Chapter 958: Two Extremes

When Pan Yun returned to the capital, they were locked in their most heated debate.

Pan Yun did not visit 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, “State Master, is it truly safe to leave this unchecked?”

Pan Yun said, “Let them argue. In verbal combat, military officers can never outmatch civil officials.”

Zhu Qiyu: “But the military officers might rebel.”

“The Datong troops are under Kuang Ye’s command; Your Majesty holds the Forbidden Army; 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 wit—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, who in turn are deeply entangled with civil officials. If a thorough investigation is launched, none of them will escape. Their silence now stems only from the belief that 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 must indeed 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 imperial clan?”

Pan Yun nodded: “Once success is achieved in one region, it can be extended to multiple regions; if those regions also succeed, then nationwide implementation becomes possible. Though slow, it is secure.”

Zhu Qiyu: “Which region does the State Master deem suitable to begin?”

Pan Yun: “For reform, begin with Quanzhou Prefecture. But the military’s corruption must be investigated nationwide—even if some regions yield no concrete evidence, stir up the waters. Recover what food can be reclaimed, deter them from further action in the short term, 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, yet do not understand that military households serve the court and Your Majesty—they believe they merely till land for some lord.”

What difference is there between knowing only some 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 nobles and generals to counter the civil officials, so he delayed action. Moreover, the nobles grew arrogant from their merits, closely tied to their subordinates—hard to root out. I fear I shall follow my brother’s path and end up doing nothing.”

Pan Yun lowered her eyes in thought, then raised them and said, “In the recent campaign, the military nobles suffered heavy losses. For those noble generals who died, we may overlook past offenses—if their families voluntarily return the seized military farmland, Your Majesty may then 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 be trusted?”

Pan Yun nodded firmly: “They can!”

She spoke with deep implication: “Their grandfathers and fathers wallowed in inkpots—their clothes are stained black and cannot be washed clean. But these young men are still naive; youths carry within them a righteous spirit, untouched by such sordid deeds.”

She referred to Zhu Yi, son of the Duke of Cheng, Zhu Yong—Zhu Yong himself 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 Sun was furious with him—not only Empress Sun, but Zhu Qiyu hated him too.

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

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

Therefore, 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 opportunity 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: “Though born of military nobility, 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 strength, and no defensive talent—where would such a military noble be useful?”

Pan Yun: “He can be assigned to civil governance of local regions, or placed in posts with little conflict and greater focus on people’s livelihood. Even as a military officer, he may be stationed in a stable, long-peace region—he will surely manage relations between garrison troops and the local populace well.”

“Moreover…” Pan Yun paused, “He is, right now, the perfect blade.”

Zhu Qiyu’s gaze flickered.

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.

And as a Daoist, one should not meddle too deeply in state affairs; she merely acted as the Emperor’s eyes among the people, reporting 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 bureaucracy, then shut her door and lived her own life.

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

Meanwhile, the Emperor summoned Zhu Yi.

After Zhu Yi departed, the Emperor restored Zhu Yong’s title and reappointed Zhu Yi as heir.

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

Shi Heng and others sneered, but before they could mock Zhu Yi for misjudging his patron, 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 Duke of Cheng’s extravagant lifestyle, the family had to spend much of its wealth 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 Duke’s household and investigated their backgrounds.

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

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

Yes, this was precisely the Empress’s charitable project.

She now eagerly bought back servants and gave them homes, and loved 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 buying servants for charity; during this year’s Ghost Month, to pray for blessings and ward off calamity, many households voluntarily freed their servants and gave them resettlement silver.

With Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, they planned to pool funds to buy back servants from other regions.

The countryside rejoiced, while the court seethed with bloodshed—two extremes had formed.