same problem; and the gunpowder was not pure black powder either. All this resulted in fire lances having too short a range and insufficient killing power. Moreover, because of the craftsmen's shoddy workmanship, fire lances were extremely prone to bursting their barrels.

In the Great Ming, craftsmen who made firearms had no status whatsoever. When one had no clothes or food and was enduring hunger, who would put their heart into production?

In truth, the Great Ming did not lack excellent craftsmen. The key was to establish strict regulations, with clear rewards and punishments, to fully mobilize the craftsmen's enthusiasm and stimulate their creativity.

Under the oversight of a sound system, firearms would surely shine brilliantly in actual combat, no longer existing as chicken ribs that soldiers cast aside like worn-out shoes.

Mao Yuanyi! This name suddenly flashed through Zhu Youjian's mind like lightning.

This was a true firearms expert of the late Ming—skilled in both letters and arms, described by his contemporaries as "dismounting to be a scholar, mounting to be a general." Such talent must not be buried. He just wondered where Mao Yuanyi was at this moment.

Right, there was also another great master of firearms—Bi Maokang. He was a figure of great renown in later ages. If Mao Yuanyi was a firearms expert, then Bi Maokang was a firearms grandmaster.

He vaguely remembered that in history, Bi Maokang had successfully developed the flintlock fire lance—a truly epoch-making invention.

Current fire lances were constrained by weather conditions. Once there was rain, snow, or strong wind, they were basically unusable, severely affecting the soldiers' combat effectiveness.

But the old gentleman must be quite advanced in years—he retired to his hometown in the fifth year of Chongzhen with the rank of Vice Minister of War in Nanjing. I wonder if his health can bear the heavy burden I intend to place upon him?

With this thought, he immediately gave orders: "Luo Qing, arrange men at once to seek out two people!"

After Zhu Youjian spoke the names, he continued: "Send someone with my personal edict—once the two are found, escort them to the capital immediately! Bi Maokang is advanced in years; have the local authorities arrange attendants to care for him properly!"

Luo Yangxing bowed and accepted the order.

He had heard of Bi Maokang—after all, he was a high official who had retired from office.

But this Mao Yuanyi he had never heard of. Still, he could see His Majesty placed great importance on him, so he would need to send capable men—he could not afford to give His Majesty any cause for complaint.

He beckoned over an officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and gave low-voiced instructions. The officer acknowledged the order, turned swiftly, and left through the courtyard gate, mounting his horse and riding straight toward the capital.

As they spoke, Wang Cheng'en and Liu Chao finished their meal and came out of the house to Zhu Youjian's side. Wang Cheng'en bowed and said: "His Majesty, would you care to rest for a while?"

Zhu Youjian smiled and said: "I am hardly in my dotage—no need for rest. You two come with me; I have matters to discuss. Liu Chao, go fetch brush and ink. Luo Qing, find a place and think carefully on the personal guard matters I have spoken of—prepare a proposal for me."

Having said this, Zhu Youjian turned and led the way back into the house.