Chapter 958: Two Extremes

When Pan Yun returned to Jingcheng, they were in the midst of their fiercest argument.

Pan Yun did not go to see her father or brothers; she directly brought her three junior disciples into the palace and took up residence in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

The moment she entered the palace, she appeared before the Emperor.

Zhu Qiyu looked anxious; seeing her sip tea slowly, he hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty's National Teacher, is it truly safe to leave this unchecked?"

Pan Yun said, "Let them argue. In verbal combat, military officers could never outmatch civil officials."

Zhu Qiyu: "But military officers might rebel."

"The Datong troops are under Kuang Ye's command; Your Majesty holds the Imperial Guard; Chen Huai has no leverage; Wang Ji is utterly loyal; Jing Yuan now wields considerable influence within the army; as for Yang Hong… he values reputation and possesses intelligence—Shi Heng cannot sway him."

Zhu Qiyu slowly sat down: "Then…"

Pan Yun said, "Your Majesty, the corruption among military nobles is not confined to their own ranks—they frequently collude with local gentry and powerful clans, and these local gentry and clans are deeply entangled with civil officials. If a thorough investigation is launched, not one of them will escape. Their silence now is merely because they believe Your Majesty lacks the will to pursue it deeply."

Zhu Qiyu, recalling last year's disastrous campaign, turned pale with rage: "The military and administrative systems of Great Ming truly must be reformed."

Pan Yun's gaze flickered slightly as she said, "But reform cannot be achieved overnight—it must begin with small-scale pilot trials."

Zhu Qiyu: "Like the reform of the Fengyang princely clan?"

Pan Yun nodded: "Once success is achieved in one region, it can be extended to multiple regions; if those regions also succeed, then it may be rolled out nationwide. Though slow, it is secure."

Zhu Qiyu: "Which region does Your Majesty's National Teacher deem suitable to begin?"

Pan Yun: "For reform, begin with Quanzhou Prefecture. But the corruption within the military must be investigated nationwide—even if some regions yield no root cause, stir up the hornets' nest. Recover what food can be reclaimed, deter them from acting for a time, and grant the military households a chance to breathe."

Pan Yun detailed the garrison farmland conditions she had observed along her journey: "Many children know they are born into military households, but do not understand that military households serve the court and Your Majesty—they think they merely till land for some my lord."

What difference is there between knowing only some my lord and not knowing the Emperor?

Any emperor who heard this would turn black with fury.

Zhu Qiyu paced in place, furious: "My elder brother long wished to reorganize the military, but he relied on the military nobles to counter the civil officials, so he delayed action. Moreover, the nobles grew arrogant from their merits, closely tied to their subordinates—hard to act against. I fear I shall follow my elder brother's path and end up doing nothing."

Pan Yun lowered her gaze in thought, then raised her head: "In the recent campaign, the military nobles suffered heavy losses. For those noble officers who died, we may pardon their past sins—if their families voluntarily return the seized military farmland, Your Majesty may summon their sons and grandsons, comfort them, and bestow favors. With them leading the way, others will be easier to handle."

Zhu Qiyu blinked in surprise: "Can they?"

Pan Yun nodded firmly: "They can!"

She spoke with deep implication: "Their grandfathers and fathers rolled in inkpots—their bodies are stained black and cannot be washed clean. But they themselves are still young, full of youthful spirit, untouched by such filth."

She referred to Zhu Yi, son of Duke Cheng Zhu Yong, whose father had been riddled with misconduct.

Because he commanded the Capital Garrison and was one of the key generals accompanying the Emperor, he had blundered into a Wala encirclement and commanded poorly. Even though he died in battle, Empress Dowager Sun was furious with him—not only her, but Zhu Qiyu hated him too.

They deemed him incompetent, a disgrace to the army; thus, while many fallen generals received posthumous honors and state funerals, he and Wang Zhen received none.

Oh, he was still of Wang Zhen's faction.

After Zhu Yong's death, his son Zhu Yi could never inherit the title, and had nowhere to appeal.

Pan Yun said, "Today, as I entered the palace, I happened to see him at the Imperial City gate. My curiosity stirred, so I took the chance to read his physiognomy."

Zhu Qiyu's eyes lit up: "What did you see?"

"He is more upright, calm, and steady than his father—but…"

Seeing her fall silent mid-sentence, Zhu Qiyu leaned forward: "But what?"

Pan Yun smiled faintly: "Yet though he is of military noble stock, he is frail and lacks defensive talent. In martial skill, he falls far short of his father."

Zhu Qiyu frowned: "Frail—that means no offensive capability, and no defensive talent. Where would such a military noble be useful?"

Pan Yun: "He may serve as a civil official governing a region, or be placed in posts with little conflict and greater focus on people's livelihood. Even if used as a military officer, he may be stationed in a stable region—he will surely manage relations between garrison troops and local authorities well."

"And…" Pan Yun paused, "He is, right now, the perfect blade."

Zhu Qiyu's gaze flickered slightly.

He did not press further. Pan Yun returned to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to rest.

She had traveled over a month—she was very tired.

Moreover, state affairs—Daoist Priests should not meddle too deeply. She merely acted as the Emperor's envoy to inspect the people, reporting to him what she had seen.

If the Emperor flew into a rage over military administration, what did that have to do with her?

Pan Yun stirred up the storm of the officialdom, then closed her door and lived her own life.

Every day she cultivated, visited the Ministry of Works, and busied herself delightfully.

Meanwhile, the Emperor summoned Zhu Yi.

After Zhu Yi left, the Emperor restored Zhu Yong's title and reappointed Zhu Yi as heir.

Zhu Yong was dead, yet Zhu Yi was still the heir.

Shi Heng and others sneered, but before they could mock Zhu Yi for misjudging his favor, Zhu Yi began reorganizing his household—rarely, he forced his clan to return the farmland they had seized.

Not to mention the land his father had seized—once audited, half the family's assets were consumed.

Zhu Yong had been close to Wang Zhen, bribing him frequently during his lifetime. Combined with the Chengguo Duke Mansion's extravagance, much of the family's wealth had to be spent just to balance the books.

To cut expenses, Zhu Yi dismissed many servants. The Empress, hearing this, immediately sent people to buy all the dismissed servants from the Chengguo Duke Mansion and verified their backgrounds.

Using the corrupt servants who had seized farmland, the Empress sent them all to work on the Imperial Estates. The rest of the servants were granted land and a portion of property, registered as commoners.

When these servants were sold, they were terrified; when they received their commoner registration documents, they were stunned. Only when they learned each was given two mu of land and two taels of resettlement silver did they freeze in disbelief, taking half a day to comprehend.

Yes, this was the Empress's charitable project.

She was now devoted to redeeming servants and giving them homes, and enjoyed arranging marriages for them.

Many maidservants from wealthy households were eagerly snatched up by small landowners in the countryside as brides, for they were seen as well-traveled.

To help them integrate faster into rural life, she loved arranging their marriages.

Following the Empress's example, everyone knew she favored redeeming servants for charity. During this year's Ghost Month, to pray for blessings and ward off disaster, many households voluntarily freed their servants and gave them resettlement silver.

With Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, they planned to raise funds to redeem servants from other regions.

The countryside was filled with joy; the court was drenched in blood and storm—two extremes had formed.